Spiritual Birthday

Today is my spiritual birthday…28 years.  Let me tell you about it.  It was a Monday afternoon in 1983 in Montgomery, Alabama.  I was 21 years old and a backslider.  I had recently started attending a Pentecostal church and on this particular day, I was helping out in their daycare.  The night before, the pastor had preached about the second coming of Jesus.  Afterwards, I stayed awake all night long from fear and conviction, knowing I would not be saved if the Lord Jesus indeed did return.  All day on Monday, I was feeling out of sorts and finally at 3:00 pm in the afternoon I began to shake and cry under the continual conviction.  My pastor’s wife inquired what was wrong.  I told her about my fears of not being saved.  She and I went into the sanctuary area and there on the front pew, I began to repent and ask God to forgive me.  He then filled me with the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in other tongues just like they did in the book of Acts.

I had been filled with the Holy Ghost once before when I was 15 years old.  When I received the Holy Ghost the first time, it was during a church service where the music was playing loudly and the people were worshipping God exuberantly.  I doubted my experience, contributing it to the emotional hype of the service.  This second experience solidified me.  There was no music; no one was present but my pastor’s wife, me and God.  This time I knew it was God and not an emotional hype.

A few weeks later, I was baptized in water in Jesus’ Name.  I was one of the last people to be baptized in the horse trough the church used temporarily until they built their own baptistry.  Water baptism completed my salvation experience according to Acts 2:38, Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  My salvation was not obtained by anything that I had done.  I was merely obedient to the work Jesus Christ performed through His death, burial and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-4).

After my initial salvation experience, I continued to grow spiritually through faith and obedience to His Word.  Looking back over the last 28 years, I am so AMAZED at God’s mercy and grace in my life.  Early in my walk with Him, God gave me many dreams and visions, yet there were times when I doubted they could ever be reality because I was such a mess.  Today, I am actually living many of those dreams and visions.  And yes, in some ways, I am still a mess.  I am so thankful for His mercy and grace as I look expectantly ahead to living out the remaining dreams and visions. God is so good!

Radical

Every once in a while we read a book that causes us to radically change our perspectives on a particular subject.  The book, “Radical” by David Platt did exactly that for me.  The author compares the American Dream to the Great Commission as found in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  So many Americans hide behind their comfortable lifestyles and say, “Well, I’m not called to missions.”  It’s true, we are not called.  We are commanded.  It is clearly the will of God for us to take the gospel to the nations.

No, we cannot all physically go to another nation to take the gospel to the lost billions of people.  But, can we go to our neighborhoods?  The sad reality is that most of us are not going, not to another nation nor to another neighborhood, but rather we are sitting idle in our American churches enjoying our salvation.

The book challenges its readers to review their lifestyles, finances, talents and resources to see how these can be used to take the gospel to the untold billions of unsaved people.  The author gives us practical examples to help guide us in fulfilling the challenge.  He gives us inspiring stories of others who have radically changed their American lifestyles to ensure the gospel is preached into the entire world.  He gives us courageous stories of people in other countries who live radical lives by simply being a Christian.

I was deeply moved as I read stories of men and women who risked everything, including their lives, for the gospel in other countries.  I read stories of people who gathered together secretly in a small, dimly lit room for over eight hours of praying, studying the Word and worshipping God in a country where it is illegal to do so.  It burdened my heart to read about entire nations and/or people groups where there are no churches.  No Christians.  No missionaries.  No gospel.  No Jesus.  NO JESUS?!  Is this not a cause worth living for?  Is this not a cause worth dying for?  Lord, here am I.  Send me.

Rest

Absolutely nothing is happening on the home front.  I’ve raised very little money of the necessary budget.   The car has not sold and I’m still stuck in an apartment lease, among other things.  You know, I’m not stressed at all about it.  It will all happen according to God’s timing and plan.  Last time, I had several emotional meltdowns as I stressed over the preparations and finances.  I laugh now because the last time it was a 3 week trip and cost $3,000.  I am now facing a 6-8 month trip that costs $13,000.  Is it the impossibility of the task that gives me peace?  Is it my knowing only God and God alone can do this?

Three weeks ago, I wrote down on a piece of paper everything that needed to happen prior to my leaving for India.  I then placed the paper on the altar at church and left it there, literally.  I vowed not to pray another prayer over those needs.  I promised God I would praise Him and trust Him to supply the needs…all of them.  It was not resignation, not an attitude of “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it anyway.”  It was a deliberate and complete act of placing my trust in Him and His timing.

There is a powerful principle in the Bible that few of His people practice.  It is the principle of Rest.  Rest is not the same as relaxation.  Resting in Him involves prayer and the Word.  It involves praise, worship and adoration of Him.  Rest = Lean.

The people rested (leaned) upon Hezekiah’s words that the Lord would fight their battles.  2 Chronicles 32:8

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning (resting) upon her beloved?  Song of Solomon 8:5

Man feels the need to be doing, but the Battle has already been won by Jesus Christ.  He conquered, overcame all the enemies, including death, hell and the grave.  Do we really believe it?  Hebrews chapter 4 says we must labor to enter into that rest lest we fall into unbelief.  Many times we view scriptures in the Bible as being futuristic only.  Hebrews chapter 4 refers to the Heavenly Rest we will receive once we pass from this earth.  However, it is for us today because this chapter deals with the rest we have in the Holy Ghost.  We must learn to cease from works and rest in Him. 

Satan’s goal according to Daniel 7:25 is to wear out the saints of the most High.  He wants us to exhaust ourselves by constantly doing something.  We easily get caught up in what’s going on around us…we get pressed, oppressed, weary, tired, etc.  Sometimes we are busy with the work of God, exhausting ourselves and justifying our actions because it is for His cause.  Either way, we become restless.  Restlessness (unrest) is an end time spirit to wear us out, so that physically and mentally we won't be able to function to carry out our Lord's plan.

God’s goal is for His people to rest in Him, thereby enabling Him to be glorified and advancing His Kingdom.  The true dying out to self and for the cause is to lay aside our flesh for a time of rest.  Rest is not being lazy or unproductive.  Resting in Him is a deliberate act of placing our trust and confidence in Him.  Let us be diligent to labor to enter that rest. 

As I endeavor to apply the principle of rest to my life, I asked God to show me how powerful this principle really is.  I have not made any other attempts at fundraising since I sent out the letters to my friends.  Those who know me well know this is highly unusual for me.  By now, I would have exhausted every resource known to mankind in fundraising attempts.  Not this time.  This time I choose to rest and watch God work it out, so that He may be glorified.

Recently, God gave me a small glimpse of what He can do when I rest in Him.  I received an invitation to speak at a large missions-minded church in Louisiana.  I was completely shocked because even though my friend goes there, in all of my visits to Louisiana it never worked out for me to attend church with her.  So it was definitely a “God-thing” to receive the invitation.  I am in AWE of my God!