On the Journey with Pastor Jeff

Expecting Miracles in the Marketplace

Pastor Jeff — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:59:33 +0000

: A short, simple prayer can make an eternal difference.

When you read about the miracles performed by Jesus in the Gospels and the Church in the book of Acts, you notice something radically different from the preconceptions of today’s believer. It’s the setting.

When we think of miracles, our mind conjures up images of revival-time altar calls, Charismatic church services, 50’s-era tent meetings, open-air crusades in a foreign country, the list goes on. But the vast majority of New Testament miracles happened in the marketplace – the streets, avenues and corridors of every-day life.

Replay all those miracle stories in your mind and you’ll hear blind Bartimaeus calling to Jesus from the side of the road and the faith-filled voice of the centurion saying, “Speak the word only,” to the Lord as he met Him entering Capernaum. You’ll see Peter taking the crippled man by the hand on the lane leading to the Synagogue, and hear the shouts of rejoicing from those who had lined the sunny side of the streets of Jerusalem receiving their miracles as the shadow of Peter or one of the apostles fell on them as he passed.

Unfortunately, we, the modern church, have put God in the box of our favorite worship setting – a church building, crusade meeting, believer’s conference, etc. We have changed the “go ye” commission to believers into a “ya’ll come” invitation to the lost and broken. We’ve got to let the Jesus in us back into the avenues of everyday life – back into the marketplace.

A few days ago I challenged our “Faith that Works” connect group to do just that. I shared some of my own experiences as God has proved himself mighty in the maketplace when I have given Him permission and opportunity. I urged them to pray for God to make divine appointments for them, putting them in the right place at the right time – in front of the one who needs Him. ”But be alert,” I told them, “because if you as Him to do it, He will. Don’t miss the opportunity”

One of my classic scenarios I shared is this: When the cashier responds, “Fine,” to everyone in front of you who asks, “How are you.” Then, when you ask, she tells you her life is falling apart. “Why you and not all those others?” I asked. Because God is open the door for you to minister.

Within two days of sharing, that same example happened to me – again – at Wal-Mart. The lady was suffering a tremendous headache and stomach problems. God had arranged it so that there was no one behind me in line, so I took her hand, prayed a quick prayer - ten to fifteen seconds – and left.

I was back in that store this morning and asked her how she was doing. As soon as she got a fix on who I was, her countenance brightened. “Just few minutes after you left, my stomach and my head quit hurting,” she beamed. I just smiled, ”Well, He loves you that much!” I turned and praised silently all the way to the car. He had done it – again.

Let’s make this our mantra: “As part of the church of today, we should, you should, I should keep expecting miracles in the marketplace.” Let’s make room for Jesus in our everyday living, and watch Him do it again!

Inconvenience or In Control

Pastor Jeff — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:59:24 +0000

I love our alarm clock. It shines the time in big, red, digital numbers on the ceiling. You can open your eyes, see you’ve still got an hour and roll over and enjoy 60 more minutes of cozy warmth before you have to swing your feet into the cold chill of another workday. Ahhhhh – usually – but not this morning…

Debbie saw it first and blurted out the time. My eyes popped open to those big, evil, glaring red numbers mocking me (I declare I think I heard an evil laugh). 45 minutes late for getting up – are you kidding? My heart and brain go into overdrive simultaneously: What happened to the alarm? It’s off! Who turned it off? Where are my clothes? Man, I knew I should have gotten gas on the way home yesterday! Ouch! (Stubbed my toe.) Man, I’m gonna’ be late! Dress. Comb. Gargle (no time to brush). Out the door.

For a full eighteen minutes I was totally unnerved – and grumbled about it. I observed every minutes difference on the dashboard clock. “If everything goes right I can only be 15 minutes late,” I murmured. Then, I saw the flashing lights – everywhere – in the insection where the radio station sits on the corner. When I was finally allowed to cross I saw a full-sized Ford pick-up with its front end literally buried in a PT Cruiser that was wrapped around the truck like an oversized bumper.

As the story began to unravel, I found out that the truck was stolen and involved in a high speed chase that ended in that intersection at 6:15 AM when it struck the PT Cruiser broadside as it was crossing innocently under a green light. That driver never got out of the car alive.

My mind flashed back to yesterday morning. As I was getting ready, an urgency to pray for my own safety on the road overwhelmed me. I remember praying these words, “Lord whatever you have to do for my protection, do it.” When the peace of the Lord came, I felt He had heard me. When I found out the details of the accident, I knew He had heard me.

I shoot for being at the station in time to give the weather forecast at 6:20 – which puts me crossing that intersection about 6:15 AM. What I thought was an inconvenience, was really just God being in control.

Thank you, Father.

Intolerance = Love?

Pastor Jeff — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:54:22 +0000

It’s the commonly accepted understanding and the epitome of political correctness: intolerance equates hate. In order to be a caring individual you have to be totally tolerant of whatever behavior, choice, or lifestyle those around you choose to exhibit. The ”live and let live” attitude demands it — or does it? You cannot be intolerant and be loving at the same time — or can you? Not only is this thinking logically flawed — in fact, often, love demands intolerance.

Consider these common situations:

A 4-year-old child who is beginning to test the waters of independence wants to cross a busy street without holding mommy’s hand. “I do it myself,” he protests. According to this PC thinking of our day, any loving mom should allow her child to choose for himself. Just because she thinks holding mommy’s hand is the best way for a 4-year-old to cross the street, a caring mom would not force her belief on her child.
A 13-year-old is sick of school and wants to quit going. His dad believes that a good education is the best way for him to have a chance at a secure future. The government agrees – to the point of forcing the child to either go to school in his district or go to school in juvenile hall. How intolerant of society to force their archaic “norm” on this 13-year-old. After all, it’s a new era and, hey, Bill Gates was a drop-out — just ask all the other drop-outs who have turned out to be at least half as successful and see what they say.
A 25-five-year-old just celebrated her birthday with a few friends, a few beers, 3 or 4 mixed drinks, and a couple of shots at their favorite club. She decides she’ll drive home. She is spotted and stopped. After failing a breathalizer, she is arrested and taken to jail. Not only has her right to live life the way she wants been infringed upon, her freedom has been taken away. What kind of hate-filled, intolerant society would limit her choices in this way?

In each one of these situations, really caring for the other individual’s well-being commands the mother, father, policeman, to force their will upon the unwilling individual. In other words, love DEMANDS intolerance.

But what about a situation that is not so life or death? Consider this: Your 30-year-old roomate decides to quit paying his portion of rent, utilities and groceries. He just becomes a total moocher. You believe that he should honor his original agreement and decide that if he can’t pay what he agreed to pay, he can’t keep living there. So you serve him with an eviction notice. How intolerant of you! Why can’t he live out his new belief that he deserves to live freely – without obligations? Instead, you force your belief system upon him. Now you’re one of those intolerant haters – a mooch-aphobe, if you will.

Let’s take it to the extreme: How dare God say to us “Thou shalt not…” anything! Who does he think He is to tell us what to do? It’s not what He thinks – it is what He is – an all-knowing, all-sufficient, totally loving God who infinitely cares for His creation. He knows the end from the beginning – the consequence before the action – so He says, “Don’t.” But it’s NOT because He wants to inhibit man’s freedom as an intolerant diety, it’s because of the basis of His character: “God is love.” His love DEMANDS that He forewarn us of the consequence of sin, and that He instructs us to avoid such consequence – i.e., “Thou shalt not.” Then, He dispays that love the same way the mother of the 4-year-old would: He says to His child, “Walk with Me and hold My hand.”