How Beautiful Are the Feet…Continued

Isaiah 52:7 – “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

We just returned from doing ministry in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee, so this scripture resonates with me. Our team spent three days going up mountains via switchback roads with beautiful scenic views. In stark contrast is the hopelessness of some of the people living in these mountains. The goal of our ministry was to bring the good news of the Gospel to those who would receive it. We met people who were shut-ins and lonely, kids who didn’t know who Jesus is nor what prayer is, and those in desperate situations that needed hope.

Isaiah was announcing to Israel that freedom from captivity was imminent. And the one that carried that good news was received with great joy. But much of scripture also contains a prophetic message for us today—the glorious message that we can bring HOPE to those who need it.

The Holy Spirit was with us in a powerful way and we boldly offered to pray with people. More times than not, the people we asked said yes. We saw salvations and hope restored. We experienced God’s love for all people regardless of their circumstances.

That boldness did not disappear when we drove back down the mountain to our home base. One evening, my vehicle stopped at the grocery store to pick up some supplies. While checking out, the cashier and I had a conversation. There was no one behind me waiting to check out so I asked the woman if she had a prayer request. She was taken aback and replied that I had caught her off guard. But I waited and then she asked for me to pray for her mother and I did. Then I bade her goodnight. As I was walking away, her manager came over to ask her what happened. We heard her exclaim, “She just prayed for my mom!” My heart leapt when I heard her joy.

We launched the trail project in May and with that came the call to reach our neighbors. Then we had the revival weekend, where we were encouraged to not be the 99% of church-attending Christians who don’t share their faith. Recently, New Day sent out 21 people to do exactly that in Tennessee: share the gospel with those who need it.

The Appalachian people are not the only ones who need to hear the good news. The people you meet every day need it too. I am looking for more opportunities, even in the grocery store, to share my faith and pray for people. What about you?

Paul says in Romans 10:15, “And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’”

Daily Burdens

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19)

What an encouragement this verse is. It acknowledges the experience of daily difficulties. Such was the case for the people in this passage who daily bore burdens imposed on them by their captors. The verse begins with exalting God who is both Lord and Savior then reminds us of the strength and nearness of God. His daily involvement to provide by alleviating burdens that are imposed on us, is positively reassuring. I found myself feeling quite thankful that this verse does not read, “God can probably help you out if you get in a pinch sometime this year.”

This daily provision draws me nearer to God, growing trust in my heart. It reminds me of the line in the Lord’s Prayer that says: “Give us this day our daily bread,” where we are encouraged to ask God to provide our daily, basic needs.

“Daily bread” is like God’s daily provision of manna for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness. It is beneficial to note that the reason the Israelites were in that predicament in the first place was because of their faithlessness and contempt toward God for refusing to believe they could inhabit the Promised Land he was giving them. You can read about that in the book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14.

Yet we see that God provides daily sustenance for them throughout the forty years of wandering, even as they reap the consequences of their unbelief.

These verses cause me to consider the righteousness of God. Righteousness describes God’s character; he will always act with justice, doing what is good and right. The dynamic of God’s justice and goodness is addressed in Romans 11:22-23, when Paul explains how faith-filled Gentile Christians are grafted into God’s family tree, but can be cut off, and how unbelieving Jews are broken off, but can be grafted back in.

“Consider therefore the kindness and the sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

We see God’s love and severity operating. These verses are both a challenge and a comfort. A challenge to remember that there are standards of maintaining faith that God has put in place that if broken result in consequences. And a comfort that our righteous God offers his people the daily provision of carrying their burdens and providing sustenance. If our faith is in him, we can trust that he will provide in these ways through difficult situations and through the easy-breezy ones!

Answer the Call!

Last weekend, John Cahill and Michael Graff brought a straight-shooting word for us at Revival Weekend. It’s well summed up by the vision Michael shared of Jesus with a sickle in endless fields of wheat. Jesus is holding back the final harvest to give you and me more time to share the gospel.

His heart burns with compassion for all people. No one weeps more over suffering, oppression, and injustice. We feel it to the degree we are aware of it, but the Lord sees and intimately knows the pain of every single individual on planet earth. He wants to end that suffering. The book of Revelation looks forward to that day:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.” (Revelation 21:3–4)

The day is coming when Jesus will return. He will put an end to injustice, pain, sin, and death. Why does he wait? Why does he prolong the suffering? Why does he let it keep hurting those he loves? SALVATION.

In 2 Peter chapter 3, it says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” The Lord allows our current suffering in patience, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Do not be lulled to sleep by American comfort. The end will come. Those who reject the Lord will experience eternal separation from him. The loss of the presence and goodness of God will burn like a fire eating up the chaff. But those who accept Jesus as Lord will be gathered into his barn like wheat. They will enjoy the fullness of life in his presence forever!

Revival Weekend sounded a wakeup call! Answer the call, my friends! Set aside busyness, fear of failure, self-consciousness, comfort, and every other hindrance. Go and share the good news about Jesus! Be yourself, be genuine, and be bold!

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14)

Revival Weekend June 2023

Summer is here! Although I felt that we had a marvelous spring this year, summer arriving in Michigan is always a time to rejoice. More than in most places, in our state, weather significantly affects life. In winter, harsh and cold weather, dangerous roads, and early dark are often reasons to stay home and hunker down. When it’s warm and sunny, everyone wants to maximize their time enjoying the outdoors. I had a good friend who lived in Indianapolis his whole life until moving to Kalamazoo to pastor a church not far from New Day. He was shocked at how much the weather determined people’s involvement in church activities. Indianapolis gets cold, but only gets a fraction of the snow we get here. He said he had never even considered weather when planning church activities while pastoring in Indy, yet in Kalamazoo it was a primary concern.

Proverbs 10:5: “He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” This proverb is about being a diligent worker. But wherever the harvest is mentioned in the Bible, it is appropriate to make a spiritual application to winning souls. Jesus made this clear in John 4:35-36: “Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life.”

This weekend, Saturday June 10 and Sunday June 11, we are having special services as part of our Revival Weekend. At 6:30 pm on both days, we will gather to worship, encourage one another, and be equipped to gather the harvest. Pastor John Cahill and his wife, along with Pastor Michael Graff and his whole family, will be here from Livingston, Tennessee. They minister at First Church Livingston, the church where we are sending a team this summer to do mission work in Appalachia. Both Pastor John and Michael have extensive experience in reaching out to those disconnected from God and His church. Their church in Tennessee is one of the few that grew numerically during the pandemic years, as their model of reaching the lost works in any circumstance. They not only are here to teach us principles; they are here to impart a spiritual gift. New Day needs this impartation. We have begun to see a significant increase in reaching our neighbors and our community. Let’s add to this momentum by coming together and receiving an impartation and training to become wise sons and daughters who gather the harvest.

The Cahills and the Graffs are sacrificing a lot to travel here and invest their entire weekend to minister to us. I hope you honor their sacrifice by prioritizing attending the special evening meetings. We only do this a few times a year in respect for the time it requires from the congregation. Let’s make the most of what God is providing and get all that He has for us!

Who's Right?

In John 4, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman. At some point, she finds out that He’s got divine knowledge. For this woman, her burning question she has to ask is “who’s worshiping the right way?” The Jews and Samaritans have these generational fights, and one of the largest issues is “Who’s right and who’s wrong when it comes to worshiping God?”

The Jews worship at the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans worship on Mount Gerizim. Who’s right? Am I doing it right? Which, honestly, are great questions to ask.

We might read this and think that she’s just trying to “be right,” but I believe at least part of her question is an honest desire to please God. And the answer that Jesus responds with is this: “True worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

We see this idea in the Old Testament when the God tells the prophet Samuel, “Man looks at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” God’s looking for genuine worship that’s motivated from a love for Him. That’s the greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all our whole self.

There are so many details and disagreements that could distract our attention and keep us from offering our worship to Him. Should we worship at the temple, mountain, church building, or prayer closet? Should our music be loud or quiet? Should the lights be bright or dim? Should we use drums, guitars, and projected lyrics? Or organs, choirs, and hymnals? Should our services be 60 minutes or 3 hours? Should we use incense or flags? Should our songs be 1, 10 or 100 years old?

This posture of criticism is present all over scripture. King David dances extravagantly before the Lord and gets criticized. His response: “I’ll become even more undignified than this.”

There’s the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her hair, her tears, and a fragrance. Onlookers criticized, saying there was a ”better way.” Jesus’s response? He basically says, “This is love, don’t you recognise it?”

And as Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, people are waving palm branches, laying down their coats and shouting “Hosanna…” and they are criticized. Jesus’ response? “If they don’t do it, the rocks will start shouting.”

When we see people worshiping the Lord in a way that doesn’t meet our standards, we can either use it as our reason for not joining in…or we can do all we can to give our true and proper worship.

Join in. Give your praise that’s motivated by your love for the Lord. He’s looking at your heart. The right response is to have our eyes on Jesus, instead of on some other worshiper.