Category: All Articles

The Security of Footsteps In Prayer

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Family / Marriage, Prayer

The president’s home here at GBS is a one-hundred-year-old house with a basement, two floors for living and a third-floor attic. Needing a place for my “prayer closet,” I tidied up a corner room in the attic that has three small windows overlooking the campus. I was elated with my little chamber because it was the one place in the house that I could go that gave me both complete solitude and the confidence that no one could hear anything as I discoursed with the Master. I did know that my prayer room was directly above my son’s bedroom. I didn’t know that with every step I took (I walk when I pray) a corresponding squeak could be heard by my son below.

A few days ago I was up in my room praying at an unusual time. Josh happened to be in his bedroom studying. When I came down, he asked in a concerned voice if something was wrong or if I was preaching that night.

With my curiosity aroused, I simply responded, “Why do you ask, son?”

“Well,” he said, “I just heard the floor squeaking in the prayer room.”

Apologetically I said, “I hope I didn’t disturb you!”

He responded with words that I will take with me to my grave. “Oh, no, Dad! It makes us feel safe when we hear you up there.”

My own childhood was marked by a praying mother. My memories of growing up on a small farm are filled with the sounds and scenes of Mother praying. Many were the times that I would follow the sound of her voice to a fallen log at the end of the woods, or to a cattle trough behind the old barn, only to find her in deep communion with God. That upturned face, bathed with tears, is etched on my mind’s eye forever. That familiar voice, interceding for her family, still rings in my ears as if I were a boy again hiding in the shadows of that old barn. Death has stilled her voice, but the legacy of her prayer life lives on.

Parents, are you praying? There is no experience of conversion or any work of grace, which will provide immunity against the lack of prayer. When prayer fades out, power fades out. If intercession ceases, spiritual security in the home is lost. We are as spiritual as we are prayerful – no more, no less.

Our children need to hear the steps of Mom and Dad in prayer or on the way to prayer. I heard them, and I want my boys to hear them, so that someday they will give their children “the security of footsteps in prayer.”

God Goes Where He’s Wanted

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles

In his most recent book, What Good is God, Phillip Yancey makes a remarkable observation about God’s work in the world. He says, “I am struck by the phenomenon of God ‘moving’– not in some mystical sense but geographically moving from one part of the world to another.” He goes on to note that the Apostle Paul addressed his epistles to churches that were in the Middle East; yet today, to find them one would need an archaeologist as a guide. The Christian faith spread westward across Europe into Britain and Ireland, reigning there for over 1000 years. But today, though much of the architecture still stands, less than 3 percent of the population goes to church. In time, the Christian faith spread to the Americas where a lively, yet dimming, presence remains. In recent years the greatest advance has been in Africa and parts of Asia. So much so that now less than a third of Christians come from Europe and North America. However, today the explosive growth of Christianity is in China! There are some 20,000 conversions a day happening behind the bamboo curtain.

Yancey asks the rhetorical questions, “Why are there so many formerly Christian countries? Why does it appear that Christianity has hop scotched around the globe”? His answer is amazing. He says, “I’ve concluded that God goes where he’s wanted. And when a society feels less need for faith, God quietly moves on, to a place that senses more need.”

Not only do I believe that Yancey is right, I believe the Biblical record supports that assertion. The Bible repeatedly reveals a God that always makes Himself available without ever pushing His way into our lives. He patiently waits to be invited. Why? He wants to be wanted! Mark 6 tells the story of the disciples at sea in the midst of a storm, “and Jesus saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by” but they cried out to Him in their distress and He came to their rescue. Luke 24 recounts the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and says that when “they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: he made as though he would have gone further, but they constrained him, saying, Abide with us . . . and he went in to tarry with them.”   One of the final pictures we see of Jesus is Him standing at a door knocking, saying, “if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Conversely it is true that when God is no longer needed or wanted He moves on. The Old Testament narratives of the nation of Israel make this very clear. Israel had suffered in Egypt under the yoke of slavery for almost 400 years. Their life was so bitter that they, “sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage”. God miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh’s hand and started them on an amazing journey through the desert to a land of “milk and honey.” During the years of wilderness wandering they were forced to depend on God. He fed them, clothed them and planned their daily itinerary. He hovered over them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They went on to conquer the land and build lasting cities. They grew strong, prosperous and plump—and promptly forgot all about God! And the short step from not needing Him to not wanting Him was finally taken. So an unwanted God withdraws. In His absence Israel is overrun by her enemies, disgraced by foreign gods, taken into captivity and finally scattered to the ends of the earth. This is the story of individuals and nations that no longer want God.

The good news is that God is willing to come back! I Samuel chapter 7 tells the story of a defeated Israel languishing under the heavy hand of the Philistines and suffering the indignities of their heathen worship. Verse two describes the mood of the nation, “. . . the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.” During these bitter years there began to develop a better mind in the children of Israel. Their conscience began to stir; their soul began to be weary; and there arose a long and sorrowful cry after the Lord. They wanted God once again! And the God who wants to be wanted responded to their cry with revival and renewal!

If we are enjoying His presence in our lives it’s because we want Him in our lives. If He seems far away then remember the words of Jeremiah, “. . . You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD”. God goes where He is wanted!

 

 

The Book That Stands Alone

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

I am a lover of good books and highly value many that are on my shelves! But the Bible stands alone from all other books in my life! I believe it to be the inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word of God. It is the single most important source of my understanding of God and all of His creation. It shapes my faith, guides my life and gives me a lens in which to view and understand the world around me. It is the book that God has chosen to reveal the way to Heaven. I agree with the venerable John Wesley when he said, “O give me that book!   At any price, give me that book of God”.

The Bible stands alone in its origin. It was written over a span of 1500 years by 40 different authors from all walks of life (kings, philosophers, fisherman, poets, statesmen, farmers, physicians and scholars). It was written on three different continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) from palaces, dungeons and wilderness haunts, during times of war, peace, prosperity and famine. Composed on stone, clay, papyrus, and parchment, those original manuscripts were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit without contradiction or error – thus providing for us God’s holy Word.

It stands alone as the mind of God. Scripture is indeed the revelation of God’s mind. It is certainly not His entire mind but it is all that He has chosen to share. If we are to think as God thinks; if we are to see life as He sees life; then we must saturate our minds with scripture. The Apostle Paul admonished the Roman Christians to readjust their thinking by the “renewing of your mind” using the Bible as the means to do so.

Scripture stands alone as the source for absolute truth. The Bible is the only reliable moral compass that we have. We are moral and spiritual creatures living in a world that is controlled by moral and spiritual values. The concepts of good and evil are innate in our human psyche; yet sin has distorted our understanding of truth as well as disabled our ability to live it. We cannot, either individually or collectively, decide what truth is or what is to be accepted as a true standard for moral behavior without the transcendent absolute truths that are given to us in Scripture. To deny Scripture as the standard for absolute truth is to remove any absolute standard for moral behavior and reasoning.

The Bible stands alone in its ability to change the course of history as well as the lives of those who live that history out. A simple verse of scripture, quickened to the heart by the Holy Spirit, can radically alter the course of a life and a nation – writing a new future for both! No other spoken word has such impact. No other book has such power. “Oh, give me that Book! At any price, give me the Book of God”.

We Are Becoming What We Love

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Family / Marriage, Ministry, Theology

We are all in a constant state of movement. Ask any parent and they will tell you their tumbling little toddler is running rapidly toward becoming a towering adult. Ask any teacher and they will tell you that the first grader struggling to read small words and add simple figures will someday be reading the classics and doing calculus. On the other hand, ask the doctor about aging, and he will tell you that we are moving away from strength to weakness, and from life to death. For the Christian, Paul says we are, “being changed from glory to glory.” (II Cor. 3:18)

We are all in the process of becoming. We have moved from what we were and are now moving toward what we shall be. The troubling thought about this is not that we are moving, but what we are moving toward. Life refuses to let us be still. We are ascending or descending – mounting up or sinking down.

An important question in this process is, “What determines our direction?” According to A.W. Tozer, “we are becoming what we love. We are to a large degree the sum of our loves and we will of moral necessity grow into the image of what we love most.”

No wonder the greatest Biblical commandment admonishes us to, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37) Jesus infers this in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:21)

You and I are being molded by our affinities and shaped by the things we love. This is the reason behind much of the drift, compromise and worldliness that we see happening all around us. Much of what people call a new found freedom in Christ is nothing more than an unrestrained display of a deep love for this present world.

The law of moral affinity will either cause us to reflect Biblical values in our activities, attitudes and adornment or else will mold us into something that reflects the values of this fallen world. Both Jezebel and Judas were at one time pink-cheeked innocent children, but they set their affections on the wrong things and were carried downstream by a moral undertow. There is no middle ground. It’s not where you are at this moment; it is where you’re moving. You are becoming what you love!

 

Kingdom Economics

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles

I think it is safe to say that neither the Chairman of the Federal Reserve nor anyone on Wall Street is going to look to the teachings of Jesus to find the secret to personal calm during these days of financial storm. But for those of us who truly believe in Jesus and are committed to obeying his word it ought to be the first place we turn. A vital part of good stewardship is to care for what God has given us so that we might care for those who are dependent upon us. But we should not let the passing treasures of this world consume us with fear and anxiety. Unfortunately, we have in many areas blindly and unwittingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus – none more than money.

Jesus knew the subtle snare that money can be despite the amazing fact that He owned very few earthly possessions – “the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” For all practical purposes Jesus was homeless! I can’t say with absolute certainty but it appears that he never actually possessed any real money of His own. When He needed to pay His taxes He sent Peter to the sea with a line and hook to catch the coin ladened fish to get the bill paid. Yet He spoke abut money more than He did about heaven or hell.

Jesus recognizes that we need material things to live. The drive and desire to acquire a certain amount of material things (food, clothing, shelter, etc…) is not only proper but it is a vital part of caring for ourselves and those we love. To save and plan for the future is good (Proverbs 21:20). Actually His words are not condemnatory toward the possession of money but rather a strong warning against the power and influence it can have over us. To place your trust in it is to embrace a false security that will cause you to live in a state of fear and anxiety. To let it captivate your heart and mind is to turn you away from the true God. In all four gospels, it is the only rival god that Jesus mentions!

Whether you are one of those that just worries about money or one of those that worships it, the cure is the same – believing and obeying the teachings of Jesus. I call it Kingdom Economics!

Kingdom Economics doesn’t store up or value the wrong kind of treasure (Matthew 6:19-21). A treasure is what we value and protect. Jesus teaches us not to value (set your heart upon) the wrong kind of things (things that rust, fad away, or can be stolen), but to value those things that are eternal. When Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to “sell everything” that he had and give it to the poor, he did so in order that this young man might have “treasure in heaven.” Jesus was not trying to strip this him of all pleasure and happiness He was trying to loosen his hold on the lesser in order to give him something greater – something infinitely more satisfying – treasure in heaven! It was not just good for the poor that he do this, it was good for him.

            Kingdom Economics is living live with an open hand rather than a closed fist. It practices generous giving (Matthew 6:22-23). The passage speaks of a bad eye and a clear eye. This is a cultural idiom that we understand better when we change the illustration. The bad eye is a person with a “tight fist” or a closed hand – a stingy person. The clear eye is a person with an open hand – a generous person. Jesus is teaching us to practice generosity that results in systematic giving. God knows that we will potentially have an ongoing struggle with materialism and as such we will need an ongoing antidote. The antidote He has given is generosity. By prescribing generous systematic giving, God isn’t turning into the IRS but a physician. He knows that by telling us to give our money freely to others we will break the control that money has over us. And so while we are experiencing individual freedom through our generosity, the money we give will fund the things that God is passionate about: making disciples, changing lives and caring for those in need.

            Kingdom economics trust in God rather than the things that He made (Matthew 6:24,32). The child of God can trust in the benevolence of his Heavenly Father who, “knows that you need all these things.” As we seek Him first and put Him first all “these things will be added unto you.”   Real freedom from anxiety is found in simply trusting God for our needs. Yet there is the ever present temptation to trust in money. Why? There is because money has some very dangerous “god like” qualities. Money can outlive us, it has a wide circle of influence (everyone respects it), and it pretends to give us what only God can give – security, comfort and happiness. But money is only a false god. It gives false hope, false security and false happiness. To bow down and worship the god of money is to live in fear, despair, and emptiness.

Kingdom Economics embraces not poverty but simplicity (Matthew 6:25-32, Luke 12:15). The Kingdom solution is not to live in poverty. Nor is it stinginess or carelessness. Rather its solution is to embrace simplicity. Simplicity is an attitude of the heart that will ultimately result in an outward lifestyle. Simplicity is adopting the right narrative about wealth and earthly treasure. It is a conviction about how to live rather than a set of rules that I use in order to gauge my life and to judge others. Simplicity ask questions like: Do I really need this?; Will it bring me real joy or just momentary happiness?; How much of the money I would spend on this particular item can I free up to invest in heavenly treasure if I choose this other less expensive item?

Living in this world as a citizen of another requires great wisdom. Being submerged in a culture whose values are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus, mandates constant carefulness. Having need of the “coin of the realm” while storing up treasure of a different sort in another kingdom is challenging. Yet it is something Jesus asks us to do. I have not perfected all of this yet, but as I grow in Christ I am improving. I understand better what Paul meant when he admonished , “. . . buy, as if it were not yours to keep; use the things of the world, but do not be engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” (I Cor. 7:30-32). The more I embrace Kingdom Economics the more I am liberated from the slavish fears of the financial storms of this present world!