Heart Tracks - The Risk

 "Then Moses had one more request, 'Please, show me Your glory,' he said." Exodus 33:18......"Where are those men and women who will step out on a limb, so to speak, and demand to see God's face, those who will not give up until they encounter God in personal experience." A.W. Tozer

"What would happen if we began to pray, 'Show me Your glory?' " I have that question written down in my prayer journal, and though I don't remember the source of the question, it's one that continues to burn within me. What would happen if that became the overwhelming desire of our hearts? There is much discussion about and participation in prayer these days in the church, and that's a good thing overall. Yet what is the central object of our prayers? I wrote the other day about so much of our pursuit of Him being results oriented. Results that in general, have as their main beneficiary, ourselves. It's not that we're not praying for good things. In so many cases we are. We want to see people saved, lives healed, and needs of all kinds met. But coupled with that can be a great deal of self interest. The more people that come to Him means that more people will be coming to our churches. It means prodigal loved ones will come home. It means that healings and deliverances performed, and deep needs met will also make our lives better, even in some cases, easier. His seeing to the well being of others can also be increasing the well being of ourselves. Let me say that I don't mark any of these prayers as unworthy or wrong. I'm just saying that though we may pray much, we are not really praying the best and highest prayer. Moses on the mountain with God had to have almost unlimited desires as to what he longed to see God do in his life and the lives of the people he led. Yet what was his foremost yearning? It was to behold the glory of God. He wanted that above all else. Do we?

Think on that a moment.  What if the Father in Christ met every one of your lesser desires today? If all the situations and lives were made whole and new, mountains removed, and the storehouse of heaven fully opened for you. Would you be fully satisfied? If He did all of this except this one thing. That He did not let us see Him in His glory in the midst of it all, would that be enough? If all of our deep desires were granted by Him, yet He held back in the giving of His fullness, would that really matter to us? What is it we really seek from Him? What do we really want to see?

We all want to have results. That's human. Do we want them more than we want to see Him? There is great risk involved here. The Father told Moses that no one could see Him and live, yet Moses desired to see as much of Him as he was able, and the Father revealed as much of Himself to Moses as he could receive. Zacchaeus, a man of power and influence in his community, so desperately wanted to see Jesus that he climbed a tree, literally went out on a limb that he might. Does such desire emanate from our hearts? If not, what blocks it? Tozer also said something to the effect that in our churches we sing about Him, preach about Him, but do not wish Him to interrupt us in the process. We see a lot, but we don't see Him. There is a lot of stuff going on, but are we really beholding His glory.
I heard it said that in beholding, we become. We don't become by singing of Him, preaching about Him, but by beholding Him, seeing Him. Seeing His glory.

I close with the same question I began with. What would happen if we really began to pray, "Show me Your glory?" What would happen in our hearts and lives, and the hearts and lives of our homes, fellowships, communities and nations? Dare we take the risk, go out on a limb, to find out?

Blessings,
Pastor O 

Heart Tracks - Further/More

 "How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ." Ephesians 1:3...."If God so clothe the grass of the field...shall He not much more clothe you?" Matthew 6:30......"He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found." Issac Watts

Are we living in God's "much more" today? What does that mean anyway? We speak and preach much about the "abundant life" but how do we define that life? Is it about receiving blessings, or is it about the blessing of receiving the Person? Everyone wants much more. What do we want much more of? If the Father has truly blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, why do we spend so much time pleading with Him for help, for needs to be met? If He's given the much more why do our lives so often look like we're living in the much less?

In my prayer journal, I have written, "We must focus on the Source, not the lack. On the Person, not the outcome." I don't remember the circumstances of writing that, but I do know that its true. Much of our problem in prayer comes from our focus on the lack, the need, the impossibility, and not our Source. We become obsessed with the outcome we seek. A friend calls this "results centered prayer." Our eyes are upon what we want, not upon Him who we must have. The resulting unrest in our spirit proves the words of Oswald Chambers; "We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the'much more' of our heavenly Father." Though we pray, we talk "at" Him far more than to Him. The rest of God is very far from us, as is His abundant life. His much more. We miss it because though we may consciously be living "around Him" we're not, in our moment by moment experience, really living in Him. We're living by our strength, understanding and sight, not His. E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The word 'atheism' is to be applied not only to those who reject the idea of God, but also to those who live without vital contact with Him."

Paul exhorts in his letter to the Ephesians in 5:18, to "let the Holy Spirit fill and control you." The Greek language translates to "be being filled." They are to allow themselves to be continually made full. How do we live such a life? Chambers again gives wonderful teaching on this. He speaks of our consecration, something I think we fail to really comprehend the meaning of. He writes, "Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing. We cannot consecrate once and for all. Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?" Do we live moment by moment surrendered to Him, and so able and open to receive the constant infillings of His Spirit He so wishes us to have? He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. If we're not experiencing this, it is not because of His reluctance to give, but of our failure, even refusal to receive. His much more has been given. It's on us if we're living on much less.

I love the words to Issac Watts' gorgeous hymn "Joy To The World." His blessing, grace, healing, deliverance, forgiveness....His much more, go as far as the curse of sin is found. And then it goes further. Much further, and much more. Are we living in that today? Are you? Am I?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - It Is Written

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be (written) on your heart." Deuteronomy 6:5-6......."But Jesus answered him, 'No, for it is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4

"It is written." This is a phrase that is familiar not only to those who belong to Christ, but it is found in many kinds of philosophies and religions. There are countless works of literature and film that use the phrase, "It is written," as part of the natural dialogue. So what makes for the difference between the words that are written in the Bible, and words that have been written and spoken in so many other books and venues? For me, I think the answer lies in how we answer this question; "Where is that word written?" Is it a way of thinking that we seek to adapt to our lives? An ideal we try to live up to? Or is it more? Something much more. The answer is what marks the difference between flesh centered religion, and a Christ as our life relationship.

We humans are quite good at committing things to memory, especially words. We can see it everywhere in the church. I have heard people quote Christ's entire Sermon on the Mount, which is truly impressive. Through the years I have met many who have little trouble bringing forth scriptures to make a point, validate a view or conviction, or just simply seek to impress. We are skilled at remembering and using words, especially His Words. The Pharisees of Christ's day certainly were. They knew the law of God and could quote it at will. Obviously, as shown by His exchange with the devil in His desert temptation, Jesus did as well. So what set Jesus apart from the Pharisees? It was the simple truth that for the Pharisees, His Word remained written on stone tablets and papyrus scrolls. Christ was and is the Word made flesh, the Living Word. And that Word emanated from His heart and through every part of His being. It was who He was and is. The Pharisees could quote the above scripture from Deuteronomy 6. Jesus was its living embodiment. Are we? Does Christianity just present another religion of ideals, or a living faith that flows from within? A living faith that has as its source, Christ. Which are you and I living today?

Where does the Word of God abide in our lives? No, we don't have stone tablets and papyrus scrolls, but we do have gilt lettered, leather bound containers of His Word. We know how to get it into our heads, even upon our lips. Does it truly live within us? When we speak it, preach it, teach it or write it, is it coming from a living witness and experience? Or, does it sound more like a theory we believe in, but lack the power to prove? Believe me, those who hear what we say, preach, and write, know instinctively whether what we proclaim comes from a life that truly does live on every word from His mouth or not. Those words of life are written on our hearts by His Spirit and they are alive in our lives. When we communicate in any form, it is with His Holy Spirit power that the Words come forth. Listeners are left with the choice of either receiving or rejecting, but one thing will be sure, they will know in some way, as it was said in Old Testament times, that a prophet has been in their midst. A spokesperson for the Father, with words that offer life, healing, hope, deliverance, and salvation.

The Church and the world are not in need of more speakers of words. They need those who speak and live IN the Word of God. Who live in and upon it. Will we be such people? If we are of the Church, do we truly live and speak a witness that brings life? If not, will we allow it to move from our leather bound Bibles into our hearts of flesh so that it may resonate through our lives to a starving world? And if you are in that starving world, will you receive the living word, the bread of life found only in Christ? He speaks to you through those words and lives now..... It is written. Of that there can be no denial. Is it written upon your heart.........today?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Unwelcome Word

"Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy." Psalm 99:9....."But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God - who chose you to be His children - is holy. For He Himself has said, 'You must be holy because I am holy." I Peter 1:15-16.....The tragic and frightening decline in the spiritual state of the church has come about as a result of our forgetting what kind of God our God is. Unless we get to know what God is like, unless we know God, we will accept all the superficial nonsense that passes for Christianity today. Our perception of God determines our perception of worship." A.W. Tozer...."The people of Israel couldn't handle God's presence because they still had Egypt in their hearts. They still loved their own interests over His....His manifest presence merely exposed their inner GPS setting, and they weren't willing to change it." John Bevere
I heard evangelist and author John Bevere say something to the effect, "The most unwelcome word in the Church today is 'holiness.' " Think on that a moment. How often does that word enter into the central life and teaching of our fellowships? When it is used, how quick is the knee jerk reaction to call such an emphasis on holiness as legalism, rule keeping, and centered on outward behaviors? I realize that well meaning but misguided preachers and teachers of the past have linked true, inner holiness with all these and more. But I think that in our zeal to not be considered legalistic, the pendulum has swung very far in the other direction. It's what we tend to do in the church. If we've gone too far in one direction, than we usually, as a reaction, go too far in the opposite. We once placed far too much emphasis on works and too little on grace. Now we have so emphasized grace as to make holy living unnecessary. Some have called this "Hyper-grace" and we're seeing the result everywhere. Nowhere more than the diminishing of our Holy God and the holy life He calls us to. No, the holy life He commands us to live.
Look at how we present Christ. "Come to Jesus and He will make your life better. Things will all work out. He has a wonderful plan for your life." He's become an add-on. An add on who demands nothing and gives everything. Tozer said that God has become "our buddy." Someone we can "kick back and have a few brews with." I know I'm oversimplifying, but how reverent and awestruck are we in what we call "worship" today? Indeed, how reverent and worshipful are we in our day to day living, choices, leisure, and relationships? Where does the concept of holy purity, both in mind and body really fit in our churches? I'm not speaking of throwing fireballs at the people from our pulpits. But I do speak of presenting, with reverence, awe, and love, God as He truly is, and not as we wish Him to be. As Bevere writes, the Israelites didn't want to come near the manifest presence of God. Their flesh couldn't handle it. Neither can ours. Nothing has changed in 3500 plus years. God hasn't gotten less holy, and we certainly will never become more....unless we truly encounter the Holy God of the Bible, who will expose all of our inner dirt, and by the blood of His Son, and the wonder of His presence, wash us and make us clean and whole. It's what happens when we really live in His presence.
In the waywardness of His people, the Father spoke through His prophets that they were to "prepare to meet their God." A holy God. I believe that this holy God is even now breaking back into His Church. Not with a new book of rules, but with a manifest presence that will bring from us the only response it can bring. The one seen in Isaiah, "Woe is me. I am undone." And then, remade. Yes, we need fear this holy God.....and love Him as well. For He is good, and He is holy.....I remember the words of the hymn sung in every chapel while I was at Bible College. "Holiness unto the Lord now and forever." Holiness. Now.....and forever.
Holiness. A welcome or unwelcome word for you and me?
Blessings,
Pastor O

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Heart Tracks - Cigar Store Christians

 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God." Psalm 42:1........"Wherever you find a man of God you will also find an overwhelming passion for God that is almost beyond control. Not a curiosity about God, but a deep passion to experience God in all of His fullness. To know God is the the one passion that drives a man into the very heart of God." A.W. Tozer

A question that I cannot avoid concerning the above verse is, is it my ideal, or my reality? By that I mean, is seeking and longing for Him with all my heart a state that I should live in, but don't, or, does it really define my walk with Him?

What's your passion? That's a common question today, especially among the young. Yet it is not a question for the young alone. It's for all of us. What is our passion? Who is our passion? Where does the Father fit in with all of it? A relationship with Him in Christ is not a feelings based one, but there are definitely feelings involved. We are to love Him with all our being. Our emotions are definitely a part that being. The word passion is defined as "a deep emotional feeling almost beyond control," which fits in perfectly with what Tozer says above. Does either the dictionary definition or Tozer's have any place in our heart? Do they resonate with it? When we think about that which we're passionate about, does He really fit in anywhere? Is He even in the discussion?

In our politically correct and non-smoking world, the picture of a cigar store Indian doesn't really connect with many. Yet cigar stores, and the stationary wooden Indians that once stood outside them were a common site. A preacher from a generation ago once remarked on how most churchgoers could scream like Commanche Indians during a Sunday football game, but that those same folks could sit in church as immobile as cigar store Indians just a few hours before. In the former they were completely engaged, but in the latter, barely present. Has this really changed? Has it in fact gotten worse? How can we invest so much emotion in a football game, or our love of the arts, a profession, a person, and perhaps most sadly of all, a fictional TV character, and yet have so little emotion invested in the One we say we love above all others? What is it, who is it that we're really panting after? We're experts about every detail of our favorite celebrity's life, but clueless as to the experiential reality of the God we call awesome. We can get into lively and animated discussions about our favorite team, program, or book series, but remain totally dispassionate when it comes to speaking about Him, let with alone with Him. We really are more a group of curiosity seekers in the Kingdom than we are passionate pursuers of a Holy God. And curiosity seekers tend to lose interest in their seeking rather quickly.

Tozer also said, "Whatever keeps me away from God is my enemy, and only the power of God can overcome it. The trouble today is that we do not recognize the enemy and, in some cases, have even drawn him out to be a friend." Is that also our attitude towards anything that competes with Him, draws our hearts from Him? God doesn't deny us the presence of other interests in our life, but He does demand that those interests, all of them, be surrendered to Him. That we willingly die to them all in order to have Him, to know Him. Otherwise, these "interests" will become our idols. Our "other gods." And we will surely spend our passions upon them. Robbing Him of our worship. Becoming nothing more than cigar store Indians in the Kingdom. And cigar store Indians were not found inside, but outside of the store.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Safe For God

 "Because of the miraculous signs He did at Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that He was indeed the Messiah. But Jesus didn't trust them because He knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell Him about human nature." John 2:23-25......"There is no safe place except at the cross. It lays hold of our impulsive, independent nature and makes us safe for God." T. Austin-Sparks

I would say that we concentrate a great deal of preaching, teaching, and thinking on how we need to trust Him. How much time and thought do we place upon His need to trust us? Can He entrust Himself to you and me? The above passage from John 2 is sobering. Just look at the facts.

Jesus worked miracles in the midst of the people and the their response was to believe in Him. To believe in Him as the Messiah. This means that they accepted as truth and fact that He was the promised One from God, their long awaited Savior. They didn't just think Him a great prophet and teacher. He was the real deal. The Messiah. Yet despite the fact that they believed and accepted what He said about Himself, Jesus would not trust them with Himself. Their testimony of Him was true, but He didn't trust the hearts behind the testimony. He saw beyond the words into those hearts, and He knew He could not entrust Himself to them. Almost all of these who professed faith in Him, would turn from Him in a short while when He went to His cross. Some of them may well have been in the crowd that called for Him to be crucified. Or, they were in that crowd and simply said nothing at all.....for Him. He could not give all of Himself to them. Can He give all of Himself to us? Are you and I safe for God? Can He place the fullness of His Life in trust with us?

Are we a safe place for Him in the witness of our lives, words, attitudes and actions? Do we live in such a way as to bring Him ever more glory? Or do we too often  bring reproach to His name? We know that He's a refuge for us. Are we a refuge for Him? All through His Word, the Father gives a consistent message that says in effect, "I have so much for you than this." Jesus said He had much more to tell His disciples but they could not yet receive it. Yet they would grow after Pentecost in their ability to receive. Before the cross and Pentecost Jesus knew He couldn't trust even His closest followers. Yet afterwards, He entrusted them with the fullness of His Life and calling. They found the place of safety, as Sparks says, at His cross. And that safety was not about keeping them from all harm, but empowering them to live lives that were safe for the Father, Son, and Spirit. They could be entrusted with the mind and heart of the 3 in 1 God. And they turned the world upside down because of it.

Have you and I found that place of safety yet? Or better yet, has He found that place of safety in us? Has the reality of the cross and Pentecost really pierced and captured our lives, making us safe for Him? Yes, may we grow ever deeper in our trust of Him. But as we discover more deeply that He is true, may He discover that we are as well. Our hearts and minds: a safe place for Christ......or not?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Deeper "Yes"

"After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?' 'Yes Lord,' Peter replied, 'You know I love You.' 'Then feed My lambs,' Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' 'Yes Lord,' Peter said, 'You know I love You.' 'Then take care of My sheep,' Jesus said. Once more He asked him, 'Simon son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, 'Lord, You know everything. You know I love You.' " John 21:15-18

The great constant in our walk with Christ is the willingness to live in the place of "Yes." It is and will always be an ever deepening state. Teachers of the Bible use the above passage to point out how Christ takes Peter through the stages of love, from a brotherly feeling of affection for Christ to a fully surrendered and unconditional love for Him.
Theologians call it a "crisis moment" in the life of Peter and in the lives of all who say they belong to Him. It is that. It is also a lifestyle of saying "Yes" to Christ. An ever deepening "Yes" as He leads us more fully into the depths of who He is and the lives he has called us to. We like to speak much of our "destiny" but somehow, that destiny is more often flesh centered with ourselves at the forefront. Our destiny in Christ is that spoken by John the Baptist in response to the coming of Christ, "I must decrease so that He may increase." This is a walk that E. Stanley Jones called "living in the place of 'yesness' " No matter where He calls, and no matter where He leads us to, our answer, is and must be, "Yes." To live in that place of yesness is to live on the pathway of the cross. Only at the cross, in the place of surrender, can we ever, will we ever say "Yes" to Jesus. No matter the cost. Peter's yes to Christ did not end on that beach. It began there, and it took him to a literal death on a cross. A death he could face because of the choice he made on that beach, and a lifetime of choices that followed. A lifetime of living in the "deeper yes." Frederick Wood said that "the only life that counts is the life that costs" Do we really want such a life? Are we really living such a life?

To live in the deeper yes is to live in the ever greater surrender. Our ambitions, dreams, relationships, comforts, marriages, spouses, children, jobs, and yes, even most, our ministries. When we think of these, we tend to call them "ours." Our mates, children, jobs, and ministries. The deeper surrender demands that all that we think of as ours, is surrendered, at the cross, to Him. In all of them, he increases. And in all of them, we decrease.

Peter knew that Christ knew just how deep his "yes" really went. He knows it of us as well. How deep does it go? How deep will it go? He calls us to the deeper yes, and we can come only by way of the cross. The pathway is right before us. Do we go?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Lopsided Life

 "I now grant you the right to eat and drink at My table in that Kingdom." Luke 22:29-30......."As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Romans 8:14 "When they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples." Mark 4:34 "When I talk about the mystical level of knowing God, I am speaking of that which pierces the Cloud of Unknowing - the area that cannot be discerned by human knowledge and understanding, that rises above the intellect and even theology and goes into the area of experiencing the presence of God." A.W. Tozer  "In a kneeling position I can see the furthest - into the very heart of God." E. Stanley Jones.

To be considered a "spiritual mystic" sounds very creepy to most of our logic and reason based Christianity. We often view such people as "weird" and commonly say that "they are so heavenly minded that they're of no earthly good." The fact that Paul was such, as were brethren like John and Charles Wesley, Dwight Moody, Charles Spurgeon as well, doesn't seem to register very deeply with us. And who was of a more "mystical" bent than Christ Himself? 

I've written before, and likely will again, that we tend to live far more as orphans outside the Kingdom, than as sons and daughters made welcome, as Christ says in Luke, at His Kingdom table. The Father wants to be known, and intimately, by His children. Reason and logic, as Tozer says, will never take us past that Cloud of Unknowing. Mark 4 tells us that Jesus shared all things with His disciples when He was alone with them. This came after Jesus Himself spent great amounts of time alone with His Father. He was the fullness of His Father's heart and mind, and He calls us to share in it as well. If we will realize this, then the idea of being a "mystic" is not so strange after all.
We will understand that being such a person is not to be an exception, but a Kingdom standard. Yet we continue to accept a life and walk that is far below that standard. Someone said to the effect that being completely submerged in the life of Christ is to appear out of your mind to the bulk of the professing church. Francis Chan tells the story of one of his congregants rebuking him for being much too fanatical in his relationship with Christ. He told him that there was a middle road that should be embraced. It seems obvious that many in the church are embracing that road. I'm not sure who said it, but it was that we were to live lives that were "gloriously lopsided" for Christ. How lopsided for Him our your and my life today?

The Father doesn't call us to spend a literal 24 hours on our knees each day, but He does call us to live in such a way in our hearts with Him. When we are always in an attitude of worship, we are then living on our knees before Him. And when we do, we can, as Jones says, see into the heart of the Father. We will, as Tozer says, pierce the Cloud of Unknowing. Jesus will expound to us all things as we can receive them, all the while sitting at His Kingdom table. And we'll find that being a mystic is a pretty wonderful thing after all. Becoming, as one said, "So heavenly minded as to be of much earthly good."

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Even If He Doesn't

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.' " Daniel 3:16-18

There is so much great teaching in this passage of scripture. Commitment, the power of a fearless testimony, and the refusal to worship any god but the True God and Father. Yet there is one part that I think we tend to skip over in our comfort oriented, name it and claim it western church, and that is the phrase, "even if He does not." Is there a place in our faith life for unceasing trust in Him "even if He does not?"

God has given me a wide range of people to pray for, and they are found both within the fellowship of believers and outside of it. It is my heart desire that which He has given me to pray will be worked into the very fabric of our being regardless of where we might currently be spiritually. For the last several years, one such prayer has been rooted in the above passage of scripture. It goes something like this; "Lord, You are able in every situation, no matter how seemingly hopeless, to deliver, heal, save or resurrect, and Lord, we have decided that even if You do none of these, we will not cease to believe, trust, and cling to You." Folks, I tell you, it's a lot easier to pray that prayer than to live out and be a part of the answer to it.

In one of the darkest periods of my life, so many well meaning brethren encouraged me to trust and believe Him for deliverance and healing of my marriage. I did trust. I did believe. I did claim it. He did not do it. Like the three Hebrews, I went into the furnace. Unlike the three, He didn't do what I desired while in it. Yet He did something more. The first part is that in that furnace, He burnt up and out of my life, a great amount of the dross that was there. Believe me, there was plenty to go around. But the greatest part was that in that furnace, He, Christ, the fourth One of whom Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "looks like a divine being," was with me as He was with them.

Alicia Britt Chloe says that it is in the isolated places of life, the furnace, the desert, the cross, that we learn of the true character and nature of God. It's true. It's in the valley, not the mountaintop where we discover who He really is. There was a great desire in my heart when I entered the furnace, but in that furnace an even deeper one emerged. It was my desire for Him. I found in that place that, by His grace and Life, I could trust Him, "even if He didn't."

That furnace didn't remove all my dross. There was plenty to go around then, and there is still plenty go around now. There have been more furnaces since then, and I've no doubt more await. There remain many desires in my life as yet unmet. But I continue to learn something a friend shared some time ago. That is that the greatest answer to prayer is not the result we seek, but the realized presence of Him in the midst of it all. When we have that, then we can face the place of "even if He doesn't," and know that in that place we have victory. And we have all we really need. We have Him.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Jesus In 3-D

  "Jesus and His disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, He asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say You are one of the prophets.' Then Jesus asked, 'Who do you say I am?' Peter replied, 'You are the Messiah.' " Mark 8:27-29

3-D movies have been popular since the 1950's. They are always billed as making the viewing experience more real and vital. I can still remember as young boy my older brother returning from a John Wayne western he'd just seen in 3-D. I remember him telling me that it looked like the horses were literally running off the screen and into the theatre. It was so much more than the usual one or two dimensional images he was used to. I wonder if there is not much of that same element in the western church as to how we view the Christ we say we love, worship and live in?

When Jesus asked the disciples as to what the popular opinions of the day concerning Him were, He got a wide range of answers, none of them correct. When He asked who they believed He was, Peter rightly answered, "The Messiah." Yet, even knowing that, Peter and the other disciples had no real grasp as to the depth of what they meant,and to the fullness of who He really was and is. Pentecost would open up a whole new understanding of who He is for them. Jesus said that with the coming of the Holy Spirit, His Spirit would teach them ever deeper truth as to who He, the Father, and the Spirit were. It's a teaching that will go on far beyond this lifetime and into and throughout eternity. This being so, why is it that we, particularly in the western church, seem so sure that we know just who He is, how He will act, and what He will and will not do? Why do we try to keep Him on a "flat screen" when He is constantly seeking to, and will, leap out of it onto us? He is not one dimensional or even three, but multi-dimensional, and infinitely so.

Whatever your current thoughts concerning who He is are, know this: Jesus is more than that. However you think He'll behave in a certain situation, know this as well: Jesus will not be constricted by yours or my expectations. The Father said that, "My ways are not your ways," and we say we believe that, but in reality, I don't think we do. Particularly as concerns Christ. We think He will love like us, relate like us, choose like us, and live like us. "Us" and not Christ is really our center of reference.

The examples in the gospels are almost endless. How many pastors would really send the rich young ruler away if he came through the doors of our church? How many of us, when people say they want to join our fellowship would we say, "First, you need to count the cost. Then you need to be willing to surrender all to Him, and then take up your cross and join with Him." Who would be willing to turn away big crowds by telling them that to have Him would mean giving up everything that is not Him? These are very hard words, and I admit, I tremble at the need to speak them. But I fear even more to not do so. James MacDonald said that if our preaching does not cause people to leave our churches saying, "This is a hard word. Who can receive it?" then we do not have the ministry that Jesus had. How welcome in many of our churches would the Jesus who said these things be? I'm thinking not any more than He was in the Church He spoke to 2000 years ago.

Like Peter, I know He's the Messiah. Like Peter and the rest, I have been learning for over 35 years how deep the meaning of that name goes. I still want to know even more, and I still tremble at what that may mean. But I want a Jesus who leaps out of the all the boxes and yes, leather bound bibles I have sought to keep Him in that I might know Him more. Yes, I want to know His Word as I read it, and I want to know the Living Christ as I do so. I know He's real. I want to know how real He is. How about you?

Blessings,
Pastor O 

Heart Tracks - The Door Kicker

 "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." Revelation 3:20.........."We misconstrue His love - we may even be attracted to a mere figment of our imagination - if we don't also sense fear. The One who loves is the Holy One who wishes to make all unclean things holy.That means the One we cannot stay away from is the same One who is out to destroy those very habits, sins, notions, addictions, and self-justifications that we think we cannot live without. And there are times we feel as if Jesus is out to destroy us. It is a wonderful and a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the real Jesus." - Mark Galli

The picture many of us have of Jesus depicted in Revelation 3:20 is that of the Gentle Shepherd, patiently knocking at the door of our heart, softly calling us to let Him in. We think in terms of Jesus the Gentleman. He will not force Himself upon us. Neither the picture or the thought is wrong. But neither the picture or thought is complete. Jesus is far more than what pop Christianity has made Him to be. And if I can say something that may sound like blasphemy, I think if He were only that picture and thought, He would be a very boring and tepid Christ. I think this is borne out by the boring, tepid lives lived out by so many of us who call themselves His.

The above quote from Mark Galli comes from his book, Jesus Mean And Wild. That title alone is bound to raise a few hackles on those who want to keep Him a one dimensional Savior and Lord. In fact, it tends to just name Him as Savior. His being Lord seems optional for many. Yet it's not an option He offers. And if we insist on seeking to keep Him to such a restricted viewpoint, we will surely find Him to be just that; Jesus mean and wild. And a lot more besides.

It would be wonderful if, in His approach to our hearts, all He had to do is softly knock at the door, and just as softly call our name, and we would readily invite Him in. Wonderful, but highly unlikely. We are very hard of hearing, sometimes because the noise of life makes us deaf, but more often, we simply choose, like defiant children, to not listen. The thing is, Jesus is a determined Savior and Lord who is determined to get the door open. Even if it calls for Him to kick it in.

I know we don't readily accept that picture, but bear with me. There are some things, many things, that we will just not deal with. And Christ, in His love, is more than willing to bring us to a head - on collision with Himself in order to confront them. No matter how deeply they may be ingrained. He will kick the door in until all we can see in that doorway is Him. Jesus. Mean and Wild! Yes, we have free will, and yes, He will not force Himself upon us. But folks, I think it takes a mighty and deeply ingrained spirit of rebellion to defy such a Jesus. Such a love. Real Love. Real Jesus. Can we handle such a Christ? Be sure, He is more than able to handle us....and He will.

Is He out to destroy us? Yes, as concerns all in us that is against His Life and our well being. He is holy and His love demands that He make us so. Not in rule keeping, but in inner heart living. There is in all of us, some area(s) in our heart that He will confront. He stands at the door and knocks. Will we open? Or, does He have to kick the door in?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Vertical Life

  "So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return." Matthew 25:13....."I will climb up to my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me...." Habakkuk 2:1

History calls it "The Battle of Britain." It's the story of how a small, highly skilled group of RAF pilots fought off the overwhelming number of German bombers and their escort fighters who were intent on beating England into submission and defeat in the second World War. These Royal Air force pilots lived in a state of constant readiness, able to respond to the first sighting of the approaching enemy. An enemy that always found them waiting as they arrived at the shores of England. I see it as how the Church must live in its relationship with her Lord. Not only as concerns His return, but for literally every word He speaks and is speaking to us today. And I believe He is speaking much.

I have become weary of all the debate and controversy within the Church over the Lord's return. Of when that will be,and how it will take place. Will there be a rapture? Who is the anti-Christ? Is he already among us? It's not that it is wrong to ask these questions, but it seems to me we have gotten far more concerned with who's right and who's wrong then with hearing and knowing what the Lord is saying in the midst of it all. We think we have much to say in all of it. So much so that we can't hear what He is saying right now. Jesus is always speaking a "now" word to us, but I wonder how many of us are really listening? I doubt that the RAF pilots spent a great deal of time in the Officer's Club discussing when the next wave of bombers were coming and of what type they'd be. They instead lived ready, watching the sky for when they did come, and the result for them was victory. 

I'm not writing here about living with an obsession about His return or the manner in which it comes. I'm talking of living with a focus on hearing the words that He speaks to us right now. Jesus said His word is our life, but we seem far more content debating about what that Word is or means, than actually listening to that Word as His Holy Spirit speaks it. Habakkuk said that he would climb up into his watchtower and await to hear what the Father might say to Him. Obviously, he wasn't content to stay at ground level for that word. He needed to be in a higher place, above the everyday noise and busyness of that ground. I think the reason we hear so little from Him is that we continue to live at ground level spiritually. We can't hear or discern His voice in the noise and clamor of everyday life. 

In the Old Testament, the Father said that He did nothing without first speaking to His prophets. Much as many would like to ignore that Testament, I don't think this has greatly changed. He is speaking today, and as Jesus said, those with ears to hear will discern what He says. And speak it. We need to, must, live in readiness. Ready to hear, obey, and act on what He is speaking. We need to be standing in our own spiritual watchtowers as concerns our lives, homes and families, and above all, the Church of which we are a part. Lifting up our eyes, as He commands us throughout His Word. Yes, I want to be ready when He comes, regardless of the manner of His coming. Just as much, I want to be ready to hear when He speaks. And He is speaking. 
I think there are two forms of life for His people. We will live either horizontally or vertically. One only sees what is directly around and in front of us. The other looks up, beyond this plane, and sees and hears face and heart of Christ in all of it. I want to live the vertical life. Not ground level life, but Kingdom level life. Too many seem content with the ground level life. Few seem to seek the Kingdom level. Who will we be found with? The many, or the few?

Blesings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Jesus and.....

 "Christ is all and in all." Colossians 3:11....."I wonder, dear friends, what you covet and pray for more than anything else. For my own part, my coveting, my praying is more than for anything else, a fresh and mighty captivation of the Lord Jesus, a captivation of Christ." T. Austin-Sparks

I've been thinking lately of how easily we say Jesus is all we need, but how our thinking and actions most often say He is not. Now I know we're human and we have human needs and desires. I'm not saying that their presence is sin or wrong for us. What I am saying is that when we come into a place of feeling or believing that unless the longing for some need or desire is met, our life will then be incomplete. We then open ourselves up for a lifetime of frustration and defeat. When we choose to live in the place of "Jesus and...." we are on very dangerous ground. What I mean by this is that if in order to know fulfillment and contentment we must have these things in addition to Christ, we are living very far from the place that He calls us to.

Think for a moment on all the "and's" we believe must be present for us to have enjoyment. We want Jesus and....Jesus and a rewarding marriage or relationship. Jesus and a successful job or ministry. Jesus and good health, comfortable income, lifestyle security, and as much as possible, a trouble free life. We see it in the desires of the majority of the western church. People rarely ask if a fellowship has the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in its midst, but whether there are sufficient, high quality ministries present to take care of them and their families. In effect, does the church offer Jesus and.....a quality youth and children's ministry. Jesus and....high quality and invigorating music and atmosphere. Jesus and......a skilled and polished communicator in the pulpit. Jesus and....a fellowship that offers us very much and asks for very little. This heart attitude then makes those responsible for ministry feel that they must then invest their energy into providing a church that does offer Jesus and.....All these things that people feel they must have in addition to Christ. Because, though none of us want to say it, Christ Himself is simply not enough. Not enough for the sheep or for the shepherd.

You may think I overstate all this, but I just can't get past the vast majority of our brethren worshiping and following Him in nations and areas far less blessed than us, and who have little if any of those things we consider to be necessity. And yet they thrive in their relationship with Him. With all they lack, He is enough. They know what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that He had food to eat that they knew nothing about. The food of the Life of the Spirit. More and more I'm thinking that we in the western church know little or anything about that food as well.

Beth Moore said that when we identify the desire or need we feel we cannot do without, we will find that it is in that need or desire that we will be most vulnerable to spiritual shipwreck. She's right. Now the question for you and I is, in what desires and needs are we most vulnerable? What opening to we give the enemy in that place that may well bring us down?

What will this coming year bring for us? Will we live in the place of Jesus is all, or, will we live in the place of "Jesus and.....?" I know what our lips are saying and our ears hearing. What say our hearts? And what do His ears hear them speak?

Blessings,
Pastor O