Think Faith

This past weekend Becky and I have been blessed with the gift of a son, William Charles, whom we lovingly refer to as “Baby Will”. Born November 19th at 11:38 p.m., he weighed a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz. and was 20 inches long. Mama and baby are quite healthy, and his three big sisters are elated to see what was in Mommy’s tummy. And, Oh, the questions they come up with!

On Saturday the adventure started around 10:30 a.m. after Becky decided to throw a garage sale unbeknownst to me. The contractions occurred every 5 minutes. We wanted to get closer to the hospital (~35 minutes from home) so we decided to go see a movie in that area. We saw the biography of Johnny Cash, “Walk the Line”, which was highly entertaining but quite sad. (After watching several biographies of famous musicians I’m almost glad I didn’t “make it”.) After the movie Becky took a muscle-relaxer, but that only seemed to exacerbate the contractions. We went to the hospital and within five hours we were holding our baby boy.

There were no real complications except that the epidural didn’t work in the one place it was needed most. Becky says that this time was the most painful. I believe her. After the experience we both agreed on this observation…

Suffering is a gate between two worlds…the world that was and the world that will be. How is the pain of childbirth qualitatively different from other suffering? It is different because we know the joy on the other side. This is the same thing the Bible says of Christ, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. It was the arrival of our son that made it worth the pain. It was our arrival in the family of our Heavenly Father that was Christ’s passion.

Well, Baby Will is home now and we are adjusting. More than once I’ve had to apologize to my little girls for being impatient. I pray they don’t remember those moments. They are doing a fantastic job helping Mommy clean up the house and take care of their little brother.

Thank you, Father, for this precious gift to us…a son on loan from you! Grant me the wisdom I need to teach him your ways and what it means to be a man. May I always treat him with the same kind affection that you have shown me all of these years. Thank you, Father!!!

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

How do I pray? What do I say?

I am living in a dream, a padded existence. It is a safe segment of reality, tucked away from all the suffering that should be mine as a Christ-follower. I live with invisible walls that insulate me from pain and persecution. I am unaffected and therefore ineffective.

Christ came to me when I was six and He said, “Come, follow me.” Where did Christ go that I should follow Him? Did He not walk the path of shame and suffering in obedience to the Father’s will. If I am to follow Christ I must descend with Him into the valley of the shadow of death without fear. If I am to know Christ intimately I must follow Him to the place where I have nothing left to cling to for my existence save Him. I must join Him in His suffering, but how do I do that?

We do not live in a part of the world where children watch policemen take Daddy away for mentioning the name of Christ. We are however scorned by Hollywood for encouraging and expecting purity. We are verbally attacked by the so-called “tolerant” for unfairly “imposing” our beliefs on those around us when we are simply standing for undeniable truth.

Personally, I have kept silent about my faith for fear of offending, fear of rejection. I wait for the right time and the right time never comes. I have been threatened into silence by the politically correct notion drilled into the psyche of my generation that I do not have the right to declare that my “version” of truth is solely accurate. Yet how can I stay silent forever when I know that over 3,000 of my brothers and sisters are being put to death this week for following Christ?

What is it about this man Jesus that these people around the world are willing to die for Him, over 165,000 this year alone? They are not dying for an idea. They are not dying for pleasure. They are dying for one man who claimed to be God, yet died a sinner’s death. They are not promised 70 virgins on the other side. They are simply promised an existence in the presence of Jesus for eternity. So what is it about this Jesus? What is it about being in His presence that makes bloody torture the “blessing” that Peter, who denied Christ three times in his youth, described it:

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad – because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world. Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you. (1 Peter 4:12-14)

The answer to all of this is simple. Jesus is the one He claimed to be, the Son of God. The world hates Him and all who follow Him, yet those that know Him cannot deny him to save their life. When He called to them, “Come, follow me,” they surrendered to the call knowing full well that such could be the death of them.

Am I willing to die for Christ, if that is His will for me? Am I willing to be mocked for speaking His name? Am I willing to introduce my friends to Him without regard to their responses?

Lord, grant me boldness to get past the walls of political correctness and fear. If you are whom you say you are then give me the courage to love my fellow man by telling them. May I never be so cold and afraid as to deny them the chance to meet you. Fortify my faith, I pray.

For a deeper look at Christian persecution around the world, listen to these two broadcasts of Focus on the Family:

A Deeper Look at Christian Persecution, Pt 1 (11/9/2005) - Do you ever wonder why you don’t hear about Christian persecution from the mainstream? It isn’t because it doesn’t exist. Find out the extent of a worldwide problem. Senator Sam Brownback, Michael Horowitz, and Wes Bentley join Dr. James Dobson with the stories and the truth.
Windows Media RealAudio

A Deeper Look at Christian Persecution, Pt 2 (11/10/2005)
- Thursday Thousands of Christians all over the globe are arrested, tortured, and killed for their belief and faith. Dr. James Dobson talks about the dangers with Wes and Vicky Bentley about their involvement with Sudanese refugees.
Windows Media RealAudio

One last word from Peter, prior to his own crucifixion:

This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.
1Peter 2:21 - Show Context

Recently my wife and I decided to leave our church of five years. It is a church for “unchurched” people, folks who haven’t entered a church in years except maybe Christmas and Easter. It’s strengths include getting people in the door and serving others. I won’t go into the weaknesses except one, feeding the sheep. In a recent sermon, the senior pastor made a statement that alarmed me. “We are not here to feed you. We are here to equip you for ministry. I am not here to feed you.” I think I know what he meant to say, but it was the last thing we needed to hear. My guess is that he meant to say, “I am not here just to feed you.” However, intentionally or not, his actual statement is more true to life. Let me explain.

Becky and I both grew up in strong Christian homes. We both received a saving faith in Jesus Christ at an early age. We both attended strong, Bible-teaching churches throughout our lives. We came to this church because we felt like we had something to offer. We wanted to make a difference. Some may call this noble, while others may call it conceited. I have to confess it was a bit of both.

Nonetheless, after five years of service we feel spiritually famished. We visited the church where Becky’s parents still attend. They have a new pastor with a shepherd’s heart. The opening prayer and the sermon were like taking a cold drink of water after crossing the desert. We never realized until that moment how hungry we were for preaching where the pastor dives into the Bible and chews on the meat of it.

Using the analogy of a school system, we’ve been involved in a church that teaches K-6 spiritually. It excels in giving out what the apostle Paul refers to as spiritual “milk”. That’s great for folks who need to start at that level. But when you’ve graduated to meat, milk leaves one with a gnawing sense of hunger. In other words, Becky and I need to be in a church that teaches grades 7-12 spiritually, if not college level. Our kids need that, too.

As much as we love the people at our church and believe in the new direction toward discipleship, Becky and I feel that now is the time to leave. We are just not receiving the sustainance that we both need and want our children to have.

I pray that God builds and protects both churches, and that their weaknesses become their strengths.