Moving

I have decided to move this blog to tumblr.com. Tumblr offers a better format for this blog I believe. There are several different methods I can use to share the "whispers" I get, from simply posting quotes, to sharing images that might inspire some grain of truth from God. The URL will stay pretty much the same, just changing the hosting site. The new URL is whisperzofwisdom.tumblr.com. Over the next couple of weeks I will be working on moving over some of my previous posts while adding new posts, so be sure to bookmark or follow the new location.

Sons of Encouragement Series by Francine Rivers

Behind the men who shaped history are the heroes who quietly changed it forever.

In this five-book compilation of the Sons of Encouragement series, New York Times best-selling author Francine Rivers illuminates the lives of five Biblical men who stood behind the heroes of the faith and quietly changed eternity. Aaron, ...Caleb, Jonathan, Amos, and Silas each faithfully sought after God in the shadows of His chosen leaders. They answered God's call to serve without recognition or fame. And they gave everything, knowing their reward might not come until the next life. Each story includes a six-part Bible study, perfect for individual use or group discussion.

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The Father-God Complex

I would like to share with you a “whisper” which I received just a couple weeks ago. To do this I have to share with you my story, my whole story, a story that I don’t often share. I am not embarrassed to share it, but it is a difficult story to share.

I don’t remember much from the first few years of my life. I’m sure I cried a lot and made my mom change a bunch of dirty diapers, but memories from this time just simply do not come to mind. However, I can tell you that when I was only two years old my mom left my biological father. She likes to tell me the story about her little two year old boy who stood up to his father, screaming “Don’t hit my mom!”, as he came after her with a bat the night she found out he was cheating on her and she decided to leave him. My mom married again and I had a new father, though my biological father still had joint custody. While I do not remember any of these occurrences, I do know that there were times where I stayed with my biological father and his new wife and twin boys. When I was about six or seven, it was discovered that my biological father had been sexually molesting the twins. At this my mother was given sole custody and my biological father had to sign over his rights of me. Through the years my new dad, the man who raised me, was a good dad, even giving me three brothers and a sister to play with. We did all the fun father-son stuff and he took care of me and my siblings like a father should, but by my senior year in high school things took a turn for the worst.

My mother had stopped smoking several years before and came to the point where she did not want him smoking in the house. So he set up a place out in our carport where he spent most of his time. If he wasn’t sleeping or working he was out in the carport. He quit spending much time with us as he was always out in the carport. This caused a chasm to build between my parents and my mom decided to once again leave my dad. There was no need for me to stand up to this father, but unfortunately his anger turned toward me. He blamed me for the divorce, saying that I talked my mom into leaving him. I never talked to him again in 8 years. Shortly after the divorce he even lost contact with my siblings. Unfortunately, about three weeks ago, Greg Brumley found himself in the hospital on life support for about a week and his life ended on January 19, 2011. The loss of my father didn’t really affect me as we had been so estranged over the past 8 years, but unfortunately my brothers had taken a negative approach to dealing with the loss. In their anger over his neglecting us, they came to feel that it served him right, that he had brought it on himself, and they were not dealing with the real feeling of loss for their father. It was in the conversation I had with my youngest brother that God once again whispered some wisdom to me. This is the whisper I would like to share with you today.

That “whisper” was about the direct connection between our relationships with our fathers and our relationship with God. In my discussion with my brother, God revealed to me that because these relationships are directly related, Satan looks to destroy the bond between a father and child because in so doing he can also destroy the bond between the heavenly Father and his children. If you have a bad experience with your earthly father, then the chances are slim for the idea of God being your Father to appeal to you. This realization brings with it two instructions; one for fathers obviously, but the second is for their children.
For those who are fathers, or plan on being fathers some day, it is imperative that we do a good job because we are or will be the earthly image of God as Father. Ephesians 6:4 sums it all up: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Fathers are given the direct instruction not to infuriate or enrage their children, because in so doing they will warp a child’s image of a father thus warping their image of God. By destroying a relationship with his children, a father literally destroys the relationship with his children and God. Instead, fathers are called to bring up and build up their children in the ways of the Lord, and by doing so a child’s relationship with God can grow exponentially. A father is the first rung in the ladder that leads to a relationship with God. So we can see how important it is for fathers to stay strong in their faith and be diligent in rearing their children. But the burden doesn’t fall solely on the father.

Back up a few verses and you will find that Ephesians 6:1-3 tells us “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Not much I can really say to sum that up, it’s pretty straight forward. But this cannot always be done, as in my case where both of my fathers failed to do as they were instructed. I know you’re thinking “But Zach you seem to have a good view of God as Father. You seem to have a pretty good relationship with God.” Some of you might even be thinking to yourself “My dad didn’t hold up to his end of the bargain either, and I’m not sure I care too much for the image of God being my Father. What can I do to fix that?” Forgiveness. About three days before my dad actually died God came to me with another “whisper.” As I lay in bed trying to sleep He told me I needed to forgive my father for how he had hurt my mother, how he had hurt my siblings, and for blaming me for it all. I prayed to God right then and there and told Him I forgave my dad, and as soon as I did a huge burden had lifted. By forgiving a bad father and giving up that pain you hold because of that relationship, Satan loses his foothold in tearing apart your relationship with God. When you no longer have a bad image of a father, God can show you what a real father should be like, and that He has been that for you the whole time.

I realize that this whole time I talked about the importance of the father-child relationship, but that is only because of the dominance of the image of God as our Father in the Bible. The reality of it is however, that God can be whatever to whomever as is needed in a given situation. What I mean is that if someone is in a situation and they need a mother figure, God can be a mother figure. If someone is in a situation where they need a brother, then He can be a brother. Sister, friend, grandparent, whatever; God can and will be whatever you need Him to be. I bring this up to say that in reality all relationships are important, because a bad relationship creates a bad view of what God is. So while my main focus was on fathers, there is a lesson to be learned by everyone. Be careful about how you handle your relationships because in them you are being an illustration of God.

Mission of God

A common misconception that many have when thinking about missions is that it starts with us, the church. The idea is that we bring others to God, and God doesn’t necessarily play a role in the mission other than being that ultimate goal. This misconception has been so off the mark that even a belief system arose known as Deism. In the belief of Deism one believes in God and that he created the universe, but has little to no involvement with the way it ultimately turns out. Basically He built and wound the clock, but after that the clock works on its own. This morning I want to share with you the idea that God is a missionary God and just how off the mark we can be when we think that mission work is totally our doing.

First of all I want to show you that God is a God on a mission, or a missionary God. To start this off I can begin the same way Moses began the book of Genesis. “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Here in the very first line of the Bible we see God on a mission. As we read on we see that every day God embarks on a new element to His mission to create the world, until he comes to His ultimate goal of creating man. At this point He does take a break as we read that on the seventh day He rested, but this is not where God says goodbye and leaves us to our own devices. Shortly we find the story of the fall of man and God’s mission changes from creating to redeeming. We see this mission in several stories throughout the Bible. The story of Noah tells how God rid the world of its wickedness and saved a family of righteousness. The story of Moses tells how God saved a nation from the wickedness of Egyptian enslavement. Jonah tells about God sending a man to redeem a corrupt city and the book of Amos is drenched with God promising the redemption of His people. All these stories show us that God’s mission is now the care and redemption of His creation.

John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s concern is for the world and His mission is turning to the world to care for and redeem us all so that the world will once again have the perfection in which He created all things. God is so taken up in this mission that He was willing to send Jesus to die so that His mission could be one step closer to being accomplished. This was not God’s final action either. Next came the sending of the Holy Spirit to guide this now “redeemed” world to the acceptance and practice of redemption. But this is not the end of the line for our missionary God. He uses another tool to accomplish His mission, the church.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This scripture should change the way we look at mission. Instead of thinking that mission work starts with the church, this scripture shows us that God has laid out His mission and we are the instrument with which He carries those plans out. We were created to carry those plans out. This idea is further illustrated in 1 Peter 2:9-10, using the Message translation, “But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”

These passages show that in the field of missions, the church is not the sender, but rather the church exists to be sent. This also leads to the realization that the church exists for those who are not members of it. The church is a servant community, meant to reach out to others. Philippians 2:5-8 tells us “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Jesus himself even said in Matthew 20:26-28 “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We cannot view ourselves as elite, though we have been chosen by God, and we cannot view ourselves as truly set apart, though we are not of this world, because our very existence and reason for being is to serve those who have not yet answered the call. Our thoughts should change from creating church-centered missions in which we look to accomplish a goal of filling our pews and being the ones bringing others to know God to being mission-centered churches which strive to participate in God’s mission of caring for and redeeming His creation. This means that church should no longer be viewed as simply a place to go and praise God, but as we disperse we should look to serve God in the opportunities He gives us everyday to serve others. I want to close with that thought and offer the invitation to come for prayers or baptism, but I have one more thing to present to you after we stand and sing.

Not only are we called to serve God and others in our communities, but world wide as God’s concern is for the entire world. John 3:16 doesn’t say that God so loved Texas or the USA, but that “God so loved the world.” And it says in both Isaiah 56:7 and Mark 11:17, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Let’s Start Talking Ministry is a ministry at the heart of this part of God’s mission. I want to let you know that this year the KFC Ministry will be sending 4 teams (16 students, including myself) who have taken up the call to serve others in Germany, Brazil, Thailand, and possibly Malaysia through the LST Ministry. I mention this because we need your help. Dedicating ourselves to raising funds for the LST Ministry is one of the first and biggest “missions” we engage in. Part of our fundraising involves meeting two deadlines, one of which is having half of our funds raised by Feb. 15, while the other is having all of our funds raised by April 15. I would like to bring this to your attention and ask that a donation be given your consideration.

You can make a donation two ways. The first is to go to www.lst.org/2011projects/zaachary to make an online donation to my personal web page or go to www.katsforchrist.com, select LSTU, select Current Projects, and browse the teams and individuals you might like to donate for. The second is by mailing a check, with the name of a student in the memo line, to:
Let's Start Talking
P.O.Box 99321
Fort Worth, Texas 76199-0321

Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask

So I know it has been over a month since my last post. I apologize. I have been really busy with work and trying to finish school and all that good stuff. Unfortunately, this has meant that I have not been listening too closely for a new whisper.

But today is your lucky day! I have another book to suggest to you guys. It is called The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask by Mark Mittleberg. I have not actually read the whole book. I managed to get a free preview on my wife's new Kindle, and so I have only read the forward, introduction and first chapter, however I am very very VERY interested in reading the rest and I had a very deep urge to push this book. I can only explain that as God wanting to get the word out just a little more about this book.

Let's Start Talking Donations

Two years ago I went to Kiev, Ukraine for three weeks and absolutely fell in love with the Let’s Start Talking ministry and what God is doing through them. I have once again committed to a LST summer project. Sharing my faith and the story of Jesus with others has now become a passion for me. I am contacting you to ask that you help me meet my fundraising goal of $3200 to benefit this ministry. LST has several deadlines set up to help me reach my goal, the first of which being $300 by December 15.

I will be spending another three weeks this summer in a country abroad, sharing myself, my faith, and the story of Jesus with people who are eager to come and listen. I have total faith in God to help me reach this goal. A donation of $150 will cover one day of my project. If 32 people donate just $100 we will easily reach this goal. If you work for a donation matching company, a $50 donation then becomes $100! And don’t forget that every donation is tax deductible. Every dollar helps and every donation is a blessing not only to me, but also to those who I will be sharing Jesus with this summer. Below is a link that I would like you to follow if you have a few minutes.

This link takes you directly to my personal LST donation page where you can securely contribute to LST on my behalf. http://www.lst.org/2011projects/zaachary

More information about LST can be found @ their website, www.lst.org, or check out some awesome videos of past projects @ www.katsforchrist.com

Serving a Proud God

Lately I have had this strange urge to look into the topic of pride. It all started after I saw a quote from C.S. Lewis that reads, “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. It was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” But after reading that, I was reminded of a Bible class lesson I had @ LCU about 5 years ago, in which the teacher made the argument that God is a very proud God, however, the pride of man is a far cry from the pride of God. This morning I want to first off look at some of the ways we express pride that the Lord Himself frequently does, but then I want to show how His pride differs from that which we ourselves experience.

I call the first expression of pride the “I Am Expression.” This one phrase “I Am” can be a very potent expression. “I am the President of this or that company.” “I am the captain of this or that team.” “I am the preacher this morning.” All these phrases express a pride in the speaker’s position, and with that comes an unexpressed demand of respect. We should be careful about the way we use these “I Am” expressions. But God Himself uses these exact words simply for His name. EXODUS 3:14 On several other occasions God claims “I Am the Lord your God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” This is a phrase that we hear regularly throughout the Old Testament. In my study, it seems to me that every other verse in the book of Leviticus ends with the phrase “I AM THE LORD.” Jesus even plays on this claim in the book of John. John 8:58 says “"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" And in John 10:30 Jesus makes the claim that He is God. However, back in John 8:50 Jesus says I am not seeking glory for myself.” In that same verse, Jesus does however prove to us that God is a prideful God when He says “but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.”

The second expression of pride I believe is the “That’s My Name Expression.” If we look closely at our lives, we are always trying to make a name for ourselves. We want people to hear or think of our names, and have a certain picture of who we are. Most of us strive to build a good name for ourselves. Actors, Athletes, and Businessmen are very concerned with their names, and very often their names can become very popular/valuable. Consider a plain t-shirt or a simple pair of shoes. Print the name of a famous athlete, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan for instance, along with their endorsement and you have a product that every one wants, and is worth about 10-20x more than it was before. Autographs boost the value of common, mundane items. Names carry a great deal of pride.

Unfortunately God doesn’t care about your name, He only cares about His. Consider Abram and Jacob. God changed both of these men’s names. GENESIS 17:5, GEN. 32:28 Think about the stories and the histories these men had, but God didn’t care about the names they had built up for themselves. He changed them without any reservations. But consider God’s consideration of His own name. EXODUS 3:15, 20:7, 33:19, LEV. 19:12. God takes His name so seriously that in Lev. 24:16 it reads “anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.” That’s some serious pride in a name if you ask me.

But now I want us to look at what exactly the “Pride of the Lord” looks like. Much like joy, love, and everything else, man’s version of pride is a far cry from that of the Lord. In the case of pride, it tends to get us into trouble more than it gives us the result of greatness which we are looking for. Like C.S. Lewis said, it leads to every other sin and it was through pride that the devil became the devil. Look where pride got Moses, Samson, even Adam and Eve fell to a small seed of pride. Through the “Pride of Man” many people become alienated and oppressed. But the “Pride of the Lord” lifts people up and helps those in need. The difference between the “Pride of Man” and the “Pride of the Lord” is that Man prides himself for himself while the Lord prides Himself for His children.

Consider the Israelites story in the book of Exodus. In Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh claims that he does not know the Lord. But in Exodus 7:5, 14:4, and 14:18 God says that He is doing these things so that the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord. Joshua 4:24 says “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." And Joshua 1:9 says Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." How much more peace this claim brings knowing that God has so much pride in Himself that all the peoples of earth would know and fear Him.

The reason God cares so little for our names and so much for His is because He places His name on His children, making their names greater than they would be without Him. Remember our example of athletes, products and endorsements. God endorses us. God’s name is so great because of the great pride He has taken in building it up that He can take a worthless product, a sinner like me, and make it worthy of righteousness through His name. God does not want us to misuse or profane His name because He does not want to disgrace us when He places His name on us.

Pride is dangerous. As human beings we are incapable of practicing it like God does, and therefore we twist and tarnish its true beauty. Back in John 8:54 Jesus says “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” 2 Cor. 10:17-18 says “But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” I argue that it is good to have a little pride, but that pride need only be in God. Consider the Israelite army as they take the land of Canaan. After every won battle the victory cry was “FOR THE LORD!” Consider the men who marched around the walls of Jericho. It was not by their marching that the walls fell and they may have had a sense of pride in their victory, is was not in their marching, but in the fact that God was with them and would do mighty works for them. We should only express pride with a phrase like “I am a child of God,” and also in actions that will help build up His name. Only through our pride in God, through our desire to glorify Him, can we ourselves be glorified by Him.