Category: Exodus (Page 6 of 7)

Faithful Love

October 1, 2010 / Allan / 0 Comments

“The Lord, the Lord…abounding in love and faithfulness.” ~Exodus 34:6

The Hebrew word is emeth. It means faithfulness. Firmness. Truth. Fidelity. Steadfastness. It’s volitional, not emotional. That means it will not quit. It will never quit. It remains true to the course. Devoted to the commitment. Loyal to the promise.Faithfulness always finishes what it starts.

Another Hebrew word that comes from emeth is “amen.” When we say “amen” after a prayer, we’re affirming the words of that prayer, its truth. We are participating in that prayer. We’re saying, “Those are words I’ve prayed with that person. I’m with that person who just prayed that prayer.”

In a way, God says these words to us and about us by revealing himself as faithful. This marvelous facet of God’s eternal glory is a word of confirmation to us. God says, “I’m with this person.”

“I’m with you.”

And he proves it by coming to earth, putting on flesh, suffering as a human, and staying true to the course all the way to the cross. Faithful to the promise to forgive our sins. Devoted to the plan to redeem us as his chosen people. Loyal to his Word to breathe his Spirit into us and give us eternal life.

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” ~1 Corinthians 1:9

Peace,

Allan

Know That I Am The Lord

August 2, 2010 / Allan / 2 Comments

I felt like I was in the final scene of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The conference room at the back of our worship center was packed — jam-packed — with more people than it was ever intended to hold. As I pressed and pushed and excuse-me’d my way to the center of the room, untold dozens of men and women kept pushing money into my hands. Twenties and tens. Lots of twenties and tens. Several dozen checks. A couple of hundred dollar bills. People gave me phone numbers and email addresses. And lots of money. Smiling people. Loud people. Happy people. Giving cheerfully. Offering themselves sacrificially. Some of these people I know very well. Others, I’m not sure I’ve ever met. I can still see their wide open faces. But there’s no way I can remember them all. I didn’t know what to say. Almost 36-hours later, I’m still not sure what to say. I just stood there. Speechless. Yes, without speech. I kept waiting for someone to break out in “Auld Lang Syne.” (Is that how you spell it? Probably not.) Surely another Clarence somewhere was getting his wings!

It was too much. Almost chaotic. People were cramming themselves around the room. Others were pressed against the glass, unable to squeeze in. A line three and four across stretched out into the halls from both doors. I fully expected the ceiling tiles to be ripped apart and more people to be lowered down on mats and ropes. We had to move everybody back out into the worship center.

A Legacy family is in crisis. Major crisis. And we gave it to God by giving it to his Church. We spilled it all before the whole Body of Christ. No holds barred. Raw honesty. Brutal truth. All the pain. All the sin. All the darkness. Here it is, we said. Now, let’s help this family.

And we did. And we are. And I still can’t believe it.

Why am I so surprised? God is faithful. He’s always promised to take care of us if we’ll just depend on him. And he’s never broken one of those promises. Never. So why am I so shocked that he moved our church to such great depths of Christian love yesterday? Why was I so blown away?

Because it’s so rare?

Maybe.

Why is it so rare?

Because we don’t always depend on God the way he wants us to?

Maybe.

I really believe the key is to totally and completely and wholly rely on God instead of ourselves. And we never do that. Except when we get in a “hopeless situation.” Except when we find ourselves in the middle of a cyclone of horrible news and dreadful circumstances. Except when we hold meeting after meeting after meeting and discover we’ve got nothing. Nothing. No answers. No wisdom. No suggestions. No solutions. Nothing.

And we wind up with no choice but to give it all to God. In all humility and brokenness and helplessness, we give it to God.

And then he does that thing he always does. He rescues. He saves. He delivers. Just like always. And I imagine our heavenly Father looks at our surprise and says, “Now you know that I am the Lord.”

Praise God. He alone is God. There is no other. Praise God.

Allan

Reflecting God's Steadfast Love

July 26, 2010 / Allan / 1 Comment

Have you ever taken that middle part of 1 Corinthians 13 in which Paul describes love in both positive and negative terms and substituted your own name for “love?” You know, “Allan is patient, Allan is kind, Allan does not envy, he does not boast…” Sure you have.

But if I’m called as a child of God to reflect the glory of our God — and I am! — that means I must reflect his steadfast love, too. His abounding love. His overflowing chesed. Faithful love. Loyal love. Love without limits. Not some abstract love or love concept. Not a friendly feeling. A genuine love proven by its actions.

And that’s not just me. That’s you, too.

“To God be glory in the Church…” ~Ephesians 3:21

So, I’ve made some modifications to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in a church context. In a “one another” context. It’s one thing to say, “Allan is patient.” It’s another thing entirely to put that in a specific setting or circumstance.

Allan is patient with his brothers and sisters at Legacy.

Allan is kind to the people who don’t like him or approve of him.

Allan does not envy others’ spiritual gifts.

Allan does not boast in the gifts he has.

Allan is not proud of anything he accomplishes, recognizing that all things come from God and we’re all doing this thing together.

Allan is not rude to anyone at Legacy. No matter what.

Allan seeks the good of others; he looks out for others’ interests instead of his own.

It’s impossible for anyone at Legacy to make Allan angry.

When Allan is wronged by someone at church, he forgets about it immediately.

Allan gives other people the benefit of the doubt.

Allan always protects people at Legacy.

Allan always trusts people at Legacy.

Allan always remains positive.

Allan will never ever give up and quit. Never. Not on the people. Not on the church. Not on the community. Never.

As a man of God, I am called to look like God. To act like God. To increasingly grow to think like our God. To be God-like, holy, sanctified, in the way I live my life and interact with you. I’m called, I’m ordained by God, to reflect his eternal glory, to reflect his steadfast love as it’s revealed to us in his Word and by his actions with his people in history.

And I usually think I’m doing pretty well. In fact, I generally think I’m very good. When I compare myself to other people I run into or even other Christians, I know I’m a very mature disciple.

But when I actually read Scripture, like 1 Corinthians 13, and compare myself against the standard that God has set, I see very clearly how wrong I am. And how far I need to go.

How about you?

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” ~1 John 4:11

Peace,

Allan

Backfire!

April 20, 2010 / Allan / 1 Comment

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God…” ~Exodus 34:6

I’m haunted by these words of atheist-author Sam Harris in the preface to his most recent work, Letter to a Christian Nation:

“Since the publication of my first book, The End of Faith, thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism or rejection. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondants always cite chapter and verse.”

Have you ever considered that maybe the Christian emails you forward or the Christian petitions you sign or the Christian bumper stickers on your car actually violate the character of our God? Have you ever wondered if the Church itself is fueling the fires of atheism by the ways we interact or don’t interact with our community? Have you ever thought about the ways your words and actions at work or at the grocery store or on the airplane or in your neighborhood might turn people away from God?

What if the ways we defend God and stand up for Christian values and promote Christianity are giving the world a distorted view of the Creator and Savior we claim to follow?

Our God is a compassionate God. He’s compassionate. That’s who he is. And if the world knew about our God’s eternal compassion, they would fall in love with him. But how will they comprehend our God’s compassion if they don’t experience it in God’s redeemed people? How will they know the great compassion of our God if God’s Church is not reflecting it?

Peace,

Allan

Glory in the Church

April 14, 2010 / Allan / 3 Comments

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” ~Colossians 1:27

“To him be glory in the Church.” ~Ephesians 3:21

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” ~1 Corinthians 10:31

God reveals his glory to us in the soul-stirring words of Exodus 34. God tells us very clearly that his glory has nothing to do with the way he looks. It’s not about his power or his rule. It’s about his character. It’s who God is. God’s self-revealing statements in Exodus 34 are the “I AM” defined.

Compassionate. Gracious. Slow to anger. Abounding in love. Faithful. Forgiving.

If the world really understood these things about our God they would beat down our doors to get to know him better. They’d be lined up around the block. We couldn’t keep them out. But how will they comprehend our God’s eternal qualities if they don’t see those characteristics reflected in God’s redeemed people? How will they know the character of our God, how will they see his glory, unless his Church shows it?

Why do people think God is grumpy and always on the hunt to judge and punish somebody? Do they see that in us? Have they seen that in you? Why do they think our God is distant, out of reach, untouchable, and unable to meet their deepest needs? What would make them think that? Have they experienced that in you? Why do some people believe God can’t forgive them, that he remembers their past sins? Have they noticed that in me or in my church?

As God’s children, we are called to reflect his glory. To live it. To reveal it. Embody it.

A lot of people say we are the hands and feet of Jesus. A real understanding of what it means for us to reflect his glory tells us the Church is actually the very heart of God. The glory of God.

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I just completed all my registration forms for the 29th annual Sermon Seminar at Austin Graduate School of Theology late next month. It’s always an intense 48-hours of exegesis and outlines and sermon prep at the feet of the best scholars/preachers practicing today. I’ve been blessed in the past to work under Ben Witherington, Tony Ash, Rick Marrs, Eddie Sharp, Glenn Pemberton, Tom Olbricht, James Thompson, and Harold Shank, to name just a brief few. I’ve been inspired and encouraged and convicted during these serious sessions.

But this next one is shaping up to potentially be the best I’ve ever attended.

My great friend Jim Martin is presenting 2 Corinthians. And he’s the perfect guy to do it. Jim is a compassionate comforter. He’s sensitive to people and their deepest needs. He embodies the message of 2 Corinthians with his every breath. The legendary Rubel Shelly is presenting the Sermon on the Mount. Jim Reynolds is discussing the Old Testament Story. And Paul Watson is back to show us how he preaches Ezekiel. I love Ezekiel because he is such a crazy, over-the-top prophet. Ezekiel’s prophesy illustrations were exotic and unforgettable. And Paul Watson really knows how to make the biblical text come alive. I was moved by his presentations of Jonah and Ruth and Daniel in 2006. Those sessions helped shape our Missions Month this year at Legacy. And I know he’s going to make Ezekiel pop for us this year in Austin.

Everett Ferguson, the world’s foremost authority on early church history, is presenting a special session on “Baptism in the Early Church: What I Learned and What Surprised Me” and Wendel Willis is hosting a Q&A session on “Lord’s Supper Theology and Practice.”

Are you kidding me? I can’t wait.

If you’re a preacher, you should make the Austin Grad Sermon Seminar an annual event on your calendar. You’ll be better for being there. And so will your church.

Peace,

Allan

Wrestling Together In Prayer

September 11, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

“For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.” ~Exodus 17:16

God’s people are battling the enemy in the valley. Up on the mountain, Moses is lifting his hands in prayer. He’s interceding for the people. He’s taking them to God.

And his arms get tired. His hands drop. He can’t go on. It’s too much.

True intercession is a demanding activity. Paul describes it in Colossians 4 as wrestling. True intercession will wear you out. It’ll cost you.

And that’s why we do it together. As Aaron and Hur joined Moses and physically held his arms high, we help each other by praying together. We strengthen each other. We raise each other up as we pray. We give and receive mutual encouragement. We declare together our trust in God to deliver.

And he does.

The Legacy 24 Hours of Prayer begins one week from today. It’s one of my top two or three most anticipated and favorite events of the year. The men of this church family are meeting in one-hour shifts from 8:00 next Friday morning through 8:00 next Saturday morning, around the clock, to raise close to two-thousand prayer requests to our God.

Together.

Nothing builds community and relationship and trust like spending an hour together in a foxhole, battling Satan in open and honest prayer. You can learn more about your Christian brother and his heart and his mind and his soul in one hour of prayer than you can in one year of going to football games or taking hunting trips together. Wrestling together. Supporting one another. Bearing one another’s burdens and giving them to our gracious God together.

The Rock here at Legacy becomes our mountain of prayer one week from today.

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Two more days until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their 50th season in the NFL. And today’s #2 in our Red Ribbon Review of the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number is backup quarterback Anthony Wright. A free-agent out of South Carolina, Wright actually started five games for the Cowboys in his two seasons here, 2000-2001. He went 1-4 as a starter, his lone win coming against the Redskins at Texas Stadium by a score of 9-7. Wright completed 46.4% of his passes as a Cowboy, throwing five TDs and eight picks. He finished with a QB rating of 50.8 and as the second-best #2 in Cowboys history.

Catching up on the countdown from the past couple of days: #3 is kicker Billy Cundiff, a 2002 graduate of Drake University who never missed a field goal of less than 30 yards as a Cowboy. He played in Dallas from 2002-05, missing only one PAT in those four seasons (100/101) and hitting 73.2% of his field goals.

The second-best #4 in Cowboys history is punter Toby Gowin. A Mean Green Eagle from North Texas, he punted for Dallas for three seasons, from 1997-99, and was then released as a free agent. He bounced around the league for a couple of years and then re-signed with Dallas in 2003 on an unheard of five-year-contract. It lasted one year. Gowin punted a total of four seasons for the Cowboys: 64 games, a 41.7 yards per punt average, and a long punt of 72 yards in 1997. The most interesting thing about Gowin’s Cowboys career is his rushing average: 33 yards per carry. On one carry in ’98.

Peace,

Allan

Category: Exodus (Page 6 of 7)

Faithful Love

Know That I Am The Lord

Reflecting God's Steadfast Love

Backfire!

Glory in the Church

Wrestling Together In Prayer

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