Change

The Cost of Prayer

February 23, 2018 1 Comment

The cost of our redemption is succinctly captured in the phrase, “Jesus paid it all.” So, why do we treat prayer as a struggle? Why is it a struggle to pray? We struggle to pray not because prayer for us is meant to be a struggle. It is not that God Himself has ordained for us that prayer must be a struggle. God does not gain from our struggle to pray. Rather we have gained the right to pray from His struggle.

 

And yet, I do struggle at times

to pray.

And I struggle

in prayer.

 

Oswald Chambers suggests our struggle in prayer may spring from unsettled regions of our heart and mind, places where we have not yet rested in the redemptive work, agony, struggle of Jesus Christ.

 

The more we get into the atmosphere of the New Testament the more we discover the unfathomable and unhastening leisure of our Lord’s life, no matter what His agony. The difficulty is that when we do what God wants us to do, our friends say, “It is all very well, but suppose we all did that?” Our Lord did not tell all the disciples to sit there while He prayed. He told only three of them. The point is that we must take as from God the haphazard arrangements of our lives.

 

If we accept the Lord Jesus Christ and the domination of His lordship, we also accept that nothing happens by chance because we know that God orders and engineers circumstances. The fuss has gone, the amateur providence has gone, the amateur disposer has gone, and we know that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8: 28). If Jesus says, “Sit here while I go and pray over there,” the only appropriate thing we can do is to sit.

 

We ought to give much more time than we do— a great deal more than we do— to brooding on the fundamental truths on which the Spirit of God works the simplicity of our Christian experience. The fundamental truths are redemption and the personal presence of the Holy Spirit, and these two are focused in one mighty personality, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the emphasis laid on the efficacy of the Holy Spirit to make experientially real the redemption of Jesus Christ in individual lives.

 

Remember, what makes prayer easy is not our wits or our understanding, but the tremendous agony of God in redemption. A thing is worth just what it costs. Prayer is not what it costs us, but what it cost God to enable us to pray. It cost God so much that a little child can pray. It cost God Almighty so much that anyone can pray. But it is time those of us who name His name knew the secret of the cost, and the secret is here: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”

 

Beware of placing the emphasis on what prayer costs us. It cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray. Jesus did not say to these men, “Agonize!” He said, “Watch with me.” Our Lord tried to lift the veil from before these disciples that they might see what He was going through. Think who He was— the Son of God. “My soul”— the reasoning mind of the Lord Jesus Christ—“ is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

 

Chambers, Oswald. If You Will Ask: Reflections on the Power of Prayer (Kindle Locations 223-229, 242-249, 256-259). Discovery House. Kindle Edition.

 

Heavenly Father,
I have struggled to drag myself forward into prayer. So, I’m going to sit here in this moment and trust You in the shadow of the your Son’s Cross. I will take each thought that comes to mind and consider it under your gaze and your grace. I trust you. May Your Spirit direct me into Your thoughts and your ways. Thank you for creating me anew as your child. Thank you for calling me into your Kingdom.
AMEN.

Change, Discipleship, Prayer

, ,

Neighbours’ Hope

October 25, 2017 0 Comments

 

As the Southern sun
angles across the North,
monochromatic green gives way,
revealing sweet treasure
in leaves of gold,
and red, and orange,
so Grace does
for our
souls.

Change, Poetry

After Noon Prayers

October 20, 2017 0 Comments

 

 

Most days my sight
avoids the intersection
of creation and sorrow.

 

Others are standing there.
I see them; they are caught mid-step
by the weight of loss.

 

Grieving in Mogadishu;
running as Rohingya;
neighbours on the other side of my heart.

 

Oh, that I could run.
Together we could kneel
before One who knows the hours.

 

We would cry
for mercy.

 

Change, Poetry, Prayer

, , , , , ,

Jump Start Your Church Commitment

August 14, 2017 0 Comments

Jumping into life in your new University community can be exciting and intimidating. We’ve learned that when moving to a new place its tempting to leave our engagement in church community as a “I will get to it someday” kind of thought. But getting involved with a church on campus could be one of the best decisions of your life.

In the first few weeks of University getting involved in a church may seem like something that can wait. But I encourage you,  don’t wait. Your mind and time is soon going to be truly occupied with study, new friends, and incredible opportunities to grow. If you don’t put your engagement in a church community at the front of your agenda you may never get to it.

 

First the Benefits

Maybe you have never really had to think about the benefits of being part of spiritual community charged with following Jesus Christ and fulfilling His mission. When you were with friends and family, “gathering with the church” with just assumed. But now that you are on your own in University — nobody is there to bring you along; its your decision.

But think about it. What have been some of the benefits of being part of your church? Have you

1. Had a community that overflowed with a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ in worship and mission together?

2. Had a community that challenged you and showed you how to grow in your walk with Jesus?

3. Had a community that laid their lives before Jesus and courageously integrated His Word into all that they do?

4. Had a community that rejoiced in an created opportunities to use the gifts given by the Holy Spirit to men and women?

5. Had a community that cared for you and shared life with you even when things were not going well?

This is what church does. And as a follower of Jesus you are called to be a part of making all these things happen.

 

Choosing a Church

So how do you go about choosing a church? Maybe you have never done that before; it may have been done for you. Maybe you tagged along with friends or were “happily” compelled to go along with your family. But now its up to you. Here’s a few things to do:

  1. Pray. Ask God to help you get situated in a church family.
  2. Search online. Just google it: “churches on campus.” In our case, you can search out “UBC churches” and you will see what’s here.
  3. Make a plan to check out the gatherings — large group and small group.
  4. Settle in quickly. Our suggestion is to get settled in congregation within the first 5 weeks of the term.

 

Some questions to consider as you visit:

  1. Am I familiar with the tradition or network of churches this (new congregation I’m visiting) is a part of?
  2. What’s the environment like here for lifting up Jesus and elevating God’s Word in life?
  3. Are there opportunities for me to serve, get connected, and to grow?

 

A church is Jesus’ people. Its the very movement that Jesus started and He calls the church His. Jesus loves the church and will help you, even call you, to be a part of a church family during your university years. Jesus seems to reserve some lessons and some healing in our lives for what will happen in the fellowship of His people. For example, Jesus didn’t show Himself to Thomas, until Thomas had gathered with other disciples of Jesus (See John 20:24-39). So it is with our growth with Jesus. Some lessons on faith, life, love, and ministry will not be learned unless they are learned in relationship with other followers of Jesus. So I encourage you, plan now to find a church a make commitments there. The lessons you learn there and with that people can serve you for a lifetime of mission and discipleship.

 

If you went off to University and got involved in a church — how did you go about making the decision?

 

Filed under: UBC Churches, church on campus, Origin Church, UBC, Born for More

 

 

Change

, ,

Get out of the boat… Jesus is calling.

June 8, 2017 0 Comments

I’ve been leading our summer term crowd at Origin Church through a series on Peter. More specifically we have been considering how Jesus moves, disciples, and shepherds Peter. In my mind the series is all about “How the Carpenter Shepherds the Fisherman.” We are discovering clues into how Jesus will disciple us!

Last week I serendipitously rediscovered John Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk On Water, You’ve Got  to Get Out of the Boat. He has wonderful observations about our view on failure and the negative take we often have on Peter. Here’s what Ortberg writes:

Did Peter fail?

Well, I suppose in a way he did. His faith wasn’t strong enough. His doubts were stronger. “He saw the wind.” He took his eyes off of where they should have been He sank. He failed.

But here is hawt I think. I think there were elven bigger failures sitting in the boat. They failed quietly. They failed privately. Their failure went unnoticed, unobserved, uncriticized. Only Peter knew the shame of public failure.

 

But only Peter knew two other things as well. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on the water. He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own, then feeling the euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it. Once you walk on the water, you never forget it–not for the rest of your life. I thin Peter carried that joyous moment with him to his grave.

 

And only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need. Peter knew, in a way the others could not, that when he sank, Jesus would be wholly adequate to save him. He had a shared moment, a shared connection, a shared trust in Jesus that none of the others had.

 

They couldn’t, because they didn’t even get out of the boat. The worst failure is not to sink in the waves. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat.

 

Hey, get out of the boat! Jesus shows up in our storms and our struggles. When we get a glimpse of Him in them and want to be with Him and in on what He is doing in the world, call out to Him. If He says, “Come on,” then get out of the boat and follow Him! Peter’s heart, his affection for Jesus, drew Him to pursue Jesus in spite of the storm and the waves. When Peter’s head caught up he had to engage faith in Jesus on a new level — and as we will see Jesus faithfully showed up!

 

It seems that more growth with Jesus happens “outside” the proverbial boat — that circle of comfort — that circle of anonymity — that circle of familiar people and practices —  than in it!

Change, Discipleship

, , , , ,