REMNANT May 2011
Vol. 1 No. 2
JOIN THE R EVOLUTION
The Christian magazine for the rest of us.
Daisy-petal
Christianity He walks among the wounded Can Jesus be found in your worship?
2 |
Remnant
www.remnantmagazine.com
REMNANT JOIN THE R EVOLUTION JOHN POWELL Publisher & Art Director john@remnantmagazine.com Find this issue and more at www.remnantmagazine.com Dedicated to my sons Brandon and Caleb, to my Mom and mentor, and to
Jesus Christ
in whose name I cast this bread upon the water.
MAY 2011
Volume 1
| Number 2
Daisy-petal
Christi6 anity 11
worship
Is our worship centered around God? Or us?
12among He walks the THE LAST WORD
wounded Can Jesus be found in your worship?
www.remnantmagazine.com
Remnant
| 3
perception is not nece if we define god only in the limited
of our own circumst
4 |
Remnant
www.remnantmagazine.com
necessarily reality. d interpretation
tances, we will never discover
who he really is.
www.remnantmagazine.com
Remnant
| 5
He He
a
lo
ve
lov
sm
e
love
es
Daisy-petal
Christianity
no t m sm e en ot He lov es me He loves me not es me He lov ot en m s love He He
b y way ne jacob s en
Long after we’ve put away our daisies, many of us continue to play the daisy-petal game with God. This time we don’t pluck flower petals, but instead probe through our circumstances trying to figure out exactly how God feels about us.
6 |
Remnant
www,remnantmagazine.com
T
he little girl stands in the backyard chanting as she plucks petals one by one from the daisy and drops them to the ground. At game’s end, the last petal tells all; whether or not the person desired returns the affection. Of course no one takes it seriously, and if children don’t get the answer they desire they take another daisy and start again. It doesn’t take long even for children to realize that flowers weren’t designed to tell romantic fortunes. Why should they link their hearts’ desires to the fickleness of chance? Why indeed! But it is a lesson far easier learned in romance than in more spiritual pursuits. For long after we’ve put away our daisies, many of us continue to play the game with God. This time we don’t pluck flower petals, but probe through our circumstances trying to figure out exactly how God feels about us. I got a raise. He loves me. I didn’t get the promotion I wanted, or I lost my job altogether. He loves me not! Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me! My child is seriously ill. He loves me not! I gave money to someone in need. He loves me! I let my anger get the best of me. He loves me not! Something for which I prayed actually happened. He loves me! I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot. He loves me not! A friend calls me unexpectedly to encourage me. He loves me! My car needs a new transmission. He loves me not!
and were not burdened down with need; who wouldn’t be certain of God’s love? But that certainty eroded when those times of bliss were interrupted with more troublesome events… Like a childhood condition that provided no end of embarrassment. Or the day one of my friends in high school died of a brain tumor even as we prayed earnestly for his healing. Or when I wasn’t selected for a job I wanted in college because someone had lied about me. Or the night my house was robbed. Or when I was severely burned in a kitchen accident. Or when I watched my father-in-law and my brother, both die with debilitating illnesses even though they sought God earnestly for healing. Or when colleagues in ministry lied to me and spread false stories about me to win the support of others. Or when I didn’t know from where my next paycheck would come. Or when I saw my wife crushed by circumstances that I couldn’t get God to change no matter how hard I tried. Or when doors of opportunity that appeared certain to open would suddenly slam shut like a wind-blown door.
A PERILOUS TIGHTROPE I have played that game most of my life, trying to sort out in any given moment how God might feel about me personally. I grew up learning that he is a God of love, and for the most part I believed it to be true. In good times, nothing is easier to believe. In days when my family was healthy and our relationships a joy; when my ministry thrived and both income and opportunity were increasing; when we had plenty of time to enjoy our friends
EMPOWER www.remnantmagazine.com
Remnant
| 7
Then I wondered how God really felt about me. I couldn’t understand how a God who loved me would either allow such things into my life or wouldn’t fix them immediately so that I or people I loved wouldn’t have to endure such pain. He loves me not! Or so I thought on those days. My disappointment at God could easily turn two directions. Often in my pain and frustration, when I felt like I had done enough to deserve better, I would rail at God like the Job of old, accusing him of either being unfair or unloving. In more honest moments, however, I was well aware of the temptations and failures that could exclude me from his care. I would come out of those times committed to trying harder to live the life I thought would merit his love. I lived for 34 years as a believer on this perilous tightrope. Even when there was no crisis hanging over my head, I was always wary of the next one God might drop on me at any second if I couldn’t stay on his good side. In some ways I had become like the schizophrenic child of an abusive father, never certain what God I’d meet on any given day—the one who wanted to scoop me up in his arms with laughter, or the one who would ignore me or punish me for reasons I could never understand. Only in the last five years have I discovered that my methods of discerning God’s love were as flawed as pulling petals from a daisy. I haven’t been the same since. CONVINCING EVIDENCE What about you? Have you ever felt tossed back and forth by circumstances occasionally certain, but mostly uncertain about how the Creator of the universe feels about you? Or perhaps you’ve never even known how much God loves you. In a Bible study recently, I met a forty-year-old woman who was active in her fellowship but admitted to a small group of us that she had never been certain that God loved her. She seemed to want to tell me more, but finally only asked me to pray for her. 8 |
Remnant
As I did, asking God to reveal just how much he loved her, an image came to mind. I saw a figure I knew to be Jesus walking through a meadow hand in hand with a little girl about five years old. Somehow I knew this woman was that little girl. I prayed that he would help her discover a childlikeness of spirit that would allow her to skip through the meadows with him. When I finished praying I looked up at her eyes that were brimming with tears. “Did you say ‘meadow’?” she asked. I nodded, thinking it odd she had focused on that word. Immediately she began to cry. As she was able to speak, she said, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell you. When I was five years old I was molested in a meadow by an older boy. Whenever I think about God, I think about that horrible event and I wonder why, if he loved me so much, he didn’t stop that from happening.” She’s not alone. Many people carry scars and disappointments that can appear to be convincing evidence that the God of love might not exist, or if he does, maintains a safe distance from them and leaves them to the whim of other people’s sins. I don’t have a stock answer for moments like that, as if any could be effective in the midst of such pain. I told her, that evidently God wanted her to know he had been there with her, and although he didn’t act in the only way she could understand true love to act, that he loved her nonetheless. He wanted to walk her through that defiled meadow and redeem it in her life. He wanted to give her a measure of joy in the face of the most traumatic event of her life and turn what was supposed to destroy her into a stepping stone toward grace. I know that can sound almost trite in the face of such incredible pain, but the process has begun for her. It is my hope these words will encourage that process in you, as well. PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY For truly God has never acted towards us in any way other than with a depth of love that defies human understanding. I know it may not look like that www.remnantmagazine.com
how great is the love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of god. For your personal journey
How often do you find yourself doubting God’s love for you? When do you find you question His love the most? How certain are you that God loves you as deeply as he does anyone else in the world? When difficulties arise do you find yourself doubting God’s love for you, or trying to be more righteous so he’ll like you more? Ask God in the days ahead to reveal to you the depths of his love for you.
www,remnantmagazine.com
Remnant
| 9
at times. When he seems to callously disregard our most noble prayers, our trust in him can be easily shattered and we wonder if he cares for us. We can even come up with a list of our own failures that can seemingly justify God’s indifference and beckon us into a dark whirlpool of self-loathing. When we’re playing the he-loves-me-he-lovesme-not-game, the evidence against God can appear overwhelming. God does not often do the things we think his love would compel him to do for us. He often seems to stand by with indifference while we suffer. How often does he seem to disappoint our most noble expectations? But perception is not necessarily reality. If we define God only in our limited interpretation of our own circumstances, we will never discover who he really is. However, he has provided a far better way, where our daisy-petal approach to Christianity can be swallowed up by the undeniable proof of his love for us on the cross of Calvary. That’s the side of the cross that has all but been ignored in recent decades. We have not seen what really happened there between the Father and his Son that opens the door to his love so vast and so certain that it cannot be challenged even by your darkest days. Through that door we can really know who God is and embrace the relationship with him that the deepest part of our heart has hungered to experience. That is where we’ll begin, because it is only
in the context of the relationship God desires with us that we can begin to discover the full glory of his love. He does love you more deeply than you’ve ever imagined; and he has done so throughout your entire life. Once you embrace that truth, your troubles will never again drive you to question God’s affection for you or whether you’ve done enough to merit it. Instead of fearing he has turned his back on you, you will be able to trust his love at the moments you need him most. You will even see in the strangest ways how that love can flow out of you to touch a world starved for it. Learning to trust him like that is not something any of us can resolve in an instant; but something we’ll grow to discover for the whole of our lives. God knows how difficult it is for us to accept his love and teaches us with more patience than we’ve ever known. Through every circumstance and in the most surprising ways, he makes his love known to us in ways we can understand. So perhaps it’s time to toss your daisies aside and discover that it is not the fear of losing God’s love that will keep you on his path, but the simple joy of living in it every day. On the day you discover that, you will truly begin to live! How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! —1 john 3:1 R
k
} 10 |
Remnant
INSPIRE
IGNITE
EMPOWER
Join the REVOLUTION www.remnantmagazine.com
}
www.remnantmagazine.com
p i h s r wo
ered t n e c powell p i h s r o b y john w ? r s u IGNITE u r Is o O ? d o around G be entirely wrong in itself, it does become questionable
A
s I see it, the modern church is in trouble. One can no longer sense the sacred either in the preaching nor in the worship. The atmosphere in nearly every church I visit, in person or online, is clubby and festive, rather than adoring and expectant. Where ministers once wore suits and ties, they now wear open collars, shirt tails pulled out of their pants, and sneakers with untied laces. There is probably nothing wrong with that, but I contend that it is a symptom of something far worse. Worship leaders and musicians jump up and down, screaming out lyrics red-faced, trying desperately to work the crowd into a frenzy, instead of depending upon the Spirit to gently move among the people. And this spirit has made its way into the congregation as well, as members come into the sanctuary wearing shorts, holding a cup of coffee and munching a donut from the church coffee shop in the foyer. Churches, trying to appease the masses, have divided their services into contemporary on Saturday night and traditional on Sunday morning. These are all symptoms that the fear and respect of God is now all but absent from many churches. And these are symptoms that the weekly gathering is now all about us and what we want, instead of all about God and what He wants. Worship has become performance rather than praise While there are many wonderful praise choruses, there are also many that are shallow and lacking in substance. They have all but replaced the great hymns of the church that were birthed during great trials and times of suffering. Throw in smoke, a light show, and a Powerpoint presentation, and it is obvious that the modern church service has become essentially a spectacle that appeals to the senses rather than an act of obesiance. Contemporary worship is far more egocentric than theocentric, and is based more on our own personal tastes and trends than on what is acceptable to a God who is both holiness and love. The aim is less to give glory to God than to satisfy the longings of the human heart. Even when we sing God’s praises, the focus is on fulfilling and satisfying the human desire for wholeness and serenity. While this motivation may not www.remnantmagazine.com
when it takes priority. While we sing of falling in love with Jesus, it is an adoring love which feels good for the moment, but is not a love which is life-transforming, a love that is demonstrated through sacrificial service to God and our neighbor. Perhaps as a means of avoiding rigorous wrestling with Scripture and theology, our energies have been directed toward mastering skills in church management, communication, and the arts. Style has taken precedence over substance, and method has grown more important than content. Pastors are more concerned with peparing Powerpoint presentations and graphics to decorate the sanctuary than with shepherding a flock who are hurting and wandering, at best turning that duty over to a team of volunteers who may be serving out of desire, but maybe not out of a calling and burden. Worship has become therapy and prayer has degenerated into magic. The church as become a place to take flight from the world, rather than a catalyst for changing the world. With an army of preachers, a library of books and study helps, conferences on every theme imaginable, television networks and radio stations, and a church on every corner, the church has had surprisingly little impact. Contrast this with the apostle Paul. Though he had no Bible, no best-selling book nor 10-point plan, he went forth armed only with the Holy Spirit and “turned the world upside down.” The modern church has turned our soul inward, rather than directing our focus outward. Our personal fulfilment has become the be all and end all of our existence. Our desire to possess God and His blessings has superceded what should be a desire to serve God and our neighbor. Who lately has cried out with a broken heart, “Here am I Lord, send me”? We need revival today. But we also need reformation—a fundamental change in our priorities and attitudes. We must renew the vision of ourselves as ambassadors of a holy Christ, entrusted with spreading the gospel of redemption and reconciliation to a lost and dying world. We have what the world needs and that is Jesus. We cannot save anyone through our feeble efforts and methods. But we can simply lift up Christ, and Jesus has promised that if He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. R
Remnant
| 11
it has been said that we ar
but, can we
12 |
Remnant
www.remnantmagazine.com
that we can become so earthly minded re of no
heavenly good.
e also become so heavenly minded that we are of no
earthly good?
become worldly minded.
Then I said, Here am i
lord, send me.
—isaiah 6:8
www.remnantmagazine.com
Remnant
| 13
last word
what the bible says about…
The
patience
b y john powell
He walks among the wounded Can Jesus be found in your worship?
T
he grand opening of the new maternity wing at the hospital where I worked many years ago brought with it a day filled with celebration, music and feasting, long-winded speeches, and great promises of hope for the community’s future. But, just a few feet away from this scene of celebration lay my nephew in a hospital bed suffering from leukemia and the effects of chemotherapy. A horseshoe of family encompassed his bed, some weeping, others offering comfort and trying to be strong. Ironic, isn’t it, that a scene of grand celebration could be found so close to a scene of suffering. If you could picture in your mind a battlefield covered with wounded, this would depict the scene found at Bethesda, a pool near the sheep market in Jerusalem. The streets of the city were bustling, pilgrims rubbing shoulder to shoulder, as they flooded into the city for the Passover feast. So close to this grand celebration was a scene of suffering, the pool of Bethesda surrounded with “a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered.” (John 5:2-3). On the outskirts of this scene, you will not find any disciples. You will not see any of Jesus’ followers. You will not even see any of the “religious” crowd. No, they are too busy with their “religious” activities. You will see only Jesus, alone, walking among them. Indifference. A scene of suffering so close to a scene of celebration— a religious celebration mind you. Churches today are filled with people singing, rejoicing and worshiping with hands lifted in praise. While next to them may sit people who are depressed, lonely, sick, and suffering. Every week they come, and every week they leave, leave in the same condition they came. Every church has a pool of Bethesda. If your church is indifferent and neglectful of its suffering members, don’t be surprised to learn Jesus isn’t walking among your worshippers, but is instead walking among your wounded. R
k
INSPIRE
14 |
Remnant
Psalm 37:7-9 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. (NLT) Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. (NIV) Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (NKJV) Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. (NIV) Romans 8:24-25 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) (NLT) Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (NIV) Romans 15:4-5 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
www.remnantmagazine.com
What must I do
to be saved?
T
his is the most important question in human existence and one whose answer is clearly outlined in scripture. In order to be saved we must first realize our true state of sinfulness before God and know that He alone can save us, cleanse us, and give us eternal life. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the only way and we can not have access to God through any other means. In fact, in John 14:6, Jesus plainly stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” God loves you! God loves you so much that he made a way for you, through the shed blood of his son so that you might be able to spend eternity with Him. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” (John. 3:16). Man is a sinner, and sin has separated him from God! You may think you are a good person but being good is not enough! Every man has sinned and there is none that is righteous before God! “For there is not a just man upon Earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin! Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin. We can not be good enough to get into heaven, nor can our good works get us there. There was no other way for God to erase the effect of sin except by blood. The shedding of Christ’s blood indicated that the penalty for sin had been paid; a perfect sinless life had been sacrificed for the lives of all who have sinned. “. . .Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God . . .” (I Peter 3:18).
www.remnantmagazine.com
“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). You must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior To be saved, a man must confess that Jesus is Lord, while acknowledging in his heart that Christ must have full rule over his life. This confession of Christ as Lord assumes that it is Christ who will work and fulfill His own righteousness within man, as man is unable to attain righteousness of his own accord. Jesus calls this experience the “new birth.” He told Nicodemus: “. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We invite you now to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12). Pray this prayer and mean it with all your heart Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and have broken your laws. I understand that my sin has separated me from you. I am sorry and I ask you to forgive me. I accept the fact that your son Jesus Christ died for me, was resurrected, and is alive today and hears my prayers. I now open my heart’s door and invite Jesus in to become my Lord and my Saviour. I give Him control and ask that He would rule and reign in my heart so that His perfect will would be accomplished in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Congratulations! If you prayed this prayer in all sincerity, you are now a Child of God. However there are a few things that you need to do to follow up on your commitment. 1. Get baptized ( full immersion) in water as commanded by Christ 2. Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ (including us!) 3. Spend time with God each day through prayer and Bible reading 4. Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus.
Remnant
| 15
Pray for
America
“We are becoming the type of nation we used to send missionaries to.” —william
bennett