Hammer on Anvil '

Last week my husband and I had the pleasure of traveling to California. John is a journalist, and was assigned to cover a gathering of Chi Alpha students.

For those of you who are not familiar, Chi Alpha is a college ministry committed to a fivefold philosophy: being a community of worship, prayer, fellowship, discipleship and mission. If what we experienced with these young men and women last week is par for the course, they are going to turn the world upside down for the gospel.

A stroke of genius is that Chi Alpha erects small tents on campus and draws students with the promise of doing "spiritual readings" (unique to Central Valley campuses). Kids who are experiencing trials and heartaches in their lives come in, as well as those who may simply be curious about what a spiritual reading entails. At any rate, Chi Alpha makes it clear up front that they represent Jesus Christ. They ask if they can pray for the student, and the Holy Spirit will often reveal a need if the student does not. Prophetic utterances and words of knowledge have been spoken during prayer, encouraging the student who may have entered the tent confused and bewildered about life. Prayers of healing are also offered. One Chi Alpha collegian sees anyone in a wheelchair as an opportunity to extend the healing love of Jesus.

Worship with these students was as passionate as their zeal to win others to faith in Christ. Some knelt, some wept, others jumped as they worshiped their God with complete abandon.

One thing that struck me about this gathering was the unity of the Spirit. Though three college campus groups were represented, everyone seemed to genuinely love and care for each other. It is obvious that Chi Alpha is a great place for young believers to spread their wings -- to begin to do their part to fulfill Christ's admonition to not only preach the gospel, but to heal the sick and to cast out demons and raise the dead. Chi Alpha staff members encourage the exercise of spiritual gifts, and it is a safe place for newbies to try them out and receive feedback from others. If you fancy yourself a prophet and others don't see that gift in you, you will be encouraged to ask God what gifts He wants you to employ for the furtherance of His kingdom.

The best thing I heard in our time there came from the pastor who leads the Chi Alpha group. We were discussing how students are "caught," if you will, and why Chi Alpha offers spiritual readings. He explained, "The net you catch them with is the net you keep them with." If you catch them with entertainment, they will expect to be entertained in order to stay interested. But if you catch them with the power of the Holy Spirit, their faith will be genuine and based on God alone. That's a powerful word in this age of churches that pride themselves on drawing people in with "worship" that resembles a rock concert.

These young people came from all walks of life, and were refreshingly candid. One young man had previously been affiliated with gangs; a woman had undergone three abortions in her late teens and early 20s; a young couple, though promiscuous in their teens, fell in love and waited until marriage to share their first kiss. All had been profoundly impacted by the transformational love of Jesus. Chi Alpha doesn't merely preach Jesus -- they are His hands and feet to hurting kids on campus.

Our call to make disciples is a serious one, and these kids are doing it right.

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:1,2).


Remember this great story of Moses? He and Abraham are the biggest names in the Bible, aside from Jesus of course. Their deeds are recalled throughout the Old Testament. They are among several saints mentioned in Hebrews 11, sometimes called the "Faith Hall of Fame."

Yet look at Moses' rocky beginning. God turned his shepherd's staff into a snake and said, "This is so they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers ... has appeared to you" (Exodus 4:5). Yet even after witnessing this miracle, Moses tells God he is "slow of speech and tongue." When God assures Moses that He will give him the words to say, Moses has the audacity to say, "Please send someone else" (Exodus 4:13).

Have you ever done that? Has God told you to do something, and you groused and told Him to go find somebody else? Perhaps you, like Moses, thought you were unfit for what He asked you to do. Maybe you suffer from low self-esteem, and think that surely God could never use you. But you're wrong.

When Moses started with the "what-ifs," God asked, "What is in your hand?" God was trying to convey to Moses that he didn't have to be a stellar communicator. All he had to do was entrust himself -- and whatever was in his hand -- completely to God. The point is that it's not about what YOU think you may or may not possess talent-wise; God's power is what makes the difference. He will use what you have, if you release it to Him for His purposes. A mere shepherd's staff was used to perform some of the greatest miracles the world has ever seen.

As I read this story, I perceived another interpretation to the "what is in your hand" query. I think sometimes God asks us that question because He wants to employ our hands to do His work, but they are so full of other things that He can't use them. Remember the "cares of the world" mentioned in Mark 4:19? Jesus warns that they will choke the Word in us and render us unfruitful. Are you carrying burdens around that God never intended for you to carry, simply because you can't or won't let go? God may be waiting to pour abundant blessing into your hands, but they are so filled with other things that you are incapable of receiving.

If your hands are full, but not of the right things, it's time to let go. Perhaps you have been unable to serve God for a long time because you are bound up in bitterness and unforgiveness. I have been there, and it's not fun. Victim mentalities have no place in the kingdom of God.

What is in your hand? I encourage you today to examine your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if you have been holding back from giving yourself completely to God because you doubt your giftings or you feel awkward and clumsy as a Christian. Maybe you compare yourself too much to other Christians and tend to give up because you know you could "never be as good as (fill in the blank)."

Friends, God doesn't WANT you to be like anybody else. He created you with unique personality traits and giftings, and He wants to use all of that to bring glory to himself. Allow the ugly, nasty things you may have experienced to become useful tools in the hands of your Maker. He is a master at bringing beauty out of the ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

It seems quite obvious from this passage of Scripture that worship involves action. Psalm 134:2 exhorts us: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord."

Why, then, is the song part of many worship services the time where people continue their pre-service chatting, or get up to get coffee and a bagel? Why do many stand with arms folded obstinately across their chests, seemingly impervious to the Spirit of God moving in their midst?



 I heard a wonderful sermon some time ago about worship, and how we are supposed to be fully engaged in adoring our Savior. Afterwards, a friend told my husband that he "just isn't emotional," and that he wasn't planning on changing anytime soon. My heart grieved. To hear the Word of God and refuse to be changed is a tragedy.

Remember Jehoshaphat? In 2 Chronicles 20, we see a powerful illustration of how worship was employed as a weapon to defeat the enemy:

Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

Worship does more than exalt God and give Him the glory due His Name. It also empowers us to defeat the enemy of our souls.

Robert Webber, in his book Worship Is A Verb, states:

In worship our focus is not on self, not on our problems, not on other people or circumstances, but on God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our calling is to be present to the action that is taking place, to focus on the moment, to center on the Christ whom we have come to celebrate.

I can't say it better than that. We need to lay aside our preconceived notions of "proper church behavior," and worship God the way He loves us -- with complete, reckless abandon.

I leave you with this wonderful Matt Redman song. I use it often in my own personal worship time, because it helps me quiet my heart and give my full attention to praising my heavenly Father. May it do the same for you.

"We Are Here for You."

Most of us have probably read about great intercessors of the Bible, who were willing to put their very lives on the line if it meant saving their people. Moses, most notably, comes to mind. When the wrath of God was kindled against the Israelites because of their idolatry, their destruction was imminent. He pleaded with God, offering Him his very soul in their stead:

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves gods from gold.  Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”

Isaiah had to walk around naked and barefoot for three years as a warning to Israel. Hosea married a harlot to show his people that God was willing to take back His adulterous people. There are many other examples, but this is a good start.

The man in the photo here is Rock. He and his family attend the same church as my niece, in the Phoenix area. One year ago this month, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.

I began praying for Rock when my niece told me about his plight, and have received regular updates from his CarePages website. In some ways I feel like I have walked this road with him, because he has been so often in my  prayers.

Rock passed away last Tuesday at the age of 42. The news was there when I went online to post my blog. I shed many tears for his wife and their three young children. Then I stumbled across a video of Rock that his church posted last Easter. Rock talked about Romans 8:28, and all things working together for the good of those who love God, and then proceeded to give a heart-wrenching testimony.

Rock's sister, who had not committed her life to Christ, contacted him about the time he was diagnosed. She asked Rock why something so terrible was happening to him, when he loved God and seemed to "live right." The Holy Spirit used their conversation and subsequent conversations with Christian friends to convict Rock's sister of her need for a Savior, and she gloriously came to faith in Christ.

Later on, when Rock and his sister were talking about her new-found faith, Rock told her, "I would go through this a hundred times if it would bring you to Jesus." And he meant it. His grasp of God working all things together for good was awe-inspiring.

In subsequent months, I read about people visiting Rock and being uplifted and challenged in their faith. His wife's posts were raw with emotion, yet underneath was a faith that remained unwavering. Through it all, Rock rejoiced and was humbled that God would use his situation to bring others to faith in Christ.

Rock's testimony reminded me of the intercessors I listed above, who were willing to offer their own lives to save their people. It made me ask myself some hard questions. What am I willing to endure for the sake of bringing someone to Christ? Do I care so deeply about other souls that I would willingly lay down my life for the glorious prize of bringing them to faith?

I am not saying Rock was a modern-day Moses. Nor am I insinuating that God would curse someone with cancer in order to save their family. That's messed-up theology. Bad things happen to everyone in this sin-sick world. The difference is this: are we willing, as Christ followers, to allow God to USE those things to bring beauty out of the ashes? To allow Him to bring good out of what the enemy intended for evil?

In your prayers today, please pray for Rock's family. He will be buried this Friday. The cool thing is that after the funeral, people are gathering at a big park for a picnic (in Arizona they have good weather) to celebrate Rock's life. He was ready to meet Jesus and talked of heaven in his last days, so a celebration is fitting! I am so glad physical death does not have the final word for those who love God, and are called according to His purpose.