Category: Brother Al (Page 17 of 68)

Recently, David French shared a blog entitled, “Against the Extremism of the American Masculinity Debate.”  When it comes to maleness, I follow French.  On other subjects, I’m not so sure…

“Few debates,” observes French, “are more corrupted by extremism than the debate over sex, gender and masculinity.”  I agree.  I have been blogging on masculinity since 2009.  At that time masculinity was seldom mentioned in the national conversation.  Now it has become an intense topic of debate.

French quotes Derek Thompson on the crisis among younger men: “The statistics are stunning.  But education experts and historians aren’t remotely surprised.  Women in the United States have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men every year since the mid-1980s… This particular gender gap hasn’t been breaking news for about 40 years.  But the imbalance reveals a genuine shift in how men participate in education, the economy, and society.  The world has changed dramatically, but the ideology of masculinity isn’t changing fast enough to keep up.”

The result is confusion regarding the role of young men in our culture.  Men are caught between the extremes of traditional masculinity being either toxic or a cultural ideal.  French offers “five general truths” to help us deal with the extremes.  

First, “Men and women are different, and they’ll always be different.”  French rightly observes, “biology has consequences.” We cannot simply try to erase the differences.  Men are faced with an ever-present unisex cultural ideal.  You’ll, “…find yourself fighting against overwhelming biological currents.”  

Second, “The differences between men and women are value-neutral.”  We are not to suppress the expressions of traditional masculinity, but “shape and mold those manifestations towards virtuous ends.”  This can only be accomplished when younger men see masculinity lived out in older men. Women cannot do this. 

Third, “Each boy and [each] girl is still an individual.”  French cautions, “One of the challenges of recognizing general truths is that they tend to oppress or isolate those who don’t fit the mold.”   For example, I struggled for years as a young man, trying to fit into the macho stereotype – not knowing I was a “feeling, intuitive” male who happened to be left-handed.     

Fourth, “Core values are universal.”  The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are the same for men and women (Gal. 5:22-23).  The command to act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8) is the same for men and women.  “There is not one set of male virtues and one set of female virtues.”  

Fifth, “Because men and women are different, universal values will often manifest themselves differently.”  In French’s opinion, “This is how good men and good women – brought up in the same universal values – can still tend towards different temperaments and professions. ” Men, for example, will tend to be more courageous in danger because of their strength.  Women will be more nurturing because many bear children. 

The evolution of our economy and culture presents a challenge for men and boys.  “[But filtering] these changes through our polarized, extremist politics, and radical ideologies” makes matters worse.  French concludes by saying, “The goal isn’t to embrace or reject stereotypes, but rather to realize that no matter your son’s temperament, there is always a path to raising a boy to be his own version of a good man.” 

I must confess: In my early days I was more dogmatic about male gender and roles.  I have become more flexible in today’s cultural moment.  But God made men to be men. I am committed to stand with godly men in our day.

During a recent Sunday morning worship service, we sang “Turn Your Eyes.”  But as we sang, I began to weep.  I sensed God was speaking to me.  You may ask, “How does Al know it was God?”  I have walked with the Lord for over 60 years.  I have learned through trial and error how to discern the Lord’s voice.  Two factors were evident to me during the worship service:  First, I was in no way expecting to tear up. Second, when I shed tears unexpectedly, I have found it is of the Lord.  Your experience might be different from mine.  Remember: we all experience him uniquely.  

The words to the song start out with an old chorus: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and then move into a contemporary arrangement.  I was moved by the chorus: “Jesus, to You we lift our eyes/Jesus our glory and our prize/We adore you, behold You, our Savior ever true/Oh, Jesus we turn our eyes to You.”  It goes on to say, “Turn your eyes to the heavens/Our king will return for His own/Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout/All glory to Jesus alone.” 

I write this post as a confession, in the hope that it might stimulate other men to see God’s faithful hand in their journey.  God does not want us to abandon our post in the coming battle.   I’d like to share three reflections with you:

First, when we sang “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” the song took me back to the early days after my conversion at the California Lutheran Bible School from 1960 to 1962.  Those were foundational years in my spiritual formation.  My confession is this: I have lost my first love…  “Yet I hold this against you.  You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Rev 3:4-5). 

When the above scripture reads, “Do the things you did at first,” I confess that the enthusiasm and excitement of those early days has waned.  I now see that my life must be all for Jesus.  I have let spiritual practices, theology, and my spiritual improvement projects get in the way of my first love.  I just need to seek to know Jesus better (John 17:3).” 

Secondly, I have come back full circle to my roots, which are in the warm-hearted, evangelistic movement of the Lutheran church.  I belong to a church of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations.   We are part of the revival movements within the Lutheran tradition.  I have spent much time “tasting” the rich spiritual fruit of other movements and traditions.  But God has brought me back home to my roots.

Thirdly, I must be willing to speak the name of Jesus in a culture that is fast becoming an “antichrist” culture.  This has happened throughout history in cultures that have forsaken the Lord.  I John warns us, “Children, time is just about up.  You heard that Antichrist is coming.  Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look.  That’s how we know that we’re close to the end” (I John 2:18 MSG). 

I share this confession with you because the enemy wants you to become lukewarm or even deny the Lord, like Peter did.  But we need to sing, “Jesus, to You we lift up our eyes.”  With the Psalmist we make it our confession. “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.  Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131:2 NLT).

Recently Judy and I attended an annual gathering of friends we have known for a long time.  They all have been instrumental in our spiritual journey.  We always enjoy a rich time of fellowship as we share our faith journeys over the previous year.

While we were in prayer, I had a vision of a little, red, shiny wagon.  I have had visions before when I have been in prayer with others.  I have learned to test and discern if it is from the Lord or part of my overactive imagination.  When a vision sticks with me and is so vivid and relevant, I can trust it to be from the Lord.  

I wonder!!  Are visions going to be more frequent in our day?  With so much hostility and unbelief being expressed towards the Good News of Jesus and his kingdom, will God manifest himself in direct ways to let us know, “I am here, and I am at work?”  Could God be giving his people visions to awaken our souls, giving us a hunger to seek him with all their hearts?  May we not be hardened to the awareness of his presence.     

We read in Acts 2:16-18, “In the last days,  God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophecy.”  Peter included  these words in the first sermon preached in the book of Acts.  Could we be in the last days?  I don’t know.  But if people are having visions and dreams, it is time to pay attention (Job 33:14-17). 

Now for the vision:  It was a bright, red wagon, the kind youngsters would use in play.  I was pushing the wagon with much effort.  Then Jesus came along and told me to get into the wagon and let him pull the wagon by the handle.  So I got into the wagon and allowed him to pull it.  So, what is God wanting to show me?  And how might it be helpful for men reading this blog?

First, I was reminded to be on constant guard against spiritual pride. The wagon was bright and shiny red.  I was with friends who know me well.  I wanted to look “bright and shiny” spiritually.  I was trying to push the wagon.  I wanted others to see how spiritual I was.  I was reminded of the parable in which Jesus is invited to the house of Pharisee in Luke 14.  Noticing those who choose the higher place, Jesus warned about being “humiliated” when asked to take the lowest place.  Then he said, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). 

Secondly, I was reminded about being childlike, by getting into the wagon and allowing Jesus to be in charge.  Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4).  I need to let go, get in the wagon, and simply be childlike in my enthusiasm and joy of being pulled by the Lord.   

Thirdly, I was reminded to let Jesus direct and pull the wagon.  All my effort in pushing my shiny, red wagon is for naught.  I need to constantly remember that I am not “pushing” my walk with the Lord.  He knows best how to bring change in my life. I have to let go and give him control (Gal. 2:20). 

 

  

  

 

In a recent documentary entitled Eve in Exile, Rebekah Merkle makes the following observation: “I don’t think even the third-wave feminists have any idea what they’re fighting for… Every battle has been won and now we’ve gotten into the weird space where we don’t know what a woman is.”  Feminist ideology portrays Eve, the symbol of womanhood, as wandering through a confused world, robbed of her purpose and identity, living outside the garden.   In the national dialogue, the question is being asked, “What is a woman?”   

I think Merkle makes a valid point.  Maybe 10 years ago, when feminism was in full ascendency, the sense of being lost in a confused world was not a topic. But today it feels like the cry of a dissatisfied, questioning feminist yearning for a place called home, sensing she has been “exiled from Eden.”

There is a place for men and women in our culture to live in harmony in the garden, rightly related to each other.  Could it be that men haven’t fulfilled their God-given task in the garden, thus causing women to flee – only to find themselves lost outside the garden?  Maybe men need to reevaluate their roles.  Is it possible for men to woo women back to the garden?  

T.D. Jake of The Potter’s House preached a Father’s Day sermon entitled Real Men Pour In, which  I found very insightful: “We are raising up women to be men,” noted Jake. “When men are led by women, the divine order is broken… Real men pour in,” Jake said. “If Adam had not allowed Eve to pour into him, sin would have never come into the world. Sin came into the world because Adam broke the order.” 

Men are not to receive initially from women.  He warned women to “be careful about pouring too much into us” because “we are designed to pour into you and you are designed to take what we pour into you and increase it and make it better.”  He further warns women, “until you create a need that I can pour into, I have no place in your life.”  

Today the cry is, “Let’s prove to the men how dispensable they are.”  But this cry,” observes Jake, “is born out of pain, ’cause we hurt you, and betrayed you, and lied to you and cheated on you, and you became like you are out of pain.  But watch what is born of pain.”  He urged women to hold men to a higher standard instead of trying to replace them.  “Anatomically, men pour in.  Life begins when men pour in.  We were designed to pour in; you were designed to preserve what is poured in.” Jake told the women in his church.  “As it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual.  We are designed to pour in.”

Drawing from both Eve in Exile and Real Men Pour In, I offer these observations:

First,  the voice of angry, wounded  women living outside the garden, is partly our fault.  As men, we have to own up to our role in failing to create space for Eve to grow. 

Second,  I  appreciate the image of “pouring in.”  If I can’t pour into my wife and others, I have the responsibility to get right with God, so that His Spirit will flow through me in the rough days ahead.

Third,  man and woman can both live  together in the garden.  As a man I can only “pour in” what is in my container: “Lord, fill me with your love, allowing me to meet the needs of my wife.”

In 63:7- 64:12, Isaiah is acting as a mediator on behalf of his people.  It is a lament and a cry of help.  The content is similar to the book of Lamentations.  The prophet laments over the failure of the people, but also questions God about allowing perilous conditions to persist. These are questions asked in real pain and perplexity, not in hostility or arrogance.  Rather then brooding within, Isaiah directs his compliant upwards to God.  

Where are you, God?  Why are things so different from the way they used to be?  Why are our hearts so hard?  How can we be saved?  How much longer will you be angry with us? “This is one of the most eloquent intercessions of the Bible, as he [Isaiah} surveys the past goodness of God and the present straits of his people” (New Bible Commentary).

Isaiah remembers the way God lead his people. The Message expresses it compassionately, “He didn’t send someone else to help them.  He did it himself, in person.  Out of his own love and pity He redeemed them.  He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time” (63:9).  But they turned away.  “But they turned on him, they grieved his Holy Spirit.  So, he turned on them, became their enemy and fought them” (v 10).  I wonder how much we have turned away from the Lord? 

Then Isaiah cries out in lament. “Whatever happened to your passion, your famous mighty acts, Your heartfelt pity, your compassion? Why are you holding back? (63:15 -MGS).  He is wondering why God is not making his presence known in their present crisis.  He goes on to ask, “Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?  Why have you given us stubborn hearts, so we no longer fear you? (63:17 NLT).  Isaiah is probably wondering, “God are you giving us what we deserve.”  Is this a question we dare to ask?  

But in 64:1 he cries out boldly, “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!”  He is asking God to act on behalf of his people.  He recognizes God’s sovereignty in history saying, “Since before time began no one has ever imagined, no ear heard. no eye seen; a God like you who works for those who wait for him” (64:4 -MSG).  

He grieves over the condition of the people. “No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins” (64:7 NLT).  The prophet seems to accept the sinful condition of his people, as God, “giving them over to their sins.”  

Then we hear his heart felt prayer for the nation. “Still, God, you are our Father.  We’re the clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us.  Don’t be too angry with us, O God.  Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing.  Keep in mind, please, we are your people – all of us” (v 9 – MGS).

In the midst of all the wrong that he sees in the nation, Isaiah directs his prayer in lament to God.  This is a lesson for each of us.  The greater the darkness, the more we should bring our complaint to God.  But like Isaiah we need to plead for his mercy upon us, even though we do not deserve it.  “In the face of all this, are you going to sit there unmoved, God?  Aren’t you going to say something?  Haven’t you made us miserable long enough?” (64:12 – MSG). 

 

In Chapter 6 of Micah, the prophet is using legal language to portray a courtroom scene.  God is bringing a lawsuit against Israel. He instructs them, “Stand up and state your case against me” (6:1).   Israel put on trial before the watching world is, “epitomized in dramatic terms by its oldest inhabitants – the mountains and the hills – who have been silent witnesses to his dealings with people right from the beginning” (BST). 

“And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord’s complaint!  He has a case against his people.  He will bring charges against Israel” (6:2).  God is entering a charge.  Now Israel must bring its defense.  Earlier Micah had given a long list of their sins, but now the mood has changed.  God in his compassion addresses them as “his people” (v 3).  “The language here is personal and passionate, far more like a father’s plea to his child or a husband pleading with his wife” (BST). 

God is more concerned about restoring a relationship rather then listing all their shortcomings.  “O my people what have I done to you?  What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!” (v 3 ).  I can almost feel my mother in her loving discipline of me, asking “Alan, what have I done wrong that I should be treated in this manner.”  Like the Israelites, I could either shrug off my mother’s discipline or admit my fault.  God, as a loving father is asking his people to consider their rebellious attitude.  He is grieved over their behavior as his people.

God reminds them to remember all that He had done. “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery.  I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.  My people remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered.  Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord” (v 4-5).  The Lord is imploring them to remember how he brought them out of Egypt, preserving and protecting them on their journey to the promised land.

I wonder –  have we forgotten the mighty acts of God in our day.  We may have failed as his people  and as a nation as well.  But, I contend, God’s favor has been upon us in many ways.  I wonder – is His hand of favor being lifted in our day.  When I survey the moral stance of our nation, is God asking, “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?  Have I burdened you, worn you out!  Answer!  

There has been a deliberate attempt to question and remove our Christian heritage.  But as believers we are to remember not only the goodness of God in our lives, but how his hand of favor has been upon our nation.  Woe to us, if we forget God. One lesson from Micah 6 is not to forget.  “When people refuse to see how fortunate they are and begin to take God’s gifts for granted, they become self-centered.” (Application Bible). 

Men, do not let the angry voices in our culture cause you to forget.  Remember to, “Keep all God’s salvation stories fresh and present” (6: 5 – MGS). Be eternally thankful for his goodness.  In our day, especially celebrate and be glad for the freedom you have enjoyed.  May it motivate you to take a stand for the Lordship of Jesus in our day. We all may be asked to pay a price for our stand.  If we don’t stand for what is right, who will?

   

 

 

 

On  the 25^th anniversary of Rich Mullins’ death in 1997, I was reading some articles by people he had influenced.  My memory of his music was stirred, music from the 80’s and early 90’s that still touches me today.  As Bethel McGrew observed, Mullins would “have defied easy categorization in today’s Christian culture wars.” Mullins was indeed a “ragamuffin” Christian for Brennan Manning’s “Ragamuffin Gospel” for people of faith who are among “the bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out.” Mullins “was flawed and broken, every bit the raggamuffin he claimed to be and more.  But he told us the truth as he could see it,” noted Russell Moore.  Andrew Greer and Randy Cox wrote about the tension Mullins felt with the evangelical establishment of his time. “Rich chafed against the paint-by-numbers parameters of the gospel music industry.  From his ragamuffin perspectiven, his choice was clear: he could either appease the mass-market demands of a religiously ‘right’ constituency by softening his creed and diluting his dialogue or he could appeal to people’s heart through honest and human exchange.” In my early days of spiritual growth, Mullins’ appeal was two-fold for me.   First, as Greer and Cox observed, Mullins appealed to the heart.  He knew and expressed emotional and spiritual suffering.  His songs expressed these sentiments.  The second aspect of Mullin’s influence on me was his searching for spirituality within the Catholic tradition (an asymptotic catholic).  He was positioned as a kind of “folk theologian in the space between Protestantism and Catholicism.” There are several songs that I especially remember.  The first Awesome God, which was almost anthem during the height the the charismatic movement.  Both Judy and I have fond memories of those days.  It is a simple refrain: “Our God is an awesome God/He reigns from heaven above/With wisdom, power, and love/Our God is an awesome God.”  I can almost hear a large crowd singing this with all their might. The second is Hold Me Jesus.  It is a haunting song of spiritual struggle.  I identified with Mullins’ struggle in this.  One verse goes: “Surrender don’t come natural to me/I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want/Than to take what You give that I need/And I’ve beat my head against so many walls/Now I’m falling down I’m falling on my knees.”  Wow.  I still identify with these words. The chorus brings back a lot of memories: “So hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf/You have been king of my glory/Won’t you be my Prince of Peace.” I remember identifying with “the leaf.”  It described my heart condition.  I was only learning to put my hand on my heart and look up to Jesus and cry for mercy.  Thank you, Jesus, for Rich Mullins’ vulnerability. The third song is If I Stand.  I can still identify deeply with the chorus.  “So if I stand let me stand on the promise/That you will pull me through/And if I can’t, let me fall on the grace/That first brought me to You/And if I sing let me sing for the joy/That has born in me these songs/And if I weep let it be as a man/Who is longing for his home.” Wow!  How often I still  have to “fall on the grace” that brought me to Jesus in the beginning.  I am thankful that God has given me the gift of tears, to weep over my own sins.  While I continue to journey, now on the homeward stretch, I long for home and for what is yet to come.  Thank you, Rich Mullins, for your influence in my life.  

The “Day of The Lord” is an expression found frequently in the Old Testament prophets.  It points to an extraordinary event.  It could refer to a present event (like a locust plague) an even in the near future (like the destruction of Jerusalem) or the final period in history when God will defeat the forces of evil.  However, in Joel’s day,  many of God’s people had come to believe the day of the Lord referred to a day of blessing.  It tended to produce complacency.   

When Joel saw the day of the Lord as a day of judgment, it caught the people by surprise.   He prophesied, “The day of the Lord is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty.  How terrible that day will be!” (1:15)  Then in 2:2-11, the prophet gives a vivid description of all the devastation across the land.  He cries out, “The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful; Who can endure it?” (2:11).

I want to ask – “In what way is the day of the Lord relevant for our day?  How should we prepare ourselves for a contemporary day of the Lord?  Are we as a nation approaching such an event in the near future?  In my heart I have a sense of foreboding.  Is God trying to get the attention of His church?  Are we behaving more like victims rather than bold witness to the sovereignty of God in our national affairs?”

Joel’s counsel for us in our day is to “cry out to the Lord” (1:14).  “When we are facing bitter and utter desolation, it is not our immediate reaction to cry out to God.  It is easier and more common, to withdraw and to take it out on others…….this has the effect of devouring our faith in God.  Joel’s instruction effectively tells the people to jettison any vestige of pride, self-sufficiency, anger or rebelliousness” ( Bible Speaks Today).  

Joel exhorts the people, “Put on sackcloth.” (1:13)  There is to be external actions that express the inward cry of the heart.  The prophet calls for the priest to “Declare a fast [and] call a sacred assembly.”  They are to “Summons the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord” (1:14).  “There is a suggestion here that in times of national crisis, spiritual leaders should take the imitative in calling on political and other leaders to cry out to God” (BST). 

There is a dramatic change in the second part of the prophecy.  “Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people” (2:18).  God makes a promise: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you” (2:25).

I wonder about the  present condition of our nation?  Is the Spirit of God stirring the hearts of  people in the church to come before him and cry out for God to the merciful to us as a nation?  Are enough hearts being broken for the sins of our nation?  Are we coming with humble, repentant hearts, asking for forgiveness and boldness to live as loving servants in a dying culture?  I wonder.  

My challenge to men is to take the lead in coming before the Lord. Dismiss the fear-mongering so prevalent in our nation and cry out to the Lord to have mercy.    God is looking for men who will be his witnesses in our day. 

 

 

 

“Dangerous Goodness” is the theme of a recent men’s conference hosted by Kenny Luck’s Every Man Ministries.  There are a lot of good men’s ministries out there –  Luck’s is one of them.  But I was struck by the title of this particular conference.

Luck said this about the theme:  “Male strength is a great thing for our culture when compassion and character are guided by it for the sake of others.  More than any time in history, the world is craving men who are dangerous with goodness versus just dangerous or ‘toxic.’  The power of a movement like ‘Dangerous Goodness’ is that it speaks God’s truth about manhood to all men everywhere.  When they take hold of their identities as Spirit-empowered leaders, that propels an exponential effect around the world.”

Speaking of the conference, Luck said, “Our mission and goal are simple: to create a space for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men.  And then I hope for an expression of that outpouring in the spaces and places where God has placed those same men in cities – where they live, where they work, where they pray, and where they play.” 

Dangerous goodness is a concern I’ve had when addressing the need of men to “step up.”  It seems to me the men’s movement needs to be careful when we are called to walk the straight and narrow way of Jesus.  We can easily fall into a ditch on either side.  One side stresses the tough, macho man, while the other a more soft, sensitive, caring man.  What is so desperately needed is for men to be both “tough” and “tender” or men living both as “lion” and “lamb.” 

That is why I embrace  the theme of “dangerous goodness.”  To me it speaks of men being dangerous (tough) yet expressing the goodness of God (tender). Men will need exemplars of this male stance. When men see it fleshed out in another men, they will rise up and want to take back what has been lost with an expression of compassion and character.   

I agree with Luck: “More than any time in history,  the world is craving men who are dangerous with goodness versus just dangerous or ‘toxic.'”  I identify with the idea of men being dangerous with goodness.  Luck states, “Male strength is a great thing for our culture when compassion and character are guided by it for the sake of others.”

The issue gets down to exemplars of compassion and character “guiding” men in “dangerous goodness.”  In groups all over our country men can “take hold of their identities as Spirit-empowered leaders.” Christian men need to be encouraged in being leaders in their spheres of influence.  But they need guidance from older, more seasoned men on how to practice “dangerous goodness.”

I agree, we need a mighty “outpouring of the Holy Spirit” in the lives of men.  Then they can go out into the “spaces and places” to walk out an expression of “dangerous goodness.”  It will not be easy.  Men have a target on their chest, placed there by the spirit of our age. 

Let Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders inspire you. “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:22-24).  Let us finish the race and complete the task with “dangerous goodness.”

  

 

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In this blog I want to call attention to a contemporary worship song.  It is by Charity Gayle.  I have watched the video and  it made an deep impression on this “old soul.” First the words are theological sound; second, the young lady sings with sincerity and passion.  Third, the young people in worship seem to be caught up in the words as they worship their Lord and Savior.

I find Ms. Gayle’s worship authentic, able to connect with the soul.   My spirit resonated with her spirit.  I was moved to want to stand and fight.  Yes, her audience is young, having much to learn on the  spiritual journey.  I personally would not be able to enter into their worship style for an extended period of time.  But I do believe God is both anointing and raising up a new style of passionate worship to equip a whole new generation of young people who want to take back our nation from the forces of darkness.  

I encourage you to go to youtube and enter into the worship (Charity Gayle – I Speak Jesus).  I identify with her declaring in worship, the name of Jesus, in the present day of coming darkness.  The chorus goes like this: “‘Cause Your name is power/Your name is healing/Your name is life/Break every stronghold/Shine through the shadows/Burn like a fire.” With passion she sings: “I just wanna speak the name of Jesus/’Til every dark addiction starts to break/Declaring there is hope and there is freedom/I speak Jesus.“

I don’t know if all young people realize the magnitude of the fight they are facing.  But, praise God, they are speaking the name of Jesus.  Paul tells us, “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.  This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours.  This is for keeps, and life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels” (Eph. 6:11-13 MSG).  

We know that at the name of Jesus, “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).  In the book of Revelation, before the end, we read of the song sung in heaven, “Who will not fear you, Lord. and bring glory to your name?  For you alone are holy.  All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev. 15:4).     

So yes, we need to speak the name of Jesus.  What will this mean for men in the coming days.  First, be sure you are sold out to Jesus.  The enemy can easily identify and take out an imposter.   Second, believe with all your heart and mind that the name of Jesus means power.  Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name” (John 17:11)

Thirdly, let Jesus into your very center, giving you confident that the Lord has put his words in your mouth.  God told Jeremiah, “I have put my words in your mouth (Jer. 1:9).  Later Jeremiah testified, “his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones” (Jer. 20:9). 

Fourthly, praise God in all circumstances, even as you speak to name of Jesus.  Leave the results to him.  Paul said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances’ (Phil 4:11).