A Word about the Church as a Missionary Creation

 

Today I want to share a word about the church as a missionary creation.

In our last episode about the qualities of the church, we observed that the church is a worshipping creation. We worship God because He is our one true hero, and He is worthy of our worship.  We also worship God because we need His presence among us and that is the best part of life. We also realized that we are destined to worship God. It is an innate part of who we are and why we exist. Today we want to look at the quality of the church which distinguishes it from many other religious faiths: the church is a missionary creation.  Let’s begin by reading Matthew 28:16-20.

The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 When we look at the Scriptures, and when we consider the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament, from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, we can observe that many elements of our relationship with God developed new aspects. Instead of many sacrifices, we have one. Instead of employing human efforts to understand the Scriptures, God writes them on our hearts, and He sent the Holy Spirit to illuminate them. Instead of “an eye for an eye,” Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. One element of our walk with God didn’t develop or mature, however. From Genesis 12, God has expected His people to be a missionary creation. That did not change, that did not develop. It remained the same. Genesis 12:1-3 says,

The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

The missionary calling of God’s people is to go and be a blessing to the world. Jesus renewed that call in the Great Commission, and we are going to focus on that missionary call today.

Our Missionary Authority:

C.S. Lewis was the Oxford professor in the mid-1900’s who became a great evangelist and a great apologist for our faith. He often appeared on radio programs and other media, and he wrote books like The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Although we now look back upon his work with awe and admiration, some people at the time felt like he had gotten out of his lane. Even J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis’s friend whose own personal walk with God had helped Lewis become a professing Christian, questioned Lewis’s missionary and evangelistic activities. From Tolkien’s perspective, Lewis was not a trained theologian, nor was he an ordained priest. What authority did he have for taking on such work?

We need to understand our authority for sharing our faith. Like all leaders in our society, that authority comes to us in two ways. First is what we might consider “official authority,” which is delegated to us from “duly constituted authority.” This comes from outside ourselves, and it is necessary so that we can have the authority to be missionary.

For example, a man was walking his dog when he came upon an open piece of ground which was perfect for playing fetch with this dog.  While he was doing so, a police car stopped, and the officer got out.

The officer approached the man and told him, “Sir, you can’t be here. I need to ask you to take your dog and leave.” The man was polite, but puzzled, and asked the officer, “Why do you say that?” The officer pointed at a sign in the weeds which said, “Off-limits To Unauthorized Persons,” and then said, “Because of that sign.” The man smiled and said, “How do you know I am an unauthorized person? Do you have a list of who is authorized?”  The officer was stunned for a moment, and then realizing he had been caught out smiled, “Nope, I sure don’t. You have a nice day.”

Of course, the officer did search for that list, and he found it, giving him the authority to do what he had tried to do. He never got to exercise that authority because the man never went back and played fetch in that field again.

Police officers cannot make up laws as they patrol their beats, and our elected officials cannot do so as they administer our towns and cities. They can only act based on the legal authority that is granted by and limited by laws which were passed by duly constituted authority.

Our official authority to act is necessary, but it is not sufficient for us to be effective missionaries. We also need “moral authority,” and this comes from within ourselves. Moral authority is based on the exercise of leadership traits and principles. A great example of this is leadership by example which proclaims, “Follow me and do as I do.” A poor example of moral leadership is the one who says, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

To be honest, one reason we may have a more favorable view of C.S. Lewis today is that, from time-to-time, he could be abrupt in his manner, and he struggled to be kind when dealing with students who were not as bright as he was. It is instructive for us to note that some of the headwinds Lewis faced in sharing his faith were caused by his own frailties and foibles.

Jesus, however, has all authority.  Jesus has legal authority:  He is sovereign.   Jesus has moral authority: God is love and He acts today out of love. Jesus has spiritual authority: He sits at God’s right hand. Jesus has temporal authority: He puts the magistrates in their offices and gives them authority to govern human nature.

When we are being missionary, therefore, we act on His authority, by His power, which is delegated to us!

 The other thing we need to remember about authority is that not only does it justify us, but it also compels us. Jesus not only puts us on the list of authorized people, but he also puts us on the list of people who are required to be missionary. Not only can we be missionary, but from God’s perspective we must be missionary.

Our Missionary Goal:

If our goal for prayer is to commune with God, and if our goal for worship is to praise and magnify God, then what is our goal as missionaries? We don’t have to guess, Jesus tells us. Sometimes, however, the limitations of language can get in our way.

The Greek text here is often poorly translated. Often this passage is made to read, “Go ye therefore and make disciples . . .” In reality, this passage instructs us “As you go, make disciples . . .” So, from this passage we must understand that making disciples should be a natural part of our lives!

Many of us have learned the habit of checking our cell phones on a regular basis. It has become natural to see if we have any missed calls or any voicemails. We want to see if we have any emails or text messages, or if any of our friends have posted on social media. Twenty-five years ago, such behavior was unheard of, but today it is a routine and natural part of our lives. Jesus saw making disciples as just as much a natural part of our lives as checking our cell phones.

Note also that our goal is to make disciples, not converts. You must be a convert to become a disciple, but producing converts is not the goal; the goal is to make disciples. Disciple means learner, follower. This is our basic relationship to God: follower, learner, disciple. We are to become disciples ourselves, and then we are to make disciples.

Again, another struggle we have with language is found in the word “nations.” When we think of that word, we think of the modern nation state, like the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, or Japan. The concept of the nation state was foreign to the disciples. They thought in terms of people groups, tribes, and ethnic groups. So which people are we to be missionaries to so that we can make disciples? All people:   

• Rural and Urban 
• Employed and Unemployed  
• Rich and Poor White, and Black, and "Other" 
• English Speakers, and Spanish Speakers

Jesus died for us and for them, for ALL! Our goal is to make disciples; how do we do that?

Our Missionary Task:

Again, we don’t have to wonder about how we are to make disciples of all nations. Jesus told us that directly, commanding us to teach all that He has taught us. This is the model that Paul followed in 2 Timothy 2:1-2:

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

So, we are to multiply ourselves as we teach what we have learned as we have grown in the Lord. This means we must learn and teach in two basic areas of our faith.

First, we must teach orthodoxy: the right doctrine. Many people today do not believe in “truth.” They have the attitude that people are like “Ships passing in the night, and if we find each other it is beautiful.” But there is real objective truth, and it is found in God! We must teach it!

We have learned over time that, “What you don’t know can hurt you!” and that, “Ignorance is not bliss.” Why do you think there are warnings plastered on all types of products these days? Why does your hairdryer warn you, “Don’t use in the shower?” That’s because someone didn’t know better and they did use it in the shower. For them, discovering the truth about that product was shocking!

Teaching the truth is necessary, but not sufficient; we must also teach orthopraxy: the right way to act. Right does not make might! Jesus acted out of love, and so must we! Vance Havner said, “You can be just as straight as a gun barrel theologically and just as empty, spiritually!” Knowing the living Truth must affect our behavior!

How are we to teach and make disciples? One way is through the basic ministries of the church: 

• Worship 
• Bible Teaching 
• Evangelism  
• Ministry 
•  Fellowship
• Doing all these decently and in order!

 We also need to do this by teaching people one-on-one, or in small groups. We might say to that, “I don’t know enough to disciple someone else.” That might be true, but that really is not an excuse.

 First, Paul would tell us what he taught the church at Corinth:

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

He also taught the Colossian believers,

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

So, Paul would tell us today to become disciples ourselves, and to grow-up as well! Along with that word of correction and instruction, I would add a word of encouragement. We don’t need to know everything before we can teach others; we only need to be a step or two ahead of them.

For ten years I taught Bible college classes for Samford University at the association of churches that I served in Alabama. For almost every semester of that time, I was teaching a new class. I could not specialize in one or two areas of study with a portfolio of a handful of classes that repeated over and over again. No, I had to teach a fresh class with a fresh textbook almost every semester. For most of that time I was only a chapter or two ahead of the students. Yes, I had a general knowledge of each subject, but I was not an expert in any of them. I was learning as we went along also, and as long as I was a step or two ahead of my students, I was fine. And you will be too!

I would encourage us to simply admit it when we don’t know something. A great way to facilitate learning is to say, “That’s a great question. Let’s see what the Bible says about that.” Or, we can say, “I don’t know; let me do some research and get back with you about that.”

We don’t have to be experts; we just have to be disciples ourselves, learning more about Jesus every day as we walk with Him.

Our Missionary Encouragement:

This is a huge task! It is one far beyond what we can do ourselves. It almost seems as if God is setting us up for failure. How can we do this thing which is so far beyond our capabilities? Well, like the slogan of UFO hunters, “We are not alone!” We are not alone in this struggle.

First, we have each other. We have each other in our church and we need to have each other’s back! We also have our sister churches.  In fact, that is the reason we have the Southern Baptist Convention. It is not intended to export southern culture, or to fight culture wars, or to cultivate a particular type of theology. No! The SBC is intended to help churches pursue the Great Commission that our Lord gave us. To me, it is a great comfort to know we are in this great effort, together.

Second, and even more importantly, God is with us, living in us, and helping us. This is like having a cheat code in a video game. It’s like the difference between having children while living near grandparents and having children when living away from your hometown. It’s like entering a contest which you already know you have won.

Our God is with us forever:  

• With us in our lives here  
• With us in trouble here 
• With us as we serve Him here 
•  With us as we leave here  
• With us as we go to be with Him there

In fact, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:9, we are God’s coworkers. But what that really means is that He carries the load, while we enjoy the blessing of walking alongside Him, amazed at what He can do!

Conclusion:

Abraham was a great man, and a great leader of God’s people. He was used of God in many ways, but he did not leave a legacy of missions. We must avoid his mistakes and realize that the church is a missionary creation.

Christ with all authority has sent us out on mission for Him to make disciples of all peoples for the glory of God. We know that our destiny is to worship God and to enjoy being in His presence forever. Let’s bring as many people as we can with us!

Every blessing,

Dr, Otis Corbitt

A Word abou the Church as a Worshipping Creation

Today I want to share a word about the church as a worshipping creation.

In our last episode about the qualities of the church, we observed that the church is a praying creation. In that regard we demonstrated from Scripture the Priority of Prayer, the Practice of Prayer, the Promise of Prayer and the Personal Nature of Prayer. Today we want to look at another one of the most basic and essential qualities of the church, which is this: the church is a worshipping creation.  Let’s begin by reading Psalm 100.

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His—His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Also, Psalm 27:1-6 says, 

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple. For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock. Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Worship, along with prayer, is one of the most fundamental qualities of the church and it is basic to all that we do. Because it is a basic quality and activity, we often take worship for granted, and we can become complacent, like what happened once to the Green Bay Packers when Vince Lombardi was their coach.

After the 1960 National Football League championship game when his team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, Lombardi decided that the team needed to return to a focus on the basics of blocking and tackling. At the beginning of spring training in 1961, he picked up a pigskin and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” In reply, Max McGee, the Packers’ Pro Bowl wide receiver, joked, “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little? You're going too fast for us.” Despite his players’ frustration with having to practice the fundamentals of the game, the Green Bay Packers went on to beat the New York Giants 37-0 in the NFL Championship that year.

Prayer and worship are fundamental qualities of the church, and today we want to remind ourselves of the importance of worship to God and also in our own lives. So, why do we worship God?

We Worship Because God is Worthy:

People need heroes. We need people in whom we can believe, and who we can praise with our lips. This is an inherent part of the human soul, and one that we really cannot eliminate and one that is difficult for us to control. 

• We dance with joy when our political candidate wins.
• We whistle and clap for our favorite actor or actress.
• We jump for joy when our ball team wins the big game.
• We put our favorite race driver’s number on our pick-up.

It is simply part of our being a human to embrace and even idolize our heroes. The problem is, everything human will eventually fade and die off:

• Every politician will eventually retire (or go to prison).
• Every actor and actress will get old and ugly.
• Every ball team will eventually lose.
• Every driver will eventually lose his own personal race with mortality.

Sometimes this fall from grace happens naturally. Sometimes our heroes do it to themselves. Sometimes other forces will conspire to topple them. The case of Rudi Guliani after the 9/11 attacks is a prime example. Guliani was an effective mayor of New York City before September 2001, but afterwards his acclaim soared to the point that he became known as “America’s Mayor.” Now, however, due to all the factors above and more, his reputation lies in tatters.

The Dallas Cowboys football team is another example. They have not won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season. So why are they still called “America’s Team”? Are they, really? I think not.

Who then is worthy of our praise? God and God alone. Revelation 4:9-11 says,

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever,  the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, worship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne, and say: Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.

Only God is truly worthy of our praise. He is powerful and just forever. He is loving and beautiful forever. His race never ends. The Psalmist above knew these things, and that is why, even when he was in physical danger, he said, 

Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple.

The lyrics to the hymn “Thou Art Worthy” are a wonderful way to summarize why we worship God:

Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy, O Lord.
Thou art worthy to receive glory, Glory and honor and power.
For Thou hast created, hast all things created,
For Thou hast created all things.
And for Thy pleasure they are created; Thou art worthy, O Lord.

We will worship; It is our nature. But, is what we worship worthy? We worship God because He and only He is worthy. We also worship because God is present with us when we worship.

We Worship To Enjoy the Presence of God:

A challenge that people have faced from the beginning is the need for connection. Being isolated, even for introverts, is an increasing problem in our society today. Even extroverts often substitute bluster for connection, and although we are always connected to the internet because of our cell phones and computers, people are more isolated from each other every day. More people work from home, and even those who go to work at a plant or office can be isolated for hours each day because of commuting. 

To feel isolated is distressing. We feel small and helpless, and we feel insignificant and purposeless. We are often full of fear and anxiety. We need to feel connected to a person to overcome those uncomfortable feelings.

One of the first two sayings we learned in Africa was, “Never stand in the sun when you can stand in the shade, and never be alone when you can be with a friend.” But we know even friends can fail us. 

One of the sayings that I remember from the pastor who performed the wedding ceremony for my wife and I, was, “Don’t place your trust in me that you should be placing in God. I am human, and I will fail you; God never will!”

The good news for us is that God is present with us in a special and intimate way when we worship Him. Matthew 18:20 tells us,

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.

And Psalm 22:3 says,

But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

The King James translation renders that verse as,

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

God is present when we praise and worship Him. He lives in our praise, and He occupies our worship. If we want to feel connected, if we want to feel His presence, the Bible tells us that the best way to do that is to worship.

This reminds me of the saying “If you don’t feel close to God, who moved?” The fact is, we will get out of our worship life what we put into it. If we want to experience the real presence of God in our lives, we must worship!

We worship God because He is worthy and we worship God to experience His presence, and we also worship God because it is the best part of life and service.

We Worship Because it is the Best Part:

We have many options about how to spend our time each day. In the church we have worship, Bible study, fellowship, ministry. Outside the church we have work, family, school, entertainment, sports. A day isn’t long enough anymore. Like the old knight of the crusades in the Indiana Jones movie, we must choose wisely!

In the Gospel of Luke, we can observe a time when Martha and Mary, close friends of Jesus, had to choose between worshipping Him and doing other things, even useful and humanly necessary, things. Luke 10:38-42 tells us,

While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

One thing that we must remember is that the good is the enemy of the best, and vice versa. Martha chose to do good things. She was caring for her family and guests. She wasn’t sinning, she was just too busy doing good, to focus on the best.

Mary, on the other hand, chose the best part. There is nothing like true worship to bless our souls. We all need to sit at the feet of Jesus and bask in His glow! And we need to share that blessing corporately.

The vast majority of the time that we see people worshipping in the Bible, we see collective worship, corporate worship. This is another factor in choosing the best. It is good to worship God alone, and sometimes that is all the opportunity we have. If that is the case, we should embrace it. The truth is, however, that corporate worship is the best kind of worship, and when it is available to you, you should choose it. It is easier to stay warm in the winter when you huddle together, and it is easier to ignite our spiritual fires when we worship together.

Again, we have many activities we can invest in, but if we become too busy to worship, we are too busy!

Finally, another very important reason we worship is because it is our destiny. In Revelation 7:9-12 we read,  

After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

We Worship Because it is Our Destiny:

• Everything God made has a purpose:
• Sun, moon, and stars.
• Earth, land, water, and sky.
• Fish of the sea, beasts of the field, trees and grass of the wilderness.
• Humans have the highest purpose of all.

Our purpose for existing is to worship God. Our faith is based on a relationship, not programs; on a person, not principles; on fellowship, not productivity. After the Fall, people must work, but we must see that the purpose of our labor is to allow us to spend time with God. The centrality of worship is indicated by the fact that worship is mentioned over 380 times in the Bible.

Again, our purpose for living is to worship God and to praise His name. It is to bless Him and acclaim Him and to spend time in His presence. Our purpose for Bible study and discipleship is to learn about God so we can praise Him better and to spend time in His presence in a more informed way. Our purpose for evangelism is so that all nations will worship Him. Our purpose for ministry is so that those blessed will praise God. Every facet of our church ministry, and every facet of our personal lives is intended to bring glory and praise to God.

In a world in which we are encouraged to set goals and to achieve more, and in a world full of self-help books that encourage us to pursue self-fulfillment, sometimes we need to remember what the cartoon character Popeye said, “I am what I am.” That’s like another saying we heard in Africa, “A man cannot escape himself.”  We should not become fatalistic, but realistic. We were made to worship God, and we need to embrace that with our whole hearts.

Conclusion:

When I was in youth choir, we sang a cantata that had a song entitled “Get All Excited.” The main theme stated: “Get all excited, go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King.” Before we go tell, we need to get all excited about who God is and what He’s done for us.  If we do that, we’ll come to truly worship Him with the devotion He deserves.

Are we excited about God?  Do we truly worship Him?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

 

 

A Word about the Church as a Praying Creation

Today I want to share a word about the church as a praying creation. 

In our first episode about the qualities of the church, we looked at the nature of the church. We saw how we have: a Divine Origin, a Divine Calling, a Divine Relationship, and a Divine Purpose. Today we want to look at one of the powerful qualities of the church that comes from being a divine creation and that is this: the church is a praying creation.  Let’s begin by reading Mark 9:14-19 and 23-29.

When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. All of a sudden, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. Then He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting].”

The Priority of Prayer:

Our task is immense, and our challenge to walk the walk and talk the talk in our world is overwhelming. We battle with spiritual forces we can’t see, and we battle cultural forces that we can see but can’t change. We battle difficult personalities and ungodly biases. We battle our own inadequacies, and we battle apathy, like with this classic one-liner:

What do you get when you cross ignorance with apathy? I don't know, and I don't care.

Or this one:

I started a support group for apathetic people. No one showed up, and I didn’t feel like going either.

And this one:

I entered an apathy contest once. Didn’t win. Didn’t care.

From the beginning Christians have been trying to fight these spiritual and cultural battles with our own power. We see here a great example, for the disciples failed using their own power. 

They thought that casting out this demon was child’s play. After all, they had done this before, when they were sent out by Jesus two-by-two, so they didn’t give this problem much thought, and they had a casual attitude towards it. They should count themselves as blessed that they didn’t wind up like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:11-17:

God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that even facecloths or work aprons[a] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Then fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

This would have been a great Tic-Toc, if such a thing had existed in their day!

The Disciples played with fire and failed. They needed to get serious:

• They needed to get broken hearted over this child’s plight.
• They needed to get scared and seek God’s face
• They needed to fall on their knees, and in passion intercede.
• They needed God’s guidance and power.
• They needed to pray before running ahead of God.

We, too, need to get serious:

• We need to get broken hearted over the plight of the people around us.
• We need to get scared and seek God’s face
• We need to fall on our knees, and in passion intercede.
• We need God’s guidance and power.
• We need to pray before running ahead of God.

Make no mistake: God’s church has been a planning church. God’s church has been a programming church. God’s church has been a promoting church. God’s church has even been a pampering church. None of these in themselves guarantee us access to God’s power. That is why God’s church must be a praying church.

We begin our pursuit of God’s Kingdom on our knees!

Next, let’s read James 5:10-20.

Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment. Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit. My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.

The Practice of Prayer:

A challenge that God’s people have faced from the beginning is the difference between knowing and doing. An example from modern Israel is an event in the book, Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men: Inside the New Israel. In this book, the author recounted a moment that’s both ironic and revealing about Israeli identity politics. 

At an international conference, Israeli diplomats insisted that kosher food be served—asserting it as a matter of national and cultural principle. However, once the kosher meals were provided, they didn’t actually eat them. The diplomats’ demand wasn’t about dietary observance—it was about asserting Jewish identity and sovereignty in a global setting. The act of requesting kosher food became a kind of performance of national pride, even if the personal commitment to religious practice wasn’t there.

In many ways, the church acts in a similar way about many things, including prayer. Pastor James, who was the pastor of the Jerusalem church, insisted that his congregation should not just accept prayer as a fact, but also to practice it as a ministry. For us to do this, we must pray faithfully, effectively, fervently, and righteously.

We need to pray faithfully, believing that God will answer. We must pray as if we believe, even if we have fears and doubts. If we do, God will help us to pray since He has been communicating with us since the beginning.  The father in Mark 9 admitted to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Sometimes we just need to cry out to God in faith. “Lord help me!” is a valid prayer!

We also need to pray effectively, which means we should know what we are talking about. Social media is great for spreading information; the problem is, however, the information that is spread on social media is often false, incomplete, and misleading. We need to pray specifically, and we are often guilty of telling God to, “bless all the missionaries,” or to, “stir the hearts of the unconcerned.” God does help us in our prayers, however.

First, the Holy Spirit, who knows our hearts, interprets our prayers. This is especially good for me, because I can get a person’s name wrong. Once, during a worship service, I was asked to pray for a woman’s mother, and I did so, but I prayed for her using the lady’s married name, not her maiden name. So, technically, I prayed for my church member’s deceased mother-in-law instead of for her mother. God was understanding of my efforts, even if my church member wasn’t.

I also once misread the name of an incoming General on the bulletin for his change of command ceremony when I was a chaplain. During the invocation, I prayed eloquently for Brigadier General Gamble, but the name of the new commander was Brigadier General Gable. Ironically, he was more understanding than my church member was.

Second, God has also led us to discover tools for praying with understanding, tools like “Prayer Walking.” Nothing helps us understand the needs of our community like getting out into society, putting our boots on the ground, seeing the sights, hearing the sounds, and smelling the smells of a neighborhood. One author described this as “Praying on-site with insight.”

We need to pray fervently because if we don’t care, why should we expect God to? This is why I don’t pray in bed, because I will fall asleep! Prayer is warfare! We need to go at it with teeth bared and fists clenched, ready to meet the enemy on ground of our choosing!

We also need to pray righteously. Our sin separates us from God, and it hinders our prayer life. We have a remedy for this, too: prayer! 1 John 1:9 tells us that, 

If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Remember that saying from Alcoholics Anonymous? “If what you say and what you do don’t match, then what you say is a lie, and what you do is the truth.” The fact is, we will get out of our prayer life what we put into it. 

Next, let’s read Matthew 7:7-11.

Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The Promise of Prayer:

Jesus made a dramatic promise to us. He said that if we ask, we’ll receive.

He also said that if we seek, we’ll find. In addition, He said that if we knock it will be opened to us. These are guarantees that we can count upon, not like what happened to the soldier who had an accident at jump school.

After two weeks of hard training, this soldier’s class arrived at the Friday afternoon before their first jump which was scheduled for Monday. Their instructors briefed them on the procedures that they would follow, and then one of them made two guarantees to them. He said, “I promise you two things will happened next week. First. Your parachute will open. Second, buses will be waiting for you on the drop zone to carry you back to the airfield so you can jump again.” The subject of this story took these two promises to heart and held on to them all weekend.

When Monday came, however, this soldier exited the aircraft in flight and completed all of his points of performance, but his parachute didn’t open. As he hurtled past the other soldiers whose parachutes did open, he was heard to complain, “And I bet the buses won’t be there either!” 

This promise comes out of God’s very nature: 

• He loves us and wants to do good things for us! 
• He is righteous and always does the right thing. 
• He is powerful and can do what He intends

God can bless us! He is willing to bless us! He does bless us! Isaiah 59:1 assures us that,

Indeed, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear.

Through prayer, God can save the most hard-hearted, like the Special Forces sergeant major I knew who was one of the meanest, most serious, least humorous man, I know. But the Lord saved him!

Through prayer, God can heal the sickest, like the woman with an inoperable brain tumor who went to her doctor one day and the tumor was gone!

Through prayer, God can change the most firmly set mind. A church needed a piece of land, but the owner would not sell. The land was prayer walked faithfully (without trespassing) for years, and eventually the owner sold the land to the church, and at an affordable price!

So then, why don’t we always see answers? First, the Bible shows us that God answers us in three different ways: yes, no, and wait. He answered “yes,” to the man in Mark 9. He answered, “no,” to Paul when he asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh. He answered “wait,” to David in 2 Samuel 7 when David wanted to build God a temple in Jerusalem. He also said, “wait,” to Mary and Martha after Lazarus became sick.

Pastor James also explained other reasons why we may not see the answer we are asking God for.  In James 4:1-4, he told his church,

What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires. Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously? But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

We must pray believing in the trustworthy promises of God! We must also stay out of His way as works to bless us!

Finally, let’s read a couple of passages from Jeremiah.  Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us,

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”

Also, Jeremiah 33:2-3 says,

“The Lord who made the earth, the Lord who forms it to establish it, Yahweh is His name, says this: Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.

The Personal Nature of Prayer:

We are all unique people, and we come in all sizes and shapes. All my life I have been an “extra-large” person in a “medium” world. When I was a child, we would take an annual trip to Sears to buy my clothes for school because they carried trousers in the “husky” cut. 

One thing I have learned is that “one size fits all” is a lie from the pit of fashion hell. In fact, football coach and sportscaster John Madden once wrote a book entitled, One Size Doesn’t Fit All. The good thing for us is, God knows that. He knows us individually, and He communicates with us individually, and personally.

God knows things we don’t know, and He knows that we can’t know everything. Understanding that, He tells us what we need to know, if we would only ask. As James 1:5 tells us,

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

God knows that we often don’t know the way forward. He knows that we need someone to show us the way. The good news is that God has a plan for us, and the even better news is that He won’t keep that information to Himself. He is eager to share it with us, if we would only ask.

God knows that we feel isolated and alone. He knows that we feel stressed and depressed. He knows how we can have hope, and He is glad to share that with us if we would only ask.

God knows that we have wrecked our lives and that we need restoration. We just don’t know how to find it, but God does. He is glad to share that with us, if we would only ask.

God knows we need fellowship with Him. He knows that there is a God-shaped place in our lives that only He can fill. He is glad to share Himself with us, if we would only ask. As the Scriptures promised us in James 4:8,

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Conclusion:

God created a people for Himself so that He could be with us and have fellowship with us. We know that He would come into the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day to walk with Adam and Eve. God’s people, from the beginning, has communicated with God, which is prayer.

When we talk about God walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve, we also need to remember that after the Fall, they hid themselves from God. What about us? If God would come to walk with us in the cool of the day, would we hide ourselves from Him? The church is a praying creation, and we, the members of the church, must be praying people!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Church as a Divine Creation

 

Today I want to share a word about the church as a divine creation.

Our family served in Great Yarmouth, England, for three years on loan to the Baptist Union of Great Britain. During those years we had the opportunity to take passenger trains to other towns on several occasions. Once I took a train trip from Great Yarmouth, on the east coast of England, all the way to Glasgow, which is on the west coast of Scotland. This was at least an eight-hour trip. This kind of travel is almost impossible in the USA, which is why it is so funny to me that the British people complain so often about how bad their trains are. 

In the USA, we have very few passenger trains left, and we also have relatively few railroad companies left also. That sector of our economy has seen much consolidation in recent years, with many mergers between what once were large, powerful, and profitable railroad companies. A reason for this, according to one industry expert, is that the owners of the railroads did not realize what business they were in. Their vision of their business was in operating trains. In truth, they were in the transportation business. Therefore, they failed to adapt to the rise of air travel, and the growth of the Interstate Highway System. Their share of the transportation market shrunk, as did the profitability of their businesses. Instead of diversifying their business plan, they dug in and lost their shirts.

Before we can have a vision for the church, we must understand what it is, and what God intends it to be, and to become.  Let’s begin this by looking at the nature of the church from 1 Peter 2:1-10.

So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good. Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this One has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Church has a Divine Origin:

A common question when you meet someone for the first time is, “Where are you from?” It is obvious that while all people are similar, we are not all alike, and where someone comes from has a bearing on their outlook on life. So, asking, “Where are you from?” helps us find a frame of reference and it helps us understand more about how a person thinks.

For example, I was on a mission trip to New York City when I had two starkly different experiences. One day, when our team was travelling by the subway at rush hour, a colleague and I got separated from our group and we were left on the platform when the car doors closed. We got on the next train going in the right direction, but we were uncertain of how many stops remained before we were supposed to get off and rejoin our team. As we were discussing this, a kind young lady spoke up and corrected us. She knew we were from out-of-town, and she was glad to help us rejoin our other colleagues.

On the other hand, on that same mission trip to NYC, we were walking back to our accommodations after supper one evening, when we overtook an older lady pushing a baby carriage. As we came up on her, I heard her talking, cooing, and saying, “You’re such a good little boy; you’re such a good little boy.” Thinking she was a grandmother taking her grandson out for a stroll, I looked down into the carriage as we walked by, in anticipation of saying, “What a beautiful baby,” but I had to choke back those words. In the carriage was not a baby, but a furry little dog! I think it was a Pekinese, but I was too stunned to be sure. In hindsight, what that lady was doing made some sense, because that dog’s legs were very short, but in the moment, I was speechless! I have learned since then that this may be something that some people from big cities do with their small dogs, but it was not something I had ever seen before!

Then there was the revival speaker who said in his sermon, “Know this: everyone from this town will die one day and face God’s judgment.” That’s when a guy at the back started giggling. Taking this as a challenge, the preacher confronted him, saying, “You don’t believe that everyone from this town will die one day and face God’s judgment?” The man said, “No, it’s just that I’m not from this town!”

Peter reminds us here that the church comes from God. He chose us and He sought us when we were nothing. We had no home, but He made us a nation. He gave us a name, a heritage, a fellowship, and an identity.

Some of the churches with the most powerful ministries are the so-called “international” churches. In most major cities around the world a large number of ex-patriots have moved there because of their businesses. These people are sometimes called “cut flowers” because they are not from where they are living and thus, they are rootless. These ex-patriots often find a common faith, and also a common bond in their church. They are not at home in the foreign city where they work, but they find a home in God’s church.

This should be true for us as well! We aren’t from here either!  We are in the world, but we are not of the world! We are from God! Therefore, we should act, speak, love, work, and live, like we are from God!

The Church has a Divine Calling:

At various times in our lives, we find ourselves waiting to be called. This can be tedious, difficult, and discouraging. For example:

• Family members waiting to be called to find out the results of a loved one’s surgery 
• Defendants waiting for their cases to be called in court 
• Job applicants waiting to be called back and offered a job
• Patients waiting to be called back to see the dentist
• Customers of an auto repair shop waiting to be called to find out how expensive the repairs will be

In many ways, this is how we were before God called us. We were people in darkness, waiting for someone to call out to us and guide us. Praise God, however, because He has called us! Isaiah 9:2 says,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.

Blessedly for us, God called us out of darkness: The darkness of sin. The darkness of despair. The darkness of isolation. The darkness of aimless living. The darkness of hopelessness.

To me, darkness has an oppressive quality that can be overwhelming. For me, to be standing alone in the darkness is like having a blanket thrown over my head. Darkness presses in on every side, but instead of being a cocoon, it is a trap, it is a grave.

Blessedly for us, God called us into His marvelous light: The light of forgiveness. The light of encouragement. The light of relationship. The light of meaning and mission. The light of purpose.

This light in us starts small, but even the smallest of light defeats darkness.

Geri and I once toured Carlsbad Caverns, NM. We went down 1,604 feet underground, and one of the features of this tour was when the guide shut off all the lights. I have never been in such a dark place in all my life. The darkness had a physical quality, but then the guide lit a single match. It was like the burning of the Sun, it seemed so bright! After a short while, as the match started to die, the guide switched on the overhead lights again, and the light from the match was swallowed up by them. This is just like our faith in Christ.

God has called us from darkness, and our personal knowledge of Him begins like that match. It drives the darkness from us, but our faith is small and immature. As we grow in Christ, our faith grows, and so does His light in our life. It fills us until it shines out into our family, friends, co-workers, and community.

God calls us from sin and despair into a loving relationship with Him!

The Church has a Divine Relationship:

When God called us to Himself, He adopted us, and He made us a part of His family. Paul described us as being a branch grafted onto an olive tree. Either way, we have a new relationship in Christ.

Families tend to have characteristics all their own. Leo Tolstoy began his novel Anna Karenina by saying, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”  What is God’s family like?

First, God’s family has a royal relationship. We are the Bride of Christ, so we are betrothed to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are no longer commoners, but we are royalty, with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities there unto pertaining.  This changes who we are and how we should see ourselves. We may not think we are very much ourselves, but we are in a royal family. Conversely, we might think a great deal of ourselves, but our family is so much more than what we are. In our royal family, we all serve the same King, and we all share His glory as well.

We also have a peculiar (unique) relationship. The church and God have an exclusive relationship, which is another reason why the church is the bride of Christ. As Genessis 2:24 says,

This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 

No one can replace God for the church. No one can replace the church for God. God is righteously jealous for His church, and His church should be righteously zealous for Him.

We also have a relationship based on mercy. This is not the kind of mercy that you might see when you play the game where you lock your hands and interlock your fingers with your opponent and twist and squeeze them until they cry, “Mercy!” No!

Once we are in a relationship with God, He is not trying to make us submit, but instead, He is trying to build us up. While we do not deserve our relationship with God, He has called us to Himself out of His love and mercy. This means we can rest in Him; we did nothing to earn His mercy, so we can do nothing to lose it either!

 In God, we have a relationship that meets our needs while also honoring and glorifying God.

The Church has a Divine Purpose:

Many people are searching for purpose in life. They feel empty and meaningless. This has been true for millennia. In Ecclesiastes 1:2ff. King Solomon, whom God had given a special gift of wisdom, bemoaned,

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to its place where it rises. Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The streams are flowing to the place, and they flow there again. All things are wearisome; man is unable to speak. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.

Many centuries later, the singer Tennessee Ernie Ford agreed with Solomon in his own, simpler way, lamenting, “You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.”

In spiritual terms, the old saying, “it’s not what you know, but whom you know,” is true. Outside of a vital relationship with God, life is empty and meaningless. In a relationship with God, in His church, serving His cause, we have purpose and meaning. This is what Paul told us in Philippians 3:3-9.

For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

So, what is our purpose? First, we are to proclaim God’s praises. We are to praise Him for His mercy towards us and for His grace to us. We are to praise Him for His blessing of us. This is why we sing in church, and it is also why we will sing around the throne in heaven as we see in Revelation 7:9-12.

After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

We also find fulfillment in being God’s priests. We have a High Priest, Jesus, whom we saw last week sitting at the right hand of God, but we also have our own calling to be priests. Just as Jesus stands between us and God, interceding for us, we are called to stand between God and humanity, bridging the gap.

For each of us this looks different. We are not all Billy Graham, but as many people as he pointed towards God, he is no longer with us. We are priests in many different ways, but the one thing that we will have in common is that we point toward God.

In God, we have a purpose that turns everyday events into actions that point to Him.

Conclusion:

Many celebrities, as they are working themselves up the ladder of fame, are reminded, “Always remember from where you came.” This should be true for us as well. We must remember that God’s church has: 

• A Divine Origin 
• A Divine Calling
•  A Divine Relationship  
• A Divine Purpose

We are all human, and our churches are made up of humans, but our Founder, and our Sustainer is God, and that makes all the difference!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt