Go Find Joy!

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I wanted to shout in the midst of a busy mall, “Oh please go find joy!” I had a little over an hour to wait for my next appointment. Someone had told me I’d like a coffee place just outside a local department store. I easily located the shop and found a comfy chair to recline in and read my book about Israel. Yet, my focus continued to be pulled towards the shoppers speeding by with a cell phone in one hand and packages in the other. I found myself staring and realized how few faces displayed contentment or joy. This fast paced place left me wondering about the intensity of the shoppers-was it because they couldn’t find what they were looking for? Or spent too much money? A cold front had suddenly moved in and pushed any promise of springtime away, was that the cause of the joyless and stern faces? Whatever the cause it troubled my spirit.

Perhaps I should ask for forgiveness ahead of time. You see this same emotion sweeps over me every time I transition back into my seat in society after a stent in Africa. Something in me always wants to shout out to slow down and enjoy a slower paced life-to not miss where true riches and joy are found. I decided to exercise self-control and restrained from shouting to strangers what my heart wanted to remind the mall shoppers. My thoughts wandered back to a week earlier in Africa when I was sitting outside beginning to work on a sermon for Easter Sunday. I was seated outside the Gazebo at Beautiful Gate and found myself distracted by the sounds of saws and singing.

The power saw buzzed as the team carefully placed planks of wood together to create a play-set for the children. Despite the rain the adults and teenagers continued to build in the midst of a muddy mess. There was no complaining just a joyful determination to get the job done. The saws and drills became the background music for the laughter and singing that was coming out of one of the baby houses where playgroup were taking place. The combination of building and singing were a symphony of praise that covered the campus with Kingdom Joy. Who would have thought such a combination would produce such melodious praise!

As my phone buzzed with a text I was brought back to Colorado, back to the bustling mall, and battling for my own joy. During the next few days I felt the Spirit whisper to me, “Go find joy right where you are!” One of the scripture texts the Spirit used was from Matthew 25:21-46. This is the story of the sheep and the goats, where Jesus points out to us where ultimate joy is found. For the next few weeks I want to uncover some of the truths in this text that help us “Go Find Joy!” So if you have a few minutes ponder this passage and ask the Spirit to help you take a journey to lasting joy.

 

Being with my Father

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I asked Mike Verkaik to share this beautiful reflection with you from our recent Africa trip.

It is morning in Lesotho. The sun has just crested over the hill to the east and I am squinting in the sun. It has been the first day I have gotten up early and spent this amazing time with my Father in the stillness of the morning. I always love the picture of life at this time of the morning. The calls of nature and stillness in one ear, the faint taxi horns from the business of the city in the other. Mornings started like this are a blessing that give me perspective to my day. As I sit here journaling the day has begun. First a van full of housemothers arrives. As they approach the small bridge in the middle of the Beautiful Gate campus I hear the faint sounds of singing, laughing and joy that is so common here.

It is at this time Abba revealed another revelation of the relationship He wants to have with me. As the Bo-Mme continued to walk and sing, the children heard them coming and ran to the large picture window and erupted into shouts and screams of joy as their mother was returning to spend time with them. This is the way I want to feel each morning as I wake up to my Abba Father waiting for me to run to that window, that open door excited to be in His presence as my day begins.

Every time I dwell with these Basotho children, they continue to teach me so much about the relationship my heavenly Father longs to have with me and I with Him. It is a relationship, which brings me freedom, peace and joy when I truly trust that He is a good Father, strong and mighty, yet compassionate and loving. Oh, to daily wake up seeking Him and excited to be in His presence as we journey together through another day.

As I experienced this moment through the children at Beautiful Gate I was reading from the book of Revelation. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, who walked, sat and talked with Jesus daily, and saw Him glorified on the mount of transfiguration ended his life in prison worshipping and praying. No bitterness or resentment noted, just praise, worship and being in the Spirit. No hesitation that it was all worth it.

This trip has not been perfect. Sprained ankle, sickness, schedule changes and protests have altered our plans. However, as I reflect this morning on John, “my brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patience endurance that are ours in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9), I wake up realizing that the circumstances of this life don’t define the favor of my God. Being a forgiven child, loved by my Father and made to be a kingdom and priest to serve him is why I want to daily anticipate being in His presence to worship and give Him glory.

Hidden Behind the Cross

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“Hide this young man behind the cross!” The Spirit brought these words back to my mind this past week. These were the words that were prayed over me at a church alter 39 years ago. I have know idea who the man was who prayed for me that Sunday night as my head was bowed down and a waterfall of tears soaked my ski jacket. But that prayer has never left me since that life transforming moment when Jesus captured my heart and brought me through the cross hiding me forever in the Father’s love.

 

Holy week brings me back to the powerful meaning of that prayer as we commemorate the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. It is a daily battle with three powerful enemies: Satan, our Secular Society, and our Sinful Self. This trifecta of evil never stops attacking and on our own we are too weak to overcome the continual onslaught. It seems of late that the intensity of the battle has bumped up a notch throughout our world.

 

Right now I’m back in Lesotho Africa with a team of high school students from Parker Lutheran High School in Colorado. I love this country but at times the spiritual darkness weighs heavy on my soul as these 3 enemies relentlessly attack this land with poverty, Aids, political injustice, sexual perversion, witchcraft, a blinding religious spirit, and a host of other evils. I often fight feelings of helplessness and despair, as the battle seems impossible.

 

The truth spoken 39 years ago empowers me to fight back the darkness and reminds me of the power of the cross of Christ. The Apostle Paul states:

 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:1-3).

 

The lies of Satan, the seductive allure of our secular culture, and my own sinful nature is overcome by the death, resurrection, and reign of King Jesus. Yes the battle is intense in Lesotho, the US, and around the world. But praise God we are hidden with Christ in God we are victorious behind the work of the cross!

 

There is a mountain over looking the capital city of Lesotho where we love to take the teams at sunset. Not only is the scene breathtaking but to me it is also a place that redirects my attention to “things above where Christ is seated.” Overlooking the busy city of Maseru is a white cross that shouts the victory of Jesus over the battle below for all who have followed the Lamb.

 

During this Holy Week direct your attention to the victory of the cross. If by faith you have walked through the cross to Jesus you are victorious over your enemies through His blood! Your life is now hidden with Christ. Remember a good, good Father who will never let you go loves you!

 

 

 

 

Catching the Wave – Relationships of Love

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RJ*, his wife, 3 young kids, dad, stepmom and I sat together at a table for dinner. The 8 of us were casually chatting when out of the blue RJ shared with me how he had never stepped a foot into a church and certainly never prayed. What happened next was truly supernatural. A group of about 30 had gathered together for a Sunday night meal in an unused room in one of the motels on East Colfax. As we finished up the pork loin and mashed potatoes and were getting ready for dessert, each person at the table was asked to share an item of thanks and a prayer need.

 

RJ’s face brightened as he gave thanks for being able to transition out of the hotel, which the five of them had somehow managed to live in for the past 11 months. RJ’s family and his parents were pooling their money together and moving into a rented house. With a big grin he added, “I want to pray every night with my family at the dinner table just like we are doing tonight!” Hearing this I said, “RJ, why don’t you start us out tonight in prayer.” He bowed his head, opened his mouth and the Holy Spirit took over and flooded this 30- year old man’s words with undeniable passion and power. As he finished I was so overwhelmed that I found it hard to pray myself and uttered a few words and said amen.

 

As we unclasped hands RJ’s wife was sobbing on his left and his father was wiping away tears on his right. His three beautiful children sat quietly taking in all that had just happened. It was a holy moment and I too was speechless. I kept thinking to myself this was like the book of Acts where God showed Himself glorious.

 

Over the last few weeks I have reflected on heaven coming down into that simple room through RJ’s prayer, I was reminded how God uses relationships fostered through prayer to build His Kingdom. For 11 months several team members from Jesus on Colfax have been praying with RJ and his family. Every week “the church” brought food, love, and prayers to this family. The Holy Spirit used it all to open up hearts for the love of Christ to enter into their hotel room. These prayers and the presence of His followers began to change the atmosphere.

 

RJ and his family came that Sunday night because the Holy Spirit was working through relationships of love that draws people to Jesus. I strongly believe this next wave of God’s Spirit will be all about authentic relationships of love. Hearts captivated by Jesus’ love will reach out to others at work, the coffee shops, neighborhood, gyms, or wherever the Spirit may lead to be waves of the Father’s love.

 

RJ and his family may have never felt comfortable walking into a church but through love “the church” walked into his hotel room. Jesus made this powerful declaration the night before He went to the cross:

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34

 

Jesus moved in to our neighborhood and loved us in the midst of our sin. I believe a new wave of love is forming, calling us to move into the lives of others building relationships through the Spirit of His transforming love. Today ask God to lead you to someone you can build a relationship with who needs His love through you!

 

*Name changed to protect identity

Catching the Wave – Rediscovering The VOICE

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I recently had a dream where I was to speak at a graduation ceremony. As I sat there waiting my turn, I opened my Bible to the text I had prepared but the page was blank, nothing! I ran to the bathroom in a panic to pray and I heard God say, “Give them a graduation gift.” I replied in bewilderment, “I don’t have anything to give them,” He said, “give them the gift of prayer.”

It was about 4:30 am when I awoke from the dream and laid there pondering it’s meaning. I sensed the Spirit say “I want you to preach on prayer at the Christian Revival Church (CRC) in Africa.” As I battled back and forth in my mind if this was God speaking or something I ate the night before, I finally surrendered the passage that I had prepared to preach from John 14, which was blank in the dream, to the topic on prayer. As I did that God gave me an outline in just a few minutes that I could ponder for the next several hours on the plane.

That Sunday at the CRC church the Holy Spirit worked in a mighty way as the passage from Luke 11:1-13 highlighted graduating to a new level in your relationship to God through prayer founded on the Father’s love, the Filling of the Holy Spirit, and Forgiveness. I watched as many came forward for prayer that morning and was overwhelmed by the living Voice of God that can change our plans and make His Word come alive again.

The study of Scripture as well as the history of the church reveal that, whenever a new wave of the Holy Spirit breaks forth God’s voice is heard again and His Word becomes alive with power to revive and transform. Just pick up your Bible and read the story of Samuel hearing the voice of God for the first time in the tabernacle after years of famine of hearing the Word, and how the people of Israel were transformed by it. Or read the story of the young King Josiah rediscovering the Word of God and the revival that broke forth because of it (2 Kings 22-23).

During our Stepping into the River conference and vision trip in Lesotho, God continued to speak in amazing ways. One night it rained so hard that a river ran through the Beautiful Gate campus and surrounded the River Chapel where our conference began. We all watched in awe as we sensed God affirming His Word through creation in an amazing and tangible way.

At the end of our time together in Africa, Ray and Sue Haakonsen–the founders of Beautiful Gate–prayed a blessing over the team. The Spirit spoke through them in a wonderful way as each person in the room received a word from the Lord. This was a Holy moment that will definitely have a lasting impact on all who were present.

From the dream, changed message, the rain, the river, the prophetic words spoken in Africa and so much more, I sense God’s voice to be speaking and His Word coming alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. This gives me great joy! A new wave is about to break forth! A wave that will revive and transform! A wave that will help us to live as radical followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Keep listening for it!!!!`