Lessons from an old lady! (Luke 13)

Lessons from an old lady! (Luke 13)

Luke 13.10-11 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all [niv]

I remember the first time I prayed and God answered. I was nine years old at the time, and a relatively new Christian. My Dad had stopped at a petrol station and while he was inside, I prayed a very simple prayer, "God please let Dad buy me an ice-cream, and I will serve you the rest of my life." If I could go back in time, I would travel back to this day and grab that chubby nine year, look him straight in the eyes and scream, "ARE YOU CRAZY!" But sure enough, when Dad came back to the car, he wasn't empty handed.

Then there was the time when I was a teenager, I asked God for a sign if He was real. The words had barely left my lips when the night sky lit up by a huge streak of lightning, followed within seconds by an almighty clap of thunder which shook the whole house.

There was also the time when I was pastoring my first church in Warrnambool, pleading with God to cover the church's debt of $10,000. Within minutes of praying, I got up, walked out to the letterbox to find a bank cheque for $10,000 in the letterbox!

But there were other times I prayed and heard nothing.

Like the time I prayed for God to heal my Mum of lung cancer, but she died. Or the time I cried out to God to deliver me from certain addictions, but He didn't. I've prayed for certain family members to come to Christ, and they haven't. There have been times when I have tithed and honoured God with my money and nothing happened. The bills kept coming in, the bank balance never changed and the cupboards stayed empty.

The woman in this story was suffering with some form of spinal arthritis for 18 years. She spent 18 years of her life bent over, looking at the ground and not able to straighten up. Yet when Jesus finds her, she is not at home feeling sorry for herself, watching "The Bold and the Beautiful". She is in the synagogue.

According to the custom of the day, she would have gone there at least once a week. So each week she goes to a place of worship, where prayers are offered, scripture is read and offerings made. And each week she walked home exactly the same! Bent over. She did this for 18 years!

As Christians we will all go through times of trouble or pressure. What I have found after 30 years in ministry is that often when faced with difficulty and God seems silent, we tend to stop praying, stop reading the Bible, stop tithing, stop serving and eventually stop attending.

Yet this woman after 18 years still remained consistent even though her situation never changed. She kept doing those things she knew to do, every though her circumstances screamed out at her, "GIVE IT UP!" It was her consistency which made sure she was in the right place at the right time to receive her miracle from Jesus.

When Jesus turned up at her synagogue that particular day, she didn't come to listen to guest ministry, or to receive a prophetic word. She didn't try to touch the hem of his garment, climb a tree to catch his attention or cry out in a loud voice, "Jesus Son of David have mercy on me!" She just stood there, probably towards the back. Bent over. Looking at the ground. Silent. Because that's what she did every week for the past 18 years. And Jesus noticed her out of everyone.

Maybe we can all learn something from her.

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Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Colossians 4.2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving

In her book 'The Hiding Place', Corrie ten Boom recounts her experiences as a prisoner during World War 2. While living in Holland, Corrie and her family were arrested for helping hide Jews from the Nazi's. Her parents didn't survive the horror which followed and Corrie and her sister Betsy were eventually transfered to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck, Germany.

It was a large camp with several oversized and overcrowded barracks. Each barracks housed hundreds of prisoners. On their first day there, Betsy and Corrie were shown their sleeping platform, a wooden base covered with mouldly, foul-smelling straw. Corrie felt something pinch her leg. "Fleas!" she cried! Sure enough, the barracks were infested with them!

Through a miracle they had been able to smuggle a small Bible in with them. If caught, they would be severely punished. Betsy opened the Bible and reminded Corrie that the Word of God instructed to pray earnestly and be always thankful.

As hard as it was, they began to thank God for the fleas. Over the next several months, the sisters began to notice something strange. The guards never came to their barracks! They took courage and began to lead the women in prayer and Bible study right in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp! Through this countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ. Their barracks became a sanctuary and a refuge in the midst of hell.

It was only some time later that they discovered the reason why the guards left them alone. They stayed away because of the severe infestation of fleas!

God calls us all to be vigilant in our prayers. And He wants us to do it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Our ability to do this should have nothing to do with our circumstances but rather we obey simply because His Word tells us to.

When was the last time we stopped complaining about our problems and instead thanked God for them. Maybe our problems aren't really problems, just God's blessing in disguise!

It might not be what we expected, but if God can use a flea to keep His children safe during a holocaust, imagine what He might use to help you!

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Missing! (Galatians 6)

Missing! (Galatians 6)

Galatians 6.9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [nkjv]

On 1st March 1989, Debbie and Mark Baskin faced every parent's worst nightmare. Their two children disappeared. Christie & Bobbie, then seven and eight years old respectively were abducted. Over the years various sightings were reported to the police however the children were never located. Computer generated images of how the children may have aged were released to the media but to no avail.

Debbie & Mark, who were training to be Baptist ministers at the time of the abduction said, "We've prayed for them each and every day like they were alive and asked God to watch over them and bless them and to give them a normal life in the midst of insanity, in the midst of what they have lived through."

20 years later, God has answered their prayers! In February this year police contacted the Baskins say that they had located the children, now in their late 20's and charged Marvin Maple, the children's grandfather with their abduction. You can check out the news report here

There are many times we pray in earnest and don't see immediate answers to those prayers. No matter how difficult it is or how urgent the prayer, the simple truth is all we can do is all we can do. And we leave the rest to Almighty God.

The key is not to give up. It's easy, but dangerous to lose heart. In the ancient world, this phrase 'lose heart' was used to describe the kind of exhaustion a woman experiences during labour but before delivery. It was used to describe a time when the work is hard and painful, but also unfinished and unrewarded. But the encouragement from the Lord is when you walk through times like that don't grow weary in doing what you know to do, because in due season you will reap a reward.

And if you don't believe me, just ask the Debbie and Mark Baskin.

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A Sermon a Day Keeps Revival Away! (Esther 4)

A Sermon a Day Keeps Revival Away! (Esther 4)

Esther 4.1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. [nkjv]

I am not sure exactly how many churches there are in the world but a few years ago it was estimated to be around 3.7 million Christian congregations, grouped in around 67,000 different denominations. So let's say each church only ran one service over the weekend, that's 3.7 million sermons will be preached this Sunday. That's 193 million sermons a year!

So with all that pulpit pounding going on, you'd think everything that could and should be said has been. So why then do an estimated 50,000 churches close there doors each year? Why hasn't revival broken out across the globe? How many sermons does a person need to hear before transformation can take place in their life?

Something is missing!

Leonard Ravenhill, one of Britain's foremost outdoor evangelists of the 20th century once said, "if Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified!"

Maybe a preacher needs something else besides a theological degree, marketability and great stage presence. Maybe a sermon needs to be made up of more than just politically correct words, inspirational stories and Christian cliches.

Ravenhill, went on to say, "the only reason we don't have revival is because we are willing to live without it!"

Mordecai, after learning of His people's fate, tore his clothes, wept aloud and began to intercede for his people with the queen.

Scripture tells me that when we are prepared to humble ourself, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.

Ultimately it won't be a sermon which ushers in the move of God we so desperately need but rather the humble prayers of a person on their knees daily interceding for their friends, their neighbours, their family and their nation.

Charles Finney once told about a dead church in the 1700's. No one was coming to Christ and it seemed no one cared. Except one man, a stuttering blacksmith. He stuttered so badly it was painful to listen to him speak. But he had a burden for revival! He closed the doors of his shop and prayed earnestly. He obtained permission from the pastor of the church to schedule a meeting in which he would speak. The pastor agreed, warning no one would come. To the pastor's surprise, the building was full. As the blacksmith got up to speak, all he could say was, "Jesus", which he kept repeating over and over again. God's presence filled the church and many came to Christ, not just in that Church but all over the country.

I believe the greatest sermons are those born from prayer and in the words of Leonard Ravenhill, "The man who knees before God will stand before men."

Lord help me to be that man.

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