Culturally Irrelevant

What an amazing trip! This was my fourth visit to P’cola since last October, Katy’s third, Jack’s second and John’s first. It was intense, fun, exhausting and powerful all at the same time. We discovered just how quickly 4 kids can destroy a house, especially when the rain keeps them inside for days at a time! We spent some time at the beach, feasted on some amazing smoked pork compliments of Arnie, and got to spend some much-needed time with the P’cola Harbor team. God showed up like he always does, and we experienced some powerful times together in worship, prayer and teaching. Katy and I were really encouraged.

Thanks Arnie and Sheree for opening your home. And thanks to the McCall kids for sharing your toys for 4 days. Tony and Alisha, can’t wait to see photos of Maci Rain. I just hope she’s ready for Jett, Aaron and John!

After months and months laboring in prayer, teaching, doing local ministry, and being faithful to connect and communicate across great distances, God continues to establish the team in some physical ways. Housing, better jobs, favor with employers and ministries, open doors in the community and miraculous provision at every turn. Here a little, there a little, line upon line, one thing at a time. At the end of the day, God does everything he says he will do. His word never lies, and he is completely faithful, 100% of the time. He’s good. He’s love. And I can’t imagine doing this thing any other way!

Something I’ve been noticing about this area over the past few years: the enemy has worked really hard to leverage abuses and mistakes in the church in order to marginalize the Spirit’s involvement in our gatherings, both small and large. Why? Because he knows the Holy Spirit is our source of power as followers of Christ. Our character comes from his fruit in our lives (Galatians 5), he reveals the truth and connects us to the Father (John 14 and 16:5-15), he gives us power over sin (Romans 8), he gives us divine guidance (Acts 13:1-4), and he gives the signs, wonders and gifts that the world can’t refute, confirming the truth of the Gospel (Mark 16:15-18; Acts 6:8-10; 13:6-12). No wonder he works so hard to separate us from our source. If he can do that, then we’re just doing this thing in our own understanding, with lots of hard work and planning and Excel spreadsheets and fundraising. The scary thing is that we can do some pretty impressive things, naturally speaking, with creative ideas, hard work and some cash. But there are some things we can’t accomplish, Kingdom-wise, no matter what our resources are if we don’t have the full manifestation and operation of the Spirit’s power in our lives.

Every aspect of the Spirit’s involvement is critical, but I want to focus on his gifts in this post. When it comes to these gifts, which I believe are under attack right now in the body, we need to ask ourselves a few basic questions about our lives as believers individually and as corporate bodies that gather weekly:

1. Are we “eagerly desiring” spiritual gifts, especially the “greater” gifts as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12:31? If not, is there a fear of the potential messes of abuse, disorderliness, or manipulation? Is that enough of a reason to ignore the manifestation of the Spirit in the church that’s intended to heal, grow and encourage the body? 

2. Are we providing an environment somewhere/somehow in our homes and our churches where sick people can be healed by the laying on of hands? Is this something that we look forward to and expect to happen in our gatherings on a regular basis? When was the last time someone was miraculously healed at a gathering of some kind? 

3. Is there an environment somewhere/somehow in our church where the normal Christ-follower can learn about, exercise and be mentored in the use of spiritual gifts such as discerning of spirits, a word of knowledge or wisdom, prophecy, the public manifestation of tongues and the interpretation of tongues?

4. Are we OK with 80% of our church spectating as 20% do the work, or are we expecting as Paul did that every believer attending our church will participate in the encouragement of the body through the use of the spiritual gifts they’ve been given for administration, helps, showing mercy, teaching, working miracles, healing the sick, prophesying or speaking publicly in tongues for someone to interpret (see every and each one in 1 Corinthians 12:6,7,11).

On our way to Florida to spend a few days with our good friends at the P’cola Harbor. We just stopped in Vicksburg, Mississippi for the night. I think Jack loves hotels more than the beach…really. The pool doesn’t open until 9am, so the boys were a little bummed that they didn’t get to swim, but I think the sausage, cheese omelets and fruit loops were enough to distract them. Last night we ran into a really cool couple from McAlester, OK. They’d been on a motorcylce ride across country and wouldn’t you know it, they had just come from P’cola, FL and had gotten rained out because of all the storms. They offered to let Jack sit on their AMAZING bikes, but Jack was a little shy.

Well, better get up to the room so we can hit the road again. Can’t wait to spend some time with our Florida friends, even if it is raining.

Before he became king, before he slaughtered thousands of Philistines, before he entered into King Saul’s service and before he beheaded Goliath, David was a shepherd. The Bible doesn’t have much to say about what happened during those years, but David tells King Saul that he killed a lion and a bear while defending his sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-36). OK, stop right there. Teenage boys don’t just charge after a lion with a slingshot or grab a wild bear by the beard and club it to death. That just doesn’t happen unless you’re on a Hollywood set for a movie like 300. What we do know is that at some point while he was a shepherd, David was anointed by the prophet Samuel. 1 Samuel 16:13 says, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” The Bible doesn’t say how long David continued to shepherd his father’s sheep after being anointed, but it’s obvious that there was some undefined amount of time between his being anointed and being called into Saul’s service in the next few verses. I truly believe David killed the lion and the bear AFTER the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him in power.

I think that’s really important because of how the story unfolds. Immediately David’s life changes. He suddenly has favor with the king as if out of nowhere, he ignores the fear of an entire army and goes up against a well-trained soldier who happens to be HUGE, kills him with a slingshot and then cuts off his head. And it gets even better from there. But if you miss the significance of his anointing and the Spirit’s power coming upon him in chapter 16, then it just looks like he’s a really confident, smart, good-looking kid who gets his “big break”.

The Bible is very clear on this point. Story after story in the biblical record illustrates how it takes the Spirit of the Lord coming upon a person or a group with great power and anointing in order for things to change. In order for God’s will in the earth to be accomplished, people have to be filled with His Spirit.

Over the next couple weeks I want to dive into what it looks like when we’re filled with the Spirit. If you’ve got any feedback, perspective, stories or experiences to share, I’d love to hear where you’re coming from.

I’m thirsty. Thirsty for more of God. The more I do this thing, the more I realize that God has called us to do the impossible, and I don’t even want to think about moving ahead in our own strength, not even a little. The realization of how much I need Him has brought on some ravenous thirst for more.

Paul tells us to be constantly filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and Jesus says that he will give us living water that will flow out of us like a spring of water to eternal life (John 4:14). Like you, I’ve had “experiences” or encounters with God in the past. I’ve felt the power of the Holy Spirit and had times when I’ve been filled to overflowing so that I’ve said and done things I wouldn’t normally say or do. But when I read through the New Testament, this “filling” is more than a once-in-a-while experience.

In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon individuals for specific purposes: to prophesy, judge, deliver, rule, create artistic works, etc. But those guys didn’t have an open invitation to receive the Holy Spirit like we do today. The average OT Joe didn’t experience the manifestation of the fullness of the Spirit, but that fullness and power has been given to each one of us because of Christ (Acts 2:38-39). And we’re encouraged to be filled constantly. Why? Because the not-filled me is very different than the filled me. With the not-filled me, things are difficult, impossible, frustrating. The filled me is energetic, creative, full of joy, inspired and approaches difficulty with patience and confidence in God.

Here are some questions I’m asking: Can I really answer God’s call without being filled with His Spirit? How has the infilling of the Spirit affected people’s lives? How has it affected yours? What does it look like to be constantly filled with the Spirit? Is it an option for the believer? Is there a danger in NOT being filled with the Spirit like the Bible talks about?

On a side note, I’ve noticed something interesting over the past 10 years or so in my own life. Of all the “encounters” I’ve had with God, most haven’t happened in a church. They’ve happened in parking lots, in classrooms, in homes, in a car or on the side of the road, in the shower or at work. And the majority of the times I’ve been powerfully ministered to, it has been through ordinary believers, not recognized leaders. I believe this is a good thing. It’s natural, healthy and the way God intended it to be. I also know that many believers still expect God to show up in a church more than anywhere else, and that if God is going to show up in our lives, it’s going to come through a powerful leader. But I’ve experienced that power more often through “nobodies” than somebodies. Why don’t we expect it to be this way? Why do we wait for the leader to walk into the room before we expect God to show up? It’s easy to confuse the leader’s function to equip believers for ministry with the ministry itself. Some are called to equip the rest, and the rest are called to do the ministry. That means the majority are called to operate in the power needed to do the work of the ministry. Hmmmm. More on that thought later.

Also, check out “Spirit Led = Supernaturel (Perry Noble)” on Tony’s blog. You’ll have to scroll down a few posts.

Drove into Corsicana Friday night around 9:30, put the kids down and then caught up with mom and dad ’til 11:30. I love “lakehouse time”. Nobody rushes around or gets in a hurry. There’s never an agenda, and there’s lots of sitting around drinking iced tea, talking, fishing and watching the sunset.

Saturday was a pancake breakfast and “Walk for the Cure” at the local high school. Katy won a chocolate cake and the kids got all sweaty and red-faced, which meant really good sleep last night. Fletcher took me bowfishing last night. No fish, but lots of snakes, one of which he shot with his 410. Jack got to ride Papa’s tractor a few times and Sandy served up a delicious meal…as always! We finished the night off with a fire and s’mores at Nana and Papa’s house. More sugar for Jack before bed…just what he needed!

Anyways, it’s been a great Mother’s Day weekend. Thanks, God, for surrounding us crazy boys with patient, nurturing moms who put up with us, help us, listen to our belly aching and put us in our place when we need it. You Watts moms are amazing!

From seeking the Kingdom to the economy and from C.S. Lewis and pain to Dave Ramsey, Greg Atkinson’s post today on “draw near” really hit the nail on the head in so many ways.

If you have any extra time, I’d encourage you to look through his blog, especially a post from March 9 on “pruning” at the bottom of page two. Here are a couple quick quotes from “draw near”:

On my blog a while back, I spoke of God’s “pruning”. I talked about a situation that was extremely difficult, humiliating, humbling and really put me in my place. At the same time, it was wonderful, Spirit-filled, God-ordained and edifying. Our God takes the tough times and makes something beautiful out of it.

I sincerely believe that it’s in these hard times that God wants us to run to Him and run to Him first. Not to our banker, our broker, our real estate agent or even friends. First and foremost, He wants His children to call on His name and fall to their knees in worship. The Bible teaches us to “seek Him first”. (Matt. 6:33)

Jesus says that we remain in the Father’s love through obedience (check out John 15). Complete obedience is our anchor to the Father’s love. As we obey the word, we begin to experience God’s love and become like him. Through continued obedience, his plans for us reach maturity and become powerful in our lives. However, we can know everything there is to know about the word and yet still remain under the control of our flesh and Satan’s devices if we are unwilling to obey what we’ve been told to do. Another word for willful disobedience is rebellion. When we know what we should do but willingly rebel against the truth, we are literally turning away from God. It doesn’t matter if we’re in church every Sunday. Ask the members of the Laodicean church what God thought about their church attendance, giving record and knowledge of the word (Revelation 3). Our obedience let’s God circumcise our hearts. It’s how he cuts away the extra flesh that desensitizes us and makes our spiritual understanding dull.

Abraham talked to God a lot. We like to think of talking to God as this really awesome and charismatic thing. And it is. But it’s also a painful thing, mainly because so much in us needs to change to become like him. In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham to leave his home and everything familiar to seek a land he’s never seen. In chapter 17, God tells him to circumcise himself and all of the males in his house. Ouch. And then in chapter 22, God tells him to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. Is it just me, or does talking with God seem painful and costly?

Abraham was able to obey completely because he trusted God. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that Abraham didn’t worry about losing Isaac because he reasoned God would just raise him from the dead if necessary! What was God doing through all of this? Yes, he was taking him on a very practical journey to find a land of promise, build a family and gain wealth. But none of that mattered at all without trust, righteousness and love. God had Abraham on a journey of the heart, continually testing him and telling him to do things that would remove more and more of his stubbornness, his doubt, his fear and any deep-seated mistrust. Why? So that Abraham could become more like God and actually hold the promises when they came, enjoy them and pass them on to Isaac and his sons.

When the Holy Spirit spoke to Katy and I last year, we began a journey of the heart that was years in the making. God spent years preparing our hearts to obey some hard things. Everything had its purpose and timing. He’s asked us to do some hard things recently that don’t make sense naturally. Give things away, sell stuff, pack without selling our house, take part in a church plant that’s spread out across 750 miles. Why? He’s got a good future for us in the natural, no doubt. But along the way he’s having us do it a certain way because he’s cutting away stuff in our hearts. We’re on a journey that can’t be seen in the natural. The “stuff” is really inconsequential. Houses, cars, jobs. They come and go…really…but there are more permanent things that determine all of that. Everything that happens in the natural follows what’s already going on in the spirit. And it’s critical for us to see this. That’s why Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom and all these things will be added to you.” It’s simple, really. But it can also be painful. How much heat can your heart take? It’ll be determined by how connected your heart is to the “stuff”. Ultimately, I’m asking “Which kingdom am I living in?” If it’s mine, then I better get everything here and now that I possibly can, and I’ll have to rely on my own understanding to get there. But if it’s an eternal Kingdom, then it’s got to be done God’s way. And that inevitably means I’m not always going to understand everything until I’m looking back on it. And trust me, we’ve looked back over the past year and realized that God knows exactly what he’s doing.

My kids have stretched me farther than I ever thought I could be stretched. They have an uncanny ability to expose my impatience, to challenge my need for order and cleanliness, and to make sure my wife and I are out of bed on time every morning. This morning I wasn’t feeling well. As I sat across from John in his high chair and watched him eat a banana, I so badly wanted to go crawl back in bed and sleep it off. Not an option, Dad! So, instead, John and I spent 15 minutes making beat-box sounds, mooing like cows and calling for Mommy and Jack to come downstairs, all while eating a banana and a bowl of Life cereal. For some reason I feel better. Maybe I just woke up, or maybe I just pushed through it. I wonder how much more stuff I could push through if I had to.

When I peel that onion back another layer, here’s what I see. Life and ministry happen in every season. I realize we all need times of rest; we need getaways to recharge our batteries. But inevitably, whether we’re happy or sad, rested or exhausted, excited or bored, inspired or empty, life and ministry still go on. We won’t feel our best or look our best, but we still have the ability by God’s grace to do what needs to be done. This might be a stretch, but it reminds me of what my old soccer coach told me. “Watts”, he’d say, “that ball isn’t always gonna come at you just like you want it.” And that’s just about how this all goes. It comes at us all weird sometimes, but because of the joy and patience and love of the Holy Spirit, we can be flexible and effective. We can make good contact with the ball even when it’s not exactly where we want it to be.