Seven Days of Devotion
- excerpted from Love The More Excellent Way by Chuck Smith
For many years I earnestly coveted the gifts of healing and the working of miracles. The book of Acts intrigued me with its many thrilling accounts of healing—especially since those healings accounted for an important facet of the apostles’ ministry. So, I thoroughly studied the book. I read and reread every section of Scripture that dealt with healing As I witnessed the power of God manifested through the lives of the apostles, I came to desire that same power in my own life. I noted how God used those gifts of miracles and healing to draw thousands of people to the realization that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive and working in their hearts. And so I coveted those gifts. I prayed earnestly for them. I often drove out into the desert to fast and pray, asking the Lord to bestow upon me these potent gifts of His Spirit. He didn’t. As the years rolled on, I began to understand His wisdom in refusing to grant me my request. It would be extremely difficult to have that kind of power working in your life unless you completely understood and continually practiced the Bible’s message of death to self. When God begins to use a person in an obviously supernatural way, it generates a lot of attention—and observers tend to put such a person on a pedestal. As I looked back on my life, I realized that I could not have handled such notoriety or attention. And so I began to better appreciate the wisdom of God in not answering my prayers. As decades came and went pastoring at different churches, I matured—something would be very wrong if I hadn’t! And later being called to pastor at a church called Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, I recognized that God had graciously blessed this church beyond measure. And I felt content. Then one Monday night church service, the Spirit of God moved among us in a very special way. As I stood at the pulpit, I had a very strong consciousness of God’s presence. I began to pray, thanking God for what He was doing and for the marvelous work of His Spirit in our church. I felt overwhelmed with God’s goodness. That night, close to a hundred young people came forward in response to an invitation to accept Christ as their Savior, and all of them went back to the prayer room. We sensed the beautiful moving of God’s Spirit in our hearts. We all just stood together, worshiping the Lord and rejoicing over the wonderful work of His Spirit. And then I brought up an old issue. “Lord,” I prayed silently, “I understand why in my early ministry You didn’t give me the gifts of healings and the working of miracles. That was wise. I realize that I could not have handled it. But Lord, I think that maybe I have matured to the place where You could trust me with those now. We have such a marvelous moving of Your Spirit and the manifestation of Your gifts here in the church! How wonderful it would be if it was complete—if we saw all of the manifestations, including the working of miracles and the gifts of healing. I think, Lord, that perhaps You could trust me now. So I am open and willing.” Immediately the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart. “I have given to you the more excellent way,” He said. “I have given you love.” “Thank You, Lord,” I answered. “Subject closed.” Never again have I asked the Lord for those gifts. Instead, I will continue to walk in the way of love, and I thank God just for the privilege of being able to walk in love. |
MONDAY
David Guzik
Thinking About Unusual Miracles Acts 19 describes the work of the Apostle Paul over two years in Ephesus. It was a remarkable season of ministry, described a few times in general: All who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10) This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified (Acts 19:17) So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed (Acts 19:20) It was what we might call today a true season of revival, or spiritual awakening. In the midst of all this, Luke wrote something somewhat strange: Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. (Acts 19:11-12) It seems strange that God would use handkerchiefs or aprons from Paul as agents of healing or deliverance from demonic possession. Yet both scripturally and historically, there are times when God does unusual things – as described in Acts 19:11, unusual miracles. It’s easy to get a little nervous reading passages like this, because they simply seem superstitious. Yet we can imagine this happening at first almost by accident – perhaps a person in need of healing took a handkerchief from Paul in a superstitious manner and was healed. It became a pattern that others imitated and at least for a time, God used such unusual means to bring healing and freedom from demonic possession. These passages also make us nervous because most of us know of strange people who promote strange things and they use these passages to defend themselves. The evangelist who sells prayer cloths says, “Paul did it in Acts 19.” Well, Paul didn’t do it. Of course there isn’t even a hint that Paul sold these things that God used to heal people. As well, God told us that these were extraordinary events; they were unusual miracles. Today there are claims to what we might call unusual miracles, and we wonder if they are legitimate. From time to time people speak of clouds of glory, gold dust in the air, heavenly visits, and so on. What are we to make of such things? It’s difficult – often impossible – to judge another person’s experience. We wonder if the experience came from God, from the person, or perhaps even from Satanic powers. If the experience is condemned in the Bible, it’s easy to know that it isn’t from God. Yet many of these experiences are not spoken of in the Bible one way or another – so how do we know? Some time ago I freed myself from the responsibility of trying to figure out every spiritual experience. Sometimes I just say, “That’s strange.” Yet what we can all do is see the effect that the experience has in the person’s life. It’s an old saying, but a good one: “It’s not how high you bounce, but how straight you walk when you come down.” If someone claims great experiences I may not be able to judge the experience directly, but I can judge the fruit it produces – or doesn’t produce – in their life. That’s why a focus on such experiences can be such a distraction. We recognize that God can do unexpected, surprising things – but it isn’t our place to chase after those things. If unexpected things are not contrary to the Bible and produce good fruit, we can receive them as being from God. Yet we only pursue the things that the Bible tells us to pursue, and avoid the trap of distractions. |
TUESDAY
| You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry |
Years ago, I read those words on an invitation to a church event. The sponsoring church did everything they could to convince me that I ought to attend their event. They promised that I would laugh. There is nothing wrong with laughing. In fact, the Bible commends a good laugh. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart does good, like medicine…”. They promised that I would cry. I can be an emotional guy, and have been known to cry in public. Sometimes a good cry is very cleansing to the soul. Jesus wept. (John 11:35) Crying can release a lot of tension and emotion. There is nothing wrong with a good cry. And yet, I objected to their flier, and to their promises. I still do. This was a Christian outreach, and yet they were promising to deliver these emotions to me. They presumed to know what I needed. There appeared to be no room for the Holy Spirit to do something else. What if what I needed was a fresh dose of somberness in the presence of a perfectly holy God? It wasn't on the agenda for the night. My assumed responses were pre-planned and predicted. They tutored me about what I would experience. They planned my responses in advance. Their goal was to get me to laugh and to cry. They were sure that they could make it happen. Increasingly, I see Christians confusing emotional experiences at a church, with a God experience in the Holy Spirit. There are many ways to evoke emotions in “Christian” settings. The right music or no music. The right lighting or having only candles. There are many ways to affect emotions towards a desired goal. Both true and false messages can evoke an emotional experience. Some pastors teach the Word of God, and are humorous. Other pastors read a passage, and then tell funny stories, neglecting to teach or apply God’s word to the listener. Often, both men can be equally funny, but many Believers can’t tell that there is any difference. This is extremely alarming to me. It seems that many in Christendom are lacking the spiritual maturity to discern whether God or man has spoken to them. I have been walking with Jesus for 30 years. I have seen true signs and wonders, and false signs and wonders. I have seen emotionally impacting Spirit led preaching, and I have seen emotionally human inspired preaching. I have been moved to tears by “boring” preachers who were excellent teachers, and who revealed Jesus to me. I have been bored to tears by emotional speakers that taught me nothing. I have seen crowds of people moved by the Holy Spirit. I have seen other crowds moved by pep rally worship leaders and charismatic, talented speakers. In many cases, an emotional experience is the goal for a Christian event, rather than a revelation of who Jesus is. My concern is not about how people express themselves in the presence of God. There is great latitude concerning that. My concern is about what causes a certain response. Is it the incredible Spirit of Perfect Holiness, or is it a church culture where certain behaviors are predicted, arranged and manipulated? Is it God, or is it man? Dear Christian brother/sister…is your desire for Christ the great motivation of your life, or do you simply have a desire to laugh and cry at church? If you prefer somber worship, is it because you are overwhelmed with God’s awesomeness, and words don’t suffice, or is it because you just need some “quiet space to chill out”? If you prefer emotionally charged worship is it because you need a place to “get crazy” and pump your fist in the air, or is it a demonstrative, Spirit led joy in the presence of our great God? Christian, beware of pre-programmed emotional experiences that any group or church might insist you need. Jesus is what you need. Sometimes, He will take us to the highest heights of ecstatic worship. The very next day, His Spirit may move you to sit and stay silent. He knows what you need. Not you. Not the preacher. Not the worship leader. Not me. Let Jesus decide if you will laugh, or if you will cry. |
WEDNESDAY
Brian Brodersen
Someone asked me this week what I thought about James MacDonald having T. D. Jakes at the Elephant Room. Well, to put it simply, I think it was great! James took a bold step in reaching out and inviting a man that some Evangelicals don't want to accept. I can understand having genuine questions about Jakes' position on the doctrine of the Trinity considering his longtime involvement with "Oneness Pentecostalism," and his own admission that he at one time held to an anti-trinitarian view of God's nature. But he has also, on several occasions over the past few years, stated that he no longer holds a "Oneness" or "modalistic" view of God and now believes in the doctrine of the Trinity. This he clearly articulated once again at the Elephant Room. Jakes formally held the Oneness doctrine, also known as "Jesus Only," which teaches that Jesus is both the Father and the Son. The term Father refers to His deity, the term Son refers to His humanity. According to the Oneness doctrine, there is no Trinity—one God in three persons; rather there is one God who expresses Himself in different modes, sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. Now this teaching is certainly contrary to the biblical doctrine of the triune nature of God and is therefore "heretical," but to say that those who hold this view are not Christians is in my opinion going too far. Granted, it is an incorrect view regarding the nature of God, but it is not like other anti-trinitarian views that deny the full deity of Christ. I personally do not think you can put those who hold the Oneness doctrine in the same category as a Jehovah's Witness or a Mormon. I might be wrong, but that's the way I see it at this point. Should we seek to correct the view of the Oneness Pentecostals? Yes we should, in the same way we would seek to correct any person or group that has fallen into theological error. What I don't think we should do is spurn them or cast a final eternal judgment on them. Now back to T. D. Jakes and those Evangelicals who are still refusing to accept him. This is sad! Give the brother a break. What else could he have done to affirm his belief in the Trinity? He's declared publicly that he "now" (showing he's moved away from his former position) believes that God exists in three persons. He even explained that during the process of changing his position he began to see that there were things the Bible says about the Father that couldn't be said about the Son, and things the Bible says about the Son that couldn't be said about the Father, necessitating distinct persons within the divine nature. He did say that he wasn't all that crazy about the use of the term "persons" when speaking about the distinctions within the divine nature, but others have expressed similar things, feeling that sometimes the term person might be too limiting or give the impression that God is a person just like we are. This seems to me to be the kind of theological "hair splitting" that has been the bane of the church from generation to generation, and something that, God help us, we really need to outgrow. My hat is off to James and to the others who came together with T. D. Jakes for a time of honest dialogue and fellowship in Christ at the Elephant Room. The church desperately needs more of this kind of thing. After all, Jesus didn't say that the world would know we were His disciples by our total agreement on all the finer points of theology; He did say that they would know we were His disciples by our love for one another. The Elephant Room was a beautiful display of Christ's disciples doing just that. [Update] Brian wrote a follow up post called "More Thoughts on T. D. Jakes". |
THURSDAY
Chuck Smith
What an incredibly potent force love is! While it lacks the clout that some attribute to it—science will never agree that “Love makes the world go around,” as one old song insists—yet, I know for certain that it keeps me going in the world that does go around. Love is the force that prompts you to go the extra mile. Love makes your life worthwhile. Love makes you get up and try again. History overflows with stories of men and women whose love motivated them to heroic acts. Others have endured extreme hardship because of love. The power of love still prompts others to rise against imposing challenges, throwing back what appear to be insurmountable odds. What a powerful force is love! Nothing stronger or deeper exists. A mother’s love is legendary. In fact, should a mother desert her offspring, we mentally put her on a level with the animals. Scripture itself describes such a mother as “without natural affection” (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3). We all expect a strong, natural bond to unite a loving mother with the child of her womb. I thank God for the privilege of experiencing this natural bond. My mother showered her love upon me and my siblings in so many special ways. And again years later, I saw the same kind of motherly love as I watched my wife continually demonstrate her undying commitment to our children. I saw how love motivated Kay to spend long, agonizing hours in prayer during those difficult times when our children struggled, when their destinies hung in the balance. And yet, what a beautiful thing to see my determined wife’s constant intercession, her refusal to let go, her holding on in prayer—all motivated by love. The strong bond of a mother’s love makes incredible sacrifices. Then I think of the love of a man for his bride. As a pastor, I get a bird’s eye view of this kind of love as I stand before a young couple on their wedding day. I watch them as they lovingly gaze into each other’s eyes, peering deeply into the other’s soul. I’m close enough that I can read their quivering lips silently mouth, “I love you.” I observe their bodies almost tremble with excitement when that special moment arrives, calling for them to declare their covenant of love by saying out loud, “Until death do us part.” And so they commit their lives to one another—for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. A covenant of love brings them to the altar. We see an even greater covenant of love in the elderly couple that has celebrated fifty or more years together. They have weathered all the storms. They’ve made it through the hurricanes and the blizzards and the droughts. Now they enjoy a bond so deep and so strong that to communicate effectively they don’t even have to speak to each other. They know what the other is thinking and they can accurately predict the words before their mate utters them. To see them holding hands, to watch them gazing at each other through years of rich experience—it nearly makes me weep. How beautiful is such an enduring covenant of love. And then there is the love of camaraderie, a fraternal kind of love, a deep love that some fortunate men experience in their closest friendships. This is the kind of love that causes a man to throw his body down on a live grenade in order to save the lives of the men in his platoon. Best-selling books are written on the basis of such tremendous acts of heroism motivated by love. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). But the covenant of love I want to highlight here is far greater than that of a mother for her child, a husband for his wife, or a soldier for his comrades-in-arms. The greatest covenant of love in the universe is the one that God seeks to make with you today. |
FRIDAY
Note: This is part 2 in the series on T. D. Jakes. If you want to read part 1 click here. Since writing last week on Jakes and the Elephant Room, a number of other things have come up that I think warrant further comment. Let me say first, I received via Facebook and Twitter an overwhelmingly positive response to the things I wrote in the post. Yet, there were those who expressed grave concern over my “lack of discernment” and “compromise.” Most of the criticism came not from what I said, but from what I didn’t say about Jakes, especially in regard to his commitment to preaching a “prosperity gospel.” This is the same criticism leveled at James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, and the others who seemingly avoided that “elephant in the room.” Let me clarify my intention in writing that first post. It was not to give a full critique of Jakes’ theology, nor was it a full endorsement of the man or his ministry. It was simply to say that since Jakes has publicly stated that he has changed his view from Modalism to Trinitarianism, we should be looking to encourage him as a brother rather than condemn him as a heretic. We are far too quick to judge, condemn, and ostracize people with whom we disagree when we should be looking to build bridges that will lead to open dialogue about the faith. That is what I perceived James to be attempting to do in inviting Jakes to participate in the Elephant Room. Regarding Jakes and the prosperity doctrine, the doctrine itself has many variations from mild to extreme. From what I’ve heard of Jakes, I think he would come down somewhere in the middle. That the doctrine is incorrect and problematic goes without saying, but to say that those who hold to this doctrine are not Christians and should therefore be shunned is, I think, naïve. I have personally met many wonderful Christian men and women over the years who, to some degree or another, have held to the prosperity doctrine. I have discussed, debated, and challenged many who have held that view, but I’ve also found among them amazing conversion stories and a genuine love for Christ the Savior. The likelihood of bringing these brothers and sisters to a better understanding of the faith increases as we reach out in love, but diminishes if we take a hard stance and a harsh tone. I speak from experience. For many years, I took a hard stance and found that there was little fruit in the area of helping people out of false teaching and into a mature understanding of God’s truth. After encountering several people over the years who were obviously true believers but genuinely misled in their understanding of the faith, I realized I needed to embrace them as fellow members of Christ’s family and through love seek to show them the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26). This has paid off in the long run. I’ve seen many grow out of their incorrect understanding into a balanced, biblical position, but it doesn’t happen overnight. For many, it’s a journey that can take some time and it’s important that we be full of grace, humility, and patience for people who are moving toward a biblically sound understanding of the faith. I think this is what Jack Graham and now James MacDonald are attempting to do with T. D. Jakes. They are seeking to patiently and lovingly bring him into a more accurate understanding of the faith by reaching out in love. This is the right way to go about it. I don’t think it is realistic or helpful to insist that it’s all or nothing and unless Jakes is ready, not only to affirm the Trinity, but also to renounce the prosperity doctrine, we’ll have nothing to do with him. The fact that he’s changed his position on the Trinity is a huge indicator that he’s open to the Spirit’s correcting influence. Continued, honest dialogue with people that he knows sincerely care about him as a person and embrace him as a fellow Christian will be the key to his progress. Harsh, critical, condescending attitudes will do nothing to advance the cause of Christ in regard to Mr. Jakes, or anyone else for that matter. Paul’s word in Galatians 6:1 is what we need to apply here: Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness … |
SATURDAY
Ken Sutton
A while back I spoke at a men's retreat in our great state of Washington. We had about 40 brothers up on that mountain when I began to speak to them about church leadership. At the beginning of my first message I asked how many of them aspired to be used by God as a deacon in their church. Paul tells us in 1st Timothy that if we aspire to be used as a servant leader in the church, we aspire a NOBLE task. Of course Paul is not talking about a carnal, worldly aspiration for church domination. No, he's addressing the high calling of serving, feeding, and tending the precious bride of Christ, Christ's own body. Deacons are task oriented, filled with the Spirit to wait on tables and deliver food (among other things). Mind you, I wasn't asking how many aspired to be a pastor or bishop or elder. Believe it or not, my question to the men yielded one response. One single man out of 40 aspired to be a servant leader in the house of God! I was shocked. It goes without saying that when I was asking the men about being a deacon I was referring to the true function of a deacon and not merely the title associated with the role. Being a true deacon isn't about the title, it's about teaching Sunday school to five year olds, sweeping the church, and attending prayer meetings. I like what Pastor Chuck Smith says about deacons: "It is my belief that everyone should be a deacon. The ministry of helps was the essence of the deacon’s function. They were to look after the facilities. They were to look after the needs of the congregation and help the sick." Right on!!! Most guys don't want to look like a big shot in a large group and declare publicly their future deaconship. These were all good men who were up on a mountain to grow in their relationship with Jesus. I truly believed that all of them were deacon material and I would have to find a way to get through to them. It was at that point in my message that I realized I had to switch gears and either communicate like their pastor buddy and hug it out (check out that photo), or I had to say a few things to wake them up to the reality of what they were dealing with. These men needed to be graciously challenged. I figured they were trapped on the mountain with me, so I was going to exhort as many of them as would listen. I determined to teach like I would never get another invitation back as a retreat speaker ... and it turned out to be a phenomenal weekend. I will share with you what I shared with them in my next post. |
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