A Christ-follower with a limp: January 2024

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Anticipatory Anxiety

“Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered.
No one was there.”

Recently, the Chapman University Survey of American Fears (CSAF) conducted their annual survey of the top 10 fears in America. They do this by following trends over time and identifying new fears that might emerge.
Among the top ten fears Americans currently have: Corrupt government officials; Economic/financial collapse; Russia using nuclear weapons; US involved in another World War; Biological warfare and Cyber-terrorism.
Let me ask what I hope is a thought-provoking question: How many do we have any control over? Zero, nil, diddly-squat, zippo…you get the point. If 99.99% of us have zero control over these things, why are we afraid of them or what purpose is there in us worrying about any of them?
Many people, including sadly many Christians, suffer from what’s known as Anticipatory Anxiety. That’s simply a “fear of the future.” Some tragic consequences of anticipatory anxiety are that victims are nervous and fearful about the future. Often, they spend time mentally dwelling on worst-case scenarios regarding future situations. Instead of dreading a terrible potential future with a low potential at that, God wants us to live where that missionary statesman, William Carey lived. Carey wisely said: “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
For the believer, the future isn’t dark, it’s brilliantly bright because our Heavenly Father has it all under control. What does the future hold for the believer? Let me point out five promises just from the book of Philippians.
Future Perfection. The last part of Philippians 1:6, says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” When someone is born again, they can’t be satisfied with spiritual mediocrity. They long to be sinless and ultimately be sin-free just like Jesus. Those of us who are “in Christ,” will, one day achieve our dream. No more struggles, no more defeat, no more shame: perfection. What a joy it will be to be “finished,” completed, perfect!
Future Joy. Philippians 1:18 says, “…Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” Every believer longs for joy. If you’re a Christ-follower, you can be absolutely confident today that you will do lots of rejoicing tomorrow, both on this side of the grave and on the other side of death. Paul was primarily thinking in terms of rejoicing on this side of the grave. His confidence in future joy gave him present joy. Paul and we can have hope based on the promise of our Father.
Future Deliverance. Philippians 1:19 says “for I know that through your prayers, and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Whether we live or die, God has promised to deliver us. Either way, we win! No more disease or pain, no suffering, no more losses or tragedies, no more hatred or conflict.
Future Grace. Philippians 1:20 says, “I eagerly expect and hope, that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” This wasn’t self-confidence. It’s holy boldness. Paul knew that God would give him all the grace that he needed to face anything and everything victoriously, and in that God would be honored by Paul’s life.
Future Gain. Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” That’s to be our passion and goal now, “to live is Christ.” Yet, it doesn’t end there, “to die is gain.” For someone who hasn’t committed their life to Christ, to die is to lose everything. No wonder so many will do nearly anything to hold off death. Yet, Christians have no reason to be desperate. As much as we enjoy the things of this life, our deaths will bring gain, not loss – rest, joy, peace, comfort, satisfaction, perfect fellowship, and so much more. Seeing Jesus face to face will make every other gain seem small by comparison. Because our future is certain because of God’s promises, every believer should have Anticipatory Excitement!
Which one do you have? Anticipatory Anxiety or Anticipatory Excitement? Anticipatory Excitement comes from focusing on God’s truth!
In national parks, there are signs, “Please Don’t Feed the Bears.” When people feed the bears, those bears gain confidence and lose their fear of humans. They become dangerous as they become more aggressive. Many of us need to cross out the “B” and place an “F” there. The sign we need over our hearts is, “Please Don’t Feed the Fears.” As we feed our fears, they eat us alive. How can we feed our faith and not our fears?
Habitually read God’s Word. Feed your heart on God’s promises.
Go on a media and social media diet. Stop feeding the monster. The majority of what’s on there won’t help you trust God or grow in faith.
Become more aware of your thoughts. Have you ever caught yourself just eating mindlessly? We do the same mentally. As the refrigerator has a light that goes on when we open it, we need a light to go off when we begin to head down dead-end dark mental streets.
Fight imaginary fears with the truth of praise. In the midst of fearful circumstances, the psalmist continually praises God. Count your blessings and then count them again and again. There’s power in praise! By choosing to praise God for what you know is true of God’s character, you overcome your fears with His truth. Rather than following your heart, lead it.
Remember what God has done, not what might happen. Remember God’s goodness in the past in your life. The conscious act of remembering His past faithfulness deepens our trust in His present goodness. Spurgeon wrote: “It is well to mark our mercies with well-carved memorials.” God commands us to remember His works. Why? He knows we’re so forgetful. Remembering what He has done strengthens our faith to fight fear.
Fight imaginary fears with an eternal perspective. Fixing our thoughts on the eternal keeps our perspective of the present balanced. It gives us clarity as to why we’re here and that this life, even at its worst, is temporary. Focusing on eternity inspires us to live lives of significance.
As our trust in God’s truth deepens, we experience grace and power. Jesus is real. Let’s fill our minds with Him and His promises. And we’ll have no need to fear the future because He’s already there…waiting for us!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Basics on Toxics

“Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light.

Try not to take it personally.” Kamand Kojouri

This morning we’re beginning a several week series, “Dealing with Toxic People.” The dictionary defines Toxic as: “containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation.” Applying our spiritual nature to this definition gives us the reality that toxic people are those who are capable of causing mental and emotional injury and death, or serious debilitation, to both their lives and ours.
We all have toxic people in our lives. Because of sin, at some level, we’re all toxic. For some reason, memes about toxic people, narcissism and broken relationships have exploded on social media. Yet, toxic people have always been around. Probably the acrimonious cultural divisions we’ve seen in recent years have heightened our awareness of toxic relationships.
Genesis 4 is one of the first toxic relationships. Cain’s anger at God erupted with his murdering his brother, Abel, who’d done nothing to antagonize Cain. Abel was simply seeking to please God, but his commitment to God enraged Cain and Abel ended up as the first victim of rage and cold-blooded murder. Like Abel, sometimes you don’t have to do anything other than exist to find yourself the target of someone’s toxicity.
As I’ve watched the obsession with toxic people on social media, the thought occurred to me that “if your best strategy in dealing with toxic people is memes, you’re in big trouble.” Add to that, we tend to throw around terms and use a broad brush. Do those using these terms even know what they mean? That line by Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride seems apropos. “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Before we label someone, we should be certain of our own understanding of the label and what the term actually means.
For example, someone may be labeled a “narcissist.” The dictionary defines it, “A person full of egoism. One who shows extreme love and admiration for himself or herself. Someone in love with themselves.” Have you ever met someone who isn’t full of pride at some level and loves and admires themselves? We’re all guilty. Now someone who is truly a narcissist takes that to extremes. Yet, traits of toxicity that so bother us in the lives of others are frequently ones that we also are guilty of. Toxicness is true of all of us at some level according to Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Be aware that as we work through this series, there are some themes that we’ll return to each week.
When it comes to a toxic trait, first suspect the sinner you know best. Stop for a moment and answer this question. Who is the worst sinner that you know? Chances are that you know hundreds, even thousands of people. Think of all those people and ponder: Who is the worst sinner of all?
Perhaps you thought of a parent who did great damage to you as a child. Maybe a co-worker who delights in her own vileness, or a friend who is imprisoned for what he has done. If you were honest though, you admitted that you know someone who is a far greater sinner than any of these – YOU. When I stop and think about the greatest sinner I know, I must admit that it’s me. I’m the greatest sinner I know…and you’re the greatest sinner you know. There is seemingly no end to the depravity of my own heart. As William Law said, “Self is the root, the tree, and the branches of all the evils of our fallen state.” So, as we work through these toxic traits, please first look in the mirror of your soul. Frequently, we have blind spots and would be wise to ask those closest to us: How do you experience me?
Then, be warned. Because of our own toxicity, we can project what we are onto others. King Ahab did that to Elijah, accusing God’s prophet of being the source of Israel’s trouble. For example, if someone is a habitual liar, they assume that all others are liars. The same is true of someone who is manipulative or has an anger issue. We assume others think like us.
If you are in a toxic relationship whether in your marriage, family, workplace or wherever – God put you there. Read the first two chapters of the book of Job. Who allowed Job to go through all that misery? God. One of the most toxic families in the Bible is that of the patriarch, Joseph. Yet, God used that dysfunctionality to “send” Joseph to Egypt to preserve the nation of Israel (Psalm 105:17).
As much we may hate it, God uses fire to melt away our own sinful habits and traits to make us trophies of His grace. I know that’s true in my life. I doubt that I’d be in the ministry today and love the Lord, if I had not grown up in the family that I grew up in. As Job observed, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10).
I love those words of Joseph at the end of Genesis as his brothers were terrified that Joseph would execute justice and take revenge on them for the evil that they’d done to him. “But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today’” (Genesis 50:19-20).
There is always hope! There are times when the best decision is to walk away or at least limit the toxic individual’s influence in your life. Yet, the tendency in our culture is to bail too soon. We know little of what the Bible calls longsuffering and perseverance.
Living in the heat of a toxic relationship must drive us to prayer. While it’s appropriate to pray for deliverance. Yet, God never wastes our pain, so we should also pray that God will, as He did in the life of Joseph and many others, use the pain to produce spiritual fruit in our own lives.
Then, if there is no relief, we’re confident that the very worst toxic situation for the Christ-follower is temporary. The Apostle Paul endured terrible fiery trials. Notice the contrast in his words between temporal trials and life in eternity. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Sunday, January 14, 2024

TEAMWORK: Together We Are Winners!

“All were merged into one smoothly working machine; they were, in fact, a poem of motion, a symphony of swinging blades.” Daniel James Brown in The Boys in the Boat

If the movie is half as good as the book, I can’t wait to see it. A few years ago, I read, The Boys in the Boat, which has been recently released as a movie. This true story is based on the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington rowing team in the 1940s. It’s the powerful account of nine young men from various backgrounds who came together during the Depression to be an Olympic championship team. The main character, Joe Rantz, had a tough time growing up and was abandoned by his family for several years to fend for himself. He and the other eight young men struggled to earn their way through college. Success was dependent on learning to work together as a team. They became national heroes after defeating Germany in the Olympics prior to World War II.
Team is the stuff of great champions. Team is the stuff of great churches. Notice that there is no “i” in team.
Most Christians read the New Testament through contemporary eyes. When we see “you” in the Bible we see the “you” is singular. Yet, of the 3,000 uses of the word “you,” nearly 2200 of them are plural. Even our worship music is more “Jesus & me,” but the New Testament’s focus is “Jesus & us.” In our individualistic day we forget that Jesus had a team. As God, He certainly didn’t need a team. He was giving us a pattern.
Though the Apostle Paul was a dynamic leader, yet he travelled with a ministry team. You can hear the sadness of being alone when Paul writes, “only Luke is with me…” (1 Timothy 4:11).
The Bible compares a local church to a family, a body, a building, even an army. There is no such thing as “an army of one.” Every metaphor used for the church in Scripture speaks of a team and a committed community. What does it take to be a successful church team?
You must have one captain. One quickly learns in The Boys in the Boat the vital importance of the synchronization of the eight rowers as they respond to the commands of the coxswain with the stroke, consistent pacing, and sprint to the finish. The coxswain sets the tempo. If the rowers are going at their own individual pace or direction, they’ll always lose.
The same is true of the local church. If Jesus Christ is not Lord, if everyone has their own personal agenda, the church will struggle, be distracted, frustrated, even irritated and dead in the water. While we have opinions and values, our direction doesn’t come from within ourselves. Our direction must come from His Word. Each of us must be in the Book, if we’re going to be obeying and pleasing to our Captain.
You must have a united purpose. Grace Church exists to glorify our Heavenly Father by continually making more followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Grace, we’re committed to being part of Jesus’ team to reach our neighborhood, community, and world. If someone only wants to attend and not be a contributing part of the team, if they don’t want to serve, give or share the gospel but just fill a seat, we’re not the church for them.
You must be an encourager. Our world has far too many discouragers and critics. Check out social media or listen to those around you. It’s the antithesis of the old folk song, Home on the Range. Instead of “never is heard a discouraging word,” more often it’s “never is heard an encouraging word.” Anyone can point out what’s wrong and be a critic. It’s vile that many will say behind someone’s back or behind a keyboard what they’d never say to someone’s face. If we do need to say something corrective to a team member, we must “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
The Bible commands us to have conversations which “edify” (Ephesians 4:19). Edify simply means to build each other up. It’s hard work to be a winning rowing team. Each member needs to encourage the other rowers to persevere. They need to know that their part and effort is vital.
All of us grow tired. We all grow weary and get discouraged from time to time. It’s why need desperately each other and must encourage each other.
You must let others know that they are not alone. Recently, as some of our church families were going through difficult times, it struck me that one of Satan’s worst weapons in suffering is loneliness. You begin to feel that no one else is there for you or understands the struggles you’re going through. While we often can’t solve the problem, we can reassure those going through deep waters that they are not rowing through them alone.
You must know other team members. A winning team knows each other. That doesn’t happen in an hour on Sundays. We must spend time with each other. It takes what Scripture calls fellowship. The word in the New Testament is koinonia, which means “sharing life.” The Bible commands us to love each other, serve each other, pray for each other – in other words – be there for each other. That will never happen if we don’t first know each other.
There’s an old story about teamwork. Many years ago, when most roads were dirt ones, a farmer who lived near a dirt road prone to flooding, would bring his old mule, Buddy, down to pull cars out of the muck. On one occasion he arrived and hooked up Buddy to the car in the mud. The farmer yelled, “Pull Nellie! Pull!” But Buddy didn’t move. Then the farmer yelled, “Pull Jenny, pull!” Buddy still didn’t move. Then he said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And Buddy easily pulled the car out of the mud.
One motorist asked the farmer, “Why did you call out those other names before you called Buddy’s name?” The farmer said, “Old Buddy is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try. I do that to make him believe that he’s part of a team. That idea of teamwork gives him the strength to pull out any car.”
Jesus has called every Christ-follower to be part of His team. Are you rowing? Are you a faithful member of His team?

Sunday, January 7, 2024

and the WORD of the year is...

“Authenticity is more than speaking; Authenticity is also about doing. Every decision we make says something about who we are.” Simon Sinek

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023 is authentic—the term for something we’re thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever. A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.
Authentic has a number of meanings including “not false or imitation,” a synonym of real and actual and also “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. While clearly a desirable quality, authenticity is hard to define and subject to debate—two reasons it sends people to the dictionary.
Authentic is often connected to identity, whether national or personal. Words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine and dish, but also self and voice. Celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and especially Taylor Swift all made headlines in 2023 with statements about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.” With the rise of artificial intelligence—and its impact on deepfake videos, academic honesty, the line between “real” and “fake” is increasingly blurred.
If anyone should be authentic and live authentically, it should be Christ-followers. Notice that I didn’t say “perfectly.” We all blow it. We all sin. I’m continually astounded at the evil within my own heart. What we must have is a new heart. That only comes when someone commits their life to Christ. It’s impossible to work up. Instead by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, it’s worked out. It’s in Christ that we have an “undivided” heart. As Psalms 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Living authentically is a command that echoes throughout God’s Word. It’s woven into the very fabric of our faith. Obviously, since “authentic” is the word of the year for 2023, it’s as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. To be authentic will challenge us, shape us and free us.
When we think about living authentically, we usually think about honesty. We think about telling the truth, about not lying or deceiving. That's certainly part of it. But living authentically is about so much more than just honesty. It’s about integrity. It's about being true to who we are, to who God has created us to be and who Jesus has given us new life to be.
Living authentically first means living with integrity. Integrity is about being the same person in all situations. It's about being the same person on Sunday morning as you are on Saturday night. It's about being the same person in public as you are in private. It's about living in a way that's consistent with our beliefs, our values and our faith.
Living authentically first means living transparently. Transparency is about being open, being vulnerable, being real. It's about letting others see us as we really are, not as we wish we were. It's about sharing our struggles, our failures, our doubts, our questions, our joys, our victories.
Living authentically first means living faithfully. Faithfulness is about being true to our commitments, to our promises, to our word. It's about being reliable, trustworthy and being dependable.
Living authentically isn’t easy. It’s certainly not comfortable or convenient. But it’s worth it. It pleases God and it’s what He’s commanded us to be. It brings us closer to Him and ultimately is so freeing.
Most of us struggle with being authentic Christ-followers in three areas: our marriages and families, with money and business and in private.
When it comes to our marriage and family, it’s amazing that we’re often kinder, have our words and temper more under control with even a cashier at McDonald’s than we do with our own spouse or children. If our faith is authentic, our families should be able to testify to that.
The Bible never says that “money is the root of all evil.” It’s “the love of money that’s the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It’s that love that tempts us to fudge our ethics, cut corners at work, cheat on our taxes, etc.
Character is who you are when no one is looking. It’s when we’re alone late at night or out of town without accountability that we’re tempted to act with a divided heart. Temptation whispers, “Who will know?” God will.
Perhaps as never before social media has increased the temptation to sanitize our lives so that we only ever share the highlights of our lives: the best pictures, the flattering news and happy family events. Our image is carefully managed and squeaky clean. But those who are far from God are looking for the real deal – neither worldly compromise nor phony religion. God has called us to be authentic in our faith and to be true representatives of Jesus Christ as we attempt to reach people with the gospel message.
Everyone loves someone authentic. Sadly, genuineness is an unusual trait. When how we live matches up with who we say we are in Christ, authenticity shines through. The walk matches the talk.
Authenticity is attractive, drawing people to Jesus. Our world is looking for those who are real. As God builds the distinguishing marks of authenticity into a believer, it increases God’s influence in our world.
Most of us cringe when we have to show others our driver’s license photograph. We look either washed out from too much light, or shadowy and suspicious from too little. Our eyes look either goofy and wide-eyed, or droopy and sleepy-eyed. Our hair is hopelessly out of place. And our smile? “Good grief,” we say to ourselves, “do I really smile like that?”
But then there’s the opposite extreme—the studio portrait. With the photographer’s magic, the right background highlights our colors. The most flattering angle emphasizes our strong points. The lighting softens our features. The air brush can blow away any wrinkles or imperfections.
As radically different as they are, the driver’s license photo and the studio portrait have one thing in common – neither is realistic. If we want to influence others for the Lord, it’s important that the portrait others see is real. In the end, only God sees our “real” selves. Yet it’s imperative that by His grace we strive to be authentic if we truly desire to bring glory to Him.