God On Mute

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" What an alarming question for God to ask God. No word from heaven. No miracle. No sign except the darkness itself in the middle of the afternoon. Jesus legitimatized for all-time the need we have for exclamation. He demonstrated that the explanation may not come when we think we need it most. Although we will never suffer In the way Jesus did on that day, there are Good Friday seasons in all our lives when pain, disappointment, confusion or a sense of spiritual abandonment may cause us to ask God the ultimate question, "why?"

Pete Grieg, from God on Mute

God on Mute is one of the best books on prayer. I love Pete's honesty - it is one of the most authentic books ever written.

People Group Definitions

Below are some important definitions to help us think about making disciples of all nations in Africa.  A people group is a distinct tribe, ethnic group, or race. Examples in Africa are the Fulani, Xhosa, Hausa, Yoruba, Oromo, Berbers, Larim, and Somali’s. There are 100 million Arabs in Africa, and over 65 million Berbers. There are 30 million Hausa in Nigeria, Ghana, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Sudan and Ivory Coast. There are 30 million Yoruba in Nigeria and Benin.

- An “unreached people group” is a people group that does not have a sufficiently strong church among them to evangelize every person within their tribe/race/people. For a people group to be reached, a reproducing church must be planted in that group that is strong enough to evangelize every person in their group.

- An “unevangelized people group” is one where every person has not yet heard the gospel in a language they can understand. For a people group to be evangelized, every person must hear the gospel.

- An “unengaged, unreached people group” is one that no one is committed to reaching with the gospel. For a people group to be “engaged”, some person or some other people group or a church must commit to reaching that people by planting a growing, multiplying indigenous movement of churches among them.

- There are 926 distinct unreached people groups in Africa’s 55 countries. There are approximately 1.1 billion people in Africa. Over 300 million people in Africa are Muslims who have never heard the good news of Jesus. 

The Gospel of the Kingdom

Introduction: In the inter-testamental time, the time between when Malachi was written and Matthew wrote his gospel, there was no prophet to speak for God – or from God. During this time, a longing grew in the hearts of the people of Israel, a longing not only to hear from God, but also for God to rescue his people. The longing of the people was likened to the time when David reigned. His kingdom was a time when:

1. Their enemies were defeated

2. Worship was restored

3. Their was peace and prosperity

In the writings during this period of time a phrase was coined, words were found to express the longing of the people of God. They spoke of a kingdom to come that was liked David’s kingdom, but far greater than David’s. They called it the “kingdom of God…”

When John the Baptist appeared suddenly, prophesying and speaking for God, there was great rejoicing. The people asked him if he was the one who was going to usher in the “…Kingdom of God…” His response:

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”Matthew 3:11

So when Jesus came striding on the scene, and spoke these words,

“The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The people knew what Jesus was saying. The time of their waiting was over. God was getting ready to break in and deliver them. They believed…

1. Their enemies were going to be defeated

2. Glorious worship was going to take place in Jerusalem

3. A time of unparalleled peace and prosperity was going to break loose upon them

Each of the three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, begin with this story. The disciples made the connection. God sent a prophet to prepare the people for one ushering in the kingdom of God. Jesus was the one who had come to deliver his people.

But then things went bad. The one who preached the kingdom, who stirred their hearts to great heights of expectation, disappointed them. The very Roman soldiers he was supposed to overthrow, arrested him. He was killed on a cross, where Moses said blasphemers and law breakers were to be put to death.

The Great Misunderstanding: the kind of kingdom God was setting up. They wanted a power kingdom, a kingdom that would free them from the Romans and feed their stomachs.

The Greater Misunderstanding: the kind of king who ruled in the kingdom of God.

The people of Israel thought the messiah king was coming once. They did not foresee that he would come two times, first to introduce his kingdom, then to finally establish his kingdom. They believed when Messiah came he would set up his kingdom on earth. Period. End of Story. The age of the future would suddenly invade this age, and history would end.

The spiritual leaders of Jesus day believed the kingdom of God was coming for them, to bless them, to prosper them, to set them free. They did not see it as a kingdom for others, a kingdom for the poor, the powerless. They did not see themselves as the oppressors that God’s kingdom was against.

What kind of kingdom is the Kingdom of God? 

• The kingdom of God is an already – and a not-yet kingdom. We live with tension: the king has come but has not fully come. He came as a servant, he will come as a mighty warrior. He heals sicknesses, but we still live with disease and death. He defeated Satan, but he still prowls around, seeking people to devour. We live in this tension of being between…most theological error comes because people try to force the kingdom to fully come NOW. Demand healing NOW, they demand Satan be bound NOW, they demand prosperity NOW, they demand gay marriages be banned NOW.

• The kingdom of God is an under kingdom – not an over kingdom. There is no such thing as a Christian nation NOW. We have two glaring examples of that not working in our immediate past: South Africa and the United States.

• The kingdom of God is a grassroots kingdom – not a skyscraper kingdom. There is an incredible growing, grass-roots movement taking place all over South Africa. I find it in every town and city in this nation. People caring for those impacted by AIDS. Job schemes. Savings clubs. Housing initiatives. Business training programs. Not a few, scores, hundreds, maybe thousands of tens of thousands. Examples:  Out side Durban in a squatter camp a small band of young people living among AIDS impacted people. Mama Gladys in Port Elizabeth. A home for babies in Johannesburg. Every church is involved. Many business people. Living Hope in Cape Town. A white family moved into Mamelodi, then bought a burned out school building and now run a home for disadvantaged children. A Professional hunter named Rufus in the Eastern Cape who attracts clients from America so he can take them into the villages of the Transkei.

• The kingdom of God is an every day kingdom – not a one day a week kingdom. Bill and Ann Eames – Hope Crafts. Neil and Mandi Hart in PE.

• The kingdom of God is a full time kingdom – not a part time kingdom. Wendy Ryan – journalist who started a sewing class, that turning into a business that has grown out of control.

• The kingdom of God is a church based, disciple making kingdom – God sends his church into every sphere of life to advance the kingdom by making disciples and transforming society through life on life discipleship. The church has it’s greatest impact will goes into the world, not by asking the world to come to it. It is an incarnational kingdom...

• The kingdom of God is a horizontal kingdom – not a vertical kingdom. John Broom – retiring from Meadowridge Baptist now meeting with businessmen who are burned out and fed up with hype and religion but want to do the kingdom. Sunday church is half-time, and the game is played all week in the market place, the education classroom, the government office, the sports field, and in the factories, mines, and offices where people meet people

Conclusion: What is happening in this country could gain enough momentum to transform the whole nation. What does that kingdom based, discipleship oriented , local church driven transformation look like? Not power and control over the government, not erasing all sin and passing laws to control the hearts of the unredeemed, but life on life influence, small communities of faith, and large celebrations of believers celebrating what god is doing all week long in their lives.

What it does mean is a movement Jesus followers, spontaneously growing and multiplying, led by ordinary people who are making disciples, gathering in homes and shops and soccer fields and schools, equipping leaders, and planting simple churches that are not dependent on buildings or theological specialists.

Transformation means a grass roots movement that becomes so pervasive you can change laws because you have changed so many hearts.

Transformation means servant leaders who lead by example, by their tireless efforts to serve and uplift the poor and oppressed.

Transformation means a change in the way people treat each other. A transformed South Africa is a South Africa where crime goes down because poverty has been removed from our nation, every family has a home, every child has a decent education, and every person has a job. Transformation means Christians get off their back sides and form street committees to watch out for each other, not waiting for big brother to do it for them.

Transformation means …

-       Holistic not dualistic spirituality

-       Apostolic not hierarchical leadership

-       Simple every day church, not complicated, performance church

-       Incarnational not attractional mission

-       Membership through belonging not just believing

I am amazed how many people believe in the priesthood of the believer, church is people not buildings, and God calls us all to obey the great commission, yet fall back into old paradigms of mission and church as soon as the conference finished.

God wants your life to make a difference now. Don’t wait for permission to do something, you have been given the power to do something!

Change

Change. Few people like it. Except those who thrive on change, such as visionaries, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. In today's world, change is normal due to the rapidly expanding availability of information on the internet and the global nature of the world economy.

There are three dimensions to change:

Arena of change - the circumstances

Agenda of change - what God wants to do

Agents of change - The people God uses to bring about change

We often confuse the three. We can blame people, the agents of change, when God is actually using people, even our critics or enemies, for his agenda. In Acts, God used Roman emperors to bring about change in the church. Circumstances can be an agent of change, such as health, death in the family, a job loss, and other factors in life. Difficult circumstances can bring us to the river's edge: shall we take the risk and cross over, or do we wait for the current to die down and go forward slowly on safe ground? Perhaps, we don't go anywhere... just stay here where is it is predictable and safe?

Examples in the book of Acts of the arena, the agenda and the agents to bring about God planned change:

- Acts 4:1-35

- Acts 6:1-8

- Acts 7:54 - 8:8

- Acts 16:6-15

Discernment is required... do you have grace to carry on? What is God up to?

Some questions to ask as you wrestle with the question of transition and change:

Are you experiencing the peace of God’s spiritual fruitfulness where you are?

Are you utilizing your God given spiritual gifts to be the person God created you to be?

Have you lost grace for your present circumstances?

Are you experiencing a "holy frustration" that is preparing you for a transition to the "other side of the river?"

Are you reacting to the agents and arena of change in your life?

Randy Alcorn on Heaven

"We must work to resist the bewitching spell of naturalism.  Sitting here in the dark world, we must remind ourselves what scripture tells us about heaven.  We will one day be delivered from the blindness that separates us from the real world.  We'll realize then the stupifying bewitchment we've lived under."

Randy Alcorn, "Heaven"

Randy Alcor on Heaven

"The truth is exactly opposite of naturalism's premise… in fact the dark worlds lamps are copies of the sun, and it's cats are copies of Aslan.  Heaven isn't an extrapolation of earthly thinking; earth is an extension of heaven, made by the Creator King."

Randy Alcorn, "Heaven"

Saul's Rebellion and Rejection as King

An individual, a family, a local church congregation, and a nation can lose their calling and and forfeit their destiny if they rebel against the Lord long enough and consistently enough. 1 samuel 15 is an example of God withdrawing his calling on a man’s life, and the impact God's judgment has on the nation. It is one thing for a nation to sin, but it is another matter for the church to sin against their nation by ceasing to pray and believe God for their nation. The United States and South Africa are both in great danger, not mostly from of crime and corruption or moral decay in society, but from Christians who run in fear or speak in criticism against their nation and it’s leaders.

Notice the progression in Saul's great failure and removal as the king of israel:

1 Samuel 15:1-3 - detailed obedience is required of Saul in a very tough assignment of discipline and standing against evil.

1 Samuel 15:4-9 - partial obedience is disobedience in God’s eyes; Saul saved the best for himself

1 Samuel 15:12 - Saul erects a monument to himself. Disobedience leads to deception and self-exultation.

1 Samuel 15:11 - Saul is rejected by God to be king

1 Samuel 15:12 - Saul lies to Samuel about his sin

1 Samuel 15:15 - Saul blames the people for his lack of courage of conviction

1 Samuel 15:17 - Samuel acknowledges that one of the problems is that Saul suffers from inferiority and insecurity, “though you are little in your own eyes...” but he is still responsible: “were you not head of the tribes of Israel?”

1 Samuel 15:20-21 - Saul again blames his followers for his fear and disobedience

1 Samuel 15:24 - Saul acknowledges the root of his sin was the fear of the people and that he obeyed their voice, not God's voice.

1 Samuel 15:26-28 - Samuel declares that on that day, Saul has lost his kingdom, and God is now judging him for his sin.

1 Samuel 15:33 - Samuel slays the king that Saul was to have killed

1 Samuel 15:34-35 - Samuel never saw Saul again to the day of his death.

1 Samuel 15:35 - The Lord was sorry that he made Saul king.

With sadness, I can clearly remember when the Lord removed me from leadership. I was a young man, barely 29 years old, when God spoke to me in a time of turmoil and division in our community, and said because of my impatience and harshness toward people, he was removing me from leadership. My period of service to the Lord was ended, there and then.

For three hours I wept before the Lord, knowing my heart was more like Saul's than like God's heart. I felt God's displeasure, that he was sorry he had made me a leader over the people I was serving. I was impulsive, defensive, angry, and demanding of people. God was displeased with me. With this revelation, I repented deeply, I asked God to forgive me, and while I was in that place of brokenness, after three hours of repenting, the Lord said to quietly to me, "Now, I will restore you". It was a turning point for me. I experienced the sober reality that God is serious about obedience and about serving His people with the right heart.

The Saul Syndrome

Can a leader or nation lose their calling and destiny? 

There is more than one example in Scripture of this happening. King Saul in the Old Testament is but one example. Saul suffering from a pattern of inner brokenness and outer rebellion that caused him to lose his kingship. He suffered from what I call the "Saul Syndrome". Here is how it works… a vicious cycle of in security and rebellion: It starts with a lack  of identity, which leads to deep inferiority, which produces cycles of crippling insecurity, which results in rash acts of impulsiveness, which deepens into independence and rebellion = the Saul Syndrome cycle, one inner issue leading to another, and to another.

1 Sam 9:2, 10:23 - There were two polar extremes in Saul, the flesh and the spirit battled for control in his life; Saul lost the inner battle but won the leadership prize through outer appearance and stature; he was tall and good looking, he possessed charisma of personality, but inside he was insecure and lacked identity of who he was as a man of God.

There are seven consequences of the Saul Syndrome: 

Contagious lack of courage - Both courage and cowardice are like a virus; the people catch what the leader carries in his or her heart. Saul would not fight Goliath, but David did - 2 Sam 23 - David inspired the armies of Israel to fight, but Saul inspired them to inaction and fear. Where a  leader with courage leads, people follow.

Fearing what the people think, leading to acts of religious piety to impress people. Without courage it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are. See 1 Samuel 15. Saul offered burnt offerings to the Lord, but it was an act of disobedience and cowardice - he tried to impress the people, not obedience to the Lord. The sacrifice the Lord requires is a sincere heart and a broken spirit.

Running from opportunity. Godly courage empowers you to do what you are afraid of doing in the natural - Saul hid among the baggage when it was time to time to come forward to be anointed king - 1 sam 10:22

Jealousy of others. But where there is courage, we break free of the slavery of insecurity and possessiveness. Saul was jealous of David because of lack of inner courage and confidence in who God had called him to be.

Indecisive. When leaders have courage the people will have commitment.  There are some decisions leaders make without hearing God tell them to do it, it is simply the courageous thing to do. Those kind of decisions are the result of inner core values birthed in a person through testing and trial, and staying close to God.

Fear of letting go of the past to embrace change and a new future. A leader with courage will let go of the familiar to face a new future.

Disloyalty in relationships. The Saul Syndrome produces unreliable leaders.