CONFESSING MY SINS

Too often we in the Christian church tend to think of evangelism as communicating to the “lost” that they are sinners who need to repent and turn to Jesus.

But, if we want to talk about sinfulness I really think we have to be willing to start with our own.

Like, what if the way we did evangelism was to go out together, in groups of two or three, and find a stranger and pull them aside and say, “Hey, I just wanted you to know that I am a sinner and I really need Jesus in my daily life. Would you pray for me?”

Just imagine if we started the conversation by freely admitting our own need for Jesus like that. Wouldn’t that change the entire conversation? Wouldn’t that fulfill Jesus’s admonition to first deal with the beam in our own eyes before we attempt to remove the speck in someone else’s eye?

Today I was reminded once more that I am a sinner and that I need Jesus more than anyone else I know.

My failure was profound, and shameful, and it hurt some of the people I care most about in the whole world.

On one hand, I can see how God can take this failure and make something good out of it. 

If nothing else it shines a much-needed light into a dark place in my heart that still needs to be touched by Him and be transformed by His irresistible love. 

So, that is a good thing [the exposure of our sin, not the sin itself of course].

See, our sin flourishes in the darkness. When it comes into the light it dies. So, as painful as it is to look at it, our ugly sinful nature starts to die the moment we put it on display and call it by name.

Still, the shock of seeing our sin in the daylight isn’t comfortable. It’s painful and it’s wrapped tightly in a shroud of disappointment and heartache and failure. 

These emotions can easily overwhelm us if we do not quickly turn to Jesus and receive His forgiveness and experience the restoration that comes only from Him.

I've said it before: our walk with Jesus is a process. Thankfully we don’t fall down the entire journey, but on those [hopefully] rare occasions that we do, He is quick to turn our failures into opportunities to grow, and somehow to work it all into our ongoing transformation into people who look and act and love like Him.

It’s not about getting it perfectly right. It’s not about never stumbling or falling on our face. It's about humility. It’s about admitting we need His help and giving each other Grace to keep going. 

So, if we really want to speak the Truth in love, then our message to others can't be, "You're a filthy sinner and you need Jesus". Instead it should really be, "Hey, I'm a filthy sinner and I need Jesus. Please pray for me.”

Our invitation to others should be to ask them to join us as we follow Jesus daily and seek His face and partake of His mercy and grace.

If we did this, it would not only place the emphasis where Jesus put it - on following Him daily and surrendering our will to His – it would also force every single one of us to admit our need for Jesus, regardless of how long we’ve been a Christian or much we’ve studied the scriptures.

Our calling, ultimately, is to love people, and that can only be done in relationship. This relationship will best reflect Christ if it is marked by a heaping helping of love and forgiveness for one another. 

God will convict people of their sins just fine without us - because that's what He said He would do.

Plus, He specifically told us that it is not our place to convict people of their sins. 

His new command to us was simply this: “Love others as I have loved you.”

That seems like more than enough of a challenge to me, don't you agree?

Because, if we love people we make room for the grace of God to touch their hearts. 

If we judge people, our condemnation becomes a barrier and a veil that makes it very hard for them to see the love of Jesus in us. And if they can’t see the love of Jesus in us, please tell me where they supposed to see it?

“Hello. My name is Keith. I am a sinner and I really need Jesus in my life. Please pray for me.”

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3 THINGS HOLDING BACK THE FLOOD

I was sleeping soundly after our first Friday evening session at the Unconference in Nashville when I awakened from a dream.

In the dream I saw myself speaking at the conference - something I was scheduled to do first thing on Saturday morning - but instead of speaking about how we should untangle our faith from politics I heard myself speaking about another topic.

I laid there in the bed, located in the basement of Steve and Ernie Simms' house in Nashville and looked up at the sea of glow-in-the-dark stars which were glued to the ceiling above me.

A glance at my phone said it was 3:10 a.m.

There was no doubt in my mind that the Lord wanted me to speak about this new topic. I quickly rolled out of bed and got on my knees to pray about what I'd seen.

After a few moments I felt a very strong urge to write down the message so I wouldn't forget it.

What I had heard was simply this: There are 3 things holding back the flood.

I knew this was a specific message for the people who were with us for the Unconference. The night before had been filled with expectation and I had sensed a strong sense of hunger for experiencing the kind of ekklesia where Jesus is the Head and the people operate as fully-functional members of the Body of Christ.

But, now, the Lord was highlighting three specific barriers that were holding back this flood of the Lord's anointing and presence.

After writing it all down I was too wired to sleep so I picked up my iPod and checked my messages.

As I was responding to a post on Facebook my cell phone buzzed to let me know I was receiving a text. "Who was texting me at 3 a.m.?" I wondered.

It was Richard Jacobson. His text read: "What are you doing up at 3 a.m.?"

I texted back to let him know that the Lord had given me a new message for our morning session. He said that he had also received a new direction for the Lord for his sessions too.

By the time the morning session started I was anxious to share what the Lord had given me.

I started things off by inviting the young girl up who had the vision from the night before about the giant fire hose being lowered down to us and gushing spouts of living water over all of us.

After she finished, I let everyone know that my session was not going to be about faith and politics but about 3 things that were holding back the flood.

Here's what I shared:

Many of you here have been hurt by your brothers and sisters in the Church. The Lord sees your pain. He knows how much it hurts when they slander you, and when they shun you for seeking to experience the ekklesia and practice the Headship of Christ. He understands and validates your suffering.

But, you need to forgive them. You need to let it go. The Lord cannot put something new into your hands if you haven't let go of your pain. He can't move you forward until you allow Him to heal your wounds.

Give this hurt to Jesus. Let Him heal you. Let Him show you how to love your brothers and sisters.

Pray for them. Pray a blessing over them. Pray for their marriage. Pray a blessing over their ministry. Pray for their finances to increase. Pray for their children. Pray the Lord's favor over them. Not because you feel it, but because the Lord has commanded you to bless those who curse you and do good to those who mistreat you.

At first it will only be words, but as you continue to pray for them, the Lord will soften and change your heart and eventually you will mean every word of what you are asking, and that's when you'll know you have surrendered your pain to Him.

Some of you are waiting for permission. You're not sure you're qualified to start a church in your home. You're afraid you don't have the authority to do this.

But the Lord says, you are already licensed and ordained into the ministry of the Gospel of Christ by the Holy Spirit of the Living God.

If you are sensing His calling to go and do this - go and do this! He will be with you all the way.

You are called. You are chosen. You are qualified.

Do not wait to be equipped before you step out. As you step out, you will be equipped.

You've been waiting for the guru to arrive and show you what to do. But the Lord says, the expert you are waiting for is within you! You have the Lord Jesus Christ living inside of you.

Go. Just go, knowing that He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

Finally, there are some of you who are waiting for a road map. You're ready and willing to go, but you're waiting for someone to navigate every step that may come your way.

The Lord says that you are pioneers. Where you are going there is no map.

The map you are looking for will be drawn as you go and others who come behind you will follow the trail that you have cut for them along the way.

Cut the path. Blaze the trail.

Remember: The Lord loves to do extraordinary things through ordinary people. Every "hero" of the faith in the Bible was a weak, flawed, broken person. This is why the Lord touched them and did magnificent things through them; because He knew they could never take credit for the great things He would do in their weakness.

As Paul told us, "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." [2 Cor. 4:7]

Many of you came here today because you thought this was a conference. But this is not a conference, it's a launching pad. The Lord wants to fill you up and send you out.

The countdown has already started.

**

So, this is how we started things off on Saturday morning. It only got more awesome from there.

More testimonies to follow.

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5 MINUTE VIDEO: "What About Forgiveness?" with Keith Giles

Does Jesus expect us to forgive people, even if they don't ask for our forgiveness? What about when they don't repent or stop their offensive behaviors?

Take 5 minutes and listen to Keith's response based on what Jesus has to say about forgiving others and how it relates to our own forgiveness.

CRIMINAL MINDS

All of us struggle with this.

We know that God has forgiven us. We’ve read the verses. We’ve even quoted them to other people. But sometimes, in the darkness, when we’re all alone, we start to lose touch with who we are and fall back into that old pattern of thinking.

“I’m a loser,” we whisper to ourselves. “I’m a failure,” we say.

Maybe we blew it. Maybe we said something, or did something, that we regret.

Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe it was ten years ago. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was, we drag it back up. We dig up old bones and we reenact the crime, playing it over again in slow motion within our memory.

We just wish God would fix us, but what we’ve forgotten is that God is already fixing us. In fact, He tells us that we’re new creatures who are in the process of being made into His image.

When God looks at us, He doesn’t see someone who needs to be fixed. He sees someone who is a new creation in Christ; someone so dearly loved and fully accepted.

We might feel like we’re not even worthy to ask for help, but we don’t need to be worthy. He is worthy and that’s all that matters.

If we’re in Him then we’re promised:

*There is no condemnation

*Nothing can separate us from His love

*We are new creatures

*We are His children

The next time you find yourself in this place, try reminding yourself of who you are now, not who you used to be.

Focus on drawing nearer and nearer to Jesus and not on how far apart you feel from Him.

As Paul reminds us, "Think on these things...":

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" [Phil. 4:8]

Going forward, it's important not to dwell on the past. As Paul also reminds us, 

"Forget the past and reach towards what lies ahead of you. Press on towards the goal which is Christ Jesus" [See Phil. 3:13]

Resist the temptation to return to the scene of the crime.

You were found innocent. Washed clean forever of all guilt by Jesus, two thousand years ago.

Your debt is paid in full. You are free to go.

All charges against you have been dropped.

We’ve checked with the Judge and you have no criminal record on file.

Keep reminding yourself of who you are now, not who you once were long ago.

Today you are free. There is no condemnation against you. There is nothing in this universe strong enough to separate you from God’s love.

Case dismissed.

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DEAR AMERICA: AN APOLOGY

Dear America,

I want to apologize. On behalf of my brothers and sisters in the Christian Church, I need to say that I’m sorry that we have failed you.

We were sent by our Lord Jesus, to spread the love of God to everyone we meet. We have not done that very well. In fact, many times, we have spread division, hate, guilt and shame instead of love, compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness, or peace. 

I’m very, very sorry about that.

I hate to admit it, but the violence that your country is drowning in now is partly our fault. Not because we are the one’s doing the violence, but because we have failed in our mission to preemptively transform this nation – and the world – with the irresistible love of Christ who lives within each and every one of us.

Yes, I know that sometimes we are the one’s doing the violence, and sometimes we’re cheering on those who torture, or drop bombs on innocents, but my apology is more specifically for the fact that we have failed to be agents of change in this world the way Jesus intended.

I also know that we have done our fair share of “good” in the world – funding homeless shelters, feeding the poor, caring for the unwed mothers and the orphans. Yes, those things are good, and I’m glad some of us have made that a priority. But none of this good work makes up for our failure to love our enemies and promote peace.

See, instead of focusing all of our attention and time and energy on loving you – our neighbors – we have become endlessly distracted with a vast number of things that have nothing to do with our mission. We’ve tried to manipulate the society using politics. We’ve demonized other religions. We’ve taken sides in political debates. We’ve protected our own self-interests rather than lay down our lives so that the power of Christ might be unleashed.

Simply put, we have not acted very much like Jesus.

I know that an apology doesn’t change that fact. I know that the only thing that really makes any difference is when those of us who claim to follow the Prince of Peace actually begin to love the way He did, and serve others the way He did, and forgive the way He did, and love everyone unconditionally the way He did. 

I know that.

Now, we’re not going to shove it down your throat. We’re not trying to force you to agree with us on any of that. But we do hope that you’ll give us a chance to show you how wonderful Jesus really is, and how powerful His love can be, and how He can turn everyone – even the worst criminal and most violent offender – into the sort of person you’d hope to become yourself one day.

For now, please forgive us for our miserable, embarrassing failure to put the unsearchable riches of Christ on display. This is our crime. This is our sin.

I hope one day we can all make it up to you and that you’ll find it in your heart to pardon us for missing the entire point of what Jesus came and died to set into motion.

Sincerely,

A concerned follower of Jesus

SWEET FORGIVENESS

During one of our “Jesus Without Religion (Or Politics)” meetups, someone asked if Christians were expected to forgive those who don’t repent.

It’s a common question, and a good one. Especially when you consider that Jesus tells us to forgive those who sin against us “if they repent…seventy times seven”.

So, if repentance is a pre-requisite for us to receive God’s forgiveness, then isn’t it only fair that other people should repent before we’re expected to forgive them?

Here’s what I think: Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we should “forgive our debtors” and even tied our own forgiveness of sins from the Father with our willingness to forgive other people.

However, if you forgive a debt, that means the person doesn’t pay what they owe you. And if someone owes you an apology, or an “I’m sorry”, you are expected to forgive that person without waiting to receive what they owe you.

I think we can also look at a few other places where Jesus forgave people who did not repent. He forgave the sins of the man dropped down from the roof right before he healed him and told him to take up his mat and walk. He also forgave the thief on the cross and promised that the man would be with him in paradise that very day. No mention of repentance there. And, of course, Jesus also forgave the soldiers who nailed him to the cross without waiting for repentance or contrition saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

So, I think that as followers of Jesus we are expected to forgive people without expecting an apology first.

“For if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive your sins. But if you do not forgive those who sin against you, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – Jesus [Matt. 6:14-15]

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Love Conquers Hate

On October 2, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the West Nickel Mines School house holding a loaded gun. He proceeded to shoot ten girls, between the ages of 6 and 13 years old, and killed five of them.

Eventually he turned the gun on himself and took his own life.

While stories like this are all-too-common in our world today, the reaction of the community was anything but.

This shooting had taken place in the Amish country of Bart Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The families who lost their daughters were filled with grief over the loss of their children, but they were also filled with the love of Christ.

This is why, instead of responding out of their despair, they followed the Prince of Peace and found the faith to act out the loving example of Jesus.

Just one week after the shooting, the same families who lost their daughters in this senseless and selfish act visited Marie Roberts, the wife of the man who had pulled the trigger and taken his own life.

They boldly, and sincerely, offered their complete forgiveness to her. They invited her to attend the funeral services for their slain daughters. They shared all relief funds sent to them with Mrs. Roberts and her own children who had lost their father that same day. They even attended the funeral of Charles Roberts and offered their loving support to his widow and his children.

This is love. This is true forgiveness and Christian compassion.

We saw this same brand of radical love and forgiveness a few days ago in Charleston, when the families of those who had lost their loved ones to the senseless shooting came face to face with the killer and sincerely forgave him.

Where do we find that kind of love? Where does it come from? Are these people just being religious? Are they pretending to love the one who killed their father, or mother, or sister or brother?

Or is it possible that the sort of love that Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount is actually real?

Out of hate, love can conquer. Out of despair, hope can rise. Out of tragedy, forgiveness can overcome and transcend human emotion.

Jesus empowers those who follow Him and put His words into practice. He fills us with real life, and real love that most people can only dream about.

In times of great darkness and despair, this love shines like the sun and puts Jesus on display for everyone to see.

This is why we're called to love our enemies. This is why we are expected to overcome evil with good. Not so we can be door mats, but so that we can demonstrate to the world that the Gospel is real and that His love transforms us into people who can love in the face of tragedy and forgive even the greatest evils.

The message of the Gospel is subversive. It goes against the grain. It makes a real, dramatic, powerful difference at just the right time, and when no one could possibly even expect it.

This is what we are called to, as followers of Christ. We are called to love extravagantly and to forgive inexplicably, and to demonstrate to the world that Jesus is alive inside of us.

Let the Kingdom come.

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*Updated 6/23/15

THE POWER TO LOVE AND TO FORGIVE

Love isn't an easy thing to do. If you do it right, it will cost you everything. 

To love someone you must lay aside your wants and focus on their needs. Their happiness takes precedence over your comfort, and their joy becomes more important than your own.

To be honest, I do not often do it right. Often I am too overcome by my own desire to be comfortable or happy to love someone else in this way. Love is difficult. It is challenging. Love is not for the faint of heart.

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the future. We get to see what will count for Eternity when we stand before Him at the end of our lives. Surprisingly, what counts is how we have loved others.

"Whatever you have done for one of the least of these, my brothers, you have done it unto me." 

Many of us will be surprised at how little weight Jesus gives to church attendance, tithing, drinking alcohol, using swear words, or wearing Christian t-shirts. In fact Jesus makes no reference to any of these things when it comes to the final Judgement. He seems to only care about one thing: How did you love others?

It's not a shock really, since the main command he gave to his followers was to love one another as he loved them. (see John 13:34) 

So, in the end, it's all about the love we show, not the outward acts of power and service in the name of God.

Jesus was also clear that we are called to love those who don't love us in return. 

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Don't even sinners do that?" (Luke 6:32)

Our calling, as followers of Jesus, is to love not only those who love us (our parents, our wives, our children, our best friend, etc.), but also those who do not love us (the guy on the freeway who cut us off, the family member who infuriates us, that annoying guy at church, our co-workers, our stupid boss, etc.).

Love, as I said before, is not an easy thing to do.

That's why we need to be changed, from the inside out, so that we can become the sort of people who love unconditionally and extravagantly.

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Cor 5:16-17

As far as impossible things go, forgiveness is no walk in the park either. I'm reminded of a great quote from the film, "Into The Wild" where one character says to the main character, "When you forgive you love, and when you love God's light shines down on you."

Another thing that happens when you forgive is that you set yourself free.

"Forgiveness is giving up the right to retaliate. Forgiveness is the willingness to have something happen the way it happened. It's not true that you can't forgive something; it's a matter of the will, and you always have the choice. Forgiveness is never dependent on what the other person does or does not do; it is always under our control. Forgiveness is giving up the insistence on being understood.... Jesus forgave those who crucified him. This is a radically new way of thinking. For those who accept and practice this discipline, there is a release of energy and a sense of freedom." - Pixie Koestline Hammond; "For Everything There Is a Season."

Evil is overcome, then, not by force or by destructive power but by the amazing love of God. Only His perfect brand of love - without strings attached, where only the good of the person being loved is taken into account- can overcome a world of hate and violence and pain.

Like it or not, you and I, the followers of Jesus, have a mandate. We are commanded to love. We are compelled to forgive. Our only hope is to become like Jesus so that we can love like Jesus loved. This is the only hope possible for our troubled world.

Do we really believe that the greatest weapons against hate are love and forgiveness? Do we really put our faith in towels and basins of water as instruments of change? Do we actually trust in the power of daily dieing to ourselves so that Christ can live through us?

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." - Colossians 1:27 

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Letting It Go

On November 8, 1987, Gordon took his daughter, Marie, out to watch a parade. She wasn't a little girl anymore, but she was quite happy to have the day off from her nursing job and to spend some time with her Dad.

Then, a little after 10 a.m., the bomb exploded, blasting them to the ground. Gordon never let go of his daughter's hand, even when the building fell in on them and buried them in darkness.

Unable to move, they lay beneath the crushing weight of the rubble and spoke to one another, choking back dust and tears.

"She gripped my hand tightly," he remembered. "Gripped me as hard as she could. Then she said, 'Daddy, I love you very much.'"

When her grip relaxed a few seconds later, he knew she was gone. Five minutes later they pulled him and his daughter Marie out from under the debris. Marie never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Speaking to the BBC reporters just a few hours later, Gordon said, "I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She's in heaven and we shall meet again."

Then he added, "I will pray for these men tonight and every night."

According to historian Jonathan Bardon, "No words in more than twenty-five years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful, emotional impact."

The Remembrance Day bombing, as it came to be known, killed 11 people and injured 64 when a single 40 pound bomb was detonated by the Provisional IRA during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony held to honor those who had served in the British Special Forces.

The BBC would later describe the bombing as a turning point in the ongoing struggle between the IRA and the British. Not because the bombing itself accomplished anything strategically for either side, but simply because the response of forgiveness by one 60 year old man “shook the IRA to its core".

Not only did Gordon Wilson publicly forgive those who had planted the bomb that killed his dear daughter, Marie, he said he would pray for them and that is exactly what he did for the rest of his life. He also begged that no-one took revenge for Marie's death and pleaded with others not to do so.

How could this man forgive those who took away his daughter so quickly? Because Gordon Wilson loved Jesus with all his heart. He had spent many years serving his community faithfully, simply, and quietly, as a follower of Christ.

After the bombing, Wilson went on to devote his life to the peace effort and even met face to face with the members of the very same terrorist organization that planted the bomb that day.

He believed in forgiveness and he trusted in the Prince of Peace. This made all the difference in the world.

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I FORGIVE

It’s one of the very hardest things in the world for most of us to do – Forgive.

Yet, Jesus commands us to forgive others, and not only to forgive them, but to forgive them in the same way that we have been forgiven by God. That’s a lot of forgiveness. In fact, it’s complete forgiveness that let’s go and forgets, as if the wrong doing never even took place.

But that’s not all that Jesus has to say about the topic. I hope you’re sitting down for this.

Jesus actually says that he won’t forgive us if we don’t forgive others.

Yes. He really does. Right here:

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." - JESUS (Matthew 6:14-15)

Whoa Nelly. Is Jesus suggesting that his forgiveness to us is conditional? I’ve never once heard a single sermon on such a thing in my entire life. How can that be?

Perhaps Jesus is forgetting that "if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"? (1 John 1:9)

And what about the fact that the Psalms tell us that "as far as the east is from the west, this is how far he has removed our sins from us"?(Ps 103:12)

What’s Jesus talking about here? How can he say that we can’t be forgiven of our sins unless we first forgive others of their sins against us?

The reason is very simple: Unforgivness is a sin.

So, if we hold a grudge against someone, that is a sin. If we refuse to repent of our sin, and if we do not stop practicing this sin of unforgiveness, we cannot be forgiven of it.

In order to receive forgiveness, we have to honestly confess our sins to God and we need to repent of these actions which hurt our relationship with God - and which also hurts us as well.

As hard, or even as impossible, as forgiveness can sometimes be, we have to learn to forgive anyway.

“There is someone that I love even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is me.” - C.S. Lewis

See, this is why Jesus also commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Because we give ourselves permission to do horrible things and still consider ourselves worthy of forgiveness and mercy. That means we need to love others enough to consider that they, also, are worthy of being loved and forgiven and shown mercy.

Now, the truth is, we are no more “worthy” of forgiveness than anyone else is, including the ones who have harmed us. But Jesus doesn’t give us any room to argue. Our forgiveness is tied to our forgiveness of others.

Let’s repent of the sin of unforgiveness and extend the same grace and mercy and love that we want so much for ourselves.

Forgiving others unlocks you from the prison of bitterness. It also sets you free to receive God’s forgiveness.

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FAITHLESS

I spent last weekend in Oakland with some pretty amazing people during the Momentum Conference. One by one people came forward and shared incredible testimonies of how God radically intervened to change someone’s life, or to share the Gospel like wildfire – from one simple woman in the Bay Area to her entire family in South America where dozens of new churches were planted.

As I listened to these stories I couldn’t help but feel challenged in my faith and, at the same time, embarrassed by my lack of faith.

I couldn’t help but compare these testimonies with my own experiences in our neighborhood, or with similar situations at the motel where we’ve served for over a decade now. I started to wonder why we don’t have the same kind of testimonies that these people had. Little by little I realized that it probably had to do with my own lack of faith.

Not that I don’t believe that God can work miracles. I’ve seen and experienced some pretty incredible things in my life, from answered prayers, to healings, and words of knowledge, and visions, and prophetic dreams, even the gift of tongues. I believe that God can perform miracles today. I guess recently I’ve started to doubt that He might want to, or that He would if I asked him to.

As I reflect back over the last year I realize that there have been situations where I’ve prayed for people in various levels of poverty, bondage, addiction, despair, and hopelessness. Even though I’ve prayed for them and asked God to intervene, there are times – if I’m honest – that I’ve doubted that God would heal them, or change their situation. Not that He could do that, but that He would do it. This is my sin. My sin of unbelief.

One of the people who stood up and gave his testimony at the Momentum Conference was a man who had lost his marriage, his dignity, and fallen into drug addiction. He was far from God. He wanted to die. He overdosed multiple times and each time God saved him. One day a man came to his door and brought him groceries. He began to befriend him. He helped him to stay sober for about 3 months, but then one night the pain and despair overcame him and he overdosed again in an attempt to take his own life. Once again someone found him and called the Ambulance. He survived.

 

The day after he returned from the hospital this same man asked him why he had gone back to drugs. He said he didn’t want to live anymore. He said he only wanted to live if he could have his life back again. In that moment, I hope I would have said what this brother said to him – “Do you want God to change your life?” He said “yes”. The man asked him, “Are you willing to start right now to trust God and to get your life back?” Again, the man said “yes”. So, they took him to a rehab center that very hour and he got cleaned up, put his life into God’s hands, and experienced a remarkable transformation.

Do you know how many people I’ve sat down with who had this same struggle? I can’t count them. But I do remember some of them so clearly in my mind, and I remember doubting that God could turn things around for them. Oh, I prayed with them. I asked God to show His love and mercy to them. I even prayed for God to help them get over their addictions and overcome their poverty and kick their bad habits. But I left doubting that anything might change. I expected to see them next week in the very same place – weak, addicted, and struggling. Most of the time I was right.

Why has doubt crept into my heart? Why do I think that God doesn’t want to heal, or change, or rescue people like this? Maybe because I’ve seen too many prayers unanswered. Maybe because I watched my friend Robert Higgins die from bone cancer without being healed. Maybe because something is broken in my relationship with Jesus and I need to realign myself with his heart for people and his love for them – and for me.

One thing is certain; God still works miracles today. He’s still transforming lives and healing addictions and rescuing the lost and building His Kingdom right now. I’ve heard the testimonies with my own ears. I’ve shaken hands with the ones He’s healed. I’ve seen for myself the joy of new life in the eyes of a former heroin addict who now pours out his life for others so that they can experience this same transformative Jesus for themselves.

 My only comfort today is that Jesus knows all about my doubt. He’s not shocked. In fact, He’s even willing to work around my lack of faith and use whatever meager offering I place at His feet today for His glory.

I’m reminded of the man whose son was plagued by demons in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus’ disciples could not cast the demon out and after Jesus asked the man about the boy and how long he had been like this, the boy’s father said, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Jesus response was quick, “’If you can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

That’s me. I do believe, but I pray that Jesus would help me overcome my unbelief. I need to be healed of that so He can heal others through me.

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.” – (1 Tim.2:11-13)

Thank you, Jesus, for making room for my unbelief and for being faithful, even when I am faithless.

Help my unbelief.

-kg

 

TIME TO SAY "I LOVE YOU"

On September 11th, 2001, the victims of the attack had precious seconds to call one person they loved and say goodbye, or ask forgiveness, or let them know just how much they cared for them. And then it was goodbye.

Who would you make that call to? What would you say to them?

As we remember the tragedy of 9/11 today, I encourage all of us to take the time to put ourselves in the shoes of those who lost their lives that fateful day. Find your cell phone. Call that one person. Make sure they know how much you love them. Make sure they know you're sorry what you did, or what you said.

And when you say 'goodbye' at the end of that call, rejoice that for you it is not goodbye forever. You are still alive. You can even make another call or two before this day is over.

This is your opportunity to heal; to forgive; to love; to live.

-kg

LOVE CONQUERS HATE

On October 2, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the West Nickel Mines School house holding a loaded gun. He proceeded to shoot ten girls, between the ages of 6 and 13 years old, and killed five of them. Eventually he turned the gun on himself and took his own life.

While stories like this are all-too-common in our world today, the reaction of the community was anything but.

This shooting had taken place in the Amish country of Bart Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The families who lost their daughters were filled with grief over the loss of their children, but they were also filled with the love of Christ. This is why, instead of responding out of their despair, they followed the Prince of Peace and found the faith to act out the loving example of Jesus.

Just one week after the shooting, the same families who lost their daughters in this senseless and selfish act visited Marie Roberts, the wife of the man who had pulled the trigger and taken his own life. They boldly, and sincerely, offered their complete forgiveness to her. They invited her to attend the funeral services for their slain daughters. They shared all relief funds sent to them with Mrs. Roberts and her own children who had lost their father that same day. They even attended the funeral of Charles Roberts and offered their loving support to his widow and his children.

This is love. This is true forgiveness and Christian compassion.

Out of hate, love can conquer. Out of despair, hope can rise. Out of tragedy, forgiveness can overcome.

The message of the Gospel is subversive. It goes against the grain. It makes a real, dramatic, powerful difference at just the right time, and when no one could possibly even expect it.

This is what we are called to, as followers of Christ. We are called to love extravagantly and to forgive inexplicably, and to demonstrate to the world that Jesus is alive inside of us.

Let the Kingdom come.

-kg

The "Secret" Teaching of Jesus

Hiding in plain site is a teaching from the lips of Jesus that I would venture to guess most Christians have never heard before. Or, if they have heard it before they've simply dismissed it as being one of those "hard sayings" and laid it on the pile of other verses which seemingly defy understanding.

No matter what denomination or tradition you come from, I'm certain you've memorized the passage where Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray:

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespassees as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Frankly, I'd be willing to bet that it would be easy to find unbelievers who could repeat this passage without much trouble. Aside from John 3:16, it's probably the most oft quoted verse in the New Testament from the mouth of Jesus.

That's why the verse immediately after this section is called the "secret" teaching of Jesus on the subject of forgiveness. Because even though it's just one verse beneath this famous quote, it's largely unknown by those who call themselves followers of the One who said it.

Here's the "secret" teaching:

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." - JESUS (Matthew 6:14-15)

What's that?! Is Jesus suggesting that our forgiveness is conditional? Wait a minute. I never once heard a single sermon on such a thing in my entire life. How can it be?

Is Jesus forgetting that "if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"?(1 John 1:9)

And what about the fact that the Psalms tell us that "as far as the east is from the west, this is how far he has removed our sins from us"?(Ps 103:12)

Obviously, there's something going on here that we're missing. What could it be?

The reason this teaching from Jesus seems so strange to our ears - other than the fact that we've probably never heard a sermon on this in our lives - is that we often forget that unforgivness is a sin.

If we hold a grudge against someone, that is a sin. If we refuse to repent of our sin, and if we do not stop practicing this sin of unforgiveness, we cannot be forgiven of it.

Simply confessing that we have sinned in some general sense and then expecting to be forgiven of even those sins which we have not repented of is presumptuous to say the least. In order to receive forgiveness, we have to honestly confess our sins to God and we need to repent of these actions which hurt our relationship with God - and which also hurts us as well.

Jesus and the rest of the Apostles make it very clear that our love for God is reflected in the way we love - and forgive - one another. These two things are forver linked together. As Jesus said, when asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." – Matt 22: 34-40

I love that Jesus throws in a bonus answer. Even though they did not ask him what the second greatest commandment was, he tells them anyway. Probably because he wanted to make this very important point: Loving God and loving others are "like" one another.

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. - 1 John 4:19-21

See? We cannot love God if we do not love - and forgive - our brothers and sisters.
Love, for a follower of Jesus, is what marks us. We are to be known for our love. We are commanded to love. We are expected to practice loving until we become experts at loving others and then we are to teach others how to love like Jesus loved us.

"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:33-35

If we cannot love that person who has wronged us, then how can we love God? If we cannot forgive the person who has hurt us, then how can we honestly say that we ourselves have known forgiveness?

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:12-13

How much have you been forgiven? How good did it feel to have that weight lifted off of your shoulders?

Let go of your unforgiveness and repent of this sin which holds your own soul captive.

As a wise man once said, "Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting it to hurt someone else."

The person you set free when you forgive is in the mirror. Have mercy.

-kg

The Least of the Least

One of the most powerful things about the ministry of Jesus was that he saw the least and the last around him and made them central to his proclamation of the Kingdom.

In contrast to the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day, Jesus seemed to seek out those most outcast by society. The leper, the poor, the broken, the sick, and even the unpopular tax collector became the main disciples of Jesus. He welcomed them, he sought them out, and even greater still, he loved them.

This backwards strategy confounded his peers, bringing harsh rebuke and criticism from the Jewish leaders of the day, and yet this love for the common man, or woman, became a growing factor in his popularity among the people.

In Jewish culture, women were valued only for their child-bearing and mothering skills. Men had the authority to divorce them at will, for any reason, or no reason, at all. A woman had no such right.

At the time of Christ, women were not allowed equal access to the Temple. The court of women was further away from The Holy Place than the court of men, and in fact the court of the Gentiles was the second closest. Jewish women were valued below even the non-Jewish men in the assembly.

Jewish men, historically, did not speak to women in public, even their own wives. For a Rabbi, this would have been an even greater embarrassment.

Furthermore, a woman wasn’t allowed to even read from the Scriptures and was not counted as a member of the congregation. Even one of their most respected Rabbi’s, Judah ben Elai (A.D. 150) was quoted as saying, “One must utter three doxologies every day: Praise God that he did not create me a heathen. Praise God he did not create me a woman! Praise God that he did not create me an illiterate person.”3

Nothing could have been more backwards and counter-culture than for Jesus, an up and coming Jewish Rabbi, to honor women, and yet that is just what he did.

What we see in the Scriptures is that Jesus “…needed to travel through Samaria” a place where most of those outcast from contemporary Jewish society dwelled in community. The Samaritans themselves were an entire race of people who were devalued by God’s Chosen people. This little detour certainly caused the Disciples to scratch their heads.

Even more, the fact that Jesus only came to speak to one person in Samaria is even more confounding, especially when that one person turns out to be a woman; and not just any woman, but what most would refer to as the village tramp.

At the heat of the day, when most everyone was inside the cool of their home, the Samaritan woman is heading out to Jacob’s Well to draw water. Most every other woman would have long since completed this daily chore and that is our clue that the woman Jesus wants to talk to is an outcast in her community. She avoids the other women, probably because they tend to look down on her for her promiscuous lifestyle. Perhaps because she has been responsible for seducing one or more of their husbands.

At any rate, this woman is an outcast, even among other women who are themselves undervalued in this society. This woman has multiple strikes against her. She is a Samaritan, a woman, and a moral failure among her own people. She is the least among the least.

This is the woman that Jesus seeks out. He seems to be waiting at this well, at this specific time of the day, in order to meet with this woman that no one else would spend an idle moment with.

Many of us have made mistakes in our lives. Many of us have received condemnation from others about our failures. Our parents, our friends, even people within the Church, may have rejected us and turned us away to wallow in our shame. We need to know that Jesus does not condemn us. We need to know that, in the eyes of Jesus, we are not disqualified from Grace. We are not disqualified from ministry. Our weakness does not exempt us from participation in the Kingdom. In fact, according to Jesus, it is our weakness, our poverty, our humility, our sorrow, and our humanity that qualifies us as blessed members of the Kingdom of God. (See Matthew 5:3-12)

This, my friends, is Good News. Do you see the heart of Jesus here? Do you see how he goes out of his way to find this woman? He loves her. He spends time with her. He speaks to her and treats her with respect and dignity, even as he points out her personal failures regarding relationships with men. She is never offended by Jesus. She is never insulted. Intuitively she knows that Jesus takes her seriously and is showing real interest in her as a person.

In fact, Jesus is never seen treating people in culturally acceptable ways. Instead, he goes entirely against the prevailing cultural norms and treats people, lepers, sinners, even women, with uncommon respect, tenderness and love.

As we look closer at how Jesus interacted with this woman, I think we could all learn a lot by following his example of extravagant love. Just imagine what incredible impact we could have on people around us if we simply valued them as people, treated them with respect and took a genuine interest in their lives?

We are so quick to look for fault in others, to disqualify them from the free gift of Grace, and yet our Lord Jesus looked past the mountain of sin and the cultural prejudices of the day to see this woman for who she was. He spoke to her as an equal, not as someone who was beneath him. He looked into her eyes long enough to remember what color they were. He talked with her about the Law, even though women in that age were not allowed to be taught the Law. He listened. He took her seriously. He did not condemn her for her failures in life.

Yes, Jesus did confront this woman with her sin, but he did so in a way that did not offend her. He spoke to her as someone who was genuinely concerned for her well-being and expressed the truth without attaching judgment.

I’ve heard it said that listening to someone is so much like loving them that most people can’t tell the difference. When was the last time we listened to someone else as an act of compassion?

We should learn how to practice this sort of evangelism, because it was so successful that it impacted not only this one single person but an entire village.

If Jesus could seek out a woman and see in her an evangelist; If Jesus could have a conversation with an adulteress and treat her as a person worthy of his love; If Jesus could endure the humiliation of being seen with an outcast in order to set her free from her past failures; Then there’s hope for you and I, isn’t there?

Jesus still seeks out those who are sinners so that he can set them free. Jesus still searches for failures so he can transform them by His love. Jesus still values those who the rest of us have dismissed as worthless.

There is still hope for you. Whatever you’ve been through. Whatever your failures. Whatever your challenge. God has a place for you in His Kingdom. You are valuable. You matter. You are worth more than you know.

God longs to invite you into the ongoing story of His Kingdom here on Earth. If the woman at the well had a purpose and a value in this Kingdom, then certainly you and I do as well.

-Keith Giles
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3(from “Man as Male and Female” by Paul K. Jewett, 1975)
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NOTE: Taken from my book-in-progress, "The Power of Weakness"