My apologies about yesterday's post. Reading it this morning leaves me a bit chagrined. I am tempted to delete the post, but don't feel right about that either. So I ask the reader for his/her understanding and leave him/her with the assurance that yesterday is not the start of a self-serving, drama-ridden trend.
Back to The Unexpected Adventure- "Prayers of Desperation"- Ephesians 3:20-21
Interesting reading today. I can relate to the main character of Mark's story. She was a friend of his who had been raised in the church, attended Sunday School, was involved in church activities, but lacked a real relationship with God. That describes my life up until about 5 years ago.
I tell people when I was growing up I had a "drug" problem. After the raised eyebrows, I tell them, that I was "drug" to church every time the doors were open. Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night. Many weekends and summer weeks were filled with church activities. In looking back, all this activity did little to instill in me a genuine, prepared-for-the-real-world faith in and relationship with God. That was made evident by the lifestyle choices I made for the majority of the first 25 years I was on my own. No one who was really connected to Jesus Christ would have made such choices.
However, now through the continued conviction of the Holy Spirit, prayers of family, and the support of Kristi, I feel I am no longer a facade Christian. It is not always going to be harps and angels (as evidenced from yesterday's blog), but the personalness and genuinenessss of my relationship to Christ is becoming deeper each passing day.
The object of Mark's story in UA 18, eventually forms a personal relationship with Jesus and acknowledges that Mark's continued witnessing was a big part of that change. The Action Principle from the chapter is "When all else fails--God is still with you." Don't get discouraged if someone you have been witnessing to or praying for continues to live apart from God.
I have two favorite lines from this chapter:
"When we work, we work. When we pray, God works." (Bill Hybels)
". . .let's talk to God about our friends, before we talk to our friends about God."
There is one line from this chapter with which I disagree. Mark writes about witnessing to friends, "When you lack courage, wisdom, strength or insights--God will prevail." If Mark is referring to God giving us the courage, wisdom, etc. to witness then I do agree with him. However, if Mark is stating that God will prevail in that person's life, I respectfully disagree with him.
We must realize the no matter how much we pray, witness, cajole, love or encourage others about Kingdom things, there will be some people that will die and spend an eternity apart from God in hell. Freewill trumps the very best of sermons, personal testimonies or Kingdom conversations. Our job is to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is ultimately a person's choice that will determine their eternal address.
Does that mean we quit witnessing to and praying for that individual. I am not sure. That would be a conversation to have with God. Would God ever instruct us to quit praying for an individual? Did Jesus exclude Judas from His prayer in John 17?
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