Here's an honest confession: I struggle to rest in the Lord when I'm doing His work. The apostle Paul told the Philippians: "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). It is a wondrous truth that God uses flawed human vessels to do His will. But He can't work through us if we are anxiously trying to do the job ourselves. In Old Covenant times, God instructed the priests to dress in linen garments instead of wool so they wouldn't perspire while they worked.
On many occasions I have preached in churches where I saw the same peculiar vision while standing in the pulpit. I saw in my spirit many tangled and gnarly roots growing up from the floor of the building and wrapping themselves around the chairs and walls. The roots covered the doors, the stage, the pulpit and even the ceiling. It appeared as though these invasive roots were choking the very life out of the house of God. I have come to know that what I was seeing was evidence of a spirit of religion. And in each case, I understood it as a warningâ°"because the life of the Holy Spirit cannot flourish in a church that is controlled by this cold, dark deadness.
One of the most amazing attributes of God is His willingness to communicate. He loves to talk to His people. As soon as He created Adam and Eve at the beginning of time, He blessed them and gave them detailed instructions. God talked to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He gave detailed instructions to Moses, David, Elijah and many other prophets. And today, because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, He speaks to us. Yet I meet so many Christians who struggle when it comes to guidance. When they pray, they strain to hear anything. They know God speaks, but either they don't believe He wants to talk to them, or they don't want to obey what He says. Many believers have never known the thrill of hearing God's gentle voice in their spirits.
I have had a private "prayer language" since I was 18 years old. No one taught me how to pray in tongues. I was raised in a church that didn't teach about the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament. In fact, the first person I ever heard speaking in tongues was me, at the moment Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit. I don't think of myself as superior to anyone because I have this gift. Most people have never heard me pray in tongues because I do it in my private devotional time. But because I've written about it and preach about it often, some people have questioned it or even accused me of promoting false teaching.
When I first met my friend "Guillermo," he couldn't make eye contact. I knew he had suffered a lot of abuse because he always held his head down. When I asked him about it, he told me his angry father often called him names and scolded him continually. I once prayed for a woman named "Paula" who felt unwanted because her parents told her she was a "mistake." Another young man I know, "Sean," was constantly teased by classmates because he struggled with his weight. Even though he found salvation in Christ as a young adult, he considered suicide more than once because he felt so bad about himself.
Sometimes I wonder how the early disciples felt after Jesus left this earth. They were in awe after seeing the wounds in His hands and feet. They had never been more convinced that He was God in the flesh. Yet they probably battled fear and discouragement because He left them alone when He ascended into heaven. Jesus told them He was sending the power of the Holy Spirit, but what would that look like? They had no idea what was next. Jesus didn't give them a script. There was no church bulletin to explain that a rushing wind would blow at 9 a.m., or that flames would rest on their heads at 9:05 a.m., or that they would speak in strange languages at 9:10 a.m.
Last week I watched one of my favorite movies, The Hiding Place. I've probably watched it 50 times. Near the end of the film, Corrie ten Boom goes to the crude hospital in the Ravensbrück camp to see her sister, Betsie, through the ice-covered windowpane. Betsie can barely lift her head, but she waves and tries to smile. Corrie knew this might be the last time she would see her. I cried at that point in the film because the scene reminded me of the last time I saw my 92-year-old mother through the glass door at her nursing home. Even though her facility is 10 minutes from my house, I'm not allowed to visit her because of a COVID-19 outbreak there.
My friend, Barbara, who lives in northeast Georgia, had a vivid dream back in August. In the dream she was decorating her home for Christmas. She knew it was December. She was stringing lights and placing pine boughs and candles on shelves. She was also setting several tables with plates and silverware, in expectation of a big gathering. At the close of the dream she took a big cake out of a box and set it on a table. The cake had big letters on it, in icing, that said, "REJOICE." The dream ended when she put the cake on the table. When she woke up she knew the Lord was telling her clearly: "You will rejoice in December."
Churches have been on lockdown for months. COVID-19 forced us to go virtual, and the pandemic has turned pastors into awkward television evangelists who preach to empty auditoriums using smartphones. Now, more than six months after the shutdown, some congregations are reopening—with masks, social distancing and even temperature checks. Instead of hearing a worship leader say, "Turn to the person next to you and give them a hug!" we have learned to smile and bump elbows—or maybe not. We also have noticed that a large percentage of church members haven't returned.
This week I did a video call with a gifted young man named Billy who serves on the staff of a growing church in South Africa. He has a big heart of compassion for people. He knows how to make disciples. And he's a great communicator. I told him I would love it if he were my pastor, even though he's only 32. But as I encouraged him, and many young leaders like him, I'm aware that ministry is not an easy assignment. Like everything else in life, it's full of risks. And I want to make sure anyone out there who is praying about stepping into ministry knows what they will face.
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