Tanzania Update!
I just got back from Tanzania and what a trip. Much preaching, teaching, and personal ministry. As I was returning to the States, I had two long trips to consider & meditate on some things. There is a passage in Luke – the prodigal son parable – when the wandering son finally comes to his senses. The Bible says he came to himself and decided to repent fully to his father. In Luke 5, Peter is so impressed by the Lord’s miracle of the catch of fish that he is willing to walk away from everything for the sake of the Gospel. The Bible says that they ‘forsook all’ to follow Jesus. Then there is the passage in Acts 2. When Peter finishes preaching the bible says that the hearers were ‘cut to the heart’. They came boldly to Peter and the other apostles and asked, “What must we do?”
What drives a man into clear thinking like that? In a moment of time, all the excuses, doubts, distractions, other loves, foggy thinking, etc.; all of that fades from view and a person is left with the only choice available to anyone, “What will I do with the Lord’s claim on my life?” What a moment of clarity!!
In Acts 16:25-30, the Philippian jailor asks Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” The jailor does not care what other prison officials think or guards think. He takes Paul & Silas out of prison and washes their wounds, cares for them, and gives them something to eat. He is focused on doing what is right, just, and what now pleases God. What happened to this man to bring about such a shift in his conscience – such a change in attitude – such a different stance in his practice. It was radical!! He was given spiritual eyes and he knew right from wrong – no shades of grey – no hiding behind our favorite excuse today, “It’s complicated.”
In 1Cor.14, Paul speaks of the convicting power of prophecy. He says an unbeliever comes in the midst of the congregation, hears a prophetic word, the secret of his heart is revealed, and he “falls down on his knees” admitting that the living God is there among the believers. These and more examples of this kind of sharp spiritual clarity can be found in various places in the Bible.
Just what is going on? I am seeking an answer to that but ONE THING is for sure. “No one comes to the Father unless the Spirit draws him.” We must have the touch and revelation of Jesus today or there will be no repentance, no conversions, no change of heart, no vividly clear day when one finally sees their life through the eyes of God almighty. In that moment, the nearness of Jesus, His eternal life, His ownership and claim on all we are becomes PLAIN! Then, and only then, is there the kind of brokenness, desire for God, and clear thinking that sets one on the path of righteousness with Jesus! We must pray my brothers and sisters. Our family, our friends, our churches, our meetings, even our prayers need this moment of great clarity where Jesus and His way is seen while all else appears as vain as it really is.
O Jesus, open the eyes of our understanding that we might perceive the height, breadth, and depth of the love of God that passes knowledge! Onward my friends – new heights we are gaining everyday!
