Nameless, Faceless Love


Venturing out from behind our Four Walls to a place at first unfamiliar to us, we found our Saviour waiting among the lost, inviting us to join Him in the Journey.
We offer no names and no faces.
Only His.
Nameless, Faceless Love.



Nameless, Faceless Love's authors live on every populated continent of the world, remaining nameless and faceless so that God might receive any and all of the glory.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Under The Overpass

Life-changing stuff. Explore this site. Read the book. Go to the page below, click the streaming video link and watch. Highways and hedges, man.

http://www.undertheoverpass.com/video.aspx

'Nuff said.

Labels: ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Monday, August 21, 2006

The Umbilical Cord

The other day, a friend of mine who is a pastor shared with me something that happened to him when he was recently called to the hospital.

A grief-stricken family had summoned him upon the death of their baby girl at childbirth. "It was hard," my friend said, referring to seeing the baby girl. "She was beautiful."

He went on to share that the little girl had been carried to full term by her mother and had been born without incident. However, it turns out that this beautiful little girl had no lungs or liver and so, as soon as she was separated from her umbilical cord, she died.

Consider that, in spite of the fact that she was missing very large and important organs required for life outside of the womb, she still lived peacefully and joyfully within her mother for some 9 months, attached to her life source through that umbilical cord.

Not every believer wants to talk about it, but we’re all missing large and important spiritual things inside of us, too, things that haven’t yet developed as God intended. And yet, in spite of these glaring deficiencies in our spiritual make-up, we still have the opportunity to live peacefully and joyfully while daily growing more complete in Him as long as we remain attached to our umbilical cords.

Jesus said in John 15:1-5:

I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch in Me that doesn’t bear fruit He takes away: and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, so that it may bring forth more fruit. You are pruned by the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains attached to the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches; Whoever abides in Me, and I in them will bring forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

When we were born into God’s kingdom through Christ Jesus, we lacked so many vital things. We still do. Our good Lord willing we are all growing to be more complete in Him every day. Still, when Christ returns for us, it is apparent that we will all still remain uncompleted. Until then, we must look daily to the Author and Finisher of Faith, Christ Jesus, remaining attached to the Vine, that we may be transformed daily to be more and more like Him.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, looking straight into Christ Jesus’ face and beholding as in a mirror His glory, are transformed into that same image [His image] from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.2 Corinthians 3:17-18



Labels: , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Manifesting The Broken Christ

I remember a dear Sister who I know who is in her 80's now, who was always a very active person, always "on the go." She was very strong in her faith. She injured her back and it almost completely incapacitated her for a year.

She later told me that she believed that God had a purpose in everything, and that the time when she was unable to do what she ordinarily did was at first a challenge and then ultimately a blessing. She said she saw God teaching her through that experience, even though she was in her 80s. God is so good.

He is breaking us all, my friends. We must all be broken. Broken before God and broken before man.

Jesus said "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Myself."


We all know this passage, but recently I was praying over it and the issue of repentance and God breaking His people so that He might use them for His glory.

Our Lord spoke to me about how it was not the "Risen Christ" that needed to be lifted up so that He could draw all men unto Himself. It was the "Broken Christ" that needed to be lifted up.

This is the Christ that we must manifest to the lost. The Risen Christ has no meaning to those who are lost. The Broken Christ is the image which the Holy Spirit uses to convict men of their sin and draw them unto salvation through Christ Jesus.

We must look at the "Broken Christ" upon the cross, God was telling me. We must know what God's Word says He looked like upon the cross, and we must walk as a manifestation of that in this life. Consider:

If they see the Blood of Jesus Christ and its forgiveness for their sin, and see the Water of the Holy Spirit and its Truth that can make them free flowing from within us (Christ's side was pierced and blood and water flowed out), then the lost will see the Broken Christ in us and be drawn unto Him.

If they see our bones laid bare in open repentance for our sin and the flesh being stripped from our lives through that process (Christ looked down from the cross "and could see all His bones" because they had whipped His flesh away), then the lost will see the Broken Christ in us and be drawn unto Him.

If they see the deep agony we sometimes experience, and yet see that we - in the midst of it all - look to our sides to reach out to one who is hoping for salvation in the last moments of their lives (Christ reached out to the thief on the cross beside Him though He was dying, and made sure that Mary was cared for before He gave up the Ghost), then the lost will see the Broken Christ in us and be drawn unto Him.

If they see that we have ceased trying to be of this denomination or that or this house church network or that, have stopped trying to be "church" and start to live and move and breathe as believers only (when they finally hung Christ on the cross, God's Word says that he had been beaten so much that he no longer had any "form")"), then the lost will see the Broken Christ in us and be drawn unto Him.

If they see us stop trying to be a "real church" or a "cool church" or a "popular church" and start to live and move and breathe as believers only (when they finally hung Christ on the cross, God's Word says that he had been beaten so much that He "had no beauty that we should desire Him"), then the lost will see the Broken Christ in us and be drawn unto Him.

There is more, but you get the picture, friends. This has been pressing upon my heart most fervently.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (NIV)

May Christ be lifted up as we are transformed by God's Holy Spirit in our Spirits, minds and bodies, so that the lost will see Christ and His sacrifice for us all upon the cross, and be drawn unto Life in Him.



Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





The Blessing Of Being A Barnabas

Saul was a Pharisee priest and a tent-maker. God's Word tells us that he "was blameless according to the Law", meaning that he was perfect in keeping the requirements of God's Law to Israel.

Though this might initially make him sound like a holy, righteous man of God, he was not. Saul did not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In fact, caught up in his religious but unspiritual zeal, Saul pursued, imprisoned, tortured and killed many people who actually believed in Jesus Christ. He was noted to chase them from their homes, even to foreign countries, in his quest to stamp out those who named the name of Christ Jesus.

But something amazing was happening within Saul's heart.

Blinded So He Might See
Somehow, perhaps enhanced by seeing the faithfulness under fire of those whom he was torturing and killing, the Holy Spirit was "pricking" the conscience of Saul.

One day when he was traveling to the city of Damascus, a bright light came from heaven, blinding Saul, and he fell to his knees. His first words are telling, revealing how the Holy Spirit had been "pursuing" him. "LORD," he said, "who are You?"

God's Word goes on to tell us of how Christ directed Saul to the city and to a house where he would find a man named Ananias. Ananias, Christ told Saul, would pray for him, and he would receive his sight and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When God told Ananias the same thing, you can imagine how he must have felt at first. He double-checked with God, and God assured him that Saul was a man who would do much for God's kingdom. So Ananias obeyed God, welcomed Saul with the
greeting "Brother Saul....." and prayed for him. Saul's sight
was restored and he received God's Spirit.

A Bumpy Beginning For A New Life in Christ
Saul's conversion was immediate. His passion for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ was set fire upon his receiving of the Holy Spirit. So enormous was his desire to speak of his new-found Lord and Saviour that the next days found him in the Jewish temple. There he preached to the Jews and converted Christians alike that, of a Truth, Jesus Christ was the Messiah.

Though some had already believed in Saul's message, this messenger was not well received. You can understand why. Just days before, Saul was widely known for the persecution and slaughter of believers all around the Middle East. And so it was not just the unsaved Jews, and not just the converted believers, but in fact them apostles themselves who vehemently and publicly rejected Saul.

Only one man stood with Saul. His name was Barnabas.

New Lives (and New Chapters in Lives) in Christ Need A Barnabas
People who have not had a life-long relationship with Jesus Christ may be embarrassed by their former life. Others who have known Him but have stumbled profoundly along the way may be embarrassed by their sin, as well. Still others who have walked faithfully but have encountered trials and tribulations (a private medical condition, shameful behavior by a loved one, or a hurtful divorce, for example) that they wish would be forgotten instead of publicized. All of these people have felt like Saul must have felt.

So when Saul - and any believer who has led an evil life before their conversion, or has stumbled through a detour in their Christian walk, or has suffered through an embarrassing trial or tribulation - first began his new walk with Christ, it must have crossed his mind that he wished that people would somehow just see that he had changed and immediately forget the past. But they couldn't.

And so, it must have quickly become apparent to Saul, and does so to believers like him today, that after we (or circumstances outside our control) have changed we will be walking under scrutiny for some time before people begin to see us differently. And we need a special person to accompany us on this first part of our next journey. We need a Barnabas.

The Blessing of A Barnabas
Barnabas stood alone with Saul, confirming what God had told him to all who would hear - that Saul was a true believer and had been called to a mighty work for God. This undoubtedly encouraged Saul, delayed physical and spiritual violence against Saul by others, and eventually began to turn the tide toward accepting him as a treasured Brother in Christ.

We must understand the intimacy that must have existed between Barnabas and Saul. No one else would believe Saul, so he must have been truly touched by and indebted to Barnabas' devotion. In turn, Barnabas must have been inspired by the miraculous transformation of such an evil man as Saul, and been moved by his perseverance in the face of almost universal rejection by his brethren.

The blessing of a Barnabas cannot be underestimated, my friends, and sometimes the presence of a Barnabas in our lives can spell the difference between a speedy manifestation of our new life (or a new chapter in our life) in Christ or a bumpy, troubled transition to that fullness.

Being A Barnabas
I was recently discussing what I am sharing here with a group of young believing children. When I asked what we can do when God calls us to be a Barnabas for someone in our lives, I got a wonderful response, one born of the Holy Spirit within them.

"Love them, help them and teach them," they replied. That sums it up completely, my friends. Somewhere along the path of our lives, we've had or will have need of a Barnabas at our sides, and we will never forget their gift to us. In turn, somewhere over the course of our lives, we have had or will have God call us to be a Barnabas for someone else. When the opportunity comes, we must not shrink away in fear, but embrace the opportunity while remembering the blessing that this relationship can be for both parties involved.

We must not be afraid that we won't know what to do while being a Barnabas. The children have already told us, yes? Just do it from your heart, and God will lead you.

"Love them, help them and teach them."

Wherever two or more are gathered, there Christ Jesus is in the midst of them. Two of us are enough to overcome any obstacle, if He is there with us! One step, one day, one heart at a time, we walk together with those whom God has drawn together with us toward His eternal city. Partners in life, in time, in Spirit, and in love.

I will pray for you, that God would bring the blessed Barnabas you need in the hour when you need them, and that He would cause you to be a blessed Barnabas to others in their hour of need, as well, my dear brethren.



Labels: , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Do I Want To?

Matthew 8:1 - 3:

When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

And, behold, there came a leper and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, You can make me clean".

And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, and said,
"I want to...........".


Becoming a disciple of Christ, purposing to obey Him and to make disciples of all men, committing to do the things Christ taught us to do.....is all about wanting to.

It's not about ability.
It's about AVAIL-ability.
Do I want to?

Even if I don't feel that I am experienced enough?
Do I want to?
Even if I am hurting today and I need a touch from God...
Do I want to?
Even if I will be rejected when I reach out...
Do I want to?
Even if I have never done it before and I'm afraid...
Do I want to?

When the believer Bono first visited Africa with his wife in the mid-1980s, he was transformed by the experience.

"I remember waking up in the mornings and watching mist lift, as tens of thousands of people would be walking," he says. "They would have walked through the night to come and beg for food, to come and leave their children."

"I remember one man, this beautiful man with a beautiful boy, his son. He was so proud. And he came up to me and said, 'Please. Will you take my son? My son will have no life if I look after him. He is sure to die. But if you take him, he is sure to live.' And as [those who minister in Africa] will tell you, you can't do that. You had to say no."

"Well, it's the last time I'm saying no."

Every morning, the mist is lifting before every one of us - regardless of where we live and work - revealing the hopeless masses that surround us. They know who we are, or at least who we profess to be. They are looking us in the eye and calling out for help. The only question is, "Do I want to?"

One by one, there is a petition of Life that we must each sign, or forever turn away from the faith, hope and love that rest in Jesus Christ.

One by one, each of us who have determined to become disciples of Christ must put our name to this declaration of willingness, and then act upon it:

"I want to."



Labels: , , , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





A Key In The Desert

I was 19 years old, and growing increasingly troubled. There were issues stemming from childhood, the recent break-up of an emotionally intense relationship, and the pressure of producing and performing in an upcoming benefit concert for my former high school.

But the main reason for my troubled spirit was my inability to deal with the rejection.

People would come into my life and, even though I would tell them I was just human like every one else and that I was sincerely trying to be the person I was meant to be, they would get to know me and end up throwing me away. It seemed like they had discovered that, even though I was honest and told them I had stuff I was working on, that my words had turned out to be true and now they subconsciously felt that I wasn’t good enough to be in their lives. It seemed as though they felt that they didn’t have time or it wasn’t their job to help me in my journey to become who I was meant to be. That hurt. And I didn’t know how to handle it.

Rejection had piled upon rejection over the course of my high school years and now, at age 19 and just 4 days before the benefit concert, I finally felt powerless. And I gave up.

Heading For The Hills
One of the few places in felt any solace was in the foothills overlooking the city where I lived. I would watch the lights begin to come on as dusk approached, and marvel at the beauty before me. Somehow that beauty had kept me going, giving me a little hope that there was hope for me.

But this night, I drove there powerless, and I knew that I had no hope. I knew that no lights could change that. This night, I drove to the foothills knowing that it was my last night.

My Dad was a wonderful Bible teacher and a wonderful man. He had taught my sister and I from our earliest age about Christ and God’s Word. I knew a lot of it. But it just hadn’t sunk down into my heart. It hadn’t changed me, and wouldn’t for many years. It just served to make me more hopeless because I saw others seeming to live this life with Christ when I felt that I could not. I didn’t understand it at that moment, but I didn't know Jesus at all. He was there with me, and He loved me and protected me, but I didn’t know Him.

And so, I remember sitting in the foothills, watching the lights of the city begin to come to light, even as the light of my own life was flickering out.

“I’m sorry, Jesus,” I told him out loud as I wept. “I know You’re real, but I just can’t take this anymore. It hurts too much, and it never stops. I’m sorry, Jesus.”

I stepped out of my car, closed my eyes tightly, turned around three times in a circle and threw my car keys as hard as I could into the desert, returning to my car seat without ever looking where they might have gone.

I didn’t want to be saved. I didn’t want to change my mind, because I knew that there would just be more pain that would follow that decision. I wanted to be sure that my pain was finally going to end for good.

A Key In The Desert
I sat weeping, drinking my hard liquor and swallowing my pills, and that’s all I remember. The next thing I can recall is waking up in my bed at home, and walking out to find my best friend Ed there waiting for me. Ed loved me, and I could see that he was broken-hearted and scared by what I had done.

But at that moment, I didn’t really care, because I couldn’t figure out why I was still alive. I had planned it perfectly. The alcohol. The amount of pills. And I threw those keys as hard as I could into the desert, and I knew there was no way I could have found them by myself. Why was I still alive?

Ed told me that I had driven to a local convenience store and while there a mutual friend had seen me and been concerned by my behavior. They called my friends and they came looking for me. Meanwhile, I ended up parked in the parking lot of the business where I worked, and my fellow employees called the paramedics.

When it was all said and done, they told me I had about 20 - 30 minutes to live when the paramedics got to me. I was lucky to be alive, they said. Years later, when I had finally come to Christ in my 30s, I asked our Lord how I had made it down from those hills. He told me that an angel had gotten those keys and brought them to me.

Now I know that Jesus intervened that day. I know that I would have spent eternity in hell if He hadn’t. He’s never left me, and never given up on Me. But the story doesn’t end there.

Michelle
2 days later, I got up early. I still wasn’t sure what had just happened to me. I just knew that God wasn’t going to let me die, so I had to deal with things somehow. I went to my car and set out for the local auditorium. Today was the day of the benefit concert and we had a full day of stage set-up and sound checks before we would play ay 8:00 pm that night.

Less than a block from my house and still in my residential area, a little girl who was waiting for her school bus unexpectedly jumped out from behind a hedge and directly into the path of my car.

I remember that she turned around and was looking at me through my front windshield when I hit her. I heard her go underneath my car as I slammed on the brakes.

It was so quiet as I leaped from my car. It was like there was no sound from anything at all. There was total silence as I looked beneath my car and felt sudden terror because I saw no one underneath it. Then the silence was pierced by a scream.

I looked up and standing before me at the side of the street, gripping the chain link fence of the yard in front of her, stood the little girl. Her back was covered with blood. I would find out later that, from her neck down to her ankles, there was no skin on her back. She stood shaking and screaming, and I ran over to her just as the elderly couple whose fence she was holding came out of their house and said “Bring her in here!”

I knew it would hurt her, but I had to pick her up and carry her. There was no other way. And so I set my mind and I lifted her up with my arms around the back of her shoulders and beneath her knees, and I carried her into the house.

The couple had already laid out blankets on their couch and they were calling 9-1-1 as I entered the house and laid the little girl down on the couch.

I remember not caring about anything but that little girl at that moment. I remember not caring about me. I remember not caring about whether or not the couple heard me praying for that little girl. And I remember what I desperately prayed.

Covered with her blood, I prayed “Please help this little girl, Jesus. I know I’m messed up, Jesus, but don't let her get messed up because of me. Please.....”

As I prayed, the little girl stopped screaming, and the paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital.

The elderly couple spoke with the police, telling them they had seen the entire accident, and that there was no way I could have seen the little girl when she ran out into the street. The police agreed. But that didn’t change the way I felt. I was numb. Why had this happened?

Forgotten Little Girl

That day as I worked with the stage crews at the auditorium, I constantly called the hospital to see about the little girl, whose name I was told was Michelle. They kept telling me that she was still in surgery, and there was no word on her condition. By the time we went on stage that night, I still didn’t know if she was going to make it or not.

And that’s all I remember about it. From then on in my life, I was haunted by the fact that I had never gone to see Michelle after the accident, that I had never sought to make contact and tell her how sorry I was.

As I made my way through life in my 20’s, I was descending into a mire of addiction and lies, and the underlying thought that I constantly had was that I was a bad person, that I had tried to end it all and spare everyone but God wouldn’t let me, and that as proof of it all, I hadn’t gone to see Michelle after the accident.

The fact that Christ had spared me from an eternity in hell was still lost on me. Somehow I believed that I was saved because I had said a prayer one time. I believed that I was a Christian, but that I was just lousy at it. I believed that I was a Christian, but something about that seemed so wrong.

What a powerless, hopeless man I had become.

A Light Reserved
Years later, in my early 30s, I hit the bottom and finally accepted Christ. I came to know that I didn’t know Him, and that this was why it seemed so wrong that I considered myself a Christian. Being a genuine Christian was hard, but now I knew that my relationship with Him was for real.

Over several years of Bible study, applied living, and the earnest counsel of elders that God brought into my life, what I had been taught in my childhood came to life through God’s Holy Spirit. I taught Bible studies in my home, as well, and then came a day when my wife and I knew that we were supposed to move. We prayed for the better part of a year, and God told us to move to Ohio.

We departed in our moving truck for Ohio and made a stop in Las Vegas to visit my sister and her family. One night, as my sister and I were talking alone, she said, “You know, I always knew that you would be okay with the Lord someday because of that time with that little girl.” “What little girl?” I asked.

“You remember.” she said, “That little girl who you hit with your car.”

“What?,” I said incredulously, as the shame surged back upon me, unbeknownst to my sister.

“You remember that day when I came to pick you up to go to lunch with you?” she asked. “I remember that you came out of the house with this big stuffed dog. You were quiet and you put the dog in the back of my car and said ‘We need to go somewhere before we go to lunch.’”

I was rapt with attention as she spoke, not remembering a single detail of what she was describing. She continued. “We drove down the street about a quarter of a mile, and you told me to pull over in front of a house and to wait for you. You got out of the car, took the big stuffed dog out and began to walk toward the house. Before you had even reached the door, a little girl came running out of the house to you, calling your name. You hugged her and sat on the front porch steps with her for 20 minutes or so, talking to her. When I saw that that day, I knew that someday you would be okay. That was what was really in your heart.”

I remember asking my sister, “Tell me again?”, because I wanted remember forever what I had heard. I had blocked it all out, you see, because of the overwhelming trauma of those 4 days. I had been overwhelmed by the thought of rejecting that little girl when I myself had been so troubled because others had rejected me. But it wasn't true. I hadn't rejected her. Somehow, in the midst of my pain and years before I would come to know Him, Jesus used me to reach out to that precious little girl.

What a light shined in my heart! How full of hope was I! God had reserved this light and this hope for this very day when I had finally come to know Him and I was following Him to the ends of the earth. He was letting me know that He had always seen what was really inside of me, that He had never given up on me, and that He would always be with me.

The Prayer Of The Powerless
God’s Word tells us that “while we were yet powerless, God sent to His Son to die for our sins.” He has covered us and our sins with His blood. God can take that which was intended for evil and turn it to good. I’m sure that many Christians who are reading this can look back on our own lives and now see the times when - before we had faith - He saved us from ourselves even when we didn’t want to be saved.

If we hold fast to the profession of our faith, the very dire and difficult things in our lives will turn out to be to the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But I need to ask a question of others of you who are reading this. Are you reading this and you feel powerless? Are you without hope? Do you see how God has time and again preserved you to this day, but you wonder “Why?” Do you already know that your sins are many, but you now wish that they could be covered by the blood of Jesus as I have shared here?

Then I ask you to sincerely pray this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know I’m a sinner. But I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to this earth, lived a sinless life, and then died upon the cross for the sins of the world, including me. I repent of my sins and I ask for Your forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice, Father. Please give me Your Spirit, and make me Your child. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, your journey is not over. It has just begun. You are setting out on a journey to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and to make disciples for Him. You cannot make this journey alone, however. You’ll need Jesus Christ and your fellow disciples to help you - every day.

The next step with Christ is for you to find that home with a local group of believers that He’s reserved just for you. God knows you so well. He has waited so long to welcome you into His family. He will be able to lead you to the right place and to the right people if you’ll just pray and ask for Him to guide you. You’ll be amazed by how plain He can make things.

You have taken the first step on your journey from a powerless life to an endless life in Christ Jesus.

Looking To The Sky
When I was 19 years old, I headed for the foothills because I felt rejected. Isn't it wonderful that, because of God's unwavering love and care for us, His children don’t have to run for the hills in pain anymore?

We look to the sky, from where Jesus will return to gather us together for eternity in the very presence of God.

Only He could save us. Only He can heal our hearts. Only He can enable us to walk with Him and each other in the bond of His love and peace.

You see, it’s true. And it’s true about all of us.

We’re all just human and we’re trying to be the people we’re meant to be in Christ.

Thank you, Jesus, for never rejecting us, for never giving up on us, for having the time to help us in love, and for purposing in Your heart that it was Your job to help us on this journey to become who we are in You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


Labels: , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Sunday, August 20, 2006

A "Go There" Kind Of People

This message is from a friend who meets for breakfast with me and another friend where we have such sweet fellowship. This is a message from him from last year, but funny how God's Truth rings on. Thanks, Brother. Enjoy, all.....

missional
In prepping for this week's sermon, I found this great meditation on being missional...

I have made a promise to myself. I will stop inviting people to my church.

Hear me out now.

I spent nearly a decade with my well paid job in the church trying to get people to come to church. We would develop strategies, advertising through TV, radio, print, internet, marketing plans... wowing them with worship experiences, video, dramas, amazing sermons, direct mail strategies.. on and on..whew. all designed with one aim. That when you would invite your friend, they would say yes and go to church with you. All you would have to do is invite them, they would respond to the engaging message and multi-sensory worship, become curious, eventually come to Christ, and eventually become a part of our church. The problem is, it didn't work very well.

Sure some came, just enough to make us think we were being effective. But still as the Barna Institutes research shows " The unbelieving world remains unconvinced.", and each year the Church continues to loose ground and a credibility voice in our communities.

(Disclaimer Note: I still love, support and honor any church that is doing all it can to reach out to others. God will still work through imperfect people as well as strategies.)

Allow me to be very honest. I see too many of us in the house church falling into the same trap and pattern of fruitlessness. And some are suffering unnecessarily from disillusionment. I hear the same words over and over, "If only we could get more people to come to our house church." Sound familiar? The benefits we offer are different, but the hope is the same. Please come to my church.if we could get them there they will be so captured by our Jesus through our community, intimacy, casualness, or great food... that they will accept Him and become a part of our church. Old habits die very hard don't they.

We can no longer afford to be "come here" people, we must be a "go there" kind of people.

I can honestly say that I have never invited someone to join me for coffee, lunch or breakfast and had them say no. Not ever, not once.

I'm slow but I'm learning.

Here's to forsaking old habits.

May His presence dwell in you richly.....

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Friday, August 18, 2006

Placing It All Upon The Altar of God

Many in the Body of Christ at large are feeling God say "Wait upon Me." Not "do nothing at all." But, "Wait upon Me."

Many are feeling as though God is, in a way, holding them back in this season. Some are experiencing impatience and frustration through this process. But most of us are finding ourselves turning to God and asking Him,

"Father, what are You doing in all this?"

To A Trickle
Many believers have been desperately praying for an open door to be able to do, at His bidding, that which He seems to have placed within each of our hearts to do. Many have prayed these prayers over the course of years.

And now some are seeing those prayers answered, and are rejoicing in His faithfulness to perform before our eyes that which He Himself does first birth in our hearts. Rejoicing in it and stepping forward in it only to, after a season, hear Him say, "Now, wait upon Me." And it's as though He turns the faucet of that prayed-for outpouring down to a trickle.....or to seemingly nothing at all.

And again, one might ask, "Father, what are You doing in all this?"

A friend recently shared with me how they had been sharing in this kind of journey. Though the Spirit of their faith is unquestionable and their love for God enormous, they shared that, in essence, their human emotions were trying to make them feel as if God was "shutting me out." And when my friend shared this with me, God's Spirit spoke to me, "I'm not shutting all of you out. I'm shutting all of you in."

He is shutting us inside the throneroom of His presence without all of our "stuff." Without the flesh, sure. But without even the purposes and callings and ministries which He may have birthed within us. He is shutting us in with Him alone.

Giving The Gift Back To God
We read the story of Abraham, who prayed fervently for many years for a son. Finally, in his old age when God's answer to his prayer must have been sweetest of all, Abraham received the answer to his prayer; a son, Isaac.

Abraham revelled in his relationship with his beloved son for a season. But then one day, God said, "I want you to offer Isaac to me." God was coming and saying "I want you to kill the gift." And so God's Word tells us that Abraham rose up early the next morning, traveled to the mountain of God, built an altar with his son, and prepared to kill that for which he had prayed for so long. All because God, inexplicably, said he should.

At one point, Isaac looked at Abraham and said, "Father, we have an altar and we have the wood for the fire. Where is the sacrifice?" Most of us fill with compassion when we hear that question that was asked of Abraham. We can sense in our Spirits that it was a challenge from satan, through innocent Isaac, to Abraham's faithfulness. Would he heed his normal human emotion and immense love for his son, or would he obey God? We know Abraham's faithful response was that "God is able to provide a sacrifice", but Isaac's question teaches us an important Truth.

When we're about to kill that for which we have prayed for so long, it will talk to us.

We need to know that, and be ready for it.

God is asking many of us to place those purposes and callings and ministries - maybe even a person - for which we have prayed for so long upon the altar of His presence. He is asking us to prepare to kill the gift that He alone gave us, so that we will be left with Him alone. Will that be enough for us? Will we obey? God knows the answer already. Just as he did with Abraham, He is asking us to do the same so that we will see what is really in our own hearts.

As we step forward in faith, rising up early to obey God, and obeying Him to the end, even that which He has birthed in us (and which perhaps, unbeknownst to us, may have come to have some fleshly hold upon us through our own pridefulness) will be put in its proper place....in utter submission to Him.

Are we ready to offer it all upon the altar of God?

Where Do We Gather?
There is another reason that God is bringing many of us through this season of "waiting" and "sacrificing."

He has called us to the highways and hedges to compel those that are there to come to His wedding feast. We have been sent "outside of the city" to extend an invitation of Christ's Love so that our Father's table may be full.

We know that satan opposes us in this. We know that we have purposed to crucify the flesh and repent of our sin, as they, too, seek to oppose us. But there is an enemy so insidious that we do not so quickly see, an adversary hidden away in the recesses of our hearts. It is spiritual pride for the very gifts which God has birthed within us.

Please pray over what I am about to share. Please search it out in the Scriptures. Go to your concordance and prayerfully research what God has given me to share next.

We all know that new church growth (in other words, the conversion and discipleship of those who are brand new believers) in the Unites States is at all times lows. We all know that church growth in the US is largely comprised of the "re-shuffling of the deck" amongst churches. In other words, the vast majority of what is categorized as "new church growth" in US churches is actually existing believers leaving their old church and beginning to attend a new one.

And none of that takes place in the highways and hedges. It takes place amongst the vine. We know this is wrong. Perhaps it is more wrong than we have known.

In Matthew 5, beginning in verse 15, Christ speaks to us about false prophets. He says Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. The church has long conjectured about the specific meaning of the fruit that Jesus was talking about. But verse 16(b) tells us.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

First of all, the word "men" or "people" is not in the actual text at all. You can easily confirm this in your concordance or inter-linear Bible. Furthermore, the word "do" actually means "whether [or 'do they'] at all." So here's what the literal text of verse 16(b) says:

Do they at all gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

So this verse is not asking us whether or not men or people in general "gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles," it is asking us whether or not false prophets gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles. Let's read on.

In Verse 17, Jesus says Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. The word even is not in the original text at all, and the word "so" literally means "in this way." So Jesus says in verse 17:

In this way every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

In this way good trees bring forth good fruit. In what way? Well, the only way Jesus has been talking about is by "gathering grapes from thorns and figs from thistles." Jesus is saying that good trees bring forth good fruit by gathering grapes of thorns, and figs of thistles, and that false prophets - corrupt trees - do not.

Where did Jesus first find you and I? He did not find us growing on a good tree. He did not find us growing upon the Vine. He found those that are His in the thorns and the thistles. And then He grafted us into Himself, the Vine, where the established believers abide, are pruned, and grow more fruitful.

In God's Word, where is Jesus repeatedly sending His disciples? To the highways. To the hedges. Has He not sent us amongst the thorns to gather grapes and into the thistles to gather figs? He has.

But false prophets do not gather grapes from the thorns, and figs from the thistles. Where do false prophets gather their fruit?

From the Vine.

False prophets seek to gain followers from amongst established believers. They care nothing for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Their hearts do not rejoice in anticipation of the grapes and figs of lost souls being harvested by Christ's faithful disciples from amongst the thorns and the thistles. False prophets want what their father satan wants; worship.

And we will know them by their fruit.

In verses, 18-19, Jesus re-affirms the concept of good trees (Christ's faithful disciples) and good fruit (souls plucked by Christ's faithful disciples from the thorns and thistles), reminding us again that we will know both by their fruit.

And then in verses 21-23, Jesus tells us about the final end of both kinds of trees.

Are We Searching Among The Thorns, Or Gazing At The Gifts?
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus continues his teaching on good prophets, trees and fruit and those that are bad by sharing that, on the day of judgment, there will be those who will say that they had prophesied, cast out demons, and done miraculous works in Jesus' name.

These, who measured themselves by their own and others' gifts, are those who were constantly seeking a place where they thought their gifts could be used (and, in turn, where they would receive a measure of glory), instead of asking God to show them the person to whom He wanted to personally manifest Himself through a broken but obedient vessel. Not much personal glory in that.

These are those who, when God said, "Wait upon Me," kept going with something that seemed "good." These are those who, when God said, "Offer me your Isaac," either listened to their gift's passionate pleas for mercy and didn't prepare to offer them to God, or didn't make it to God's mountain in the first place.

It is from the power of all things - even those things which He has birthed within His children for good and some have misappropriated through pride - from which He wants to set us completely free.

Some believers think that their gifts enable them to effectively go to the thorns and the thistles for Christ. They do not. Those who lean upon that which God has birthed within them, as though it is in any way their own faculty, will find that their gifts will prevent them from effectively going to the thorns and the thistles at all.

Those things that God has birthed within us were intended for one thing; to bring His newly born children from the thorns and the thistles to His banquet table.

What He has birthed within us is simply this; an invitation from God to the lost.

Our Prayer
Heavenly Father, in whatever way and to whatever degree You deem fit for each of us, please strengthen us as we purpose to wait upon You. We ask You to prepare our hearts so that, when You ask us to offer up even Your very answers to our prayers upon the altar to You, we will immediately and willingly obey. We ask You, who have set us free from sin and death, to guard us from the pride that seeks to deceive and ensnare us. Set our hearts, we pray, upon those amongst the thorns and the thistles from which we ourselves came, and let no false pretention or self-deception ever come between us and those who are still wounded and imprisoned there. Please fill our hearts with the compassion that filled Yours, Lord Jesus, as You beheld the multitudes scattered like sheep without a shepherd in the highways and the hedges.

Our faces are at your feet, Father God. Guard us with Your love and Your power, that we may remain there forever. In Jesus' name, Amen.





Labels: , , , , ,


Read more!

SUBSCRIBE and get updates whenever there's a new post at NFL

E-Mail                                Newsreader                   Bookmark
                      Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your blinklist account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your delicious account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your digg account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your fark account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your furl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your newsvine account
                                                                    Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your reddit account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your simpy account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your spurl account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your myyahoo account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your shadows account Add http://namelessfacelesslove.blogspot.com to your sync2it account





Nameless and Faceless From All Over The World



Myspace Map