The Practice

“Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.” Colossians 4:1

The division of Scripture into chapters, and verses is helpful, but at times awkward. The masters of slaves are not exempt from The Lordship of Christ. Their behavior was to be transformed by it. The warning is comforting and chilling, all at the same time. They would answer to God for any abuse to the vulnerable.

It remains a mystery why Paul was not inspired by the Spirit of God to call for the freeing of the slaves. He called for the masters of these exploited people to treat them with fairness and justice, but they were not told to grant freedom to them.

Scripture pointed masters to surrender to Christ’s Lordship as their guide to their treatment of others. This may have broken the hardened hearts of some masters who called themselves Christians, but for the majority of the slaves in the Roman Empire their chains remained in place.

Church History is clear. Where genuine Christianity has gone, it has eventually led to the end of slavery. Where it is compromised, slavery thrives. Where Christianity is crushed, slavery resurges. Today in Africa, Muslim extremists are the tip of the spear for the spread of slavery. In their pursuit, Churches are being burned and Christians are being exterminated. But I digress.

In the United States, and Great Britain, Christians were once at the center of the support for the institution of slavery. They also served as shock troops in the fight to end it. Right was delayed by the might of hard-hearted people, but it eventually prevailed.

WARNING: The church should always engage their culture. This must be marked by confrontation and transformation, not intimidation by it, or imitation of it.

To be clear, the most powerful and purifying message in this fourth chapter is the final call to the Colossians. Pray!

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” Colossians 4:2-6

Devotion is not an emotion. It is a discipline. The Nike athletic shoe company has a slogan, “Just Do it!” Devoting oneself to victory in the field of sport requires a deletion of excuses, and a devotion to practice. In the arena of prayer, there is no substitute for showing up, kneeling down, and practicing Christianity.

Prayer is the obedient Christian’s expression of their surrendered heart. It is a sign of the death of their rebellious heart. Praying with thanksgiving and interceding for others keeps the practice of prayer from deteriorating into a glorified “Whine List.”

“Prayer is to faith, what breath is to life. How a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension.” J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) Evangelical Bishop of Liverpool: prolific writer, powerful preacher and persistent church planter started 40 churches in his diocese.

The Legacy

“Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do no exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.” Colossians 3:20-21

My Dad, Don Miller, has been faithful to select annually a Verse of the Year. I have tried to follow suit, but have to admit I have not done it with the same consistency. Still, I have tried, and that has to count for something. Can I get a witness?

When I was in one of my more diligent periods of applying this principle, I preached about it. I encouraged others to at least consider it, pray about it, and see what God led them to do.

 I recall a particularly pouty, privileged teen-ager approaching me one morning after I presented this challenge.  She asked me what verse I might recommend for her. I admit it. I couldn’t help myself. I gave her Colossians 3:20.  She never saw it coming.

Backstory: I had just spent a great deal of time that week listening to this same young lady’s father pour out his heart about the trials of raising a G-rated daughter in an X-rated world. She was consistently resistant and he was virtually exhausted.

From all appearances this young lady was suffering from a case of terminal VGS, “Valley Girl Syndrome.” Some may remember when it was cool for big-haired girls to make a gum-smacking response to every question with a disdainful and flippant “Whatever.” It could make the most loving parent reach for a stun gun.  But I digress.

When this young lady wrote the Scripture reference down and walked away, I knew I would see her again real soon.  That night she came back to church with a look on her face that told me she had read the reference, but hadn’t received the message. This happens all the time. Teenagers aren’t the only ones that do it. Adults have a pretty solid track record with the same thing.

I was met with a heated protest. She strongly resented the suggestion that her life might be improved by obeying her parents.  I had gone from preaching to meddling. It is an occupational hazard, and comes with the job.

This encounter took place a number of years before Dr. Phil, so I was on my own. I didn’t know then how to ask his brilliant question when people offer up excuses for continuing to move in the wrong direction. In fluent Texan, Dr. Phil always says, “How’s that workin’ for yah?” Great question!

I do remember asking this troubled kid if she was happy with the results of her current behavior. To her credit, she admitted she was miserable. I said, “You have done it your way. What have you got to lose trying God’s way for a while?”  She nodded her head in agreement, and turned and walked away. I keep up with her on Facebook. She turned out just fine. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Obedience to parents seems like such a waste of one’s options. What could they possibly know? It is amazing how much smarter my parents become the older I get.  What once sounded like a total commitment on their part to rain on my parade was actually their offer of a helping hand to get me into a life-boat. I just couldn’t see it at the time.

Paul isn’t finished. His challenge to young people is followed by his urge to parents to avoid acting like irritating, infuriating “know-it-alls.”

I still recall the day, as a 24 year young man, that I heard my mother admit for the very first time, “We didn’t know what we were doing. We had never raised kids before.” I knew it. I just couldn’t prove it.  I remember the sense of relief that came over me. I said, “I don’t know if it would have made a difference at the time, but it helps to hear you admit, now, what I was pretty sure was the case, then.”

The truth is that some great parents have some pretty sorry kids. No matter how hard parents try, it takes some kids longer to get over fool’s hill. Some kids turn out to be world travellers and committed to a fool’s journey. Most respond to any parent willing to stop in the middle of the chaos and ask God for help. They aren’t stupid. They can smell panic. Don’t panic. PRAY!

Most parents need to admit they don’t know what they are doing. They need to stop listening to a lot of free advice, and stop digging a deeper hole. Prayer is a great way to stop the madness, throw out the shovel, take a break and take a knee.

Parents are wise to allow their children regularly hear them asking God for a helping hand. Children need to hear their parents say a blessing over them by name. Most parents have been heard blessing cheeseburgers more than they have been heard saying a blessing over their children.

Prayer builds healthy families, because intercession will end most of the exasperation. Children know what their parent’s say. The problem is they can’t ever forget it.

Children need to hear what their parent’s pray, not just what they say. Prayer can leave a legacy. Talk can leave a mark.  Fathers! Lead the way. Leave a legacy. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Cure

“Husbands love your wives and do not be embittered towards them.” Colossians 3:19

The shortest verses of Scripture often give the keenest insight into the early church. Paul reminded the Colossian wives to show respect to their husbands, and he commanded the Colossian husbands to love their wives. These two different emphases are reciprocal in nature, not antithetical.

Clearly the early church had issues. With so many believers coming out of a cesspool of cultural corruption, they started their Christian walk with baggage that would not travel well on the journey. Paul encouraged them to let it go and travel light.

One of the greatest hindrances to the restoration of any broken relationship is the constant irritation that replaying the offense brings to a person’s spirit.  Finally, when there is a willingness on the part of another to get things right, and to restore the breech, the person who has been nursing the grudge just can’t resist the urge to say, “It is about time.” This rarely ends well.

Husbands are called to lead out in love. This kind of love is an undefeatable goodwill, and an unconquerable benevolence. The mark of The Spirit’s grace on a man’s life is best expressed to their wives when everything in them says, “She doesn’t deserve it!”

God’s love isn’t given to those who deserve it, but to those who are in great need of it. Long before the church, God established the home, and the marriage relationship of a husband and a wife.  This is God’s great learning lab, and His most effective training ground for the development of each new generation of believers who will give the best expression of Heaven on earth.

Note to self: Dragging your kids to church will never over-ride their experience of a home life that becomes a living hell that has become the result of unresolved conflict. Lead out in love!

“The fruit of the Spirit is love…” Galatians 5:22-23

Love is the evidence of a husband filled with The Spirit of God.  This is not a secularized, romanticized emotion popularized by the music and entertainment industry. It is a disciplined expression of God’s grace.

God’s grace is supplied on a regular basis to any man who will come to the end of his own rights, and get right with God. This love relationship with God influences every aspect of his life. It is not a silo set apart from people he loves or passions he pursues. It is the driving force of his life, not a spiritual hobby.

“Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child.” Don Miller

Prayer between a man and his God should always lead to prayer between a husband and a wife. A man who is honest to God maintains humility before God that will give him the grace to be intimate with his wife.

Any husband who hides his heart from God will have no problem sealing off his heart from his wife and his kids. The greater problem is that this kind of denial leads to a demanding spirit that must always be right, or it leads to a drive to fix the blame, but never not the problem. Demanding one’s rights in a marriage relationship always leads to disastrous results.

Along with the positive admonition to love their wives is the negative warning, “Do not be embittered against them.” Apparently men do no start out with a bitter spirit towards their wives. It has to be developed.

A husband bitten by an offense from his wife often picks at the scab. As he reopens the wound, the more infected it becomes. He soon becomes bitter towards his wife.  If left untreated the poison of the initial offense can bring about a terminal consequence.  Point: The Cure will kill you. Die anyway. Pray!

People who are unfamiliar with the Bible usually criticize it for always telling success stories that put the church’s best foot forward. Colossians 3:18-19 reveals the church has never been a perfect place, just the grace place.

Healthy homes lead to healthy churches. These two institutions walk hand in hand, and heart to heart, on their knees.  Praying husbands lead out in love, in both arenas, when they TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Jonathan Edwards was the tip of the spear of the First Great Awakening in this nation. Writing about the pre-Awakening condition of the local church he said, “Family government has failed in this town.” Following the Great Awakening he wrote,

“It was a time of joy in families on account of salvations being brought unto them; parents rejoicing over their children as new born, husbands over their wives, and wives over their husbands.”  Husbands, lead the way to the next Awakening!

The Fit

“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Colossians 3:18 This unusually uncomfortable, and usually misunderstood admonition follows closely on the heels of “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” It suggests that the climate of prayer is the context in which this action is cultivated and maintained. Homes in which a husband and a wife never pray together are rarely the arena in which this kind of behavior is inspired or experienced.

On a broader scale, the preparation for life within a marriage relationship is marked by the discipline of “mutual submission.” The local church is the place where people are expected to express this kind of appreciation for one another.

To be clear, one of the fundamental signs of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) is their capacity to…“Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” Ephesians 5:21

This mutual submission is not an assignment made solely to female converts. It is a sign of all true believers, men and women, boys and girls. It is not a temporary life-style, but a way of life. The Lone Ranger Christian is an anomaly, not the new normal. Those who always expect to get their own way are lonely indeed, and single for a reason. Get over yourself.

Dana and I served in The Ministry to Single Adults at Houston’s FBC in the early 1980’s. Houston was on fire with the latest oil boom, “Luv Ya Blue” fever, and it was the fastest growing city in America. There were over a million single adults that had found their way from small towns all over Texas, and they were looking for love in all the wrong places. After finding out that “Gilley’s” was a false hope, three thousand of them found their way to First Baptist Church. The church was conducting close to 400 weddings a year.  It was a crazy time of our lives, and exhilarating and exhausting, all at the same time.  After three years, and 21 ulcers, I named the next chapter of my autobiography, “Who’s Through with Singles Ministry?”

Within that context, I was always running into Single Adult zealots who were filled with more testosterone than the New Testament. These male messiahs were convinced that women were supposed to be submissive to men.  I usually handed them over to Dana for reality therapy. My wife just looks little. They never had a chance.

Note to self: You never outgrow your need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. The practice arena for this kind of behavior is the local church. As a husband, the greatest expression of it is in your own home. Don’t be outplayed on your home court. Treat your wife with the respect she deserves. You will be a happier man.

I remember the day I read the findings of W.O. Carver in his commentary on Ephesians. This great Southern Baptist professor had discovered the great truth about mutual submission.  Any kind of submission within the body of Christ, at church or at home, is always inspired by mutual respect. It cannot be commanded or demanded. It can only be freely given. When two people are looking out for one another’s rights, they are not focused on demanding their own rights.

When Dr. Carver broke open this parallel passage.  “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22 He dealt with the issue of a marriage relationship, and pointed out the close proximity of its context to fullness of the Spirit. The Spirit establishes the trust between people that can generate mutual submission in a church and in a marriage relationship. Without His fullness people are full of themselves.

Mutual submission can be defined this way. When a husband is looking out for his wife’s rights, and a wife is looking out for her husband’s rights, everyone’s rights are protected. The first sign of a lack of trust reveals the breakdown of mutual submission. When a husband starts demanding his own rights, he will never inspire his wife to yield her own, or protect his.

In the church or in the home, when lines are drawn, and positions are hardened, it is usually a result of the breakdown of the lines of communication with God, and the hardened hearts of two people. When two people are at odds with one another, the goal is not to get even, but to get right. The leader will always yield, and ask, “Who’s going to pray first? You or me?” The wisest response to an irritation is a swift response to prayer in the face of it.

Praying together can restore mutual submission, and it is the key to restoring and maintaining healthy churches and healthy marriages. There is a great difference between a bit and a fit. The bit pulls. The Fit comforts. Prayer removes the bone in the throat, the rock in the shoe, or the burr in the saddle that often comes between two people or parties. It keeps the lines open with God, and hearts softened to one another. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Joy

“The fruit of The Spirit is…joy.” Galatians 5:22-23

Joy is grace under fire. There is a strong etymological bond, in the Greek language, between joy and grace. In English they don’t seem to have any family resemblance, but in God’s love language, they are more than kissing cousins. They are inseparably joined to one another in a reciprocal relationship that only the love of God can create, and sustain in the lives of His children.

People of joy never get over God’s love. Their perspective on life, and their response to it are evidence of the connection between joy and grace. Joy is the fruit of an over-riding confidence in God’s Presence rooted in the unmerited favor of God’s grace.

Without The Spirit’s genuine, consistent expression of joy in the life of the believer, the grace race becomes a frantic rat race. Packs of preachers and people pouring out of pulpits and pews without joy and grace provide little hope to hurting people who already feel like speed bumps in the rat race of life.

Joy is not a result of the absence of disappointment. It is the proper response to it. Joy is not a temporary relief of anxiety that comes from being saturated by the entertainment industry, or medicated by the pharmaceutical industry. It is not rooted in denial.  It is the fruit of trial. Life can be messy, and joy is up for the challenge, no mater what.

When life gets destructive, joy is reflective, not speculative. Joy reflects on The Presence of God in the middle of the crisis. It doesn’t wasted time speculating on why the crisis has happened.

Joy rises in the heart of a child of God in direct proportion to they face the crisis. Prayer puts God’s children in direct contact with the Creator of the universe, not the initiator of the crisis. The child of God is fluent in prayer. Even a groan can be interpreted by The Spirit, when it is offered in prayer to The Father in The Name of Jesus.

What does joy look like, and what value does it have in a world plagued by evil? Joy is a reflection, not a reaction. When a crisis hits, joy rises above it to find a solution without wallowing in the pollution.

When America was attacked, by the Japanese forces at Pearl Harbor, in December 1941, the naysayers and doomsdayers were in full voice. Those charged with responding to the attack faced it with confidence. Without despair, clear minds reflected on what had happened. Without ignoring the disaster, they found hope in it.

The American military leadership observed that the attackers had been successful, but they had also been negligent. They had failed to knock out the dry dock facilities of the port. Therefore the means to raise the sunken ships was immediately available. The enemy had launched their attack on a Sunday morning. By doing so, the vast majority of the personnel had been on shore leave. The attack did not destroy the trained personnel and manpower needed to initiate the recovery of the fleet. The reverse was true. They survivors of the attack were alive and highly motivated. Perhaps most importantly, the Japanese attack had done what no other American politician had been able to do. In an instant, the
American people were galvanized to respond. This attack unified them to declare war, and wage it with all the means at their disposal.

The leaders of the response to the attack had an over-riding confidence in the face of an undeniable disaster. They were able to perceive that all was in place and in order for a
complete victory and the absolute surrender of the enemy. It is in this context that joy is the esprit de corps of a powerful army filled with confidence in their victorious King, and mobilized to be a part of His mission.

Joy is not kid’s play, but it reveals the child at heart. Children place their confidence in those who love them the most, and take on life with an abandon and a confidence based on the resources of their parents, not their own.

The early church was filled with joy. This was no giddy, temporary emotion that ebbed and flowed with the rise and fall of fickle fortune. Joy was their over-riding confidence in spite of constant intimidation and threatened annihilation.

Their joy was greater than any force of nature, and became the identifying mark of believers from the gladiators' arena in Rome to the personal persecution meted out in the most remote village of the empire. Joy was the esprit de corps of this new body of believers. When they faced the press of evil on them, joy came pouring out of their lips along with the blood of their bodies and the tears of their eyes. They loved God with all their hearts, and loved one another with every fiber of their being. They had no death wish to part this life earlier than God intended, but held onto it with a light touch, knowing that the best was yet to come.

Joy avoids passion of the wild at heart, and pablum of the mild at heart, by maintaining the expectancy of a child at heart. May the church rediscover this kind of joy, and pray for more of it. It is contagious, when released in a world that has substituted entertainment for joy, until they are bored with the former and void of the latter. Hold onto Jesus, and hold out for joy. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Name

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17

The name of Jesus is a major unifying factor. In spite of diversity, there can be great unity when believers choose to agree on Jesus. Without Him the message of any gathering becomes a cacophony of sounds that clang and clatter with such confusion that the world cannot hear His voice coming out of the mouths of His people.

When I gathered with 60,000 preachers, pastors and posers at the Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta in February 1996, one of the speakers illustrated this point beautifully. He called upon those present to stand up, and in unison shout out their denominational preference or brand. The sound was deafening, but it failed to deliver a clear message. He then challenged everyone to shout out "The Name." He made it clear in his instructions that he was making reference to Jesus. He counted to three, and the sound of 60,000 people shouting out The Name of Jesus was a powerful verbal explosion. It left everyone on their feet cheering and high-fiving their neighbor. To this day, the memory sends chills down my spine. As the kids would say today, "It was EPIC."

Praying in The Name of Jesus is no less powerful. When people gather to pray in His name, God recognizes The Name that is above every other name, and responds to the intercession of those who humble themselves in His Presence, and approach Him in the name of His Son. This is the essence of prayer, and it is our last hope for Awakening.

Prayer is not eloquence. It is not poetry put to music. It is not, in the strictest sense, praise or even petition. Prayer is all about position. Prayer elevates The Name of Jesus and humbles the person who is doing the praying. Prayer is a living, breathing embodiment of the message of John the Baptist, "He must increase, and I must decrease."

So often, when people gather under the call to pray, they cannot stop themselves from using the time to elevate themselves. To use a contemporary analogy, many people use their moment in the spotlight, to take a "selfie."

In the arena of public prayer, one of the most flagrant fouls is made by the players who can't bring themselves to pray without a rambling preamble. This usually includes sharing a few thoughts about prayer, explaining what they are about to pray, a humorous anecdote, a time of bonding with the audience, and in so many other ways a turning of the focus on themselves, and away from The Name of Jesus. They prove themselves to be a player, but not a pray-er. Let me be clear. THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY!

Prayer is a gift from God. It may very well be the least opened gift in the life of the believer and the local church. When days or sessions are set aside for prayer, it is time to pray, not for breakfast, and bonding or sharing and tearing. In the words of Nike, "JUST DO IT!"

I have friends who believe prolonged singing is the equivalent of praying. They can't pray without music dominating the experience. I have other friends who believe preaching is superior to praying. They do it with excellence, and leave prayer at the beginning and the end of it. Still, I am haunted by the thought that singing and preaching saturate the church, but have yet to usher in the next Great Awakening that is sorely needed. I may be wrong, but I am convinced it is time to TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Join me in praying in The Name of Jesus for the next Great Awakening. Jesus lives to intercede. He is seated at the right hand of The Father, and has opened the line of communication to God. The Spirit lives to interpret prayers that are made with the faintest whisper or the deepest groan. Songs that are sung, or sermons that are preached, without the humility to lift up The Name of Jesus, give faint hope and little prospect for next Great Awakening.

Answered prayers should never be impeded or delayed by anyone confused enough with their own self-importance to believe they can improve the lines of communication with their oration. Public prayer may be done with passion, but ANSWERED PRAYER is about position.

Take a knee, not a "selfie." Pray and thank God for The Name of Jesus that makes prayer possible. Players make a name for themselves. Pray-ers make a difference. Jesus has made the connection. The line is open. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Seat

A recent trip to Washington D.C. put me in the center of power of this nation. Listening to Congressmen and their chiefs of staff share their hearts was both disconcerting and encouraging.  Simply put, they are at the center of power, but they have pulled the curtain back and found little power to make change or to make a difference.

These leaders are exhausted. Life within The Beltway or on The Hill has left them with little hope of seeing the turn around of their nation. They are in the belly of the beast, and they have seen the futility of making a difference in their lifetime, UNLESS there is a change sent from God.

Note to self: Pray for them, and with them. They need it, and you need the practice.

One after another, I heard leaders calling out to pastors to pray, and to seek God for a Great Awakening as the only hope for our nation and the world. Their front row view to the seat of power has convinced them that there is no hope to be found in Washington D.C. It must come from Heaven.

Prayer warriors seek The Seat of Power, but they are not fooled by earthly illusions of it. Through prayer they find The Purpose, The Power, and The Presence of Jesus.

Prayer is not a futile gesture, or a devotional discipline. It is immediate access to a place of humility before The Seat of Jesus. He lives to intercede for His followers. Through Jesus there is hope of a God ordained, Heaven sent, Spirit empowered Awakening that is able to transform a single heart, every home, and an entire nation.  

Praying for the next Great Awakening begins with a dead person seeking new life.  The very idea of revival is built upon the concept of a person who has had “the things above” sucked out of them. They have been choked and suffocated by “the things that are on the earth.” They are in need of the renewal of life that only Jesus can give.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” Colossians 3: 1-4

Prayer is a matter of life or death. Those who die to self find renewed life in prayer. They are drawn to prayer because their hearts are filled with the purpose of Jesus. Their eyes are focused on finding The Seat of Jesus. Their heart beats to the rhythm of the heart of Jesus.

Jesus is The Intercessor, and those who long to be in His Presence are driven by His will to take part in what He does. Those who have no heart for prayer have an empty heart. Those who have died to their own way of life “have been raised up with Christ.” The essential power of the resurrection is the new life that is found in prayer. Through prayer, those dead to self but alive in Christ, discover The Purpose, The Presence and The Power of Jesus.

THE PURPOSE - “When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3

“Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:34

THE PRESENCE - “Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

THE POWER – “From now on THE SON OF MAN will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. “ Luke 22:69

Prayerless people are without purpose, presence or power. They soon lose hope in the capacity of the world to right itself, and their personal power to change themselves. The more they focus on all that is wrong, the less power they see released to make things right.

Prayer is the breath of life, the hope for change, and the means by which God makes a difference one life, one home, and one nation at a time. Prayerful people have a view of The Seat of Jesus, and they join Him in doing what He does best. He prays for His people to discover His Purpose, His Presence and His Power. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Denial

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” Colossians 2:20-21

One of the more fascinating aspects of contemporary Christianity is the renewed interest in some of the more liturgical expressions of faith. This probably will run its course, but if it points people back to their ancient root system it will be a noble journey.

On the other hand, any addition of man-made religion to a faith completed by Jesus on the cross of Calvary is a dangerous precedent. The relationship with Jesus begins with death, not a renewed effort to live a better life, or to deny oneself the comforts of life.

Putting rouge on a corpse is an illusion of life. It makes for a less frightening view of the body, but it doesn’t breathe new life into it. When people walk by a casket, they seldom throw insults at the body of the person reclining in it. It would be poor form. The fact remains that any harsh words would have no impact. Dead people just don’t take offense at being disrespected, nor do they mourn at their own funeral.

Life with Jesus begins with death, but it releases new life. Being born-again is a joyous encounter. Self-denial is a daily walk with Jesus impacted by the power and The Person of The Risen Christ. It is not a mourner’s marathon of physical denial.

Dead people do not become more alive by denying themselves nourishment, their favorite hobby, or watching less TV. The dead are not impacted by the same things as people who are still living under the influence of “the elementary principles of the world.”

Paul warned the members of the early church to avoid being sidetracked from the joyous celebration of repentance by man-made penance. Penance and repentance are not the same thing.

In truth, the believer is dead to an old way of life, and is not “living in the world.” There is no need to submit to man-made religion that orders them, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

This is where the confusion of new life in Christ and death to self collide. Believers are born-again people trapped in physical bodies that remain on earth until Jesus returns or death frees them to go home. They hunger, thirst, and experience every other feeling, and emotion with the same intensity that any unredeemed person does. This delay clouds their perspective on death and denial.

Self-denial is not the denial of oneself certain things, but the denial of one’s self. It is possible to be empty of food, and filled with pride. It is possible to penniless and prideful. It is possible to take one’s last breath, and express pride with one’s last gasp.

Taking food out of a dead man’s mouth, or stealing property from his hand will not make him a better man or make him more alive. It is pointless. Dead men do not respond to disrespect or denial.

Paul’s reminder to the early Christians is a timely one for the contemporary church. Humiliating the flesh by denying it certain privileges may be a form of penance, but it does not indicate the state of repentance.

Repentance is the death to self. It is a turn around that leads to new life in Christ. Penance is a removal of non-essential things that inconveniences the flesh without dying to self.

Paul would add, “I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31 His life was no one-time encounter with his pride. He would spend the rest of his life nailing it to the cross.

Death to self or self-denial is not the denying of oneself certain things, but the crucifying of selfish pride every day. This is not a sad forced march to the cross. This is a race to repentance, knowing that it is at the cross where new life is received. What Jesus nails to the cross dies, and He breathes new life into those who have had all their debts canceled.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which were hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14

Dying to self is a daily celebration of living debt free. It begins with death, but ends in revival. Prayer is how the revived continue to breathe the fresh air of forgiveness. Praying keeps nailing pride to the cross, and breathing new life into a spirit of repentance.

Note to self: It won’t hurt you to deny yourself a few things, but don’t confuse penance with repentance. Never deny what Jesus did for you on the cross. Laying off the chocolate chip cookies at Lent may make you a thinner man, but what Jesus did at The Cross put to death your sinner man. Take a deep breath, and celebrate, but don’t forget the nails. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Overflow

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. “ Colossians 2:6-7

Nothing mars the beauty of a child or marks the immaturity of an adult quite like the attitude of ingratitude. One of our earliest parenting battles involved teaching our oldest child to say, “Thank you.” We were totally embarrassed one night by her stubborn resistance to saying those two words. We were in the home of two special people who had done so much for her. Jack and Sharon Ross had wisely walked us through the nine months of waiting, had been there for her birth when our parent’s could not,  and had been a huge part of Ashley’s first year of life.

While serving in Houston, Texas, we made a return visit to Jack and Sharon’s home, during the trauma and drama of  “The Terrible Two’s.”  After Jack had done something particularly nice for Ashley, we asked her to say, “Thank you.” She replied, “No.” That launched a battle of the wills between Dana and Ashley that included three marches down the hallway to the bedroom, followed by three distinct popping sounds. Each time Ashley would return rubbing her behind, but still shaking her head. On the final trip she said defiantly, “Thank you.” Jack and Sharon had the good grace to stifle their laughter, throughout the ordeal. Jack said, “Don’t ever give up.” Wise words.

Paul describes the early Christians as “overflowing with gratitude.” This is centuries before the birth of the The American Dream , and the expression of it’s  peculiar offspring, Health and Wealth Christianity. These people were facing persecution, and rejection for what they believed. Still, they did not hold on to their faith with a thin lipped, tight lipped grimace. They revealed to their community and culture an excessive, extravagant, and exuberant spirit of thanksgiving.

The floodgates of gratitude were unleashed when they…

“Received” – The came along side of Jesus. They did not just join in. They were all in. They take their place alongside of another Him, not in a private initiation, but in public identification with Him.

“Christ Jesus The Lord.” – They put an end to their rebellious attitude. They embraced Jesus as their Champion, They were not embracing a concept, but entering into a relationship, on a first name basis with the love of their life, Jesus. They lowered the flag of their rebellious state, and pledged allegiance to their new King.

“Walk in Him” – Their destination was Heaven, but they were filled with the joy of the journey with Jesus. The word walk is so simple, but it means the sense of direction with not only with Him, but it is about Him. The path that is chosen is not up for discussion or debate. It is more of a dance than a forced march, and always Jesus leads.

“Firmly rooted” – Grounded in the love of God, the character of Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit, the early Christians remained in consistent companionship with Jesus. The Fruit flowed from The Root. The not only bloomed where they were planted. Their fruit was sweet, not bitter.

“Built up in Him”   - Trust in Jesus was the foundation, and the base upon which everything was built.  Their lives had integrity because their faith was placed in and aligned with their Cornerstone,

“Established in your faith” - The height of building is established and rests on the foundation. The integrity of a Christian rests upon the reliability of their Foundation. These early Christians rested in Jesus.

“Just as you were instructed” – These grateful Christians never outgrew their dependence upon their earliest instructions. The way they came on is the way they continued on. When in doubt, they read the direction, and followed the original instructions. They did not revise, improvise, or compromise the truth. When the tests came, they had The Answer. His name was Jesus.

“Overflowing with gratitude.”  - These early believers were marked by abundant joy. The fruit of their faith was a full fragrance and an overwhelming aroma. They lived life with extravagant excess. They poured out Jesus from lives that were far from perfect. They were forgiven. They were cracked, but useful vessels. Their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was not held in or sealed in tight containers sitting on the shelf. Their faith was always leaking out, spilling over and running out into the street. When the crises of life squeezed them, they spewed out what was on their label. Those who encountered these early believers walked away with Jesus all over them.   

The word for gratitude is rooted in a response of thanksgiving that is generated by an act of forgiveness. Anyone who has ever had a debt forgiven knows what this feels like.  Removing the crushing weight of a mountain of debt brings relief.  Those who experience it don’t have to be entertained to be happy. The instant that the debt is taken off of their backs, a smile hits their face.  

Note to self: When you received Jesus in your heart, your face should have been informed about His forgiveness of your debts. Don’t forget to remind your face on a regular basis.

Praying in the name of Jesus, and thanking God for pouring out His gift of love will develop the attitude of gratitude. Thankless people are prayerless people who need to be reminded that they have been forgiven. Prayerless people act like ungrateful children, not mature believers.  Prayer will put a smile on the face of anyone who discovers what it means to receive God’s love and live debt free. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Struggle

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf…and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged…for even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2: 1-5

Paul’s insight into prayer as the means by which The Body of Christ ministers to one another in spite of great distances and great challenges is a powerful weapon in the hands of prayer warriors. The weapon of prayer is not for the faint of heart. Paul calls his intercession a struggle. It was an agony of soul that kept him ever mindful of those he knew intimately, and persistently praying for others who had never seen his face.

When Jesus prayed in The Garden before His crucifixion. He agonized with such passionate intercession and intimate communication with The Father that sweat poured out of his body like great drops of blood.

When Paul prayed for those he loved and missed, he wasn’t ashamed to call his intercession an agony of the soul.

With intense intercession Paul called out to God on behalf of those who were separated from him, but were still within the protective arms of The Spirit of God. As he prayed, his agony turned to rejoicing. They were able to sense his presence in spirit, and he was able to sense the stability of their faith in Christ. This is the beauty and the double blessing of a life intercession.

Since August 7, 2013 my father, Don Miller, has been in and out of ER and ICU units battling congestive heart failure, and a host of other issues that come with the aging process. Today, March 9, 2014 Dad turns 92 years of age.  During these past few months he has spent close to 40 days in the hospital. On more than one occasion the doctors in the ER have left us to say our good byes. Dad has defied the odds, faced the struggle to take his next breath and he has pulled through.

There have been many times we have called upon people, unable to be physically present in the middle of these crises, to pray for Dad. They have done so, and we are grateful.  Words are not adequate to express our debt of gratitude for people who have taken these requests for intercession seriously and agonized with us in prayer.

Time and again, when the struggle was great and Dad was at his weakest point, I would whisper to him, “People all over the world are praying for you.” His eyes would light up, and he would say, “Oh, I know it. I can feel their prayers. They are more real to me than I can tell you.”

Though he could not see their faces, he could sense their presence. With a memory clouded by drugs and the ravages of time,  Dad was not always able to place a face with a name, but he was always able to sense a person’s presence with their prayers.

Prayer brings comfort to those who are making the effort to pray, and it impacts those who are on the receiving end of it. There is a bonding of the spirit between those who pray and those who are being prayed for that cannot be explained. It must be experienced. It is a result of the ministry of The Spirit of Christ in the lives of both the sender and the receiver. The Spirit makes the connection, and grants the intercessor a spirit of presence in the midst of the struggle that has God’s handprints all over it.

The esprit de corps of prayer warriors is not based on wearing the same uniform, marching in a parade under the same banner, or singing the same war songs. It is a spirit of steel bonds forged in fire, and it exists only between people who have been through the same struggle together. Prayer is not designed as symbol of personal devotion, but it is provided as a weapon of war.

Note to self: Pray in The Spirit. Intercession is not all about you.

Today, I will have the privilege of sharing birthday greetings with my Dad from his friends all over the world. They are a collection of priceless comments from those who have been through the struggle with him. Though separated by miles and years, the bond between these praying people and my Mom and Dad is real.

On behalf of the Miller family, thank you for being there in spirit. You were there when Mom and Dad needed you. They sensed your presence, and we did too. God bless you! TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!