Although I never met Ronnie, although he was not famous, although we lived thousands of miles apart, he had a significant impact on my life and my faith, and I felt compelled to write a few words about him.  Back in 2010 I saw a video of a sermon preached by a young man from an Acts 29 church in Texas.  It was not your typical sermon, but was rather a series of 47 portions of scripture put together, memorized and recited before the church by a man named Ronnie Smith.  Something about watching this 28 minute video moved me deeply.  I saw in what Ronnie had done, something genuinely beautiful.  And when you experience something you believe to be genuinely beautiful, you cannot help but to share it with others.

And so, I committed myself to memorizing this work, which Ronnie called “The History of Redemption”.  I must have watched this video 50 or 60 times.  And I must have talked about it so much, that pastor Rob eventually asked me to write a weekly blog post on each of these 47 sections of scripture for our church.  And so, over the course of 2011, that is what I did.  I invested countless hours in reading, listening to, memorizing and writing, all catalyzed by what Ronnie had done.  He was a young man, about my age, and I knew nothing else about him, except that he was a faithful servant of Christ who was a part of a church in Texas.  

Last week, Ronnie was murdered in Benghazi, Libya.  He was living there with his wife and young son, and was working as a chemistry teacher at the international school, and he was shot dead while jogging.  I believe that God called Ronnie and his wife to move to Benghazi, one of the most violent and broken cities on this planet, because He (God) loves those people.  And Ronnie and his wife went because they had been filled with a hope that extends into eternity and they desired to share this hope with those who have no hope.  Although I never met Ronnie, and I still know very little about him, I am quite sure that he understood they very real possibility of facing death in a place such as this.  And still he went, to love and to serve the people of Libya and to love and serve his God and Savior.  Ronnie paid the ultimate price for his obedience to Christ, and I am confident that in the moments following his death, he heard the voice of God Himself gently whispering in his ear, “well done, good and faithful servant”.

Although today we are saddened and grieve the loss of Ronnie, his life was not wasted.  And today, be sure of this, that Ronnie is not sad.  

I praise God for Ronnie’s life.  His was a life lived with absolute direction and purpose for the glory of God.   And as we have brothers and sisters in our church preparing to move to the Middle East, motivated by the same love that motivated Ronnie, this is a painful reminder to me, to not only encourage them and support them and pray for their fruitfulness, but also to pray for their safety, to pray daily, to pray without ceasing.  It is also a reminder to me that ultimately our hope is not in the length of our days or what we accomplish, but in a God who can and will use our lives to bring glory to Himself.  For He can use all things for good for those who love him and are called according to His purpose.  Ronnie’s life was a testimony to his love for God, and now our prayer is that God would use his death as a catalyst for the forwarding of the Gospel and the hope to which we cling.  This is a worthy cause.  There is no greater cause.  

Below is the video of Ronnie preaching “The History of Redemption”:

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” - Psalm 116:15

photo credit: a7fadhomar via photopin cc

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.” - Exodus 20:2-3  

[Adoration] Father, today I am reminded of the supreme position you hold over all of creation, and therefore of the supreme position you should hold in my heart.  You are a jealous God, who is jealous for our devotion to You, because You know with ultimate certainty, that it is only when we are devoted to You, that we become whole.  It is only when our affections are most stirred for You, that we will find true joy, true peace, and true fulfillment.  For we were created to be worshippers of You.  O Lord, You alone are worthy to be worshipped.  Thank You that You have shared this great truth with us.

[Confession] Father, forgive me.  You know my heart, and you know that it has served other gods before You.  Forgive me God for serving the false gods of money, and of lust, and of selfish ambition.  Forgive me Father for the countless hours I have devoted to perishable carvings that will one day be utterly destroyed.  But You are the everlasting God.

[Thanksgiving] Father, today I thank you for this reminder of who You are.  Thank you God for this call for us to humble ourselves beneath You.  Thank you for this call to cease from serving other gods, from serving idols that can never satisfy, idols that could never deliver us from the house of slavery, but will only enslave us further.  Thank you for not giving up on me, when I have spent so many years bowed before false gods, You continued to pursue me.  And thank you, that You did not abandon Your people when we were trapped in slavery, but that You came for us.  You came for us, and You died for our freedom.  Thank you merciful Father.

[Supplication] And now Father I petition You, and ask that You would be pleased to purify for Yourself a people for Your own possession.  And I ask that You would empower Redeemer church, by the person of Your Holy Spirit, to be a people who shall have no other god before You.  Teach us, your bride, to mortify sin each and every day, that we may seek You as our great and glorious treasure.  Teach us to be a people devoted to prayer, knowing that You are not just worthy of 5 minutes of prayer a day, but You are worthy of ceaseless prayer.  Teach us to be a people who are hungry for Your Word, devouring it daily, and holding it up as the ultimate source of truth, and wisdom, and hope.  Teach us to be a people who worship You, with our time, our money, our gifts, our everything.  And Father, make us a people who are deeply, deeply, in love with You.

Amen.

We have a great gift to guide us in prayer, and that is the Holy Bible.  Every word of scripture is God-breathed, and every word of scripture can be prayed through and prayed over.  I would encourage you today to spend time daily praying through scripture.  Don’t just read through your daily bible reading plan, but as you read, stop, and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind to understand the depth of what God has spoken, and ask Him to quicken your heart and your mind and your affections for the One who has spoken to You.  You can start today with the ten commandments.  I encourage you to take the next 10 days to pray over each of these commandments, in adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.  And may God our Father “give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ” (Ephesians 1:17-20).

Please be in prayer for the following:

1. That Redeemer would be a praying church.
2. That as the school season begins, we would see many college students hear the gospel and give their lives to Jesus.
3. That God would prepare us for our upcoming Perspectives course, starting in January.  Pray that God would lay it on the hearts of many to commit to this course, and that He would be pleased to reveal much of Himself and His plan to those who attend.
4. That God would raise up more team members to go with our church planting teams to Boston and to the Middle East.
5. That God would provide for us, in our facility, in our budget, and that He would continue to grow us daily in our understanding of His plan, His purpose and His glory.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! - Psalm 105:4  

Father, teach us to be a praying church.  That is my prayer today.  Nothing more and nothing less.  Please make Redeemer a praying church.

Amen.

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges that we has followers of Jesus get to enjoy.  Yet it is also a struggle for many of us.  We live in a culture filled with distractions, and to get alone with God and focus on Him, does not come naturally.  To learn how to pray may begin as a discipline, but it will over time be transformed into a joy.  The elders of Redeemer church want more than anything for Jesus Christ to be glorified in His bride, and we believe that this will not happen without us first and foremost becoming a praying church.  We hope you will commit to spending time daily with the God who loves you, who desires time with you, and who adopted you as His son or daughter.  Below are a few practical tools to strengthen your prayer life.

1. Identify your “best time” of the day to be alone with God.  For most of us this is early in the morning, before work, before the kids wake up, before you log onto your computer.  Commit this time to Lord.  This may mean disciplining yourself to go to bed earlier than you normally do, to ensure that you wake up early enough to pray.
2. Find a “prayer closet”.  This does not have to be a literal closet, but find a place where you will be alone with God, and where you are not surrounded by the distractions that may take your eyes off of Jesus.
3. Make sure that you are not just asking God for things, but include in your prayer time adoration, confession, thanksgiving AND supplication (remember the pneumonic “ACTS”).  Remember that prayer is an act of worship.
4. Use scripture to pray.  Start by reading over a portion of scripture and use that as a springboard for adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.  The psalms lend themselves especially to prayer, but each and every verse of the bible can be incorporated into prayer.
5. Use the Lord’s prayer to guide you (see Matthew 6:9-15).
6. Pray alone and with others.  Pray daily with your spouse and your children.  Pray with your gospel community.  Prayer with your church family.
7. Ask your brothers and sisters in Christ what they need prayer for.  And don’t just tell them that you will pray for them, but pray for them right then and there.
8. Keep a prayer journal.
9. Pray big prayers and pray specific prayers.  God is real, He hears every prayer, and He has invited us to ask Him for anything, so do that!
10. Pray for people to be saved, and for God to be glorified, and for Him to use You for His ultimate purpose.

Here are a few resources and books to help you grow in your prayer life:

1. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scottysmith/ - This is a daily prayer blog by Scotty Smith.  This  will help to model prayer for you by praying daily through scripture.
2. A God Sized Vision, Colin Hansen
3. With Christ In The School Of Prayer, Andrew Murray
4. A Praying Life, Paul Miller
5. Prayer And The Knowledge Of God, Graeme Goldsworthy
6. 57 Words That Change The World, Darrell Johnson

As part of our ongoing international missions blog series, I though I would post a journal entry which I wrote on my way to Kenya back in 2010.  God blessed that trip in unexpected ways, and began relationships that continue to this day. Some thoughts from a justified sinner on his way from Bellingham to Bomet

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” - Mark 10:42-45

As one who has never consistently journaled before, it seems like a good idea to start this with God’s words rather than my words.  I have started many times to journal my thoughts and feelings and prayers, but after a few entries, I ask myself “who am I writing this for?” and “wouldn’t my time be better spent doing something else, like praying, reading my bible, or eating humous?”.  But I have felt a certain “tugging” at me in the weeks leading up to this trip to write about my experiences.  I am still not sure who I am writing this for (for God?, for myself?, for some unknown audience who will one day read these words alongside those of Anne Frank?)  But I am committed this time, and I have armed myself with the world’s most expensive journal .... the MacBookPro.

So where do I begin?  I guess back at God’s word (see above).  This verse was written in the bible that was recently given to me by World Medical Mission, who is the agency sending me to Kenya for 3 weeks to the Tenwek mission hospital in Bomet, Kenya.  Currently I am sitting in the LA airport, where I just arrived from Seattle, and am now waiting for my 15 hour 50 minute flight from LA to Dubai.  I will spend the night in Dubai, then fly to Nairobi.  I will then spend a night in Nairobi, then be driven (about 3 hours?) to Bomet where the hospital is located.  And then I will see what God has in store for me over the following weeks.

I love the verse above from Mark.  It is one of my favorite verses in the bible.  The relationship between social justice and evangelism is one that has fascinated me for months now.  Obviously God passionately loves both, but big questions have been percolating in my mind, like “what does God intend the relationship between the two to be?”, “is it wrong to use social justice as a springboard for evangelism”, “how can we do both of these well?”.  I don’t claim to have answers to these questions, but perhaps with time and prayer, God will open my eyes more to His wonderful plan.

I suppose I should spend some time exploring my motivations, and my expectations for going on this trip (since it is just getting started).  I figured out on my drive to the airport that this is my 10th trip to Africa (although 2 of these were when I was a baby, but I am still counting them).  It is my 7th mission trip.  And I am constantly asking myself, “why do I keep making these trips?”.  I am always concerned that my motives are more selfish that Christ-centered, and that the cost of the trip is so much, that wouldn’t it be better to just send them a check to feed starving people?  So here is a list of possible motivations for me to take another mission trip to Africa:

1. I like to travel, especially to exotic places.
2. I like to see the look on someone’s face when I tell them I am going to Africa to care for sick people.
3. I like racking up frequent flyer miles.
4. I like studying foreign languages.
5. I like bringing home little African “treasures” to give to my wife, kids and friends.
6. I like the idea that I have in some small way grown into a man like my dad, who travelled all over the middle east.
7. I like to buy travel-sized electronic gadgets (like the computer I am typing this on), justifying it by saying that I REALLY need this for my next trip.
8. I am a wretched sinner, who God pursued, then saved through the blood of His Son on the cross, and as a result of my love for Him, I want to pour out my life in His service.

Pretty horrible, right?  I wish I could say that reason number 8 is the only reason I make these trips, but I feel that I should be confessional with you (whoever you are), and tell you that although I desire for that to be my sole motivation ... it is not.  I am a horrible person, thank God that it is not about me.

I pray that God will forgive me for my selfish motivations, and will take my life and make it His, all for Him and for His glory.  I do want this more than anything, to have the faith and the selflessness I believe Christ has called us to.  I make these trips because I do feel that God has called me to serve in Africa.  When I stand back and look at what He has given me to do this, it astounds me.  He has given me a profession that is useful for service, the money and physical ability to make these trips, a job that allows me the time to do this, a desire to travel, and above all, a wife who is willing to send me.  All praise be to God!

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!  May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! ...... May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!  May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! - Psalm 20:1, 4-5  

Oh gracious and tender God, thank you for these encouraging words spoken by the Psalmist.  In these verses of God-breathed scripture, I hear You urging us to bring our desires and our needs to You.  What an invitation!  That we, a bunch of sin-covered wretches, could ask YOU, a holy and perfect God for anything, is astounding.

And the sad truth is, that I waste this great opportunity on a daily basis.  Forgive me Father.  Forgive me for not bringing all things to You.  And forgive me for not believing that You can and will answer all prayers. Forgive me for all of my “safe prayers”, prayers that are vague, prayers that betray my lack of faith in a God who hears and who acts.  As You teach me, and our church to become a praying church, give us confidence to pray specific prayers, and to pray big prayers.  And then let us rejoice as we watch You, in all Your sovereign might answer these prayers.

And Father, as I grow in my faith and in my knowledge and understanding of You, please make my petitions those that will glorify You.  Teach me to submit all my plans to You, resting in the countless promises that You will guide my steps.  Please Lord, align my desires with Your desires ... and then fulfill all my petitions!

Amen.

Please be in prayer for the following:

1. That as college students return to Bellingham, that  they would meet Jesus, early in the Autumn.
2. For our resident missionaries focused on Western, that God would grant them opportunities to witness to those He is pursuing.
3. For 40 baptisms by the end of this year.
4. For our upcoming Perspectives course, that God would be glorified through the course and be worshipped all the more by those involved in it - that they would be more captivated by God’s glory and delight in Him making a name for himself in all the earth.
5. That Redeemer would become a praying church.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. - Psalm 136:1

Father, it would be so easy for me today to just give a list of the numerous evidences of grace I have experienced in my life and those that we have experienced in our church.  Truly we have so much to be thankful for.  Truly You are a gracious God.  But I feel like writing a list of the first 20 things that come to my mind would only cheapen each one, when each one has so much of You surrounding it.  Each and every evidence of grace that I would list is engulfed in Your sovereignty, Your mercy, Your love, Your holiness.  How could writing out a list ever convey the depth of Your goodness.  So let me just pick one.  And let me pick one that is personal.

Father, thank You for letting my daughter Ella have cancer.  It has been over two years now since she was diagnosed and her treatments completed, and she has never looked healthier, and You know that not a day goes by that I do not thank You for healing her and sustaining our family through that.  But rarely do I thank You for allowing her to experience cancer in the first place.  But when I look back on that day when I stood next to her in that ultrasound room and heard the radiologist tell me she had a large tumor in her belly, what I remember is Your merciful hand upon me and upon her.  That week was the single most painful week of my life.  But that pain drove me and my whole family closer to You than we have ever been.  My time of prayer that day and that week was so intensely real, that my affections for You were changed forever more.  I experienced You and Your tenderness in a way that I never would have experienced if You had not allowed us to go through that.  My times laying next to Ella in her hospital bed were so sweet, and so wonderful, my heart so filled with gratefulness to You for each step closer we got towards her healing, that I will never forget those moments.  I will cherish them forever.  I now understand with so much more clarity what it means to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produced hope, and hope does not put us to shame because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

Thank you God for how Your gospel grounded us that week.  When we may have been tempted to question Your love for us, we were reminded through Your word, that You in fact loved us so much, that You did not spare Your only Son, Jesus Christ “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  When I look at the cross, how could I ever doubt or question Your love for me?

Thank you Father that Your Son has not only saved us, but now lives and intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25).  And oh how I felt His presence and His intercession during that week.  How true are the words of Charles Spurgeon who said, “We little know what we owe our Savior’s prayers.  When we reach the hilltops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon the earth.  How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate!”.

Thank you mighty, sovereign and merciful Father for the trials You have walked through with me, and with us all.  Let us never forget that our suffering is not without purpose, but that truly, truly, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  All things, even sickness, even cancer, even death.  And when we encounter trials of various kinds, strengthen and sharpen our faith, that we may “Count it all joy” (James 1:2), resting in the hope and security we now have through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, who loved us, and gave Himself up for us. and secured for us a salvation that we did not deserve, through a death He did not deserve.

Amen.