Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the glory that is due His name. I want to take this time and express my deepest thanks and gratitude for you all. These past eight months have been some of the most difficult, trying, and lonely moments of our lives. However, in and through it all our Lord's mighty hand has never been short in saving His children. Both Misty and I have experienced so many emotions, feelings, thoughts and longings since we first arrived here. It is during the course of this e-mail that I seek to give you a picture into one of these issues, speak of what our Lord is teaching us through it and express our love and gratitude for you all.
In recent days I have been wrestling with this issue of duty over happiness. There is a lie out there taught by our culture (one in which I too fall victim to at times and sadly has found its way into our churches), that teaches we should only find ourselves involved in actions and endeavors that make us happy, rather than being consumed with doing aspects out of duty as well. If we get to caught up into this lie, far to often we miss out on the life and the calling the Lord has for us. Meaning, we as Christ followers are called to arms. We are at war constantly with the world, the flesh and the devil (Eph 6:11-12, 1 John 2:16, 1 Peter 5:8) and with indwelling sin. The scripture has even likened the call of a disciple of Jesus Christ as being a “Good Soldier”. We see this in the encouragement of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:3-4;
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
“What does it cost to be a true Christian? It will cost a man the favor of the world. He must be content to be thought ill of man if he pleases God. He must count it no strange thing to be mocked, ridiculed, slandered, persecuted and even hated. He must not be surprised to find his opinions and practices in religion despised and held up to scorn. He must submit to be thought by many a fool, an enthusiast and a fanatic – to have his words perverted and his actions misrepresented. In fact, he must not marvel that some even call him mad.”
He (J.C Ryle) has also gone on to say concerning this war time mentality;
"There are thousands of men and women who go to church and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians. Their names are in baptismal registers. They are reckoned Christians while they live. They are married with a Christian marriage service. They mean to be buried as Christians when they die. But, you never see and fight about their religion! Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self denial, and watching and warring, they know literally nothing at all. Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable, but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible."
Christian, does this above quote describe you? How have you made war with indwelling sin? Is your life one characterized as one with a war time mentality? Are you living your life as one merely passing through or have you made your self at home here? With love I beg for you not to get drowned in the American dream and entangled in the affairs of this world, rather than the glory of our Father and living the life found only in being a disciple of Jesus Christ.I am also reminded in the scriptures of our Savior;
“He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:3
The truth is sometimes the loneliness here is almost unbearable and often Misty and I find ourselves longing for your company and fellowship like never before. Oh, how we miss you all! We are strangers in a land not our own, among a people not of our own and often times we feel more a stranger even among our very own (missionaries) than even among the indigenous Indonesian themselves. On top of all this we have the constant voice of the enemy in our ears speaking lies and whispering seeds of doubt into our resolve. I constantly wrestle with my own insignificance and weakness in this place. Voices of: "your not worthy", "your not capable", "your not qualified" and "you should just go home" are meant to destroy, tear up and kill. But, thanks be to God that in His love and through the power of His Spirit, truth prevails. The deceiver is slick and often mixes truth in along with falsehoods. The real truth is he is right I am not worthy, I am not capable, I am weak... But, that is not the end of the matter. The scriptures are not silent and do not leave the issue on this note. There are truths that make the saving grace of God and his calling us into his army so powerfully humbling and so powerfully effective within our lives.
"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one boast, boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) (Ephesians 2:8-9, Rom.5: 1-11, 8:12-17)
If it is/was always merely an issue of happiness in our willingness to be here, we would have already come home along time ago. The truth (recently learning) is that we also have a duty in being here as well. Like any good soldier, sometimes we must push through and trudge through the difficult circumstances to do what our commanding officer has called us to do (and He is deserving and worthy). Our duty here is firstly and primarily for the Glory of God who is worthy to receive the glory and full reward of His sacrifice. Secondly, we have a duty to you all who have confirmed, sent and support us in this work. And thirdly, we have a duty to these people who apart from hearing and believing the Gospel of grace will spend an eternity in hell.
Brother and sister, what is your duty? What is the Lord calling and leading you to do (biblically) for the glory of His name both here and in your own back yards? Do not believe the lie that something is only worth doing if it makes you happy. This is not the Cristian life and walk described for us in the scriptures. Be reminded what Luke 9:23 speaks to us all concerning those who wish to follow Christ;
“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (1 Peter 2:21, Matthew 5:12, John 15:20, 2 Timothy 3:12)
In the end for the heart of the true disciple (never easy but somehow understood and experienced through the strength and leading of the Spirit that lies within us) we come to know and experience a joy in being used of our Father in such ways...... Happiness may not always describe the Christian life (it can) but, Joy can be experienced by all those of us who long to see Christ worshiped as he deserves. Remember we are men and women of grace, mercy and salvation. We are all entrusted with the gospel. We are people of promise. D.L Moody has once written concerning the issue of Joy;
"I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is caused by things which happen around me, and circumstances will mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecutions and opposition; it flows right along, for it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart, a secret spring which the world can't see and doesn't know anything about, but the Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him."
I am also reminded by a quote written by Nate Saint;
"If God would grant us the vision, the word "sacrifice" would disappear from our lips and thoughts, we would hate things that seem now do dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short; we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ. Lord God, speak to my own heart and give me to know Thy holy will and the JOY of walking in it."
Also, please remember as I often need to as well what the scriptures say of our present struggles;
"Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinner, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses His sons." Hebrews 12:3-4
Misty and I love you all and thank God for you. We are testimonies of God answering prayer. We are still here today (we are both convinced of this) because, you have all been so faithful in your prayers on our behalf. Many of you truly are and in desperation praying for us.... and we both have felt our Fathers movement upon them. We sooooo miss you all and are very humbled to represent you all here. Our hope is that you all would continue to remember us in those prayers daily... they are desperately needed. Pray for deeper commitment on our behalf, pray for wisdom, protection from the enemy, boldness, perseverance and clarity in His leading.
With Love and fond memories,
Kyle Blaze
No comments:
Post a Comment