Chris Biano visitation

Last night was the show at Coffee Station that I helped with for my Chris Biano, an artist from out of town. I had billed the event to the Christians in my own housechurch as a ministry opportunity for evangelism and seeing the Lord manifest among us while we are among others. Although the show (for strangers and outer circle acquaintances) started at 8 o'clock, I invited my Christian family to begin at 6:30pm to invite the Lord's presence, minister to our own needs, and create a welcoming atmosphere for Jesus to be magnified at the coffee shoppe.

I'm very glad that Chris came; I see him as an ascension gift of the Son, as it is written in Ephesians 4:7-8

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. / Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."

However I'm very disappointed in the Body of Christ. What was a precious opportunity to carry Jesus (the Ark of God) on the poles of our lives OUT of the temple four walls was treated as an opportunity to be entertained. I mean: Nobody showed up on time. We didn't have a community until 8pm, when it was too late to cultivate the Lord's presence, minister to Him, allow Him to come in and through us, and prepare the way of the Lord. We did not convene as the Church to do great exploits, but rather as an Audience of Chris or to "support Monty in his endeavor."

I am reminded of the prophet John, who in the spirit and the power of Elijah urgently exhorted the people of his time. Of him, Jesus said

This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' (Matthew 11:10)

If we would work the works of the Evangelist, if we would see the mighty acts of the Healer, if we want to see the wisdom of One who wins souls.... we must become like John, the messenger who ran ahead and prepared the way for Lord to come. All else is vanity!

The Lord's name is Emmanuel, which means The Lord Is With Us.

I'll stop writing right now so that I can continue tomorrow to speak grace to all who hear, and not vent, because yes I'm feeling let down.

Finishing The Task

I'm thankful to Father, for Mark Sayers' provocation to ruminate in Hebrews 10:25 . . .

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.

Maybe the reason 15 million christians don't Go To Church is that they reckon church is not a building. Maybe they don't experience the truth of Christ's Commandment by going to church as is the habit of some.

Many find the daily experience taught in the Scriptures among the assembly of Christian friends (at a home, coffee shop, or mall), rather than a Church Service. How's your mileage? Yes, please reply (this is a question and this is interactive media).

Why do we continue to invest time & money in a paradigm with a 1% yield (some would say less) of souls? I'd rather listen to the esteemed research of Mr. George Barna (of The Barna Group) than some Mark Sayers.

Jesus said,

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’

Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace.

So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple. Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile.

It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

So let the tower be finished, so let the war be won, for worthy is the Man who began: to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

To him be dominion, for ever, and ever. Amen.

O Holy Night

Sometimes songs come and linger with me, favorites of the Spirit, so to say. One which has visited this week is "O Holy Night," which is a song celebrating the 1st coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Usually Christians sing this carol around Christmas and it is part of the mixture stirred with shopping malls and home decor and apple cider and candy canes and pine trees and warm clothing. So, it is a bit out of context to be singing this song in the spring/summer: which provoked me to inquiry in the house of the Lord.

If you look at the lyrics this summer, absent all of secular (and religious) holiday distractions, it is a beautiful song, and captures the contradiction inherent in the epiphany. Even the song's title is antithetical: holy ...night?

God always chooses to create a dawn, while the world is in darkness. I wonder what kind of dawn is about to break in my life? (or my city) - if indeed the coming of this song is prophetic - which I believe it is. The God of faith requires that we trust in Him and the intimacy we have with Him, in spite of circumstances and in the midst of them.

Numbers Racket

In this month's Harper's Magazine, Kevin P. Phillips penned an article Numbers racket: Why the economy is worse than we know indicting the United States government for intentional falsification of vital economic indicators for a few decades.

In fact, he speculates a probable causal link between the credit crisis we're now in with this habit of lying. The problem with lying is that you can't stop: one leads to another and another and another, and the longer it goes on, the more severe the consequences once you're caught or reality catches up.

God save America.