the great Shepherd of the sheep
I was thinking tonight that PBS needs to have a show called "Zoom: Where are they now?" I think it would be a big hit. Growing up, I loved watching that show. The kids on Zoom were always happy, energetic, goofy and had great comaraderie. My friends and I all had our favorite Zoom cast member, as do my boys now when they watch it.
But off the sound stage, I wonder if these kids were/are as happy as they seem. What kinds of home lives do they have?
In reality, the closest thing I have found to Zoom kids are college students who are on fire for Jesus Christ. They do know boundless energy, they are smart and joyful and funny. They are on unified task, they are driven by the Holy Spirit.
Tonight as I looked around the Austin Stone at these beloved college students, I saw many who were struggling with the events of the week. More than one girl with mascara running down her face, more than one young man bent over in his chair during worship fighting tears. The sadness was palpable, they are bearing the weight of the times. This generation is bearing it the most because it is their generation the enemy is so eager to devour.
As a pastor gifted in mercy, Franklin Graham asked Virginia Tech to consider Cho was demonized. As someone called to intercede for college students, I know he was, as much as I know the Holy Spirit who lives within me. I am so angry about the fact that not one person on that campus or in his life had the spiritual sensitivity to call it for what it was and deal with it. That is not me being judgmental, that is me being angry at the injustice of the situation. I am so beside myself that this young man spent much of his life in the pit. Is God weeping over Cho's life with his family? You bet He is. You may wonder why I haven't written about the other victims; that's because I haven't even begun to think about them, I'm still grieving over this young man. I turned the television off after seeing his videos and have not turned it back on.
We do need to give ourselves time to grieve from God's heart, our tears bring healing to our land. But take heart, because His joy does come in the morning! And joy is a weapon the enemy cannot handle.
There are more demon possessed people in the United States than we care to acknowledge. Just because they are not manifesting like they do, say, on the African continent, does not mean they don't exist here. We are a privileged society...we are not privileged from having demons. Satan is much more subtle here. You talk to demon possessed people every single day. Demons are like roaches, they need to be dealt with in the authority of Jesus Christ. They are irritants who have to submit to His authority.
I am angry. I am angry that in these end times we take the battle lightly, we pray lightly. "Please God, if it's your will, God, just please help S. over her battle with depression."
You have the Holy Spirit in you, you know the will of God. Learn to listen to His voice. He does want us to win the battle over depression. He's wanting His hands and feet to be the vehicle. It's time we stop copping out in our prayers and asking God to do the things He has asked us to do. We are His hands and feet, so let's stop throwing back to God everything He has asked us to do, and then adding, p.s... if it's your will God. We think it's humility. It's not. It's pride.
The religious spirit looks and acts a lot like the Holy Spirit. The thing that spirit is missing is God's authority and power. If you are praying out of a religious spirit, it will be weak and whining; it will let you off the hook. It does not declare God's will in the situation.
"Do you really want to know the will of God?" That's what Francis Chan asked thousands of college students at Passion this year. Because knowing the will of God is life changing. It means being His hands and feet. It means declaring in prayer those things we know He wants to accomplish. The time for asking God to be present in the church is over. He is present; He is waiting to see the things we will build and plant in His name. He will watch over it. As His hands and feet, He is waiting to see if the captives will be set free, if the brokenhearted will be healed, in His name.
This generation gets that. They are on a mission. They are hungry to see Christ come back in the flesh. That is why the enemy is so targeting them. We have got to be strategic in our prayers, in our walk. Let's stop qualifying every prayer with a "if it's your will God" and let's start acting on what is God's will.
In less than a month, on May 11, our country will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, the home of our nation's birthplace. Hampton, Virginia is the place the first slave was brought into our country. Virginia has always played a key role in our nation's history. They have always been a root. So we pray that through this tragedy, God will effect great history for His glory, He will birth a great army on that campus with arms that will reach out across the nation.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NKJV)
But off the sound stage, I wonder if these kids were/are as happy as they seem. What kinds of home lives do they have?
In reality, the closest thing I have found to Zoom kids are college students who are on fire for Jesus Christ. They do know boundless energy, they are smart and joyful and funny. They are on unified task, they are driven by the Holy Spirit.
Tonight as I looked around the Austin Stone at these beloved college students, I saw many who were struggling with the events of the week. More than one girl with mascara running down her face, more than one young man bent over in his chair during worship fighting tears. The sadness was palpable, they are bearing the weight of the times. This generation is bearing it the most because it is their generation the enemy is so eager to devour.
As a pastor gifted in mercy, Franklin Graham asked Virginia Tech to consider Cho was demonized. As someone called to intercede for college students, I know he was, as much as I know the Holy Spirit who lives within me. I am so angry about the fact that not one person on that campus or in his life had the spiritual sensitivity to call it for what it was and deal with it. That is not me being judgmental, that is me being angry at the injustice of the situation. I am so beside myself that this young man spent much of his life in the pit. Is God weeping over Cho's life with his family? You bet He is. You may wonder why I haven't written about the other victims; that's because I haven't even begun to think about them, I'm still grieving over this young man. I turned the television off after seeing his videos and have not turned it back on.
We do need to give ourselves time to grieve from God's heart, our tears bring healing to our land. But take heart, because His joy does come in the morning! And joy is a weapon the enemy cannot handle.
There are more demon possessed people in the United States than we care to acknowledge. Just because they are not manifesting like they do, say, on the African continent, does not mean they don't exist here. We are a privileged society...we are not privileged from having demons. Satan is much more subtle here. You talk to demon possessed people every single day. Demons are like roaches, they need to be dealt with in the authority of Jesus Christ. They are irritants who have to submit to His authority.
I am angry. I am angry that in these end times we take the battle lightly, we pray lightly. "Please God, if it's your will, God, just please help S. over her battle with depression."
You have the Holy Spirit in you, you know the will of God. Learn to listen to His voice. He does want us to win the battle over depression. He's wanting His hands and feet to be the vehicle. It's time we stop copping out in our prayers and asking God to do the things He has asked us to do. We are His hands and feet, so let's stop throwing back to God everything He has asked us to do, and then adding, p.s... if it's your will God. We think it's humility. It's not. It's pride.
The religious spirit looks and acts a lot like the Holy Spirit. The thing that spirit is missing is God's authority and power. If you are praying out of a religious spirit, it will be weak and whining; it will let you off the hook. It does not declare God's will in the situation.
"Do you really want to know the will of God?" That's what Francis Chan asked thousands of college students at Passion this year. Because knowing the will of God is life changing. It means being His hands and feet. It means declaring in prayer those things we know He wants to accomplish. The time for asking God to be present in the church is over. He is present; He is waiting to see the things we will build and plant in His name. He will watch over it. As His hands and feet, He is waiting to see if the captives will be set free, if the brokenhearted will be healed, in His name.
This generation gets that. They are on a mission. They are hungry to see Christ come back in the flesh. That is why the enemy is so targeting them. We have got to be strategic in our prayers, in our walk. Let's stop qualifying every prayer with a "if it's your will God" and let's start acting on what is God's will.
In less than a month, on May 11, our country will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, the home of our nation's birthplace. Hampton, Virginia is the place the first slave was brought into our country. Virginia has always played a key role in our nation's history. They have always been a root. So we pray that through this tragedy, God will effect great history for His glory, He will birth a great army on that campus with arms that will reach out across the nation.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NKJV)