Iranian Christians Released from Prison!

I got some wonderful news in my e-mail tonight and wanted to share it with everyone. I've posted once or twice regarding Maryham and Marzieh, two Christian women in Iran who were imprisoned 9 months ago. They have been released from prison without even having to pay bail! This is amazing, praise God for this act of deliverance. Literally millions of believers have been praying for them around the world, and many have also petitioned their government. This just shows how important it is to stand with our brothers and sisters in persecuted nations. Keep in mind that the charges against them have not been dropped, so we need to keep praying for God to protect them and keep them strong. Click here to learn more.

Yahoo Answers Spiritual Questions

During a little google search this morning I stumbled upon a page within the "Yahoo! Answers" website. Have you ever heard of it? Apparently you can ask a question and other people see it and can respond with their answer. It goes a step further where people can vote on who's answer they think is best. Anyways, the page I came across was from a girl complaining that her mom was overly Christian and always made her feel guilty if she didn't come to church every week.

"...I attend church every once in a while with my parents, but most of the time I am too tired to wake up so early in the morning after a long school week. (it's not like there aren't any sermons on tv in the mornings anyway)..."

It seemed relevant to me to analyze this a little bit, not to pick on this girl, but to consider why people don't place value on gathering to worship on the Lord's day, even when they call themselves Christians. Based on her comments, sleeping is her priority. My assumption is that her main motivation for going to church is to please her mom. She apparently thinks that going to church is primarily about hearing a good sermon, so why can't she replace going to church with simply watching a preacher on t.v? Seems reasonable if that is what she thinks the point of church is.

The best answer chosen by voters was actually better than I expected, but still not, in my opinion, the best response to this girl's issue.

"You can't get fellowship from the tv though. It is good for you to be part of a congregation and to be active in the church. The church is the body of Christ and you got to work together with other Christians, and that probably would involve being part of a congregation. So you should go to church with your mom. It will be good for you. "

Yes the fellowship element is a key part of being a part of the body of Christ, but reasoning that "It will be good for you," probably won't go over well with this person. Isn't that what parents tell their kids when they don't want to eat their vegetables?

I see two main issues here. On the one hand, this girl doesn't get what worship and being the church is all about. She's in the same boat as plenty of other church-goers, especially young people. On the other hand, her mom (according to the daughter) is an overbearing "born-again" Christian who is trying to use guilt to motivate her daughter to go to church. It doesn't help that the mom freaks her daughter out with her long prayers and trying to feel God's presence.

In regards to the first issue, church gatherings on Sunday are not about hearing a good speech from the preacher. It's about participating in fellowship, making music to the Lord, hearing God's word and responding to it, taking communion (you can't do that over the t.v.), and prayer. When worship is understood and experienced in that way, I think you have less of a chance of people thinking that they can replace corporate worship with watching a preacher on t.v. The other important element is that people need to feel connected or welcome, otherwise they are not going to experience the fellowship element or care to keep gathering with a particular group of people. I was made aware of a visitor being relatively ignored at my church recently and it made me sad that this was their experience. Be intentional about welcoming visitors or talking to those who are not interacting with others.

In response to how this girls' mom is handling the situation, where does the bible encourage using guilt to get people to gather with the body of Christ? Forcing her to go to church like this is only going to make her that much more of a spectator rather than a participating worshiper. Besides, Jesus idea of the church is not just that a bunch of people would show up every week on a Sunday morning, go through the motions and give generously so that the cycle can continue. This girl's mom ought to be more concerned with her daughter becoming a disciple. Church leaders and members of congregations should be more concerned with this too. Church health is not measured by attendance numbers, and yet that is what much of our church-culture is focused on these days.

No Marriage in Heaven

I love that John Piper has an "Ask Pastor John" section on his Desiring God website. A lot of people seem to ask great questions, and the most recent post was totally relevant to a conversation my wife and I had the other night. Not to boast, but my wife was saying how she knew heaven would be great, but that it's so hard for her to imagine not being married to me anymore. So here's to my wife and anyone else that has had this question- cultivate an ever-increasing delight in Christ, and help your loved ones to do the same.

Prosperity Gospel in Africa

There was a link to this video in my Monday Morning Insight e-mail yesterday. It gave me a another perspective on why it is so important to strive for worship that is in spirit and truth, and also why it is important to rebuke/speak against those who are false teachers. The prosperity gospel flourished in America, and was exported around the world. As this video shows, the worship that is taking place in these churches is not focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ at all. The corruption of one part of the church in America has infected another part of the church on the other side of the world. Reminds me of Paul's yeast metaphor, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor 5:6). Lord restore your church to the truth, here in America, in Africa and around the world. Forgive us for spreading this other gospel to our brothers and sisters in Africa.

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

Prayers of John Baillie

Up until last week I had never heard of John Baillie. But last Sunday I came across examples his writings in two different sources, and have been very blessed by his written prayers. It's easy for our prayers to be limited to a quick saying of grace at dinner or maybe asking Him for our desired outcome in a particular circumstance. I appreciate how this prayer from Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer calls to mind God's holiness and sovereignty, and reminds us of who he created us to be. The requests in this prayer center on desiring His will to be done in all things in our life. What a great prayer to start your day with and continue meditating on.

Fourth Morning: "Your Waiting Presence"

Almighty and eternal God,

You are hidden from my sight:

You are beyond the understanding of my mind:

Your thoughts are not my thoughts:

Your ways are past finding out.

Yet you have breathed Your Spirit into my life:

Yet You have formed my mind to seek You:

Yet You have inclined me heart to love You:

Yet You have made me restless for the rest that is in You:

Yet You have planted within me a hunger and thirst that make me dissatisfied with all the joys of earth.

O You who alone know what lies before me this day,

grant that in every hour of it I may stay close to You.

Let me be in the world, yet not of it. Let me use this world without abusing it.

If I buy, let me be as though possessed not.

If I have nothing, let me be as though possessing all things.

Let me today embark on no undertaking that is not in line with Your will for my life,

nor shrink from any sacrifice which Your will may demand.

Suggest, direct, control every movement of my mind;

for my Lord Christ's sake. Amen.

Persecuted Church Prayer Update

Christ's Church has been joining believers around the world in praying for two imprisoned Iranian Christians, Maryam and Marzieh. The Persecuted Church Weblog recently posted this update.

"There has been a significant development in the case of Maryam and Marzieh who were arrested in Tehran on 5th March and have been detained since then. Recall that they appeared before the Revolutionary Court on 10th August and were ordered to recant their faith in Christ. Both declared that they would not deny their faith.

On Wednesday 7th October they were unexpectedly taken back to the Revolutionary Court, where a different judge was presiding. Three charges were brought against them, relating to (a) anti-state activity, (b) propagation of Christianity, and (c) apostasy, i.e. leaving Islam. The judge acquitted them of the charge of anti-state activity. They and their lawyer are delighted about this, particularly as such acquittals are rare in Iran. Because this charge has been dropped, their case will now be transferred to a general court where the other charges will be considered."

For more details, click here.

Iranian Christians ask that we continue to pray that:

a. Maryam and Marzieh will continue to know the Lord's presence and comfort each day

b. They will stand firm in their faith as they face continuing pressure to recant

c. They will be the presence of Jesus to those around them in Evin jail, near Tehran

d. The two remaining charges will be dropped

e. They will be released soon

f. All officials involved will act mercifully, justly and compassionately, and will learn about and be drawn to Jesus' love for them

g. The Iranian government will stop automatically regarding Christians as being anti-government and therefore a threat

Communion Song - Rememberance

Like many worship leaders I'm always on the lookout for good worship songs. While checking out Matt Maher's site (writer of "Your Grace is Enough"), I discovered that he and Matt Redman had written a communion song together called "Remembrance." What's interesting about this collaboration is that Matt Maher is Roman Catholic and Matt Redman is Protestant (as far as I know). Communion is one of those big fighting points between Catholics and Protestants, so it is exciting to see an act of unity in the body of Christ through this songwriting effort.

Thanks to the two different perspectives of the writers, I think this song stays away from false teachings in Roman Catholicism regarding the Eucharist, but also fills in many gaps that Protestant communion tends to have. As one reviewer said, “The song puts quite a bit of meaning behind a service at church that many often disregard.” Take a listen to this and then I’ll share just a brief analysis of what I appreciate about this song's content.

Verse 1 marvels in the mystery of God's invitation to commune with Him. It doesn't say that the bread and wine literally become Jesus' body, but does assert that the ordinary elements become Holy, physical elements set apart for a spiritual purpose.

The pre-chorus reminds us that it is God's mercy that invites us to His table, apart from that we couldn't come (don't we need that humbling reminder sometimes?). It also recognizes that communion is part of how God's grace nurtures/grows our faith.

The chorus makes a case for how remembrance fuels worship. I take the use of the word "communion" in this section to mean that worship through the Lord's Supper leads to a shared experience not only with other believers, but with God Himself.

The bridge quotes from the Roman Catholic Memorial Acclamation, which reminds us not only of Christ's death and resurrection, but of what they accomplished. It's easy to get hung up on the death part and not "remember" the resurrection that followed. Like Paul said, without the resurrection, our faith is futile, so I'm thankful for the inclusion of this acclamation to remind us of the resurrection and to anticipate Christ's coming again.

What are your thoughts on this song?