Jeffrey Smith's Blog

Mirror

I'm not huge on poetry but I wrote this a couple of years ago after I went through a huge test of my faith. I may have failed the test in some ways but God's love has a way of running into me wherever I go.

 

The weight of failure presses on my shoulders

My crimes leave stains on my skin

Heavy laden with regret

Discoloration…nothing pristine anymore

I feel something like a magnet

Drawing my emotions to a realm unseen

A hope mixed with sadness and joy

I remember how much I love You

All You’ve done to love me

Pressure turns into an embrace

My skin dissolves as my spirit becomes material before my eyes

Restored.

Renewed.

It’s not about me.

I remember You.

This mirror has reminded me…

 

No Angel

During a time of loss or tragedy you hear people offer a lot of sympathy. When I was much younger I would try and say something profound to people who were grieving with the hopes that I could bring some peace or resolution to their suffering. Many times I ended up making things worse so over the years I have tried to let people know how much I love them and also let them know that despite how things may appear, God is always good.

 

Sometimes people say things out of habit though, that are just not true. One of the things I have heard lately is that Dave was an angel and God needed him now. I want to address that.

 

First of all, I had the privilege of putting my hand on Dave’s shoulder the first time he ever felt the presence of the Lord when was 13 at our youth conference. I watched hip weep as this quiet introverted boy became a man of rock-solid faith. From that moment forward I was able to experience nearly every facet of his life. For that I am grateful. When someone passes away we tend to make them much larger than life. One of the things that made Dave so impactful in this world is that he was extraordinarily faithful. 

 

When Dave was 16 he worked for his dad at Ranger aviation. The church had just bought a $40,000 video editing system and the only person that knew how to use it was me. I wanted to hire Dave to learn editing. I called Ranger and asked for Dave. (I used a fake New York accent and told him I worked for the IRS and I needed him to fax me 2 years worth of unreported income or I would have to schedule a meeting.) After that tomfoolery I asked him to work for the church. He knew nothing about editing. He learned. I asked him to make a graphic for me. He knew nothing about graphics. He learned. I could go on and on about things that Dave simply worked at faithfully that ended up becoming something he was known for. One day he asked me if he could play in the youth band with me. I didn’t know he could play an instrument. It seems he had been teaching himself to play guitar. Get it? He was a regular guy that knew the importance of hard work.  

 

I also had the honor of mentoring Dave and being in an accountable relationship with him.  Our men’s Richer Life group has talked about so many issues in our lives in an open way throughout the years. I want to make this clear.

 

Dave was no angel.

 

In contrast to me he was, but he absolutely would not want to be perceived as one. He had incredible character but he was a man that through his flaws understood the value of God’s love and grace and the significance of holiness as a result of a life lived openly before God. Dave’s passion was igniting a generation for God’s glory. We talked openly about seeing that generation materializing right before our eyes. We talked about how committed a generation like that would have to be to live lives of integrity, open before God. Dave was smart, practical, and fiercely passionate about his faith.

 

Ok, I’ve established that Dave was no angel. I say that respectfully I thought the world of him. The last text I sent him said, “There are only a handful of men that have ever lived that have made the impact on this world that you have for Gods kingdom. Your destiny transcends any event. It cannot be tainted, stolen, killed, or altered.” Now let me move to a theological idea for a moment. Revelation 22:3 paints a picture for us about an interesting aspect of heavenly life.

 

3            And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”

 

verse 5 says:

 

5            …and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Reigning and serving are both work. Yes, that’s right, heaven is not sitting on the clouds, playing harps, and wearing white choir robes. It will be about work. What work? God’s work. However mysterious it may seem to us now, it is going to make perfect sense someday. But work gets a bad rap down here on earth. We can blame Adam and Eve (AKA ourselves). Part of the curse was unfruitful work. Originally work was supposed to be peaceful and enjoyable. But  the curse of Genesis 3 jacked that up…  

 

17            Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18            It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19            By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food 
until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; 
for dust you are and to dust you will return.

 

Work in heaven will be the greatest honor imaginable. No toil, no wasted energy, we will enjoy an eternity of purpose loving every moment of our serving and reigning with Jesus.

 

We do not become angels when we go to heaven. Angels are God’s heavenly helpers but they have not been redeemed by the blood of Jesus like we have. There will be angels in heaven but we will rule over them as we have been made co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

 

I am mourning my friend. I love him so much but I want people to remember him accurately. We are writing a book together. We have been since this sickness started. He wanted people to know what his life was about. I want to help him accomplish that.

 

Dave was not an angel. He is in heaven now and he is still not an angel. He is a redeemed servant of the Holy Throne of God. He is a man that became great because he understood the power of faithfulness. We said we wanted to always work together.

 

We will.

 

The Sound of Heavy Rain

After Elijah called down fire against the prophets of Baal in the spiritual Superbowl, he informed King Ahab that there was a "sound of heavy rain". Ahab had just been through 3 years of being called out by God. Elijah had prayed for the drought and God brought it to humble Ahab and the nation. The Baal's they worshipped were specifically honored for things like fertility, harvest, and...RAIN. After Elijah proved, by God's mighty hand, that there is no question whose God is the strongest, there was no need for the drought so Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain".

Even when you are a great person of faith who has seen the miraculous, there is always a moment where a huge demand is put on your faith. Elijah knew that God had caused the drought and he knew God would end it. Still, Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel (revisiting the place where God had done amazing things before ;) ) and bent down with his face between his knees. That is a posture of some soul-rending prayer right there. It was time to believe for the next great move of God.

He asked his servant to go look out over the sea to check if rain was coming. He was going to stay and fix his faith on what he knew God was gonna do. Six times the servant went and came back with  a negative report. (Do we sometimes give up after simply the prospect of a negative report?) On the seventh time he pretty much said, "Bro, I see something like a cloud, but it's about the size of a dude's fist". That was all Elijah needed!!!! He popped up and said, "Go tell Ahab, get ready you're gonna get hit by a monsoon".

Never question in the dark what God has spoken to you in the light. Some people would have thought, "A cloud the size of a man's hand? I give up!" Not you though! Not me! Not people who live for things that we cannot see. We say, "THAT"S IT!". I knew God would come through! If there has been a drought of hope in your life, do not fear. Revisit what God has done, fix your faith, and get ready for rain.

Can you hear it? I can. It is the sound of heavy rain.

Mistaken Identity

My responsibilities as a pastor give me the opportunity to talk to every type of person you could imagine on a weekly basis. As I do my best to try and help people navigate through life with a great sense of purpose and hope in knowing Jesus, I have found one issue that distracts people more than almost any other.  Farmville. I kid, I kid. The issue that truly confuses people is the issue of identity.

 

People want to fit in. As a matter of fact, according to psychologists, our desire for acceptance is greater than our need for food, water, or shelter. It is a need that drives us to do nearly anything. We will search for it anywhere imaginable, we will starve ourselves for it, punish our bodies for it, we will work for it, we will finance things we cannot afford to have it, and many times we will compromise our own values to get it.

 

I am so moved when I look at Jesus’ life because He had such a huge sense of who He was. Remember, He was fully God but He was also fully human as well. He was able to relate with all of our fears, shortcomings, our longings to fit in.

 

Hebrews 4:15

15            For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

 

As we go through life we tend to label ourselves pretty easily in order to find our own identity. From political views and musical tastes to sexual orientation and cultural behaviors, people latch on to almost anything that makes them feel a sense of purpose. Sadly, some people even define themselves from their weaknesses or failures, or even their strengths and successes. None of these things are a viable foundation for who we are. People fail to recognize the difference between what they do and who they are.

 

After 30 years of a fairly normal life Jesus steps on to the scene ready to embark on the most daring, beautiful three year span in the history of the universe. He encounters John the Baptist and asks to be baptized. As Jesus is coming up out of the water something extraordinary happens.

 

Matthew 3:16-17

16            As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

17            And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Listen to what the Father says to the Son. First He makes a statement of acceptance.

“This is my Son”. You are a child of God. You can look all over the world for a place to fit in but you will never find a more powerful revelation than the moment you realize what it means to be a child…a child of God.

John 1:12

12            But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God; even to those who believe in His Name.

 

God is speaking that same thing over you at this very moment. “You are my child”. That rules.

 

Second He makes a declaration of His love for His Son. “Whom I love”. How far have you gone in pursuit of love? How many dead ends have led to pain and brokenness when the Fathers love was there all along?

 

Romans 5:8

8            But God commendeth His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

The amazing part is that His love for us was the greatest at the worst moment of our lives. He knew or jerkiness, yet loved us.

 

Third He makes a statement of affirmation. “In whom I am well pleased”. During ministry times I have put my arms around dozens of sobbing men over the years that have admitted their whole life was lived vainly in pursuit of the acceptance their father never gave them. To simply hear an important person tell us that they are proud of us does something to the soul. My five year old son Jude will look at me sometimes and say, “Daddy you love me and you are proud of me”. I laugh out loud as I doubly reaffirm his statement. “That’s right son. Your Daddy loves you and I’m very proud of you. You’re a great man”. He usually says, “I already know that Daddy”. He has literally heard me say those things hundreds of times. What the Father spoke over the Son at the Jordan River He is still speaking over you today.

 

On our recent record there is a song called “Draw Me Closer.” I wrote this song in a very intimate moment of my life where I felt as if I could ask God anything and He would grant my request. I could never be so personal with Him if I didn’t know who I was in Him.

 

You are His child. He loves you. He is proud of you. Don’t be defined by anything that never had the power to create you. He knows who you are and who you were meant to be. That is enough.

Spiritual Gifts: Part III

Spiritual Gifts: Part III

 

Alright, this has been a fun “mini-series” for my blog. We will close it out today with Part 3. The chapter we have been studying begins by Paul stating his desire that this wild church at Corinth would stop being ignorant about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe there is a lot of ignorance even today about these gifts.

 

Paul masterfully addresses the subject in question in chapter 12, writes chapter 13 about the superiority of love over any gift (one of the major problems still…no love), then addresses the protocol necessary for the functional use of the gifts in public.

1 Corinthians 12:3-6

3            Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

4            There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5            There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

6            There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

 

It is important to realize the context here because clearly Paul is identifying the potential for people to misunderstand the gifts because they do not percieve the use of them the same as someone else. I will say this before I continue. Christians, that is people who follow Jesus Christ, need to come together more than ever in the world we live in. Arguing over doctrine damages the Body of Christ. It also weakens the Body of Christ. If you find a Christian that believes differently than you it is apropriate to discuss it with them once or twice, but Titus Chapter 3 tells us that we waste our time arguing when a persons mind is set.

 

So, the Spirit manifests Himself in various ways. 1 Corinthians 12 goes on to list 9 different “spiritual gifts”. I am going to categorize them according to their function and I will them elaborate on each a little further.

 

First, there are three vocal gifts.

The vocal gifts are those expressions of the Holy Spirit that say something.  The vocal gifts are: prophecy, different kinds of heavenly languages, and the interpretation of those languages.

 

1.     Prophecy-  Prophecy is the ability to hear and speak a word directly from God that, edifies, exhorts, and comforts others. (I Corinthians 14:3) It is spiritual, not intellectual, such as the natural ability we also have to discover the truth and the skill to figure out how and when to share it.

2.     Different kinds of languages- Acts Chapter 2 tells an incredible story of Jesus disciples receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit that He had been referring to. (John 7:38-39) In this instance the Spirit came upon them and they began to speak in other earthly languages. Those that heard them each understood in their own native tongue. Paul also refers to other types of spiritual languages in 1 Corinthians 14:13-18. Here there is a personal prayer language that he is talking about where his understanding is unfruitful but his spirit is edified, then there is a corporate spiritual language that he is giving directions to Corinth about. This is an unknown language that needs interpretation. Let’s look at point #3…

3.     Interpretation of languages- If someone spoke out publically in a service in an unknown language it would be confusing to everyone there if there was no explanation for the babbling. In my previous reference to 1 Corinthians 14 Paul even says let he that prays in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. So, there is the personal level of interpreting your own prayers in a heavenly language and there is the corporate interpretation of a heavenly language spoken in front of others.

 

* It is best to never speak in an unknown tongue publically unless you are absolutely certain you are able to interpret it yourself. Knowing this, prophecy is superior in that it eliminates the possibility of ruining a service by some strange utterance that is not interpreted. This disclaimer includes praying in your prayer language publically. If unbelievers hear you (or Christians with different beliefs) it can destroy the ability to move forward in that service.

 

Second, there are three revelatory gifts.

The revelatory gifts are those insights of the Holy Spirit that enable people to know something.  The revelatory gifts are: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits.

 

1.     Word of wisdom- Let’s not make this more complicated than it is. This is supernatural wisdom on how to deal with any situation. If God has ever moved in your life and you walk away saying, “Wow, I just said that?”, you probably just had a word of wisdom.

2.     Word of knowledge- The Holy Spirit will give His people supernatural information at times, things people could not have otherwise known. It can be regarding anything. When Jesus told the woman at the well that she had 5 husbands plus the one she was living with, that was a word of knowledge.

3.     Discerning of spirits- Being able to spiritually recognize the motives in peoples hearts is a direct gift from the Lord. Romans 8:27 refers to the Lord as “He who searches the hearts”. When God shares that information sometimes it is to warn or protect us, other times it is to give us peace about a person. This is one of my favorite gifts. What a tool for living life!

 

Third, there are three power gifts.

The power gifts are those manifestations of the Holy Spirit that do something.  The power gifts are: the gift of faith, the working of miracles, and the gifts of healing.

 

1.     The gift of faith- Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. All believers have some measure of faith. The gift of faith is a supernatural measure of faith to believe for things that we would otherwise be unable to believe for. There are times when we feel hopeless but God instills such great faith in us that He is going to do something amazing. This is not some great trait of our own, it in fact a gift of the Holy Spirit.

2.     The working of miracles- I’ve heard it said, “If you don’t believe in miracles don’t worry, you won’t get one.” The dictionary defines a miracle as “an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.” Each believer has access to the gift of miracles. John 14:12 challenges me as much as any verse in the Bible. I need the gift of faith to embrace it fully. It says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus did some amazing things. He also gave us His own authority to do those things and greater things.

3.     The gifts of healing- Jesus not only healed people, but his followers did the same. Isaiah 53:5 tells us that His suffering purchased our healing. This gift is two-fold I believe. One aspect is the ability to receive healing from the Holy Spirit for any sickness at any time. The other is the spiritual gift to encourage others in receiving their healing.

 

 

I believe that the greatest use of all the gifts is in the personal day to day life of the believer. If every believer exercised these gifts in their own personal life with regularity, not only would the corporate use of the gifts be more effective and reliable, but believers would be much more mature and full of faith.

 

All these gifts function in the realm of faith.  They are received by faith, and they are exercised in faith.  They are not signs of "spirituality," but they are a sign of faith and believers should strive for spiritual maturity as they incorporate them into their lives. The use of the gifts should NEVER replace personal prayer time and time spent growing in God’s Word.

 

If any of these gifts confuse you please do not be discouraged. God gave them to you because He loves you and wants to bless you. Pray about them. Ask God to give you greater understanding. Receive them and exercise them in faith and the desire to be a great blessing to those around you and to the church.

 

Be encouraged in your faith! Wow, that took a long time =) 

Spiritual Gifts: Part II

Better to Receive?

If God gave you a gift would you receive it? That is the question I ended Part 1 of this blog with. I think when the question is asked with no context, almost anyone would enthusiastically say, “Yes!” God has, in fact, given us many gifts. Salvation is the greatest gift of all.

Rom 6:23



23            For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I am happy that I received God’s gift of salvation. When it comes to the gifts He has given us there is such an awesome degree of intentionality on His part. It makes me want to treasure the gift all the more. As a shepherd, or a pastor, I appreciate the gift God has given me to help lead people closer to Him, to watch over them and to build them up. We see in this scripture that the Lord gave these gifts, which are many times are vocational, specifically so Christians could be built up.

Ephesians 4:8, 11&12

8            When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.

11             And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 

12             to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

What is really cool about God’s gifts is that He never regrets giving them. (Think of gifts you’ve given ex’s…Grrrr)

Romans 11:29

29            For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

I am trying to stress how special we should feel when offered a gift by God. The true value of a gift is when it is received with joy.  

In the final installment of this blog on spiritual gifts I will address the gifts themselves and I will try to outline their functionality for the individual believer and for the church as a whole.

Until then get in a receiving kind of mood ;)

Spiritual Gifts: Part I

A Wild Church

<sub>1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14 have always been so awesome to me. Let me explain why. The church Paul was addressing the church at Corinth, one of the most immature, enthusiastic, sinful, yet hopeful churches imaginable. They were messing everything up. They didn’t know how to do communion. They were going wild using spiritual gifts without order. They were having orgies and yet still showing up to worship passionately. They were trying to one-up all the other leaders in the church with their deep spirituality while still practicing extreme paganism. These people were wild, but they loved Jesus. They were new in their faith but they didn’t quit just because they were doing it wrong. They kept pushing forward (with the help of one extremely wise apostle).

In these chapters you find an amazing story of Paul explaining the “gifts” of the Spirit to these energetic people. The context of these chapters is one of rationale and gentle correction. He is not chewing them out. He is lovingly explaining why they are doing things wrong and how to get a proper perspective.


Go!

"Spiritual gifts” is really a beautiful term. I love gifts. Most people do. I also love giving gifts. At Christmastime, my favorite part of our tradition is handing everyone their gifts from me and saying, “go”. (Ok.OK. receiving an autographed Bobby Bowden helmet doesn’t exactly stink). It is generally rather insulting to the one giving a gift if the other person will not accept or receive that gift. In Nigeria I had a precious, hard working man that came up to me with a huge smile on his face after my teaching that night. He explained that he had been liberated by the message and he would never be the same. He took off his watch and put it in my hand. It was a gift. My first thought was to graciously decline but I looked into this mans eyes and saw through his adorable toothless smile that this gift represented much more than a watch,  and to receive it would mean the world to him. I put this cheap watch on my arm and watched the tears stream down his face in gratitude. I received it gladly.

I am going to write a part 2 for this topic and I will explain some of the functions of the gifts for our lives. I felt it was best to start the concept with the framework so you can meditate on what a gift is.</sub>

_{If God gave you a gift would you receive it?}

_{Part 2 is coming soon…}

The Becoming

God has never let me down

He has sustained me through failure, shame, victory, regret, and joy

Why have I ever questioned His faithfulness?

He cannot fail

When I was so lost, I couldn’t find myself

He showed me the benefit of what an heir is.

I deserved nothing and He gave me everything

I was surely headed toward heartbreak but He showed me what rejoicing truly was

I will tell nations of this love

I will persuade men to sing songs of my Father’s majesty

But most of all I am marked by this moment

Stretched so that I no longer am the same man

This becoming is beautiful and I don’t want to miss any of it.