Waiting on God

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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As a church staff, we've begun reading a 31 day devotional called, "Waiting on God" by Andrew Murray. It was written and published back in the 1800's, but has been reprinted this year. I'm still in the early chapters of the book, but I'm finding it very fascinating!

Today's reading was from Psalm 104. There's a bunch of verses, so I won't bother repeating them here, but the general gist is this: ALL creation waits on God. The grass waits on God to make it rain, the lion waits on God to provide it prey, etc. The point he so eloquently makes is that even we, God's prized creations, must wait on Him as a part of life.

Few of us enjoy waiting...my wife would rather be late to a movie and miss the beginning than take the chance of getting there early and waiting 5 or 10 minutes for the movie to start. We're very much a "microwave generation," and waiting on God is not only hard to do - it's totally foreign to us.

What I'm learning right now is to be obedient in the waiting. I do my very best to be faithful, obedient, and full of praise when God is rockin' and rollin' around me...when He is obviously blessing me and His hand and plan are evident to me. For the most part, my humanity and sinful nature aside, I think I do. But it's a whole lot harder when He seems silent and things seem to be derailing around me! Even still, it is my duty as His creation to wait upon Him. If I truly trust Him and place my life in His hands, then I will wait for Him to do His will. Again, not easy, but necessary.

The challenge? Find JOY in the waiting...not in dreaming of what He's going to do for you one day when the waiting is over, but simply as one of His creations who is waiting for God to dole out what we need at His given time. I haven't got it mastered yet, but I believe that I've taken the first steps that way this week!

Labor for the Lord

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I saw something the other day that bristled my feathers a little bit. It was a bumper sticker with a comically drawn lady in a glamour model-esque pose that said, "I teach because Hollywood hasn't called yet." Now first off, as a Certified Teacher in the State of Texas, I resent the insinuation that teachers teach because they can't do anything else. Remember the old joke, "Those who can, do; those who can't do, teach." Grrr! Teaching is a calling. I realize that some people teach for a lack of anything else, but by far, most of the people I know who teach do it because they love it. Why else would they put up with everyone else's kids for 9 months of the year?

The other (less personal, but no less passionate) reason that stirs me up is because of the "hierarchy of jobs" that exists in our society. Is being an actor in Hollywood more important or more honorable than investing in children and teaching the next generation? Is being a doctor more important to our society than the police officer who patrols the streets keeping us safe? or the guy who digs the drainage ditch so that neighborhoods don't flood? or the garbage man who removes our garbage twice a week so that we don't have to think about what happens to the tons and tons of waste that Americans produce each week?

We're going through the book of Ecclesiastes at our church right now, and we're in Chapter 2. With Labor Day approaching this weekend, we were discussing the merits of labor and jobs and such at worship planning the other day and this topic came up. Even in "church world," there are more "spiritual" positions than others (i.e., Senior Pastor vs. Children's Pastor). Why? Solomon would tell you that he's had it all, and it's all meaningless. Paul would tell you that he's "been there, done that," and he counts it all "rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ." He would also say that the hand, eye, nose, foot, etc. are all equally important in the body of Christ. And there's nothing superspiritual about being a pastor either; we're just doing what God has called us to do, just like everyone else. God has created each of us uniquely, with our own gifts, talents, interests, etc., and He has placed each of us where we are for a reason.

When I was young, I worked summers at the local Pizza Hut. I did it all at some point, but primarily I was a waiter. It wasn't glamorous, but I had several friends who worked there and we had a GREAT time. Anyway, one day a guy who spent most of his time washing dishes came to me and asked me if I would do him a favor. I was pretty shocked, because this was a rough kind of guy and we'd never really spoken up to that point, but I said sure. And I'll never forget the words he said to me. He pulled me aside and said, "I don't like my life, and I want to change. You look like you've got your sh** together, and I want to know if you'll help me learn to be more like that." (I told you, I remember exactly what he said!) So, shocked as I was, we spent some time together over the next few weeks talking about this and that, and it was a wake up call to me that other people are watching you when you don't expect it, and they can see Christ in you. You don't have to beat them over the head with your Bible and yell "Bless Jesus, Praise the Lord" all the time. Just live the life the kind of life that God has instructed us to live and others will notice. I have friends who have similar stories from being in the Armed Forces. The military guys would ridicule the "Bible-thumping" Christians, but they respected my friends and would listen to them because of who they were on a daily basis. Godly, honorable, non-condemning, authentic guys who worked hard and loved their families and other people.

So what does all this have to do with Labor Day and Living a Lifestyle of Worship? I believe to the core of my being that whatever God has called us to do, our daily lives - our lifestyle - MUST reflect our love for and dependence on God. Non-Christians are everywhere, and whether or not they're ready to admit it, they know deep down that they need something. And when they see you living a life devoted to God, they are drawn to it...usually very slowly, but like the guy at Pizza Hut, they notice. And that's when God has room to work in their lives through you...

4th Quarter Christian

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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I’ve been having a lot of insomnia recently.  I’m not sure why, and I wish it would go away; but a few weeks ago, at least, God used it to speak to me.  I was awake late one night a few weeks ago - too tired to accomplish anything, but too awake to sleep.  I turned on the TV, and the show, “4th and Long” was on.  Now please understand, I’m not a fan of “Reality TV.”  I enjoy “The Biggest Loser” because I like watching people change their lives for the better; and I like watching “So You Think You Can Dance” because of the really beautiful dances choreographed and performed by really talented choreographers and dancers (the ballroom routines are my favorite!).  Other than that, I don’t like the reality shows.  Framed like that, now picture that on the list of reality TV shows I’d choose to watch, this one ranks near the bottom.  “4th and Long” is hosted by Michael Irvin, and consists of a bunch of “never was” football guys who are competing on a reality show for a spot on the 2009-2010 Dallas Cowboys.  Are you kidding me?  Still, in my tired but sleepless state, I decided to watch it.

After about 20 minutes of boredom, I heard something that has haunted me for many days now...the contestants had just been put through a long, grueling workout that made most of them throw up.  Michael Irvin was addressing them and said something like this:

“You guys only train for the 1st Quarter.  You lift weights till you get sweaty; you run sprints in your T-Shirts and Shorts and claim to run a 4.0 forty.  You are 1st Quarter players - then you’re spent.  You’re no good after that.   To play in the NFL, you’ve got to play 4 Quarters; sprinting in full pads, play after play going 100 percent.  The 4th Quarter is where the game is won.”

Again, I was REALLY groggy at this point, so this is a loose interpretation of what I heard, not even necessarily what he said!  But that doesn’t really matter to me because it wasn’t Michael Irvin that I was listening to...it was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart.

I think that many of us are 1st Quarter Christians.  We go to church, we hear the Bible preached, we sing the worship songs, and some of us may even read the Bible on our own a time or two during the week.  We think we’re good Christians.  We think we really got a handle on being “spiritual.”  Like those football guys on the reality show, we think we’re conditioned and ready...but in reality, we’re only training for the 1st Quarter.  When trials come, when temptations arise, etc., we’ve got just enough to make it through the beginning - then we fall to our knees and throw up, crying to the God of Heaven to make the pain stop.  Makes me feel sort of pathetic when I look at it like that.  What about you?

The truth is, walking with Christ consists of continual training, continual practice, etc.  We’ve got to PLAN for the 4th Quarter.  We know that satan will come after us.  We know that we’ll face trials.  We know that it’s not always going to be easy...the Bible tells us that, right?

So where does your faith, trust, hope, etc. in God fall on the Michael Irvin scale?  Are you a 1st Quarter Christian?  2nd?  3rd?  4th?  How does your “training program” (your walk with Christ) stack up?  How do you react when life gets difficult and taxing on you?

More importantly...what are you going to do now to make sure you’ve got what it takes for the “pros” and power through the 4th Quarter?

Worship Like Stephen

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A few things have happened in the media recently that have caught my attention and really made me think about what it means to “live a lifestyle of worship.”  But first, you need the context...

I’ve been reading in Acts 6-7 about Stephen, and how he rose from obscurity into having such a prominent place in Biblical history through his martyrdom.  He was elected as one of the first deacons because he was found to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom,” and later did “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.”  He was opposed by the religious leaders, who had to bribe people to lie in court.  Then, at the moment of truth, he stood in front of the assembly and proclaimed Jesus as Lord.  He was subsequently stoned to death by those men, and even echoed the words of Jesus when he asked God not to hold that sin against them.  WOW.  Oh, to be filled with God’s Spirit like that!

Here’s the key, though...it didn’t just happen at that moment before the Sanhedrin.  It was who he was already!  That’s how he came to be a deacon; and that’s how he was noticed and opposed by the religious leaders.  His lifestyle of worship was firmly in place before God called on him to give his life for the cause of Christ.

As a part of my prayer life, I ask God to use me to accomplish great things for the Kingdom.  I desire to be used by Him...to be the one who He chooses to accomplish his purposes...we all do, don’t we?  And the stark truth is this:  you never know when God is going to put you in the spotlight and call on you to step up and be a witness for Him.  Stephen was just living his life, being who he was when God called on him...a few chapters later he’s doing miraculous signs and wonders, and addressing the Sanhedrin.  I bet that Stephen couldn’t have imagined where his path would take him.  The same is true for us.

In our society today, Christianity is under attack.  No other religion takes the beating in the media that Christians do.  It’s politically incorrect to attack anyone’s religion in the media - except for Christianity.  Some of it we’ve done to ourselves (that’s a blog for another day), but I believe that most of it is because satan knows that Christianity IS the way; so he’ll act on any chance he gets discredit Christianity in the public eye.

That’s happened recently with two prominent, outspoken Christians...Miss California and John & Kate Gosselin of “John and Kate Plus 8.”  You know their stories...

On stage during the Miss America pageant, Miss California spoke out against homosexual marriage.  Hooray for Christianity!   Then, topless photos of her began circulating around the Internet.  Now, her Christian witness is smeared...regardless of how or why the photos were taken, they’re out in cyberspace and public perception is what it is.  The damage is done.  John and Kate had a TV show about their twins and sextuplets, and were outspoken about their Christian beliefs.  Now it has come out in the media that he is having an affair.  And just like that, their Christian witness is marred forever.  I’m sure if either of these could could take it back, they would.  But you can’t.  And it’s not just them...Ted Haggard, Mel Gibson...the list goes on and on.  A prominent person who does something public for Christ will be in the spotlight, and any slip-up will ruin them.

Now, I certainly don’t want to come across as “holier than thou” (I’m a sinner too, and I’m fortunate that God has not put me in such a position as to have a media spotlight my life); and I’m not advocating that any of us are capable of being perfect...we’re not, of course.  So where is the line?  How can you be a “Stephen” in our world, because that’s what I desire for my life.  Neither Miss California or John & Kate would have been able to predict the media attention they received.  It happened to them and then they were bitten by sin - one for bad decisions they had made in the recent past; and one for bad decisions they made while in the spotlight.

So it comes back to this...in order to be filled with the Spirit like Stephen, your lifestyle MUST reflect the priority of the One you claim to follow.  Bible study, prayer, serving others, self-discipline, etc.  It MUST be ingrained in who you are BEFORE you are thrust into the limelight.  Of course, none of us ever really know when/if that is going to happen to us;  but it CAN happen at any time...and of course, we want to be ready for God to call on us like that.  Heck, I pray for that opportunity!  At this point, though, I must admit that I've realized I'm probably not ready for it yet.  I want my walk with Christ to be so close that I can hear the slightest whisper...I wish I was...I would like to be...because that's how you can know you're ready for God to call on you at any moment.  When you are in tune with and listening so closely to the Holy Spirit inside you, that when you are approaching sin like that and He is screaming at you to run away...you’ll automatically respond to Him because you’re so used to hearing his voice and following his guidance.  It’s not something that happens “magically” at the moment...it’s the result of a lifestyle of listening to God.

Singin' Kum Ba Ya with Peter

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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I've been finding myself in the shoes of Peter as of late. Not because I denied Christ...not because I boldly proclaimed the gospel to thousands of people...and not even because I seriously wanted to use my plastic knife to cut off the ear of the jerk in the Panda Express who wouldn't stop saying, "G-D- this, and G-D- that..." (and I'm not totally sure that God would've healed this dude's ear even if I did!) No, friends, it is much less noble than that...it is this: I feel like I've drawn on God's power to step out of the boat, but now that I'm out here I'm beginning to lose control and FREAK OUT. But first, a little back story...

For those of you who don't know, a few months ago I leapt out of my comfort zone. I left The Avenue Church, in which I had served for nearly 12 years, and moved to a brand new church in Sugar Land, TX called Grandview Fellowship. Nothing about the move made sense on paper except that it was close to my family (parents, siblings, etc.) - but the real driving factor was this: I knew God told me to go. Moving close to family was a definite plus, don't get me wrong; but we left because God said, "Go."

So I jumped out of the boat and ran across the water toward Him! It was so freeing! So exhilirating! Running into the unknown; into doing something I'd never done before (helping build a fledgeling church) felt exciting! I knew I was going to have to depend on God to make it happen, and that made me feel even closer to Him! (Can you see where this is going?)

Then the wind and waves roared...
"You're not gonna have the ridiculously awesome worship band that you have at The Avenue."
I was looking for musicians at The Avenue when God provided the ones that are there now; what He did then, He will do again."
"You're taking a pay-cut and moving into a more expensive area."
No problem! I thought...God's got this!
The housing market is depressed right now...how're you going to sell your house?"
I don't have to! God has to bring that buyer to us. He knows what we need, and He'll make it happen.

Fast-forward a few months to today. The school year is ending, and my wife and kids will be moving down in about a week and we still haven't sold the house:
...not even an offer
...and we've already reduced the price we're asking
...twice.

At this point in my life, I have a new respect for Peter. I've always wondered why he started sinking. I mean, he'd already walked on the water! Jesus said, "Come" and he did...he'd already taken steps where he should have sunk and didn't! So why, halfway through his journey toward Jesus, did he all of a sudden get scared and start to sink? Why am I, though cheerful and excited at the onset of the journey and having already watched God open tons of doors for this opportunity, beginning to get stressed more and more as the day approaches that we need to be gone from Waxahachie? Why am I fearful that we won't be able to sell our house, and if we do, we won't get the profit & equity we need out of it in order to move into the house we want to buy in Sugar Land?

The answer, I believe, is that I am what I once heard Craig Groeshel call a "Practicing Atheist." A Practicing Atheist, he suggested, is someone who believes in God, but lives his life as if He doesn't exist. You see, I know that God controls everything. I know that He has plans to prosper me, and not to harm me. I know that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and that money is not something the He worries about...He'll accomplish what He wants to do...period. I know all these things. But I KNOW what happens when the bank account hits zero. I KNOW how much I need to clear on selling the house in order to get into the size house I need (...ahem, "want"). I KNOW that living at my parent's house and commuting into Sugar Land every day is NOT a viable long-term option.

So what's the difference between what I know and what I KNOW? The answer is, "I don't know."

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why my knowledge that God is all powerful and that He directs the steps of every home buyer on the planet doesn't subdue my knowledge of the current market status, seller's net sheets, and the like. On paper there's no comparison - God's power wins. But my physical response (loss of sleep, anxiety, worry, etc.) is that of the latter, not the former. Why?

As one who purports that "worship is a lifestyle," I'm embarassed to say that my lifestyle of fretting and worrying about this does not demonstrate the security in Christ that I claim to have. I know to the very core of my soul Who God is, and what He is capable of. I've seen His handiwork in my life and the lives of others over and over again. I know without a doubt that He and His power over creation are real...still I stumble, worry, and freak out over the whole process of selling and finding a house.

I think that's what happened to Peter. He saw God's power...he ran across the top of the water! But somehow, the physical, tangible elements around him caused him fear and he began to sink. Not because he didn't believe God could do it - he'd already experienced that! Still, somehow they got the best of him.

And that's where I find myself right now: sittin' with my good buddy Peter in the "I should know better club," singin' Kum Bah Yah, My Lord. Come by here and RESCUE ME 'cuz I am sinking fast! I'm in good company with the likes of Peter, for sure; but sinking nonetheless. I have periods of gleaming faith and steadfast determination (like tonight as I write this); but my subconscious is eaten up with it. It's always on the tip of my mind (I'm one quick, careless thought away from the death spiral), and my mind is exhausted from it each day. I am literally losing A LOT of sleep over it (3 and 4 AM have been no stranger to me as of late).

God's purpose in this will be revealed in due time, I know. And I pray that God will show me the answer, so that I can learn from it and learn to apply it in other stress-filled situations...and then, subsequently, to teach others to learn from my (and Peter's) miserable experiences and let your knowledge of Who God is be your reality... (And if you've already learned this lesson, please pass on your wisdom!)

Becoming a "Mac"

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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We had a fantastic discussion in worship planning the other day about how to convince people that Jesus is the way.  We've been studying different world religions, and the question came up, how do you talk with a Muslim, a Hindu, or anyone who doesn't acknowledge that the Bible is the absolute authority.  To us, the Bible is it.  Many people who don't claim Christ will at least agree that the Bible is God's Word, or at least a "holy book."  A growing number of people these days, however, do not recognize the Bible as the supreme authority.  Without being able to use the Bible as a reference source, how do you convince someone that Jesus Christ is the only way to God?

The answer we landed on is that you don't.  It is not up to us to convince anyone of anything.  Our job as Christians is to go and tell what Jesus Christ has done for us - it is up to the Holy Spirit to draw people.  We are a results-driven society, and we are trained to look for the outcome.  If I invest time and money into this project, I expect it to return money, or publicity, or whatever the goal of the project was.  If it doesn't yield the results I want, then I consider it a failure.  Be honest, it's shameful, but don't most of us treat witnessing for Christ this way?  We invest time and energy into someone building the relationship - then, at some point along the way we share Christ with them and they say, "Thanks, but no thanks."  Our inclination is get mad and sever the relationship, or to keep after them and keep bugging them, or simply to become indifferent.  BUT, what we don't count on, is that every time you point someone to Christ it is cumulative.  That's what the Bible means when it says that His Word will never return empty (Isaiah 55:11).  It doesn't mean that if you share Christ then that person is going to automatically accept Him.  I believe it means that when you speak God's Word and when you share Christ, God will always use it to accomplish His purposes - which may or may not be in the short term.  We put so much emphasis on the "if you die tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?"  (I remember that question being posed countless times in church growing up.)  And while that's essentially a valid question, it tends to cause people to make an emotional decision out of fear (which may or may not be a genuine acceptance of Jesus and His forgiveness and Lordship).  God doesn't always work that way in people's lives.  In fact, from my experience, God seems to work in people's lives over the long term much more than the short term.  I hate to sound like I'm trivializing it, but I think the best way to describe it is my recent conversion experience.

I have used PCs basically all my computing life (except for those early Apple IIc machines in junior high and high school.  I can take them apart and build them, network them, and do basically whatever I want to with them.  On the scale of PC tech knowledge, I'd rank myself a 7 out of 10.  I've heard for years that Macs are better machines.  "Sure."  I'd think.  "Whatever you say.  If Macs are better machines, then why does most of the world run on Windows?  If Macs are superior, then more people would be using them."  Time progressed, and I continued to hear that Macs were better machines, and specifically better in the area of graphics and video production.  Well, one time that really caught my ear because in my job I use graphics and video, and at that moment I was experiencing some trouble with my PC machine that ran video on Sunday mornings for worship.  So, I did some research.  I talked to some people I knew who were Mac users.  I went to the Apple store.  And soon after, I purchased a Mac pro for our church...but ONLY for Sunday mornings.  I was still a PC guy, I was just using the Mac for what I needed.  But then, as I began to work on the Mac and experience it in direct comparison to my PC, I began to realize that it really is a superior machine.  That it is better, and that my computing life was less stressful when I used the Mac.  When I changed churches and they asked me what kind of computer I wanted, I asked for a Mac.  Now I'm hooked.  I'm totally a convert.  Macs are better, without a doubt.

For most, I think coming to Christ is an experience not unlike that.  They keep hearing about Jesus and how His way is better, but they don't really believe it.  After all, what they're doing works just fine for them.  BUT, one day there will come a time when they realize that what they're doing isn't working.  And that what they thought was "it" for them, really is coming up short.  At that moment, everything they've ever heard about Jesus is there.  And perhaps they do a little more investigation and talk to their friends who are "Jesus users" (Christians).  Maybe they ever go to the "Jesus store" (Church) and check it out.  Whatever the case, when they actually "try Jesus," they realize that He is superior, and that He is the best way.

That is, of course, an oversimplification of the process of salvation, but the principle remains.  Our focus as Christians is not to bring someone to Christ.  Again, that is the job of the Holy Spirit.  We are simply to be people who live a Christian life and point others to Christ.  Let God take care of drawing them to Him...you just show the way through how you live.


Seeking Wisdom

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (3)

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I’ve been thinking a lot about wisdom as of late…knowing God’s will, doing God’s will, making wise decisions, etc. I read Proverbs 8 today, which is all about gaining wisdom, and I’d like to share with you something about wisdom. The first verse of Proverbs sums it up… “Does not wisdom call out?”

For the longest time, I thought that wisdom was a state that you attained…sort of like a travel destination. Once you get there, you’re there. You know? Once you’ve got it, you’ve got it. But then, I always wonder what happens to church leaders who fall. Where was their wisdom when they made the fatal choice that brought them down? It seems to me that wisdom it not a state you attain…rather, it is a degree of connection to the Holy Spirit, Who “calls out” to us. As you grow in your knowledge of Christ and Who He is, you naturally gain wisdom because your relationship to Him keeps you close to Him. When you’re close to Him, it is very easy to hear His voice clearly and the dissenting voices of evil are drowned out. If your relationship with Him suffers, though, you decline in your ability to hear His voice. Without hearing His voice and being strengthened by Him, wise decisions are harder and harder to make because your connection to the Giver of Wisdom is hindered (or non-existent). Sounds simple, right? Yet, far too many of us (myself included) allow our relationship with Christ to suffer as we get busy. We skip our Bible Study, or miss church, or whatever. We treat that relationship with Him flippantly…until we have a crisis. THEN we seek His wisdom. THEN we’re ready to open the lines of communication.

I encourage you to keep focus on your relationship with Jesus this new year. Do not lose sight of Him as not only the source of your strength, but of wisdom.
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