Good! Your faith is growing!

While faith-stretching situations can be difficult to encounter, they are also opportunities to exercise the faith we do have. We believe that our God is a loving Father and a good provider, but when we need to rely on those qualities of His personality, we begin to believe it with a new depth.

There’s a popular quote that says “God will never give you more than you can handle.” While it’s a comforting quote, it’s misleading and unbiblical. We often encounter more than we can handle. But what the Bible does say is that the difficult things in our lives “produce perseverance” through the “testing of our faith.”

“Lord, I want to believe. Help my unbelief”

The gap between the faith we have and the faith we need is fulfilled through Christ. He has bridged the divide between us and the love of our Father, and His spirit interprets our needs before God. This means He’ll hear and care for even our most incredible needs, whether we can even articulate them.

Jesus Himself lived out great faith. He had full confidence in His identity and in the mission God had for His life. He didn’t question that the Father would come through. And we know that Jesus faced every temptation that we face, including doubt, uncertainty, and worry.

You’ll have greater faith on the other side of this than you do right now.

Facing a situation that is too great for us reveals how much we rely on the Holy Spirit for our faith. We have no choice but to surrender to the one who is full with enough faith for all of us.

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

—Isaiah 40:31

Do you ever feel that God can’t do a whole lot with you? That what you have to offer Him is insignificant? Maybe it seems like there is always someone better than you, more qualified than you, or more spiritual than you. You have a servant’s heart, but it feels as if you don’t have anything to give.

The truth is, we often try to throw so much at God…gifts, talents, time, money. As if we want Him to applaud. Like “Wow, I am so glad I gave you that, and that you had the thought to give it back to me. Thank you and you’re welcome.” God can certainly use those gifts. But He asks for so much more than that.

God isn’t looking for people to impress Him. Jesus didn’t pat the religious people of His day on the back for all the good works they were attempting to do. He instead looked into their hearts, and He didn’t find purity or goodness—rather He saw wickedness and deceit.

On the other hand, Jesus was moved by the widow who deposited two pennies into the offering plate. What she gave was an immeasurably small drop-in-the-bucket when it came to finances. But she gave from a heart that knew two coins were better invested in God’s kingdom than even her own dinner.

In a marriage, sometimes the smallest gift or gesture communicates more love than extravagance. My wife is extremely good at this. I am amazed at how effectively she can tell me she loves me through the smallest act or gift. God is no different. He can so clearly see your heart. He can see behind what you give Him.

One example would be in a church setting, being intimidated by others around who are worshiping expressively and passionately, and mistakenly believe that they are singing higher praise than us. But a barely audible voice mumbling out of key is highly prized by God if it comes from a truly contrite and pure heart.

But maybe it’s even more simple than that. Maybe it’s having coffee with someone who needs to talk. Or maybe just holding the door for someone when you’re in a hurry. God doesn’t need something from you that other people consider substantial. He’s just asking for your willing heart.

© 2016 Seth Nenstiel — sethnenstiel.com

Seth is a seasoned artist who has added food photography to his services, so it didn’t surprise me at first. But as I looked closer, I discovered that he’d been inspired to write a blog post that was about the exact thing that God has been teaching me in my life (you can read his article here). He kindly offered the photo for my post as well.

As my wife and I enter the final eight weeks of her pregnancy, we find ourselves feeling that we’re waiting. Waiting for our son, but also on the Lord as the next chapter of our life is beginning to unfold. And I am reminded that God is all-knowing and outside of time, and that as I speculate and wonder about my son and the circumstances surrounding his birth and our new life, God’s already there.

But while I’m comforted to trust in the Father is in complete control, I still worry about the future. I still have concern for what could potentially go wrong.

And this is when God ministered to my spirit through a personal whisper, then a sermon, then a conversation. And through a coincidence with an old friend who I haven’t spoken to in quite some time.

A simple prayer.

“Lord, provide me one day’s measure of your grace and mercy.”

I am constantly faced with the challenge of knowing what it means to wait on the Lord and when I simply need to stand up and make it happen, using the brain, energy, and strength he’s already given me. And whenever I’ve deliberated in prayer with God about this, the answer generally comes back: “Well, what is the measure of your faith?”

Modern times may reward those who plan ahead and hedge those plans, but that doesn’t mean those self-made plans are worthy of our faith.

What unknown path lies ahead for you? It’s important to remember that tomorrow does in fact have enough worries of it’s own. God does not promise tomorrow, he does not promise next year. But he is our provider, and will see us through.

Christ in you can take on anything, for your strength will rise as you wait upon the Lord.

Snowstorms have this unique ability to cover our bustling lives with a big white sheet of silence. Schools and businesses close. Stores are empty. And people huddle in their homes with loved ones, waiting for life to come back online.

Sometimes we call hardships in our life “storms.” They are unexpected, hard to predict, and they often force us to improvise our plans. And these storms usually come with some pain and suffering.

The God that rules and commands these storms, both of nature and of life, has the ability to send overwhelming peace into your heart (Phil 4:7). No matter what circumstances you’re facing, he can blanket them in a serenity that undeniably overrides even the worst that life has to offer. It’s not a pain killer, it’s not ignorance of reality, nor is it a sweet escape—it is truly a quiet reassurance that can cover your entire life with a sense of security.

If you need overwhelming peace in your life, ask our Father (John 14:14). Seek Him out in prayer. Be vulnerable with Him. The closer you get to Him, you’ll begin to see that even the toughest situations must fall in submission to the word and will of our great God. He is sovereign over ALL.

God does not live in the past. He exists outside of time and can speak into your life in a relevant and transformative way. His words recorded in the scriptures are not the last we’ve heard from Him. (yet, even those words written so long ago are still alive, active, and pertinent to our modern lives [Heb 4:12])

It’s unfortunate that our always-on lifestyles have a way of drowning out that Still Small Voice. We forget to stay in close contact, and we forget how to listen for Him. Sometimes it takes something drastic for us to realize how much we’ve lost touch. A life-changing decision or a problem to work through finds us confused and unable to discern what God is saying. We begin frantically searching for Him, as if through a dense forest where we realize we’ve been separated from our Guide.

But one of those active scripture passages tells us that He never leaves us [Deut 31:6]. We are not separated from Him, but merely out of sync with His heartbeat. And all we need to do to resync is close our eyes and meet with Him again. Not prayers of groveling apology, or excuses of where we’ve been, or face-to-the-ground repentance for not talking to Him. He just wants to hear our heart. When we don’t speak to Him for a while, our Father misses us.

God is always ready and waiting to spend time with you. He isn’t silently judging you from afar as you live your life — Christ has rendered you blameless in His sight. He simply loves you, and is eagerly waiting for you.

Hello readers!

A few weeks ago, I announced on my 52nd post that due to life changes (fatherhood!), I will be scaling back my posting frequency. I’m going to break from updates until January, and then I’ll resume posting once or twice a month.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. I have learned a lot in one year of weekly updates, and I look forward to sharing new thoughts and reflections next year.

Have a wonderful holiday, and remember to make space for worship through all the festivities.

Sincerely,
Ryan

The devil uses all sorts of tools he can use against us to pin us down. While he can’t harm us without the Father’s consent, he can lead us into confusion and chaos. All he needs to do is get us to make small choices that begin to separate us from the path that God intended for us to walk on. Often those choices are insignificant and don’t even seem to take us off track. But a 1,000 small steps later we are wondering how we got so far from God.

But we have access to incredible strength through Christ. He has placed within us the same power that raised Him from the dead. Because of that, we don’t have anything, or anyone, to fear.

When we worship God, we are lifting Him over every other thing in our hearts. This foils the plans of the enemy and exposes the cheap nature of every other god he tries to throw in our path. Praise draws us into the arms of the Father where nothing can harm or hurt us.

Worship is both testifying that we have accepted Christ, and identifying as the Father’s children. It is testifying, because singing and agreeing with a song is claiming it as true for our lives. When we sing “I have decided to follow Jesus” or “I’ve been set free” we are together declaring our salvation. And worship is identifying because we are drawing to our Father who is Lord over all. Without Christ, we are pretty weak against the dark forces in this world. But through Him we are powerful and able to overcome anything that comes against us.

Worship is warfare. Whether we sense it or not, there are all sorts of spiritual battles going on around us–great and small–that we can and should fight off. A simple song or lyric may not feel powerful, but as God is lifted higher in our hearts, everything else falls into its rightful place. We don’t have to be afraid. We don’t have to worry. We don’t have to feel inadequate or incapable. Through Christ, we are children of the most powerful Being in the universe.

…just to name a few. Some of these are harmless, and others are helpful, but others can be destructive and misleading.

Let’s define a church fad as a set of thoughts or beliefs that snowballs in popularity across churches, denominations, and often even non-Christian arenas. In other words, it’s a book/idea/thought/buzzword that goes viral and appeals to a wide range of people as (seemingly) life-changing. A fad can seem revolutionary, when in reality it is often just a recycled and reorganized grouping of thoughts that already existed.

So should we ignore these fads? Should we embrace them one at a time as they come along?

An old mentor of mine gave me the language of “non-essentials”. The cross of Christ, the message of salvation, the supremacy of God, those things are essential to who we are and what we believe. But many other things are non-essential (to salvation) and many people will have differing views and opinions. These non-essentials come in all shapes, sizes, and complexities (i.e., is it wrong to _____? ~or~ what will heaven be like? ~or~ what does it mean to be in the favor of God?) These and other issues can be debated, but even scripture itself can seem to support different perspectives and arguments.

We need to stay informed, searching the scriptures for truth that resonates with our unique experiences and convictions. We need to remain humble, and find “trusted voices” that can help us understand scripture that exceeds our own understanding and . And we also need to respect others who have different opinions than our own.

This may seem an extreme way of dealing with something like a fad, but when something comes along like the prosperity gospel, we need to have this process available for mapping things out against the Word.

In my last post, I suggested why we need generations in the church. We need the younger generations to bring the latest thoughts of Christianity to keep our faith fresh and vibrant. But we also need the older generations to keep us in-line, inform our conscience, and develop our discernment.

The Christian life, in light of the gospel, should be the most real and relevant way to live. Unfortunately, if we reject new thoughts and ideas without testing them against the word, it quickly becomes a dated subculture that seems out of touch. Thankfully, Christ loves His church and has preserved it through the best and worst of times.

So, a great task before us is the challenge of engaging each of those generations in a meaningful way that keeps them mentally, spiritually, and emotionally involved. If we swing too much into tradition, younger generations will unplug since the world around them has moved on. If we swing too young, the wisdom of the past will get lost and we will have a haphazard approach to the spiritual formation and development of those who are new in the faith.

To me, this is a beautiful tension that carries the weight of the church as an institution and simultaneously propels it into the future. Each generation is given unique set of years to steward God’s church. We are continually accepting it as the younger generation, adapting as the middle generation, and letting go as the older generation.

1. The younger generation – the future
   You need to be bold! Explore new endeavors. What’s popular…what’s current…what’s fresh? Don’t fear commitment, but instead consider how you can begin to take up the mantle of leadership that the church needs you to accept. Don’t be afraid to mimic others as you figure out who you are and who you aren’t. Find YOUR voice. While some of your ideas might be rejected at first, don’t stop trying things. Someday you will have excellent ideas through the refining process of your maturing and the church’s growth. As things bother you in the church, follow that! Don’t bring dishonor to older generations, but pursue those irritations you find, because they will lead you to your passions.
2. The current generation – the visionaries
   You’re carrying the weight. You are the generation who will get burnt out from ministry. Honor those who have gone before, and make way for those who are coming. It’s up to you to hold tightly onto the traditions of God, while carefully breaking the “traditions of men” so the church does not fall behind. Find ways to invite the next generation into your waters. Give them a platform to mess up a little bit, and cover them with grace. You are carrying the mantle, and the mantle can be heavy. But find ways to remain inspired and renew strength–the older generations can help with this.
3. The past generation – the conservers
   Don’t be discouraged about the process of letting go. It is healthy. God preserves his church. The work that you’ve done was not at all in vain, and your work of ministry is never finished. Continually speak into the church and mentor the current generation. You have walked through more stories and culture. You have sharpened your wisdom beyond what younger generations can comprehend. Letting go is not giving up, instead it is channeling your wisdom in a way that keeps the church pointed in the right direction. Some of what you think is wisdom is just the way of the past, and that’s ok—that’s what needs to be let go. But if you can humbly sift through your experience, their are diamonds there that will always be treasured and remain part of God’s church.

God preserves His church and His people. He always has and always will. It will take on new faces, new ways of doing things, new endeavors. Older generations won’t always like where it’s going, and younger generations won’t always find it relevant. But it will always go on: big or small, loud or soft, passionate or reverent, morning or evening, contemporary or traditional, relevant or alternative.

This is post is #52 on this blog. At the end of November, I am going to be scaling back how often I post. I’m planning to post once or twice a month. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts as I grow and process worship leading, church ministry & leadership, and my personal relationship with Christ.

Things like “ttyl” “gtg” “brb”

But then I realized that these acronyms probably get used very little anymore. With WiFi, 4G, and communication apps on devices of all sizes, communication doesn’t need to stop. There isn’t much of a need to say “be right back” through modern communication mediums when you have the opportunity to stay connected constantly.

At LIQUID on Tuesday our topic was “private life” and many table discussions naturally gravitated toward social media. While most at my table agreed that social media is an excellent tool to stay connected and up-to-date, we also agreed that our moments that should be private sometimes end up getting publicized. And it can take some will-power to resist sharing one of those moments.

To view this from a different angle…I was once listening to a talk on worship songwriting that said “some songs are meant for the church, some for your small group, and others just for you and God.” I used to chuckle to myself when I would hear something like this because to me it meant “some songs are good, and others are so bad that no one should ever have to endure them.” And then it struck me that…

There can be epic, awesome, life-changing moments that are exclusively meant to stay between you and the Father.

Our temptation can be to share the moment, and often for very valid and positive reasons. It’s easy, free, makes us feel good, and gives us a chance to invite others into special moments in our life. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but we can be sure that God treasures the special moments that you keep between you and him.

Cultivate that private life with the Father. It’s healthy. It will cause you to become more like Christ. And those treasured moments in your heart will cause you to shine with beautiful authenticity.