A Response to the Boston Marathon Tragedy: Evil Doesn’t Win

The events of this past week, Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing shootouts  are a tragedy that I’m sure none of us will ever forget (Wednesday’s plant explosion in West, TX is also a tragedy). My heart goes out to those who have been personally affected by these tragedies. While words are often insufficient in times like these, I believe the truths shared below can release us into comfort, healing, and hope. That is not to diminish the need to mourn and grieve; in fact, mourning opens us to receive the comfort of God (Bible – Matthew 5:4).

The power of this week’s events, and all acts of terror, is not only in the immediate physical damage they cause, but also in the fear and anxiety they inspire. Such events cause us to question our own safety and understanding of our fellow humans, and ultimately can lead us to believe that evil has the upper hand. 

Memorializing the Boston Marathon Tragedy (ABC News)

As I processed through Monday’s events, remembering that I had been at the site of the first explosion just an hour earlier and recalling the sound and tangible tremors that I felt as I experienced the explosions from my office a block away, I was brought back to another tragedy.

About 2,000 years ago in a bustling Middle Eastern city, evil, as it has this week, appeared to have the upper hand. A man named Jesus, who claimed to be God, who told the people he had come to save them, and who demonstrated power by healing them of all kinds of diseases and afflictions, was led by an angry mob to a gruesome execution. Jesus’ death appeared to be a victory for evil – the Son of God had been killed and with him, the mission of restoring the world and its people to the way it was originally created to be… or so most would have thought.

As fear was setting in and questions were flooding people’s anxious minds three days later, Jesus came back from the dead, leaving behind his grave to proclaim victory over death! His tomb was found empty. By raising Jesus from the dead, God turned evil’s initial victory into his ultimate defeat. For since the beginning, evil has had just one lethal weapon: death – which is not only the end of physical life, but also eternal separation from God, the source of all that is good (Bible – Genesis 3:2-5). All of evil’s efforts are an attempt to bring us to death; his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. And from the early days, humanity has been destined for death because whenever we agree with evil we receive the consequence of evil: death – separation from the only one who is 100% good. 

But when Jesus died, though he had never agreed with evil and thus didn’t deserve death, he died “once for all” of us so that death would be defeated and not be able to hold down those who align themselves with Jesus’ death and resurrection. As a result, we no longer have to die – though our physical lives will all still end at some point – we don’t have to experience eternal separation from God.

Death has been defeated, and with it evil because evil no longer has its only lethal weapon! Before Jesus died, knowing his death was coming, he was able to tell his followers, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more” (Bible – Luke 12:4). If we don’t have to fear death, then all the evil one can do is inconvenience us! Even the greatest suffering on earth and the most horrific or premature death will be just a mosquito in our ear if we have an eternity of joy, pleasure, and complete goodness to look forward to (Bible – 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Therefore what is our answer when evil strikes?

1. We align ourselves with God’s victory over death: We do this by confessing our need for the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus to save us from death, and we make the decision to agree with God rather than evil, submitting to his leadership in our lives. We can make this shift in our alignment once in a single moment by telling God that this is the desire of our hearts, and then we get to spend the rest of our lives, here on earth and thereafter, living in victory over death and in agreement with God.
   
2. We proclaim and celebrate the goodness of God: Evil’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy; Jesus’ mission was to destroy the works of evil by bringing life, abundant life. He came to save humanity, not to condemn it (Bible – John 3:17). As a result, we do not attribute horrible acts of evil to God, but rather we praise him for his goodness. God does not cause evil, he mourns it and redeems it. God’s wrath is satisfied – Jesus bore it, so we wouldn’t have to as long as we align ourselves with his victory. God is continually working – through those who are willing – to destroy evil in the world.
3. We run to the darkness with the opposite spirit: We have nothing to fear because death can’t hold us down, so we are free to run towards evil, not away from it (as Jimmy Seibert says). And when we run towards evil, we don’t carry with us evil’s weapons. Instead, we bring the opposite of what evil brings, we overcome evil with good. Evil curses; we bless. Evil seeks vengeance; we seek restoration. Evil stirs up anger and division; we bring peace and unity. Evil judges; we bring mercy. As and when the Lord leads, we can run to the darkest places on earth.

Even as last week’s events are behind us, yet still vivid in our memories, we recognize that evil is striking all around the world everyday in various ways. We have a job to do! First we must align ourselves with the victory of Jesus, so that evil has nothing on us. Then we can run towards the evil in the world, proclaiming and releasing the goodness of God to destroy the works of evil. Let us go forth without fear, confident that evil doesn’t win!

Our Original Purpose

Shortly after the first humans took their first steps on planet Earth, God explained to them some of the key reasons for which he had created them:

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28

It’s worth noting here that what we often interrupt as a command from God is actually a calling – he releases purpose and destiny through what we see as commands. Notice also that God blessed them before releasing this call on their lives, giving them favor and provision to carry out the calling he gave them. 

There are 3 things they were called to in that first day that we, following in their footsteps, are still called to:

1. Fruitfulness – we were created with the intention that every area of our lives would produce good things, which, in turn, would nourish those around us
2. Increase – when God said that all that he created was “good,” he had one direction in mind: increase. The good we see in and through our lives is only intended to grow. (Check out this sermon by Eric Johnson for more on this topic)
3. Rulership – we are created to shape the world, not be shaped by the world; to exercise the authority he has given us over all things to bring his love, goodness, and order to all creation.

This is the calling of the revivalist. This is your calling. You were created to bring revival wherever you go. What does that look like? Here’s one picture of what revivalist look like:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7

Three characteristics define the revivalists described in this passage:

1. They passionately and persistently pursue God: Revivalists set the heart (the seat of their passion) on God and they race after him until they encounter him
   
2. They confront the impossible  and see it made possible: When revivalists encounter a “Valley of Baca,” a valley of tears and mourning, they turn it into a place of fertility and fruitfulness by bringing the opposite spirit (when they see fear, they bring faith).
3. They never plateau: Revivalists understand that there is always more of God and that God always has more for them. They press in for more, and as a result, they move from strength to strength.

There is no greater calling. You were created for revival.

What you can expect in 2013

For those of you who have followed this blog for some time, you know that I have re-purposed it on several occasions. Today, I will do that again. Since last September, a number of things have changed that make this re-purposing worth it yet again. Here they are:

• My wife, Cassie, and I have been given the wonderful privilege of leading the young adults group (The Vine) at Community of Faith Christian Fellowship
• God has called me to live a focused and intentional life that does not waver to and fro with each passing whim, and he has given me some vision for what that looks like
• God has spoken to both Cassie and I that are calling for this year (and potentially much longer), as individuals, a couple, and corporately for The Vine, is to: position ourselves for a revival of God’s presence, purposes, and power

As a result, positioning ourselves for a revival of God’s presence, purposes, and power will be what this blog is about and what I want my life to be about. You’ll notice that the categories in the top menu reflect this focus. If you are wondering what we mean by “revival,” “presence” and the other terms, here are some working definitions of those terms:

• Revival – dramatic increase and expansion in the things that are true of the Kingdom of God (new and deeper relationships with God, experience of God’s presence, healed bodies, restored relationships, financial freedom, and more)
• Presence – seeking God, not his blessings, and experiencing him in a tangible way (Psalm 84)
• Purposes – getting vision for our lives from God and then living intentionally and missionally each day to see that vision become a reality (1 Timothy 4:15-16)
• Power – experiencing God doing undeniable, supernatural acts and being used by him to do the same (1 Corinthians 4:20)

We, by no stretch of our imagination, claim to be experts on these topics, or more importantly authorities on having experienced that which we seek. We are inviting you to come along with us for the journey, to learn as we learn, and to pursue wholeheartedly that which we were created for, the one thing worth giving our lives for: God’s presence and his vision for life (his kingdom).

In addition to regular blog posts on these topics (likely weekly), we will be publishing resources for individuals and small group leaders on the site as well, so stay tuned for them. I also am very excited to let you know that there will be some great writers joining me in contributing to this blog going forward. The last thing I’ll share as a means of introduction is that you may notice that the site already has a number of blog posts on it that I have written in the past – you can feel free to check them out, but they may not be on the current topics of interest.

Welcome! Join us for the journey and participate in the conversation – you can sign up for email updates to the right.

Power Evangelism

Check out some thoughts and key scriptures on “power evangelism,” a term made popular by John Wimber in his book, Power Evangelism and which, to my surprise, has its own Wikipedia page.

Central message:

• God wants all of us to experience his power going through us to change the world

The broader context for evangelism (Kingdom theology):

• Evangelism is bigger than sharing the message of the Gospel with one person – it is part of a universe-wide battle between 2 kingdoms

• Kingdom of Darkness – Satan has authority on earth
  • 1 Jn 5:19 “…that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
  • “Ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Eph 2:2)
  • “god of this age” (2 Cor 4:4)
  • “prince of this world” (Jn 12:31)
• Jesus brings the Kingdom of Heaven to invade the earth, introducing his ministry in this way- Mk 1:15 “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”
  • 1 Jn 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
  • Jn 12:31 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”
• In this battle between 2 kingdoms – not fighting for land, fighting for people
• Our job is to advance God’s kingdom (i.e., destroy the work of the devil)–
  • What is his kingdom like: like heaven – Mt 6:10 “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

  Power evangelism is a Biblical method for advancing the kingdom:

• How did Jesus bring the kingdom – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk 4:18-19)
• Paul explains that preaching the full gospel involves both words and acts of power: Rom 15:18-19 “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit… I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.”  
• Effective evangelism combines proclamation with demonstration – Mk 16:20 “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
  • Usually: words of knowledge, healing, prophecy, deliverance

• As Christians, it should be expected that we move in the power of God-
  • Paul’s check to see if men were true apostles, was the power they demonstrated- 1 Cor 4:19-20 “But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
  • 2 Tim 3:1-5 “…People will be… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
  • 2 Cor 12:12 “The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonders, and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.”
• Note on power: power does not always, and often does not, come in the form of great strength or manifest itself in a dramatic scene. While it can be a dramatic healing or creative miracle, it can simply be a warm sense of God’s presence in someone’s heart or a feeling of peace descending on someone.
• Definition: Power evangelism- spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, empowered presentation of the Gospel that results in supernatural experiences, which allow people to encounter the presence and power of God (adapted from John Wimber’s Power Evangelism)

How to do it: bring God’s power to bear in every situation that doesn’t reflect heaven

1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped with his gifts – same Spirit in us that raised Christ from the dead
2. Believe that God wants to act in power through us – even the smallest amount of faith will do

• Jn 14:12 “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.”

• Mk 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who believe…

• Mark 11:22-24 “Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
• A man asked Jesus to heal his son: Mk 9:22-23 “’But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’”
• Mt 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

1. See what God is doing or observe things that are not true of heaven and bring the power of God to bear to change them
2. Walk in his authority (he has already given us the right/authority) and/or ask God to move

How to do Treasure Hunts

Treasure hunting is based on the idea that God values people as much as treasure and wants to use his children to find them (the hunt) and let them know he loves them. The short list of steps below describes briefly and simply how to do a treasure hunt. A recent post shares some cool things God did as a group reached out in this way.

Treasure hunt steps:

1. Get into groups
2. Wait on God
3. Ask him to give you images or names of places, names, descriptions, needs
4. Write anything down that comes to mind
5. Decide where your group will go based on what you heard from God
6. Creatively search for people that possess the names, descriptions or needs God shared in the places God shared and your surroundings
7. Tell people you’re on a treasure hunt and they are treasure or explain that you were praying and asking God who he wanted to love on today
8. Show them the relevant item on the list
9. Take it from there – just talk or ask if there is anything you can ask God to do for them to show them he loves them

Hearing God:

Doing Treasure Hunts depends on God speaking to us. If you’re unfamiliar with this practice or idea, you can try these four simple steps to help you begin to hear the voice of his spirit in your spirit. God wants to speak to you!

1. Quiet your thoughts – by focusing all of them on him
2. Picture him (however you would like wherever you would like)
3. Go with any thoughts or images that come to mind
4. Write everything down

For more information on hearing God’s voice, check out this article by Mark Virkler.

Let me know how it goes! I would also love to hear other people’s thoughts and suggestions on doing treasure hunts.

Do you know that you are someone’s treasure?

Ever heard of treasure hunting? It’s the idea that God values people as much as treasure and wants to use his children to find them (the hunt) and let them know he loves them. How does it actually work? You and your friends or family wait on God and ask him to share words and pictures of the people he wants to speak to. You can think of the words and pictures in 4 categories:

• Names
• Descriptions (for example, red shirt with white writing, thick mustache)
• Places (for example, by the fountain)
• Needs (for example, on crutches, back pain)

Spend some time waiting to hear from God and filling out your lists. When your done, compare notes and decide where to go based on what you heard. As you go, look for people that match the descriptions on your list. Some things you may not find out match what’s on your list until you talk to them.

Here’s a story from a group that did a Treasure Hunt on February 18th: 

While we waited on God to give us descriptions of the people he wanted to love on that day, one family and their 2 kids got the words “blue shirt” and “green hat.” Out on Washington Street, they found a man wearing both a blue shirt and green hat. They got to share with him that God had specifically picked him to love on him that day and they told him that God wants to know him personally and truly loves him.

A few minutes later, two young women from the group, who had also heard “green hat,” saw and approached the same man, not knowing that another family in the group had just spoken with him. As they explained why they were approaching him, a huge smile spread across his face, expressing the joy of his previous encounter. One of the young women thought God wanted to say something to the man about the blueness of his eyes, so she asked him, “Has your wife ever commented on the blueness of your eyes?” He nodded that she has. The young woman continued, “I feel like God wants you to be reminded every time you see your eyes that his love for you is vaster than the blue of the ocean and the blue of the sky.”

Tears came to his eyes and the other young woman began to pray for him. As she prayed, she experienced the greatness of God’s love for the man and was brought to tears herself. Tears rolled down the man’s cheeks as he left the young women, revealing the wonderful, gentle touch of God.

Can we clean your toilet?

“Small acts done with great love can change the world.” (Steve Sjorgren)

So... it may not have been this bad

We saw this truth clearly last week when we hit the Washington and Market Street businesses and asked if we could clean their bathrooms.  It was a powerful time.  Two men from CFCF took on Market Street and received only negative responses, until they reached a gas station.  When the two men approached the station manager and asked if they could clean the station’s bathrooms, he responded, “What are you guys doing? I have never heard of anything like this before.”

He cautiously gave them the key to one bathroom, unsure of what these 2 men were actually planning to do and suspicious of their motives.  Anyone who has ventured into more than a handful of gas stations can certainly understand why the manager would have some questions.

The 2 men entered the one bathroom and began spraying and scrubbing. When one sprayed the wall and gave it a quick spray, they realized how dirty it really was in there; the wall changed colors as they scrubbed.

The 2 men emerged several minutes and half a paper towel roll later and asked the manager if they could clean the men’s room.  The attendant shrugged his shoulders with a smile and asked, “You want to?”

When they finished cleaning the second bathroom and returned the key, the manager pressed them further on why they were cleaning. They shared that God loves him and wants to show him that he really does.

Testimony: Shoveling snow and prayers

Several months ago, a group of people planned to give out free hot chocolate one Saturday morning to those walking out in the cold. The group did not end up giving away hot chocolate because very few people were out on the streets due to the snow. Instead, they did a prayer walk around the community and then shoveled some people’s front steps and some of the housing development walkways and brushed the snow off people’s cars.

During this time, they got the sense that God really cares about the community and desires to shift the culture in the community so that they expect great things from him. They got to pray with one teenager, who was really open to receiving prayer. He shared about his brother being in jail. They also got to surprise some people with God’s love by offering to brush off their cars.

Servant Evangelism Idea: Free gift wrapping

Wrapping gifts can be a difficult (ever try wrapping something round?) and time-consuming process. Stores love the idea of being able to offer their customers a gift wrapping service during peak times in the year (e.g., Christmas, Valentine’s Day, maybe Mother’s Day). However, most don’t end offering such a service.

That leaves us with an opportunity to really bless them. We can offer to wrap gifts for their customers for free!

And it’s great because it is a way to express love to 2 groups of people. We bless the stores/mall by providing a free service to their customers that makes them look good and we bless the customers who get their gifts wrapped for free.

The church we attend, Community of Faith Christian Fellowship, has had the privilege of offering free gift wrapping services twice at the Watertown Mall, once during Christmas and again during Valentine’s Day.

How it works:

1. Decide whether you want to wrap gifts for multiple stores or just one.
2. If multiple stores, reach out to someone who works at for the actual mall. For a single store, look to contact the manager or owner.
3. Explain what you would like to do, emphasizing that it is FREE
4. If asked – which you probably will be – explain why you want to do it (possible answer: to show God’s love in practical way)
5. Be prepared to present information that shows you are a legitimate organization and can be trusted – if you want to do it as individuals, consider affiliating with your church
6. Recruit friends, family and fellow church goers
7. Ask everyone to bring a roll of wrapping paper and/or some gift bags
8. Make sure to bring tape and scissors as well
9. Get there a little before you’re scheduled to start to explain, delegate duties and prayer for the time and maybe… offer gift wrapping training
10. Have fun, serve with excellence, smile and share the love of God with words where applicable

Power outreach: Brownies & a car accident

One night, Cassie and I were up in our bedroom, when I noticed through the window a young couple sitting in the chair swing in the little park next to our apartment. I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to go talk to them. So Cassie and I headed down stairs to see if there was something we could offer them. We grabbed and bagged some leftover brownies.

We had been praying that God would give us words of knowledge (insight into other people’s lives) and the power to back those words up – God had never used me in that way outside of church with those I didn’t know before. God, ever ready to take us up on our willingness to participate in bringing his kingdom, put a thought in my head that one of them had been in a car accident when they were young. Before heading out, Cassie and I prayed and listened to see if God wanted to give us any insight. Nothing came… but as we headed out the door, I saw a faint picture in my mind’s eye of an injured hip. I was pretty unsure whether all of this was God or just my own thoughts.

We headed out, introduced ourselves and offered the brownies, which they excitedly accepted. Cassie asked them if we could pray for them and they said yes, but only offered some general requests. I asked them if either of them had been in a car accident when they were younger – they looked at each other and then the girl said that she had been hit by a car when she was younger. I asked her if her hip had been injured and tears started to come down her face as she exclaimed, “This is crazy! How did you know that?!”

We explained to her that there is a God who knows her every thought and emotion and that he wants a relationship with her. She said that she had heard of Jesus, but when we asked she said that she had never received his forgiveness and invited him into her life. We asked her if she would like to and she eagerly agreed. She then prayed to receive Christ and became a new daughter in the family of God!

After talking a little bit more, we left, but when we got back to our apartment, God told us – “You forgot something.” We had forgotten to pray that they/she would be filled with and equipped by the Holy Spirit. Though slightly embarrassed, we headed back outside. We explained the Holy Spirit to them and asked if we could pray for them to be filled with him. They agreed and we prayed. When we were finished, the guy, who had seemed somewhat uninterested to this point, exclaimed, “Whoa!” as tears ran down his face. He said that as we prayed he had felt a warm presence go through his body twice! God gave Cassie a word to speak to him about his destiny as a leader as well. We look forward to getting to know them better.