James 5:16, "Confession+Prayer=Power"

On the second night of our Chattanooga trip, Cameron led us in a devo using James 5:16. Cameron and Noah Burnett had been leading a few other students through a study of the book of James before we left. So they were familiar with some of the context of the book. Cameron explained that James wrote to Christians in house churches in the city of Jerusalem (in Acts 8, Luke tells how these house churches had been formed). He wrote to remind the Christians how to live authentically for Christ.

Here in verse 16, James instructed his readers to "confess their sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed." The words "and" and "that" are important. They are the words that become the "plus" sign and "equals" sign below.

Confession + Prayer = Healing

Then James goes on to tell his readers that "the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Righteousness + Prayer = Power

Cameron explained that confession of sin leads to righteousness, so he condensed the equation to this:

Confession + Prayer = Power

Here's the picture: imagine your best friend slandered your name at school for three straight weeks. Then they get home one day, and call you to ask for your help with homework. You don't answer your phone because you're hurt that they would say those things about you. But they keep calling, over and over, leaving messages wondering why you won't help them like the best friend you claim to be. Hellohhh! They have wronged you. It's not that you don't want to help them. Or even that you're not their friend anymore. They just need to come to their senses and apologize for hurting you by slandering your name at school. They need to repair the rupture in your friendship.

It's the same with God. We have a union, or relationship, with God through Jesus Christ. And our prayers flow from our heart to God along that union. But when we sin against God, that sin stands as a barrier between us and God, hindering our prayers from even reaching him. The psalmist says, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18). God may not always grant what you have asked, but if you have unconfessed sin you can be sure that he is not even listening.

Have you been asking God for something for a little while, but he doesn't seem to be listening? Perhaps it is something that he does not wish for you to have, knowing that it would not be best for you right now. But maybe it's like the psalmist said, he really isn't listening. Maybe you have some unconfessed sin in your life, and it's hindering your prayers from even reaching God. Take some time to ask God to reveal that sin in your heart by his Holy Spirit, and then go find a trusted friend and confess that sin to them and to God. I can't promise that he will give you what you're asking. But I can promise that he will be listening, and having the ear of God is truly a wonderful mercy, even if we never receive the mercy asked for.

Ephesians 4:1-6, "Put on Gospel Glasses"

The second day of our trip was Saturday, March 31st. We woke up and Kay lead us in our morning devo before we had breakfast (FYI that's a great practice to get into, Bible before breakfast). She was teaching out of Ephesians 4:1-6, and she explained that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians while he was in prison for proclaiming Christ. And while he was in prison, he was urging them to be humble, and patient with one another, and to maintain unity in the Spirit. Even though there were many things that were different among them, the thing they had in common was by far the most important: they had all been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kay briefly took us back through the first three chapters of Ephesians where Paul reminded the Ephesians of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then in chapter 4, he tells them that they should see each other through the "lenses" of that gospel he had just reminded them of. If they saw each other that way, Paul said, they would have unity in Christ. Kay said it's no different for us. When we put on gospel glasses, we will see that all believers have unity in Christ through the gospel.

Visit any middle school or high school anywhere in the country and you will see a cultural phenomenon called, "cliques." These are groups of 2 or more people who gather together because they have something in common that others don't. So the jocks gather over here and the skaters over there; the brainy kids on one side, and the band kids on the other. You all know what I'm talking about. The problem is that we bring this same mentality to church. We get around other believers at church and before long, cliques are forming just like at school.

Paul said this should not be so. Even though we're all different (and that's a good thing by the way), we all share one very important thing in common: we have been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we need to put our gospel glasses on. Before we do that, we just see a bunch of people who are different from us. But after we put on gospel glasses, we will see a bunch of people who share unity in Christ with us through the gospel. You will find that there is nothing better to have in common with someone else than unity in Christ!

So what does that look like for you? Do you have a tendency to hang around other people who are just like you, even at church? Do you avoid getting to know someone if they seem different than you? What if they are a believer? What if you both share a love for Jesus Christ because of what he has done for you? Is that not a good enough foundation on which to build a lifelong friendship? You will never know if you only see others through worldly lenses. Put on your gospel glasses, and connect with others through the most important bond you can share with anyone—unity in Christ through the gospel.

1 John 2:14, "Have the Right Weapon"

Our first night on the Chattanooga Mission Trip was Friday, March 30th, 2012. Cameron started things off by explaining exactly what I said in yesterday's post—that each of the devo's would have one main point that could be easily grasped, like catching a baseball. And then he threw an actual baseball to each of the students and told them that they would be writing a "baseball takeaway" from each devo on their baseball. At the end of the trip they would have something they could hold in their hands by which to remember the trip. We were ready for baseball takeaway #1!

Cameron asked the students to turn to 1 John 2:14. He explained that John, the apostle, was writing to churches probably all across Asia Minor. In this particular verse, he is addressing the young men in those churches. He says that he is writing to them because they are strong, and the word of God abides in them, and they have overcome the evil one. Cameron told the us that the young men overcame the evil one because they had God's word abiding in them.

What does that mean, "God's word abiding in them"? It means they had memorized Scripture! God's word had taken up residence in their minds and hearts. And this was the weapon they had used to overcome the enemy. Cameron told us that just as those young men needed the right weapon to overcome the enemy, so do we. We need to have the right weapon to overcome the enemy.

So what does that look like in your life, right now? I know that you are battling with the enemy. He prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour you. He brings temptation all day long just waiting for you to give in. Money. Sex. Power. Food. Reputation. He's coming after you and dangling those things in front of you. He wants you to make those things your god.

God's word is the only weapon that you can use to effectively fight the enemy. For me, memorizing Scripture is like putting the Bible like a sword in the sheath of my heart. It allows me to pull out the right weapon at any moment when the enemy is on the prowl around me. It allows me to fight him with a force he cannot resist.

What are you fighting him with?! He is infinitely stronger than you, and he will do everything in his power to get you to sin! Stop walking around this devil-ruled world without a sword in your hand! Turn off your t.v., turn off your iPod, and start memorizing Scripture! You're gonna need it when the enemy comes to devour you. Don't wait til he's right in front of you to decide that it's time to get the right weapon! The time to get that weapon is now.

So start with this verse, 1 John 2:14. Look it up and say it to yourself until you can say it without looking at your Bible. And keep saying it to yourself every time you think about it. Today. Tomorrow. The rest of this month. Remember, you must have the right weapon if you are going to defeat the enemy. Let's be a group of Christ followers who carry massive, razor sharp, two-edged swords, slicing the enemy to pieces whenever he foolishly comes prowling our way.

Eight Days of Baseball Takeaways

Before the Chattanooga Mission Trip I told our student leaders, Cam and Kay, that their devo's needed to have one main point that could be easily grasped. Kinda like throwing someone a baseball—they can catch it in their hand. But if there isn't a clear main point it's like throwing someone a fistful of sand—they can't catch it in their hand. They'll just get a bunch of sand in their eyes and be mad at you. 

Well Cameron heard this and decided to take it a step further. He and Kay gave each of our students a baseball, and had them write down one "baseball takeaway" after each devo. So starting tomorrow I'm going to review them here on my blog in a series called, "Eight Days of Baseball Takeaways." Enjoy!