Reckless Abandon

Our Lord Jesus showed reckless abandon to do the will of the Father during his time on this earth. His was a life of obedience. His obedience was his life blood. Hear him say this in John 4:34 - "My food, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” He would not do anything on his own (John5:19 “"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself ;”). He would not take one step out of the Father’s plan. Even when they wanted to make him the King, he would walk away. He would not give in to satan’s temptation to gain the crown without the cross in the desert at the inception of his ministry (Mt4:9) and also throughout his ministry at various times (Mt12:38, Jn6:15). He would resist that same temptation even when his closest friend Peter would suggest it (Mk8:32) and would not fall into it even at the cross (Mk15:31). At Gethsemane he would pray “yet not my will but yours” even when it meant he would be led to his execution carrying a heavy cross. “(Jesus) became obedient to death— even death on a cross” (Phil2:8). Recklessly abandoned to do the will of God.

Alfred Tennyson in his poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ talks of soldiers who would not disobey the command to charge despite knowing that the command was a big blunder and it would eventually cost them their lives. The lines go thus – “Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die…”; Yes, ours is to follow and His is to lead. Ours in not to ask “why”, and ours is not to look for reason. Ours is to do and if it requires, die. Our Lord while he was on the earth showed us what it is to be recklessly abandoned to the will of God. And we his servants should follow suit.

Reckless Abandon

There was this young man called Stephen in the early church. A man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts6:5). Filled with God's grace and power, he did great wonders and miraculous signs among people (Acts6:8). The learned men in the synagogues could not stand up to his wisdom (Acts6:10). His long sermon found in the book of Acts is testament to his preaching skills. What would such a young man do today? He would be trying to fill his calendar with preaching assignments (that's what preachers do, don't they). He would be busy imitating the mannerisms of the big boys in the business (he has to develop). His preacher dad may share his pulpit with him overlooking some of the seniors (because he has the 'skill'). Not so our man. Stephen was chosen to wait on tables and he submitted to it. Now there's a man recklessly abandoned to the will of God. We think we are working for God and fail to realize that we are not letting God work in us. Be clear on this - God's purpose for you is to make you like Jesus (Rom8:29) and not a big preacher, singer, missionary or what-have-you.

We read about John Baptist in Luke:1. The child was in the desert till the day of his showing forth. Long years of waiting. Oh sure he could have tried to make a move through his 'connections' in the Temple. Remember his dad Zachariah was a priest. He also could have become a priest. If he became a priest he would have a platform to preach. People may at least listen to him. Nope. Not for him the clerical clout or the priestly pamper. He was recklessly abandoned to the will of God. For him was waiting the office of a prophet along with a prison sentence. He would wait “till the day of his shewing unto Israel” (Luke1:80 KJV). He would not hurry his training. He would not act on his own. The Holy Spirit would show him forth unto Israel. He would not mistake his own ambitions for the will of God. Ambitions are better left at the foot of the cross. Abandon is what it takes to be used by God.

When people ask 'how do we find God's will?', I'm tempted to ask them 'why do you want to find God's will?'. Would you still be raring to fulfill it if he told you that it is to wait on tables?

NO SCAR? - Amy Carmichael

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?

Reckless Abandon

I picked this pharse from Ed Mccully (one of the five missionaries along with Jim Elliot who died in Ecuador trying to reach a primitive tribe with the Gospel). “I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it,” Ed Mccully wrote in a letter to Jim Elliot. Ed McCully was president of his senior class at Wheaton and won the National Hearst Oratorical Contest in San Francisco in 1949. He wrote this when he gave up his seat in Marquette University Law School and went into ministry. I tried to pick out a similar phrase or a life lived in similar fashion from the Bible and needless to say I bumped into the man Paul. Reckless abandon for God - the phrase neatly summed up his life after conversion. Paul writes in his journal (Acts 20:24) "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me". This breed of men lived a life of reckless abandon for God because their life had no value to them. God's will was more important. Paul's t-shirt line was their life-motto - For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Their thoughts were soaked in it. Their actions showed it. Their life spoke it.

What courage it must have taken to write something like that. A life of reckless abandon would mean that God could use you however he wanted. John the Baptist was the best preacher in town but his 'ministry' lasted for a very short time and some of it was in the jail. Paul wanted to preach to the Jews, but he was sent to the Gentiles. Philip was doing a wonderful job in Samaria while he was sent to the desert road. Stephen, "a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people", was asked to take care of the distribution of food. Moses, at the prime of his life was sent to tend sheep. This is reckless abandon. Can God ask us young people to go do the thankless job of tract distribution while our guitar skills & swanky english lay useless in our skillset bag? Can he trust us with food distribution when we want to preach? Can he trust us with embarrassment when we are looking for signs and wonders. Can he trust us in faithful prayer when we are trying to fill our schedule with events. God is not looking for heroics rather humble surrender. He is not looking for accomplishments rather abandon.

Oh Lord invade my compromised life. Let my thoughts of heroics turn to humble surrender. Let my ambitions turn to abandon. Let me die so that Christ would live in me.

Men of God

Stephen in the 7th chapter of Acts stands before the Sanhedrin in response to some false accusation. But what we witness in the following verses is a composed and calm Steve making no attempt to defend himself, rather preaching the longest recorded sermon in the book of Acts. I like the way he started his sermon - "Brothers and Fathers". No unease here. No disturbed mind here. Stephen did not look threatened. Peter who drew the sword at Jesus' arrest at Gethsemane did not protest when they came for him in Acts 4:3. What a change from the Gethsemane scene a few weeks back. The impulsive Peter, who drew his sword and wounded a soldier weeks back, gives in meekly to the guards here. Paul was arrested many a time and all through he was more interested in preaching the Gospel than putting up a defense. The apostles seemed to show calm and composure under extreme pressure. Threats wouldn’t stop them from preaching. Feeling of injustice was the last thing on their mind when they were falsely accused.

God's men will not be put off by false accusation and bad report. Men of God will not try to defend themselves when accused. Their pulpits will not be a platform to defend or boast. They go about their jobs quietly knowing who is in control. They are not shaken when threatened. They will not be moved by petty things that move us (today’s so called Christians). They will not be moved by lack of funds. They will not be moved by false reports. They will not be fretting when the church ignores them. They are not swung by popular opinions. Their vision is eternity. Their mission is to please God.

The same Stephen at the end of his sermon fumes at his hearers in Acts 7:51. The same calm man is now stirred. The same Paul who was calm and composed before kings and rulers, tore his clothes and begged the crowd in Acts 14:14. What happened now? Where did their composure go? What happened to the peace they seemed to be exhibiting under pressure?

Their hearts beat to God's heart. What grieves the heart of God will grieve their hearts too. Just like Paul tore his clothes when he was worshipped as a God, the man of God will jump out of his pulpit and tear his clothes when people worship him (idol worship). Just like Stephen's convicting sermon made the crowd go mad, their sermons always leave their audience either convicted or outraged. Just like Peter pronounced the death sentence of his congregation members (Ananias & Sapphira) for hypocrisy, these men will not sit back and smile when there is sickness in the church. What affects God’s heart will affect the men of God.

Prayer Group That Met in Solomon's Colonnade

Acts5:12,13 "And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people."

Notice the word 'dared' in that description of the early church prayer group? I was wondering what did the people find in this prayer group that made them scared to join them even though they thought highly of the group?

I speculate that the prayer group that met in Solomon's Colonnade was at a different plateau in their praying. I belive that this prayer group did not pray for board exams and fine weather rather they must have interceded for men and wrestled with the devil (like Epaphras did). They must have praised God for being counted worthy to suffer. This must have baffled the onlookers. Their prayers must have been with power unlike the usual prayer meetings that we attend. They must have put their whole lives behind their prayers. They must have got exhausted after their prayers. Their prayers must have been without the flowery words and eloquence that we like, rather it must have been with groanings and unintelligible utterances (like that of Hanah's). Their prayers must have created havoc in hell. They must NOT have prayed for finances. They must NOT have prayed for church buildings. They must have prayed for men. They must have prayed for courage. They must have prayed for the resurrection power. Oh how foolish our prayer meetings look in the light of this one?

I believe that the prayers made by this group was out of the world. They must have learnt it from the Lord himself as some of them witnessed the Lord's Gethsemane prayer. Mere men must have been so afraid to join them. The very sight must have given them a complex.

Or it could be that 'their righteousness reflected the world's corruptness' as somebody put it. I belive that these God-consumed men were so out-of-the-world. So otherworldly that the worldly men wouldn't dare join them.

Can that be said of our prayer groups? Can that be said of my prayer group? No!

A Man Consumed by God

If you were thinking that there is no ‘human sacrifice’ done in the 21st century, you are wrong. There is human sacrifice done these days. Yes, Christianity advocates human sacrifice. Paul in his letter (Rom12:1) to the Roman Church writes thus “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…”.

There’s not much written about the events in Stephen’s life. But there’s one event that finds its place in the book of Acts. Its his death. Paul for his exhortation in Romans12:1 must have been inspired primarily by Christ’s sacrificial death and I strongly believe that this inspiration must have been seconded by the haunting memories of a death he witnessed some days before he was met by God on the road to Damascus. Yes, Stephen’s death must have inspired Paul when he wrote his letter to the Roman Church. This young man Stephen, knowing that he may not come out alive from that preaching assignment, placed himself on the altar as the sacrifice. God answers by fire. The same God who consumed the drenched sacrifice on Elijah’s altar on Mount Carmel, answered by fire this time too. That’s why I belive Stephen’s face shone like an angel’s. This is New Testament theology demonstrated. In the olden days God consumed the animal sacrifice as a proof of his existence (IKings18:36,37). Today he consumes human lives and shows the world the proof of his existence. Stephen was a man consumed by God.

The sacrifice on the altar is helpless and dead. It cannot move from the altar. When it is brought to the altar it is killed. When Paul said “offer your bodies as living sacrifices..” he must have meant this, that we ought to be come to the altar helpless and dead. He goes on in the next verse (Rom12:2) to say “ be dead to the ways of the world”. He begins (Rom12:1) by saying “ by God’s mercies…”. You cannot do it on your own because you are helpless. You cannot thrive in the ways of the world because you are dead to it. This is the kind of ‘Living’ sacrifice every Christian ought to be. When God consumes a sacrifice, the world will know it (as they did on Mount Carmel). When God consumes a man, the world will know it as they did on that trial as Stephen stood to deliver his last sermon (Acts6:15).