Coffee With The Lord

I’m impressed this morning by “the ripple effect” – one small stone in a quiet pool can impact the entire body of water. I know you’ve seen it. The stone drops… the ripples spread everywhere!

And a single, significant life – the life of the Lord Jesus Christ – has impacted powerfully the whole world! I read about the early stages of His ministry this morning during “Coffee with the Lord”…

“Jesus went throughout all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. So a report about Him spread… People brought to Him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions… and He healed them! And large crowds followed Him…” (from Matthew 4:23-25) The “Stone” has been dropped into the pool of humanity…

At the end of His earthly ministry, after His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers and said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you!” And when He had said this He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit!” (John 20:21-22)

Apostle Paul referred to those who follow Jesus as “the body of Christ!” Now we are His hands, His feet, His voice, His healing presence in our world (the “pool”) – and our task is re-present Him in our world in the power of the Holy Spirit without distortion… to continue the ministry He began! (Which incidentally, is the story began, and was unfinished, in the book of Acts in the Bible.)

The “ripple effect” – the Stone has dropped into the pool! Watch the ripples spread! (Oh help us Lord!)

Those who have served in the military will understand this… They use the term “volunteer” differently than the general population (know what I mean?) Someone in high rank says, “Do I have any volunteers?” … and “volunteers” just materialize miraculously and quickly.

I think Isaiah’s experience with the Lord (Isaiah 6) had some similarities with that situation…

Isaiah had just had a powerful (and I mean POWERFUL!) encounter with Someone of “rank.” (Did you notice that I capitalized “Someone”?) Here’s the account from the Bible…

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!’” (Isaiah 6:1–5 NIV)

Can you imagine having an experience like that with the Living God – Jehovah Himself – in all his holiness, splendor, and power – an experience that was visual, auditory and felt physically? A couple of feeble words come to mind – sometimes overworked, but appropriate… Wow!! Awesome!!

Then think about what comes next in the passage…

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I replied, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (vs. 8)

You know what, given what happened to Isaiah, I think I would have been inclined to respond with “Here am I, send me!” I don’t know though… I’ve seen how some people respond to authority. Isaiah’s experience with Jehovah probably helped, but his heart had to be inclined to respond to the Lordship of God. I just want to go on record as saying this… When God calls, I want to be ready with my strong affirmation – I want to say “Yes, here I am! Send me!” I really need and appreciate awesome experiences with God! I want them to influence me powerfully! But I also want to have a heart that’s ready to say “Yes!” … Don’t you?

Left to themselves – left to their own inclinations and inner impulses – what happens to humankind? The Noah story in the Bible tells us… “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5 ESV) The power of sin – The evil infection of the human species – the impact of “the fall” upon us all has been great and devistating!

But in the midst of all this moral chaos and depravity – when “Every intention of the thoughts of humankind were only evil continually” – a success story! “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9 ESV)

I am so impressed (and challenged) by Noah… No Bible – the written word of God! No weekly church services where he could meet with fellow believers to encourage him and sustain his faith. No pastor to provide counsel and messages to sustain, guide and foster his faith. No Christian radio or television. No worship music to access to inspire and uplift him. Only evil, depravity, and temptation all around him and his family! Evil actions, wicked people, seductive temptation, and perverted behavior everywhere! And Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation – He walked with God!

Wow! It can be done! God is faithful! His grace is sufficient! “He [the Lord] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy!” (Jude 24) Noah found ways to sustain his faith! Here’s his secret on a single phrase of Biblical text… “He walked with God (step-by-step, moment-by-moment, day-by-day)!” At the outset of this New Year I want to do that… I purpose to do that by God’s grace! It worked for Noah!