SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #161 ---- 2/5/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight In This New Millennium
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #161 ---- 2/5/01
Title: "REACHING MY CITY" (#6 ---- "Fundamental Principles About City
Searchers (D)-- Knowing My Own Heart")
My Dear Friend and Ministry Partner:
First things first ---- by now you probably noticed that, while on my
recent trip to Ukraine in eastern Europe, I erroneously numbered the last
four or five letters, and ended up with two #155's ---- one for the last
Monday of December and one for the first Monday of January. So, if
you're into having things correct, they should be numbered as follows:
Jan 01 = #156. Jan 08 = #157. Jan 15 = #158. Jan 22 = #159. Jan 29
= #160
There you have it, for what it's worth. So today's letter is accurately
numbered #161.
GREEN SNAKES:
In an effort to keep my letters to you at least moderately short, I've
tried to avoid sending non pertinent stuff ---- like humorous things.
However, I just can't resist sending you the following story I received
recently from one of my sons-in-law. Hope you enjoy it. Maybe it will
somehow even prepare you for the thrust of my letter today. Since he's a
pastor, the story Must have a moral to it.
-------------------
ALWAYS THOUGHT GREEN SNAKES WERE OK? READ ON........
Green Garden Grass snakes can be dangerous, Yes, grass snakes, not
rattlesnakes.
A couple in Sweetwater, Texas had a lot of potted plants, and during a
recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect
them from a possible freeze. It turned out that a little green garden
grass snake was hidden in one of the plants and when it had warmed up, it
slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa. She let out a very
loud scream.
The husband who was taking a shower ran out into the living room naked to
see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa.
He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it.
About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the leg. He
thought the snake had bitten him and he fainted.
His wife thought he had a heart attack, so she called an ambulance. The
attendants rushed in and loaded him on the stretcher and started carrying
him out.
About that time the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency
Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of the stretcher. That's
when the man broke his leg and why he is in the hospital.
The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called
on a neighbor man. He volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself
with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch.
Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa
in relief. But in relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions,
where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the
snake rushed back under the sofa, and the neighbor man, seeing her laying
there passed out tried to use CPR to revive her.
The neighbor's wife, who had just returned from shopping at the grocery
store, saw her husband's mouth on the woman's mouth and slammed her
husband in the back of the head with a bag of canned goods, knocking him
out and cutting his scalp to a point where it needed stitches. An
ambulance was again called and it was determined that the injury required
hospitalization.
The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor
lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed he had
been bitten by the snake. She went to the kitchen, brought back a small
bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat.
By now the police had arrived. They saw the unconscious man, smelled the
whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about
to arrest them all, when the two women tried to explain how it all
happened over a little green snake. They called an ambulance, which took
away the neighbor and his sobbing wife.
Just then the little snake crawled out from under the couch. One of the
policemen drew his gun and fired at it. He missed the snake and hit the
leg of the end table that was on one side of the sofa. The table fell
over and the lamp on it shattered and as the bulb broke, it started a
fire in the drapes.
The other policeman tried to beat out the flames and fell through the
window into the yard on top of the family dog, who startled, jumped up
and raced out into the street, where an oncoming car swerved to avoid it
and smashed into the parked police car and set it on fire.
Meanwhile the burning drapes had spread to the walls and the entire house
was blazing. Neighbors had called the fire department and the arriving
fire truck had started raising his ladder as they were halfway down the
street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires and put out the
electricity and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block
area.
Time passed ----------------- Both men were discharged from the hospital,
the house was rebuilt, the police acquired a new car, and all was right
with their world -------.
About a year later they were watching TV and the weatherman announced a
cold snap for that night. The husband asked his wife if she thought they
should bring in their plants for the night.
She shot him!!!
-----------------
Oh, well . . . . . .
A MIXED BAG:
Today, my friend, I find myself again overwhelmed with a vast mixture of
thoughts and emotions. My heart longs to be in Kiev, and yet I am
thrilled to be back home. I long to be with the team members from last
month's trip, but am excited about being with the members of our Balkan
2001 team tomorrow.
My heart cries out for friends whom I know are currently going through
dry times and uncertain futures, and yet I am nearly jumping with
anticipation over coming ministry opportunities.
On the one hand I want to share some thoughts for those who are
floundering in discouragement or uncertainty as they look what seems to
be a hopeless future. On the other, I am so "wired" over the recent
subject I taught on "Taking Your Cities" that I don't want to quit
writing about it just yet.
So ----- what's a guy to do?!?
Then, to top it off, for the past two days I've been haunted by a song
that came to my mind during my sleep Friday night. I can't get it off my
mind. Then, of all things, Saturday afternoon while Jo Ann was listening
to some CD's on the stereo, lo and behold, there it was again ---- "A
White Sport and a Pink Carnation"!
Now, if you say, "A What?", then I know you're quite a young person. For
the rest of us, though, it's part of our past haunting us. That song was
popular w-a-y, w-a-y b-a-c-k in the 1950's.
It suddenly dawned on me this moment ---- last week while Jo Ann was
showing family pictures (supposedly of our grand children), some of the
girls in the school discovered an ancient picture of me and my trusty
trumpet, all decked out in . . . . you guessed it, . . . . my white
sports coat!
I CAN'T GET OVER THE SCENE:
It is as it were yesterday. Knowing I will probably never see any of
them again, it would be more comfortable to not think about it ---- but I
cannot stop. The scene captures my mind as if it were happening all over
again.
Have you ever heard young people cry out to God in unison in your
country? Have you ever heard them cry out with loud voices? Not in
arrogant display, but in passionate burden. Have you ever seen 43
students weep for their cities? For their lost friends and
family? For their country?
Oh, my goodness! How pitiful our praying in America sounds!
I can count on one hand during my 45 years of ministry the times when I
saw and heard such Spirit-controlled praying.
Two weeks ago was an example. There was an ebb and flow to it that could
not be choreographed by a human being. It was as if the Holy Spirit was
conducting a great orchestra of intercession as they cried out to God in
thanksgiving for His sovereignty and power, thanked Him for His
faithfulness and blessing, and petitioned Him for the lost, the sick, the
hurting of their cities, towns, and villages.
As noted before, I taught for two weeks on "Restoring Your Nation and
Reaching Your Cities Through Strategic Ministry and Prevailing Prayer".
Earlier that week I had asked each student to give the name of any city
that God had really pressed into their hearts. We ended up with about
twenty cities.
I told them we were going to make our class time more than just teaching
---- we would put some of the principles into practice on the spot by
praying each day for those cities they had listed. They were so excited
over that promise.
That particular day, because we were short on time, I asked for one
person to volunteer to pray. One young man about 20 years old who is a
youth minister in a nearby town began to pray. And before you knew it,
all the students were either on their feet, on their knees, or bowed
before the Lord beseeching Him for those cities.
As this young man began to soften his praying into a spirit of serene
trust and thankfulness to the Lord, the entire group did the same, and it
all ended with a holy quietness punctuated only by an occasional whisper,
"Slava Bogu" (Praise God), or a groan.
It was a holy moment in a holy place before a holy God.
And He was pleased.
It was apparent that their hearts were for their cities ---- and their
cities were firmly planted in their hearts.
IS YOUR HEART FOR YOUR CITY?
That's the question I ended with last week. I wrote about God's heart
for the cities, and then inquired about yours.
What have you concluded?
That's one of the principles of city taking. If your city is not in your
heart, you'll never take it.
In fact, you'll never do much of anything more than play a series of
religious games.
That, then, raises a question. If my city is not in my heart, . . . . .
why not?
1. Maybe my attitude is wrong.
Sometimes we are too indignant over our city's evil and not broken
hearted over our city's suffering. It's easy to become angry over what
is wrong; it's another thing to become a servant to bind up the wounds of
those suffering because of that evil. Anybody can tell you you're going
the wrong way; only the most sensitive will tell you how to get turned
around.
At other times we are too calloused to our city's sinful condition and
not grieved over the helpless floundering evidenced by many who are
looking for a way out. Familiarity does indeed breed contempt. It's
easy to become so familiar with the sin that we become comfortable in its
presence.
There may even be occasions when we secretly cherish the worldly and
sinful pleasures our city offers and are not convicted over our own
craving appetites that want to participate. If we're not careful, by
simply living in such conditions we can develop hidden desires that dull
our senses to the helpless plight of the people to whom we were sent to
proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Then there is always the possibility that we begin embracing some of the
attitudes of our city, and buy into that diabolical philosophy that John
described as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of
life ---- the passionate desire to have, do, and be something that makes
us feel accepted by others and gives us a false sense of satisfied
appetites.
Whether it be one or more of the above attitudes, or perhaps a different
one altogether, one thing is certain ---- our attitudes can quickly crowd
our cities from our hearts. We may see it and know the facts in our
minds, but if our cities are not in our hearts, we really have no reason
to be there.
2. Maybe my acquisitions are wrong.
What does that have to do with loving my city?
Everything.
You see, . . . . . the more you have, the more attention is required to
care for what you have. It may be a boat, a new set of golf clubs, a new
house, or even a new church building. It could even be a position of
prestige or status.
Whatever it may be, if you don't watch out, what you have acquired may
take your city out of your heart, and plunge you into the despairing
heart of your city.
I am a firm believer in restoring the spiritual elders (that's you and
me) to the gates of the city. As that happens, we sometimes acquire
positions of leadership and influence, free turkeys each holiday from the
local banker, special deals on a new vehicle, etc.
Whatever you acquire while in the city, be it tangible or intangible,
beware! It could pull your city from your heart, and you begin loving
what you have acquired more than you love your city.
3. Maybe my actions are wrong.
It could be I'm just too busy. Too busy to care???
Absolutely.
One the one hand, I can smother my vision and burden for my city with
fruitless activities that produce little or nothing of eternal substance.
On the other, I can neglect my burden and love for my city with
unrelated activities, even though beneficial.
It's easy, whether church activities, family activities, or community
activities, to involve myself in activities that take too much time or
lead in the wrong direction from what God really wants me to do.
I'm personally of the opinion that one of Satan's chief tactics to keep
Christian leaders immobilized in reaching their cities is to keep them
preoccupied with good activities.
So, we go about our merry way, thinking we are accomplishing some great
things in reaching our cities, and contented with the false perception of
success that those activities portray.
THE HEART OF MY HEART:
What I have just shared has really just spontaneously flowed from what I
hope is the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I believe it to be true.
And, as I have written these observations, my mind is quickly drawn back
to the believers Jo Ann and I met in Ukraine.
What made these people so appealing to my inner being? What was it about
them that captured my attention?
Well, as I think about it, I believe it is the qualities that relate to
those three reasons I mentioned above.
1. They have the right attitude. It is an attitude of broken hearted
compassion. It is an attitude that is bold and courageous. It is an
attitude that knows no fear.
It is an attitude yet for the most part untainted by "western" thinking.
They still actually think the Great Commission is a command, and that it
can be fulfilled. They don't know that in many of our western countries,
it has been changed to the "Great Suggestion".
This attitude was not evidenced only with the students, but also be other
local believers and local pastors alike.
Their attitude was not about salary, comfort, denominational correctness,
or anything else of the sort. It was about God ---- worship Him. It was
about Jesus ---- follow Him. It was about the Holy Spirit ---- be
controlled by Him. It was about the Great Commission ---- do it. It was
about the Gospel ---- share it. It was about the people ---- lead them
to Christ.
There attitude was one of boldness and courage. They weren't afraid to
embarrass an unbeliever. More than once we would enter a home where a
believing member of the family would introduce another family member and
tell us they did not yet know Christ, requesting that we pray for their
salvation.
Two things impressed me about those moments. One was that they openly
exposed the lost condition of their loved ones. The second was that they
always ended the statement with the word, "yet". "He's not a believer,
Yet."
Good attitude, don't you think?
2. They don't have much acquisition. Of all the churches we visited on
our recent trip, only one had its own building, and its construction was
not complete even though they had been working on it for four years.
And, once it is finished, it won't be much larger than a good sized home
in America.
Incidentally, if these people had just $10,000 U.S., they could
completely finish the building. Here in America it would take at least
$100,000 to complete it. (We're receiving tax deductible gifts for that
project, by the way.)
In 1995 on our first trip to Kiev I preached to a congregation of some
800 people. It was a church less than a year old, meeting for two hours
in an unheated theater. On that first trip there were fewer than 10
non-Orthodox churches in Kiev; today there are over 100.
In fact, as I visited with people from various Christian agencies and
denominations, a missionary from the IMB told me that he had just been in
a meeting earlier that day where they are trying to coordinate the growth
and church planting activities in the area and concluded that they cannot
keep track of all the new churches springing up. Many of them have no
denominational connections, and there is often no hierarchy in place that
gives them a vehicle by which to count them. They just spring up ----
sorta like in the book of Acts.
3. They don't have lots of activities. After all, when you don't have
much to do something with, you don't do many things.
But you do try to make certain that you do the right things, and you do
them right, and you do them well.
In the first church we attended on the trip, we enjoyed celebrating
Orthodox Christmas on January 7th. It was obvious these wonderful saints
of God knew two things.
First, they knew there wasn't much to do because they didn't have much
with which to do something. Most of them had no television, very few
books, no modern sports equipment. Many of the houses, although built
within the last ten years, had no indoor plumbing. In some cases, their
toilet consisted of a hole in the ground with a ramshackled privacy fence
tacked together around it.
There just wasn't much they had to protect, and there wasn't much for
them to do.
So, secondly, they also knew what was important to do. Maybe that was
because they didn't have much that distracted them from the real essence
and purpose of life in Christ ---- carry out the Great Commission.
For that reason, and maybe because most of them had no automobiles and
had to walk everywhere, when they met for church, it wasn't a little
pathetic one-hour service. Our first one was three hours long ---- on 8"
plank benches crammed together so your neighbors' knees behind served as
your back rest since the benches had none.
They never got in a hurry. After all ---- they had no place else to go .
. . . unless they went home or went to a neighbor's house to witness to
them or minister to them.
Following the three hour service, we were treated to an unbelievable
Ukrainian feast before heading out for the afternoon to go door to door
singing Christmas carols and sharing the love of Christ. We kept it up
until 6:00 or 7:00 at night, and would have gone longer if we had not
faced a long journey back to Kiev yet.
The next day we went to another village where there was a two hour
service ---- but only because it was so cold in the club house that
people were literally shaking. Otherwise it would have been another
three hour service with the same regimen as the day before.
Yes, they do the right activities ---- worship, proclaim, serve,
minister, witness. To them, not much else really counts.
FINALLY:
So, now we come full circle.
Your city is in God's heart.
Is it in yours?
If not, maybe your attitude is wrong. Maybe your acquisitions are
getting in the way. Maybe your activities are meaningless and fruitless.
If so, things can change, my friend . . . . . if you want.
Do you want?
In His Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright February, 2001. All rights reserved.
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Our heart is to "Lift up hands that hang down". We'd love to hear from
you. Drop us a note with reports, observations, prayer requests, etc.
If this letter has blessed you and you know of someone else who needs to
be encouraged, feel free to forward it in its entirety to all such people
you know.
If you would like a list of past issues which you could receive upon
request, just let us know.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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