The Heart of Hospitality in the Dominican Republic

On my recent trip to the Dominican Republic I had a valuable lesson reinforced to my own heart, namely, that hospitality is a matter of the heart not a matter of the home. So often, this precious grace of Christian fellowship is neglected because many people don’t believe they have the right kind of home suitable to entertain others. Matters of adequate space, or appropriate furniture, or sufficient food have all been used as viable excuses not to open one’s home up to other Christians to the neglect of real relationship building and enriching fellowship. And it took a trip to a small barrio in the city of La Vega to remind me that none of those oft cited concerns have anything to do with genuine Christian hospitality.

I was blessed on several occasions to enter homes a quarter of the size of the average American home. In comparison of what we’re accustomed to here in the States, these tiny dwellings would be shunned by most as subpar at best. But because of the hearts of those who resided within, these homes were some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. No, I didn’t marvel at the finest of China, or at the elegance of furniture, but instead, I was overwhelmed with the warmth of Christlike generosity and humility of service. Wherever we went, these dear brothers and sisters greeted us with the genuineness of, “Mi Casa Es Su Casa” – and boy did they mean it.

You see, these Dominican believers weren’t worried about décor or shallow appearances; they were concerned with making us feel welcomed and loved. They opened their hearts to us, and that transformed their humble dwellings into palatial palaces. They reminded me that it doesn’t take much to make people feel special, but it does take sincerity of heart. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” I wonder if in fact, it was I who was in the company of angels. O’ how much of the true experience of the “love of the brethren” do we forfeit because we don’t understand that our homes are simply an extension and expression of our hearts. Or maybe, that’s actually the problem—our homes are closed because our hearts are closed.

Jesus: The Agent of Change

As a Pastor there are many experiences that bring my heart great joy; God's gift of a baby to a young family; the look on the faces of a couple as I lead them in their marital vows; and the praise offered to God for His mercy in healing a sick congregat to name a few. Hardly does a week go by that I am not thanking God for these and other privileges in my work, but there is nothing more exciting than to witness the dramatic change in a person's life who has met the risen Christ. In a word, that experience is simply amazing. And as many times as I've witnessed it, I still marvel at how Christ changes lives.

Honestly, that should come as no surprise to me because Jesus Christ is the deliverer. He delivers people from all that stands against them--their sin, their guilt, the devil, demonic influence, and most importantly, the wrath of God. So there should be no surprise that when people have a saving encounter with Jesus Christ that they are dramatically changed.

This reality was freshly driven home to my own heart this Sunday as I preached on Mark 5:1-20, where Jesus delivers a man who is possessed by a "legion" of demons. The nameless man was in bondage to these demons and lived a isolated, defiled, and destructive life. He was helpless and hopeless; a state of utter desperation and despair. But then he met Jesus, and all that changed.

In verses 13-20 of this passage, Mark records one of the most dramatic changes in all the Bible, illustrating for us the delivering power of Christ and the resultant change that accompanies it. The demon possessed man encounters Christ and everything in his life changes:

• His Character Changed --> Before Christ he was running around naked in the desecrated tombs and caverns among the stinch and filth of rotting dead bodies. His mind was tortured as he constantly gashed himself with rocks. But after he experienced the delivering power of Christ, he was found sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind (v. 15)

• His Company Changed --> Before Christ he was isolated from humanity, held captive by the host of demons. But after Christ delivered him, he was begging Jesus "to be with Him"; a sure posture of discipleship (v.18)
  
  
• His Conversation Changed --> Before Christ he was screaming and howling like a wild beast and speaking the vile words of evil spirits. But after he experienced the power of Jesus, he went about proclaiming the great things that the Lord had done for him (v.20)

Yea, no doubt about his change. And that's what thrills my soul to witness. No, I've never known anyone who has been delivered from demon possession, but God does give me the privilege and joy to know people who have been delivered from their sins by the power of Jesus Christ, and the change they experience is still amazing.

Global Missions & the Heart of God

This past Sunday I kicked-off our church's Missions Emphasis month with a message entitled, "Jesus, the Gospel, and Global Missions." My aim in the message was to point out from the Word the overwhelming truth that God's activity in the world is about calling out a redeemed people from all the Nations. My focus was to exposit & connect three primary passages to show God's people that the Story-line of the Bible is really God glorifying Himself through a redeemed people who see and savor Jesus Christ in and through the gospel.

The 3 texts I chose were Genesis 12:1-3, Matthew 28:18-20, and Revelation 5:9-10. Taking a bird's-eye view, these passages show three important elements of God's plan to be glorified through the Nations by Jesus Christ and the gospel:

God's Promise
In Genesis 12, we find God's sovereign covenant with Abram. Here, God intervenes in human history with the promise that "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (v.3). The astonishing point about this passage is that in one sentence, God reveals, in short-hand form, His plan for the world. Notice that "in you" is a reference to Christ (cf. Gal. 3:16), "shall be blessed" is a reference to the gospel (cf. Gal. 3:8), and "all the families of the earth" is an obvious reference to global missions. So it is clear that the subsequent unfolding of redemptive history as it relates to this Abrahamic Covenant is about Christ, the gospel, and global missions.

Our Performance

That led us to Matthew 28, where the risen Jesus commissions His disciples to carry out God's promise of Global Missions by going into all the world to make disciples of the Nations. Having accomplished redemption through His life and death on the Cross, Jesus has now received resurrected authority over every square inch of the universe, enabling Him as the King to send out His subjects to providentially perform God's plan to call a people unto Himself in connection with faith in Christ as preached through the gospel. What a privilege to be able to participate in the unfolding of God's plan for the world.

Heaven's Picture

And lest God's people become overwhelmed with the task of reaching the world for Christ's sake, we've been given the marvelous picture of the finished product in the book of Revelation chapter 5. Here is the great company of redeemed saints, which no man can number, taken from "every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (v. 9, cf. 7:9-10). The picture is clear. God's promise will be fulfilled. His people will perform the task. There will be a new humanity from every Nation that will worship God and Jesus Christ throughout eternity having believed the gospel and tasted of the goodness of the Lord.

And so, I challenged our congregation to wholeheartedly embrace what God is doing in this world. His heart is Global Missions, and as biblical Christians our hearts must beat with the same passion to reach the Nations with the saving gospel of the risen Christ so that God will be glorified forever. Every Christian, every local church, big or small, should be praying regularly, giving sacrificially, and planning strategically in order to maximize our joy in seeing the heart of God envelop the Nations through His Son Jesus Christ as freely offered in the gospel.

This is really Hard

Blogging is really hard. "So why do it?" you ask. Well, because it's hard. And because I will not be defeated. At any rate, I'm off to my books for some inspiration!!! I will return and attempt to actually post something worth reading.

Father's Day Sadness

Father’s Day is always a highlight for me. I am overwhelmed with the reality that God is so gracious as to allow me to shepherd the hearts of five precious souls. And to think that they actually enjoy being my kids is something that never ceases to amaze me. I am sure I’m not the only father that feels this way.

But as wonderful as my Father’s Day was on yesterday, it was sprinkled with a bit of sadness. Interestingly, the sadness snuck up on me as I was driving with my kids in route to pick up my father for an afternoon of pizza and bowling. The cause of my sadness was the visible silence that spoke so clearly of the state of fatherhood, particularly in the African-American community.

As I drove down Crenshaw Blvd. I became acutely aware of the absence of any corner vendors selling gifts for fathers. Why did that make me sad? Because just a month ago that same stretch of road was strewn with hundreds of vendors selling various gifts for Mother’s Day, and folks were crowded around them like bees on honey. But nothing for fathers! Absolutely nothing! Now, granted there are far more gifts that are appropriate for mothers; but no vendors at all? Not even someone selling ties, hats or socks. Surely some of us fathers like coffee mugs and T-shirts that say #1 Dad. But nothing! And that made me sad.

But it made me sad at a deeper level – a level that pains me to talk about. For what I saw, or did not see, was simply a metaphor in my mind for the horrid state of fatherhood in my community. It said to me that fathers don’t really matter. The absence of the vendors on the corner signified to me the absence of fathers in the home. To our own demise, we have learned how to live without fathers, which is not living at all. For God designed the home to have a head, and that head is the father (Eph. 6:4). But if the father is not there, with all do respect to God-fearing praying mothers, that family is headless. And headless things can’t survive for long, if at all.

So my Father’s Day was good, but it reminded me of the great need of the gospel of Jesus Christ for my community, particularly in the area of family life. For only Jesus Christ can “restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 3:6). I pray that if the Lord tarries and I live to see another Father’s Day that Crenshaw Blvd. will be filled with corner vendors selling their goods in recognition of the essential nature and role of fathers.

My God is in Charge!

The sovereignty of God is one of the most precious of doctrines in the Bible. I confess that this is becoming more of a reality in my life on what seems to be a daily basis. Whether it be the annoyance to my schedule caused by a hit and run driver, or the lack of sleep produced by a defective home alarm system that goes off at 2am, or the unforeseen seizure that appears to almost take my 3 year old daughter's life -- in all of this, if it were not for the truth of the sovereignty of God, I would be hopelessly despairing at this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm not just now discovering the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, for it is unmistakeably clear in Scripture. How could anyone ever argue with texts like:

"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; And no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Dan. 4:36)

"I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2)

"But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Ps. 115:3)

"The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord" (Prov. 16:33)

" . . . according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11)

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things . . . " (Rom. 11:36)

No, no, I've affirmed this doctrine for years, but its reality and sweetness is gripping my heart with a freshness for which I am deeply thankful and humbled. Let me explain. I know that God's hand is on His people for good and only for good, which means that whatever He sovereignly allows to come into our lives (the bad and the good), it must be for our good. Therefore, even the things that are unjust, or inconvenient, or painfully scary are expressions of God's gracious love for us as He works in and through them for our good. Even what men & devils mean for evil, He means it for good (Gen. 50:20). Hallelujah, what a God!

So, when I read in Matthew 10:29, that not even a sparrow "will fall to the ground apart from your Father", surely our Lord is teaching me that God's sovereign will covers everything, even the falling to the ground of insignificant birds. And if that be the case, how much more does it cover my precious little girl's seizure? And since it does, He must then mean it for her good, my good, and most importantly, His glory; and that is enough for me. Yea, I love the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Where would I be with out it?

And So It Begins!

It's the day after, and everyone appears to still be reveling in the afterglow of the historical inauguration of the first African-American president. For all who witnessed this event, I'm sure its impressions will last for a long time. The pagentry, the symbolism, the significance, the sense of unity are all worthy of note, and to the extent that President Barak Obama was the reason for it, he is to be commended.

But now for the reality check. All of the fanfare is over, all of the parades past and the music has stopped playing. And what does President Barak Obama do? He makes known his plan to honor the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by reversing the ban on the use of federal dollars by non-governmental organizations around the globe that discuss or provide abortions. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/01/21/obama-lift-ban-funding-groups-providing-abortions-overseas/)

In other words, President Obama is committing our money to the destruction of innocent life around the world. Boy, isn't it interesting that so many people were up-in-arms over President Bush's use of our money to "destroy innocent lives" in his wars. I wonder if people will be just as outraged about President's Obama's use of our money to destroy innocent life in the war against unborn babies? Ah, probably not! Yea, I know he isn't directly killing innocent unborn babies, but does anyone believe that he doesn't know that these dollars will be used for abortions?

And so it has begun. The agenda is unfolding. God only knows what will be next.