Secondhand Faith!

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay mein the dust of death.” (Ps. 22:14-15)

To figure out what I mean by secondhand faith we must first look at secondhand smoke: 

What is it?

When non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke it is called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do. The more secondhand smoke you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.

Look at the facts:

• An estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in people who are currently non-smokers
• About 3,400 lung cancer deaths as a result of breathing secondhand smoke
• Other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function
• 50,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually
• Increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma
• More than 750,000 middle ear infections in children

Secondhand smoke is smoke that is received in your body by breathing in the smoke of others. While it is not as strong as the smoke the smoker is actually taking in, you are still exposed to the consequences. 

Secondhand faith is faith that is someone else’s that you see and are steadily encouraged by. In other words, when I am having a season of life where I don’t have a strong faith to claim of my own (for whatever reason: death of a loved one, extended period of sin, God doesn’t seem real, promise fulfillment being delayed, etc.) When you go through dark times and times where your faith is wavering or isn’t as strong as it has been or assured of the payoff (the fulfillment of the promise) is coming, we need people who strengthen and encourage our faith. 

The key is encouragement. You can’t live off someones faith for really long extended periods of time, but you can be encouraged for a season. You must own your faith. It has to be personal. It has to be authentic. 

“Two are better than one. … If either of them falls down one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV).

The key is when our faith falters and our hope seems gone, we have to look back to Christ and have someone who can help us see God’s faithfulness. Pray for people around you today. Look to Christ. Preach the Gospel to yourself, but surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to preach truth to you or give you a hand up when you need it. So thankful that I have friends that aren’t afraid to jump in my messes. 

“I think God’s plan is at work in the middle of our messes more powerfully than at any other time. Which is good because I feel like most of life is spent stuck slogging through something or other. God loves to show up and teach us things when we’re slogging. He designed us to become somehow better through all the pain we endure and specifically created us to find comfort in each other.” ^Melissa Kircher

Love Overcame,

Matt

Confession: I hate being still.

“If I am not busy, I make myself busy.” With a transition to a new job (in a foreign place) and mainly just my work comrades to keep me busy I often have lots of down time. I am getting back into the gym routine and training for another triathlon. I work hard, really hard (*I would like to think I always have worked hard), try to serve the body of Christ well and stay healthy and work on side projects. To be real honest: It’s a struggle to not find my worth in what I’m accomplishing each day. At the end of the day its fun to say, “hey look this is what I conquered today. this is what Matt Ayers had his hand on today.” 

SH (in a recent blog post) reminded me of what Chelsea Steyn described herself in her devotional article “Working for Contentment”,

“work is one of God’s good gifts,” but “we are given gifts and abilities to use for the glory of God and in service to the church and community.

Working on my side projects and my job and my triathlon race aren’t bad things, in fact, they are good. The problem arises when they get the front row seat of my attention and my heart. (*ahem…. idolatry, you know that never ending giant, that always comes back. I am an idol factory) 

Tim Keller writes in Counterfeit Gods of how idols are often good things: “The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes… A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” 

Steyn goes on: “This feverish pursuit of productivity is getting in the way of my ability to be still and spend time with the Lord.”

David Powlison in A Praying Life wrote ‘Efficiency, multitasking and busyness all kill intimacy. You can’t get to know God on the fly.’ I have to learn how to sit down with my hands still, to stop thinking about my next project and talk to God. I need to recognize my weakness, to wear it like a garment when I come before Him in prayer.” 

My attempts at productivity will never satisfy me. Praise God that His grace is sufficient for me and that His power is made perfect in my abundance of weaknesses. So Lord, help me to find my value and my satisfaction from You, the Bread of Life. 

Wait, I say, Wait.

One of the phrases that you read a lot in the Psalms is “wait on the Lord.” David spent a good portion of his life waiting for the Lord to fulfill some promises that the Lord had made to him very early in life. There were periods of extended periods of waiting. 

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Between the promise God makes you and the payoff (or the fulfillment of the promise) there is a process (waiting). That process is the point, that process draws you closer to him (and makes you more like him). Waiting is not a glamourous spiritual discipline. Waiting is hard in our culture and its in thoses seasons of waiting that learn to cling to Jesus when everything around you is failing apart. Waiting is essential to your spiritual growth. 

One of the beautiful things about waiting is that it molds us, shapes us, and strengthens us. When God provides the payoff though we get to experience the faithfulness of God. He always does what he says he is going to do. He alone is faithful. One truth that I read the other day was from my friends Taylor’s twitter: “Running out of reasons to doubt you, God.” And man is that true!!!!

This year has been hectic to say the least but it has been an amazing journey of growth, realization, and a renewed sense of joy in waiting on the Lord. This year I lost something I held dearest to me, have come to the realization that I am far more sinful that I pretend to be (I exaggerate a lot, I am prideful, I am materialistic, I hide my weaknesses), moved to foreign place (and moving when you’re an “adult” is not like moving to college), and had to trust that even though I cant see the active hand of God, I know He is on the way. 

We say the Bible is trustworthy because the author is trustworthy, so I have had to learn to take him at His word and trust that the payoff is coming. 

Market Research turned into a Gospel Moment

I was recently watching a Promo video for Ligonier Ministries Connect program… and RC starts out the video says…

It’s Jesus performance that is transferred to my account when I receive Him by faith. That is why Paul labors the point that our justification is given to us freely as a gift of the Father. That God calls me just before He makes me just.

Its transactional, God looking at Christ instead of us. In Romans 6 & 7 thats is explained Justification establishes our righteousness before God. Sanctification is the process of us becoming personally Holy. Justification is divine initiative. When we are born again through faith, we’re spiritually unified with Christ. Its a 2 sided coin. Justification is 1 Side. Sanctification the other. Christ spirit in us making us want to be holy.

As Martin Luther once said, 

Faith’s substance is our will; its manner is, that we take hold on Christ by divine instinct; its final cause and fruit, that it purifies the heart, makes us children of God, and brings with it the remission of sins.

I have never understood it quite like this before, or with this joy. When Christ comes to me and bids me die… I am dying so I might be raised with Him in his righteous acceptable to the Father and this new life is one in which I am stirred to good works (evidence of justification) and holy living (sanctification). 

Its a double transaction. The righteousness of Christ is transferred to our account. Our sinfulness is transferred to His account. God declares me just because Jesus was just. Because the imputation is real then our justification is real. God really laid my sins on Christ and I really am unified with Christ now in my righteousness.

Watch this… it is very helpful:

5 Things I have learned in a month at Church Plant Media.

1) If you don’t write it down, it didn’t happen. Documentation of happenings makes you remember to follow up and following up leads to success.
2) Decisions about policy and pricing are defined by your mission and vision but must remain balanced with profitability.Last Friday the executive leadership team of Church Plant Media rolled up their sleeves and decided to drop the price of all of our websites to $1000.00. This decision happened 2 months, then the team went to work on making it a reality. The results were a simplified homepage, new pricing page, and a new strategy.
3) Your passion dictates your process. We are passionate about the Gospel and so that is where we start with any new prospective client. They must sign our Gospel agreement to work with us. Sometimes we have to say no to ministries that don’t align with us Biblically; this can be hard because you lose profit. But when your passion and truth dictate action then the decisions become easier. 
4) Our team is more of a family than a work group. This is not to say that we don’t work hard, because we do. Very hard. But there is something special about working for an established (13 year old) company that functions as a start-up and works sometimes til 2 in the morning, but at the end of the day the team that prays together grows together. Every time someone on our team needs prayer the team stops and prays, every time we face challenges or tough decisions we start by asking God what he would have for us. Its unreal. I love my family, I mean work team. 
5) Your leader and his vision greatly determine your success. I have never worked for a more humble, genuine, authentic guy. **Side note: I love that our vision caster and leader is the same guy at the office as he is in his home. When asked recently if he would take an extremely large amount of money to sell the company, his response was simple: NO. I love what I do and am fully convinced this is where God has me and wants me. Man its good following after someone who is following after God. 
And lastly 6) if you will.  Our calling is Jesus. We love building websites, but it comes after loving the Lord right and loving our families right.
Gospel Blessings,Matt

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Roobear saying goodbye for now!

"‎Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will run after Thee."

Charles Spurgeon

paideia:

“3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage… all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ….into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films… = a trip of a lifetime.”

MOVE by Rick Mereki

After working for a video company I can only but appreciate this video….. Simplistic Beauty guys!

Listen to the Truth of this song. Thankful that we have a God who is always on the way to help us. He will not delay. My refuge and strength always. I will not fear his promise is true. My God will come through always. 

The Fellowship of the Unashamed.

Oh that this would be true in my life. 

I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus. Therefore, I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present is empowered and my future is secure. I’m done with low living, sight waking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, praise or popularity. I don’t have to win, be first, be right, recognized, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power. My goal is God’s glory, my face is set, my pace is fast, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. Christ has qualified me to become a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I am His and He is mine.