April 25, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on April 4, 2016.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“No One Likes Conflict”

Acts 15:1-4

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

I don’t know many people who like conflict. It’s uncomfortable, messy, and can escalate to become down right hurtful. No one likes to be wrong. And in the Christian community, we often don’t feel comfortable telling others when we think they are wrong – it just doesn’t feel like the good Christian thing to do. While it may feel much better to be in agreement with others, conflict isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

Paul and Barnabas found themselves in disagreement with a group of Jewish believers on the matter of Gentile inclusion into the family of God. How were these Gentiles to conduct themselves as believers? What would it look like for God to incorporate those outside of the Jewish ethnic identity – two things that had always been so closely linked? These were actually really important questions and the dispute that arose over this matter was indeed a healthy dispute – it pushed the church to seek God’s will in this area, to grow in their understanding of what His kingdom looks like, and it gave opportunity for Paul and Barnabas to share of God’s work in the Gentile community and encourage believers through their testimony. 

In their book, Thriving Through Ministry Conflict, James Osterhaus, Joseph Jurkowski, and Todd Hahn explain that, contrary to popular belief, “’Resistance is your ally.’ It’s your ally, not your enemy, because it shows you that what you are doing is not working.” In other words, we stand to learn a lot from conflict. When we encounter resistance in the family of God, we tend to fight it or ignore it. But with humble and open hearts we can also choose to embrace it and find out what God is teaching us through the conflict and how God is moving us together as a people in that particular area. 

If you find yourself in situations of disagreement and dispute (especially within the community of faith), embrace it as an opportunity to learn from God. As the Holy Spirit works within you and within your brothers and sisters around you, the body of Christ can get closer to the heart of God, even as we disagree. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me an open heart to the views of others and humility as I hold my own. In situations of disagreement and conflict, may I learn from those around me through the power of Your Holy Spirit and draw closer to them and to You even in the tension. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 3

Lunch Break Study

Read James 4:1-10: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Questions to Consider

  1. What does James say is the source of our fights and quarrels? Remembering past or present situations, how do you find James’ words to be true in your lived experience?
  2. What does James tell us to do in response to our self-centeredness, greed, and pride in the midst of arguments? 
  3. What is the promise that James gives to those who will put his words into practice? How does that encourage you as you face situations of conflict? 


Notes

  1. James locates the source of disputes in one simple word – pride. Many have said that what we argue about and the things that make us angry tell us more about what’s going on inside us than what’s going on around us. Self-centeredness often leads to arguing when we face situations of conflict. 
  2. James calls us to turn our attention away from ourselves and toward our God. Instead of fighting for the things we need, we can trust in the provision of our heavenly Father in any given situation. When we take our eyes off ourselves and place God at the center, we often gain new perspective that defuses the emotional charge in situation of disagreement that can lead to fights and arguments. We make this turn through repentance. 
  3. James promises that God will take care of us. As we turn to Him and draw near to Him, He will meet us there and not only provide for our needs, but will give us grace (or favor). We can take comfort in knowing that as we humble ourselves (declare our need before God), the Lord doesn’t leave us low, but instead He exalts us.  

Evening Reflection

In Thriving Through Ministry Conflict, the authors explain that, “…technical change—change on the surface—is not lasting change. Real, lasting change is called adaptive change, change that alters the very structure of the relationship or environment and touches on the deepest of issues such as values.” Situations of conflict provide opportunities for us to change and grow to be more like Jesus. What kind of change is God calling you to today in light of situations of conflict you’re facing? More than just behavior adjustments, is God challenging the nature of a relationship, value system, etc. in your life? Spend sometime reflecting on these things with the Lord. 

April 24, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on February 29, 2016, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun through whom God founded the Radiance Church in 2011. Mark, after recently stepping down as its Lead Pastor, is currently on a sabbatical.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Lying to God”

Acts 5:1-6 (ESV)

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

 I realize that this passage is probably not the easiest one to start your Monday with, since very rarely do we like to look at difficult subjects like God’s judgment.  But the obvious question here is this: “Why did God deal so severely with Ananias and Sapphira?”   In short, the answer could be found in what follows.

There were two ideals that the Holy Spirit empowered the early believers to fulfill.  The first was a fulfillment of the Greek ideal of friendship.  For the Greeks, true friendship meant holding everything in common and to be of one mind.  Aristotle has been reputed to having defined friendship as “two bodies with one soul.”   This ideal became a reality in the life of the early church, and for that reason, it attracted those looking for authentic friendship.

The second ideal that was fulfilled by the early church was the Old Testament promise that in a society that followed the commands of God, God would bless them by eradicating poverty.  Again, the early church realized this ideal and drew those who were looking for a just and fair society.  It’s no wonder that Christianity had such an overwhelming power of attraction in the book of Acts.  

Ultimately, this explains why God dealt so severely with Ananias and Sapphira.  What seems unfair to us and overly severe is perfect and righteous in the hands of God.  For this special period of time where Christianity was just taking root, it was imperative that the church be established in purity.  Unfortunately, Ananias and Sapphira were in the wrong place at the wrong time; but because of the fate of this couple, no pretenders, or those with a half-hearted commitment or mixed motives dared to join the group of disciples.  Amazingly, later in the chapter, we see an unexpected result of God’s judgment—a multitude of new believers were added to the church.  The warning and the lesson to be taken from this story this: the purity of the church is vitally important and well worth guarding, if we are to be light in our world.  

Prayer: Lord, we pray for the church today—both our local church and the universal body.  Help us to desire purity and power in our congregations so that we might serve as Your witnesses in a darkened world.  We pray for the pouring out of Your Spirit and true revival to sweep through the hearts of believers across our cities, nation, and world.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Malachi 2

Lunch Break Study

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV): You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Questions to Consider

  1. What does it mean for Christians to be the salt of the earth?
  2. Why are Christians the light of the world?

Notes

  1. The duty of the Christian in the world is two-fold:  First, as salt of the earth, we are called to arrest and prevent the moral decay and corruption of the world.  The main purpose of salt in the days before refrigeration was its utility as a preservative and a disinfectant.  If you cure a piece of meat properly with salt, it will stay good for a long time.  If you rub salt in a wound, it will keep it from being infected.  In this way, Christians are meant to permeate the whole of society so that even though we are few, we hold the world accountable to what is true, just, fair, and good.    
  2. Second, we are the light of the world because the light of Christ dwells within us.  We not only play a preventive role against decay and corruption, Christians are the only ones that can bring light into the darkness, life to the dead, and real change in the heart. The church is only as bright as the indwelling presence of Christ and the fullness of His Holy Spirit in each believer.  As a biblical metaphor, light encompasses more than the idea of truth but it is not less than that.  And in Luke’s account of this subject of light, Jesus tells Christians, “Be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” 

Evening Reflection

How have you been a witness for Christ today?  When is the last time you prayed for a non-believer or shared the gospel with someone who was seeking?  As we approach Easter Sunday in a few weeks, pray that God would give you opportunities to share your faith and invite someone to church.  

April 23, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought was first posted on February 14, 2016.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Letting Ourselves Used by Others”

Matt. 5:40-1

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

1 Tim. 2:4-5

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all . . . .

Here is a sobering thought for Valentine’s Day, a day reserved to celebrate significant others in our lives:  Have you ever been used by someone, especially those who are close to you?   It’s natural to expect care and concern from those who we think love us, but when we find out we have been used and disregarded, our spirits can sink to the dark depths due to the deeply cutting hurt we suffer (Gaylin, Feelings, 148-164). Former Columbia University psychiatry professor Willard Gaylin insightfully describes the feeling of being used when he writes, “The sense of being used . . . arises from the fear that the person dealing with us is not involved with us in emotional ties and affection—where there may be mutual use—but is simply using us as an instrument, a vehicle of his own purposes. We then are equated with the things in his life. We are signs of his needs, not of his affections.”

Sometimes the Bible calls on us to be used: although I doubt Jesus meant in Matthew 5:40-1 that we should let thieves steal whatever they want from us because we should never resist. (Hyperbole seems to be in play here.)  Nevertheless, Jesus conveys the message that sometimes doing good means letting ourselves be used by others for the glory of God.  Jesus should know:  while He let Judas to use Him to profit himself materially, Jesus allowed it to profit us spiritually. 

At other times, it is clear we should not let ourselves be used, especially if we are being abused or if the user needs to be admonished, due to concerns of justice or the spiritual health of the user, to stop his using others as unimportant instruments. For example, Paul gives instructions to the Thessalonian church not to just freely give resources to those who refuse to work, saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).

It is largely a matter of wisdom and prudence in deciding when we should let others use us and whether enough is enough. One last consideration: to those who have wrongfully used us, we must forgive, letting go of our hatred, anger, and resentment.  This can feel absurd to us: how can we just freely forgive those who have cut us so deeply and betrayed us so deceivingly? All I can say is that it is the life the Lord our God has called us to: He calls us to forgive and He will comfort us no matter the wounds.  On this Valentine’s Day, if you are harboring any resentment or bitterness toward your significant other, would release it to the Lord and forgive?  

Prayer: Lord, while I’ve never prayed, “Allow me be used,” it’s a sentiment You are all too familiar with.  You said to Israel, “The food I provided for you . . . you offered as fragrant incense before [male idols]” (Ez. 16:17-9).  While that made You feel indignant, You never ceased loving Israel.  Lord, be merciful to me if I do the same.  Help me never to use You for my own gain, but to be useful for your glory.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 1

April 22, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on January 30, 2015, is provided by Mei Lan Thallman who was serving Grace Covenant Church at the time. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“I Want to Go Home!”

Genesis 37:2-11

These are the generations of Jacob.  Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.  4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Several years ago, while we were serving in South Carolina, we took the kids on a family vacation to Disney World in Florida.  We thought we were making Nathan and Naomi’s childhood dreams become a reality—they would remember Disney as the magical place.  But we were shocked to hear Naomi make the declaration upon arriving home, “It’s so good to be home; I love my home better than Disney.”  In our sincere effort to give them a magical experience, we had pushed ourselves over the limit by doing too much with too little time.

After Joseph received two prophetic dreams from God during his teen years, life took on a series of dramatic downturn for 13 long years.  And when things couldn’t seem to get any worse, they dipped deeper into the bottomless spiral: Young Joseph first survived an attempted murder; then he was sold into slavery by his jealous half-brothers; next, he was sexually harassed and falsely accused by his master’s seductive and manipulative wife, which led him into imprisonment.  Finally, he saw a flicker of hope of overturning his case of injustice through a returned favor for helping the cupbearer; instead, after waiting for two years, he was forced to face the reality that the grateful cupbearer had completely forgotten about him.

Yet, through it all, Joseph refused to compromise his hope and faith in God and his integrity to become a bitter victim of life’s cruel punches. Even when the people in his life turned their backs against him, Yahweh was with him and caused him to prosper through the worst of circumstances (Gen 39:2, 21).

His difficult, outward circumstances only solidified his inward identity, over time, as a beloved child of God.  That identity was so powerful and real that wherever he went, unbelievers could not help but notice and be drawn to Joseph because of God’s strong and undeniable presence in his life.   

If you are currently facing life’s overwhelming, contradicting circumstances and you are wondering, This is not at all what I expected from life, take heart and be of courage, because God’s eyes are on you and His presence is with you.  Just as He was with Joseph, He is now with you. He will not only see you through this challenging time, but He will use it to prepare you for His glorious plan. God used Joseph’s adversities to prove His faithfulness and redemptive plan, and used him to be a channel of blessing that extended into the whole world.

Prayer:  Lord, we thank You that Christ in us is the hope of glory.  This indwelling hope is greater and stronger than he that is in the world.  Though in this world all of us will face life’s difficulties, thank You that we are never alone; and Your presence in our lives empowers us to become “overcomers” instead of “victims”! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 36, Obadiah 1

April 21, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, which was first posted on January 7, 2016, is provided by Pastor Ryun Chang who serves as AMI Teaching Pastor.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Imminent Return of Christ”

Acts 1:6-7

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

Matt. 24:36

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Over the years, conservative Christians have rightfully called out liberal scholars for holding to a low view of Scripture that results in the denial of important Christian doctrines, such as Virgin birth and resurrection of Christ.  But those who say they believe the Bible aren’t entirely guilt-free for doing the opposite.  Despite being told, “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6), that is exactly what some do, especially regarding the time of Christ’s second coming.   Even though Jesus disprivileged himself by choosing to be agnostic about it, and reminded the disciples, just before his ascension, that “it is not for [us] to know the times or dates the Father has set,” there has been no shortage of people who do just that: setting the date of his return.   

I remember hearing several Christian leaders say that Christ would return (i.e., rapture) in the 1980s; one advocate even wrote a book entitled, “88 reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988.”  More recently, Harold Camping, erstwhile respected evangelist and Christian radio broadcaster, predicted that Christ would return to earth on May 21, 2011.  When nothing occurred on that day, he re-dated it to October 21, 2011.  Needless to say, he was wrong again.

One oft-forgotten historical doctrine of the church is the “Imminent Return of Christ,” which posits that Christ may come at any moment.  But, ever since dispensationalism kept finding preconditions in the Bible that have be met before his coming, this doctrine lost its luster.  Nevertheless, the time is right to reintroduce it to the church, as it was first taught by Apostle Paul: “About times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1).   

So, how should this doctrine affect us?  We should daily render to God and His work the best of ourselves as if every day was our last day.  No more setting dates!  But let us live for God in such a manner that “this day should [not] surprise [us] like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4).  “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying . . .” (Eph. 6:18).  

Prayer: What an amazing God I worship!  Father, remind me to always stay alert so that I may do the work of God.  Instead of looking at the calendar to guess your Son’s return, may I look outside the window to see who is lost and hurt so that I may share the riches of Christ with them.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Numbers 35

Lunch Break Study

Read Matt. 24:42-51: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Question to Consider

1. Why do you think God didn’t inform us of the exact day of Christ’s return?

2. Based on this parable, what is one drawback with this eschatological “strategy” (i.e., not telling the exact date)?  

3. What is God’s expectation of us in light of the uncertainty of the second coming?  How are you measuring up to that expectation?

Notes

1. If we knew the exact date, then we would have behaved like some Thessalonians who were erroneously told that “the day of the Lord ha[d] already come” (2 Thess. 2:1).  What did they do?  They stopped working!  So Paul had to tell them, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (3:10).

2. Among the immature and carnal Christians, besides laziness, this would lead to the misuse of the  talents and gifts God gave them.  Instead of prompting responsibleness, it results in self-indulgence and licentiousness.    

3. In fact, the uncertainty should be understood as “he can return at any time,” which changes the equation.  God wants us to be faithful at all times so that when Christ does return, he can say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put in charge of many things” (Matt. 25:21).

Evening Reflection

Looking back to today, did you encounter an opportunity to share something that you have with those who lack it?  It could be anything: spare time (that could be used to help someone facing a deadline with no time to spare), knowledge (that could be used to help a classmate struggling with the last lesson) or extra cash in your pocket (that could have been used to share a meal with a discouraged coworker).  Think like that and do it; be a better steward of the gifts and talents that God saw fit to give you. 

April 20, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 22, 2016, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato who, along with his wife Jessica and three young children, serves in Japan as an AMI missionary.  Jason, a graduate of UC San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), moved to Tokyo in 2022 where he plans to, the Lord willing, plant a church. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Why We Need to be A Missionary Congregation?”

Acts 11:15-18 (ESV)

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. [16] And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ [17] If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” [18] When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

The Holy Spirit, the gift of God that was given to the Jewish believers at Pentecost, is now given to Gentiles!  Peter was there, yet even he sounded shocked.  The Jerusalem church was so amazed that awkward silence filled the room before they could process what has happened and properly glorify God.

Why the shock?  It’s because the Gentiles were people who largely did not know, let alone follow, the Mosaic Law.  Traditionally, they were actively opposed to God and His people.  For generations, Israel had assumed that the Messiah would come and crush the Gentiles.  Yet, the Spirit of God powerfully fell on them; now, God Himself began to dwell in their hearts.  

A few years ago, I visited the Grand Canyon.  Having gone there as a child, I had a vague recollection of it, but when I saw the canyon as an adult, I was stunned.  I realized then that I had no idea what “big” really meant.

In our passage, we see that the people of God were slow in realizing that the good news of Jesus Christ is big.  Before Jesus came, many Israelites imagined salvation was about military conquest; but now, the Jerusalem church has a larger view, understanding that Jesus came to grant not temporal but eternal blessing.  

With the salvation of Cornelius’ household, the purpose of God extends beyond the individual or a particular ethnicity to include every tribe, nation and tongue.  The salvation of God includes even former enemies of Israel, the Romans.  God’s message here is unmistakable: All peoples of the earth are to be a part of His Kingdom in Christ.

At times, salvation can be reduced to personal piety and well-being.  While Jesus is certainly concerned about both, His purpose is far larger.  Even as we labor in our local communities and love the people who are around us, we do so in light of the new heavens and new earth, the final defeat of sin and death, and the gathering of worshipers from every era and every nation.  In view of that, our church must be a missionary congregation.  Ask God what part you need to play in your local church to that end.

Prayer: Father, thank You for creating me to worship You forever.  Help me to see beyond my own life and dreams that I might gladly give my life for Your global and eternal purposes. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 34

Lunch Break Study

Read Revelation 7:9-12 (ESV): After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [11] And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12] saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Question to Consider

  1. According to their song in v. 10, why do all peoples worship the Lamb?
  2. According to v. 11, who else worships God for this reason?
  3. According to v. 12, what is ascribed to the Lamb in light of His work?

Notes

  1. It’s because the salvation of all peoples belongs to Him.
  2. The angels, elders and four living creatures worship the Lamb because of the salvation He has purchased.
  3. Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might – essentially all glorious things – are ascribed to the Lamb because He saves.

Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day.  Did a temporal, individual matter appear to be much larger than it is?  Did the eternal, global worship of God appear to be a smaller matter than it is?  Invite the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see things in their proper perspectives.

April 19, Wednesday

Today’s AMI QT devotional, first posted on May 20, 2016, is provided by Joanna Tzen who previously attended Grace Covenant Church.  Joanna graduated from U. Penn and currently works in Philadelphia.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Removing God in the Process”

James 4:13

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

My husband and I are hoping to be first-time home buyers. We have been looking for several months, but it sure does feel longer! We waited for a year to be sure our finances were in order, we went through the steps of securing financing and a real estate agent, and thought that we would come across our first home soon. Little did we know that we came to the real estate market at a time when prices are at an all-time high since the recession. We’ve been in several multiple-offer situations where our bid was not high enough and were turned away.


We found ourselves discouraged and wondered why: Could it be that we had unintentionally made it all about making the right steps and removed God from the process? It’s easy to get caught up in the world’s way of thinking—if I just do x, y, z, surely I’ll get the result I want. But when we don’t get the result we want and become upset, it reveals our entitled attitude. It’s times like these where we can evaluate whether our hearts are truly after the gifts or the Giver of those gifts.


James exhorted his audience, the early church, to trust in the Lord and not remove Him from the equation, even in the mundane things of life. That advice is still pertinent to us in the present-day. It’s difficult for us to strike that balance where we live in the present, plan for the future and yet have the humility to submit our future plans to God (Prov. 3:5-6). Do we buy into the lie of self-reliance or do we bring the details of our life our Heavenly Father? Let us entrust our fears, hopes and dream to our Heavenly Father.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we reduce our decisions to our own actions. Let us not be proud but remember, even as we are faithful stewards of our time and talents, that You know what is best for us as your children.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 33

Lunch Break Study  

Read 2 Peter 3:8: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Questions to Consider

  1. What is the Lord sovereign over in this verse?
  2. Does that give you peace or anxiety? Why?

Notes

  1. God is sovereign over time, and His perspective on time is very different than ours. 
  2. Both, depending on your perspective. It can bring peace when you know of God’s character and that He can be trusted. It can bring anxiety when we have held on to our own plans and timeline more tightly than we realized.

Evening Reflection

What area are you having difficulty surrendering to the Lord? Is it an issue of timing? Ask the Lord to give you peace by reminding you of why He is trustworthy. Preach the gospel to yourself to be reminded that if the Lord provided for your greatest need in salvation, He is faithful to provide for all of your other needs.

April 18, Tuesday

Devotional Thought for This Morning

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on April 7, 2016.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past. 

“God’s Will for My Life?”

Acts 15:36 – 16:10

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Every Christian I’ve ever met wants to know God’s will for their life. One of the things I love about the book of Acts is its practical depiction of how God moves and leads His people through real-life stories from the early Church.

So, how does God lead us into His will for our lives? Well, from our passages today we see that sometimes it’s through our desires – Paul and Barnabas wanted to go back to check on their friends and see how things were going. Other times it’s through conflict and disagreements – because Paul and Barnabas failed to see eye to eye regarding Mark, they headed to different places, doing work for the Kingdom in different ways (and along the way, Paul picked up Timothy – a partnership with great impact for the Kingdom). God also moves through our failures and mistakes – some might argue that Mark’s desertion of the group in Pamphylia was a failure, but in it God still moved and lead him (in partnering him with Barnabas to do Kingdom work in Cyprus). God also leads through the opening and closing of doors (through granted and denied opportunities) – Paul and his companions faced closed doors in their efforts to preach the gospel in certain regions and were lead instead to do ministry in other places where doors were open.

In all of these things, God was at work in His people to lead them into His will for their lives (the specific ways they were individually called to be a blessing), and the Church as a whole into His will for the world (His redemption plan for all creation). Although we’d love to receive a vision as Paul did, telling us specifically what to do and where to go at any given time, more often than not, God is at work in the everyday moments to draw us closer to Himself and lead us into His will for our lives. May we have the perspective of Luke, who understood that in all these things, it’s the Holy Spirit who is at work, leading and guiding us every step of the way.   

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, Your word says that my steps are ordered by You (Ps. 37:23). May I take comfort and rejoice in knowing that in each step I take, Your Spirit is at work to lead me into the fullness of the abundant life You’ve promised and into the good works You prepared in advance so that I may do them. Help me to see my life in light of these truths. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 32

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Questions to Consider

  1. How does Paul describe worship in these verses? How does this align with the way you typically think about worship?
  2. What is Paul’s prescription for discerning the will of God?
  3. What might it look like in your life to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”?  What practical steps can you take toward that end?


Notes

  1. Paul describes worship as offering one’s whole life to God. The Israelites worshipped in the Old Testament by offering sacrifices to the Lord to atone for their sins, with Jesus being the final, once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin. Now our worship is no longer an offering of atonement (where death is required to be reconciled to God) but an offering of praise – with our whole selves, in response to the great mercy God has shown us in Christ, we are now freed to live for God to whom we’ve been reconciled. That is our worship.
  2. Through testing we approve the will of God. My dad used to call this the “try and see” method – as we follow the Lord, as we put His words into practice, we come to see and experience the fullness of God’s will – not only in doing the things He’s planned for us to do, but in becoming the people He’s created us to be.
  3. Our hearts and minds are shaped by the sin and brokenness within us and around us. However, as we turn to God and begin to follow Him, we find ourselves throwing off the things of the world, and taking up the things of God. Our way of seeing, doing, being is transformed. As we seek God in prayer, in the Word, and in community in each phase of our life, the Holy Spirit does this great work of transformation in us.

Evening Reflection

“Your call will become clear as your mind is transformed by the reading of Scripture and the internal work of God’s Spirit. The Lord never hides His will from us. In time, as you obey the call first to follow, your destiny will unfold before you. The difficulty will lie in keeping other concerns from diverting your attention.” (Charles R. Swindoll)

How has God led you thus far in your life? Spend some time thanking the Lord as you remember the moments where (now looking back) you see Him at work, leading You into His will for your life? Are there any areas where you are still waiting on God’s guidance and direction, moments where you wonder what He was up to or if He was even there at all? Spend some time offering those things to the Lord – declaring your trust in Him even as you await the revelation of His goodness and His plans. Are there things that distract you from seeing God at work in your life and surrendering to His guidance and His will for you? Spend some time surrendering those things to the Lord, asking Him for a true heart of worship. 

April 17, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, which was first posted on January 4, 2016, is provided by Pastor Ryun Chang who serves as AMI Teaching Pastor.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Evidence for Faith”

Acts 1:3

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Atheist Sam Harris, in his book The End of Faith (2004), writes, “Religion preaches the truth of proposition for which it has no evidence.  In fact… no evidence is even conceivable.”  A demand for evidence before believing an extraordinary claim is fair, and Harris would find Christ’s disciples in agreement.  After all, upon being told by some women that they saw the resurrected Christ, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Lk. 24:11).  What they demanded was “proof” as Thomas said, “Unless I . . . put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it” (Jn. 20:25).  And Luke the physician states that that’s exactly what they got: “Many convincing proofs that he was alive.”

However, unfortunately for us, what were empirical evidence (i.e., based on sensual experience) for the disciples are now nothing more than a historical narrative to us, and in the hands of skeptics like Harris, mere myth or fable.  So then, what makes resurrection, a scientific impossibility, a plausible event to us without having to check out our brains at the door before entering the sanctuary?  

British historian and theologian N. T. Wright puts it like this (1999, pp. 138-9):  “The crucifixion of a Messiah did not say to a first-century Jew that he was the true Messiah. . . . It said exactly the opposite.”  Then “why [did] this group of first-century Jews . . . not only continued to believe that he was the Messiah after his death . . . but actively announced him as such in the Jewish as well as the pagan world, cheerfully redrawing the picture of Messiahship around him but refusing to abandon it[?]”  Wright’s unequivocal answer: They saw a physically-resurrected Jesus!

If you, too, believe in the resurrected Christ, you need to live a radically different life than what middle-class Americans typically go after: comfort, security and wealth.  Ask the Lord what small changes you need to start making in order to look like someone who believes that Christ triumphed over death. 

Prayer: Dear God, I thank You this wonderful morning for another day in which I can live in your presence.   Once again I reminded of the certainty of what I believe since my faith is centered on the historical death and resurrection of Christ.  Help me, O Lord, to live a life that befits You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 32

Lunch Break Study

Read Eph. 1:18-21: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Question to Consider

1. Proving the resurrection of Christ is a great topic for apologetics (See “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell) but for those who already believe it, our focus on this extraordinary event must be placed elsewhere.  Based on the above passage, what should be that focus?

2. What does it mean that this resurrected power resides in us?  What are we supposed to do with it?

3. Is there anything in your life that is so dead that it needs resurrective power?  Identify it then pray over that situation with the prayer of Paul found above.  

Notes

1. It is truly amazing to find that God’s “incomparably great power” that was utilized in raising Jesus from the dead resides in those who believe.  Wow!  Christ’s resurrection is not only a historical fact but a transformative power that can raise dead situations and relationships back to life again.  

2. The “application” of the resurrection in our lives is predicated upon problems and impasses that we cannot overcome humanly; in fact, these situations are dead.  We should, first, pray over that situation with faith that the resurrection resides in us.  Then, get up and do the things that we need to do within our control, whether it be filling out an application, making a call or going out for a run.

3. For some pastors, it could be their ministry; for spouse, their marriage; for parents, relationship with their children; for businessmen, their sagging sales.  But the approach is the same (See 2.).

Evening Reflection

Are you facing a dead situation?  Or perhaps your loved ones or friends are facing it?  You might pray for them by remembering the prayer of Paul in Eph. 1:18-21.  I memorized it many years ago and have used it daily whenever I pray for each member of my family. You could find the same comfort in it.  

April 16, Sunday 

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on March 20, 2016.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Holy Spirit”

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.  45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 

Over the last few days, we have been able to focus on Peter’s vision and how Peter responded to that vision. Today, we see the culmination of Peter’s vision and preaching as the Gentiles receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the first time. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Gentiles found themselves “speaking in tongues and extolling God” (v. 46), completing their full inclusion into the family of God. 

Up to this time, the followers of the Way did not know or were not fully convinced that their Savior was for the whole world. In fact, they were still trying to follow the Jewish laws and even avoid contact with non-Jews. So can you imagine the astonishment to these Jewish Christians of seeing the Holy Spirit being poured out upon these Gentiles? It was almost as though their faith was made complete in seeing others receive the Holy Spirit’s fullness. 

I would like for us to consider how we often take for granted the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Perhaps so much so that we don’t even look for it or think that it’s theologically unsound to expect it. But however articulate our presentation is, if we do not see the Holy Spirit fall upon those to whom we are sharing, our gospel is incomplete. We must remind and encourage our new and young friends in the faith to seek the power of the Holy Spirit as evidence for their reception to the gospel. Let us present the full gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for Your presence and power in my life and help me live in it this day. Spirit of God, help me to treasure Christ this day! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 31