LEARNING HOW TO BE ABASED

Each week I have opportunity to interact with some of the greatest leaders of our time.  I have have met so many wonderful people over the years and am very glad to have shared time and moments with these great leaders. However, I value several close relationships I have with the less famous no one knows about.  I have friends who have served faithfully in the backwoods of Maine, from the back towns of Pennsylvania to the Island of Tasmainia, to the rural villages in Germany, to great cities like Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.  You never heard of these guys but they hear God very well, are great friends to have and lead great churches.  The other day, I spent some time on the phone with my friend Jim Cucuzza, who has pastored, overseen hundreds of church plants, and served behind the scenes of some of our nation's greatest prayer meetings on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  As we talked he bagan to share a very important scripture with me that moved me to listen to The Holy Spirit about the quiet periods of my life.  It comes from Philippians 4:11-13... 

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. 

In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret 

of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

As Jim shared this scripture with me, he pointed out the phrase, I've learned how to be "abased" and I know how to "abound."  Oh, the church worldwide knows how to feed into our "consumerism" addiction by teaching us on "How To Abound."  But when have you last heard our celebrarity pastors and churches teach on "How To Be Abased"?  Oh, I needed to hear this word from The Holy Spirit.  Just like you I love abounding. I'll be the first to admit publically that I've loved having the opportunity to be a major conference speaker, a radio and TV talk show on major international Christian networks, I've loved having a great lifestyle, abounding in everything and the attention it brings.  My own consumerism has been worse than the addiction for posting selfies.  Now don't get me wrong here. Like many others, I have my own dose of self-inflicted trouble, but where I live, the places I still minister in no way has hurt my lifestyle.  I'm still living a very blessed life.  Since 2008, there are a few moments I'm cashed strapped but I am still very much abounding.  However, God knows how to put me in personal situations to "bring to death" my self life.  I like you, can get very bothered at this idea of being ABASED.  I'm a Western Civiliation guy.  I can't even fathom what it was like for American Journalist James Foley in the last moments of his life. According to Christian today, www.christiantoday.com, Prayer was his inner freedom.  Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, on his knees before his executor, he was abased of all need for fame, self importance, or need to have his worked recognized and was beheaded before all the world... and that is what we will remember about him.  He will be remembered for giving his life tyring to show the world the plight and suffering of the Syrian people. How many of us would volunteer for this calling from God?

Revelation 6:9

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the 

souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and

 for being faithful in their testimony.

Let's go to the next level!  Phil. 2:5-11

Nope, not me.  I'm not interested in joiing this group.  Getting honest about my own personal journey with God it bothers me when ask myself questions like am I willing to die for my faith... I don't think I'd deny my faith but I've never been put in the position to deny Christ or die like many of our Christian brothers and sisters are facing in the middle east right now. What would I do if my daughters were threatened with beheading or having their bodies cut in half because of our family's faith?  Get real.  Most leaders and church members today are more concerned about their reputation, how they are seen, and protective of their need to be maintain how others see them.  I know one "famous" guy who lost his marriage because of his own self-inflicted decisions and the only thing he was worried about was when he could up and preach again.  But, who are we to judge him. A dear, Man Of God, once said to me about watching another major leader "falling" that I should never judge any person unless I've walked in their shoes.  God exposes our flaws, failures, and takes us in unwelcomed places, seasons, and puts us in humilating situations for one purpose.  To let us know that He Is God and we are not!  Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.  We have become to enamoured with thinking we are writing our own stories.  In my journey faith, I can't of one moment of my story that I wrote.  God has been writing my story all along. 

Deuteronmy 8:10-20 

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God 

for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you 

do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, 

his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, 

when you build fine houses and settle down, 

and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and 

gold increase and all you have is multiplied,  then your heart will become proud 

and you will forgetthe Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, 

out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, 

that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. 

He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to 

eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, 

to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.  

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of 

my hands have produced this wealth for me.”

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the 

ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, 

which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 

If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and 

worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that 

you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, 

so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God. 

I still am not sure what the Apostle Paul ment on "How To Be Abased?"  But here's a couple of things I'm reminded by those men of God who spoke into my life when I first entered into ministry years ago.  Oh!  the blow to my ego.  I need times to be abased.  My heart has given me great trouble at times.  You might say I suffer from heart trouble and so do all of us.  We all have the capacity of having our hearts become proud because of the blessings God brings and we tend to want to tell others "My power and strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."  Just the shear arrogance of this thought demands our need for being abased.

In the late 1970's a major Christian television producer asked me, "Mike, do you want to be in front of the camera or behind it?"  Of course, being in my early 20's I wanted to be in front of the camera, however, I didn't want to tell him that.  But, God heard me.  Another friend, who was once a major player in the national limelight left it all for the backwoods of Maine to pastor a small church once said to me, around the same time, "Mike you need to leave chasing after all the national limelight and give yourself to ministering in a place like God has called me to minister.  I hated his words.  I had too much ego.  I wanted to be famous in men's eyes- the next Charles G. Finney, John Wesley or whatever. My flesh needed to be stroked.  Now, I've had opportunity to do everything a young "preacher" wants to accomlish professionally. But, I have always backed off seeking the limelight because Of my heart condition... an so should all of us.  We need to be pleasing the Lord.  He is the one who exalts one and puts down another.  I have always been so priviledge to have great men of God in my life, famous too, who have been used mightily by God and still remained the same after humble person they were before God promoted them.  My 1970's TV friend told me, that the most disturbing thing he observed in Christian TV were those preachers who were on TV because of their own egos needing to be stroked vs. because God called them.  I needed to hear all this cousel.  God sent another great "famous" business man into my life when I was in college studying for the ministry.  He looked at me and said, "Son, are you going into the ministry?"  I said, "yes sir."  He replied, "Good.  But remeber one thing, preachers are a dime a dozen. Be a man of God!"  Wow.

2 Cor. 11: 21-29 provides us a God-given model of Leadership

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.  Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.  Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?   

Though it is hard for me, after being in those very tempting places of "abounding."  My heart need to learn how to be abased.  I need to learn to be content in whatever state I am in.  Each of of us just need to be honored that God allows us to participate in his plan, his church, and his agenda.  I'm honored to have been given great opportunities but and I want to learn How to feel the same when I am in the place of being abased... whatever that is for me.  

I Peter 5:6

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God

and in due time He will exalt you

"Which part of this verse excites you more is an indication of your heart condition!

Going It Alone...

In 2010 my whole world changed.  It was disrupted by the death of my mother, my father, a major divorce of friends, and a life altering lawsuit against the organization I've worked so hard to build for the last 24 years.  There is a quote I've often heard, "I would rather try and fail than never having tried at all."  Well, I'm not sure that is true.  In fact whoever said that probably never "failed" at trying.  Another platitude that fails to speak to anyone who feels they are failing is. "It's not how you begin, it's how you finish."  Well I'm glad "finishing" well doesn't include that battle with cancer.  My mom never smoked a day in her life and died of small cell lung cancer.  My dad was sprayed with Agent Orange in Vietnam and died of the cancer from it... yet he was a highly decorated US soldier.  I guess my parents illness doesn't meet the "criteria" of finishing well.  I have also noticed that when you personally go through tragedy and loss a lot of people just go away, fall off, and even make up stories of why they can't hang with you through those rough moments in life.  Is anybody hearing me?  You need to be a friend when being a friend is not convenient for you.  I have stuck with many of my friends through the hard moments of their lives.  In the last few months, I've had long term friends (45 years and counting) going through major health challenges.  Each day, I have tried to call encourage them, pray for them, share wonderful memories with them, and try to make them laugh.  It's hard but its loving those whom God has given to you to love the best you know how.  It may not be up to everyone's expectations but the gift of being present, fully present, when there is no "major move of God" or "being in the spotlight of the crowd" and loving your friends when no one else is looking that God is really present.

This past week I faced the hardest moment I've had in life so far.  With me stood three men who I greatly want to thank.  My attorney, a business friend, and a former employee of the group who has scammed churches all across America stood with me for "righteousness."  Even though, I had these three great friends with me - I can't explain how "lonely" I have felt because I felt abandoned by those who I thought would stand with me.  There I said it!  Abandoned.  Is this what it felt like to Jesus to have Peter standing at a distance meaning to see the end of it all?  Too often, we think the "outcomes" should be some kind of miracle the way we would like it to be.  We celebrate those kind of outcomes because it fits with our American Consumerism Cultural expectations... right?  But when have we seen that "disruptions, betrayals, and even death may be true marks of success in God's eyes? Disruptions may be as much a miracle as walking on water was. Without disruptions we might find ourselves shipwrecked.  But in our Western ideologies the villains always lose and the good guys get the girl.  Really?  

I'm sure the middle eastern men who killed whole Christian families this past week in iraq feel justified and victorious while their leaders praise them for pleasing Allah. I guess the recent beheading of Christians and children cut in halves is failure in our eyes. Right?  Did you know that their are thousands of people throughout the world who never built big churches, filled stadiums, or became superstar pastors who died as a martyr because they would never deny Christ. They would rather be beheaded than to to convert to a false religion. The book of revelation speaks about the martyrs cries coming out from the gates of Heaven... yet by our own western ideologies these people failed.  Failed at what?  Failed whom?  I've had enough of these cheap shots false perspectives found in the western church world.  Haven't you heard that the foundation of the church rests on the martyr of the saints.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Legend has it that the Apostle Paul was beheaded.  So lets look at how St. Paul defined success? " I was beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among the false brethren; I have been in labour and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (2Cor.11:24-27).  He didn't measure success by numbers, buildings and assets he had.  He talked about his suffering as an important mark of true apostleship.  I haven't heard one thing in the Western Church about success defined in terms of danger and false brethren.  I sometimes wish I had false brethren. It would be easier to take emotionally.

Most of the time, people are so consumed with their own worlds, they just forget you.  It's all about the selfie.  Let me see if I can say it any clearer.  People in our own culture are very well connected, wired, and carry whole communities around on their phone and other social media... but they are dying.  They are going it alone.  They just need a friend.  If you are rightly related to God - then giving and caring for others may require you to stop looking for the likes on Facebook, measuring how many hits to your social media pages, and lay down these obsolete means of communication and get back to real relationship building time - facetime - being fully present with one another in the good times and bad.  Guess you never failed yet?  your time will come.  The scriptures are still true "selfie"  Romans 3:23 ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:10 "There are NONE righteous no NOT one!