May 9, 2008

Friend Of The Fire

"[Paul and Barnabus] returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.'" (Acts 14:21-22)

It was not long ago that I was walking through six weeks of silence because of a ruptured vocal cord. Thankfully, God restored my voice. Last week, my daughter Esther started to have strange bruises all over her legs, hives appeared all over her body, and her feet swelled to almost double the size. We took her to the ER, where she spent half a day in a hospital bed having blood tests. Finally, they diagnosed her with a rare sickness called HSP, a condition that weakens blood vessels and the immune system. It lasts 4-6 weeks. Please pray for my daughter, that she would fully recover from this sickness without complications to her kidneys or stomach.

I can't remember who it was, but someone said to me Sunday at church, "Man, you just got through your vocal injury, and now this!"

I answered them, "Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God!"

I was once mentoring a younger brother in Christ, who, after hearing my testimony, asked me, "Do you think I have to go through the fire like you did, or can I become more like Jesus without trials?"

I really wanted to tell him that he didn't have to see the fire, and though there's much growth in the Lord that comes through faith and the Word, I realized that I couldn't honestly tell my little brother that he could avoid trials. God uses these to refine us, and to make us more like Christ.

The Bible says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you" (Isaiah 43:2). Notice that the Bible does not say if you walk through the fire; it says when.

We all like the promises of God that make us smile (and rightly so). You know..."I can do all things through Christ!" or "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." These end up on our refrigerators, and on "positive, encouraging" Christian radio. But there are some other promises of God we need to remember. We may not like them, but they are equally as true as the others. Here's a few:
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
-Paul in Acts 14:22

"In this world you have much trouble, but fear not,
for I have overcome the world." -Jesus in John 16:33

I don't point these things out to be morbid, or do strike fear in your heart. I point them out to equip you for life and to give you comfort when difficult days come. Maybe you're in a trial now, and these truths will encourage you. If not, tuck these truths in your pocket. You'll need them one day.

I've learned to be a friend of the fire. It's not that I want it to come, but I'm not afraid of it. I don't dread it. Because every time, God uses it to strengthen my faith, to remind me of His grace and power, and to deepen my worship. Part of me wishes God would wave His magic anti-suffering wand, but like my song "In the Suffering" says:
In the suffering, there is something
That You're teaching me
I could never know much better
That You're my hope and my God
Than in my suffering

Regarding Christians going through the fire, Peter went as far as to say, "Why are you surprised as though something strange were happening to you?" (1 Peter 4:12) This may be hard for American Christians to understand, because we live in relative ease compared to believers in other lands and times.

When I went to China a few years ago, I realized that Chinese believers do not debate the role of suffering in the Christian life. When a Chinese person accepts Christ, they embrace the fact that persecution and suffering are part of their walk with God. I spent five days with 40 leaders of the underground church. All 40 of them had been imprisoned at some point for their faith, and some of them had been tortured.

Some of you are walking through fiery trials right now. Take heart! God is with you, and is working out His will in your life! May God give us the grace to trust Him in the fire, and not to faint, remembering that no student is greater than his teacher, and that Christ Himself suffered, showing us how to take up our cross. Let's follow Him where He leads, even if He calls us to be a friend of the fire.

-Derek Joseph

 

April 30, 2008

How I Scarred My Neck

Everywhere I go, people want to know how I got the scars on my neck. I've shared lots of stories...head transplant (one guy believed me), throat slit in a gang fight, shark attack, barb wire on a snowmobile, etc. But I've decided to let my mother tell the real story in her own words:

"It was a Sunday afternoon October 30, 1972, about 1:00-1:30pm. I was busy in the kitchen preparing fried chicken. Cassandra was still napping but Derek was more than awake, ready to take on the afternoon. I was in a bathrobe; my long hair was in juice-can size curlers.

Derek's father, Bruce, preferred fried chicken, and I was attempting for the first time to make it. I was cooking on one ofthose old metal counter-cupboards. The electrical outlet was higher than thecountertop and I had the cord looped and secured together so no little fingers could pull it. Derek was into the pots and pans. He had crawled in to where they were stored in the bottom of the broiler. He looked so cute in his new shirt and pants. I took a picture.

Ten minutes later, Bruce said he was going up to his uncle’s bar to cash a check. I said bye, took three steps to the doorway, and gave him a kiss. Then…BOOM! This awful sound, and Derek’s scream. I froze momentarily; I knew what had happened. Bruce looked in the kitchen and yelled, ‘Oh my God!’ And he froze.
I moved. All I saw was hot dripping oil on Derek’s head and hands. I couldn’t look at his face, so I focused on the X of his suspenders. I grabbed him and ran to the bathroom off the kitchen, turned on the cold water, and put him under the flow (I never looked at his burns). I put a wet towel over him.
The next few minutes were a blur…getting someone to come over and watch Cassandra…Bruce was too panicked to be any good. He stopped at every light on the way to the hospital. Derek was screaming and screaming.
I looked at my son as we pulled into the hospital, and skin was hanging from his cheeks. I brought him into the ER, and started to help cut clothes off. Then I lost it. They medicated Derek a large dose, and still he screamed all the way up to the children’s wing. He threw his head back, and then I saw the third degree burns under his chin. It looked white with red pin points—eerie. They bandaged him from head to mid-chest, and down each arm. I rocked my son to sleep, and sang, ‘Derek, Derek, give me your answer true…’
Derek had second and third degree burns on approximately 30% of his body. Although they gave a 60% chance of survival, the first 24 hours were most critical, and the chances for disfigurement and scarring were high. The biggest problem with burns is the loss of skin integrity. One no longer has the ability to keep fluids where they belong. All my friends were trying to be positive, but Bruce was in denial. He didn’t even tell his best friend Murph, whom he visited with, until an hour into their conversation. I called the hospital at midnight and 4am. I couldn’t sleep. The next morning, I went to the hospital, and when I arrived in the children’s wing, the nurses said, ‘He wants you.’ There he was, a gruesome creature. His neck was twice the normal size, his face was swollen, and his arms and hands were suspended. He was softly crying. I had to ask if I could hold him. Thank the Lord his throat didn’t swell shut, and he was still able to eat. He was put in isolation for the next four weeks with daily wound scrubbings. He was not allowed out of his crib except for when I rocked him, and he screamed every time the doctor came into the room. He was not touched by skin—only gloves and masks—for the next month.
Derek never showed any emotional trauma from the experience. I believe it was God’s grace, even before we knew Him.”
I still have pretty severe neck and chest scars from the burns, though I have no facial scarring because the top layer was completely removed. I often think back to this experience in my childhood, and recognize that God’s grace and hand was on my life even at a young age. It makes me live with a sense of destiny and purpose. And of course, I’m thankful for God's kindness in healing me.

-Derek Joseph

April 22, 2008

Behind The Veil

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will..."
(Ephesians 1:11)

I am so encouraged by this Scripture. God works all things after the counsel of His will. In other words, all the affairs of our lives are governed by His wisdom, and like a Master-Weaver, He weaves all things together to write a story that glorifies Him, and blesses His people. We also know the Scripture that says, "God works all things for the good..." (Romans 8:28).

God often works His purpose in secret, behind the veil where no one can see but Him, and just in the right moment, at the exact time He has appointed, He pulls the veil back and shows what He has been doing.

I have a recent testimony in this area. Most of you know that I just recovered from a vocal injury that forced me into silence and seclusion for six weeks. You can see the testimony about my healing on the new video blog I posted (or read my last blog). God was doing many things behind the veil during this time, many of which I'm sure I still don't know even now. But I do know this story...

When I found out that I was injured and could not keep my ministry dates, I asked some ministry friends to fill in. Some were music events and some were speaking events. One young man that I asked to cover for me was Matt Drake, the director of Campus Target, a powerful new ministry mobilizing young men and women to give a year of their lives to reach college students in China. Matt filled in for me as a speaker at two of my events.

This last week, Campus Target had their training week for new recruits who will be going out this fall. They have almost 40 new workers! My family and ministry staff were blessed to serve them dinner, and I had a chance to interact with the leaders and new recruits. That was when Toby Canavaugh, one of the ministry leaders, told me that because I had Matt Drake fill in for me, they have four (and maybe five) new missionaries that will be going this fall! Let me say it plainly: Because I ruptured my vocal cord, four new missionaries will be serving the Lord in China for the next year! If I didn't injure my voice, how many students in China wouldn't have a chance to come to Christ?

God was working behind the veil.

I don't know how many times I've seen God work bad things for the good. What He wants from us is absolute trust when we can't see. He wants us to rest in His promises, that behind the veil, He is actively working on something wonderful.

How could Israel have known when they were crying out in Egypt that floating down the river in a basket less than a mile away was a baby named Moses? God was working behind the veil.

How could any of us have known in the first Gulf War that God would use the presence of American armed forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to launch churches in the heart of Islam? God was working behind the veil.

How could my friend Darrell Scott, who lost his daughter to the bullet of an angry young man in the Columbine school shootings in 1999, have ever known how God would raise up his family as a light to our nation? How could he have known that he would interact with presidents?
God was working behind the veil.

How could Peter and John, looking on the cross of Christ from a distance, have ever known that this was not Jesus Christ's greatest defeat, but His greatest victory? God was working behind the veil.

No matter what we're all facing today, let's trust the Lord, that He is the God who works all things after the counsel of His will, and that if we'll abide in Him, we will see that all along, He has been working behind the veil.

-Derek Joseph

 

April 15, 2008

Healed

"We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us...you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf..." (2 Corinthians 1:9-11)

When God delivered Paul the Apostle from a great affliction in Asia, his report caused many believers to rejoice, for many had prayed for that deliverance. I believe I understand what Paul was feeling when he wrote this. I have received dozens of reports of people, churches, and ministries praying for my vocal cords to heal.

Last Thursday, when I went to the vocal specialist to receive another vocal scope, I received a great report. The specialist said that I'm completely healed! The words she used (with a hint of surprise, I might add) were, "This is what I would see if I was looking at a normal check-up for perfectly healthy vocal cords." I am so thankful for the many prayers of so many people. Honestly, my first response was gratitude for all the prayers. I said to my wife, "How could God refuse the prayers of so many saints?"

It was only three short weeks ago, three weeks into my six weeks of silence, that things looked grim. I was experiencing more pain than I had yet, with each swallow becoming a painful task. Dinner was difficult for me to eat, and difficult for my poor wife to watch me eat. Even trying to exercise or play basketball was painful, as the movement and motion agitated my injury. My doctor said this was not normal, and we were all concerned for my future. I received prayer at my local church (Elim Gospel Church), along with the hundreds of people praying for me around the world, and things began to change. In three short weeks, my vocal cords not only healed, but healed properly. Had the burst blood vessel healed on the outside of my vocal cord, I would have much trouble in the days to come. But it didn't. It healed like it had never happened!

My only remaining issue is strength and stamina. Like whenever you don't use a muscle for six weeks, it requires time to rebuild strength and stamina, so the next month will be a time of building up strength again. My hope is that by late spring/early summer, I'll be 100%. I do intend to begin working with a therapist soon.

I should be able to resume public ministry in May and my normal pace by June. I'll be creating a new video (my wife and I video-chronicled the whole trip to the specialist) and posting it soon. Thank you for standing in prayer for me and my family during this time. God has used this season to say much to me and do much in me. You'll be hearing more about this in the future as well.

Love in Christ,

Derek Joseph

 

April 9, 2008

Abide

"He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit;
for without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

I remember well my college days, when I had so much inner turmoil, struggling with the failures of my past, the pain of my youth, my fears of the future...I wanted so much to hear God speak to me. I longed for God to calm the storm in my soul with a profound prophetic utterance from heaven. During those days, He said nothing except for one word found in ten times in the first ten verses of John 15: "Abide."

I remember back in 2001-2002, when I suffered for so long in the wilderness of depression and anxiety. There were days when I would wake up, and say, "Oh no...another day." Again I longed for God to say some profound thing to me that would rescue me from the wilderness, and again, He would simply say one word: "Abide."

Abide? That's it? I would think to myself, and yet I would do exactly that. I would take one step at a time, one day at a time. I would remain in God's Word, and His Word remaining in me, following Jesus and trusting by faith that the future would hold better days; trusting that God would not fail me.

Here I am again, walking through a wilderness place. My vocal cords injured, silence my friend, financial pressure a companion, relationships with loved ones broken, and what is God saying to me when I seek Him? Abide. I fear not that the God who gave me grace in the past will give me grace now. Often times, we as believers share our stories after we find victory, and talk about our sorrows as a distant land. But I felt compelled of the Lord to share with you while I'm in my sufferings. For a time, I'd actually wrestled with the thought of becoming a recluse during this time, and stopping all communication with the public, but the Lord has shown me that this would not encourage you. I'm inclined to think that some who read this are suffering as well. Join me in my journey of trusting Christ while it hurts.

I'm not asking for sympathy or applause. I simply want to encourage you to walk with Jesus.

Lamentations 3:23 says, "The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness."

The Lord gives you and I enough to live today. Notice that heaven's transfer of grace comes every morning...not every week, not every month, or every year. Every morning. And if you will abide in that grace, and walk with him today through your sufferings, your pain, your failures, or your sorrows, you will find His life flowing into yours until you bear fruit that remains. Like a branch that made it through the winter, still attached to the vine, spring will come, and that branch will bear fruit in time. In Christ, you can never fail! It is impossible for you not to bear fruit if you will remain in Him. I have found that this daily provision of God's strength gives us the grace to outlast every enemy of the cross that comes into our lives.

Are you suffering today? Are you in a long journey through a dry wilderness? I wish the answer was profound or flashy. All I can tell you is what the Lord has told me every time my feet take me to the desert. Abide. All I can do is tell you what He's telling me now. Abide.

There's a song on my site that I wrote called "In the Suffering" which is based on John 15. If you get a chance, click here and listen to it as a meditation of this blog.

-Derek Joseph

 

April 1, 2008

When Strangers Become Friends

"This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." -Jesus (John 17:3)
As most of you know, I was diagnosed with a ruptured left vocal cord over a month ago, and have been in a doctor-prescribed six weeks of vocal rest. In some ways, I've been taken away from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced ministry life, and have had time to spiritually catch my breath.

I've been in seasons like this before, where God pulls you away from life so He can meet with you. He says lots of things, but one of the most important things He says is nothing. He just wants me to rest in Him.

Out in the rat race of life, though, it's so easy to lose sight of the simplicity of intimacy with Christ. Other affections and distractions start to come in, attempting to steal the purity of our relationship with the Lord. I call these other affections "strangers." They sneak in, and though unfamiliar and unwelcome to our relationship with the Lord, they seek to abide in the temple. A stranger can be apathy; it can be prayerlessness; it can be a comfort zone; it can be sinful habit or addiction. Basically, it's choosing to live with anything that is inferior to your relationship with Christ. It's like spiritual adultery.

That in mind, as I've been spending time with the Lord, I've realized that I've had some "strangers" move in, and the Lord has been bringing me back to the simplicity and purity of my relationship with Him. So yesterday, I penned this poem. It's probably the beginning of a new song, but I just wanted to share what I had with you. I thought it would encourage you this week as you walk with Jesus.

When Strangers Become Friends

Staring at the picture on the wall
I remember him
He was so full of fire and love
Somehow in the middle of it all
He became a stranger to himself and angels above
Oh Lord, come and free
For You have the key
To open up the prison again
And give him sight that it's not all right
When strangers become friends

Staring at the mirror on the wall
Who have I become?
This is not what I hoped to be
Forgetting my Redeemer and the call
I remember when this lonely stranger
Came here to me
A danger here
Something to be feared
Beware lest it happen again
Don't think light of the cold dark night
When strangers become friends

words by Derek J. Levendusky
copyright 2008 Derek J. Levendusky

 

March 24, 2008

Born Dead

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
-Jesus (John 3:3)

The term "born again" has been thrown around our culture for decades. Anyone who follows Jesus will probably be asked at some point, "Are you one of those born agains?" What is it? What does it mean exactly?

Let me start by saying this: "Born again" is not something that I am, it's something that happened to me. "Born again" is a verb, not a noun, and Jesus said that unless this happens to you, you "cannot see the kingdom of God."

The kingdom of God refers to the spiritual realm of God; a realm that He wants you and I to live in with Him forever. This realm includes heaven, but also includes a realm of spiritual life here on earth. Picture an ancient beautiful land named Knefley with a kind king; a kingdom like you picture it in fairy tales. Let's say the only way to access this land was a ship called The Gracie Jane. I would say to you, "Unless you ride The Gracie Jane, you shall not see the kingdom of Knefley."

You wouldn't think me unfair or unkind, for common sense would tell you that I was simply explaining a route to another land. This is precisely what Jesus is doing in John 3:3. He is not trying to be cruel, unfair, close-minded, or mean. He's simply explaining the way to His Father's kingdom. Ye must be born again.

In order to understand what born again means, you have to understand that the Bible teaches that all of mankind is born dead. Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins..."

The Bible doesn't paint a picture of us being merely naughty, or faithless, but dead. We are born into this natural world without spiritual faculties to love God, know God, walk with God, or be like God. We are dead in our sins. So the only way to know God, first of all, is for God to draw you unto Himself, because you are spiritually dead, and completely incapable of finding Him yourself. That's why Jesus said in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."

So, please understand, if you're reading this blog with any interest at all in God, it was God who put that desire inside of you! (This is why we who know Christ Jesus must pray for this desire to rise up in those who don't!)

Second, since we're born dead, the only way to know God is to be born again. Born a second time. Another translation calls it being "born from above." You were already born from below (here on earth), but now you must be born from above. Just like you were born naturally into your natural family, you must be born spiritually into your spiritual family.

Good deeds will not make you born again. Religious rituals will not make you born again. Taking communion, or singing in the choir will not make you born again. Even becoming a priest or pastor will not make you born again!

Think for a moment about your natural family. My last name is "Levendusky" (Joseph is my middle name). How did I become a Levendusky? I was born into the Levendusky family, giving me the right to bear that last name. But what if my friend Jay Bramer came over to my house, and said, "Can I do some work around here?"

Let's say that I said, "Sure!"--and I let him take out the trash, mow the yard, and do the dishes. Let's say, after he did all those nice things, he said, "Okay, friend, I guess it's time for me to move in, seeing that I'm a Levendusky now."

"What?" I'd ask him. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, after doing all this work for you, surely I'm a Levendusky now!"

He would be totally sincere, but sincerely wrong! Why? The only way to be a Levendusky is not by doing all the housework, but by being born into my family, adopted into my family, or married into my family. In the same way, you can go to church, pray your prayers, join the choir, and help make pot luck suppers, but "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." There are going to be many cast into hell wearing choir robes and ministers' collars! Why? Because they trusted in their own natural works to be saved, and not in Christ's spiritual works. For the Bible does not invite us to "Try harder!!" but instead invites us, "Come alive!"

The only way to be born again is to put your trust completely in what Jesus did for you, and not in what you can do for Him. Jesus Christ died the death of a sinner, so that we could live the life of a prince. He died so that you might live. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ as a subsitute for you, trusting that He took your sin-punishment and death, the Holy Spirit comes into your heart, and you are made alive! You are on The Gracie Jane heading to Knefley!

If you've never done this, I encourage you to pray a simple prayer of repentance and faith. By repentance, I mean telling God you're sorry for your sins. By faith, I mean putting your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When you do that, you are born again and become God's child!

"But as many as have received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)

Monday March 10, 2008

Be Like Mike

"But you are a chosen generation...that you may proclaim the praises of Himwho called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

It's been a long time since the "Be Like Mike" advertising campaign featuring basketball great Michael Jordan hit the airwaves in the early 1990's, but I've got a new Mike, and a new "Be Like Mike" campaign for you to consider.

Since I was diagnosed with a ruptured left vocal cord (if you haven't seen it, please watch the video about my injury on my site), I have been reduced to silence for at least six weeks....no talking, no singing, no whispering,no clearing my throat!

That all changed when I found "Mike"...a computer program that turns my text into a voice. There are many voices you can buy, but I bought Mike, a pleasant, 30-something sounding male voice. Now I can talk to my family, my staff, my friends, etc...as long as I have my laptop nearby.

The other day, I had to bring some correction to my four-year-old daughter, and used Mike. "Esther," my computer voice commanded in a voice that sounded like Wall-E, "please do not provoke your sister."

All of my children began to laugh, including Essie, and the point did get through with a little sugar.

I brought Mike with me to a worship leader's meeting at church last Thursday, and I actually gave a devotional for the other worship leaders! They especially got a kick out of it when Mike said, "The devil is a nerd. Oops...how did that get in there?" (I'd previously typed it in.)

I've realized that Mike is to me what believers are to God in this world. God rarely speaks audibly to men, but has limited Himself through His people. We are His voice, His hands, and His feet! I don't know why God set it up this way, but the Scriptures are clear: We are God's Mike. That's why Paul asks in Romans 10:14, "How can they [the lost] hear without a preacher?"

It may be no coincidence that Mike is the same name as the abbreviated name for a microphone. We call it a mic. I want you to think about mics. They have no say as to what is being said through them. They never complain. They never change the words, or apologize for the words. Mics just amplify the words. Like my computer voice Mike, a mic is just an instrument to say whatever I want to say.

Can you imagine my computer program, after I type in what I want to say, suddenly objecting, and saying in that digital voice, "But Derek, that makes me uncomfortable to say that!"

It never happens. Mike is just an instrument for me to speak. And so, when it comes to speaking the truth to this lost world, I want to encourage you to "Be Like Mike." Because God has chosen it to be this way. God has chosen you; He has chosen me to take the message of His gospel to the ends of the earth.

Wouldn't it be a tragedy if God had no Mike?

 

 

Monday, February 18, 2008

Ministry in Syracuse, New Album in 2008

Just got back from Syracuse, NY, and a had a great time with a church there. Did the Sunday morning service, where we led worship, and then I (Derek) brought the message. I spoke a message called, "Discovering Grace in the Fire." In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul the Apostle describes an affliction he endured that he describes as "beyond our strength so that we despaired of life." But then he says that God allowed it "so that we would learn not to trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." The point of Paul's trials were to bring him into a deeper understanding of the grace of God! The church in Syracuse was encouraged in the grace of God as I shared the message.

Sunday night we did a worship concert and had a great time. Youth groups and churches came from all over, and we had a great time of worship. A Teen Challenge Program (Christian-based drug rehab) brought their whole group of young men, and they were incredibly passionate about worship and responding to the Holy Spirit! It's amazing that sometimes those who have the least love God most. I remembered what Jesus said: "He who is forgiven much loves much" (Luke 7:47).

It was a particularly encouraging time for the band, as we're in a bit of a transition right now. Chad Spencer (bassist) just moved up from Philadelphia, but Joe Courtney (electric guitar) just took a full-time job with Verizon Wireless. Joe can still be involved, but only at the larger events. In the meantime, we'll be traveling as a threesome to some of the other events. Knowing this season has made it so, Chad, Preston (drums), and I have been writing and arranging some music as a an acoustic guitar-driven threesome. Using Syracuse as our test run, we felt like it rocked pretty hard, and were encouraged with what we could do with the three of us.

We'll be pretty busy over the next few months ministering in local churches, and at a few conferences. Keep us in prayer, too, as we're writing some new music in prep for a new worship album we'll put out later this year.

Grace!

Derek J

 

 

Saturday, January 19, 2008

 

Amazing Grace: Politically Correct Version

 

I'm at the Youth For Christ Excel Conference in Saratoga, NY, with over 2000 youth from all over the northeast. ISix is leading worship and I'm also the keynote speaker for two main sessions. This morning I spoke on "Surrendering the Ugly Things"...a message about the power of God's grace to deal with our weaknesses, our sins, and our shame.

I shared in my message the fact that a few years back, there was a group that attempted to rewrite the classic hymn (and American anthem) "Amazing Grace" to be more politically correct, citing that it's bad for self-esteem to call yourself a "wretch." ("Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...")

I made the point that "the grace ain't amazing if the wretch ain't a wretch!!" Then I attempted to write a politically correct version for the students, and sang it for them. Keep in mind that if the wretch isn't a wretch, then we have to change all the other lyrics to a much less dramatic description of God's grace. It's no longer "amazing" grace, it's just...

Try singing that one with conviction!
Anyway...having a great time here at Excel. You can read an update at my personal myspace: www.myspace.com/derekjosephlevendusky

-Derek Joseph
lead singer, Isaiah Six

 

 

 

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Why is God so Jealous?

"For the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (Exodus 34:14)

This is how God revealed Himself to Moses. You may have noticed the name of our latest album is Jealous One. I believe that understanding God's jealous heart will deepen your love for Him, and your passion to worship Him.

God's name is "Jealous"? What's up with that? I've seen a lot of nicer names of God on refrigerator magnets, wall hangings, and Christian t-shirts....names like Prince of Peace, or The Fairest of Ten Thousand. But I've never walked into a Christian home and seen a nice magnet on the fridge that says, "I love my sweet Jealous."

Why would God call Himself that? The interesting thing is, God doesn't just say, "I get jealous." He is the very essence of jealousy! Normally I would think of jealousy as a negative thing, because if someone is jealous, then usually something bad is happening. Yet God wants us to understand this about Him...He is the Jealous One.

Here it is right here: When you or I seek in something other than God for that which only God can give, we arouse the jealous heart of God. HE wants to be your chief passion, your chief affection, the object of your worship, the source of your strength and sufficiency, and He deserves to be so! But when we give the love that belongs to Him to someone or something else, or when we seek to find our strength or sufficiency in someone or something else, we arouse His jealous heart! When we choose to follow the world, He gets jealous. When we trust in riches, or dead religious works and not His grace, He gets jealous.

We may not bow down to idols of wood and stone anymore, but we do have idols of the heart. Has there ever been a more addicted society than the United States of America? We get addicted to everything! Sex, drugs, entertainment, money, fame, power, career, video games, sports, food, etc. We are constantly seeking to satisfy ourselves outside of God. Meanwhile, the Jealous One continues to call while we give our love away.

His jealousy also works on the flip side...when something else tries to own you, control you, or harm you, like a protective father, or selfless lover, He gets jealous and arises to defend you. When we are in bondage to our sins, or imprisoned by fear, depression, or sorrows, the Jealous One arises.

I remember in high school, when the father of a friend of mine ran down from the stands onto the soccer field to defend his own son who was being beaten by another cruel father and son. That's jealous love. I remember the story of a boy in New York City that stood up to a gang, at the cost of his own life, when the thugs were mugging his mother. That's jealous love. I remember a story I read recently about an old man that ran into the ocean to save his drowning wife, losing his own life in the process. That's jealous love.

I remember a Savior that came from heaven to earth, born of a virgin, cradled in a manger, dying on a cruel cross to redeem you and me. That's jealous love.

-Derek Joseph
Isaiah Six