"Greater is He"

A few weeks ago I performed my first funeral at the Shasta Lake Church, the young woman of 33 died from a mixture of complications from Lupus and a lifelong struggle with drug use. The folks in attendance were as diverse a group as you would ever see at a funeral, rather similar to our Sunday services. A mixture that looks much like one of the quilts that the ladies have made for my wife, a patch of blue collar, a patch of white collar, throw in some homeless, a few ex-cons, add a drug dealers for color and a few users and that’s pretty much a s diverse as it gets. In particular there were two men sitting in the second row who were obviously high on something, or maybe under multiple influences. They were well adorned in prison style tattoos and there was no doubt about their affiliation, they were most definitely, and wanted everyone to know “Some Bad Boys.” One in particular the larger of the two appeared to be filled with a demonic spirit and I truly was expecting there to be a manifestation or confrontation. While not a big deal for me, it is not something you desire or expect to see at a funeral service. Well I arrived at a point during the service when a reading of the word was appropriate and no sooner had I begun when the larger of the two men stood up and yelled “This is bull S _ _ _, don’t listen to this guy”, then the other guy chimed in and off they went, their tirade lasting for no less than ten minutes as they moved around the room making remarks about what I was doing. I felt led by the Spirit to just keep reading as if they were not there and so I did. Seeing their actions were not causing the response they sought they moved their party to the parking lot where they continued to feed their egos and desire for a fresh buzz. That night as I reflected on this incident I must admit my anger overwhelmed me, not my anger for these men and their actions so much as my anger toward the liar and deceiver of this world. Man has chosen to allow the devil rather than God to rule the earth, however when things go bad God gets the blame for not stopping it, there is something wrong with this picture. These men stirred up things in a Church at a funeral they entered in at their own choosing, yet when what goes on in a Church begins they get mad and make every attempt to stop it. One thing they forget, or may not even understand however is this, “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world”. On my way to Church Sunday morning (the day after the funeral), I found myself filled with that same anger at the enemy as I had the night before, prayer seemed to be the best course of action. I found myself praying in particular for these two men, that God would present them with a choice, that He would confront them in His anger, that they would be forced to choose either to suffer the consequences of their action’s or to turn their lives over to Christ. I confess that I prayed that plagues and tragedy would come upon them if that’s what it would take to get them to turn their lives around. I know that this may sound harsh but what is better that a man enter heaven with one arm, or that he not enter at all? I had finished the message and was standing in the back while Luke led us in a closing song when I noticed a man looking at me intently, he had tears in his eyes and he looked very familiar, it was him, the smaller of the two men! As I approached he stood up, hugged me, apologized for his actions, and thanked me for allowing him to come back to church. In that moment his life was changed, he threw off his façade and became alive again! I asked Josh (that was his name) to join me in front of the Church, and we agreed that he needed to ask the church for forgiveness and make a public confession of his faith, and so he did. Josh has been to church every time the door is open, he brings friends, family, loved ones, and he can’t stop telling people about his changed life, he has truly been born again! I believe that this story is a very good example of what is taking place in the lives of my family at this time in our lives. We are in a fight, a fight for not just our lives and livelihood, but for the lives of many others most of which we have never met! We are in a battle which the consequences are eternal, these consequences are not just a temporary high or fix, these are everlasting consequences hence the reason for the intensity of these attacks. Yes we know where we are going, we are secure in our salvation, but is that truly enough, are we ok with knowing we have the cure and then keeping it to ourselves. Men have fought and died for centuries in search of eternal life, fortunes have been won and lost seeking eternal bliss, yet the cure is free for the taking, even then however so many will choose to ignore it. I understand why many would say they want nothing to do with the type of life my family has chosen, after all if you look at the outer circumstances it is not very appealing, However this is a path we have chosen, one we desire to walk, not everyone is called or equipped to do so, in fact very few are, however we gladly accept this road, this path, this call. No I’m not bragging, this is nothing to brag or boast about, this is a walk of humility and grace, but be not confused humility is not allowing yourselves to be walked upon, humility is strength under control, the control of the Holy Spirit. One who is controlled by the Spirit is protected by the Spirit and there is none greater or more powerful than He! Dawn’s chemo is almost over for this round and none too soon, she has become very weak and her pain level has increased dramatically. We see her cancer Doctor on Friday possibly some answers, keep praying for her asthma to be healed and that she will not get pneumonia. Bless you and thank you all!
Gene