And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda – The Church Reformed & Always Reforming

Well, today is election day in the States. A day ripe for changes, and no can be sure just what changes will come. We may fear that unknown, and yet today I remind you—we belong to God.

The church has often lived in the midst of political tumult, natural disasters, pandemics, and pestilence. None of these things are new to the experience of the Christian Church if you look back far enough.

And through it all, the church has remained ever the same. The Church of Jesus Christ—founded upon the Good News of Salvation in His name, under the banner of one and the same Triune God.

At the same, the church has constantly been changing. This too is a work of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit according to the will of the Father. We are to keep faith with the same Triune God, but we are not to remain static in that faith.

That's what the motto of the Reformation, the commemoration of which passed this past weekend, was all about: "The Church Reformed and Always Reforming."

Even as God continues to do His work in us as individual Christians who, in Paul's words, "are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory," so the church is also being conformed to the likeness of Christ. It is His body, after all.

To say nothing of what God does or does not will (that's a whole different podcast!), it is safe to say that God works within the stresses and strains of our contemporary situations, whatever they may be—elections, pandemics, or otherwise—using them to continue this good work in us individually and corporately.

Paul is careful to remind us that this work "comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Not only is that so, but it's also good that it's God who prods along this good work in us. Left to ourselves, we don't always like that idea of continuing to reform. A single reformation is quite enough change for most of us to stomach at any given point in time.

But God presses on, not content until the image of Christ is formed in us and in the Church. And so in strange and strained times like these, we see the forge fire up with heat that refines and pressure that molds. Change inevitably comes. But because we have a faithful God, we may trust that He will steward that change toward transformation and continual re-formation more deeply into the likeness of Christ.

In this time then, the "always reforming" invitation is to participate in that work as those with "unveiled faces." To look, seek, and find the face and glory of the Lord in our life and living. To intercede and stand in the gap as those who live after the veil has been torn between us and the holy of holies. To work with the God who works in us and in His Church all His purposes for the sake of His glory in the very real and tangible situations of this world.

How might God be reforming His Church and our lives today? Take time to ask Him. Then pray for the openness of heart, mind, soul, and strength to participate!

We welcome back Mr. Rick Verkerk as guest to Wilderness Wanderings. He continues his five-part series on praying for others.

Last time I talked about how intercessory prayer requires a 'person in the middle', referring to it as standing in the gap, between the person in need and God. Today, I want to explore why its important to be people in the middle.

In Ezekiel 22, we read about the sins of Jerusalem and it is summarized in verse 30:

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Do you believe that your prayers of intercession will change anything? Or do you think that life will go on as is whether you pray or not? Before you answer, reflect on what was stated in Ezekiel 22:30. Would the history of Israel have been different if God had found an intercessor? Of course, yes. So now another question: will your family, neighbourhood, church, and/or work be different if you intercede on their behalf?

God seeks intercessors not because He needs us but because he has chosen to govern through the prayers of his people. Intercession is not an option. It's God's way of working. Ezekiel 22 shows us that intercessors "who would build up the wall and stand in the gap" are critical. Today, we have an intercessor, Jesus Christ, who ever lives to intercede on our behalf. But Christ does not work alone. Our intercessory prayers are coupled with his. By means of his Spirit, He prays through us.

E.M. Bounds said, "Prayer can do anything God can do." That's true because the only power in prayer is the power of God, which can reach anywhere God can reach, which is every corner of the earth. Therefore, our prayers can bless or bring change anywhere in the world. And all from wherever we are praying – in a favourite chair, on our knees, anywhere. What an awesome power God has given us! Our first focus should be on those close to us - family, friends – but not exclude, rather expand to our spiritual family, neighbours, community, nation and world.

Who in your family, neighbourhood, at work or church is like the friend who came at midnight? (Luke 11:5-8) What kind of help do they need that is beyond your ability to give? Are you willing to stand in the gap for them?

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Matthew 21:33-46 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions for further reflection can be found below!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN QUESTIONS:

1. Apple trees grow apples, and vines make grapes. What kind of fruit (good, healthy, life-giving things) do you think the Kingdom of God produces in the world?

2. Take a skim or a read through the beginning of Matthew 21 if you have a Bible or Bible app handy. Where are we in the story? What major events and conversations transpire? See if you can find these three spots that echo elements of our text: the other place where Psalm 118 is quoted, the other place where fruit is spoken about, and the other place where a possible prophet is discussed. How are those three spots connected and building up to what happens here? Are there other elements of this Matthew 21 context you notice?

3. What was humanity's first sin? (it was one action, but there's more than one right answer!)

4. The Christian tradition's argument on sin is that it slowly, incrementally, but ultimately brings death and destruction upon ourselves, our neighbours, and the creation itself. Jesus' parable creates a caricature to highlight the murderous result of sin, a caricature that would play out in his own death just days later. Apparently Christians and Christian leaders are just as susceptible to this as anyone. Where have you seen sin curve someone in on themselves in the kind of selfishness, blindness, hardness of heart, and silence of conscience that brings death? Perhaps for your own reflection: where is sin doing that in your own heart and life?

5. When we know we're in the wrong, and even when we're unsure about it, we often get defensive and ready ourselves for a fight. How does God come to us though, and what does He offer? What impact or effect does that have? Does God's methods of meeting injustice and wrongdoing jive with anything else in your experience?

6. How might God's loving invitation in Jesus Christ change your relationship with God and the others in your life this week (parents, children, spouse, friends)? How might you offer the fruit of the Kingdom back to the King and those others this week?

…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

Much of the letter to the Ephesians has to do with living worthily into the hope to which we've been called as we grow up to maturity in Christ, together.

It seems a good place to cap off a conversation on how the enemy of our flesh becomes a redeemed new creation in Christ then.

There are different descriptors for this process of transformation that our fleshly desires go through: redemption, discipleship, sanctification. The term used here in Ephesians for it is to "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Being conformed once again to his likeness.

And while there's a lot of daily practice that goes into this process on our end, it is not something that we do alone.

The church, says Paul, is where a lot of this happens. Not the church in terms of the church building, per se, but the church in terms of the community of Christ. The community of those who continue to intercede for us in prayer and who we continue to intercede for. The community of those who encourage and disciple us more deeply into our relationship with Christ, and among whom we practice, practice, doing the same for. We're not on our own, we grow to maturity in Christ together in community.

It is within this Christian community that our desires and so much more of our fleshly existence is conformed slowly and deliberately to the likeness of Christ. It's here that we are equipped for Christian service, equipped for discerning maturity, held together as a body by the loving, serving ligaments of our fellow Christians, and where we come to a deeper, more mature knowledge of Christ ourselves.

When that happens, says Paul, then we'll no longer be infants tossed and blown about by the wind and waves of people's deceitful scheming. And that's good news.

The reality of actual "fake news" in our world today tells us that the wind and waves of deceit are just as strong today as they ever were. And not just in politics, but also in terms of our sexual lives, our relational lives, even our vocational lives. Each of these being examples of places where our desires can not only be misaligned to begin with, but also knocked further out of whack daily by the push and pull of the cultural forces howling around us.

Thanks be to God though—because we don't enter into that crazy wind storm alone. We go with a community. And, we go with the equipping power of Christ Himself. Because it's not just the community that helps us to maturity either.

It is Christ Himself who has given grace to each one of us in the form of skills, talents, and the church's leadership roles to equip the whole body of His church for service and growth into discerning maturity.

In days when it's easy to get blown about in following political parties, entertainment personalities, media analysts, and facebook friends, we need these gifts of God's grace and of community to help us find rooting in truth and in our first, foundational calling: to Christ.

It is there where we and our fleshly desires are transformed and matured into the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

We welcome back Mr. Rick Verkerk as guest to Wilderness Wanderings. He continues his five-part series on praying for others.

Last time, I pointed out how important faith is when it comes to prayer and that we need to stick to it by praying earnestly. Today I going to talk more about intercessory prayer. Just so we understand, to intercede means to "act between two parties; begging or pleading on behalf of another; mediating".

Today's topic is called Standing in the Gap and the Scripture is Luke 11:5-8, 'Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs."

Today's Scripture reading portrays a 'friend-in-the-middle' who has a 'friend-in-need' and another friend, a 'friend with bread' who has what the 'friend-in-need' is asking for. The 'friend-in-the-middle' can not provide what the 'friend-in-need' asks, so he pleads boldly with his 'friend-with-bread' until he receives what he requests. Once received, he carries it back to the 'friend-in need'. He is a go-between. He is standing in the gap that exists between he who needs and he who can give. This is intercession - standing in the gap. Intercessors labour before God - the 'Friend-with-bread' - and plead with him on behalf of those who need the bread of heaven. Intercessory prayer is of prime importance. People need our intercessory prayers. Many are hurting, lonely, isolated, unsaved, families are dysfunctional, marriages are in trouble, Churches struggling. They need what only God can give. And God chooses to give His gifts in response to our prayers for others. As much as we need to pray for ourselves, we also need to pray for others as an act of self-giving love and blessing them. Here's a quote from the book Love to Pray (by Alvin VanderGriend, PrayerShop Publishing, 2008) capturing the importance of intercessory prayer.

"Things will happen when we pray that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't prayed. And things will not happen if we do not pray that would have happened if we had prayed."

You may have to read it a few times, maybe read it out loud to grasp the significance of this quote.

Are you willing to stand in the gap? Ask God to start preparing your heart and a list of those who He wants you to intercede for.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:19-25)

How are the de-formed desires of our flesh re-formed in the ways of Christ? James has some thoughts.

When talking about the righteousness God desires, James seems to say: if we don't have the capacity to listen to the person sitting in front of us, if our words sometimes fly out unchecked, or if our temper controls us more often than we control it—if that's how our day to day life looks in relationship to others—then how can it be any different in our relationship with God (and vice versa)?

Our daily life and our spiritual life have a lot in common, and so practicing things like listening more and speaking less in our relationship with God helps us do the same in our relationship with others and vice versa. That's because the practice slowly forms our desire to really listen and hear well in all of life.

As it is with any human endeavor, beginner's luck and raw talent only get you so far. Most of us play like we practice, and practice is hard work! There's not a professional athlete out there who hasn't done thousands of times already what you'll see them do on the court, field, or rink in competition. That's why they're good at it.

Habitual repetition is how muscles learn their movements: it's also how our heart, mind, and soul learn theirs. Repetition of the actions of loving another person, like confessing, forgiving, and reconciling with that person is the way of training ourselves not only how to love someone, but it also trains our desires to want to love someone in just that open, honest, reconciling way.

When it comes to training our desires, you really do have to fake it 'til you make it. Which is what that habitual repetition of practicing something is all about. That's why God commands it—so that we do practice these things and get them into our bones.

It's only those who know the rules of the game, the boundaries of the field, and who have disciplined themselves in the fundamentals who are free to play and enjoy it to its absolute fullest. That's true whether you're talking about athletes, tradespeople, jazz musicians, or Christians.

So look into God's perfect law that gives you this freedom and continue in it. Don't forget what you've seen and what you've heard there—but do it. Practice it with your friends. Practice it with your families. Practice it with your God. You'll be blessed if you do. Indeed, you might eventually even find yourself wanting, or desiring, to do these things.

Of course, all of this comes through the work of the Spirit who sanctifies us and empowers us to practice what God calls and commands us to. He slowly conforms us, our lives, and our desires to the likeness of Christ and forms fruit within us: like gentleness, love, and self control.

That's what it's about—becoming, through the power of the Spirit at work within us, more and more from our desires up, who we already are in Christ.

We welcome Mr. Rick Verkerk as guest to Wilderness Wanderings. He is bringing us a five-part series on praying for others.

Prayer is the way that we connect with God and keep in contact with him. It is the most important relationship in our lives. We can experience intimacy with God, confess our sins to restore the relationship, express joy through praise, and partner with Jesus by interceding for others. Great example of how to pray for others is found in John 17, where Jesus shows us what an intercessory partnership looks like, starting with prayer for Himself, then intercession prayer for those close to him, the disciples, and then others.

Let's begin by looking at the importance of faith when we pray. Today's Scripture is: "Elijah was a man like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three and a half years. Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:17-18).

In 1 Kings 18:43–44, Elijah and his servant are having a conversation. "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."

Whenever I have read this conversation, I am initially in awe. One man earnestly makes numerous prayer requests and they are granted. First, he prays for no rain. Then he prayed and it rained. Not a hundred men praying, not five men praying, one man praying! But there was an indispensable condition to the prayer requests being granted. It was Elijah's faith. Prayers without faith are incomplete. Faith is the second requirement of prayer after confession and it comes with an amazing promise in Mark 11:22-24 if you have faith. Elijah had faith. Simple prayers of faith, all answered. But what if Elijah had quit after, say, three attempts or six? He didn't. Rather, he prayed 'earnestly'. Earnest prayer gained the results.

James points out in the text that "Elijah was a man just like us" – meaning he was an ordinary guy, not someone extraordinary. The importance of this: the power of God is released through prayer by people, ordinary people like us. It was God who held back the rain, caused it to rain again, not Elijah. The message for us? Simply, an ordinary person who has faith, who prays earnestly and persistently, will release tremendous power – God's power. God is seeking people of faith to intercede on behalf of others. When you think about Elijah and what he prayed for, do you think "I could never pray like that." Are you in awe of him? Then remember what happened when one ordinary person prayed earnestly and start praying earnestly.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:12-18)

There are significant enemies that we face in this Christian life, namely the world, the flesh, and the devil. We've mentioned them before.

Each of these three enemies was a good creation of God at the start though—especially our flesh with its desires and our world. The world and the flesh have not always been our enemies, nor will they be forever. God has set about in Jesus Christ to redeem all of creation, including our own fleshly humanity, our desires, and the culture that arises from humanity's living and working together in this, our world.

So, our desires are not inherently evil—our ability to desire and the proper objects of our desire are good gifts of God. But within a sin-broken world, these desires fall out of proper proportions and we begin to desire good things too much or too little. Or, our desires find objects other than the ones they were intended to aim at, becoming idolatrous.

Some examples might be… A desire to succeed that keeps us from accepting God's grace in failure. A desire to control our happiness or security that keeps us from surrendering to God. A desire for intimacy that finds its end not in desiring the consummation of the kingdom or even in a committed marriage relationship, but in pornography or adultery instead.

Now, we've begun this journey of redemption in Christ. God has given us new birth into this Christian life and God will crown us with life at its end. But between those two moments lies a lifetime of discipleship—that work of following Jesus and becoming more like him each day.

On the way, God reveals the motives of our heart which need to die in order for the new life of Christ to more fully take root. It's a work of re-forming of our fleshly desires: re-aligning and re-aiming them to their proper ends and in proper degrees.

This is not just a journey of discipleship that we walk, but is the work of Sanctification that the Spirit works in us as we walk. The journey of sanctification is a lifelong cure slowly administered by the Holy Spirit for all that is sin-broken in our fleshly desires. The Spirit reveals the evil in our hearts, and together with Him, we participate in putting it to death through the power of Christ's death: finding new life again and again on the other side.

With the Bible to guide, the Spirit to empower, and the Lord's Prayer of "lead us not into temptation…" on our lips, we find this to be the daily prescription for the rest of our lives—dying and rising. Taking up our cross and following.

After giving us new birth into this Christian life, our loving Father hasn't left us on our own to fight the world without and the temptations within. No, through the power of the Sanctifying Spirit He accomplishes it within us.

1. God told both Abraham and Moses to "go." They responded differently. What was the difference?
2. What is Jesus teaching about faith in this parable?
3. Why should we listen to Jesus?
4. Where are God's fields?
5. What does it look like to work in the particular fields God has called you to work in?

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong" (Eccl. 5:1).

As you may have noticed, today's devotion is not based in Nehemiah. I might come back to that book later. This is my last Wilderness Wanderings for until the second week of November. I will be on a two-week vacation. While I am away, we will have a special guest who will give a series of devotions on praying for other people. Stay tuned for that.

Today, from the devious little book called Ecclesiastes and the "sacrifice of fools". Put simply, that is religious talk about ourselves. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee who offers the sacrifice of fools. Jesus point there is also simple, "God isn't listening."

Our text is followed with these words: "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few" (Eccl. 5:2). Which of us is not guilty in the face of this wisdom?

Why is it that we need to speak so much, even in the presence of God? Mostly to justify ourselves. We need to convince God that we are not as bad as we know that we are. We make excuses for our bad behaviour and present to Him all the reasons why we shouldn't have to love that one person.

Why can't we remain silent in God's presence? Often because we believe that God's laws are really unfair. We need to explain to him that He needs to lower the bar. No one can really measure up to those standards.

Since we have so much to talk about, why should we be silent? The obvious answer is: so that God can say something.

Silence is the discipline that puts a stopper to our self justifications. When we stop talking, God has time to speak. He will tell us that there is no justification for our wrong, nor for our lack of love. He will tell us that we are as evil as we think we are. Maybe that is why we don't want Him to talk.

But then God will also tell us that our sin is gone. He remembers it no more. There is no excuse for our sinful behaviour, so God forgives us. Christ died for our sins. We are deeply loved. When we stop talking, we give God an opportunity to tell us this.

There is a further reason to stop talking. Our tongues are our most powerful weapon in our attempts to control ourselves, others and our reputations. Our tongues are full of manipulation and control.

In the silence God can remind us that our sense of control is just an illusion. Isn't that really what's behind God's question to Elijah, "what are you doing here?" Elijah had come to the point where he thought he was in charge of Israel's spiritual wellbeing, and things were in freefall. Essentially, God says to Elijah, "I got this, don't worry" (1 Kings 19). There is one who is truly in control and that is God. Only in that silence can our souls truly find rest.

This is why Sabbath is so important. Work often becomes an avenue by which we control our lives. Only in Sabbath silence do we discover that we cannot control our lives through work. Only God can control.

James reminds us that the tongue is difficult to control. We know this to be true. Yet we must not forget that Paul wrote that we have been set free for freedom's sake (Gal. 5:1). An element of that freedom is the freedom to be silent.

In our silence we hear the small still voice of God that our fears are unjustified, just like Elijah. In silence we discover the most profound truth: we are not god. God is.