The Opportunity of the 11th Hour

After a week or so of technical difficulties with my laptop, so much so that I thought I had lost the entire book due to a malfunctioning HardDrive, I'm happy to announce that the Opportunity of the 11th Hour is now live on Amazon.  I'm really excited about this book- not necessarily because I wrote it, but rather because I felt the anointing of the Lord in writing it.  It will impact your life.  Guaranteed.  Everyone that has read it so far has had the same response: inspirational and life-changing!

The book is available on amazon.com at  http://amzn.com/B00G718AXK.  All proceeds go back into missions. 

Please help me get the word out about this book.  Download it. Read it. Write a review.  Recommend it to a friend or two.  Let's mobilize the people of God to seize the opportunity of the 11th Hour. 

Here is the foreword written by none other than Dr. Bill Kuert, my incredible father and spiritual mentor, just to give you a better feel for the direction of the rest of the book.  

"This book is a great source of encouragement for believers who are asking themselves the question, “Can one life really make a difference in terms of the advancement of God’s kingdom?” It is the story of how one young man has come to view his calling in Christ as a “history maker”. In the telling of his own life’s story the reader is taken on a journey that is cross cultural, biblically informed, full of personal challenges and difficulties, and referenced with quotations from yesterday’s and today’s spiritual giants. The vivid language, the metaphors, the up close and personal illustrations give the reader an authentic taste of missions as seen through the eyes of one who is passionate about missions.

If God’s narrative for our lives could be expressed: Divine Power + Divine Process = Divine Nature, then this book could be considered a running commentary dealing with each part of that expression. In its pages the reader will gain a better understanding of the nature of kingdom influence as well as being challenged to “Go out and do something impossible for Jesus” (Reinhard Bonnke). This book is a must read for those who would like to see their lives become all that God has destined for them.  By modeling the way the author invites his readers to join him on a life changing journey  whose destination is to become an 11th hour history maker."

Dr. Bill Kuert (D.Min, Ph.D) 

Professor of Christian Leadership

KAG EAST University

Nairobi, Kenya

The Opportunity of the 11th hour (conclusion of Chapter 1)

I will never forget my conversation with a dear woman in Tanzania.  She’s a South African Indian soundly converted from the deception of idol worship.  We were talking about the second coming of Christ.  Her words still burn in my heart: “Steve, the second coming doesn’t bring me much hope.”  We were standing in an upscale mall in Dar Es Salaam with many people milling about. 

“Why would you say that?” I asked in curiosity.  Her eyes welled up with tears as she began to cry.  “My brother doesn’t know the Lord yet! My mother is still bound by idol worship. And my daughter has wandered from the faith.”  She understood perfectly! Her family needs Christ before the darkness comes.   The harvest is a priority for her.  There is urgency in this hour.  Their eternal condition depends on our obedience in this moment.   

            She lives her life with a sense of urgency.  Many in the body of Christ have bought into the teaching that says, “Well, God is Sovereign and He will save whom He wants to save.”  It’s really an attractive thought: God’s sovereignty absolves me of personal responsibility. 

Several years ago I heard a story that shattered this misconception.  A group of Bible school students in an African nation went to a remote village to preach the Gospel.  It was the first time the village had heard the Good News. The response was tremendous. An elderly woman wept publicly as she received Christ.  After several minutes of weeping, one of the young men asked her why she was still crying.  Didn’t she understand that the Gospel was good news? 

The elderly woman nodded affirmatively. “Then why are you still crying?” responded the young man. 

She grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the village to a nearby tree.  In the shadow of the limbs, she pointed to a fresh pile of soil. 

“What is this?” he asked.

 “The fresh soil you see is my husband’s grave.  We buried him the day before you arrived.”  She continued, “The message you shared is, indeed, wonderful news! The best I’ve ever heard in fact.”

Then with fiery eyes she turned towards the young Bible college student and asked, “Why did you wait so long to bring the message? My husband would have received this Jesus too.”  Reinhard Bohnke puts it this way: “The good news is never good unless it gets there on time”.  

When William Carey the father of the modern missions movement heard the call of heaven an elderly Christian rebuked him.   “Young man, sit down; when God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine.”  Fortunately, Carey refused to compromise heaven’s fiery appeal for the expediency of religiosity.

He knew that his obedience mattered to the purposes of heaven.  Urgency marked his life. He coined the phrase, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”   His response to heaven’s call opened the door for future generations to connect with heaven’s heartbeat of harvest among the nations.

Yes, this is the hour for mobilization.  I believe Christ is pleading for believers to engage our world with Kingdom purpose in order to see the final harvest brought in—human hearts radically transformed by the life-giving power of Jesus Christ.  The Lord is searching for more laborers to respond to this glorious endeavor. 

The 3^rd hour has passed.  The sixth hour is history.  The ninth hour is a vague memory.  It’s now the 11^th hour and He is looking for more 11^th hour people who will see and seize the opportunity before them. May God grip us with holy urgency in this critical hour.

The Opportunity of the 11th Hour (Pages 4-5)

The 11^th Hour

Can I suggest that the hour in which we live is an eleventh hour moment in the Kingdom of God?  God’s prophetic time clock is winding down.  Spiritual darkness is encroaching many places just as Jesus promised in John 9:4.  Yet, our Lord, the great harvest master sees the massive harvest still in the fields. The past twenty years has seen unprecedented harvest in various places.  Kenya is one such nation.

 When my parents first went to Kenya in 1977 the organization they served with had some four hundred churches.  Today this organization numbers some four thousand strong.  Hundreds of thousands have found Christ! Thousands of pastors have been trained. God is on the move.  Yet, could it be that this is just the beginning?  The harvest has been and will continue to be reaped, but I believe acceleration is coming.

            Jesus’ words in John 4:35 come to mind:  “Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for the harvest.” The idea is that it’s easy to look at the fields and think futuristically: One day… Sometime soon.  Jesus reminds us of the imperative of this moment.  A Samaritan woman has just had a radical encounter with the Messiah; but, this is nothing compared with the breakthrough that is about to come to the entire region.   Acceleration in a previously dark place is in the works.   Across the world the story is the same: the harvest is increasing in dimensions we have previously never known. 

Why? Simply because it’s the 11^th hour and there remains much work to be done.  It’s an hour unlike any other hour.  It’s an opportunity unlike any other opportunity.  We must be ready! We must act! We must capitalize on this Kingdom moment. 

            Christ’s second coming is soon—imminent in fact.  Whether that means another year or decade is irrelevant. In light of eternity, it’s insignificant.   Christ’s return will usher in unprecedented glory for the redeemed and horrendous judgment for an unrepentant world.  What is relevant is the interim period between now and the return of Christ, whenever that takes place. We are called to bring in the harvest.  Contrary to current Christian culture, this doesn’t mean going inward; it means going outward!

No Retreat and No Withdrawal

This isn’t an hour to withdraw, retreat, and consolidate as we wait for the Lord. It’s an hour for a compelling and expansive faith.  A faith that goes beyond the boundaries of our church walls, personal comforts, and traditional practices. This is the hour when the harvest is ready and waiting for harvesters to bring the Kingdom message that will liberate the captives of sin, satan, and self. The closer we see His return, the more intense our commitment to the harvest must become. 

Leonard Ravenhill left an indelible impact on my life through his books and tapes.  I remember hearing him say that “this period we are in now is a dressing room for eternity, that’s all it is.”  What was he saying? The call of God must not be ignored.  And it certainly must not be rejected.  The call must be embraced.  What we do with the short time we are given on this side of eternity determines our eternal reward.  The stakes are too high. 

The story of Jonah makes this abundantly clear to me.  Jonah decides he doesn’t want to participate.  He would rather head for Tarshish.  We have been taught that one person’s response to the call doesn’t really matter. I wish I could believe that.  Jonah’s experience tells me different.  Do you remember God’s response?  He doesn’t say, “No big deal Mr. Jonah, do whatever you want.”  Quite to the contrary, the story of Jonah is a story of God going to great trouble to get the attention of a distracted and disobedient prophet.  Jonah’s obedience had Kingdom repercussions connected to it!

Could this be a similar picture of what the owner of the vineyard is saying in Matthew 20 in the 11^th hour?  It really does matter! I need your participation.  We’ve been taught that we can live our lives for ourselves pursuing the Big Dream—personal comfort, financial security, and the pursuit of happiness. This is where many in the Body of Christ have checked out.  Christianity has become all about us:  our goals, our ambitions, our dreams, our desires, our purpose, our success, our passions, our vision, our plans, and our destiny.  It’s quite selfish and very inward focused. 

 What about God’s dream? What about His vision?  What about His heart? His agenda?  His passion? And His plan? 

He longs for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3.9).

He will have every tribe and tongue around His throne (Revelation 5:7).

He will be given the nations as an inheritance (Psalm 2:8).

He will receive the reward of His suffering (Isaiah 53:12).

His Gospel will be preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14).

            How will this ever happen?  Only when we hear the call of the 11^th hour!

The Opportunity of the 11th Hour (Pages 2-3)

After four such invitations, the owner decides to go back to town once more to recruit workers for his vineyard.  This time it’s the eleventh hour. The eleventh hour is the moment of unprecedented opportunity.  It’s the last call of the day.  Interestingly, he promises to pay each worker what is fair; this turns out to be the same amount as what he gives those who have labored the entire day. 

In Kenya, where I grew up, the sun sets on or near 6:00 PM everyday.  The variation throughout the year is usually less than half an hour.  In Swahili, just as in Aramaic, the language of the New Testament, 6:00 PM is known as the 12^th hour.  Once its 6:00 PM people understand that they only have minutes before the sun totally disappears and darkness engulfs the African horizon.   Traditionally, people don’t work past the 12^th hour- it’s too dark. Wild animals and burglars emerge. People scurry home to safety.   In Jesus’ time there would have been no electricity.  So when the sunlight disappeared it was time to call it a day. 

 In the parable, the vineyard owner sees that the day is nearing the 12^th hour.  Just one hour of daylight is left.  Yet, there is still work to be done in the vineyard. He knows that past the 12^th hour, there will be no more opportunity to participate in the harvest. So he recruits one last group of workers to bring in the crop.  In the11^th hour there is one more appeal.  One more call.  And one more summons.  I can almost hear him pleading with the men of that day and that town: “Go to my fields! There’s still work to be done, but time is of the essence.”

He is passionate.  The harvest has such great value.  The owner of the vineyard doesn’t want any of the valuable crop to be wasted! Now is the time.  He has been purposeful and intentional systematically recruiting laborers throughout the day.  Now, though, his voice is full of passion and energy.  His call reverberates with purpose.  

Across the globe, Jesus is calling to this generation to participate in His glorious plan of global redemption.  The unique aspect of a call is that there are really only three options:  it can be ignored, declined, or accepted.

When I was little we lived on a large college campus comprising 7 acres.  My brother and I would go play for hours with our friends.  The possibilities were endless: basketball, tennis, soccer, kick the can, capture the flag, badminton, chess, darts, army, bicycling, table tennis, etc…

Mom would call, “dinner time, Stephen, Adam, dinner time.”

 At 12 years old the last thing you want to do is eat dinner when you can be shooting imaginary bad guys or pretending to be the next big name in athletics.   We often chose to ignore the call.  We always knew we were in trouble when mom or dad came looking for us.

“Why didn’t you respond?” mom would always ask.

We often stretched the truth just a little pretending that we didn’t hear them. The solution to the problem was simple.  Dad bought a bell.  It was loud and could be heard distinctly. Everyone within a square mile knew when the Kuerts were having dinner!

Many in this hour have ignored the call of the King for years or even decades. They have been absorbed in their own pursuits and agendas.   I remember preaching in Warner, Oklahoma a few years ago.  A gentleman in his fifties came running to the altar after I concluded; he was weeping uncontrollably.

 After the service, he told me that in his late twenties God called him to full time ministry, but he decided he would be miserable in the will of God so he decided to join a motorcycle gang instead. This lifestyle lead him farther and farther away from the purpose on His life.  I will never forget his voice full of regret that night, “I’ve wasted my life.”

 Fortunately, the message for that dear brother and the message of this book is this: “There’s still time! The King is calling one more time.” It’s the 11^th hour.  And this call isn’t just for a few people in occupational ministry.  The call is for everyone who claims to be a believer, or is considering becoming one.  Jesus is mobilizing His people for the final harvest.   

The Opportunity of the 11th Hour (Page 1)

My new book, The Opportunity of the 11th Hour, will be coming out on Amazon in the next week or so.  It's an inspirational book for living our lives in such a way that we are able to  make the greatest possible impact for the Kingdom of God. The idea comes from Jesus' parable in Matthew 19 where the owner of the vineyard  goes out  to call laborers to help him bring in the harvest in the 11th hour.   It's full of personal anecdotes as well as considerable analysis of the life of Daniel.  I sincerely believe that this book will touch the heart and life of anyone who reads it. I will be posting several pages the next few days.  

Chapter 1: The Opportunity of the Closing Moment

“About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around.” Matthew 20:6

“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 governors to rule the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel” Daniel 6:1-2

The final minute of a close game is always the most exciting.  You never quite know what is going to happen. Watching the World Cup game between Ghana and Uruguay in the 2010 first round of elimination was one of these moments.  I was living in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania at the time without a television.  Ghana had been adopted as the favorite team remaining in the tournament by just about everyone in Tanzania.  Excitement was high. 

             Normally the streets are crowded with people, motorcycles, and vehicles.  However, that night was different.  The streets were practically deserted as eager eyes sat glued to the closest television. As I drove to a friend’s house to catch the game a sense of expectation filled the humid coastal air.  Dar Es Salaam anticipated a Ghanian victory. It would be the first time an African team advanced to the quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament. Across Africa people cheered for Ghana.   

            When the Ghanians scored their first goal the entire city let out a shout that reverberated through the night sky. Hundreds of thousands of people were glued to the television anticipating a victory.  As the game neared a close it was tied.  Seconds remained.  Both teams fought hard.  Metaphorically speaking, it was the 11^th hour.  

Suddenly, everything changed.  Ghana took a quick shot that caught the goalkeeper off his line.  It seemed to be a sure goal as well as the ultimate game winner. Then the unthinkable happened.  The quick hand of a Uruguayan defender stopped the ball from crossing the line with just seconds remaining in the game.   The referee awarded a penalty as a continent held its breath.  It was the opportunity of a lifetime for the Ghanians. Unbelievably, the Ghanian forward Asamorah Gyan sent the ball sailing over the crossbar. 

            The game headed into overtime still tied. As the two teams moved into a penalty shoot-out to determine a winner the Ghanians choked.  Uruguay emerged the victors; Africa mourned.   Visions of glory were exchanged for woeful tears of regret. The Ghanians had missed their golden opportunity in the eleventh hour.  The moment had been wasted.

              Ghana’s experience reminds me of what Jesus says in Matthew 20:6-7. “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You, go into the vineyard too”. 

   Jesus was telling a story.  Not just any story—it’s a Kingdom story.  This means that the story illustrates Kingdom truth.    Jesus says that a vineyard owner is looking for workers.  He goes to town to recruit anyone willing to go and work for him.  He goes the first hour, the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour.   Each time he finds more people to work in his vineyard.  

Spiritual Super Immunity Part 2

One of the critical factors that must be discussed with developing Spiritual Super Immunity is the need for exercise.  I think this is so overlooked in the church today.  We attend church services, small group settings,  worship events, etc...  in which we are continually instructed in the things of God.  We are on perpetual receive mode.  Someone remarked that we have more spiritual truth available to us with easier access than any other generation.  And yet, we often lack something critical: the practical application of it.

The Word of God is meant to be implemented, obeyed, and applied.  Simply stated we are called to practice what we are living.  This requires us to become serious about living out what we profess.  This is probably one of the main reasons I love missions.  People have remarked to me that others in foreign lands must be blessed from your life.  I hope this is true.  What I know to be true is that I am blessed by being forced to accept responsibility for my own walk with the Lord.

 There is no one else to shift responsibility towards.  If people are lost around me- I must pray and engage them with the love of Christ. If people are sick I must stir up my faith and seek the face of God for healing.  If people are assaulted by the scourge of poverty I must seek God for heaven's strategies on finance.  If people are oppressed and assaulted by evil spirits I must know my authority in Christ and understand how to use the weapon of His holy name. In short, I must know the Word for myself.  People around me are depending on it.  And God is depending on it.

I'm not trying to over-emphasize my importance, as clearly God can use anyone anywhere willing to make themselves available. What I'm articulating is the power of exercising my spiritual muscles.  Do you know what happens in the process?  I become strong and healthy in the ways of the Lord.  I've searched the Word, I've prayed, I've sought His face, I listened for His voice, I've shared His Word, I've helped others make the same application in their lives.  Is this because I'm the best qualified for the job? No way! Rather, it's because in many situations there really isn't anyone else.    So I step up and make myself available.

Is it scary? Oh yes!  Have I made mistakes at times?  Unbelievable ones.  Have lives been changed through my obedience?  Great numbers!   Quite truthfully, there's nothing like it in the world.  I've grown and developed simply because I was active in my spirituality! I was busy about my Master's business.  I kept pouring out and so Jesus kept pouring in: new ideas, new insights, new courage, new faith, new love, etc..   Just as physical repetition of the same exercise makes you strong in a particular area improving overall health and immunity so does spiritual exercise improve your overall spiritual immunity.

Show me an active Christian eagerly practicing their faith and I will show you a believer who is far removed from the temptations and compromise that are eroding away at the spiritual vitality of many in this generation.  Practice your faith! Share it with people around you. Pray for others.  Share the Word. Take a missions trip.  Develop your testimony.  Go on a fast.  Memorize promises in the Word.  Give sacrificially.  Serve for no recognition.  Obey whole-heartedly and unflinchingly.  The end result will always be spiritual growth and increasing spiritual super immunity.  

Spiritual Eating Habits: Chronic Compromise or Spiritual Super-Immunity

Health circles in the United States talk openly about the so-called Super-Immunity Foods. The idea is that if a person eats for health instead of due to stress, social pressure, or addiction, a person's overall physical condition will improve.  Eating nutrient dense foods strengthens our bodies instead of depleting them.   These foods supply much needed nutrition to our immune systems enabling them to fight off pathogens and other toxins inherent with our polluted world. In short, the better the food the better the chances the body has of maintaing a strong immune system.

 Having been deathly ill myself in 2011, I recognize the enormous value in this kind of holistic approach.  We are what we eat.  And if the food we eat is dead, stripped of enzymes and nutritional content, or even worse full of toxins such as preservatives, food colorings, and other strange chemicals that we can't even pronounce then we are eventually headed for trouble.  At some point toxins will produce systemic toxicity- the bedrock of disease.

The purpose of this blog though isn't to discuss physical eating habits; it's to discuss spiritual ones.  I'm continually amazed at the average Christian's spiritual diet.  It consists mostly of junk foods- sporadic munchies consumed when the famished cry of the soul finally rises higher than the other pursuits and distractions that monopolize our time and attention.  The end result?  We have greatly weakened and sometimes almost non-existent spiritual immune systems.  

How does this break-down practically?  In essence, temptation comes our way and we cave almost immediately lacking the spiritual backbone necessary to stand strong.   Of course, everyone around us is doing the same thing- after all, compromise is in vogue these days.  It's justified, tolerated, and sometimes even celebrated by some of the foremost pulpits of the land.  Yet, deep down inside our hearts ache knowing that this can't be the life that Jesus died to give us.

 Something is terribly wrong when hypocrisy is considered normal.  That would be like saying "being chronically sick is the best you can expect in life." If this is the case, why go to the doctor?  Why have health insurance?  It would be totally non-sensical.  Life gets really old when illness instead of wholeness is our constant companion.  Again, I'm speaking from personal experience: I was physically ill for 10 months.  Compromise is worst in the life of the person practicing it whether they admit it or not, they are secretly miserable.  They know that things should be different.

Thankfully, there were certain activities and foods I was able to implement during my illness that boosted my immune system.  Today I'm healthier than I have been in over decade.

Certain spiritual parallels exist in this area of boosting our spiritual immune systems.   We don't have to be chronically compromised living a wishy-washy, half-hearted Christian existence.  We can be strong, vital, robust, and healthy! We can have Spiritual Super-Immunity.  This is Christ's desire for us.   I will share some thoughts along these lines over the next several days.  Stay tuned. And watch your diet closely.  

3 Reviews

The Dream from Africa has been available for 1 month now. Here are a few reviews on Amazon.  Please help get the word out about this book.  All the proceeds are going to help the cause of missions.    

"If I would have to sum up this book in one word it will be inspirational. I just love how from the start it serves as an encouragement for ethical living. The African proverbs with the African culture and background throughout the book truly adds a great touch to it. The story itself is amazing and keeps your attention from the starting point and this just gets better as the book goes on. Fully enjoyed it!"

"Fantastic book. I was held spellbound throughout the whole story. It made me feel as if I was in the story with the characters. I could almost smell the odors of Africa and feel the outrage of the political manipulations for personal gain. I would recommend the book to everyone. I can't wait for the next one."

"The Dream From Africa is a well-written and inspiring book that kept me captivated throughout the entire book. I didn't want to put it down! Great read!"

The Dream from Africa:   http://amzn.com/B00EO8KQPS

Practicing God's Peace (Part E.)

And finally after navigating the P.E.A.C. of the word peace we reach the final letter-- E.  I like to think of E as representing the word excellence.  At first it seems kind of a strange to equate excellence with peace right?  Excellence is one of those really ambiguous words that means so many different things to so many different people.  After all, your definition of excellence is not necessarily my definition of excellence.  It's a rather subjective assessment.

What I do know about excellence is this--it's really difficult to be consistent in it because of two main reasons: laziness and distraction.  Many people enjoy bursts and spurts of excellence in their life only to settle for apathy and stagnation after a short-lived surge of inspiration.  I like to think of peace as being the groundwork necessary to experience on-going excellence.  Notice I didn't say that peace is the only factor in this equation.  Obviously, there are many different aspects of excellence: accountability, vision, inspiration, confidence, creativity etc..  All of these are important.  Yet, without peace in our hearts and minds it is virtually Impossible with a capital "I" to experience excellence.

Peace keeps us focused on who we are called to be, what we are called to do, and the methodology/vision necessary for making it a reality.  Take away someone's sense of peace and they soon get massively distracted trying to create a false sense of well-being and tranquility in their life.  I know it sounds strange but when do you do your best work? When you are under massive stress or when you are free to be creative and resourceful?  Obviously, a small amount of stress can actually facilitate creativity. My contention would be though that it is possible to navigate small amounts of stress while being at peace.  What makes stress so stressful is the very fact that peace has long since disappeared.

Many great leaders have fallen at this very point- they make decisions based on pressures, stresses, and external situations beyond their control that have affected their inner judgement resulting in a departure from the excellence they have demonstrated consistently.  I have seen it happen often.  The point I'm making is that peace is like a foundation for walking in excellence.  Peace keeps us in the place of vision, it anchors us to the place of confidence, it releases us into the place of creativity, etc..   Without peace people languish;  with peace people thrive.  

The Bible says that Daniel had a spirit of excellence about him.  So much so that he was quickly promoted to be the top official in the entire empire.  There are many factors that contributed to his excellence.  One of these was peace.  Just a few verses after mentioning his excellence in Daniel 6, the Word tells us that Daniel is thrown into the lions den.  Of great interest to me is that he fell asleep! I have spent many a night in the wild places of East Africa with lions nearby.  I remember one night when a male was about 3 miles away.  He roared every half hour or so.  Every hair on my body stood on end even though I was in the safety of a luxury tented camp. Needless to say: not much sleep that night.   As to how Daniel fell asleep laying next to these big kitties can only be attributed to the fact that he walked in a great amount of peace.

All of us were created to walk in excellence like Daniel. All of us will need the same underlying current of peace in our lives.  Jesus provides it freely and graciously as we learn to surrender and submit to His leadership and Lordship in our lives.   Do you want greater excellence in your life?  Go to the place of surrender, the cross, and find His peace.  It will propel you farther that you ever thought possible.  

Practicing God's Peace part C

Today we examine the C of peace.  Up to this point we have explored P-practicing God’s Presence, E-engaging in wholesome thinking, A-accepting responsibility.  Now we look at C-Christ centered living.

One of the really neat things about the peace of God is that it keeps our lives centered on the person of Christ.  Throughout the Word of God Jesus is given various titles that describe various aspects of His identity and character.  For example, He is called the “Bread of Life”, “the Word of God”, “the Great Shepherd”, “the Way”, “the Truth”, “the Life”, etc..  

One of the least discussed titles is found in Isaiah where the prophet anticipates that Jesus will be called “the Prince of Peace.”  This title is more than just an honorific title with only ceremonial value. This title describes one of Christ’s most wonderful characteristics—He is the ruler of peace.   In other words, his domain is peace.  He rules and reigns through the means of peace in our lives.   This is fundamental to the understanding of the Kingdom of God. 

Basically, the Kingdom of God is the place where God rules and reigns.  Paul says in Romans that the Kingdom of God isn’t a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit.  Interestingly, one of the three aspects of the Kingdom Paul emphasizes is peace.  Another way of saying this would be: Peace is integral to walking in the Kingdom of God.   And the center of the Kingdom is the King—Jesus the Prince of Peace.

So when we choose to walk in peace we are choosing to experience the reality of Christ in our lives.  Peace produces Christ-centered living and Christ-centered thinking.  We are no longer controlled by the impulses and cravings of our flesh.  Peace keeps our hearts and souls grounded on the reality of Christ. 

When the storms of life roll in as they always do we are able to remain perfectly still and at rest.  External stresses no longer control our inner attitudes and emotions.  Why?  Christ now rules and reigns through his peace.    

I remember the night the rebels attacked the city of Bujumbura where I was living.  I was over at a friend’s house for a Bible study on the other side of town. All of the sudden…pop…pop…pop. A few bullets.  Then came the heavy machine gun fire followed by the mortar shells.  Physically I began to shake and tremble. 

My friend told me just to stay put because it would soon pass.  Three hours later the firefight had greatly intensified and it was approaching 11 PM.  It was really eerie and I was scared.   All of the sudden I had a paradigm shift: wait a minute; the rebels’ attack doesn’t control my internal sense of wellbeing. I stopped panicking and greatly relaxed.  I remembered what the Lord had dropped in my heart, “the safest place you can ever be is in the will of God.”

 I knew moving to Bujumbura had been the will of God. I had prayed and He had clearly directed me there.   Peace began to rule and reign again as I focused on what Jesus had spoken to me. I began to praise him even though the external noise intensified. 

To my friend’s disbelief I announced that I was driving home.  I jumped in my car and drove across the city at 11-something in the evening.  Soldiers were everywhere shooting into the hills.  I’m not saying it was smart.  I’m just saying I had peace in the midst of the storm. 

Peace enables us to focus on the voice of Christ in our storms.  The winds can be howling, the waves pounding, and the boat be in serious trouble, yet Jesus is sound asleep in the stern.  Why?  He knew His Father had said that they were going to cross to the other side.  He had peace.  So he wakes up, looks at the disciples in disbelief and releases the inner reality of His peace externally and soon the waves are perfectly still and winds die down.  Everyone is in shock—except Jesus.  He says, where is your faith?  In other words, don’t you believe my word?  He had told them they were going to the other side. 

And so are we.  Peace is critical to keeping Jesus and His voice central in our storms.  

Practicing God's Peace (Part A)

As we continue to look at Philippians 4:7 and some of the incredible benefits that flow from walking in God's peace, I would like to develop part A.   We have already talked about P representing God's Presence.  And E representing engage in peaceful/positive thinking.  Now letter A touches on the idea of "assuming responsibility."   To me this is one of the most critical and crucial aspects of peace.

Before I really began to be intentional about practicing God's peace in my life I was a "blame-shifter." I knew there were some issues and deficiencies in my life that I kept nice and tucked away so that no one could see them. As long as I avoided certain trigger points I was able to keep up the nice little facade.  Everything was good.  When the trigger points did activate these broken places in my life I would play the blame game.  It's really a fun game; it has no rules and just about everything and anyone can play whether they want to or not.  "It's his fault that I'm like this."  "It's because of what so and so said." "If I hadn't grown up this way I wouldn't be like this."

Do you see the pattern?  "If....then..."  The only problem with this little game is that we never change when we play it.  We are conscripted to repeat the same script over and over again--just with different people/factors at fault each time.   One day it hit me: "wait a minute...the only person responsible for me is me."  I had began to practice God's peace: I was spending time in His presence and my thinking was being transformed.  I realized that God's peace gave me the emotional and intellectual courage to begin exploring why I wanted to blame other people/factors for my issues instead of assuming responsibility for them and embarking on the healing process.

I really think the main issue is this: fear.  We are afraid to be honest with ourselves.  We fear digging up past memories and traumatic experiences.  We fear being transparent before God and other "safe people" in our lives.  And so we keep putting on the facade and act indignant when other people "push our buttons."  I love how the Amplified translates Phil 4:7.

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

 Isn't that powerful?  Fearing nothing from God.  There is a place in God's peace where we are no longer controlled by fear. This isn't just a "Boo...I'm going to scare you in the dark fear."  This is real fears that control people's lives: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of the future, etc...  

 God's peace comes and sets us free from fear! In so doing, we are free to assume responsibility for our lives.  Why is this such great news?  Simply because it means that we don't have to be a victim of circumstance anymore.  We can determine and decide what our responses will look like. Obviously, this decision doesn't necessarily make things better over night.  We are talking about a process here.  This process though will ultimately result in wholeness for our wounded hearts. 

 P. Presence. E. Engage in wholesome thinking A. Assume responsibility.  

Practicing God's Peace (Part E)

Peace is also very powerful because of the effects it has on our thinking.  Psychologists say that one of the most important elements about a person is their self-talk.  In other words, what kinds of things they say to themselves about themselves.  Sounds kind of funny at first until we consider that we talk to ourselves far more than we talk to others in the course of a day.  Often, these thoughts are destructive, negative, and cynical which produces corresponding tendencies in our actions, attitudes, and behavior.  Talk about a lose lose situation.  In my case, it was anxiety. I was paralyzed by anxiety growing up. It controlled my outlook on life, my interaction with others, my sense of future events, and internal dialogues.

God's peace breaks this cycle.  The very next verse after our verse for the week, quickly extending longer than a week :) is Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."  Peace paves the way for positive and productive thinking. The "E" for today stands for Engage in peaceful thinking.  We talked about "P" standing for practicing His presence, a spiritual aspect of peace.  Now "E" represents the power of peace extended to our minds, an intellectual aspect of peace.  

  Without peace in our emotional condition positive thinking is impossible! All the self-help books in the world and positive confession sessions without God's peace are an exercise in futility. It's like the little character in Kung-Fu Panda chanting, "inner peace...inner peace" in an attempt to bring equilibrium to his heart.   The only problem with this so called "inner-peace" is that it can't be manufactured externally, nor can it be channeled internally. Chanting distracts us, but never dispels the inner tension.  Inner-peace is a free gift from God that bypasses humanism and eastern mysticism entirely, being released to us vertically through His Spirit.  By that I mean, that God establishes His rule and reign  in our hearts through His Son to the extent that we surrender to Him.  As we surrender He intensifies the peace-filling presence of His Spirit.

Striving in human effort will never attain the mental/emotional peace necessary that Jesus releases in one moment of genuine surrender through His Spirit. As we learn to walk in peace it becomes much easier to choose peaceful thoughts according to Philippians 4:8.

Yes, we can have peace in our hearts and minds and emotions. What great news in a day and age when people are turning to all kinds of peace substitutes to manufacture something that our hearts know isn't really genuine.

He concludes the verse by saying, "And the God of peace will be with you."  So now we have come full circle.  The peace of God enables us to walk with the God of Peace.  This in turn produces more peace in our lives.  I call this the peace quotient.  I'm convinced that peace isn't a static variable in our lives.  I believe peace is multi-faceted and multi-layered allowing people to grow in their experience of peace.   In other words, I can honestly say that I walk in far more peace now at 33 than I did 10 years ago.  Why?  I've learned to implement this cycle in my life.

1) Prayer with gratitude and specific petition
2) Receiving the peace of God
3) Practicing His presence
4) Choosing productive thinking
5) Increasing experience in walking with the God of peace
6) A fresh encounter with God's peace
7) Repeat steps 1-6 above.

Can I mention one quick aspect of Engaging in productive thinking?  It takes work.  I don't mean empty human striving; I'm referring to active participation and cooperation with God's peace. Our minds have been trained to think a certain way.  It's time to reprogram them.  It's time to fill them with new thoughts.  Peaceful thoughts.  Where do we get this "mental peace app" that helps reprogram our thinking?  The Word.  I know I sound like a broken-record, but I've learned that you really can't have too much of the Word of God in your life.

For me, I had to start memorizing verses that contained specific promises to my situation.  When the negative thinking tried to return I would bust out the verse.  "Actually, Stephen... That's not a healthy thought. Here is the proper perspective..." Then, came the verse.  Followed, by the decision to believe the verse and ask Jesus to reframe my thinking.  It took time, but it always produced peace.

Engage in peaceful thinking today by experiencing God's peace found in His Presence. 

Practicing God's Peace part P

The first idea that connects the peace of God for me is Presence.  Having lived in so many nations in my life—as of this writing it is 7, people often ask me: Where is home?  Or where is your favorite place to be?

My standard answer used to be very simple—Kenya.  It’s where I grew up and its where I felt most comfortable.  That soon changed though.  Tanzania is also an amazing country that I dearly love as is Madagascar, and even the United States.  Anyone who has spent any time in Colorado would have to concur—it’s beautiful!

When pushed into a corner to only choose one place I often feel stumped.  It is Kenya?  Well…maybe.  Is it Tanzania?  Umm…probably.   What about Madagascar?  Yes…so beautiful.  

Then one day it hit me.  My favorite place to be in the world is in His Presence!  Psalms 16 says it this way, “In your presence there is fullness of joy and at your right hand treasures for evermore.”  I have learned that His presence is the key to joy, not a geographical location or a situational context.   In fact, there are moments when I’ve been on the beaches of Tanzania, or the rainforests of Madagascar, or the plains of East Africa and still felt intense loneliness, anxiety, and fear despite the overwhelming beauty around me. 

Enter the peace of God. I believe it is absolutely essential to maintaining an awareness of the presence of God.  The two go hand in hand.  No peace no presence.  Peace equals presence.  I know there are other factors to consider in this discussion, but I’m speaking very simply for the sake of brevity.   The peace of God keeps our hearts and minds from wandering in the path of dangerous and toxic emotions that would pull us far from His presence.  

Before going any further let’s make this practical.  How do we cooperate with His peace?  Here’s just a few ideas.

1)    Learn the art of being still—too much stress, pressure, worry, etc… will fill your heart with all sorts of unhealthy emotions.  Life is busy.  Let’s be honest. It’s full of stress and pressure.  I’ve found that I must have a quiet time everyday, not so much to accomplish some kind of check-off on my spiritual to do list, but rather because I need to still my soul and know that God is bigger than what is going on in my world. 

2)    Let the Word wash over you—there is a big difference between reading the Word and allowing the Word to wash over you heart.  One is a verbal/mental exercise. The other is a spiritual emotional experience.  I don’t want to sound too mystical here for I am also a very intellectual person who likes to interact with the Word on a more rationale level.  Having said that, there is something so powerful about the Word of God. When my heart is still and I’m able to read the Word I feel like the Holy Spirit gets out a cloth and begins to gently wipe my heart.  The unhealthy emotions, the worry, the stress, soon fade as I hear what He wants to talk to me about.  I believe this is why Jesus compared the Word to being washed. 

3)    Sing—I know it sounds pretty childish. After all this is the 21^st century and who really sings anymore?  I believe the main reason we don’t sing anymore outside of a Sunday morning worship context is because our hearts are so full of heaviness and stress from the world around us. In my English Lit classes in university we had to read several of G.K. Chesterton’s works. In one of them he talks about the loss of the song in modernity.  How only kids sing anymore and interestingly, they seem to be the only ones happy.  I have found that if I can get a good worship song in my mind and then began to sing and hum it out loud I soon find peace covering me. 

4)    Pray- The context for Philippians 4:7 is prayer, and not just any prayer, but specific prayer laced with gratitude.  It’s amazing that Paul instructs us to present your requests to God with thanksgiving.  For me, this looks like bringing very precise and specific needs in my life that often weigh me down with heaviness to the Lord.  I tell Him the need and then I thank Him that he has heard my request according to I John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”  I then leave the request for Him to carry and deal with. In other words, I don’t pick it back up.  This is the essential for restoring peace to practice his presence.  

Practicing God’s Peace

One of the most important factors in a person’s life is peace.  The lack of it or the presence of it determines everything. The longer I live the more I’m convinced of the importance of learning to practice God’s peace. I consider God’s peace absolutely essential to living an overcoming lifestyle. 

I once thought very differently.  Peace wouldn’t have figured so prominently in my assessment of a victorious believer.  Truth be told, it probably wouldn’t have even made the top ten.  I would have mentioned things like spiritual power, authenticity, conviction, and passion.  While I still highly value all of these qualities, one stands out above the others—peace. 

I know what it is to operate in a measure of spiritual power, to live with authenticity, to speak with conviction, and to be passionate, and yet be lacking in this one vital area.  What caused the shift in me?  One primary reason:  Peace is foundational to our capacity for experiencing God’s Presence daily.  So often I have been moved in a conference, touched by a sermon, and encouraged at church only to walk out of the doors back into my world of chaos, perplexity, and confusion.  Poof! No matter how great the spiritual high, it almost evaporated in the pressure of real life. 

This is tragic.  God’s work via the Spirit and the Word in our hearts must never be squandered.  It needs to be cultivated, nurtured, and cherished.  Yet, the onslaught of the world around us is so intense.   How can we cooperate with God, instead of counteracting what He is doing in our lives?   

I believe the answer is found in one simple verse in Philippians 4:7.  This verse has become a source of life to my soul over the past 7 years.  “And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.  

So simple, yet so complex.  A peace so powerful that it protects our emotions and guards our thoughts.  This week I want to look at the importance of peace in the life of a believer.  

The Dream From Africa: Nook & Kindle

The Dream from Africa is now live on Amazon at http://amzn.com/B00EO8KQPS.  It is also available on the Nook via Barnesandnoble.com.  Search for"The Dream From Africa" or the book number 2940148578918.  Please help get the word out! 

 Also, make sure to check out the website: stephen.kuert.net

The Dream From Africa site

The Dream From Africa now has it's own website at http://stephen.kuert.net  where you can read the first four chapters and find out more about the Kitengela project.

The book is live on Amazon today at http://www.amazon.com/The-Dream-From-Africa-ebook/dp/B00EO8KQPS.

 Thank you in advance for considering a download to benefit the future of Kenya as well as making other people aware of the book and the Kitengela project.  Together we make the dreams of many young people a reality.  

The Dream From Africa--A read that makes a difference

The purpose of The Dream From Africa   is three-fold. 

First, I wanted to give people who have never been to Africa the opportunity to see it for themselves through the story of Doto.  I tried as much as possible to use details and actual incidents from my experience that would make it feel legitimate to the Central/Eastern Africa context. 

Second, I wanted to communicate spiritual truth in an allegorical form.  The characters and events depicted in this book at a bare minimum should cause the reader to pause and reflect.  I really tried to zero in on the idea that every human being has a God given destiny as they discover their true identity in Christ.  Obviously, this all takes place through the worldview and perspective of a young man who is slowly discovering both: identity and destiny.   As such, the reader is forced to extrapolate the ideas to his or her own life experience.  

Third, I wanted to generate income for missions projects in East Africa where I grew up and have lived for the past several years.  For this reason, all the proceeds from this book will go back into missions.  Primarily, the Kitengela University project in Kitengela, Kenya.  

The University is already well under construction with several of the buildings almost complete.   It is a life-long dream for my parents who have worked towards this reality for more than 25 years.     Well over a million dollars from several different sources has already gone into this project to build the initial classrooms.   The project will require at least another million dollars to complete.  That's a lot of money! Slowly, but surely, though it is becoming a reality!    Some really generous people are making some really big sacrifices to make the God-given dreams of young men and women a reality in East Africa.  

 So I decided that I would use this book as a way of generating awareness for the Kitengela University project.  Our culture is familiar with benefit concerts.  Benefit appearances.  Benefit races.  Even benefit shoes.  So why not a benefit book that will  impact the future lives and destinies of many in Kenya and beyond?  The Dream From Africa will be available on Amazon later this week.  The proceeds generated will go towards funding missions projects like the Kitengela University project in Kenya! 

 You can help make a difference for the future destinies of many young people in Kenya by reading this book and by helping to get the word out about this book to your friends and contacts.  Would you consider reading it?  And making others aware of the idea behind it? Especially if you like it after you read it? 

Right now it's only available in digital format, but hopefully, we can get it printed in the coming weeks.  

The Dream From Africa Chapter 2

2

All was quiet, well, almost all.  The crickets were finally concluding their normal boisterous performance as the wind lowered to a gentle whisper.  Darkness crept through the hills as the night settled into its proper place. The livestock were still in the encircled thicket.

On the farthest hill in an adobe hut the young goat herder awoke with his heart pounding madly in his chest.

Does the dream still have meaning? Could it almost be time for its fulfillment? Why had it disappeared for so long? Only to reawaken so forcefully in the night?  The questions exploded inside of him.  For some reason the dream only came in the darkest recesses of the night when everything was still. 

 Gasping for breath he realized that it was just a dream, his dream.  The dream that had guided him in life since it first marked him many years ago.   Indeed, it was a strange dream in the sense that it seemed more real than anything he had ever seen- especially the dark muddy walls encircling his straw matt.

 Staring at the rafters in the grass roof he wondered why this dream had become so frequent again.  This was the fourth time this week it had awakened him.

He had returned to his home village of Butukurayo about two weeks earlier.   He was on a quest.   It was a quest to reconnect with the purpose and passion that had guided his steps for the past fifteen years.  

When he had first returned to the village people were in disbelief. 

“It’s him.  It’s the young man from the newspaper. It’s Doto.” 

However, Doto didn’t care much for public opinion.  He never had and probably never would.  His sole desire in making the long trek back to the Northern plateau where his village still basked in the African sun was to find direction. There were just too many questions floating around in his mind.

 Fortunately, the old homestead where he had lived for so long as a boy and well into his teenage years remained largely in tact. He had decided to restore the place while he waited.  Many people asked what he was waiting for in this forlorn place.

“Your grandfather must be dead and no one has lived in this place for years.” 

Doto would nod in assent knowing full well that people didn’t understand. They didn’t understand him anymore than they had understood his grandfather or even his father for that matter.  He wasn’t bitter or even cynical about life.  Rather, he just needed clarification on what the next step should be.  

As the wind started to pick up again that night whistling through the thorn trees outside the little hut he had slept in for years, he heard the single cry of a hyena somewhere in the distance.   These familiar sounds produced their normal hypnotic effect on the young man. 

As his eyes became heavy he stretched his lanky frame out over the hard rocky floor in search of a softer spot.   Just as sleep would overtake his weary frame, the voice he knew only too well riveted his soul.   

“Real dreams never die they only go into hiding,” The voice belonged to his grandfather.

He had heard that voice for so many years.  It was a voice that he could never ever forget- distinguished pronunciation, rhythmic cadence, and gentle insistence.  Although grandfather had disappeared many months earlier, Doto knew without question that this was his voice.

“Doto, help the man in the dream” the quiet voice stirred the deepest recesses of his young heart. 

How he wished he could hear that voice again in person!     There was none its equal in the entire village, nor would there probably ever be again in the entire nation.  This one voice had patiently waited for the birth of a new era in his beloved land.  This voice had endured such suffering.  This voice had bequeathed a legacy that the young man now embraced.

Was it the fact that he missed hearing Grandfather say his name with such kindness and love? –“Doto”.  Or was it the fact that whenever Grandfather said the young man’s name wisdom and purpose poured into his heart like the rains flooding the great river.  He couldn’t decide at that moment. As he stared into the darkness of his room, his mind started to race. The majority of his thoughts centered around the man whose voice still resonated in his heart in that darkest hour of the African night when even the leopard sleeps.

He sorely missed Grandfather.  To distract himself, he reached for the strange metal insignia next to his straw mat.  It read: “Jemadari wa Jeshi Kuu”, Swahili for “Commander of the Armed Forces”.  As he turned the medallion over and over again in the palm of his hand his mind relived events that still seemed surreal to him.

On the table next to his mat was the picture that had forever changed his life.  He had been surprised to find it in Grandfather’s hut that day—in the same place it had sat years earlier.  

The young man now in his late twenties pondered many mysteries that night as he recalled the man and events that had altered his life forever.  This is Doto’s story and probably one somewhat similar to anyone else’s who has ever had a real dream.