Author: Jim Poitras

If I could choose to be any Bible character it would be Barnabas. I desire to be an encourager in my writing, speaking, and living.

The Broken Pieces of a Stained Glass Window

Guest post by Candra J. Poitras

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV).

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV).

Ever dropped something made of glass? Come on. In all truthfulness pretty much everyone has the typical glass breaking trauma story. Mine may or may not have something to do with the Rodenbush’s butter dish…or I guess I should say, former butter dish. The bad thing about glass breaking is that you can’t put it back the way it was. After you have shattered something on the kitchen floor, it isn’t exactly possible to simply put it back together. Once broken, there is no going back.

Photo by Buzz Hoffman

Ever felt much like that broken glass? Lying on the floor, shattered in dozens of pieces. Unfixable. Permanently damaged. Past the point of hope. Perhaps you now feel as though you are broken into hundreds of tiny pieces and you will never be put back together into one whole piece again. The situation is a Mission Impossible; a dying cause. Or so you think. What if all your concepts are wrong? You see, for the most part, the breaking of glass is always viewed as a bad thing, when in reality it can be very good.

In the Middle Ages, a new art form became popular and has carried through even till today—the fine art of the stained glass window. I don’t know how much you know about stained glass windows, but I Googled them and everything, so I am now quite the expert. For all of you less informed in the art, stained glass windows start out as panes of glass that must be broken into pieces. Actually, more specifically, they aren’t broken at all, but rather, cut to fit a specific design. The glass isn’t stained, but painted in great detail by the master’s hand.

“For I know the thoughts that I have towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God had a specific plan for you. The blueprint is already made; the end of your story written. Now, here is the thing. What if all the things we have been through, all the trials, heartbreaks, failures, and disappointments, what if all the things that left you broken, what if they didn’t leave you broken at all? Perhaps, it was the Lord cutting, shaping, and molding you to fit his master plan. What if the things that you thought left you broken, useless, and stained, were actually the Lord shaping and cutting you into the masterpiece He always intended you to be?

Romans 8: 28-30 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and who he called, them he has also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

First of all, “all things work together for good to them that love God.” I think a lot of the time we can interpret that incorrectly. It does not say that everything will always be good, that we won’t have problems, or pain, or suffering. It says that if we love God and are called, He will take all of those things and use them for your good.

Secondly, “to them who are called according to His purpose.” How many of you feel like God has placed a calling on your life? Ever feel like you have been called and things have gone on, and mistakes have been made, and you feel disqualified a bit from your calling? Well, that isn’t what my Bible says. My Bible says that as long as you love the Lord and are called, He had a plan for you before you were even born. He already knew the end of you story as well as the beginning and middle. And He justified your past. Therefore, he knew long before you were born how things were going to turn out and He has already taken care of it.

The last component of a stained glass window is the glue or mortar that puts all the pieces back. It comes along and fills in all the cracks. It is the finishing; the thing that holds our world together. Our strength when we are weak, our comfort when we are weary, our help in time of, He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is Daystar, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Wonder, Great I am, and Counselor. His name is Jesus; the glue that completes the puzzle of His master plan for your life. Without the last component, you can do nothing. If you step out His will and purpose, you become nothing more than little broken pieces of glass. His master plan for your life has to contain both you and Him. Without both, the plan cannot succeed.

The pain may be great, though the process may not be pleasant, but if you will just submit yourself to His master plan and allow Him to be the glue that hold your world together, the end result may just stun the world with its beauty. And don’t you find it interesting that the most intricate stained glass windows are the ones that must be broken/cut the most? Surrender to His plan, follow His will, stick to Jesus in the process, and know that the end result is going to be simply beautiful. Allow Jesus to fill in the cracks of your life and shape you into His masterpiece.

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The Next Right Step

I’m not sure why finding the will of God is so difficult. But, it is. It’s as complex at eighteen as it is at fifty-one or seventy-three years of age. You would think that it would be only a colossal task for teenagers making their journey in life. I guess that unveils the secret right there. It is summed up in the word “journey.” Too often we focus on the will of God as the destination, the completed journey, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Our focus is faulty. The journey is never over as long as we have breath to breathe and a heart to do something for God and His people. We mistakenly focus on the road in the distance and bypass watching the single steps.

The journey—the Christian walk—has always been about traveling from one place to another. Like any journey it takes time; a long time. The road is etched with ups and downs. Occasional tough times meet our moving onward and upward. There are mountains and valleys. Sometimes we falter. Sometimes we fall. But, we get up and keep on going.

Like Kathryn Scott beautifully penned, “We still believe and though the journey has been hard we will confess your goodness…” I love it when she sings from “soaring wings to the shattered dream.” I’d quote the whole song here but it’s really not the Lord’s will to break copyright laws.

So, what is the will of God? It’s not so much about the destination as it is about the journey. Amazingly, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8, ESV). Was it some sort of blind faith or ruthless, risky abandonment? Probably not! He just took the next right step. The will of God is all about taking the next right step. We don’t have to know twenty steps or ten miles down the road. Just get a grip on the next step. God told Abram, “Go.” And he went. He journeyed one step at a time.

Like the heroes of Hebrews 11, we are all pilgrims on this planet. They believed. They had faith. They trusted in God’s promises. They obeyed His Word; the road map in life. So it is with us. We are not moving aimlessly or living without direction; walking around in circles. Our steps are ordered. They are established. Remember, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way” (Psalms 37:23, NKJV). We are walking in step with God. He blazes the trail. It sounds so easy. It is. However, we make it difficult. How? By trying to see the whole trip instead of today’s instructions.

Abraham’s servant testified, “As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey” (Genesis 24:27, NIV). How did that happen? The answer is simple. He heard from the master. He embarked on a journey. He believed he would accomplish his purpose. He found the will of God one step at a time.

Seeking God’s will for your life? Just concentrate on taking the next right step.

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Another Modern Day Miracle

Last fall Bro Miguel, the pastor in San Lucas, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala had three heart attacks on a Sunday afternoon after church. After weeks of testing and medicines her was informed that he had five dead spots in his heart, all of his arteries were blocked with only 30% of his heart functioning. Unfortunately there was no one in Central America that could help him. Medically the only possibility of help was in the US or Europe. But Bro Miguel had faith that God would heal him. After many prayers and much faith, this past Sunday he read the doctor’s letters to the church. The doctors are dumbfounded. Their report states that he has either received a heart from someone else or his heart is completely healed. God completely healed him! The doctor said it is like having a transplant because his heart is like the heart of a young person. All the dead parts of the heart are now alive and functioning. The doctors claim it is “unexplainable.” This is the hand of our miraculous God!

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The Lord of the Harvest’s Plan for World Evangelism (Part 4/4)

Read Part 1

Read Part 2

Read Part 3

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

We’ve heard that dozens of times. The harvest is plenteous. The laborers are few. Contained in those words is a gigantic opportunity: the big harvest. The problem is He needs workers. Because there are lots of lost and only a few seekers a strategy for world evangelism is paramount. Therefore, here is what you do:

Image by Fr. Stephen, MSC

Provide:

“Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat” (Matthew 10:9-10).

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33).

The principles of God’s Word are very clear. If we take care of God’s business, He will take care of our business. God will provide. He will not forsake us. We walk by faith. Susan Fitkins said, “We never test the resources of God until we attempt the impossible for Him.” God has all we need and He will supply it to us (Philippians 4:19).

Inquire:

The messengers were to inquire or search for a place or person open to letting them stay there. Hopefully, in any and every town there is someone that will welcome the truth into his home and heart and will listen to the message and let it take hold in his life. Not everyone will be open and receptive. That is why, in missions, we refer to populations or people that are either receptive or resistant.

“And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10:11-13).

Gailyn Van Rheenen in Biblical Foundations and Missions explains “the world may be thought of as a giant orchard having many fields. Although some fields are ready for harvest, the husbandman is concerned about all fields, for their harvest will come in due time.” The Lord of the Harvest cares for the world and sends laborers out into the fields; everywhere and anywhere. People are like those fields. They go through times of readiness and resistance. She recommends that “the receptive should be harvested while they are open to the message and the resistant nurtured until they become receptive.”

Move On:

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10:14).

To shake the dust off their feet was a Jewish custom. It was a visual to show the people that they had made the wrong choice. The opportunity to choose Christ may never be presented to them again. It let them know that the messenger was innocent of their blood. He had obeyed the Lord of the Harvest, fulfilled His task, and the results were in the hands of God and those that heard him. Shaking the dust off one’s feet was also symbolic to the preacher. It told him to keep moving and not to be discouraged.

It is easy to read this passage and the only thing that remains in our minds is the negative; to shake the dust off our feet and move on. But, look at the reverse impact of adhering to this master plan of evangelism. Through following its principles the gospel is taken to the whole world, the kingdom of God is expanded through evangelism, deepened through discipleship, new churches are planted in the most cost-effective manner, and souls are saved. These are all reasons for rejoicing and lifting one’s hands in praise, bending one’s knees in worship, and proclaiming God’s goodness. And that beats causing a little dust storm any day.

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The Lord of the Harvest’s Plan for World Evangelism (Part 3/4)

Read Part 1

Read Part 2

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

We’ve heard that dozens of times. The harvest is plenteous. The laborers are few. Contained in those words is a gigantic opportunity: the big harvest. The problem is He needs workers. Because there are lots of lost and only a few seekers a strategy for world evangelism is paramount. Therefore, here is what you do:

the Gospel of Matthew
Image by humberpike via Flickr

Call:

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 10:1). Because there are lots of lost and only a few seekers, God calls. Entire lessons and books have been written on the subject of the call so we won’t linger with that. The thing to note here is to reiterate that for those He calls, He gives them power. He enables, equips, and empowers His workers to reap the harvest. A call birthed in prayer and fasting, releases spiritual authority and power.

Go:

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:5-7).

The obvious thing about being sent forth is that someone has to “go.” Jesus carefully directed them to the lost. They were to start with the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” His plan for evangelism started at home but eventually worked its way around the globe (Acts 1:8). They began in their Jerusalem but didn’t stop there. It is always God’s plan to go the distance; to the uttermost parts of the earth. Someone has rightly said that the light that shines the furthest shines the brightest at home. Some else quipped, “Don’t send a lamp to the mission field that will not burn at home.”

In reading this verse and verses that follow it, it is obvious that Jesus had a strategic, focused, plan.

Declare:

It wasn’t enough to just go. “As you go, preach.” We are to proclaim the good news of the gospel. The kingdom is at hand: it is drawing close to people and bringing them to a point of decision. This is called a “truth encounter” and should be an integral, pivotal part of every Gospel presentation.

Paul testified that he came “declaring unto you the testimony of God” but also in “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:1-4). Those two aspects of presenting Jesus Christ to a lost world work hand-in-hand.

Demonstrate:

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 10:1).

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9:35).

A “power encounter” is a demonstration of God’s power and His acts. It manifests the power of God through answering immediate needs and (at times) through working signs, miracles, and wonders that will confirm the Word of God. These demonstrations may help people make a step of faith. They authenticate the message that has been preached. As signs they evoke awe and astonishment. As miracles they display supernatural power.

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