Author: Tom Flaherty

Pastor at City Church in Madison, Wisconsin
Posted in Genesis, Isaiah, Romans

Reexamining Our Faith

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Did God really say?” Genesis 3:1

The first attack of the enemy was not to question the existence of God, but the word of God. So it is today. The Word of God is being questioned and challenged at every level. This is a sobering time for the church in this country which should cause all Christians to pause and reexamine their own faith. Here are three questions we should ask ourselves:

  1. Am I really a Christian? Do I believe the Word of God as it is or have I twisted it to say something it doesn’t say? The enemy followed up the question above with a promise: “You will surely not die.” (Genesis 3:4) If we don’t really believe the wages of sin is death, I don’t think we will see our need to receive the gift of eternal life. If we don’t really believe in sin, why would we need forgiveness?
  2. Do I fear God? We can live in the fear of God and change our thinking to embrace His ways, or we can rebel against His commands and make a new god in our own image. Paul says we are to “behold the kindness and severity of God.” (Romans 11:22) Have we done this, or have we tamed God and made Him something He isn’t?
  3. Am I willing to be persecuted for my faith? Am I willing to go against the grain? Am I willing to be mocked and laughed at or put in prison for my faith? The late missionary, Elizabeth Elliott, said this in her journal: “If something isn’t worth dying for, it isn’t worth living for.” Am I willing to die for my faith?

This is not a time for Christians to become afraid; it’s time for us to shine. It’s not a time for us to be angry because America isn’t Christian; it’s time to wake up ourselves and make sure we’re Christians. Isaiah 60:1-3 says: “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” This is to be the church’s greatest hour.

Posted in 1John, 2Corinthians, Hebrews, Isaiah, James, Matthew, Revelation

Drawing Near

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8

The remarkable thing about the New Covenant is that it gives us as much of God as we want. The Old Covenant featured a veil which stood between sinful humanity and a holy God. It served as a reminder that God needed to keep a safe distance from us, or we might easily be struck down by the consuming fire He is. (Hebrews 12:29)

Everything today has changed because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The veil, it turns out, was a picture of Christ’s body. (Hebrews 10:20) When Jesus was crucified as the sacrifice for our sins, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51) We now have access to God 24/7 and are encouraged to “draw near with confidence having our hearts cleansed from a guilty conscience.” (Hebrews 10:22)

We don’t have to live far from God! Don’t let fear, confusion, regrets, discouragement, distractions, or even struggles with sin keep you away from nearness to God. No one cleans up before they take a shower – the purpose of the shower is to clean you up. Don’t clean up for God, draw near and God will clean up your life without you even focusing on it. Here’s how He cleans us up in His Presence:

  1. His perfect love casts out fear. (1John 4:18)
  2. The clouds of confusion are cleared by the lens of eternity. (2Corinthians 4:18)
  3. He gives us His beauty in place of the ashes of our regrets. (Isaiah 61:3)
  4. He releases joy which replaces discouragement. (Isaiah 61:3)
  5. His blood silences every accusation against us and gives us a new beginning without sin. (Revelation 12:10-11)

God likes us, and He has done everything to welcome us into His presence which is the ultimate answer to every one of our problems. To live far away from God is to miss the main purpose for living.

Posted in 2Kings

The Bigger Message

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“‘Behold now, I (Naaman) know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.’ But he (Elisha) said, ‘As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.’ And he urged him to take it, but he refused.” 2Kings 5:15-16

Naaman was a famous general in the army of Aram and everyone knew he had leprosy. A young Israeli girl who had been taken captive by him said that she wished he would go to the prophet in Israel, so he could be healed. This was the beginning of God’s message to Naaman. Here is a girl who should want his death but instead wants his healing.

He goes to Elisha and is sure that his position before men will be recognized and honored by the prophet, but it’s not. In fact, Elisha doesn’t even come out but only gives the message to go dunk seven times in the Jordan river, and then he will be healed. Naaman is furious. He thought Elisha would “surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.” (2Kings 5:11) Do you see how dangerous it is when we dictate to God how He should do what only He can do? One of his officers said to him, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (2Kings 5:13) So finally Naaman goes and does what God tells him to do and is completely healed.

In the text above he wants to pay for his healing, but Elisha has been instructed to take nothing. Everyone in Aram will want to know how Naaman got healed and he is to tell the story and to let everyone know that it came absolutely free when he submitted to God’s conditions. But Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, thinks that Naaman got off too easy so he follows him and receives a gift from what Naaman wanted to pay. This stirred God’s judgment because Gehazi’s greed blurred the message God wanted to speak to the people of Aram about His grace.

Gehazi completely missed the bigger message because of human reasoning and selfishness. Did you know that God’s speaking a message through your life that’s bigger than you? It’s important for us to obey even when we don’t understand.

Posted in 2Chronicles

Facing Your Fears

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” 2Chronicles 20:17

It appeared to be a disastrous day for Israel. Three armies were attacking it at once. One, they could possibly have handled; two, unlikely; but three? No way. Have you ever had a day like this? So much is happening at once, you feel like you’re going to collapse unless God does something.

Instead of calling the nation to war, the king called them to prayer. The prayer had two basic thoughts:

  1. We’re in big trouble. “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2Chronicles 20:12)
  2. God is our only hope. “Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You…We will stand in Your Presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.” (2Chronicles 20:6, 9)

God spoke the words quoted above through a prophet in response to this prayer. Please notice God didn’t tell them to hide while He took care of their problems for them. He told them to face what they were afraid of with confidence that He would be with them. He told them to stop fearing and to start trusting, He had a victory planned for His children.

It’s the same today. God wants to give us victory and in the process teach us how to trust Him. What are you afraid of today? Why not bring it before God in real prayer and ask for His help? Then go out and face your problems and impossibilities with courage because God is with you, and there is no difficulty too large for Him.

The Israelites faced this vast army the next day with their eyes on God. The worshipers went out front saying, “give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever,” and as they began to sing and praise, “the Lord set ambushes” against their enemies. (2Chronicles 20:22)

Let’s lift our eyes above what is making us afraid and see the God who loves us, helps us, and gives us strength.

Posted in Ephesians, Luke, Mark

The Alternate Reality

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

The Narnia books are all about an alternate reality; another realm where there is a continual conflict between good and evil. C.S. Lewis was describing for us the spirit world that is actually around us all the time. Jesus lived physically and engaged physical realities, but He was equally conscious of the spirit realm and in a moment would expose and address darkness with complete authority.

Whether releasing a woman that Satan had bound for eighteen long years (See Luke 13), delivering a man so tormented that he lived in total isolation (See Luke 9), or rebuking His own disciples when they were listening to the wrong voice (See Mark 8);  Jesus was never surprised by the need to address the alternate reality.

After He rose from the dead He entrusted those who believe His authority and gave as the first sign of believers: “In My Name, they will cast out demons.” (Mark 16:17) Have you embraced the alternate reality? It is easy in the American church to theologically believe in the spirit world but functionally live as if it’s “make believe” and irrational.

The problem is we will never win a war we haven’t fully engaged in. In fact, we will end up thinking flesh and blood is our enemy and feel the solution to our problems lies in manipulating people to get our way, or even, to get “God’s” way. (It is easy to equate our agenda with God’s will when we really want something.) This often leads to bitterness, frustration, or idolatry, and a life of striving which is actually under the influence of darkness instead of light.

“Get behind Me Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Mark 8:33)

Posted in 1Samuel, Hebrews, Philippians

Confidence through Victory

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“When David was told, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,’ he inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.’ But David’s men said to him, “here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces! Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.’ So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.” 1Samuel 23:1-5

David’s men are afraid and having a hard time believing that God really wants them to reach beyond their fears. When David brings the Word of the Lord, they say in essence: “We’re already afraid here in Judah which we know; now you think God wants us to go into enemy territory and fight there? You’d better ask God again because we don’t think He would ask us to go that far out of our comfort zone.”

David asks again and sure enough, it is God’s plan. Why? Is God mean? Does He like seeing His children miserable? No, it’s just that the only way to remove fear is to face it and discover that the prison it was making around your life was artificial. They obeyed God in spite of their fears and God gave them victory. Eventually these very men became David’s mighty men and became known for their fearlessness.

Did you know God is on a mission to make us fearless? He wants us to face every trial and challenge with a confidence that says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Do not let fear set the limits of your life but only the will of God.

If fear has been your automatic default mode I want to encourage you to regularly take up the confession of Hebrews 13:5-6: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”

Posted in Ephesians

God’s Heart for Israel – Part Two

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  Ephesians 2:12-14

When Christ came there was a tremendous spiritual war in Israel and the leadership ended up rejecting their own Messiah. The Father gave them the consequences of their choice and they became isolated from the New Covenant which was promised to them. The Gentiles, God’s second family of choice, then came in and benefited greatly from all the hard work Israel had done and actually came into the covenant promised to Israel instead of Israel. Today there is confusion in the body of Christ as to how God feels about Israel.

  1. Some feel God is still angry at them because of their rejection of Christ and continues to punish them for their bad attitude.
  2. Some feel that the church has replaced Israel; God has forgotten His firstborn – they were just a means to the end of His present family.
  3. Some know that God still loves Israel and is taking care of them anonymously even though they still refuse to recognize their Messiah, but see the continued independence of the Jews as a problem that doesn’t involve them.
  4. Some have seen the sorrow in God’s heart and have joined Him by intercession and kindness toward the Jewish people.

Whatever the responses of the children, the Larson family will not be complete to Dad and Mom until Bobby comes home. Whatever joy they have in their remaining children, none of them can replace Bobby. In the same way, God’s family won’t ever feel complete to Him until Israel comes home. He wants our hearts to be engaged with His for Israel. We have great spiritual wealth today in Christ because of their sacrifice. We need to remember that sacrifice and honor it by praying for Israel, weeping for Israel, and blessing Israel.  God’s kindness to them through the church is going to help bring them home.

Posted in Romans

God’s Heart for Israel – Part One

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery-so that you will not be wise in your own estimation-that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved…from the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:25; 28-29

The Larson’s had a prosperous farm in the early 1920’s and were thrilled with their first born son, Bobby. Seven years after Bobby’s birth they welcomed four more children, one after another, and then the depression hit. Bobby was not able to go to high school because he had to help his Dad on the farm to make ends meet. Because of his sacrifice, the other kids were all able to stay in school and prospered greatly. When World War II came, Bobby had to go off to war and when he came back, something had changed in him.

He had a bad attitude and became violent at times. His Dad warned him again and again that to be in this house there were rules that had to be followed, but Bobby persisted in his rebellion. It finally came to a head one day when Bobby, in the midst of one of his tantrums, hit his mom in the face and made her bleed. His Dad then told him to leave. Bobby left angry and promised to never return.

Years went past and the four younger siblings developed different attitudes toward Bobby. One felt that Dad and Mom were still angry and holding a grudge against Bobby; one felt that Dad and Mom had completely forgotten Bobby in the joy of the children that remained; and one, although aware that Dad and Mom were still sending money anonymously to Bobby, felt that it didn’t involve him.

The last child knew that losing Bobby had broken Dad and Mom’s heart and that they would never feel the family was whole until Bobby returned. He would find Dad and Mom praying for Bobby with tears, and would often join them in prayer as well as do whatever he could to reach out to him even though Bobby still claimed he wanted nothing to do with the family.

Israel was God’s first chosen family. He hasn’t forgotten them anymore than Bobby’s parents had forgotten Bobby. Pray for Israel.

Posted in Hebrews, Matthew

Watch!

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” Matthew 24:42-43 

The word watch means to “keep awake” and be “spiritually alert.” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary) It is the main instruction Jesus gives to His people about the end times. So how does one watch?

First, I think it is important to realize how easy it is to fall asleep spiritually. The flesh or carnal nature is weak and when it’s in control of our lives we go to sleep. It can be hard to recognize you’re asleep because you can still be busy doing stuff, maybe even religious duties. But when we put our identity in doing instead of in the Lord Himself, we start falling asleep spiritually.

Jesus said we have to “keep watching,” so we have to ask ourselves regularly: Have I fallen asleep? Do I find myself compromising in situations that I wouldn’t have in the past? Have I stopped reading the Bible and praying on my own? Do I think most about this world or the one to come? Am I more concerned about what people think or about what God thinks? These are important questions because they warn us when we’re getting sleepy.

If you’re fairly certain you’ve fallen asleep then tell yourself it’s time to wake up. Sound the alarm and don’t hit the snooze button or turn it off until you are all the way out of bed. Take time to repent and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you again. Consider fasting a meal or a day to grab a hold of eternal life in a determined fashion. I’m struck by this verse in Hebrews, “There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God… so make every effort to enter that rest.” (Hebrews 4:9-11)  It really is a paradox – we are fully awake only when we’re resting in Christ’s finished work. Once we’re awake we need to “keep watching.”

Posted in Galatians, Matthew

Keeping the Bats Out 

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’: and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” Matthew 12:43-45

We had a bat problem in our house in Montevideo, MN. There’s nothing creepier than a bat slithering into your house and flying around in your bedroom.   I remember being awakened one night, and then commanded by my wife to “do something” while she left the room and made sure the door was shut. She snuck a broom back into the room a few minutes later, so I wouldn’t be completely defenseless.

The bat was dealt with that night, but the next morning came with a more difficult problem to solve: how did the bat get in? We ended up hiring a company who came out to bat proof our house. A few days later I was sleeping peacefully when I thought I heard something swooshing around the room. My first thought was a bat but I comforted myself that we had already solved that problem. Surely it’s only a dream.

I wasn’t dreaming. The morning after fighting with the second bat, I called the bat proof company and they assured me that they would come back out and that I didn’t need to be alarmed because this sort of thing happens all the time. He told me something like this: “When bats get evicted from a house they circle that home for up to three days trying to find a way back in. We will find the new way they snuck in and plug it and continue to do so until they find a different home.”

If you’re a believer, the enemy can’t possess you, but if you believe a lie he can bring oppression. When you and I grab hold of the word of God in any area he loses his hold temporarily, but he doesn’t give up easily. He will circle and persecute and test the truth we started believing because he wants his place of influence back.

When we actively believe the truth we plug up any holes that would allow the enemy’s influence back into our lives. Paul told us to “stand firm in our freedom and not be enslaved again to any yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) So stand firm in the truth and don’t let the bats back in!