For Whom the Bell Tolls: Working God's Graveyard Shift

By David Ryser & Martha Paterik

Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.  (Ephesians 5;14b, NKJV)

Martha is one of my favorite people in the world.  There are a lot of reasons for this.  Martha is a passionate lover of Jesus.  She knows Him…really knows Him.  And she thinks.  I just love being around thinking Christians.

I especially appreciate them because of their scarcity.

Recently Martha shared with me a conversation she had with her mom.  Somehow they got to talking about church cemeteries.  At one time, it was common for churches to have cemeteries on their property.  This is not so usual anymore, and for a lot of reasons.  Martha suggested that the reason churches no longer have cemeteries outside of the church building is because all of the dead people are on the inside of the building.  Her mother graciously pointed out that not all of the people in the church building are dead.  Martha agreed, but noted that in the days of church cemeteries not everyone who was buried was dead either.  That’s why a string was tied to the body and attached to a bell above ground.

If the person had been buried alive, the movement of the body would cause the bell to ring.

But there’s not much point in having a ringing bell to signal life if there’s no one around to hear it ring.  So someone would stand the “graveyard shift” and listen for the ringing of the bell…just in case they had buried a live one by accident.  Upon hearing a bell ringing, the one standing by would summon assistance and reassure the one untimely buried that help was on the way.  Then the graveyard shift worker would assist in unearthing the one buried alive and set them free.

Martha’s next words exploded in my spirit.

So, Doc, how many bells will you hear…the next time you step into a church?  How many bells does God hear?  How often is Jesus calling an untimely buried person out of the tomb of church?  If you can’t resurrect the whole graveyard, then at the very least unbury the ones still alive in it.

And I was reminded of Tom.

Years ago, Tom stood the graveyard shift at a church that was renowned for its coldness and unfriendliness.  He would greet people with a smile, a kind word, and a hug.  A big hug…a squeeze-the-air-out-of-you hug.  People would stand in line to be greeted by Tom.  Several people confided to me that the only reason they attended that church was because of Tom.  He made them feel valued and loved.

When Tom finally left that church, he was greatly missed.

I typically do not attend a traditional religious service on Sunday.  This is not a secret.  So occasionally I talk with people who do attend a conventional church service, and they feel the need to explain…usually apologetically…why they do so.  Many are getting very little out of the experience, but feel God is calling them to stay.  And they don’t know why.  They are frustrated.  They want very much to leave.  As we talk further, they usually realize that they stay in their church because their friends attend there.  Or they feel compassion for the people in the church and want to minister the love of Jesus to them…like Tom.

They are working God’s graveyard shift.  And it can be hard work.

It’s hard observing people you love slowly die from exposure to the religious system week after week.  It hurts to see the light in their eyes dim and eventually extinguish.  To watch their strength and passion ebb away to nothingness.  To look on as they strain and claw for the last little bit of life on their way down to spiritual death.

But someone needs to be there to hear the bells…and to assist in unearthing those who should not be buried.

Maybe God is calling you to be that someone.

If so, then let me encourage you to be faithful to that calling without apology.  I have endured some misunderstanding and criticism for not attending a traditional church service.  Surely you can endure those who ask, “Why are you staying in that church?”

Maybe now you have an answer to their question:  “I’m listening for bells.”

And while you’re listening for bells, you may also hear Martha’s words ringing in your spirit as well:

Let it not be said of us that we walked by a ringing bell without taking notice.  Let us not be ones who left behind those to claw their last bit of life on the casket/pew.  You mentioned seeing the life slowly dying in the eyes of people trapped inside a church; the light slowly extinguishing like a candle burning away the last bit of oxygen.  What is sad is that they are in church because it is supposed to be the place the Breath of His Life is found.  So they come week after week breathing in a poisonous gas that is slowly killing them.  Is it not a more vile crime that we have tricked them with the false promise of God and delivered nothing but a slower, more insidious poison than the world was offering?

Stand the graveyard shift…stand the inglorious job of listening for life.  They are dying for life…they are dying for the Breath of His Life.

Hear the bells ring, Jesus.  The people are dying for the life that You bring.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Lessons from an Atheist Stand-Up Comic: A Reflection

By David Ryser

If all the world’s a stage…where does the audience sit?  (George Carlin)

When I was a young man, George Carlin was my favorite comic.  Carlin was everything I was not.  He was hip.  He was cool.  He was edgy.  He was irreverent.  He was profane.

Okay, I was irreverent and profane, but I wasn’t any of those other things.

And Carlin was hysterically funny.  And shocking.  And poignant.  Simultaneously.  He made you laugh and think at the same time.  He delighted and horrified audiences with his comic routines such as “Seven Words You can Never Say on Television.”

Carlin was also a self-described atheist.

Now let us put aside for the moment the fact that atheism is an absurdity.  Atheism is preposterous.  There is no such thing as an atheist.  An atheist is not someone who does not believe in God.  A person who does not believe in God is simply an unbeliever.  An atheist is someone who declares…as an undeniable fact…that God does not exist.  In order to be an atheist, one would need to know everything and have been everywhere; otherwise, it would be possible for God to exist outside of the “atheist’s” limited experience.  Once this possibility is admitted, the person is no longer an atheist.

If you must know everything (be omniscient) and have been everywhere (be omnipresent) in order to be an atheist, then the only person who can be a genuine atheist is God.

It may come as a surprise to many that George Carlin was raised in church.  He also was educated at a parochial/religious school.  He was taught the basic tenets of the Christian faith both at home and at school.  Carlin was not a self-described atheist because he had never heard about Jesus.  He was a self-described atheist because he had heard about Jesus.

Perhaps I should explain that.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to talk with a number of people who claim to be atheist.  I have found these people to be thoughtful about why they’ve concluded there is no God.  They are open about their quest for the God they could not find.  Most were genuine seekers of God at one time.

And all of them were raised in church.

Some were abused by the religious system…or by religious people…in various ways.  Some stopped believing in a God they could not please, no matter how hard they tried.  Some lost faith in a God that did not answer their cries at a time when they really needed Him.  Some could not believe in a fire-breathing tyrant who would brutally murder His own Son to prove His love for them.  Some could not grasp the concept of a loving God who is eager to cast them into hell if they misbehave or fail to appease Him in some way.  In short, they could not believe in a God that doesn’t exist.

If believing in a God that doesn’t exist is atheism, then I am an atheist.

Because I have found that these same people are very open to hearing about the Jesus of the Gospels.  They respond positively to the Jesus I know.  And I wonder if George Carlin would have wanted to meet Jesus if someone who knew Him…who represented Jesus accurately in word and deed…and knew George…would have offered to introduce them?

Our misrepresentation of God by bad theology and bad living has turned more people away from Jesus than all the demons on earth.

I am often struck by all of the scriptures in the New Testament, especially in the epistles of Paul, where the apostle encourages the people of God to live righteous lives.  Unlike the preaching in our churches, Paul does not command Christians to live uprightly so they can secure their place in heaven.  He wants them to live transformed lives so that people will see God at work in them and respond positively to Him.  When the people of God live sinful…or religious…lives, it misrepresents God.  Unbelievers get a false image of God and His work, and they reject both.

Imagine the early believers’ reaction when Paul said to them, “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24; cf. 1 Timothy 6:1 & Titus 2:5).

So when I saw the quote by George Carlin, my mind turned to all of these things…eventually.  Actually, my initial response was simply to answer the question:  “If all the world’s a stage…where does the audience sit?”

They sit in the pews.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Signs & Wonders?: I Wonder....

By David Ryser

What am I missing here?  What do [things like] feathers and gemstones have to do with the fruit that Father is looking for? The only reason I can think of is that after 50 years of the Charismatic renewal we are so bankrupt in spirit that we need the baubles to reassure us that He is really available to us.  (Mary Watkins)

A number of years ago, there was quite a stir within Pentecostal/Charismatic circles caused by a woman whose ministry featured feathers (dove’s feathers or angel’s feathers, according to whomever was relating the story) that would be found on the floor after meetings in which she was ministering.  People were excited about this “supernatural move of God.”  The woman was in much demand as a conference speaker.  This religious scam crashed to earth after a well-known evangelist exposed the fraud behind the manifestation.  It seems this woman would sprinkle feathers on the floor prior to her meetings.  Video evidence supported the evangelist’s claims, and the feathers were analyzed and determined to be goose feathers.

The evangelist who exposed the deception received numerous letters and phone calls (in the days before e-mail) from all over the country.  People were upset.  But not with the woman.  With him.  He had ruined their religious fantasy…and they were furious!

Hell hath no fury like a Christian whose religious delusion has been dashed.

Now I want to be crystal clear about one thing:  I do not have a problem with supernatural manifestations of God’s presence and power.  I do not seek them, but I’m not offended by them.  I have seen God manifest Himself mightily in awesome displays of His authority.  Undeniable miracles and healings.  Prophetic words that went to the core of a person’s life and transformed them radically.  I have been privileged to be used by God to minister all of these things.

And because I know how ministering God’s genuine power can become a snare to me, I don’t have time to worry about the fake stuff.

 That’s why I’m not particularly disturbed by phony (or even by counterfeit) manifestations.  These false things tend to sort themselves out over time.  The fruit is bad.  The fraud is ultimately exposed.  I am far more concerned about our unrighteous response to an authentic move of God where genuine signs and wonders are in evidence.

There are several examples of this principle in scripture.  A couple of them come readily to mind.

During Elijah’s last day on earth, Elisha steadfastly refused to leave his side (2 Kings 2:1-15).  As the time approached for Elijah’s departure, the old prophet asked his young apprentice what he wanted.  Elisha asked for the double portion…the inheritance of the eldest son…of the spirit that rested upon Elijah.  Elijah prophesied that this request would be granted, but only if Elisha saw him as he was leaving.

Easier said than done.

Because just prior to Elijah’s departure, there appeared to them a fiery chariot drawn by horses of fire.  They came from in front of them and passed between the two men.  And as they did, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Ignoring the fiery chariot and horses, Elisha kept his eyes steadfastly focused on Elijah and saw him as he departed…and received his mentor’s anointing.  Had he allowed himself to be distracted by the spectacular manifestation of the fiery chariot and its horses, he would have lost sight of Elijah.  And let there be no mistake:  The fiery chariot and the horses were sent by God…not by the devil.  So why did God send them?

To test Elisha’s heart.

When Jesus was on the earth, He revealed the Father through His teachings and with various signs and wonders.  These manifestations were genuine…they were from God.  The miracles and healings Jesus performed attracted the attention of Herod who sought to see Him (Luke 23:8a).  But the reason Herod wanted to see Jesus was because he wanted to see Jesus perform some spiritual tricks for him (Luke 23:8b) and not because he was seeking God.  Jesus refused even to speak with him, so Herod mocked Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate for execution.

Herod failed his heart test.

And what about the Samaritan ex-sorcerer, Simon?  (Acts 8:5-24)

When God shows up in a place, and among a people, He reveals Himself…often through miracles, signs, and wonders.  These workings of God serve to reveal who He is.  They reveal His heart.  But they also reveal our hearts.  How do we respond to what God is doing?  Do we receive these things as a love-gift from a beloved Father, or Lover?  Or do we fall in love with the gifts themselves?

My new friend, Mary, shared a vision she received from God on this subject.  The vision…and her comments on it…are worth considering.

I saw a bride dressed in an absolutely gorgeous wedding dress.  She was gorgeous herself too.  She had gems on her dress, in her hair, necklaces and bracelets and rings…all very beautiful, almost impossible to describe the beauty and glory.  I knew that she was passionately loved by the one who had given her all the stuff.

Then I saw that she was looking at all the jewels and gifts upon her and around her and had begun to admire the gifts, herself and to completely forget her lover.  I saw her lover standing off to the side, grieving, not devastated, just sad at the inner heart that had been revealed.

Then I saw the bride turn around so her back was to me.  I saw that her beautiful dress was soiled by the product of her own flesh (if you get my meaning).

Ever since then, I have been very wary of seeking or focusing on manifestations.  I passionately seek the inner miracles that help me to be more open to Him, to surrender more to Him for transformation, to become more like Him.  I know that I need more than anything else to be conformed to His image, to become more like Him, His love, His patience, His compassion, His wisdom.  I do not take my transformation for granted for a minute.  I am too aware of the lack in me.

A sober reminder, don’t you think?

I am grateful for God’s genuine signs and wonders.  But I’m also careful how I respond to them.  I allow the wonders to cause me to be in awe of the One that I love and wonder at His goodness.  And I remind myself that the signs are just that…signs.  Signs are not our destination.  Signs point to our destination…Him.  If we stop at the sign, thinking we have arrived, then of what use is the sign?  If we are duped by our response to the sign into believing that the sign is our goal…and stopping short on our journey into God’s heart…then we might have been better off without the sign to begin with.

So what can we do?

The fact is, we serve a living God.  Because He is living, He is working in the world and in the lives of people.  This includes signs, wonders, and all sorts of supernatural activity.  This is normative Christianity.  It is not without risks…especially if our hearts are bad…but God is willing to take the risk.  He continues to bless, heal, deliver, prosper, comfort, guide, and provide for us.  He loves us…passionately and relentlessly…and without regard to our worthiness, or our possible unfaithfulness.

Therefore, I have come to a decision regarding my response to signs, wonders, and all kinds of supernatural manifestations.  I have resolved to gratefully receive, embrace, experience, and enjoy all of God’s gifts…including signs and wonders…and to stay madly in love with the Giver.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Jail or Church: Can I Think About It?

By David Ryser

When we’ve lost a sense of belonging in God’s kingdom or the feeling of closeness to the King, we may look to religion for answers.  (Andrew Farley in God Without Religion)

I am sitting at my desk, reading a news article about a small community where criminals are given the choice between jail and church.  No kidding.  Nonviolent first-offenders have the option of being released from jail if they go to church every Sunday for a year.  The success of this program rests upon the hope that the prisoners will become “productive citizens” through church attendance.

And the inmates will need to take good notes while in church because they are required to write about the service each week.

So the alternatives are clear:  Jail or church?  Church or jail?  Jail or church?

Hmmmmm….  Tough choice.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com