Monday, August 20, 2012
A Tale of Three Kings. Some years ago, longtime friend Dan Lenz gave me a little book which he felt would be helpful to me in light of some difficult times we were experiencing. The book was amazing! Today someone sent me a very condenced version of one part of the book. I'm posting it below.
Tale Of Three Kings: Absalom
By Gene Edwards
A condensed version of the story of Absalom. I Recommend you read the full story of Saul, David and Absalom in his book, "The Tale of Three Kings."
Which King are you?
It warmed your heart to know a man like Absalom, who saw things so clearly. Discerning. Yes, that was the word that best described him—discerning. He could penetrate to the heart of any problem.
Men felt secure just being with Absalom. They even longed to have time with him. Talking with him, they realized that they themselves were wiser than they'd realized. Such a revelation made them feel good. As he discussed problem after problem and solution after solution, men began to long for the day when this one would be their leader. He could right so many wrongs. He gave them a sense of hope.
But this imposing, insightful man would never deliberately hasten the day of his own rule, of this they were certain
. He was far too humble, too respectful of the present leader. Those around him began to feel a little frustrated that they would have to keep waiting for the better days of this man's rule.
The more they sat in his living room and talked, the more they realized there were things presently amiss in the kingdom. Yes, things amiss which they had never thought of before. And problems. Problems were coming to light they had never dreamed of. Yes, they really were growing in wisdom and in insight.
As the days passed, more and more of them came to listen. Word spread quietly. "Here is one who understands and has the answers." The frustrated came. They listened. They asked questions. They received excellent answers and began to hope.
Heads nodded. Dreams were born. As time passed, there were more such gatherings. Ideas turned into stories, stories of injustice that others might have deemed trivial. But not this listener! Absalom was compassionate. And as those around him talked, the discovered injustices seemed to grow in number and severity. With each new story, men were more shocked at unfairness that was now, it seemed, rampant.
But the wise young Absalom sat quietly and added not a word to these murmurings. He was too noble, you see. He always closed the evening conversations with an humble word of deference toward those with responsibility...
But it was too much to expect that any man could sit quietly by forever. This endless parade of injustice was bound to stir even the most respectful man. Even the purest in heart would be smitten with anger. (And this man was certainly the very purest in heart!)
Such a compassionate man could not forever turn his face from these sufferings nor forever remain silent. Such noble character as this had someday to speak out.
Finally his followers, which he vowed he did not have, were almost livid. Their insights into the wrongdoings of the kingdom not only grew but abounded. They all wanted to do something about these endless injustices.
At last, it seemed, the magnificent young Absalom might concede. At the outset it was only a word. Later, a sentence. Men's hearts leaped. Glee, if not joy, reigned. Nobility was at last arousing itself to action. But no! He cautioned them not to misunderstand. He was grieved, yes, but he could not speak against those in seats of responsibility. No, absolutely not. No matter how great the grievances, no matter how justified. He would not.
Yet he grieved more and more. It was obvious that some reports drove him to agony. Finally, his righteous anger broke out in cool, controlled words of strength. "These things ought not to be." He stood, eyes blazing. "If I were in responsibility, this is what I would do..."
And with these words, the rebellion was ignited. Ignited in all but one, that is. In the noblest and purest man in the room, this was not the case.
Rebellion had been in his heart for years.
He is both sincere and ambitious. A contradiction, perhaps, but true, nonetheless. He probably means some of what he says. But his ambition will continue long after he discovers his inability to do the things he promises. Righting the wrongs always becomes secondary to ascent to power.
He
(Absalom) was very emphatic that there should be more freedom in the kingdom. Everyone liked that. 'A people should be led only by God, and not by men,' he said. " Men should do only what they feel led of God to do. We should follow God, not a man.' I believe those were his words.
He (Absalom) spoke of the great visions he had for God's kingdom—of the great achievements the people were capable of. On the other hand, he spoke of many changes he would make in the way the kingdom is run. Although he did not seem to notice it, he had stated two irreconcilable propositions. Many changes, more freedom.
Absalom dreams. Dreams of what should be, of what will be: 'This is what I will do,' he says. But to fulfill those dreams, he must have the people's cooperation. Ah, this is the point men overlook. Such dreams rest totally on the premise that the people of God will be with the new leader, that all will see as he sees. Such men can envision no problems in there own future kingdom. What will Absalom do when people stop following him willingly? Ah, now there is a question.
You see, there is no kingdom without discord. Even God had His critics in heaven, you know. All kingdoms follow a bumpy course.
In the spiritual realm, a man who will lead a rebellion has already proven, no matter how grandiose his words or angelic his ways, that he has a critical nature, an unprincipled character, and hidden motives in his heart. Frankly, he is a thief. He creates dissatisfaction and tension within the realm, and then either seizes power or siphons off followers. The followers he gets, he uses to found his own dominion. Such a sorry beginning, built on the foundation of insurrection...No, God never honors division in His realm. "I find it curious that men who feel qualified to split God's kingdom do not feel capable of going somewhere else, to another land, to raise up a completely new kingdom. No, they must steal from another leader. I have never seen the exception. They seem always to need at least a few pre-packaged followers.
Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them. Their every word, if seen true, tells of their insecurity.
There are many lands unspoiled and unpossessed. There are many people in other places waiting to follow a true king, a true man of God. I repeat myself. Why don't 'would-be kings and prophets' simply walk quietly away, alone, find another people in another place, and there raise up the kingdom they envision?
Men who lead rebellions in the spiritual world are unworthy men. There are no exceptions.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
This weekend it was my privilege to teach on the first half of Daniel 9 -- Daniel's amazing prayer and confession of sin.
At the beginning of his prayer (Daniel 9:4)He praises God as "the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands."
I am overwelmed with the concept of God’s COVENANT OF LOVE.
A covenant/contract defines the terms of a relationship. God’s covenant with His people flows out of His love. Everything God does for us is driven by love.
The parent-child relationship is an illustration of a covenant of love. Everything the parent does for the child is an expression of their love – not because the child has earned it or always deserves it, but because that’s what a parent does (though parents are imperfect so sometimes fail). A parent makes rules that the child may not like, understand, or agree with, but the rules are an expression of the parent’s love—to protect their child from harm. If the child disobeys, a parent will often discipline them. This may be painful and misunderstood but it is also an expression of love – to help the chilc.
Marriage is a covenant of love, in which both commit that everything they do from that day forward will be done because they love each other. Unfortunately, because we are sinners, we sometimes violate the covenant and act out of selfishness rather than love and the relationship is harmed.
God perfectly enacts His covenant of love. He is never selfish, but always loving. Everything He does flows out of His love. His commands and His discipline are expressions of His love. The Sabbath year and the command to tithe are expressions of His covenant of love. These are discussed in the sermon -- you can listen at www.calvarymuskegon.com (click resources, sermons, launch sermon player -- a few days delay before the messages are posted).
What is my responsibility in this covenant? It is to who love him and obey his commands. If I understand that everything God does is because He loves me, it would be foolish to do anything except to love Him and to obey Him.
At the beginning of his prayer (Daniel 9:4)He praises God as "the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands."
I am overwelmed with the concept of God’s COVENANT OF LOVE.
A covenant/contract defines the terms of a relationship. God’s covenant with His people flows out of His love. Everything God does for us is driven by love.
The parent-child relationship is an illustration of a covenant of love. Everything the parent does for the child is an expression of their love – not because the child has earned it or always deserves it, but because that’s what a parent does (though parents are imperfect so sometimes fail). A parent makes rules that the child may not like, understand, or agree with, but the rules are an expression of the parent’s love—to protect their child from harm. If the child disobeys, a parent will often discipline them. This may be painful and misunderstood but it is also an expression of love – to help the chilc.
Marriage is a covenant of love, in which both commit that everything they do from that day forward will be done because they love each other. Unfortunately, because we are sinners, we sometimes violate the covenant and act out of selfishness rather than love and the relationship is harmed.
God perfectly enacts His covenant of love. He is never selfish, but always loving. Everything He does flows out of His love. His commands and His discipline are expressions of His love. The Sabbath year and the command to tithe are expressions of His covenant of love. These are discussed in the sermon -- you can listen at www.calvarymuskegon.com (click resources, sermons, launch sermon player -- a few days delay before the messages are posted).
What is my responsibility in this covenant? It is to who love him and obey his commands. If I understand that everything God does is because He loves me, it would be foolish to do anything except to love Him and to obey Him.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
One of the best habits of my life is to read the "Proverb of the day" -- that is the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the date. I wish I could say that I never miss, but that is my goal.
Today's Proverb, 26, is an expose of the fool, the sluggard, the meddler, the gossip, and the malicious man. It is a penetrating chapter that calls each of us to read it for ourselves rather than quickly hoping someone we know considers the parts which we are certain apply to them.
After a stunningly negative description of the fool, verse 12 suggests that there is one kind of person who is worse than a fool,that is, "a man wise in his own eyes," because "there is more hope for a fool than for him."
The "man wise in his own eyes" is a person who does not have a humble, teachable spirit. He/she is so certain of being right that there is no openness to hearing something different.
"Lord, give me a teachable spirit."
Today's Proverb, 26, is an expose of the fool, the sluggard, the meddler, the gossip, and the malicious man. It is a penetrating chapter that calls each of us to read it for ourselves rather than quickly hoping someone we know considers the parts which we are certain apply to them.
After a stunningly negative description of the fool, verse 12 suggests that there is one kind of person who is worse than a fool,that is, "a man wise in his own eyes," because "there is more hope for a fool than for him."
The "man wise in his own eyes" is a person who does not have a humble, teachable spirit. He/she is so certain of being right that there is no openness to hearing something different.
"Lord, give me a teachable spirit."
Sunday, January 01, 2012
The Lord's Supper
Today for our Communion Service we focused on the bread and wine from 1 Corinthians 11. The notes are too long to post but later this week the sermon will be up on the church web site: www.calvarymuskegon.com.
(1) The bread is a picture of Jesus’ body broken on the cross to pay for our sin
Think of the process involved in producing bread. A seed is planted in the ground and grows quietly till the grain is formed (like the first 30 years of Jesus’ life). Then the grain is cut, bundled, and thrashed and winnowed to separate the grain from the stalk and shell. Next the grain is smashed -- ground into powder to make it into flour. Made into bread dough, the flour is then fired in a hot oven until the amazing aroma of fresh bread invites us to rip off a piece to both enjoy and be nourished by life’s most basic food – bread. What an amazing picture -- in order to become the BREAD OF LIFE to give life to the world, Jesus’ body, like the grain had to be cut off, smashed, violently pulverized, ground up, and then put through the fire. How He loves us!
(2) The bread is a picture of Jesus’ body the church unified by love to carry out His mission throughout the world
Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17
The church is the body of Christ on the earth today. Jesus is doing His work in the world today through His body, the church. The church represents Jesus on earth today. The church is “one loaf” and “one body” – its unity a powerful demonstration of Jesus and His love.
That’s why when he wrote a letter to the first century church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul was so incensed and brutally confrontational about what happened at their communion service. Imagine how uncomfortable the Corinthian Christians must’ve been when these words from Paul were read in their gathering: In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
Obviously these early Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper in conjunction with what we today might call a “potluck supper.” They actually called it a “love feast” because it was to be a wonderful display of unselfish love and unity.
After all, the church was the one, perhaps the only place in the ancient world where all the barriers were down, where everyone was equal. The church was an island of love and unity in an ocean of selfishness, division, racism, elitism, sexism, and discrimination. The church was a place where rich and poor, slave and free, men and women, old and young, educated and uneducated – all were one, equal, accepted, united, and loved.
But at the Corinthian communion pot luck, rather than showing selfless love to each other, especially to those poor members who had no food to contribute, the better off members pushed to the front and gluttonously consumed the food and got drunk on the wine leaving the poor members with nothing but their hunger and thirst. Some of the members were driven by selfishness rather than love.
The church was divided by those who wanted their way at the expense of others. The unity of the church was damaged by those who had the attitude, “It’s all about me and getting my needs met.”
Wait a minute. Isn’t the church supposed to be a place where it’s about Jesus and others rather than about me? Isn’t that the difference between love and selfishness?
Here are some observations on Paul’s pointed teaching in 1Corinthians 11:
• Authentic Christians care about the poor – it is so gratifying to see how God has been transforming Calvary in this regard. The generosity of our church family in meeting peoples’ needs has been astounding!
• Christians aren’t perfect – I shouldn’t be surprised when I see that in others or recognize it in myself
• Churches aren’t perfect – While I may be saddened by this, I shouldn’t be shocked or become cynical or disillusioned and walk away.
• It’s not okay for an individual or a group to divide the church and harm its unity in order to get their way or benefit themselves at the expense of others.
• If someone damages the unity of the church and divides it, they should be strongly confronted, rebuked, and called on to repent and change their behavior – like Paul did here in 1 Corinthians 11. These were very uncomfortable words but necessary if the church was going to be the body of Christ rather than some ugly misrepresentation of it.
• In a remarkable indication of the importance of love and unity in Jesus’ church, Paul asserted in verse 19 that divisions in a church reveal which members have God’s approval and which do not. Regardless of what they make think or say, those who cause division do not have God’s approval on their lives.
• This is the flip side of Jesus’ declaration that the way His true disciples would be recognized is by their love for each other (John 13:34, 35) and that the unity of the church is the way the world would not only know that they were Jesus’ true followers but also the way the world would come to believe that God sent His Son to rescue the world (John 17:20-23).
• A selfish Christian who must have his/her own way at the expense of others or who fails to share God’s blessing with those in need thereby denies the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
• Paul called on the Corinthian Christians to examine themselves before participating in the service lest they fail to recognize the Lord’s body and partake unworthily. To bring selfishness and division to “the body of Christ” is to sin against Jesus’ body and blood, and thus invite God’s serious judgment (1 Corinthians 11:28-34).
By the way, there’s an important lesson here about all relationships – not just the church. Wherever there is division you can be sure that there is selfishness. Love unites. Selfishness divides. Selfishness always results in division – in a marriage, a family, a friendship, a team, a business, a community, or a nation.
The Communion service is a dramatic picture of self-sacrificing love in order to benefit others. Jesus gave up everything in order to give us forgiveness, make us part of His family and kingdom, change us from selfish to loving, and give us the hope of eternal life in the new heaven and earth.
Watch or listen to the entire study later this week at www.calvarymuskegon.com
Today for our Communion Service we focused on the bread and wine from 1 Corinthians 11. The notes are too long to post but later this week the sermon will be up on the church web site: www.calvarymuskegon.com.
(1) The bread is a picture of Jesus’ body broken on the cross to pay for our sin
Think of the process involved in producing bread. A seed is planted in the ground and grows quietly till the grain is formed (like the first 30 years of Jesus’ life). Then the grain is cut, bundled, and thrashed and winnowed to separate the grain from the stalk and shell. Next the grain is smashed -- ground into powder to make it into flour. Made into bread dough, the flour is then fired in a hot oven until the amazing aroma of fresh bread invites us to rip off a piece to both enjoy and be nourished by life’s most basic food – bread. What an amazing picture -- in order to become the BREAD OF LIFE to give life to the world, Jesus’ body, like the grain had to be cut off, smashed, violently pulverized, ground up, and then put through the fire. How He loves us!
(2) The bread is a picture of Jesus’ body the church unified by love to carry out His mission throughout the world
Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17
The church is the body of Christ on the earth today. Jesus is doing His work in the world today through His body, the church. The church represents Jesus on earth today. The church is “one loaf” and “one body” – its unity a powerful demonstration of Jesus and His love.
That’s why when he wrote a letter to the first century church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul was so incensed and brutally confrontational about what happened at their communion service. Imagine how uncomfortable the Corinthian Christians must’ve been when these words from Paul were read in their gathering: In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
Obviously these early Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper in conjunction with what we today might call a “potluck supper.” They actually called it a “love feast” because it was to be a wonderful display of unselfish love and unity.
After all, the church was the one, perhaps the only place in the ancient world where all the barriers were down, where everyone was equal. The church was an island of love and unity in an ocean of selfishness, division, racism, elitism, sexism, and discrimination. The church was a place where rich and poor, slave and free, men and women, old and young, educated and uneducated – all were one, equal, accepted, united, and loved.
But at the Corinthian communion pot luck, rather than showing selfless love to each other, especially to those poor members who had no food to contribute, the better off members pushed to the front and gluttonously consumed the food and got drunk on the wine leaving the poor members with nothing but their hunger and thirst. Some of the members were driven by selfishness rather than love.
The church was divided by those who wanted their way at the expense of others. The unity of the church was damaged by those who had the attitude, “It’s all about me and getting my needs met.”
Wait a minute. Isn’t the church supposed to be a place where it’s about Jesus and others rather than about me? Isn’t that the difference between love and selfishness?
Here are some observations on Paul’s pointed teaching in 1Corinthians 11:
• Authentic Christians care about the poor – it is so gratifying to see how God has been transforming Calvary in this regard. The generosity of our church family in meeting peoples’ needs has been astounding!
• Christians aren’t perfect – I shouldn’t be surprised when I see that in others or recognize it in myself
• Churches aren’t perfect – While I may be saddened by this, I shouldn’t be shocked or become cynical or disillusioned and walk away.
• It’s not okay for an individual or a group to divide the church and harm its unity in order to get their way or benefit themselves at the expense of others.
• If someone damages the unity of the church and divides it, they should be strongly confronted, rebuked, and called on to repent and change their behavior – like Paul did here in 1 Corinthians 11. These were very uncomfortable words but necessary if the church was going to be the body of Christ rather than some ugly misrepresentation of it.
• In a remarkable indication of the importance of love and unity in Jesus’ church, Paul asserted in verse 19 that divisions in a church reveal which members have God’s approval and which do not. Regardless of what they make think or say, those who cause division do not have God’s approval on their lives.
• This is the flip side of Jesus’ declaration that the way His true disciples would be recognized is by their love for each other (John 13:34, 35) and that the unity of the church is the way the world would not only know that they were Jesus’ true followers but also the way the world would come to believe that God sent His Son to rescue the world (John 17:20-23).
• A selfish Christian who must have his/her own way at the expense of others or who fails to share God’s blessing with those in need thereby denies the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
• Paul called on the Corinthian Christians to examine themselves before participating in the service lest they fail to recognize the Lord’s body and partake unworthily. To bring selfishness and division to “the body of Christ” is to sin against Jesus’ body and blood, and thus invite God’s serious judgment (1 Corinthians 11:28-34).
By the way, there’s an important lesson here about all relationships – not just the church. Wherever there is division you can be sure that there is selfishness. Love unites. Selfishness divides. Selfishness always results in division – in a marriage, a family, a friendship, a team, a business, a community, or a nation.
The Communion service is a dramatic picture of self-sacrificing love in order to benefit others. Jesus gave up everything in order to give us forgiveness, make us part of His family and kingdom, change us from selfish to loving, and give us the hope of eternal life in the new heaven and earth.
Watch or listen to the entire study later this week at www.calvarymuskegon.com
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
A PRAYER TO BECOME MORE LOVING AND LESS SELFISH:
Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val. HT: Kevin Edgecomb
Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val. HT: Kevin Edgecomb
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The Jesus I still don’t know.
Philip Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew, is a wonderful, challenging, thought-provoking study of Jesus in the Bible. Our LIFEGroup went through it together a couple of years ago. Yancey exposes many ways we have made Jesus into someone very different than He was/is. The human heart is an idol factory, addicted to sin and spin. It is the tendency of fallen people like me to spin Jesus into someone more comfortable for us to live with, less demanding for our transformation, less intrusive into the values and choices we cherish.
I often think of Yancey's book as I read the Gospels – the four biographies of Jesus given us by the Holy Spirit through eye witnesses of His incarnation.
Today I am reading Luke’s version of the sermon on the mount (Luke 6). I like Matthew’s better (Matthew 5). In Matthew Jesus pronounces a blessing on the “poor in spirit.” In Luke the blessing is for “the poor.” I'd rather be poor in spirit than poor in my financial condition. Poor in spirit is less challenging to my comfortable life style (and my preaching).
Lest I might think I should read Matthew’s “in spirit” into Luke’s account rather than taking it literally as an affirmation of those who live in poverty, Luke proceeds with Jesus’ blessing on those who “hunger now” (leaving out Matthew’s “for righteousness”) and then with His pronouncements of woe on those who “are rich” and “well fed.” It seems impossible to spin Luke’s record away from its economic implications.
It would appear that Matthew and Luke each record a different aspect and application of what Jesus taught -- one spiritual and one material -- both mandates for those who follow Jesus.
Jesus’ words are bombshells exploding on our American values and lifestyle.
I’m not at all sure I understand what Jesus is saying . . . or perhaps I just don’t want to face it. I know I must reconcile these words with the rest of the Scriptures, which, I believe, are never in contradiction when rightly interpreted.
Do we dare to wrestle with the meaning, application, and implication of Jesus’ words, or do we quickly move on to another passage which is less intrusive or challenging? What is unmistakably clear in the Bible is that God blesses us not merely so we can gratefully enjoy His goodness (1 Timothy 6:17) but also so that we can be extravagantly generous to others (1 Timothy 6:18). Whatever Jesus is saying in Luke 6, I know that I only have my toes in the ocean of potential generosity -- generosity to relieve suffering (Matthew 25) and to spread the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28).
Perhaps at Christmas when we privileged Americans are so immersed in materialism, I must fight to recognize and be continually grateful for God's undeserved generosity to me but also move to a new level of personal generosity to fulfill the Lord's mission to redeem sinners and relieve suffering.
I want to know Jesus . . . the real Jesus . . . and what He truly asks of me.
Philip Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew, is a wonderful, challenging, thought-provoking study of Jesus in the Bible. Our LIFEGroup went through it together a couple of years ago. Yancey exposes many ways we have made Jesus into someone very different than He was/is. The human heart is an idol factory, addicted to sin and spin. It is the tendency of fallen people like me to spin Jesus into someone more comfortable for us to live with, less demanding for our transformation, less intrusive into the values and choices we cherish.
I often think of Yancey's book as I read the Gospels – the four biographies of Jesus given us by the Holy Spirit through eye witnesses of His incarnation.
Today I am reading Luke’s version of the sermon on the mount (Luke 6). I like Matthew’s better (Matthew 5). In Matthew Jesus pronounces a blessing on the “poor in spirit.” In Luke the blessing is for “the poor.” I'd rather be poor in spirit than poor in my financial condition. Poor in spirit is less challenging to my comfortable life style (and my preaching).
Lest I might think I should read Matthew’s “in spirit” into Luke’s account rather than taking it literally as an affirmation of those who live in poverty, Luke proceeds with Jesus’ blessing on those who “hunger now” (leaving out Matthew’s “for righteousness”) and then with His pronouncements of woe on those who “are rich” and “well fed.” It seems impossible to spin Luke’s record away from its economic implications.
It would appear that Matthew and Luke each record a different aspect and application of what Jesus taught -- one spiritual and one material -- both mandates for those who follow Jesus.
Jesus’ words are bombshells exploding on our American values and lifestyle.
I’m not at all sure I understand what Jesus is saying . . . or perhaps I just don’t want to face it. I know I must reconcile these words with the rest of the Scriptures, which, I believe, are never in contradiction when rightly interpreted.
Do we dare to wrestle with the meaning, application, and implication of Jesus’ words, or do we quickly move on to another passage which is less intrusive or challenging? What is unmistakably clear in the Bible is that God blesses us not merely so we can gratefully enjoy His goodness (1 Timothy 6:17) but also so that we can be extravagantly generous to others (1 Timothy 6:18). Whatever Jesus is saying in Luke 6, I know that I only have my toes in the ocean of potential generosity -- generosity to relieve suffering (Matthew 25) and to spread the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28).
Perhaps at Christmas when we privileged Americans are so immersed in materialism, I must fight to recognize and be continually grateful for God's undeserved generosity to me but also move to a new level of personal generosity to fulfill the Lord's mission to redeem sinners and relieve suffering.
I want to know Jesus . . . the real Jesus . . . and what He truly asks of me.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Defend yourself from a killer or turn the other cheek?
That's the issue dividing Christians in Nigeria where scores have been killed and nearly 100 church buildings burned down by radical Muslims. Is it legitimate for Christians to defend themselves or must they "turn the other cheek" even if it means they or their children will be murdered? Lord, help us to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters as they wrestle with these life and death questions for themselves and their family. Would to God we would take obedience to the Scriptures so seriously.
Before I comment on the question of self-defence, let me say that the issues Christians "fight" and leave churches over in the USA are in a radically different category than this issue which is dividing Nigerian believers. Recently a long-term Christian wrote that she was leaving our church and mentioned the reasons: issues such as musical style, how people dress on the platform, whether the American flag was appropriately displayed (we have 18 permanently displayed in our buidling including a giant one on the FLC wall -- just not one in "the right place" on the platform), and whether we engaged in certain nationalistic/patriotic practices in our gatherings to worship King Jesus, whose kingdom is "not from this world." While I readily understand the emotions that change-issues elicit, and feel the pain of those for whom such issues are difficult, I cannot help but grieve (1)that the American Christians divide over such triviality compared to the persecuted church in places like Nigeria, and (2) that Christians take strong and divisive stands over issues that are so out-of-sync with Biblical truth. We should be more mature and know better!
Back to the question of self defense: I pray for wisdom for my Nigerian family members because I can comprehend, at least a little, the horrible possibilities if they "turn the other cheek" rather than defending themselves or their families. This is certainly a potentially valid application of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:39. However, it may be important to note that Jesus specifically said, "If someone strikes you on the RIGHT cheek . . ." Because I believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, I must take seriously that Jesus specified the "right" cheek. Most people are right handed. If a right-handed person throws a PUNCH, it would land on the other person's LEFT cheek. Being struck on the "right" cheek suggests a backhand -- that is, a personal insult, not a murderous assault. I also remember in the book of Esther that the Jews, apparently with God's approval, defended themselves against the attacks of their enemies as a result of Haman's wicked law. The book of Esther records the number of their enemies killed while the Jews defended themselves. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told His disciples to be armed with swords -- although He did not allow their use to rescue Him from the cross.
All of that said, I hope that this remains an "academic" exercise for me, because if such persecution came to America, I would need to consider more seriously the possibility that the Jesus' way, the way of the cross, might call on me to lay down my life for Him -- or to see my loved ones do the same. It's always easy to interpret difficult Scriptures in ways that have the most comfortable application in my life. May God protect us from such selfishness.
And may God protect His church in America from tragic, preference-oriented, self-centered triviality.
That's the issue dividing Christians in Nigeria where scores have been killed and nearly 100 church buildings burned down by radical Muslims. Is it legitimate for Christians to defend themselves or must they "turn the other cheek" even if it means they or their children will be murdered? Lord, help us to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters as they wrestle with these life and death questions for themselves and their family. Would to God we would take obedience to the Scriptures so seriously.
Before I comment on the question of self-defence, let me say that the issues Christians "fight" and leave churches over in the USA are in a radically different category than this issue which is dividing Nigerian believers. Recently a long-term Christian wrote that she was leaving our church and mentioned the reasons: issues such as musical style, how people dress on the platform, whether the American flag was appropriately displayed (we have 18 permanently displayed in our buidling including a giant one on the FLC wall -- just not one in "the right place" on the platform), and whether we engaged in certain nationalistic/patriotic practices in our gatherings to worship King Jesus, whose kingdom is "not from this world." While I readily understand the emotions that change-issues elicit, and feel the pain of those for whom such issues are difficult, I cannot help but grieve (1)that the American Christians divide over such triviality compared to the persecuted church in places like Nigeria, and (2) that Christians take strong and divisive stands over issues that are so out-of-sync with Biblical truth. We should be more mature and know better!
Back to the question of self defense: I pray for wisdom for my Nigerian family members because I can comprehend, at least a little, the horrible possibilities if they "turn the other cheek" rather than defending themselves or their families. This is certainly a potentially valid application of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:39. However, it may be important to note that Jesus specifically said, "If someone strikes you on the RIGHT cheek . . ." Because I believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, I must take seriously that Jesus specified the "right" cheek. Most people are right handed. If a right-handed person throws a PUNCH, it would land on the other person's LEFT cheek. Being struck on the "right" cheek suggests a backhand -- that is, a personal insult, not a murderous assault. I also remember in the book of Esther that the Jews, apparently with God's approval, defended themselves against the attacks of their enemies as a result of Haman's wicked law. The book of Esther records the number of their enemies killed while the Jews defended themselves. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told His disciples to be armed with swords -- although He did not allow their use to rescue Him from the cross.
All of that said, I hope that this remains an "academic" exercise for me, because if such persecution came to America, I would need to consider more seriously the possibility that the Jesus' way, the way of the cross, might call on me to lay down my life for Him -- or to see my loved ones do the same. It's always easy to interpret difficult Scriptures in ways that have the most comfortable application in my life. May God protect us from such selfishness.
And may God protect His church in America from tragic, preference-oriented, self-centered triviality.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Bill Stankovich had no idea how many lives he touched
When the Stankovich family first moved to Sault Ste. Marie in the 1960s and quickly became part of the Calvary Baptist Church family, Gloria and I had no idea how our lives would be intertwined for years to come.
Bill was a wonderful friend, always fun and full of life. We played softball and basketball together, went on youth retreats and engaged in every kind of church youth group activity imaginable. Our youth group was like a very close family. God did some very special things in our lives in those years.
Bill had a terrific sense of humor. It seems like he was always smiling or laughing. His positive, enthusiastic spirit was contagious. I can’t imagine anyone not liking him. I remember once when something funny happened during a baptismal service. Bill had to put his head between his knees and hold his nose because he was laughing so hard and didn’t want to disturb the service.
I treasure the memories of the “Brothers’ Quintet” – Bill, Walter, Mike, my brother Terry, and I. Bill sang lead. I’m not sure how good we were but in many of the small backwoods Baptist churches and youth rallies where we sang across the U.P. the people were more appreciative than discerning and we were often asked back. Songs like, “On the Jericho Road,” and “Have a Little Talk With Jesus” were some of our favorites.
Years later Bill would sometimes stop to visit Gloria and I as he traveled from Elkhart into parts of Michigan for their travel trailer business. We had no idea for many years that he was the one who secretly left money at the local Gambles store for us to come in and purchase some much-needed living room furniture we could never have afforded. A year later Gloria and I saw that the matching chair was on sale for $100 at Gambles’ sidewalk sale. Gloria pressed me to buy it because we would never have another opportunity to get the matching chair. I didn’t feel that we could afford even $100 for the chair so I put her off by saying, “If you pray and God gives us $100 before the sale is over, we can buy it.” Having little faith, I promptly forgot it. Gloria didn’t. She prayed.
The next morning we heard noise on our front porch and looked out to see a man standing at the door with “our living room chair” upside down on his head. “Did you buy that chair?” I fired a bit angrily at Gloria? “No,” she replied, “I just prayed and asked God to give it to us.” For years it was a total mystery who could have known that the chair matched our couch and who could have purchased the chair before it vanished forever. It was probably 25 years later that Bill let it slip when he was visiting Gloria’s parents in the Soo and the mystery was solved. It was a “God thing” that Bill was passing through town, saw the chair and pulled off his secret act of generosity and kindness. It was an affirmation of my wife’s faith and a rebuke for my lack of it. God used Bill to answer Gloria’s prayer and encourage our children to see how God took care of us.
Over the years, especially during the time when our income as a small town pastor was very limited, both Bill and Carol blessed us many times with their generosity and kindness.
Sometimes people never know how their acts of love and faithfulness will bless others and advance God’s kingdom far beyond what they could imagine.
Bill and Carol became acquainted with missionaries from our church named Jim and Roni Bowers. When Bill learned that the Bowers wanted to build a houseboat so they could travel the Amazon River to share the Gospel with Peruvian Indian villages unreachable in any other way, Bill spearheaded an amazing project of putting together the finances and the materials to be shipped to Peru to build the houseboat. Hundreds of Peruvian Indians came to know Jesus as a result of the Bower’s river ministry in the houseboat Bill played a key role in providing. Generations of Peruvian Indians have come to Christ because of Bill’s work. For all eternity that work will continue in Peru because of what Bill did.
But that wasn’t the end. Bill and Carol made it possible for Jim and Roni to adopt their precious baby Charity who gave them such joy in her short life on earth.
Then in 2001 the whole world stood at attention for two weeks as every major news outlet was riveted on the story of the missionary airplane mistakenly shot down over the Amazon River by the Peruvian Air Force and the American CIA. Roni and Charity were instantly killed, while the wounded pilot and Jim and Corey survived by clinging to the sinking airplane in the Amazon River until the Indians rescued them in their dugout canoes.
Every major television and radio network, national news paper and magazine, and other sources of news camped out at Calvary Church in Fruitport to cover the events leading up to the funeral which was broadcast live all over Western Michigan. For more than a week, the missionaries’ story remained as a top news story across the nation. Jim and many others had amazing opportunities to talk about Jesus as the One who was sustaining them through this tragedy. Jim interviewed multiple times with Diane Sawyer and others and met President Bush at the White House.
Through the tragedy, Jim and many others had a platform to tell the story of Jesus. Only God knows how many came to know Christ through that time.
A number of young people heard the story and as a result gave their lives for missionary service. They now serve in various parts of the world. The book which told the story quickly became a best seller in the USA and was translated into Spanish so it could spread the message through the Hispanic world.
None of this would have happened apart from the houseboat in which Bill was such a key player. It probably never occurred to Bill that he had an essential role in the spread of the Gospel around the world in such clear and dramatic ways and that his efforts would result in thousands of people around the world hearing about Jesus.
Bill never thought a great deal about himself. He was a model of self-deprecating humility and was embarrassed if anyone called attention to the good things he did. He probably never allowed himself to even think about how God used him to spread the Gospel around the world. In heaven today, he knows and has heard His Lord’s “well done.” Probably he has met many people who came to Christ through the chain of events in which Bill was an essential link.
Bill deeply loved his family. He often told us what a wonderful wife Carol was and how much he loved his children and grandchildren. Nothing gave him greater joy than to think of them loving and following Jesus.
When the Stankovich family first moved to Sault Ste. Marie in the 1960s and quickly became part of the Calvary Baptist Church family, Gloria and I had no idea how our lives would be intertwined for years to come.
Bill was a wonderful friend, always fun and full of life. We played softball and basketball together, went on youth retreats and engaged in every kind of church youth group activity imaginable. Our youth group was like a very close family. God did some very special things in our lives in those years.
Bill had a terrific sense of humor. It seems like he was always smiling or laughing. His positive, enthusiastic spirit was contagious. I can’t imagine anyone not liking him. I remember once when something funny happened during a baptismal service. Bill had to put his head between his knees and hold his nose because he was laughing so hard and didn’t want to disturb the service.
I treasure the memories of the “Brothers’ Quintet” – Bill, Walter, Mike, my brother Terry, and I. Bill sang lead. I’m not sure how good we were but in many of the small backwoods Baptist churches and youth rallies where we sang across the U.P. the people were more appreciative than discerning and we were often asked back. Songs like, “On the Jericho Road,” and “Have a Little Talk With Jesus” were some of our favorites.
Years later Bill would sometimes stop to visit Gloria and I as he traveled from Elkhart into parts of Michigan for their travel trailer business. We had no idea for many years that he was the one who secretly left money at the local Gambles store for us to come in and purchase some much-needed living room furniture we could never have afforded. A year later Gloria and I saw that the matching chair was on sale for $100 at Gambles’ sidewalk sale. Gloria pressed me to buy it because we would never have another opportunity to get the matching chair. I didn’t feel that we could afford even $100 for the chair so I put her off by saying, “If you pray and God gives us $100 before the sale is over, we can buy it.” Having little faith, I promptly forgot it. Gloria didn’t. She prayed.
The next morning we heard noise on our front porch and looked out to see a man standing at the door with “our living room chair” upside down on his head. “Did you buy that chair?” I fired a bit angrily at Gloria? “No,” she replied, “I just prayed and asked God to give it to us.” For years it was a total mystery who could have known that the chair matched our couch and who could have purchased the chair before it vanished forever. It was probably 25 years later that Bill let it slip when he was visiting Gloria’s parents in the Soo and the mystery was solved. It was a “God thing” that Bill was passing through town, saw the chair and pulled off his secret act of generosity and kindness. It was an affirmation of my wife’s faith and a rebuke for my lack of it. God used Bill to answer Gloria’s prayer and encourage our children to see how God took care of us.
Over the years, especially during the time when our income as a small town pastor was very limited, both Bill and Carol blessed us many times with their generosity and kindness.
Sometimes people never know how their acts of love and faithfulness will bless others and advance God’s kingdom far beyond what they could imagine.
Bill and Carol became acquainted with missionaries from our church named Jim and Roni Bowers. When Bill learned that the Bowers wanted to build a houseboat so they could travel the Amazon River to share the Gospel with Peruvian Indian villages unreachable in any other way, Bill spearheaded an amazing project of putting together the finances and the materials to be shipped to Peru to build the houseboat. Hundreds of Peruvian Indians came to know Jesus as a result of the Bower’s river ministry in the houseboat Bill played a key role in providing. Generations of Peruvian Indians have come to Christ because of Bill’s work. For all eternity that work will continue in Peru because of what Bill did.
But that wasn’t the end. Bill and Carol made it possible for Jim and Roni to adopt their precious baby Charity who gave them such joy in her short life on earth.
Then in 2001 the whole world stood at attention for two weeks as every major news outlet was riveted on the story of the missionary airplane mistakenly shot down over the Amazon River by the Peruvian Air Force and the American CIA. Roni and Charity were instantly killed, while the wounded pilot and Jim and Corey survived by clinging to the sinking airplane in the Amazon River until the Indians rescued them in their dugout canoes.
Every major television and radio network, national news paper and magazine, and other sources of news camped out at Calvary Church in Fruitport to cover the events leading up to the funeral which was broadcast live all over Western Michigan. For more than a week, the missionaries’ story remained as a top news story across the nation. Jim and many others had amazing opportunities to talk about Jesus as the One who was sustaining them through this tragedy. Jim interviewed multiple times with Diane Sawyer and others and met President Bush at the White House.
Through the tragedy, Jim and many others had a platform to tell the story of Jesus. Only God knows how many came to know Christ through that time.
A number of young people heard the story and as a result gave their lives for missionary service. They now serve in various parts of the world. The book which told the story quickly became a best seller in the USA and was translated into Spanish so it could spread the message through the Hispanic world.
None of this would have happened apart from the houseboat in which Bill was such a key player. It probably never occurred to Bill that he had an essential role in the spread of the Gospel around the world in such clear and dramatic ways and that his efforts would result in thousands of people around the world hearing about Jesus.
Bill never thought a great deal about himself. He was a model of self-deprecating humility and was embarrassed if anyone called attention to the good things he did. He probably never allowed himself to even think about how God used him to spread the Gospel around the world. In heaven today, he knows and has heard His Lord’s “well done.” Probably he has met many people who came to Christ through the chain of events in which Bill was an essential link.
Bill deeply loved his family. He often told us what a wonderful wife Carol was and how much he loved his children and grandchildren. Nothing gave him greater joy than to think of them loving and following Jesus.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Joseph's Prayer
Lord, I cannot believe
and yet, I must --
that I have been betrayed.
O God, she seemed so pure.
I love her still, though she
has pierced my heart --
no, torn it out,
I cannot bear to see her branded
"unclean," a "harlot."
What if I privately put her away?
No charges. Then it would seem
that I, not she,
had played the rogue.
What's that, my Lord? "Your son?" "Not man's?"
"Son of David," did you say?
"My wife?" O yes, my Lord!
What can I say?
"Mary, my love, my wife, I understand."
Lord, I cannot believe
and yet, I must --
that I have been betrayed.
O God, she seemed so pure.
I love her still, though she
has pierced my heart --
no, torn it out,
I cannot bear to see her branded
"unclean," a "harlot."
What if I privately put her away?
No charges. Then it would seem
that I, not she,
had played the rogue.
What's that, my Lord? "Your son?" "Not man's?"
"Son of David," did you say?
"My wife?" O yes, my Lord!
What can I say?
"Mary, my love, my wife, I understand."
Friday, December 16, 2011
Christmas conversation in Meijers checkout line
I was waiting in the checkout line at Meijers today when the friendly man behind me commented, "Christmas is so expensive today. When I was a boy a hot wheels car was great. Today our kids want all this electronic stuff that costs a fortune."
I commented, "Isn't it interesting that it's all about a baby who was homeless and born to peasant parents?"
He liked that.
Then I mentioned that he could blame the Magi for starting the whole tradition with some really expensive gifts.
He liked that.
To keep it all in perspective, I need to remember 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."
I like that!
I was waiting in the checkout line at Meijers today when the friendly man behind me commented, "Christmas is so expensive today. When I was a boy a hot wheels car was great. Today our kids want all this electronic stuff that costs a fortune."
I commented, "Isn't it interesting that it's all about a baby who was homeless and born to peasant parents?"
He liked that.
Then I mentioned that he could blame the Magi for starting the whole tradition with some really expensive gifts.
He liked that.
To keep it all in perspective, I need to remember 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."
I like that!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
How to pray when you don't know how to pray
When Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He gave them what we call "the Lord's prayer" -- "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..."
When I don't know how to pray or what to pray for, I often pray this prayer. When I lie in bed at night, I often pray this prayer. In the morning when I wake up, I often pray this prayer.
The more I pray it, the more I realize it is not merely a formula of specific words to use like a mantra. These are categories of prayer . . . an outline of the theology of prayer . . . prayer launchers from which my prayers can rise and form . . . lessons about what and how I should pray . . .
The more I pray this prayer with understanding, the more I realize how little my prayers sometimes reflect the revealed will of God, or are qualified to be prayed "in Jesus' name" since that implies it would be what Jesus would pray for.
Here's a great discussion of the Lord's prayer by Francis Chan: http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-christians-not-praying-how-god-intended-64814/
Lord, teach us to pray.
When Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He gave them what we call "the Lord's prayer" -- "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..."
When I don't know how to pray or what to pray for, I often pray this prayer. When I lie in bed at night, I often pray this prayer. In the morning when I wake up, I often pray this prayer.
The more I pray it, the more I realize it is not merely a formula of specific words to use like a mantra. These are categories of prayer . . . an outline of the theology of prayer . . . prayer launchers from which my prayers can rise and form . . . lessons about what and how I should pray . . .
The more I pray this prayer with understanding, the more I realize how little my prayers sometimes reflect the revealed will of God, or are qualified to be prayed "in Jesus' name" since that implies it would be what Jesus would pray for.
Here's a great discussion of the Lord's prayer by Francis Chan: http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-christians-not-praying-how-god-intended-64814/
Lord, teach us to pray.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Jesus was a failure.
Well, if you look at numbers at a certain point in His life some might say that. Early in His public ministry His followers swelled to many thousands. Perhaps He was the original "mega church pastor." Then over three years many were offended or left Him for other reasons. At one point He even asked the twelve if they would also go away. And they did . . . at the time of His greatest need, they abandoned Him and ran for their lives. His "church" was down to one.
At Christmas, we certainly should be deeply grateful that He was willing to suffer all that for our redemption. And, we should learn to be careful in how and when we evaluate "success" -- for ourselves, or others.
If a business has a record profit, did it have a successful year, or could there be a failing business which is laying off workers which in God's eyes is more successful than its more profitable counterpart? Is a soccer team's success measured in the score or its win/loss record? Or, at least for Jesus' followers, is there some more important measure of a successful game or season? Is Tim Tebo a success because he has had an amazing year at quarterback with fabulous come-from-behind-victories? Would he be just as successful if they had lost all those games but he continued his outspoken Christian commitments? Is the most successful politician the one who gets the most votes and wins the most elections?
I am shamed how often I have had secret pride because I am a pastor at one of the largest churches in West Michigan and that my emotions can ride the waves of increases and decreases. On a great day like last Sunday when the services were full, the programing was exciting, and the offering was huge, I can tend to think, "That was success!" I must learn to be faithful and not measure success prematurely -- on a great day or a "bad" day. Jesus will be the Judge! He is the only one we must please!
Here's a challenging blog about numbers and other issues where we may be too quick to jump on the band wagon: http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/2145/bandwagon-church
Remember big isn't better nor is small better. Being faithful to Jesus is better.
Well, if you look at numbers at a certain point in His life some might say that. Early in His public ministry His followers swelled to many thousands. Perhaps He was the original "mega church pastor." Then over three years many were offended or left Him for other reasons. At one point He even asked the twelve if they would also go away. And they did . . . at the time of His greatest need, they abandoned Him and ran for their lives. His "church" was down to one.
At Christmas, we certainly should be deeply grateful that He was willing to suffer all that for our redemption. And, we should learn to be careful in how and when we evaluate "success" -- for ourselves, or others.
If a business has a record profit, did it have a successful year, or could there be a failing business which is laying off workers which in God's eyes is more successful than its more profitable counterpart? Is a soccer team's success measured in the score or its win/loss record? Or, at least for Jesus' followers, is there some more important measure of a successful game or season? Is Tim Tebo a success because he has had an amazing year at quarterback with fabulous come-from-behind-victories? Would he be just as successful if they had lost all those games but he continued his outspoken Christian commitments? Is the most successful politician the one who gets the most votes and wins the most elections?
I am shamed how often I have had secret pride because I am a pastor at one of the largest churches in West Michigan and that my emotions can ride the waves of increases and decreases. On a great day like last Sunday when the services were full, the programing was exciting, and the offering was huge, I can tend to think, "That was success!" I must learn to be faithful and not measure success prematurely -- on a great day or a "bad" day. Jesus will be the Judge! He is the only one we must please!
Here's a challenging blog about numbers and other issues where we may be too quick to jump on the band wagon: http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/2145/bandwagon-church
Remember big isn't better nor is small better. Being faithful to Jesus is better.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Up front: I am VERY thankful to live in the USA and feel incredibly blessed by God and grateful to all who've sacrificed (even their lives) for our freedom and for many of our founding values. I'm very thankful for those who serve our nation with integrity and honor and for those who are called to the political arena as a vocation or in specific ways to make a difference (like our own Bill Cooper in West MI -- I was so proud of him and so disappointed that he did not win the primary -- I believe he would've made a difference!). I believe that Christians should invest in the good of the nation where God has placed them. They should be knowledgeable and participate as good citizens.
That said, driving today and listening to a Christian radio station spending hours on political issues reminded me about how much emphasis many Christians, churches, and Christian organizations are increasingly putting on politics -- denegrating politicians and mounting campaigns of various kinds. I'm conservative, always vote, and have strong feelings about many candidates and political issues. But I feel passionately that the primary focus of Christ-followers and the church must be to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission by our proclamation of the Gospel by our words and good works.
I'm very concerned that we have traded our mission for one which is vastly inferior to Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:18ff) and the advance of His kingdom and which won't make any difference in a thousand years. Many Christians are far more passionate about their political concerns than about the Gospel, the kingdom of God, the eternal souls of men, and the holy Scriptures.
The first century church made an astonishing impact on their world and spread the Gospel/church throughout the Roman empire in one generation. Their impact was not political. They did it by preaching and living the Gospel. They did not focus on changing laws or getting their candidates and values in place through political means. They understood that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world (John 19:36) and that we do not use "the weapons of the world" (2 Cor 10:3ff). They changed lives by the power of the Gospel, not political action.
Throughout history, when the church has married the state, it has always been a horrible marriage with devastating results.
That said, driving today and listening to a Christian radio station spending hours on political issues reminded me about how much emphasis many Christians, churches, and Christian organizations are increasingly putting on politics -- denegrating politicians and mounting campaigns of various kinds. I'm conservative, always vote, and have strong feelings about many candidates and political issues. But I feel passionately that the primary focus of Christ-followers and the church must be to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission by our proclamation of the Gospel by our words and good works.
I'm very concerned that we have traded our mission for one which is vastly inferior to Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:18ff) and the advance of His kingdom and which won't make any difference in a thousand years. Many Christians are far more passionate about their political concerns than about the Gospel, the kingdom of God, the eternal souls of men, and the holy Scriptures.
The first century church made an astonishing impact on their world and spread the Gospel/church throughout the Roman empire in one generation. Their impact was not political. They did it by preaching and living the Gospel. They did not focus on changing laws or getting their candidates and values in place through political means. They understood that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world (John 19:36) and that we do not use "the weapons of the world" (2 Cor 10:3ff). They changed lives by the power of the Gospel, not political action.
Throughout history, when the church has married the state, it has always been a horrible marriage with devastating results.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tonight and tomorrow our sermon focus is on Matthew 7 -- penetrating teaching by Jesus about judgment and judging -- ours and God's.
As I reviewed Jesus' command against judging other believers inappropriately, I was reminded of a series of questions it would be good for me to ask before I negatively pass judgment on another Christian's character or action.
Do I know ALL the facts?
How do I know whether or not I know ALL the facts?
Have I interpreted the all the facts correctly?
How do I know that I have interpreted all the facts correctly?
Can I see his/her heart/motive?
Is my judging necessary, kind, and loving?
If I share this with anyone else, will it follow the procedure of Matthew 18:15-18?
Will my sharing this with anyone else help to build up the person with the problem or will it tear them down?
What is my motive in making this judgment -- helping the person, or putting them down?
Have I specifically and persistently prayed for the person in the area of concern?
Have I examined my own life for the same or related problems?
Am I diligently dealing with the problems in my own life?
Do I want others to judge me the way I am judging this person?
Do I want God to judge me this way?
Is this the way God has reacted to my sins?
Will others see God’s love in the way I respond to these faults?
Have I gone to the person first to check the facts and, if necessary, to loving help them overcome the problem.
Perhaps the reason Jesus immediately followed His instructions (on not judging inappropriately, Matthew 7:1-5, and on making discerning judgments, 7:6) with encouraging lessons about prayer (Matthew 7:7-11) is because we so desperately need His wisdom and help to obey these commands. I am so prone to making wrong judgments. Wrong judgment is an epidemic in many churches. "Lord, help us in everything, to do to others what we would have them do to us" (Matthew 7:12).
As I reviewed Jesus' command against judging other believers inappropriately, I was reminded of a series of questions it would be good for me to ask before I negatively pass judgment on another Christian's character or action.
Do I know ALL the facts?
How do I know whether or not I know ALL the facts?
Have I interpreted the all the facts correctly?
How do I know that I have interpreted all the facts correctly?
Can I see his/her heart/motive?
Is my judging necessary, kind, and loving?
If I share this with anyone else, will it follow the procedure of Matthew 18:15-18?
Will my sharing this with anyone else help to build up the person with the problem or will it tear them down?
What is my motive in making this judgment -- helping the person, or putting them down?
Have I specifically and persistently prayed for the person in the area of concern?
Have I examined my own life for the same or related problems?
Am I diligently dealing with the problems in my own life?
Do I want others to judge me the way I am judging this person?
Do I want God to judge me this way?
Is this the way God has reacted to my sins?
Will others see God’s love in the way I respond to these faults?
Have I gone to the person first to check the facts and, if necessary, to loving help them overcome the problem.
Perhaps the reason Jesus immediately followed His instructions (on not judging inappropriately, Matthew 7:1-5, and on making discerning judgments, 7:6) with encouraging lessons about prayer (Matthew 7:7-11) is because we so desperately need His wisdom and help to obey these commands. I am so prone to making wrong judgments. Wrong judgment is an epidemic in many churches. "Lord, help us in everything, to do to others what we would have them do to us" (Matthew 7:12).
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A QUEST FOR LOVE
We ate lunch at a restaurant this week with Ryan and Angela and our two of our amazing grandchildren, Maya and Sophie. Sophie is just over one still has this incredibly cute, unstable, tee tottering “walk” and after she finished eating we let her walk around the table a little. At the next table were some teenage girls who spotted Sophie and smiled at her. That’s like saying “sic ‘em” to a dog, so she took a few “steps” toward them and just stood there coyly smiling at them while they made a huge fuss over her. Maya, now three, and also devastatingly cute, but no longer in the “very-cute-baby-who-just-started-walking-category” saw this, and so after Sophie had moved on to other pursuits, Maya walked over to where Sophie had been standing and eagerly looked at the teenaged girls hoping to elicit a similar response. Sadly, they ignored her (I’m not blaming them, I fully understand). So, she began to walk back and forth a little closer, her eyes locked on the one girl who had given so much attention to Sophie. Maya was smiling hopefully as she held her arms out and started to twirl to get their attention . . . nothing. Seeing this, I started to call Maya’s name to divert her from this painful effort to be noticed, but she was intent on getting the same attention her little sister got.
I wanted to say to the other table, “Would you please pay attention to my other grandchild?” but I didn’t. I don’t know if I was more sad for Maya’s disappointment at that moment (after all, we could “fix” it pretty quickly) or if I was more sad knowing that what had just happened on a very small scale was going to happen again and again throughout Maya’s life on a much larger scale, as it does to everyone of us in this broken world where our deep longing to be loved is so often unfulfilled.
I couldn’t help but think what a parable of life that little drama was that unfolded before me. We may not be so obvious in our efforts to be noticed and valued, but it’s what we all long for – “Will someone please notice me? Will someone please do something that tells me I have value and worth? Will someone please LOVE me?”
Proverbs 19:22 is a profound commentary on human nature, “What a man desires is unfailing love.”
Much of our lives we’re on a quest – a life-time search for love – TRUE LOVE – unfailing love, “no-matter-what” love, unconditional love.
This is the focus of our sermons this weekend at Calvary, "DOES TRUE LOVE EXIST?'
Ultimately, that longing for love can only be fully satisfied when we find ourselves embraced by the love of God.
We ate lunch at a restaurant this week with Ryan and Angela and our two of our amazing grandchildren, Maya and Sophie. Sophie is just over one still has this incredibly cute, unstable, tee tottering “walk” and after she finished eating we let her walk around the table a little. At the next table were some teenage girls who spotted Sophie and smiled at her. That’s like saying “sic ‘em” to a dog, so she took a few “steps” toward them and just stood there coyly smiling at them while they made a huge fuss over her. Maya, now three, and also devastatingly cute, but no longer in the “very-cute-baby-who-just-started-walking-category” saw this, and so after Sophie had moved on to other pursuits, Maya walked over to where Sophie had been standing and eagerly looked at the teenaged girls hoping to elicit a similar response. Sadly, they ignored her (I’m not blaming them, I fully understand). So, she began to walk back and forth a little closer, her eyes locked on the one girl who had given so much attention to Sophie. Maya was smiling hopefully as she held her arms out and started to twirl to get their attention . . . nothing. Seeing this, I started to call Maya’s name to divert her from this painful effort to be noticed, but she was intent on getting the same attention her little sister got.
I wanted to say to the other table, “Would you please pay attention to my other grandchild?” but I didn’t. I don’t know if I was more sad for Maya’s disappointment at that moment (after all, we could “fix” it pretty quickly) or if I was more sad knowing that what had just happened on a very small scale was going to happen again and again throughout Maya’s life on a much larger scale, as it does to everyone of us in this broken world where our deep longing to be loved is so often unfulfilled.
I couldn’t help but think what a parable of life that little drama was that unfolded before me. We may not be so obvious in our efforts to be noticed and valued, but it’s what we all long for – “Will someone please notice me? Will someone please do something that tells me I have value and worth? Will someone please LOVE me?”
Proverbs 19:22 is a profound commentary on human nature, “What a man desires is unfailing love.”
Much of our lives we’re on a quest – a life-time search for love – TRUE LOVE – unfailing love, “no-matter-what” love, unconditional love.
This is the focus of our sermons this weekend at Calvary, "DOES TRUE LOVE EXIST?'
Ultimately, that longing for love can only be fully satisfied when we find ourselves embraced by the love of God.
Friday, May 01, 2009
WOW! What a sermon!
Have you ever listened to a sermon and thought, "That was just for me! How did he know all that about me and what I've experienced?"
This week someone sent me a link to a sermon by Mark Dricoll. It's long (over an hour), but worth every minute. As I listened to the message, for me it was revealing, astonishingly familiar (has he been looking over my shoulder?), comforting, convicting, challenging, humbling, affirming, reassuring, helpful, encouraging, insightful, and pretty amazing.
Here's the link: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/video/Rightly-Dividing-the-Word-of-Truth#
Have you ever listened to a sermon and thought, "That was just for me! How did he know all that about me and what I've experienced?"
This week someone sent me a link to a sermon by Mark Dricoll. It's long (over an hour), but worth every minute. As I listened to the message, for me it was revealing, astonishingly familiar (has he been looking over my shoulder?), comforting, convicting, challenging, humbling, affirming, reassuring, helpful, encouraging, insightful, and pretty amazing.
Here's the link: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/video/Rightly-Dividing-the-Word-of-Truth#
Monday, April 20, 2009
SLEEPER CELLS IN THE CHURCH?
The following is an email my cousin Brian sent me today. It's a bit different than what I would normally jump on, but has a serious message that is much needed in many churches (including ours) today. I might add, "Bin Gossipin" and "Bin Dividing." Here's the email:
"Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches.They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.
Their leader, Osama Bin Lucifer, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.
However, there have also been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the
name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. This group appears to be very weak. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.
Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ to return.
To which cell group do you belong?"
The following is an email my cousin Brian sent me today. It's a bit different than what I would normally jump on, but has a serious message that is much needed in many churches (including ours) today. I might add, "Bin Gossipin" and "Bin Dividing." Here's the email:
"Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches.They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.
Their leader, Osama Bin Lucifer, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.
However, there have also been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the
name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. This group appears to be very weak. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.
Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ to return.
To which cell group do you belong?"
Saturday, April 11, 2009
JESUS RESURRECTION
Jesus' resurrection from the dead makes:
the Bible irrefutable,
faith reasonable,
judgment inevitable,
forgiveness possible,
victory attainable,
Christianity indisputable,
confidence unshakeable,
sin unconscionable,
life meaningful,
siffering bearable,
sorrow endureable,
sacrifice accepable,
silence inexcuseable,
hope unquestionable, and
heaven certifiable.
Jesus' resurrection from the dead makes:
the Bible irrefutable,
faith reasonable,
judgment inevitable,
forgiveness possible,
victory attainable,
Christianity indisputable,
confidence unshakeable,
sin unconscionable,
life meaningful,
siffering bearable,
sorrow endureable,
sacrifice accepable,
silence inexcuseable,
hope unquestionable, and
heaven certifiable.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
THE CROSS
Without question, history’s most shocking transformation of something loathsome and terrible into something beautiful and beloved is THE CROSS.
The cross was one of the most painful implements of torture and execution ever devised by evil men. As awful as gallows are, they at least bring death quickly and with a minimum of suffering. The cross on the other hand purposefully delayed death in order to extend and maximize suffering.
To die on a cross was the ultimate horror, the ultimate disgrace, the ultimate failure.
But today the cross has become the most treasured religious symbol in the world. Covered with gold, the cross is worn as decorative jewelry on a necklace or bracelet. The cross is a frequent subject of artists, an ever-present architectural emblem, the most revered religious icon, and a favored theme of poets and musicians.
Imagine singing about cherishing the gallows, or clinging to an electric chair. Imagine wearing a gold-plated noose around one’s neck as jewelry, or of having a miniature gallows decorating your fireplace mantle.
Yet millions of people nostalgically sing about “loving [and] cherishing the old rugged cross,” of the “wondrous attraction [and] beauty” it holds for them, and pledge always to “cling to it.”
The astonishing transformation of the cross from something unspeakably ugly to something fantastically beautiful is a metaphor for what Jesus does in the life of those who believe and follow Him. He transforms us! He takes the ugliness of our sin and transforms us into a brand new people, not yet perfected, but irresistably moving down the path of becoming more and more like Jesus in what we think and say and do.
Without question, history’s most shocking transformation of something loathsome and terrible into something beautiful and beloved is THE CROSS.
The cross was one of the most painful implements of torture and execution ever devised by evil men. As awful as gallows are, they at least bring death quickly and with a minimum of suffering. The cross on the other hand purposefully delayed death in order to extend and maximize suffering.
To die on a cross was the ultimate horror, the ultimate disgrace, the ultimate failure.
But today the cross has become the most treasured religious symbol in the world. Covered with gold, the cross is worn as decorative jewelry on a necklace or bracelet. The cross is a frequent subject of artists, an ever-present architectural emblem, the most revered religious icon, and a favored theme of poets and musicians.
Imagine singing about cherishing the gallows, or clinging to an electric chair. Imagine wearing a gold-plated noose around one’s neck as jewelry, or of having a miniature gallows decorating your fireplace mantle.
Yet millions of people nostalgically sing about “loving [and] cherishing the old rugged cross,” of the “wondrous attraction [and] beauty” it holds for them, and pledge always to “cling to it.”
The astonishing transformation of the cross from something unspeakably ugly to something fantastically beautiful is a metaphor for what Jesus does in the life of those who believe and follow Him. He transforms us! He takes the ugliness of our sin and transforms us into a brand new people, not yet perfected, but irresistably moving down the path of becoming more and more like Jesus in what we think and say and do.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
NEW BODIES
Getting a new body is huge business today -- from surgeries, pills, diets, exercise plans, flattering clothes, etc.
Standing by a hospital bed today listening to a friend indicating that the surgical procedure he will have tomorrow carries life-threatening risk, the conversation turned to the great hope of Christians for the resurrection of the body.
We talked about N.T. Wright's great book, Surprised by Hope, in which he reminds us that heaven is a wonderful but temporary future home for Christ-followers. Jesus' resurrection guarantees our resurrection -- not to an etherial, spirit-existence floating around the clouds or beyond, but to physical life on the new earth in a world as it was intended to be at the beginning.
From the time of the original fall into sin God promised to send a Rescuer to restore His ruined creation to its original perfection.
Age, illness, and accidents can make life in these fallen bodies less than pleasant at times. But for those who embrace new life through faith in Jesus' redemptive work, the RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS, including our physical bodies, is thrilling.
Getting a new body is huge business today -- from surgeries, pills, diets, exercise plans, flattering clothes, etc.
Standing by a hospital bed today listening to a friend indicating that the surgical procedure he will have tomorrow carries life-threatening risk, the conversation turned to the great hope of Christians for the resurrection of the body.
We talked about N.T. Wright's great book, Surprised by Hope, in which he reminds us that heaven is a wonderful but temporary future home for Christ-followers. Jesus' resurrection guarantees our resurrection -- not to an etherial, spirit-existence floating around the clouds or beyond, but to physical life on the new earth in a world as it was intended to be at the beginning.
From the time of the original fall into sin God promised to send a Rescuer to restore His ruined creation to its original perfection.
Age, illness, and accidents can make life in these fallen bodies less than pleasant at times. But for those who embrace new life through faith in Jesus' redemptive work, the RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS, including our physical bodies, is thrilling.
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