Deal or No Deal

Friends,

A humanitarian group in Africa, noticing the filthy water, sewage, and disease in one particular place, built a clean water and sewage system for a village. Months later, they visited the village…but it was back to square one with filthy water, sewage and disease. The chief told the humanitarian workers: "And what did you expect? These people had been many years without clean water. Then you gave it to them for free in abundance. They took all they could use and more. The people did not work for those water stations. They do not own them, and they could not be persuaded to maintain them." The humanitarians were silent. The chief had spoken truth. The great gift alone had not been enough and the reasons could be clearly observed. Perhaps it is human nature to abuse a gift.  The humanitarians returned to their camp and thought long and hard about how they could help the villagers.  The next day the humanitarians returned, determined to rebuild the water and sanitation systems with the following conditions -- the villagers would have to pay for water and sanitation. Not more than they could afford, but there would be no gift giving this time. A group of villagers would work with the contractors to build the system and would be taught how to repair every aspect of it.  These villagers would, in turn, train others so the system would never fall into disrepair.  With the new conditions in place, the water and sanitation systems were restored. This time the people had respect for the systems because they owned them.  This time they were able to repair the system when it broke down. To this day the villagers have plenty of clean water and live free of filth and disease.  This story could have some elements changed, be moved to America, and have the same issues with regard to a lack of respect, responsibility.  But, there could and should be the same resultant changes, as well.  God, through Moses deals with some of these issues of stewardship with the people of Israel…and once again, even though the situations may have changed, the principles remain the same.

There are certain responsibilities that we have as God’s stewards. We have the choice as to whether we will deal with our responsibilities or not deal with them…but there is truly only one choice.  In Leviticus 25, the focus is on “Israel in their land.”  If Israel was going to possess and enjoy their land, they would have to recognize and respect some basic facts…the first of which was that “God owned the land” (vv.2, 23, 38).  God also owned “the people of Israel” – He redeemed them from Egyptian bondage.  The Jews were expected to work in their fields, but it was “God who gave the increase” (v.21).  God was their “Land Lord” in more ways than one.  In chapter 23, we came to understand that the Jewish calendar was based on a series of “sevens.”  The “seventh day” was to be a Sabbath rest where the Jewish people would not labor.  Here, we learn that the seventh year is to be a year of rest for the land, the people and their animals.  During the Sabbath year, the people were not to work the fields or have organized harvests.  Also during this time, some debts were forgiven and indentured servants were set free.  The Sabbath year was the occasion for a “Bible conference” when the priests read and explained the Book of Deuteronomy to the people.  See…you all have it easy. J The nation learned the meaning of “give us this day our daily bread,” as God promised to provide for them and protect them throughout the year…if only they would trust and obey (vv.18-22).

The other aspect of all of this is -- at the end of seven sevens of years…or the 50th year…there was to be Jubilee.  It would require a great deal of faith for the people to recognize a Jubliee year, because the previous year (the 49th), the Jews would have had a Sabbath year.  So, they were to recognize two years of rest back to back.  What elements were to be involved in the Jubilee year?  There was to be repentance (v.9) and release (of the servants, once again so that they might return to their own lands, families, vv.10-13).  Also, there was to be rest (vv.11-12) and restoration (vv.13-17).  The land sold since the last Jubilee would revert back to the original owner.  The Lord wanted them to have a sense of proprietorship in having it restored to them.  In the New Testament, Jubilee is likened to the Good News that is shared with the poor…which would include all people.  This is because people’s debts have been paid and completely forgiven in Jesus Christ (as seen in the stories of Luke 7:36-50, and in many other places).

As we know, God certainly wouldn’t fail the people of Israel, but their faith might fail. Unfortunately, there is no Biblical evidence that the Jews ever celebrated a Sabbath year or a year of Jubilee.  In fact, the Bible indicates that they did not do so (2 Chronicles 36:21).  God ultimately sent Israel into Babylonian captivity for seventy years…in part to give the land the rest it needed.  By disobeying the law of the Sabbath year, the Jews robbed themselves, not only of spiritual blessings, but also the strength of the land and of their servants and animals…a costly mistake.  We have been released for a purpose.  We have an added responsibility as believers in Christ.  We have the whole story, the whole knowledge…and complete forgiveness.  We really have no excuse.  We are going to make mistakes, but we must live as the blameless, accountable people of God…this is our responsibility.

It is a basic principle of life – whatever we keep from God we can never truly enjoy ourselves.  One preacher has shared that in his ministry, he has met a number of people who claim that they “withhold their offerings”…only to end up paying extra money for medical bills or auto repairs.  In fact, one member brought a budget book to his office just to show him how God had begun to bless him when he stopped keeping from God of what was really His.  This isn’t necessarily a message about “contribution”, but the illustration does fit the concept of stewardship that we have been discussing.  Everything that we have really belongs to God…it is not ours…we are caretakers.  It is incumbent for us to take care of these things…whether it is our contribution of money, our contribution of possessions or our contribution of time.  We are to have an important stewardship in these things.  We also have a stewardship to ministry.  If God has put it on one of us a responsibility to minister in His church and in the community, then we should take our responsibilities seriously, as we will be accountable to Him as to whether we are or are not doing so.  We need to take care of what God has given us…this is our stewardship.  We do not need to be careless, but use care and concern…whether it is dealing with property, or people.  We have a stewardship to love one another as Jesus has loved us…we need to take this very seriously as well.  We have every opportunity to be a blessing and to be blessed if we take seriously our responsibilities.  It is “deal or no deal.”  God has laid it out to us, as He did to the Israelites...and there is really only one correct answer.  And you may not win a million dollars, but I guarantee that you will store up treasure in heaven. 

Blessings, Don

A Genuine Bible Code

Friends,

A little over thirteen years ago, the calendar was about to turn over to the year 2000.  Of course, there were some “doomsayers” then, just as there were a few weeks ago.  One of the fellows I knew back then was trying to convince me that the Bible spoke about the destruction of the world that was going to take place in the year 2000.  He spent some trying to convince me that a Bible Code from Genesis and other places was predicting such an event.  Of course me…being the reasonable guy that I am…didn’t believe a word of it.  This doesn’t mean I didn’t listen to what he was sharing, because I was willing to do so. There are still some proponents of the Bible Code.  What is it, exactly?  Though Bible codes have been postulated and studied for centuries, the subject was popularized by Michael Drosnin's book the Bible Code a couple of decades ago.  The code, as reenergized by Drosnin, stipulates that there is a set of secret messages encoded within the Hebrew text of the Torah, Genesis through Deuteronomy.  This hidden code has been described as a method by which specific letters from the text can be selected to reveal an otherwise obscured message.  One cited example is that by taking every 50th letter of the Book of Genesis, starting with the first “taw,” the Hebrew word “torah” is spelled out. The same happens in Exodus and so on.  Modern computers have been used to search for similar patterns and more complex variants.  My opinion?  Baloney.  Stick to crossword puzzles…they make more sense.  However, Paul does reveal to us a code, or a mystery, in the third chapter of Ephesians…and this code makes a lot of sense…it is a message we can trust.

Paul speaks about being a prisoner of the Lord.  He was the Lord’s bond-servant, commissioned to take the message of the gospel to all mankind.  As he shares in Ephesians 3:1ff, Paul believes in God’s new program of uniting believing Jews, Gentiles into one body…the church.  There is one small problem – the Jews don’t like the Gentiles.  They want nothing to do with them (or the Samaritans for that matter).  Paul courageously defends the grace of God and the unity of the church in Acts 15, Galatians 2:1-10 (and the message in those places is that…the Gentiles did not have to become Jewish in order to become Christians).  Paul follows his calling by taking the gospel to the Gentiles, even though he is accused of prejudice by the Jews.  Paul is no longer a prisoner of the law…he has been released.  He wants to free both Jews and Gentiles from bondage to law and bring them to genuine life in Christ.  For Paul, it isn’t enough simply to win Gentiles to Christ and form them into local assemblies.  He is also able to teach them about the wonderful position that they have in the body of Christ…one that is equal to the Jews.  Paul ministers this critically important mystery that had not been revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is revealed in the New Testament to the apostles by the Holy Spirit.  The Gentiles, even though they were outside of the covenant just a few years before, are to experience this new relationship with God through Jesus Christ that they were never able to experience before.  The mystery shows that new power is available to them through the Holy Spirit.  They can witness and minister concerning this message concerning Christ and this new power that is available to them and to others. 

Paul continues to describe the new riches that the Gentiles have available to them.  Paul describes them as being so vast that their end cannot be discovered.  Paul understands all of this and it humbles him.  Some of the Jews might think that they are God’s gift to mankind, but Paul considers himself, “the least of all of the saints.”  Understanding the great mystery of unity that is revealed does not “puff up” people so that they have “a big head”…rather it “humbles” them and brings “a broken and contrite heart.”  When God saved Paul, He gave him the treasures of the gospel truth.  Paul in turn, invests his life in bringing these truths to others.  In doing this, he exhorts them to commit the truths to other people (2 Timothy 2:2).  This is our responsibility.  We cannot simply own this message ourselves, but we must live it, share it with others.  The great truth concerning the church was not some divine afterthought, as if God was piecing together some puzzle haphazardly.  It was all a part of God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus.  To understand this truth gives us great hope, confidence in the faith.  And if there is one thing that people in this broken, fallen world need, it is a message of hope, confidence.  The final gift that comes for believers is courage in difficult circumstances.  We know that we can and will be victorious if we persevere.  Any suffering we experience…including that for the cause of Christ…will bring about blessings, glory.

Rodney Buchanan shares concerning the book, “Mystery on the Desert,” in which Maria Reiche describes a series of strange lines made by the ancient Nazea people in the plains of Peru, perhaps as early as 200 years before the time of Christ. The area where the lines are covers over 37 miles. It is impossible to make out what these line drawings are from the ground, and people at one time assumed they were irrigation ditches. No one really knew what they were until 1939 when Dr. Paul Kosok of Long Island University studied them by flying over them in an airplane. There is an assortment of perfectly straight lines, many running parallel, others intersecting, forming a grand geometric form. In and around the lines there are also strange symbols, and pictures of 70 animal and plant figures that include a spider, hummingbird, monkey and a 1,000-foot-long pelican.  One geometric figure goes in a straight line for nine miles across the plain. All of them are etched on a giant scale that can only be appreciated from the sky. When viewed from high in the air, these seemingly random lines form enormous drawings of art. They have meaning. People often assume that since they cannot see the purpose of something from their perspective that there is no purpose — no reason or rhyme to what they are facing…that it is a mystery.  But from God’s perspective it makes perfect sense. There is not only order and design to what he is doing…it is a work of art.  It doesn’t matter if you are too small to see the whole masterpiece, it is still there. And one day, looking from heaven, the mystery of what God has been doing will be clear to us. What looked like a ditch to us will be seen as a part of God’s design that has been stretched out over his universe.

A preacher (not me) was driving to a preaching engagement, trying to follow a map that he had in his car.  He couldn’t locate the highway he needed, so he stopped at a nearby convenience store.  The attendant said, “You’ve got an ancient map there, mister!”  Here is the latest map.  Follow it and you will get to where you are going.  And the attendant was right…the preacher arrived in plenty of time for the meeting.  People who do not understand “God’s mystery” in His church are trying to make progress with the wrong map.  There are no such things as social, race, age or even “religious” distinctions in the family of God.  The church is not ever to be shackled by the physical, by the reasoning of men…because it has been set free by the spiritual, through the blood of Jesus Christ.  God had a “secret”, but it is not a secret any longer.  If you and I understand the wonderful position that we have in Christ, it is going to knock down any barriers to progress.  And, we will be a blessing to and for the kingdom of God.

Blessings, Don

Staying Connected

Friends,

We have a pecan tree in our front yard that has a habit of shedding…fruit, leaves, seeds…and if that was not enough, it sheds it share of branches.  It happens with some regularity that I am dragging a branch 5 to 20 feet long around to the side of the house to be chopped up and put in the trash. Yet, what do you think would happen if I took one of these branches out into the yard and planted it in the ground and watered it…would come back to life? No, we understand that this is not how it works, because branches get nutrients that they need to live from the tree. Branches cannot live or grow without the tree. If the branch comes from a fruit tree, there will never be fruit on the branch if it is separated from the tree. I have to wonder if this is what prompts Jesus to break into this discussion concerning the vine and the branches with his disciples on their last night together. In the time of Jesus, a great golden vine hung over the entrance to the Jerusalem temple. Jesus and the disciples would have likely walked by it on their way to the upper room, and it would have been fresh in the minds of all who were present…and thus, it would provide a fitting illustration as to their spiritual reality.  It is also interesting to note that the grapevine symbol was also found in coins, Temple décor, burial places, and art of the period. These examples demonstrate the cultural presence of the vine symbolism for Israel before, during, and after the time of Christ.  The key for Jesus is that He wants His disciples to understand just how important it is that they stay connected to Him and to one another.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” (John 15:1, NIV).  This is the seventh and final of the great “I AM” statements that Jesus makes in John’s gospel.  Since the cultivation of vineyards was important to the life and economy of Israel, when Jesus starts using this imagery, it is not something new, but is familiar to every Jew. There are different vines found in the Word of God.  One is old -- the past vine was the nation of Israel.  In an act of grace, God transplanted Israel into Canaan and gave the nation every possible benefit. God asks, “What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?” (Isaiah 5:4)  If ever a nation had everything it needed in order to succeed, it was Israel.  But, the vine produced “wild” grapes.  Instead of practicing justice, it practiced oppression…instead of producing righteousness, it produced unrighteousness. God chastised Israel, but even that was not enough, for when the Son of the Master Gardener came into the vineyard, the tenants killed Him (Matthew 21:33-46).

The other vine is new – it is Jesus Himself.  He is the true or “original” vine.  In Him is genuine life…and the branch that is connected to Him has life. For believers, it is our communion with Christ through the Spirit that makes it possible to bear fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is present in the life of a growing believer…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Jesus says, “You will know them (true disciples) by their fruit" (Matthew 7:20).  A true branch, united with the vine, will always bear fruit.  Not every branch is going to bear a bumper crop, but it will bear fruit…as there is always fruit where there is life. This imagery is similar to what Paul shares concerning the Head and the body.  Christ is the head and the church is the body.  They are inseparably connected…you cannot have one without the other. Many of the images of Christ and the believer given in Scripture (head, body…bride, bridegroom…sheep, Shepherd) emphasize the importance of union and communion…and we can see the connection.

Something else to understand about the vines in the Holy Land…they were very strong, and it was nearly impossible to break off a mature vine without injuring the plant. That being said, a branch disconnected from the vine is weak and useless – branches are good for bearing fruit or for burning. The sooner that we believers discover and understand that we are but branches, the better we can and will relate to the Lord…for we will know our own weakness and confess our need for His strength. I do believe that “self-sufficiency” is the bane and decay of the vineyard today.  When we think we are strong enough and can handle things on our own, in effect, we sever ourselves from the vine.  When we are so busy that we cannot “be Jesus” to one another, then we are too distracted. We need to be strongly connected. The key word in this passage is “abide”…it is used eleven times.  How can we tell when we are “abiding in Christ?”  Is there some special feeling that is associated with it?  No, in fact, most of the time, our feelings will run contrary to this “abiding, connectedness”.  Satan will try to dissuade from being “connected.” There are evidences of “abiding” that are clear.  When you are “abiding” in Christ, you are “producing fruit” (v.2).  Also, you will experience the Master Gardener’s “pruning.”  He will teach, train and discipline us in order that we can grow. The believer who is “abiding” has his or her prayers answered (v.7), experiences a deepening love for Christ and for other believers (vv.9, 12-13), and experiences “joy” (v.11). The abiding relationship is natural to the branch and the vine...but, it must be “cultivated” in the Christian life – it does not happen automatically. Abiding demands worship, meditation on God’s Word, prayer sacrifice and service.  Once we begin to cultivate a deeper communion with Christ, we will have no desire to return to a shallow Christian experience.

In Ontario near an abandoned cemetery, there is this broken dead tree branch, devoid of life, hanging between two trees. At one end, a vine has intertwined itself around the dead branch and the trunk of one of the trees that supported it, giving the appearance that of still being part of the living tree. But in truth, it isn't…it is dead, truly dead, hanging by a thread! Or should I say, hanging by a vine?  If we are not leading a victorious life through the authority Jesus gave us, we are not "remaining in the vine". We may appear alive, but the sap that gives us victory is not coursing through our veins. We have somehow been detached from the source of real living!  "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15:4 NIV)  Faith stands firm in the face of trial and temptation, believing in God's promises:  Are we grafted in the vine or are we lifelessly hanging between trees?

I believe that many believers are like that branch being held up by the vine…they have the appearance of being alive, but they really are not.  Something we must understand as we come into this New Year -- we are not going to gain by being disconnected from the Jesus and from one another…in fact, we are going to be hurt, spiritually. We need to be committed to Jesus and to the body if we are going to grow and prosper spiritually.  As we have discussed previously, we live in the most technologically connected, but least personally connected society, in the history of mankind. It is good that we can communicate with friends around the world via Facebook, Twitter and the like, but we hardly spend time with one another outside of our regular meeting times. I don’t believe this is where the Lord would have us to be…especially since many of the early believers were meeting day by day in fellowship (but which also would be entirely unrealistic today). If we are separated from Jesus, and from one another, our leaves will wither and die and we will never put forth any fruit.  If we are staying connected, our lives will produce beautiful leaves and delicious fruit.  Since we have so many distractions today to keep us from being connected, what are we going to do to fight the cultural norm and the spiritual battle? This is an important question that each of us has to answer.

 

Blessings, Don

New Beginnings

Friends,

It is apparent at this point that we all have made it through the end of the world…whew. :-) We can now count on “business as usual”.  For the Mayans, they consider this a time of “new beginnings.”  I think this is an appropriate theme for today.  We are going to consider some "new beginnings."  This time of year, people focus on the birth of Jesus.  Today, we care going to consider how Jesus got here…that is, His lineage.  Now, this is not for everyone…some folks would just as soon read Leviticus as go through the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. But, genealogies are important, and we should spend some time discerning some of the important pieces of information from them…particularly Matthew’s.  Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, a Jewish tax collector by trade…and probably not a friend of Simon the Zealot before they both became acquainted with Jesus.  His gospel, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is one of four eyewitness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus, and it is written primarily to the Jewish people…but it is for all of us to understand.  This is exemplified in part by the fact that Jesus’ family tree begins with Abraham, the father of Israel, the nation of the Jews.  Matthew opens his gospel with a careful account of the birth of Jesus Christ and the events that accompanied it.  The virgin birth of Jesus, by Mary, through the Holy Spirit is a central doctrine for those who are Christians.  We know that Jesus was born in the flesh, but His was a situation that was surrounded with questions and concerns. 

Genealogies were very important for the Jews, for without them they could not prove their tribal allegiances or their rights to inheritances.  Anyone who would be claiming to be “Son of David” would have to prove it.  It was necessary for Jesus to establish His rights to David’s throne.  So, this list of names is a vital part of the gospel record.  It is also significant that the genealogy shows that Jesus is indeed a part of history…it is truly "His-story." All of Jewish history prepared the way for His birth.  God, in His providence, accomplished His great purpose in bringing His Son into the world.  The genealogy also illustrates God’s wonderful grace.  It is unusual to find the names of women in Jewish genealogies, especially since names and inheritances came through the fathers.  Yet, in this list, there are four references to women from Old Testament history…Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.  Each of these women would seem to represent some form of marital irregularity, but each one was vindicated by God’s blessings for their faith.  (Not that a child being born to a betrothed virgin is irregular :-)...we can certainly see the reason for the connection). What it signifies is that Jesus came through human heritage…and although that heritage was imperfect, He was perfect.  It also reveals that it would require more than human pedigree to make Jesus the heir to David’s throne.  This is why His divine heredity is so critical.

Finally, the fact that Matthew omits some names from his genealogy shows that he is not as interested in a chronology, but a theology of Jesus’ ancestry.  In vv.16, 18, Matthew makes it clear that Jesus’ birth was different from that of any other Jewish boy named in the genealogy.  He points out that Joseph did not “beget” Jesus, but that Joseph was “the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”  It is important to note that betrothal was significant to the Jewish people at that time, being equivalent to…that is, having the same authority as…marriage.  The significant exception was that the man and woman did not live together.  The man and woman were recognized as husband and wife, and at the end of their betrothal period, the marriage was fulfilled.  If somehow a betrothed woman became pregnant, it was considered adultery.  But, the Lord revealed the truth by His angel to Joseph so that he would not punish or divorce Mary when he discovered that she was with child (fulfills Is. 7:14).

Jesus was the most unique of all children ever born.  Being eternal God (John 1:1, 14), He existed before Mary and Joseph or any of His earthly ancestors.  If Jesus had been conceived and born just as any other baby, then He could not be God.  It was necessary for Him to enter this world through an earthly mother without the need of an earthly father.  So, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, a virgin (Luke 1:26-38).  Some philosophers, and even some religious leaders, have sought to discredit this virgin birth, yet it is Biblically accounted, true, understood and accepted by faith and foundational to Christianity.  Jesus came to mankind to be Savior…Jehovah is Salvation, Christ…God’s anointed One and Immanuel, which describes who He is…God with us.  Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior.

Dr. Len Broughton was a medical doctor before God’s call came for him to be a minister. As a medical student, he rejected the virgin birth of Christ. Later on, he began to practice medicine out in a country town. One Sunday, he decided to go to a church meeting. The doctor would say shortly thereafter, "that country preacher knocked more skepticism out of me in half an hour than that which I had received during all of my years at medical school." This is how he did it. In his sermon, he said, "if there is anyone here troubled about the mystery of God becoming man, I want to take you back to the first chapter of Genesis and the first verse. The opening words are… 'In the beginning, God…'". I felt like he was looking directly at me when he said, "let me ask you this: Do you believe that God was in the beginning? Do you believe that before the beginning began that God was?" I said to myself, "yes, I do believe that." He proceeded, "if you believe that God was ahead of the beginning, you believe the only mysterious thing in the universe." Dr Broughton considered, "if I can believe that, God knows that I can believe anything else the Bible says. I had gone to school and traveled through the mysteries of reproduction and cell formation. I now believed the One supreme mystery of the mysterious universe… 'In the beginning, God'…and the greater mystery included all lesser mysteries."

What has happened in recent decades? People have quit believing “the mystery.” The philosophies and theories of man have more so become the standard by which men measure themselves. (And we see how well this has been working in our society).  I thank God that He saw fit to introduce “the mystery within the mystery”…the birth of His Son, born of a virgin. We are all part of a grand genealogy that began with our father Adam and flowed through Abraham, David and down to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was all intentional…it was all critical for us. Far be it from us not to accept God’s mystery as it is…the mystery of birth, the mystery of His life. Praise the Lord for a day when we can magnify the precious life that God has given us.  

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OvZW58LQg_k

Blessings, Don

A House Decided

Friends,

One of the greatest things that we can do as human beings is spend time with family.  Besides husbands and wives, no place is it more important than parents spending time with their children.  Sports has always been an important part of my life…and I am thankful that it has become such for my son.  I enjoy our times playing Madden football, although I can barely hang with him…and this is with him playing on the “all-pro” level and me on “pro.”  Even more than this, I enjoy going to football games of the real life variety.  My own times with my dad were important.  He loves to tell fish stories, but the thing is…most of his are true.  One story he reminds me of on a regular basis…and I can verify as true…is one time, when I was about Ian’s age, we were raking in the perch on a lake, and I getting bored from the lack of sport.  Deciding to exercise some “ingenuity”…I started pulling some foam rubber off of my seat cushion and proceeded to catch even more fish.  True story.  We had fun.  Families are supposed to do so. 

Another story of a different sort…it was a Sunday morning and a father sat in his recliner reading the newspaper.  He said to his son, who was reading the comics section, “It’s time to put down the comics and get ready for Sunday school.”  “But, Daddy, aren’t you going to go with me?”  “No, I am not going, but I want you to hurry up and get ready.”  “Dad, did you go to Sunday school when you were a boy like me?” “Yes,” replied the dad, “I went every Sunday.”  Walking away sadly, the son said, “I bet it won’t do me any good either.”  Unfortunately, this story is played out in too many homes.  One Old Testament father said…”Not so in my house.”  How important it is for fathers and mothers to be…not only the leaders of the family…but, the spiritual leaders of their families.  It is God’s plan…one we must take seriously.   

God’s leader following Moses is Joshua.  And Joshua makes it clear to anyone would listen to him as to his allegiance (24:15).  He could not be neutral, nor could he be divided in his mind. He makes a decision to serve the Lord, the God of Israel, when many others are chasing after the idols of the day.  If the people, like Joshua, are going to serve the Lord, it is because they are going to respect Him, obey Him and worship Him only.  This would mean giving up any idols that are going to keep him from his goal…and to challenge his family to fix their hearts on the Lord, devoting their lives to Him.  All of this comes at a price…it comes from having hearts focused in the right manner and on the right things.  It is to be focused on being Jesus to one another…on living grace and love with one another.  It is a yearning to develop a heart that “wants to” worship the Lord and not simply settle on some “have to” worship Him.  Like the young man in the story, our young people will know if our hearts are fixed in the right direction, because the truth of the matter is that our kids are…by and large…going to grow up to be  “very much like us.” 

Being a wise spiritual leader, Joshua knows that people are going to worship something or someone…whether they realize it or not.  This is because humans are incurable religious…we are going to devote ourselves to something.  And if the Jews did not worship the true God, they would end up worshipping the false gods of the wicked nations in Canaan.  Joshua’s point – you can’t do both!  In v.21, they affirm to Joshua at this time that they want to worship and serve only the Lord God of Israel…and they gave their reasons.  Joshua also understands that it is easy for people to promise obedience to the Lord, but that it is quite something else actually to do it.  His strong words are meant to curb their overconfidence and make them consider their own hearts. Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.  "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him" (vv. 22-24).  The Lord never wanted Israel to be “a house divided,” but, as Joshua proclaims…”a house decided” concerning the Lord.

“Build me a son, Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.  Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of his deeds; a son who will know you…and that to know himself is the foundation of the store of knowledge.  Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who reach into his future, yet never forget his past.  And after all of these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.  Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.  Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.’”  General Douglas MacArthur

I pray that my daughter will grow into a woman who values the thoughts and opinions of people she respects, but also, one who knows her own mind, and trusts herself sufficiently that she feels able to take an unpopular stand. I hope she is always sure enough of her own value that she won't rely exclusively on the approval of others, or define herself by who she knows or what she wears. I pray that my daughter will recognize and respond to the feelings of others around her -- especially those in need of compassion.  I pray that she will always value people over things, deeds over words, and the voice of her own conscience over the consensus of the crowd.  I pray that she remains loyal to her family, and to her friends -- that she is open to new friendships, but that she never takes her old ones for granted. I hope she will be for her brothers (as I pray they will be, for her) someone they can always turn to, who knows them and loves them with unconditional love. And I hope she will always feel that there is no problem so large, no deed so terrible, that she cannot share it with her father and with me.  – Joyce Maynard

Conclusion:  Application -- Determine to lead your house for the Lord.

“Believing children” do not just happen…they are developed, grown.  If we want our children to be devoted to the Lord, then we must first be devoted to the Lord and his ways ourselves.  In a world that offers more distractions than ever in order to keep this from happening, it is going to require some serious commitment, not to mention some sacrifices in order to make this happen.  We decided before our children came into existence that our primary task was to train them to be Godly, spiritual people…that it was a matter of eternity.  We knew that many other things were going to be important…but not matters of eternity.  Our commitment to spiritual concerns had to be the primary focus.  We have a great responsibility to our children, and grandchildren, to please the Lord, to help our family and friends to remain unstained from the idols of this world.  It does not matter that several thousand years separate us from Joshua’s time…because the principles remain the same.  We should take a cue from him and seriously, spiritually determine that our families will seek to serve the Lord.  And it is not always the big things, like Sunday school and worship that will make the greatest difference.  It is a daily family devotional time.  It is a trip to the fishing hole or the football game…the trip to the mall or lunch at an eatery. It is preparing ourselves to be the best spiritual parenting people that we can be.

Blessings, Don

Points of Light



Friends,

I believe that shots of the earth like the one below...that show the lights of populated areas...are remarkable.  This is the first one that I have seen that is a composite of the whole earth.  Enjoy!

Blessings, Don

A Peace of the Action

Friends,

As seen in this portion of the Ephesian letter (2:11-22), Paul is working with the Gentiles.  Most of the Ephesian believers are Gentile converts, yet they understand that much of God’s program in the Old Covenant involves the Jews.  The Jews are not kind to the Gentiles.  Many of the Jews believe that the Gentiles need to become Jews first before they can be acceptable to God and to them.  God made the difference between the Jews and Gentiles from the time of Abraham…not that the Jews might boast in how great they were, but in order to be a blessing and a help to the Gentiles.  The Jews might have been different nationally, ritually…but morally, they are the same as the Gentiles.

Before they came to Christ, the Gentile Ephesians worshipped Diana (or Artemis).  Some of them believed they could worship Diana and Christ…and that it would all be the same.  Paul says – no way!  The Jews were a “special nation”…but not so the Gentiles.  They did not have a covenant for themselves.  They were aliens and strangers and the Jews never let them forget it.  The Gentiles’ philosophies, religions were empty and powerless to help men face life and death.  They were, as a whole, without God.  The nations had many gods (see Paul in Athens, Acts 17), but they didn’t know the One True God.  The Gentiles were included in God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3)…and this ultimately would culminate in their having hope through Christ Jesus. 

Although the Jews, Gentiles might have different purposes, these differences are erased in Christ’s reconciliation or “bringing them together again.”  There is not a significant problem for the church until Peter is sent to the Gentiles (Acts 10).  Then there is enmity (Acts 11-15).  Are the Gentiles supposed to become “Jewish Christians”?  No.  The enmity was taken away.  The law that separated the Jews and Gentiles is taken down…Christ destroys the wall and makes peace.  The big picture is what really needs to be considered.  Not only did the Gentiles need to be reconciled to the Jews, but both Jews and Gentiles need to be reconciled to God!  It is not a question of a Gentile becoming a Jew in order to become a Christian, but the Jew admitting he is a sinner like the Gentile.  Jews and Gentiles both have access to the same God through the new covenant brought by Christ Jesus.  Israel was God’s chosen nation, but they rejected their redeemer and suffered the consequences.  The kingdom was taken from them and given to “a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof…” (Matthew 21:43).  The new nation is “spiritual Israel”, the church.  Sin divides mankind, but Christ unites people by His Spirit.  All believers, regardless of national background, belong to a “holy nation” with citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3).  God does not dwell in a house made with hands, in temples or church buildings…but He lives in the lives of His believers (1 Corinthians 6:19), who are His temple (1 Corinthians 3:19). What a glorious plan in order to bring “oneness” and “peace.”

Joel Jongkind shares this -- In the latter part of the gospels, the disciples were in quite a state when they were gathered in the upper room. Their Lord and friend had been crucified, and the authorities were after them. They sat and wondered what to do next. Some of them were ready to go back home. And suddenly, Jesus was with them, and they heard His wonderful words, "Peace be with you."' Sometimes we too doubt and worry; sometimes we have a feeling of anguish in our hearts. We sit and wonder, or we lie in bed and worry, and we pray about it, or we go to church to worship, or we pick up the Bible and read those wonderful words, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 NKJV) Or we hear Jesus' words, "Peace be with you."  The word "peace" has been used a great deal over the years. Every time we turn on the television, we hear people “talking about peace” in places where there are wars and uprisings: in the Middle East, in Syria in particular lately, and in a number of African countries as well. There are a lot of negotiations, but there does not seem to be a lasting peace.  Before one war is over, another one has started. There seems to be no end to it, and we have learned nothing from history; there is no lasting peace. But inner peace is for all of us to have and to hold through faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. We know that the triune God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- is our source of lasting peace, and then, it does not matter what might happen in our lives, for we can be at peace through faith, and we will have peace in our hearts.”

It is interesting to note that religious history is not a record of man starting with many gods (idolatry) and gradually discovering the One True God.  Rather, it is the sad story of man knowing the truth about God and deliberately turning away from it.  God called the Jews beginning with Abraham that through them, He might reveal Himself as the One True God.  Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles, but their light burned dimly.  Today, we…spiritual Israel, the church…are not all that unlike the Jews and Gentiles as it relates to our ideals, philosophies and the like.  We all come from different places, have different backgrounds.  The message of grace and reconciliation is just as important today as it has always been…maybe it is even more important as it relates to one another, given the great differences between people…especially those in our fellowship.  But, the goal is not any different for us than it was for early believers.  In spite of our differences, we find ways to submit our spirits to the Spirit of God and when we do so, we are able to be at peace with God and with one another.  And this has value beyond what any of us can really truly appreciate individually…but it is good. Keep working at allowing the “peace of Christ to dwell in your hearts.”

Blessings, Don

Holy, Holy, Holy

Friends,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, early in the morning, our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty, God overall and blest eternally.”  How true it is – God is holy, and as we have seen previously, He expects His people to be holy.  This seems to be something of a lost virtue over the past few decades…but, it is no less important in relationship to living a Godly life than it has ever been.  In fact, it is my contention that this is a significantly important reason as to why our society is in the shape that it is today…and it is not going to get healthy any time soon.  And yet, this also changes nothing as it relates to our responsibility to be God’s people, who value and live in relationship to purity and morality.  I truly believe we see the words of Jesus in Matthew chapters 7 and chapters 24-25 coming to bear more so all of the time.  That which is going to separate those who are on the wide and narrow roads, or separate the sheep and the goats…and we are talking about religious people…is the difference between whether said people live holy, servant lives and remain as unstained by the world as possible.

In Leviticus 24, it is revealed that there were two sections in the tabernacle…the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  In the Holy Place was located three pieces of furniture – the golden altar of incense, table of showbread, and the golden lampstand. Since there were no windows in the tabernacle, it was necessary to have light in the holy place so that the priests were able to see as they were ministering in there.  The lampstand provided the light.  Each morning and evening when the high priest burned incense on the golden altar, he was to care for the lights on the lampstand to be certain that they would continue to burn.  The lampstand…with the oil…symbolized the Word of God, the light that God provided for His people in this dark world.  God’s people couldn't see effectively without it then and they cannot today either. The lampstand also provided light so that the priest could burn incense on the golden altar…this symbolized the prayers of God’s people going up to Him (Psalms 141:2).  In a like manner, apart from the Scriptures, we cannot pray effectively. The lampstand also symbolized the nation of Israel, called to be God’s shining light to a dark world. Unfortunately, the priesthood became wicked and failed to maintain the nation’s light before the Lord.  Still, the people needed to bring oil so the lights could be kept burning in the holy place.

Loaves of bread were put on the golden table every Sabbath…and then the old bread was given to the priests to eat.  What do they symbolize?  The table was called, “the table of showbread,” and the loaves were called “the showbread”, which can be translated, “the bread of presence.” God was present with his people and they were able to be in His presence in the tabernacle.  It assured God’s people that He was concerned about the “practical matters” in their lives. No matter where the Jews were in the camp, they needed to remind themselves that their people were represented (12 loaves for 12 tribes) in the holy place on the golden table (Colossians 3:1). Also, the loaves reminded the priest that his ministry was for real people.  Being somewhat isolated in the tabernacle day after day, the priests could easily get out of touch with the people that they represented before God.

The final matter in this chapter is of a more serious concern.  The Jews knew the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”  So fearful were they of breaking it, that they substituted the name “Adonai” for “Jehovah,” when they would read the Scriptures.  Here is the account of a man who has blasphemed, who used the name of God in vain.  There was a consequence…there was a punishment to pay…and it was death. Obedience to the Law was a very serious matter.  To respect a name was to respect the person who would bear that name, and the opposite was also true…and their highest respect was to belong to the Lord. Moses sought the will of the Lord in the matter. He was humble enough to admit that he did not know everything, and he asked the Lord concerning what to do in this situation. The Lord’s decision was handed down to the transgressor…as the lex talionis, “law of retaliation” was in effect (Exodus 21:22-25).  It showed respect for the law, life and humans made after the image of God. For the guilty one, the punishment was carried out.  The law, at this time, was an expression of God’s justice and compassion, because it helped to restrain personal revenge in a society where there was no police force or large judicial system.  It is challenging for us to understand, nonetheless.

It is important to understand a principle that does not really get much respect today, unfortunately, so it is difficult for us to understand it.  God’s “proper” name, Yahweh, was and is a sacred and holy name.  His name is to be respected by His people Israel…and it was so.  The power of God’s name was evident, just as Jesus’ is during the time of the first century (and beyond).  Those who would call on the name of the Lord had life, just as those who misused the name would be punished with death. In this regard, nothing that God has said that is holy has changed – it is still holy.  The consequences of blaspheming by using the name of God may have changed, but not the respect all should have for God’s Holy Name…although, those who blaspheme the name and will of the Lord by living ungodly lives will face the consequences of their attitudes and actions.  We must give God’s name the respect that He deserves as our Creator and Sustainer. It is quite evident that our world abuses God’s name and ignores His power to its own destruction.  And I will say this – this also has never changed.  We must call on His name to empower us, as seen in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed (holy, but beyond this really -- ultimate respect) be your name.”  We must regularly remind ourselves that we need to rely, not upon ourselves, but upon the Lord God in His holiness, understanding. When we do…He makes us holy, mature.

Blessings, Don

Passing from Death to Life, Part 2

Friends,

Mike Wilkins tells this story -- In Donald Miller’s book “Blue Like Jazz,” he has a chapter called “Love: How to Really Love Other People."  He was at a lecture by Greg Spencer that talked about the metaphors that we use around (amongst other things) relationships. We talk about how we value people, invest in people, how we say people are priceless, or that a relationship is bankrupt. All these metaphors are economic ones. “And that’s when it hit me -- the problem with Christian culture is we think of love as a commodity. We use it like money. Professor Spencer was right, and not only was he right, I felt as though he had cured me, as though he had let me out of my cage. I could see it very clearly…if somebody is doing something for us, offering us something, be it gifts, time, popularity, or what have you, we feel they have value, we feel they are worth something to us, and perhaps, we feel they are priceless. This was the thing that had smelled so rotten all these years. I used love like money. The church used love like money. With love, we withheld affirmation from the people who did not agree with us, but we lavishly financed the ones who did.” There are always going to be those situations in our lives where it feels like we are going to use love “as a commodity,” rather than allow love to transform us. We cannot withhold love from our friends, or from those with whom we disagree. We learn and grow in relationship to allowing the Spirit, in love, to help us to learn to disagree agreeably…to move on and to grow.  In this, we mature in Christ.  I think that this is the concept that John shares in his first letter. In 3:11ff, love isn’t just a commodity, but it is who we are – we are producers.

I my previous message, I talked about how the Christian is supposed “to pass from death to life” in the Ephesian letter.  It is a personal, spiritual journey…we go from living in the flesh to resurrected, spiritual beings for Jesus. So…is that all there is to it?  Does this take place in a vacuum…or, is there more to the story?  John says…yes, there is.  So, here we go. He starts us off by talking about the children of our “first parents,” Adam and Eve.  Cain and Abel had the same parents, but they approached life from completely different perspectives. They both had the same opportunities – they both brought sacrifices to God…both acted, but one had a heart that was thankful, while the other had a heart that was indifferent.  Abel’s offering was “by faith”…Cain’s, however, was not. And instead of listening to God concerning His heart problem, Cain listened to the voice of the evil one. Instead of repenting, he was filled with jealousy and hatred toward his righteous brother, whom he plotted against and destroyed. Cain’s attitude represents the system of this world…serve self…look out for number 1…trample on those who keep you from goals #1, 2.

When people in the world come face to face with the truth of Jesus Christ, it forces them to go in one of two directions – repentance and submission to Christ…or defiance and antagonism. In effect, hatred is the destruction of the spirit, according to John and has the same effectual quality as “murder”…which is not a good thing, obviously. This is where the world resides, but it doesn’t have to be this way…what is the answer? It is found in “passing from death to life,” which John equates to “living according to love”.  It is a living out of the resurrected life that we talked about last week…it is about living in the Spirit, walking in newness of life, and so on. We cannot stay in the angst of hatred, jealousy and living according to the flesh – this is “to stay dead.” John says that “true love” means loving in deed and truth.  We are no longer simply to talk about meeting needs or loving others…we must find ways to do it. One of the reasons that sinners were so attracted to Jesus is that they were certain that He would love them in a sincere and unbiased way.

What kind of love would it take to come down from heaven to be among men?  What kind of love would it take to struggle through the Garden of Gethsemane…to die on a cross and be raised from the dead to eternity? This is a costly love, a sacrificial love…it is unconditional. When believers choose to live in this committed, sacrificial way of love, there are some tremendous benefits. The first is assurance. If we love, our understanding of God’s truth grows and we can enjoy hearts filled with loving confidence before God, and confidence in our salvation. Another blessing is answered prayer. Because of our confidence toward God, we can ask of God…and He can answer. Love proves that we are living in the will of God. In addition, our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ cannot be divorced from our prayer lives.  Living in the right, loving relationship with our brothers and sisters enables our prayers to be answered.  A final blessing is abiding.  From the upper room to the garden, Jesus illustrated this principle, comparing His followers to branches in a vine (which we are going to get to in a couple of weeks). If we abide in Christ…obeying His Word…living holy lives…then the fruit of the Spirit of love is going to become evident in our lives. 

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:14-18 NIV). As the saying goes, “All it takes in order for evil to succeed is for ‘the good’ to do nothing.”  One might think I am talking about politics…no, but the everyday living of the Christian life. As Randy Harris shares, “What happens when people make themselves available to the work of the Spirit? (To use a band/choir analogy), He helps us to hit or sing the right notes.  We can trust our instinct to be right most of the time…this is spiritual maturity." Love is not indifferent…as it was with Cain, but is proactive…as it was with Abel.  Love is not static, but dynamic.  Love is a verb, much more so than a noun when it comes to our lives. Love is not apathetic (notice there is only one letter difference between “apathetic” and “pathetic”), but it is passionate…it cares enough to encourage, to confront, to bless. We live in a culture, not only where people…including many believers…are apathetic, don’t care, but where people expect things to come to them -- but this is not the way of Christ. We can’t expect that it is always going to be “someone else’s responsibility” as it relates to being Jesus to the world or to the brethren. There are way too many folks who live a “consumer Christianity”…who treat it like a “commodity”, rather than a “producer lifestyle.” Once again, James has a word for us, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22 NIV). Be a producer.

Blessings, Don