An Untapped Resource

“And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto [him], and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.” (Ac 23:16-17 AV)

The Bible records several very brave young people who did some very brave things.  Remember Naaman the leper?  It was a young servant girl who told him of the prophet Elijah.  What of Samuel?  The young man who had the courage to tell the elder Eli that his days were numbered.  Or what of the two young men left in Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion?  They ran ahead and warned David of the plans of his enemy.  There was Isaac, who lay bound on an altar of wood without so much as a peep.  Of course, we have Jesus, who at twelve years old, debated the doctors of the law for days while his parents never knew where he was.  Now, we have Paul’s nephew, who came to warn Lysias of the plans of the Jewish executioners.  Doing so would be a scarlet letter on his head for the remainder of his life.  This young man showed more courage than the cowards who wanted to kill Paul.  He showed more courage than Lysias.  This young man’s faith saved his uncle’s life.

We have an untapped resource in our churches.  Youth!  They are simple and no little of risk.  They are willing to do things that aged saints have long since abandoned.  They will go street preaching.  They will hand out tracts.  They will invite their neighborhood friends.  We often overlook the ones who could probably grow our churches better than we can.  They are the life of the church.  They are the courage of the church.  They are willing to stick their necks out if you give them the opportunity.  When we are young, we are naïve.  We simply do not understand the consequences of risk.  Nothing is measured against the potential for danger.  Sometimes, that is not a good thing.  Other times, it is what is needed.  Two of my sons went to an inner-city high school for the last few years of their high school career.  My youngest played baseball.  He was the starting pitcher.  This gave him a great deal of ‘cred’.  Even though he did not fit in like most of the students, he was not a victim, either.  As I worked with him and the other students, they accepted him and even watched out for him.  Going to that school was a significant risk.  But God protected him and even used him!

One of the most harmful things to church growth is to stymie the enthusiasm and energy of youth.  They can be the catalyst for tremendous church growth.  My wife, when see was a youngster, was a bus kid.  It was her enthusiasm that eventually brought her parents to church.  It was a little girl who loved the LORD that resulted in her mother’s salvation.  This is what our churches are missing.  Give them a task that takes a bit of courage, and they will do it.  Place a challenge in front of them, and they will rise to it.  Paul’s nephew risked far more than he realized.  But it was the right thing to do.  We have a generation that will reach their world if we give them opportunity.  They will turn their world upside down if we turn them loose.  Rather than keep them as delicate flowers who can’t do much for God, maybe we should see them for what they are.  They are often an unencumbered tool in the hand of God.

What Are We Leaving

“A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just.” (Pr 13:22 AV)

To the Jew, and inheritance was far more than material goods.  It was the definition of his existence.  The inheritance was something left for his children upon which they could build their future.  When Joshua led Israel to invade and conquer Canaan, the land was divided up by tribe and family.  This land was their divinely assigned inheritance.  It was required for the land to stay within the family.  The laws were very stringent.  A parcel of land could not be sold or taken by another of an original family.  Even if debt was the issue, at the year of Jubilee, all land was returned to the family to whom it was given at the time of Canaan’s demise.  So, when the Bible tells us that a good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, he is not speaking of wise investments left to his family.  Solomon is speaking of maintaining and governing what God has given well, so that when it is passed from one generation to the next, it can be a source of livelihood.  If material wealth was the intent here, many of us would fail.  In fact, the way that society is structured today, the government will get everything you own and inheritance is something rarely spoken of.  The question we can ask is, how well are we maintaining our spiritual heritage and what will be the product of our lives that our grandchildren can appreciate?

This past spring, I went down to see my son and his wife for a few days.  They live in central Illinois.  The live dead center in the fly over corridor for migrating Canadian Geese.  Duck hunting is a big thing there.  On one of our jaunts, Lisa and I went from one antique place to another.  There were three along the road on the way to my son’s house.  We spent the greater part of a couple of hours looking at old things.  There was one particular place that had an entire floor of antique rocking chairs and cedar chests.  Some of them were well past one hundred years old.  As I looked around, I quickly learned I was approaching elderly status.  Some things I saw as antique, I grew up with.  Walking about, I came across a large section of duck decoys.  They can get really expensive.  There is a collector’s market for those things.  I found one that was in my price range – cheap!  It was a carved work that was brightly painted.  It looked almost new.  A memory of my mother’s father came back to me.  He was a hunter.  Mainly pheasant.  But he did hunt duck as well.  He had several duck decoys on his bookshelf behind his recliner.  So, I bought this decoy for my office.  When I look at it, I am reminded of my grandfather.  He was one to admire!  His disposition was something I aspired to.  A very strong yet gentle man, he was one to follow, but not to fear.  He was patient.  He was understanding.  He was loving and generous.

The inheritance I received from my grandfather was not land.  It was not money.  It was not material wealth.  I own something of his that no one else has.  It was his pride and joy.  But it was the man himself that was my greatest inheritance.  It was his character.  It was his sense of joy.  It was his humility.  In fact, both of my grandfathers were remarkable men.  I will never forget them.  So, the question comes back.  What will we leave our grandchildren, which they will remember for a lifetime?  Will they remember our love for God?  Will they remember our service to God?  Will they remember how we loved grandma?  Will they remember our joy?  Exactly what is it that we will leave?  What aspect of our salvation will they consider being priceless?  I wonder.

Joy in Failure?

“But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” (Ac 13:51-52 AV)

Luke is referring to Paul’s preaching at Antioch of Pisidia.  This is a different Antioch from the one in Syria.  The latter is from where Paul and Barnabas were ordained and sent.  The Jews in Antioch of Pisidia were extremely antagonistic against the gospel.  It was from there many rebellious Jews followed Paul from city to city, battling him as he preached the gospel.  While in Antioch of Pisidia, many Gentiles came to Christ.  But as a whole, the city completely rejected the gospel.  This is why they shook the dust off their feet.  What we want to note is the emotional response to the severe rejection which they suffered.  It was not frustration.  It was not anger.  They did not feel abused.  They did not feel regret or resentment.  The Bible tells us they were filled with joy!  How amazing is that?  They were thoroughly rejected and fled the city.  Yet, they were filled with joy!

Years ago, our college and career group was very active in community outreach.  We would hit the neighborhoods.  We would do a lot of follow-up.  Our pastor was a very energetic soul-winner.  He was constantly sharing the gospel with everyone with whom he has contact.  One place we went was a Methodist college in the area.  We would visit those who came off campus to our church.  If they filled out a visitor’s card, they got a visit.  That opened doors for us to evangelize the campus.  They did have a campus church, of sorts, but the student body was not forbidden to attend other churches.  So, that was an invitation to us to invite their student body to church.  The student body was not required to attend chapel services or go to church anywhere.  So, we did not see a problem with inviting their un-churched student body to church.  Then, the dean called us in for a meeting.  I went to that meeting.  The dead informed us we were no longer welcome on campus.  If any invitations to our church were forthcoming, they had to come from a student attending the college.  We felt completely rejected.  What was our reaction?  We chuckled that a Christian college discouraged church attendance.  Of all the placed to be kicked out of, a Christian college would not have been at the top of the list.  We felt privileged to have suffered a small rebuke and rejection for doing the right thing.  Whether we could stay or had to go, we were doing it for the LORD.

Our response to rejection will shed a lot of light on our motive for service.  If we react with discouragement, resentment, or regret, our motive for service was wrong.  If we react with frustration, then our confidence in the call and plan of God is not solid.  If we react with anger, then our motive was self-serving.  There are several other examples of the right kind of reaction.  Peter and his company felt unworthy to suffer shame for the gospel’s sake.  It was the honor of Christ to be rejected and die for mankind.  We see others who did not react so well.  Jonah resented the revival God sent to the Ninevites.  Jeremiah burned out and pouted.  Moses lost it and wanted to see the people destroyed.  It all depends on our motive and source of strength.  Paul and Barnabas had their heart right before they went to Antioch.  Paul and Barnabas had prayed and fasted before they preached the gospel.  Paul and Barnabas knew success in the ministry did not rely on the acceptance of the gospel in one particular city.  The apostles had their heart and head right.  That is why they could be filled with joy, even though there were few decisions and many enemies.

Perfect Soundness

"And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Ac 3:16 AV)

I know the apostle is referring to this man’s body.  He was lame on both feet and it was through the name of Christ he was completely healed.  Faith in the person of Jesus gave this man perfect soundness.  Upon entering the temple and what would ensue as the greatest salvation recorded as yet, the people wanted to know how this poor beggar could now walk.  Again, I realize this statement is regarding physical soundness.  But I think it could be safe to say that for spiritual and emotional soundness, the promise is equally valid, if not more so.  In time, our bodies will fail.  It is a consequence of the fall.  Because Adam and the entire human race rejected God, death was his and our wage.  That is what Romans and Genesis reveal.  So, those parts of our being that can experience enteral perfect soundness are the mind and heart.  Or the soul, and our minds.  Our bodies await our final redemption.  The glorification granted in eternity will be that which grants perfect soundness.  For our minds and hearts, we need not wait.  Faith in His name can and does result in perfect soundness.

I take these paid surveys all the time.  They want to know my opinion on a new product concept.  It doesn’t pay very much.  Just pennies.  But it is a good way to save for something special.  Anyway, what I have found is the older I get, the more I am loyal to products that have worked for me.  There are brand name products that I will always use.  There are others that I have tried and will never use, even if they come up with a unique way to meet my needs.  Once a product works, I find I stick with it and wait until they come out with a new feature that better meets a need.  This is not always true.  Sometimes, because of a significant price difference, I might switch to a store brand.  I did that with a soap I was using.  Because of a particular condition I have, I need super moisturizing soap.  I was using a well-known brand, and it was working just fine.  However, in the last few years, the price has tripled.  When soap costs as much as a quarter tank of gas, it is time to switch.  So, I bought the store brand.  A third of the cost of what I was using.  And, it actually works better.  So, unless the brand disappoints, that is what I will always use.  Faith in the name of the manufacturer keeps me as a loyal customer.

Faith in the persons of Jesus Christ and God the Father can never be understated.  God can and does do things above what we can ask or think.  His works are gracious to all the people of the world.  Unfortunately, because of the fall of man, we suffer innumerable troubles.  God will not remove the ability of free will.  We have the freedom to choose.  What that means is our choices come with consequences.  This is why we are in a state of unsoundness.  Faith restores what we have lost.  When we are fearful or anxious, we need to remember the name that has made all things well.  This reminds me of the words of Peter.  “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1Pe 4:19 AV)  We will suffer.  It is part of the will of God.  Through suffering, we often learn life’s most important lessons.  It is the only way we can learn them.  In those times, however, God does not desire a state of complete insanity.  He would never do that to us.  What He wishes is that in spite of our suffering, we would have a perfectly sound mind.  He wants us to have a perfectly sound heart and soul.  This perfect soundness only comes by faith in the name of Jesus Christ.

Faith Growing Can Be Painful

“And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.” (Joh 11:15 AV)

The context is Lazarus’ death and resurrection.  The suggestion is, had Jesus returned days earlier, Lazarus would not have died.  This was the observation of both the disciples, and later, the mourners.  Whatever took Lazarus’ life, it was assumed a Messiah who could open the eyes of the blind and cause the lame to walk could have healed Lazarus.  This suggests, then, that the death of Lazarus was part of the plan of God.  God allowed tragedy when tragedy could have been avoided.  At least momentarily.  Lazarus would eventually die one more time.  But he didn’t have to die that first time.  Jesus explicitly states His delay was for the furtherance and growth of the faith of His disciples.  Note also that it made Jesus glad.  As much as it hurt those who mourned Lazarus, God was pleased with the opportunity for faith-growing.  From our perspective, it may be uncomfortable.  It may even be painful.  But growing in faith is what our existence is all about.  Faith is the basis for a deeper relationship with the LORD.  If we do not learn to trust, then we cannot love.

Faith can only grow if it is tested.  One clip I find insane is bungee jumping.  I am quickly becoming addicted to short videos.  It is a whole lot better than what Hollywood can produce.  Real people doing real things or teach profitable subject matter that improves our lives.  No commercials that are offensive.  We can pick and choose our content as our interests vary.  I cannot remember what clip it was, but I watched this man bungee jump off a very high bridge.  It looked like he was having the time of his life.  He didn’t go off the edge with little zeal.  No!  He ran to the edge, jumped off, and did some spins and tumbles on the way down.  The reason this clip was popular was the bungee chord was not easily seen at first.  It appeared as though the fella was free-jumping off a bridge with no parachute.  The fact he ran made one think there was no chord attached to his feet.  Then I got to thinking about this.  First, I would never, ever, ever, base jump in any form!  However, if my life depended on it, I would want to see a weight equivalent to mine go first.  I need to see that the chord could handle the stress.  However, not until I jump off that bridge and come to a safe stop would I ever say I have complete faith in that chord.  My heart would be pounding.  My palms would be drenched.  I would almost throw-up!  The only way to learn to trust that chord is to subject oneself to a very stressful situation.

God is not cruel!  He isn’t.  What He is asking we do with our own children.  We put them is stressful situations that force them to learn to trust.  We might throw them in the air and catch them.  At first, they might be terrified.  But soon enough, they are laughing and asking for more.  We might start them off holding them up as they learn to walk.  But there has to come a time when we let go.  It is at these times, our children learn the depth of relationship they can have as they learn to trust.  As an adolescent looks up to his or her father’s eyes with that look that says, “I completely trust you and feel totally safe” is the moment you, as a parent, know that that child loves you.  Both child and parent are bound in love, honesty, mutual care, and respect.  This is what the LORD is accomplishing as He asks us to trust Him.  It is not cruel.  What He is doing is producing a much deeper relationship with Him that can come no other way.  No doubt, fewer tears would have been shed had Lazarus not died.  No doubt his sisters would not have felt pain.  But those things will return the second time Lazarus dies.  The difference is, the second time around, they will believe in the resurrection because of what Jesus did and the pain will be immensely less.  We may not appreciate the trials of faith as they happen, but in the long run, they increase our faith toward God and our love for God.

Living With It

“Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with [his] finger wrote on the ground, [as though he heard them not].” (Joh 8:5-6 AV)

This is an interesting passage.  I once had a church member use this passage to justify pre-marital intimacy, adultery, and remarriage after divorce.  His reasoning was if Jesus did not condemn the sin of adultery, neither should we.  The mistakes he made were in his understanding of ‘condemn’.  A group of men who were not qualified to bring charges against someone for adultery brought an adulteress to Jesus for a civil judgment.  There were two things wrong with their actions.  First, it must be the victim who brings the charges.  If this woman was married to another, her husband must bring the charges.  If she was not married, but her lover was, it required the spurned wife’s testimony.  Second, Jesus frequently declined acting as a magistrate.  He was the Son of God.  He still is.  But what He ministered in human flesh, He subjected Himself to human authority.  He obeyed Joseph and Mary.  He observed the law as required by the Pharisees.  He paid taxes.  In other words, even if the charges were brought correctly, He did not have the human authority to condemn.  So, when He says He does not condemn her, Jesus is referring to the civil authority to render judgment.  His divine judgment is shown when He tells her to go and sin no more.  Calling the act of adultery a sin is rendering condemnation.

There is another way in which I care to look at this.  With the Spirit’s leading, it occurred to me that Jesus ministered in a villainous culture and, as the son of Man, He could do little about it.  As God, if He so chose, He could have rendered judgment on this woman and would have been fully justified in doing so.  As the son of Man, Jesus had to live among some very horrible sin all the while, doing miracles and loving people hoping some would be converted.  Not that He approved of the sin of this woman.  It is that He had a greater vision of what the Father wanted Him to do.  There was a greater caused than correcting what was right in front of Him.  Again, not to be repetitive, but Jesus’ response was not toleration.  He was not excusing her sin.  Otherwise, He would not have called it a sin.  There will come a time when Jesus sits as King on this earth and things like this will be dealt with severely and quickly.  For now, Jesus must go to a cross and die for the sins of mankind.   He must serve wicked mankind and love on them so they will trust Him as Savior and Messiah.  As God, sin repulses Him.  As a man, He has compassion on the sinner so the sinner will be reconciled back to God.

When I look at the surrounding wickedness, mine included, heaven cannot come quick enough.  It is beyond sad.  It is beyond wicked.  Man, in his rebellion, as redefined God’s creation to fit their perverse desires.  Infanticide and sodomy are the greatest of all sins.  God calls them an abomination.  Yet, here we are.  We are still on this filthy planet for a reason.  It is not an excuse to become hardened against sin and cease to preach on it.  Quite the contrary.  Unless we preach on sin, the sinner will not understand his or her situation.  There must be accountability before there can be redemption.  The soul must be convicted before he or she can be converted.  The thought came to me by the Holy Spirit that if Jesus can live and walk in filthy Rome, then I am required to do the same.  God is not asking us to become hardened or cold.  He is not asking us to ignore the corruption and perverse.  The LORD is not asking us to cease fighting against it.  What we can to is look to the perfect Son of God who dwelt among the most perverse of all people so that He could preach the way of righteousness to those with no hope.  Why preach in a perfectly holy society?  Jesus came to seek the sick.  Jesus came to save the lost.  This means He lived and ministered among the worst, so they might become children of the most High!

The Marvels Never Cease

“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” (Joh 5:20 AV)

Why is it we limit the miracles of God to the gospels?  Or, at the very least, we think of the miracles of God are a very rare thing.  We have lost the marvel of what it means to be a believer.  God does not seem to work because we do not expect Him to work.  This promise was to the disciples.  Jesus promised them that if they believed and followed, then they would see things they would see no other way.  It is interesting that Jesus gave this promise a chapter before He lost most of His congregation.  In chapter six, Jesus preaches Himself as the bread of life.  He it speaking metaphorically.  Those asking the questions know this.  He states they must eat His flesh and drink His blood.  Taking that literally, anyone would have been confused and offended.  No wonder Jesus promised to show them marvels a chapter before He lost almost everyone.

To stand in amazement over who God is, and what God does should be the norm.  We should always be taken with amazement in all we see.  Just the other night, I was watching a short video on the mathematical precision of the observable universe.  The speaker was comparing the statistical realities of certain physical forces in our universe with something we could understand.  He explained the precision of the balance of gravity, the nuclear precision of all material things, and the balance of the universe in terms of mass and time.  Although I do not remember the exact characteristic he was explaining, but I remember the comparison.  He explained that, if the mathematical value of one of these forces was off by in infinitesimal amount, the material universe would not exist.  He compared it to a pile of dimes ascending from the earth, beyond the moon, to a point ten light years away.  If this value was off, even in the smallest of fractions, it would be like randomly picking one red dime from that pile on the first try.  Another comparison was a rifle target with a one-inch bullseye.  He asked if anyone could hit that target with a small caliber rifle in the auditorium in which he was presenting.  Many raised their hands.  Then he asked if anyone could hit that one-inch bullseye if the target was placed at the edge of the observable universe.  That would be the tolerance of a physical attribute of the universe which God created.  In other words, the existence of the material universe is a marvel in and of itself.

We allow the events of our lives to cloud our observation.  We cannot marvel at what God does because we are not looking.  Rather than see the mathematical precision of the known universe, we are overwhelmed by our current trials of faith.  We cannot see that food on the table and heat in the house are a marvel.  The fact God would have anything to do with us is a marvel.  That Jesus died and rose again that we might have eternal life is a marvel.  Miracles of God are all around us.  In our case, we see God doing one miracle after another.  Health issues are resolved beyond our expectations.  God is good.  All the time!  If we are not living in amazement, then our eyes are in the wrong place.  Jesus gave this promise.  He did not give it to some.  He gave it to all.  If we are not marveling at the work of God that occurs all around us, it is because we are blind to it.  If we are to live in amazement over the hand of God, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us His marvelous works to the children of men.