SERVANTS AND STEWARDS

Maybe you’ve seen a chain letter that’s been going around for a number of years.  It says:

“The result of a computerized survey indicates that the perfect preacher:

Preaches 15 minutes

Condemns sin; but never offends anyone

Works from 8 till midnight including janitorial work

Makes $60 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car and gives $50 per week to the poor

Is 28 years old and has been preaching for 30 years

Is wonderfully, perfectly handsome

Has a burning desire to work with teenagers but spends all his time with the older folk

Smiles with a straight face because his sense of humor keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.

He makes 15 calls per day on church family, shut-ins, hospitalized, while evangelizing the lost.

He’s always in his office when needed.

If your preacher does not measure up to this chain letter, send this letter to six other churches who also are tired of their preacher. Bundle up your preacher and send him to the church at the top of the list. In one year you will receive 1,643 preachers One of them should be perfect.  WARNING: Keep this letter going. One church broke the chain and got their old preacher back in six months.”

The truth is, we use a lot of criteria to judge preachers.  By contrast, here’s God’s view of preachers:  “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (4:1)

(1)  Preachers are “servants”.  There are several Greek words in the New Testament that are translated “servant” and the word that Paul has chosen to use here is an interesting one.  The word literally means “under rower”.  Have you ever seen one of those old movies where the Roman ship is powered by slaves pulling hundreds of oars?  This big guard cracks his whip and all the slaves pull on the oars.  That’s what this word “servant” originally meant.  The lowest galley slaves, the ones rowing the bottom tier of the ship.  They were the most menial, unenvied and despised of slaves.  From that meaning the term came to refer to subordinates of any sort, to those under the authority of another.  Paul says that ministers of the gospel are first and foremost “servants of Christ”.  In everything they do, they are to be subordinate and subject to him.

(2)  Preachers are “stewards.”  A steward was a servant, but he was a servant with very special responsibilities.  Perhaps the best way to express it is with the term “household manager”.  A steward was a servant who was placed in complete control of a house or an estate.  He supervised the property, the fields and vineyards, the finances, the food, the staff members on behalf of his master.  Joseph in the Old Testament is a good example.  He was a steward in Potiphar’s house.  Paul says that ministers of the gospel are stewards because they are entrusted with proclaiming the mysteries of God — the gospel.   As a steward of the gospel, it is the minister’s responsibility to take God’s Word and dispense it to God’s household.

Those of us who are preachers appreciate being encouraged and edified like anyone else.  But, when you’re tempted to put your preacher up on a pedestal (or if he insists on climbing up there all by himself!), remember that we are but servants and stewards.

“So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gave the increase.” (I Cor. 3:7).  To God be the glory!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

^“All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose (Proverbs 7:22).”

A recent day at the beach offered more than the Gravell family bargained for. Upon their arrival, their two children began playing with a buoy that had washed up on the shore.1 They even posted pictures on Facebook with the kids cavorting around the curiosity that the tide washed up. But a few days later their posting gathered some serious attention when it was learned that the buoy was actually WWII era mine – they were playing with a bomb! The bomb squad collected the device and detonated it in a controlled explosion.

Many have toyed with sin in a similar fashion not realizing how deadly a thing it is (Romans 6:23). Every theft begins with coveting. Tick. The adulterous affair was initiated by “innocent” flirtation. Tick. Substance abuse is the result of believing that “a little never hurt anyone.” BOOM!

It was reported that a 12 year employee of Hewlett-Packard was sentenced to 21 months in prison for embezzling nearly $1 million dollars.2 The administrative assistant was responsible for managing corporate credit cards for executives but she pulled aside thousand for herself at Neiman Marcus. Tick. And several thousand more at the Apple Store. Tick. And over $100,000 at the La Costa Resort Spa. BOOM! She told the judge, “I would love for a do over and admittedly I am scared to go to prison…But I know there must be consequences.”

David toyed with explosive sin also. Spying Bathsheba he did not break his gaze but instead beheld her with his eyes (2 Samuel 11:2). Tick. He inquired as to who she was. “She’s married to Uriah the Hittite (v.3). Tick. Then David sent messengers for her and committed adultery with her (v.4). Tick. Then Bathsheba sent and told David, “I’m pregnant (v.5).” BOOM!

Samson wasn’t interested in finding a wife among those of his own faith (Judges 14:3, Deuteronomy 7:3, 1 Kings 11:4, Nehemiah 13:26). Instead he pursued a foreigner who did not fear God (Judges 16:4). Tick. She asked for the secret of his strength and he toyed with her saying that fresh bowstrings were his kryptonite (v.7). Tick. She tried him again, while another ambush was set (vv.11-12). Tick. Finally, Samson told the femme fatale that a haircut would render him defenseless (v.17-21). Then the LORD departed from him. BOOM!

And thus have countless souls met their doom throughout the generations. Sin is pleasant for a while (Hebrews 11:25) but it slowly hardens the heart and weakens one’s power to reject its allure (Hebrews 3:13). Repeatedly, Christians are warned not to be deceived by sin (1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 6:7, 1 Timothy 2:14). Sin is not to be toyed with as though one might be able to simply sample just a taste and not succumb to its poisonous properties. Be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23b).

For the next few weeks we will continue to examine the dangers of sin so that we might safely avoid its explosive consequences.

“In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11).”

Billy Alexander

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27 NKJV).

One persistent tendency of human beings is to mix cultures or traditions. This is often seen in religion.

A new faith enters an area rich in religious heritage. Many converts are quickly made. However, there are elements of their previous practices that continue to have great appeal. Almost invariably these become assimilated into the new religion.

This process is called syncretism, which simply means to bring two things into harmony. The effect is to blend or merge elements of two different items (in this case religions) into one unit.

One need only to study the history of exploration and conquest to see examples. Europeans who conquered lands in the Americas or Africa or Asia and remained to administer their colonies soon took on characteristics of the local culture.

In the same way, a religion may have distinctly different forms and rituals in separate areas of the world, or even in distinctly different regions of the same country.

A wedding I witnessed in South Asia provides an illustration. Both bride and groom are devoutly practicing followers of Jesus. They are serious about their Christian beliefs, reading the Bible daily, talking to others about Christianity, and promoting it in their workplace.

But their wedding celebration, including a reception on the second day, included dress and ornamentation with traditional meaning to other religions. The complete ceremony was an interesting blend of East and West, of Christianity and Hinduism.

It is common to see people converted from Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism continue to use traditional jewelry and clothing, including symbols with some lingering religious meaning. One common sight is a young child with a dark round spot on its forehead or face. This is a good luck charm, believed by many to ward off demons.

Many converted Hindus will continue to abstain from beef. In Islamic Bangladesh many Christians still refuse pork, like their Muslim neighbors.

Some relics of one’s former faith are much more sinister. They may include attempts to continue to practice the former religion along with the new, reliance upon symbols or icons believed to have supernatural effects, and the desire to bring former rituals and practices over into the new faith.

James’ definition of true religion includes staying unspotted by the world. His immediate purpose was probably to warn against immorality. But the world manifests itself often in false religion. Those practices are equally ungodly and defiling.

It was James who authored the letter to the Gentiles (converts from pagan idolatry) in Acts 15:23-29. In that letter the apostles and elders commanded, “That you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well” (Verse 29).

Almost all the things in that list could be found, among other places, in the various religions of the Roman world. Christians were not to assimilate pagan practices into the worship of the true God. Idolatry has no place in the church. Immorality and all things that defile must be avoided and denied.

The world will always seek compromise. It will always try to dilute true faith and defile the righteous. We must ever be on guard against it. Wearing traditional clothing for special occasions may be harmless. Other types of syncretism are certainly not.

by Michael E. Brooks

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38, NASB)

Jesus’ ordeal on the cross was real. It was not only extremely painful, it was humiliating. It was not only a punishment for the offender, it also served as a warning to onlookers. It was a calculated, gruesome spectacle.

But there was more than the physical agony and shame (Hebrews 12:2) of the cross. Jesus’ succumbed to the physical torture of the cross, but the anticipation in the Garden brought him to the brink.

I was reminded recently that it was here, in the Gethsemane Garden, that Jesus’ victory was practically won. How?

With no risk of oversimplifying: it was prayer.

Jesus poured out his soul to his Father, proclaiming his utter inability to carry out this mission without God’s help (Luke 22:39-46). It seems to me that, without this bold and immeasurably humble concession, undoubtedly, the humanity of Jesus would have failed this hour.

In striking contrast, we have no such prayers recorded from Peter that night. Jesus even warned Peter of Satan’s intention to sift him like wheat (Luke 22:31-32). Peter did not take this seriously enough.

Jesus called upon God for Peter’s strength; Peter called upon himself for strength (Luke 22:33).

While Jesus prayed with heavy heart, Peter slept with heavy eyes (Matthew 26:42).

Jesus confessed his weakness to God in the Garden; Peter denied his Lord in the courtyard (Luke 22:54-62).

Jesus: regular prayer, and continual reliance on God.

Peter: no prayer, and perpetual reliance on self.

The outcomes should not be surprising.

Will we fare differently?

Finally, think on this: the Lord attained our salvation largely because of the value he placed on prayer.

May we all learn this lesson well.

Rick Kelley

Rules

The world has never had any rules. The world doesn’t even really like guidelines. How can something like, “Live for today,” qualify for a rule or a guideline?

William Barclay wrote, “One of the characteristics of the world in which we live is the lowering of standards.”[1] Many in the world have no standard at all. The disciple of Christ must live according to the standards of Christ. The only other option is to live in profligacy.

Jesus described his disciples as salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16. Salt was valuable in Jesus’ day. Roman soldiers were often paid with salt, hence the term, “salary.”

Salt flavors food and is a preservative. The flavor of a Christian is behavior in accordance with the standard given in the Bible. If a disciple of Christ obeys that standard, he will have a reputation thereby, or a flavor. If he does not, he cannot hope to be preserved as a Christian.

Light is the other metaphor Jesus used. “You are the light of the world,” he said (Matthew 3:14). Light helps people see where they are going and keeps them from stumbling. The light of God’s word is the standard for our conduct as Christians. If one does not walk in the light, one walks in darkness. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13 NKJV).

The sinful world does not like rules because to it, rules were made to be broken. Christians, however, know God created a world in which there is order, not chaos and anarchy.

Our decision is simple. Either we will live according to the rules of God’s word or we won’t. How are you living?

[1] “The New Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Matthew,” by William Barclay, page 137.

John Henson

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6, NKJV). Salvation can’t occur without Christ because his blood is indispensable (Romans 5:6-11; 1 John 1:7).

Thomas a Kempis said, “Without the way, there is no going. Without the truth, there is no knowing. Without the life, there is no living.” These spiritual gifts can’t exist without Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

There isn’t a way, truth or life without God. He’s given us all we need to attain salvation (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We’re only complete when we live and speak as he dictates in his word (Romans 10:17).

We don’t own spiritual truth or spiritual life. Righteousness is impossible without Christ (Romans 3:10-18). Outside of him, all spiritual hope is lost.

Truth was established before time began (Psalm 119:89) so when we speak it today, it’s because we match up with what God has already established.

God’s truth is a standard, a solid thing that can’t be altered (Luke 21:33). When we remember this, we’re on our way to humility (James 4:10). His standard is the only one against which our words can be judged.

When we proclaim spiritual truth it’s only because our words meet God’s standards. When it doesn’t, it’s error. This has enormous implications because there’s only one gospel (Galatians 1:8-9).

What we or society thinks doesn’t have any bearing on spiritual truth (Psalm 102:25-27).

Popular opinion and the changing landscapes of time and culture are useless because spiritual truth is timeless (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 40:8). We do it or we don’t. We have no hope of changing it.

Anyone, even Satan, can proclaim truth. But that doesn’t make them a speaker that should be trusted completely. We must continually measure all we hear against God’s Word (James 4:1). The process never ends because our souls are at stake.

Richard Mansel

USA Today consulted the advice of experts from various fields to chart how much time was needed for the daily necessities of life — if you did everything the experts said you were supposed to, for as long as they said you should.

For example, the experts cited in the article stated:

You should sleep for 7.5 hours

Exercise for 30 minutes

Need 45 minutes for personal grooming

Allow 1 hour for cooking and eating

Spend 1-2 hours for housekeeping and chores

Work – 7-10 hours

Grocery shopping should require about 20 minutes.

The USA Today article also contained expert advice on how much time to spend with children, with your spouse, commuting, reading, and other daily activities. USA Today counted up all those minutes needed for our daily tasks, according to the experts, and it came to 42 hours! *

Obviously, no one has that much time in a day!  According to these experts, there is just not enough time to accomplish everything that we need to accomplish!

What do we do?  We have to prioritize to get done what needs to be done.

“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time (or ‘making the most of every opportunity’), because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

The word “redeem” means to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss.  Therefore, we are instructed to make the most of our time by “buying up” opportunities to address those things that are most important.

THE most important matter in our lives is our relationship with God…

The problem is that our SIN separates us from God and condemns us (Isaiah 59:1-2; Matthew 7:13-14).

But God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).  The precious blood of Jesus redeems us from our sins when we accept His offer of salvation on His terms (1 Peter 1:18-19).

God will redeem those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

The greatest way to redeem your time today is to be sure that you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!

Won’t YOU use your time wisely by responding with trusting obedience to the One who have given you time?

David A. Sargent, Minister

“Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day” (Proverbs 23:17, ESV).

Remember the thug at school, the kid who lived on the edge, who, it was rumored, did drugs, had lots of experience with women, who defied teachers, and lived life his own way?

In the television series, “Happy Days,” this character was Fonzi, who held the universal admiration of the kids from good homes, regular (boring) families, had his own business (the motorcycle shop). He was cool, suave, just a little dangerous, and the other kids were thoroughly fascinated with him.

There was a Fonzi at the school I attended, too. He had an air of sophistication. He possessed knowledge of women and life that was way beyond our adolescent understanding. He held forth on his exploits often. We listened in fascinated awe.

In reality, he was a stupid sixteen-year-old.

Now, of course, I’m not saying that all sixteen-year-olds are stupid. I am saying, from my perspective as an adult, that I realize now how silly he was, how foolish, how naive. And while I went to college and began a career, he stayed in the same place, shifting from job to job, and aging prematurely from his rough lifestyle.

Today he is a drifter, asking for handouts. Drugs have addled his thinking.

He is no longer the object of anyone’s admiration; he is the object of pity.

Don’t envy them. Don’t emulate them.

by Stan Mitchell

Everyone makes decisions as they go through life day by day. Some decisions, of course, are more important than others. I think we all would agree that buying a house is more important than buying a hamburger and deciding where we will work is more important than rather we will wear black shoes or brown shoes to work.

We must make decisions all the time, what clothes to wear, where to live, what to cook for dinner, and so on. Some decisions are seemingly so automatic, it doesn’t seem we are actually making a decision.

As a Christian, we must make decisions too and sometimes, yes, we need a little help from an older brother. Let me give you an example from my life.

Deanna and I had not been Christians very long when a member of the church came to visit us one Sunday afternoon. Well, after a few niceties and over coffee, the man said, “I would like to talk with you about being faithful in your attendance.”

I said, “We are there every Sunday and for class too.” He said, “That’s right every Sunday morning and sometimes for the evening service”. Then he went on to say, “You have, in the past, made a decision to attend every morning service and the other times the church meets are a case by case decision depending on what else is going on at the time.”

Well, he was right, that was what was happening. Next, he went on to say, “Here is the best thing to do. Decide one time to be at services every time regardless. If not, you must make 102 decisions a year about attendance, 156 decisions if you count Sunday mornings. Again, he said just make one decision, I will be there”.

I shared the above account with the congregation in Bitburg Germany during a workshop/meeting in 1986. By then it had been twenty years since the man had visited my home and encouraged us to make a one-time decision about our attendance.

Now as I was telling the story, a man spoke up and said, “George Creel. His name was George Creel and you were in Meriden Mississippi. He put my family on the right track with the same approach.”

Now, it’s been more than fifty years, since George shared this true and simple approach, with me, let me suggest the same to all, make a decision, one time, for all time.

The Biblical text, Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as we see the day drawing near”.

Yes, a seemingly small decision, but with eternal consequences.

Dick Brant

“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today” (Luke 5:26 NKJV).

My first international travel was in 1983 and since then I have made between 50 and 60 foreign trips. For the past 20 years or so I have mostly gone back to the same places and have become quite familiar with the geography, customs, and procedures of those places. I do not notice that I experience any anxiety on those trips – they have become part of my routine.

On the other hand, when I do go to a new destination I usually become at least somewhat nervous about what I will face and whether I am fully prepared. This in spite of my experience and regardless of how strange or hazardous the new destination might, or might not, be. Obviously, if I were to go to a place known for chaos and violence that nervousness would escalate, but even a peaceful, orderly place may present new challenges. That which is not known is to be viewed with caution at the very least.

I doubt that modern readers of the Bible can truly appreciate the reaction of the multitudes who went out to see Jesus and who saw his miracles and heard his teaching. For perhaps three and a half years he toured Palestine, performing at least hundreds if not thousands of miracles and teaching things which no Jew had ever heard or considered. His miracles included healing illnesses believed to be incurable, exorcisms, feeding thousands by the multiplication of a small amount of food, calming of storms, and even the raising of the dead.

The ancient east had no shortage of professing exorcists and miracle workers but never had there been anyone who could do the things done by Jesus of Nazareth. Those who witnessed the healing of the paralyzed man in Luke 5 said it clearly – “We have seen strange things today.” We might have put it, “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

When Jesus cast out Legion from the man at the cemetery in Gadara (Luke 8:26-39), the people of the area were afraid and begged him to depart from their region. One would think they would have asked him to stay since he rescued one of their own from demonic influence (and them from the possessed man’s fearsome strength). But they did not. They were accustomed to the demons, but Jesus was new, different, and strange, so they feared him.

The unknown makes us uncomfortable. This is one reason why conversion is difficult. Sin may cause guilt and knowledge of duty, but if we have continued in a particular type of sin for very long it is at least familiar. It is the so far un-experienced demands of righteousness that scare us. Note Peter’s words regarding this phenomenon:

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles – when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you” (1 Peter 4:3-4).

Those who continue in sin do not understand those who change and often will not tolerate their new lifestyles. Not only do they speak evil of Christians attempting to live righteously (think about “all those hypocrites in the churches” – are they always real, or are those accusations sometimes exaggerated?), but in many instances resort to physical forms of persecution. The righteous are perceived as threats and are feared as such.

Fear of the unknown can be overcome by removing ignorance. Experience is the key. When we try the new and find it beneficial our anxiety disappears. Let us accept the Psalmist’s challenge:

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).

Michael Brooks

Growing up in the church, I can’t tell you how many lessons I’ve heard on the topic of prayer. However, it hasn’t been until the past couple of years that I’ve really started to understand how powerful and important prayer really is. There are some individuals who I love to hear pray, because they serve to be a great example. Thankfully, Paul is included in that list due to the preservation of the New Testament scriptures. Notice a few of the reasons why Paul prayed:

• Pray a prayer of thanks for Christians who exemplify faith, hope, and love (Col. 1:3-5; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:4; 1 Thess. 1:2)
• Pray a prayer asking God to help your brothers and sisters grow in the knowledge of God’s Will (Col. 1:9)
• Pray for the spiritual efforts of others (Philemon 6)
• Pray for those who need a spiritual boost (2 Corinthians 13:9)
• Pray that you can have an opportunity to help those who need help in their faith (1 Thess. 3:10; Rom. 1:10)
• Pray that God can actively shape and mold those you are thinking of (2 Thess. 1:11)
• Pray for those who are in authoritative positions (1 Tim. 2:1-4)
• Pray about the things that are weighing on your mind (Phil. 4:6)

This is just a brief and concise list of Paul’s prayers found in his New Testament letters. One thing is for sure; Paul was very spiritually minded in his prayer life. He seemed to be more concerned with the spiritual condition of someone, rather than their physical condition. While the physical entities of this life are not to be ignored, they also shouldn’t be placed above spiritual matters. I’m grateful for our brother, Paul, and his legacy found within the scriptures.

Tyler King

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

Several years ago, I saw a man walking down the street with a big wooden cross on his shoulder, positioned in the way we often see depicted in movies of Jesus on the road to his crucifixion. No doubt the man’s goal was to make a point about faithfulness to Christ by literally “taking up his cross.” Perhaps he desired to inspire people through his sacrificial gesture of publicly bearing this load of a religious symbol through the streets of the city. It inspired me, but not in the way he may have anticipated.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the man’s cross had been fitted with wheels at its base. In that moment whatever impact the gesture might have had was tainted, because the message it communicated was, “I will bear my cross for Jesus as long as I can make it a little easier.” All these years later I am still left with the impression of a man who wanted the look of the cross, but not the actual struggle.

In recent months it has occurred to me that the majority of Christians in America today have never genuinely had our resolve for Jesus tested. Being part of the church has become so normalized that we have not been compelled to put everything on the line in denial of ourselves to follow him. For some, the result is a faith that likes the look of the cross, but not the struggle.

For example, it has been all too easy for some to make things like online services the new normal because it is comfortable and safe. Meeting publicly with the church is still deemed “too risky,” yet, they willingly “risk” going out in public to perform “necessary” errands daily in settings that are far less “socially distanced” than most church buildings on Sunday morning. Could it be that we want to bear our cross only if we can add wheels?

I understand there are still concerns to be grappled with, such as those who have legitimate, elevated health risks. My goal is not to air out complaints, but simply to make us think. Think about the level of commitment we are demonstrating to Christ in what may be the most trying time in most of our lives. Are we committed enough to take the wheels off our crosses and fully deny ourselves every day? Or will we only pick up the crosses that have been modified to make life easier?

Think about it.

Cory Waddell

Not every home is a happy home and every Christian home does not produce faithful Christian children. With that thought in mind, we turn to Psalm 3…

The inscription of Psalm 3 tells us that this psalm was written when David was fleeing from his own son Absalom. That is a very long story told in 2 Samuel 13-18. Absalom’s anger at David begins, perhaps, when Absalom’s sister, Tamar, is raped by their half-brother Amnon and David does not handle it the way Absalom believes he should. That whole story is a theme for a different sermon. But Psalm 3 apparently was written when David was fleeing from Absalom who wanted to kill him and take over his father’s throne.

In the stressful atmosphere of Absalom trying to kill his father, David writes this psalm and through it, he reminds himself and you and me that God is our “shield and glory.”

LIFE IS FULL OF STRESS – 3:1-2:

As king, David was surrounded by non-Jewish enemies, especially the Philistines, the Amalekites and others. Beyond his own son, David was having to defend the nation of Israel from pagan enemies.

My guess, though, is that the awful relationship David had with Absalom was what weighed on his heart the most. When you have an unfaithful child, you might blame yourself. “What could I have done differently? What did I do wrong?” You may even think about specific events in your family life that you now wonder if you should have handled it differently. Especially if your child turns his/her back on God.

Life is full of stress. Where do you go to find peace of mind?

WHAT GOD DOES FOR US – 3:3-6:

1. Who God is (vs 3): We all know that you cannot draw a picture of God. But if you were to draw something that could symbolize God, what would it be?

David says that God is a shield about him. The word “shield” is used 20 times in the book of psalms. It was clearly one of David’s favorite metaphors for God and it is no surprise since David was a military man and the shield was a key defensive weapon in those days.

Not only does David say God is his shield, but he also calls God his “glory.” This is a figure of speech where you put the Giver for the gift. The gift is glory and God is the one who gives it. In other words, “glory” here refers to God’s approval of David. There are some 50 references to the glory of God in the psalms. It is especially associated with God’s presence.

Finally, David refers to God as “the one who lifts my head.” Here again, we have pictured the idea of acceptance, relationship. There is an old wives’ tale that snakes can stare into the eyes of its prey and hypnotize the prey with fear. There is no biological truth to that. But, sometimes we can stare into the eyes of our enemies and be paralyzed with fear. Here, David suggests that we look into God’s eyes when we get afraid and He will give us deliverance.

2. What God does for us:
3. He answers our prayers (vs 4).
4. He sustains us (vs 5).
5. He gives us peace of mind (vs 6).

THE CALL FOR FURTHER HELP – 3:7:

In this one verse, we have a couple of commands addressed to God, requests for aid. When you feel the stress of life, remind yourself of what God did for you in the past and that God is still faithful and He still surrounds you with His shield and He will be with you in the future.

A DOXOLOGY – 3:8:

A “doxology” is a word of praise. Here, David recognizes that salvation comes from the God of heaven. David also acknowledges that he needs (and we need) God’s blessings.

When you feel the stress of life weighing on you, be reminded that God is your shield and He will glorify you if you stay faithful to Him.

Paul Holland

Did you know that ancient Roman soldiers were not supposed to marry during their years of service? Now compound this with Augustus Caesar establishing the military term for soldiers at 20 years!  Listening to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy suddenly takes on a new level of intensity and single-mindedness.

“No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:4)

As Paul opened his second letter to Timothy, Timothy appears to have been grappling with some fear and embarrassment about the Lord (2 Timothy 1:7-8). Paul’s words offer to reframe Timothy’s perspective by reflecting on the dedication that even a common soldier had to possess. How much more, then, God’s soldier ought to exemplify a single-mindedness of purpose and devotion to please his Commanding Officer!

As good as a tenacious dedication to God is, Paul knew that such zealousness needs guidance. So he wove into this fabric of faithfulness the lesson of an athlete.

The intense training and discipline required of an athlete was proverbial. To petition to participate in the ancient Olympic games, the prospective athlete was required under oath to pledge that he would train for 10 months.

Nevertheless, such dedication alone was insufficient. The victor would be one who competed by the established guidelines (2 Timothy 2:5). Timothy’s service to God needed to be guided by God’s will, not just his own ideas of what was best. How easy it can be to get fired up about our own solutions and agendas.

And finally, Paul added a farmer to this collage of faithfulness. As the hard working farmer is the first one to receive a benefit from the harvest, so too it is only right that God’s faithful and dedicated servant should be first to share in the blessings of his labor (2 Timothy 2:6).

We can do this. As God’s people we can live the short period of our time under the sun dedicated to serving our Lord according to God’s will.  Even if life seems mundane or arduous, we can do this.  And let’s not forget, God wants to refresh his workers and it is appropriate to accept refreshment along the way.

by Barry Newton

I was listening to a young person recently talking about an aspect of worship regarding a hypothetical role of women in leadership. This individual suggested that “people need to get out of their comfort zones.”

I thought: “You want to get out of your comfort zone? Commit to five years mission work in Papua New Guinea. Work in a community shelter in Chicago, Illinois.”

But fudging on God’s instructions is not the place to “get people out of their comfort zones.” (I’m not even sure where this idea that getting people out of their comfort zones has been proven to be beneficial. Is this some area of human behavior I am unaware of that has been demonstrated to have psychological benefits?). I have noticed that it is rarely the speaker who offers to move out of his/her comfort zone; Instead, he/she wants to force friends and colleagues to do so.

I am certain the individual speaking was neither a behavioral therapist nor a biblical scholar.

God’s instructions on the role of women in worship is, as the young people like to say, “a thing” (1 Corinthians 14:34,35; 1 Timothy 2:10,11). As Christians, we need to grapple with it, not ignore it, ask where it applies, not brush it aside.

John urges us “not to go ahead” and “not abide in the teachings of Christ” (2 John 1:9). Jesus calls on us to leave “father and mother,” to “take up our cross, and follow him” (Matthew 10:36,37).

Please note this: Following Jesus’ teachings is the most challenging thing you will ever do. His word will challenge you, change you, and without question take you out of your comfort zone. And as for getting people “out of their comfort zones”? I hope we are always uncomfortable with going outside the lines of God’s word.

Stan Mitchell

I have heartily enjoyed singing the children’s song, “Father Abraham”, in years gone by but I have now attained the age where I am tempted to sit on the bench. It is a strenuous endeavor indeed and demands not a little coordination. There should probably be a requirement for a doctor’s approval for anyone engaging in that activity.

The life of Abraham is a precious study for Christians. He is our father in the faith as Paul makes clear when he refers to God’s promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations (Gen 17:5) in Romans 4:18-21.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

When I reflect on the promise that God made to Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age I recently tried putting myself in Abraham’s shoes. That promise was met by laughter from Abraham (Gen 17:17) and Sarah (Gen 18:13), and I try to imagine my reaction to a promise like that by substituting a sporting analogy.

Born and raised just outside Manchester, England, I am still a huge football (soccer) fan and Manchester United is still my favorite team, though the love of money has greatly tarnished that sport. I run through a scene in my mind where God approaches me and says, “Barry, get your kit and head over to Old Trafford. You are playing for Man U. in the UEFA Champions Cup game against Real Madrid.”

I, of course, am in disbelief and would find it hard not to laugh but after I finished laughing guess what I would be doing? I would be looking for my football boots!

This is the lesson we learn from Abraham as we seek to grow in faith. Faith can be the challenge of persevering in doing what is right over long periods of time. It also can be the challenge of doing what is seemingly impossible, whenever God asks us to.

Maybe He will even ask me to get up and sing “Father Abraham”!

I do know that if we trust God, we will score the winning goal.

Arthur Barry

Jesus said: “These signs shall follow them that believe” (Mark 16:17).

(This article is part of a continuing series. The previous article can be found here).

Are miracles still occurring today? That is not the same question as, “Do people still claim to witness miracles today?” People claim to witness miracles regularly. But a claim must be substantiated.

This is a somewhat touchy subject because if you say, “God is no longer working miracles as He did in the first century,” people might hear that as, “God is not active in people’s lives,” or, “God is no longer capable of performing a miracle,” or, “God does not provide healing at all,” or perhaps worse, “God doesn’t care about us.”

But these inferences are not necessary at all. God can be active in people’s lives, fully capable of performing miracles, provide healing, and care about us, without ever performing a miracle (you might reference this previous article in which we argued that, for the most part, practically no one has ever witnessed a true miracle).

But in order to answer the question of whether miracles are still happening today, we must first uncover the purpose of the miracles. Then, we must understand what, if any, limitations were associated with biblical miracles.

What was the primary purpose of the New Testament-era miracles?
In Mark 16:17-18, our key text for this series of articles, Jesus promised his followers that certain “signs” would follow those who believed. But while many focus on what the particular signs, or miracles were, that is actually not the most important element to consider. The most important aspect is the designed purpose for which the miracles were done:

“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following” (Mark 16:20).

The phrase “confirming the word” is a statement of purpose. It lets us know the design of the miracles. They were to confirm the word. There was a reason, indigenous to the early church, why “the word” needed miraculous confirmation at this time: it was incomplete.

When Christianity began, the only revelation from God was the Old Testament (OT, Genesis-Malachi). But once Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:11-14), Christians stopped carrying out the dictates of the Law (though, questions about previous rites like circumcision did persist, re: Acts 15:1-24).

Why? The old covenant was brought to fruition in Christ (Matthew 5:17-18). It served its purpose (Galatians 3:24), and Jesus removed it through his cross (Colossians 2:14). That doesn’t mean the OT is not instructive or useful, but the rites are no longer binding to those in covenant with Christ. Why? That covenant was inferior and replaced by the greater lawgiver, priest and sacrifice: Jesus Christ (for further study: Hebrews 7:22-27; Hebrews 8:6-13; Hebrews 9:13-16).

Consequently, the first Christians – while they used the prophetic evidence in the Law to corroborate their testimony of the resurrected Jesus – still had no written covenant for themselves. This new revelation of God came via apostles and prophets of the New Testament (hereafter, NT) era (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Ephesians 3:1-5).

However, an apostle couldn’t just start telling everyone what to do. He needed definitive proof that what he said was from God. This is why, as the gospel message spread around the world, miracles came along, “confirming the word with signs following” (cf. Acts 2:43; Acts 4:30; Acts 5:12; Acts 8:13; Acts 15:3; Romans 15:19; Hebrews 2:4). These are even called by Paul “the signs of an apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12).

Implications

The designed purpose of the NT era miracles was to confirm new revelation from God. If they are still occurring today, then new revelation from God is still occurring, and some argue that this is so.

Unfortunately for that argument, the NT itself claims to have been once delivered to the early church in the first century (2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3). As W.E. Vine stated:

With the completion of Apostolic testimony and the completion of the Scriptures of truth (‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints,’ Jude 3, RV), ‘that which is perfect’ had come, and the temporary gifts were done away” (Commentary on First Corinthians, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1951, p. 184; qtd. in Wayne Jackson, “Can Christians Speak in Tongues Today?“).

Of course, some allege that miracles are still occurring today. But it is not enough to make allegations. According to the purpose for miracles, if they are occurring today, we should be adding to the body of NT books.

One can disagree with the idea that miracles only accompanied new revelation and the temporary, apostolic ministry if they choose, but one must provide evidence from the Bible that supersedes the evidence of Mark 16, which teaches that miracles were designed for that purpose alone.

Furthermore, personal experience (witnessing/experiencing an alleged miracle) that contradicts the Bible’s teaching on this subject is not admissible, as it is entirely subjective and cannot be tested.

In the next article, we will consider even further limitations of biblical miracles.

Rick Kelley

ONE NIGHT AT a Hard Rock nightclub in Hollywood, Florida, the legendary slugger Jose Canseco was supposed to be fighting in a celebrity boxing match.

A former outfielder for the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers, Canseco had been the center of much controversy for steroid use in baseball.  His published books Juiced and Vindicated were among the first to “name names” concerning those who were also taking performance enhancing drugs to compete in major league baseball.

As a way of making money after his baseball career ended, he decided to take up mixed martial arts, and in particular, boxing.  But as Canseco’s fans showed up to cheer on their hero in the boxing ring at that Hard Rock nightclub, they were met with a scandalous realization.  The man in the ring was not Jose Canseco.  It was his identical twin brother, Ozzie.

If not for Ozzie’s distinctive tattoos, the brothers might have gotten away with it.  Ozzie had fooled others before, appearing at book signings for his brother in order to earn cash.  This fight was simply another deception.

Disgusted with the bait and switch, the fight promoter immediately took Canseco to court in an attempt to get his money back.  Dudley Rutherford, “Resuscitate A Dying Faith,” God Has an App for That, 91

“For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he may gain much, if God takes away his life?  Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?”  Job 27:8-9

Mike Benson

“I came down from heaven” (John 6.38)

(1) an unbeliever who denies historicity of Jesus
(2) an unbeliever who accepts historicity of Jesus
(3) a believer in Jesus who denies accuracy of the gospels
(4) a believer in Jesus who accepts accuracy of the gospels

Category 1 is unreasonable: Jesus is historically verifiable (not exploring in this article).

Category 2 is at least understandable: Someone could objectively examine the evidence and become convinced that Jesus lived, without having any interest in what is said of him in Scripture.

Category 4 is reasonable: Based upon the historicity of Jesus, it is not unreasonable that someone would study the Scriptures, and come to believe them to be the particular revelation of Jesus Christ, and come to faith in him.

Category 3 is the most unreasonable of all: This is the person who accepts the historical Jesus, claims to be a believer, but not in the gospel version of Jesus.

Category 3 is not only the most unreasonable position, but the most convenient as well. This person gets the best of both worlds: the joy of Jesus, in just the form they like. They get to keep what they like, and toss what they don’t, and no one can stop them.

Isn’t this the most dangerous position of all? If not the Jesus of the gospels, why Jesus at all? We might as well call our god George Washington, or Genghis Khan. Without the Jesus of the gospels, there really is no Jesus at all.

So, if you’ve ever wondered why so many so-called, professing Christians believe so many different things about Jesus – about what he actually said, or didn’t say; what he condemned, or didn’t condemn; or what he did or didn’t do – perhaps this will help you understand.

Professing “Category 3,” Christians have taken a page from the Hindu playbook: rather than finding the true God as revealed in Scripture, they have just taken the liberty to create 1,000,000 others they like better.

The only difference is, they’ve named them all “Jesus.”

Unfortunate, but not far-fetched for a self-serving, pseudo-tolerant, pluralistic society.

Rick Kelley

It took the Israelites three months to reach Mount Sinai after leaving Egypt (Exodus 19:1). During this time God had shown that he was with his people and that he would take care of them.

Besides leading them out of Egypt after the last plague with the plunder they had been given, he led them through the Red Sea when it appeared they were boxed in and had no where to go (Exodus 14). When they needed fresh water, God provided (Exodus 15, 17). When they needed food, God provided quail and manna (Exodus 16). When enemies attacked them, God gave Israel the victory (Exodus 17). Whatever they needed the Lord provided.

When they arrived at Mount Sinai, they saw the power of God in the form of thunder, lightning and a very loud trumpet blast when he descended on the mountain (Exodus 19). They heard the voice of God speak to them the Ten Commandments, which so terrified them that they no longer wanted to listen to such a voice – let God speak to Moses and Moses would relay the information to the people (Exodus 20).

After all God had done for them and all that they had seen and heard, you would think that this was a group of people who would never turn their back on the God who had delivered them from bondage as slaves.

Sadly, just a month and a half later, they were asking Aaron to make idol gods for them. “When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!’” (Exodus 32:1 NET).

Perhaps even more surprisingly, Aaron did it! The man who had performed signs in front of the Pharaoh (Exodus 7:8-9) by the power of God was willing to build an idol and credit the golden calf that he made with leading the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery.

When asked by Moses why he did it, this was his incredible reply: “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out” (Exodus 32:22-24).

The result that day was that 3000 Israelites were killed by the Levites, who rallied to defend God and God sent a plague on the people. Rather than Israel becoming a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6), the Levites became the tribe of priests in place of the nation.

As Christians, today we are the kingdom of priests that God had wanted Israel to be: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We are these things for a purpose: to proclaim God to those around us.

May we never forget who we are because of God’s mercy (1 Peter 2:10) nor forget who led us out of the bondage of sin.

Will you show your thankfulness in worship this weekend?

Jon Galloway