Active Missionaries and Their Committment Level

When I first came to pastor in New Jersey one of the members of our congregation asked me about my commitment to missions. I confess, I didn’t understand its importance then, but this individual did. And for good reason: Her great-grandmother had come to Christ in Japan, when an American missionary shared the Gospel with her. Untold generations in her family had placed their faith in Christ as a result of the proclamation of the Gospel through someone who was willing to leave all the comforts of their homeland behind.

Since then I have met some living heroes in the faith who leave everything behind and give their very lives for people groups on the other side of our planet.

I have a friend who served in the Bosnia when the villages were being shelled by mortars. He learned to sleep with earplugs so that he could sleep through the explosions taking place outside.

Another who dug his well in Russia during the winter months with nothing but a small ice-pick. I know of a man and his wife who meets weekly with thirty atheists who come to learn English while my friend teaches them the Bible.

Another husband and wife team who entered a country at great risk to themselves. The country was closed to Christianity. It was so dangerous that they couldn’t even reveal to their friends in the states where they were.

Missionaries for the Lord – all of them.  I marvel when I share the stories of my friends with those who are stateside. They can’t believe that anyone would have a cause that was so great that they would place their very lives at stake. A friend of mine once said, “Never forget, you were once a mission-field, and Jesus came seeking you.”  With that thought how could we not be willing to go into all the world?

The Evangelistic Dime

The Bible says that “Faith is the realization of things hoped for, the confidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Perhaps you, like others, struggle to put your confidence in something or Some-one you cannot see. Some people believe that if they can’t see it, it can’t possibly be real.

Imagine that I am holding in my fist a 1941-42 wartime mercury dime. A friend of mine tells me that such a piece is valued at $250. Because my fist is closed, you can’t see it. You simply have my word that it’s there. Whether you can see it or not, however, doesn’t make it any less real. Reality isn’t limited by what you see anymore than it is limited by what I see.  Let’s say that I wanted to determine whether you really trust me. Imagine that, in my system of values, whether you believed me was more important than all the things you did to impress me.

The best way for me to determine the sincerity of your belief is for me to ask you to put your confidence in me for that dime even though you have not yet seen it. If you do only that, I say, the dime can be yours. But you must believe even though you cannot see. When someone asks me if I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my answer is a definitive Yes!  When they ask me how I can believe in what I cannot see, my answer is that I believe God when He says He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and that His promise of eternal life to those who believe in His Son (even though they haven’t yet seen Him) is true (John 1:12).

And one other thing, I believe that one day He will open His hand, but I won’t look upon a $250 dime. Instead I will see for the first time the scars from the nails that bought my salvation.  Do you still want to believe only in  what you can see?

Daniel and Right Decisions

The Biblical book of Daniel is known for lions’ dens, fiery furnaces, and a host of prophecies. But it also tells the story of a man, and his commitment to God. That story begins in chapter one, years before the lions show up. Daniel’s people are taken captive, and he, with the best of the Israelites is transported back to Babylon, where he would be trained to work for the Babylonian government. He was a young man then, and had much growing to do, but in spite of living in that pagan culture, His commitment to God was definite and unshaken.

So much so, that when they brought forth the best of their food, Daniel asks permission not to eat it. The Bible never communicates that he was a finicky eater, but that the menu in that pagan culture violated the laws of God for the Jewish people. There were three other men with him when he made this decision. You might recognize their names from the story of the fiery furnace: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All four men took a stand, and it’s found in verse 8 of the 1st chapter. But Daniel purposed in His heart that he would not defile himself. That commitment put into motion a whole host of supernatural events.

The Bible records that “God brought Daniel into favor and good will” of the one in charge (1:9). And a little later” “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom” (1:17).

Remarkably, 4 men purposed in their hearts to remain committed to God, and God gave them favor and abilities that they had not previously had. You see the commitment to spend a night in a lion’s den for your faith, or a few hours in the hottest of furnaces, always begins with a “purposing in your heart” to do the will of God in the smaller areas as well. And then as the story reveals: God gave. He not only gave favor, abilities, and knowledge, but he gave a providential protection that would keep the mouths of the lions shut (Dan. 6), and keep the flames of the fire from burning flesh (Dan. 3). How’s your commitment? God stands ready to give.

Leading and Following

We live in a day and age where there is a growing distrust in anyone who claims to be leader or CEO. Every news release seems to reflect that the major leaders in our world care only for those who work for them when they might personally benefit in someway. One writer said it this way, “We live in an age of 51-percent majorities, public opinion polls and an increasingly distrustful populace. As a result, non-leader politicians stick their fingers in the air to read the winds of public sentiment on nearly every issue. The leaders are becoming the followers and the followers, more and more, the leaders.  

Leaders don’t trust their followers, and followers don’t trust their leaders. With rare exceptions, leaders and followers can be trusted for only one thing in today’s world—to do what they think is in their own self – interest.” So that is the world in which we live. We don’t trust our leaders, and we are convinced that no one can safe-guard our best interest as well as we can. It is into that world that Jesus’ words and example are so very refreshing.

For Jesus said, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17).  Meaning that when we come to faith in Him we ought to come understanding He is the leader, and we are the followers. As Christians, where He goes we will go, and where He leads we will follow.

If you are still of the opinion that anyone who claims to be a leader only has his best interest in mind then check out Jesus’ example! For the Bible teaches that He took up a cross, and died on it to pay for the sins of those who have placed their faith in Him (Col. 1:19-23). When was the last time we saw a leader in our generation who was willing to die for those who didn’t have his best interest in mind?

Might I encourage you to put your cynicism about leaders and followers aside, and follow the One who said, “follow me,” and then died and rose again on your behalf.

Words that Build Up

The Bible regularly addresses our speech patterns. It specifically discusses the way that we should talk to one another. James says it so well, “From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” (James 3:10).

Of course we know the words we shouldn’t say. But what about the words we should say?  The apostle Paul reminds us of some of those words when he writes, “Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another . . .” (I Thes. 5:11).

The word for encourage one another is the Greek word paraclete. It is translated elsewhere as the word comfort. In John’s gospel it speaks of the Holy Spirit coming as the comforter. Literally it means to come along side someone. What a picturesque word. You can almost see someone who is stumbling being supported by the words of someone who is coming along side of them. Almost like they can lean on that person’s shoulder. Also included in this passage is the word for building up. It is the word edify. It is a word that is used for construction. Coupled with the word encourage, it means that we are not only hoping to get someone through a difficult time, we’re hoping to rebuild them.

You may remember that line from the Six Million Dollar Man, “We can rebuild him, we can make him faster, stronger, better than he was before.” That’s the kind of thing that we’re talking about. But we’re not making them better with genuine bionic parts. We’re making them better with our words. Our words are known to encourage and edify.

There is a marked contrast here to poor speech. Sometimes Christians are known to gossip. That is language that tears others down. But edifying is a language that builds others up. Maybe, this week, we all could make a greater effort to concentrate on speech construction, not speech demolition.

When Abuse Happens within the Church

Years ago a friend of mine wanted to know my take on the sex scandals that had rocked the Roman Catholic Church. He himself was a practicing Roman Catholic, and although I am not, I appreciated his invitation to share my thoughts.

First of all I assured him that the Roman Catholic Church was not the only church that struggled with sin – even sin of this nature, and that I understood the desire to want to cover-up one’s sin. Although it is not a Biblical pattern it is a natural one. Adam and Eve hid from God in the garden after sinning (Gen. 3:8). Although it increases the harm to others, and violates the Scriptures, it is in our nature to cover up sin.

However, I reminded him, because the Bible is such a practical book it does explain what should happen when the leadership sins within the church. In I Timothy 5:19 we read: Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.  Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

We immediately notice something from this passage. It assumes sin will take place in the church (even among the leadership) Here is God’s plan for dealing with it.  (1) Make sure the report is true. The witnesses confirm the accusation. Many reputations have been destroyed by rumors. But once it’s verified we move to the next step.  (2) Call it sin. Don’t sugarcoat it. Don’t make excuses. Don’t explain it away. Such approaches stave off true repentance. We must call it sin if we are ever to understand our need for a Savior (Rom. 5:8). Finally, as difficult as the last step may seem:  (3) Make it public. The Scripture says of sinning leaders you are “to rebuke them in the presence of all.” Strong words? You bet. But they are God’s words. And such a statement reminds us that none of us are above the Scriptures . . . whether that’s a prophet, priest, or a king.

Thinking on the Morally Excellent

Even if you are a student of art you may not recognize his name. Bertoldo de Giovani. None of his work has endured. His significance is found in that he was the tutor of the greatest sculptor of all time: Michelangelo. He was only 14 years old when he came to Giovani, but it was already obvious that Michelangelo was uniquely gifted. One day Giovani came to the studio to find him toying with a piece of sculptor that was far beneath his abilities. Giovani grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting his way into history. He exclaimed, “Michelangelo! Talent is cheap, dedication is costly!”

The pursuit of excellence in all walks of life will take a great deal of dedication. Certainly that is true in our Christian life as well. That is why in Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul challenges us to think on things that are excellent. The word excellence in the Greek language is derived from the same root as the word meaning “to please.”  Biblically speaking, when we are pursuing the things that are excellent we are seeking to please God not man (Galations 1:10). When Jesus Christ was on earth he modeled that lifestyle. He always did that which was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). He did not live selfishly in order to please himself (Romans 15:3). In fact, his overriding desire was to know the will of His Heavenly Father and do it (John 5:30).  The Christian, then, is to be dedicated to the pursuit of the things that God calls excellent.

With that understanding in mind, what would Giovani do ifuix he examined your life with a hammer? Would he discover someone bent on seeking the will of God, and doing it?  Or would he find you tinkering with things that have no eternal significance?  One is the pursuit of excellence. The other? Nothing more than trivial pursuit.

The Jesus Story: Fact or Legend?

Occasionally I hear of someone who thinks that the story of Jesus as recorded in the Scriptures is more legend than fact. They assume that the accounts of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the figment of some early church goer’s imagination.

If you fit that category can I ask you to consider the work of Dr. Sherwin-White? He was the great classical historian from Oxford University. With the care of laboratory scientist, Sherwin-White carefully examined the rate at which legends developed in the ancient world. After thorough study his conclusion on the matter was this: not even two full generations was enough time for legend to develop and to wipe out a solid core of historical truth.

What about the details regarding the life of Christ? Writes atheist-turned-Christian Lee Stroebel, “Historically speaking the news of his empty tomb, the eye-witness accounts of his post Resurrection appearances, and the conviction that He was indeed God’s unique Son emerged virtually instantaneously.”

When theologian Julius Muller in 1844 challenged anyone to find a single example of legend developing that fast anywhere in history, the response from the scholars of his day – and to the present time – was resounding silence.

So before you relegate the facts of who Jesus Christ was to legend, you better make sure you have all your facts about legends. There were far too many eyewitnesses, too many clear details, and far too many contemporaries of Jesus’ ministry who were living when the stories of his life began to circulate.

If you study the life of Christ carefully I believe you will come to the conclusion that it isn’t the stuff legends are made of.  Jesus was Who He claimed to be. His story is fact not fiction. And His ability to change the lives of those who believe in Him further verifies this reality.