Sistine Chapel Segment for Jonah

For years, especially when I was a youth and children’s minister I heard the longing cry of a parent, whose adult child had rejected the faith, for God to hear and save that loved one. More than not as a pastor I hear this refrain as well, but in a wider range of circumstances. Sometimes it comes as an earnest desire for the salvation of a spouse. At other times it comes as longing for another relative. Too many times the expression of longing is masked in the earnest prayer request on a Wednesday night for God to spare someone who is sick or to bless the loved one as they struggle through the challenges of everyday life.

As a pastor, I have begun when I hear those masked prayer requests to immediately turn the attention to the person in question’s spiritual state. After all, the greatest prayer need that lost person has is not for healing or blessing, but that God do whatever it takes to break the prideful will of man into a repentant heart and surrendered will. Even so, as a pastor my concern also goes out to that member who brings up the request, and wonder what they must struggle with as they see their loved one languish in sin. One question I am sure such believers must have but perhaps are afraid to ask is, “God why won’t you save my loved one?” Though I cannot answer the why, I think God’s Word does offer counsel for the one who struggles with who God chooses to save.

Think with me about the life of Jonah. What made him so opposed to going to Nineveh in the first place. From what we read in 2 Kings 14 he had no problem prophesying to one of the Northern Kingdom’s leaders in Jeroboam II, so why would Nineveh be so bad? All we have to remember is that Jeroboam was one of Jonah’s people, a claim no one in Nineveh could make. For Jonah to so adamantly refuse to prophesy in Nineveh at God’s direct command in Jonah 1 displays Jonah’s real rebel heart. Could it be that the same is true for us? Could it be that the Lord leads us to confirm the unconverted nature of our heart by allowing us to refuse to evangelize others so that we can wallow in our own sorrow for lost loved ones?

Also consider the cry of Jonah once he is cast into the belly of the well and the testimony his entombment actually serves to make to the sovereign power of God. It is no accident that Jonah lands in the sea nearby to a fish that could swallow him whole and thus preserve his life. It is also by no accident that this fish chooses to keep him bound up in its digestive system for just long enough so that he would be a testament to the radical power of God. Jesus even mentions this sign of Jonah as the same one he would display with his entombment into the grave in Matthew 12. Even so, notice that it is not until Jonah himself makes clear this testimony in 2:9 that the fish finally offers him up onto the beach. Could it be that God perhaps is waiting just long enough to save our loved ones so that he could lead us towards knowing that we could trust him to save them? Even more could it be that God would deny to overwhelm our loved ones with His sovereign love so that he might lead us to  experience the anguish of sorrow in order to know that we could trust Him to heal our broken hearts?

Note with me that in Jonah 3 God is a friend to the men and women of Nineveh even when Jonah is not. Also note that God is a friend to Jonah when Jonah would rather die. God sees to it that both Nineveh and Jonah receive the truth that it is His decision as to whom is saved. The Lord in eternity past, made it clear that all who would repent and turn to him would be saved. It is for this reason that he temporarily stayed his judgment of Assyria. That is why God again and again expresses his steadfast love by warning people of impending judgment. This is true of Jonah as well since it was God’s object lesson of a withered plant that was to warn Jonah not to question whom the Lord chose to save, but rather to celebrate God’s great compassion to save any at all. Perhaps as we consider our unsaved loved ones, we should not be angry with God over one whom he has not saved, but rather be led to celebration over his great compassion, especially even to save just one.

Image by Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press. At Beaver Stadium, fans left tributes to Joe Paterno, a coach who stressed academics. Linked Article By PETE THAMEL Published: January 22, 2012 New York Times

Paterno’s legacy at Penn State and in NCAA  football will no doubt for a indefinate amount of time testify to football greatness. With all kinds of physical records set, championships, and even the intangible effect of his positive influence on generations young men whom he coached Paterno’s legacy is assured. The time and effort he gave the people of Happy Valley testifies to some core values of loyalty, tenacity, and victory.

Even so, can anyone forget the events of the past few months? The legacy crafted through years of hard work must be measured amid a fellow coach’s sexual assault scandal and Paterno’s own dismissal due to a lack of action. The New York Times today offers this quote from Paterno in an article by Pete Thamel today,  “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more”. In this last chapter of his life Paterno has testified, as Thamel rightly calls it, to a tragic weakness in the way he handled himself in this instance.

Can any of us avoid a similar tragic weakness in the way our time testifies to our priorities? Examine with me a passage to which you may not often turn in Exodus 31:12-17. In this passage the Lord tells Moses to command that the people of Israel observe a Sabbath. Seeing this as an Old Testament passage than no longer applies, many may pass right by this text thinking that it has not importance for a New Testament believer. Whoa! Don’t just pass by this passage without seeing at least three principles on how our time testifies to the state of our heart.

Verse 13 states that the Israelites who made time to observe the Sabbath were reminded that it was the Lord who sanctified them. As men and women in a fallen world we constantly need to be reminded that our works do not save us,  nor do they make us more holy. Our works flow out of transformed life which begins not by our works, but when the Lord Jesus calls us to surrender to him the leadership of our life.   Inwardly, at that point He begins renewing by his Word, our desires are transformed by his truth, and our attitudes are reformed as we turn from our self gratifying ways to follow him (Romans 12:1-2). The Christian never has to say “I wish I had done more”, but rather “In spite of all I’ve done, have you seen what the Lord is doing in me?”

Verses 14-15 indicate that to profane the Sabbath provided the Israelites with a damning testimony to the person’s disconnection from God’s people. Hindsight is not necessary for us to realize that it is profane or unacceptable to disassociate from that which is right in order to associate with that which is known to be wrong. For Paterno to keep this assistant coach on his staff regardless of whether the university wanted to act was to be culpable. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says to “abstain from every form of evil” or “all appearance of evil” in the King James Bible. Even so Exodus 31:14-15 are clear that merely disassociating from that which is right is enough to give testimony to your severed relationship to God and his people. To consistently miss the gathering together of God’s people due to work obligations, lazy Sunday mornings, vacations or just not wanting to see people; they all display an unwillingness to place a priority on that which pleases the Lord (John 13:35).

Finally verses 16-17 point out that the Israelites who observed the Sabbath testified to the rest and refreshment that comes from time spent with the Lord. God himself rested on the seventh day and enjoyed all of his handiwork as well as divinely perfect fellowship within the Trinity. For all those who fight to devote their time to enjoying God and glorifying him, they testify that rest is in the Lord alone. It is for this reason that I believe the command to observe the Sabbath is not repeated in the New Testament. While God makes it clear that we should spend time in His Word which sanctifies us (John 17:17; Romans 10:14-17) and time assembled with other believers in order to testify to our love for him (Hebrews 10:25); each and every moment for a Christians is a Sabbath rest. The Christian life is spent testifying to our rest in the  finished work of the Lord Jesus. In other words there is no tragedy or need for hindsight in the life of a believer since our legacy does not rest upon our works but upon the finished work of Christ.

Therefore, let me encourage you to avoid the tragedy of a tarnished legacy. Look at the time that you are spending and to what that time testifies. For each activity and each moment…

1. Ask first, in this moment can I testify to what the Lord has done in me? If not, then do not allow circumstances to affect your worship. Look to renew your thinking, transform your understanding, and adjust your attitude by reading God’s Word.

1. Next ask if this activity cuts my fellowship from the Lord or his people. If it does, then abstain from anything that is evil. Amid those things that are not evil, but cut fellowship nonetheless, begin placing a priority on that which pleases the Lord in such a way that you fight to please Him rather than people (Acts 4:19).

1. Third, ask if this observance testifies to our rest in Christ’s finished work. If not, then begin rejoicing and giving thanks as to how Christ has led you to this point and will lead you to eternal refreshment in Him (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Considered a polite response to a sneeze, the phrase “God bless you” is attributed to Pope Gregory the Great, who said it to people who sneezed during a bubonic plague. Aside from the idea of protecting against the spread of disease, “blessing” someone after they sneezed originated from the erroneous beliefs that the soul escapes the body during a sneeze and the heart momentarily stops as well. Therefore, saying “God bless you” was a way of welcoming the person back to life. Read more: Common Superstitions at WomansDay.com - History of Superstitions - Woman's Day

This Sunday past, my message came from the book of Genesis chapter 12:1-3. Our church is in the middle of a eight to ten week examination of what the Bible teaches concerning evangelism, particularly what the Old Testament saints proclaim as the promise God made to them concerning a Savior. It is this promise, that I am convinced we are to be proclaiming to the world as fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

Even so, as I prepared the message last week, I was engaged by the little phrase in the text, “I will bless you”. So often in my life after someone sneezed, before I thought about it, I blessed them. Most of the time I end a conversation with that little phrase. Even so, as I consider my blessing of them now, I can hardly say that my blessing did them any good. The Lord’s blessing of Abram was not that sort of blessing. The Lord God brought Abram to a new land. He created for him a family and a heritage. The Lord God secured for Abram righteousness all due to his simple faith in the Lord’s promises. The Lord God really blessed Abram!

Reading the next phrases in Genesis should be convicting. In Abram’s case, God promised that he would be made a blessing, even to every family from earth, Abram would be a blessing. Abram’s new blessed nature was so distinctly connected with God that to curse this man was to incur the curse of God. To bless this man was to incur God’s good favor and blessing. This makes me think twice about flippantly promising blessing on someone merely for expelling air from their nostrils.

Further, since this is the nature of God’s relationship with Abram, a man held up as an model throughout the Scriptures as to how we can have a right relationship with God, perhaps we should examine how it is that God would bless Abram. Though God did certainly expand Abram’s possessions and influence, remember in his lifetime Abram did not own a single piece of his Promised Land save the cave in which he buried his wife. While God promised a great nation and even many, many children, such was only a hope so long as Abram had breath. He had only one of his eight children who actually was the son of the promise. Finally, though Abram was promised great blessings that all the earth then and now would praise, the most enduring thing Abram received was a covenantal promise and sign for his people.

You see the Lord called out to Abram and promised him great things once Abram stepped off the steppes of Haran and surrendered to following wherever the Lord would lead Him. Like a good shepherd, the Lord inspired in Abram faith that he was an awesome and wonderful God who would keep this promise. Abram responded in faith not to test God but so that the Lord could lead this wandering herdsman. The Lord God acted to keep his promises and bless Abram so as to prove He is capable of such kind, benevolent, and gentle leadership. Abram was made a blessing when through his life the world saw God’s true nature as a God who could lead those who trust his revealed promises.

So before the next time you utter blessings on someone take just a moment and examine your motives and your heart. Are you rightly seeking and offering God’s leadership in that person’s life, or are you promising that person will be healthy, wealthy, and wise? We have enough politicians, psychologists, and prosperity preachers who offer such messages. Make sure that what you proclaim with your mouth is substantiated by a life that testifies to the reality that the Lord can lead those who take him at his Word.

Ballot Results from the Iowa Caucus 2012

Last week I sat and watched eagerly as the Iowans caucused around GOP candidates. It quickly became apparent that three types of voters were going to be represented in those meetings. While results from the New Hampshire primary have not as of my writing this come in, I am certain that those results will not have a major effect on what needs to be shared here. You see in this time of year perhaps better than at any other time we see the call for us to unite around a candidate who can win. The conventional wisdom makes the case that unless people do coalesce around a candidate early,  there is no hope for the cause in the upcoming election. Further the candidates take these votes as indications of the popular support for their platforms even though the majority of the time the primary elections are more indicative of financial support or the all elusive commodity, electability.

How should a believer understand this process? Further, should a Christian succumb to the pressure to coalesce around a candidate whom they may not ideally support but are convinced he is electable? Though my expertise is not in elections nor is it in politics, allow me to offer a spiritual eye to this process and to what should follow. First, elections are not so much about voting our convictions as they are about selecting the candidate who most closely shares those convictions. Therefore, elections require that we first know our beliefs and convictions. Second, primary elections are not at all about electability. Primary elections are more about setting the agenda for the debate ahead by supporting those candidates who share our convictions and vocally argue them before the people. Thirdly, coalescing around an electable front runner is the responsibility of the nominating conventions not the primaries. Therefore we should not begin to coalesce until the nominating conventions arrive.

Let me give you a biblical example of an ancient campaign rally that led to ultimate folly. In Genesis 11:3 we hear the speech of men one to another “Come, let us make bricks…” for a public works program. Not only were the jobs to be plentiful, for brick construction and mineral resource mining, but the speech continues in verse 11:4 “let us build ourselves a city and a tower.” These people were building a whole city with public housing, hospitals, schools, and best of all an iconic symbol that no one would forget. ” Finally the speech concludes “let us make a name for ourselves lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” These candidates wanted everyone to get along and live in one accord in such a way that the whole world would notice.

One problem! While this was a popular, electable platform for any candidate to draw a crowd in order to win public support, this platform was totally against God’s revealed Word which commanded the people to subdue, have dominion over, and fill the earth. The vote of the only one who mattered was that these candidates and this platform could not continue because it was a direct violation of His Word and will. Further the Lord God knew if He voted to affirm and allow this construction it would result in the hardened hearts the world over to gospel call. Therefore the Lord confused their language so the could not coalesce around any one leader to complete the work.

Thus let me encourage you to do three things as our South Carolina Primary approaches. If you plan to vote, know your own convictions, particularly allow the Word of God to lead you. Second, support the candidate who shares your convictions and will shout those convictions in front of every crowd he gathers. As believers our we should always want debates to include good theology. Third, prepare yourself to decide as to whether or not to coalesce around the electable front runner depending upon how that person’s platform is led by the revealed Word of God.

The greatest to read this book, as well as to pass it on for the edification of others can be seen in the very accessible title of the work. The book continues page after page reminding the reader that the greatest reason for ineffectiveness of the church is that too many churches do not play as a team, do not know the rule book, do not have regular practice, and do not know the game plan, etc. In the same way, this book takes a few core principles and makes it plain that a biblical church will function as a team with coaches (pastors and leaders) who ensure that the team (members) contact the missing, leads people seeking the Lord to follow him, and personally prays for the sick. These very basic principles are often referred to as a shepherding or discipleship.

The tendency in books like this to rely more heavily upon the author’s experiences than on God’s Word holds true for this volume. The long introduction with the explanation of how Putman came to lead his church, while entertaining only added minute weight to his arguments.  Further the extended discussion of Real Life Church’s ministry spawned new ideas, but was less beneficial than the firmly biblical principles I mentioned above. After all, what worked for Putman may not work for anyone else. While I found myself often agreeing with the Putman’s thoughts, I also found myself scribbling Scripture in the margins either to bolster or to question and clarify what was said. This proved a frustrating exercise as methods were mentioned not as clear applications of biblical truth, but often as remedies to the author’s troubles. This is not meant as a slam against Putman, but an encouragement to he and others who write these books to show the reader how he came to his application.

To that end, let me caution readers. Do not read this book simply trying to find a new method. A church’s methods should not come from the model of other churches, or experiences of authors, but as 2 Timothy 3:15-17 tells us, Scripture equips us with every principles for good work. Even so, read this book, especially Part Two looking for the biblical principles that Putman rightly uses to guide the ministry of his church. Here is a short excerpt from pg. 101 that comes as a part of Putman’s exposition of Ezekiel 34:2-10. In my opinion it was passages like this which made reading the entire book worthwhile.

Sometimes shepherding means getting dirty. People’s lives are messy, and it takes time for the Lord to clean them up. Too often our lives are so busy that the only people we can see ourselves working with are those who won’t take much time. We don’t think in terms of relationship; we think in terms of information. We hand people a book, send them to a great class, or give them a CD, but we don’t spend the time it takes to walk with them. The right question is not “How do I find time for that in my busy schedule?” The right question is “How do I change my life so I can do what the Lord requires of me as a leader?”

Let me encourage you to ask yourself that question. If you are too busy to shepherd God’s people repent. Trust Him at His Word that He is with us as we make disciples.

Even so, that is not to say that God has not provided us with Divine revelation to guide us. He has given us his word. I am reminded this year of just how clearly 2 Timothy 2:15 applies to we who are Christians every day. We should each day study the Scriptures to show ourselves as approved workman. Knowing God’s Word is the key and the empowerment that we have to work as servants of the Living God. After all, it is in His Word that we discover that by grace he has freed us from sin in order to serve Him. Further, when we serve Christ as His approved workmen, we have no cause to ever be ashamed. His Word provides us with the knowledge of a sovereign God who is for us so that we can face anxiety,stress, adversity, and pain. Finally it is God’s Word that provides us the knowledge of our security as believers, forgiven by Christ’s grace displayed on the cross. Such truth allows us to stand against insults, persecution, and even trials from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Some of you face a very different kind of year than I face in 2012. Some are making difficult decisions even now about your healthcare or that of a loved one. Others of you may be facing the uncertainty that comes with any job in this day and time. Others of you may be facing the days of 2012 knowing that whatever comes you seem to be poorly prepared financially for what lies ahead. In whatever circumstances you face let me encourage you to make this resolution. 2 Timothy 2:15 encourages you this year to study God’s Word each day that you might be approved to serve Christ and unashamed in whatever circumstances you face!

Currently at my home we have a lightless Christmas tree standing in our living room. Over the weekend we put together our pre-lit tree and plugged it in to quickly discover a patchwork of bright and dark branches. Thinking that we could fix this problem by simply finding strand that was unplugged, we conceded defeat after just a few minutes. Still considering this to be a manageable problem, we decided the best option was taking off the lights in order to find the bulbs that were burned out in order to replace them. After almost four hours the tree was bare and so were our nerves. Because it was late we decided to return to the lights the next day. When we plugged in strand after strand yesterday, only one strand lit up. Not a single decoration hangs on the tree and our children keep asking when we will get to the decorating of the tree. Even so without the lights the decorations are pointless.

For some of you this account may sound very familiar. Others of you do not know it, but the illustration above could be more familiar than you think. About half the way through our ordeal I began to reflect on the passage John 3:16-21. Most of us know John 3:16 and cherish this verse. A few of us may even know John 3:17 which reminds us that Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Even so, rarely does anyone know the last portion which points out the hardness of men’s hearts. You see mankind would rather be condemned and in the darkness of their sinfulness than simply repent and place their faith in Christ. The light Christ brings to our life reveals just how our evil works decorate our lives with wretchedness. Verses 3:19-20 says that people actually love the darkness rather than the light because they can continue thinking their evil works are not so bad. As I think about my own experience this weekend I am certain that my hardness and stubborn resolve to solve the problem on my own, is a reminder of the way I chose to live apart from the light of Jesus before I repented and trusted him. Is the same true of you?

As much as we love John 3:16, John 3:21 should be treasured by us as well. John 3:21 is a reminder that we do not work ourselves to salvation, but that our works when lit properly by Christ shine forth the magnificent change in us that God has carried out. So as we enter into this Christmas Season, I want to encourage you to examine your life to see if your works in the light, decorate your life with reminders of what Jesus has done for you. What does your church attendance, your generosity, your love for one another, your willingness to submit to God’s Word, and your witness reveal about the change in you? Particularly this year how will your celebration of Christmas, seeing that it will occur on the Lord’s Day, reveal whom you celebrate? Don’t continue to live in the darkness to avoid seeing what decorates your life. Allow Christ to shine his light on you as he did on Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, and Magi so that today we recognize their faithful works as being a testimony to our great salvation available in Him.

As we ride down the road more often than not my children want to listen to music. Of course their favorite songs relate to something they have experienced with that song. One of the songs that they will immediately cheer for as my iPod shuffles is one we learned in Summer Camp this year. The opening phrase states “I’ll adjust my attitude to gratitude.” Since my children remember those words, we use them often at my house when people are showing off bad attitudes. Even so, we must be careful to help them to understand what our actions say about the attitude of our hearts. The truth is, I think we all need to remember just what our actions reveal about our attitudes.

The Greek word used in the New Testament for gratitude is one that could be literally translated good will. Gratitude thus is more than just an inward feeling. If one is grateful, he will in some way express that towards the one for whom he is grateful. In the world where we live sin presses in all around us. For those who succumb to the vile and deceptive temptations of their own flesh, it may not be the case that gratitude is an attitude they display. As Christians however, we must always be ready to display our gratitude towards a Sovereign God who not only so loved the world that he gave us Christ our Lord, but also that he works all things to our good and his glory.

To that end, a quick study of the places in the New Testament where the Greek word for gratitude is used reveals to us several clear patterns as to how our actions can testify to our gratitude towards God. Gratitude to God for our faith leads us to generously proclaim his goodness in 1 Cor. 14:16 and 1 Thess. 3:9. In 2 Cor. 4:15 makes clear that gratitude for God’s grace encourages us to generously seek to spread the gospel. When we see God generously supply for our needs 2 Cor. 9:11-12 testifies that a grateful heart will cheerfully give funds to others and thanks to God. Freedom in Christ over sinfulness like filthy talk, anxiety and deceit leads us to put off those activities in favor of gratitude given to God in passages like Eph. 5:4, Philippians 4:6, and Col. 2:7. As we are faced with the wickedness of this day we can gratefully pray and give thanks to God according to passages like Col. 4:2, 1 Tim 2:1, and 4:3-4 for his sovereign ability to save souls in spite of a sinful world.

If we desire to change our attitude to gratitude, there is no question that in all circumstances, with our mouths or with our material ability we will be generous towards one another. Why – because we have experienced such great generosity in Christ. After all it was Christ who ultimately and most fully showed his good will towards us. At great cost, even while we were yet sinners condemned unclean he came to pay the penalty for our sinfulness. So as we move into November when we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, let us attempt to truly display an attitude of gratitude that the world can see. Let me give you just a few ways that you might consider how to show your gratitude.

1. Make a donation to our “Giving Thanks for Our Staff” offering in the wrapped boxes on our entry tables until the end of November. By doing this you will be encouraging our staff to serve Christ more fully in the tasks they have been given by God.
2. Prepare a testimony of how God has blessed you this year and let Pastor Steven know that you want to share it during our Give Thanks Service on 11/22/11. By doing this you will be encouraging others to trust Christ more fully as they see him work all things to good.
3. Begin now to pray and set aside your gift for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering taken up 11/27/11 through 12/31/11. By doing this you will encourage the gospel spread to the ends of the earth so that more can give thanks for the Lord Jesus.
4. Seek to faithfully share your thankfulness to God every day with your words and as often as you are financially blessed with your offerings. By doing this you will increase your own thankfulness while putting off foolish talking and worry.