Questions to Consider
J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) was an Anglican pastor who became the first Bishop of Liverpool. In 1878, he challenged his congregation with the following. While I have greatly condensed his words, I believe his challenge remains relevant today.
Ryle wrote, “We live in an age of particular spiritual danger. A painfully large proportion of all the congregations in the land consists of unconverted people. …Surely, in times like these there is a great need for self-examination. I think the shortest plan will be to suggest a list of subjects for self-inquiry. …I desire to speak to myself as well as to you. I approach you not as an enemy—but as a friend:
Do we ever think about our souls at all? Thousands, I fear, cannot answer that question satisfactorily. They never give religion any place in their thoughts. Death, judgment, eternity, heaven and hell—are never calmly considered. They live as if they were never going die, rise again, stand at the bar of God, or receive an eternal sentence. Look at the class I have been describing, and then look at your own soul
Do we ever do anything about our souls? There are multitudes who think occasionally about religion—but unhappily never get beyond thinking. There is no actual separation from the service of the world and sin—no taking up the cross and following Christ.
Are we trying to satisfy our consciences with mere “formal” religion? There are myriads who, like the Pharisees of old, make much ado about the outward part of Christianity, while the inward and spiritual part is totally neglected. There is no heart in their religion. This formal religion does them no good. They are not satisfied. Remember our Savior’s words about the formalists of His day: “These people draw near with their mouth…but their heart is far from Me. In vain do they worship” (Matthew 15:8-9).
Have we received forgiveness of sins? Forgiveness is a thing which each individual must receive for himself by his own personal faith, lay hold of by faith, appropriate by faith, and make his own by faith; or else, as far as he is concerned, Christ will have died in vain.
Do we know anything by experience of conversion to God? Without conversion there is no salvation. We all need a complete change which is the special office of the Holy Spirit to give to us. Call it what you please—new birth, regeneration, renewal, new creation, quickening, repentance—the thing must be had if we are to be saved. And if we have the thing it will be seen in 1) a sense of sin and deep hatred for it; 2) faith in Christ and love for him; 3) delight in holiness; 4) love for God’s people; 5) distaste for the things of the world.
Do we know anything of practical Christian holiness? Holiness is not absolute perfection and freedom from all faults. Yet as weak and imperfect as the holiness of the best saints may be, it is a real thing, and has a character about it as unmistakable as salt and light.
Do we know anything of enjoying the means of grace? When I speak of the means of grace I have in mind’s eye five principle things: 1) reading the Bible; 2) private prayer; 3) public worship; 4) the Lord’s Supper; 5) the rest of the Lord’s day.
Do we ever try to do any good in the world? A Christian who was content to go to Heaven himself and cared not what became of others would have been regarded as a kind of monster in primitive times, who did not have the Spirit of Christ. There is a generation of professing Christians now-a-days, who seem to know nothing of caring for their neighbors. Whether others are happy or miserable, well or ill, traveling towards heaven or hell—these appear to be questions about which they are indifferent. Can this be right?
Do we know anything of living the life of habitual communion with Christ? Many are content with a little faith, a little hope, a little peace, a little measure of holiness. Communion with Christ is the privilege of those who are continually striving to grow in grace, faith, knowledge, and conformity to the mind of Christ in all things.
Do we know anything of being ready for Christ’s second coming? Are we living as if we long to see Him again, and love His appearing? The vast majority of Christians seem like the men in the time of Noah and Lot, who were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, planting and building, up to the very day when the fire and flood came. “Take heed lest at any time your heart be overcharged with the cares of this life, and that day comes on you unawares” (Luke 21:34).
I find Ryle’s questions helpful when considering my own walk with Christ. I hope you will too.
Counting the Cost
In Luke 14:25, Jesus journeys towards Jerusalem. Once there, he knows he will be arrested, tortured, and brutally murdered. However, in that moment Jesus remains wildly popular. The text says, “Great crowds accompanied him.” Along the way, Jesus turns and addresses them. His words are surprising. Rather than encourage his admirers, it seems Jesus wants to thin the herd! In Luke 14:26-33 he challenges them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (26-27, 33).
With these words, Jesus makes clear—there’s a difference between being part of the crowd and being his disciple. The multitudes loved Jesus because of what he did—his miracles, his preaching, his willingness to confront abusive religious leaders—along with their expectation he would soon deliver them from Rome’s rule. However, there’s more to discipleship than following Jesus for the sake of benefits received. Those who would be his disciples must ultimately love Jesus for who he is—God become human, Lord of all Creation, our Hope of salvation!
What, then, separates a true disciple from a member of the crowd? First, a disciple’s relationship with Jesus supersedes his or her relationship with everyone else—including their own family. In fact, Jesus’ language in verse 26 is so strong it’s often misunderstood! When telling us that being His disciple requires us to “hate” our parents, siblings or children, Jesus isn’t calling us to despise our loved ones. In fact, God commands us to honor our parents and provide for our families. The point Jesus makes is that our commitment to Him must take priority over our commitment to family and friends.
Christ’s command is necessary because we have no guarantee that our loved ones will trust and follow him. In fact, Jesus warns that in the last days, “brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death” (Mark 13:12). In light of this, it’s possible someone you deeply love will reject (or has already rejected) both Jesus and you. Should that day come, how will you respond? Will your faith stand firm? Will you continue to follow and worship Christ? In the midst of your grief, will continue to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
But not only does a disciple love Jesus more than his own family, a true disciple loves Jesus more than his own self. In verse 27, Jesus continues, Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Likewise, in verse 33 he declares, “any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Remember, in the days of Jesus, a cross wasn’t a piece of jewelry. Nor was a cross used to decorate a wall or a building. In Jesus day the cross was an instrument of execution and death. When Jesus declares that a disciple must bear his own cross, he’s telling us that those who come to him come to die. Why? Because we cannot find new life in Christ until we die to our old life of sin and self-centeredness. By God’s grace, dying to self means living for Jesus. Dying to self means His values become our values. His purpose becomes our purpose. His will becomes our will—even when sacrifice is required. But above all else—dying to self means his life becomes our life. And what a glorious life that is!
Are you a disciple? Or just a part of the crowd? Do you love Jesus more than anyone else—including you?
A Community Life
The Christian life is a community life. Ultimately, we cannot love Jesus and not love his church. When I say “church” I am not, of course, talking about a building or an organizational structure. I am talking about your spiritual family. I’m talking about a local fellowship of believers—your local fellowship of believers—who serve together, worship together, and grow together by investing in each other’s present, and eternal, well-being. Where there’s no love for that church, there’s no real love for Christ.
The Bible never defines the Christian life in terms of “me and Jesus”! It’s always “us and Jesus!” When the New Testament addresses believers as “you”, the word is always—with only a couple of exceptions—plural. Think “y’all”. The idea of an isolated Christian soldiering alone with Jesus is foreign to Scripture. When the first Christian sermon in Acts 2 bore the fruit of 3000 converts, those converts were immediately defined in corporate terms. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship… (Acts 2:41-42). When the first disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, the model Jesus offers is a corporate, Our Father…give us this day our daily bread…forgive us our debt…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…(Mt. 6:9-13). In short, the Bible presents life with Christ as life in fellowship with His people—that is, life in fellowship with His church.
Bottom line? If you’re attempting to walk with Jesus alone—stop it! If you think active participation in a Bible-believing church is optional for a follower of Christ—repent. There’s too much at stake! Here’s the truth. Our attitude towards “church” is an indicator of the genuineness of our faith. Refusal to commit to a local church (spotty attendance, little involvement in ministry, refusal to submit to spiritual authority, lack of financial support, no desire for relational connection, etc.) is, at best, a mark of spiritual immaturity. At worst, it’s an expression of unbelief!
You might be thinking I’m overstating my case. I’m not. First, Jesus defined the purpose of his earthly ministry by declaring, I will build my church… In other words, Jesus didn’t come to redeem millions of disconnected individuals. Jesus came to build a community for himself. The Bible says Jesus is the head of his Church which is his body. The head and the body are inseparable! You cannot love Christ, the head, and not love his body, the church.
In the same way, Titus 2:13-14 reveals that Christ died and rose again in order to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Again, the goal of Jesus’ death on the cross extends beyond your individual salvation or mine. Jesus died to create a transformed community. Jesus suffered to purify his church!
In light of this, we must remember that spiritual growth takes place in community. As irritating as we each can be, we need each other! Paul insists on this in Ephesians 4:11-16 when he writes, “And he (God) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, make the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” In other words, if we don’t grow up together, we won’t grow up at all. At least not according to God’s design.
There’s no getting around it. If you claim Christ as Savior and have no love for his church, something’s wrong! Those who love the Head will love the body. Therefore, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Ripening Fruit
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Charles Simeon preached 54 years at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, England. Although little known today, he was greatly used by God to spread the good news about Jesus in Britain and around the world. His faithfulness to God’s word brought him much opposition and ridicule (his own congregation once locked him out of the church). Like each of us, Simeon was not a perfect man. Simeon was born an aristocrat. Early in his ministry he continued to act like one. He could be proud, hot-tempered, and impulsive. As a young minister, Simeon visited the home of a seasoned pastor named Henry Venn. Venn’s eldest daughter was not impressed. She describes her reaction, “It is impossible to conceive anything more ridiculous than his look and manner were. His grimaces were beyond anything you can imagine. So as soon as he was gone, we all got together into the study, and set up an amazing laugh.”
When Venn heard his children mocking young Simeon, he called them into the garden. In spite of the fact that it was still early summer, he asked them to pick a peach for him. The peach was green and inedible. Venn then instructed his children, “Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon.”
Henry Venn understood what his children did not. It takes time—but the saving grace of God transforms lives. In the life of every genuine believer we will normally see movement from pride to humility, from obsessive materialism to simplicity, from immorality to purity, from gossip to self-control, from uselessness to usefulness to God! Even if we are “green” today, God promises to ultimately make each of us ripe and sweet. The apostle Paul expresses his confidence in that promise when he writes, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Likewise, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Paul prays, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
Do you believe these promises are yours in Christ? What besetting sins mark your life? What depravity seems to consistently sabotage your relationship with God and others? Does the continuing presence of sin in your life deflate you? Should we not rather rejoice in Scripture’s promise that the same God who “began a good work in us” will bring it to completion and that we will be found blameless at the coming of Christ? God is faithful! He will do it!
But don’t stop with yourself! What about your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we right to fixate only on our spiritual siblings’ shortcomings? Should we not rather remember what we, and they, are progressively becoming by God’s grace in Christ? How can we become the Church God calls us to be if we choose to see nothing but each other’s present quirks, sinful tendencies, and shortcomings? Should we not believe God’s promise together that, even now, he is shaping each of us into the image of Christ?
Lord, help us to be like Henry Venn. Rather than focus on what young Charles Simeon was on the day of his first visit, Venn saw what Simeon would become—and was becoming—in Christ! Well my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon.
Yes! And so it is with you and me. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Is God a Monster?
Last week I introduced the sobering topic of hell. Hell is not something we like to think about. Even so, hell is real. We would be insane to ignore it. Many people ask, “Doesn’t the reality of hell make God a monster?” The problem with the question lies in its implied—and less than subtle—accusation. In our struggle to grasp hell’s gravity, we must remember that God’s character is not subject to our judgment. Ultimately, the existence of hell demonstrates, not that God is monstrous, but that we are! Hell is nothing more, or less, than God’s necessary and just response to human sin.
Tragically, an increasing number of professing believers reject the notion of an eternal hell. Most do so on the basis of Scripture’s declaration that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It is, of course, true that God is love! At the same time, however, it’s just as true that God isn’t only love—or even primarily love. In addition to love, God’s perfections include holiness, justice, righteousness, omniscience, omnipotence, infinity, immutability and more. We must remember that not one of his attributes can be expressed in isolation from all his attributes together. To dismiss the reality of hell on the basis that “God is love” is to wrongly isolate his love from—or elevate his love above—all his other perfections. Those who do so not only distort God’s character—they distort the nature of divine love itself. In his book, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, D.A. Carson writes, “I do not think that what the Bible says about the love of God can long survive at the forefront of our thinking if it is abstracted from the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wrath of God, the providence of God, or the personhood of God—to mention only a few nonnegotiable elements of basic Christianity. The result (of doing so) is that the love of God in our culture has been purged of anything the culture finds uncomfortable.”
This explains why so many, in the name of “God’s love”, foolishly dismiss the Bible’s warnings about final judgment and hell.
So, no. The existence of hell doesn’t make God a monster. Apart from repentance and faith in Christ, we are the monsters. Again, because God is holy and just, hell is his necessary response to human rebellion and sin.
But what about God’s love? Since no single attribute of God can be expressed in isolation from all his attributes together, how does hell express God’s love? In regard to God’s love for his people, we must remember that if there is no hell, there can be no heaven. The consummation of our salvation requires the purging of all evil from our eternal home. God’s final condemnation of Satan, demons, and unrepentant sinners to hell assures us that heaven will be a place where only righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).
Of course, the ultimate expression of God’s love in the face of hell is Jesus. In Christ on the cross, God himself died our death and suffered our hell so we can have heaven. In his resurrection, Jesus forever conquered death so we can live forever with him.
God is no monster. If you know Christ as your Savior, worship him. Stand in awe of his willingness to bear hell’s sufferings in your place. If you’ve never repented and put your trust in Jesus, why not make today the day of your salvation.
A Sobering Reality
Knowing he would soon die, a man wrote the following for inclusion in his obituary. “Well folks,” he said, “it’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute. But this is the big it. I’m off to the great beyond. Drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and my brother Tom are next.”
It sounds delightful. But was this man’s optimism justified? Having now entered what he called “the great beyond”, is this man really sharing drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and his brother Tom? Can we all look forward to being reunited with loved ones and socializing with historical figures after we die? Will we, like I’ve heard so many say, find ourselves “up there” fishing or golfing or doing whatever else we love to do here on earth? When death comes, will we all live happily ever after? I’d love to say yes. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. On the contrary, because God is holy and we are sinners, the Bible says our default destiny is not heaven. Apart from saving faith in Christ, our default destiny is hell.
Today, we don’t talk much about hell. In many churches, the reality of hell is seldom, if ever, mentioned. Even as Christians, we don’t—at least on an emotional level—want hell to be true. Regarding hell, C.S. Lewis said, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.” I can relate. Here’s why. From our “this world” perspective hell seems unfair. How can it be right to punish someone forever in hell when they only sinned on earth 50, 70, or 90 years? How can that be fair?
Most people have decided it’s not fair. Because God is love, they reason that—if hell exists at all—it can’t go on forever. They insist that, in the end, everyone will end up in heaven or—after sufficient punishment—simply cease to exist.
It’s tempting to believe that. The thought of people I love consciously suffering in hell with no hope of relief—ever—is overwhelming. But as much as I’d like to believe that the agonies of hell will come to an end, I can’t. Not if the Bible is God’s word. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus himself tells us that both the joys of heaven, and the agonies of hell, never end. Speaking of those who will ultimately be condemned, Jesus says, “…they will go away to eternal punishment.” Then, in his next breath Jesus adds, “but the righteous—that is those who are redeemed—to eternal life”. Unbelievers to eternal punishment! Believers to eternal life!
Here’s the point. In the same sentence, Jesus applies the word “eternal” to both heaven and hell. That’s significant! It’s not rational to believe that, in the same verse, the word “eternal” has one meaning in regard to “eternal punishment” and a different meaning in regard to “eternal” life. If “eternal” means “unending” with regard to heaven, it must also mean “unending” in regard to hell.
Which brings us back to our original question. “How can this be fair?” The most obvious answer lies in who we sin against. That would be God. It’s hard for us to grasp—but sinning against an infinite God is worthy of infinite punishment? The reason we don’t comprehend this is because the weight of our mutiny against God is lost on us. But I promise. It won’t be on the day we see him face-to-face.
There’s more. A second reason the agonies of hell will never end is because the sinning of its occupants will never stop. We catch a glimpse of this in Revelation 16:8-11 where John describes the response of rebellious “earth-dwellers” to God’s severe judgment just prior to Christ’s coming. While literally suffering “hell on earth” those without Christ obstinately steel themselves against God, curse him, refuse to repent, and defiantly refuse to offer their Creator the glory and gratitude he is due.
Too often we imagine hell being filled with people who are now sorry for their sin. People who are longing for a second chance. People who are hungering to follow Jesus if only they could. But that’s not what we see here. Certainly, every occupant of hell will be desperate to escape their sufferings. But even if that were possible, not one of them would choose to do so at the cost of bending the knee to Jesus.
This is all very sobering. I need to say more but I’ve run out of space. A critical question remains. How can a loving God send people to hell? Doesn’t the reality of hell make him a monster? We’ll address that question next week.
The Way God Loves
Fill in the blank. “God, if you loved me, you would _____________”.
What? Let me win the lottery? Heal my cancer? Give me a spouse? Save my marriage? Let my baby live? Restore my relationship with my son, my daughter? Overlook my sin? And what if he doesn’t? What will you think about God and his love then?
God is love. About this the Bible is clear. Still, in the face of life’s injustices, disappointments, griefs—and our own willful sin—a critical question remains. How does God love? Does God love us by granting our every worldly desire? The obvious answer is “No”. Does God love us by protecting us from life’s disappointments and pain? Hardly. Does God love us by promising to forever condone our sin? Absolutely not. In the end, God doesn’t love us the way we so often want to be loved. He cares too much for that. God loves us the way we need to be loved. And, in light of coming judgment, the way we need to be loved is Jesus.
The Bible is clear about this. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world… How? He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. In Romans 5:8, Paul writes, God shows his love for us… How? While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In 1 John 4:9-10, we read, In this the love of God was made manifest among us… How? God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. John continues, In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us… How? By sending his Son to be the propitiation (the atonement) for our sins.
Jesus on the cross paying our sin penalty—that’s the way God loves sinners in need of forgiveness like you and me. That’s the way God loves our lost and dying world. Which raises a question. Why do so many people reject the self-sacrificing, saving love of God? Why do so many refuse to receive God’s love the way he offers it—through repentance and faith in the Jesus who died on a cross and rose from the grave to save us from our sin?
The answer lies in our own arrogance and our lack of self-awareness about how desperately sinful and worthy of God’s wrath we are. After all, no one seeks a Savior until they know that a Savior is what they need. Beyond that, those who know they need a Savior must understand that Jesus is the only Savior who’ll do! While multitudes of people proclaim that “all roads lead to heaven,” the Bible stands firm. Forgiveness and life are found in Christ alone. In John 6:14 Jesus himself declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In Acts 4:12, Peter rightly insists that salvation can be found in no one else but Christ. For there is, he says, no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Here’s what that means? If you end up in hell, it won’t be because God didn’t love you. If you end up in hell, it will be because you refused to accept God’s love the only way he offers it—through faith in Jesus who died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and who conquered death when he rose from the grave.
God is love. In Jesus, God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What more can he do? The ball’s in your court now. Will you humble yourself and receive God’s love the way he offers it? When you embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, you embrace God’s love. When you reject Jesus, you reject God’s love. And that will forever be on you.
Why Give?
“From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8) Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and contributions. 9) You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10) Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11) I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:7-11)
Prosperity preachers twist the meaning of Malachi 3:7-11. For them, it’s all about the money. If you want more money from God, give more money to God. But what if this passage isn’t ultimately about money? What if the prophet’s point is that stinginess or generosity toward God reveals our priorities and depth of love for him? Malachi 3:7 tells us that the Israelites had turned away from God. Their love for him was not sincere. In response, God graciously invites them to return to him. How? By repenting of their covenant-breaking thievery and honoring him with the fullness of their tithes.
For the Israelites, giving was a matter of obedience and covenant-keeping. Generosity was intended to mark their love for, and faith in, God. In practice, their tithe made temple sacrifice and worship possible. When God made a covenant with Israel, he commanded them to give back to him 10% of everything they received (see Leviticus 27:30). This tithe was used to support the priests and the Levites—including the musicians who served in the temple. In short, because worship wasn’t optional in Israel, neither was their giving. That’s why, here in Malachi, God accuses his people of robbing him when they broke faith and refused to bring to him their tithes. Israel’s refusal to tithe revealed their lack of their commitment to, and respect for, the God who saved them!
Of course, all this has to do with the Old Covenant, right? As New Testament Christians, what does tithing have to do with us? Answer? In regard to the Law, it has nothing to do with us. Even so, in Matthew 6:24 Jesus makes it clear, our own giving (or lack thereof) reveals the depth (or shallowness) of our devotion to God. Without specifically commanding the tithe, Jesus declares, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” In 2 Corinthians 8:5 Paul makes clear—those who give themselves first to the Lord will also generously give back to God according to his will.
Christian, when push comes to shove, God doesn’t “need” your money. The ultimate reason God calls us to give is because he himself is Giver of all. As his people, should we not be givers too?
So what about it? As a Christian do you have to tithe? Ultimately, that’s between you and the Lord? Personal Opinion Alert: For me, it makes no sense that someone living under grace would want to give less than those living under Law. The more we understand God’s generosity towards us in Christ, the more generous we’ll become towards him and others. The New Testament calls for sacrificial giving with a joyful heart. When we ask, “Lord, what’s the minimum percentage of income you require of me?” we’re asking the wrong question.
Questions to consider:
1. What does your giving reveal about your relationship with God?
2. What does your giving reveal about the depth of your trust in God?
3. What does your giving reveal about the location of your “treasure”? See Matt. 6:19-21.
Relational Wisdom
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. 16) The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. 18) …There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:15-16,18).
The depth of wisdom possessed by an individual is revealed by how he interacts with others:
Proverbs 12:15 reminds us that the wise man is teachable. When relating to others, he is willing to hear and heed good advice. The wise man is willing to learn from others and yield to those with more knowledge and life experience. The fool, on the other hand, is convinced he has no need for advice. He is arrogant and sinfully self-sufficient. He looks down on others and sees no need for anyone’s help. The fool is fully committed to himself and his own opinions. In Genesis 4, Cain exemplifies such a fool. When angered that God accepted Abel’s offering while rejecting his, Cain refused even God’s advice. With love and patience, God advised Cain to repent and warned Cain that “sin is crouching at the door…but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Yet, ignoring God’s advice, Cain arrogantly yielded to his own pride and anger. The result was Abel’s murder and his own self-destruction. In our own struggle against pride we also can be tempted to ignore the wise advice of others. In God’s strength, we must resist this temptation. While all advice must be tested by Scripture, we need to be humble enough to hear and heed the wisdom of those who are trustworthy.
Proverbs 12:16 teaches that a person’s response to an offense demonstrates either their maturity or their foolishness. Governed by insecurity and self-absorption, the fool angrily responds to every real or perceived slight. This response to a personal attack has no place in the life of a believer. Rather, “…the prudent ignores an insult.” The apostle Peter writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”Do we do the same? When reviled are you instantly angered? Do you quickly jump to your own defense? Or are you prudent and wise? Are you willing to entrust yourself “to him who judges justly” like Jesus entrusted himself to his Father?
Once spoken, words cannot be unspoken. With this in mind, Proverbs 12:18 reminds us that spoken words are powerful. Words have the power to heal. Words have the power to wound. Without doubt, we each bear the wounds of words that, at one time or another, pierced our souls. At the same time, we have also experienced the power of healing words. What kind of words do you speak? Do your words please God and heal others? Or are your words too often rash, destructive words—words that stab and wound? This proverb calls us to consider the words we speak before we speak themdeclaring, “The tongue of the wise brings healing.”
The apostle Paul writes, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
May God quell our arrogance and empower our tongues to build up rather than tear down.
Chaos or Calm
A godless man is governed by his self-centered impulses and self-willed desires. Not so for the man controlled by God’s Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-24). In Proverbs 29:8, 11 Soloman provides a contrast between those governed by their sin nature and those governed by God’s Spirit. Specifically, Proverbs 29:8 contrasts the chaos a godless man creates in his community with the peace a godly man seeks and inspires in his community. Proverbs 29:8 reads, Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.
In Proverbs, a mocker (also translated “scoffer” or “scorner”) is a man whose life is marked by pride and arrogance (Proverbs 21:24). He is a law unto himself. He has no regard for God’s truth and habitually rejects rebuke and correction (Proverbs 9:8; 15:12). Because he is hard-hearted, the mocker is unable to comprehend God’s wisdom (Proverbs 14:6). Proverbs 29:8 warns that godless, self-absorbed mockers create conflict and chaos in their communities. Because of this Proverbs 22:10 suggests a straight-forward solution to strife and conflict—expel mockers/scoffers from the community.
Unlike the mocker, a wise man “turns away anger.” A godly man seeks unity and peace. Romans 12:16-18 says that a wise man governed by God’s Spirit strives to “live in harmony” with others, “not repaying evil for evil,” being careful “to do what is right in the eyes of everybody,” and as far as it depends on him to “live at peace with everyone.”
One of the clearest biblical illustrations of the contrast between a mocker who “stirs up a city” and a wise man who “turns away anger” is found in Acts 19:23-41. When Paul’s preaching of Christ began to impact the financial well-being of idol-making silversmiths in Ephesus, a God-mocking man named Demetrius stirred up a riot endangering Paul, those he’d led to Christ, and the community at large. By contrast, the city clerk demonstrated his wisdom when he quieted the crowd and dismissed the assembly to their homes (Acts 19:35-41).
The power of mockers to create chaos and stir up trouble remains evident today. In our own nation, scoffers actively plant seeds of political, racial, and social division. Too often dialogue is replaced by “cancel culture” and slander. Grace, empathy, and a willingness to at least try to understand another person’s viewpoint have all but disappeared from the public square. As believers, how should we respond? If we respond to arrogance with arrogance and to anger with anger—do we not become mockers ourselves? Rather, should we not respond with gentleness (Proverbs 15:1)? Embracing God’s wisdom, should we not offer our opponents God’s grace (1 Peter 3:14-17)? As believers we must learn to control how we respond to people and situations that produce anger in our own hearts. Our second verse, Proverbs 29:11 addresses this. It reminds us, A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
An essential mark of Christian maturity is the ability to control (by the power of God’s Spirit) one’s temper. The person who cannot control his temper is slave to his impulses, his emotions, and the manipulation of others. Uncontrolled outbursts of anger are self-destructive. Worse, such outbursts have the power to devastate those we love most. Countless children, spouses, and churches bear the scars of physical and emotional violence caused by uncontrolled anger. Angry violent acts cannot be undone. Angry violent words cannot be unspoken.
How, then, do we overcome godless anger? Our hope is found in Christ and a deepening walk with Him. In Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us. He bears his fruit in our hearts and lives—the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Godless anger and the fruit of God’s Spirit cannot coexist. No wonder Paul instructs us, “let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). May the fruit of God’s Spirit grow in us as we walk together in Christ.
Overthrowing Anger
DEVOTIONAL: Ephesians 4:31-32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (ESV)
None of the various forms of anger forbidden in Ephesians 4:31 are expressions of righteous anger—anger over the dishonoring of God or the abuse of others. Instead, they are expressions of self-centered anger motivated by a desire for revenge or to have our own way. All such anger is rooted in our sin nature. All such anger has power to destroy friendships, marriages, families, and churches. In Ephesians 4:31, Paul makes clear that self-centered anger has no place in our lives as Christians. When Paul defines various forms of sinful anger, the first word we must note is the word “all”. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice be put away for you! When confronting our sinful anger, we often fail embrace the word “all”. Having suffered some particularly deep hurt or injustice, we often cling to a false notion that God grants us the right to harbor to at least some of our anger or continue to hold at least some of our grudges. Not so! Rather than excuse unrighteous anger we must recognize that when God says “put away all unrighteous anger, He means “put away all unrighteous anger.
So what kind of anger has no place in our lives and churches? How does Paul describe it? First Paul commands us to put away all bitterness. The Greek word translated “bitterness” refers to a smoldering resentment. This anger burns slowly over time. It is the kind of anger that holds a grudge. The ironic thing about bitterness is that it does no harm to its object. Bitterness only destroys the one who harbors it. Most important, bitterness hinders a believer’s fellowship with God (1 John 4:20-21).
Second, Paul commands us to put away all wrath or rage (NIV). “Rage” suggest an outburst of uncontrolled passion. Rage is like a smoldering fire that suddenly burst into flames. Rage often leads to verbal or physical violence—and sometimes even murder.
Third, Paul commands us to put away all anger. While the word “anger” is often used in a general sense, here it seems to represent a settled attitude of hostility towards another.
Fourth, Paul commands us to put away all clamor or brawling (NIV). The Greek word literally means “to shout”. It refers to a public outburst—that is, a loss of temper and self-control. This is the anger we express when we shout at our spouse, our kids, or our co-workers. As believers, such outbursts ought not be part of our lives.
Next Paul commands us to put away all slander. To slander is to abuse another person with your tongue. It is to speak evil of another—especially behind their backs—defaming them and/or destroying their reputations.
Finally, Paul says we must put away all malice. Malice is ill-will towards another. It is to wish evil—or perhaps to even plot evil—against another. It is to desire someone else’s hurt or destruction.
To practice any, or all, of these forms of unrighteous anger is to misrepresent Christ to a lost and dying world. In the same way, unrighteous anger destroys the unity of Christ’s Church.
So how do we go about “putting away” all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice? We find God’s answer in Ephesians 4:32. Here, Paul calls us to replace our self-centered anger with kindness, tenderheartedness (NIV translates “compassion”), and a willingness to forgive others like we have first been forgiven by God.
Paul begins by calling us to “be kind to one another. Being kind simply means doing good for others. To act with kindness is to follow God’s own example (see Luke 6:35). God himself is kind to wicked and ungrateful people. Therefore, 1 Thess. 5:15 instructs us, Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else (NIV). 2 Tim. 2:24 adds, And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone…not resentful (NIV).
But is it really possible to respond with kindness rather than anger when we have been wronged? Paul says yes! But only if we share the tender and compassionate heart of Christ (see Matthew 9:36; Luke 23:32-34). Jesus never lost sight of the spiritual needs of those who wronged him. Do we share his compassion for those who wrong us? Do we hurt for them? Do we long for their deliverance from sin and Satan? If so, it becomes natural for us to forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven.
In the end, only the choice to forgive will set us free from the bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice that hinders our walk with God and destroys the unity of Christ’s Church. In the strength of his Spirit, may God empower us to be kind and compassionate like he is kind and compassionate. By his grace may we learn to forgive others even as God has forgiven us in Christ.
Standing in the Breach
Ezekiel was one of two Old Testament prophets who conducted their ministries among the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Daniel was the other. Ezekiel 22:30-31 forms the conclusion of a prophetic oracle in which God exposes Judah’s utterly depraved condition and the necessity of their expulsion from the Promised Land. Judah had seen God judge the northern kingdom of Israel by the hand of the Assyrians for her idolatry and sin. Even so, she refused to fear God and repent of her own rebellion. Rather, Judah chose to imitate her fallen “sister” by mimicking the northern kingdom’s willful rejection of God. In Ezekiel 22, the magnitude of Judah’s rebellion is detailed. In reference to Judah’s practice of child sacrifice God condemns Jerusalem as “the bloody city” defiled by the idols she has made (v. 2-6). In violation of their covenant with God, parents were treated with contempt (7), foreigners were extorted (7), orphans and widows were oppressed (7), Sabbaths and temple worship were profaned (8), lewdness and immorality were practiced (10-11), dishonest gain was pursued (12-13). In verses 23-29 we learn that Judah’s prophets were liars, her priests dishonored God, her princes oppressed the people, and the people themselves practiced extortion and robbery!
Through Ezekiel, God responds to Judah’s willful depravity. To the exiles in Babylon, God announces that his judgment had already fallen on Judah and Jerusalem. God explained, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath, I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God”(Ez. 22:30-31, ESV).
Several principles regarding both judgment and grace emerge from Ezekiel 22:30-31. The first is the inevitability of God’s wrath where repentance is absent. Having already reviewed the various expressions of Judah’s sin, we need now consider its universality. In verse 30, God declares that he searched for, but could not find, one Israelite righteous enough to effectively intercede on behalf of God’s chosen people. Such was the depraved state of Judah. Where repentance is absent, sin spreads until it infiltrates every corner of human life and culture. When this happens, judgment is the only possible outcome.
At the same time, Ezekiel 22:30-31 reminds us of God’s patience and his divine impulse to forgive. In the face of Israel’s long history of rebellion and idolatry, God patiently sent his prophets to call his people back into relationship with him. Wrath is not God’s first impulse when confronted by human sin. Before judgment comes, grace and forgiveness are offered. Even when responding to Judah’s rebellion, God refused to execute his wrath until he searched one last time for someone qualified to intercede on their behalf. No one could be found.
Which brings us to a third principle found in this passage—our own need for an intercessor. As fallen sinful people, we cannot be saved from God’s wrath apart from a man qualified and willing to “stand in the breach” for us before God. In his mercy, God himself has provided the man we need in Christ (1 Timothy2:5-6; 1 John 2:1-2). May we stand in awe at the remembrance of God’s grace.
Finally, Ezekiel 22:30-31 reminds us that, even as Christ intercedes for us, we are called to intercede for others. Abraham “stood in the gap” by interceding with God for Sodom and his nephew Lot (Genesis 18:22-33). Lot was delivered. After the Israelites crafted and worshipped their golden calf, Moses “stood in the breach” between them and God preventing their destruction (Psalm 106:23). Since we have now been made righteous in Christ, we too can intercede for each other and for the lost. How faithful are we to intercede for our church? For our wives, our children, our extended family? How faithful are we to intercede for our community, our nation, our world? Will we believe God’s promise that “…the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16)? May we prove useful to God in our own ministry of intercession.
Weapons of Warfare
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
The apostle Paul’s relationship with the church in Corinth was strained. It shouldn’t have been. Paul was the Corinthian believers’ spiritual father. In the face of violent persecution, the apostle faithfully preached the gospel to them. He sacrificially served them for one-and-a half years at his own expense. Predictively, when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, spiritual charlatans arrived to fill the void he left. Under the influence of these self-serving leaders, many in the church at Corinth turned against Paul. They foolishly gave heed to these so-called “super-apostles”—men who dismissed Paul as being no apostle at all. After all, Paul carried no letter of recommendation when he arrived to minister in Corinth (3:1-3). In contrast, the super-apostles’ paperwork was found to be in perfect order. In addition, they reminded the Corinthian church of the time Paul promised to visit but didn’t show up. This, they claimed, demonstrated Paul’s lack of integrity (1:16-17, 23-24). Most significantly, these self-appointed “authorities” challenged the notion that Paul himself could be an apostle on the basis that he was not—at least by this world’s standard—an impressive man. After all, they were trained orators! Paul, on the other hand, lacked flare (10:9-10; 1 Cor. 2:1). The “super-apostles” were prosperous and respected everywhere they went. In contrast, Paul was seldom well-received. In fact, Paul was constantly getting beat up, imprisoned, or run out of town (11:23-29). Why submit to him? Many in the Corinthian church decided not to.
In 2 Corinthians chapters 10 and 11 Paul rightly defends his ministry. He condemns the false-teaching fake apostles who were deceiving the Corinthian church (11:13). Here in chapter 10, Paul appeals to the Corinthian believers by specifically addressing their accusation that, while he was bold in the exercise of his authority when absent, he was weak and unimpressive when physically present. In verses 1-6, Paul challenges their misjudgment of him—a false judgment rooted in their worldly understanding of leadership and authority. Paul calls his spiritual children to repent and submit to his God-given authority rather than the self-serving demands of the false teachers they had foolishly embraced.
In verse 3, Paul answers the accusation that he ministers, not in God’s strength, but in the strength of his own flesh. Paul acknowledges that he does, in fact, “walk in the flesh”. In other words, the life Paul lives in this fallen world is the same life common to all humanity. Left to himself, Paul has nothing to offer them or God. But God did not leave Paul to himself. He dramatically saved Paul! God dramatically transformed Paul! As one “untimely born”, God appointed Paul to be an apostle (1 Cor. 15:8)! Because of this, Paul makes it clear. While he walks “in the flesh”, he is not “waging war according to the flesh” (verse 3). On the contrary, Paul’s strength—Paul’s spiritual authority—comes directly from God! He writes, “For” the weapons of our warfare (that is, spiritual warfare) are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (verses 4-5).
Unlike the Corinthian “super-apostles”, the weapons Paul wielded in his ministry were not of this world. As a genuine apostle, Paul rejected reliance on entertaining oratory, personal charisma, self-promotion, a domineering style of leadership, or the manipulation of people and Scripture for the sake of popularity. As unimpressive as he seemed to the Corinthians, the primary weapon Paul wielded against anti-God arguments and human arrogance was the straight-forward preaching of God’s gospel (1 Cor. 1:17-18; 2:1-2) in the power of God’s Spirit (3:3-6; 12:9-10; 1 Cor. 2:4-5) accompanied by meekness (10:1-2), integrity (4:2), and the sharing of Christ’s sufferings (4:8-12; 11:23-28). This is the nature of real spiritual authority and life-transforming ministry.
Like Paul, we have been called to make disciples in the midst of our resistant, dying world. While we are not apostles, the “weapons” of our “warfare” remain the same. Our only effective response to this world’s anti-God arrogance and resistance to Truth is the straightforward proclaiming of God’s gospel in the power of God’s Spirit accompanied by humility, integrity, and a willingness to share in Christ’s suffering. May God grant us grace to answer his call.
Christ’s Brawling Bride
Imagine being at a wedding ceremony. Down front stands a handsome groom smiling, full of anticipation…anxiously awaiting his bride. The magical moment arrives as the organ reaches full crescendo and the wedding march begins. Everyone rises and looks toward the door for their first glimpse of the bride. Suddenly there is a horrified gasp! Instead of a lovely woman dressed in elegant white, smiling behind a lace veil, the bride is limping down the aisle. Her dress is soiled and torn. Her leg seems twisted. Cuts and bruises cover her arms. Her nose is bleeding, one eye is purple and swollen, and her hair is disheveled. Does not this handsome groom deserve better? Alas, His bride, THE CHURCH, has been fighting again.
So reads Karen Mains parable, “The Brawling Bride”. As a local church family, we are a part of Christ’s Church. We are His bride. What then, does Jesus see when he looks at us coming up the aisle? In us, does Jesus see a radiant bride pure and spotless? Or does Jesus see a “brawling bride”—a church family marked by conflict, bitterness, and gossip?
Judging from the letter Paul wrote them, the church at Philippi was one of the healthiest churches addressed in the New Testament. Even so, in Philippians chapter 4, we learn that the effectiveness of the Philippian church was being threatened by internal conflict. Two godly women in the church had lost their focus on Christ. They were “brawling” with each other, locked in dispute. Paul addresses the issue in Philippians 4:2-7. In verses 2-3, Paul calls both women (with the help of a church leader) to “agree in the Lord” and to restore unity in the church. Next, in verses 4-7, Paul teaches how harmony between believers—believers like Euodia and Syntyche—can be maintained within the body of Christ. As we read Philippians 4:4-5, it’s important to keep this context in mind. In verse 7, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” is most often understood to refer to a believer’s personal peace. While this application is not necessarily illegitimate—it is, at best, secondary. Both the context and the plural verb forms make it clear—the primary application of this text relates to corporate peace within the local church. With this in view, Philippians 4:4-5 reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”
How can unity in a local church—a church full of forgiven, yet imperfect, sinners—be restored and maintained? This is the question Paul begins to answer in Philippians4:4. Here, then, is the first practice that promotes unity within a church—Rejoice in the Lord always! To make sure we don’t miss the point, Paul repeats, again I will say, Rejoice. The logic behind this command is simple. It is impossible for the people of God to truly worship and rejoice together in Christ and—at the same time—be in conflict with each other. Rejoicing together over our common life in Christ—a life rooted in the wonderous and humbling grace of God—knits our hearts together. Think of it! Together we have been forgiven of our hell-deserving sin! Together, we have become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…” (1 Peter 2:9)! Together, we have been given the privilege of proclaiming God’s saving gospel! Together, we have a glorious future with God in the new heaven and earth! Together, how can we not rejoice? In Christ, do we not all stand in wonderous awe at the foot of the cross? What’s left to fight about?
So what happens when we learn to “rejoice in the Lord always!”? What happens is “reasonableness”. In Philippians 4:5 Paul continues, Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Greek word translated “reasonableness” or “gentleness” carries the idea of forbearance. It means “to yield” or “to be kind” to one another. It means being willing to give the other guy (or gal) a break! In short, “being reasonable” means bearing with one another and forgiving each other like God forgives you in Christ (Ephesians 4:31-32). It’s impossible to genuinely “rejoice in the Lord” together and—at the same time—hold a grudge, stew long over an offense, or be unreasonable with each other as believers. This is especially true when we remember, as Paul reminds us, that The Lord is at hand.
In Philippians 4:6, Paul goes on to remind us that a third key to peace with God and with each other is habitually taking everything—including our conflicts and anxieties—to God in prayer with thanksgiving. In prayer—governed by Scripture—we find God’s perspective, comfort, and strength.
In summary, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” will naturally mark the life of our church when, together, we choose to “rejoice in the Lord always”; when, together, we choose to “let our reasonableness be known by all”; and when, together, to learn to cast our anxieties on God by praying with thanksgiving.
How to be Great
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Let me be honest. I want to be great. In this, I know I’m not alone. The Bible is clear. Just like me, Jesus’ disciples wanted to be great. And, to their credit, they knew Jesus could make them great! Jesus never rebuked his disciples because they hungered for greatness. On the contrary, Jesus taught them that greatness was within their grasp! It’s the same for you and me. Greatness is within our grasp too.
So what about it? Are you a great man? A great woman? If not, why not? Mark 10:42-45 helps answer that question. In these verses, Jesus reveals the primary obstacle that blocks our path to greatness—our understanding of what genuine greatness is and how it is achieved. Mark 10:35-41 reveals the disciples’ own misunderstanding about what true greatness is. The greatness they envisioned was greatness as defined by the world. In this world, greatness is about enjoying privilege and fame, calling the shots, being treated with deference, and being served by your underlings. This is the “greatness” James and John had in mind when they sent their mommy to ask Jesus for positions of highest honor in His coming kingdom (35-37). Likewise—this is the greatness the other disciples had in mind when they “became indignant” because they didn’t think of asking Jesus first (41)!
In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus corrects his disciples’ misunderstanding (and ours) by defining what “kingdom greatness” means. “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In short, becoming great in God’s kingdom means learning to serve others in the same way Jesus first served (and still serves) us. In God’s eyes, the great man or woman is the one who recognizes the needs of others and happily acts to meet those needs. The great person is the person who cares more about God’s opinion than man’s. He is not motivated by a need for recognition. This means the greatest believers in God’s kingdom are not necessarily authors or preachers who enjoy celebrity. They are not necessarily those who lead or stand up front on Sundays. The greatest husbands are not necessarily those who bring home the most money or maintain family order by means of domineering leadership. No, the greatest husband is the one who loves and serves his wife like Christ loves and serves his Church.
Which raises the question—what about your rights? What about mine? The answer is simple. If, like Jesus says, being great means becoming a slave, we have no rights. Recognizing this is essential to our walk with God and each other. In light of Jesus’ words, perhaps there are too many believers demanding their “rights” in Christ’s church. Perhaps there are too many believers demanding their “rights” in their marriage. Perhaps there are too many believers demanding their “rights” at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods. How can we be servants? How can we be slaves? How can we be great in God’s kingdom if we’re always demanding our so-called “rights”? Answer? We can’t!
If we want to be great in God’s eyes, we must follow the example of our Savior who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t demand his rights on the day he went to the cross? Aren’t you glad he put your needs above his own? Aren’t you glad he laid down his life for you and me? Jesus is our example. Jesus is our strength. In Jesus, we learn to lay down our lives for others like he laid down his life for us. In Jesus, we really can become great in God’s kingdom.
On Being Shrewd
Luke 16:9-11 is part of Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. The parable tells of a steward found guilty of mismanaging his master’s possessions. The master fires him. However, before cleaning out his desk, the dishonest manager takes action to secure his future. He zeros out the accounts of his master’s debtors at deeply discounted rates. By doing so he obligates them to provide for him once he’s unemployed. Surprisingly, the defrauded master commends the dishonest steward for his shrewdness.
Explaining the parable, Jesus says, “And I tell you, make friends for yourself by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches” (Luke 16:9-11).
Many are troubled by this parable. Why would Jesus tell a story in which dishonestly is commended? Answer? He doesn’t. Careful reading of the parable reveals that the master does not praise the dishonest manager for his theft. Rather, he praises the steward’s shrewd foresight in providing for himself. Specifically, the dishonest manager shrewdly wielded the resources temporarilyavailable to himin a way that guaranteed his future well-being. Jesus says his followers should do the same!
Consider! In this world, none of our money or material possessions actually belong to us. God owns everything we possess. We are stewards entrusted with the management of his property—but only for a short period of time. All our earthly possessions will soon perish forever (2 Peter 3:10-11). With this in mind how do we best manage what God has entrusted to us?
Surprisingly, in the Parable of the Dishonest Manager,Jesus says we should exercise our stewardship with our own eternal well-being in view. This is not selfish. It is an expression of faith. Those who invest their wealth and resources with eternity in view reveal their faith in God and the promises of his word. True disciples value what God values—Christ’s Church, missions, evangelism, compassion for the poor, and more. Investing in such things is what it means to “store up treasure in heaven.” Those who live with eternity in view invest in eternal things. On the other hand, those who only invest the temporary wealth of this world in things that can only be enjoyed today are neither faithful nor shrewd. In regard to God’s new heaven and earth, they are not making “friends for themselves by means of unrighteous wealth”. At best, they will not enjoy “an abundant entry into heaven” (2 Peter 1:11). At worse, “they will not be received into the eternal dwellings” having demonstrated the absence of genuine saving faith (Luke 16:9).
In summary, Jesus says if we are faithful with what God has temporarily entrusted to us on earth, we will be entrusted with true and lasting riches in heaven.
Leading by the Book
Joshua was appointed leader of the Israelites at a critical time. The only leader they’d ever known was dead—Moses, their deliverer from slavery; Moses, the miracle-worker; Moses, the Law-giver; Moses, the man who talked face-to-face with God; Moses, the intercessor whose prayers had more than once delivered them from God’s wrath. Talk about a hard act to follow! What man could possibly fill Moses’ shoes?
It gets worse. The circumstances surrounding Joshua’s transition to leadership were less than ideal. God was calling the nation to conquer and possess the Promised Land. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were going to war. So, how did Joshua respond when he became God’s “next man up”? There were military plans to draw. There were two million people to manage. He must have wondered if he was up to the job. Of course, in and of himself, Joshua wasn’t up for the job. And he knew it. God had to command him three times to “be strong and courageous”.
But how? How was Joshua to go about leading God’s people? In Joshua chapter 1, God makes clear that human talent and skill would not be Joshua’s key to success. Rather, God informs Joshua that the key to his success would be his faith—a faith demonstrated by his commitment to God’s Law. Calling Joshua to commit himself to God’s written word, Joshua 1:8 reads, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
As leader of God’s people, Joshua was to know and speak God’s word to those he was accountable for. Why? Because God’s word is the ultimate source of all wisdom. God’s word brings life. Second, God commanded Joshua to not just read Scripture, but to continuously meditate on it. God’s word must be central to our thoughts and our actions. Learning to think God’s thoughts keep us from foolishness and sin (Psalm 119:11, 15-16). Finally, for the sake of God’s people, Joshua was commanded to “do” God’s word. Joshua was called to obey. So are we. Those who obey God’s truth not only escape much self-inflicted grief and pain—they bless those they lead and influence. God greatly uses those who obey his word.
Knowing God’s word; meditating on God’s word; obeying God’s word—this was the key to Joshua’s success as a God-appointed leader.
We all lead. We all influence others. If we will know God’s word, meditate on God’s word, and obey God’s word we will be blessed like Joshua was blessed. More than that, like God used Joshua, he will use us.
For Men
The church in Corinth was a mess. The believers had divided themselves into cliques. Spiritual gifts were being abused. Their ignorance of God’s word had left them unable to judge between true and false teachers. Some of the brothers and sisters were getting drunk on communion Sundays. Others were visiting prostitutes. One guy was shacking-up with his step-mother and the church didn’t care. Worse, in spite of Paul’s apostleship and ministry to them, many refused to submit to his authority.
Put yourself in Paul’s place. What would you say to a church like that? How would you instruct them? One answer to that question is found in the final charge Paul writes in the letter we know as 1 Corinthians. To the rebellious, dysfunctional church in Corinth Paul commands, “Act like men!” Which raises the question—what does Paul mean when he commands believers to “act like men”? It should be apparent that the answer to that question is especially important to men.
In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Paul instructs, Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all you do be done in love” (ESV). In these two verses, Paul intertwines the command to “act like men” with four other commands. This means all five commands are related to each other. In other words, obeying Paul’s command to “act like men” requires us to also obey his commands to “be watchful”; to “stand firm in the faith”; to “be strong”; and to “let all we do be done in love.”
Let’s start with Paul’s command to do all that we do in love. The love Paul speaks of here is not a love defined by feelings. It is the kind of active, need-meeting love God offers us in Christ. This is the love God demonstrated when he sent Jesus to die and conquer death for us while we were still sinners. It’s a love that recognizes and meets needs even when great sacrifice is required. In short, acting like men requires us to love our wives, our children, our church family, and the lost with the same kind of unconditional, need-meeting, sacrificial love God has loved us with in Christ.
Next, the call to “act like men” is a call to be watchful (verse 13). Being a man means being a protector. Being a protector means being vigilant! This is especially true in regards to the spiritual well-being of our families and our church. Peter calls us to “be watchful” because our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We must remember that Satan is always working to destroy our lives, our families, and our church family. As men, God calls us to guard against the world, the flesh, and the devil by being watchful. In other words, by staying awake! First and foremost, we must stand guard over our own spiritual lives. Men, if we will not guard our own spiritual lives, how can we guard the spiritual life of our families and our local church? We must be watchful, then, regarding our own pride, our own materialism, our own lusts, our own walk with God. Only then can we be the protectors God calls us to be.
Third, the call to “act like men” is a call to stand firm in the faith. To “stand firm in the faith” means being fully submitted to and governed by God’s truth! Standing firm in the faith means speaking the truth when truth isn’t popular. It means doing the right thing when the right thing isn’t convenient. It means refusing to compromise God’s word, the Bible. In God’s strength—and by God’s grace—standing firm in the faith means holding fast to Jesus in a world that hates him.
Finally, at the end of verse 13 we learn that the call to “act like men” is a call to be strong. So, what kind of strength is Paul calling us to as men? Is he calling us to become physically strong? Is he calling us to hit the gym and pump some iron? No. While that’s not bad, Paul has a different kind of strength in mine. Listen to how Luke 1:80 defines “strength” in reference to John the Baptist. The verse reads, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit…”
Do you hear it? The strength Luke attributes to John the Baptist is not physical strength. It is spiritual strength! This is the strength Paul (and God) calls us to in 1 Corinthians 16:13. So how do we become spiritually strong? By means of a process called sanctification. Our spiritual strength grows when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit—day by day, month by month, year by year—as he dwells and works in us to make us more like Christ. Our spiritual strength grows as we commit ourselves to prayer, to the study of God’s word, and to the fellowship of believers.
One more thing—obeying God’s command to “act like men” is a group project. Christian men, the Bible says—as long as we are in this world—we are at war. And because soldiers can’t fight wars alone, we need each other. May we commit ourselves to the deepening of our relationships with one another in Christ. Only then can we learn how to love like God loves, being watchful, standing firm in our faith, and being strong in God’s Spirit.
The Master’s Joy
We find Jesus’ “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25:14-30. In the parable, Jesus teaches that his Second Coming “will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.”
You know the story. The first servant received five talents from the master. The second received two. The third received one. The master in the story, of course, represents Jesus who, after his resurrection, ascended into heaven promising he will one day return. The servants entrusted with the master’s property represent you, me, and all who profess faith in Christ. In his physical absence, Jesus has entrusted his riches to each of us. Jesus has entrusted us with eternal life—a life we are called to live for him. He has entrusted us with time, money, abilities, spiritual gifts and more. And, just like the master in the parable, Jesus will soon return to settle accounts. Does that frighten you? It shouldn’t. Consider the story.
Notice that the first two servants in the parable expressed no anxiety when their master returned. Can’t you hear the excitement in their voices when they tell him, “Look master! You gave me five talents, here’s five more!” “Look master, here’s your two talents plus two more!”
No. Rather than dread the master’s return, the first two servants eagerly anticipated his homecoming! It reminds me of the first time Nancy and I left our children home alone while we went out for dinner. A strange and wonderful thing happened. They decided to surprise us by cleaning the house in our absence. Like those first two servants, they were excited for us to come home. They looked forward to seeing our joy over what they had accomplished while we were gone.
Not so for the third servant. He buried the one talent his master entrusted to him. By investing his talent in nothing, he gained nothing for his master. In this, he proved himself faithless. More troubling, the third servant revealed his condemnable ignorance of his master’s heart. Wrongly judging his master to be cold-hearted and stingy, he both feared and resented his master (Matthew 25:24-25).
But was his master truly cold-hearted? Was he selfishly fixated only on money and profit? On the contrary. To varying degrees, the master willingly shared his wealth with his three servants. And, by sharing his wealth, he granted each of them the gift of opportunity! The master wanted his servants to succeed. And he rejoiced over those who did! We hear this in the master’s response to the servant who turned his five talents into ten. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21).
Do you hear it? “Enter into the joy of your master!” Don’t miss it! Our Lord is not cold and disinterested. He is generous beyond imagination! In Christ, God shares his life with us. In Christ, God shares his peace with us. In Christ, God shares his eternal reign with us! In Christ, God has invested his very self in us! He has granted us the unimaginable opportunity of knowing and serving him forever! How diligently and carefully are we investing this treasure we’ve been granted in Christ? How eagerly are we anticipating our Savior’s return? How confident are we that we will one day hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master”?
Whatever Happened to Shame?
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown… (Jeremiah 6:15)
There was one other customer in the store when I walked in. He was engaged in conversation with the clerk behind the counter. An attractive woman in her 40’s, she was replying to his question. “Yes, I have a boyfriend. We took a trip to Hawaii together in November. We had so much fun.”
I went about my business. This was hardly a noteworthy conversation. That is, It wasn’t noteworthy until I realized it was. Why? Because the more I reflected on her words, the more I understood how much we’ve lost. As individuals—and as a nation—we’ve lost our ability to blush. We’ve lost our sense of shame.
Thirty or forty years ago, it’s doubtful the conversation I overheard in that near-empty store would have happened—especially between near strangers. I acknowledge it. I’m old. Still, in the not-so-distant past, the culture at large still frowned on unmarried men and women living (or traveling) together. Don’t misunderstand me. Sex outside of marriage was hardly rare. Even so, participants seldom made their involvement a matter for chit-chat!
Not so today. Today, all forms of sexual activity between “consenting adults” is considered acceptable, expected, and “normal”. Why be embarrassed? It’s all natural. It’s all good. Why let yesterday’s standards hinder today’s freedom? What we now call sexual “freedom” has been normalized. And woe to anyone who raises an eyebrow in disapproval! Today, we “shout our abortions” and wave our pride flags. Not only do we pursue our “right” to satisfy our every impulse—we encourage others to do the same. After all, we must not judge. All guilt is false guilt. All sense of shame is unhealthy.
Except it’s not. Not according to Scripture. There is such a thing as false guilt and unhealthy shame. It’s the shame felt by victims rather than perpetrators, by the abused rather than the abuser—or by already forgiven believers struggling to comprehend the depth of God’s grace. That’s not the shame Jeremiah speaks of here. The shame he speaks of is the legitimate shame that follows sin. Or at least ought to follow sin. It’s the shame David felt when Nathan confronted him after he stole another man’s wife. And then murdered her husband to cover it up! It’s the shame he expresses in Psalm 51:3-4 when he confesses, For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
David’s shame was healthy shame. More important, it was saving shame. Why? Because it was David’s shame that drove him to confess his sin and seek God’s forgiveness when he cried out, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (Psalm 51:1-2).
Believer, take heed. When all sense of shame over sin abandons you—that’s when you lose unbroken fellowship with God and the joy of your salvation.
Unbeliever, take heed. When all sense of shame over sin abandons you—that’s when you lose the possibility of forgiveness and life. Where there is no shame, there will be no confession. Where there is no shame, there can be no repentance. Where there is no shame, there can be no salvation.
May we never forget how to blush at our sin? Lord, keep us from it! Lord, grant us the grace of healthy shame. Then, lead us beyond our shame to Jesus. In Christ, let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence and let him forever wash our shame away.