Teach Joy

2 Corinthians 1:24  & Matthew23:9 

In college, one of the things I learned in InterVarsity was that every Christian should have a spiritual mentor. Our leader said his mentor was his superior in IV. And that person’s mentor was the head of the international InterVarsity. Then he dropped a name that left us all in awe. The head’s mentor was John Stott. I tried to imagine being mentored by the author of Basic Christianity.

There are some writers I admire who communicate God’s Word so well – John Stott, John Piper, Francis Schaffer and my all time favorite, C. S. Lewis. I’ve also known a few amazing teachers of the Word – Wes Hardy, Emmanuel Haqq, Tim Brittain. But I have to be careful how I look up to them. As Jesus put it, don’t call them Father because only God is my spiritual father.

The other side is that I need to be careful about my attitude as a teacher. I do know something about the Bible and I can sound confident in my interpretation, but I don’t want anyone to admire me for it. When it’s appropriate, I just want to help others learn.

We are all equal in God’s eyes. Jesus teaches that the exalted will be humbled and the humbled will be exalted. That doesn’t mean that they will change positions with each other, but that they’ll be brought to an equal position.

Teachers shouldn’t dominate their students by telling them how to put their faith into practice. Instead they should come alongside to share knowledge. In other words, teachers should be a partner in learning. In the end, each person stands firm by her own faith and is accountable for how she applies what she’s learned.

Instead of telling his readers how to live, Paul’s goal as a teacher of God’s truths was fill his students with joy. 

I sometimes teach or lead Bible studies. When I do, I’m a partner with my students in learning. They have to want to learn and they have their own faith. But I want to help my students enjoy God’s Word. I can do that if I share my love of what I know and let my joy in it communicate the message. Hopefully, they’ll learn from me because they catch my joy.

The goal of learning is to reach joy.

Joy in God’s ways.

Joy in God's Word.

Joy in God.

Lies

Acts 5:1-11

Instant death seems like a pretty extreme punishment for lying. I mean, everyone lies. If I don’t like your new haircut, I’ll probably say something like, “It’s nice.” I don’t want to hurt your feelings. Is there anything wrong with that?

Well, God hates lying. So yes, there’s something wrong with that. But I’m not going to analyze polite words to see if they are lies. Instead I want to see what it is about lying that God hates. When Ananias and Sapphira told their lie, they did it deliberately. They planned to do it, and they did it to benefit themselves, while still looking unselfish. Peter told them they had lied to the Holy Spirit.

I see three things about this that God would hate. 

They planned to lie. They knew what was wrong and chose to do it. Their hearts had rejected God’s truth.

They wanted to look good to the other Christians. They were more concerned with their own appearances than they were with the truth.

They lied to the Holy Spirit. Even though they told the lie to Peter, their sin was against God. He knew their heart, but they pretended He didn’t.

I do these things too. For example, when I agree to do something for someone and don’t get it done, I think of excuses to tell them. “I was busy” or “I forgot” when the truth is that I remembered, but put it off, even though I had plenty of time. Sometimes I just lie to myself. Some days I don’t do much to clean my house. I tell myself that I don’t feel well because I didn’t sleep well, or I’m too busy, when the truth is that I’m feeling lazy that day. (sometimes there are true reasons for not doing what I should, but I’m talking about the occasions when they aren’t true)

Those are lies. Lies I tell others so I won’t look bad. Lies I tell myself. Lies I tell the Holy Spirit.

Recently a friend asked people to tell her their understanding of integrity. I think integrity is not lying to the Holy Spirit.

I want to walk with God in complete honesty. I don’t want to lie to myself about what I do and think and I don’t want to lie to Him.

So far, I haven’t been struck dead when I lied. I can only attribute that to God’s love and mercy. But I have experienced a kind of death. The death of my confidence in God’s presence. I never really believe my lies, and I’m ashamed to talk to God when I do it because I have this thing hanging over my head. 

But thanks to God’s grace, I can come boldly up to His throne and confess the lies. And ask the Holy Spirit to make me more conscious of the temptation.

He is Not Silent

Leviticus 20:6, 1 Samuel 28:3-19 & 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 

The first time I heard the saying “Don’t doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.” It seemed so profound. But I was in college and hadn’t taken very many steps into darkness. Since then I’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death. So have some of the people I love dearly. And I’ve learned that God is sometimes silent.

When I’m in trouble and I don’t know what to do about it, or can’t do anything about it, and God isn’t talking to me, what can I do?

Saul was in that situation. So he turned to an advisor who had always spoken for God. The problem was that Samuel was dead. Saul risked the forbidden to ask him for advice. He couldn’t claim ignorance either, because he had outlawed it himself. Saul was desperate because God wouldn’t talk to him through prophets or dreams. 

But Saul had the word God had spoken before. God had already told him what to do and Saul had disobeyed. After being made aware of his disobedience he hadn’t repented, and now God was punishing Saul as He had said He would.

Saul had one option. Repent and submit. Instead he went looking for help in forbidden ways.

It makes me wonder if God is always as silent as He seems when I’m in the dark places. For one thing, I have His word and if I read it faithfully, I will be fully aware of what He wants. So the question is not what I should do when God is silent, or why God is silent. A better question would be:

When God spoke in the past, how did I respond? 

Saul was unfaithful to God; he failed to obey God’s command and didn’t turn to God for guidance. I must recognize when I’m unfaithful, repent and ask God for guidance and then obey Him. Then maybe the dark places won’t seem so empty. In fact, God will comfort me there. After all:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

What Not To Worship

Hosea 4:12, Acts 10:25-26, Revelation 19:10, Matthew 4:10, Romans1:25

What not to worship:

A piece of wood

A disciple of Christ

An angel

Satan

Anything created

That just about covers it. But do I worship any of these things? Are these warnings for me?

When I was in China, we went into a Hindu temple. It was full of idols, huge statues of each of their gods, on pedestals higher than our heads. We had to look up to see them, but there were people kneeling in front of them, bowing over bowls of food they had brought to worship them. They were looking for help in their lives, or hoping to appease the gods so they would at least not harm them. I don’t worship statues, but I look for advice from books and, more and more, the internet. I need to remember to examine all advice I receive in light of the Word of God.

I’ve known people whom I really look up to. Lately I’ve been listening to lectures by R. C. Sproul. While I really appreciate his knowledge of the Word and the way he presents it, I need to remember he and other teachers I admire are human, like me. When Peter went to teach Cornelius about Jesus, he had to remind him that he was just a teacher and not worthy of worship.

I’m sure I encountered an angel late one night in Boston, but since he was dressed in jeans and our interaction was pretty short, I wasn’t inclined to worship him. It would probably be different if Gabriel or Michael stood in front of me with a message from God. In the Bible, people’s response to angels is fear and worship, but even in their glory they are not God. Even angels shouldn’t be worshipped.

It’s pretty obvious I shouldn’t worship Satan. The tricky thing is that he wants worship, but will settle for taking me away from worshipping God. So he’ll encourage and trick me into worshipping all the other things listed in these verses. This is where I need to be alert and examine my affections. Everything God has created is off limits for worship.

This morning I choose to worship God.

He’s my Lord. I worship Him because He’s my Master. He gives me work to do, teaches me how to do it and rewards me for it.

He’s glorious, delightful and wonderful. I delight in Him; I enjoy Him because He’s wonderful.

He’s ever-living, eternal, never ending, permanent, the one thing I can depend on.

Worship

Only God

The Lord, my God

The glorious, ever-living God

Beautiful Feet

Romans 10:13-15

Being an MK, an MGK and an MGGK (my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were missionaries), means that missions are in my blood. But I haven’t heard the call to the mission field – for now. Three of my sisters have and so have two of my dear friends. So when I think of missions, I think of the beautiful feet of the missionaries I love.

Even though my feet aren’t as pretty, especially after walking around barefoot – something I couldn’t do when I lived on the mission field - I have an important role in missions. The Great Commission is for me too.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19 & 20

Missionaries can’t go unless they are sent. So if I’m not going, I need to be sending. It works like this:

The messenger is sent – That’s the church’s job.

The messenger tells people about Jesus – That’s the missionary’s job.

The people hear about Jesus, believe in Him and call on the name of Jesus – By the Holy Spirit, that’s the non-believer’s response.

The new believers are saved – That’s God’s job.

My role as the sender is at the beginning of this sequence and is critical because it’s the first step. What does it mean to be a sender? Of course it’s the church that sends, not me as an individual, but there are things I do and can do to be part of the sending.

I’m already supporting the missionaries I mentioned at the beginning of the post. Mike and Mary Robinson who share the Good News at Blue Grass festivals (sometimes with very muddy feet). Janet and Paul McLarren who serve a crucial role in making sure the Good News is available to new believers in their own languages. Charlotte Mishler who used her lifetime of experience to share the Good News in Paraguay this summer. I support them in prayer, financially, and with friendship. Since it’s the church that sends, I can expand that support by bringing their work to the attention of my church.

As a church member, I can also support the missions programs of the church. There are several local programs and we take several annual offerings to support missionaries. But I think God wants us to do more, and the pastor has asked me to pray about starting a women’s missionary society. This is another opportunity to send. Maybe we’ll be able to send some of our members on short term missions. Who knows what God will do if we are faithful.

I know supporting missions doesn’t absolve me of sharing the Good News with everyone He brings across my path. And He may eventually send me to go and do that. But right now, I’m happy to be in the sending role.

A Scary Message

Ezekiel 14:1-8 

My goal for this blog is to share with my readers the message God gives me in each passage I read. So each morning, when I have my devotions, I ask God to make me open to what He is saying to me. Then, later, when I write the blog entry, I ask God to help me write it clearly for you. It’s all about what God wants to say to me, and then to you.

The leaders of Israel decided to ask God for a message. The Old Testament is full of messages from God to His people. But in this case, the leaders were idolaters, so God was not inclined to listen to their request. But He did have a message for them.

Repent and turn away from idols and stop all your detestable sins.

In case they rejected God and continued in idolatry, He had a different message for them.

God would turn away from them and make a terrible example of them.

God had no reason to listen to their requests because they had idols in their hearts. They loved someone or something more than they loved God. He hates that. So He told them that their great idolatry deserved a certain kind of answer. But He loves His people, so even this terrible judgment against those who had rejected Him had a loving reason behind it. God gave this answer to capture the minds and hearts of all His people and to show that He is the Lord, their sovereign God.

So back to God’s message to me. I can’t ask for a message if I love something or someone more than I love God. Idolatry removes the possibility of God listening to my requests. It makes my prayers ineffective.

But God wants to capture my mind and heart. Idolatry in my heart is an emotional and mental sin, so repenting and turning away is also mental and emotional. Whatever the idol is, I love it; I am emotionally entangled with it. But it also captures my thoughts, so turning away from it starts (for me) with a mental decision. I recognize it; I think about it; I research it. Then I repent of it with sorrow for sinning against the Lord. 

When God captures my mind and heart, He dominates my thoughts and my affections. There’s no room for idols. So I will fill my mind with Him. I’ll meditate on Him, memorize His Word, and my love for Him will grow.

So when I ask God to speak to me through His Word, my prayer should begin with self-examination and confession. I should come trembling into His presence, trusting He will speak to me – even if the message is that I need to repent.

If I don’t repent, God will turn away from me and I will be a terrible example. I’ll be wretched because I’ve been abandoned and I surely won’t have anything insightful to share.

I’m so glad He wants to capture my heart and mind because the alternative is too terrible.

Swim Passionately

Revelation 2:2-6

Here’s another church that doesn’t quite have it together. Instead of being lukewarm, it looks like their problem is that they’re intellectual and lack passion. They work hard, they’re longsuffering, they don’t tolerate evil and they recognize false teaching. But they don’t have the love they did at first.

Their problem looks like service burn out. You know, the 10% of the church who do 90% of the work. The Sunday School teacher who also sings in the choir and chairs several committees and shows up at every work day. It’s hard to be passionate about God when you don’t even have time to sit and listen to the sermon. 

But I don’t think that’s what God is talking about here. This is not just burnout; it’s something they need to repent of. God’s problem with them is that they don’t love Jesus or each other like they did at first and they don’t do the works they did at first.

So what about me? I think some of my strengths are the things this church had in their favor. I love to serve and work pretty hard at it. I’ve suffered patiently and I’ve endured over the years. I love to search the scriptures to examine the truth from the teachers I encounter.

But when I look back at my youth, I can see that I’m missing a certain uncluttered love I had for Him. I used to read my favorite passages in the Bible just for the joy of it. I memorized passages and meditated on them whenever my mind wasn’t occupied. I used to go for walks just so I could talk with God along the way. 

It’s possible to persevere and keep working for God after losing my enthusiasm for Him. I can be like Dori from Finding Nemo and just keep swimming. But God wants passion. He doesn’t lose His passion and He doesn’t want me to lose mine. 

In I Corinthians 13:1-3, God reminds me that doing wonderful things without love is meaningless. What Jesus wants is for me to have the attitude of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Be patient and kind.

Don’t be jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Don’t demand my own way.

Don’t be irritable or keep a record of being wronged.

Don’t rejoice about injustice.

Rejoice whenever the truth wins out.

Never give up, never lose faith.

Always be hopeful.

Endure through every circumstance.

Keep on swimming, but do it because I love God and others passionately.