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A while back the Parkway men used to have a breakfast once a month at a local eatery. Breakfast isn’t really my thing and for me usually a cup of coffee suffices. I came in late for one of the breakfasts and of course the guys gave me a hard time about being late and that’s OK… I expect it because I distribute a lot of grief myself.
Anyway they were on me for being late and I told them that on the way in I saw a young woman with three kids broke down on the side of the road and stopped to help her. I prayed for them and wished them well and went merrily on my way. Of course that story was completely fictitious but it did shut them up (briefly).
Of course James 2:14 states… “What good is it brethren if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds. Can such a faith save him?”
The scripture talks in multiple places about the importance of prayer and how we should be praying continually. But there is a time for prayer and a time for action. Don’t be so involved in spiritual activities like prayer, Bible study, singing, etc. that you fail to act when action is required.
Of course if I had actually seen the young woman with three small children stranded on the side of the road the appropriate action would have been to stop and address her actual need… we could always have prayed after-wards.
Paul’s letters to Timothy are carefully crafted to craft Timothy into an effective Preacher/Evangelist.
One of the problems Paul knew Timothy would face were members who would “quarrel about words”. Keep in mind in those days there were no Bible dictionaries, concordances, wikipedia or any other kind of Bible reference resources. They just had the Old Covenant and letters written in their common language.
The same problem exists today. I’ve been in Bible classes that have taken three years to get through the letter to the Romans… blow by blow, verse by verse, examining every word ad nauseam… and perhaps missing the bigger message.
Sometimes members do argue and quarrel about words and relatively minor concepts. In my opinion, Bible classes are no place for arguing and quarreling which can create enmity. If you have a point make it and move on. If it needs any further discussion do it after class. Even after class don’t go too far with it. If your brother doesn’t agree with it arguing is not going to solve the problem. Sometimes ideas just need time to permeate our brains.
Paul also instructs Timothy to “have nothing to do with foolish and stupid arguments”. Yes, stupidity exists in churches. It’s not hard to identify stupid people… minimize your contact with them… you probably can’t make them smart.
In short, the Bible and God’s message is not that hard to understand. The people in the first centuries could understand it and they didn’t come close to having the Bible resources we have today.
Remember love God with all your heart, soul and minds and your neighbor as yourself. Part of loving God is to discover everything you can know about him. There are no shortcuts… study your Bibles and personalize Paul’s instructions to Timothy like he was writing to you.
In Luke 15 Jesus tells three parables to illustrate to his listeners the value of saving “lost souls”.
There are three strains in this text. We commonly think about the lost things… the sheep, the coin and the son but there are also the three who are looking for the lost… the shepherd, the woman and the father.
The third strain are the things not lost… the 99 sheep, the 9 coins and the other son.
The lost sheep didn’t want to be lost and the other sheep in the flock community would have worried about the lost sheep. A lost sheep loses the security of the flock and is susceptible to all sorts of predation. If the sheep was not found it would quickly be killed. Therefore there was great rejoicing from the shepherd and the rest of the flock.
The lost coin and the other coins had no feelings about being lost. The only one in this scenario was the woman. She had lost 10% of her savings. Maybe she was a widow and every penny was valuable. For comparisons sake 10% of her earnings also represented what she owed God in the form of tithing. Her reaction of losing the coin was very understandable.
The audience (Pharisees and teachers of the law) would understand these plain truths but now Jesus has to make a connection with “lost people”.
Both the Shepherd and the woman searched and searched until they found what was lost. The father however did not search for what he had lost which was far more valuable than a sheep or a coin. He only had two sons and now one was gone and he probably already knew where his son was.
In a small country it’s not hard to keep up with the news especially when its bad news. At any time he could have found his lost son and grabbed him by the ear and drug him back home. But he knew if it was not his lost sons own decision that he was bound to lose him again. The only way to keep his son forever was for the lost son to truly reflect on his choices and come to the realization that he had made a serious error.
The lost son knew and felt that his actions were so despicable that his righteous father could never truly forgive him and only hoped that he could live under his fathers household as a servant… continually marked and branded as the “unfaithful son” who had messed up his own life.
The lost son made another mistake… he didn’t understand true love and didn’t really know his own father… the “Pharisees and Teachers of the Law” didn’t understand true love either and certainly did not know Jehovah God very well.
The big brother didn’t understand it either. He probably would have taken his kid brother back under certain conditions… certainly not full restoration and rejoicing.
Jesus told these parables to correct common human thinking and in that correction help them understand compassion, patience and godliness.
Never ever give up on the lost no matter how horribly they might have sinned. Be patient like the father was patient with his “lost son” and maybe… just maybe that lost person will turn and you will be watching for that change of heart so you too can demonstrate incredible love.
Luke 16:1-13 records the story of the “Unrighteous Steward”. Of course the steward is identified as being unrighteous in verse 8 however mammon or wealth is also identified in verse 11 as being “unrighteous”. Let me suggest that wealth is not inherently “unrighteous” and our understanding of how the steward was “unrighteous” also needs to be understood properly.
In those days and times, the rich entrusted vast sums of wealth to “Stewards” to invest. The Stewards had broad powers and were not closely monitored until a set date when an accounting had to be made.
The rich man heard that his Steward was “wasting” his goods and summoned the Steward and told him based upon this report that he could no longer continue as his Steward and to give an accounting of his Stewardship.
He was not fired yet or he could have just walked away. He had to go to all of his Master’s creditors and collect what was owed and turn it over to his Master. Once the accounting was complete then he was no longer Steward.
What did the Steward do? He went to all his Master’s creditors to get them to pay up and he heavily discounted what they owed. This was an entirely legal and ethical practice and in fact is practiced in our day and time.
For example, today on the radio I heard Dave Ramsey tell someone that after a period of time Credit Card companies will discount credit card debt by up to 75%. Why? Because the Credit Card Company has no hope of collecting the whole sum so they settle for a lessor amount… an entirely legal and ethical practice.
So how was the Steward “unrighteous”? Certainly he may have given bigger discounts than he should have but the big way he was “unrighteous” was in his attitude and motivation… he was all about self-preservation and that’s always unrighteous. He certainly was canny and shrewd and his Master and Jesus recognized that.
So how is wealth “unrighteous”? Wealth in and of itself is not “unrighteous”. It becomes “unrighteous” when it is used selfishly.
Wealth used “righteously”… “Righteous Wealth” is used unselfishly for the benefit of others.
Jesus concludes… you cannot serve two masters… you cannot serve God and the pursuit of wealth.
Choose to serve God and he will grant you eternal wealth.
Romans 12:15 states a principle… rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
Let me suggest that the Bible does not give an instruction unless there is a problem. The problem was that Christians were ignoring each other’s emotions.
It’s a problem because the church and the relationships among her members are the primary evidence to the world of the deity of Jesus Christ.
Imagine two congregations one whose members ignore each other and are in a hurry to get home and another whose members are talking and visiting and planning activities with each other. Which one is emulating Christ’s love?
Of course you can’t respond to someone with laughter or tears unless you know what’s going on in someone’s life and half of that responsibility is on you.
You have to find a fellow Christian and ask a question and I’ll give you the question… “What did you do today?” That’s a better question than “How are you doing?” because when you ask “How are you doing”, most of the time they will just say “fine” or “fine how are you?” and that ends the conversation.
Here’s an example. The other day Dwayne asked me what I had done the day before. I said everything that could go wrong did go wrong… one tractor had a flat tire and the other tractor had a hydraulic problem and I didn’t get much done.
You see what happened? I was important enough to warrant a question from which a conversation developed and a sharing of empathy. Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Develop relationships by asking the right questions. Be naturally curious about people. Find the most aloof person you know and slowly erode the barriers they have put up. You will become a better person for it and God is glorified.
Imagine if the US Marine Corp. decided to let their recruits train themselves. They gave them all the tools they needed and a set of instructions and said “Good luck boys… there’s a great battle coming you have all you need to be great soldiers” How do you think that army would perform?
Ephesians 6:13-17 describes the Christian as a fully outfitted and prepared for war Roman soldier. Of course soldiers can fight individually but usually fight as an army. The Christian’s army is the collectivity of Christians otherwise known as the church.
Some think they can fight alone and not be a part of a church but that would be foolishness. Satan’s army can easily surround and pick off a lone soldier.
The only offensive weapon (besides prayer) described is the Roman soldiers sword which is identified for the Christian as the “Sword of the Spirit” and the “Word of God”
It would be a mistake to think that Satan can be killed with this sword. I think the imagery of the sword is to describe a close personal fight. The sword is not a long distance weapon like a spear or a bow and arrow. Meaning the fight is not a long distance fight… it’s up close and personal.
The sword can also be a defensive weapon. Satan sees the well-equipped Christian whose faith is mature by reason of use. He sees that the Christian soldier has a large sharp sword (He knows God’s word frontwards and backwards) and like a cowardly lion Satan looks for easier prey. Perhaps a Christian soldier who left his helmet at home or whose sword is hollow and fragile. Or whose sword has been hanging over the fireplace mantle and has a layer of dust and cobwebs on it.
The purpose of Paul’s comparison of the Christian soldier with the Roman Soldier is to motivate his audience to prepare themselves. Some may think that they can just sit around and read the Bible every once in a while and when the need comes pray them-selves out of trouble. Big mistake… huge mistake… a fantastic mistake… truly monumental.
The US Marine Corps knows that they can’t train an effective fighting force by letting recruits train themselves. The recruits need structure, physical fitness, comradery, rigid practice… and they need a tough drill sergeant… So too the Lord’s army.
Join the Lord’s army and prepare yourself for a fight which you… cannot lose… if you are fully prepared. Semper Fi
Sometimes when we are suffering (for whatever the reason) we wonder… why would God let these things happen to me? For some people it may be just a thought that crosses the mind but for others it can be a deal breaker. They cannot fathom that God would let them suffer therefore they lose their faith in him.
Consider Philippians 1:27-29…
“Let your life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ… because to you it has been granted… not only to believe on Christ but also to suffer on his behalf”
Understand this… we are granted or gifted two things… to believe on him and to suffer for him. Suffering can take many forms. Minimally it can be that someone doesn’t like you and they might not invite you to their birthday party.
On the other end of it someone may kill you for your faith. Maybe a shooter that invades a congregation or a Muslim who thinks that he is serving his rendition of God to kill you.
Whatever you are suffering don’t despair and question God but be happy and take great joy and thank God knowing that you will receive a great reward.
That behavior goes contrary to everything that humanity understands. It is bewildering to them but is a great light that testifies to earthly and heavenly beings the magnificent wisdom of God.
God gives us two gifts… belief and suffering. Open those gifts and treasure them.
