Once and Again

Last night I got to thinking about Joshua 24:15 (ESV), “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We tend to fall into the trap of thinking that following God is a one-time decision rather than a daily choice. I’m not referring to the debate about whether a person can lose their salvation, but about the way we choose to live our lives day by day.

We can get sidetracked when we think of the spiritual disciplines as a one-time choice. We can choose whether to spend time in the Word and prayer, and we can choose our level of involvement with a local church. How many people think that reading the Bible occasionally or hearing a sermon once a week is all that’s really needed? I would question whether those people are actually following Christ if they only make that choice one day out of seven. Even if they do receive eternal salvation, they are missing out on the blessings of pursuing God every day.

Obedience is also a choice. Some days it is an hourly choice or even moment by moment. When temptation comes, we can choose to believe that God will provide endurance and escape one minute at a time (1 Corinthians 10:13). In a way, it is a relief to stop thinking “I have to endure for the rest of my life,” and to start thinking “I just have to make it through this minute… now this minute… now this one.”

As we’ve been learning about spiritual wisdom in recent sermons from 1 Corinthians 2, it is both convicting and enlightening to realize that seeking wisdom needs to be a constant choice as well. The news is full of celebrity pastors who neglected to choose wisely in one area or another, or they are relying on human wisdom more than God’s wisdom. Though they may not be caught in outright sin, they may be dogmatically clinging to a particular interpretation of Scripture that is not necessarily proven to be true. Every church and denomination feels at some level that they are right and others are wrong, but some are more proudly dogmatic than they should be.

Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). MacLaren’s Exposition of this verse says:

“That transformation is no sudden thing, though the revolution which underlies it may be instantaneous. The working out of the new motives, the working in of the new power, is no mere work of a moment. It is a lifelong task till the lump be leavened.”

Similarly in Philippians 2:12-13: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The choice to turn to Christ for salvation may be a one-time event, but working it out in daily life is one choice after another.

God keeps on saying to us, “Choose this day whom you will serve, and this hour, and this moment, and this second. Keep choosing as often as it takes. Choose Me; choose life; choose health; choose obedience; choose holiness; choose wisdom.”

Women in Ministry

This is a subject I’ve studied and wrestled with for years, but one I’ve avoided writing about before because I don’t want to offend anyone. I’ll admit up front that I’m biased by the fact that my grandmother was an ordained minister. She was never the hired pastor, but she worked alongside my grandfather and filled the pulpit for him on occasion. She was well-respected and humble. My own educational background of Bible college and seminary led me to believe that women can have any and all of the same spiritual gifts that men can have. And from a purely personal perspective, I know the feeling that arises when someone says “You can’t do that because you’re a woman.” Call it pride or rebellion if you like, but for many people that’s a reality that is not easily dismissed.

On the theological side, I’ve read all the arguments for and against women in particular ministry roles. There are highly educated people on both sides, and it’s not my intention to say who is right and who’s wrong or to debate with anyone. (A few resources are listed below.) It’s an area that is far greyer than many people would like. The relevant Scriptures have been interpreted quite differently by each side with what usually appears to be logical support. God could certainly have inspired Scripture differently if He wanted this issue to be clear cut.

(As a side note, for those who claim “The Bible is our only rule of faith,” do you have deaconesses, trustees, a church board, property and facilities, and denominational structures? In many cases it seems like church governance is determined more by historical precedent than Scripture. So we’re carrying a double standard before we even get to the debated questions of deacons and elders, pastors, or women in ministry.)

Having said all that, I still find conflict within myself on the roles of women in the church. When the local Methodist church announced the new female pastor who was arriving, my first thought was, “I’m glad I don’t go there.” I would be uncomfortable sitting under the pastoral authority of a woman as a preacher or as a counselor. (I would have trouble being Methodist and accepting their denominational structure too, but that’s another issue.) What it boils down to for me is that while I think women can hold the same positions as men, that doesn’t mean they should do so in all circumstances. Every church body is different, and what works in one place may not work in another. I would also be uncomfortable attending a church where the pastor has visible tattoos and wears cut-offs while preaching, though he or she has the right to do so.

“‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24). This is where the rubber meets the road. There are many people on both sides of the issue who are so adamant about their position that they’ve lost sight of the reason the Church exists. The purpose of the Church is not to espouse women’s rights or to subjugate women. It’s not about proper dress code or obeying the letter of the law. (Jesus had some choice words for the Pharisees in that regard.) The Church exists to spread the good news of Jesus Christ so that as many as possible may come to saving faith in Him, thereby glorifying God for eternity. God can use men, women, children, sunsets, and starfish to draw people to Himself.

The question we should be asking is not whether a woman should ever be allowed to preach, but whether our church body is prayerfully and humbly seeking God’s guidance as to how we should minister right now to the people and situations He has put on our doorstep. That’s probably enough to keep us busy until the Second Coming.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Beyond Sex Roles, Gilbert Bilezikian

Women in Ministry: Four Views

Women, Authority & the Bible, Alvera Mickelsen

Prayers from the Parking Lot

I’m reading a short book called Prayers from the Pews: The Power of Praying for Your Church, by Teri Lynne Underwood, and one thing I often do while jogging around the church parking lot is to pray for our church. So I thought I would share one area I’ve been praying about lately, along with a few Scriptures that have come to mind:

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 ESV).

Lord, I hate the fact that we live in a world where we have to write all kinds of policies and procedures for church bodies to try to protect ourselves from legal action, though I am thankful that in our nation we are not yet seeing the level of persecution that many of our brothers and sisters around the world are facing. There are all kinds of external forces and internal divisions, all caused by the evil one and all for the purpose of drawing people away from faith in You. We know that nothing in this world can protect us from every harm. The only insurance that is 100% effective is found in You through faith.

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you’” (Isaiah 35:3-4).

Please grant wisdom and discernment to Your church and the leadership of our congregation so that we may act in accordance with Your Word and live without fear. We know that ultimately we are only accountable to You. Where there are divisions, bring unity. Where people are living in sin, bring conviction and repentance. Where there are wounded and confused people, bring healing. May we truly live as the Body of Christ on earth.

 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10).

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Testing Wisdom

I’ve been thinking about Sunday’s sermon from 1 Corinthians 2 on the wisdom that comes from God, and at the same time the first chapter of James has been on my mind as I’ve been reading Warren Wiersbe’s study of James in Be Mature. The first few verses of James contain the reminder to find joy in trials because “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness,” and when steadfastness is accomplished “you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (ESV). The first thing I would note is that testing does not necessarily lead to perseverance or maturity of faith. Wiersbe comments, “If we try to go through trials without surrendered wills, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults” (p. 36). Fighting against trials or questioning God’s goodness in trials will keep us from benefitting from them.

James goes on in verses 5-8 to talk about wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”  I’ve heard sermons and read books that focus on these verses, but I’ve never heard anyone tie them back to verses 2-4. James just got through saying that the testing of faith when completed makes you “lacking in nothing,” and now he’s talking about lacking wisdom. So those who are lacking wisdom have not completed the process of enduring trials of faith. The flip side of that coin seems to be that asking for wisdom is tantamount to asking for the testing of faith. James says that wisdom comes to those who ask in faith and faith is matured by testing. Be careful what you ask for!

That’s not to say that God never gives wisdom without trials. King Solomon asked for and received wisdom (1 Kings 3), but he didn’t always do what he knew to be right (1 Kings 11). In general though, wisdom is obtained through experience, and I think most would agree that we learn more through difficulties than through ease and comfort. There is a reason that we associate wisdom with old age, because those who have lived many years have experienced a wide variety of challenges and have learned from them. Some of the wise men in the Bible include Daniel and Joseph, and they certainly encountered great difficulties in their lives. We don’t really need wisdom if everything in life is going smoothly.

Wiersbe makes a good point:

“Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials? Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance? For this reason: We need wisdom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature. Wisdom helps us understand how to use these circumstances for our good and God’s glory” (p. 38).

Justin Nash also commented on this in our office chapel service this week— James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” and God’s gifts include any trials He allows us to encounter in order to mature our faith. If God makes all things work together for good (Romans 8:28), then trials are a good gift. Wiersbe puts it this way:

“God gives only good gifts. Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it comes from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately” (p. 50).

In some ways it is discouraging to realize that wisdom comes with testing. I think we’d all like to have the right answer for every question without any effort. But that is not how God usually works. He loves us too much to let us remain immature in our faith, which should be an encouragement to us.

When we do encounter trials and need wisdom to get through them, we shouldn’t expect to have the whole map laid out before us. That would negate the need for maturing faith, which is the purpose of the trials to begin with. I know how frustrating it is when God lets the trials continue without explanation or deliverance, and it seems like wisdom ought to reveal why that’s in God’s plan. He has yet to reveal specific details like that to me, but He is showing me the bigger picture of how He works in His people.

As was said Sunday, the first step of wisdom is knowing that it’s about God. He’s not necessarily interested in giving us the perfect words to speak in a particular situation, but He does want us to know who He is and how He works. He wants us to know His character, and He is at work conforming us to the image of Christ so we will better reflect His character. That means we need to learn about forgiving others, having compassion, being gracious and merciful, etc. Those characteristics come through the wisdom developed by experiencing difficult situations, because none of us are born knowing how to love others perfectly.

This all seems to be part of a larger, ongoing lesson of God’s plan for each of His children, so this blog may be continued at some point.

“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will board all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

ABCs of Praise

The following is an experiment in finding Scriptural reasons for praise through the alphabet and came up with two sets, of which I’ll just share one. I challenge you to come up with your own list. All Scriptures are ESV unless otherwise marked.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore. –Psalm 125:2

Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. –Psalm 121:4

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. –Matthew 11:28

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. –Psalm 37:4

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. –James 1:17

For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you… –Deuteronomy 4:31

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. –1 Thessalonians 5:18

He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. –Job 5:11

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. –John 14:18

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. –Hebrews 13:8

Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. –Psalm 100:3

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. –1 Corinthians 13:7

Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! –Psalm 93:4

Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. –John 9:32

O my Strength, I will sing praises to You, for You, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. –Psalm 59:17

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! –Psalm 148:1

Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him… For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. –Luke 15:22, 24 NIV

Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgments He uttered. –1 Chronicles 16:12

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! –Revelation 7:10

This is my comfort in affliction, that Your promise gives me life. –Psalm 119:50

Uphold me according to Your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! –Psalm 119:116

Victory belongs to the Lord. –Proverbs 21:31

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. –Matthew 25:13

EXALT the Lord our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He! –Psalm 99:5

You are the Lord, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You. –Nehemiah 9:6

Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. –Isaiah 1:27

Thoughts from Family Camp

In Bible study at Family Camp we're discussing Max Lucado's book Before Amen, and Tuesday we were on the phrase of the pocket prayer, "I need help." Part of the discussion centered around the times when Jesus stopped to help someone because they asked. I was reminded of one of my prior blogs in which I stated that Jesus never saw people as an interruption to His ministry, because they were His ministry. 

Thinking about it later, I realized that two thoughts frequently run through my mind. The first comes when I am feeling weak and needy and wanting to talk to someone, but I think, "I don't want to interrupt them when they have so many other people to help and tasks to complete, so I'll keep it to myself." That's probably not always the wisest of decisions. 

The second recurring thought comes when someone wants to chitchat when I'm busy: "Why is this person interrupting me when I am clearly in the middle of something?" I know that's not a terribly loving response either. (An interruption came as I wrote that sentence.) 

I guess it is pretty selfish to want others to meet my needs while I don't want to do the same. A refresher course on Jesus's perspective of people is in order. All people have value, and all people have needs. We all need someone to talk to, but we also need to be listeners for others. We all need wise counsel at times, and we can provide counsel for others in different areas of life. We all need to be loved, and we all need to give love. We shouldn't downplay our own needs out of some sense of being a burden to others. But neither should we refuse those who inconvenience us. Interruptions may be divine appointments. 

One of the cultural difficulties that seems to be increasing over time is the specialization of professions. The more we learn about the human body, the harder it is to find the correct doctor to deal with a problem. You can be sent to five different specialists and never get an answer. 

The same seems to be happening in the church. First came the clergy-laity divide, and now we have a different minister for every age group or area of need. A person can know they need help but not know where to turn to find answers or even to find someone willing to listen to them and pray for them. I don't think that's how God intended His Body to function. I know I've said it before and I'll say it again--we all have roles to play and we all need each other. I'm certain that pastors would not be so over-scheduled if the members of the Body were all doing their part. 

Humility is the key. It takes humility to admit that I need help myself, but it also takes humility to remember that my agenda is not more important than someone else's. That's just lesson out of many during this week of camp. 

1 Peter 5:6 (ESV)- "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."

Simply Trusting

Once again God has conspired with several writers to remind me of His truth. My pastor and his wife were both involved in different ways. Meredith posted on Facebook, “Trusting in Jesus does not seem to me to be a one time declaration, but a moment by moment choice to remember and rest in what I know to be true, thereby relinquishing my control in the current situation.”

Right after that I read this article by a couple who lost their two young sons in a tragic accident: “God has a plan. The situation is a frustrating one. We don’t want to be here. We don’t like it. This is not a fun situation. We’re mad at the loss. But we know God is good and has a plan and we believe that” (http://www.wbtv.com/story/29592649/couple-relies-on-faith-forgiveness-after-losing-sons ). I can’t imagine what this couple is going through, but they have chosen to trust God when nothing makes much sense.

Another author writes of the lessons learned through losing her brother to cancer:

“Not until I was at the very end of my frayed rope… that I decided to relinquish my counterfeit control and earnestly desire for God’s perfect rule to manifest His glory in the most powerful way possible… I lost my small vision, but I gained His big one. I saw my selfishness exposed, and it was ugly. I lost my control, but I came under His, which is where I lost panicked fear and found peaceful assurance.” (Desperate Hope, by Candi Pearson-Shelton, pp. 35, 38)

There are days when I wonder what God is up to and why He can’t accomplish His purposes through less painful means. Some days it seems like nothing good comes out of the trying circumstances of life. Some days it feels like the middle of a 40-year journey in the wilderness. On one of those days last week I found this article by Jon Bloom, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-give-up, and I have reread it each day since. He comments:

“…in embracing the gospel, we find ourselves also drafted into a war — a war to keep believing the gospel and a war to keep spreading it to others. In this age we ‘strive to enter that [complete] rest’ of the age to come (Hebrews 4:11). Wars are exhausting — especially long ones. That’s why you are often tired. Many soldiers, who experience the fierceness of combat, want to get out of it. That’s why you’re tempted to escape. That’s why you’re tempted to give up.”

The battle to hold on to faith and to keep trusting Jesus day after day is one we all face at times—when loved ones face serious illness or are lost to death; when jobs are scarce and bills pile up; when it seems like prayers are not being answered; when God doesn’t do what we think He should… We have to ask ourselves whether we believe He is in control and whether we trust that His way is best. And if the answer is yes, we need to wait on Him and rest in Him even though the days may be long. Obviously He knows something that we don’t, and for that we can give thanks.

I’m reminded of the old hymn by Edgar Stites (public domain):

Simply trusting every day;
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Chorus:
Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by,
Trusting Him, whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Brightly doth His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Singing if my way be clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger, for Him call,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth is past,
Till His gracious advent call,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.