May 2016 – The Words Of David C. Frampton

Unneeded Teaching

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more.

First Thessalonians is one of the first letters that the apostle Paul wrote. By God’s grace, he was able to start a church in Thessalonica, which was the capital of Macedonia with a population of approximately two hundred thousand. Paul was only there a short time and had to leave because of intense opposition to the gospel of Christ. One of the purpose of this letter is to give instruction about the Christian way of life (4:1-5:22). He wants his readers to know how to please God (4:1). He had instructed the Thessalonian believers about this, but he felt that they needed more. Thankfully, he sensed their need and by the Spirit we have this letter.

The apostle’s method to arouse their attention is paradoxical for two reasons. First, their love for one another is evident. It appears unneeded, since there were people who were the recipients of their love. Second, in an earlier prayer for them in this letter (3:12), he had prayed that their love for each other would increase. Why say that they didn’t need this instruction, if he had sensed the need to pray about this concern? Let’s make a couple suggestions.

Followers of Christ can display the reality of the Spirit’s work, and still be in the need for instruction. Sadly, there are some who think they have “arrived” and do not hesitate to let their pastor or Bible teacher know that they already know what he is teaching them. They look at themselves as the educated elite, above the needs of ordinary Christians. They say something like “This stuff is Christianity 101. We need something deeper.” Certainly, I would never plead for constantly giving out the “ABCs” of the Christian faith and walk. However, there is something wrong in the spirits of those who look down on the basics. We can get rather blind to our own weaknesses at the very time the Spirit directs someone to teach us what we need to hear. A useful practice is for everyone to read a devotional like Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. Sharon and I have found many times that what he wrote years before and that we have read more than once is applicable again to our current situation.
The Holy Spirit can burden teachers to pray about a matter and then to teach on it for the ongoing progress of those who listen. Let us never forget the help that our Friend from heaven gives through his work in the souls of those that speak to us. Part of it might come from the teacher’s own observations and those given to him by others, but often the Spirit leads those that teach into the word to help the hearers in a special way. When the Spirit urges us to pray for others about some need, you can be sure that there is a reason.
Though we might be doing what the Spirit teachers, we all need to grow in our faith and practice. No one has arrived. Yes, we might be strong in faith or love or hope. But really, how much greater is your faith than a mustard seed? Are you overflowing with hope? How much stronger and deeper ought your love to be? Remember that in all points, the measuring point of the new covenant way of life is “as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35; 15:12).
God has taught every Christian to love one another. This is an interior, life-changing act by the Spirit of God. It’s what happens when we’re born again from above. He gives us an inward impulse to reach outward in love toward each other. Yet, this inward teaching still needs the instruction from the Holy Scriptures. It is always the Spirit and the word!

So then my friends, this unneeded teaching is much need. Let us respond by loving one another “more and more”.

Grace and peace, David

Unnormal Provision

Ezra 1:1-11

We anticipate that people will act according to their character and their worldview. Moms are supposed to be tender and affirming; judges are supposed to uphold justice; servers in restaurants are supposed to be happy and considerate (at least if they want a generous tip). When we meet people, we tend to classify them immediately. We may or may not approve of their actions and personality, but we assume that they act consistently. Then we make adjustments when they are in our immediate world. Think of the grouchy boss or the snoopy person on Facebook. We learn how to adapt our interactions with such people.

Israel had been in exile from the Promised Land for seventy years. During that times they suffered at times and thrived at others. This happens. Some live in misery and bitterness, while others profit from the situations. One reality that all the exiles in Babylon and then Persia endured was that they were not free. They had been taken out of the land by the will of the Lord, and they had lost the old covenant way to worship and to draw near to God (at the temple offering sacrifices through the priests). Oppression and separation had become the “normal” for them after seventy years. There wasn’t any reason to look for change, as long as they were under the heel of the world’s superpower of their time. Or was there?

The Lord teaches us in his word that he is able to change the normal situation and to provide unnormal provision for his people. Yet we are so accustomed to the normal that we feel that the normal we are in now will always be normal. The post-exilic books (Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) are unfamiliar territory to most readers, with the exception of Daniel. We ought to read them, since the Lord God has much material in them which will build hope (Romans 15:4). Since the new covenant people are “scattered exiles” in this world (study 1 Peter), there are many lessons in these writings for our profit.

God acted in conformity with the purpose of his will: “in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah” (1:1; cf. Ephesians 1:11). God acts according to his plans, which he sometimes makes known to his people. We saw previously that God acted in the exodus according to the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here, God did what he told Jeremiah he was going to do (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-14). God will always do what he has promised, but we should never expect him to do what people speculating about “Bible prophecy” have taught. For this reason, we need to know the word, and we learn it by carefully reading it.
God acted directly on the heart of Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, in order that he might make a proclamation (1:1). He was going to speak in a manner very unnormal for an emperor, most of whom have been very oppressive in the history of the world. The Lord can act directly on the hearts of the rulers of nations to turn them to do what he chooses (Proverbs 21:1). He is sovereign over the affairs of kingdoms. For a man in his high position who led an empire that followed other gods, this was very unnormal.
God revealed to Cyrus a mission for him to accomplish (1:2). The Lord taught him that he and not Cyrus was the true ruler of the world and its nations and so Cyrus received his position from the Lord. With this idea of his purpose in God’s world, Cyrus was faithful to the mission that God gave him. We must remember our mission (Matthew 28:19-20). Let us ask ourselves who is more faithful: a pagan emperor or us? Cyrus knew that this was a specific mission. He was to build a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. We are to help build a temple for the Lord from all nations.
God instilled a spirit for the mission in Cyrus (1:3-4). He became a coach to help God’s people participate in the fulfillment of the mission. He encouraged them to return to Jerusalem and to build his temple. He told people to contribute to the task. This is very unnormal, especially when you read today’s news and see how opposed human governments are to God’s people today.
God changed the hearts of his people to become involved in the mission (1:5-6). God stirred up some to return to Jerusalem. He moved others to give to help them on their way. From the unnormal of captivity (which they had got used to as normal), the Lord led them to return to the normal for the old covenant people: life in the Promised Land.
God induced Cyrus to return the articles of worship that had been taken from the temple (1:7-11). Everything in old covenant worship had to be done according to the pattern that the Lord gave Moses (Exodus 40:16-33). The people needed those articles to reestablish worship of the living God. Therefore, the Lord made sure that they received them. These articles were worth a large amount of money, and for Cyrus to part with them was truly unnormal provision.

The Lord God who acted in Cyrus’ life is the same Almighty God today. The Lord Jesus, who rules over everything for the good of his church, knows what we need for the mission he gave us. He can change human governments, in order that we might be able to reach people. Or he can give us Holy Spirit boldness to act during opposition and adversity. May we be encouraged that the Lord is able to give whatever “unnormal provision” we need.

Grace and peace, David

Workers Together

Judges 1:1-7

We serve a very generous God. He richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17; cf. Acts 14:17). We ought to enjoy and give thanks for every good gift that comes from our Father in heaven. However, the possession of wealth and what it can acquire is not an invitation to self-indulgence. God made us to work and to do his will. And he made us to work with one another to reach people with the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Christians may say they want to do this, as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them by having to work with other believers. Far too many are on a lonesome quest to satisfy their own needs. What we have in our text is an example of the people of God working together for his purposes.

The Lord caused Israel to prosper when they cooperated with one another (1:3). The tribe of Judah made a godly request for their brother’s help. Since God in his providence had placed the two tribes together in their inheritances (Joshua 19:1-9), the tribe of Judah rightly saw this as a task on which they could join together. God’s people are to seek to help one another (1 Corinthians 12:7, 21-26). Paul also teaches this to the church at Rome (Romans 1:11-12; 15:24, 30-32).

We see a godly response in helping their brothers. The tribe of Simeon did not shrink back from its brotherly duty. They went to war with Judah! The New Testament Scriptures show Christians helping each other (Philippians 4:14-19). God honored Simeon’s assistance to Judah, for they were preserved with Judah many years after the other tribes fell into apostasy and then into captivity. This was beyond anyone’s knowledge at that time, but there were future benefits. God’s blessing comes as his people give and receive help one to another. Don’t allow pride to keep you from either activity. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian couldn’t get up when he fell until his brother Faithful helped him. (By the way, if you haven’t read Pilgrim’s Progress, I encourage you to do so.) The life of faith is not meant to be walked alone; in fact, it cannot be.

The Lord caused Israel to prosper when they obeyed his will (1:4-7). In this event, God gives an example of the defeat of the world. This is actual history, and all events had meaning in the history of redemption. God was acting for the future prosperity of Judah and providing for the line of the Messiah. We must not fail to recognize the historic importance of this event. God was acting in history to prepare for the sending of his Son in human flesh through the tribe of Judah. But the Lord also has lessons for us from it. When God is in our warfare, the armies of the world go down to defeat. “The Lord gave….” Though the leaders of people style themselves as “lords”, they have no power against the all-power of the Lord. A king with his army around him has a high opinion of himself and acts accordingly (Proverbs 30:29-31). But no person has power against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30-31).

God gave an example of divine vengeance. Some question the destruction of the Canaanites, but they were justly condemned for their wickedness (cf. Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 7:10; 18:9-12; 20:16-20). Some question the treatment of Adoni-Bezek, but he received what the Law required—justice (Exodus 21:23-24; Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:16-21). He acknowledged God’s justice against him. The church is not a physical nation charged with carrying out physical justice. We live in the new covenant age. The mission of the church is to extend grace to the undeserving (Matthew 5:38-42). However, the real problem that people have with this topic is that they hate God’s holiness, and they don’t want God’s judgment to fall upon them for their sin (rejection of God as God, refusal to love God, and rebellion against God and his ways. But how are we living? Do we want to work with other followers of Christ for the glory of God and the good of people? Let us learn from the good example of these two tribes of Israel.

Grace and peace, David

A Picture of What Might Have Been

DSCN2766 Judges 1:1-7

I think in every human heart there is a desire to know what might have been. Everyone makes countless choices daily. Most are seemingly minor and we give no thought to them. Others are more major, and they can trouble us, especially if the decision produces consequences we do not like. Then we ponder, “Did I make the right one? What if I had done such and such instead?” Yes, it’s that “what if” that troubles us.

Judges is not the book in the Bible that you read if you are looking for peace and encouragement. The book disturbs people greatly, because of its record of the sins of people and God’s judgments on those sins. Yet it is part of the story of God’s glory that leads us to realize why people need God’s king. The old covenant people of God (Israel) had been given many opportunities and advantages to live with God in peace and joy. But the first section of Judges (1:1-3:6), reveals their failures and judgment that fell upon them, because they did not in faith obey the Lord. In other words, we see the cause of Israel’s spiritual decline after the time of Joshua. As a contrast to the rest of the section, in the opening verses the Holy Spirit records how Israel should have acted after the death of Joshua.

Before we come to the text, we must remember a crucial difference between Israel and the church. The church is God’s spiritual nation, which is not of this world, and since it is not of this world, it does not fight with the weapons of this world (Jn 18:36; 2 Cor 10:3-6). However, Israel was a nation like the other nations of the world, except that they were to live for God’s glory and had God’s word and promises and the way to live with God (Romans 3:1-2; 9:4-5). Since they were a physical nation, they had to use worldly weapons to maintain their existence. Their enemies, the Canaanite people groups, were to be removed from the Promised Land, because of their total wickedness. During the time before Christ’s death and resurrection, God let the nations walk their own way, and this they did, turning their backs on God, and in the process committing great acts of wickedness (Acts 17:26-30; Romans 1:18-32). The Canaanites were notoriously wicked in their rebellion against God, and God decreed that their civilization was to end (Deuteronomy 7:1-5). Again, this is uncomfortable, since people do not like to hear about judgment, until they have a deep and bitter experience of the ruin that sin causes.

The Lord caused Israel to prosper when they submitted themselves to him (1:1-2). The people started the post-Joshua period with a wise request. They did not allow the passing of their leader to deflect them from their duty. There was still much land to be conquered and effectively occupied (cf. Joshua 13:1-7; 23:1-13). As you can read in Judges 2:10ff, this did not last long, but at least they started out in the right way. Some don’t even make it this far! Godly leadership is a good gift from God. We ought to be concerned about the next generation.

They recognized God’s rule over their nation. This is the important point. Here is the theme: The Lord’s kingship over his people. In this event, they wanted to do as he pleased, instead of pursuing their own pleasure. When God’s people have this desire, they are showing the character of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:5-7). The sons and daughters of God are to act like the Son of God.

The Lord graciously responded to their request. The Lord provided them with an answer. He specifically directed that Judah was to act first. The Lord used means in this answer, for Judah was the most powerful tribe, and the one God had already chosen to lead (Numbers 2:9; cf. Genesis 49:8-12). The Lord promised them the victory: “I have given the land….” As ruler over all things (Ephesians 1:11), God assured them of triumph consistent with his purpose and promise.

We should lay hold of this truth in our own lives (Romans 8:37). The truth of who and what we are in Jesus Christ frees us to trust in our sovereign Lord, even when life seems to be against us. The promise of victory is just as sure to us as we walk by faith (1 Jn 5:4).

Grace and peace, David

It Seems Strange

Luke 5:17-26

It seems strange. Jesus had healed so many, and apparently had left the paralyzed man unhealed. Instead, he had simply told him that his sins were forgiven. Yet one thing we learn as we read the Gospels carefully is that Jesus acted in situations in the way that would maximize God’s glory. As he cared for people, he also focused on making the greatness of God known. For example, read Mark 9:14-29. Since he is Lord over all, he was not in a hurry to act. We are wise to learn this, instead of demanding that God answers us “immediately if not sooner”. This seems strange to us, until we learn and adopt Christ’s priorities as we follow him.

It seemed strange to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law for a far different reason. They correctly knew that only God could forgive sins, as Jesus had just claimed to do (Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:18). But Jesus had dared to say to the man in front of everyone that his sins were forgiven. To them this was blasphemy, because he slandered God by claiming to do what only God had the authority to do. This was a serious matter. If Jesus was only a man, they were right in what they were thinking about him, but it seemed too strange to them that Jesus could be more than a mere human.

It surely also seemed strange when Jesus revealed that he knew their thoughts. They assumed they had Jesus trapped, but suddenly the tables were turned and they were cornered. Over many years of preaching, I have wondered what people were thinking about during the message. It has always reassured me to know that I don’t need to know, because the Lord Christ knows exactly what everyone hearing a sermon is thinking about. By the way, when you hear the word preached or taught, what do you think about? But I digress. Jesus knew, and he was going to act so that they might know an important truth (5:24). Jesus, the Son of Man, has power to forgive sins. “Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite name for himself. The roots of this term in the usage of Jesus come from Daniel 7:13-14. There it was written that the Son of Man was given authority, which is the issue in this event. Does Jesus have authority to forgive sins?

Jesus knew that it was one matter to tell someone that their sins were forgiven and another to demonstrate that he had the authority to do so. This was the reason that he had delayed to heal the paralyzed man. He met the man’s most crucial need first, which was his need of forgiveness of his sins. Now his delay does not seem so strange. So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God (Luke 5:24b-25 NIV). He acted in a way that everyone could know that he could forgive sins, for he gave an immediate and complete healing to the man. Not only was his paralysis gone, but he had strength and balance to go home, carrying his mat, and this without physical therapy. And not only could he walk home, he could return home with the confidence that he was right with God.

Now, it no longer seems strange, but amazing and praise producing. This ought to be our reaction when we read these accounts of the glory of God displayed in Jesus Christ. Praise God that we follow a leader who is devoted to honoring the Father in heaven. Praise God that he is wise to know the right time to act. Praise God that he has authority and power to forgive our sins and to heal us. Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins? This gift of his grace may be yours today.

Grace and peace, David

An Unexpected Response

Luke 5:17-26

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law wanted to hear what Jesus taught to the crowds, not out of any desire to learn from him. They were concerned. Their gathering included men from every village of Galilee and Judea. Even the prominent religious leaders from Jerusalem came. They were very concerned! Early in his public ministry, our Lord had made claims that upset the religious establishment (cf. John 2). Jesus was being watched. The religious leaders saw that he was gathering a group of disciples around him and was proclaiming that God’s kingdom (saving reign) had arrived. So they watched him. As they watched, they would hear Jesus give teaching that would greatly trouble them. They had to watch him.

The crowds came to Jesus also, but not to watch him, but in order that their sick and disabled might be healed (5:15). The Lord did not disappoint the common people. Jesus healed them by the power of the Holy Spirit. (This is what the “power of the Lord” means, cf. Luke 4:18-19.) At this point, Jesus was in a house. Picture him sitting in a great room, surrounded by the home owners, some of his disciples, many Pharisees and teachers of the law, and as many common people as could push themselves in. See a narrow path from the door to Jesus, where people could lead their family and friends to Jesus for healing. It must have been a hot and exciting scene.

Some men carried a friend on a mat to try to get him to Jesus. Simply carrying a paralyzed man on a mat was a difficult task, but it became harder. When they reached the house, they could not get their friend inside because of the crowded conditions. Intent on getting their friend to Jesus, they decided on a bold plan. They carried the paralyzed man up on the flat roof, probably by using an outside stairway. (Sharon and I went up on a rooftop this way in Mali, West Africa during a visit to that country, though we weren’t carrying anyone). Next, they tore up the roof; the sounds and then the sight of this must have been startling to those inside the house. Imagine the debris falling into the room, along with the light and the much-need oxygen. With the roof opened, they lowered him on the mat right in front of Jesus. There was probably a lot of loud talking of various sorts going on throughout this process.

Finally, everyone became quiet, and all eyes were turned on Jesus. Picture the Messiah looking at the man, next up at his friends on the rooftop, back down to the room of people, and then back to the man. Everyone waited to hear and to see what Jesus would do.

Let’s pause the story for a moment. If this is your first time reading the story of Jesus, you might be expecting him simply to heal the man and send him back to his friends filled with joy. But some of us have read or heard this story so many times, that it does not excite us or fill us with wonder. We nod our heads and think, “Yeah, that’s typical Jesus.” We expect what Jesus said. And so the glory of the story doesn’t grip us. However, I assure you that no one in that room, including the paralyzed man expected what Jesus was about to say. Okay, let’s hit the “play button”.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20 NIV). This was very unexpected! I can feel their stunned silence for a few minutes. Think about this. Did the friends of the man decide to go to all that effort to hear Jesus say to him, “Your sins are forgiven?” Is that what the paralyzed man wanted to hear? If you had been on that mat, is that really what you would have wanted to hear at that moment? What of the homeowners whose roof was partially torn apart? Did the disciples expect Jesus to forgive instead of heal? It undoubtedly caught the Pharisees and the law experts off-guard, too, though Jesus (in their eyes) had just handed them a golden opportunity. Jesus did the unexpected. And it is his unanticipated responses that provide us with occasions to wonder and to worship.

As we conclude today’s article, I want us all to ask ourselves, “If I want something big, like healing from paralysis, would I be content if Jesus simply said to me, “Friend your sins are forgiven”? To be a follower of Jesus means that we learn from him, that we learn from him how that he is able to meet our greatest need. It means that we will learn to say, “Praise God, Jesus has done the best thing for me, even when I assumed he would do something else.” Please let this work into all our souls until next time.

Grace and peace, David

A God-initiated Relationship

Exodus 5:22-6:12

God knows what happens in our world. He knows the joy and the sorrow of every person. God also remembers the promises he has made to people. God had made a covenant with the Patriarchs of the Hebrew people to give them the land of Canaan (6:4). He had also told Abraham that they would not gain the land for four hundred years, during which time the people would be enslaved and mistreated (Genesis 15:13-14). God told Moses that the time had arrived for the Lord to remember his covenant promise. We can only understand God’s plan when we take the position of learners and confess that his way is best because he is God. It’s not about us, but about him. When faced with hardship, this can be a very troubling truth, until we grasp that the Lord also works through our adversity for our greater good. This good purpose involves a God-initiated relationship. Here is the way that the Lord would act to make the descendants of the Patriarchs his people.

The Lord promised to bring them “out from under the yoke of the Egyptians” (6:6). The Egyptians were using the people of Israel like yoked oxen. God would end that oppression that had brought much suffering to them. In our time we see many of the people of God under tyrannical regimes. God will rescue them at his appointed hour, as he rescued Israel.
The Lord presented the method of deliverance (6:6). The method was to set them free from “being slaves to them” and to redeem them “with an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgment.” To redeem means “to set free by the payment of a ransom”. In this case the focus is on the idea of setting the people free from slavery in Egypt. God used this act to set up a pattern that would teach us about our redemption from sin. Notice how the redemption would be accomplished. God would act with power and judgment against those who had oppressed his people. Here is the justice of God, bringing judgment on those who had done evil. God will judge all evildoers with justice at the last day (Matthew 25:31-36; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Lord procured the suffering slaves as his people (6:7). Though very great and majestic, God is “gentle and humble in heart”, as Jesus made known God’s character (John 14:7; Matthew 11:29). So the infinite God was willing to take the weak and lowly and the despised (1 Corinthians 1:27-28) as his own people. He did not need great people to validate him as a great God; instead, he sought out those who were assumed to be nothing, slaves, to transform them into his free people. In this way he would demonstrate his greatness, and in this way they people would “know that I am the Lord your God”.
The Lord pointed out the goal, which was to bring them to the land he had sworn by covenant oath to the Patriarchs (6:8). Observe how the Lord says twice that he would give them the land. It would be their gift from him. This was his grace to the old covenant people, and it is clearly shown to be by grace and not works, because of their constant rebellion against them before they went into the land.

So then, God took the initiative to make them his people and to provide for them. And Moses told them the message that the Lord had told him to tell them (6:6, 9). However, they failed to listen to God’s words, because of their discouragement and experience of cruel bondage. An assessment of Moses’ situation from a worldly perspective was bleak, as he well understood. This made the whole conversation rather dissatisfying to Moses. If a message with great promises could not convince Israel that God was soon to help them, how could a bare command to a cruel monarch persuade him to let Israel go?

This is the reason we need to have faith in God and his words, especially when everything seems to be against us. How is your faith in God? Does it fill you with hope? Or can you see no further than your present dissatisfaction with what God is doing now? Trust in God.

Grace and peace, David

Putting the Spurs to Each Other

Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… (NIV). All followers of Christ Jesus need to grasp the core of this responsibility. What is the how of stirring others in your local gathering toward love and good works?

Consider first the general concept. To “spur on” means “to provoke” or “to stir up”. The word used “has a startling sound. Christians are to be roused, provoked, but to love” (Westcott). It seems strange that those who have received God’s love should need to be provoked to love others. But this is a sad fact stemming from the sin that still hinders us. We become lazy at best, and more often self-absorbed and unkind. Something must be done. The NIV translation is picturesque. You can see the rider in the Old West urging his horse on with his spurs. So every one of us has times when we need to be spurred on, some more often, some less. But this is one of the many “one another” encouragements that we need to grow in grace.

Here comes a difficult action. This involves changing from a self-centered to an one another-centered view of the church, which is a gathering of Christ-followers. We simply cannot live godly in Christ Jesus without this mutual action of stirring up each other. Yet too often professing Christians approach a church with a crass materialistic concept. “What can I or my family get out of this church?” This is not something that has happened only recently. Listen to these words from Postmodern Times, by Gene Veith, Jr. and written in 1994. “Christians, like everyone else in today’s economy, are consumers, but they dare not apply consumer values to God. Notice the implications of the phrase ‘church shopping’. Surely, shopping for a church in the same way we shop for a major appliance is dangerous. Instead of looking for a church that teaches the Word of God, we sometimes look for a church that ‘fills our needs.’ The church does not exist to provide its members ‘services’; rather, it should challenge its members to engage in ‘service’ to God and to their fellow human beings. When we think like consumers, we put ourselves first, picking and choosing what best corresponds to our desires” (p. 118-119). To me, that sounds like exploiting or plundering a church. Where is the love of Christ in such an attitude? Whatever happened to “what can I contribute?” or “how can I help?” and especially, “How can I serve God and one another?” To say this another way, the true Christian is not only concerned about his own salvation, but also about the salvation of others (cf. 3:12-13).

But let us move on from general observations to specific applications. Here are ten examples of people who need to be spurred on (listed in alphabetical order)

Disabled – those who are physically challenged or shut in or sick
Disadvantaged – those with a previous lack of correct teaching (Some think that because they heard an effective communicator that they heard good teaching. But truth is a matter of substance not style.)
Disagreeable – those who seem determined to object to something
Discarded – those who are no longer welcome in their former place of worship through no fault of their own
Discontented – those who are not content in their present situation (because they don’t like their job, etc.)
Discouraged – those who are losing hope in their situation
Dismayed – those who have fallen into depression, spiritual or otherwise
Disorderly – those who are not obeying the will of the Lord Jesus Christ
Disregarded – those who people pay little attention to
Dissident – those who disagree with the opinion of the majority

I think you will have little problem finding people like this that would benefit from your personal concern and love for them. We have only to open our hearts and eyes to see them.

Are we ready to minister to one another? To serve, we need a servant’s heart, an attitude like Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord. Read Philippians 2:1-11. I’m sure you have seen offices—each worker shut up in his or her tiny cubicle. Most people in our postmodern culture have a “cubicle attitude” toward life. They move from one tiny cubicle to another, avoiding contact with other humans as much as possible. Are we willing to reach out of our small life cubicles and interact with other people? This will require a profound change of attitude, but it must be done if we are to fulfill this directive from the Holy Spirit: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… (NIV).

Grace and peace, David

A Forgotten Responsibility

Hebrews 10:24

Observe the progression in this passage (Hebrews 10:19-25). The writer moves from the way we live before God to the way we live before people outside the church to the way we live before one another in the church. Sharing life together in the church used to be overlooked almost completely. For example, Jerry Bridges said that his least popular book was True Fellowship. They even tried to increase sales by giving it a new title, The Crisis of Caring, but it didn’t work. Now thankfully, more attention is given to life as a body of believers. Yet there is a long way to go. To paraphrase a comment by the seventeenth century writer John Owen, the Christians of old used to live as spoken of in this text. But now the principles of building one another up have been lost as if the New Testament Scriptures had never presented them. Surely our life before God is crucial and primary. And we must never forget our responsibility to live as a light in the world. However, the restoration of biblical practice in a culture of “me first” needs to be a constant emphasis. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… (NIV).

Believers are capable to serve another. This might seem obvious, but too many have the wrong opinion that such matters are better left to the professionals, since they have more skill and time. In contrast, the Spirit says through the writer, “Let us consider…” This means that each of us are to pay thoughtful attention to the ways that we can help one another. (The same verb is used in Hebrews 3:1.)

A right approach begins with the correction of a mistaken idea. We can call this the “professional minister” view: the church has a pastor or pastors so that the members can release themselves from any duty to one another. The roots of this view are such concepts as a wrong view of church authority, an idolization of institutional education, a practical lack of spiritual maturity among God’s people, and self-centeredness. The essence of the idea can be stated this way: “We’ve got the pastors; let them do it!” But notice carefully that this text lends no support to such a mistaken idea. The Holy Spirit does not say, “Let the pastor (or the pastors or the church staff) consider how they may….”

In the Bible the Lord stresses the responsibility of each member of every local assembly to help each other spiritually (Romans 14:19; 15:14; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11,14-15; Hebrews 3:13). Since the Holy Spirit has been given by Christ to help us (Romans 8:26), and since we have the sufficient Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16), we should never plead incompetence in this manner. The Spirit of God loves to help the ordinary follower of Jesus to build up and strengthen and encourage and care for other believers.

To continue a correct approach, we must launch a new attitude. Our starting point is the reality of all that we are and have by God’s grace. We are right with God and have the position of an adult son in the Father’s family. You have the Holy Spirit as your leader, the Bible, and in many cases years of Biblical training. Since these things are so, each of us need to see ourselves as fellow workers in the job of building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Brothers and sisters, our time cards are in the rack by the time clock; it’s time to punch in and get to work helping each other. Don’t wait for tomorrow. How much can we do today for the cause of God and truth?

This involves the application of what God has taught us. Certainly first to ourselves and then to others in God’s family. How fervently we ought to pray, “Lord, help me demonstrate the reality of your truth in my life, my family and my church.” But then, we need to stir ourselves to act. This requires more than merely agreeing, “Yes, I need to do something… sometime.” We need to be alert to opportunities to help one another. Find ways to act!

Grace and peace, David

A Pattern for Leadership in the Church

DSCN0036 2 Corinthians 1:24

When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit, he started a new people of God. This one people is made up of many groups of his followers across the world. In regard to many ways of being his people, he has given us freedom to live together, as we keep in step with the Spirit. For example, we are free to sing his praises according to our musical preferences. We are free to order our gatherings for worship. There is no set order of worship in the Bible. All this provides ample topics for discussion. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion on what is the best model, but we must recognize the scriptural idea of liberty within the boundaries of the word of God.

The same is true of the functional leadership of local gatherings. One thing I learned through over forty years of serving as a pastor or pastoral assistant is that every local group or collection of local assemblies has vehement opinions that their structure is biblical, and probably the only one that is acceptable to God. In practice, churches will tolerate much doctrinal error, as long as everyone agrees with their leadership structure. Yes, that truth hurts, but that is the painful reality.

However, in this article the subject is not the structure of leadership but the pattern or paradigm of the way leaders lead. This is not a matter of preference but of clear biblical teaching. Yet structure has always been of greater importance to Christians than the character and attitudes required of leaders. This is one source of much conflict in churches, as sinful pastors, elders, and deacons (and all these are sinners) lead sinful followers of Christ (and all followers are sinful). If the local leadership does not measure up to the expectations of the people, a rebellion of some sort is organized to change the leadership. But here is the problem. The leader or leaders are blamed, and not the paradigm of leadership. People are blamed and not the ideas that perpetuate the problems.

This is a vast subject, and I needed to say all of that to look at our text. We want to see the pattern of leadership that Paul modelled to the church in Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm (NIV).

Paul renounced a certain style of leadership. He did not act as lord over them. The nations of this world love a lordship style of leadership. Too many churches buy into the worldly style that the Lord forbids (Matthew 20:25-28). Leaders seem to love the authority to direct the church according to their preferences, since by virtue of their position they automatically “know what is best for this local church.” But the apostle Paul loved people deeply. (If you don’t think of Paul this way, reread Romans 12:9-21 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 where he gives two of the longest teaching sections about love in the NTS.) He also loved the Lord Christ deeply, and wanted him to be the lord of the church. Real biblically transformed leadership requires genuine love for the people who are served. Though true for many reasons, this kind of leader recognizes that he is also one of Christ’s people and needs to be lead. He is not in love with his position or function but in love with Christ and his people.
Paul set forth a correct objective. He worked for the joy of people. Knowing the high importance of joy in the true Christian way of life (Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16), he worked hard that others might have the joy of the Lord in their experience. Lack of joy in the Holy Spirit is of great concern to godly leaders. The joy of others requires sacrificial love and labor from those who would develop Christ’s followers.
Paul reaffirmed the necessity of faith. Too often, church leaders look for obedience or conformity with the standards or rules of their church. But they forget that obedience is the fruit of faith, not of pressure from the leadership. A thoughtful reading of Hebrews 11 will show how faith produces godly actions or works, as James also teaches (James 2:18-26). But leaders must focus on faith first of all.

So then, there is a pattern for Biblical leadership. Do we desire it? Or are we content with “business” as usual? True godliness is conformity to the God’s word, not to the traditions of people.

Grace and peace, David