HOW Many Times?

HOW Many Times?

by | Aug 4, 2014 | Service

Picture

The words of Jesus concerning how many times we must forgive others – “till seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22)  – are words every Christian knows and tries to keep in mind, but do we apply this principle in other, more positive areas?

Consider the story of Joshua. We remember Joshua as the great military leader who oversaw the conquest of the Promised Land, yet Joshua does not seem to have started out as a fearless leader. We see that in instructing him, Moses told Joshua twice to “be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6-7), and when God formally commissioned him, He told Joshua to “be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:23). Then, again, in the opening chapter of the Book of Joshua God tells him three times to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6,7,9), and even the people of Israel encourage Joshua to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:18).   So the man who became a great leader was encouraged on at least seven occasions to have the strength and courage he needed, then the statement doesn’t appear again. Eventually, in fact, once he grew in confidence, we find Joshua using exactly these same words to encourage the Israelites (Joshua 10:25)!  Just as God, Moses and the people continued to encourage Joshua until he had gained experience and confidence, it is only as we persevere with encouragement and help that people come to where they don’t need it to the same degree. 

When we look elsewhere in the Bible we see many other examples of this willingness to help others in an ongoing manner, to do good to them as many times as it might take.  In the New Testament, the story of the Good Samaritan is an excellent example.  The Samaritan did not just give some first-aid to the man in the ditch and go on his way – he worked through the problem step by step, with repeated actions:  “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” (Luke 10:34-35). 

In the same way, Paul tells us: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak…” (Romans 15:1 ESV), and the plural “failings” or “weaknesses” does not just mean at one time, but through time – as long as there is a need.  This is why Paul also tells us: “Let us not become weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9), because the needs of others are often ongoing and at no time do we reach a point where we have “done enough” if a need still exists. If we can embrace the concept of forgiving others “till seventy times seven,” perhaps we should also be willing to continue to help others keeping this same attitude in mind.
Ultimate Liberty

Ultimate Liberty

by | Jul 3, 2014 | Service

Picture

The concept of liberty, like independence and freedom, lies at the heart of every democratic society and is enshrined in the 4th of July holiday we celebrate every year in the United States.  It’s a concept we all applaud and agree with, but not one we necessarily think about as deeply as we might.

Interestingly, the Bible shows two types of liberty: one the one hand, liberty from anything that enslaves us, and on the other, liberty to serve God.  The latter type of liberty may seem counter intuitive, and that’s where thinking a little more about the concept of liberty comes in.

Liberty from anything that enslaves us is easy enough to understand. That is the liberty to which the Children of Israel were called as they were brought out of Egypt.  It is the liberty from sin that Jesus stressed as He began his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because…He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

The apostle Paul speaks of this freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).  Yet Paul and the other apostles constantly speak of themselves as the servants or slaves of God (Romans 1:1, James 1:1, Jude 1:1, etc.). Being a servant is clearly part of the calling of every Christian (Mark 9:45, 10:44),  so how can the two be reconciled?

The truth is, beneath the political and social liberty we rightly praise and strive to protect, at the ultimate foundational level we are all individually servants of someone or something.  We can only choose who or what.  This is a basic biblical truth and is clearly seen in Paul’s statement: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin…or to obedience…?” (Romans 6:16).  

The person who insists that he or she is individually free and serves no one is, at the very least, the servant of his or her own desires, moods and decisions.  In giving up individual liberty in submission to God, the Christian is really switching to a new way of life where desires, moods and decisions are brought into alignment with what God has revealed is best for us.

Paul summarized this situation as he continued in Romans 6:  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).  James agrees – pointing out that the law of God is the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25, 2:12); and Peter himself wrote “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

So, counter intuitive as it might seem, no matter how much we cherish and protect our wider liberty, we should remember that ultimately as individuals we all serve something.  In choosing to serve God, we free ourselves not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the results of following our own nature. It is in doing this that we find ultimate liberty.

Breaking and Entering (for a good purpose) and a Military Mantra

Breaking and Entering (for a good purpose) and a Military Mantra

by | Jun 12, 2014 | Service, Updates, Warriors of the Way

Picture


The four men were clearly guilty of breaking and entering – yet God blessed their actions.   The instance of  forcibly breaking into a domestic dwelling was a fairly outrageous one which involved considerable structural damage to the dwelling place – a crime in almost every culture – yet God rewarded the temerity of the individuals concerned.

Mark tells the story: “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people … gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (Mark 2:2-5).

In this case the motives of the individuals concerned were clearly good ones.  Breaking and entering usually constitutes a crime because it involves entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offence such as stealing. Here, the four men broke into a domestic dwelling not to take by force, but to ask for help and their actions certainly were rewarded.

There is also an interesting lesson in this small story that we often overlook. Mark tells us that “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” It was apparently  the faith of those helping the sick man, rather than the faith of the man himself, that Jesus rewarded.  The story prods us to ask ourselves a question in relation to these men of faith: To what extent do we go in seeking God’s help for others?   While we may have true concern for the needs of others and may regularly take those needs to God on their behalf, just how dedicated and “extreme” are our efforts?  Do they approach the dedication of the four men of Capernaum? 

Another example of this kind of dedication is the “No one left behind” mantra of military units operating on battlefields or in hostile territory which has led to many examples of heroism where individuals and groups have gone to extraordinary lengths to help those unable to help themselves.  It is a mantra that we might well apply in our Christian lives – the principle of “No brother or sister left behind on life’s battlefield.”  It is perhaps only rarely that heroism may be involved, or “breaking and entering” on behalf of others who need help, but the principle applies if the need is present.  It is, after all, a principle that God commends – we are told to strive to enter the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:24), and we must strive to help others in fulfilling their calling, too.  

In the biblical example the four men guilty of breaking and entering in the city of Capernaum acted with amazing dedication, and many examples of the “No one left behind” mantra show the same.  Such stories urge us to ask ourselves:  “Would we go to such lengths to help someone in real need?”  The answer is probably as close as the next need we see.
What Have You Accomplished, Captain Lewis?

What Have You Accomplished, Captain Lewis?

by | May 8, 2014 | Service

PictureMap by Florentine Films


The journals of US Army Captain Meriwether Lewis and his second in command, William Clark, recording their epic journey of discovery of the American West,  are full of amazing details about the hardships they endured and their great accomplishments.   The perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806, and in his August 18, 1805 journal entry Lewis wrote:



“This day I completed my thirty first year. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the happiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation…. I resolved in future, to redouble my exertions …”

Lewis wrote this at the point when he, Clark and the expedition members had not only reached the source of the Missouri River, but had also finally crossed the almost impenetrable Rocky Mountains. He and the others with him had vastly advanced the knowledge of the American West and had done a great deal toward opening up vast areas which would further human success and happiness on the continent. Yet he felt he had done little if anything.

The story reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul who, after incredible accomplishments for the work of God, wrote in his letter to the Philippians:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

This phenomenon is easy to see in our own lives. The more important a task to which we commit ourselves, the less we sometimes feel we are succeeding in it. Yet there is encouragement in this if we realize we often simply do not see, ourselves, what we are accomplishing in the work God gives us to do. This is probably especially true in work which shows no immediate or obvious tangible results.  But the success of any spiritual venture is in God’s hands, not ours, if we are doing what we can do.  I know of many  servants of  God who have felt total lack of success after preaching a sermon or writing something which they felt in retrospect would probably not really help anyone – only to be told by someone that the particular message was of great personal help. 

The truth is, like Captain Lewis, we may not see the significance of the work we do, but (although we may not have accomplished anything like they did) like Lewis, and like Paul, if we continue to rededicate ourselves to the mission we have been given,  time will show that we did, in fact, make a difference.
Cornelius – Centurion of Word and Deed

Cornelius – Centurion of Word and Deed

by | Feb 3, 2014 | Prayer, Service

“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.  One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said … “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God” ( Acts 10:1-4).

Two aspects of Cornelius’ faithful walk before God are shown in these verses – twice over: his generous gifts to the poor and his prayer.  Now I can’t prove it, but given the fact of Cornelius’ evident  concern for those with needs, the final verse in this section of scripture makes me think he was praying  for the poor as well as giving to the poor.  If that’s the case, I’m sure that the poor were not all Cornelius prayed about, but in any case, the story of  this centurion reminds us that prayer and giving are both important in helping others and in learning the spirit of true giving ourselves.  Just as we can give without concerned prayer, we can pray without actual giving, and in either case our concern is limited as well as our effectiveness.

This is a point the apostle James makes so clearly in his Epistle: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15).  It’s a vital combination:  we should not speak without doing.  James doesn’t suggest that our words of comfort are not important, just that they should not be alone.  This applies as much in terms of our words spoken in prayers, of course, as it does in our direct relations with others.

The Book of Acts shows us that Cornelius understood the importance of both speaking and doing.  He reminds us of that other centurion who told Jesus “… just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8-9).   Both centurions understood the relationship between speaking and doing, both understood that speaking of itself is not enough. But while the one story stresses what God does as a result of our requests, the other story stresses what we should do as a result of our requests.  Words and deeds are always interrelated, in prayer as in other areas of Christian life, and the more we remember that, the more we can accomplish.