It's NOT About The Nail

It's NOT About The Nail.

It's NOT About The Nail.

Judges: God Gives Grace Even As We Deteriorate From Bad to Worse

Tim Keller identifies six key themes/truths about God in his new book "Judges For You":

1. God relentlessly offers his grace to people who do not deserve it, seek it, or even appreciate it after they've been saved by it.
2. God wants lordship over every area of our lives, not just some.
3. There is a tension between grace and law, between conditionality and unconditionality.
4. There is a need for continual spiritual renewal in our lives here on earth, and a way to make that a reality.
5. We need a true Savior, to which all human saviors point, through their flaws and strengths.
6. God is in charge, no matter what it looks like.

Grace is a major theme if not the singular most important theme throughout the Bible, both OT and NT. Judges is no exception. The people and their sins get worse and worse throughout the book. The judges (saviors/deliverers) are less and less admirable with each new judge. Yet God gives grace and never gives up.

Do Not Touch The Lord's Anointed

What does this mean? Usually, the popular understanding of this phrase is meant by church leaders and their supporters to caution anyone who dares to critique or criticize the preacher or church leader. Many preachers, evangelists and Bible teachers today teach that if anyone criticizes them, or finds fault with them in any way, or goes against their wishes, then that miserable sinner has "touched the Lord's anointed." They say, "If you criticize "servant(s) of God" who are "the Lord's anointed," you will face the wrath of Almighty God." It is meant as a threat to, "Shut up. Don't complain. Submit. Or else...." It is virtually saying that the Christian leader or clergy is "above the rest" and is untouchable by commoners, sinners and the laity, and implies that they are unaccountable and have a free pass.

Love God with All Your.... (Mark 12:30-31)

Do you love God? Do you love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk 12:30-31)? What does this even mean?

This leaves no room whatsoever for loving God partially, or with loving God with only a part of ourselves. Jesus, quoting Dt 6:5 and Lev 19:18, emphatically emphasizes that loving God must be without any reservation, and that it must include loving those who are not a part of our family or inner circle. My wife will certainly be grieved and saddened greatly if I ever said or expressed to her that, "I love you sometimes, and I am faithful to you most of the time."

What does loving God with our entire being and our entire self mean?

Steps for Conflict Resolution in the Church (Mt 18:15-17)

The problem with the church is that it has people. That is why the church has conflicts and divisions. The need for biblical conflict resolution is always urgent and crucial. How might this happen? Jesus' recommended steps in Mt 18:15-17 is often cited. But Jesus did not give us these steps so that we can get rid of people who bother us, who sin against us or with whom we disagree! The purpose is not to get rid of but to gain!

The following principles/steps are suggested:

1. Strict confidentiality. "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you" (Mt 18:15a). This matter is private. Do not share the conflict with other church members. Do not gossip or slander that person, which is most destructive to the person and to the church. Deal directly only with the person involved.
2. Total Honesty. "...go and point out their fault" (Mt 18:15a). It is important to note that Christ commands the offended party who is responsible to go meet the person privately preferably as soon as possible. If it was up to us, we'd look for the one in the wrong to do something first. But Jesus places the responsibility squarely on the injured party. If you have been wronged, hurt, or sinned against, to you Jesus says "go." It is prudent to make observations, rather than accusations. Approaching the sinning brother should be done calmly and rationally with the spirit of Christian love and humility. Note that this is a divine imperative from Jesus. It is not optional for believers. These are not suggestions. These are not just words of advice. Every Christian, every elder, every pastor and every church court must strictly obey and follow Christ's instructions. No excuse is acceptable for violating this passage.
3. True Forgiveness. "If they listen to you, you have won them over" (Mt 18:15b). Real restoration requires complete forgiveness.
4. Proper Appeals. "But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses'" (Mt 18:16). If the two of them fail to resolve the conflict, the problem should be heard by one or two more individual witnesses. The purpose should not be to gang up on that person, or choose only people "on your side."
5. Severed Relationship. "If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Mt 18:17). If the offended party is unrepentant and unable to live with the final resolution of the problem, the relationship must be severed. The church serves as the final authority. The purpose of the discipline is not to remove the irritant, but to restore the offended person by the grace of God and protect the purity of the church.

References:

1. The Lord's Conflict Resolution Plan.
2. The Most Misapplied Passage on Church Conflict.
3. Conflict Resolution in the Church: A Study of Matthew 18:15-16.
   

Einstein and Billy Graham

My brother sent me this interesting account. Billy Graham, now 94 years old, once shared a story about Albert Einstein.

As we know Einstein was one of the most brilliant men of recent times. In 2000, he was voted the Man of the Century by Time Magazine. With his unkempt hairdo and German accent, Einstein was instantly recognizable by everyone he met.

One day Einstein was traveling from Princeton by train. The conductor came to collect tickets. When he reached Einstein, Einstein was frantically patting his pockets and going through his papers looking for his ticket. The conductor recognized his famous passenger. Kindly he assured Mr. Einstein that he was sure that he had purchased a ticket and that it was not necessary for him to find it. Einstein however, continued to dig around, searching even more diligently for the absent ticket. The ticket was not in his luggage, pockets, or in his pile of papers.

What Great Men Say About Themselves

Those who think they are great Christians would likely emphasize their own strengths, which inadvertently disparages others: "I thank God that I am not like nominal Sun Christians. I actively teach the Bible, disciple others and give much money to my church" (Lk 18:11-12). Surprisingly, this is not what great Christians say, suggest or think about themselves.

On his 70th birthday, pioneer missionary William Carey (regarded as the father of modern missions) wrote these remarkable words to one of his sons:

Stunningly Amazing Birds of Paradise

Majestic, mesmerizing and magnificent. This 5 min video shows some remarkable birds that exist only in the forests of New Guinea: Birds of Paradise. I was awestruck by their beauty and their majesty, which was stunningly mesmerizing and captivating. If you aspire to be an ornithologist, here are the 39 species captured in 4 min: The 39 Species.

A verse came to mind: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Ps 19:1).

I Am Having A Really Bad Day

I am having a bad day. [My friend Abraham Lincoln of Boston UBF gave the sermon at West Loop today with this title.] What do you do when you have a bad day? When Adam had a bad day he blamed his wife (Gen 3:12). When Cain had a bad day he committed fratricide (Gen 4:8). When Abram had a bad day, he complained about his childlessness (Gen 15:2-4). When the older son had a bad day, he angrily accused his gracious father for being unfair (Lk 15:29-30).

God (always) comes in grace.

Promises Of Blessing Despite Much Sin

Last Sun I completed preaching on what Jesus said to the Seven Churches in Revelation chapter 2-3. Briefly:

1. Ephesus was a loveless church. She was excellent in Bible study and Christian activities, but lacking in love (Rev 2:4). They spoke the truth very well, but their love was not evident (Eph 4:15).
2. Smyrna was a suffering church. She received no rebuke from Jesus because they were willing to suffer for their faith unto death (Rev 2:10b). They supremely valued Jesus and did not consider it a loss to lose their own lives.

Was It A Good Message/Sermon?

How does one assess how well a preacher or Bible teacher did in preaching and teaching the Bible?

A friend came up with these excellent questions which I thought would give good feedback to the preacher, messenger and/or Bible teacher.

On a scale of 1-10, how well did the message/sermon/preacher/Bible teacher:

1. Engage your mind and your intellect?
2. Bring you into the presence of God?
3. Change your life in any significant way?

Do You Argue, Disagree and Fight Fairly?

When someone says/writes something you are upset about or do not like or agree with, how do you respond? Look carefully at the diagram to the left and see at what level of the triangle you usually resort to. The lower levels are reactive, impulsive, defensive and offensive, while the higher levels are fair, well thought out and reasoned responses. Here is a detailed explanation of each level.

For instance, when arguing or disagreeing, do you say, write or think:

• "You're so stupid"? (This is the lowest level: Name Calling.)
• "You are unspiritual, proud, immature and jealous"? (Ad hominem [which means "Against the man"].)
• "I don't like the critical way you write/speak"? (Responding to Tone.)
• "I disagree"? (Contradiction.)

Are you a Diminisher or a Multiplier?

Genius or genius maker? Bono describes best the difference between a Diminisher and a Multiplier: "It has been said that after meeting with the great British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladston, you left feeling he was the smartest person in the world; but after meeting with his rival Benjamin Disraeli, you left thinking your were the smartest person." The former is a genius (a diminisher). The latter is a genius maker (a multiplier). Which person would you rather be?

How can you tell what type of person you are? Are you a multiplier or a diminisher?

Diminishers:

• Create stress.