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Elderlink Atlanta 2011

March 27, 2011

As is our custom, this past Friday and Saturday my wife and I attended the Atlanta Elderlink program  for 2011 at the North Atlanta Church of Christ.  And as always, the program was rich with insights about shepherding God’s people more effectively.

How to Die Happy

Randy Harris started the program on Friday night, offering two principles for success in life at any level.

1) Define success.  In other words, choose the right goal (he used the Greek term “telos”).

2) Choose an appropriate strategy for reaching that goal.

Randy proposed that a possible goal for the church could be subversion, to train the members to implement subversion of the ways of the world in the community around us.  The idea is to go beyond simply living a counter-cultural life (which can be passive and isolationist) and instead to actively inject the Christian lifestyle into the world.  Preparing Christians to carry out this kind of subversion requires developing their critical thinking skills and to understand the ways in which Jesus subverted the world around him.  He suggested that, instead of measuring success through attendance and contribution, we should try measuring the subversion (perhaps by counting acts of subversion that have been carried out).

We may take following Jesus very seriously, but we haven’t been so good at living up to that.  We’re called to be the light of the world, the kind of people who model to the world what Christianity means.  We should just do that, and accept whatever results that brings.

Charles Siburt

A change to the original program was made to allow Charles Siburt to share about his very serious personal health struggles and the lessons he has learned from them.  I will not go into detail about the nature of his sickness.  But the ongoing, life-threatening issues he faces are teaching him lessons about

1) Clarity.  The doctor looked him in the eye and told him the truth.  Faith in God requires us to face the truth squarely, not to deny and pretend.

2) Courage.  Faith isn’t so much about experiencing a miracle. Instead faith is itself the miracle.

3) God Cares.  The song “Be still my soul” has been on his mind lately.

4) Community:  The encouragement of many people is powerful.  God comforted the downcast by sending Titus to Paul. And God has comforted Dr. Siburt through the encouraging words of many people.

The big-picture message of this session was the utter calmness with which Dr. Siburt described his health and his heart at this point in the ordeal.  His strength can be a source of inspiration to anyone striving to overcome a terrible obstacle.

I wish they had told me…

Chris Smith opened the Saturday morning session with some quotes from elders.  He asked them what are the things about the job of an elder that they wish someone had told them before they were appointed.  Here are a few that I caught:

  • “When people disagree they go for the jugular”
  • “People can be cruel”
  • “How far-reaching divorce can be”
  • “I went from being a nobody to a somebody, not ready for that”
  • “Those in crisis expect us to provide them the perfect spiritual lifeboat… if we don’t we’re failing them”
  • “Am I going to let the hardship in the church to dominate my life”
  • “When elders speak, people listen differently”
  • “Be careful, there’s an elder in the room”
  • “People treat you differently”
  • “I would have liked for the people to be different (more spiritual)”
  • “I was unprepared for going home and not being able to talk to wife about things.”
  • “I live in Corinth.”

He pointed out that elders can learn from other elders.  There’s no reason to have to learn every lesson through experience , especially in a crisis.  We can find someone who has dealt with that crisis before, and find out what was the best thing they did; what they wish they had not done;  etc.

He advised us to be prepared for handling a child molestation incident, not waiting until one occurs to figure out how to respond.

We can’t please everyone.  Sometimes we can’t please anyone.  Some people are impossible to please, and this can be divisive.  Identify those people and watch out for what they might do.

He shared that, as a minister, he had been unprepared for how “boring” things can get.  The challenge of delivering an impactful message every Sunday can wear a preacher out.

There is a saying “Ninety percent of life is showing up.”  Similarly, it could be said that 90% of leadership is showing up.  Who you are matters more than what you do.  In difficult times, people are desperate to see a calm, steady, non-anxious presence — someone who can de-escalate things and reassure everyone that things will be ok; someone who is not dysfunctional and will not fall “off the wagon;”  someone who knows a little more than they do.  They need a leader who demonstrates, “I know the way. Follow me.”

Panel discussion and breakout sessions

During the breakout sessions, the attending elders got a chance to interact with the speakers about what they had heard.  In particular, there was a lot of discussion about the “subversion” idea, and how to present that in a way that a congregation could accept it.

There was considerable discussion of the women’s role in the church, a topic that really wasn’t mentioned in the main messages but had been raised in the panel discussion.

Chris Smith advised that, if a congregation likes their minister and wants to keep him for a long time, then do something special, nice, and totally unexpected for them.  As an example he described a vacation that was given to him as a surprise over ten years ago, which he still remembers more than any salary increase along the way.

Leading for the long haul

To avoid burnout as a church leader, Chris Smith advised:

1) Manage yourself.   Take care of your own personal needs.  Don’t rely on someone else to make sure you don’t burn out.

2) Trust is everything.  Build and maintain trust between leaders in the church.  The way to build trust is to act in a trustworthy manner.   Visit at the hospital.  Show up at funerals.  Be there (literally) in a crisis.  Doing those things builds trust. People don’t forget those things.

3) Do not misplace your heart.  Beware of becoming cynical as you deal with the most serious spiritual issues in the church.   Sometimes you have to “bring the hammer.”  If you never have a hard talk, you are surely overlooking sin.  On the other hand, you need to be full of grace.  Instead of being “done with” the repeat violator, be the one who is always ready to offer a new start.

4) It is God’s church.  God loves his church more than I do, and will love it after I’m dead and gone.  Do I love the church?  If not, they will know. If I think I’m smarter than most of them, they know.  They have to know that you love them.  If you do that, then you can say hard things when you need to.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live together in Christian community.”

5) People can change.  Remember those times when a person’s life turned around.  Cherish those memories, and let them encourage you as you enter the next crisis situation.

Rules for Recovering Legalists

Randy Harris began the closing message with a couple of illustrations.

His first illustration involved a group of  kids he was teachign to play chess. He gave them three rules to improve their strategy:

1) fight for the center
2) develop your pieces
3) castle early
Those new chess players didn’t see these rules as legalistic.  Rather, they saw them as helpful to achieving their goal of being a good chess player.
His second illustration involved driving a car in “whiteout” snow conditions — such heavy snow that you cannot see the road at all.   In such conditions, the driver welcomes any indication of where the boundaries of the road are.  These indicators aren’t seen as confiining but as enabling.
The point of both illustrations is that we need rules and boundaries.  God provides law for our good.
Paul was not anti-law.  In Romans he says the law is holy, right, and good.  In Galatians Paul was not arguing that law is a bad thing, but that the Jews were clinging to the wrong identity markers.
Randy gave another illustration from sports.  Athletes put themselves through incredibly hard things that might in other settings get someone put in jail.  But they choose to do it in order to reach a goal.  There is a huge difference between legalism and discipline.
We need rules and boundaries and discipline.  It helps to apply them in community.
Randy then began to explain the subversion idea more fully.  He gathered from the breakout sessions that most people felt it would be hard to implement the idea.   Randy then laid out a strategy for achieving the subversion “telos”.
Start by developing a subversive lifestyle yourself.  Then form a small community of leaders who are willing to enter into a covenant with one another.  Agree on exactly what the group’s covenant should be — a rule of life that the group is willing to live under.   What do we need to do to live out the gospel we proclaim?   By identifying the rules of that life, and making a covenant to live by those rules, the leaders begin to lead the church by modeling the lifestyle — modeling the radical lifestyle of Jesus.  That kind of modeling is the only thing that makes a person a real leader in the church.
A suggested rule is that we need to be indifferent to some things:  to what people think of us; to material things; to power, politics, pop culture and the media.  We need to be indifferent to those things, not influenced by them and not giving our time to them.  Randy described the effect of some students fasting from those things for six weeks.  The biggest problem: boredom. They didn’t know what to do with all the free time they suddenly had in their schedules.  Imagine if that time in our schedules could be spent on things that advance the Kingdom of God!
Randy gave another illustration from one of his classes.  He had mentioned in class that it has been statistically proven that there is no such thing as a streak shooter in basketball.  One of his students, a member of the women’s basketball team, took issue with his statement.  She chose as her project to interview the members of the basketball team to see whether they agreed.  The result was that they strongly disagreed, and were even angry that Randy would challenge that.  Their response was based entirely on their interpretation of their personal experience, despite the factually sound proof that they were wrong.   Randy showed through this illustration that we tend to reject truth because it doesn’t fit with what we believe from our experience.  We are unwilling to be radically generous with our material possessions because our experience tells us we will need material things and we aren’t so sure God will deliver on his promises to provide what we need.   Can we commit ourselves to “downward mobility?”   The thought is scary to us because we rely on ourselves instead of on God.  We rely on our experience of taking care of our own material needs, rather than the truth that God will keep his promises.
The bottom line is that leaders must first model what we will call the church to do.  “What’s wrong with my preaching?  There are not enough passages that I can preach with authenticity.”  There are too many passages that I have not embodied in any meaningful way.
Ouch.

Conclusion

I have a lot more meditation and personal work to do before I can adequately sum up this year’s Elderlink.  I heard things that challenged my socks off.   Things that could change my life, if I will let them.

If you are a church leader and you have the opportunity to attend an Elderlink program, do yourself and your church a favor.  Go.  And bring your fellow leaders with you.

 

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What One Must Know to be Saved: Cornelius

March 26, 2011

In an effort to revive my blogging activities, I am going to re-post some “greatest hits” beginning with this series titled “What One Must Know to be Saved.”   This is the fourth article in that series, and was first published in July 2008.

In Acts 10, we read of the conversion of Cornelius. He was a Gentile, a devout and God-fearing man who prayed regularly to God. After being persuaded to come to Cornelius in a vision, Peter preached the gospel to him.

Peter’s message reveals that Cornelius already knew of “the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Cornelius already knew of the miracles and good works of Jesus. Peter further informed him that Jesus had been crucified and raised from the dead, as prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures, and that Peter as well as others were witnesses to the resurrection. He taught Cornelius that Jesus has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. And finally, he taught him that forgiveness of sins comes through his name to all who believe in him.

Peter’s main points in his message to Cornelius, as recorded in Acts 10, are as follows:

  1. Jesus is the Christ
  2. Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.
  3. Jesus is Lord of all.
  4. Forgiveness is granted to all who believe in Jesus.

Paul’s message to Cornelius was essentially the same as his previous gospel messages to Jewish audiences. Although Cornelius was a Gentile, he was a devout worshiper of God, and apparently his background of understanding was similar to that of the Jews. Therefore the same points needed to be taught to bring him to faith in Jesus.

Posted in Acts, What One Must Know to be Saved | 5 Comments »

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What One Must Know to be Saved: Solomon’s Colonnade

March 19, 2011

In an effort to revive my blogging activities, I am going to re-post some “greatest hits” beginning with this series titled “What One Must Know to be Saved.”   This is the third article in that series, and was first published in July 2008.

Today we will continue our inquiry into what one must know to be saved, by looking at the message Peter preached to the crowd in Acts 3.

In the first part of the chapter, we read of Peter healing a crippled man. This filled the people who witnessed the healing with wonder and amazement. A crowd gathered, and Peter seized the opportunity to preach the gospel to them.

The audience on this day was similar to the one on Pentecost. Peter addressed them as “Men of Israel.” He spoke to them of the “God of our fathers.” And he bluntly held them responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. They were not merely responsible on some general or abstract sense, but apparently had been present in the crowd a few weeks earlier, calling for Jesus to be crucified.

Peter preached about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, crediting Jesus with the healing of the crippled man. He pointed out that Jesus was the Christ and that his suffering was prophesied repeatedly in the Old Testament. Peter then called them to repent and to turn to God. He alluded to Christ’s return. And he warned them that failure to obey Christ would result in their being cut off from the people of God.

The primary points of Peter’s sermon were strikingly similar to those in chapter 2:

  1. Jesus is the Christ
  2. Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.
  3. Obedience to Jesus is essential for his people (Lordship)
  4. In response we are called to repent and turn to God for forgiveness.
  5. Times of refreshing are promised.

Not surprisingly, fewer details were recorded about this second sermon than had been recorded about the preceding sermon. The important point is that the details which were recorded are completely consistent with those from the preceding sermon. In both cases Peter addressed a crowd of Jews in Jerusalem, and in both cases he taught the same basic message.

We see elements of the same message in his speech before the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law in chapter 4, and also before the Sanhedrin in chapter 5.

As we continue through the book of Acts, we continue to find the message emphasizing the eyewitness testimony that Jesus rose from the dead.

Next time we will examine what Peter taught Cornelius in Acts 10.

Posted in Acts, What One Must Know to be Saved | 2 Comments »

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What One Must Know to be Saved: Pentecost

March 12, 2011

In an effort to revive my blogging activities, I am going to re-post some “greatest hits” beginning with this series titled “What One Must Know to be Saved.”   This is the second article in that series, and was first published in July 2008.

The obvious place to learn what a person must know in order to be saved is the book of Acts. There we find a variety of conversion accounts, including the things that were taught to bring people to faith in Jesus. These accounts show us what the inspired apostles taught, and what the Holy Spirit considered important enough to record in the scriptures for our benefit.

Let’s begin with the first conversions, the 3000 in Acts 2.

God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven had come to Jerusalem to observe Pentecost (Acts 2:5) These Jews must have known the Old Testament scriptures, and in particular they would have been expecting the Messiah (Luke 2:26, Luke 3:15, John 1:41, John 4:25, John 7:26-31, John 7:41-42, John 12:34). They did not understand everything about the prophecies of the Messiah. But they understood much about the nature of God and the sinfulness of man. They understood the need for atonement.

Peter’s message addressed the following points:

  1. The miracles confirming his message and the message of Jesus (Acts 2:14-22)
  2. The prophecies about the Christ, which were now being fulfilled.
  3. The resurrection of Jesus, in fulfilment of scriptural prophecy. (Acts 2:22-32)
  4. The ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God, as Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:33-36)

Speaking to these Jews, Peter sought to prove three facts: that Jesus was the Christ, that he rose from the dead, and that he is Lord. Peter presented three pieces of evidence for these points. First, he presented the miracle they were witnessing, a fulfilment of prophecy from Joel. Second, he reminded them of the crucifixion of Jesus, and added the eyewitness testimony that Jesus was raised from the dead. Third, he showed them that the resurrection of the Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures.

By quoting those old testament scriptures, Peter was not saying that a proper understanding of prophecies from Joel, Psalms etc is essential to salvation. Rather, the purpose of all those proofs was to establish those three essential facts. He was using those prophecies to help persuade them that Jesus was the Christ, that he was raised from the dead, and that he is both Lord and Christ.

Act 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Many of those present accepted Peter’s message. At that point, Peter called for action on their part:

Act 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Act 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

They were called to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And they were promised a gift of the Holy Spirit. And they were told that this same promise is open to all whom the Lord our God will call. Finally, Peter used many other words to urge them to respond and to be saved.

So, in summary, we learn the following essential elements of Peter’s message in Acts 2:

  1. Jesus is the Christ
  2. Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy
  3. God has made Jesus Lord.
  4. In response, we are called to repent and to be baptized for forgiveness of our sins
  5. We are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Everything in Peter’s message was designed to persuade them of those five points. Understanding and responding to those basic facts was sufficient for 3000 devout Jews to become Christians that day.

Next time we will look at the message Peter preached in chapter 3.

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What One Must Know to be Saved: Introduction

March 5, 2011

In an effort to revive my blogging activities, I am going to re-post some “greatest hits” beginning with this series titled “What One Must Know to be Saved.”   This article was first published in July 2008.

Many passages in the New Testament promise salvation to everyone who believes (ie, has faith) in Jesus. Perhaps the most famous of these is this verse:

Joh 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What a great promise, to everyone who believes in Jesus! It is obviously very important to believe in Jesus. But what does that mean? In order to lead someone to faith, what should we teach first? How much does someone need to know about Jesus in order to “believe in him?” How do we know when they have learned enough to be baptized into Christ as a believer?

In order to believe something, one has to know some minimal set of facts about that thing. There has to be some context for the belief. For example, I believe in the sun. I see it every day, and I have full confidence that it exists. Further, I believe that it will rise every morning and set every evening. But I don’t believe the sun is a god. To understand what “I believe in the sun” means, some context and some basic facts must be understood. Similarly, a statement that someone believes in Jesus has little meaning without some accompanying facts and context in which that belief operates.

The scriptures give us an incredibly deep set of facts and context about Jesus. The Old Testament is full of prophecies about Jesus, some which are explicit and others which are very subtle. And the New Testament provides much more of the meaning and relevance of Jesus to our lives. There are many truths about Jesus, in many layers. An entire lifetime of study is not sufficient to plumb all of the depths of the meaning of Jesus as revealed in the scriptures. And yet a person can reach a saving faith in Jesus in a relatively short time, as can be seen from the many examples in Acts. A person is not required to understand every truth about Jesus in order to become a child of God.

So a very natural question is, “What does one need to understand in order to have saving faith in Jesus?”

I want to survey the book of Acts, with support from the epistles, to see if we can find the answer to that question. In Acts we have accounts of many conversions. We can look at what was taught to people who were at different points in their understanding of man’s relationship to God, in order to bring them to the point of salvation through faith. Hopefully from this survey we can determine the salient facts that must be understood by any person in order for them to become Christians.

Posted in Acts, What One Must Know to be Saved | 5 Comments »

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Hi Granddaddy!

August 15, 2010

This is too cool for words!

Posted in Personal | 3 Comments »

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Spectacular faith

July 10, 2010

Aside from the account of his accomplishments in Judges 11-12, Jephthah is mentioned two other times in scripture. He is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:

Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,
Heb 11:33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
Heb 11:34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
Heb 11:35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
Heb 11:36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.
Heb 11:37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—
Heb 11:38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
Heb 11:39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
Heb 11:40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

And he is cited by Samuel as one of the deliverers of Israel sent by their faithful God:

1Sa 12:6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt.
1Sa 12:7 Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.
1Sa 12:8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
1Sa 12:9 “But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
1Sa 12:10 They cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’
1Sa 12:11 Then the LORD sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely.

Jephthah was clearly a great example of faithfulness. Let’s look more closely at why that is so.

Jdg 11:1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.
Jdg 11:2 Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.”
Jdg 11:3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.

Jephthah was born to a prostitute, and was driven from his family. More than that, he was by Law forbidden from the assembly of Israel:

Deu 23:2 No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.

Yet God chose such an outcast to send as a deliverer of Israel.

Jdg 11:4 Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel,
Jdg 11:5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
Jdg 11:6 “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.”
Jdg 11:7 Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?”
Jdg 11:8 The elders of Gilead said to him, “Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead.”
Jdg 11:9 Jephthah answered, “Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me—will I really be your head?”
Jdg 11:10 The elders of Gilead replied, “The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.”
Jdg 11:11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.

Jephthah tried to reason with the enemy king, but to no avail.

Jdg 11:28 The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.
Jdg 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.
Jdg 11:30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands,
Jdg 11:31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

Jephthah was filled with the Holy Spirit as he made his frightening vow to the Lord. The Keil & Delitzsch commentary notes:

Jephthah no doubt intended to impose a very difficult vow upon himself. And that would not have been the case if he had merely been thinking of a sacrificial animal. Even without any vow, he would have offered, not one, but many sacrifices after obtaining a victory.
(Note: “What kind of vow would it be if some great prince or general should say, ‘O God, if Thou wilt give me this victory, the first calf that meets me shall be Thine!’)
….
In his eagerness to smite the foe, and to thank God for it, Jephthah could not think of any particular object to name, which he could regard as great enough to dedicate to God; he therefore left it to accident, i.e., to the guidance of God, to determine the sacrifice.

Jephthah was fully devoted to carrying out the mission God had given him. And he knew he could only do it with God’s power. So he begged God to grant him success, and he made the dramatic vow.

Jdg 11:32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands.
Jdg 11:33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
Jdg 11:34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.
Jdg 11:35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.”

The LORD chose to test Jephthah with the most difficult of sacrifices. This was not the first time God had called upon a faithful man to sacrifice an only child. But this time, God would not intervene to stop the sacrifice.

Jdg 11:36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.
Jdg 11:37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”
Jdg 11:38 “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry.
Jdg 11:39 After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed.

The faith of Jephthah’s daughter is equally as impressive as that of the mighty warrior. She immediately recognized that her father must keep the heart-wrenching vow. What faith, and what loyalty! What examples of great faithfulness! Truly the great faith of the father had been passed down to the daughter.  No wonder Jephthah is commended as a hero of faith!

Today many Christians recoil at the fact that Jephthah kept his vow.  I think they recoil because they know they would never have kept such a vow themselves.  Truthfully, most of us fail to keep the many, much lesser vows we have made.   Too often we deem our inconvenient circumstances to be sufficient justification for breaking our word.  We should not make rash vows. But when we do make a promise, God expects us to keep it. Our faithfulness is so far short of that of Jephthah and of his daughter. When Jesus returns, will he find faith on the earth?

Posted in Faith, Oaths | 3 Comments »

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Even When it Hurts: Strategic Default

June 28, 2010

In the past year it is estimated that at least a million Americans who can afford to stay in their homes simply walked away. — 60 Minutes

Strategic default. The name has an enticing ring to it. Who wouldn’t want to do something strategic, especially when talking about large sums of money? Increasing numbers of Americans are choosing “strategic default”, abandoning their commitment to make their mortgage payments because of the drop in housing prices, which left their homes worth less than the balance owed on their morgages — sometimes, much less. They let the bank foreclose on the house, and seek another house to buy at today’s deeply discounted prices.

What should a Christian think about this? Let’s look at a few scriptures.

Psa 15:1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
Psa 15:2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
Psa 15:3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
Psa 15:4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
Psa 15:5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

The Old Testament says a lot about keeping your oaths to the Lord.

 

Ecc 5:2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

Ecc 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

Ecc 5:5It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

Ecc 5:6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?

Num 30:1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the LORD commands:

Num 30:2When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Ecc 5:2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

Ecc 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
Ecc 5:5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
Ecc 5:6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?

Num 30:1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the LORD commands:
Num 30:2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Deu 23:21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.
Deu 23:22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.
Deu 23:23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.

Pro 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.

Certainly it would be sin to make a vow to God and then not to keep it.  But what about a promise made to someone other than to God?

Mat 5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’
Mat 5:34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
Mat 5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
Mat 5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

It seems that the Jews had taken the Old Testament scriptures on oaths, and twisted them into a framework that allowed for breaking promises in all but a few limited cases. According to William Barclay:

The Jews divided oaths into two classes, those which were absolutely binding and those which were not. Any oath which contained the name of God was absolutely binding; any oath which succeeded in evading the name of God was held not to be binding. The result was that if a man swore by the name of God in any form, he would rigidly keep that oath; but if he swore by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by his head, he felt quite free to break that oath. The result was that evasion had been brought to a fine art.

The idea behind this was that, if God’s name was used, God became a partner in the transaction; whereas if God’s name was not used, God had nothing to do with the transaction. The principle which Jesus lays down is quite clear. In effect Jesus is saying that, so far from having to make God a partner in any transaction, no man can keep God out of any transaction. God is already there. The heaven is the throne of God; the earth is the footstool of God; Jerusalem is the city of God; a man’s head does not belong to him; he cannot even make a hair white or black; his life is God’s; there is nothing in the world which does not belong to God; and, therefore, whether God is actually named in so many words or not, does not matter. God is there already.

So Jesus corrected the Jewish implementation of those passages. For a Christian, your word should be your bond. If you promised it, you must do it. God is a witness and a partner in every transaction we make, and God is dishonored if we don’t keep our word.

Mat 12:36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Taking out a mortgage can be a scary transaction. There are so many papers, so much fine print. It is the largest financial commitment most people ever make. And it commits them for decades into the future. But in a sense the deal is pretty simple. The bank provides the borrower with a large amount of cash, which the borrower uses to buy a house. In exchange, the borrower promises to make monthly payments for (typically) thirty years. That’s the deal. The bank makes good on their promise at closing. The borrower holds up their end of the bargain by making the payments. Or not…

If a borrower decides to stop making payments, it is the moral equivalent to robbery. The main difference between strategic default and bank robbery is that you are more likely to go to jail for bank robbery. But ethically there is not much difference.

If, instead of a strategic default, the buyer keeps his commitment and makes the payments all the way to the end, he will own the house. That was all he expected when he entered into the mortgage, and that was what he agreed to do.

Psa 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

Strategic default is wickedness. No Christian should consider such a violation of their promise.

Next time: A startling example of keeping promises even when it hurts.

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Thank God

June 16, 2010

In the past couple of weeks I’ve added some new things to my list of blessings from God for which I’m thankful. I’m undoubtedly oblivious to many more blessings that God has given to me, things I do not deserve and which protect and enrich my life. But these recent blessings have been impossible to miss.

Before dawn on the morning of Memorial Day, my daughter, her husband, and their 20-month-old daughter were awakened by a fireman pounding on their apartment door. He wasn’t there to ask for a donation to the fireman’s fund. But he will be getting one.

The fire broke out in the downstairs apartment immediately below my daughter’s next-door neighbor. Nobody was home in that apartment. A child in another apartment woke up and smelled smoke, and called 911. Another neighbor woke up about the same time, smelled smoke, and made the same call. By the time the fire department arrived, most of the residents were out. But my daughter’s family was still sleeping when the fireman came to their door.

They had to watch their next-door neighbors be carried out on stretchers and rushed to the hospital. The neighbors would spend a few days in intensive care due to smoke inhalation but they will be ok.

My daughter raves about the first-class service provided by the fire department. There was a fire department chaplain on site helping the families as the firemen worked to stop the blaze. They were brought food and drinks, and supplies for their daughter. They went back into the burning building to bring out a few smoke-saturated clothes and car keys. Compassion and courage were everywhere.

The Red Cross gave each of the displaced families a cash card to purchase clothes. By the time my daughter called us to tell us what had happened, they already had the keys to another apartment unit.

My wife and I had already planned a trip to visit my daughter that very week — the first time we’ve been there since summer 2009. (Imagine that!) I had already arranged time off from work, and we already had hotel reservations. We received some unexpected money the day before we left for the visit, which could be put to very good use. We were able to get some essential items to set them up in their new apartment while they wait for the details to be worked out on their renter’s insurance. (Yes, thankfully they have coverage.) My wife was able to watch their daughter while they attended to the many matters that had to be addressed to put their lives back together.

After the immediate needs were addressed, we actually had opportunity to spend some quality time visiting with our daughter and her young family. We got to play with our granddaughter, who is a delightful and happy little girl who is completely clueless about the near tragedy that she escaped.

Some blessings are impossible to miss.

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2 Timothy chapter 4

June 2, 2010

Paul had urged Timothy to be faithful — to be passionately loyal, even if doing so would cost him his life. He had warned his son in the faith about the inevitable opposition, and instructed him how to address his opponents. He had warned Timothy about the moral corruption of the last days. And he had called Timothy to remain true to the scriptures.

Now Paul’s message reached its ultimate crescendo:

2Ti 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2Ti 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2Ti 4:4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2Ti 4:5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Paul based his plea on the most profound truths imaginable. He delivered the plea in the presence of the Father and the Son — the very ones who gave the message to Paul; the ones in whose hands we will all face judgment; and the ones from whom we hope to receive an eternal reward. How Timothy responded to this divine appeal would not be without consequences, either for good or bad. Timothy would do well to pay close attention, and to carry out everything Paul was about to say.

Preach the Word! In three words, that is the mission. He must not let anything interfere with that mission — not church administration, not his personal life, nor any other matters. If he fulfilled that mission, he would receive “Well done!” from his master. If he had not, then nothing else he did would make up for the failure.

Sometimes it would be easy to preach the word. And sometimes not. Some people would long to hear the message, and some would be infuriated by it. He must be equally urgent to deliver the full, clear message in either case. He must do so patiently, not giving up on the slow of heart. And he must do so carefully — accurately and thoroughly.

As Paul had done throughout the letter, he contrasted what Timothy must do with what others would do. People would turn aside from the pure message, preferring a less demanding standard. They would shrink from hardship, and would leave out the more difficult parts. Timothy must be different!

Again, Paul reminded Timothy of his own example. Paul was not shrinking back from paying the ultimate price. He did so because of the reward that was promised. Timothy, too, could have that reward, presented by God himself.

Paul also reminded Timothy of the unfaithful brothers who had deserted at the onset of Nero’s persecution. And he called on Timothy to be brave and to come to visit him in prison. He requested some personal effects, perhaps items that were left behind when Paul was taken prisoner. One can only wonder whether there was no one remaining in Rome who was willing to bring Paul a coat in prison.

In conclusion, Paul remembered his personal relationships and sent greetings — the last recorded words we have from the great apostle.

The message of 2 Timothy is faithfulness — a passionate loyalty that overcomes any obstacle. Do we have that kind of faithfulness?

Rev 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

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