I lead a Sunday school class each week at our church. The class is referred to as my class but I learned a long time ago, it wasn’t mine. It belongs to God. I do what He wants and allow His Spirit to guide us week after week. I really wish I could simply call it, “God’s class”, but I know that would be misinterpreted.

This past week in our Sunday school class I talked about the brothers, James & John, the sons of Zebedee. They were disciples of Jesus who lived their lives full blast for Him. So much so that Jesus referred to them as Boanerges.

Traditionally this nickname has been translated “Sons of Thunder” and most of us have taught that it was indicative of their tempers when they ask Jesus if He wanted them to call fire out of heaven upon a village that had rejected Him.

It is also possible that this was a phrase used to describe someone who was ambitious, which you can be without being sinful, and perhaps someone who was a bit more aggressive. In other words, it would refer to someone who lived life pretty much at warp speed.

During the course of the session I mentioned how James had been beheaded by Herod in Acts 12. But brother John lived for another 40-50 years. Not fair? Perhaps. Would James have been jealous of John if he had known what was coming his way? Perhaps. I wonder if James had time to become jealous of his brother John?
I experienced a twinge of jealousy a few hours after I had facilitated this lesson. I was going through my Facebook page and noted the remarks of several of my “facebook friends.” Some of these are folks I’ve never met face to face but have read their books, read their blogs, watched them on DVD’s and admire them from a distance. They were kind enough to become my friend. But sometimes I have to admit that a little jealousy creeps in. These friends are the movers and shakers of the evangelical church world. And they travel in circles of other movers and shakers. They are leading great churches, mentoring others to lead great churches, doing interviews, writing books, magazine articles, etc. Even more so, they get to hang out together from time to time at conferences.My momentary feelings of jealousy reminded me of a comment from my earlier lesson about James and John. James was beheaded at the beginning of his career while John lived to be very old, wrote books, pastored great churches, mentored great pastors and church leaders. Of course he miraculously endured and survived a boiling pot of oil and the prison island of Patmos and who knows what else. (By the way, I didn't feel pangs of jealousy about those things.)But the question to answer is, "Whose life made a bigger impact, James or John?" In the Kingdom, they were equal. They both did what they were supposed to do. They loved God and they obeyed and walked the path that God had provided for them.So, when I note that someone is meeting with this group, or being interviewed by these folks, or writing their next book, or flying across the country to speak at a great conference, I should simply rejoice that they are doing what God called them to do while I do what God called me to do. All of us working together, doing our part, will accomplish the plan that God has for mankind. After all, it's His plan, His Kingdom and we are His servants!

Always in Pursuit

Some Self-help Wisdom?

I don’t see myself as a self-help guru of any sorts but I came across an idea Sunday night as I was reading the book, First Break All the Rules and then thinking about a lesson I had just led about the Apostle Peter.

I read a section, in the book, about the temptation to work on one’s weak points so much to the extent that things that were strengths were neglected and allowed to go by the wayside. The authors insinuated that some folks spend their entire life working on improving weaknesses and because of this they miss out on great opportunities to utilize their strengths.

What does this have to with the Apostle Peter? As with most of us, his weaknesses were glaringly obvious. He was impetuous, as demonstrated by his use of the sword on Malchus’ ear. He was quick to speak when perhaps he should have been listening or even better yet, should have been thinking about what an appropriate response could have been. He was opinionated or perhaps better, bold in his convictions.

His boldness, his ability to speak his mind, his willingness to step out and take a risk were all things that God could use. Did he need some work in other areas? Yes, he did.

He either had a problem with consistency or was fearful of what others thought of him. We know this from the criticism that Paul leveled at him in regards to Peter’s treatment of Gentiles.

So, here’s the thought that crossed my mind. If I focus on how God wants to use my strengths more than I focus on how to turn my weaknesses into strengths, it might just be that through my acts of obedience and success at obeying God, my weakness will either fade away or I will gain enough confidence in God to allow Him to change those things and bring His correction into my life.

The benefit of focusing on how God can use my strengths will not only increase my faith/confidence in Him, but will also help increase my faith/confidence in what I can do with His help. (One reason for believing this is that I personally think Jesus’ “rebuke” of Peter when they were taking a walk on the water was not for a lack of faith in Jesus, but due to a lack of faith in what Peter could do as he stayed focuses on Jesus.)

Too often, with the help of others, my weaknesses become so large that I lose sight of my strengths and the things God has deposited in my life for His purposes.

It was just a thought. I know a weakness is still a weakness. And I know God is more than able to transform our weaknesses. But if we become consumed with our weaknesses, we won’t allow God to use our strengths to bring about His Kingdom.

For despite all the weaknesses Peter had, he was still considered to be one of the pillars of the church, a mentor to Mark, the author of two very important letters of the NT and the subject of many sermons and Bible studies for the past 20 centuries.

Always In Pursuit!

At first, it was very upsetting…..but after awhile I saw what was happening. The cover of last week’s Newsweek contained an article titled, “The Decline and Fall of Christian America.” As a matter of fact, the title of this article is featured in bold red letters on a black background and jumps out when you look at it. (I should have known that one of the national magazines would come out at Easter with a story about Jesus or the Church. This time of year, religion sells.)

The article informed readers that over the past two decades, the number of “self-identified Christians” has fallen 10 points. Thewriters interpretation of this data is that Christian America is disappearing and soon will no longer exist.

Between these stats and other reports that get spread around, one might wonder if this isn’t the case but, I don’t think everything is being reported.

I hear that more churches are being closed than opened on a regular basis. I hear of churches struggling with finances; pastors loosing battles with integrity, marriage and morals. There are also reports of apathy, consumerism and a general lack of knowledge of God’s Word and what we believe. But I don’t think the church is close to disappearing. Regrouping, maybe; restructuring, hopefully; but disappearing, not yet.

This past Saturday evening, I watched “Easter with Rick Warren” on Fox News. It was great. It was simply the best Easter message I’ve ever heard. Nothing was watered down. The truth was presented, clearly and distinctly.

Following the broadcast of the church service, Rick Warren was interviewed by Lauren Green, religion correspondent for Fox News. During this interview, Rick mentioned in the past few days that 2000 people went through their “101 Class” which is Saddleback’s introductory class to their church and God. He also said that a few days before Easter, 800 people from that class made professions of faith, joined the church and were baptized in water. It was a five hour water baptismal service.

In addition to what was happening at Saddleback, I noted many pastors on facebook wrote about their Easter services. There were many reports of high attendance but even more importantly there were the reports of folks coming to the altar to receive Christ as their Savior.

Perhaps Christianity won’t have the prominence in the White House it once did or in Congress as it has had in years past. Perhaps the entertainment industry and the News Media really are not catching what is happening, but it really sounds to me as if Christianity is alive and well.

Always in Pursuit!

Righteous in this Generation

Righteous in this Generation

“I have found you righteous in this generation….” This is what God said to Noah as he invited Noah and his family into the ark.

Noah wasn’t the only one in Scripture to be found “righteous in their generation.” A bit earlier, God must have found Enoch to be righteous in his generation. (Genesis 5:24 tells us that Enoch walked with God and was no more.)

Reading through the history of Israel you will find many others that were considered to be righteous in their generation: Joseph was righteous in his generation; Judah, even though he almost blew it, chose to be righteous in his generation. My favorites were the Hebrew princes taken captive by the Babylonians: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These young men, even though they lived among the Babylonians were found to be righteous in their generation.

I’m sure it wasn’t easy to be righteous in these generations. There wasn’t much encouragement from the culture to be righteous and there were few models of righteousness. Apparently there were no others like Enoch, so God took him; it was only Noah, the Mrs., their sons and wives that were in the ark. Only Lot, his wife, (for awhile until she got a bit too salty,) and their two daughters escaped Sodom & Gomorrah.

If we read the account of the three Hebrew princes and the fiery furnace, it appears that they alone were righteous among the throngs that bowed before the idol. And of all the other leaders of Babylon, it was only Daniel that ended up condemned to be lunch for the lions.

In the state of Iowa, where I’ve lived for nearly 20 years, you can legally gamble via local or national lotteries; you can go to casinos; there are dog tracks; a horse track; and then there is I-80 (sometimes it’s a gamble). Our state has been the leader in abortions for many years, and recently the Supreme Court of Iowa said it was okay for gays/lesbians to marry. The culture of our state is far from righteous but God is still searching for those who will be righteous in their generation. It may lead to our very own furnace and we may feel the breath of some lions. Just keep in mind that God walked in the furnace with the princes and the lions suddenly lost their appetite. Not to mention that Noah and his family didn’t get wet.

May we be found righteous in this generation!

Always in Pursuit!

Living among the Babylonians

All throughout Scripture, it is apparent that Christ was fully “in the world,” but not “of the world.” He embraced the pain of the world; he recognized the sinfulness of the world; he had great compassion on those victimized by the world; but he never became part of the world.

In Christ there is not even a “hint” of sexual immorality, or impurity, or greed. These are improper for God’s people. These are truths that I have heard all my life and challenges that I have dealt with all of my life. How is it that we can “be in the world” but not “of the world?”

This past weekend I read Fred Stoeker’s latest release, Hero. It’s a wonderful book. One that I will insist my boys read through and one that I will recommend to every father of a teen age son. I love all of Fred’s books, but these last two, Tactics and now Hero have been the best yet, in my opinion.

The picture of the four Hebrew princes: Daniel, Hanahiah, Mishael and Azariah in Daniel 1 is a great portrait to focus on. Most of us are pretty familiar with the story, they were in the process of being “brain washed” into Babylonian society. Their names were changed to names that represented Babylonian gods. And for three years they were educated in Babylonian history, philosophy and literature. But they drew the line on the food they were to consume. They did not want to be defiled by food that was “unclean.”

So, the deal was struck. The Hebrew princes would eat their diet while the others would eat the Babylonian diet for ten days. After ten days, they looked healthier and were better nourished than those who had consumed the Babylonian diet. They were in the Babylonian culture, but not of it.

This was a great testimony of what happens when we honor God with our actions and focus on pleasing him even though we live in a culture that is counter to God.

In the book Hero, you will read the same outcome in the life of Fred’s son and his wife Rose. They were in the world, but not of it. They stayed focused on the things of God in a culture that was counter to those things.

Perhaps this is what the prophet Isaiah had in mind when he wrote: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. {4} Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. {5} He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust." (Isaiah 26:3-5) (NIV)

Always in Pursuit

More Agape’

In the early ‘80’s, I was serving on a three man church staff near St. Louis. Early one morning I received a call from the senior pastor asking me to go to the local hospital to be with a family that had just called. Their father was dying and they wanted a pastor from our church. Neither of us knew the name of the family. (By the way, he was headed to be with a family from the church whose mom was also dying at another hospital.)

As I walked into the hospital room one of the sons, probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s simply said to me that his father was dying and didn’t know Jesus. I boldly walked to the side of the bed and took the man’s hand. He was in a semi-conscious state so getting a response was difficult work. Long story short, I was able to lead him to the Lord that morning just before things got worse.

For the next three or four hours, doctors and nurses worked on him only to walk away from the bed saying that they done all they could do but he probably only had a few more hours left.

As we stood there, I realized I still didn’t know anything about the family or why they had called our church. No one looked the least bit familiar. So I asked the son why they had called our church. His story still tremendously impacts me nearly 30 years later.

He simply told me that when he, his brother and sister were 9, 10 and 11 years old respectively, a man from our church named “Joe” used to come by every week, pick them up and take them to church. I can’t remember if Joe took them in his car or drove a church bus but Joe was the one responsible for picking these three kids up every week.

The kids eventually quit coming to church and none of them had gone to any church since that time. Their lives had been good, money was okay, health was okay but now as their father was dying, they recognized the fragility of life and their need for God.

His next comment was bigger than life. He said that he knew based on what had happened to them at our church nearly 20 years prior, that there would be someone there to care for them and help them out during this time of their life.

In my last blog entry, I mentioned that the Apostle Paul concluded his defining chapter of “agape” or “love,” by saying that in the end, the only thing that will be left standing is love. This event has served as a bigger than life object lesson to me. Hopefully it will to you.

By the way, I found Joe. He was a deacon in our church and when I asked about these kids, he laughed and told me numerous stories about those three. It seems they were not model kids. They were found hiding in the church, climbing on the light poles, and doing all sorts of mischief. But look what happened because Joe showed them some “agape.”

Always In Pursuit!