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!

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