Sunday, November 30, 2008

THE STING

In the hit 1973 movie The Sting, Paul Newman and Robert Redford play con men that set up an elaborate “sting.” One of their friends had been killed and they set up a high stakes con to take away the money and business from the crook who ordered the killing. It’s an interesting movie to watch.

In Joshua 9 we see that the leaders of the nation of Israel were victims of an elaborate “sting.” Joshua and the nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan River and were beginning to rampage through the Promised Land, dispossessing the inhabitants as they went. One of the tribes that was about to be “sent packing” was the Gibeonites. The Gibeonite leaders decided that instead of fighting the Jews and getting killed, they would set up an elaborate deception and try to fool the Jews into signing a peace treaty with them. The ruse the Gibbys decided on was to send a delegation to Joshua and pretend that they had come from far away, that they had heard of the great victories that God had given the Jews, and they wanted to be the friends of Israel and sign a peace accord. To make the situation look real, the delegation dressed in the oldest clothes they could find, saddled their animals with decrepit equipment, and filled their sacks with moldy bread and rotten food. Off they went toward the camp of the Jews and the con was on.

Arriving at the camp of the Jews, the delegation was taken to Joshua. The Gibbys told Joshua and his leaders that they had come from far away and wanted to be at peace with Israel. Joshua and his crew looked at this bedraggled group with their shabby clothes and worn-out equipment and heard one of them say, “Our equipment, food, and clothes were all new when we left to travel here.”

Joshua and his men bought the con. It says in Joshua 9:14: “The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.” A peace treaty was signed and the delegation from “faraway” left. Within days Joshua knew that he had been tricked.

We read a story like this, we watch the Newman/Redford movie, and we are amused and entertained. But here is what we have to be aware of. The Gibeonites were petty con men who pulled a trick on the Jews that was a nuisance to the nation; however, none of this had to happen. The Jews fell for the ruse entirely because they did not employ their first line of defense—they did not inquire of the Lord.

The spirit of the con is loose in the world today, and it’s loose in the church.

More than once when I have expressed caution about a particular ministry, people have said to me, “But the Bible says that a tree is known by its fruit” (see Matt.12:33). Yes, the Bible does say that, but it does not say that is the only criteria by which we should evaluate the validity of a ministry or a life.

The Jews sampled the provisions that the Gibeonites brought with them and said, “This stuff is really old and yucky and tastes like camel dung, so that proves they came from a long distance because worn-out clothes, moldy bread and green cheese are the ‘fruit’ of a long journey.” They are also the “fruit” of an elaborate con.

We daily face an enemy whose native tongue is lying and whose basic character trait is deception. The focus of his deception is you; he wants to deceive, disrupt and destroy your life. The enemy will attempt to deceive us into believing that certain actions or beliefs are acceptable because on the surface they appear acceptable.
Our first line of defense is to learn how to inquire of the Lord. Children tend to take things at face value and say childish things like, “Well, the Bible says we will know them by their fruit and that’s good enough for me,” and they never inquire of the Lord.

Inquiring of the Lord is not simply asking in prayer; that’s a large part of it, but not the whole.

1. What does the Bible have to say? Is this ministry/life fully in agreement with the Scripture or is it operating in some questionable doctrinal and extra-scriptural practices? “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

2. What are trusted counselors saying? Don’t go to the Internet to see what the chatter is. That’s fun but cannot be trusted. Go to people whose walk with God you have confidence in and ask them. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).


3. Most importantly, “What is the Lord saying” to you about this? Pray over it. Pray and fast about it! Not a little one-sentence prayer! Get on your knees or on your face and talk to God about it. It may take several prayer sessions over a few days or a week or longer, but you will get an answer (see 1 John 5:14-15).

Inquiring hearts will get to know!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

LIVING THE FAST LIFE!

My first attempt at fasting was a disaster! I was about eighteen and knew very little about this mysterious subject called fasting. I had been told that it would release God’s power and presence into my life in a strong way and I was hungry for that. About all I knew was that you were to stop eating and make yourself available for God to meet you. I was ready to go to new heights in Him and so one morning I got up and said to myself, “This is the day,” and I ate nothing for about five hours. Around noon hunger got the better of me and I made a stealth trip to MacDonald’s. Wow, was that cheeseburger good!

While my first effort to fast was a rather dismal failure, whether I understood it at the time, I was on the right track. Later I would learn much more about fasting and would come to value it as a part of my spiritual life. I believe in fasting and I believe it is important for hungry believers to fast, but I resist any attempts to turn it into something legalistic or ritualistic. Fasting is a choice that I make to assist me in pressing into Him, shutting out the noise of the world, and quieting the base appetites of this carnal man called “me.”

Right up front let me say that there is no indication that Jesus commands his followers to fast. However, there is clear evidence that He believed in fasting. He fasted for forty days before He went into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. In His teachings He assumes that His followers will be fasters. There is very little indication that any of the New Testament writers taught on fasting!

I said a moment ago that I resist the legalistic or ritualistic tendencies that seem to creep into teaching about fasting. An acquaintance of ours from the ‘70’s was a very arrogant, prideful proponent of fasting. He would tell everyone he ever met that he fasted every Saturday, eating nothing from sundown Friday until sundown on Saturday. He wore his fasting like a Boy Scout merit badge. What he failed to mention, and I discovered by accident, was that he would eat a huge meal late on Friday afternoon, and I mean a big meal. Then he would proudly say, “I fast one full day every week.” Actually, he didn’t fast; he overate and then skipped some meals. This is phony legalism with no spiritual value at all.

Let me share with you a couple of reasons why I fast:

1. I want to get close to Him; I want to know Him better and fasting helps me do that.

2. I occasionally need to shut out the screaming voices of the world (and no, I’m not talking about my wife and daughters). I mean the unrelenting voices/noise of the world system that are continually beckoning for our attention. Sometimes I need to close the door on the clamor of the world and have some extra time in praise, worship, prayer and the Word.

3. I have found that fasting is a key that unlocks the door to personal victory in many areas of my life. Let me explain! The desire to eat is one of the basic appetites of our life. When we bring the desire for food under our control and we dictate to it (and not it to us), it is my experience that this helps me establish control in other areas of my life.

So I do fast and will continue to throughout my life. I am a purist when it comes to fasting; I drink water, juice or broth, and that’s it. Personally, I think the “Daniel fast” is somewhat of an illusion. Daniel fasts tell you what you can eat and what you can’t; that’s not fasting that’s dieting! If you’re going to fast, do it right, not with some pseudo-contemporary dietary system.

There is a paradoxical element to fasting. The key to getting started in fasting is “hunger,” to be hungry for more of Him, for more of His presence in your life, hungry to see Him break through obstacles. How are we to respond to this hunger? We respond by denying ourselves natural food, becoming increasingly hungry in the natural in order that we might press in and be fed in the spiritual.

In 1968 I was travelling with David Wilkerson as his crusade director and we were in Dallas, TX, for several days of meetings. While driving to a meeting I was listening to Christian radio station KSKY, which in those days had a lot of local preachers broadcasting. The preacher that afternoon was really going to town on prayer and fasting and the more he preached, the louder he got; he shouted until I could almost feel the sweat coming right through the car radio. The over-heated preacher began to talk in a sing-song voice about his love for prayer and fasting and he said something that I can still hear, “Oh, brothers and sisters, I have to tell you that I love to live the fast life!”

And my heart says, “Right on, brother, ’cause I know you meant well and I know your heart was right. Me, too. I want to live the fast life!”

Saturday, November 15, 2008

UPPERS AND DOWNERS

Mountaintop vistas are etched into the human psyche as a symbol representing triumph. When confronted with a problem/challenge, it is common to respond with chest-thumping bravado and proclaim, “I’ll climb that mountain!” The whole world celebrated when the highest mountain in the world finally succumbed to the skills of adventurer Sir Edmond Hillary.

I think it is natural that we talk about mountaintop experiences as being essentially positive. In contrast would be the valley experiences, which are tended to be viewed as essentially negative. We talk about being “down” in contrast to being “up.”

All this is great rhetoric for motivational speeches and inspirational books but not so great when it comes to teaching us to actually live a productive and victorious life.

The mountaintop is a great place to visit; the views are magnificent, but frankly the top of the Colorado Rockies is not a great place to live. When Hillary finally triumphed over the treacherous Everest and planted his feet on the highest peak in the world, he took a look around, stayed just a few minutes, and began the descent back to real life. He had not come to the mountaintop to stay, just to visit. A city is almost never located at the top of a mountain. The corridors of life are almost always built in a valley or on the plains that lead up to the mountains.

Valleys are the places of everyday life. They are the places where most of the fruit of life is grown and harvested, where most of life is lived. None of us really derive the character qualities God desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It’s in the valley where fruit is planted, nurtured and harvested. In the valley, it is more difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit our sight. It’s in the valley that we learn to live and walk by faith.

Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It is the best vantage point from which to view what lies ahead. God allows us the mountaintop experience at times. Go to the mountains whenever you can, clear your head, look into the future and enjoy the grand vista. But remember that the fullness of your life is not there; we go to the mountains so that we can cross them and continue our journey of faith.

Our God is the God of the mountains and the valleys. Real life is the continual experience of having “ups” and “downs.” Those who teach that all of the spiritual life is only an “up” experience are seriously misguided.

In 1 Kings 20:23 an enemy army brought an accusation against Israel, and especially against God, when they said, “Their gods are gods of the hills.” The enemy leaders then went on to say, “If we can fight them on the plains, we can destroy them!”

Why would they say something like that? They were not members of the Jewish faith, so what would lead them to that particular observation and accusation?

Could it be that they had observed the Jewish people living excitedly for God when things were going well, when victory over enemies had been achieved, when life was good and they were “up”? Could it be that the Amereans also saw Israel when things were “down” and they were struggling, grumbling, complaining and generally not living for God? And so the enemy came with a railing accusation, “You have a good-time god! Your god is a god of the mountain because the only time you worship and live righteously is when things are going well and you are ‘up.’ Your god is a god of the mountain and not the valley because you sure don’t live for him when you are ‘down.’”

God sent an unnamed prophet to the king of Israel with a message, “Because the Amareans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands and you will know that I am the Lord” (1 Kings 20:28).

The message was not for the enemy, it was for God’s people! The message was for God’s people to know that “I am the Lord.” He is the Lord of the mountains and the valleys—He is the Lord of all of life’s experiences—He is the Lord!

The Psalmist David understood this principle well! “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME….”

He’s the God of the mountains and the valley; He is our God, and whether we are “up” or “down” He is always with us!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

IT'S TIME TO STRETCH

I like real easy growth. I enjoy being able to stay in my comfort zone, in my spiritual easy chair, and never have to put forth any kind of effort to grow. It is very easy for me to become addicted to being lazy and sloppy in my spiritual life. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let me push back in my comfortable chair, turn on Christian television (sometimes known as Comedy Central), and let somebody else do all my thinking about growth.

I hate being stretched…I hate it. “Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). That’s a nice way of saying that stretching is going to happen, like it or not; it’s a part of the process.

Yes, I know the end result is good but the process is not easy. Say it anyway you want and talk as euphemistically as you can, but stretching is now and always will be a painful process. I am honest when I tell you that I think I have been through enough pain, and the thought of going through more does not thrill me. I think much of my apprehension of stretching/expanding is the fear of giving up my hold on the familiar, the comfortable, and stepping into the unknown of the new.

Two hundred years ago the church was largely dominated by extreme Calvinism that said, “If God wants the heathen to be saved, He will do it without any help from us.” Swimming against the tide of prevailing thought came a young Baptist preacher who delivered a message that has become known as “the sermon that will not die.” The young preacher’s name was William Carey and his sermon text was Isaiah 54:2-3:
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”
(NIV)

Carey’s message was very simple with only two points

One: EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD

Two: ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD

William Carey’s message ignited a worldwide flood of missions and evangelism and he became known as the Father of Modern Missions. It was his faith, vision and personal sacrifice that opened nations like India to the Gospel and his dedication and commitment that inspired thousands of others to leave their home countries, step out in faith, and follow his example.

So when Isaiah said, “Enlarge, strengthen, lengthen and stretch,” just what was he talking about?

I believe that Isaiah was talking about the conscious desire to grow as a follower of Christ, to improve yourself, to step out in faith. Conscious growth is a choice that you make about your personal limits, about how big you want to grow in Christ.

Unconscious growth is what happens naturally and without your decision-making process being involved. I didn’t make a decision when I was a child to grow to be six feet three inches tall….it happened naturally. Isaiah is challenging us on the level where we can choose to grow, to grow in faith and in our knowledge of God. We can choose to expand our vision. We can choose to expand our levels of commitment. Isaiah is saying, “Grow in God, grow in faith, grow in good works because you choose to. Set some new personal markers farther out than you have ever gone before and then step out and go for it.”

These areas of growth are our choice. The Apostle Paul was talking in this same way when he said “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Paul was using the picture of a runner who leans forward as he approaches the finish line and stretches toward the prize. The Apostle was indicating that he had made a personal choice to press on, to stretch toward the goal.

I have never seen this portrayed more dramatically than during the last Olympics. Michael Phelps, the champion swimmer, was in one of his final races and as the swimmers came to the finish line, it was anybody’s guess who would win. The camera shot we saw was from underwater and it looked like the swimmer on Phelps’ left was a tiny bit ahead of him. Both Phelps and the other swimmer reached for the electronic pad at the finish line at virtually the same time, but Phelps was able to push himself and stretch just a little quicker and farther than the other did and, of course, he won. It was incredible!

William Carey heard the call to stretch, and because he responded to the call, the era of modern missions in the church was born. What area of your spiritual life is the Lord speaking to you about? Listen to Him and respond as He says, “I know you don’t like it, but it’s time to step out, to stretch!”

Monday, November 3, 2008

THE FINAL AUTHORITY

Militant atheism is on the attack!

In a 9/15/08 news article in The Christian Post, one of the leading voices of militant atheism in America is quoted: “I want to get them away from relying on inspired texts and come up with their own conclusions, adopted by themselves based on their own reasons and evidence.” This was said by a former Church of Christ preacher who is now leading a crusade targeting students at Christian colleges. This pastor-turned-atheist is attempting to reach thousands of students studying in Christian colleges and cause them to question the authority of Scripture.

I am having an ongoing dialogue with a family friend who has embraced a tradition of following Jesus that is quite different from ours. One of the issues we have talked about is the authority of Scripture. My friend’s church has a strong view of the authority of Scripture but they also have a very high view of the edicts of the church. They view the proclamations of the church as being on a par with Scripture and the way they express this is by asserting that the doctrinal decisions made the by the church’s council are infallible.

Some would say that it is not logical that the Bible is the final authority for Christianity. It is the belief of some churches that the edicts and proclamations of the church councils down through history are needed because they balance out Scripture.

While I am totally in favor of commentaries, lexicons, the study of the original languages and the issuance of position papers by church bodies or denominations, none of these have a level of importance and value that is anywhere close to that of Scripture. To say that a position paper thought out by a group of men is infallible is, in my view, a step on the road to heresy.

I believe that those who struggle with the authority of Scripture and attempt to find logical arguments to back up their thinking may not realize it but they are not being honest. I don’t believe that their concern is over “the final authority of the Bible.” I believe their struggle is actually with their trust in God. As one man was heard to say, “If I don’t trust the man, there is no way I’m going to trust his word.” It is as though some in the church feel that God just couldn’t quite get it done right in the Bible so He needs a little help from us. So that no one misunderstands me, what I am saying is this: “Those who question the veracity of the Word are really saying, ‘We don’t fully trust God and therefore we don’t fully trust His Word!’”

Let me briefly tell you what I believe about the Bible and why I accept it as the final authority. I believe that Scripture is inspired (God-breathed) and inerrant (in original form without error).

1. 2 Timothy 3:16,17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2. Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

3. Psalm 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

When I present this verse, I am not attempting to elevate one translation or version over another. I believe in the intent of Scripture, that the truth being presented, the wisdom, the insights into God’s working, His character, His nature, the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, etc. are not limited to accuracy because we are reading one translation or another. Those who argue that God can only bless a certain translation ARE MISSING THE POINT ENTIRELY! (I put that in caps so you could tell I’m shouting.) The Word of God is pure and is not wrapped up and finding its highest form of expression in the King James English or in a modern translation. The purity is found in the “intent,” the inspiration of Scripture as it reaches into our hearts and minds and does its work in us. It definitely does not need a church council that arrogantly proclaims its own infallibility.

It is because Scripture is inspired and inerrant that atheism attacks it with such ferocity. The enemy is afraid of the Word and afraid of believers who know the Word.