No Little People . . . No Little Places!

I picked, out of my library, one of Francis Schaeffer’s books to read a couple days ago.  Its one he wrote back in 1974 and one that I read in the early eighties.  Opening it up again was like getting together with an old friend.  It’s a book of sixteen sermons he preached in the chapel services of L`Abri Fellowship in Switzerland.  The book is named after the very first sermon in it, which Schaeffer entitled No Little People, No Little Places.  I smiled as I read that first sermon because I identify with the concept Schaeffer raised, which is that many in God’s family, including me, struggle with their significance as God’s servants as well the importance of their service.

We sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, fall into the trap, as Christians, of believing there are little people and little places in God’s economy.  However, as Schaeffer points out and as I have had to learn and relearn over the years, often the hard way, there are no little or big people or places in God’s work.  There are only consecrated or unconsecrated people and places.  You see, when God is our point of reference in life, and we are fully "set apart", which is what "consecration" means, to Christ, then our abilities, talents, and service are quite significant regardless of whether our ministry is large or small.  The idea that the size of one’s ministry or even the results of a ministry indicate spiritual success or significance is more a reflection of our western Americanized “big business” and market oriented culture than it is a reflection of biblical teaching.  This should not be taken to mean that large ministries are not spiritual ones.  It simply means that the size, perceived impact, and results of anyone’s ministry is not the ultimate final nor necessarily accurate barometer of whether that ministry is a success story to God.

You see, if you are fully consecrated to the Lord, in other words, fully His, you will be involved in significant and successful ministry.  Your ministry is important not because of its results but because of your consecration and devotion to Christ.  Thus, in Christ, there are no little people and because of that there are no little places. Rockholds, Kentucky, (where I live), with its population of 292 people is no less important, when God is your point of reference, than Los Angeles is.  God desires to accomplish a work in towns of 100 as well as cities of ten million.  Where the child of God lives and serves the Lord is the most important place in the world for him or her to be.

With this in mind, I hope we will all see the importance of a life fully consecrated to God through Christ.  One example from the Bible of God taking something that really was insignificant and making it significant was a simple piece of wood.  Do you remember Moses’ rod?  The story of Moses’ rod begins when God tells Moses to go and challenge the greatest power of his day—the nation of Egypt and specifically, the Pharaoh of Egypt.  Moses raised several objections as to him being God’s choice for such an important assignment.  Finally in Exodus 4:1, God asked him, “What is that in your hand? And Moses said, ‘A rod’”.  Note that God focused Moses’ attention on the simplest and plainest thing imaginable—something Moses already possessed—his own shepherd’s staff.

To Moses, his shepherd’s staff was nothing special, just a piece of wood about four to six feet long used for some very simple and basic tasks, one of which was to prod unruly sheep.  And now God was telling him to go to Egypt and confront the most powerful man on earth with his rod.  Well, to make a long story short, Moses did finally go to Egypt, with rod in hand, to confront and prod a most unruly Pharaoh into letting God’s people go.  And despite the odds, Moses’ ministry was successful, because as Exodus 4:20 tells us, the rod of Moses became the rod of God.

You see, when we and our gifts, talents, abilities, and resources become God’s as we consecrate and devote ourselves to Him anew, each and every day, there is no limit to what He can do through us or with us.  If God can use a stick, wholly consecrated to Him, what can he do with you and me when we are fully giving ourselves to Him?  What will He accomplish through His people, who will renew their spirits toward the Lord and seek afresh to be wholly His, presenting their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, to the Lord?  There's simply no telling! 

  

So, remember, there really are no little people or little places in God’s Kingdom—only consecrated, set apart, renewed in their spirits, living sacrifice, fighting sin, looking to and loving Jesus kinds of people being used by God to produce consecrated places.

The Church--And Could She Be?

One of the questions I am often asked in my travels overseas, training pastors, is what would our vision of the church of Jesus Christ be, if we used scriptural parameters rather than those borrowed from the world.  Here is the answer I give them.

The church would be a healthy, vibrant, fruitful vineyard that brings honor to Christ whether she is gathered on Sundays for worship or scattered throughout the week for evangelism and ministry in the community.  She would be a church after Christ's own heart so that He can look at the sufferings He embraced and endured on the cross and rejoice that they were well worth it.  She would be a church that makes much of Christ by making much of the Gospel by believing it and preaching it to herself for her progress in holiness and to the lost for their salvation.  Risk-taking for the sake of adorning and sharing the Gospel would be the norm rather than the exception.  And the desire of every heart would be to see Christ receive the reward of His sufferings.

When gathered, there would be a feeling of humble reverence as well as an air of joyous familial informality, where each esteems others better than himself, where everyone is important but no one jockeys to become important, and where all recognize Christ as Head.  Among believers would be a beautiful simplicity and a radiant Christian love that makes no room or provision for gossiping, talebearing, and discord.

Childlike candor without duplicity, dishonesty, or disharmony would mark Christ’s church.  Power struggles and power plays would have no place within this Body.  Safe, humble, and honest conversations would happen as we learn to disagree agreeably about the things we don't see eye to eye upon. The seeking and the granting of forgiveness would be as common as eating, drinking, and sleeping.   And at all costs and as much as is possible, strained and broken relationships would be repaired and restored for the sake of Christ’s honor.  

What is done within Christ’s church would be done “in the Spirit” rather than “in the flesh” and if this is the case the presence of Christ would be felt by His beloved.  Sunday’s worship would be entered into, experienced, celebrated, and enjoyed because Christ has been entered into, experienced, celebrated, and enjoyed Monday through Saturday.  The singing of praise would be passionate because Christ is worthy of our passion.  The reading of God’s Word would be honored and done honorably for the honor of God’s Name.   And the sermon would be anticipated as that time when our Lord speaks to us through His Word utilizing the sincere simplicity of a man He has called to be “a fool for Him”.  Prayers offered before the Throne of Grace would be sincere, simple, and straightforward realizing God is not only able to answer but willing.  Prayers would be offered and answered so regularly that it is understood as normal rather than abnormal.   And when necessary, miracles would not be uncommon.  

Is all this, in the light of Scripture, unreasonable to expect in and of a church? . . . Is this impossible?  Is anything impossible with God?  Is anything impossible where the Lord Jesus Christ is on the throne and His people live like it?  Is this unscriptural?  No!  The only thing that is unscriptural about this vision, is that as biblical as it is—it is not yet BIG enough.  The scriptural standards are higher still.  God not only is able, but desires to do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ever ask or imagine, according to the power of the Spirit that works within His church and He desires to do this so that He would be glorified in and through His church (Ephesians 3:20-21).  

If you believe in this vision for the church— if you would like to see this kind of reformation, this change toward the better, this recapturing of the ancient power of God in the souls of His people, then there must be a radical restructuring in our minds and hearts as to whose vision for the church we should embrace--the world's or God's.  The Church--and could she be?  

Pastors Need Growing Too!

Not too long ago, I came across some old articles I had written for a church newsletter several years ago.  As I reread these memorials to another time and place I was surprised to see they were memorials to another man--another pastor too.  Oh, they were my articles, my thoughts, my name was all over them but in another sense they weren't mine.....not anymore.  I keep them not because I will ever reuse them but to remind myself that God not only grows His people, He grows His pastors too.

One of the first things that caught my eye about what I was writing so many years ago was how focused I was on proving my theological convictions and biases.  Even before I began writing things down, back in my very first church, at the spry young age of 27 I had a dear older saint come to see me about a concern she had.  After, recovering from the shocking fact, that I and my preaching were her concern, I listened as she explained, that I sometimes came across more like a prosecuting attorney than a tender and loving shepherd.  Of course, feeling the compulsory need to defend myself from this assault on "God's man preaching God's truth", I, argued my case with the skill of a good defense attorney.  But, the fact is, she was right.  I just didn't know that then.  You see, I had some growing to do.  Thankfully, she didn't leave, run, hide, or mobilize the church against me.  She just kept loving me and praying for me.

This "defense mechanism" that showed up in my pastoring was really not a new thing for me.  I had a supervisor in the Coast Guard tell me that I'd go a lot further in life and in particular in my job if I weren't so intent on defending myself from correction.  Over time and a lot of hard times, I began to see that he was right.  My problem was that I felt I had something to prove. You see, to be wrong, in my mind, was to be unfit or unqualified to be doing what I was doing.  To be mistaken meant I was not as smart or as prepared as I should be.  To be incorrect about the facts meant I was not conscientious and in fact was neglectful and irresponsible.  So, my goal, back in this days was to make sure I wasn't wrong even if that meant arguing circles around people to somehow prove I wasn't wrong, mistaken, incorrect, or, and let's just be honest about it--a sinner.

Another interesting thing I see in my old stuff, which by-the-way, will not see the light of day again, is how much more focused I was on having an agenda, usually a theological one, for my churches.  It wasn't that I was wrong to desire the people I pastored to grow in the truth of God's Word.  It wasn't wrong and still isn't to want to see your people understand their Faith better.  It was and still is entirely correct and good for pastors to go deep in their teaching of the Word of God so as to help their folks understand and connect theological truths.  But, it was wrong and thus, not healthy to see people as "my theological projects".  They didn't need a pastor who had an agenda for them.  They needed a pastor who was able to be with them and love them without having an agenda for them--a pastor who instead of seeing them as projects, saw them as gifts.  They needed a pastor who accepted them as they came to him just as Christ does.  In addition, they needed a pastor who, through his consistent gospel-centered teaching and Spirit-filled life, gently and patiently guided them into a  more mature, fruitful, and joyful life in Christ.

So, what about me today?  Why did I find those old articles and my road down memory lane so uncomfortable in many ways, yet really exciting in another?  Its because I see growth.  I can see that God, over the years, has been working, in me and on me, to gently and patiently guide me into a more mature, fruitful and joyful life in Christ.  He has helped me to understand that being wrong, incorrect, mistaken, and even a sinner isn't what defines me--Christ is Who defines me.  The Lord, through His Word, has also shown me that because of the gospel I am perfectly accepted by and acceptable to God.  In fact, in Christ, I cannot be more accepted by or acceptable to God than I am right now.  And if I am accepted by God because, in Christ, I am acceptable to God--I have nothing to prove.  This means that I don't need to always be right.  It means that I don't always have to prove my point or defend myself or make myself look better than I am or win every theological argument or, and this may be the best part--try to hide the fact that I am a sinner who having been saved by grace is kept saved by grace too.

I'm a much more relaxed pastor these days than I was back when I began this road march over 30 years ago.  I don't argue so much these days and I'm much more interested in people being impressed with Jesus and the gospel than me, my preaching, and my theological persuasions.  Oh, I still have to deal with my old fleshly pride that wants to argue and defend me at every turn, but I see progress and for that I am glad, as is, I am sure, everyone who has to deal with me.  Some of this progress may be because I'm older and hopefully a little wiser but most of it is because of the Good Shepherd Who never gives up on His sheep.  He Who has promised to get us where we need to go and be, will do exactly that (1 These. 5:23-24).  Aren't you glad too?!

Finally, I am prompted to wonder if churches and we, pastors, quit on each other too soon.  I wonder what might happen if a commitment were made between the two to stick it out for better or worse.  Who knows?  But, maybe after a few years, some painful scraps, crushed pride, perseverance, some tough love on both sides,  open communication, and large doses of gospel-forged humility--the church might finally get the pastor she had hoped for and the pastor--the church he would never leave.   Just wondering!

Today!

The Bible very rarely speaks of tomorrow in terms of making life-changing and in fact eternity-changing decisions.  It most usually speaks in terms of "today".   Preachers in the Bible knew this well, especially Moses.  Moses understood that saving faith is always the response of today, not tomorrow, or even yesterday.  In the conclusion of his final sermon preached to the Hebrews, before he died and before this second generation entered the promised land under Joshua's leadership, Moses called the people to make the decision to "choose life" by believing and following God... not yesterday, not in the future, but today.  And he did it four times! (Deuteronomy 30:15, 16, 18, 19)  Moses' point was certainly not lost on Joshua, who in his last sermon to the Hebrews before he died, at least 25 years later, called upon them to "Choose for yourselves Today, the one you will worship . . ." (Joshua 24:15).

As one has said, "the thing about today is that it is always today".  Psalm 95 makes the point in verses 7 and 8 that when God speaks, through His Word, into our lives that the proper response must be a response of today.  God is not satisfied with our responses of yesterday or of our promises of tomorrow.  He calls for a new response every new day.  If you hear His voice today--you must respond today!

This is not to say our salvation in Christ must be renewed on a daily basis.  It is to say that the proof of whether we have salvation in Christ is not based upon decisions, prayers, or commitments we made yesterday but rather upon what is happening in our lives today.  In fact, one of the best tests of whether we did indeed choose Christ, and thus life yesterday, is whether we would make the same choice today.  The best indicator that we trusted Christ for salvation yesterday is that we are still trusting Him for it today.

The Book of Hebrews is a Book emphasizing the importance of today.  Over and over again, it reminds people of the importance--the eternal importance--of responding to God today.  It also commands God's people to be always encouraging each other every day, while it is still called "Today", to not be taken in, fooled, and hardened by the deceitfulness of sin so that we will not "fall away from the Living God".  (Hebrews 3:12-15).  In other words, how you and I are responding today to God, as well as, to the temptation to disregard God, matters today, and thus has great consequence for tomorrow.  Again, the point is not that it is possible for the truly converted to lose their salvation.  The point is, that the truly converted will manifest the true fruit of their conversion to Christ by their responses to God's Word today.

And the fruit of true conversion is a heart that is receptive to God today, that desires to be obedient to His Word today, that fights, always imperfectly, to be obedient today, and that repents when the fight with temptation was not won, so as to get up and fight another day.....when it is called Today!  Perfection is not the objective, not in this life, but trajectory and greater sensitivity toward God certainly are.

There are far too many in our churches today, who--believing they are truly converted because yesterday they walked an aisle, prayed a prayer, made a decision, filled out a card, joined a church or whatever--lack any kind of legitimate spiritual fruit in their lives today.  This is a contradiction in terms because true conversion always results in true spiritual fruit--always!  It may be small.  In fact, the fruit may be only the tiny bud of brand new spiritual affections for Christ--the promise of larger more recognizable fruit to come--but, there will be some proof, some mark, some validation that points to a true saving work of God having been accomplished and the life of God implanted.

So, if there's no fruit and has been no fruit, perhaps it is time to let go of yesterday's religious experience and truly turn to Christ, in faith believing, today--while there is still time--while it is still Today!  As the apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 6:2.

"For He (God) says, 'At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the Day of Salvation I helped you.  Behold now is the acceptable time.  Behold now is the Day of Salvation.'"




  



   

How Righteous Are You?

So, how righteous are you today?  

Now before you answer that take a good hard look at the question again.  I’m not asking you how righteous you feel today or even how righteously you behaved today.  I want to know if you know just how righteous you are right now, as God sees you, if you are a Christian.  And by "Christian", I mean someone, who, having recognized his or her sinfulness and subsequent condemnation before God, has repented and placed faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and therefore, is now "in Christ". 

If you are indeed a Christian and thus, are in union with Christ, you are completely righteous, in God's sight, whether you feel righteous or have acted righteously today.  In fact, the Bible teaches that if you are in Christ you have been given and possess, right now and forevermore, a righteousness, not your own and certainly not of your own making, but, rather, a righteousness given to you from God Himself in the person of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8-9). 

This righteousness, obtained from God, is the very righteousness of God Himself for the simple reason that it is Christ's righteousness that is credited to you.  This is exactly what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21.  Paul writes:  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Therefore, if you are in Christ, you possess the very righteousness of God Himself.  In other words, in Christ, through Christ, and because of Christ, you are as righteous as God is right now.  Now I know that this sounds radical and some of you are probably wondering if I haven’t gone a bit too far in making the claim that the true child of God, the person who is “in Christ” is as righteous as God.  But, that is exactly what Jesus said was required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 5:48, when He said,  “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  

 If you missed His point—keep reading Jesus’ words until they sink in.  The righteousness required to get into Heaven is perfect righteousness—God’s righteousness.  To be perfectly blunt and clear—you and I need to be as perfect (righteous) as God if we plan on taking up residence in that celestial city some day.  And praise God that the perfect righteousness He demands of us, He provided for us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, this transaction in which Christ took the believing sinner's sin and gave him or her His perfect righteousness is so real in God's sight that He treats the believer as if he or she really is as righteous as Christ.  In this sense, the believer is as acceptable to God the Father as Christ Himself.  In fact, it is perfectly correct to say that all that is true of Christ in His humanity is true of the believer by virtue of the fact that the believer is in perfect union with Christ.  Wow......what a Gospel!

To be given the perfect righteousness of another because mine is ruined, to be able to use the wonderful name of another because mine is worthless, to be given the perfectly clean, spotless, and unwrinkled raiment of another because mine are torn, soiled, and filthy, to be able to appear before the Father in the Person of Christ Jesus my substitute......that indeed is GOOD NEWS!

But, wait!  There's more.  All that makes Christ precious, dear, beautiful, accepted, and acceptable to the Father has been transferred to you, the believer, so that the Father treats you as though you are Christ.  So, entirely are you, the believer, one with your "sin bearer" and thus, the possessor of His righteousness, that God the Father treats you not merely as though you had never committed any of the evil you have done and still do, but as if you had done all the good which Jesus did.  In essence, God treats you, the believer, as Jesus deserves because He treated Jesus, on the cross, as you deserve.  GOOD NEWS indeed!

The GOOD NEWS of the gospel is not only that your sins are forgiven but that in Christ Jesus you possess God the Son's very own perfect righteousness.  Thus, you are, in Christ, as righteous as God Himself.  And that’s why you’ll be able to go to Heaven when you die.  

So, again, let me ask you, just how righteous are you today?

"Darkness Defeated Destiny Restored" ~ Peter Waite, 13

Out of darkness, came the serpent,

To the garden to deceive.

Adam's choice, exile decreed....

Out of Eden, eternally!

Into the darkness, came the Son,

To seek and save the lost.

His own life he did not preserve,

But in Adam's race, He bore my cross!

Out of the darkness, He arose, victorious! 

The servant King, conquered the grave.

The King of glory, Creator of all things, 

Died for me, my soul to save!

Into the darkness, now we go

To share the news of our risen King.

Who crushed the serpent, our raging foe...

Vanquished by our heel-bruised King! 

Into darkness, goes the serpent,

No more darkness shall we see!

We fall and worship, with fervent love,

Enjoying Eden, eternally!

Just Preach!

As I was reading my Bible early this morning, I came across a very interesting verse, Exodus 19:9, which I think has a lot to say to pastors about their preaching.  Now, if you spend any time at all reading what I write about you'll see that a good portion has to do with pastoring and preaching.  That, in part, is because I train indigenous preachers and pastors overseas who do not have access to theological education or pastoral training.  So, as I come across passages in Scripture that particularly apply to the preaching/teaching of the Word of God and the shepherding of God's people I write about them.  Its good for me, for those I'm training, and for believers here in the States who are eavesdropping.

So, Exodus 19 is the chapter in Exodus which begins to tell us about the encounter God's people, the Israelites, have with God at Mount Sinai.  In verses 1-2, the Israelites or Hebrews set up their base camp at the foot of Mount Sinai.  Moses then climbs the mountain to appear before God where he receives instructions from God for His people, which are to be delivered by Moses to the people.  That's verses 3-6.

Once Moses brings these initial instructions from the LORD to the people, telling them that if they would obey Him and keep His covenant they would be His own special people.  The people, all responding in unison, agree to everything the LORD commands (vv.7-8).  Then in verse 9, the LORD tells Moses that when He has something to say to His people He will come to Moses in a thick cloud so that the people themselves would be able to hear Him as He speaks to Moses.  In this way, the people would be able to trust Moses.  Unpacking this verse, I see that God wanted His people to hear His voice through Moses, God's spokesman, as Moses is hearing from God.  This is essentially the same thing that is supposed to happen every Sunday morning as the people of God gather today too.

We gather as God's people, no longer at Mount Sinai, but rather at Mount Zion (Her. 12:18-24), to hear God speak to us through His Word as it is communicated to us through God's spokesmen, who are our pastors.  Their job is to simply preach the Word of God so that we, God's people, can hear our God, the God of the Word, speaking to us through His very inspired words.  In this sense, the pastor is a sort of communication medium between God and His people.  His sermon has one purpose and one purpose only--to convey God's Word so clearly that God's voice is heard by God's people as His inspired words are repeated and explained to them.

Put plainly, what I'm saying is that pastors have the incredibly important job of speaking the very words of God to God's people today just as Moses, the prophets, and the apostles did in the Bible.  This is the same point Peter is making in 1 Peter 4:11 about those who have the responsibility of preaching/teaching God's Word in the context of the local church, that they should do so, as those who are "speaking the very words of God".  This led the English preacher, Charles Simeon to say that, "God Himself speaks to us by the preacher and if preachers preach what is founded on the Scriptures, their word, as far as it is agreeable to the mind of God, is to be considered God's."  John Calvin put it this way when, in writing about preaching, he said, ". . . the reason a man climbs into the pulpit is, that God may speak to us by the mouth of a man".

One can't read through the Bible and not see the primacy God puts on preaching.  Oh, its not that God did not, occasionally, call on His prophets and preachers to use drama, object lessons, stories, parables, and other means of communication but, the emphasis was always on preaching.  The command is to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2).  God wants His people to hear Him correctly because they cannot see Him clearly.  This is why God, in Exodus 19:9, does not allow Himself to be experienced in any sort of visible fashion by His people.  That's why He veils Himself which, is to say that He veils His personal glorious presence from His people so that their attention is solely riveted on His Word.  It seems as though God places the priority in His communication to His people on the hearing of His Word more than He does on seeing Him or even seeing what His Word is conveying.  God does not want His people, in this life, to be focused so much on how they may visually perceive Him as much as upon what they hear Him say through His inspired, infallible, inerrant, and thus, completely trustworthy Word.  

Notice as well, in verse 9, that the result of the people of God being able to hear the very inspired words of God, through Moses, God's preacher,  is that the people find Moses credible and thus, believable.  Its no different for pastors who preach today.  The pastor's credibility as a preacher, before God and God's people, is not the result of his creativity, spontaneity, relativity, or ability to use props, drama, videos, and internet technology.  Rather, he is credible because God's voice is heard, loud and clear, through His inspired words, as they are preached correctly and clearly.  This is not to say that the use of communication tools, internet technology, and other mediums is wrong.  It is to say, they should never become the focal point of the sermon so as to replace God and muddle His Word as the focus of our attention.  In Bible terms, this would be called idolatry.   Perhaps, less emphasis on the medium and more on the message is best.  The fewer communication mediums, between God's Word and God's people, other than the one He ordained, which is preaching, the better.  

The temptation to make preaching more entertaining so as to be more enjoyable and thus more acceptable to those who have so many other things they could be doing on a Sunday morning does not result in credibility with God or His people.  The simple preaching of God's Word by God's man to God's people is considered utter foolishness by those who are not God's people and thus, are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18, 23, 25; 2:14).  Tragically, just preaching, without making the visual and sensory props the main thing, has become foolishness to many of God's people too.  "Just preaching", in the words of the novelist, E.M. Forester,  has become ". . . nothing more than a meaningless echo in a cave."  God, however, begs to differ!  So, one must pick his or her side when it comes to preaching and then be prepared to live and die with the consequences of that choice.

Perhaps, if we pastors gave the most and the best of our time, as we should, to the study and preaching of God's Word (Acts 6:2b) we might not need all the tools to make our preaching more interesting, entertaining, captivating,  enjoyable, and thus, in the world's eyes, credible.  Perhaps if we just preached as though people's eternal destinies depended upon what we said and how we said it, we might give our task the primacy it deserves.  Perhaps, if we just preached God's Word so that God's people actually heard God speaking to them--that would be enough!
  

For Those Who Doubt

What do you do with people like Jim, Janice, Tom, Willie, and Kate who all profess to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, are living for Him, desire to know Him better, want to experience Him even more deeply, and who faithfully give themselves to church attendance and personal Bible study, yet still intensely struggle with a lack of assurance when it comes to their salvation?  Well, if the truth be known, probably many of you reading this post including myself sometimes find ourselves in the same boat with the people I mentioned above.  And while there are many reasons why truly born again believers struggle with doubts about their salvation one of the most common and recurring causes is that we focus too much on what we can't see and not enough on Him Who can see what we can't see. 

Now, before going any further, let me just add this qualifier.  I'm not interested in making
unbelievers feel saved when they're not.  Nor am I wanting to give comfort to professing believers whose doubts of assurance are the result of unrepentant and unconfessed sin.  No, my intent here is simply to provide some encouragement and comfort to those true believers who, because of spiritual concern and tendency toward negative introspection, sometimes find themselves overwhelmed with doubts that perhaps they really are not believers at all because maybe, just maybe, the faith they thought they placed in Christ wasn't quite what it should have been.  Maybe, they wonder if their faith was strong enough, genuine enough, well-informed enough, passionate enough, theological enough, committed enough, or even communicated to God well enough.  And because they can't go back to the day, hour, and moment of their profession of faith to investigate all these possible deficiencies in their faith they doubt even more.  And because the stakes are so high....life eternal with Christ or life eternal without Him.....can you blame them for being concerned?!

The problem that I see in these folks' struggle is that they seem to have a tendency to be trusting more in their faith than in the proper object of their faith--Jesus Himself.  Now let me tell you a story from the Old Testament that I think can help people like them......hmmm.....and like us when the doubts begin to assail our faith and threaten to unravel it.

The story comes right out of Exodus 12.  If you're thinking--Passover--you're right!  Exodus 12 is where God gives Moses the instructions for the Passover.  Now, most of us Bible reading, Bible believing, and sometimes Bible-doubting Christians know the story.  We know, for instance, that God told Moses to have every family select an unblemished male lamb to live with them for four days and then on the evening of the fourth day (14th day of the month) the lamb was to be killed.  Its blood was then to be collected in a basin so that an unspecified amount of it could be painted on the outside door frame (two door posts and the lintel) of the house.  Then, once this was done and the lamb was roasted over the fire, the family was to shut the door, eat the Passover lamb and stay inside the house the rest of the night until morning.  Then when the LORD saw the blood on the outside of the door frame He would not allow the death angel to kill the firstborn child in the family.  If, however, there was no blood to see because there was no blood on the door the LORD would take the life of the family's firstborn.

Can you imagine being in one of those families?  I mean here is a sample scenario of what I think may have actually taken place in some, if not many, of those homes.  Once the blood was applied to the door frame and the door shut so that no one was to go back outside until morning can't you imagine dad wondering, as he looks at his firstborn son, if he had applied the right amount of blood or if he had applied it in exactly the right place?  And of course the problem was that he couldn't go back outside to even see if the blood was still visible.  I mean what if it soaked into the wood because he didn't put enough on or put it on thick enough and was no longer visible--how was God going to be able to see it.  I am sure that he was tempted to go back outside several times that evening to check and make sure the blood was still there but he couldn't.

Finally, morning came and with it great relief as both mom and dad saw their oldest sleeping comfortably on the floor beside them.  The night was over and they could go outside and see what really was, now, unecessary to see.......whether the blood was still there.  And as each family went outside that morning they all noticed that whereas some had applied the blood thicker than others, some in wider and longer swaths than others, and some neater than others--wherever there was blood on the outside of the door frame their was life within the house.

You see what mattered was that the blood had been applied to where God said it needed to be applied.  Whether it was applied extra thick or thin, with a broad hysopp brush or narrow, messy or neat simply did not matter.  Whereas, there may have been trembling and anxious hearts within during the night, wondering, perhaps, how blood they could not see would keep their precious child safe they had to come to terms with the fact that even though they could not see it, God could and did and that's what mattered!

You see, no amount of fear on their part, no overwhelming doubts, no misgivings, and no weakness of faith was able to weaken or diminish in any way the potency of the blood of the lamb once it was applied.  The blood was on the door and that was enough for God.  The parents could not see it nor feel it but it was there and even in the midst of their doubts, down deep, they knew it was there but in order for sleep to come that night they had to believe that God also knew it was there because He could see what they were unable to.

So, what do we do with people like Jim, Janice, Tom, Willie, and Kate......people like us.....who having come to Christ as the refuge from the just punishment for their sins and thus who have had His blood applied to their lives still struggle with wondering if in the end they will be safe?  We tell them that what God has promised God will do.  We tell them that if God promised to apply His Son's blood to the lives of those who would believe in His Son for salvation thus, saving them from the just condemnation and penalty for their sins so as to give them eternal life then that is exactly what God has done.  And regardless of whether they can see the blood or not, God does and that is all that matters!

Effective Pastors Build Bridges

I have been a Pastor, Missionary, and Bible Institute Instructor overseas for almost three decades.  In that long period of time I have taught hundreds of students Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, as well as many of the individual Books of the Bible so that all the major doctrines of the Christian Faith have been taught.  Through all this instruction I am inclined to agree with most who have ever taught that the one who learns the most is not the student but the teacher.  And one of the most important lessons I have learned after thirty years of trying to transfer weighty doctrinal matters from the text of Scripture to the head, heart, and hands of my students is that while the transfer of biblical information  is necessary for spiritual transformation, it alone does not lead to this transformation apart from relational bridges. 

Physical bridges, like the Golden Gate Bridge, are used to transfer vehicles, objects, and people across spans of space.  The heavier the object or person, the stronger the bridge must be to sustain the weight crossing it.  One cannot expect to drive a semi-tractor trailer carrying several tons of rock over a foot bridge and not expect disaster.  Likewise, pastors and others tasked with teaching the Scriptures and in particular those weightier more difficult to “wrap our minds and hearts around” doctrines of the Faith cannot expect to transfer these truths to others effectively let alone without incident, minor or otherwise, unless there are suitable relational bridges in place by which to make the transfer.

Now, this does not mean that we cannot teach people we have no personal relationship with or connection to.  What it does mean is that this kind of anonymous teaching alone, while perhaps transferring the right information from head to head, is not enough to produce spiritual transformation.  Our goal, as pastors and teachers, within the context of the local church, should never be the mere transfer of information so that our people only "get the truth right" but, rather that they "get it lived".  Again, in my opinion, this requires, what I am referring to as, "relational bridges" by which biblical and theological truths are effectively transferred from teacher to student.

The first relational bridge that is necessary for effective spiritual instruction to take place is that between the pastor or teacher and God Himself.  The mere teaching of the Bible to others apart from enjoying a current, personal, vivacious, and life transforming relationship with the very Author of Scripture is a putrid exercise that your hearers can smell a mile away.  In addition, Bible study that merely engages the Bible as a tool to be used, a textbook to be mastered, a handbook to be referred, an antidepressant to be prescribed, an encyclopedia of morality, or worse yet--a book of sermons to be preached and thus, has no relationship with God is a spiritually empty and powerless exercise.  Until, the Bible becomes, in our personal and pastoral study, an encounter with the living Triune God in which we are hearing His authoritative voice speaking through His inspired words in Scripture, it does not become relational  to us.  If the Bible is not connected to us in any sort of living and relational way we cannot effectively relate it to others regardless of how well we teach. 

The second relational bridge required for the effective learning and life-application of God's Word is the bridge connecting the student to God Himself.  If the hearer in the pew, classroom, or coffee shop has no viable connection to and with God via the Gospel they have no ability to receive a heart transfer of Scripture regardless of how well-prepared and connected the teacher is.  God's truth is pure foolishness to the unbeliever (1 Cor. 1:18).  Blood transfusions do not take place between the living and the dead.  Apart from the Spirit of God at work in our hearers' lives even our Spirit-empowered teaching falls on deaf spiritual ears.  There must be a saving and living connection or bridge between student and God for effective spiritual teaching to occur.  This requires the bridge of the gospel.  Certainly, the hearing of God's Word is necessary for that gospel bridge to be put in place (Rom. 10:17).  However, until it is in place all the effective and Spirit-filled teaching in the world cannot produce spiritual fruit. 

Finally, the third bridge (and this list is not exhaustive) is that which connects the teacher or pastor to the listener.  While this bridge connection is not as important as the previous two, it is still important.  Pastors who know their people and who are known by their people by virtue of time spent together building the relational bridges (connections) of love, trust, and credibility have a much easier time of it when it comes to trying to transfer biblical and theological truths to their flock.  Living life together creates the pillars upon which strong bridges, able to transfer weighty spiritual truths are built and maintained.  This assumes and of course requires more than a mere professionally distant approach to teaching.  It demands a more "up close" and personal encounter between the pastor and parishioner in which both are known and dear to the other (1 These. 2:7-8).  It requires that we as pastors love our people at least as much as we love to preach to them.