Friday, November 18, 2011

Spreading Your Deposit Around

"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2)

Having discovered in our previous time together what a wonderful blessing the truth of God's Word is to us, beloved, and how important it is for us to protect that wondrous "treasure" within our hearts, we turn now to consider a need that is beyond that of merely guarding what God has entrusted to us.

The Apostle Paul went on within this same portion of his letter to Timothy to exhort him to "entrust" the treasure of God's Word to others. The word "entrust" in the original language means to "put near" in the sense of committing something to someone as a sacred trust. Very simply, we are to take the "treasure" of God's Word and invest it in the lives of other people! We are to pass it on as we have so wondrously received it ourselves. The one common mistake that we too often make as Christians, beloved, is that we become "repositories" of truth, storing it away in our thoughts and memories. With our notes and our meditations we become libraries of divine truth.

But Paul here tells us that we are not merely to "archive" God's truth for use in our own lives. We are to deposit that truth in the lives of others. We are to become channels through which can flow the precious principles of daily living that are to energize our living as followers of Christ. In fact, the apostle told the saints in Ephesus that the literal growth of the body of Christ depends upon "what every joint supplies" (4:16).

One very important qualification is added to Paul's instructions, beloved. We are to seek out "faithful" saints with whom to place this sacred deposit of God's truth. The word "faithful" means those who have shown themselves to be reliable and dependable in living for Jesus Christ and His glory. I believe that what the apostle is talking about here is nothing less than a determined and concentrated effort on our part to be "disciplers" of new believers. We cannot be content to merely see others make a profession of faith but must do all that we can to train them in the truths of Christian living. We must not only, then, protect our own deposit but must pass that deposit to others who, as Paul goes on to say, may themselves "teach others also." It is the only way to insure the growth of believers in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are God's chosen "planters," the agents of His truth being invested in the lives of others. So pass it on, beloved, pass it on! The next generation is waiting!

Ron

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Protecting Your Deposit

"Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you" (2 Timothy 1:14)

Anyone who has ever used the drive-through window at your local bank has seen the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) sticker on the glass assuring you that your "deposit" is fully protected and safe. No bank without such a financial back-up would likely have many depositors!

But did you know that many folks who so fastidiously guard their material wealth give little or no thought to that which Paul calls their "treasure" or literally their good deposit? For us as Christians our "good deposit" is the truth of God that is imparted to us through the faithful teaching and preaching of the Scriptures. Very simply, beloved, every Bible truth so shared is "deposited" by God within us through His Spirit who dwells within. Yet how carelessly many believers toss aside such a sacred deposit as they would an empty soda can or crumpled candy wrapper! Do you recall what your pastor or Bible study leader last spoke into your life?

The only way to protect your deposit, beloved, is to take to heart the truths of the Scriptures and to live them out in your life. As Paul urged Timothy, "guard" them as the sacred deposit that they are! Hopefully in our next post we'll consider together what else we need to do with our "treasure." But for now, ask yourself how much of a treasure your life shows that you consider the truth of God's Word to be?

Ron

Friday, November 4, 2011

There Are Hearers and Then There are Doers!

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22)

The truth bound up in this single yet powerful statement of the Apostle James is without a doubt the most foundational in any believer's daily walk! The issue at the heart of it all is whether we live as "hearers" or "doers." Take a moment, then, to consider ramifications of each choice.

Perhaps the first thing we ought to note is that there is nothing inherently wrong with being a "hearer" of God's Word. In fact, every "doer" today must first be a "hearer"! The problem does not arise until we encounter the little Greek word monon which means "exclusively" and is here translated "merely." To be a "hearer" is a good thing, but to be "merely" a hearer is not! As James has pointed out, to make the choice to be merely a hearer of God's Word is to "delude" yourself. The Greek verb paralogizomai is rich in meaning, beloved. It means literally "reason beside" in the sense of stepping outside of that which is reasonable and rational and coming to completely false conclusions. Today we might say such a person has "taken leave of his senses."

By contrast the true "doer" is the believer who takes action as a result of what he has heard in his heart from the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit. One truth which James has made abundantly clear, beloved, is that God never intended for us to "hear" His Word and not respond to it. We ought always to be changed, always to be transformed, always to be set on new paths with renewed vigor. Otherwise, what is the point of even "hearing"?

James' description of the "doer's" look into the truth of the Word is graphic and prosaic. The word he uses in the original language means to "stoop down beside." The picture is that of one who stops and stoops to take a closer and longer look into something, much like one who stoops to gaze into a silent clear pool of water, noting his own reflection in that liquid mirror. He looks long and he looks intently, drinking in all that is being reflected back to him. He takes note of what he sees, takes note of areas where attention is needed, and completely analyzes his true condition. Then with that understanding clear, he rises to his feet and takes action in keeping with what he has been shown by the mirrored image.

There is simply no more basic or foundational need in the life of every Christian than this, beloved! If we fail as "hearers" to become "doers" of the Word, then we fail at the core of what makes us who we are. We fail the kingdom of God. We fail the Savior who shed His blood and bought us for Himself. We fail the plan and purpose of God for all mankind.

May I say to you today that in this we must not fail! To be satisfied to become a self-deceived hearer is simply not an option. We must become "doers" of the Word. We must take action in all that the Spirit of God shows us as we stoop to gaze intently into the mirror of God's truth. Are you a "doer"?

Ron

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Toughest 5 Words You'll Ever Say

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8)

What was the most difficult thing you ever had to say to someone, beloved? For a lot of us it was two little words: "I'm sorry." For others perhaps the toughest words to get out are: "Will you marry me?" For still others, those in supervisory positions, it might be: "You're fired."

But for Isaiah the toughest words he ever spoke came about as the result of something he had just admitted about his own life. You see, when he first was given a vision of the glory of God filling the temple and the angels crying "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" his response was to acknowledge his own sinfulness and that of the people of Israel.

"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5)

It is tough enough for us to admit that we are sinners, beloved, and so very easy for us to forego any willingness to serve the Lord because of our utter unworthiness. What is so amazing and so very much indicative of the depth of God's grace is that of the very one who had just acknowledged his sinfulness before Him, God asked the question: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?" How could holy God possibly want sinful people such as we are to represent Him in this lost world and carry His message to its people? Yet that is precisely what He does again and again!

So there you have it, beloved! And still for so many who have been touched by God's grace and who know the sweetness of forgiveness and of peace that passes all understanding, it is for some unknown reason yet a struggle to say as Isaiah said: "Here am I. Send me!"

So what are we missing here? There is yet in this passage one other declaration that makes all the difference for us. One of the seraphim in Isaiah's vision took a coal from the altar with tongs and said to him as he touched his lips with the hot coal:

"Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven" (Isaiah 6:7)

Between our realization of our utter sinfulness and God's seeking for a messenger, beloved, stands His amazing grace, ever willing to take the coal from the altar of His holiness and purge us without and within. Cleansed, forgiven, restored, ready to serve and now those 5 tough words are made easy. In fact, they become the only possible natural response to God's grace in our lives!

HERE I AM, LORD! SEND ME! And He will, beloved, He will. He will send you to those in your life who need His love and mercy just as you do. And He will give you the opportunity and the courage to speak His love into their lives just as that love has been spoken into yours. All you have to do is be willing to go. "Here am I. Send me!" The toughest 5 words you can't help but speak!

Ron



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Busted and Glad of It!

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17)

I have enjoyed just recently perhaps one of the most wonderful weeks of my life, beloved! Let me explain. This week we had the privilege of having our son, Jerry, with us from Virginia and also having him preach revival services at the church that I am privileged to serve as interim pastor. One evening my wife was able to leave her mom in someone else' care and be present for the service. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed watching her watch him as he stood in the pulpit and boldly proclaimed God's Word!

During one of those messages this week Jerry used an unusual word to describe the concept of being "contrite," admittedly not a word with which many Christians associate contrition. Speaking with the heart of a true youth pastor, he told us that to be contrite in spirit is to know that you are "busted" before God. His point was simply that until we can admit to ourselves and especially to God that we are truly spiritually bankrupt, genuine repentance cannot take place, not to mention any real ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you know that Isaiah the prophet admitted himself to being spiritually "busted" in his own life? Oh, he didn't use that exact word, but he used a Hebrew word that means much the same thing. Listen to what he said of himself on the occasion of seeing the glory of God filling the temple:

"Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts'" (Isaiah 6:5)

Not only did Isaiah, arguably Israel's greatest prophet, declare himself to be "busted," but he then declared that the whole nation of Israel was as well! And just why did he conclude that all of them were so spiritually bereft? Because he had seen the glory of Holy God and his own sinful reflection mirrored in that holiness.

But that's what being "busted" is all about, beloved. As long as we are looking anywhere else - at the pastor, at the next door neighbor, at the girl whose desk is across from ours - we will never come to really understand what it means to be "contrite" of spirit. Only when we take a long searching look at Holy God and see ourselves reflected in His glory will we say with Isaiah, "I am ruined!"

Believe it or not, being "busted" is a great place to be, beloved! Once you are there and know that you are there, you are in the one and only spot where the Holy Spirit of God can take what's left of you and make you into what He wants and needs for you to be - a true subject of God's kingdom and servant for the Lord Jesus Christ.

I don't know about you, then, but as for me I am truly "busted" and glad of it!

Ron