Love does not delight in evil
As you read this, I hope it doesn’t sound too elementary. I hope this, because I’ve been wrestling with these very basic principles, and I hate to think that you have firmly grasped onto the things which continue to evade me. Do I have to really love everyone? If so, do I have to be tender hearted and affectionate to everyone? Does God like everyone?
Love isn’t always soft and fuzzy. If fact, there are certain things that love hates. Loves doesn’t delight in evil. I might even go so far as to say that love hates evil. I think it works in reverse as well. Evil hates love. In several places throughout Scripture, we are told to hate evil; that which is morally bad, sinful or depraved. Here is one passage in particular:
Psalm 97:10
10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
The concepts of good and evil remain prevalent throughout time. Even in a culture of moral relativists, there is a sense that there are things which are acceptable and unacceptable. The actual debate in our culture isn’t about whether morality is relative. The real debate in our world has to do with who decides what is right and wrong. Prove me wrong.
Most people who claim that morality is relative to the individual, make quite definite moral stands themselves. It’s impossible to remove morality from the public sphere, because social law always has to do with what it allows or denies its citizens. So we find moral relativists who have very strong opinions on abortion and same sex marriage. As I’ve said, the debate in our time, is over who decides.
If you’ve been reading along, you likely know who I believe decides what is right and what is wrong. If we really have been created, then the one who made us gets to do the choosing. That’s not abstract thinking. If I start up my own business, I’m the one who decides how that business is run. If God is the One who made this all, and if He’s the One who we answer to when we’re done, He’s the one who chooses. That’s why for many people, they have to believe that there is no God, because if there is a God, if this wasn’t an accident, the reckoning is going to be all too serious.
Love hates the things that God hates. Much of the time, part of the reason why it hates those things, is because they ruin lives. Have you ever met someone who said, “I’m so glad that my mom is an alcoholic.”? “I can’t wait for my dad to come home and abuse our family.”? “I’m so fortunate to have been sexually exploited when I was a child.”?
There are times in our relationships where we allow people to follow after their own evil desires. I suppose much of the time, we really don’t see their desires as being evil. In this instance, even if I knew of an example, I don’t know if I’d want to share it. After all, if it was about one of you, would you want to see your dirty laundry exposed in this arena? Instead, I’m going to look at a couple who lived a few thousand years ago.
Their names are Ahab and Jezebel. They were the king and queen of Israel around 860BC. It was a good life being the king. Ahab’s job brought home a decent pay check week after week, and he made enough money to put a decent roof over their heads. There weren’t any amusement parks back in the day, but if they wanted to go somewhere on summer vacation, they weren’t without the funds or the transportation.
It can be tough at the top though. No matter how much you acquire, there always seems to be something that you don’t have which belongs to someone else. Next to Ahab’s palace in Samaria, there was a vineyard belonging to a man named Naboth. It would be the perfect addition to the palace. Ahab already had plans to make it into a vegetable garden. The problem was that it belonged to Naboth and he refused to sell it.
Unfortunately, Ahab wasn’t on my contact list. He didn’t purchase my last book, listen to me speak, or read any of my blog posts. He didn’t really hate the things that God hated. If he did, if he knew that God hated coveting, and if he had have chosen to agree with God, he would have left the vegetable garden dream in the closet of his mind. But Ahab longed for the things that belonged to other people. That, by definition, is coveting.
Love hates coveting because God hates coveting. If Ahab’s wife had been aware of God’s stand on coveting, and if she had truly loved her husband, Ahab’s plans for the vegetable garden should have ended there. Instead, Ahab allowed his jealousy to bother him to the point where his bride began to notice it in his appearance.
Once day she asked him, “What’s the matter?... What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
“I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
“Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard.” 1 Kings 21:5-7
Ahab’s wife got the vineyard for him. She conspired in having Naboth murdered by the people of his town. The story of Ahab and Jezebel might sound a bit extreme. After all, when is the last time any of us had someone murdered? We’re not as bad as they are. Or are we? The sad thing about the relationship between Ahab and Jezebel isn’t the severity of their crimes. The dark reality at play here is this; if we are open and transparent about some of these themes, these elements have their way of showing up in some of our own relationships. Jezebel had something to profit in Ahab’s gain. She would also have her own use for the garden.
I knew of a couple where the husband had a business outside of his full time employment. Sometimes, he would accept cash payments and fail to report the earnings on his income tax. His wife was pleased to have a little extra spending money on weekends. After a few years, a very strange and unfortunate thing happened. The man and woman went through a very horrible divorce. That was the unfortunate part. The strange part was this. After the divorce, the woman reported her ex-husband to Revenue Canada for failing to claim all of his business income. Is that not wierd? Before the divorce, she was very approving of the practise. What changed?
Nothing changed. She didn’t love him before they were divorced and neither did she love him after the divorce. If she had truly loved him while they were married, she would not have approved of his business practices because love does not delight in what is wrong.
Have you ever been in a relationship where you could profit from your partner’s dishonesty? As I look back on my life, these same themes have come up in my own marriage. There have been times when my wife and I have coveted our neighbour’s property. Maybe your neighbour doesn’t have a vineyard. Does he have a shiny new car? How about a new deck? Coveting is like stealing. What if your spouse did something a little dishonest at work that brought home some extra money? Since it profits you in some way, would you let it slide? Love doesn’t do this. Would you make them make it right? Or would you take the money and use it to buy some fishing tackle or to get your hair done? Would you speak out against the evil or would you pretend that it wasn’t all that bad?
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Gadhafi is Better than God.
I’m not trying to become an apologist, but I just can’t seem to shake this.
The kind of conversations and discussions between believers and the non-believing world haven’t changed a bit since 33 AD. Truthfully, the dialogue began well before Jesus even walked on the face of the earth. I encourage you to consider these words from one of the greatest minds in antiquity.
I encourage you to consider exactly what he is advocating about God. Here is the phrase that I think best describes the thought-
Forced subjection.
The last time I surveyed humanity, tyranny tends to have a foul smell associated with it. If God were to impose His will on humanity, would you call that good? Do we admire the way Gadhafi is trying to impose his rule upon the people of Libya?
As I said last time, I still don’t care what you believe. Just sayin’ is all.
The kind of conversations and discussions between believers and the non-believing world haven’t changed a bit since 33 AD. Truthfully, the dialogue began well before Jesus even walked on the face of the earth. I encourage you to consider these words from one of the greatest minds in antiquity.
I encourage you to consider exactly what he is advocating about God. Here is the phrase that I think best describes the thought-
Forced subjection.
The last time I surveyed humanity, tyranny tends to have a foul smell associated with it. If God were to impose His will on humanity, would you call that good? Do we admire the way Gadhafi is trying to impose his rule upon the people of Libya?
As I said last time, I still don’t care what you believe. Just sayin’ is all.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Some Conversations Never Get Old
I’m sure if you were to get to know me, it wouldn’t take long before you caught on to some inconsistencies in my life. Actually, I’ll save you the trouble. I don’t like watching Harry Potter because the hero of the story is an unrepentant sorcerer. I also happen to like the Narnia series, not because it’s written by a Christian, but the witch is bad ok? And I could likely handle the LOTR series if Gandalf wasn’t a wizard. Some of my friends are quite happy to see those hypocrisies in my life, so I thought I should just get it out of the way.
For some reason, it’s just so much easier to notice hypocrisy in other people. One of my personal favorites was brought to mind today. I was having a conversation with a man who does not believe that Jesus Christ is THE guy. I don’t know if you would label him as an atheist or an agnostic. I’d vote atheist, because he seems to think that he knows all that he needs to know.
Unfortunately, in the realm of spiritual debate, nothing is ever new. Is it? You have heard the same objections time and again. The one that keeps coming to mind is this one….
“We can’t really trust the Bible. I mean, it’s not like they had the internet or printing presses back then. It all had to be hand written. Since it was preserved that way, it must have been changed.”
There is some truth there. I can accept these as being plausible objections. What I find rather strange is that the same objections rarely seem to be raised with regards to other ancient writings. The fellow in question made it quite clear that there were other Jesus’ who did miracles and fit the bill for the Messiah. Strange isn’t it? How was this information passed down to him? I guess these other Jesus’ must have had access to their own printing presses. That is apparently the Achilles Heel of The Bible, so there is no way that this guy would believe in these Jesus’ if they didn’t have printing presses of their own.
The earliest manuscript of Plato is thought to have been written about 1000 years after his death. Do we question his writings in the same way that The Bible is questioned?
The truth is, I couldn’t care less what you believe. To be honest, I didn’t say much to this fellow. He seemed to have life pretty much figured out.
For some reason, it’s just so much easier to notice hypocrisy in other people. One of my personal favorites was brought to mind today. I was having a conversation with a man who does not believe that Jesus Christ is THE guy. I don’t know if you would label him as an atheist or an agnostic. I’d vote atheist, because he seems to think that he knows all that he needs to know.
Unfortunately, in the realm of spiritual debate, nothing is ever new. Is it? You have heard the same objections time and again. The one that keeps coming to mind is this one….
“We can’t really trust the Bible. I mean, it’s not like they had the internet or printing presses back then. It all had to be hand written. Since it was preserved that way, it must have been changed.”
There is some truth there. I can accept these as being plausible objections. What I find rather strange is that the same objections rarely seem to be raised with regards to other ancient writings. The fellow in question made it quite clear that there were other Jesus’ who did miracles and fit the bill for the Messiah. Strange isn’t it? How was this information passed down to him? I guess these other Jesus’ must have had access to their own printing presses. That is apparently the Achilles Heel of The Bible, so there is no way that this guy would believe in these Jesus’ if they didn’t have printing presses of their own.
The earliest manuscript of Plato is thought to have been written about 1000 years after his death. Do we question his writings in the same way that The Bible is questioned?
The truth is, I couldn’t care less what you believe. To be honest, I didn’t say much to this fellow. He seemed to have life pretty much figured out.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Atheists Burn in Hell
I’ve spent way too much of my evening reading celebrity news feeds. Is it me, or do most comment sections eventually turn into a discussion about God? They take on many forms. If a natural disaster is at hand, someone might say that it’s God’s judgment. If there is some freaky asteroid, someone will pipe up saying that the end is near.
This evening, I found myself wrapped up in my personal favorite…..
1. Some guy takes a small shot against born again Christians. (even using the ‘f’ as a descriptor)
2. Christians respond saying that the guy in question is going to hell.
(Always a witty comeback)
3. Non-believers respond complaining that Christians are always threatening everybody with hell.
As a believer, I don’t mind being hated. It’s not that I like it, but if the world rejected Jesus, if I belong to Him, they shouldn’t really fall in love with me. Should they? I don’t personally tell people they are going to hell very often.
What I do often find odd, is when nonbelievers get offended about being warned about hell. I mean, if someone really doesn’t believe in all of this God stuff, then it really shouldn’t be a sore point. It doesn’t matter to me if a Muslim thinks that I am an infidel. It doesn’t bother me because I am secure in my standing with Jesus. In the very core of my soul, I know that they are wrong in writing me off.
If you don’t believe in Jesus, but still get offended at the talk of hell, maybe it’s time to do some serious soul searching. I know it’s not a nice thing, but if it really is completely a thing born of myth and fiction, there is absolutely no reason to be upset. Perhaps you really don’t believe what you think you believe.
This evening, I found myself wrapped up in my personal favorite…..
1. Some guy takes a small shot against born again Christians. (even using the ‘f’ as a descriptor)
2. Christians respond saying that the guy in question is going to hell.
(Always a witty comeback)
3. Non-believers respond complaining that Christians are always threatening everybody with hell.
As a believer, I don’t mind being hated. It’s not that I like it, but if the world rejected Jesus, if I belong to Him, they shouldn’t really fall in love with me. Should they? I don’t personally tell people they are going to hell very often.
What I do often find odd, is when nonbelievers get offended about being warned about hell. I mean, if someone really doesn’t believe in all of this God stuff, then it really shouldn’t be a sore point. It doesn’t matter to me if a Muslim thinks that I am an infidel. It doesn’t bother me because I am secure in my standing with Jesus. In the very core of my soul, I know that they are wrong in writing me off.
If you don’t believe in Jesus, but still get offended at the talk of hell, maybe it’s time to do some serious soul searching. I know it’s not a nice thing, but if it really is completely a thing born of myth and fiction, there is absolutely no reason to be upset. Perhaps you really don’t believe what you think you believe.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Laughing at Scripture
Last night, my kids thought that this passage was absolutely hilarious. They couldn't imagine that anyone would be so daft as to send three groups of men after the man of God.
As for me, I think that this is my favourite story in all of The Bible.
2 Kings 1:1-15 (New Living Translation)
2 Kings 1
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah
1 After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? 4 Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”
6 They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7 “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8 They replied, “He was a hairy man,[a] and he wore a leather belt around his waist.”
“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.
9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”
10 But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.
11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”
12 Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.
13 Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”
15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.
As for me, I think that this is my favourite story in all of The Bible.
2 Kings 1:1-15 (New Living Translation)
2 Kings 1
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah
1 After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? 4 Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”
6 They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7 “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8 They replied, “He was a hairy man,[a] and he wore a leather belt around his waist.”
“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.
9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”
10 But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.
11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”
12 Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.
13 Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”
15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Now That's Funny!
I’ve never been known to be someone to say whether or not God does or does not have a sense of humour. I do know that He laughs, but am not certain that it’s about a matter found to be hilarious. There are however certain aspects of life which lend evidence to support that He may.
When my wife and I were newer believers, we had it on our hearts to financially help a couple that intended to live out their married lives as missionaries. We haven’t helped them as much through the years as we would have liked, but have done what we could. They don’t pry on our heart strings, so when other needs are brought before us, they do get the shorter end of the stick. I mean, when the church’s roof is leaking, if the kitchen needs to be upgraded or the building debt is mounting, the leadership are there to make us all aware of the need. Our missionary friends on the other hand just give God the glory for His provision and place little on our hearts of the knowledge of their needs.
As the years have flown by, our missionary couple still lives in Southwestern Ontario. To me, that’s funny. In fact, I had a good laugh on the way home this evening.
Although they seem to remain planted here on the home front, I am very pleased to be partnered with them, even if my role in their ministry remains rather small. I would like to share with you some of their thoughts as they continue to live out their calling in a place where the soil often proves itself to be rather hard.
“Why do others get to go and we're called to stay? We never intended to be in North America and yet this is exactly where God has very clearly lead us... I inwardly chafed and complained.
Quite a number of years ago Craig put everything in perspective when he said, "How would you live if we were overseas? Live that way here."
So, to know Him here OR there... to be faithful to what He's called me to here OR there... to love well here OR there... It doesn't really matter -- I *need* Him and am completely dependent on His grace either way.”
If you appreciate people who simply live a thankful, Biblically gracious life, I encourage you to check out their blog once in a while.
http://baumanfamilypaths.blogspot.com
When my wife and I were newer believers, we had it on our hearts to financially help a couple that intended to live out their married lives as missionaries. We haven’t helped them as much through the years as we would have liked, but have done what we could. They don’t pry on our heart strings, so when other needs are brought before us, they do get the shorter end of the stick. I mean, when the church’s roof is leaking, if the kitchen needs to be upgraded or the building debt is mounting, the leadership are there to make us all aware of the need. Our missionary friends on the other hand just give God the glory for His provision and place little on our hearts of the knowledge of their needs.
As the years have flown by, our missionary couple still lives in Southwestern Ontario. To me, that’s funny. In fact, I had a good laugh on the way home this evening.
Although they seem to remain planted here on the home front, I am very pleased to be partnered with them, even if my role in their ministry remains rather small. I would like to share with you some of their thoughts as they continue to live out their calling in a place where the soil often proves itself to be rather hard.
“Why do others get to go and we're called to stay? We never intended to be in North America and yet this is exactly where God has very clearly lead us... I inwardly chafed and complained.
Quite a number of years ago Craig put everything in perspective when he said, "How would you live if we were overseas? Live that way here."
So, to know Him here OR there... to be faithful to what He's called me to here OR there... to love well here OR there... It doesn't really matter -- I *need* Him and am completely dependent on His grace either way.”
If you appreciate people who simply live a thankful, Biblically gracious life, I encourage you to check out their blog once in a while.
http://baumanfamilypaths.blogspot.com
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Faithful Obedience
Envision this if you will. The scene is set in a city named Antioch, which is located in Syria. Due to persecution from religious Jews, many believers had been driven there and this is the city where they were first labelled to be Christians. Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch, we find five prominent men who, for some reason, were taking time to fast and to pray together.
We’re not told why they were fasting and praying together. We aren’t told if they were the Wednesday night prayer group. We don’t know if they were holding a Bible study on prayer and fasting. Nothing is given to us which would indicate that they had read the latest book on evangelism and this is part and parcel of the material they were working through together. What we know, is that these five men were worshiping the Lord and fasting. From the appearance of it, it has the feel as if these five men were merely people who loved God and who were actively seeking His will for their lives.
The five men in question are these.
Barnabas – known as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith (Acts 11:24)
Simeon – affectionately referred to as “the black man”
Lucius – from Cyrene – an ancient Greek city in what we would presently refer to as Libya
Manaen – When he was a kid, he used to hang out with King Herod Antipas
Saul – a man who used to persecute Christians and support their murder
These five men all bring different gifts, contacts and abilities to their roles within the church. As they lived out their roles within the church, we really don’t know exactly what form in which their calling found itself. Did they all lead Bible studies? Did they teach Sunday school? Did they all preach on Sunday morning? Did some of them lead men’s group on Thursday night? Keep in mind; these weren’t the only prophets and teachers at this church. These were simply 5 from, “among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch.” Acts 13:1
In their time of worship and fasting together, in some way or another, they heard a clear message from the Holy Spirit saying to, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2
In the circles in which I run, there is much that has been said about the kind of obedience demonstrated by Barnabas and Saul. And why not? Saul’s work in particular comprises much of what we have received as being the New Testament.
At this particular evening, morning or afternoon of worship and fasting, nobody knows exactly what God had in mind for Barnabas and Saul. No one knew exactly where Saul and Barnabas would be going or what they would do when they got there. All that was known, is that they were to be set apart for some special work.
If you happened to be Manaen, what would obedience look like? For whatever reason, God hasn’t seen fit to set him apart for this special work. How do you suppose that would sit with him? Would it be unexpected for him to ask and wrestle with any of these questions?
What is so special about Barnabas and Saul?
Why didn’t God pick me?
Am I not a better speaker than Saul? I used better stories and illustrations. He doesn’t even use powerpoint!
It just makes sense that I should go. I’ve got connections. In fact, I’m old friends with the King.
Doesn’t God speak through me?
What does Paul have that I don’t have?
There is a lot to be said for people like Saul, who go to the places to which God has called them. Little is said however in Christian circles of the men and women who remain where God wants them. I guess that stems out of the thought that there is little which is found to be admirable in staying where you are. Going somewhere to do something for God has the feel of faithfulness, where remaining faithful where you are does not. If you aren’t going anywhere to do anything, you likely won’t get called up on stage and have the elders or the church pray for you. It would be surreal wouldn’t it?
Doesn’t it almost make you smile or chuckle to imagine the scene? “Ok church. Everyone come up to the front and pray for brother John. He isn’t going anywhere to do anything. He’s just going to stay here with us and remain faithful in his calling.”
The faith lived out by people such as Manaen may not have the texture of any form of evangelical faith, but it is not a life of inactivity, even though it may seem that way. Manaen is known as one of the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch. The odds are, that he actually teaches or speaks for God, at least on occasion.
Foreign missions work isn’t supposed to be the Christian version of a vacation. I guess I don’t sound evangelical do I? We are given very little insight into the particular’s of Manaen’s life. We don’t know if he had a ‘secular’ job, or if he was paid for his work as a teacher within the church. We don’t know for sure if he wanted to stay or not, but are left with the sense that he remained serving faithfully at Antioch. Neither do we know whether or not he left Antioch later at some point in his life.
Remaining where God wants you isn’t always an easy thing to do. You wonder sometimes don’t you? You wonder if other people are looking at you saying, “Too bad about Bob. He just never seemed to do much with his faith. I think he’s one of those lukewarm Christians.” You’re just wasting your life, working at MacDonald’s or smiling at people as they walk through the door at Walmart. Or worse yet. What if you drive truck or, dare I say....work in a factory?
If we have come to know Jesus, the question we are meant to continually evaluate may sound something like this,
Are we actively seeking and living out His will for our lives?
If we are asked to stay, do we harbour feelings of having missed out? Do we hang on to feelings of jealousy for those on stage? On the flip side, if we’re asked to go somewhere to do something, do we go, even if we don’t want to go? Would we go, even if we knew that shipwreck and chains lie in wait for us?
How much time do you actively spend in seeking God’s will for your life’s course? How much time do I spend? Is it worth giving up lunch?
Perhaps you are much more faithful than you, or others give you credit for. Your life from your perspective may not seem to line up with the North American Christian ideal. Changing dirty diapers in the nursery, teaching Sunday school or shaking hands at the door, don’t smell like evangelism, but if these are coming out of a heart that has been indwelt and prompted by the Holy Spirit, it sounds like faithful obedience to me.
Going when we have been told to stay is sin, just as it is to stay when we’ve been told to go. If you’re actively seeking God’s will for your life, whether you stay where you are or are going somewhere to do something, I hope we could get along. If you are going somewhere to do something because you think that’s what Christians should be doing, I’ll probably grate on you. If absolutely nothing is coming out of your life, then you might want to question what manner of spirit resides inside.
We’re not told why they were fasting and praying together. We aren’t told if they were the Wednesday night prayer group. We don’t know if they were holding a Bible study on prayer and fasting. Nothing is given to us which would indicate that they had read the latest book on evangelism and this is part and parcel of the material they were working through together. What we know, is that these five men were worshiping the Lord and fasting. From the appearance of it, it has the feel as if these five men were merely people who loved God and who were actively seeking His will for their lives.
The five men in question are these.
Barnabas – known as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith (Acts 11:24)
Simeon – affectionately referred to as “the black man”
Lucius – from Cyrene – an ancient Greek city in what we would presently refer to as Libya
Manaen – When he was a kid, he used to hang out with King Herod Antipas
Saul – a man who used to persecute Christians and support their murder
These five men all bring different gifts, contacts and abilities to their roles within the church. As they lived out their roles within the church, we really don’t know exactly what form in which their calling found itself. Did they all lead Bible studies? Did they teach Sunday school? Did they all preach on Sunday morning? Did some of them lead men’s group on Thursday night? Keep in mind; these weren’t the only prophets and teachers at this church. These were simply 5 from, “among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch.” Acts 13:1
In their time of worship and fasting together, in some way or another, they heard a clear message from the Holy Spirit saying to, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2
In the circles in which I run, there is much that has been said about the kind of obedience demonstrated by Barnabas and Saul. And why not? Saul’s work in particular comprises much of what we have received as being the New Testament.
At this particular evening, morning or afternoon of worship and fasting, nobody knows exactly what God had in mind for Barnabas and Saul. No one knew exactly where Saul and Barnabas would be going or what they would do when they got there. All that was known, is that they were to be set apart for some special work.
If you happened to be Manaen, what would obedience look like? For whatever reason, God hasn’t seen fit to set him apart for this special work. How do you suppose that would sit with him? Would it be unexpected for him to ask and wrestle with any of these questions?
What is so special about Barnabas and Saul?
Why didn’t God pick me?
Am I not a better speaker than Saul? I used better stories and illustrations. He doesn’t even use powerpoint!
It just makes sense that I should go. I’ve got connections. In fact, I’m old friends with the King.
Doesn’t God speak through me?
What does Paul have that I don’t have?
There is a lot to be said for people like Saul, who go to the places to which God has called them. Little is said however in Christian circles of the men and women who remain where God wants them. I guess that stems out of the thought that there is little which is found to be admirable in staying where you are. Going somewhere to do something for God has the feel of faithfulness, where remaining faithful where you are does not. If you aren’t going anywhere to do anything, you likely won’t get called up on stage and have the elders or the church pray for you. It would be surreal wouldn’t it?
Doesn’t it almost make you smile or chuckle to imagine the scene? “Ok church. Everyone come up to the front and pray for brother John. He isn’t going anywhere to do anything. He’s just going to stay here with us and remain faithful in his calling.”
The faith lived out by people such as Manaen may not have the texture of any form of evangelical faith, but it is not a life of inactivity, even though it may seem that way. Manaen is known as one of the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch. The odds are, that he actually teaches or speaks for God, at least on occasion.
Foreign missions work isn’t supposed to be the Christian version of a vacation. I guess I don’t sound evangelical do I? We are given very little insight into the particular’s of Manaen’s life. We don’t know if he had a ‘secular’ job, or if he was paid for his work as a teacher within the church. We don’t know for sure if he wanted to stay or not, but are left with the sense that he remained serving faithfully at Antioch. Neither do we know whether or not he left Antioch later at some point in his life.
Remaining where God wants you isn’t always an easy thing to do. You wonder sometimes don’t you? You wonder if other people are looking at you saying, “Too bad about Bob. He just never seemed to do much with his faith. I think he’s one of those lukewarm Christians.” You’re just wasting your life, working at MacDonald’s or smiling at people as they walk through the door at Walmart. Or worse yet. What if you drive truck or, dare I say....work in a factory?
If we have come to know Jesus, the question we are meant to continually evaluate may sound something like this,
Are we actively seeking and living out His will for our lives?
If we are asked to stay, do we harbour feelings of having missed out? Do we hang on to feelings of jealousy for those on stage? On the flip side, if we’re asked to go somewhere to do something, do we go, even if we don’t want to go? Would we go, even if we knew that shipwreck and chains lie in wait for us?
How much time do you actively spend in seeking God’s will for your life’s course? How much time do I spend? Is it worth giving up lunch?
Perhaps you are much more faithful than you, or others give you credit for. Your life from your perspective may not seem to line up with the North American Christian ideal. Changing dirty diapers in the nursery, teaching Sunday school or shaking hands at the door, don’t smell like evangelism, but if these are coming out of a heart that has been indwelt and prompted by the Holy Spirit, it sounds like faithful obedience to me.
Going when we have been told to stay is sin, just as it is to stay when we’ve been told to go. If you’re actively seeking God’s will for your life, whether you stay where you are or are going somewhere to do something, I hope we could get along. If you are going somewhere to do something because you think that’s what Christians should be doing, I’ll probably grate on you. If absolutely nothing is coming out of your life, then you might want to question what manner of spirit resides inside.
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