Are You Running from Your Book?

There is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about “fundamentalists” these days. For one thing, Islamic Fundamentalists are frequently being called “extremists” by authorities and in the news, because they have returned to a literal interpretation or practice of their holy book, the Quran. I have done a little study on that book, and while it is often self-contradictory, it does seem that the terrorists are practicing their book fairly accurately. This would make them very much “Muslim” even if they are being left behind by some of the modern moderates who use the name.

Webster’s definition of “fundamentalism” is what I have in mind, which is, “a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles.” For Muslims those principles are found in the Quran even though their imams are given wide latitude in interpretation. For Orthodox Jews their basic principles are found in the Talmud and the Torah, and for Biblical Fundamentalists, the first ones to get the name, it is the 66 books of the Bible.

Those of us who are still willing to be identified as “Biblical Fundamentalists” are doing our best to practice the Bible carefully. By the way, the Bible says that we are to love our enemies, do good to them, and pray for them. The sixth commandment forbids us from murder, and Jesus said that harboring hatred in our hearts is just the same. If in this matter, or in any other, we stray from the practice of God’s Word, we are failing fundamentalists! Sadly the failures are the ones who get the most press and taint popular impressions of those believers who are still committed to God’s authority over man’s.

Once in a while it seems that it is necessary for all of us to be reminded of where we find our best and most basic guidance. That is true especially (but not only) in matters of faith. Many of us come from a background where we, our parents, or grandparents, were guided by a particular book, and for many Americans that book was the Bible. Today, though, there are fewer people all the time who believe that there is any book which has authority over them personally.

Some mainline churches openly place church tradition equal to or above the Bible. Those traditions are often based on rulings or findings of church leaders at some point in time, but they amount to the authority of men. Our church is “traditional” in many ways, but we do not believe that any tradition should be kept or begun if it is not in keeping with Scripture. That belief comes from the Bible itself. We recognize that churches will have different ways of doing things, but all of us will answer to God measured by the absolute standard which is His Word.

Cults are known for following books written by their leaders, or just a particular contemporary personality. Sometimes they include the Bible but re-interpret it or add other books to “explain” it authoritatively. Followers of any faith make a choice, and it should be a conscious and well-informed choice to place their hope and trust in a certain authority. For myself, I cannot imagine placing my trust in anything less which would be anything other than the Bible. Neither can I imagine giving my children or other Christians counsel and direction from any other, inferior, source. This is not just the way my parents lived, the Bible has given me every reason to trust it and no reason to doubt it.

Referring to Christ, the Bible says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” Acts 4:12. “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” II Peter 1:3. It seems that the Bible is not a “good book” if it is lying to us (or deceiving people who take it naturally and literally) on this or any matter. I believe that there is one true God, and that the Bible is truly God’s Word.

Perhaps this article will spark some good discussion, and I hope it is discussion related to the most important issues of life today and eternal. Our church is a group of people who love to help others find the truth about God’s way of salvation and abundant life, please contact us if you need a Bible or have questions about it, www.southportbaptistchurch.com is a good place to start, or “southport baptist church” on FB. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6.

If you know of someone in particular need of solid spiritual footing, or if you believe as I do that there are many people who would benefit from a return to basic understanding and practice of faith, please share this message with them. There is a temptation for Biblical Fundamentalists to duck and cover while under fire in this day, but it is our responsibility to spread the good Word!

"It Is Finished"

“It Is Finished”

G.S. Jones

Clearly Jesus is done with His mission of salvation, you might say that the gift is wrapped and sitting under the tree...  Even though, as our High Priest, He now is sitting down on His throne in Heaven, He still has more that He wants to do with us.  Let me encourage you today to determine not to be a half-way, Sunday morning, good enough, Christian!  Let your life and service reflect what Jesus did for you on the cross, because, “It is finished!”  Someday soon, years or minutes from now, He will take our lives into His hands and say “It is finished” to us!

The apostle Paul was not a perfect man by any means, but the Lord allowed him to testify in Scripture that when he came to the end of his life he had done what the Lord asked him to do.  II Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.   I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”  How will we know we are finished?  When the Lord crowns our service for Him!

Created to glorify

Saved to sanctify

Molded to identify

Elect but not elite

We will only be complete

On the day we lay our crowns at His feet.

Casting and Catching the Mantle

“Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”  What an honor for the Creator and Lord of the universe to be known by anyone as my God!  If He is known as your God does anyone want Him for themselves?  Do they want to join you in His service?

Like Elisha, you and I stand in a field in need of plowing, planting, and harvesting.  There is a mantle of ministry to be passed from this generation to the next, but who will cast it? and who will catch it?

I Kings 19:19-21 “So he (Elijah) departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.  And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?  And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Recently I heard a great speaker describe the introduction to his message as a large porch leading into a great house.  I am afraid that I just have a tiny step going into my house, perhaps it is more like a cement block in front of a shack!

The “Future Prophet” program is an early fore-runner of the “Future Preacher” program.  While we do not find the church or the pastoral ministry in these passages, we do see how servants of God gave, received, and followed the calling of God to ministry.

I.  The Called

A.  Wealthy  The twelve yoke of oxen were mentioned because that was some impressive farm machinery!  You had to have a lot of land under cultivation and a lot of servants under your command to run that kind of operation.  We know that the things of this world present a temptation and a distraction, but Elisha’s wealth had not gone to his head or his heart.

As we present the ministry as a life calling we know that the compensation package is not going to be the draw for prospective preachers.  As they say, “the benefits are out of this world!”  Of course, if preachers complain about their economic status, and act unfulfilled or even cursed to be called, we do harm to the cause of Christ and the propagation of the gospel ministry.

B.  Working  It is significant that Elisha was found plowing!  With all of his servants, he could have just been “supervising.”  I understand that working a field with a good tractor can be enjoyable, but walking slow and steady behind two oxen cannot be that much fun!  Someone has noted that there are a lot of prancers in the ministry, but God needs more plowers!

As preachers we should give everyone an example of the “good work” that is to be desired in the pastorate.  I have found this to be true and magnified overseas where some men line up to become pastors because they think it and easy and well-paid job.  Every believer ought to be diligent in their ministry, and pastors ought to be examples to everyone, and especially to their disciples.

C.  Willing  It has been noted that since Elijah and Elisha seem to have recognized each other, and since Elisha understood the symbolism of having a coat thrown at him, perhaps Elisha had already attended one of the prophets’ schools.  Anyhow, he did not hesitate to leave his oxen and run after Elijah to accept his calling.  He seemed anxious to serve, but Elijah did not make that assumption.

When Elisha slew his oxen (probably those which had been designated as his inheritance to work his own land some day) he was burning the bridge behind him.  Just as Matthew left his job with the IRS when Jesus called, and as the occultists of Ephesus burned their magic books when they accepted Christ, there was no going back.  Elisha’s kissing his parents was not an act of vacillation but of dedication.  If he had not gone back to settle things, the temptation to do that would have been strong and constant in years to come, especially in the hard times.  It brings to mind the way Peter and some of the disciples went back to their fishing nets.  Perhaps if they had burned them it would have spared them the temptation.

Elisha kept in constant motion and did not delay in answering the call.  Many of us can point to times when we had a delay in the preparation for ministry, usually due to finances.  In my case, I married a wife, while we were still teenagers!  You must be assured though, that your delay is part of God’s calling for you and not you getting side-tracked.  I managed to do an early pastoral internship during the semester after I was married and had to sit out of school.  For you it may be cooking oxen down at McDonalds, but just be sure to get godly counsel and peace that you are in the Lord’s will.

 II.  The Calling

A.  Godly  When Elijah said, “What have I done to thee?” (v. 20) he was asking “Who is keeping you from doing what you want?”  This was not a calling of Elijah, but of God.  Preachers learn before long that they can lead horses to water but they cannot make them drink, or serve, or sit still, or even stay awake while we preach!  It is because we care deeply for the Lord and the people He has put in front of us that we try to create a thirst for the living water, but we still must leave the heart-work and the people’s response to their God!

When we consider the calling to ministry, that is even more definitely a work of the Lord, rather than any man.  I appreciate several men who encouraged me toward surrender to the ministry even when that seemed less likely than my being, say… a cat-burglar.  It was a good thing that no one pressured me into being a pastor for two reasons, first, they did not want to be responsible for any mess I might make in the Lord’s work.  Secondly, when things became difficult, when the work got to be hard and seemingly unrewarding, and the ministry lost its shine, I had no basis to say that some man had made a mistake in calling me.  “Perhaps he was aiming his mantle at the guy behind the next ox over!”  No, I have always been convinced that I have answered God’s calling, and He is the One with Whom I must speak if I want to re-negotiate!  Wish me luck with that!

B.  Going  We noticed already the willing sacrifice that Elisha made of his oxen.  He did not even stay around to eat the left-overs, but gave it all away.  Nothing was holding him back from following his new calling.  He also demonstrated the generosity of spirit which must characterize a man of God.

This was a calling to action.  Elisha’s steady progress demonstrated that he realized and accepted that.  This was not a “someday” thing, it called for an immediate response, even though it would be years before he actually took Elijah’s mantle as his own, and “filled his room.”  I believe that the call to the work of the ministry is something to which a man should respond and dedicate himself from the moment he receives the calling.  Not everyone is given a lot of time to prepare, but some are given years.  I was twenty-one when I became a Senior Pastor, and was still finishing college, but the Lord had been preparing me since I was twelve!  Much of that work was done directly through my church and my pastor who had a vision for getting God’s called off to a good, early start.

C.  Great  Elisha’s immediate task was to “minister” (v. 21) to Elijah for an unspecified period of time.  A nice thing about college and seminary is that they have graduations, there is a finish line towards which a man can work.  Many have learned, though, that a degree does not necessarily mean that they are immediately ready for full-time service in God’s plan.

Elisha’s “ministry” was probably just doing little helpful things.  Most of us are familiar with the Greek terms for servant, “duloV and diakonoV,” which suggest different levels of trust and responsibility for the worker.  There is a correlation in the Hebrew, “abad” being the word for a menial servant, and “sharat” the term for a confidant, a trusted steward.  Like Joseph and Joshua before him, Elisha’s office and ministry to Elijah was described by the word “sharat.”

Especially in the course of preparation, but also throughout our years of ministry, we are tempted to ask, “how important is this task?”  If our calling seems like a small and insignificant thing to us, we battle our pride and suppose we ought to be doing something more worthy of our gifts.  We would do much better to ask of each assignment, “How important is my master?”  For Elisha it was a privilege to minister to Elijah, but it was much greater for him, and for us as well, to minister for Jesus Christ!

III.  The Test

II Kings 2:1-6  "And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.  And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.  And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.  And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on."

A.  Pride  Effectively, Elisha was the prince of the prophets in the years after his calling, as the “heir apparent” to Elijah.  This is an interesting account then, and it seems to be a final exam for Elisha.  Was he willing to chase his old mentor around the countryside while being treated like an unwanted tag-along?  Perhaps Elijah was visiting the prophet-schools which he had started and taking the opportunity to say “goodbye” while he put Elisha through this dissertation work in the Lord’s service.

We are all tempted with pride, and those who have the least cause to be proud may be the first to fall.  So I had better beware, and perhaps you should also.  Pride is a leaven which will seep through the whole loaf, and it can quickly spoil that which is supposed to be dedicated to God.  When we become impressed with ourselves we should go back to that vision of the greatness of our Master.  That ought to keep us humbly working at our simple tasks, as well as those things which receive recognition. 

B.  Perseverance  Three times Elisha is asked to stay behind, but he proves that he had the discernment to know that was not God’s will for him.  He may have expected a death-bed blessing, or just have been ready to mark the place of Elijah’s passing and bury him. 

That reminds me of my visit to the springs of Gideon, in Israel, which is supposed to be the actual place where his men stooped to drink.  We had already seen a hundred tombs of the historically famous and we were poised to see a thousand more.  Our guide, a somewhat sarcastic man, pointed to the top of a high cliff above us where there were some flags and there was a mausoleum of sorts.  We could see people climbing up there on a steep, narrow staircase and the guide told us that it was a revered spot, especially by the Muslims, as the burial place of Elijah.  We let out an “oooh” and prepared to climb, when someone pointed out, “wait a minute, Elijah wasn’t buried!”  And our guide said with a grin, “Yes, and that is where he was not buried.”

I see an illustration here of the need for disciples to be persistent in following their mentors and even reminding them that they need training in all aspects of ministry.  Elisha was annoyingly faithful in following his master.  He seemed to be looking to wring the last drop of prophet-wisdom out of him.

IV.  The Request

A.  Asked  vv. 7-9  “And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.  And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”

As a spiritual son, and having abandoned his earthly inheritance, Elisha was offered a choice of what he would receive from his mentor.  Considering the great things that Elijah had done, our imaginations might have run wild with things that could be asked of him.  What he did ask, though, was extraordinary.  He demonstrated faith both in the Lord’s power and in His generosity, and he honored the great man by asking something great from him.  Like this one, our greatest requests are for works which only God can do and for which He will receive great glory.

“A double portion” was far beyond the status quo, it was a term used to refer to the inheritance that a first-born son would receive which was twice as much as the other children.  A simple examination of the miracles of the two men recorded in Scripture seems to bear out that Elisha did twice as many.

What he asked for though, was not twice as many miracles, but twice as much “spirit.”  This is usually a reference to the part of a man which comprises his mind, desires, and passion.  He was not asking for twice as much of the Holy Spirit, but twice the ministry spirit.  Bible history bears out that in addition to the miracles that he performed, Elisha was not plagued with discouragement like his mentor.

I must admit that it did not occur to me as a pastoral apprentice to ask the Lord if I could be twice the man of God that my mentor was.  It takes a great deal of faith to see that we could be used beyond those who are ahead and above us, but it is not a false faith, it is trust in our omnipotent God.

B.  Answered  vv. 10-11  “And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

Since it was not within Elijah’s personal power to grant Elisha’s request, he made a provision which left his blessing in God’s hands.  Ever the pessimist, or realist (as pessimists call themselves), Elijah noted that his apprentice had asked “a hard thing.”  After all Elijah had seen, he still thought that some things were hard for God!  He probably thought that the age of miracles was coming to an end rather than just warming up to a climax.

Of course, there are many who think that the organized church and the ministry have outlived their usefulness, and that it is time for a new de-centralized model for leadership accountability and for “doing worship.”  Why would you want to be a student of an outdated job like this one?  You might as well go join up with a blacksmith!  Actually, where my church is there are more horses than people, and the smithies are doing quite well.  Prophet or not, we do not know the future other than what God has revealed, but we can see that the Lord still has wonderful things in store for the church, and it will continue to have a great need for leadership throughout this age.

vv. 12-14  “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.”

If Elisha needed more encouragement, to see his mentor so honored of God would have supplied it.  He did not pause long, though.  He only observed a brief time of mourning, in which he acknowledged that the nation’s defense was in its godly men not its fighting men.  When it was Elisha’s time to die, King Joash knelt by his bed and made the same cry.

Conclusion: 

“Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”  What an honor for the Creator and Lord of the universe to be known by anyone as my God!  If He is known as your God does anyone want Him for themselves?  Do they want to join you in His service?

Like Elisha, you and I stand in a field in need of plowing, planting, and harvesting.  There is a mantle of ministry to be passed from this generation to the next, but who will cast it? and who will catch it?

My Call to Christ and His Service

This is the testimony and challenge that I shared at a seminary chapel in Crato, Brazil, in September 2005:

John 15:7  “If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.”

Early in my life I realized that receiving whatever I asked of God would happen as I accepted His desires as my own.  The desires that He gave to me were to be a pastor and to be a missionary.  My testimony is that God’s Word is true, God gave me these desires and He has been fulfilling them.  Being allowed to be here with my dear brothers and sisters in Brazil today is part of that.  Although I have believed God to be good for a long time, every day I am more certain!

I was brought up in a family with Christian parents who were away from the Lord for several years but had come back to Him at about the time I was born.  This meant that I had parents who loved the Lord sincerely with a realization of how desperate life can be without Him.  They also had, and still have today, a burden for lost souls that is contagious.

With that kind of a family it is not entirely surprising, but it is still wonderful, that I came to trust Christ as my Savior at the age of four.  Someone here asked me how I could understand salvation at the age of four, my answer is that I understood it very simply, the only way that anyone can receive it.  I was taken to church every time the doors were open since I was born, and we had devotions as a family almost every day of my childhood, but there was no question that I was a sinner.  I had a pastor who was not afraid to preach about hell, and he put it on a level that I could understand.  It was after a church service on September 16, 1973, that I knelt beside my bed to beg the Lord to save me.  The next day I told my father what I had done and he took me through the Scriptures to be sure that I understood my decision.  I was baptized a few years later at the same time as my newly-saved grandmother!

Now, about this verse, notice that there are conditions set for having our prayers answered.  They are that we abide in God and have His Word abide in us.  That has never come easily for me.  I was a disobedient rascal as a child and especially as a teenager.  I would have times of repentance, though, and I always knew that the Lord wanted to use me.  At the age of 11 I formally surrendered my life to the Lord’s service.  Even while I was a sneaky, selfish, trouble-making youth I was involved in many ways in my church and went on several missions trips.  I worked in AWANA, a bus ministry, and Children’s Church.  We ministered with American Indians, Haitian refugees in Miami, retired missionaries, a new church plant, and at a Christian camp.  The Lord was giving me valuable experience even before I had fully surrendered to Him.  A new pastor that came to my church took me in as an apprentice and taught me a great deal.

In my last year of High School I had begun dating the girl who would be my wife, and I began to get serious about preparing for the ministry.  The Lord still did not have my dedication on a consistent basis though, until I got into Bible College and began to faithfully have personal devotions.  You see, I had not been abiding in God because His Word was not abiding in me!

While in college I was given the opportunity to serve as a youth leader in a church and remained with that ministry for three and a half years.   Seeing how much I needed the Lord’s help in His service taught me to apply myself to my studies like I never had before.  I also grew more mature as I got married while in college and carried the financial responsibility for my education and that of my wife as well.  She trained as a teacher and put me to shame with her almost perfect grades.

I started school with very little money and a small scholarship which I lost when I married.  I learned then to work hard at several jobs and to earn an academic scholarship to pay our way through school.  I often worked more than 40 hours a week, carried a full class load, and spent the entire weekend at our church ministry 150 kilometers away.  Yet it was the Lord Who carried us through and we did it with great joy, still finding time to make good friends and play Volleyball and Ping Pong!

During our last year of school I took on a new ministry as an interim pastor, and that led us to the planting of a new church just before we graduated.  Because I had a burden to be used of the Lord in training missionaries in America and visiting foreign fields I continued to study after receiving my Bachelor’s Degree.  I wanted to come to places like this and be something more than a tourist.  The Lord was calling me to make myself more useful to Him through further training.  I just kept at it, not really stopping until last year when I had all of the degrees that my school had to offer for pastors.

As I have said, I count it a great privilege and a fulfillment of God’s promise to be here in Brasil today.  I did not ask Him to take me to a certain country, but to use me wherever there were precious souls that needed to be saved, and willing workers with a burden to reach them.  My church in Wild Rose is honored to have a small part in the ministry of the Willsons, and if the Lord is willing we will keep the church alive and make it grow.  Then it can do more yet to further the work here, and in Mexico, and in Italy, and in Tanzania, and in Cuiaba Brasil, in New York City, and in Wisconsin.

I have spoken of my calling specifically, let me say a few words about the calling which we all share.  Acts 5:17-20 "Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life."

That passage can serve as an illustration of what the Lord is asking of each of His children.  This passage illustrates my ministry calling, and perhaps it will be a challenge to you as well.  The apostles had been imprisoned by the high priest and Sanhedrin for doing God’s work, but the Lord did not want them out of service for long, in fact they did not even get the whole night off!

An angel was sent to break them out of jail and give them God’s orders.  First he said that they were to “Go.”  They had no cause to feel sorry for themselves or permission to take it easy and lie low for a while.

The angel also said that they were to “stand.”  That meant that their ministry would be open, and particularly that they were being sent out into the court of the temple even though that was very near to the men who had commanded their arrest!  “If our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost.”  The people needed to see their determination and conviction and they needed to hear their message.

That brings us to the angel’s third command, for God’s men to “speak.”  They had something to say and they refused to be made quiet by any threat.  It is hard to keep good news to yourself, but when it may be dangerous or uncomfortable for us to speak up we can often find excuses for silence.  Now let us apply these three commands to Christian life and ministry.  I particularly want to point out how important it is that we obey all three together and do not leave any one undone.

What if we are willing to stand and speak but do not go anywhere?  I am afraid we will be like a great many of the Lord’s people today.  Sometimes we treat our churches like traps, we are just waiting for the lost to come in so that we can spring upon them with the gospel.  That is great, we should do that, but let us make that our Sunday strategy, the rest of the week is hunting season and we need to go out to where the game is, wherever the Lord sends us, near or far away.

What if we are willing to go and speak but we do not really stand for anything?  We are not only disobedient, we will be totally ineffective. The Lord has designed His work to be done as a harmony of sound doctrine, pure testimony, and compassionate outreach.  Too many have gone to a mission field or church ministry and have become so much like the lost that they are no good to them.

Let me say one more thing about standing firm in the ministry, and illustrate it.  I used to push the limits of Christianity with things that were new and exciting which I felt that I had liberty to do.  During college the Lord impressed upon me the necessity of standing “fast,” or “firm” which He commands many times.  Remember this: the way you lean is the way you will fall.  Are you technically standing in obedience, but beginning to lean?  The world the flesh and the devil will push us at every opportunity and often right in the direction that we are leaning.  We will have a much better chance of staying true and straight if we are not leaning.  Are you conservative, but leaning contemporary?  Are you standing pure but leaning toward worldliness?  Are you standing in what is right but leaning toward compromise?  The way you lean is the way you will fall.  The safest stance is the straightest one!

Lastly I ask you, what good will we do for the lost if we go to them and stand faithfully, but do not speak the gospel?  A silent witness is no witness at all, the truth must be spoken or it is not rightly lived.  We cannot take this for granted among God’s people.  Sadly, there are many evangelistic efforts that never get to a clear presentation of the gospel!

I am so glad that a pastor answered his calling to go to Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.  I am so glad that he stood for pure living to remain in the ministry, and that he stood for the truth of God’s Word.  I am also very glad that he spoke the whole gospel, the terrible penalty of sin and the hope of salvation.  His obedience made all the difference of eternity for me!

Stick to Snake

During my early morning meditation in the still and dark, I asked the Lord if there is a lapse in my faith.  I admit that it was due in part to a strange dream that I had, but it will always be a good question:  “Lord, is there anything that I think You cannot do?”

This bit of soul searching was a good opportunity to deal with some struggles that I was having with God’s will.  I have not always liked what God chose to do, but I recognize that He is doing the choosing, He is in complete control.  It may be partly my nature, but I really believe that He can do anything with anybody, not just in abstract, general terms, but also in a practical sense in my life.  On this occasion, the prime discovery that I made is that I do not believe that God can make something extraordinary out of me.

This was not a great achievement in humility, it is just a matter of knowing myself as well as I do.  My moment of clarity was to get beyond the self-deception with which I am often plagued.  The truth is that in forty years of walking with the Lord I have always managed to go right from progress to regress.

I am always looking for a bit of self-improvement and I am coming to see it as spiritual micro-evolution.  I make slight but mostly helpful adjustments to the old man, my old nature.  I have never believed in macro-evolution, one species changing into another, and apparently I have come to a sad acceptance of my mediocre spiritual species.  What I lack in faith in the worst way (at the moment) is belief in God’s ability to change me!

II Peter 1:3-5 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”

My lack of faith is not a respectable problem, it is an unacceptable condition.  I know that I must constantly build my faith, and this is clearly a major building project which needs to begin now.  Knowledge is important, but, as Peter said, it must be built upon faith and virtue.  For instance, I know that God changed Moses’ stick into a snake, but I just do not see that happening in my life.  I guess that I do not like the stick or snake as a personal metaphor!  Moses himself, though, went through some major life-transformations, as did Peter and Paul.  Those men are good examples because they had additional major life-makeovers even after their conversion.  I know that God can work at all stages of life, but perhaps the missing link between my faith and my knowledge is virtue.  I need a love for God and His work that is greater than my love for myself or anything in this world.

I do not need a new job, but I do need new determination to be all that God wants me to be.  I need to be renewed as God’s child, as a husband, as a father, and in all my relationships in this world.  A first step to seeing it happen will be believing that God can make it happen.  The Lord asked both Abraham and Jeremiah, “is there any thing too hard for me?”  He asked me as well, and I know the answer.  Now I just need to know the victory.

“We Shall All Be Changed”

As I sat in the midst of the church council, comprised of at least a dozen grey heads, I was painfully aware that I was only 21 years old. They had asked me to consider being their pastor. That could not have been an easy decision for them, but I was going to ask them to do something much harder: change. As a fledgling separatist I could not join their church’s conference, but it would be simple enough for them to withdraw from it, right? They could hardly understand why I would ask such a thing. They had always been conservative and thought that holding to their solid tradition was enough, while the world changed around them.

Today, half a lifetime later, I am a grey head and I am struggling with the concept of change. Is it too late in the course of church history to propose another doctrine? Not so that I can teach it, but so that I can study it, a thorough “Changeology” needs to be developed. I must not be the only one who is longing to know when it is right and best to cut loose of old moorings, and when it is both courageous and wise to hold to the time-tested. Choose your hot-button issue: Bible translations, music, worship formats, personal separation standards, and probably any other you can imagine, the issue is: “to change or not to change.”

In my opinion Leith Anderson makes some good observations but comes to the wrong conclusions in his book “Dying for Change,” perhaps the volume most to the point. He says, “Two theological truths explain God’s relationship to change: immutability and sovereignty.” (11) He rightly notes that change is most often chaotic for man but never is for God. I disagree with some of his suggestions for modernizing the church because we have different “non-negotiables,” but I appreciate his consistency.

Growing is the stuff of life, the antonym of death. Someone taught me that growth is painful because it is change. It was a prolonged lesson, but that was all that I needed to hear, I understand that change is hard. Moving from one job or ministry to another always brings a retching pain to the pit of my stomach. I ask myself every time: “It was right for me to come here, can it be right for me to leave? Is this the right time for a new chapter?” By nature I enjoy doing bold things, but I have done enough of them to know that “bold” is often another name for “stupid.”

Not all change or growth is positive. I have heard Dr. Les Ollila say, “Not all growth is good, it may just be swelling!” As we seek to grow we should ask the Lord to build our discernment first. It is a mark of maturity, along with growth in all directions, to have the wisdom to see which new bulges are positive and which are not!

If we find ourselves in a rut, whether it is of our making or someone else’s, it will take a large stride to step out of it. Stretching ourselves is the painful part of growth. Following God’s leading consistently and faithfully, will open us to the accusation of being in a rut. That is an accusation which the righteous man can endure, but being consistent and faithful is the task of a lifetime.

Can fundamentalists keep clinging to “ancient landmarks” or “old paths” and still maintain personal growth? If I were on a sinking ship and was disposed to find something to which I could cling for dear life, I would want to examine the qualities of my floatation device to discern if it was really likely to float! Some ancient landmarks are real sinkers because they are man-made and not biblical. At the same time our world is mass-producing shiny new floaties, which will not float. Discern between them we must.

It interests me to find that Jeremiah’s command, “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,” (6:16) was a call for the people to change their ways. He called for a radical change. “Radical” is a synonym for “Fundamental” according to Webster, meaning “back to the root.” There were great champions of tradition who were not truly keeping the law in letter or spirit in Jeremiah’s day, as in ours.

(The Proverbs 22:28 statement, “Remove not the ancient landmark,” is made in the unusual situation where context is instructive to the Proverbs reader. The landmarks to be left alone were established business practices. The advice involved keeping an honest reputation.)

Personal spiritual growth will require a constant examination of what we think we know in the light of unchanging Scripture given by an immutable God. Our personal change and development will require strength and courage. We cannot be stagnant and be right with God. There is no permissible plateau in the Christian experience, which is the process of sanctification. Growth is not an option, so, neither is change.

Grounding seems to be just as necessary as growing for obedient believers. Change gets attention, and it can be exciting. Being attention and adrenaline junkies, we may be tempted to enter a pattern of constant change. Some call it a “slippery slope” when one change leads to another, undoubtedly as obstacles are overcome and we are more practiced at it, making changes becomes easier. We are cautioned that it is just as important to stop when enough has been done as it is to get started. Proverbs 24:21 “My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change.” (KJV)

Another poor motive for change may be proving our bravery, our independence, and our free-thinking. Living in this world we cannot help but be affected by its atmosphere of anarchy. We may fear being written off as irrelevant if we are not moving in some proportion to the world around us. We want to be bold and be different. Yet, it seems that the masses become more alike as they all strive to be different. True courage and individuality may require willingness to be the last one clinging to a timeless tradition. The difficulty is discerning the value of the tradition in our grasp.

The Apostle Paul’s example might be instructive here. He was constantly changing venues of ministry and making plans and changing his plans. He also wrote about changing his approach in different circumstances, “I am made all things to all men.” (I Corinthians 9:22) His “non-negotiables” were the gospel and the doctrine which he taught, and the Galatians were warned to accept no “other.”

What we are to be producing for the Lord is most often pictured by a building with foundations rather than a trailer or a tent. The changes which He prescribes lead us to more growth in the short term, but ultimately He is producing something timeless and unchanging. “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14 

Glorifying God is supposed to be the focus and highest end of our lives. We want to keep growing, and we want grounding, but there must be a hierarchy of these values, and when God has lost preeminence we have made at least one change too many.

To check our motives for change it may be helpful for us to ask, “Who are we trying to impress?” It is tempting for some fundamentalists to push boundaries or do things differently, so that they will get noticed. Rather than accusing brothers of attention-seeking, or of sacrificing orthodoxy out of pragmatism, we should not pretend to know their motives. We should be on guard, but for violations of Scripture not just tradition.

Personal growth was the focus earlier, but everyone involved in ministry loves to see the corporate kind of growth as well. What we will do to encourage or facilitate that growth begs the question, “Who are we doing it for?” We can argue that ministry growth is numbered in souls being affected and that the desperate need of souls is worthy of our most creative efforts. At the same time, though, we know better than to construct a man-centered ministry, we are not doing anything for people if we are not doing it for their Creator.

Like Moses, we are only to move with the pillar of cloud or fire. We are to hit the rock when God says so, and to change to speaking to it when He says. Moses could not set their course by the people’s complaints or his own whim or ambition.

Do I need to tell you that the church council that I mentioned in the beginning voted against my proposed change? They admitted that they were driven by financial fear because the conference held a $30,000 note on their $500,000 building. The Lord did direct two of the men to plant a new church with this young pastor, and a lot of change was in store for all of us. Not all of it was done in faith, hence the grey hairs. Change has only become more difficult since then, so I will be first to buy your book on the new doctrine of “Changeology!”