Light-work

Oaks Without Acorns Pt. 1 of 2

I am surrounded!  There are massive 50-100' tall giants encircling my home and they can get pretty rowdy when the wind kicks up.  They are oak trees and there is a distinct difference between the young and the mature.  Only mature oaks bear acorns.  I mention this because I am struck by a connection between these big fellas and what I consider a giant problem in the church.  First, a little background.

Let's think hypothetically about strategy for our earthly mission.  Jesus has left us on planet earth to make disciples.  Suppose you had 100 devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  They are the real thing.  They are trusting Jesus for their salvation, earnestly listening to Him, submitting to His agenda, and becoming like Him.  Using strategy one ("maximum outreach") they commit themselves to evangelism and each determine to win one person to Jesus EVERY WEEK for the next 20 years.  If successful, there would be over 100,000 people in heaven who would have reason to thank the original 100.

Now suppose we change to a multiplication strategy.  Instead of having each of our 100 bring someone to Christ every week, we ask them to only win one person per year.  But, in addition to helping someone respond to the Gospel, they work for one year with each new convert to duplicate themselves!  This original 100 would seek out the lost, call them to their Savior and Lord, help them grow into His likeness, and equip them to go make disciples using the one-a-year plan.  Here's the stunning product:  If 100 disciple-makers duplicated themselves once every year, in 20 years there would be over 43 MILLION people saved for eternity.  Our original 100 would only have to disciple 20 people apiece in the span of 20 years - doesn't seem too daunting, but the results are stunning.

Let's try the Jesus plan.  He invested in 12 men over a period of 3 years.  One of those 12 bailed before graduation, but the other 11 were ready at the end of three years to duplicate the investment Jesus had made in them by doing likewise for others.  So if our 100 disciple-makers used this plan and each duplicated themselves in 11 others every three years, in 21 years there would be almost 1.7 BILLION people who would be able to say to that original 100, "Thank you!  You are part of the reason why I am here in heaven."  Our original 100 would only have to disciple 77 people apiece in the span of 21 years - very challenging but not impossible.

Now, I realize that this hypothetical case is not reality.  Working in hard soil; crossing cultural barriers; the requirement of "pre-evangelism" for societies where God is unknown - these would be significant impediments.  But despite the limitations of my projection, it is still capable of making this profound point:  If a very small number were committed to following Jesus' disciple-making strategy, they could quickly make a breath-taking, even world changing, difference.

I read that last sentence, compare it to what I know about this real world, and I gasp, "Something is terribly wrong."  There are millions who name the name of Jesus.  If even 1% of those millions were working the Jesus plan, the WORLD WOULD BE CHANGED IN SHORT ORDER!  But I don't see anything like a movement in which over a billion become disciples of Jesus within the span of a generation.  What am I to conclude except that among the masses who name the name of Jesus, we cannot seem to muster a mere 100 people who will devote 21 years to making disciples like Jesus?  What am I to say except, "We have a shockingly serious problem?"

Can this problem be fixed?  Let's talk about it on Monday.  If you would like a down-loadable version of the chart, go to the "pretty good downloads" page for a PDF version you can mount on your wall.

What Jesus Wants for Christmas

What would you think of someone who said this?  "For my birthday, I want everyone to celebrate by gaining weight, going in debt, and acquiring lots of stuff."  Weird!  So is Jesus weird or are WE weird for thinking that's how He wants us to celebrate His birth?

I am not going all scrooge here and am definitely not trying to steal any of the seasonal fun of being with friends and family.  BUT, let's not miss out on something deeper.  If we are going to celebrate Jesus' birthday (and I cannot think of a birth more worth celebrating), wouldn't it seem appropriate to ask HIM what gifts He would be pleased to receive from us?  Have you ever received a gift from someone that reflected no knowledge or appreciation for who you are?  Then what can we give to Jesus as we celebrate His birth that reflects our understanding and gratefulness for who He is?

There are many passages in the Bible that tell us what's on Jesus' Christmas list.  Here are a few to get you started:

• Micah 6:8:  Sharing acts of justice and kindness / walking in humility - He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
• Luke 19:10:  Seeking out those who think God doesn't have an interest in them / letting them know Jesus is interested enough to save them - "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
• 1 Tim. 2:3-4:  Giving others the truth they need to embrace their Savior - This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Here's an idea for your family.  Why not read through one of the Gospels at dinner (or whatever time works best for your family) during the month of December.  As you do, have everyone in the family listen for clues about what Jesus wants.  Write your ideas down on a list.  Then as you near December 25, look at what you have compiled.  Identify a specific gift you could give to Jesus, as individuals or as a family. It might be an act of kindness toward someone else, or a change in how your family operates.  Give Jesus something He actually wants!  He's not interested in you gaining weight, going in debt, and acquiring more stuff.

Reasonable Economic Idiocy

Sometimes it takes a comic to bring some sanity to the conversation.  If you have found yourself somewhat befuddled by all the talk of market sentiment and sub-prime woes, you will find this clip from you-tube  more than diverting.  I have watched it several times, and laughed more with each screening.

Before yet another pointless meeting, a friend once confided, "I survive our meetings because I come for the entertainment value.  If I couldn't laugh, I would have to cry."  There is something similar in the experience of watching "George Parr," the investment banker.  What is happening in the marketplace is so remarkably insane, we don't know how to wrap our mental arms around it unless we do so with laughter.  This is not a new approach.  Solomon observed, "Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief" (Prov. 14:13).  I am glad for the laughter; I grieve for the economic disaster that we seem destined by such folly to inherit.

What's a man (or woman) to do?

This is so whacked!  Women are getting all kinds of mixed messages about their role, a cacophony of voices hawking the latest notion about how a woman finds her worth.  For men, the problem is not many opinions but a depressing concensus that manhood, by its very nature, is bad.  So women don't know what they are supposed to be.  And men only know what they shouldn't be, men!

Against such fog, the Bible is a fresh breeze.  It calmly affirms that when men act in accordance with their design as men, that's a good thing.  Paul wants the Corinthian church to face up to some problems, so he calls them to rise to the challenge and "act like men" (1 Cor. 16:13).  His command makes NO SENSE unless there is something profoundly valuable when godly men act in accordance with their nature.

For women, when their lives are focused on being women of truth and character, when they successfully impart that legacy to the next generation of women, they make the Word of God look good (Titus 2:5).  Here is a clear and noble path by which a woman devotes herself to virtues that have special relevance to women.  These displays of healthy doctrine frame how women become women who do what matters.

The doors of many a church have closed to this fresh breeze, the fog is thickening, and confusion among men and women about what they should do is on the rise.  So I am grateful for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.  It is their mission to promote understanding and appreciation of what the Bible says about men and women.  Check out their recently updated website which is a real treasure trove of fog-dispelling goodies.

And it gets even better!  CBMW makes many audio and print resources available on-line.  You can still buy books if you want to give them as gifts.  But you can also download some great documents and books as PDF files.  Here's a link to a list of key resources to get you started.  I support CBMW in my giving.  I believe in the value of what they're doing.  You'll know why when you feel the fresh breeze at their site.

And I Approve This Message!

Most campaign ads are blah-blah-blah.  The latest clip from Mike Huckabee is inspiring!  An electorate that views real faith as a political liability might view this ad negatively.  But I appreciate someone having the courage to say we are facing a moral crisis that cannot be addressed without God's help and our engagement.  Can a President, can government, solve such a moral crisis?  The farmer cannot lay eggs, but his endeavors influence those who can.  This video suggests Mike might make a good farmer!  At least he appreciates what the hens are up against.

A Direct Connection with God?

Preparing youth for the art of jihad is the noble educational goal of the Pakistani madrassa.  So claims Rep. John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of House Oversight and Government Reform, as quoted in a Washington Times article, "Jihadist Training Ground?." 

A star pupil at the Arabia Taeem-ul-Quran school is featured in the article.  Muhammad Asher, age 15, can recite from memory the entire Koran.  The curriculum at Muhammad's madrassa is uncomplicated:  Between three meals and five times of prayer a day, memorizing the Koran is the single goal.  Nothing else is taught, including basic reading skills.  Students like Muhammad are the kind of recruits who are actively sought by extremist factions.  They have the right stuff to take lives with religious fervor.

Muhammad is quoted explaining, "When I pray and study, I feel a direct connection with God. It takes away all my fears. I'm only afraid of God."  Is he right - is his experience an encounter with God?  Or is it something else?  There is little doubt in my mind that God is NOT talking to Muhammad.  The marvel, to me, is that Muhammad thinks He IS!  If Muhammad is fast-tracking to become one who dishonors God by taking life, not protecting it, his claim to a direct connection with God betrays a serious hearing problem.

Perhaps this is a clue to what will happen as we near the end.  Men's penchant to re-label terrorism as "service to God" will wax large.  Jesus told us this would happen:  "An hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.  These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me" (John 16:2-3).  There will come a day (for many that day is already here) when following Jesus is a matter of life and death.  Don't be surprised when persecution is administered by those who know neither Jesus nor the Father, but who think they have a "direct connection to God."

Who's Talking, God or Me? Pt. 3 of 3

This is really weird!  I'm reading a passage in the Bible that has nothing to do with me and suddenly a verse pops off the page.  It's like someone has been reading my mail!  Or my Mind!!  Is God talking to me?  It could be!  God can communicate with us lots of different ways.  But because we are not very good at recognizing His voice, it is a really good idea to ask, "What confirmation do I have that this is God talking to me and not just me talking to myself?"

The best possible confirmation is Scripture.  Remember the Bereans?  Some guy named Paul came to town declaring, "I have a message for you from God."  So where did they go for confirmation?  The book of Acts answers, "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11 - NASB).  Here's the best possible way to confirm that what has popped off the page is something God is saying to me:  Find the message repeated elsewhere in His Word.  So, I ought to examine the Scriptures to see if there is a clear biblical basis for what I think God is asking me to do in the verse that pops.  If there is, it's time to take action.

Here is a rich and interesting "confirmation principle."  It comes from Jesus who declared, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself (John 7:17 - NASB).  It is NOT POSSIBLE for a man who is resisting God to receive confirmation.  My only hope of certainty about the source of a message (from God or not?) lies in meeting a prerequisite.  I must have already issued God a blank check.  I must  hold my heart in a place where it can say, "I am willing to receive from your hand whatever You want to give me, even if it is not what I would choose for myself."  The man whose heart says this is a candidate for confirmation.  The man who cannot say this will not be able to confirm the source of something that might well be from God.  How scary is that - to have a word from God in your possession, but to be unable to validate that it is from God?

Let's extract two other insights from this passage.  How can you know whether you have issued God the aforementioned blank check?  Once again, we are brought back to Scripture.  The man who is "willing to do His will" is the man who is obedient to everything he already understands from Scripture.  There is not an issue of glaring disobedience in his life that voids his blank check.

Second, notice the "if/then" elements in Jesus' statement.  "If anyone is willing, . . . [then] he will know."  This is God's announcement of a partnership.  Remember (see yesterday's post) that the Moses, Balaam, and Belshazzar accounts all reveal something about our God.  He is aware of men's need for confirmation and willing to take steps to address it.  This is something truly marvelous about our God.  It fills me with joy and wonder.  God WANTS me to know what He thinks!  Most important people don't consider me worth their attention.  But God does!  In John 7:17, there is an implicit promise from God:  If I am willing to do His will, He will take care of the confirmation problem.

When we get down to it, God's commitment in this regard is a life saver.  (Literally!)  No man has within himself the capacity to validate God's Word.  Only God can do that!  So, when God says that the man who is willing to do his will is a guarantied recipient of confirmation, He is pledging Himself to provide that confirmation.  How will He do that?   That's HIS department, so I can't say - but I know that the means could be as varied as a stick that becomes a snake, a talking donkey who can explain danger, and access to a man of God who knows how to read the handwriting on the wall.

There are more confirmation principles, but I imagine I have said enough to stir up the pot.  If the pot gets to bubbling, I might add a post-script next week.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

Who's Talking, God or Me? Pt. 2 of 3

Suppose you are reading a passage that seems to have nothing in common with a situation you are facing. But when you read a certain verse, the words are written in neon.  They appear to speak DIRECTLY to a situation you are facing.  Could the breath-taking "connection" between this verse and your circumstances be God's doing?  Is He the one behind the connection and is He trying to tell you something?

The first thing we MUST admit is our ability to fool ourselves.  There is something inside of us that wants God's stamp of approval on the things that self wants.  The liability of this suspect motive can be compounded by the fact that we aren't that smart.  Our minds are capable of finding a reasonable explanation for nonsense.  So we have the limitations of two of Dorothy's friends all rolled into one:  We have neither the heart nor the brain.  We aren't equipped to declare, "This IS God speaking."

So, while we admit the possibility that God COULD be speaking in the neon verses, our healthy distrust of our heart and mind requires us to seek some external confirmation.   This heart and mind limitation comes as no shock to God.  So, we can take some refuge in the knowledge that IF God is speaking through our neon verses, He is aware of our need for something FROM HIM that we cannot supply ourselves, the confirmation that He is the one speaking.

In Part 1, I mentioned three examples of "unorthodox" modes of divine communication, a burning bush, a talking donkey, and handwriting on a palace wall.  In all three instances, these "neon experiences"  were not encountered in isolation.  There is a "ministry of confirmation" which God provided to the recipients of these messages.  Let's check 'em out.

At the burning bush incident recorded in Exodus 3-4, Moses was commissioned by God for a tough assignment.  Was Moses exasperating God by his list of objections?  Perhaps, but God DID give to Moses confirmation that this commissioning was not a mirage.  A rod that became a snake (and could be returned to its original state) and a hand that became leprous (and could be returned to a healthy condition) were graphic elements to this ministry of confirmation.

In the case of Balaam, his talking donkey experience was confirmation of previous instances where God spoke.  Check out Numbers 22.  In round one, God "came to Balaam" and said, "Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people."  In round two, God "came to Balaam at night" and said, "Go with them, but only say what I tell you."  This was followed by a "three-peat" of  "when good donkeys go bad."  The climax was being rebuked by his donkey and then reprimanded by the angel of the Lord.  Clearly God was unhappy with Balaam, but God DID leave no room for human error about the fact that God was the one doing the talking.

The "handwriting on the wall" incident recorded in Daniel 5 is interesting for the way in which God used two individuals as separate halves of a decoding mechanism.  Belshazzar received a written message from God at a party.  The meaning of the message hung in doubt until Daniel, a man of devotion to God and a man with a proven track-record of sorting out divine mysteries, was ushered to the scene.  Daniel explained what was a message TO the king but FOR everyone else.  The credibility of Daniel vouched for the authenticity of the message, as did the events of that evening.

Here is the take-away from these accounts.  If God wants to speak to us through a neon passage, He is more than aware of our limitations of heart and mind and of our need for confirmation that HE is the one speaking.  These passages show us that He is willing to provide that confirmation, to someone who balks at receiving a tough assignment from God (Moses), to someone who is toying with "doctoring up" his orders (Balaam), and even to someone whose party was "the last straw" of defiance against God (Belshazzar).  If God is willing to provide confirmation in these accounts, then how much more so when someone has a heart for the things of God.  It seems reasonable that if God wants to speak through a neon verse, that blinking neon will be accompanied by something else to assure us we are not just seeing things.

Who's Talking, God or Me? Pt. 1 of 3

JG strikes again!  She made a comment in the Jer. 29:11 series that raises a whole new issue.  She wants to know if God can direct you using a passage that "isn't particularly relevant to your situation, but the wording is such that it seems to grab your attention.  Maybe there are words or phrases that describe what you are feeling or dealing with, words that only you and God would recognize as significant."

The short answer is, "Of course, He can!"  God is perfectly capable of guiding and directing us through an infinite array of methods.  A burning bush, a talking donkey (not from Shrek!), and handwriting on a palace wall come to mind.  So if God is able to use shrubs, livestock, and billboard calligraphy to get our attention, it seems perfectly reasonable that He could use a passage from the Bible to direct us, even a passage that was written for a different purpose to a different people facing a different situation.  God does not answer to us, and He is free to use His Word as He sees fit.  God is able to provide individual guidance for us on His terms and to crystallize that guidance in language that echoes biblical terminology from passages only indirectly related to our situation.

God's ability, however, is not the problem.  OUR ability is.  How do we KNOW that God is the One speaking, when "the wording is such that is seems to grab [our] attention?"  Yes, God can speak through a passage in the manner JG describes, but how can we distinguish the times when He is speaking from the times we mistakenly think He is speaking?  There are quite a few threads we must trace to unravel this ball of string. 

Let's start with a sober assessment of our capacity for self-delusion.  It is possible to be absolutely convinced that God is saying something to us and to be wrong!  Let me bring a few sample verses and comments to the table as evidence.

• Prov. 14:12 - There is a way which seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.  We are capable of believing that we are making a right choice when, in fact, we are progressing down a path that moves us away from God.  (This is the meaning of "the way of death" in Proverbs.)
• Jer. 23:25 - I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a dream, I had a dream.'  It is possible to have a dream and to use that dream, either unwittingly or consciously, as evidence that "God has spoken to me."   By such means, a man attempts to put words in God's mouth. 
• Jer. 5:31 - The prophets prophesy falsely, . . . and My people love it so!  It is possible for men to applaud when God's words are misrepresented; they actually prefer a message other than God's.
• Jer. 42:6 - Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.  This really sounds convincing!  But in context, these words are the people's mis-representation of themselves.  They didn't want divine direction, they wanted God's endorsement.  This little charade was a means to get God to back a plan of their own invention, to get his stamp of approval on what they had already determined to do (see Jer. 41:17-18).

The bottom line is that verses like these tell us about what men are capable of, and it's not pretty.  We have every reason to distrust our ability to identify God's voice.  So let's start our discussion (more next week) by affirming this, JG.  God can speak to us as He chooses, but we have good reasons, biblical reasons, to be suspicious of our ability to distinguish His voice from the desires of self.  There is something inside us that wants to cloak personal desires in robes of respectability by draping them with biblical terminology.  Proceed with caution!

Hermeneutics by Embarassment - Postscript

This word "hermeneutics" keeps showing up at Light-work, so what does it mean?  There are lots of definitions.  A basic one is "the art and science of biblical interpretation."  This is what we were taught in seminary.  We were supposed to follow-up by saying, "It's an art because it requires skill; it's a science because it uses objective principles."  You could also substitute this phrase, "method of interpretation," in place of the word, "hermeneutics."  Hermeneutics is not limited to the study of the Bible, by the way, but Bible study is where hermeneutics gets a good workout.

"Hermeneutics" is important for what it says but should also be appreciated for what it doesn't say.  The word declares that there should be a method to our interpretive endeavors.  But by itself, it doesn't identify what that method should be.  So this noun is often modified or supplemented by adjectives and phrases that announce the "brand" of interpretation that will be used.  Here are some "branded" phrases:  "Protestant Biblical Hermeneutics,"  "The Grammatical-Historical Method," "Literal Interpretation," and "Allegorical Interpretation."  If I coin a phrase like "hermeneutics by embarrassment," I am referring to a method of interpreting the Bible in which I filter out anything the Bible says that might put me at odds with the thinking and values of my culture.

Why do we need to spend a lot of time and energy evaluating various methods of biblical interpretation?  Why do we even need a method - can't we just read the Bible and go?  These questions might seem justified until we peer into an invisible process that is going on right now!  At this very moment, you are using a "method of interpretation" to extract meaning from the words in this post.  But you don't think about your method.  You just USE it.  We are communicating, you and I, without having to think much about the process, because we share a culture, a time, and a common language.  Our heritage gives us a shared set of rules about how to encode and decode verbal information.

What if we seek to understand a message from a different time and culture, a message written in a foreign language and presented in unfamiliar literary forms?  Now we must give conscious attention to a process that we have taken for granted.  We have to think about how we should extract meaning from the document, exactly how to get at what the author intended to say.  And if that message is from God, then the stakes have gone to the moon that we get it right!  Drum roll, please.  Enter the different brands of interpretive method, all vying for our acceptance as the best way to get at the goods from God.  At a site like Light-work that straddles the intersection of life and truth, discussion of the method by which we get at what God is saying will come up often.  Using my level of embarrassment to limit what God may say won't!

Hermeneutics by Embarassment

"For years now, I've been wondering what might convince such prophecy specialists [like LaHaye and Lindsey] to recognize that the eschatology they are foisting on the world is simply embarrassing to the church."  So says Paul Maier on his slip-cover endorsement for a new book by Hank Hanegraaff.  Someone was kind enough to give me his book last Sunday - I'll talk about it after I've read it.  But for now, I can't let Mr. Maier's dust-jacket musings pass without comment, albeit for reasons that probably have little to do with Mr. Hanegraaff's diatribe (and much more to do with something alarming in our midst).

I don't disagree with Mr. Maier that the Left Behind series has many "Left Bedeviled" with its specificity about dizzying details of our supposed imminent future.  (Perhaps we'll talk about eschatology in a future post.  I have a different take on what's coming.)  It's a small thing, but I am curious why he thinks that selling books constitutes "foisting?"  Now I agree that when my kids went to college, "foisting" was probably an apt descriptor for compulsory "buying" of textbooks.  But where's the "foist" in merely stocking Left Behind at Wal-Mart?

But enough trifling!  I find it more than just quibble-worthy he believes "embarrassment" deserves status as a guide to biblical interpretation.  It is not a new notion.  In 1973, Virginia Mollenkot wrote a letter to His magazine making a case for a feminism framed by popular thought.  She decried a biblically defined complementarity and then sounded this alarm:  "By continuing on such a course, evangelicals will only add fuel to the widespread secular concept that the Christian church is an outmoded institution."  At least she is upfront about it, advocating the use of embarrassment as hermeneutic.  To wit, if our understanding of a passage prompts displeasure or disparagement from society, jettison the notion like extra baggage on a foundering ship.  The Bible doesn't teach, or shouldn't be allowed to teach, what might embarrass the church!  Shame on us for daring to believe anything society finds hard to swallow!

In Nazi Germany, all manner of biblical truths were out-of-step with the Fuhrer's marching minions, so  the hermeneutic of embarrassment helped churchmen keep in time.  It makes we wonder as I hear the hermeneutic of embarrassment finding its voice today, what unpopular truths will be "left behind?"  As we near the end, will our culture's success at embarrassing us over what we believe be the means of "foisting" a false faith upon us?

A Little Light-Work Housekeeping

I have added a menu on the side bar that I thought you might find useful.  Some recent posts have generated a LOT of conversation that spans several weeks.  Between them, "Narnia for Atheists," the Jer. 29:11 series, and "Stop Trying to Please Me" have received 57 comments.  It could be a little daunting to keep up.  So I put a "recent comments" menu in the column to the right, just below the menu for "recent posts."  Now you can quickly check to see if a comment has been posted to a conversation you are following.  Your comments are REALLY GOOD!  So I thought this would give everyone a handy way to not miss any of this good stuff. 

Sub Sandwich and Supplication

A few months ago, I went to my favorite Quiznos and asked for the manager.  "Lea" met me with a face that suggested she was expecting another complaint.  Here's what I said, "I'm sure you are used to people complaining, but I want you to know that I appreciate what you do.  I really like your salads and appreciate the great service I receive whenever I come in."  We had a nice chat and I prayed for her.

In the subsequent months, we have developed a casual friendship.  Because of the demands of her job, including having to work on Sundays, she could rarely get to church.  I brought her some sermon CD's and kept updated on how to pray for her.  On one visit, she shared about her concern for a nephew.  Recent tests showed a suspicious mass in his back.  So we prayed.

Last week, Tom and I went to Quiznos for lunch.  Lea was working behind the counter.  I gave her a hello, but this was the lunch rush, so I didn't think a conversation would be in order.  I was surprised that Lea came to our table.  She told me an amazing story.  The doctors had scheduled an additional test for her nephew prior to scheduling surgery.  Their tests showed nothing.  They did it again with the same result.  Whatever got their attention was totally gone.  So Lea came to tell me that prayer works and that God is good.  I couldn't agree more!  We enjoyed a moment to thank God together for way more than just the food.

Sonia's Mud Room is Slick!

Last week I went to the Mud Room at Sonia's house.  Very slick!  It's like having your own personal Starbucks.  An animated girl's study group called "Rewired" was meeting there and the room couldn't be more perfect for casual conversation, fellowship, and talking truth.

Sonia sensed God asking her "to design a room of quiet where women or young ladies could bring their friends to talk, pray, laugh, listen to music, and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.  It is also available to any lady who needs a place of quiet away from her home – just to be still and listen to God."

So who needs a formal dining room that gets used twice a year when there's so much daily ministry mileage to be had in a Mud Room?  Thanks, Sonia, for giving us an example of responding to God and dedicating what you have to the Lord's service.

Women Whose Hands are Chains

A woman's heart and handiwork can be agents of bondage and death.  King Solomon understood this:  "And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains" (Eccl. 7:26).  There is a kind of woman who is not just a liability, she's dangerous!

In stark contrast, Titus 2:3-5 describes godly womanhood in terms of strength of character and noble purpose - women whose hands do good.  Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored (Tit 2:3-5 - NASB95).  The older women in this passage are remarkable.  Their handiwork is defined by four distinctive qualities and they have embraced a profound life mission.  The younger women stand out from their peers for the fact that seven facets of their lives converge to make the Word of God look irresistible - other women see what they have and say, "I want to live like that!"

To associate with these women is to behold truth in action, to feel the pulse of pure devotion to God, to hold hands that do good.  In an age where all the attention seems to go to women who run on emotion, whose lives have no bigger purpose than "living for me," whose effectiveness is measured by career, dollars, and possessions, Titus 2 is a breath of fresh air.  Instead of the toxicity of womanhood as defined by self-actualization and "I want it all," Titus offers a better way - a path to true significance.  It is a path that allows women to partner in a grace community and learn what it means to impart life and health to one another and to future generations.  This Titus path is one of LIFE and LEGACY.

For the woman who wants to replace hands that are chains with a heart that imparts life, see the study notes.  You can download the first set on "reverent behavior" by clicking here.  Over the next year, I will attach a new article describing a Titus 2 quality or insight each month.  You can access all of the Titus 2 materials (as they become available) by clicking on "Pretty Good Downloads" under "resources" (in the far right column).

Guest post by Rochelle Fleming - click on "Light-Work Partners" under "resources" (far right) for bio.

Stop Trying to Please Me! - Postscript

Yesterday, in "Stop Trying to Please Me," I failed to acknowledge an important distinction between "person A" and "person B."  Your comments helped me see something that could round out the previous post.  So let's identify who's who.  In the scenario that I described, "person A" is the one who is reluctant to come to me.  I would be "person B" whose disapproval is feared.  What do we know about each party?  Person A is facing a decision, wants to choose a wise course, seeks to understand what God/the Bible would say to his situation, and is seeking counsel from others (like me) to help him make a wise decision.  Person B is the one who is sought out (by Mr. A) for counsel, who wants to understand what God/the Bible would say to Mr. A's situation, who seeks to communicate what Mr. A needs to consider, and who must not cross the "invisible line."

Mr. B   Now let me first make a comment about person B (that's me).  Please remember that we are not talking about issues of sin, but matters of individual guidance.  When someone is asking about whether to defy the moral law of God, a completely different set of parameters and procedures comes into play.  But when someone is seeking to discern the path of individual wisdom and comes to me asking for counsel, I respect the invisible line when I do two things.  (1) I remind Mr. A that he needs to respond to whatever God says he should do.  He should NOT ACT until he KNOWS what God wants.  But when he knows, it is time to act accordingly.  (2) I express my willingness to support him even though he might choose a path other than what I recommend, AS LONG AS he is responding to what he understands to be God's direction.

In the scenario I described yesterday, this meant taking the initiative to contact Mr. A by phone and assuring him of my belief he is choosing what he is convinced is best and affirming my continued and undiminished support of him.  Sometimes, "not crossing the line" has meant saying something like this:  "I have given you Scriptures and principles that I believe pertain to your situation.  But you need to know that I am extending to you the freedom (and the responsibility) to do what God is asking of you, even if it might be different from the exact course I would prescribe.  I will stand with you in your choice."

Mr. A   For anyone who is wearing the hat of Mr. A, the gravity of his responsibility ought to jet-propel his search for a quality Mr. B.  He NEEDS the best biblical counsel he can get.  Mr. A can be tempted to "play the slots," to gamble against wisdom by going from person to person until he hits the jackpot of someone who will endorse what he already thinks.  The worst thing Mr. A can do is misconstrue Mr. B's unwillingness to cross the invisible line as a license to do "whatever I want."  Mr. A should be humbled by the weight of his personal responsibility to do "whatever God wants," tenacious in his search for godly wisdom, and profoundly grateful for good counsel that helps him honor God.

Stop Trying to Please Me!

Someone recently faced a tough decision.  We are not talking about a clear issue of sin, but a nuanced question of wisdom, of finding the best possible course among several viable and seemingly biblical alternatives.  He landed on what he honestly believed was God's best, but then wrestled with guilt because he suspected I would disapprove of his actions.

As a pastor, there is a fine balance between what my role IS and what it is NOT.  When someone seeks my counsel, it is my job to bring to the table as much relevant biblical teaching as I can find, then to communicate with passion and clarity what I am convinced is authoritative and pertinent.  At the end of such speech is an invisible line I dare not cross.  I cannot make someone else's decision.  I am not the ultimate judge of those decisions.  And, I am definitely not his God.  (This comes as no surprise to anyone, myself included, but in this case it doesn't hurt to repeat the obvious!)

In matters of individual guidance, I become a hindrance to God's work in others when I insist that they do what I say in order to respond to God.  I must give people permission to act on what they are convinced God is saying, even when their response favors a course that I would not choose for them.  The strength of doing this is that it grows people's ability to listen to God and to respond to Him.  When I cross the invisible line, I nurture a mindset in which "what I think" can easily become static that makes it harder for people to tune in to God.

I am not alone in my respect for the invisible line.  Even someone with the clout of an apostle warns against crossing it.  Paul instructs us, "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike.  Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5 - NASB95).  The expression "each person must be fully convinced" asks us to "give another permission" to act on what he believes is right.  Have you ever tried to listen to one person speak when another is competing for the floor and refuses to be quiet.  I want to make receiving God's individual guidance more simple for the fact I give them only One Voice to listen to.  There is a time to speak and then there is a time to be quiet.

Is Jer. 29:11 YOUR Promise? Pt. 4 of 4

Jeremiah upset the applecart in Jer. 29:11.  All around him were people who had an angle on things.  The way they had it figured, recent reverses suffered at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar were merely temporary setbacks - Happy days would be here again soon.  Unfortunately for them, God's plan, the only plan that matters, was not drawn from the same script.  In God's plan, the losers were the ones with a future.  The "lucky ones" would lose it all.

Let's be clear about the intended recipients of Jer. 29:11 - this promise was given to Jewish exiles living in Babylon in the first half of the 6th century BC.  The fulfillment of the promise was offered to and experienced by SOME of their progeny about 70 years later.  No one reading today's post at light-work.com is on the "intended recipients" list.  So here we are two and half millennia later, wondering how this promise has implications to help equip men and women of God (like us) for every good work.

Hermeneutics is "the art and science of biblical interpretation" and there is no shortage of texts, classes, and seminars on the subject.  But when it comes to the challenge of application, which is "the identification of specific ways in which the interpretation of a biblical passage has implications for those in the immediate audience and beyond," we are not so fortunate.  I have been interested in this topic for years and have collected everything I can find, but it ain't much.  We need a good book on the subject, maybe with the title:  "Applineutics:  How should we then live, in light of what the text means?"  Alas, this definitive and, I am sure, much needed resource will have to wait.  For now, "A few humble thoughts about how to apply Jer. 29:11," will have to suffice.

(1) One interpretation, many applications.  Although Jer. 29:11 was intended to say one thing to its original audience, there can be many implications which arise from this passage, both to the original audience and those outside this circle.  Here's the basic interpretive core of the verse:  God says to a small group generally regarded as losers that, in His plan, they have positive prospects for the future.  How one thinks, what one says, and what one does can be shaped in a whole host of ways by this solitary point.  For example, the exiles are given a sound basis in this verse to make a change in how they think, namely, to replace discouragement with hope. 

(2) If I am not the immediate recipient for a message, then I cannot directly apply it to myself.  I was not there in Babylon to receive Jeremiah's letter.  Neither was my father or grandfather.  So when God says, "I know the plans I have for you," I am NOT the "you" he is addressing.  I have no right to say this:  "God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan for my welfare."  It is TRUE that God has a plan for my welfare, but Jeremiah 29:11 is not the place to go to prove it.

(3) All biblical passages can give me insight into one of the four "grand" topics - God, man, the relationship of God to man, and the relationship of man to man.  Jeremiah 29:11 teaches us some glorious truths about God.  He is not bound or constrained by conventional logic or the popular view.  He is Lord of the impossible.  What men would consider a disaster can become in His hands the means of blessing for His people.  This ministers encouragement to me - God, my God, is the same God who gave a future to those who seemed to have none.  I have a sound basis to hope even if things look thoroughly hopeless when my hope is in God.  When I compare this promise to actual historical events that occurred around 535 BC, I can see that God came through just as he promised!  The promise of my God is reliable even when it's unbelievable!   

(4) Passage A (in which I am NOT the immediate audience) can serve as an illustrative echo of passage B (in which I am included in the immediate audience).  In 1 Corinthians 15:58 (passage B) Paul says:  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58 - NASB95).  Because of what Paul says in the forward in 1 Cor. 1:2, Paul is making this promise to all men everywhere who call on the name of Jesus.  So 1 Cor. 15:58 is written to ME!  There may be no shortage of voices crowing, "Spending your life for Jesus is a waste of time."  In moments of discouragement, I might even FEEL justified saying, "What's the use?"  But 1 Corinthians 15:58 turns this notion on its ears and declares, "It WILL be worth it."

Jeremiah 29:11 (passage A) becomes illustrative reinforcement of 1 Corinthians 15:58, especially because of the ironic element they share.  Jeremiah's promise shows us that just because someone thinks it's hopeless, doesn't mean it is.  When God is factored into the equation, MEN'S estimates of what can and can't happen are irrelevant.  The promise of Jer. 29:11 was fulfilled just as God purposed.  So I have in Jer. 29:11 a GREAT reason to trust Him when He promises ME in 1 Cor. 15:58 that serving Jesus will be worth it, despite any man's opinion to the contrary.

A Fleeting Moment at the Cross Recalled

Early Sunday morning, while praying with friends around the cross, we received word that "John" had been killed in a car accident on I-240.  I had only met him seven days earlier.  Some of John's coworkers attend Collierville Bible Church and had been supporting him as he sought to restore his marriage.  They invited John to a church picnic a week ago and that's when he and I first met.

As we chatted, it was clear that God was at work in his heart.  I invited John to come with me to the worship center.  There we talked under the cross about his marriage and how to do the right thing.  I asked John about his salvation.  I asked him, "If you were to die tonight and stand before God, for what reason would God invite you to enter His heaven?"  He recalled when he had accepted Christ in his younger days but acknowledged that he hadn't been living for Him.  I talked with him about returning to God and about giving his life and marriage back to God.  Through tears, he confessed his desire to do that.  We prayed together beneath the cross.  After our meeting, here's what John texted to his wife:  "I have turned my life over to the lord because he can do a lot better than i can."  He was looking forward to coming to church on Sunday.

During the following week, John showed signs of being a different man.  His boss at work recalled, "his speech, posture, gait, and expression all reflected purpose and direction. He wasn't floundering in self pity and hopelessness [anymore]".  On Saturday night, John spent some time with his wife.  Perhaps he saw glimmers of hope they could get back together and build a healthy marriage.  They parted and he texted her just after midnight, "I love you."  Hours later, the policemen at the door told her John was gone.

I met John at the cross for a fleeting moment.  We will not meet there again.  But because of what was accomplished at the cross both two millenia ago and seven days ago, we will meet again.

Need a Pull?

Okay, here's your Sunday feedback form.  Some people don't care for God and are proud of it.  Others may not care for God (or at least haven't in the past) but have a growing hunger for something more.  Then there are those who love God and want to grow as Jesus' disciples.  Some growing disciples want to take it to the next level and become effective as disciple-makers.  So where would you put yourself right now?  Where would you like to be?  What one thing would most help you get where you want to be?  Please use first names only and post a comment.

Is Jer. 29:11 YOUR Promise? Pt. 3 of 4

Okay, JG, let's get to the point.  Jeremiah wrote this:  "‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’"(Jer. 29:11 - NASB95).  What was he trying to say and to whom was he saying it?

Please read chapter 29 to get the big picture.  Verse 11 is part of a letter (the content of the letter is recorded in verses 4-20) that Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem.  The addressees were exiles from Israel.  They had been deported to Babylon and were living there in temporary quarters.  The popular view was that these exiles were the ones to be pitied.  They had lost everything except what they carried on their backs - while their brethren in the homeland continued to live large.  Their one consolation was that the overwhelming majority of Jewish prophets, both exiled and in Jerusalem, were predicting their stay in Babylon would be short.  So they put their lives on hold "waiting for Godot."

If you were to describe a group whose welfare had been compromised, who had experienced calamity, whose future hung in doubt and whose hopes were suspended by very slender threads, it would be this group of exiles.  Imagine their elated incredulity (Yippee!) when they received a letter from home in which God Himself says, "I have other plans, plans that involve your welfare and a bright future."  God must get a kick out of irony.  He is saying, "You losers will be winners."  But also notice that they won't win by returning home!  God's plan for the exiles involves sinking roots of permanent residency in Babylon, at least for 70 years.

God is here flipping on its head a conventional wisdom that was fueled by rebellion.  The way the home-crowd back in Jerusalem figured it, they were on the winning side.  Unlike the exiles, they had come out OK.  But Jeremiah was predicting (against the majority view represented by numerous false prophets) that the people in Jerusalem were the ones scheduled by God for an appointment with calamity.  Because they refused to listen to God, God would pursue them with the sword, famine, and pestilence.  By implication in 29:11, God was saying to the rebellious majority in Jerusalem,  "Oh, I have plans for you, too, Jerusalem.  But they don't involve your welfare."

Context clarifies this promise.  Verse 11 is a summary, and then verses 12-14 fill in the gaps.  Verse 11 states, "I have a plan, a good one."  Then verses 12-14 tell us some of the specifics of that good plan.  Note two of those specifics:  (1) When this plan is implemented, the people will earnestly search for God.  (2) When they find God, He will restore them to their land and assets.  God's good plan announced in verse 11 is one that includes repentance and restoration for the exiles after an interval of 70 years.

So let's put it together.  In verse 11, God says "I KNOW the plans I have for you."  Everyone else only thinks they have it figured out.  But God KNOWS what will happen.  And the Jerusalem crowd is in for a rude awakening.  Judgment IS coming.  Ironically, the exiles, those who have escaped with their lives, are the ones with a future.  From their progeny will arise a generation who have a heart for God and whom God will restore to the land.  This God-seeking people will be able to say, "God really did have a good plan for us all along."  Perhaps they will also muse, "We started to yearn for God in exile.  Maybe that's just what we needed to get our hearts right before Him."

Is Jer. 29:11 YOUR Promise? Pt. 2 of 4

Okay, so in Part 1 we agreed to identify what Jeremiah was saying to his original audience (the "interpretation") before we try to determine its implications for us (the "application").  But, this procedure assumes there is something for us in Jeremiah 29:11.  Is this a legitimate expectation?  I saw an advertisement for a cutesy plaque to hang in baby's room that says, "It's all about ME!"  Aren't we doing something similar when we exclaim that every passage in the Bible has something to say to ME?"  It stretches the limits of credulity (I like saying "credulity" - don't you?) to think that we can read someone else's mail, someone who lived millenia ago in a completely different culture, and propose he is saying something to US!

Normally, this would indeed be a credulity-buster.  (That was fun, too!)  But the nature of the Bible is anything but normal.  Unlike any other human literary production, this book has God's stamp on it that says, "These are my words to you."  Here's a key passage:  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17 - NASB95).  The Bible is "God-breathed," meaning that God is its source.  Because of this fact, the Scriptures are capable of a wide range of powerful influences ("teaching," "reproof," etc.) making it possible for any "God's man" to receive from them all he needs to do what is right in every situation.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that God intended for us to get something out of Jeremiah 29:11.  It would indeed be arrogance of the first order to assume Jeremiah. 29:11 was written for our benefit, except that God says it was!

Look at the left column on the chart.  It describes how God is working along every step of the growth chain which is His truth delivery system for our hearts and hands.  He is the One who declared the truth, who inspired authors of the books of the Bible to capture in words what He said,and who has superintended the process by which those original writings are made accessible to us.  As we read God's Word, He opens our minds to grasp what the human authors said to their original audiences, then He opens our eyes to see ways the message has implications for us, and finally, He empowers our hearts to respond by translating those implications into action.

By the way, there are a batch of theological terms that go with each step in the growth chain.  You can use them to impress your friends and neighbors.  (They are fun to say, too, like saying "credulity!")  I have aligned these terms with the relevant steps on the growth chain and put them together on a very handy 3-column chart you can download. 

Because of God's role, it is not just legitimate to say Jeremiah 29:11 has something to say to us, it is of vital importance to figure out what that something is.  So let's look at the interpretation of Jeremiah 29:11 (what Jeremiah intended his original audience to understand) in part 3.  Then we'll discern the implications for us in part 4.   As we do, we are divinely authorized to explore Jeremiah 29:11 for valid principles and insights that outfit us for every good work.