Hell, ever heard about it?

by

Jed Greenough

The title of this lesson seems a bit odd or simple, but really, I would like you to think about the question.

If you are under a certain age you may only be casually aware of the fact that Hell exists and if you are over a certain age you probably were more familiar with Hell but that awareness has faded with time.

To me the fact that so little is said about Hell from the pulpit is I think unconscionable and why, in part, some of these scriptures apply:

1 Timothy 5:24 

 ²⁴ The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.

2 Timothy 4:3 

³ For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

James 3:1 

 ¹ Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

I have often used the first scripture from 1st Timothy because I think it is a clear example of what can result from a false or incomplete teacher.  Picture in your mind the false teacher and maybe their sins are apparent to you but what is not as apparent are all the sins committed by their students who trail behind these teachers.

Not too many people want to hear bad news and Hell is about as bad as it gets, so 2nd Timothy’s scripture certainly applies.

And finally, not teaching everything that should have been taught will certainly result in much harsh judgment, as mentioned in James 3, descending upon these false and incomplete teachers.

Put yourself in the place of the man standing in the pulpit and think about the heavy burden that they have put upon themselves.

They, like everyone else, have to answer to someone.  Now obviously they have to answer to God, but I am talking about earthly authority here.  These preachers of the word have to keep their congregations and boards happy and that doesn’t seem to include much room for many sermons about Hell.

But if these preachers are aware of the scriptures we started out with, then they must know that they are playing with fire (no pun intended).

What is the answer?  It might be that some that preach will read this and it will bounce around and stick to some grey matter and some change will result.  Or again, it might be that some of you will read this and speak to your preachers.

I am not really sure what responsibility lies directly with the congregation with regard to the action that they must take, but I know that it seems to matter to very few.  Do you think that this means that we are very near the end?

Just to remind you, this blog is called Work of the Gospel and gospel means good news as most know but if there is good news there has to be the bad as well.  It’s this bad news that we aren’t hearing and the good cannot carry the same meaning without it!  How are people really able to make a choice if they aren’t hearing fully about both?  Once, people of all ages in our western world knew both but now they are no different then the so called “heathen” who have never heard of either, so I really have to question what kind of conversions are going on out there anymore.

Just a minute ago I said maybe some of you will speak to your preachers and that kept bringing to my mind that most or all of you will not.  Does that bother you at all?

I think like a lot of things pertaining to our faith, we assume things, we take on things that are taught to us, things dealing with heaven, hell, the resurrection, how we are to live as Christians.  Naturally, I am getting at the fact that we shouldn’t just assume or absorb anything when it is of such staggering importance, as is our salvation, without thorough understanding.

There is a plethora of information about Hell out there and most of it is probably not worth much because we have to wade through the teaching of opinion.  So in order to deal with Hell in our short format, let’s simply look at just some of what Jesus had to say in the synoptic gospel that dealt with it. 

Matthew 25:41-46 

   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

   ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Mark 9:42-48 

    ⁴² “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

Luke 3:8-9 

⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

There are many such examples from the scriptures that we can draw from and as usual many will read the same scriptures and draw different conclusions but most will see the terrible destination that is Hell. 

One descriptor that stands out over and over as it replays in my mind is “weeping and gnashing”.  If I do a concordance search of the NIV I will see this in the following scriptures:

Matthew 8:12

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 13:42

They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:50

and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 24:51

He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30

And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Luke 13:28

“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.

To me it is hard to comprehend eternal suffering in the physical sense, but I can imagine the horrors of being set outside, thrown out, away from God and His Christ forever.

Think about the time that Jesus had while He was here and go back and read what He felt was most important to share.  Those that preach the word should go through the scriptures and take notes whether literal or mental to remind them just what His message entailed.  There were certainly things that would lead to happy living that preachers use as patterns for sermons that make us feel good but there were many more that told us also of the consequences of following the patterns of the evil one, things that we should fear because the end result was Hell.

Let’s not oversimplify Christ’s message.  There is much too much that isn’t being heard today that we must hear, that Christ wanted us to hear, and that those who do not have Him as their savior must hear.  We must not over simplify His message and leave out important parts of what need to be taught, both the good news and the bad.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

You can speed or hasten Christ's return!

You can speed or hasten Christ’s return!!

Work of the Gospel

By

Jed Greenough

Has anyone told you before that you, the Christian reading this, can speed Christ’s return?

What reason could you possibly have for not wanting that to happen?  Do you feel like you are having too much fun living in the world to stop just now?

If you think about Christ returning as soon as you get done reading this do you think you would feel excitement or guilt and fear?

I don’t want for you to feel anything but excitement at the thought of His returning in glory, so please try and harness that feeling of guilt as a motivator to change that dread to joy!

I hesitated to share an entire chapter of scripture for fear that I would lose some, but the Spirit seems to say to me that “those that who do not count the scriptures worthy enough for their attention are not to whom this is meant.”

2 Peter 3

The Day of the Lord

 ¹ Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

 ³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

 ⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

 ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

 ¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

 ¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Did you catch verse 12?  It said, “as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming…”

Depending on your Bible version you may have words instead like “hastening” or “hurrying along” or the words of the Worldwide English version which save me more explaining by its version “do everything you can to make it come quickly.”

You, dear fellow Christian, are responsible in part for how quickly we shall see Jesus!

But how can you accomplish this?

In the scripture that follows where do you see yourself?

Matthew 25:14-28 

The Parable of the Talents

    ¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

   ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

   ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   ²² “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

   ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   ²⁴ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

   ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

   ²⁸ “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

I cannot imagine anyone on seeing Christ wanting to hear the words, “You wicked, lazy servant!”

Make today the day that you start earning a return for Him! 

Part of that return is your “effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him,” but the other part is what you do for others----the work of the gospel!

As we read in 2 Peter 3 God is being patient, but at some point the last person that God has predestined to be saved by the good news will be saved. 

I believe the world is evil enough, I believe that enough of the falling away is near enough, but I don’t for a moment think that all have been saved obviously as that is why I do what I do.  But you can help speed the completion of His number by thinking of the ways that you can use what He has given you to share the gospel.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

------------------30 Days!!-----------------

 

When Christ returns, even those of us who are anticipating it will be caught off guard.  The scriptures are clear that no man will know as we are about to read in the scripture below and some might think, “Well if we cannot know, then we should relax.”  But I say to you, because you do not know, that is why you should be all the more vigilant!

The scriptures we will be reading are some that Jesus himself gave to us.  This wasn’t a prophet from centuries past who spoke vaguely about the times of the end, but rather this was Christ telling you what you need to know in order to be prepared.

Would it help you if I told you that Christ came to me in a vision and said, “I will return in 30 days.”? 

He didn’t, but if I could convince you that I had, wouldn’t you fill those 30 days differently than you would have otherwise?

Who among us has heard a sermon or read a story about someone who had foreknowledge that they only had 30 days left to live?  All thoughts and priorities were different, the focus and purpose sharp and clear.  Whatever their capacities, mental or physical, financial or spiritual they utilized them to the fullest. 

As we read the scriptures for today, please imagine you have foreknowledge of His return by 30 days.

Matthew 24:42-44 

   ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Matthew 24:45-51 

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:1-13 

 ¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

   ⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

   ⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

   ⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

   ¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

   ¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

   ¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

   ¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

If you had 30 days notice because of some revelation from Christ how would you go back and read those same scriptures instead of the way you always have?

In the first passage in Matthew 24 you were told to keep watch.  The example was of a thief of all things.  If you knew someone was going to break into your home sometime this week and steal from you, I would bet you wouldn’t be accepting any dinner dates across town!  No, instead you would stay home; you would test the doors, the outside lights, the locks.  You would alert your neighbors all around you and the local law enforcement.  You might even install an alarm or arm yourself.  And most certainly you wouldn’t keep the information from your family you might even have them go to a place of safety.

So let’s see, your defenses are up, you are on high alert, you are armed and your loved ones are informed.

Our next example in Matthew 24 was of a servant in charge.  One of the duties this servant was given was to feed the other servants but because the master was gone for quite a long time the servant grew lax in his duties and failed to take care of his fellow servants and denigrated himself by living in worldly ways.

Despite what many preachers spew today that consists of an easy believism type of faith, you have responsibilities for which Christ is holding you accountable. 

You as a Christian have been appointed to a position of authority to feed your fellow servants.  What do you think you are supposed to be feeding them?

Finally we looked at Matthew 25’s parable where we saw 10 virgins who were aware that the bridegroom would be coming back for them.  Some were wise and some were foolish.

The foolish were not so “out of it” that they didn’t know that they were in a relationship with the bridegroom.  They also weren’t so foolish that they didn’t know they were to be equipped in some fashion, which is why they all had lamps.  The difference between the two groups was that the wise were fully prepared and the unwise were only superficially so.

Again, the church of today, the Christians of today, are aware of their relationship with Christ.  They are not so foolish despite the weakness of today’s teaching that they don’t know they should be equipped in some fashion, so they go to church, maybe attend a life group, but they are only superficially equipped.  There is no fuel in their lamps either and though there are some things we can do for each other there are some things we have to do for ourselves.  Just as the wise could not provide fuel for the foolish so to are we responsible for our own fuel.

You are to be prepared.

You are to be alert.

You have a responsibility to others.

Some things only you can do for yourself.

If  the easy time or the escape for Christians that is being taught today were true, than Christ would not have made it so abundantly clear with His own words that you have responsibilities, that yes, you have things He expects you to do.

I have not been given a vision of 30 days, 20 days or 10 days notice, but I have been given the scripture a notice that is much, much more generous.  The scripture tells me that I am to be aware, that I am to keep watch, that I have a responsibility to you and a responsibility for myself and once you are aware of this, you to have this same responsibility.

30 days, live as if that’s all you have. Live as if that is all your brother has, for you both may not even have tomorrow.

Let there be no weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Is Your House Church a Biblical Church? by Jed Greenough

House churches are something that I have had a good deal of interest in for quite some time and I am hoping today that perhaps with the writing of this I will hear from some of you with your opinions and experiences.

We know from the scriptures that the early church met in homes, examples of which we can see generally in some verses like Acts 20:20 and specifically in Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, and Colossians 4:15.

There was preaching done in the synagogues and other public areas as well but the general feeling that we come away with, is that the church was in the home.

My thoughts on house churches stem from my own experiences, more specifically frustrations that I have had, things I have read, things I have heard and some things which I have to assume.

The main feeling I come away with, is that people are leaving what we think of as churches for some of these reasons:

They feel that what they are hearing from the pulpit and classroom is false.

They feel that what they are hearing from the pulpit and classroom is incomplete.

They feel uncomfortable with their churches shift to things considered contemporary.

They feel their church is in error with where they stand on homosexuals.

They feel their church is in error with regard to who is filling the offices of the church.

They feel that we are in the times of the end and feel drawn to worship in this manner.

They feel that churches of today bear no or very little resemblance to the early church.

I am sure that there are other reasons but this should cover the lion’s share.

Yes, I purposely put, “They feel” on every one of these because it fits at least some of the time for every one of these.

Feelings, good and bad, often rule our decision making process and so it is some of the time with these.  Let me expound on that a little more.

Someone has gone to a church for a number of years; they have been very involved, they have positions of leadership and are sought out for a multitude of reasons.  Then sometimes suddenly, but often gradually, things start to change.  They no longer feel as if they are appreciated or that their opinion carries the weight that it once did.  They become more sensitive to this fact until finally, the final straw happens and they leave the church.  That final straw might be something as benign as the carpet in the entry or as serious as a false teaching.

I know for many the reason you left is not one of simple emotions or feelings, but the need to flee something that bares little resemblance to Christ’s church.  But for others that should have left earlier for just that reason, they stayed on because of feelings until something finally became that last straw.

What things have been your last straw, how about the following?

Biblical illiteracy

Bibles taken out of the pews

Hymnals replaced by big screens

Suits replaced by jeans

Women in offices of the church

Homosexuals in offices of the church

Contemporary worship

Incomplete or false teaching

Oversized churches

Quarreling

Declining numbers

Declining opportunities

Lack of Sunday School

No young people

No older people

Worship times

Communion

What other things exist out there?  I would like to hear about your final straw.

As I said, I have had interest in house churches for quite a while because I too have experienced some of those things that I have listed.

I visited churches further away from home than would have been logical trying to find a different church home and if there would have been any house churches in my vicinity that I was aware of, I would have visited those as well.

I knew some churches of both types would not be a good fit because they had the same issues as I have listed or because we were to far apart doctrinally speaking but the longing to worship God is a strong one when you couple that with my desire to teach.

I envisioned that I might find a house church that was hungering for someone like me and to be honest, I still do.  I would travel a pretty fair piece from home (further if someone paid the way) to preach in a church of any type.

Ultimately though, when I got really close to that, it was then that I feel God opened my eyes to the situation.

In order to make the commitment to a house church I realized it had to be a Biblical House Church.

Let me explain.  If a group of people were doing more than just having a Bible Study and that their true and noble intent was in fact to have a house church, I could belong to the former but I could not belong to the latter (or teach in one) unless it was a Biblical House Church.

The offices of the church as given to us by the Apostles must be according to what the scripture says.

Individuals who don’t meet the criteria, no matter how passionate they are, cannot or rather should not hold the offices of the church for which they are not qualified.

I realized that a lack of these offices or a filling of them with non Biblical persons would create a church that was just as bad as the reason the people left their other churches.  No matter their passion the end does not justify the means.

The reasons Paul and the others created the criteria were because God is not a god of disorder and to not put the guidelines in place would create churches of error with some as bad as cults and others with mistakes ranging from abuse of power to false teaching to incomplete carrying out of what they were to be about.

For those that are out there honest enough to realize that you have built something that wasn’t quite ready to be built I hope you carry that realization out to act on it in a way that will create what is biblical.

Create a plan whereby you have a strategy to accomplish a Biblical House Church never forgetting that you are there for each other, yes, but even in the most difficult of times, your church should not be just about its members, but about the unsaved and the sharing of the gospel!

I know there are successes out there and I’d like to hear from them, I’d still like to preach and belong in a place like that!

"In His hand are the depths of the earth..."

What is the last thing you thought about last night before you went to sleep and what was the first thing you thought of this morning when you woke up?  I have heard and I agree, that it tells a lot about who we are.

For most of us we are going to have really important things going on in our lives that are going to come to the forefront at times, but I hope that we can make the effort to make such an effort daily that it is God who dwells this close to the surface of our thoughts.

Some people though have never had God or Jesus anywhere near the surface; he is buried as though He never arose from the tomb.  But then events bring Him up and they are reminded or they are acquainted with Him.

The 33 miners from Chile who I had mentioned in an earlier post are now safely on the surface after their 69 day harrowing ordeal.

Now that they have emerged some of the personalities and details are emerging with them.  There is the Elvis fan, the man who tried to exercise daily, the former soldier who tried to organize, there was the man who had two women waiting at one point for him.

What do you suppose each of these miners and their families thought about when they woke up and when they went to sleep?  Maybe we will find out some day as the movies, articles and books start being produced.

While some have focused on the signs of patriotism shown by the country pulling together and the waving of Chilean flags and some the individual miners passion for football (soccer), I have been thrilled with the signs of faith in Christ.

We heard about a man named Jose Henriquez and I hope that one day we will know all the details of his ministry within this earthen prison.  At this point it would be conjecture to know what was, is or will be within this man, but God knows, but all I care about was what I saw, Jesus.

We were told that Jose led prayer multiple times a day and that he had asked that 33 bibles be sent down.  The title to this posting came to my mind because we learned that he found comfort from Psalm 95 during his ordeal.  And there are stories we are learning about Campus Crusade for Christ, their Jesus Film Project and the t-shirts the group sent down to the miners that said Thank you Jesus.

We saw miners that emerged clutching bibles and miners that knelt in prayer upon being lifted from what had been a certain tomb.

All these things are a result of what these men endured and it reminds me of this scripture:

Philippians 1:12-18a 

Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Perhaps like Paul, Jose Henriquez, was “encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” due to his circumstances and as a result some were saved and others who had faith were bolstered.  Some were superficially converted perhaps in a “if you get me out of this Father, I will become a priest.” sort of way.  But who cares?

What I mean by that is similar to what Paul said above, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

The world heard about their prayer groups, their request for Bibles.  They heard about the faith that the miners’ families had and many heard about the Campus Crusade for Christ and their “Jesus Film Project” for the first time and the fact that most of the miners emerged from their shared tomb wearing their t-shirts given to them by the Campus Crusade for Christ that said “Thank you Jesus”.

It is important to reflect on all of this and realize how God can use and we can use the whole myriad of experiences that exist in the world to accomplish His will.

And as we also reflect on the ordeal of these 33 men we can remember the “pit” in which they were buried, how they were seemingly without hope but they rationed what supplies they had anyway and through God’s graces they were rewarded for that optimism by being drawn from the depths of the earth.

But for some of these men, it may have been a postponement, a postponement from a destination that they will share with countless others. 

People you know will join them and people you don’t will as well.

Will you like Jose Henriquez, be “encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” for their sake?

Only God knows if Jose’s efforts will make a difference that lasts now that the miners are out of the darkness, hopefully they will stay in the light.

Only God knows what difference the “Jesus Film Project” made for these men.

Only God knows whose dollars were donated that ultimately provided the mp3 player or the staff people who suggested the movie be sent to these miners.

But like I wrote back on September 20^th, “If you think of those miners and you had the ability to ease their burden and perhaps even rescue them, would you not try unceasingly to do whatever it is that you could do for them?  Why should the unsaved and their condition be of less importance to us?

The last thing I want you to think about tonight and the first thing tomorrow morning is that and what you are going to do about saving the lost from a place where there will be no hope of escaping.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Your Calling

Imagine if you will that you have a unique job which you perform on a laptop computer that you carry with you in a case wherever you go.

Without the laptop and the programs loaded on it, you cannot do your job, but with it you can do your job anywhere, anytime, anyplace. 

Now let’s imagine that this case, in which you keep your valuable laptop locked safely away, is rendered invulnerable even to you because you lost the key!

Suddenly the briefcase, the laptop and you are worthless when it comes to doing your job.  Without access to that laptop, the job can’t be done.

Our faith can be just like that, because within us everything we need to do the work that we are to be about is available.

The question is, how often is our faith kept locked away within us?

Locked away our faith and the work it should be about is meaningless.

Now you know without much thought, if for no other reason than the name of this blog, what the work is that we are to be about: The Work of the Gospel.

Many Christians have it in mind that the work of the gospel is for certain called people to do, but they would be wrong!

We should all know that God calls us to different positions among which are those that get the most attention when we think of the called: those that teach and preach.  To some these would be known as priests, others as pastors and still some as preachers.

Everyone thinks that it is these that are to do the work of the gospel, and it is.

So if we agree that it is the work of a pastor or a priest to do the work of the gospel, then let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:1-9

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
   "See, I lay a stone in Zion,
      a chosen and precious cornerstone,
   and the one who trusts in him
      will never be put to shame."Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
   "The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone," and,
   "A stone that causes men to stumble
      and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We are all, to paraphrase, chosen to be priests and you agreed with me already that their work was the work of the gospel and the scripture says you are right!

So if we are all called to this priesthood but we are not all called to preach or teach, how do you do this work?

Paul tells us in Romans 12:4-5 that just as we have bodies made of individual parts, so are those of us in Christ forming a body.  And as Paul said our body’s parts serve different functions, so also do we serve different functions.

Further along in that same chapter of Romans 12 we see some of the parts or functions that people can play.  I believe this to be a very limited partial list, because yes, there is teaching and some of the others more familiar to us and if we have received one of these from God we should be using them.  But if you think that none of these apply to you and you leave it at that, you are selling God short in the gifting department!

Do you think the person with a gift of musical talent can’t use that or how about an artist?

I know many who have a gift with languages and there are others who are mechanical.  The bottom line again is that as a called and chosen priest, you are to “declare the praises of Him who called you.”

The mechanic could work on cars privately on one Saturday every month and have the freedom to give a surprise discount and when asked why, they could share the gospel with an anything but hostile recipient.

The linguist could translate a blog or website for a ministry that is long on desire for spreading the Good News but short on funds.

The artist could donate the funds from every 10th painting or design logos for churches.

How you “declare the praises of Him who called you” is as limitless as those gifts He has given us.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” 1 Peter 3:15a

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Are you a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal?

The title of today’s post has to do with how we participate in things such as Sunday School or Bible Studies.

I thought about posting this on my blog http://theadultsundayschool.blogspot.com/

however, I have dedicated that to my treatment of the weekly International Sunday School Lesson so I guess this is the place for today’s post.

I think it would be conservative of me to say that any study of God’s word is one to which I will bring a great deal of passion and anything that increases the knowledge shared will be greeted with great enthusiasm and anything that does the opposite will bother me greatly.

When I ask the question, “Are you a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal?” I am quoting from 1 Corinthians 13:1 obviously.  In that context Paul was saying if he was speaking “in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”  Meaning, if he were talking in tongues but was without love what he had to say would be as meaningless as a gong or a cymbal.

I don’t know about the without love part but I have been a gong, a cymbal, a whole orchestra before and I regret it deeply.  This has taken place in Sunday School and Bible Study situations due to my enthusiasm and passion and the fact that God was calling me to teach, but not all of us are and yet we still have an enthusiasm and a passion for God and His word..

Now I realize that some will be so “tone deaf” they will not stop to consider that I am talking about them so everyone of us has to ask if the question at the top of the page is applicable to them.

In Christian love someone should tell you the effect that you are having on your group but the chances are that no one will. 

The members of your group don’t want you to be hurt and they don’t want you to lose your enthusiasm.  No one wants to be the one that takes on this unpleasant task and no one wants you to not share sometimes or even worse stop coming completely and that is why I am asking you to ask the question of yourself.

Let’s look at a few important issues.  Are you the teacher or leader of the group?  If you are then you can and should lead the group and decide how much you have to say, steer how you want the discussion to go by asking the questions, taking the group to the areas of the Bible you need for your lesson etc. And not every class has to have a discussion.  If you are truly a teacher it isn’t only the pastor that can deliver a message. 

Now if you are not the teacher or leader let’s begin with you by saying you must respect that you are not, so let’s look at how you can do that and do it smartly.

If the teacher asks for someone to read and there is a pregnant pause where no one volunteers then occasionally you can be the one to start reading.  But it isn’t necessary for you to do it all the time.  Remember there is a teacher/leader and I bet they know you will do it and that you enjoy doing it, so they will choose you from time to time and never forget they can break that silence and read themselves!

You probably have an impressive inventory of memorized verses or knowledge of where to find the location in the Bible of important issues but you must resist the urge to share that like you are some kind of machine on automatic.

If the teacher asks the group a question and someone actually manages to answer before you, please don’t feel you need to flesh out the subject.  This almost always tends to put a damper on that person’s desire to contribute their two cents in the future, so let’s leave it up to the teacher as to when a subject needs to be filled in a little bit more thoroughly.

Romans 12:4-8 tells us that, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

When we forget this we are fighting what is naturally given to us by God not only with regard to our own calling but also when we do go against this we create disorder.

If you are a woman and you are not the teacher of the class or leader of the study and you still feel that there is some calling there for you to teach then I suggest you attempt to start your own women’s only group.  This may seem blunt, but it doesn’t pay to beat around the bush on these matters.  Most women will follow a man as leader naturally but within an existing class or group, few will welcome an incessant contribution by you and it will in fact derail the class leading to some particpants leaving the class.

I would be remiss if I did not revisit the subject of my own guilt in this matter. 

I am certain as certain can be that I interjected too often after the leader spoke or after someone shared their thoughts, and that I jumped at too many opportunities to read and quote the scripture.  I am just as certain that people didn’t say anything because of the reason’s I gave at the beginning and that a few didn’t continue attending because of me.

So there you have it, I am not just picking on women but all who take their love for God and his word and our need to put on the whole armament of God and use it in error.  We end up being gongs and cymbals.  In 1 Corinthians 13 where that comes from Paul is stating that without love that is what he in essence would be similar to and I think that applies here as well.

If we consider this with love you will see my point.  You can see how this would show more love to the teacher, more love to the group dynamic and more love to the timid.

And lest I forget, teachers, you have a position of authority, use it!

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.