The Latest Rage, Fad or Phase

What will it take to mobilize Christians into action to do their work of the gospel?  Will it be ever increasing cataclysmic events of global significance?  Perhaps what will do it will be a true financial meltdown or something that even Hollywood hasn’t invented yet.

Stop a moment and think about individual roles.  First think of your own role in the church.  Are you a student or a teacher?  We cannot all be the latter, but we are all the former.  Remember that no matter the role, no matter the age, we all are students who through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, should be growing in our resemblance to Christ.

Since Christ was a servant at His core, then we should all be ever growing in our servant attitude.  This need to serve our brothers and sisters both in Christ and those that might be, should be growing ever stronger within us.

Very few will read this, but I am encouraged that you are, but I ask, are you convicted in your heart to do more?  Do you ache that more be done in the fulfillment of the work of the gospel?

What does it take to convict people now days?  What does it take to get people’s attention and keep it, to motivate them into action?

Today, some see those that suffer after a natural disaster and they follow the events religiously for a few days or even several and they give of their resources.  Others follow with anticipation the ranting of a mad celebrity throughout days perhaps weeks of reporting by the media. 

Many take up and grasp onto the latest rage, fad or phase and then discard it days or weeks later.  Perhaps you are one of these people.  Such people are clearly demonstrating to me their need for THE work in their life.  That is the working of the Holy Spirit and the outward manifestation of that through the work that they are to be about in doing the work of the Holy Spirit.  Without it they are empty and they will continue to search about aimlessly and for a time pick up the latest greatest thing.

I pray daily that I could convict you of your need for this work, a work whose desire for it does not fade like a passing fad.  I am happy for your visit here just as I am for those who visit my weekly commentary: http://theadultsundayschool.blogspot.com/  I am grateful for all who study God’s word and grateful for any opportunity to serve, but what I want more than anything is to convict one of them, again, to convict you (and truthfully many, many more) to want to do the same and have a fire lit amongst us to share the gospel.

As we see Easter approaching and after it has passed, how many will go through the motions, and how many will feel Christ’s Spirit grow within them and burn to have others glorify Him?  To borrow the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 15, the grace of God’s gift to me was not without effect and I have so much I need to do, but how about you?  What effect is showing in you from God’s gift of grace to you?

Would Jesus Burn the Koran?

I think that this was the first post I did in this blog back in September, 2010 and I thought to myself I would re-post it today.  I almost can't believe this man is back in the news....almost.

Jed

Typically, I would not entertain subjects such as this whole controversy of burning the Koran that has filled so much of the news lately but today I have in fact felt motivated to do just that.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock you will have heard about this Pastor in Florida who decided that he was going to burn the Koran.

As you can tell from the name of this blog, Work of the Gospel, what I think we should be about is just that and that includes Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, FL and the members of his congregation.

Most people who are contemplating ministry ideas look to the scriptures for guidance.  They look for specific areas of scripture that say you shall do or not do this.  Or, they look for examples that show that certain behavior was acceptable or not.  Looking for examples let's consider what Jesus did.

If we scour the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts we see all of the recorded words and actions of Jesus while He was here up to and including His resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Was Jesus a grandstander?  Quite the contrary, people sought Him out, not the other way around.

Jesus by His words and actions drew those crowds.  "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor," Luke 7:22a

Jesus did not lead a rebellion against the Romans or the Jews that were in power.  Jesus did not promote fights, organize gorilla attacks, or the destruction of infrastructure.

Jesus instructed us to love our enemies and those who persecute us as well as to be peacemakers both of which are specific to Matthew 5.

When we read in Matthew 14 that Jesus' cousin John the Baptist was beheaded He didn't lead His followers against Herod but rather He withdrew privately to a solitary place.

When Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the kingdom of God His instructions to them if their message was not listened to or welcomed was to simply shake the dust off their feet and to move on.

What is the Pastor Jones saying by burning the Koran and what does he hope to reap?

Will he motivate those who follow Islam to seek out more about Jesus because they are so impressed by this action?

I would instead offer the following scripture as a more appropriate alternative of how we should deal with the subject of the Koran, "Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, "Listen and understand.  "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean'."

Then the disciples came to Him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"

He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.  Leave them; they are blind guides.  If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."  Matthew 15:10-14

Jesus' advice, "Leave them."

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

Since you are here, I am guessing that you are a Christian and I am happy that you stopped by.  And, since you are here, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you a few questions and for you to chew on your responses long after you’ve answered, so let’s go.

When you read the words from 2 Timothy 3:13, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” what goes through your mind?  Do you stop to think that you aren’t being persecuted in any fashion so therefore you aren’t living a godly life?

Have you ever read how terribly dangerous it was for early Christians who for generations were so horribly martyred for their faith?  One book where you can read of some is Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.  This book can be downloaded from Amazon.com for free.

Does your church have a class, group or program to educate members so that they can evangelize to the unsaved of your community?  If so will you join it, and if there isn’t one, will you do something about that?

If anyone needed to hear it, could you clearly articulate the gospel?  I recommend a book entitled, “What is the Gospel?” by Greg Gilbert.

My prayer is that by asking you these questions I will either have helped you feel a bit happy with yourself by your favorable responses and for your work for His kingdom or shamed you or awakened you to action.

Our faith is worth dying for, it is worth learning enough about it that you cannot help but share it.  This faith is like God’s word in that it is living and active and if yours isn’t, then there is not faith at all.  If that bothers you, do something about it!

The Harvest is Ripe

John 4:31-38 

 ³¹ Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

 ³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

 ³³ Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

   ³⁴ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ³⁶ Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷ Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

     Let’s imagine that you actually are aware of the work of the gospel.  Let’s take it even one step further and imagine that you are more than aware, you are supporting ministries that are working in less than ideal, perhaps extreme conditions with regard to their welfare.  You give a few dollars and as a result things like medicine or tracts or foods are distributed that open a door for the sharing of the gospel and people come to salvation.  In a way, you have reaped the benefits of others labor.

     This harvest is always ripe, 365 days a year, but with the unfortunate consequence that daily the workers are not enough for the harvest and some of the yield is lost.  Ministries fail or limp along due to inadequate resources, it might have been an airline ticket, a tank of gas, some expense money, I don’t know, but the possibilities are as numerous as those lost, those that were not harvested.

     Meanwhile, in your very church, new chairs are purchased, new books for the latest, greatest curriculum are ordered and the first renditions from the architect for the new addition are reviewed.

     If you haven’t read my work before, you may not realize that I am blunt.  There is a place for saintly discourse and then there is a place for candor that raises ire, rankles consciences and inflames sensitivities.  I really don’t care because God has put it upon my heart to share these declarations with you to get your attention.  Unfortunately, in the big scheme of things, few care or few find the words and react in a manner that matters.

     I really can understand how the situation developed.  Persecuted Christians survived, grew in their ability to worship publicly and solidified that blessing by building infrastructure.  An infrastructure that required that they know where there next sermon was going to be and who would be delivering it and so it grew.

     Men were put in charge that took up the responsibility to make sure that just as their normal families were taken care of with a hearth, bed and food, so would the members of the church be taken care of.  Unfortunately, it came to be more of an institution that was preserved then the people who made it up.  The programs of the institution grew instead of the direct providing for of the people.  If someone that was a member had more to give, they gave it to the church and the church invested it in itself instead of in its people.

     The churches that we see in the New Testament met in homes, gave to each other as each needed and then took their surplus to support the spreading of the gospel and to the care of the churches that had less than they did.  If you read in places like 1 Corinthians you could see an almost competitiveness was encouraged by Paul so that they could see who might give to the next church in need more abundantly.

     When I think back upon that day, I think of that simple beginning and then consider pictures of the pope with ermine, gold and jewels and though I am not picking on the Catholics, it is just the perfect image to bring up.  The idea is one of opulence and whether it is paying quarterly for an educational curriculum when you could just use the Bible or $50,000 for a pipe organ’s maintenance it is all the same.  When there are Native Americans dying unsaved decades earlier than the national norm or orphans in India or widows in Africa, or limping ministries anywhere in the world that could and should be receiving attention, it is all just as glaringly wrong.

John 4:39-42 

 ³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers.

 ⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

     Because of a woman’s testimony many from her town came to believe in Jesus.  Because of dollars that you have given, that your church has given, many from other towns have come to believe in Jesus, but many more should have but didn’t because they weren’t harvested.  The workers were too few because instead of giving to the church across town that had flagging attendance but strong biblical values that closed, your church installed playground equipment.  A missionary came home because he couldn’t feed his family because your church remodeled the kitchen.  The orphanage was never built and children entered lives of unspeakable depravity because your church hired a youth pastor who the kids can relate to better then the head pastor.

     I know that if you read this you most likely will keep on doing what you have always done and so will your church but I have fulfilled my duty of pointing it out to you.

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

To Share the Gospel Start At Home!

Sometimes we look out into the vastness of this world and we think, “How can I make a difference for the Kingdom?”  We peer across the oceans or cyberspace and we want to make an impact by sharing the Gospel and we should and I encourage you as often as I can via this blog to do just that.

Today, though I was reminded that sometimes the way to reach across the sea and the internet might be to start right here at home.

Imagine if you created something online that reached, I don’t know, one thousand people.  That would be a nice start for sure, but what if instead of this effort you reached twenty people that you personally know and they then each reached one thousand people!

Sometimes, we truly cannot see the forest for the trees or the opportunities that are right in front of us.  What reminded me of this came from a visit that I had today with an associate pastor friend of mine who had just started teaching a new class on how to study the Bible.

The things that he shared with me didn’t shock me since I had encountered identical issues in my own experience, but it did serve to remind me of how much need there is at home.

The people that are in this class to learn the Bible are in fact Biblically illiterate.  The wonderful news is that these people are showing up to do something about that fact.  The bad news is that these people for the most part are not new to the church and they are not alone.

Visit many churches today and randomly choose people and do a little digging and you would find that they would have a difficult time finding even the more famous books within the Bible without looking them up.

These people would have a difficult time telling you any kind of chronological history of the Bible.  They would have a hard time differentiating between an Old Testament prophet and a New Testament Apostle.

Ask them to give you a rundown of the requirements of an elder and you would be likely to get a blank stare.  Ask them to explain the Gospel and expect them to start looking for a way to escape.

Yet as I was reminded this morning, these same people have been convicted of their sins at some point and believe that Christ died for these sins.  These people have demonstrated a love for their fellow man and church member but through their illiteracy have this mistaken belief that this is sufficient. 

Now I daresay that most of you that are going to read this blog know your Bible pretty well and you are the ones that care to read things such as this.  It therefore falls to you to do something about this situation.

Does your church have sufficient educational classes in place that people can grow in their knowledge of the Bible or are the classes more along the lines of how to do better financially?

If you do have a class like, “How to study the Bible”, can you reach the people that need to attend?

There has to be a fair amount of thought given to the promotion of this class so that not just those that would jump at the opportunity will attend but also the many people who feel ashamed about their lack of knowledge.  Many of those assume that everyone around them knows the Bible inside and out and they don’t want to betray what might be a false image that others have about them.

Start the class by not assuming anything yourselves.  Don’t assume that just newcomers to the church will need or want to attend a “How to study the Bible” class.  Don’t assume even the smallest things about what people know about the Bible.  Nor is it a good idea to think that everyone has a Bible and if they are looking to buy one, what to look for when they purchase.  A class such as this can answer questions that people always wanted to ask but were afraid to ask or did not even think about asking.

From personal experience I think that it is also a good idea to post it everywhere you can from the weekly bulletin to the monthly newsletter, put it on the wall and put it on Facebook, send out emails and invite people face to face.  I cannot stress enough how just as we can’t just think that someone is knowledgeable about the Bible we also shouldn’t think that everyone is as comfortable within the confines of the church.  Sometimes people need to be led by the hand into a class and then watch as they become a dynamo with regard to their involvement.

Once you have had success with this class I would suggest you open it up to your community by advertising an upcoming class.  I am confident that there will be people who have not been attending a church who will respond as well as those who are but are not having their needs met.

Once educated in the Bible and actually aware of the Gospel you will have given people a priceless gift that they cannot help but pass on.  The end results you may never know until our Father tells you!

Remember the Gospel

To use the words of 1 Corinthians 15, the purpose of this blog is to remind you of the gospel, the gospel that was preached to you and on which you took a stand.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word that was preached to you.

Paul in this chapter goes on to say that he was passing on what he had received: that Christ died for your sins, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day and then appeared too many.

He finishes the chapter by stating that you are to stand firm, let nothing move you and that you should always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

Some versions of the Bible will say abounding in the work of the Lord, throw yourself into the work of the Master, excelling in the work, doing more than enough.

This chapter did not apply to Corinthians only.  Nor did it apply for only a certain period of time, so why is it that most Christians who have heard the gospel and believed, do not do this?

One has to assume that some do not really have faith, that they became Christians because it was the thing to do.

Others heard and believed but for reasons as unique as they are individuals, they have not held firmly.

Now if you aren’t really into something whether it is because of a lack of faith or a lack of involvement, knowledge, experience etc., it is really going to be hard to do the work, or if it is done, to do it well, to abound in it.

Imagine trying to sell a product you truly, truly believe in versus one you know to be an abject failure.

Do you think the gospel is a failure?

You know, actually the odds are that those reading this do take the gospel seriously and I am preaching to the choir and I am probably not being too effective in reaching those that need to be.

How about you, are you having any luck?

I really think that Paul is showing us that part of the work of the gospel goes beyond sharing it with those that have never heard the good news to include those of us who have.  Those among us that need to be reminded of that which was preached to them and in which they once took a stand: that Christ died for their sins, that they are to stand firm in this and that they are to be excelling in the work of the Lord.

Go do your work!

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.