Category Uncategorized

May 31 2010

Giving Thanks for President Obama


“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Pray for everyone? Give thanks for everyone? Give thanks for President Obama? It is clear that is what the good book says.

When I read a passage like this, at first glance it seems innocent enough, nothing to worry me here. And then, after the Holy Spirit reminds me of it again and again I am confronted with my sinfulness. I come face to face with reality, not the pretty picture I see when I compare myself with others I know. No, the reality I am forced to admit and deal with is ugly, raw, sin.

If Jesus says “love” and I don’t love, I am wrong. And, isn’t love the foundation for all we do in our lives as believers. (That is, the “good” things we do as believers.)

I find myself agonizing over passages like the one Paul wrote to young Timothy. Who was the ruler when he wrote that passage, Nero? Nero was not the kind of ruler who was loved by his subjects. He was a ruthless, power absorbed, evil monster, who happened to be the top guy in the government. Give thanks for Nero? Pray for Nero? Pray for good things to happen for Nero? That seems to be the case.

I don’t like anything about President Obama. I don’t like his personality, I don’t like the way he governs, I don’t like his deceitfulness and lack of transparency. And I really don’t like his policies and the direction he and the Democrats are taking our country. But, I am to pray for him, I can do that. I am also to give thanks for him, how can I do that? Well, I think there is an answer.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval” (Romans 13:1-3)

You see, I tend to forget that God is in control. Leaders, those in government authority, are there to serve God’s unsearchable purposes. Read this text carefully and it will change your attitude about your response to government, it did mine. I don’t want to resist God’s will, do you?

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17)

Government, leaders with authority, those who in many ways rule our lives are God’s creation. Rulers (presidents) and the authority they have is God’s specific design. So in light of these passages I can heartedly give thanks for President Obama! He is serving God, carrying out God’s plan. I don’t have to understand what God’s purposes are in detail. My job is to be an obedient subject to the King of kings and Lord of lords and He says government and government leaders are his design and they are under his control. I don’t need to fear them, I need to submit to them, pray for them and give thanks for them.

I must admit, my faith is stretched. I struggle with this but the truth is clear and if I want to please God I must submit to Him and to His authority, even when sometimes it comes in a package I don’t like very much.

By the way, Paul was the human author of both texts quoted above and the government was about as evil and perverse as one could imagine. He recognized that even the godless Roman Empire was no more and no less than a tool in God’s hand. Think about it, God used the Roman Empire to spread the good news far and wide. The Roman rule was mighty and long-lasting but it did end when God’s purposes had been served. God is in control of everything, every day, including government.

Agape’

Royce

May 27 2010

“deceased”


A few days ago I was given the name and address of a young man who was recently incarcerated. I had heard of his arrest and knew he would go to prison. I did not know that I would be writing to him to encourage him and assure him this series of events are not the end, they are the beginning.

A few bad choices and a wife turns away in shame, a child is caught in the middle of a mess without being aware of it, and a young man with a promising career is forever marked as a felon.

This is not my first communication with an inmate. For about 3 1/2 years, every Friday night I led a small group at the city jail in Denton, Texas. I found great satisfaction in singing with, praying with, and studying God’s word with those inmates. I met some scoundrels for sure but also met some good men who had briefly run off the track. I introduced some of them to Jesus and they got to know Him well.

They were not unlike my friend Charlie. Charlie was a childhood friend who made some poor choices, kept company with the wrong crowd, and in 1969 received a very long prison sentence. I have written to and prayed for Charlie for the long decades of his incarceration. I was able to visit him several times, the last time about 4 years ago. His prison cell and my home were about 1200 miles apart.

Charlie was a brother in the Lord, and like me, he stumbled along but he was a believer. I did what I could to encourage him. I wrote letters to governors in two states, to heads of departments of corrections in two states, and to a U.S. Senator. My attempts went unrewarded, Charlie never had a parole hearing.

The last 5 to 7 years only I and an Episcopal priest cared enough about Charlie to keep writing, keep caring, keep hoping for the best. My last two letters had gone unanswered and I became concerned. I knew he was in failing health and not receiving proper care. I wrote another letter which I mailed a few days ago. Today when I came home my wife handed me the envelope I had mailed and across the envelope was scrawled the word “deceased“.

I was surprised by the grief, sadness, and anger that gripped my soul as I read that word. Grief because I didn’t get to say good-bye, sadness because his obituary listed no family, (and fittingly so, they had long ago abandoned him), and anger because for every Charlie there are tens of thousands who are no more than human garbage to most everyone.

Not one person from the church where Charlie and his brothers attended Sunday school, and not one person from the church that baptized Charlie cared enough to visit, send a post card, or show any hint of compassion when he was imprisoned less than 20 miles from them for decades. His family, including his daughter, stopped writing long ago.

I will ever be thankful for a lone priest who loved prisoners enough to visit often, wrote volumes of letters on Charlie’s behalf, and prayed for Charlie every day for many, many years according to his testimony to me. Charlie was buried in the cemetery at the church where the priest serves the members and loves the unlovely inside. I wish him God’s best blessings for loving my friend. Perhaps he had read as I have these following passages.

Hebrews 13:3
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Matthew 25:43
“I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

My word to those who read these words is this. If you claim Jesus as Lord you had best get busy loving the down and out and taking Jesus’ words seriously.

Who is lonely and afraid tonight? Who is convinced no one cares? Who is waiting for your letter or your visit?

Goodbye Charlie, see you in heaven.

Royce

Apr 27 2010

Questions churches should ask when hiring a preacher but don’t.


I recently read four want ads posted by churches who were trying to find a preacher. The man with the cape could never do all these churches expect. I once wrote a parody of such a want ad. It is astonishingly stupid to ask so much of one man! But that is not the focus of this post.

The ads are dead give-aways of the questions the pulpit search committee will likely ask.

  • Where were you educated and what degree have you earned?
  • How long have you been a minister?
  • What churches have you served and did they grow?
  • Are you married?
  • Have you been divorced?
  • Do you have children?
  • Are your finances in order?
  • What is your vision for a church you serve?
  • Can you live on $***** per month?
  • Etc., etc., etc.

And of course they will want to hear the guy preach, either by a recorded sermon or perhaps in person. The questions above have very little to do with the ministry of leading a church as a preacher, pastor/teacher, or whatever your group calls him.

I have served twice on search committees and both times we hired good, godly men. I have also been used as a reference by ministers seeking a job. One fellow from Arkansas called me to ask about a candidate he and his fellow committee members were considering. He asked “Is he a dynamic pulpit man?” I answered with a question, “Why is that important to you?” My question was met with an uncomfortable silence and then he finally sounded apologetic and unsure saying, “Because we want a very good preacher?”

I explained to this guy that a very good orator, with great credentials, can be a lazy jerk who does all that he does in the energy of the flesh and can not help grow Christians toward maturity and Christ likeness. I suggested that the man go back to his committee and that they should have an extended time of prayer and seeking the mind of the Lord about what their church needed and then interview preachers. Of course he didn’t listen to my advice, and neither did my friend who I tried to talk out of taking the job and it was a disaster! They were the most immature bunch you could imagine. They made the Corinthians look really good!

What churches ought to ask.

  • How do you know you are a Christian? (If he doesn’t answer this one right the interview would be over and I would want to share the gospel with him.)
  • How did you make the decision to become a minister?
  • Tell us about your prayer life? Do you have specific answers to prayer?
  • How much time do you spend in an average week in Bible study?
  • Are you walking in the Spirit?
  • If we hire you will you love our people? (People can tell if you love them or if you are just doing your job.)
  • Is your vision to help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, to know him more? (If not what is it?)
  • Do you preach the gospel, regularly and often?
  • How many people have you shared the gospel with in the last 6 months one on one?

There are more, but you get the idea. You see, most churches want a polished preacher who is brilliant and funny in the pulpit, loved and respected by everyone in town, and they want their numbers to increase, both in members and money. And, they often get exactly what they want.

What is your church (or mine) doing for the people of your community that could not be done by a good civic club? The mission of the church is to make men fit for heaven. If lives are not regularly being changed, if spiritual transformation is not changing sinners into saints, if the hungry are not fed, if the mourners have no one to weep with them, if the prisoners have no visitors, if people are not having personal encounters with the living Christ, when your church needs a preacher the first list of questions will do just fine.

If you want a man who is a man of God, who knows God intimately, loves people where they are, like they are, and has no greater passion than to introduce men and women and boys and girls to the living Christ, maybe the first list of questions are not the right ones.

Royce

Apr 24 2010

The One True Church


This morning I was to fish in a tournament on a nearby lake. All of the proceeds from the tournament entry fees will be used to support summer camp for kids from our church, Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ. I decided to not fish after paying my entry fee and registering for two reasons. The steering on my boat is failing and severe thunderstorms are predicted. The boat is in the local repair shop and I am in my cozy home.

This morning I sat down with a warm cup of coffee and Googled “weather, 71203” and clicked on my favorite weather site, to see how far away the predicted storms are. I noticed a tiny Google ad, “The One True Church”. My curiosity peeked and I clicked on the link and listened to a few minutes of a video expounding why that church is the “One True Church“. Of course they are not the one true church but maybe they are a part of it, maybe not.

It was easy to learn from the website that the focus of their teaching was a series of lessons validating their claim that they alone are the true church and that all others are false. The first red flag I see, the thing that gives me pause, is when any  group teaches more about the church than the Christ. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to produce all of the material necessary to support such a claim of exclusivity.

I’m trying to remember how many “One True” churches there is. I can think of  perhaps a dozen right away. You might think of more. Each of those that come to mind use similar tactics and teaching to prove up their claims. And, every one of them has a different set of rules one must keep to finally be accepted by God. Man made religion is always and forever about keeping rules. It is a detailed, well thought out plan of how man can earn God’s favor and be looked upon favorably by Him.

“The One True Church” is not a church on earth making claims of exclusivity. The “One True Church” is the mystical body of Christ composed of every person God has called to Himself and is depending on Christ alone for salvation and final reward. That remnant of those, both dead and living and who are not yet saved, who are God’s own dear children and understand that God looks on His children favorably because of the obedience of Jesus and not their own. He birthed them supernaturally, put His Holy Spirit in them as a guarantee and assurance, gave them immortality, wrote His law on their hearts, poured out His love in their hearts, and designed them to love and do good works.

It is my view (this is not inspired!) that of professing Christiandom only a “few” are members of the Lord’s body, the “church“. Jesus’ own words when He described the “narrow” way and “few” that find it. His rebuke of professing Christians who were only counterfeits in Matthew 7. And for me, the most compelling truth is His descriptions of how his followers must live in self denial, have unconditional love for others, be different from the world, and be holy people, stands in stark contrast to the average church member on the pew any given Sunday.

God’s plan to reconcile sinful people to Himself goes against human nature and crushes the human ego. It demands surrender! It demands that we give up trying to appease God and simply trust the Christ who bore our sins in his body, who died, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Most people it seems, stumble at the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.

If you are in “The One True Church” Christ is the chief cornerstone of your life. If not, He is the stone you stumble over and a rock of offense. The message of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus will get one of two reactions. A person will either be drawn to God’s plan or be offended by it. How about you? It is my only hope!

Agape’

Royce