Bible Trivia Quiz:

1.  How many total times do the words “wise” or “wisdom” appear in the New American Standard New Testament?

2.  How many of those words’ appearances are in 3 short chapters of one New Testament letter?

3.  Which New Testament letter contains those 3 chapters?

4.  Do you know why that letter required so many instances of “wise” and “wisdom?”

Bible Trivia Answers:

1.  The words “wise” or “wisdom” appear 68 times in the New American Standard New Testament.

2.  Those words appear 22 times in chapters 1-3 of one New Testament letter. (2 pages, out of 200 pages in the N.T.)

3.  1 Corinthians contains those 3 chapters.

4.  To learn the answer to this question, you need to read all of 1 corinthians, and notice this letter is the most relevent of the N.T. epistles to the american church in the 21st century.

Guess what book of the Bible I'm going to lead adults through next?

Psalm 1 begins with a promise of blessing for any who

    1.  Don't walk, stand, sit in the "means" of sinners

    2.  Do delight in God's law, meditating on it (thinking about how it guides us in living)

The psalmist then describes this blessing as bearing leaves and fruit, even in tough seasons, and by standing in the assembly of the righteous.

So in a counseling session (i.e. when someone comes to me with a complaint, frustration, or issue (in the midst of their tough season?) I can help them get the blessing of God by helping them to

    1.  Not handle their situation in the manner of (by means of) evil

    2.  Figure out how God's law would guide them in their handling of their situation.

But if I don't help them do 1 and 2, but rather actually help them handle their situation sinfully, then I am helping Satan rob them, helping them miss that blessing that God has planned for them.

Thus friends who love us enough to "wound" us are faithful, while those who might give many kisses might very well be our enemy.

The wounding friend helps us grow away from our sinful thoughts and practices in handling the tough times of life.  They help us gain the blessing of God, and help us make it to the assembly of the righteous.

The kissing enemy deceives us by never wounding, and by helping us give into our fleshy, sinful ways of handling tough times.  We like them, but they rob us.  We don't get better at our tough times because they help us stay stuck in sinful thoughts and practices.  Under their guidance, we may miss the assembly of the righteous.

This is a year for change for Anna and I.

We gave away our precious daughter, Laura, in marriage back in March.

Our son Evan graduated from high school, and is now moving to Corvallis, OR for OSU and the navy's ROTC program.

Our eldest daughter (and son in law) will bring out into the open our first grandchild (a girl!!) in mid-november.

So we are now adjusting to a household of 3.  Leah has her driver's license, a job, and her junior year to deal with.  And now, no siblings around. 

What a JOY to see our kiddos growing up and out into the world.  What a blessing they've been to us!!  And what a blessing we believe they'll continue to be as they make their marks on God's world, and in God's kingdom.

It seems that one point lost on me and the rest of us is this:  There will always be plenty of folks who want to be mislead, and plenty of misleaders to guide them.

Beginning in Genesis 1, and carrying on till today, then predicted right through the great cleansing of Revelation (the Millenium), many (most?) folks will simply not adhere to the ways and teachings of God, and will always be able to find people to help them feel right about that nonadherance.

Some glory in their freedom from the confines of religion.  Others glory in finding religion on their own terms.

Jesus said it simply enough when he described two gates, two roads, and two destinations.  One road was crowded, the other was not.

How do you, or how do I, make sure we're not either leading astray nor being led astray?

Of all the difficulties of ministry against which all leaders (including student leaders) must struggle, the most difficult seems to me to be the problem of dealing with feelings.

I cannot count the number of times I have talked to students, adults, and even myself (uh-oh), about something that needed to be done that was not getting done.  After all the discussion about what was really happening, the answer (more often than not) boiled down to six simple words:  “I just don’t feel like it.”  It could have been a phone call that needed to be made.  Or a visit that might have been a bit awkward.  Or a marriage that was on the rocks.  Or a student that was about to flunk a class.  Or a Bible that had not been read in months.  Or a youth group that was being ignored by a potential member.  It could’ve been most anything.

Most of us would quickly agree that we need to obey God’s will.  Most of us would also agree that this will is to be obeyed regardless of the difficulty that such obedience encounters.  Where we break down is in our amazing ability to excuse disobedience in our situation, to find some “exception clause” in our particular case.  We loudly affirm that God’s people must love and forgive.  But we also point out why we can’t love and forgive this or that person because we feel they’re _______ (fill in your reason).  We sing about sacrificing all in response to his great love for us.  Then we list the reasons why we shouldn’t sacrifice ________ because we feel it’s somehow “essential” to our well being.

Not only can we effectively convince ourselves that our disobedience is no disobedience at all.  We can easily find others who make matters worse by coming alongside (friends, family, ministry leaders, even pastors) to help us feel better by telling us that the harsh call of obedience is “surely not what a loving God would require of us.”  Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, humanistic psychology (often baptised with a some scripture to satisfy the superficially diligent) has infected Christ’s church with a deadly focus on ourselves, and on how our circumstances and temptations make us feel.  This focus is far removed from the biblical focus of setting our minds on things above, and of fixing our eyes on Christ (who may have felt pretty miserable for much of His ministry, especially the during last few days).  Rather than considering others more important than ourselves, we’re encouraged to see that we don’t become some-one’s doormat, or that we’re not taken advantage of.

Rather than giving God the freedom to change us into anything He likes, we hand him only guarded small pieces and parts of ourselves that we feel we can do without control over.  We magnanimously allow Him to own only the pieces of our lives that we can handle letting go of.  Gone are the days when teens gave their whole futures to God.  Now they give God “everything” (except their dating lives, their college choices, their “extrcurricular” activities, their careers, their free time, and their relationships with parents, teachers, and the church.

Rather than our hearts being broken with remorse for our own self-centered, shallow, superficial lives, we are more often filled with feelings of self-pity for the gross abuse that others hand us.  Our employers don’t pay enough.  Our spouses don’t love enough.  Our children don’t respect enough.  The church doesn’t care enough.  Our parents demand too much.  Our teachers expect too much.

Oh that God would restore to us all a view of Himself and of His love for us that would shatter our pitiful images of Him.  His love for us is not just a warm, fuzzy, feeling.  Indeed, God’s love for us is a consuming fire, prepared to do anything and everything that must be done to heal our selfish, sinful, stubborn hearts. 

I think often of the love that Anna showed to our then-toddling daughter once when Jan had fallen, landing on the edge of a raised stone floor.  She received a cut on her forehead that required stitches.  Anna loved our screaming daughter enough to hold her head still for the doctor to sew the cut up.  Yes, Jan felt pretty bad.  Anna lovingly refused (it was not easy) to allow Jan’s feelings to interfere with her act of love.  Jan had to hurt.  Anna (and the physician) had to “make” her hurt.  God, likewise, often has to hurt us in order to heal us.  We must not shrink back from that process.

Youth ministry is about helping see that they can let go of much, in spite of their feelings that it won’t work.  May God help us all (adults and teens) to lay all of our lives completely into His arms as evidence that letting go can work, because God can make it work.

As I write this, I find that I put myself “on trial” as much, if not more, than anyone else.  I take this risk for one simple reason.  I have discovered some things that I have not been taught in 30 years of ministry, and that I have stumbled over myself for most of those 30 years.  These are things the Word of God clearly teaches.  I am only now attempting to redo my mindset and practice regarding the following.  I am also asking my fellow leaders to consider the same calling, and consider making the same changes in mindset and practice if needed.

Diversity in the Body of Christ

Take a look at our fellowship.  What do you see?  Do you see a range of age?  A range of maturity, personality, experience, or temperament?  A range of family situation, upbringing, or back-ground?  How about a range of church background?  A range of education?  A range of vocation? How about a range of ministry experience?  Or ministry philosophy?  A range of Bible knowledge?  Definitely two genders.  And a range of doctrinal views on any number of topics.  To top it off, the scriptures tell us of God’s varied spiritual gifting of the members of the body of Christ:  We’ve got prophets and encouragers, givers and spenders, thinkers and feelers, and any number of other differences in gifting. 

If properly handled, this multitude of diversity, this complex variety – this multidiversity – can be a testimony to the amazing work of God in all of our lives, proclaiming His glory to a watching world.  However, if mishandled, this diversity can become a breeding ground for disturbance, dissension, or division.

God’s Vision for the Body

Jesus told the initial group of disciples that the watching world would know, from their love for one another, that they were his disciples (John 13:34-35).  Imagine how that works in a church.  Someone comes in and immediately sees this multidiversity, and sees love among them.  He doesn’t hear the pastor putting down other believers.  He doesn’t hear Mable criticizing Ulga’s taste in communion table décor, or Wanda complaining about the kitchen.  He doesn’t hear grumbling about the pastor’s message or the communion devotional.  What he sees and hears as he spends more and more time with this group is that they love one another, even when they disagree.  Since this imaginary man, who walked into this imaginary church, grew up in a fallen world, attended fallen-world schooling, has labored in a fallen-world workplace, and has previously attended a “less-than-loving” church or two, this difference, this glorious difference, brings him to only one conclusion:  He discovered a community of true disciples of Christ.

In another instance, while praying (John 17:20-21), Jesus asked that we might all be one, “so that the world may believe” that the father sent the son.  Imagine that.  Our ability and willingness to properly handle our inevitable differences is evidence of the truthfulness of the gospel to a watching world.  Again, our imaginary man comes in to our fellowship and discovers that we don’t complain, undermine, gossip about, or slander one another.  Rather, he finds (in Paul’s words) that “we do all things, without grumbling and complaining.”  He finds that we continue to love and support one another and give respect and honor to one another, in spite of the tensions of disappointment, disagreement, or dissatisfaction.

A Means for Unity

The differences among God’s people will undoubtedly create friction and tension.  We, this multidiversity, are called to accomplish reaching the lost, evangelizing the willing, and discipling and equipping the converted.  All this work expands God’s Kingdom in breadth and depth, when done properly.

But nothing exposes differences between people better than attempting to accomplish great and complex things together.  Each of us brings our own personal set of beliefs and backgrounds, experiences and values to the task.  And due to our differences, we will often find disagreement as to how, when, where, or why certain aspects of our mission are to be handled.  We will each inevitably bring our unique self, with our unique views on things, into the discussion.  Ministry naturally exposes our differences.

But God has provided for proper handling of such differences in His plan.  If we model Christ to one another as we question the contribution of others, and if we pre-judge our own contributions against a Christlike mindset, we’d regularly make an amazing statement to those around us.  God is among us.  And because He is among us, we can handle the differences rightly, resting in Him and His provision for us as we do so.  What would happen if each of us, in addition to our own unique view, made sure that we brought love and faithfulness to every discussion?  How different from our present experience would it be if we committed ourselves to handle every disagreement, every tension, every slight (whether real or only perceived), every misunderstanding, and every debate, allowing the Spirit of God to take our drivers’ seats, and using only the character of Christ as our roadmap?

The Toll of Disunity

Sadly, many of us have been part of ministries that handled differences and tensions in a less-than-stellar fashion.  Whether out of ignorance, manipulation, or malice, discontent is allowed (or encouraged) to stew into bitterness, disagreements grow (or are fanned) into divisiveness, and love and faithfulness are put on only for show.  Behind the curtain lie gossip, duplicity, deceit, favoritism, grumbling, slander, and scheming as leaders attempt to keep up the public image while slyly dealing wickedly with the inevitable tensions of the multidiversity. 

The victims of such dealings are legion.  They are the volunteers who worked tirelessly for or with someone, only to have him abandon them.  They are the staffers who trusted and served someone, only to have him stab them in the back, or encourage others to do it for him.  They are the faithful servants of the living God, entrusted to someone as equipper, that he equipped for nothing while using their strengths for his purposes and their weaknesses to propel himself higher in others’ eyes.

But there is a huge class of additional victims:  The audiences who watched as we mishandled our differences.  They are the children that watch as mom and dad scream, yell, and divorce one another.  They are friends of teens who watch and listen as Christian teens and Christian parents fight, argue, manipulate, or withdraw from one another.  They are the children and youth in a ministry who watch parents, pastors, and others lock horns, grumble, and berate one another.  And as they watch, they learn:  If mature Christians cannot trust God enough to obey His commands regarding love, grace, forbearance, forgiveness, and honest communication about issues and disagreements, then He cannot be trusted at all.  Instead, they learn that Christians, like those in the world, must take matters into their own hands, ignore God’s counsel, and work sinfully to solve the issues or disagreements.

The Tactics of the Tempter

Who do you suppose wants more than anything to frustrate the witness of the church?  Who deeply desires that men, women and children disbelieve that God loves them and that He sent His son to die for their sins?  Who indeed?  The apostle Paul gives profound insight into what may be the most important facet of our disagreements:  Satan is behind their escalation into division and dissension. 

Paul’s comment, found in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, intimates that we are to be a forgiving people, so that “Satan might not outwit us.”  He adds “for we are not unaware of his schemes.”  Paul understood that if grace were to be withheld from a certain sinner, then Satan could catapult that instance into much, much more. 

In Ephesians 6, Paul writes that our “battle” is not with one another.  Rather, it is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Before and after this observation, he commands that we should “put on the full armor of God.”  The larger context of this passage includes the series of relationship commands earlier in chapter 6.  In rightly handling those relationships, we are to be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power, so that we can stand against the devil’s schemes.  Clearly, Paul wants us to put on that armor so that we can stand against Satan as he attempts to turn our relations into opportunities for him to work his schemes, to turn us into unChristlike people as we deal with one another.

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes that we can give the devil a foothold when we allow an anger to hold us beyond sundown.  Handing the devil a foothold gives him a base of operation within one’s own self.  Once there, Satan can stir one to sin in many ways without the effort he’d be required to use as an “outsider.” 

The Bottom Line

How do you and I view someone’s failure?  Do you judge it?  Do I condemn him in my heart because of it?  Do you grumble to yourself about it?  Do I grumble to others about it?  Do you forgive it?  Do I have compassion on him in spite of it?  Do you commit yourself to only imitate Christ in your response to it?  Do I look for the log that may exist in me that twists my perception and my reaction to his failure?  Do you and I seek ways to do good, to love and edify him (help him grow)? 

We (“we” must begin with “I”) must learn to see the disconcerting words or deeds (and lack of words or deeds) in one another as opportunities to do good, not evil.  We must learn to love those who sin (against us or against those whom we love) enough to speak to them in love, with words of edification, to pray for them and for their blessing. 

We must also each accept the responsibility to help one another when we see one another stumbling through these opportunities to do good rather than evil.  We cannot simply allow someone the luxury of venting, or allow discontent to sit unaddressed in a brother or sister.  We must minister to him in a way that helps him process the discontent in a godly manner:  We must help someone return to peace and joy in his circumstance, and help him grow in his commit-ment to serve Christ in his circumstance.  Simply listening to someone vent his discontent is not good for him.  It is not good for those he’d grumble to.  It is not good for the church.

God’s Provision for Lifting Human Community

out of the Morass of Human Dysfunctionality

God is in the business of creating healthy community where it does not exist.  He does so by calling people out of the unhealthy communities where they reside, redeeming them, and then building them into the kind of people who can form true community.

As God lifts this new community out of the morass of dysfunctional ones, He gives Christians three “safety nets” to protect the health of this new community, that is, to keep the community from falling back into the patterns of the world’s communities.  Each of these safety nets is a function of truly loving one another as God in Christ loves us:

1.      Do not sin against one another

Jesus modeled this when He came to live sinlessly among us.

We model this as we actively struggle to love more faithfully, and as we struggle to sin less and less against one another.

2.      Do not respond sinfully when sinned against

Jesus modeled this as He lovingly dealt with men and their sin against Him.

We model this as we bear with one another, practice patience with one another, and forgive one another.

3.      Helping each other not fall through the first two nets

Jesus modeled this by correcting His disciples, the Jewish leaders, and even the crowds.

We model this as we speak truth in love, build each other up, and as we leaders preach, correct, rebuke, and encourage.

God calls His people, both leaders and followers, to edify one another, helping one another grow into this lifestyle as we teach, encourage, and counsel each other.  All of us will be tempted to sin.  We are all to help one another not do so.  All of us will be tempted at times to respond sinfully when sinned against.  We are all to help one another not do so.  All of us might be invited into someone’s sinful handling of another’s sin.  We are all to help heal such breaks in our community in a godly, loving manner.

This mindset cannot simply be written into a bylaw or a sermon series.  It must be prayerfully adopted by a leadership team then nurtured into a congregation by those leaders through sermons, classes, corrective efforts, and counseling situations.  Every sinful situation, conflict, or disagreement that arises becomes a teachable moment for all involved, if leaders and participants will attempt to make it such.

Jesus keeps talking to me about how to treat others.  How I am to treat them?  On the basis of their treatment of me?? NOT!!  I am to treat others in the Church on the basis of how Christ has treated me. 

How has Christ treated me?

He loved me enough to die on my behalf

He forgave me before I even knew I was his enemy, undermining His world with my sinful ways

He blessed me with teaching and encouragement and correction that I needed to hear

He promised to not leave nor forsake me

So, how am I to treat my fellow believers?

And how about the ones with whom I disagree?

And how about the ones from whom I have wounds?

And how about the ones that put my life, my comfort, and my future at risk?

Just what does it mean to love our brothers in Christ?

Where is a community of believers practicing what the new testament so clearly teaches about relating one to the other?

In Luke 6, we are told of several incidences of the Pharisees judging Jesus for doing good, then of Jesus telling the disciples (newly christened apostles) a sermon.  Part of it is this parable:

"Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" 

Jesus followed with this:

"A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

It seems that if I see a flaw in another, and if I have a desire to help him with that flaw (whether my motive be good or bad?) then the prerequisite is that I be conversant about my own flaws, and be in the process of taking them out.  It seems also that clear sight to help another doesn't come until my sight into myself has been cleaned out.  Does that mean that until I am clearly seeing my own selfishness, my own pride, my own foolishness, my own willingness to dishonor God in order to bring honor to myself -- that until I see my own sinfulness clearly, I am not able to really help another?

Was Jesus talking about the pharisees' judgement of him, or about his own disciples' propensity to be like them?