Answers for Today, November 1, 2011, originally written 4-8-09
Missionaries of Encouragement
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18:18-23
Following a lengthy and productive stay in Corinth, Paul and company finally head for home. On the way, Paul visits Ephesus, where the door seems to be open for ministry. Though Paul feels he must continue on his journey, he promises to come back “if God wills.” That’s a good disclaimer to put in!
Once back home, Paul checks in with everyone, but doesn’t seem to stay long before resuming his missionary travels. Paul is the circuit-riding missionary! This is at least the third time he’s been at some of the churches in Galatia and Phrygia. Ministry is really very limited unless there is some sort of continuing relationship. No matter how outstanding someone’s ministry is, nothing takes the place of living out life together in the presence of other believers. The purpose of Paul’s third missionary journey through Galatia was strengthening the disciples. It makes me wonder, who’s doing that in America?
Here we are in one of the largest mission fields in the world. Wouldn’t it be good if there were some people who felt God’s calling to be circuit-riding strengtheners of disciples? Could it be that God no longer calls people to ministry like that, or is it that those who are called don’t respond because it doesn’t fit any recognized ministry “slot”?
I think we need some missionaries to America, people who have a region on their heart. These traveling folks would not take the place of local pastors, but they could be quite effective as church planters, evangelists and “apostles of encouragement.” What a blessed ministry this could be!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Where are the “Missionaries of Encouragement” in America?
Answers for Today, November 2, 2011, originally written 4-8-09
The Minister of Encouragement is Here!
Denominational leaders have a tough job. Their influence is often mostly in the realm of administration, rather than evangelism or vision-casting; they have so many fires to put out that it’s rare they would have opportunity to merely encourage people on a regular basis. Even if they operate more like apostles, their authority is limited to their own denomination, outside of which they’re unknown. What if there were some traveling apostles who reported back to someone like Paul did, but who spent most of their ministry in starting churches and encouraging disciples, and in assisting church leaders as they work together in their city or area?
These would not be self-appointed leaders, but God-appointed ones, affirmed by the Body of Christ. Their mission would not be to have authority over others, but to serve others in a region or mission field for which they had a heart burden. Their role would not be administrative, but creative—using their gifts to expand and strengthen the Church, across a geographic area. This would be in contrast to those whose responsibility is to oversee churches within a particular denomination. The American “missionaries” I’m envisioning would not be responsible to find new pastors for open churches or tackle administrative issues. They would be free to encourage, strengthen and serve, across denominational lines, wherever they found a welcome. Their burden would be for a geographical region, rather than a doctrinal distinction.
How large of an area? I think it would vary. It could be a city, a state or a region of the country. I picture apostles of encouragement with a home region they visit frequently, while making cross-country mission trips from time to time.
How would anyone decide where they were to go? The same way Paul and the other apostles did: Pray. Ask God where to go, then obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit might lead people to places they had never been before, He might lead them to stay home, He might lead them to return to certain spots again and again, like Paul repeatedly going through Galatia.
It’s obvious that not everyone would be called to be “a missionary to America,” but doesn’t it make sense that some might? I think it’s a matter of disciples paying attention to the Lord’s call, even if it might seem foreign to our established parameters. And what a great ministry it could be (if God wills): Strengthening and encouraging disciples in an area assigned by God.
What do we do? Listen, and obey God.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Could God call people to a regional ministry of encouragement?
Answers for Today, November 3, 2011
Sluggards, Scoffers, Fools
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
Cease to hear instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and beating for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 19:24-29
It’s not terribly difficult to pick out sluggards, scoffers and fools. The ultimate sluggard is so lazy he won’t even feed himself, much less work for his food. The nearly ultimate non-working, remote-bearing sluggard just asks us to bring him back something from the refrigerator, since we were already up. Even a string of commercials can’t pry him loose from the grip of the La-Z-Boy.
Then there are the scoffers. We can tell a scoffer from a man of understanding who just doesn’t understand, yet, by the reproof reaction: the scoffer goes ballistic when reproved by anyone; the wisdom-bent individual gets back to us, and comes back wiser. The scoffer comes back with an attorney.
Fools come in all sizes and flavors, but reasoning without sufficient convincing force to back up the argument is pretty much a waste of time, with fools. Foolishness is not remedied by reason; this is not the language of fools. Sluggards, scoffers and fools are best approached with action. A fool’s brain is usually a non-participant, but his body often learns quickly, trumping the mind.
It’s no fun dealing with fools. They require strong action to change. The main thing to remember about sluggards, scoffers and fools? Don’t be one.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: With sluggards, scoffers and fools, action is all that works.
Answers for Today, November 7, 2011, originally written 4-20-09
God’s Traffic Lights
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. Acts 16:6
And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. Acts 19:8-10
Paul and company walked across the province of Asia without preaching, on Paul’s second missionary journey. Why? The Holy Spirit had forbidden them. On the way home, Paul had made a brief stop in Ephesus, received a good welcome, and had promised to return to them, “if God wills” (Acts 18:21). His third missionary journey was a beeline to Ephesus. Upon arrival, Paul jumped right into ministry among the Jews, with a three-month stint in the synagogue, until opposition arose from some in the synagogue. Paul took his disciples and left. He began a daily ministry in the hall of Tyrannus (apparently 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. each day), which continued for two years. Altogether, Paul spent three years in Ephesus. Through his ministry, the residents of Asia heard the Gospel, both Jews and Greeks.
How can one person reach a province more than 200 miles wide? If you’re in the right spot, you don’t even have to travel! I used to joke that if you stood in the terminal at Anchorage International Airport for a year, you would see everyone in the state of Alaska. It wasn’t really a joke; it was pretty much the truth. For one reason or another, nearly everyone in the entire state would be there, usually several times in a year. Ephesus must have been like that. Ironically, one of the biggest draws to the city of Ephesus was a pagan temple which was one of the “seven wonders of the world”: the temple of Artemis (also called Diana). Factors like the harbor and the temple made Ephesus a prime location through which to reach the whole region. Paul was able to sit still and teach, while the results of his ministry went everywhere. They might have come to see the temple of Artemis, but many left with the truth of the Gospel. “Project Asia” wasn’t planned by apostles or denominational bureaucrats, but by a God who never misses.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We are wise to look for and follow God’s leading and timing!
Answers for Today, November 8, 2011, originally written 4-20-09
God-powered, God-timed Evangelism
Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was accompanied by great power. Not only did he give thorough instruction each day for two years; there were so many miraculous signs and wonders being done through him in the way of healing and deliverance that people got in the habit of taking handkerchiefs or aprons which had touched Paul to their afflicted friends, and they got well! God’s grace was on the apostle. The fertility god Artemis had a pretty hard time keeping up with Jesus, when it came to results! The sense of awe was only magnified when the seven sons of Sceva tried to horn in on the Gospel, and were publicly exposed (in every sense of the word) as frauds!
There were some key evidences of God’s work among the Ephesians. One was a huge bonfire, fueled by books of magic flipped onto the flames by recent converts from sorcery to Christianity. The value of the books would today have come to around six million dollars!
Another indicator that things were changing in Ephesus was the reaction of the local silversmith’s union. They were not pleased! They felt this preacher posed a threat to their livelihood, which principally consisted of making silver shrines of Artemis. Her popularity had taken a dive since the apostle hit town. Led by Demetrius, the silversmiths started a riot. Demetrius would have been better off to just start making silver handkerchiefs inscribed with “Jesus is Lord.”
They had a tremendous revival in Ephesus. Question: Would this have happened had Paul gone there years before, when he first intended?
I don’t think so. Apparently, the timing wasn’t yet right. Also, the Spirit directed the apostles to first encircle Asia with the Gospel, before coming back to it, and there is purpose to everything God does. There was a reason for the delay. The end result was a powerful ministry which reached both Jews and Gentiles. Paul had the time of his life! It may have been his most enjoyable ministry.
What can we learn from Paul’s Ephesian ministry? The pattern Paul used in Ephesus of letting people come to him, then teaching them, used to work in America. In most American ministries of today, the plan is to establish a nice facility, provide worship services and programs which people find attractive, and let them come to us so we can share with them about Jesus. Sometimes, this works. More often, not, particularly on the skeptical coasts, where it’s hard to get anyone but Christians to come to a church service. Are we stuck? God is never stuck! It’s again time to seek God’s power, timing and methods for our situation.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God-powered, God-timed evangelism is always effective.
Answers for Today, November 9, 2011, originally written 4-20-09
Drop the Bar, Go Where They Are
Here are some principles which seemed to work for Paul in Ephesus, which may be applicable to us as well:
*Go where the people already are, or where they’re going to be.
Had Paul promoted the Gospel in a remote part of Asia, where people would have had to travel far out of their way in order to find him, I don’t think he would have been able to sit still for three years and reach the whole region the way he did in Ephesus. Paul’s ministry wasn’t to people who were on some sort of religious pilgrimage, looking for answers; it was to people who had wound up in Ephesus for one of the several reasons Ephesus was a destination city. Since they were already there (or lived there), since the hall of Tyrannus was a neutral, public kind of place, and since Paul’s ministry was every day, he was able to reach people opportunistically whom he would not otherwise have reached.
*Reduce barriers to the Gospel as much as possible.
There were few barriers to the Gospel, the way Paul was presenting it. He had successfully countered the obstacles which would have deterred some, such as thinking they needed to be Jewish (had he kept meeting in the synagogue); having to go find him (they were already in Ephesus); not being there at the right time (it was every day, and it included the time of day when people would not be working due to the heat). Another barrier Paul reduced was the “one-way” communication barrier, which turns many people off. Rather than lecturing for hours each day, he was “reasoning” with the people who came. This means they had a chance to talk back and ask questions. When we’re asking people to adopt an entirely new lifestyle, doesn’t it make sense to give them the chance to at least ask questions? It is true that some will respond well to an impassioned sermon (particularly when powered by the Holy Spirit), but there will always be those who need to be able to ask questions before they will ever be convinced. Paul was reaching both.
Two of the principles which may be applied to our present situation: (1) Go where the people are, or where they are going to be. (2) Reduce barriers to the Gospel as much as possible. Most importantly, try! Try to reach people for Jesus.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Drop the bar, go where they are!
Answers for Today, November 10, 2011, originally written 4-20-09
More Groovy Evangelism Principles
We’re learning from Paul’s effective approach in Asia how to reach an area for Christ. Here are more principles to apply:
*Go in the flow of God’s power.
No one could deny the power of God in the ministry of Paul in Ephesus. There were genuine miracles of healing and deliverance taking place on a continuing basis, and all the credit was going to Jesus. The streaking sons of Sceva learned it took more than getting the name right to get the power. It took a relationship.
That hasn’t changed. We can “Jesus’ name” all we want, but if we’re just repeating an incantation and expecting results without being right with God, we’d better not be poking demons! If we operate in the will of God and for His glory (not ours), we will have all the power we need. The Church will not grow without the Holy Spirit. Without Him, it’s an empty lecture hall, even if it’s filled with people.
*The most powerful testimony is a changed life.
True spiritual transformation took place in Ephesus. Two huge examples of the effect the Gospel was having on society were the six million dollar repentance bonfire and the fact that the silversmith’s union was panicking because of reduced demand for their idols. The people of Asia weren’t just learning about Jesus; they were living a new life. That’s the way it still should be. People shouldn’t have to wonder if we’re different, once we’ve made a commitment to serve Jesus Christ.
*The most effective evangelism is daily.
Paul’s ministry wasn’t once a week. It was daily. Christianity is a daily walk. Limiting our relationship with Christ to one day a week makes about as much sense as being married one day a week. If we’re married, we’re married all the time! If we’re committed to Jesus Christ, we’re committed all the time, not just when we’re in a church building or on Sunday. If that’s not how it is, it’s not “commitment.”
If it’s revival or an awakening we want to see in our land, we’d better be thinking “daily.” I’ve tried to come up with a period of great evangelism, anywhere in history, which was not daily. I came up empty.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Go with God’s power. A changed life is the best witness. Daily.
Answers for Today, November 11, 2011, originally written 4-20-09
Could It Happen Here?
Could what happened in Ephesus happen in the U.S.? Sure. Actually, it has, several times in our history: The Great Awakening, The Second Great Awakening, the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905, plus some others. Each time, the evidence was in changed lives. Conversions numbered in the thousands. Full churches. Empty jails.
What needs to happen in America?
We need a few six million dollar repentance bonfires. We need for the tastes of the culture to change so drastically that it panics Hollywood, because people are ignoring the junk they put out, in favor of things that are pure and wholesome and even Christian. We need to have such a paradigm shift that a bunch of laws and causes become irrelevant or are abandoned. If millions of Americans fell in love with Jesus for the first time, would we need laws preventing same-sex marriage or abortion?
I’m all for changing the laws to reflect the moral values of the Bible, if that’s an option. But what I’m committed to is praying for the change of our culture, to the point where such laws are irrelevant, because most people would never do those things, anyway, legal or not.
What do we do?
What do we do? Find where the Holy Spirit wants us to work, and get with it! Utilize whatever methods He leads us to use, realizing that they may well differ from the next person, the next town or even the last time we were here in the same place! It’s like sport fishing; every time seems to be different, requiring different methods, even in the same stretch of water. We need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit, who is willing to help us if we’ll listen. We need to pray for guidance, we need to pray for instructions, we need to be bold and obedient.
Where do we fit?
We fit where God has placed us. It might be for three months, three years or the rest of our lives. God might say “No” to our good idea, only to bring us back to it years later, with His blessing. He may send us planting or plowing or harvesting. He will probably put people in our lives who look to us for guidance. We should do our best with them, even if they’re only in our lives for a short time.
If we try to follow Jesus, God makes sure we get to our proper assignment, on time. Ask for guidance, check with God, verify it, proceed. Green means “Go.”
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We need to find our assignment from God, then pursue it!
Answers for Today, November 14, 2011
Fools Rush In
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
Proverbs 20:1-3
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” goes the old line. Fools don’t ever seem to “get it,” which is, I guess, why they’re fools. Fool traps are many—it doesn’t take much to catch one, because they’re so... well, you know.
Strong drink has made a fool out of many who were otherwise wise, until the second or third adult beverage kicked in. Each empty glass seemed to produce a correlating drop in I.Q., judging by the aftermath. Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. That stuff can make a monkey out of someone in a hurry! Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of anyone whose life was ruined because he chose to be a tee-totaler. Millions have shipwrecked their lives on a bottle. They thought they were in control. They were wrong.
Does anyone who drinks alcohol classify as a fool? No, only those who allow themselves to be led astray by it. But here’s the rub: people don’t realize they’re being led astray by it until the hangover hits. They were just having a good time! Watch out for this fool trap. It can make a mockery of your whole life in a hurry.
The second fool trap mentioned in these verses has to do with provoking kings. In king-less America, could we skip this verse and go on to something applicable? It would be wiser to consider how this verse might keep us out of jeopardy. Is there anyone in our lives who is best not provoked, due to their authority over us? Teachers? Bosses? Parents? Can you say, “policeman”? Judges? There are multiple folks in our society whom only imbeciles deliberately tick off. Fools can’t seem to sense the danger, though, so they smart off to show their intelligence and “courage.” Not smart at all! Rather foolish.
This brings us to Fool Trap #3: strife and quarreling. Fools find arguments irresistible! Some fools seem to feel useless if they’re not quarreling. Meanwhile, wise people avoid unnecessary strife, intentionally offending authorities, binge drinking and any and all other fool traps. It’s because they’re wise. Let’s be wise.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: There are many fool traps out there: wise people avoid them.
Answers for Today, November 15, 2011, originally written 4-21-09
Nation Changers
Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” Acts 19:21
If we will let Him, God will use us to change our nation.
How? The same way He used Paul to revolutionize the province of Asia, during Paul’s three-year stay in the major city, Ephesus. Acts 19 records a major riot in Ephesus. Who caused the riot? A silversmith named Demetrius got the people stirred up, but the reason the craftsmen were upset is because one man, Paul, had been so effective in proclaiming Christ that the shrine makers for the goddess Artemis feared their business was going down the tubes. The Gospel had changed the economy. Not only that, but there had recently been a bonfire, where converts to Christianity piled six million dollars worth of their own sorcery books, etc., on it and watched their old belief system go up in smoke. You can believe that had an effect on the local populace!
God used one man to change that part of the world. Before Paul’s arrival, the Ephesians were worshiping Artemis and money. By the time he had “reasoned” with them daily for three years, the whole province had been exposed to the truth of the Gospel, and paganism was on the run.
Paul’s secret wasn’t something he got out of a church growth seminar. He was God-powered and Spirit-led. God supplied not only the power for incredible miracles of healing and deliverance which freed people in Jesus’ name; He also supplied the apostle with divine direction. How did the Early Church get it right so many times? Easy. It was the Holy Spirit who was leading the Church, not men.
Is that the way it is, now? Oh, sure, we pray before the committee meeting, but are the decisions made in that meeting coming from the Holy Spirit or from the most dominant human in the room? When it comes to future planning, isn’t our usual method to go to a conference or to cook up an idea, make plans, then resolve to “get ‘er done”? Paul’s way was to “resolve in the Spirit.” There’s a difference. Rather than trying to get God to buy into and sign off on his ideas, Paul was trying to get on God’s wave length; God was making sure the attempt was successful.
Often, our own plans trip us up; once we’ve made them, we won’t listen to the Spirit. We’d be better off doing it Paul’s way, learning to seek the Spirit, then following where He leads. Listening, obedient disciples change entire nations.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we will let Him, God will use us to change our nation.
Answers for Today, November 16, 2011, originally written 4-21-09
Reasoning with the Nation
The Ephesians didn’t know about the Gospel until Paul preached to them. Now, after three years of Paul “reasoning” with them daily, they understood. He had taken pagan idol worshipers and gradually brought them into an understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. He had taught them, answered their questions. He had started where they were and led them all the way to a life-changing faith in Christ. The six million dollar repentance bonfire in Ephesus which signaled success had been three years in the making. It was ignited by a clear understanding of what it meant to be a disciple, fueled by a willingness to pay the cost. When it was over, Paul knew by the Spirit that it was time to go.
Wouldn’t it be great to see revival fires burning all over this country? People confessing their sins publicly, scorning their old habits and lifestyle to the point it actually started affecting the economy? Before that happened in Ephesus, though, there was a thorough “reasoning” of the Gospel through Paul and his associates for a period of three years. I think that’s a place we often overlook. Sure, it would be great to have massive repentance and the wonderful changes which follow—but does it happen that way, when people don’t even really understand the Gospel or their need for a Savior? Not usually. The Wesleyan revival so effective in changing the British Isles didn’t start out with repentance and societal change; in fact, I think they said the lag time between exposure to the message and conversion was an average of two years. First, they learned. Then, they committed.
We have a job to do, in America. The job is not only to evangelize the nation; first, we must “reason” with the nation. We need to present the case of the Gospel, being careful to answer all questions, starting where people are, not where we think they should be.
We’re dealing with biblical illiteracy and the after-effects of a confusing witness. The biblical illiteracy is self-explanatory: People simply don’t know what the Bible says. This includes many who attend church services. By “confusing witness” I’m referring to the many people claiming to be Christians, yet living like the world. What’s a non-believer to think? If Christianity is life-changing, where’s the change? It’s time for the Church to live it. Then we’ll be ready to reason with the nation. We’ll see changes in them when they see a change in us.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Are we ready, with changed lives, to reason with the lost?
Answers for Today, November 17, 2011, originally written 4-21-09
From the Beginning
When it comes to influencing non-believers toward Christ, it looks to me like we need to start from either the beginning, or wherever people are in their knowledge of spiritual things, then build our case for Christ. I think we need to begin discipling people, even before they’re Christians, rather than focusing so much on “conversion,” then just going on to the next person while leaving them to figure it all out for themselves. It doesn’t seem that many are responding to our evangelistic efforts (when we get around to making them), and when they do respond, they’re not maturing in Christ, because (A) no one expects them to, and (B) they’re pretty much on their own. Start from where they are, now, then follow through.
What do we do?
We preach a life-changing Gospel, not a watered-down version which only confuses people.
We focus on reasoning with people, starting where they are, rather than assuming they know what we mean when we talk about conversion, etc.
We disciple people, starting before they’re even Christians, and starting from the beginning, if need be.
We don’t abandon new converts to figure it out for themselves, but come alongside them for as long as we’re needed.
We make our plans in the Spirit, instead of in the committee.
Where do we fit?
We’re portable disciples. We’re the people whom the Holy Spirit can move around, because we listen to Him.
We’re the folks God uses to change entire nations, by doing nothing more than living for Christ and using the talents and opportunities He’s given us for His glory. The riot in Ephesus was about what? It was about one man who had changed the minds of the people of Asia, through nothing more than talking with them on a daily basis for three years. One man was a threat to the entire Ephesian economy! God uses His people for mighty purposes. If we will let Him, He’ll use us to change our nation.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we’re willing to start where people are, we can truly help them.
Answers for Today, November 18, 2011
Offers Too Good to Refuse
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD , that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6-9
This chapter is one long invitation, chock-full of promises from God. It begins with an offer to “come to the waters” if we’re thirsty (55:1). Those without any money are admonished to “come, buy and eat!” (55:1), anyway. God doesn’t need our money; He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to listen to Him and believe Him.
Following God is so good, particularly compared to all the alternatives! Why spend money and work so hard for things which don’t satisfy, anyway? Why crave worthless stuff, when we can have a relationship with a God who loves us, who can do anything?
This chapter is an invitation to turn around while there’s still time. Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Come home to God.
We don’t understand Him? Of course not! His ways are higher than our ways.
We’re not supposed to be able to understand God. That doesn’t keep us from loving and serving Him, though, which is all He asks, anyway.
I’ve had people in my life who hate to make promises, because they are such people of integrity they refuse to break a promise, no matter what. They take their promises very seriously, so they won’t make a promise they may not be able to keep. Then there are some who glibly promise whatever they think others want to hear, and just as casually forget they ever made a promise.
Our God loves to make promises; He never forgets. He has the power and ability to keep any promise He makes, so He does it all the time. Wise people stay close to a God like that, and don’t waste their lives in stupid, unsatisfying pursuits.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We need not understand God. The time to follow Him is now!
Answers for Today, November 21, 2011, originally written 4-23-09
Encouragement To Die For
After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
Acts 20:1-3
Paul’s third missionary journey was winding down. After a huge riot in Ephesus in Paul’s honor, it became apparent that it was time to go. Prior to the riot, Paul had already “resolved in the Spirit” to pass through Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem, though they were in the opposite direction.
There was something very important Paul wished to do in the places where he had begun churches. What was it? Encourage. The purpose of the entire trip seems to have been encouragement. It was that important to Paul. Not only did Paul focus on encouraging the disciples in Macedonia and Achaia; his last act before departing Ephesus was to encourage the disciples there.
What makes encouragement so powerful? Many times it’s the difference between going on and throwing in the towel. A few words of affirmation from a leader can inspire for a lifetime. Discouragement is powerful, too. A single comment can be the tipping point which turns everything to failure.
Paul realized the power of his words. He wanted the new believers to succeed. He went far out of his way in order to bless them. They would themselves endure trials, but they would not forget the trials endured by an apostle who thought encouragement so important he was willing to risk his life just to get to them and tell them one more time that he believed in them.
Incidental encouragement is nice, but the best encouragers I know do it on purpose. They’re not deciding if they should say something encouraging; they’re only deciding what encouraging thing they should say or do, this time. Their lives are always pointed in the same direction. Their goal is always to build people up, never to tear them down. Bring up a bit of gossip about someone, and their customary reply is that they love that person and have been praying for them. Gossiping around a committed encourager is like spitting into the wind, except less rewarding. Committed encouragers are powerful people you love to see coming and hate to see going. They decided they were on your side before they ever met you.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We can never have too many people committed to encouragement.
Answers for Today, November 22, 2011, originally written 4-23-09
The Encouragement Tour
I think we would do well to copy the Apostle Paul, particularly if we are in a position of influence. Those who hold the title of pastor, overseer, superintendent, etc., often find themselves with little time for anything except putting out fires, listening to complaints, fixing problems. Once the marriage is toast, the more churchy of the marriage partners brings the charred remains of the relationship to the pastor for an autopsy. The church is already scattered across the county, and the district superintendent is then summoned to put the thing back together or find a new person to preside over the mess. Would a little relationship maintenance have prevented most of the disasters church leaders see? It definitely wouldn’t have made things worse!
Encouragement is not the sort of action which begs for attention. That’s why, unless it’s done on purpose, it won’t often happen. Encouragement is a little like changing the oil on a vehicle. Oil changes don’t require a great deal of labor or expense, nor do they nag at the owner. The vehicle won’t stop working because you missed the recommended time to change oil. The engine will keep going and going, until eventually, something gives out, probably prematurely, because no one properly maintained the vehicle by regularly changing the oil.
We don’t have to encourage other people, but when we do, it’s life-giving, it’s refreshing and it’s fun for both the encourager and the encouraged. Encouragement strengthens relationships, keeps people from quitting (or breaking), prevents many, many problems from ever getting out of hand in the first place. Encouragement is so important, it’s worth risking our lives! At least Paul thought so, and I agree.
How about an encouragement tour for church leaders? Which would be more fun, to visit the people for whom we’re responsible with the principal goal of loving and encouraging them in any way possible, or to wait until something breaks and we’re called in to sort out the mess? How many calamities could be avoided by nothing more than the delivery of a little well-timed encouragement? Encouragement on purpose is to die for.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Encouragement on purpose is effective, powerful, life-saving.
Answers for Today, November 28, 2011
The Procrastinating Plowman
The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
Proverbs 20:4
It isn’t me who keeps dragging us back to the Protestant Work Ethic; it’s the Bible! Proverbs, an instruction manual for daily life, doesn’t nag; it nudges. Like the instruction manuals accompanying new products, our Bibles are too often neglected because we “don’t have time.” When I choose to ignore the instructions in my hand telling me how it all works, whose fault is it when things go awry?
Proverbs 20:4 tells us what happens when the lazy sluggard doesn’t get around to plowing: no harvest. Sluggards are very good at excuses, so they often manage to finagle a share of someone else’s harvest, anyway, but one can only play the “victim” card about so long, especially with the same people. Eventually, sluggards receive their due instead of their entitlement. It may not be in this life, but probably.
Some sluggards are intentional sluggards. It’s as if they signed up for the sluggard track while still in kindergarten, majored in sluggardry, and graduated with honors. Career sluggards earn a reward commensurate with their effort.
But many are accidental sluggards. Believing their own excuses, nursing victim status, waiting until they feel well before proceeding...there are myriad ways to accomplish sluggardry and miss the fleeting opportunities to get ‘er done while there’s still time. Harvest time is always a disappointment for sluggards, accidental or otherwise, even with charitable neighbors.
Procrastination is one of the key elements of missing the harvest, with no one else to blame. For so many things, there is a season. Once the season is past, no amount of good intentions or whining will bring it back. Winter descends, ready or not. Better plow and plant while there’s time.
The Bible, of course, is not a book focused on agriculture, but on eternal matters of the soul. There is a spiritual application to this proverb, too. It has to do with getting ready for all that lies ahead. The sluggard is counting on excuses and pity to get him through. The wise man will be found behind the plow at the right season. Rewards await the non-procrastinating plowman.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Excuses don’t turn back the calendar. Work while there’s time.
Answers for Today, November 29, 2011
Aliens and Outcasts
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
The Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:6-8
The door is wide open to God’s house and heart. Earlier in this chapter, the Lord promises eunuchs “a monument and a name better than sons or daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” (Isa 56:5) The condition? Just follow God and choose what pleases Him. We don’t have to be perfect to get into God’s great Kingdom and receive eternal life and promises; we need only be willing to follow Him.
The promises apply to the frail, the insecure, to those not “whole” for whatever reason. The door is wide open to the foreigner who chooses the Lord as God. People from every walk of life, from every tribe and nation, can find a home on God’s holy mountain, regardless of background. Outcasts and aliens are welcome in God’s Kingdom. They need only believe in the One who calls all people to Himself.
“For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Is God’s house a house of prayer? It should be. Should all nations be welcome, or only people who share our skin tone, language and tax bracket? The God of Israel is not about keeping people out of His Kingdom, but welcoming them in. God’s house is a place of prayer and a place of joy—at least, it should be. Welcome, fellow aliens and outcasts!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God’s Kingdom is open to all people who will follow Him.
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