Answers for Today, April 4, 2011, originally written, 11-17-08
Getting It Right
And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose... (Seven men with Greek names). These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. Acts 6:2-6
The apostles not only dealt well with the food distribution issue; they also did an excellent job in communicating their reasoning to the whole Church. It wasn’t that they were too good to wait tables or didn’t want to do it; it was because it wouldn’t be right. The reason it wouldn’t be right is because it would mean giving up preaching the word of God. This not only made sense to the whole group; it pleased them.
The apostles, rather than using their own authority to pick out seven stewards, left it up to the other disciples. The criteria given was not “experience in food service administration” or business acumen or popularity, but “full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” “Food service” was optional. The people chose them and presented them to the apostles, who in turn prayed and laid hands on them. The end result was that the apostles kept doing what Jesus had commissioned them to do, unhindered by administrative hassles. The needs of the Body were met, people who had wisdom and the Spirit were given responsibility that challenged them, and the Church continued to multiply. Not only that, but two of the Seven ended up being incredible evangelists, as well as being skilled in administration. One became the first martyr of the Church.
It could have all been different, had the Early Church taken a different approach! Had the apostles left off the emphasis on preaching, teaching and prayer, in order to become administrators, I think the results would have been tragic. What they did, instead, was to keep the emphasis on Christ rather than on the institution of the Church, by allowing the spiritual leaders to be spiritual leaders without burdening them with organizational administration, as well. It’s a beautiful thing when the Church gets it right!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When they chose to focus on God, not “church,” they got it right.
Answers for Today, April 5, 2011, originally written 11-17-08
Three-talent Frustrations
How have we strayed so far from the Early Church example of concentrating on God, not “church,” and come to consider it normal? Most pastors I know are under a groaning weight of administration, whether they want it or not. Some want it; it gives them control over the congregation they serve. Many have been trained to actually see themselves as “CEO” of “their” church. Few seem to have much time for prayer, so many are the demands of the congregation paying them to be their leader, yet also expecting fresh and powerful spiritual food.
Occasionally, we see someone who can do it all: Energetic spiritual life, the ability to preach and teach, the capacity to juggle administrative duties while maintaining a profound spiritual ministry—it all just seems to work, for them. And since we’ve now witnessed it, or at least heard of it being done, that expectation is then placed on less gifted mortals, and another perfectly good pastor faces a life of frustration, a three-talent steward in a five-talent position. Meanwhile, two-talent administrative people never called to preach sit glumly on the sidelines, bemoaning the failure of their minister, and wishing they could somehow have gotten “a good one” who knew how to do the job right.
How was it in the Early Church? Those called to focus on prayer and teaching were able to do just that, without also needing an MBA. People gifted in administration who were Spirit-filled and mature were selected to serve in administrative positions, to make sure things were done well, and fairly. If they also happened to be gifted in preaching, they did that, too.
In Acts 6, it was vital that the apostles continued to preach and teach about Jesus, rather than be dragged into administrative duties, because there was no New Testament! At this point in time, none of the New Testament had been written. All the people had was the testimony of those who had been with Jesus, who could relate His teaching and His example to others. What a tragedy it would have been to allow an administrative glitch to gobble up that testimony!
We, at least, have the New Testament. Still, I think it tragic that people called to preach end up spending so much time in administration and so little of it in talking about Jesus. When they do preach, it is generally to an audience familiar with the Gospel, looking for a new spin on it. The Church is bored; the pastor overwhelmed and frustrated; the world still doesn’t know. Something wrong with this picture? It’s not going to get much better until we each start to fulfill the unique ministry to which He called us, and decline the rest.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We need to focus on what God has called us to do. Period.
Answers for Today, April 6, 2011, originally written 12-08-08
From Top to Bottom
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7
It was a long way down, I’m sure. This little statement has amazed me, as I’ve contemplated what it meant to these men and their families: “and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Talk about a career-killing move! This decision had to have been very costly, in every way. When your whole life is based on your identity as a priest, to suddenly set that aside in order to quietly go to the bottom of society’s ladder indicated the deepest sort of commitment.
Following Jesus wasn’t quite so hard for those who had nothing to begin with. Their status couldn’t help but rise! After all, this was a new fellowship full of life and miracles, where even a slave could be somebody. For others, it was very different. It meant laying aside wealth, prestige, even employment and ultimately life itself, in order to join with people from every segment of society in service to a Savior crucified as a criminal. People who had spent their lives climbing and striving to stay at the top of the ladder were now relinquishing everything they’d worked for, just to follow Jesus. It was inspiring. Not just a few priests were making the trip down the ladder.
It’s interesting to note that the Early Church neither shunned these new converts, nor provided them with authority based on their superior scriptural knowledge and experience in leading religious organizations. They seem to have gotten in line along with everybody else. In this new Church, there was no ladder to climb, anyway! One of the tremendous strengths of the Early Church was that there was no true leader but Christ; there was only the Lord and those serving Him, without man-made positions needing to be filled. And, since basically no one was paid for “ministry,” each was allowed to utilize the gifts God had granted him without also needing to worry about responsibilities or authority for which he was ill-suited. The way it was looks, to me, better all the time.
That was one of many reasons I felt led to resign from a 23-year career in pastoral ministry. Anyone who cared about us wanted to know what I was going to do, and how this could possibly be God’s will. After all, who ever heard of being called out of pastoral ministry? The leading was just as clear and unmistakable, though, as the original call to preach had been. How did it turn out? Tomorrow.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Are we willing to go down the ladder for Jesus, like the priests?
Answers for Today, April 7, 2011, originally written 12-08-08
Safe at the Bottom
It would have been nice to at least have had an income plan to share with loved ones, but it became clear that this was to be a faith venture, which meant “sight” was limited to the next step of obedience, and not much more. We jumped, but not blindly. It was at the leading of Jesus. I assured people He would provide for us—I just didn’t know how, yet.
It has been a different kind of experience, one that makes me very sympathetic to the situation of first-century priests who dared to choose Christ over their career. God has provided, as I believed He would. I found that it’s more demanding to freely minister to whomever God brings into your life and pray in provision for each monthly bill, than it is to be obligated to a specific group of folks who supply you with a paycheck every two weeks. I’m definitely not saying that pastoring for pay is wrong; what I am saying is that, if you’re called to do it this way, the freedom to use your gifts in ministry and follow only the leading of the Lord without also needing to satisfy the expectations of others is a gratifying experience! (Warning: They quit giving you paychecks after you resign. And don’t expect people to give you money just for serving Jesus—that’s what they’re supposed to be doing, too. Anything you get after you resign can well be considered a gift from God, because that’s what it is. Nobody owes you anything, just for using your spiritual gifts, but often, God will direct kind-hearted servants to help supply your needs. It does wonders for the level of gratitude one feels!)
Well, now it’s been four years.* We haven’t starved or even come close; we haven’t lost the house, even in this economy. The disciples didn’t have medical insurance, either. As thousands of Americans, Christian and otherwise, fall off a financial ladder they’ve worked hard to climb, and have no choice but to rely on something different than that to which they’re accustomed, take it from someone who jumped off the ladder several years ago, at God’s urging. It’s not bad at all at the bottom of the ladder! Whether you jumped like I did, or you got pushed, the best plan I can come up with is this: Trust God, and serve Him. Don’t be lazy, but don’t be faithless, either. Ask Him to show you exactly what He wants you to do, then do it. Leave the results up to Him. And one nice thing about getting to the bottom of the ladder: No more worry about falling!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we follow God’s leading faithfully, we are safe, regardless.
*Note: Recently, God once again renewed my call to pastoral ministry, after six years of “living by faith.” Whatever way God leads us, it works.
Answers for Today, April 8, 2011, originally written 12-09-08
In Need of New Wineskins
And a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7
We in America need the kind of boldness demonstrated by those priests. We are also in need of some new wineskins. The Church’s impact seems minimal here, as old methods and mentalities are recycled endlessly, with diminishing results. There’s nothing wrong with the Gospel; it’s the encumbrances we’ve picked up along the way that make bold, new approaches a hard sell to the present Church.
Are we willing to go wherever God is taking us, or have we placed a bunch of limits on our obedience to Him? What will these new days mean, to us?
These are days of change for the Church. I’m convinced I’m not the only pastor God will ask to resign from the pastorate, while continuing to engage in ministry. I can see God directing many more pastors to be bi-vocational. But I don’t think God plans to ignore the established, traditional church or leave it without leadership. Many will be assured their place is to continue what they’ve been doing, ministering to the best of their ability within existing structures.
Here’s a difficult one, particularly for those for whom the established church structure fits like a glove: Some folks are going to be called out of their churches in order to enter ministry at a house-church level. It’s going to be hard to let those people go, and believe this is God’s plan for them, especially if that’s not God’s plan for us. Many will be called to stay in the traditional church. Part of the mission for them will be to not allow resentment to creep in against those called to go. For all of us, it’s going to mean change, even for those who don’t change churches or ministries. For them, the change will be in trying to cope with new paradigms for church, trying to adapt while staying in the same place.
While we need to mobilize, I don’t think we need some committee to try to control this or “strategize” the thing, any more than the apostles needed someone to plan Pentecost. What we most need to do is LET GO. We have had a death grip on the Church for so long that the Church in America has passed out! The Church has been a battle zone, with fights over music styles, tongues, traditions, theology, personal preferences of all kinds. We’ve not had much energy left to fight the devil. It’s as if we had played into the devil’s plan.
The Church in America needs to refocus on Jesus, be willing to be poured into new wineskins without complaint, and let go of everything but Jesus.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We need to let go of everything but Jesus.
Answers for Today, April 11, 2011, originally written 12-09-08
Not the Early Church
It all comes back to this, though: We’re not the Early Church, we’re the 21st Century Church. We need to pray through about what God wants us to do, now, and we need to be alright with one another if God doesn’t lead everyone down the same path. We’re on the same team, but we need to be O.K. with new wineskins.
Another thing about wineskins (as if I knew anything about wine): It’s new wine that you shouldn’t put in old wineskins—old skins are fine for old wine (I think). My application? There’s no need to take people who enjoy the established, traditional church and try to force them into new (and foreign) wineskins they won’t like, anyway. And it’s disastrous to equate our prized traditions with the true Gospel, when it comes to new believers. New wine needs new wineskins (but not a new Gospel). Force-fed tradition doesn’t go well with the Gospel.
To my thinking, this is much the same as it would have been, had the Early Church tried to Christianize the world and Judaize them at the same time (precisely what some tried to do). “Sure, you can be a Christian, so long as you obey the Torah and all the traditions, get yourself circumcised and go see the priest.” Fortunately, God sent Paul and others to break that up before it became part of the expectation of the Church.
How different is it, though, than the obstacles facing some today who would like to follow Jesus? “Good. So you want to be a Christian! You need to learn our church traditions and doctrines, get yourself some church clothes, make sure you come to our meetings, learn to sit still through sermons, learn to give money and time to the church, learn the language of how we say things (and don’t talk like you used to), you might need to change political parties, and you definitely need to drop some bad habits, at least in public. Then you can be one of us!”
“I didn’t know following Jesus was so hard.”
“Oh, it’s not. Salvation is a free gift—don’t forget it! But you want to fit in, so people will know you’re a real Christian, so it’s important that you be like us.”
We need to be the people who have grace wherever God places us, whether in established church settings or in something that we don’t even know how to describe. New wineskin people, old wineskin people (yet true to the Lord), people who are comfortable in whatever kind of skin they’re in, God can and will use us all to His glory. One thing we need to keep in mind, though. Whatever our view on the proper way to follow Christ in this century, we need to discipline ourselves to not fight against each other. We’re on the same team.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We’re on the same team, even if the “wineskins” are different.
Answers for Today, April 12, 2011
The Learning Blessing
Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
Proverbs 19:8
Learning is a reward in itself. This is coming from a kid who, for amusement, used to take the World Book encyclopedia off the shelf at the one-room country schoolhouse in South Dakota, and would read an article and write a report about it, even though no one had asked for one. It was fun! I wasn’t sure what other second graders did for enjoyment.
The life-long love for learning has not diminished. The best part of school, for me, was the learning part. I got to find out things I hadn’t known before. Things which previously had not made sense to me became clear. Learning has been a blessing to me.
Nowhere has that blessing been more evident than in what I have learned in my relationship with God, and through studying His Word, the Bible. It’s my reason for writing these devotionals: I love learning from God, and I like to share what I’ve learned with others. It gives me enjoyment to learn and to write, even if no one else looks at what I’ve written. If some folks benefit from reading about what I’m learning, all the better—but I would have done it, anyway!
When we choose to apply ourselves to learn and to understand, it’s one of the nicest gifts we can give—to ourselves! Not only that, but it blesses our Creator, who put within us a mind He would like us to exercise. When we choose to learn, we bless ourselves, our God and the people around us (particularly our teachers and parents). When we seek to understand, it pleases God. He helps us. The ability to learn is a gift from God. When we use that gift, it’s one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves, too.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Learning is like a gift we give ourselves.
Answers for Today, April 13, 2011
This May Sting a Bit
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7
After Daniel’s vision, he found his spirit “anxious,” his mind “alarmed.” Was God just trying to scare the guy? What was God’s purpose in giving Daniel dreams and visions which frightened him?
When we know what’s coming, it reduces fear. Take away the unknown, and most fear simply goes away. Monsters suddenly retreat back into the closets of young children as soon as the light switch is flipped on. The nurse announces, “This may sting a bit” just prior to the shot, and it’s not as bad as we thought it was going to be. The surgeon who explains the surgical procedure helps calm the fears of the patient. Even the scariest horror movie isn’t that scary when we’ve already seen it; we know what’s coming. And B-grade monster movies prompt more laughter than screams, with their predictable plots and budget special effects.
So... all that prophecy in the Bible about the antichrist and the Tribulation and the end of the world... is that there to scare us? No, it’s there for the opposite reason. It’s there to calm us, to let us know what’s coming. When the antichrist arrives on the scene to terrify the world and wreak havoc, it will be painful for all, but at least those who know their Bible will realize what’s going on! “Yep. Just like his picture in the Bible. And we already know what he’ll do and how it all turns out. Hang on!”
“This may sting a bit” (actually a lot). But the prophecies aren’t there to scare us. Instead, they calm us. We know what’s coming. We know who wins in the end. We are encouraged to stand firm until the end, and the One doing the encouraging is the same One who foretold everything which will happen from thousands of years out! If He can predict exactly what someone will do from a couple millennia away, we ought to be able to relax in the arms of “the God who told us so.” Prophecy is not there to scare us, but to take away our fears.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Prophesied pain is less painful.
Answers for Today, April 14, 2011, originally written 12-10-08
Professional Christians
And a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7
There are two treasured icons in the institutional church which seem, to me, to actually be limiting our impact on the world around us, rather than helping us: Church buildings and professional clergy.
I’m all for shelter, particularly on a nasty winter night in the Northwest, with record cold in the forecast. What bugs me is the proportion of the church’s income which ends up in real estate of one form or another, particularly when the effect of a church building is generally to quarantine a congregation of believers for two or three hours a week from a world which needs what they’ve got. The inefficiency often practiced of building separate spaces for each activity (sanctuary, fellowship hall or gym, educational classrooms) and surrounding the whole thing with a parking lot used once a week doesn’t help. What kind of business could pull this off? The Early Church couldn’t have, either. Fortunately, they had not been trained that in order for a church to grow, it must meet a litmus test of so many acres of land and just the right sort of building. They went from 120 to 3,000 in a day. Instead of adding on to the Upper Room, they left it. The action took place not in a church building (none existed for the first 300 years of the Early Church), but in the streets, the homes of believers and the public places like the Temple in Jerusalem.
And who spoke the Good News about eternal life and salvation through a resurrected Jesus? Everyone who believed. Not only the apostles and those who had walked alongside Jesus, but people who had only come to faith in Christ days before. Two of the best preachers of the Word started out as table waiters. They just wouldn’t stop talking about Jesus. That’s why I think we are making a tragic mistake when we buy into the long-held tradition which reserves preaching for those who have been through extensive theological training, who are now “qualified” to talk about how good God is!
Don’t get me wrong. I love preachers, I am one, and the majority of my friends are pastors. They already have a tough job, and I have no desire to see it get tougher, or for them to be unemployed. But I want to see my nation turn to God again, and leaving the bulk of the ministry in the hands of a few trained professionals is not working!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Is discipleship only for professionals, in church buildings?
Answers for Today, April 15, 2011, originally written 12-10-08
Pigskins and People
Christianity in America is too much like pro football. Not just anybody can get on the field! The chosen play; everyone else pays to watch. And how is it in 21st Century Christianity in the U.S.? Get yourself a reverend who can really preach, build a nice building and try to pack it out, and please, please tithe so we can keep this ministry going! “Ministry?” With not enough exceptions, the only ministry is people listening to someone whom they paid to talk about Jesus. When it’s over, no lives have been changed, but it was a nice “Jesus talk,” anyway.
Football is a spectator sport. It’s centered on the performers, not the ball. If the goal was to put a pigskin in the end zone, there are more efficient ways to do it, such as loading the thing in a Hummer and just dropping it off under the pole thingy’s at the end. The goal of football is not about the ball at all; it’s about the players competing against one another. That’s why there are plenty of rules, one of them being that you can’t have too many people on the field.
If the goal of football was for people to “get footballs into the end zone,” and everybody could do it, you’d see people throwing footballs into the end zone, carrying them, kids carting loads of footballs in wheelbarrows, toddlers rolling them toward the goal posts. As sport, it wouldn’t be too inspirational to watch— more like watching a fish processing plant run—but there would soon be an enormous pile of footballs in each end zone, if that were the goal.
But what if each football in the end zone meant something really important, like someone’s life being saved, for eternity? Can you see a toddler doing an end zone dance, then going back for another one?
What if, instead of it being a boring conveyor line of football carrying drones, there was opposition, and rules to be followed? What if people of all ages and levels of ability could still get in on it? What if each person found the game represented a challenge requiring teamwork, and perfectly matched to their abilities? What if the only spectators were resting players, who would rejoin the game, later? What if?
Back to the Church. Right now, it’s too much like a football game, with the pastor and about ten others out on the field, and the crowd in the stands cheering or jeering, depending on how things are going. If they don’t go well for too long, the pastor will probably be looking for another team.
Which scenario is more biblical, a sacred few carrying the load, or all God’s people on the field? Football is a spectator sport; Christianity shouldn’t be.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: What if the whole Church was on the field?
Answers for Today, April 18, 2011, originally written 12-10-08
Spectators No More
It’s time to apologize, again. I don’t want to sow dis-satisfaction into anyone’s life. I don’t want to pile on the Church, when it seems we’re already carrying too much. I don’t want my pastor friends to find themselves unemployed and all of us standing out in the rain. I also want to see my nation find God, again, and they’re not doing it under our present plan! What part of the Church’s money does not go toward buildings, salaries and upkeep-type expenditures? Often, that’s where all of it is going. It’s quite rare to find a church which might spend as much as 10% on anything like outreach. It’s also rare to find a pastor with much time for evangelism. How could he, with the load of maintenance responsibilities he already carries? Those in modern ministry sometimes look with longing at the early apostles, who delegated administration and went back to “prayer and the ministry of the Word.” Must be nice! We forget the part about the lack of an apostolic benefit package. They didn’t starve, but then, neither did the widows.
Now that I’ve stirred the waters more than I wanted to...
I don’t know the answer. I really don’t. A lot of good has been done and is being done in the Church. A lot of it is happening in church buildings. Much of it is being accomplished by very committed, highly trained, multi-talented pastors. For those who believe God wants them to continue to function in this milieu of ministry, please do! Much has been accomplished. For others—you know who you are—are you willing to get in the game and be a disciple, not a spectator? Are you willing to carry the ball for Jesus, even if you’ve never been trained? How about if there’s no building, no title and no salary? How about if others get paid to do the exact same things you’re doing for nothing?
I have no easy answers to energize the institutional church or change it back to the clear focus and effectiveness of what we see in Acts. We’re a long way down the road, and institutions stink when it comes to reforming themselves. I’m hoping that what God does next in the U.S. will see new wineskins alongside old ones, with both doing well.
However it looks, I’m pretty sure God wants us all to get in the game. Institutional church? Fine. He’s used this setup for hundreds of years. It’s the tool under which most of us found Christ. New wineskin? Organic church? Fine, too. The Spirit will lead us to the place we need to be, if we’ll let Him. Refuse to be a spectator Christian, anymore. All of us are called to be disciples. And Jesus wants all of His followers out on the field.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Refuse to be a spectator Christian, anymore.
Answers for Today, April 19, 2011, originally written 12-10-08
Where’s My Wineskin?
So, what should we do?
Don’t do anything—unless you know you’re being directed by the Holy Spirit. What I mean is, if you are in the system of the established, institutional church, don’t go bailing out on it or using what I have said as an excuse to stop giving or going to the church. If you’re a pastor, don’t quit, unless you are absolutely sure that the same God who led you into ministry in the first place is now asking you to minister in a way new to you, which may be without salary. If God leads you this way, don’t be surprised if it takes a while to be sure—I prayed about it constantly for a year before I was sure this was the direction I was supposed to go. And it’s like jumping off a cliff—you’d better be sure before you leap, because it’s too late on the way down.
However, if you know this is the Lord leading you to take faith and discipleship to a new level, and for you it means stepping way out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to follow Jesus. As long as you know it’s Him, and not just frustration or discontent, you can launch out in obedience even if it feels like you’re walking off a cliff, and know He will catch you. Don’t discard anything He has not instructed you to discard, but don’t assume anything, either. We really need the Spirit’s leading, when it comes to navigating these times. There’s only one Book we can pull off the shelf which will give us the answers, and that’s where we need to look! (Hint: We may not always be thrilled with what it tells us to do).
God has some amazing plans for us. Some of us will be called upon to find new ways through the wilderness, then come back to draw a map. Some of us will know without a doubt that God’s plan for us is to stay put, but to ward off envy and bitterness when our friends are not so led. There is a place for all of us on the field. Christianity is not a spectator sport, and it’s not just for professionals, though those (like the priests) with extra training and experience are valuable assets to the cause. We can trust God, totally— life, career, everything. He’ll catch you. Make sure it’s His voice, then obey. He’ll show you which wineskin is yours.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We can trust God for clear direction.
Note: In my case, I began ministry in the established church “wineskin,” was led out of it into what was for me new territory for six years, then was led back into pastoral ministry in the established church. In each case, it was the Lord’s leading.
Answers for Today, April 20, 2011, originally written 12-15-08
Disciples on the Loose
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 6:8
I heard an astonishing figure quoted by a pastor, yesterday. He mentioned that only 2% of churches in America were experiencing growth as a result of people coming to faith in Christ. I already knew that something like 80% of churches in America were flat-lined or declining. That means that even of the 1/5 of churches which seem to be growing, the growth is through transfer rather than conversion. Bottom line? 98% of all American churches are either flat-lined, declining, or experiencing growth only through people coming from other churches. And some of us are whining about the inefficiency of the auto companies!
What’s everybody doing, anyway? Pastors are some of the busiest people I know. Church calendars are crammed with activities. Some of the nicest buildings you’ll ever see have crosses on the top. Some of the best music you’ll ever hear is inside. And the quality of preaching? It makes me wish our politicians could speak half as well as the average pastor. Those guys can communicate!
What in the world is wrong, then? How could so much time, effort, money and skill go together to make for such a losing situation? We’re even on God’s side! Aren’t we supposed to be winning? We’re not even breaking even!
It’s time to look into the Bible, at an infant Church experiencing tremendous growth, plus the beginning of severe persecution. Consider Stephen. The story of his short life is contained in Acts 6-7. The influence ripples from his life haven’t stopped yet, and never will.
When the Church was looking for people to serve tables, the instructions were to look for reputable men, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Stephen made the list. His responsibility was to wait tables. It didn’t even pay anything, but he got to eat. He seems to have used all his free time talking to people about Jesus. Even when they brought in the championship Hebrew debate squad, he manhandled them with Spirit-anointed words. The guy had enormous grace and power, and even did wonders and signs!
His thrashing of the local intellectuals earned him some enemies, who dragged him before the Sanhedrin, along with some false witnesses. When it came time for Stephen to deliver his defense, he started with Abraham and recited the entire history of Israel, in detail and from memory.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Leaving the Gospel to the “professionals” is not working.
Answers for Today, April 21, 2011, originally written 12-15-08
Talking About Jesus ‘til it Kills Us
When Stephen accused the Sanhedrin to their faces of murdering Jesus, they interrupted his sermon to stone him, but none would forget the face of an angel, words of forgiveness echoing Jesus’, the blood of the first Christian martyr. Saul, especially, couldn’t forget it. He had held the coats of the stone throwers. He became so motivated to stamp out this new faith that he began a one-man vendetta against the Church that even led him to different cities when he started to run low on local Christians to persecute. Jesus intercepted him on the way (Acts 9) and the rest is history.
Back to Stephen.
Where did this incredible guy come from? Obviously, not all young Hebrews were like Stephen, but the system of training experienced in the synagogues had prepared him with a keen knowledge of spiritual history. Add Jesus, and you have an unbeatable, Spirit-filled witness. He already knew his scriptures.
I met a few (very few) young people on fire for God, who knew their Bible stories, when I was in college and seminary, but the bulk of the population, even then, had scanty knowledge and less ardor, when it came to the scriptures. Now, biblical illiteracy is at grotesque levels in all of society. Meanwhile, who is cranking out motivated young people who are familiar with their stuff and routinely expect to devote at least two years of their lives to propagating their message? That’s right. The Mormons. I don’t agree with their theology, but their methods are quite successful and their church is growing, despite the absence of clergy in their system. Could it be that it’s more effective to just turn everybody loose and expect any member to talk about their faith (and know what it is), rather than consigning the whole operation to the hands of a few paid professionals?
Which would make a bigger dent in a community? 80 highly-skilled, trained professional ministers who would shepherd 80 churches, or 800 disciples who occupied every conceivable position in society, who talked about Jesus every chance they got, roughly organized by maybe twenty professional ministers?
With the 80 ministers, we’d have stability, professionalism, good recordkeeping and, according to present statistics, no growth. With the 800, society would have nowhere to run without bumping into another Christian who couldn’t seem to get through the day without talking about Jesus, even if it killed them, which, if it did, would really shake things up!
We want the results they had in Acts, but...
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: To impact society, we need to turn all the disciples loose!
Answers for Today, April 22, 2011
Easter Answers
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark 16:1-8
The tattered group of Jesus’ followers didn’t gather to celebrate Easter, that day, but to weep and mourn. Their lives were absolutely filled with problems. Even after being told of Jesus’ resurrection by an angel, and seeing an empty tomb with the stone rolled away, their first reaction was not rejoicing but fear.
Before it was all over, they were convinced! Jesus was alive! Their problems melted away; nothing else mattered, once their Savior was with them, again.
It was only for a short while: Forty days. Then He was gone, again. This time, instead of seeing Him die, they watched Him float up into the clouds. (He promised to return)! He left His disciples with instructions, a mission: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)
We’re still working on it.
Where do we fit in this Easter picture, in 2011? What are we to do? Where is our place? I could probably fill many pages with “stuff” in answer to those questions, but I’ll keep it really short, instead:
Nothing matters more than that Jesus is alive. The death problem? Solved, through His death and resurrection. The sin problem? Solved through Jesus. Eternal life? Guaranteed. The same God who raised Jesus will raise all who believe. We need not be afraid. Our resurrected Lord is bigger than all our problems. And we still have a job to do, and Easter to celebrate. Forever.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Nothing matters more than that Jesus is alive.
Answers for Today, April 25, 2011
The Wages of Lying
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
Proverbs 19:9
What’s the big deal about lies? In some circles of our present-day society, lying is looked upon more as a skill than a sin (politics, for example)! Surveys would lead us to believe that many people (particularly teenagers) lie on a routine, daily basis. Is it that big of a deal when people tell a lie, particularly when it seems to make things smoother for everyone?
Yes. A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish. There are plenty more verses where that came from. Why is lying a big deal to God? Because we serve a God who not only always speaks the truth, but who is the Truth. Remember Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 14:6? “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Not stopping at just telling the truth, our God is the Truth.
Honesty matters to God. Lying, like other sins, can be forgiven by God, but lying is still sin. Getting forgiveness is not the same as having our sin overlooked. When those of us who claim to be followers of God claim alliance with Him, yet routinely tell untruths, we are reflecting on the character of God. We are telling the world, “Lying is O.K. with God.” It is not. God is always truthful, and He expects His followers to be always truthful, too. (This doesn’t mean we have to say everything we think)!
There is a punishment for those who choose to bear false witness, and it comes from all sides. Unforgiven, it brings the punishment all unforgiven sin brings: Death. Meanwhile, though politicians, businessmen and teenagers seem to often thrive as a result of skillfully bending the truth to their advantage, there is an earthly penalty as well. Sometimes the punishment is jail time, but most often, it’s a lack of trust. “You don’t trust me!” the teen wails. Wonder why. The chronic lying catches up to us, until after a while no one believes a word we say, even if we’ve veered onto the truth. Politics? Lies might have won the election, but not the respect needed to get anything done. Business? Same thing. It all catches up to us, eventually. Even if we get away with it, we still get to deal with God.
Who was it that said, “Honesty is the best policy”? The concept originated with God, who has no other policy. He never lies. We shouldn’t, either.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Don’t lie.
Answers for Today, April 26, 2011, originally written 12-16-08
The Forty Year Wilderness Degree
Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. Acts 7:30
God can put our life on pause for forty years as casually as a TV program goes to a commercial break. Moses had fried his career as a prince in Egypt by trying to rescue a fellow Israelite, becoming Moses the fugitive. He had sprinted for Midian, found himself a new life, complete with family and a position in the sheep management industry, when God decided to get back to him via burning bush. Moses could have asked, “Where have you been the last forty years, God?!”
God could have replied, “Getting you trained in how to live in the desert.”
How many Hebrew slaves would have known what lay beyond the Red Sea, after 400 years of captivity? Only one. Only one knew how things worked at Pharaoh’s palace. Only one had Israelite blood and palace upbringing.
It’s funny how God makes things work. How would God have gotten baby Moses into the household of Pharaoh, had it not been for the decree to kill the boy babies by throwing them into the Nile, a command Moses’ mother embellished by first placing him in a basket? Resourceful big sister Miriam found a wet nurse who looked a lot like Mom, for the princess’ new baby. Instead of death, Moses got to grow up as a prince in a palace. His real mom got paid to take care of him. Cool.
That’s the Lord—able to pull together all the weird loose ends and make something incredible out of it, every time; the tough thing for most of us, though, is the time He takes to do it. We’re racing our motor, trying to get on with life, frantically clawing at the cell walls of the wilderness pit in which we find ourselves, and God walks off and leaves us! Four decades of slow learning, seasoning and sometimes despair gets us one verse: “Now when forty years had passed,...”
“Where were you, God?! What have you been doing the past forty years?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me! Waiting for me to what?”
“Get done.”
“Get done with what?”
“Never mind. You’ll see. Now, as I was saying forty years ago, this is what I have for you to do, now that you’re ready...”
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God is preparing us for something. It takes time and patience.
Answers for Today, April 27, 2011, originally written 12-16-08
He’ll Get Back to Us
Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. Acts 7:30
I am easily frustrated by time. I’m frustrated by having to wait, especially needlessly; I’m frustrated when I can’t accomplish all my goals because there’s not enough time; I’m frustrated when I discover my time has been wasted. There are just a lot of ways I get frustrated, when it comes to time!
And then there’s God. “A thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). Why would the One who made time be frustrated by time? He isn’t. And one of the many, many lessons He has for His children is that we also would learn to not be (as) frustrated by it. Forty years? It might as well be forty seconds, to God. For us, it represents half a lifetime! Yet, for pursuits of great value, the time invested seems well worthwhile.
Our daughter is looking at a career in medicine, which will require another twelve years of preparation, on top of the thirteen she’s already put in to graduate from high school. Twenty-five years of school before she’s ready to be a pediatrician? That’s right. That’s how long it takes to get ready. But who do you want caring for your sick baby, someone who has spent twenty-five years, plus, in getting ready through education and experience, or someone totally unprepared?
God has big plans for all of us. Fortunately, not all of them require an extra decade of hitting the books, but some do. I think all of them require time. Time to learn, time to get over things, time to mature, time to complete lessons... God’s not the One who needs time; it’s us. Some of His lessons are the forty year variety, just like medical careers demand years of preparation time. It would not be good for anyone if we simply forged a medical license in order to skip the schooling. First the training, then the license—that’s the proper order. It would not be good for any of us if God simply waived the qualifications and qualities only learned in the wilderness, so we could sooner move forward with our dreams. Moses had a heart for his people when he was a young man, but had God turned his staff into the rod of God then, Moses would have only used it for killing Egyptians. Moses needed some schooling—about forty years worth. When he was done, God got back to him. So, rather than being frustrated, it’s time for us all to thank God for the gift of time, and get back to the sheep, the books or the bricks. We’re preparing. When we’re done, God will get back to us.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When we’re done, God will get back to us.
Answers for Today, April 28, 2011
Unanswered Prayers
“When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 1:15-20
Isaiah gets right down to business: Unanswered prayers? It’s what the unrepentant should expect. God offers complete cleansing for the vilest sinner who repents; He promises utter destruction for the rebellious.
One of the things I like about God is that He always lets us know what He wants, what is expected of us. It’s generally simple to understand, hard to do: Repent. Knock off the sin. Help the widow. Quit doing evil and do good.
Anyone who is willing and obedient is going to make it. Anyone who is rebellious and sinful is not. And if our prayers aren’t getting answered, we would be wise to make sure we’ve gone through the door of humility and repentance.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God listens to the humble and the penitent, not the rebellious.
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Contact Pastor Dave Ness, Servant Connection Founder, at connect@PrayingForAmerica.org
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