Answers for Today, August 1, 2011
Desperate for Discipline
Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death.
Proverbs 19:18
So, discipline is that important? If you don’t discipline your son, it’s the equivalent of killing him?!
The Bible is not given to exaggeration, and this proverb, though it comes off to tender 21st century ears sounding rather like it, probably is not an exception. I’m thinking it means what it says.
Through the years, I’ve known people who grew up without discipline, which often meant no self-discipline, either. (I’ve also met some who were victims of “discipline,” which was only the reigning adult’s term for child abuse. That, also, is a sad story). Back to the proverb at hand. Discipline, administered reasonably and with love, helps to shape the mind of a young person in a disciplined direction, the end result being self-discipline. When someone has been trained to control their impulses and emotions rather than being ruled by them, they are set up for success in life. A life out of control? It’s headed for heartache, all around.
Not only is a person who has never come up against the immoveable object of parental authority going to be confused, frustrated and angry—they are not at all prepared to face an outside world where people could care less about their feelings, but only if they show up for work or class and do what they’re supposed to do, including getting up in the morning, not engaging in crime, not being stoned or drunk, etc. It takes a certain degree of self-discipline to survive in adulthood. Those who reach that age without having any imputed to them by a parent are at an extreme disadvantage. Unless they take on the learning curve and acquire some self-control on their own (or get it through the military or a similar avenue), the undisciplined person is primed for chronic failure, maybe even an early grave.
Discipline is not “punishment” as much as it is “restraint, backed up with consequences.” Discipline is reasonable and predictable; anger is quirky. Discipline teaches and helps and encourages. Discipline provides order and stability, while anger brings chaos and more anger. It is a tragic mistake for all concerned if we think loving our children means allowing them to proceed through life without correction. Discipline is a desperately needed gift each parent should give to each of their children. Without it, they can’t move forward. Love enough to discipline.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Loving our children means giving them the discipline they need.
Answers for Today, August 2, 2011
Abraham, My Friend
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:8-10
In the midst of all God’s comforting promises to His people, what stands out the most to me? “Abraham, my friend.” Talk about honor! God calls Abraham His “friend.” He would do the same for us! God is willing to be our Friend. The accompanying verses are promises of how God takes care of His friends. Not bad!
I still remember what it felt like to have Jimmy Stoddard stick up for me when we were fifth graders. I was small for my age, Jimmy was smaller still, but it didn’t stop him from standing off a band of 8th grade boys who had been verbally harassing me, until Jimmy intervened by screaming at them, “You leave my friend alone!” They gave a weak retort and walked away.
“My friend.” What a sweet phrase in my big, stick-out ears! I had only known Jimmy for mere weeks—his dad worked road construction building the interstate across South Dakota—and a few weeks later Jimmy moved away and out of my life, but for a while I had someone who was willing to take on multiple foes twice his size just to defend my honor.
Here is God doing the same thing. He has chosen us, identified with us. He’s willing to call us His friend in front of our enemies, with not-subtle-at-all descriptions of what He will do to whomever harms us! “You leave my friend alone!” Something like that. And our God is really big—and strong! He takes very, very good care of His friends. There’s nothing like being a friend of God.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: What greater privilege than to be a friend of God?
Answers for Today, August 8, 2011, originally written 10-11-06
Finding Our Fit
When we don’t know where we fit, we feel paralyzed. It’s happened to all of us. It may have been at school, on a new job or even in our own family, growing up. It’s an awkward feeling, often rendering us at least temporarily helpless. We wander in circles, looking for hints. “What am I supposed to do?” “Where do I fit?” The nagging questions prevent us from concentrating on the task at hand. We waste our time trying not to look silly. The tendency is to fake it, give off the air of confidence, when in reality we haven’t the foggiest notion what to do next.
This scenario is particularly familiar to pastors, who are bombarded with as many opinions as to their proper role as they have parishioners. “What am I supposed to do?” pleads the new pastor. The answer he seems to be getting is, “Everything. Just do everything.” Being a man of the cloth and a man of determination (or a woman trying to jump through all the hoops), the pastor bravely launches out on a flurry of activities which, from a distance, resemble uncontrollable muscle spasms. He doesn’t just appear to be drowning; it’s the real deal. Some churches don’t even bother to try to recover the body; they just resume their search for “a good one”–i.e., someone who can miraculously figure out and meet all their “needs,” contradictory as some of them may be. If the whole thing didn’t involve real people, it would be amusing, but a lot of us have gotten pretty tired of seeing our friends and acquaintances float by, face down.
Is finding our fit the answer to all the pressures of life? Of course not, but it at least helps in identifying the goals and providing some reference points. Soccer is a popular sport; it wouldn’t be, if the participants didn’t know which team they were on, what position they were playing or which goal was theirs.
Some people have an inborn clarity—they’ve always known who they were and what they wanted; for others, God has revealed to them a commission that steers their lives. But many people struggle with finding where they fit in. Like the “double-minded man” in James 1:8, they are blown around by every wind or windbag, no one able to guess on which shore they’ll beach themselves, next. What they lack is the sense of anointing and identity which resists the wind and keeps them on course, despite discouragement, opposition or advice.
Even when we find our fit, we’d better not lock in and expect it to stay that way, forever. It probably won’t. But the God who shows us our place will be faithful to make our new assignment clear, too. It’s not about having a blueprint in hand with all the answers. It’s about a relationship with a God who has all of them.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God will help us find where we fit.
Answers for Today, August 9, 2011, originally written 10-11-06
Finding Our Focus
When Jesus was about to feed the five thousand, the question He asked of His disciples was, “What do you have?” When they told Him (five loaves and two fish), Jesus’ response was “Bring it to me.” Likewise, when we are trying to determine what our focus should be, the first question to answer is “What do I have?”
That’s the first question in the following grid, which I have found very helpful through the years. We’re going to spend the next few days finding our focus. If we write down our answers to these questions, the focus and role God has for us in this season of our life will probably become more clear.
What Do I Have?
What are my resources?
What are my gifts, talents and abilities?
What is my experience and training?
Am I willing to give to Jesus what I have, in order to serve Him?
What Do I Desire?
What is my passion?
What are my dreams and goals?
What brings me a sense of fulfillment?
What Doors Are Open to Me?
What opportunities are available to me?
What ideas do I have?
Where Do I Find God’s Blessing?
When do I experience the greatest feeling of God’s peace?
What do I absolutely know God wants me to do? What, to me, represents obedience to God?
What seem to be the roles God blesses in my life, at this point?
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When we bring what we have to Jesus, He blesses and uses it.
Answers for Today, August 10, 2011, originally written 10-11-06
Role of a Lifetime
Yesterday’s final question had to do with roles God blesses. What do I mean by “roles”? Well, for one thing, are we a “settler” or an “explorer”? It helps to know. Looking at the following descriptions and seeing if one clicks with us may be helpful in finding the role God seems to bless in our lives:
Does God seem to bless it when you’re the explorer? You try new things, at His direction, and even when they don’t pan out, you still feel blessed and excited. Plus, the adventures you have with God, doing new things, are the landmark events of your whole life. You can’t wait to try something new, with God.
Does God bless you when you’re a manager, a settler? The new things you try seem to usually backfire; even when they work, you’re nervous and can’t wait to get back to safety. You just don’t enjoy wandering around in new territory without a map. It’s not fun; it’s frightening. Meanwhile, what others think of as boring, you find beautiful. Routine doesn’t bother you in the least. You enjoy taking care of things, even organizations. It gives you a strong sense of fulfillment, knowing that you’ve had a hand in the growth of something or someone. You notice and take encouragement from the slightest of improvements. It doesn’t take the prospect of hair-raising experiences to motivate you to show up for work; you always show up. You can’t imagine being irresponsible. You can’t imagine not working.
See the contrast? God needs and uses both settlers and explorers, but the two roles are vastly different, as are the results. One blazes trails and writes stories about all the harrowing experiences along the way; the other one raises a family and keeps the nation from going hungry. Both are important.
Our roles may change over time, as well. The young, single explorer may, a decade later, be the married settler raising a family in less adventuresome circumstances. His pioneering mind set may be permanently put to rest, or it may re-emerge, later in life, or in safer avenues.
Has God given you the role of peacemaker? Inventor? Teacher? Leader? Manager? Helper? Worker? Homemaker? Husband? Wife? Parent? Student?
When we find our role, it helps us relax and accomplish the work God has set before us, instead of floundering in confusion. We can find delight in our work and in our daily lives when we have the peace of knowing we are doing the will of God. God’s assignments for us will often include more than one role at a time, or it may mean we move from one role to another, sequentially. (Contradictory roles mean we’ve probably gotten off track). Ask God to reveal His role for you. He will.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: What role has God given you to play in this season of your life?
Answers for Today, August 11, 2011, originally written 10-11-06
Stay in the Goal
Settlers aren’t keen on the idea of leaving in the middle of summer to go stake out new territory, somewhere. They know that if and when they return, all the hard work they did in planting crops will have gone to nothing, while they were out exploring a place to which they had no desire to move, anyway. Meanwhile, true adventurers can’t abide the thought of spending perfectly good summers hoeing corn. Life’s too short to blow it on weeds, in their estimation.
Explorer or settler? The pastor trying to be both at the same time will probably be frustrated, regardless of how many success books fill his library. The preacher who insists on leading the way into the next century and getting there first needs to be ready to go it alone, if necessary, because it’s pretty well guaranteed that a placid congregation of settlers is not going to sign onto any hair-brained adventures! And the methodical, shepherd type of pastor probably would do well to skip most of the “inspirational,” change-the-world conferences that fire leaflets into his mailbox. He’d do better to concentrate on being the best methodical shepherd he can be, and not pay somebody to steal his joy and help him come home feeling worn-out and worthless.
What is God calling me to be? Some answers are obvious: Husband. Wife. Father. Mother. With ministry, it gets trickier, but thanks for asking.
It’s helpful if we can get it down to just a word or a short phrase— something memorable and meaningful to us. For me, it’s “servant of God.” To others, that term may sound like a no-brainer, but I’ve spent years refining the meaning of it and applying it to my life, practically.
Sports terms can help us focus. “I’m a soccer player” is different from saying, “I’m a goalie.” “A forward.” “A defender.” All play soccer, but the roles are quite different. A goalie abandoning the goal to run down and try to score is only helping the opposing team.
Where does God have you playing, these days? If you’re a goalie, quit beating yourself up for not scoring goals, and defend your own goal! If He’s made you a forward, concentrate on offense, and don’t expect the backfield to come help you on your favorite project. If they did, they would be wrong in leaving their assigned post! Figure out your position, and play it to the best of your ability, being ready to get switched to a new role, or the bench, at any time. Just don’t try to play someone else’s position for them, and don’t try to play all the positions at once. Ask God for His assignment for you. Then play there with all your heart.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Play with all your heart wherever God has assigned you to play.
Answers for Today, August 15, 2011, originally written 2-03-09
Spirit-Launched Missions
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Acts 13:1-4
You never know what will happen when you’re worshiping the Lord and fasting! While observing these spiritual disciplines together, the Church in Antioch got a message from the Lord: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” They obeyed, though it meant they were sending 40% of their eldership off to who-knows-where, with no guarantees that they would ever return. The Holy Spirit planned the first missionary journey of the Church, and the agreeable, responsive Antioch Church became the first real missionary church, Barnabas and Saul the first of this new breed of missionaries.
What would happen if every church in America sent out a couple missionaries? Yes, I know denominations already have their own centralized missions programs, stocked with trained professionals. I’m not saying we should abandon that. I’m thinking more in terms of missionary “journeys”—think tourists who talk about Jesus a lot, but who have no plans for long-term residency in a foreign country; they just come home after a few weeks or months, but hopefully they have been able to lead some people to the Lord, and leave behind an established church. This would be more of a glancing blow, but with many participants. What would happen if there were thousands of established Christians who descended on a chosen country as visitors in a given year, while folks back home fasted and prayed for them? The credentialed, trained missionaries who might already be present in that nation could be of huge assistance in terms of organizing and training new believers, and coordinating “tourist” missionaries. I would have a hard time believing the effort would not pan out. I think it would result in breakthrough’s in evangelism in the targeted country, plus renewed enthusiasm for the Great Commission in the sending country. If that spark could be lit in every church in America!...
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Are we willing to obey whatever the Holy Spirit might tell us?
Answers for Today, August 16, 2011, originally written 2-03-09
Commuting Missionaries
Though we seem reluctant to admit it, the U.S. is now more of a mission field than many of the nations to which we are sending “missionaries”! How about if we tried a mission approach on the USA, and chose a city, state or region as a focal point for prayer and fasting, followed by waves of paired-up missionaries? If the missionaries were identifiable, it would seem they were everywhere, and their replacements would represent a continuation of the same spiritual presence in the community. These short-term missionaries, only there for a few weeks, would have a single mission: Be kind to people in Jesus’ name. Tell people how good God is.
Just for instance, let’s take a city an hour’s drive from mine: Centralia, Washington. It’s not a large city at all—I just looked it up and it comes in around 15,000 people. Its location on I-5 means many of us drive through it numerous times in a year. Centralia has experienced major flooding twice in two years, plus the economic turmoil engulfing our nation. There are a lot of needy people, there.
What if even one city (Kelso-Longview, Washington) took on their neighbor as a mission field for the year? What if teams of Christians were praying for Centralia, fasting for Centralia, while each participating church congregation prayed and fasted, selected at least a couple people from their group, and sent them to Centralia for two weeks? If we had twenty congregations participate, that would be 40 people, which would cover the year if they were spread out, or allow for some pretty good numbers of “missionaries” present, simultaneously, if they came at more or less the same time. Its proximity (40 miles) means the missionaries wouldn’t even need to rent a motel room; they could just commute.
What would they do in Centralia during their two weeks? The options would be practically limitless. Anything anyone could do for another person which would be kind (and free) would qualify! I would think that acts of service would be best, but it could be many different things, according to the open doors and resources available at the time. With prayer and fasting as the organizing principle in this venture, and the Holy Spirit as the Coordinator, I believe we would see amazing things take place in any town we felt led to target.
This is just a “for instance” possibility rather than an actual plan—but the idea has gotten me excited in the hour it’s taken me to write it. It makes me wonder how many ideas are out there, dormant, just waiting for some folks to gather for worship and fasting, so the Holy Spirit can hatch a new, effective plan for spreading the Good News to more of the people God loves.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we’re interested, God will help us reach our nation for Christ.
Answers for Today, August 17, 2011, originally written 2-03-09
When God Downsizes the Staff
God’s purpose is that the whole world will know about Jesus. It’s going to happen, and we get to be a part! If we’re ever unsure of what to do next, sharing about Jesus is an activity pretty sure to please God. Another one is worship and prayer; if we’re serious, throw in fasting. After that, it’s just a matter of doing what the Holy Spirit says. The nice thing is, unless He directs us to do it, we don’t even have to come up with our own plan! That’s often already provided.
Another nice thing is that each of us has a place in the Kingdom, but everyone doesn’t have the same role. Think of the variety of responses expected of the Antioch Church (Acts 13:1-4):
Lucius and Manaen knew they weren’t called to go to foreign countries. They were supposed to stay at Antioch, and they knew it. Saul and Barnabas knew they were called to go. I think most of us know what God would have us do, if we’ve bothered to ask. And if we don’t know, that evangelism default can kick in!
It’s important that the missionaries God has called actually go, not just talk about it.
It’s important that not everyone goes—as in, all five prophet/teachers heading out, leaving the Antioch Church leaderless.
It’s important that the Church, especially the remaining leadership, let them go, instead of trying to change their minds or hang on to them.
It’s important that the Church doesn’t slam a couple people into leadership after Barnabas and Saul leave, in an attempt to fill “vacancies,” but wait on God for that, too.
It’s a beautiful thing to belong to Jesus, to be part of His Body, the Church. The Holy Spirit is fully capable of guiding the affairs of the Church. He doesn’t even need our plans, strategies, etc., though often He lets us help. We need to make sure, though, that we hold onto any plans, even Spirit-led ones, loosely. The Spirit may lead in a way that seems dangerous or difficult. He may seem to reverse directions, such as assembling a wonderful team of prophets and teachers, only to abruptly downsize the staff by 40%. We have to remember that when God downsizes the staff (or does anything else), it’s because He has something even better in mind. This is a God we can totally trust! It’s so nice to be on a winning team!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we don’t know what to do, sharing Christ is a great “default”!
Answers for Today, August 18, 2011, originally written 2-10-09
Faith Field Trips, Part One
I got an idea the other day about how to do missions in America. It’s not very original; I’ve been working in the book of Acts, and I just applied some of those same ideas to our present situation. Here goes. The pattern is right out of Acts 13-14; it’s what Paul and Barnabas did on their first mission trip.
The concept is quite simple: Let the Holy Spirit direct us, and we obey. In the case of the first missionary journey (Acts 13-14), the leaders of the Antioch Church were fasting and worshiping, when the Holy Spirit made His will clear to them. They were to commission Barnabas and Saul as missionaries, and send them out. Their approximately two year journey ended up in the establishment of at least four churches in Galatia. They spent three to five months in each city, retraced their steps to further strengthen the new bodies, and logged a total of around 1200 miles, by land and sea. The missionaries returned to the sending church to rest and report, prior to going out on a new mission.
What would happen if we repeated the pattern, and sent missionaries into America, at the Spirit’s leading? They wouldn’t have to be “professionals,” and they wouldn’t need to be long-termers. Anywhere from a few days to a few months would make a tremendous difference, if the approach was Spirit-led.
Here’s a brief outline of how this could work.
STEP ONE:
Step One would be to meet together for worship and fasting, confident that God would give us clear direction as to His wishes concerning missions, as we prayed together.
STEP TWO:
Step Two would be to come to agreement on the specifics of the mission, by praying through questions like, “Am I supposed to go somewhere, myself, or be part of the mission support team here at home?” “Where do we go, and what do we do when we get there?” “What materials or preparation are needed for this mission?” “When are we going?”, etc.
STEP THREE:
Step Three is the preparation process, probably a few weeks, consisting of planning, preparation and prayer. (More, tomorrow)
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to reach our nation, then go.
Answers for Today, August 19, 2011, originally written 2-10-09
Faith Field Trips, Part Two
STEP FOUR:
Step Four would be a time of commissioning, gathering around the missionaries, blessing them, and sending them out on the mission to which God has called them, with the promise to hold them up in prayer.
STEP FIVE:
This would be the actual mission. (Understand that I’m thinking short-term assignments, only days or weeks in length, and within the United States, unless the Holy Spirit directed otherwise. I’m also thinking that each missionary has a partner or a team, and the only people doing anything solo would be those who had clear leading from God that theirs was to be a solo mission).
STEP SIX:
The final step in the process would be celebrating together, as the teams reported back on what had happened.
It would be possible to have several groups of missionaries working through this process, simultaneously, with teams going out in waves. This would be particularly helpful if the Lord led us to focus on a specific city or region, and team after team went through, in the course of a year or more. I guess the point is, anything we were led to do would at least be something!
My reason for hatching this Acts-like plan is that the Church in America has mostly been “talk,” in my lifetime. We have conferences on all kinds of things, “train” people in various skills they never end up using, then do the same thing next year. With short-term missions within the country, pretty much anyone could be part of an honest-to-goodness mission trip, and get to do something, instead of just having to hear about what someone else did. This is not “quit-your-job-and-become-a-professional–missionary;” this is devoting a couple weeks of your life to a short-term assignment where you can use your gifts and talents to help people, then you come home.
Jesus commanded His disciples to go. This could be one approach to use. I’m sure there are others which would work, too. America needs spiritual transformation. It’s not happening while we’re sitting in our church buildings.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Let’s get beyond talking about missions! Let’s go!
Answers for Today, August 22, 2011, originally written 2-11-09
Faith Field Trip Possibilities
Here is a list of possibilities for faith field trips. The Holy Spirit will lead us to the unique approach which is best for our situation, if we ask Him. Then go!
Possible Itineraries:
*Spirit-led, with no plan. It seems to have been that way at least some of the time, in Acts. God has no trouble pulling it off, but sometimes He wants us to plan; other times, He wants us to just trust Him.
*In prayer, determine a city or region on which to concentrate all energies for a time.
*Focus on an area, and prayerfully choose cities or sections to visit within the area.
*Let each team go wherever they are led to go, without trying to coordinate or focus efforts.
Possible Missions:
*Door-to-door ministry, utilizing a useful gift of some sort. In this economy, lots of things would qualify!
*Something focused on children. It could be a VBS or some other structured type of spiritual outreach, or something like a sports workshop.
*Find a needy group in town, such as a nursing home, and do something to reach out to them.
*”Fishing.” That’s what I call it when Christians stake out a restaurant, a dock, or any sort of public place, and they talk with each other about spiritual things, keeping on the lookout for whomever God sends their way. A great place to “fish” is the food court in a mall. Starbucks is another one.
*Compassionate ministry. Distributing food, helping clean up after a flood, anything where there is physical help being given in the name of Jesus makes a big impact. It also connects us to big-hearted people in the community who may not be Christians. One that I particularly like is handing out free bottles of water at community-type events.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Ideas don’t do much good unless we actually use one and go!
Answers for Today, August 23, 2011, originally written 2-11-09
More Possible Missions
More Possible Missions:
*Prayer walking. It’s simply walking through a neighborhood, praying God’s blessing upon the people. You don’t even have to engage people in conversation, and it works! We’ve seen amazing results from prayer walking.
*Specialized ministries. What I’m talking about are ministries really unique to the ministry team or to the situation. It calls for creativity, but these are also perhaps the most enjoyable ministries, because not just anyone could do that ministry. An example on the foreign field was when a pediatrician on our team did a free one-day medical clinic in Africa.
*Incorporate a mission into another activity. Examples: Camping trips, fairs, sporting events, family gatherings, fishing or hunting trips, cruises or vacations. This kind of setting puts you in contact with folks who share common interests, and offer unique opportunities for ministry at the same time.
These are just a few ideas for sending out mission teams. There are many, many more! I think what counts is people considering that they are on a mission, which makes them considerably more aware of the opportunities which present themselves. Another really helpful aspect is having a partner; otherwise, most of our mission thoughts remain as only good intentions. We do much better if we agree together on a plan, and urge one another on. The courage is multiplied, too, when we have someone else alongside us (plus having someone with whom to share the experience and the memory).
I also think it would be the most effective if people were led to focus on a very short list of places, so whatever personnel were going out would all minister in the same city or area. I would think the prayer support from home would be stronger, too, were it concentrated on a specific town or region. The teams could go out simultaneously, or in waves; either one would be effective, I think. The most important aspect of this whole exercise is that we need to get beyond the idea stage, and actually go! The ideas are only to help us focus in praying through the possibilities. God will guide us, if we are willing to be led by Him. The important thing is our willingness to go (or stay) wherever He sends us.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Pray, get the plan from God, and go!
Answers for Today, August 24, 2011
Man Bites Horse
A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
Proverbs 19:19
Proverbs is a book about reality. The teachings are reminiscent of the oft-repeated sayings of parents, intent on imparting all the wisdom they can into their offspring in the usually vain hope that their own mistakes won’t be repeated anew in the next generation. It’s worth a try. Proverbs has that tone. Again and again, on a myriad of subjects, Proverbs puts wisdom down where we can get it, if we’re interested. If we choose to go our own merry way, we can’t say we weren’t warned.
This is one of those “warning” proverbs—the subject: Anger. A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
What might the “penalty” be? Oh, let’s see... All the way from juvenile hall to jail to prison. A trail of short-term relationships intended to be long-term ones. A long rap sheet and a short, depressing resume. A life marked by wasted potential, blown up time and time again by rage not quite under control. Out-of-control people pay the penalty in so many ways; not only that, but they are often in need of someone to bail them out. Again. Here’s where the warning comes in: Until the person learns to control their own rage, you can go ahead and be their savior, but you’ll just get to do it again. Just sayin’.
There is Someone big enough to handle our anger. The fruit of His Spirit includes peace, patience, gentleness and self-control, all of them really good anger inhibitors. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, the make over begins. When we get in the habit of straining our raw emotions through the filter of His love before speaking or acting, anger seldom makes it through, and when it does, remorse quickly follows. It’s a beautiful thing to see it happen in someone’s life! Sweeter yet when it’s our own intemperate temper now under Christ’s control.
I remember the days of rage. A kid whose prized possessions included half a dozen plastic horses was infuriated at his insensitive mother for ordering him to take a bath. He knew just how to get even with her. He bit the tails off all his own horses and spat them out on the floor! Kids who grow up playing with tail-less horses learn to give their temper over to God, if they’re smart. It’s better that way. I still have a tail-less black plastic horse. It’s a reminder: Jesus saves! He’s the only One who really can.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Give God your life, including your temper. Jesus is the Savior.
Answers for Today, August 25, 2011, originally written 2-5-09
Rejoicing in Failure
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
Acts 13:4
“Sent out by the Holy Spirit...” How many of our modern mission ventures could be truthfully characterized by those words? Is the Holy Spirit still the Director of what we do in the Church, or is most of our mission molded by the minds of ecclesiastical leaders, with prayers thrown in, appealing for God’s blessing? There’s no beauty like knowing you are on a mission from God, that came from God. As rough as Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey was, it was important that they knew they were on a divine mission, not one cooked up in headquarters. Even that God-given mandate wasn’t enough to keep John Mark around for the whole thing; after Cyprus, he went home, leaving his companions short-handed, to face ornery, rock-throwing Galatians alone.
What I find most interesting about this whole chapter is the ending:
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:48-52
How could they rejoice when they had just met with miserable failure and rejection, and they were short-handed because their helper had gone home? Because they had done what God had asked them to do. Obedience brings that kind of joy; circumstances are powerless to steal it. Paul and Barnabas had done everything God asked them to do in Pisidian Antioch. Thus, when they were persecuted, they were able to shake it off, and go away without taking the apparent “failure” personally. In our present-day attempts at winning the world for Jesus, we would probably be hardier in our pursuit if we knew the plan had originated from Him, not us, and that we were simply being obedient to God. Obedience to God brings joy, regardless of the circumstances. Nice.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Spirit-led missions plus obedience to God equals joy.
Answers for Today, August 26, 2011, originally written 2-5-09
Spirit-led Failure and Joy
Having risked their lives repeatedly to bring the Gospel to the Galatians, Barnabas and Paul are rewarded with public revilement by their own people, the Jews, whose leaders follow them from town to town, stirring up the populace and eventually causing Paul to be stoned. All the while, Gentiles are readily accepting the Gospel. In this mixed bag of blessings and trials, the reaction of the missionaries, rather than getting discouraged or going home, is simply to go to the next town when their welcome has wilted and they’ve done all they can do. But check out their mood: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). Really! Their missionary scorecard isn’t looking that good, they are wanted in several cities (as in “wanted” posters, not wanted, nicely), but still they press on, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. How does this work? How do you keep the joy when you’re getting beat up, and your side is losing?
It goes back to the phrase, “sent out by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:4). When you’re commissioned by denominational headquarters, you need something to prove this was a good idea; you need success. When you’re sent out by God, all you need is obedience. As long as you didn’t quit, even a “losing” effort is a successful one, and cause for joy; you did what God said.
It’s hard for us to get a handle on how God’s plan for us might somehow include “failure.” We live in a culture which despises failure and glorifies success. The creep of that mentality into the Church makes it easy for Christians to assume everything we touch ought to result in “success,” as defined by us. “God-directed failure” is a pretty hard sell these days, in America. It sounds like an oxymoron. How could an all-powerful God direct one of His own to take on a project which would result in rejection, persecution or death?! Isn’t that failure?
Let’s apply it to Jesus. The plan of salvation took Jesus Christ from heaven’s throne room to a stable manger, then threaded Him through a life of rejection, persecution and death on a cross. Rejected by His own people, humiliated, tortured. Crucified. Failure? No, it was the greatest victory in the history of the earth, because He defeated sin and death, forever, and freed mankind from the penalty of eternal damnation, all in one afternoon. It appeared to be the ultimate defeat, from a worldly standpoint, even as Jesus successfully saved the world and exhibited perfect obedience to His Father. That’s what it looks like when God directs His people toward “failure,” but regards their obedience as “righteousness,” the ultimate success.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we’re obeying God, it can’t be failure, no matter how it looks.
Answers for Today, August 29, 2011, originally written 2-5-09
What God Really Wants
We really need to get off the pragmatic mindset of this age, which tells us not to pursue anything unless it will bring us good results, and soon. When we adopt the “Unless it brings pleasant results, it can’t be from God” frame of mind, we disqualify ourselves from the tougher assignments God uses to bring about the greatest triumphs. For some jobs, only tough disciples need apply.
Paul and Barnabas could have just gone home. After the first city, it didn’t take a genius to know what was going to happen, if they persisted in this approach of going to the synagogues first, preaching to the Jews, alarming the locals to the point of obstinacy, then turning to the Gentiles, only to be frustrated and persecuted by the Jews they had been trying to help, until they were driven out of the city. The pragmatic thing to do would have been to sneak around among the Gentiles in a few towns, sharing the Gospel with people who wouldn’t get upset. Instead, they felt a burden to go to their own countrymen, first. It didn’t seem to do much good, judging from the rocks being thrown at them.
But self-preservation wasn’t the plan. Barnabas and Paul headed straight for the synagogue in each city, to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah to their fellow Jews. Maybe a few would believe, here. Maybe not. When they inevitably got kicked out of the synagogue, they went to the non-Jews. When persecution forced them from that city, they went on to the next. It wasn’t the most workable of plans, seeing as how it was so predictable, including the ignoble exit. What it did, though, was forge in Galatia a Church who understood from the start that the Christian way included suffering and hardship and demanded obedience to God always, not just when obedience brought pleasant results.
When are we going to learn that? And how? I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the sentiment, “God wants me to be happy,” usually served up as rationalization for disobedience to Him, and quoted like a Bible verse (Sorry, it isn’t). The source of the Early Christians’ joy was not in nice circumstances accompanying their faith, but in the satisfaction of obedience to God. When they obeyed God, they felt joyful. When they opened every aspect of their lives to the presence of the Holy Spirit, He came in and filled them with joy. It had very little to do with their results or their circumstances. Hence, they could even rejoice in “failure,” if it was the outcome of obedience to God. And they could joyfully begin a process which seemed doomed from the beginning, if they knew it was the Holy Spirit sending them. Different, huh? I’ll bet it would work with us, too, though.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: What God really wants is our obedience. Joy follows.
Answers for Today, August 30, 2011, originally written 2-5-09
Rock-proof Joy
In lining up for discipleship training, are we always going to check the box marked “easy level,” or are we willing to spring for “difficult,” if we sense God’s leading? Will we go through doors of opportunity with no guarantee of success, and a high probability of pain? Do we love people to the extent that we would risk everything so they might know Christ, or are we reluctant to go through even the easy doors when it comes to witnessing? (I’m talking to myself, here).
Generations ago, circuit riding Methodist preachers scoured the countryside, evangelizing much and dying young. Where are the missionaries to America, these days? Shouldn’t that be us? Some questions, based on Acts 13:
*Are we being led by the Holy Spirit or man? The answer to that question is quite important, especially when things are tough, results less than favorable. The only incentive which keeps us in the game, sometimes, is a divine commission.
*Are we committed to Christ and the mission on which He has sent us? If not, all it takes are some disappointing circumstances, a desertion or two, or one angry letter, and we’re ready to bag it. Committed to Christ, regardless!
*Are we willing to forego pragmatism in favor of the leading of the Holy Spirit? In many situations in the world, the only kind of evangelism which will break through is courageous evangelism, where you’re not sure you’ll survive. Are we willing to obey Christ, even when we seemingly only have loss to show for it?
*Are we willing to “release” when told by Christ? This means releasing a town, a person, a ministry method, in order to go on to the next assignment. A willingness to release when led by the Spirit is important, as is the willingness to pursue ministry through pure obedience, regardless of the prospect of “success.” Will we grab on or let go, according to the Spirit’s will?
*Are we willing to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? This is not an automatic thing. It comes when the disciple invites the Spirit to have full control of his life, withholding nothing. The joy comes when we’re filled with the Spirit. The joy accompanies complete obedience.
When we’ve opened our lives fully to the Holy Spirit, allowed Him to fill us, allowed Him to lead us; when we’ve completely obeyed, there is an indescribable, indestructible joy. It’s circumstance-proof, desertion-proof, rock-proof. This kind of joy comes only from God. It’s available for every disciple who invites God to fill him with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: For indestructible joy, we invite God’s Holy Spirit into our lives.
Answers for Today, August 31, 2011
Unswerving Servant
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Isaiah 42:1-4
I thought Jesus came to bring salvation to mankind, but here, three times in four verses, it speaks of His coming to bring justice to the nations. The two must be connected. Apparently, without justice there can be no salvation. Jesus brought both to this earth. In order to do it, the Servant had to be utterly unswerving. Perfect obedience to the Father marked His life. No departures from the task before Him, not even for a second. Not even for something as simple as extinguishing a burning wick about to go out, anyway, or breaking off an already-bruised reed. Not the slightest departure from the path.
There’s a lesson for us, here. Sin rarely hits us head-on. Satan is far too subtle and clever to approach us with the offer to go ahead and throw away a perfectly good relationship with God in exchange for something we can see will ruin our life and the lives of those around us. No, sin starts with distraction, with curiosity. What could it hurt? We’re just going to look. We won’t do anything wrong, we’re only stopping for a moment to finish off a broken reed. It’ll only take a second. It’s already broken. We’re just putting it out of its misery!
The first indication of anything wrong is the sting of sin’s grip.
The way to stay out of sin? Stay on the path our Savior took: Unswerving obedience to God. Eyes ahead. Ignore the offers, the ads, the “Can I have just a minute of your time?” tactics of the enemy. Jesus showed the path to victory: Follow God, without giving way to distraction or discouragement.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: The way to stay free of sin’s grip? Unswerving obedience.
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Servant Connection, P.O. Box 1747, Longview, WA 98632
Servant Connection is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry dedicated to the spiritual transformation of America.
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Contact Pastor Dave Ness, Servant Connection Founder, at connect@PrayingForAmerica.org
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