Except By Prayer and Fasting

Moving

2009-04-25T20:31:00.001-05:00

After several years of sporadically blogging here on Blogger, it is time to move over to WordPress. Blogger was a good tool that served me well, but WordPress is so much more versatile that I am moving on to a better tool. I am especially looking forward to the static pages feature.

My next blog post will appear there soon. The new address of my blog is: http://exceptbyprayerandfasting.wordpress.com/

IF My People

2009-04-17T03:49:00.001-05:00

If, as I stated in my previous post, humble prayer and fasting for the spiritual condition of our world is the answer to the current social, political, and economic difficulties, for what should we pray? Notice that in Daniel 9, Daniel's prayer was primarily focused on the confession of sin and repentance of God's people. This brings to mind that well known verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (ESV) We often think about this verse alone, out of its context. It certainly has a great message for us in and of itself, but the message of the larger context is powerful and important.

2 Chronicles 5 through 7 is the story of the dedication of the temple Solomon built upon instructions from the Lord. The recurring theme in chapter six is that the temple would be a place of prayer, and that if God's people will pray God will hear their prayers and heal their land. The chapter contains six if-then pairs concerning the prayers of God's people and his promise to hear those prayers. Three of those pairs (vs. 24-25, 26-27, and 36-39) clearly state that the afflictions God's people are the result of their own unfaithfulness to him. The pair in verses 28-31 does not say that the afflictions of God's people result from their unfaithfulness, but simply acknowledges that those afflictions do happen. The pair in verses 34-35 states that at times the affliction of God's people is the consequence of God sending his people to war against their enemies. In this instance, the sufferings of God's people are because of their faithful obedience rather than their unfaithfulness. Finally, the pair in verses 32-33 states that if the foreigner who has come from a far land for the sake of God's name prays, God responds.

This chapter says much about God and about his people. This passage is above all a great assurance that God will hear the prayers of his people and respond positively to them. It is also, however, a bit of a warning. Half of the six if-then pairs clearly state that the reason for the afflictions of God's people was their own unfaithfulness. I need to be careful here; it is not my purpose to accuse anyone of anything. We are not to judge another's circumstances and we cannot know that any situation is because of God's chastising those whom he loves. This is certainly true on an individual basis. (See John 9:1-3.) But it is clear that of when the afflictions come, God's people should take a hard look at themselves. God's purpose for us is holiness, and "the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:6) There are many examples in the Scripture, but the book of Judges should suffice. In Judges, the people of God did what was evil in God's sight and God permitted the oppression of his people seven times over a period of about 350 years. (Judges 2:11-14, 3:7-8, 3:12-13, 4:1-2, 6:1, 10:6-8, 13:1) Also notice that those who did evil in God's sight were his people, the Israelites. God had high expectations for them, expectations of holiness, and when they did not live up to those expectations God allowed them to suffer so that they would remember him, repent of their unfaithfulness, and once again glorify him.

The lesson for the church today is that we must look at ourselves very carefully. Do we live for the glory of God or do we live by and for our passions? Granted, sometimes we suffer afflictions because we are engaged in God's work, and sometimes we suffer afflictions because we live in a fallen, imperfect world that includes life and death, success and failure, affliction and prosperity simply because that is the order God set up after the fall. But, as often as not, we suffer difficulties and afflictions because we have forgotten God's sovereign purpose of holiness. The great promise of 2 Chronicles 6-7 is that when his people, those called by his name, humble themselves, repent, and pray God will hear and heal their land. There is hope. God is still God, and he has not changed a bit in all of eternity.

So, what we should pray for? A good place to start is to pray that God will quicken our hearts to our own sin and that we might repent, glorify him, and enjoy him forever.

Bad Times

2009-04-03T05:16:00.004-05:00

Daniel lived in very bad times. I will not go into a lot of details; you know the story from your Sunday School days and can read the background in 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36, and of course, the Book of Daniel. Daniel was one of the first Israelites Nebeuchadnezzar took captive when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem. It was a very bad time. The Israelites suffered greatly because of the war and the exile. The Scripture is plain that God allowed the Babylonians to defeat the Israelites because of the unfaithfulness of his people. They had ceased to glorify him and lived for themselves; which I contend is the root of the difficulties we see today.

Daniel was different. He was a young man of great integrity and faithfulness to the Lord. You can read in Daniel 1 about his integrity even in his diet, about the faith and courage of Daniel and his friends in chapter 3, and about his faithfulness that eventually lead to his ordeal in the lion’s den in chapter 6. Because of his faithfulness, he was greatly blessed by God and God used him to influence and direct the actions of the Babylonian, Meade, and Persian governments. His faithfulness was primarily in the little things. Most of all, his life was not controlled by his passions, but by a great desire to glorify God. The first question of the Westminster Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Daniel understood and lived by this simple concept. He lived solely to glorify God, and by do so enjoyed God to the fullest extent.

Daniel’s response to the difficult times was a model for all believers. Of course he responded with faithfulness and integrity in spite of his situation. The details of his response are most clearly seen in Daniel 9.

He sought God in the Scriptures (Daniel 9:2). Unless God’s people know him well, they cannot glorify him. God’s people must know God’s word deeply; knowing it in snippets, chunks, sound bites, and slogans is not sufficient.
Daniel prayed and fasted in sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3). Most understand the need to pray, but most do not understand the need to pray while fasting “in sackcloth and ashes.” Sackcloth and ashes was a sign of mourning. Daniel mourned for the spiritual condition of his people. Do we?
He recognized both God’s faithfulness and the unfaithfulness of God’s people on all levels, spiritual leaders, political leaders, and the people in general. Their situation was a consequence of their own unfaithfulness. He did not blame their trouble on the outsiders, the Babylonians, Meads, or Persians, but understood that God’s people had no one to blame but themselves. It is important to note that even after the judgment came upon the people, they did not repent. (Daniel 9:7-13)
He asked for forgiveness and restoration for the glory of God alone, not because the Israelites deserved anything better. (Daniel 9:15-19)

So, how should the church respond to our current afflictions? Much the same way Daniel did. I have a few suggestions and want to be careful not to accuse, but to encourage believers to a biblical, godly response.

We need to know the Scripture and take it seriously. Our culture is such that it is easy to know parts of the Scripture but to not know it deeply and thoroughly. One of the primary means of developing a theistic world view is to know through the Scriptures how God deals with his people. True believers have a hunger and thirst for God’s word, and that is what develops a godly mind. May these difficult times move us to seek God in his word beyond the “Sunday School” level. See Psalm 119 and Romans 12:1-2. It is also important that we know how to properly interpret the Scripture using the minds and hearts God gave us and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We need to care more deeply about the spiritual condition of God’s people in particular and the world in general. The spiritual condition of is people is important to God, and as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) it is our responsibility to care as well. True mourning among God’s people for the spiritual condition of the church is rare. There seems instead to be a Laodicean indifference.
We need to seriously look at ourselves for the source of the problem and look to God for the solution. It is easy to blame “the world” and its sinfulness for the problem, but God is much more concerned with the sinfulness of his people. Our first step is to repent of our faithlessness and turn back to God with all our hearts. Truly, to God belongs honor and glory and to us belongs “confusion of face.”
We need to humbly call to God in prayer and fasting for his mercy and that he might be glorified in us for his own sake. Ultimately, God will act in a way that will clearly glorify him. His people must understand this and call to him without ceasing so that he might be glorified. His glory is all that matters.

My prayer is that in all things, his people glorify him.

Confusion of Face

2009-03-31T18:04:00.002-05:00

In anyone’s point-of-view the world we live in is in a mess, and most will agree that things will get worse before they get better. The evidence of that mess is evident in current social, political, and economic conditions. The social ills of racism, crime, domestic violence and child neglect, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, and a myriad of others are rampant. You probably don’t need confirmation of this, but if you do spend some time in the emergency room waiting area of a public hospital in almost any sizable city. The recent presidential campaign brought out the worst in both conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans. The national and global economic woes perhaps affect us more directly than the others. The current situation with the financial institutions, the auto industry, the real estate market, and the related construction industry has touched us all. The unemployment figures published by the government this week verify that times are hard and will get harder before this is over. Why has all of this happened?

All of these issues have spiritual roots. My purpose is not to point fingers or proclaim God’s judgment on anyone, but at least some of the problems are a consequence of the failure of God’s people. I will leave the details of that to another post, but the consequences are clear. We seem to have lost our collective vision of what it means to be God’s people and have, subsequently, lost our way. I am very concerned about the church’s response to the current social, political, economic, and spiritual conditions and to the events, attitudes, and world view from which they come. Generally, that response has been arrogant, judgmental, and secular, based on our passions rather than on a passion for God.

Over the next few weeks I want to do two things with this blog. First, I want to examine the current situation and show the proper response of a biblical theist world view. Second, I want to challenge God’s people to actually respond properly, with repentance, faith, obedience, prayer, and fasting.

The name of this post expresses my idea about how God’s people should respond to the current situation. It comes from Daniel 9:7. “To thee, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us confusion of face.” The phrase ‘confusion of face’ is an idiom that can properly be translated ‘shame.’ One could paraphrase this verse, “To thee, O, Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us shame.” In this chapter Daniel was confessing the sin of his people and interceding for their spiritual condition. The Bible clearly states that the Israelites were in exile because of their unfaithfulness to God. Daniel’s response to their situation was to intercede for them because he knew that this was a problem that only God could solve. Such is our situation now. Only God can change the situation and our response is to intercede more than anything else.

So, over the next few weeks I will be writing about all these things and a few more. Don’t expect a post every day or even every week. I will be posting as I have time and something to say. I hope that is about once a week, but it may not be. In all this, my goal is to glorify God. He and he alone is worthy of all honor and praise for to him truly belongs righteousness.

Prayer, Promise, and Patience

2008-06-22T20:33:00.003-05:00

The foundation of our prayers is that God’s promises are sure. This is something we all know, but often do not demonstrate that knowledge through our actions. Of course, true faith is demonstrated not by what we know but by how we live. This is dramatically illustrated in the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. We all know the story, but do we understand the profound importance of its lesson?

Let’s begin with a little bit of background. God had called Abraham to leave his home and family and go to the land God would show him. Part of that calling was that God promised to give to Abraham a land and descendants. That is a bit oversimplified, but for our purposes it is sufficient.The problem was that Abraham and Sarah had no children. God called Abraham when he was 75 years old and Sarah was 65. In spite of that, they believed and trusted that God would give them a child as he had promised.

However, we are impatient creatures and continuing to believe after a time of seeing no results is not easy for us. So it was with Sarah. She knew she knew that the probability of having a child was very slim, so she offered her handmaid to Abraham as a surrogate wife. While hindsight tells us this was a mistake and that the whole concept is outside of God’s will, this was a customary solution to the problem of infertility at the time. So, Abraham fathered a child by Hagar with the idea that this would fulfil God’s promise of an heir, but it did not. Furthermore, it created a greater problem, jealousy between Sarah and Hagar that resulted in Sarah treating Hagar so harshly that Hagar left the household for a time. (See Genesis 16:6-16)

But whatever the relationship between Sarah and Hagar, this plan did not fulfil God’s promise or plan for Abraham and Sarah. God’s plan was to do for Abraham and Sarah that which was impossible for man to do for himself. Harold Lindsell, editor of the Harper Study Bible makes the following comment about the situation:

This incident reveals how two genuine believers may seek to fulfil God’s will by normally acceptable methods but spiritually carnal ones . . . It was not until Abraham was a hundred years old that Isaac was born (21:5). From the length of time between the promise and the fulfilment we can draw the lessons that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isa 55:8,9). Patient waiting would have produced the desired results without the additional problems created by impatience and lack of faith. God always rewards those who have faith to believe his promises.

There are two important points here. First, normally acceptable but carnal methods never accomplish God’s eternal promises or purposes. God’s purpose here was to do what man could not do. It is always so in God’s redemptive work. God did not give Abraham and Sarah a child until Sarah was 90 years old and “it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” (Genesis 19:11) God did not give them a child until Sarah was biologically no longer able to have children. Again, God did what was impossible for man. This is exceedingly important. At every step of God’s redemptive plan, he is doing what man cannot do. When Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be born again, he was saying that what is impossible for man—to enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born—is possible for God—through the regeneration of the human heart. (John 3) We see this so often in the Scripture. When the Israelites needed water, God did not lead them to an oasis in the desert, he gave them water from a rock. They could have stumbled across an oasis with or without the work of God, but only God can give water from a rock. When God needed to be glorified in the day of Elijah, he instructed the prophet to soak the altar in water and then sent fire from heaven to consume “the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38) There are lots of other examples. Get out your Bible and read. You will find them everywhere. God does the impossible for us and we need to have faith in him rather than settle for the normally acceptable but carnal solutions as we so often do.

The second point from Lindsell’s comment is that patience would have produced the same result without the additional problems caused by Abraham and Sarah’s human solution. God waited to give them a child until Sarah was no longer able to have children. He had to wait so that he could do what man could not do. So it is for us. We are often impatient and do not see the glory of God. What a shame.

It is important that we not judge Abraham and Sarah too harshly. They had the same difficulties we have. They were impatient as we are. We too look to carnal solutions to spiritual problems and accept them as normal simply because those around us are doing the same. (The pragmatism that dominates the church today is just one example.) In Abraham and Sarah’s case, God did indeed keep his promise to give them a child. He is faithful and all things do work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) May we always have the patience to allow him to do what only he can do rather than trying to find human solutions to spiritual problems.

Pet Peeves

2008-06-15T19:18:00.002-05:00

We all have our pet peeves. You know what I mean. It is that little something that really irritates us. Everyone has at least one. Most of us have several. They range from the serious to the ridiculous, from the important to the trivial. There is no end of pet peeves in this world. A couple of years ago I asked some Christian brothers on an internet forum to list their top three pet peeves. Here are a few examples:

Squeezing the toothpaste from the middle.
Wearing a cowboy hat and tennis shoes or cowboy boots and short pants.
Trite sayings on bumper stickers, such as “No Intolerance Allowed.”
People who move to a new community and immediately compare everything to their former place of residence.
Drivers who pay no attention to the road because they are talking on their cell phones.
Toilet paper hung “upside down” in the bathroom.
There were a lot more, but you get the idea.

In spite of the proliferation of pet peeves, I have one that falls into the important category. It drives me crazy when I ask someone for prayer and they respond with advice. Yes, they pray as well, but before they have a chance to pray, they are offering their solution to the problem. I don’t need their solution to the problem. I need God’s solution to the problem. I know they mean well, but their actions speak volumes about their view of God and prayer.

This is even common among mature believers who understand the power of God and his sovereignty. I even find myself doing it at times. In spite of all our experience that says God answers prayers and that he desires to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, we still instinctively seek human answers to spiritual problems. How short-sighted we are! Only God can change a man’s heart. Only God can effectively defeat the enemy in our lives. Only God can truly heal our illness and lift our spirits. True, there is a time for the counsel of godly men, but it does not replace the fervent prayers of those same godly men. God doesn’t need any suggestions from us. He already has the answer. We need only ask him for it.

Let's Begin All Over Again

2008-01-01T15:41:00.000-06:00

The New Year is upon us, and as usual we are all thinking about our resolutions for 2008. You know what I mean. We all make them; resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, be more faith in our spiritual disciplines, and many more. Unfortunately, we rarely keep them for more than a few days. Soon we are back to our old habits and our old problems. Things don't change and we continue in the same rut. In time we get to the point we wish we could start all over. We have made such a mess of our lives that we want to forget about the past and start again without all the disapointments and guilt of our broken dreams and failures. Unfortunately, we can't un-ring the bell. What is done is done. Or, is it?

The Scripture presents God as both holy and redemptive. In reality, he is a God of new beginnings. There are many examples of those who had failed in life beginning again with some tremendous results.

Jonah failed God, but after he began again the entire city of Nineveh found God.
The Book of Judges depicts a nation that began again seven times, each time God freed them from their failures and their oppressors.
David commited adultery and murder, yet was able to begin again and lead the nation of Israel to both spiritual and political greatness.
Isaiah was a man of unclean lips, but God let him begin again and we have some of the most beautiful, inspiring, and comforting words in the Scripture from those formerly unclean lips.
Peter failed his Lord miserably by denying him and yet the Lord later said to him, "Feed my sheep," which is exactly what he did, beginning with the sermon on the Day of Pentecost in which about 3,000 souls were added to the kingdom.
John the Baptist's entire ministry was one preaching the message of beginning again.
Jesus told Nicodemus that he could be born again.
Paul said that if anyone be in Christ he is a new creation.

So, yes, we can begin again, start over, be truly born again. It is what our faith in a redemptive God is all about. Now the question is, "How do I begin again?"

The story of the Prodigal Son is a great example of how God not only allows us to begin again, but longs for us to begin again. Remember the word 'prodigal' means wasteful rather than lost as so many assume. What he did was realize how far he had fallen and humbly returned to the loving father who awaited him with open arms. We have all heard the story in Sunday School and sermons, usually sermons about repentance. Yes, repentance that nasty word that requires me to do things I don't want to do.

Aside from the testimony of the Scripture itself, the fact that we so often view the gracious, redemptive work of God as a burden to bear is the best evidence of the absolute depravity of the human heart. Repentance is not the only of God's redemptive graces that often we view as burdensome—the law (obedience), tithing, self-denial, and the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and the Scripture are all great blessings that too often are treated as bad-tasting medicine rather than the life-giving miracles they are. How sad it is that because of our perverse hearts we do not see that repentance is truly an opportunity to begin again. Repentance is not a burden, it is liberation. It is leaving behind all the failures and guilt and moving toward the great "peace that passes all understanding" God promises those who seek him.

As for me, by the grace of the Almighty God I will be starting over again this year. There is a lot of stuff I want to leave behind—spiritual failures, missed opportunities, bitterness, selfishness, laziness, and just plain ol' sinfulness. But more importantly, I am going to embrace the loving Father who makes it possible for me to begin again. Remember the story of the Prodigal? When he decided to repent to begin again he found his father was waiting for him with open arms.

Paul the Apostle understood what it means to begin again. He who once persecuted believers began again and preached the message he once tried to destroy. Because of this great understanding, he said, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

A Great Blessing

2007-07-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

God blessed me greatly this evening. My entire congregation was at church. This is generally not an unusual situation at Iglesia Betania. Unlike most chuches in the United States, there is generally very little difference in attendance at our morning and evening services. This has a lot to do with the way we approach our faith. We firmly believe and practice a faith of intrega completa al Señor, or complete surrender to the Lord.

So, why was this evening's service any different? Well, we have not had air conditioning in our building for about three weeks because theives stole the copper from the outdoor compressor units. Without going into a lot of detail, repairing these units will be almost impossible because they are 44 years old and the parts are unavailable. A completely new system is currently beyond our financial resources, so we have worshipped without air conditioning for the past few weeks. Until today, that has not been a big problem. We have had unusually cool weather this year and have been able to worship without too much discomfort even though the building has no windows and no insulation under the roof. Today, however, was a different situation. It was hot today and the sun was shining strongly on the roof. So, at the end of this morning's worship service I told the congregation that we would have evening services in spite of the forecast of hot weather, but if any felt it would be just too hot, we would understand if he or she just stayed home.

Well, it was hot. After the service my clothes were soaked through with sweat. But, in spite of the heat, all of the congregation was at church except for one, and she was absent for reasons unrelated to the heat. What a blessing! I fully expected just a handful of the hardier folk to be in attendance, but God showed me that he had been working in the hearts of the congregation more than I had realized. That is always a great blessing for a pastor. God is so good. As I contemplate today's events, this passage from Isaiah 55 come to mind.

Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. "Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:1-9 RSV)

My congregation might not have money for air conditioning right now, but, by the mercy and grace of God, we have all we need.

Grace Gems

2007-05-27T05:28:00.000-05:00

I have added a new link on the right side of this page. It is to a site called "Grace Gems." I have subscribed to the daily emails from this site for several years and enjoy them immensely. They are a source of great inspiration. The author has spent countless hours picking timely and inspiring quotes from the great Christian authors of church history. He has also electronically published several out-of-print works of these godly men.

The most interesting thing about this site is that it is maintained by a truly godly person. The website states that its purpose is "to humble the pride of man,to exalt the grace of God in salvation and to promote real holiness in heart and life." It accomplished that purpose quite well. It is the only site on the internet, including this one, that does not have the author's name anywhere on it.

I encourage you to follow this link: http://www.gracegems.org/Grace_Gems.htm to see today's quote. May it be a blessing to you as it has been to me over the years.

Grace-ometer

2007-05-20T06:25:00.000-05:00

I ran across this quote by Charles Spurgeon and want to share it. This quote expresses my understanding of God, his people, and his church quite accurately.

The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God be near a church, it must pray. And if he be not there, one of the first tokens of his absence will be a slothfulness in prayer.

Oops! We Messed Up

2007-05-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

Let’s pick up the story we have been following. The Israelites had insisted that God give them a king, and God did so. In 1 Samuel 9 God directs Samuel to anoint Saul as king. He is a young, strong, handsome man, and a good soldier. He was an obvious choice for a king. In chapter 10 Saul is “crowned” as king of Israel and in chapter 11 he leads the Israelites in defeating the Ammonites. Chapter 12 is a transition from Samuel’s leadership to Saul’s. Samuel has some interesting things to say. Beginning in verse 7, Samuel explains to them the wickedness of their insistence that God give them a king. He pointed out that God had always taken care of them and that they had no reason to believe that God would not continue to care for them. He repeated that their insistence on a king was a rejection of God not a rejection of him, Samuel. At this point the people finally understand the error of their ways, but by this time it was a little too late. This passage reminds me of a bit of wisdom shared with my group at a youth camp by an elderly lady who had served the Lord faithfully for many years. I have long forgotten her name, but I will never forget her words. When asked by one of the young ladies of the group why she had never married, she responded that it was always better to want something you did not have than to have something you did not want. Wise words. Unfortunately, by the time Samuel addressed the Israelites, they already had something they would very soon not want. Aside from the very obvious lesson of not dictating to God what is best for us, there are two important lessons in this chapter.

First, if we want to sin, God will let us sin. God will try to show us the error of our ways, but if we insist he will let us sin. God tried to show the Israelites their error by explaining to them what a king would do, but they insisted and God let them have their way. We must understand a very basic truth. The sovereignty of God does not negate the responsibility of man. God is sovereign; there is no doubt. He also allows us to make decisions and holds us responsible for those decisions. The application of this lesson is profound. We often believe that if something happens, it is a sign that God wants a situation one way or another. One example of this kind of thinking is for a young lady to say that if the young man she is interested in asks her to marry, it must be God’s will that she do so. However, in the process she prays little about the matter and ignores the many signs that her future spouse is really not a good choice for a husband. However, if she insists on marrying him, God will let her and she will soon realize she has something she really does not want. Yes, if we insist, God will let us sin.

Second, God is a God of redemption and he makes the best of our sinful decisions. Notice what God said at Saul’s coronation:

And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the LORD has set a king over you. If you will fear the LORD and serve him and hearken to his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well; but if you will not hearken to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king. (1 Samuel 12:12 -15)

God tells them that in spite of their sinful rejection of him, if they and the king would but follow the Lord, it would be well with them in spite of their rejection of him, but if they did not follow the Lord, it would not be well with them . In other words, God would continue to provide for them if they would but follow him faithfully under the earthly leadership of the king. The people really liked this idea, and to show them that he was still able to do what the king could not do, God sent a storm to destroy their harvest. This may sound harsh, but God’s point was well made and not soon forgotten. Paul expresses this same truth in Romans 8:28, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” God does not abandon his people in spite of their rejection of him. If they repent and return, they will enjoy the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). What a great God we have. He and he alone is sufficient and his will is perfect. May we always see his will with all our hearts and not rely on our own understanding.

His Thoughts are Not Our Thoughts

2007-05-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

Once again, the Israelites had a problem. The sons of Samuel were not the godly men their father was. They were not able to follow in Samuel’s footsteps and judge Israel upon his death, and Israel had no other system of justice or national leadership. Everyone knew this, including Samuel. What were they to do? 1 Samuel 8:4-6 tells us what they did.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ (1 Samuel 8:4-6 RSV)

What they did was devise a solution among themselves and then told Samuel to carry it out. Noticeably absent is any mention of the Israelites consulting their Lord about a solution to their problem. The Israelites obviously thought it was a good idea, but Samuel and the Lord did not like it at all.

And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds which they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, hearken to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." (1 Samuel 8:7-9)

God did not like it, but he went along with the idea after directing Samuel to explain the consequences of their desire for a king. God told the people through Samuel that a king would:

Draft their sons into the military:
Require some men to work his fields and factories
Require some women to work as perfumers, cooks, and bakers
Take the best of the fields and give them to his cronies
Constantly tax their income and property and give to the bureaucracy
Last, but not least, make the people his slaves

In spite of this warning—which sounds all too familiar no matter which political party is currently in power—the people persisted in their demand for a king. So, God conceded to their wishes.

What do we need to notice about this event? First, the entire episode is backward. The Israelites saw a problem, devised a solution, and took it to God for his obedience to their wishes. What they should have done was recognize the problem, call out to God for a solution, allow God to work in a mighty way, and obey his will. They turned the tables. They demanded that God obey them rather than they obey God. When the divine order is this badly displaced, tragedy is inevitable.

Second, the people were stiff -necked, to use the biblical phrase. Even after God explained to them what a bad idea a king would be, they insisted it was the best solution to their problem. Why would they do that? Mostly because they were thinking like the world and simply did what those around them did. The other nations had a king to lead them in battle and they figured they needed one also. Sound familiar? It should. That is exactly what most of us, yes even most believers, would do in many situations. You might say that statement is unfair and judgmental, and you might be right to a point. I have a tendency to look at the dark side of the modern church, but I have also been a pastor for more than 25 years and have seen this exact same behavior time and time again by relatively mature believers, fellow pastors, and by myself. It is not so much that we are openly rebellious as it is that we are just unaware of our own motives and decision making processes.

Paul addressed that same issue in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Part of renewing our minds is making sure the world we live in is not part of our decision making process. What other peoples do is not what believers do. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways his ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways and his thoughts than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) If we are to see the glory of God, we must learn what Isaiah knew.

A Mighty God Indeed

2007-04-29T10:23:00.000-05:00

Note

I haven't done very well with this blog thing. It is generally many months between my posts. I have started several articles and abandoned them because I just did not get the time to develop the articles the way I wanted. So, I am going to try a new tact. I will be trying to write a series of short articles instead of a few long ones. I am going to begin with a series from 1 Samuel. I am currently working on 1 Samuel for the Sunday evening worship at Iglesia Betania. So, let's start there.

A Mighty God, Indeed

One of the cornerstones of my theology is that God is in all ways a mighty God. Furthermore, it is his desire and pleasure to demonstrate that greatness by doing for his people what they cannot do for themselves, and doing so in such a way that all can see that it was God who did the mighty work. In other words, George Mueller is one of my heros. 1 Samuel 7 is an example of God's great work done in such a way that he, and he alone, was glorified.

As this chapter opens, the Israelites have a major problem. They were oppressed by the Philistines. The Arc of the Covenant had come back to the Israelites, but the Philistines still oppressed them. Samuel, the judge and prophet, had the answer.

Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your heart to the LORD, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. (1 Samuel 7:3-4)

This is a concept that is woven throughout the Scripture. If God’s people will repent of their sin and call to God, he will hear and deliver them from the oppression of the enemy. For examples look at the entire book of Judges, 2 Chronicles 7, the life of Hezekiah, and many others from church history, such as George Mueller and another of my heros, John Bunyan.

Notice how God took care of the situation. As part of their sincere repentance, the Israelites were offering a sacrifice. During the sacrifice the Philistines approached to attack them, but the “Lord thundered with a might voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion; and they were routed before Israel.” (1 Samuel 7:10) He did for the Israelites what they could not do for themselves, and he did it in such a way that all could clearly see that God, and God alone, had done the mighty work. The Israelites could not take credit for the victory. They had done battle with the Philistines for many years with no success. Yet, on this day when they had repented of their idolatry, God sent a great thunder to confuse and defeat the enemy.

I fully believe God still wants to work this way among his people. Some will argue that such works ended with the apostles in the first century, but there is no biblical evidence for this. Certainly, we do not see these mighty works commonly in our day, but I believe that is because of our own unbelief and unwillingness to truly repent and worship God and him alone. We are too busy working under our own power and educations to let God be God. Certainly, that has been true in my life, but as I grow in the Lord I am more and more convinced that God still works in mighty ways. So, my prayer for myself and Iglesia Betania is the same prayer of the Twelve in Luke 17, “Lord, increase our faith”, and may our faith lead us to true and complete repentance.

We Have Fallen and Can't Get Up

2006-11-02T20:36:00.000-06:00

What is God like? Most in our society, both those active in church and those with little or no religious conviction, would answer that God is love. Certainly, one of God's prominent characteristics is his love. It is a major theme in the Scripture. A casual computer query of the New American Standard translation of the Bible returns 540 occurrences of the word 'love' or one of its forms. (Biblical linguists would probably take exception to my casual query, but it is sufficient to make my point.) However, there is a much more common characteristic of God in the Scripture. A similar casual query of the NASB text returns 670 occurrences of the word 'holy' or one of its forms, and 175 occurrences of the related terms 'sanctify' and 'consecrate' or one if their forms. That's astounding. So much is said in the church about God's love and so little is said about God's holiness, yet the Scripture talks much more about God's holiness. Granted, the two concepts really cannot be separated. John 3:16 says that Jesus died because heloved us. Titus 2:14 tells to what purpose he died, "[Christ Jesus] who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." In other words, holiness. His purpose is that the redeemed be a holy and separate people.

(Contemplate this. It is the holiness of God that requires man's repentance/redemption and the love of God that makes man's repentance/redemption possible. That, however, is a topic for another day.)

Sadly, the popular view of God, even among active believers, puts so much emphasis on God's love that his holiness is for all practical purpose lost. It is a lop-sided, unbalanced understanding of who God is, how he works, and how he relates to men, particularly the elect. This results in an emphasis not on God,but on men. What? How does one come to that conclusion? Simple. The focus of love is on the object of that love rather than on the subject of that love; on the one loved rather than on the one who loves. The love of God is an appealing characteristic for it focuses on us. The result is a church that lives in a state of self-indulgence rather than self-denial. A church that is turned inward rather than upward. A church that is weak rather than strong; defeated rather than victorious.

The greatest example of the importance of the holiness of God's people is in Joshua 7. It is a familiar story. The Israelites were riding a spiritual high after God so soundly defeated Jericho on their behalf. It was certainly a great demonstration of God's mighty work. It was done in such a way that no one could mistake the power behind the victory. It was God's and God's alone. The Israelite army simply obeyed God's command and he did a great thing. However, when a few days later the Israelite army went to battle a small town called Ai, they were soundly defeated because of the sin of just one man, Achan.

Joshua and the other Israelites were astounded and perplexed. Why had they been defeated by such a small, insignificant enemy? To his credit, Joshua immediately fell on his face and sought God's counsel. God answered simply and plainly in Joshua 7:11-12, "Israel has sinned . . . For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies . . . Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you." God had told them that all the spoils from Jericho were to be destroyed or dedicated to God. Achan, however, was more concerned with himself than with God's commands.

Generally, we have a difficult time making the connection between sin and defeat, or even sin and consequences. Certainly, sometimes the connection is easy, such as the connection between drunkenness and being injured in an accident. Other times it is not so clear because the link between the spiritual and the physical is not discerned with the five senses, but by the spirit of the living God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Even though the connection is less visible, it is no less real. This is a topic in and of itself that is beyond the scope of this blog entry, but look at Psalm 32. The Psalmist connects sinfulness with the fatigue of the daily grind of life. He says that his "vitality was turned into the drought of summer. (Psalm 32:4)" In these days of pandemic fatigue, this is definitely food for thought.

The result in the case of Achan, however, was tragically clear. The Israelite army was defeated by a small, militarily insignificant town. Far from the God-glorifying victory over Jericho, this was a humiliating defeat. God told Joshua that because of the sin among them they could not stand against their enemies. This in itself was bad enough, but the worst was yet to come. The secondary defeat was less visible, but more tragic. God told Joshua that not only could they not stand against their enemies,but that he, God, would not be with them any more unless they destroyed the accursed things from among them (Joshua 7:12). Contemplate the ramifications of that statement. God said that as long as there was sin among them he would not be with them. They would be on their own. They would have no strength. God told Moses the same thing in Exodus 33 after the incident with the golden calf. If God was not with them they knew they would perish. If only the church of today would learn that lesson. Without the presence of God, the church is powerless and pitiful.

Our response to Achan's sin is that it was such a little thing. After all, Achan was just one man among several thousand, some scholars would say one man among a couple of million. If we were speaking of human issues, it would be just a little thing. But we are not talking about human issues. We are talking about the divine issue of holiness. God took great pains to demonstrate just how serious sin is and how completely it debilitates his people. God's method of exposing the sin was to march the people by Joshua first by tribe, then by family, then by household, and finally by man. This served at least two purposes. First it showed that no matter how many were innocent, the sin affected all God's people, not just the sinner. This is something else we often forget. Second, it demonstrated that no matter how deeply buried, sin still debilitates and God still sees it. God may have had to work through the various layers of tribe, family, household, man, and even the man's tent to expose the sin, but it was exposed. It was not buried so deeply that God could not find and expose it . Remember Numbers 32:23, "and besure your sin will find you out."

Why all the fuss? Simple. God's purpose for the Israelites was not a political or military victory, but holiness. Their enemies were to be defeated spiritually rather than politically or militarily. Their primary enemy was not the Canaanites, but Satan himself and the destructive power of sin. Nothing has changed.God's purpose for his people is still holiness. Jesus died that his people might be holy (Titus 2:14). Our enemy is still spiritual. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(Ephesians 6:12)" Our enemies are still to be defeated not by political or military power, but by the power of the Lord "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah4:6) The church in general and the "religious right" in particular would do well to learn this truth.

Interestingly, Achan's particular sin was significant. It was the sin of covetousness or worldliness. This is a particularly pernicious sin for it eats away at the very foundation of holiness. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness for the purpose of learning complete dependence upon God. That dependence was necessary for God to be glorified and for the conquest of the land. There are many examples and open declarations of the dangers of worldliness—the tenth commandment, many passages in Proverbs, the story of the rich young man in Luke 18, several passages on self-denial, Paul's emphasis on dying to self,and James 4:4: "do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Worldliness always results in disobedience and a lack of holiness. Holiness requires that we go against the flow of society not with the flow of society. On this point, the church has failed. It has become so worldly that there is little difference between believers and the unchurched.

OK, so what is holiness? Theologians will certainly spend lots of time and ink debating the details, but for all practical purposes holiness is an issue of redemption and obedience. The Israelites were holy because, by the grace of God, they had been redeemed. They became unholy when just one among them disobeyed God's clear command. The obedience God demands is total, complete obedience. Achan was just one among an entire people of God, yet his disobedience destroyed that people's relationship with God and crippled their ability to stand before their enemies. This is not just an Old Testament concept. Jesus said that those who love him keep his commandments (John 14:15-24 and 1John).

The modern church in the West certainly cannot stand against its enemies. This is not what God had intended. Jesus told Peter, "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)" His plan is that the church be on the offensive and Satan and his evil hosts be cowering behind the walls of the city. (See Joshua 5:1.) Why the church cannot stand is obvious. Sin. The church tolerates sin on every level. Today's Dallas Morning News (November 1, 2006) has an article about the misuse of $1.3 million dollars intended for new church plants. Many pastors have recently been in the news because of their sexual infidelity or other sins. More importantly, several studies have shown that the incident of occurrence of virtually all sins/vices—alcoholism, domestic violence, adultery, premarital sex and pregnancy, drug abuse, etc.—is the same among active church attenders as among the population in general. Why? Because we have believed Satan's lie that sin does not matter. We are unwilling to confront sin in the church. We are unwilling to confront sin in our ownlives. We tell ourselves that it is a little thing, and consequently willingly live defeated lives. We cannot stand against our enemy and God is not with us. We are truly "pitiful, wretched, and blind."

Costly Grace

2006-09-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

For the past several months I have been wrestling with the concept of self-denial in the Scripture. Jesus said that self-denial is a requirement for salvation (Luke 9), but it is a concept almost unknown in the twenty-first century church in America. Instead of self-denial, we have self-indulgence. For a great example of the current self-indulgence of the church, see the September 10, 2006 issue of Time, or you can read the cover story here.

As part of my study on this topic I have begun to read again Dietrich Bonhoeffer's great work, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer knew from personal experience what following Christ costs. For him, following Christ meant opposing the Nazi regime of the 1930s and 40s, and that cost him his life. (For more information see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer.

Even though I read the book for the first time about twenty years ago, I was struck by the depth of his spiritual committment and just how contemporary his message is to our circumstances. Below are some brief quotes from the first chapter, "Costly Grace."

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace.

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. . . The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing . . .

Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian "conception" of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure the remission of sins. The Church which holds the correct doctrine of grace has, it is supposed, ipso factor a part in that grace. In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God.

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. . .

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. . .

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Abive all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace[/i] because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be proteced from the world, and not thrown to the dogs.

May God have mercy on his Church and on me!

Increase Our Faith, oh Lord!

2006-07-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

On of my favorite Scripture passages is Luke 17. Our Lord is speaking to his disciples about temptation and faith. In the context of dealing with sin, he tells them that if a brother sins and repents even seven times in one day, the disciples of the Lord must forgive the brother. The disciples, recognizing this would not be easy or even possible, responded in a surprisingly insightful way. They said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5) They recognized that in the flesh they could not forgive even a repentant brother seven times in one day. Only by a great faith in the regenerating power of Christ could they even entertain the concept.

The disciples were correct. Some things are just impossible for us to do without a great faith in the Lord. One of those is to deal with our own pride. The Scripture is full of references to pride and the destruction it brings. According to Naves Topical Dictionary, the books of Psalms and Proverbs refer to pride 55 times, all negatively. It is certainly referred to more than any other sin, and while the love of money is the root of all evil, pride is the root of our own self-destruction. I am constantly amazed how often we design and execute our own downfall because of pride.

Without going into detail, I am currently in a situation similar to that of the Lord's disciples in Luke 17. There is a problem at my job that in itself is not an issue of pride, but my response to it certainly is. Henry Blackaby, in his Experiencing God materials, refers to events in our lives that are a "crisis of faith." These are events or circumstances in which the believer has his spiritual back to the wall, so to speak, and will either respond with faith that God will resolve the matter in a way that only he can, or will respond in the flesh and lose the opportunity to see God glorified.

Today at work, I realized my situation is certainly such a crisis of faith. As I sat down to my desk this morning, I quietly asked the Lord to help me respond to this situation as his disciple should. Fortunately, because today is Saturday I had a little more time to dwell on my prayer than I normally would. (The electrical distributor I work for is open Saturday mornings, but we are usually not very busy and only have two people working.) I prayed for patience and that I might respond not in pride, but in a way that glorified God and God alone. Without really thinking about the words, I prayed, "Lord, in this I will see if I can trust you or not." Those words were immediately startling to me. "Of course", I said to myself, "you can trust God. He is completely faithful and trustworthy." I just as quickly realized that those words I had prayed could be viewed in a different way as well.

While I may have quietly, even silently, prayed those words, they were not so much my words to God as his words to me. The issue was not God's faithfulness, but my faith. God is faithful in everything. About that there is no doubt. In this case, what God wanted to me think about was whether I am able to trust him. Do I have enough faith? Am I willing to submit my pride to his will so that he can be glorified? Am I able to put my pride aside and let God be God? Oh, please, Dear Lord, increase my faith!

James Charles Johnson: Godly Man (1920-2003)

2006-06-18T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today is the third Sunday of June, which means that it is Father’s Day here in the U.S. Sadly, real fathers are in short supply in our society, which makes this day very important. My own father died three years ago, but I feel his influence every day. So, on this Father’s Day, allow me to honor my father and my Lord who gave him to me.

This photo was taken for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary , 2001. As you can see from my mother’s photo, I come by my own white hair honestly.

My father was a natural teacher. He had a gift of using everyday occurrences as life lessons. Here is a short list of what he taught me just by being a godly man.

• My father was, above all, a godly man who taught me that there was nothing more important than God. We were cotton farmers. We worked hard and all the time, yet there was always time for church. Even during the busy times of harvest, we never missed church for work. I never once woke up on Sunday morning and asked if we were going to church that day. It was understood that we would go to church on Sunday no matter how much work was waiting to be done.
• He taught me to love my wife by loving his wife. She was his precious jewel. He loved her with all he was.
• He taught me how to work and to work hard.
• He taught me to love learning. Even though he left school after the sixth grade in the heart of the Great Depression to help support his family, he never quit learning. In the evenings he would read the Encyclopedia Britannica. It was a great example.
• He taught me to deeply study the Scripture, and that it alone was sufficient. In spite of his lack of formal education he could discuss theology with most seminary professors. Furthermore, he could do so from the Scriptures alone. He did not read commentaries, systematic theologies, nor other works, yet his theology was clear, strong, and biblical.
• He taught me that nothing, not drugs, not alcohol, not any circumstance of life could destroy one’s life more than marrying the wrong person. Of course, having a sexual relationship outside of marriage was not even a consideration. After pastoring for more than 20 years, I assure you, he was right.

Yes, my father was a great man. The world may never know nor care who James Charles Johnson was, but he was a gift from a loving God to his wife and three children.

Thoreau, David, and Saul

2006-06-15T20:05:00.000-05:00

Henry David Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” ‘Despair’ is, as we all know, a feeling of hopelessness, futility, and defeat. So, essentially Thoreau is saying that most are living hopeless, defeated lives. He was right. His famous statement is one of the most profound descriptions of the human condition ever written. Why is that so? Why are our lives so empty, so desperate, so hopelessly futile and defeated?

Psychologist and social commentators point to a variety of causes, most dealing with the evils of modern society, such as poverty, overcrowding, corporate greed, governmental indifference, and an infinite number of other causes. Unfortunately, these are really not the causes of our despair; they are the consequence or symptoms of our despair. Hope is both available and abundant without regard to any of the alleged causes of the evils of modern society. The Scripture says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . .” (1 Peter 1:3) A living hope. Not a dying despair. That is the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why then, do even Christians lead lives of quiet desperation? Frankly, my experience is that most believers lead lives of quiet desperation. Why? It’s an issue of repentance. As an example, let’s look at two men, Saul and David. Saul’s story is found in 1 Samuel 13:1-14 and David’s in 2 Samuel 12:1-13. (To save space, I will not quote the passages. You can read them by clicking on the links.)

These passages are familiar to anyone who went to Sunday School. They teach some great truths about the human condition, but before we get to those, two points must be established. First, both Saul and David sinned. There is no question about that. Second, both Saul and David were God’s people. They were Hebrews, not pagans. Furthermore, they were chosen by God for leadership positions. This is important, as you will see.

Saul sinned by trying to manipulate the holy things of God for his own purposes. He had gathered an army to do battle with the Philistines, and while waiting for Samuel to arrive and offer a sacrifice before the battle, the volunteer soldiers became restless and some went home. When Saul saw that his army was shrinking he took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself so he could move on to the battle, which he saw as more important than the spiritual side of the conflict between God’s people and their enemies. Immediately after the “sacrifice” was made, Samuel showed up and rebuked Saul for his sin.

Saul’s sin was very basic. He was focused on himself and was afraid because he was losing control and did not have enough faith to let God be God. Because he focused on himself he forgot that God does not need great armies to defeat his enemies. After all, had God not defeated the Midianites with an army that he had reduced from 32,000 to a mere 300 men? Saul forgot the most basic of spiritual truths, and that is that God works in ways men cannot. “...‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) In short, Saul could not get his eyes off of himself and his situation. He did not act in faith and, therefore, God was not glorified. His sin was the sin of unbelief. Unbelief that God could and would redeem his people for God’s own glory.

David’s sin was similar and all too familiar. He, too, was focused on himself, and instead of being out doing battle where he should have been (see 2 Samuel 11:1), he was in his palace with nothing better to do than look around and get himself into trouble. David was not the first man to commit adultery, and he certainly was not the last. He wasn’t even the first to commit murder because he got a woman pregnant. He was, however, the “apple of God’s eye,” and his actions were offensive to his God. He knew the commandments. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. He did not take the issue of sin seriously.

Nathan has serious words for David. He said that David had “despised” the Word of the Lord. Not ignored, but despised the Word. Furthermore, he reminded David that it was God who had made David king, that it was God who had protected David from Saul, and that God had given David a responsibility to protect and lead his people rather than to violate and murder them.

The difference between these two men is not so much their sin as their response to their sin. Both were confronted by God’s prophet, Saul by Samuel and David by Nathan. Saul made excuses. He blamed the soldiers, saying they were leaving “me” (1 Samuel 13:11). Notice also the focus on self. He blamed God. After all, the Philistines were coming and God had done thing about it yet. He blamed Samuel because Samuel did not arrive at the time Saul thought he should. Because he could not get his eyes off himself, he could not repent. David, on the other hand, did repent. He did not make excuses or argue. He recognized that he had sinned against God. He responded by fasting and prayer, seeking God’s face and his forgiveness. He wrote Psalm 51, that great psalm of repentance and restoration, based on his repentance and God’s merciful forgiveness.

God’s response to these two men is interesting. While most of us would say that David committed the more heinous of the two sins, God forgave and restored David, but did not forgive Saul. Furthermore, he took away not only Saul’s kingdom, but also his presence in Saul’s life. This may seem a bit strange to us, but it really makes perfect sense. David’s sin was not worse than Saul’s. Surely, David’s sin was an abomination, but so was Saul’s. Saul profaned the holy things of God for his own purpose. Saul proved that he could not lead God’s people because he did not follow God and did not seek God’s glory above all else. Then, instead of responding in repentance, he responded with arrogance and unbelief.

Both Saul and David suffered the consequences of their sin. In spite of God’s forgiveness, David’s child died and he suffered the violence from within his own house as Nathan prophesied. (2 Samuel 12:1-13) But, ultimately, he recovered. He continued as king and is recognized for his devotion to God. He died content and fulfilled.

Saul did not. In fact, he died a crazy old man. After his sin and his failure to repent, God’s hand left him. He continued as King even though God had already anointed David as his successor. He became obsessed with David. He wanted David in his presence and yet he tried to kill him on more than one occasion. David, on the other hand, had the opportunity to kill Saul twice but did not. How sad that this man, once described as handsome and a head taller than everyone else, the man chosen as the first king of God’s people, died in such a pitiful state.

David’s repentance gave him great hope to continue living in spite of his sin and its earthly consequences. He was able to live victoriously and fulfil God’s purpose. Saul’s lack of repentance deprived him of all hope and the presence of God. Because he did not repent he could not live victoriously nor could he fulfil God’s purpose. He could only reflect on his defeat and rail against those around him.

So, Henry David Thoreau was right. Most do lead lives of quiet desperation. Why? Because they fail to repent. This is especially true of Christians. Remember, both Saul and David were God’s men. They were not pagans, but Saul’s failure to repent is a reminder to us of the need for repentance, especially among God's people.

The Church Divided?

2006-06-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

This morning's Dallas Morning News ran an articled entitled "Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty." It is actually a condensed version of an article written by Maggie Gallagher that appeared in The Weekly Standard on May 15. I won't go into the details of the article. You can read the condensed version by clicking here, or go to The Weekly Standard website at www.weeklystandard.com. Suffice it to say that Ms. Gallagher is correct about the legal difficulties the issue of gay marriage will bring to churches and their activities. The ramifications of some recent legal rulings would have been considered unthinkable only a few years ago. Now, those ramifications are becoming reality. Neither will I take this opportunity to discuss the issue of same-gender marriages. I will simply point you to the Scripture, particularly Romans 1.

I do, however, wish to take issue with the Dallas Morning News' copy editors. The article was published under this subtitle: "There's a legal showdown looming over same-sex marriage, says MAGGIE GALLAGHER of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, and it could crack churches apart." Between the above statement and the article is a large—8-1/4" x 6-1/4"—picture of a crumbling stone cross coming down on a same-gender couple dressed in wedding attire. This statement was not an excerpt from the text of the article. It is simply an editorial comment by the newspaper staff.

I have only one comment to the newspaper staff and to all who might read that paper. Surely, there is a legal showdown coming, but it will not crack churches apart. It will certainly crack some religious institutions apart, but the church, the true church, will stand firm in the truth.

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By the way, my friend and fellow bivocational pastor, Phillip Way, has some interesting comments in his recent blog entries. Follow this link: pastorway.

Yesterday I Took Off My Wedding Ring

2006-05-28T23:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, I did. I finally took off my wedding ring yesterday. I know that sounds kind of odd, but it makes sense if you know the whole story.

In some ways it seems like it began a long time ago. In other ways it seems like it began just a little while ago. According to the old saying, time time heals all wounds, I am not so sure about that. In reality time just blurs the events so that one can no longer tell exactly which wound in causing the pain at any given moment. Well, on with the story, and I will try to keep it short.

My wife, Diana, died on January 8 of this year. She had been completely disabled for the past 17 years due to a severe asthma attack, so her death was not unexpected. My response to her death was unexepcted, however. At least, it was unexepcted by me.

I had long thought I would deal rather well with her death. After all, it was not unexepected. But it was more difficult than I thought it would be. Life certainly changed. My days are no longer planned around when I can visit Diana in the nursing home. I no longer worry about the financial issues surrounding long-term health care. I can leave town without leaving contact information with the nursing staff. I no longer spend days trying to find an appropriate gift at Christmas and her birthday for a person who does not move or communicate in any way. So why did I suddenly feel so empty?

I thought moving on would be rather easy, but it has been more complicated than I anticipated. In spite of the fact that she had not spoken a single word to me in more than 17 years, when she died a part of me died along with her. Suddenly, I wasn't sure what to do when I got up in the morning. I puzzled over this for several months. Why did I miss her so? After all, I had lived alone for the entire 17 years that she had been in a nursing home. I was used to being alone. But miss her I do.

I found the answer to my question last week. It is in Matthew 19. Jesus said, "'Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,' and said, 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.'" (Matthew 19:4-6 NASB)

So that was it. I felt like a part of me had died because it had. The joining of two believers into "one flesh" is one of those mysterious works of God that we cannot explain, only experience. When one of the two physical parts of that single unit dies, the remaining physical part is suddently incomplete. Only God can fill that void, for he, and he alone, is sufficient in everything. Over the past several weeks God has been merciful and gracious. I will always miss her some, I suppose, but the deep ache is no longer so pronounced and so draining.

Yesterday I drove out to Big Spring, where I was born and Diana is buried in my family's plot. I talked to her for a while. I talk to the Lord a while. And, just before I left I took off my wedding ring for the first time in almost 22 years. It is simply time to move on. Diana is at rest as the Lord promised. My rest is yet to come, but I once again know where I am going and what to do when I get up on the morning. Taking off my wedding ring does not mean that I plan to marry again any time soon. That may happen one day, but it will happen when the Lord brings the right person into my life. It is certainly not something I will be looking for. In the meantime, the Lord is sufficient in this as well.

www.conoracion.com ?

2005-12-03T18:20:00.000-06:00

Often when I give my email address to friends and acquaintances, they ask about my domain name. For most of them I have already spelled it, but they still don't quite get it. I must admit that expecting others in our mono-lingual English-Speaking culture to understand and spell two Spanish words I have run together is expecting a little much, but for me it is the perfect domain name.

As I said, it is two Spanish words--con, meaning 'with', and oración, meaning 'prayer'. So, my domain name, when translated to English is "with prayer", or perhaps, "prayerfully". Now, some of you may question my translation of oración. You may use oración to mean a 'sentence', which it certainly can. You may also use the word reza for 'prayer'. That is also correct, but usually it refers to a prayer of repeated words. Certainly, the biblical words for prayer are the noun oración and the verb orar, so I will stick by my translation. (See Ephesians 6:18 in a good Spanish translation of the Scriptures for an example of both the noun and the verb in the same verse.)

Once I have explained what my domain means, I have to explain why I chose it. If you have read my profile you know that I am a bi-vocational pastor of Iglesia Betania* in Denton, Texas. Iglesia Betania is a Spanish-speaking Reformed Baptist Church, so Spanish is very much part of who I am. That explains why I chose to use Spanish for my domain name. As for the con oración part, well there is a bit of a story behind that.

I came to Iglesia Betania in February 1989. At the time I was a very green pastor, and I was also trying to work through the sudden and severe illness of my wife, Diana. Iglesia Betania was a new church start that I now understand was not started under the best of circumstances. Needless to say, it was a very difficult time. In February 1992 I invited my good friend and former Spanish professor from Hardin-Simmons University, Dr. José Alcorta, to lead a series of lessons on biblical parenting. It was a good weekend, but did not change the fact that I was struggling both professionally at Betania and personally. On Sunday evening Dr. Alcorta, his wife, Lani, and I ate supper in a local restaurant. While I was crying in my coffee about my struggles, Dr. Alcorta said something very simple, yet very profound. "The church is struggling," he said, "because you are the only one praying." It was as if a light had been turned on. At that point, I knew what I had to do.

Over the next couple of weeks, I scrapped all my plans for preaching and teaching and started over. For about three months I preached and taught nothing but prayer. We started a Friday night prayer meeting in which we did nothing but pray. No singing. No teaching. Just prayer. We chose Friday night, because we wanted those present who were willing to put God first, those who were willing to skip Friday night football for something much more important.

Well, slowly things began to change. We are still a small, struggling church, but we are no longer as stressed as we were then. We now walk in confidence that while we plant and irrigate, it is God that gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6) From this I learned some very important things. First, I learned that people come to know the Lord and grow in the Lord more because of my prayers than because of my preaching. That's an humbling thought! The realization of that was also the first step toward my doctrinal shift toward the doctrines of grace. Second, I learned that in all things God is sufficient. Oh, I knew this before that experience. After all, I had grown up in church. Well, after this experience I really knew what it meant that God is sufficient, and as such, my life must be lived con oración, or prayerfully. Third, I learned the value of a good friend in the Lord.

So, that is the story of my domain name. Con oración. Prayerfully. That is how I strive to live.

Note: As I was writing this I thought about how long it has been since I have spoken to Dr. Alcorta. Until my father died I would see Dr. Alcorta a couple of times a year as I passed through Abilene on my way to visit my family. However, in the past three years I have not been out west and we have lost touch. I am going to have to do something about that. I hope the Hardin-Simmons website has his email address posted. If not, I will just have to get out the telephone.

*Iglesia Betania means Bethany Church. Interestly, two of the more faithful women in the church are named Mary and Martha. We don't have a Lazarus yet, but it is a rather common name in the Spanish-speaking cultures, so we probably will before too long.

So, This Is Blogging

2005-11-26T21:20:00.000-06:00

This is my first post on my new blog. I have wanted for quite some time to develop a website to publish some of my ideas, beliefs, convictions, and opinions, but have not had the time to develop a site. Hopefully, blogging will allow me to publish those ideas, beliefs, convictions, and opinions without spending a lot of time writing html code and developing a website.

The title of this blog comes from Matthew 17:21. While Jesus, Peter, James, and John were on the Mountain of Transfiguration, the remaining nine disciples were dealing with the problem of a young boy who was demon possessed. They were unable to cast out the demon, and when Jesus came down from the mountain the boy's father begged Jesus to heal his son. Jesus' reply indicated that the reason the disciples could not cast out the demon was because of a lack of faith. He further said that the answer to their lack of faith was prayer and fasting. Interesting concept. Check back occasionally as we explore this topic and many other random musings.