Why I Read the Old Guys

One of the frustrations I have with my generation is the plethora of new books out criticizing the church, the faith, the traditions, previous generations, etc, etc, etc without posing helpful solutions. On the one hand, my generation is very skilled at expression. We are artistic, creative people who can wordsmith with incredible speed and finesse. I'm amazed at our ability to formulate expressions in cyberspace that can go viral within hours! Phrases like "wassup!" and "that was off the chain" appeared out of nowhere and just as quickly were replaced with techno shorthands like LOL (laugh out loud) and MLAS (my lips are sealed). The problem is that we use these communicative skills lazily and with the attention span of a humming bird on caffeine. Because we're products of the high-speed Internet age, we tend to formulate opinions without thoughtful research or informed reason. Without naming any names, I've recently been perusing a number of writers from the so-called "emergent church" movement. Very expressive, colorful, even entertaining! But there is often an air of arrogance and rebellion implicit in their assertions. Everything sacred is up for inspection. Questions are raised about orthodox theology, institutional church, forms of worship, hermeneutics, seminaries, revelation, and any number of other precious topics. But the questions posed are given no solid answers. It's as if these writers are high school kids given an opportunity to meet a five star general and encouraged to say, "What's up, dude?" when they meet him. That's why I tend to shy away from the latest best seller. I want to know that an author is truly an expert in the field, someone seasoned through rigorous training and a life well-spent. I want to know that the work he or she has written is more than colorful language with a dose of clever. I need, our world needs, substance. And substance usually comes from older or dead people who lived long lives of deep devotion and study to God's Word.

Spirit Talk

Recently, I've been studying the idea of a "prompt" from the Holy Spirit. Scripture seems to indicate that God will lead us to certain good works and even miracles if we listen to Him. As a matter of fact, the church age is to be characterized by "keeping in step" with the Spirit and following his "prompts" (see Gal. 5:25, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" and Rom. 7:6-Amplified Bible-"So now we serve . . . under obedience to the promptings of the Spirit"). So how do we evaluate a “prompt.” Well, a helpful grid is the BCS of prompts. 1. Is it BIBLICAL? God will not contradict Himself. If you feel you are getting a prompt from the Holy Spirit and that prompt is telling you to rob a bank, that’s not God. God will not tell you to violate one of the Ten Commandments! Years ago, I had a woman tell me God was leading her to divorce her husband and marry another man. Wrong! There were no grounds for biblical divorce in that situation. Her prompt wasn’t a God-prompt. 2. Is it “CHRIST-WARD”? Does it move someone to Christ? God’s miracles usually move people to Jesus. If a prompt doesn’t seem to be moving people toward the true God, something is wrong. For example, if you get a prompt to take someone to a movie that is ungodly, that’s probably not the Holy Spirit. That’s probably you being lonely and wanting someone to go to the movies with you. I was recently asked by a woman if she should allow her house to be used by a relative for a spiritual meeting. The relative asked her to use her home for a spiritual study. But the study implied that Jesus was just one of many manifestations of God and that we are gods ourselves. That is not a Christ-ward prompt. That’s a false-god-prompt. And I told her she shouldn't do it. 3. Is it SELFISH? God alone gets the Glory. A prompt from the Spirit will not be a prop to elevate your ego. The Spirit of God will bring glory to God. He’s not about making you into a celebrity (ie. someone who gets celebrated). He’s about giving glory to God. God gets the credit. That’s why I have a lot of trouble with many faith healers. You turn on the television and they're wearing extravagant clothing with rhinestones and have big hair and loud makeup and they’re running all over the stage drawing a lot of attention to themselves and I’m asking, “where’s Jesus in all of this?!” A friend of mine years ago had a health problem so he called up a faith healer. And just as an experiment, he wanted to see something. So he said, “I’ve got this health problem and I was wondering what I need to do to be healed.” And the person said, “well, you need to write a check for this amount and give it to this ministry and Brother Robert will pray over your need and you’ll be healed.” Then my friend said, “Well, there’s a good church down the road here that is struggling. Can I just write the check to them?” And the woman said, “No, it has to be written to this ministry.” That’s not a Christward ministry. That’s a celebrity ministry built for the ego of its founder. By the way, that faith healer ended up in the slammer for fraud! If you feel a prompt to do something, ask yourself, “Is this about getting attention, or is this about Jesus?” And by the way, one way you’ll know is that you’ll feel like you might look like a fool. If there is a chance you’ll look like a fool if you act on it, it may really be from God because God wants us to be willing to look like a fool for Him.
So, if the prompt passes the BCS test. If it’s consistent with the BIBLE, if it will move people closer to CHRIST, and if it’s not SELFISH, here’s my advice to you. Go for it! Take the chance! God blesses people who take risks for Him.

Christmas Hope

In my last entry, we stood on God's Presence as a solid reason for Hope. Obviously, God becoming Incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ is a magnificent display of God's Presence. Emmanuel, a title given to Christ, literally means "God with Us!" He's with us! And because He's with us, we have hope. But His presence isn't always pleasant. Sometimes God loves us so much He hurts us. The great Bible Teacher, Warren Wiersbe, says God will hurt His own, but He will not harm his own. What does that mean? Well, when Christmas tree farmers grow their trees for the season, they often have to prune them. In other words, they cut off diseased or unnecessary branches in order to grow healthier trees. Sometimes God prunes us.
Listen, God doesn’t just give us His presence and make promises in order to give us a free pass to be stupid and lazy. Hope requires disciplined cooperation with Him. That’s called pruning.
Dr. Rick Warren says the following:
“Pruning involves cutting off not only dead branches but also living ones as well in order to improve the shape of the plant and stimulate growth. Pruning is essential for increased productivity. It’s not optional . . . If you’re going to be productive . . . God will put you through times of pruning. God prunes you for fruitfulness . . . You might struggle to understand why, but the reason is He is preparing you for even greater ministry.”
Jesus says in John 15:2:
"He also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit." John 15:2 (GW)
Christmas (or any other season for that matter) can be a time of pruning. So if you’re struggling with hopelessness this season, remember God’s Promises, trust in God’s Presence, and submit to God’s Pruning and you will find hope really does have its reasons! God will produce fruit in your life.

More Hope Reasons

In my earlier post, we stood on the foundation of God's Promises as our first reason for hope. Another great reason for hope is God's Presence.
God has not abandoned the human race. He sees us and, if we let Him, He’ll see to us. Some time ago, there was a very painful situation in my life. It was excruciating to me and it felt as if every close friend in my life had abandoned me. So one day, I did a Forest Gump and started running. As I ran, I prayed desperately to God for help. After I stopped, I bowed before Him and tearfully put my forehead on the ground. Tears were coming down my face mixed with sweat and grime. But then I felt it--the Presence of the Lord. In that moment, my spirit heard God whisper, “It’s going to be okay Rusty because I’m here with you.” And guess what, He was faithful. Years later, I've found that every whisper from God during that painful period proved to be true. God was with me the whole time and continues to be my greatest source of tangible hope.
Look at what Caleb and Joshua tell a frightened Israel:
" . . . the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Num. 14:9 (NIV)
Hope has its reasons because God does not abandon His people! He is with you.

Hope's Reasons

Rebecca Pippert, in her book entitled Hope Has It’s Reasons asks the question, “Is life merely one long absurd pursuit of things we can never have, or does hope have its reasons?”
Good question. Is hope really something on which to base our lives? Evidence everywhere suggests otherwise. For example, we just ended the bloodiest century in history. The economy is crippled with tremendous debt. Children are shooting each other in our schools. And we are still at war (will it ever end?)!
Someone said, “I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it.” Is life just a big joke that we don’t get? Or does hope actually have its reasons?
Well the answer is a resounding “Yes!!!” And there are at least three reasons why. Let me share the first in this post and give the other two later:
1. God’s Promises.
God has never violated a promise, ever! I wish I was like that. I’m a man of my word, but I’m not perfect. Months ago I promised myself that I would lose ten pounds. Guess what. I gained ten!
But God always keeps His promises!
A few of my favorites for His people are:
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
And Jesus says: [14:1] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me." John 14:1 (NIV)
God’s promises give hope because He always keeps them!

Tithing

Some time ago, I was challenged by a church member concerning the concept of the tithe. The assertion behind the challenge was, basically, that the tithe was an Old Testament law that is no longer in force with Christians. The following response from me may prove helpful in the discussion: Let me begin by thanking you for attending our church and giving sacrificially to this ministry . . . As for your study of the tithe, you make some good points. However, for me personally (and, I want to be clear, this principle is something I both preach and practice), the fact that the pattern of the tithe preceded the law (as did the pattern of the Sabbath rest), that Jesus reaffirmed it himself in the Gospels (which I consider a post Old Covenant dispensation, otherwise Jesus’ would not have made such radical claims of fulfillment of the law at the time-see John 6:29 where Jesus clearly presents belief in Him as the basis for salvation before He dies and before Pentecost--Some scholars describe the period of the Gospels as sort of an intermediate dispensation with elements of the Law still in force and elements of grace newly in place. I would say that the radical nature of Jesus new commands (ex. Jn 13:34) suggests that from the moment of His birth, a new dispensation occurred), and the clear teaching of the Epistles to give “bountifully” or “generously” (ex. 2 Cor. 9:6) suggests that a tithe is a minimum amount. Paul clearly had this in mind when he uses the pattern of Old Testament tithing as the New Testament pattern of local church support (note the pattern of tithing under the law in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14: “Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? IN THE SAME WAY, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”). It is true that the Bible does not teach the tithe, it suggests that the tithe is just the beginning of giving. Actually, Jesus wants it all. It is hard for me to fathom one day standing before the King when He says “How did you give for my Kingdom purposes and provide for my Bride with the resources I gave you?” and answering “I gave less than $1 out of every $10 You gave me.” I don’t want to say that at the Judgment seat of Christ. I’d rather say “I gave abundantly.” The overwhelming testimony of the early church fathers (that is, the disciples of the disciples, some of whom sat at the feet of the original 12) is to, at a minimum, tithe. For example, historian Collin Hanson states: “The early church's views on tithing foreshadowed many of today's stewardship debates. The Eastern Church began tithing out of obligation because they believed Jesus' conversation with the rich young man demanded sacrificial generosity. Clement of Alexandria and Irenaeus pleaded with the church to surpass even the Old Testament tithe since Christ had freed them from the Law. Later church fathers—John Chrysostom, Cyprian, Origen, and Augustine among them—complained from time to time that their followers lacked Christian charity. Chrysostom even shamed his stingy church for marveling at those who tithed. He contrasted their amazement with the dutiful giving of Old Testament Jews. The early church's expectation that every Christian would tithe found formal expression at the Synod of Mâçon in 585 . . “ Another pastor writes: “Irenaeus, was a disciple of the Apostle John & Polycarp. He wrote that “systems of giving like tithing never ceased to be taught” ...but that the focus was not on "what's the minimum amount the Bible commands us to give." Rather, he writes: “Instead of being taught the tithe, we were taught to give all our possessions...” (See Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-36). Other historical writings show that the Apostles taught tithing as a "starting point" for those whose faith was too weak to give more than 10%.” I think the early church fathers got it right. Certainly God expects His church to be more generous than the Israelites under obligation to the law! (Matthew 5:20: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” ). But, you’re right, it’s your decision and is between you and God. Pray about it and do what God tells you. My job is to teach what I believe fully to be consistent biblical teaching, for which I will give an account before God. Your job is to evaluate said teaching before the Lord and do what He tells you to do. May the Lord bless you brother. Again, thanks for the honor of pastoring you! In Him, Pastor Rusty

Christian Liberty

"Someone may say, 'I'm allowed to do anything,' but not everything is helpful. I'm allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth." 1 Cor. 10:23 (GW) Recently, I've been engaged in a discussion involving Christian liberty. Questions have revolved around two primary behaviors: the use of alcohol and profanity. Is it permissible for a Christian to drink and cuss? Well, the answer is "it depends." For example, it certainly would not be wrong for a believer to drink actual wine during communion and if, for some reason, a Christian felt led of the Lord to speak a strong word to a persecutor, cursing may be allowed. For example, if a missionary was being murdered by Osama Bin Laden and felt he needed to warn OBL that he was headed for Hell, I doubt anyone would believe it would be wrong for the missionary to say, "Mr. Bin Laden, if you continue this ungodly violence, your soul will be damned." Some could argue that the word "damned" in such a context is a curse word and, yet, is not sinful in that context. I would agree. I also have no problem with a believer partaking in the use of alcohol in certain circumstances (i.e. privately, as a medication--ex. Nyquil, without drunkenness, and apart from settings where it is likely to lead to pain--such as where alcoholics are present or a sinful atmosphere is being promoted). But the bottom line is this: what is wise? In most contexts, the best that can be said of both behaviors is that they are dangerous and clearly lead to sin. This means that people will get hurt. And in many cases, these behaviors are without a doubt sinful in and of themselves. The Bible overwhelmingly condemns cursing because it overwhelmingly is crude and offensive to the ears of a holy God. The Bible also is very clear that drunkenness is a huge problem for hurting people, so why take the chance of drinking with a potential alcoholic in the name of some noble motive? (For example: "I'm going to drink at a bar to reach people for Jesus.") Wayne Grudem, theologian extraordinaire, says the following about profanity (which has obvious implications for drinking):

ESV Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude
joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
ESV Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
ESV Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
“Using the words commonly thought to be offensive in the culture seems to me to be sort of the verbal equivalent of not wearing deodorant and having body odor, or of going around with spilled food on our shirts all the time. Someone might argue that not wearing deodorant or wearing dirty clothes are not morally wrong things in themselves, but my response is that they do give needless offense and cause others to think of us as somewhat impure or unclean. So, I think, does using words commonly thought to be ‘obscene’ or ‘offensive’ or ‘vulgar’ in the culture generally. Plus it encourages others to act in the same way. So in that way it brings reproach on the church and the gospel.”
When I was younger, I pushed the limits of these behaviors. My attitude was that I'm a believer and nobody has a right to infringe on my freedoms. So I cussed every now and then and I drank openly. Then some people got hurt. An alcoholic who I drank with continued to struggle with alcohol and almost lost his family. The people I cussed with often engaged in unethical behaviors that hurt many. And I was ashamed. And God convicted me of my reckless attitude. As believers, our goal is to draw others closer to Christ. My freedom or the need to be seen as one of the guys is not worth the substantial risk of hurting others. And it's unnecessary. Ask any football player, construction worker, or sailor which guy they respected the most on their team, at the site, or on their ship and they will usually tell you it was the guy who worked hard, was brave, was not judgmental, and, you guessed it, didn't cuss or go to the bars. Matt. 5:17 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."