Hope in a Hopeless World

The Christian faith has long held to the theistic view that insists humanity can experience God in a personal kind of way. Christianity is about maintaining Biblical relationships that enable people to express themselves through a lifestyle of holiness (wholeness) and unity. The Christian Apostle Paul described this personal conversion in terms that include repentance, forgiveness and living life “set apart” (Romans 12:1. He described the life that results as a “reasonable service”.

More commonly known today as Evangelical Christianity, this commitment of reasonable service submits to, and accepts, the control of God’s Holy Spirit in the daily life and experience of the believer. It becomes the maturing of the salvation God wants to create in the life of every individual. God came into the world through Jesus seeking to restore a world blinded to God, in order to save the otherwise unsalvageable.

In olden times, God spoke through the prophets. When the time was right, God revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. The clearest picture humanity has of God is what we see in Jesus Christ, Jesus being to God as the rays of the sun are to the sun (effulgence, Hebrews 1:3).

When Jesus ascended to heaven, he told his disciples The Heavenly Father would no longer live among them in the flesh, satisfying their senses of sight, sound, and feeling. Rather, God would dwell among them as the Holy Spirit, indwelling them, or living within them and empowering them.

Believers would be renewed by means above and beyond, or outside of, their human physical senses. God’s Spirit would no longer dwell in the tabernacles and tents they made with their hands; rather, he would inhabit dwellings not made with hands; i.e., in the believers.

This work was completed on the cross, even as Jesus claimed. Contrary to some who argue the point, Jesus achieved his purpose in coming to earth. He established the Kingdom of God by transforming the weaknesses of the flesh into the higher purposes of God Almighty. The Presence or reality of God’s Spirit eliminated the need for further human (priestly) mediation between God and human-kind.

Jesus said, the Holy Spirit first convicts people of sin, second convicts them of righteousness, and third convicts them of judgment (John 14-16). God’s promise was to give this Spirit of Truth who will guide individual believers in their understanding and enable them to grow from grace to grace in righteousness.

Luke further quoted Paul to say, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32 NKJV). The Greek verb Paul used here expresses the perfect tense, suggesting completed action.

Thus, we view the action of sanctifying or being sanctified as a finished product, which suggests that those freed of wickedness have been brought near to God by their faith and sanctity. Paul is describing the daily renewal of inner strength so necessary to our mature growth—strength above and beyond our normal human strength, thus supra-natural.

Here we find the perfection we are each capable of attaining in the here and now. Here we find God finally within reach of all persons. Here we find life beyond the worldly libertarian philosophy of being an end within ourselves. No longer dependent purely upon our own resources, we find here the long promised hope of Christian’s living in a conflicted world – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord (Zechariah 4:6).

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Striking Gold

“I have been apt to think that there has never been, nor ever will be, any such thing as a good war, or a bad peace” concluded Benjamin Franklin, “after much occasion to consider the folly and mischiefs of a state of warfare, and the little or no advantage obtained by those nations who have conducted it with the most success.” ¹

Jesus understood this downward deviancy in human behavior and taught his disciples a new paradigm, different from that of most nation-states who live by means of political corruption and force. “Blessed are the peacemakers,

” Jesus announced, “for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt. 5:9, NASV). He gave his followers a “new” commandment--love one another, “as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

In clearly setting forth a standard of non-violent relationships, Jesus taught His disciples to look beyond your ordinary friendships and “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44; cf. John 15:13). As if that were insufficient, he informed the inquisitive lawyer that the answer to discovering eternal life is found in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus gave this parable as an appropriate response to human need, and set it in proper context for establishing a common bond between people of all races, creeds, cultures, and colors. We elevate individuals and nation-states by falsely inflating them with pride and patriotic bigotry, whereas; Jesus blessed the behavior of unknown ethnics of mixed origin--a Samaritan being a despised dog in the eyes of a Jew.

The hero of Jesus’ story was a stranger who cared intentionally enough to assist this Jewish victim of a brutal mugging. The victim, being Jewish, dared not allow even his shadow to so much as touch that of his benefactor because his Jewish religion made him a religious bigot--a contemptible half-breed. Jesus re-enforced this as a Christian standard by telling the self-justifying lawyer to “go, and do the same” (as this Samaritan dog).

Jesus elevate this as the gold standard for Christ-like relationships (Luke 10:37). Paul closely followed the teachings of Jesus by fleshing out his unexcelled, and universally accepted, definition of true love (I Corinthians 13). God’s love for Paul prompted him to intentionally filter his views of people through the eyes of Jesus rather than his own frail lenses of fickle cultural and secular, bias (II Corinthians 5:18-21; cf. Acts 17:22-29).           

Intentionally exercising peaceful intentions enables us to lower our barriers toward friends, family, community, and competitors. Exclusivist attitudes surrender to inclusive relationships when we intentionally assimilate others into our circle. Peaceful intentions intentionally make space for negotiating new avenues of cooperation and complementing one another. Rather than compete with one another, we discreetly open our borders to friends and foes. We intentionally old a place at the table for everyone in the room, rather than selecting only those who think and act as we do.

History described two brothers that emigrated from rural Europe in 1845. They moved to Eldorado County, California. The one brother decided to become a cabbage farmer and use the one thing he knew--how to make sauerkraut. The second brother had no trade, so he chose to study metallurgy.

The metallurgist later visited the cabbage farmer. One day he examined the sandy soil of his brother’s prize cabbage field. He recognized the quartz--yellow gold and exclaimed, “You’re growing cabbage in a gold field.” He had unintentionally launched the Eldorado gold rush!

Technology keeps us abreast of today’s current events, making possible a cooperative global search for Malaysia’s missing aircraft that brought them into the world-wide community of search and rescue. This global cooperation contains the potential of transforming “us versus them” into a global search and rescue mission where the common good and respect for human need builds more global cooperation than military might can ever win by force.

Cultural and secular issues of “hatred, discord, jealousy… selfish ambition ... factions and envy” become altogether obvious wrote Paul, adding, “If you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another” (cf. Galatians 5:14-15, 18-22).

Loving one’s neighbors promises our fractured global neighborhood more success and security than all that Homeland Security and Military Diplomacy dares to imagine. Ahead of us waits a potentially “barrier-free” world, in which every man, woman, boy and girl offers the value and worth of having been created in the image of God - whoever they are, wherever they live. It all begins with that faith in Jesus; it comes with the pledge of his authority, which is the premise upon which Christianity stands or falls.

By rejecting rules of force, which is the only authority our culture has, and adopting this new paradigm of Christian peace-making, an individual can love his and her enemies. In walking with Christ, you will strike it rich! That is a gold rush worthy of our most vigorous pursuit! From Warner’s World, I am

walkingwithwarner.blogspot

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               1 Franklin Brands, The First American, Biography of Franklin. (New York: Macmillan, 2000) p. 620, “War and Peace.”

Discovering the Bible

Alexander Duff invested his lifetime in Christian Missions in India. When he went, he took his clothes, his personal possessions, and his 800-volume library. His ship wrecked a few miles short of the Indian port to which he was headed. The passengers barely escaped with their lives and all else was lost.

Duff made it to shore, where he sat, sore with discouragement until he spotted an object in the water. He quickly waded into the shallow waters to retrieve the floating object. Taking it out of the water, Duff discovered that of all the possessions he had lost, his bible had singularly survived.

That discovery transformed the pessimism of his losses into hope and the work to which he felt called. The following day Duff read from his Bible, beginning his fist class with five boys. One week later he read to more than three hundred listeners. Years later, a beautiful new building stood as a monumental reminder of the progress he made. More importantly, one thousand students stood in that building  as living monuments to the importance of reading the Word of God.

In finding his Bible, Duff discovered new reason to read as well as renewal to press forward in the face of overwhelming circumstances.  In the end, Duff understood that his Bible reading filled a vacuum nothing else could fill when it seemed all was lost. In reading God’s Word he found further reasons that fortify Bible readers of all ages in many places:

               To heal a spiritual need.

               To discover God’s will and way.

               To learn Gods terms of salvation.

               To experience God’s love perfected in us.

               To promote holistic growth.

               To possess true heavenly treasures.

               To provide personal hope for the person who asks for our reason.

From Warner’s World, I am

walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com

The Fragrance of Forgiveness

It took several years of  becoming more socialized through marriage and becoming a dad before I learned to appreciate the value of having a yard full of planted flowers In time, I would discover the marvelous therapy in flowers.

I remember when I plant a couple hundred bulbs around the parsonage in Bainbridge, GA,, with some encouragement from my everloving spouse, only to move before I could enjoy their beauty. When we talked later with the older couple that followed us, they described the incomparable beauty they were enjoying as a result of my labors. That was a pivotal experience in my early adult life.

After a lifetime of benefiting from the beauty and the wisdom of the flower kingdom, I suppose my all-time favorite flower is probably the rose--in spite of its being the thorny plant that it is. Also known as ”genus Rosa,” the thorny rose bush belongs to a plant family that includes more than one-hundred different plant species. Many are especially fragrant. Others produce jams, jellies, teas and a variety of oils. Still others go into making skin and beauty makeup products.

Like the thorny roses that I so love today, life presents more than its share of thorns and thorny experiences. Lost jobs, nasty divorces, abusing spouses, and unplanned tragedies fill our lives with thorny distractions; yet, few plants are more popular, more useful, or more lovely than the rose. Most of us put a premium on this wildly popular plant specimen with its exquisite blooms and its fragrant aroma. We value it among our loveliest of specimen plants, in spite of its being well-fortified with sharply-toothed leaves and thorny stems.

Like the rose, life delivers far more than its share of sharp thorns and prickly experiences. Thus it happened in a little known place called Chitana that Missionary Larry Lehman encountered one of life’s prickly situations. Lehman met a unique individual who taught him a life-giving lesson (Kreider/The Way of the Cross and Resurrection /Herald Press, 1978/134-35).

Most of the villagers in this isolated community feared this prickly personality because of his extraordinary strength as a man. It seems that all changed when this man encountered Jesus and experienced a personal life-transformation. This was also a time when strange things began to happen in the life of this much-feared man.

First, the man’s cow died, quite mysteriously. His pig died shortly thereafter, followed by his dog. Soon, the man’s neighbors began to avoid him. Threats became commonplace. First there were threats against his life. His family came next. Whereas tough times discourage some people, adversity seemed to draw this strong man of Chitana closer to God.

Thus, the Spirit of Christ cleansed his heart of hate and anger. He soon discovered that he had a new love for the people that mistreated him. As a result of the persevering faith of this man, thirty-five of his countrymen discovered new life for themselves in Jesus Christ.  The final indignity came when fifteen men drew up a paper and declared under oath that this man from Chitana had removed the images from their local church and burned them.

The authorities soon recognized this as a falsehood, of course, and as an attempt to destroy this new Christian and his peers acquitted him. When the day finally came for the judge to prosecute the accusers; their accusations proved false, and they became subject to perjury. Although this strong man had previously fought everyone who threatened him in anyway, he now pleaded for the judge to pardon the very enemies who tried to destroy him. This this strange story finally unfolded but only after the Judge granted the strongman’s request.

As a result of this one man’s witness, the number of believers in that community increased to one-hundred thirty-five by the end of that year. Pleading God’s pardon, and experiencing God’s forgiveness, added a fragrance to their living that more than compensated for all the thorns experienced earlier.

The lesson of the rose is simply this: by forgiving those who would destroy you, you add the beauty and fragrance of a blooming rose to your living. As Mark Twain discovered, forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it.

Or, as Jesus said, in as much as you did it unto one of the least of these, you did it unto me.

From Warner’s World, I am walkingwithwarner,blogspot.com

Jesus Is Lord!

              

"Daddy, that's my Jesus!"

Looking up from my book, I saw a chubby finger pointing to a magnificent picture of Jesus Christ. Every step this preschooler took exuded enthusiasm as she bounded through the parsonage, her finger fastened to the picture in her Egermeier Bible Story book. The Apostle Paul exhibited this same exuberance when he announced “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5:19 NKJV).

Paul revealed the Church’s vision for the centuries with a few strokes of his pen:

 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet in all these things

we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor Powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (RO. 8:35, 37-39 NKJV).

Jesus was born in Bethlehem around 4-6 B.C., during the time that Herod the Great ruled Judea under Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome. Jesus’ friends described him as God manifest in the flesh, the very personification of God. And it is true: men did bury Christ in the tomb once, but the tomb was never deep enough to hold him!

When Jesus lifted off from his launch pad on the Mount of Ascension, the clouds lacked sufficient width to include his winding sheet. Even now; the heavens fail to contain him in the life he now lives,  for Jesus  now occupies his church, energizing it with his love while it remains unconsumed. He lives on in the truth’s that reflect his image. He lives on in the hearts of followers whose eyes flame with celestial love and whose efforts are spirits are infused by his Spirit.

The Bible witnesses to this faith. It touches believers of every color, creed, culture, and generation, for whom Jesus truly becomes all things to all men ... as our Lord.

The ARTIST paints him as the one “altogether lovely” Solomon 5:16). The ARCHITECT draws him as the “Chief Corner Stone” (I Peter 2:6); and to the ASTRONOMER finds in him the very “Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:12).

To the BAKER, our Lord becomes the “Living Loaf” (John 6:51); to the BANKER he is the account of “Unsearchable Riches” (Eph. 3:8); to the BIOLOGIST he becomes “The Life” (John 14:6); and to the BUILDER he anchors the “Sure Foundation” (Isa. 28:16; I Cor. 3:11).

To the CARPENTER Jesus is opens as “The Door” (John 10:9). To the EDITOR Jesus offers “Good Tidings of Great Joy” (Luke 2:10); to the EDUCATOR he serves as the “Great Teacher” (John 3:2); whereas he provides the “Light of the World” to the ELECTRICIAN, and the “New and Living Way” to the ENGINEER Hebrews 10:20).

              

To the FARMER Jesus "Sows as the Lord of The Harvest” (Mt. 13:37; Luke 10:2): and to the FLORIST he blooms as the “Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valley” (Sol. 2:1). To the GEOLOGIST provides the “Rock of Salvation” (Ps. 89:26; I Cor. 10:4). To the HORTICULURALIST he remains the “True Vine” (John 15:1). To the JEWELER he shines as a “Living Precious Stone” (2 Peter 2:4); to the JURIST he becomes the “Righteous Judge of all men” (2 Tim 4:8; Acts 10:42); and to the JURORS he provides the “Faithful and True Witness (Rev. 3:14).

To the LAWYER Jesus serves as “counselor, Lawgiver, and Advocate” (Isa. 9:6); James 4:12). To the PHILANTHROPIST he offers the “Unspeakable Gift” (2 Cor. 1:4, 30); to the POLICEMAN he holds the “Power of God” (I Cor. 1:24); and to the PREACHER he speaks the Word of God” (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13).

The SCULPTOR finds in Jesus the “Stone cut without hands” (Daniel 2:34, 44-45); the SERVANT finds in Jesus the “Good Master” (Mt. 19:16); the SHEEP-RAISER finds in Jesus the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11, 14); the STATESMAN finds in Jesus the “Desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7); and the STUDENT finds in Jesus the “Incarnate Truth” (John 14:6). 

Finally, the THEOLOGIAN finds in Jesus the “Author and finisher of our Faith” (Hebrews 12:3); the LABORER finds in him the “Giver of rest” (Mt. 11:28; but there is yet more, for the SINNER finds in Jesus the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and the CHRISTIAN finds in Jesus the “Son of the Living God, the Savior, Redeemer, and Lord of Hope and Glory” (Mt. 16:16; Luke 2:11). 

Such friendships as these caused Saint Patrick to conclude:

               Christ be with me, Christ within me,

               Christ behind me, Christ before me,

               Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

               Christ to comfort me and restore me,

               Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

               Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

               Christ in hearts of all that love me,

               Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

And now I take refuge in him as an old friend, recalling days in my life when

               There, with life at it’s lowest ebb,

                              Who could heal and restore?

               Then He came and mended my broken heart—

                              And gave me something worth living for.

              

The years of growing churches and changing lives came and went while Dale's son Doug played hide-and-seek with the “Hound of Heaven;” i.e., until God caught up with him and gave Douglas Oldham a new song to sing. With a new song there came warm memories flowing through dad’s pen, from pen to paper, revealing what happens when Jesus truly becomes the Lord of our lives:

               “Life was shattered and hope was gone—

                              Crushing, the load that I bore;

               Then out of the depths I cried, ‘O God

                              Give me something worth living for.

               O, the joy of sins forgiven—

                              Nothing’s the same as before

               My life overflows since Jesus came                          

                              And gave me something worth living for.                                                                                   (W. Dale Oldham).

This is Warner's World, walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com affirming that Jesus is Lord!

Kingdom of Peace

Saul of Tarsus became a Christ-follower when following Jesus was easier said than done. As Apostle to the Gentiles, he entered a demolition derby! Warfare, racial strife, and special-interests polluted his landscape, undermining both individual and community interests.

Seeking to convert people, Paul invited audiences to repent of their personal sins and the failures of their culture by confessing Christ (Eph. 4:1, 7, 26). He admittedly terrorized people in the name of God before God rescued him from the tyranny of his legalism. Following his Damascus Road experience, Paul no longer regarded others “from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16, NIV, emphasis added).

Paul’s encounter with Jesus redefined his humanity, added new dimensions to his life, and transformed him into an Ambassador of Jesus Christ. Paul, especially commissioned, now represented God’s kingdom of peace (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). By the time of his death, his epitaph could have read, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

When introducing Jesus into Athens, Paul first acknowledged their traditional beliefs and built on that. After establishing a common ground, Paul shared his new resurrection perspective and reflected on how God lives, moves about, and resides (has his being) in all humanity (Acts 17).

Of course the Athenians rejected Paul’s resurrection message as a wild herring. But rather than further defend his teaching, Paul trusted the Spirit of God to guide them and sustain him. With no ill will, and without debating cultural issues, Paul moved on like a prophet of old, maintaining the good will of the people. He urged them to trust in God and left them in God’s hands.

Arriving in Ephesus, he saw certain infantile views in the church and invited them to mature spiritually by enlisting under the Supreme Command of Christ. Put on your spiritual armor. Wear the grace that only God gives (Ephesians 6:10; 4:14-16; 1:6-7).

When we view each other through our natural eyes, we elevate our natural human hostilities. On the other hand, Jesus commissions us to offer love that unifies differences and forgiveness that reconciles broken relationships (Matthew 28:19-20). Wherever we go, amid the wars and rumors of wars that continually confront us, Our Lord invites us to be peace-makers. If we have nothing else to give, at least offer a cup of cold water to the stranger – in His Name!

One June evening at Church Convention I met a black man. James Earl Massey’s greeting to me passed quickly: “May the peace of God be with you, my brother” His word of “Shalom” prompted me, however, to re-consider the words Jesus spoke to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” Therefore, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and ... afraid” (John 14:27, NIV).

We were two men passing in the mass of pedestrians, carrying the baggage of differing ethnicities in a world filled with turbulence, terrorism, broken lives, and fragile relationships. Together, however, we shared a peace affirmed by songwriter Barney Warren. He described it as a joy he could not otherwise express, a theme that fortified his life and remained “sweet to his memory”. There really is a “Kingdom of Peace”:

               ‘Tis a kingdom of peace, it is reigning within,

                              It shall ever increase in my soul;

               We possess it right here when He saves from all sin,

                              And ‘twill last while the ages shall roll.¹

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               1 “The Kingdom of Peace” Barney E. Warren. Worship the Lord, Hymnal of the Church of God. Anderson, IN: Warner Press, Inc., 1989, p. 481.

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In Warner’s World,

I am walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com.

Plant Soy Beans!

Robert Manor, a Nazarene Pastor, told this illustrative story in a small book he wrote a few years back on Making the Small Church Grow (NPH/Kansas City). Brother John is the hero of the story. This southern cotton planter raised cotton until hard times brought him harsh difficult financial losses.

Threatened with bankruptcy, John eventually requested a loan from his banker. The Banker agreed to finance him, but only conditionally. John must follow the bank’s instruction specifically. 

“Plant peanuts and soybeans” the banker announced. Having no other option, John reluctantly agreed. He planted peanuts and soy beans as agreed. Larger profits resulted. John enjoyed four profitable years and finally returned to the banker, who agreed, “You are out of debt and on your own.” 

John scarcely believed what he was hearing and exclaimed, “You mean I‘m free of debt and on my own? Upon receiving the affirmation of his banker friend, Brother John was overheard wistfully sighing; “now I can go back to planting cotton.” 

We laugh at the story as a business model, but the picture we see is precisely what most local congregations do in real life. We survey our harvest fields, but we see mainly cotton. When the people we see are different, we feel uncomfortable; yet Jesus said,  “Look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35, NKJV). Consequently, we accommodate what we see with our comfort zone and we continue planting cotton when we should plant peanuts and soy beans (italic added).

We are not the first people to live in a changing society, nor will we be he last. First-century life knew only cheap labor and slavery. Labor was hard. Slaves were plentiful and there were more where they came from. Nonetheless, Jesus modeled lifestyle evangelism and trained His disciples extensively. Divine confirmation came to His bewildered band of disciples when He reappeared among them within weeks after the cross.

It is true that people look and act differently from many of us, but all people everywhere need the gospel. We can take heart from the encouraging words of Jesus, rather than peeking out through our window shade at an uncomfortable “worst-ever” world scenario. As the Disciples’ grew in their understanding, they witnessed - beginning in Jerusalem.

The story of Jesus’ resurrection raced across Judea-Samaria like a lightning bolt! Wafting on the winds of God, their message drifted across the continents. As evangels today, we can do no less. We have a story that suggests we use every means available to influence others to faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross. Every thought, word, and deed that we use should inform people about Jesus and what living for him means.

Global needs today obviously require some rearranging of personal priorities and extending the boundaries of our individual comfort zones as needed. Therefore, let the church make the necessary adjustments.

1. Plan for personal growth

    by developing specific and measurable strategies for determining how well we are succeeding as
    Christ’s evangels.

2. Avoid activities that service only congregational machinery.

    The church needs dependable workers and program personnel. Model tithing and good stewardship     by intentionally developing at least one outreach worker for every nine maintenance workers; God     uses all ten. 

              

3. Encourage others to set goals and objectives.

    Mobilized members can free staff members to follow their calling of training and equipping                 members.

    Free your church staff to develop their gifts in facilitating, coordinating and training the                       congregation (Eph. 4:11-12).

4. Unreached people in your community mean potential growth.
    The harvest is “already white for harvest” (emphasis added). Jesus calls us to maximize the                 harvest  and avoid the ruts that come with being small, barely maintaining, and staying plateaued.

Being small is never sin, unless we disobey.

Do we need to look beyond the familiar?  

Does the Church of God need to stop planting cotton and begin raising peanuts and soybeans? walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com