Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer, sent a letter from prison to his family on May 21, 1685, and in it he addressed his comments to his 11 year-old son: “We must endeavor by patiently waiting to submit to His [God’s] will without murmuring; and not think [wrongly] of His chastening us, knowing that all His works are the products of infinite wisdom.”
This quote should remind us of Hebrews 12:5-6; “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”” If you have become tired of circumstances that seem to make you “weary,” remember the “infinite wisdom” that lies behind your trial and testing. God has you where you are, and in your situation, so you can learn more of Him. As you submit to His hand in your life, you will start reflecting more of His character and glory. This is HIS love.
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As COVID-19 has shut down travel and many of the training events that were scheduled for this year, we began asking the Lord where we should put our energies. We have put our two books, God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) and God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC) into an interactive format (pdf). This allows the students to place their answers to the reading and questions right in a text box alongside the question. They can also go back to edit, add or change what they wrote.
The value of this format is that students who are more apt to use a computer or electronic device can do so without having to carry another book with them, and it certainly saves on printing costs. The pdf file can be sent and received anywhere in the world that internet is available. I suggested to one of our “Timothys” that we put the Vietnamese translation into this interactive format so it can be used in S. E. Asia where there might be conditions that security is an issue. He was very excited about the idea. This format was completed last weekend and is now being used to multiply effective training of disciples in that area of the world. Other languages will also follow this format as soon as possible. Pray for us. Doors are being opened in Africa that are only the work and hand of God. All this reminds us that God is never limited by any conditions that prevail in the world. He said though Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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 55:8–9). Let us not forget this, nor limit in our hearts what He can and will do! Go to our Training Resource page to see these tools. Imagine getting a letter from the Creator of the Universe, the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. Then you open the letter. At the top of the letter addressed to your name, is His eternal name and what He is holding in His hand. Then in the first line of the first paragraph are these words; “I know your works…”
What would you be thinking and feeling, even before you read another word? You realize that He knows everything about you and there is absolutely nothing hidden from His eyes or knowledge. Does your life and ministry flash across your mind? In seconds, you could make a list of things you did, words you spoke, feelings you harbored that you now wish could be erased? Then you continue reading His letter. Do tears come to your eyes as you read His accurate account of your public and private record? Will the next sentences of Jesus express in very clear terms how He feels about the way you dishonored His name? Then you read these words “unless you repent…” Or will His next words be expressions of appreciation for how you have stood faithful in the face of opposition; when others ran after false teachers, you stood for the truth in spite of the cost? Whatever your letter says to you, there is a final sentence that you can’t overlook. You read it over and over, pondering the invitation; “To the one who conquers…” You now have a decision to make. What will you do? (Read Revelation 2 and 3). Having worked in ministry for many years, there is something very refreshing about leaving a place and then coming back years later and seeing the biblical principles taught then still being used today. This has less to do with how I preached or taught, but more about how God took His Word and applied it to their hearts through the power of the Spirit.
This reminds us of Paul’s words written from prison to Philippi; “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence” (Philippians 2:12). Timothy had brought Paul a report of how these believers were “work[ing] out [their] own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2:13). Both aspects are essential for full obedience. Notice how Paul reminds them that their obedience was because God was working in them. For anyone seeking fruit in missions or ministry, your goal is to see God taking the gospel and truth you proclaim from Scripture and making it effective in the souls of those we minister to. This kind of fruitfulness is a constant reminder that we are only instruments in the hand of the Lord and we are only as effective as we submit to Him and the Holy Spirit. Circumstances (prisons) will never limit God’s work if we are fully submitted. Many statements that Jesus makes should make us stop and carefully consider the implications of His words. This morning in my quiet time with Him, I came to the end of Matthew 12 and stopped to meditate more deeply on these words:
“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother”” (Matthew 12:46–50). The first question that came to mind is; ‘am I doing the will of God in such a way that other people recognize my relationship to Jesus?’ Then, another question came to mind; ‘what do people say about persons who claim to know Jesus (are saved), but their words and actions tell a different story. These are solemn questions to consider. Remember the warning Jesus gave in Matthew 7? ““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23). Be sure the evidence in your life matches the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus models the kind of leader/shepherd/pastor that we should be. He gave one-on-one attention to individuals, even when there were crowds around Him. Why was this important to Him?
Several examples show that Jesus wanted to invest in the individual. Zacchaeus just wanted to see Jesus. He was not asking for anything other than a look at the Savior. In Luke 19, Jesus passed by the sycamore tree where Zacchaeus had perched himself and stopped, “looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today”” (19:5). We can only imagine the conversation they had in Zacchaeus’ home. As usual, Jesus is criticized for being “the guest of a sinner” (19:7). That did not change Jesus’ care for one person. Jesus gives that same attention to the woman at Sychar’s well in John 4. In fact, “the disciples… marveled that He was talking with a woman” (4:27). That one-on-one conversation changed the whole town. Jesus never singled out any individual because they would benefit Him. He only wanted to invest in them; “to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He sacrificed every human comfort because He wanted individuals freed from sin and its bondage. How would we consider our time spent with one person if we knew that our investment meant their spiritual freedom and growth? After writing yesterday about the responsibility that is taken seriously by shepherds in care for their sheep, I was thinking about God’s design for Church leaders. The first responsibility we have is to follow the model of leadership we have in Christ. When Paul wrote the Philippian church, he gave them a very clear directive; “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5), the humble, servant mind.
That was the same mindset that Paul presented to the elders from Ephesus when he met with them in Miletus. “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28). Notice the order of importance that “careful attention” must take.
Do not forget the order of these obligations. They make a difference in their approach to responsibilities and the results in those they serve. So often a situation comes into my life that immediately makes me think more deeply about some Scripture; usually one I know very well. These times cause me to look deeper into the passage and ask questions that I have not asked before.
I am thinking of these verses; “So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” (Luke 15:3–4). Notice that the man (the shepherd) does not say anything about how the sheep might feel or think about the shepherd pursuing them. In fact, the sheep may have found ‘forbidden’ places and be quite content in their ‘discovery.’ How the lost sheep feels or reacts to the shepherd coming has no influence on what the shepherd is intent on doing; FIND THE LOST SHEEP AND BRING IT HOME! There are characteristics of our Shepherd that we cannot forget or overlook. His relentless pursuit is not just because He is the owner, He knows the value of each sheep and will trek over every rocky hill and through every muddy valley “until He finds it!” Do you have the heart of THE SHEPHERD? Do what is necessary even if the sheep rebuff your efforts. We may not always be successful, but the question is whether we care like Jesus does. We are so thankful to report that our “Timothy” in Zambia continues the work of training and follow-up in various places. In just two days, he and his wife with three other men will be going to Puta near the Congo border to deliver relief food that was donated. This is also their opportunity to do some training in this area. They will be using God’s Plan for His Disciples to further establish these believers in their faith and walk with the Lord.
This reminds us of what Paul wrote the church in Rome; “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:11–12). This trip to Puta is one of the evidences of a “true Timothy!” Though circumstances are difficult, they rely on the Lord to supply what is needed for the work of ministry. Conditions of crisis are being experienced all over the world, but these never postpone God’s work. They may change the way it is done, and often increases the effectiveness of the work. Please pray for this dear Brother and those with him as they go to Puta. I will give you a report when he returns. I have found in getting to know people who walked close with the Lord, they had a very high appreciation for times of fellowship with the Lord. They gained from these times of intimacy what nothing else could teach them. No amount of education, book reading, listening to sermons or conversations with others can come close to what fellowship with the Lord provides.
Paul wrote about a certain “fellowship” that is not what we normally think of; “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). To better understand what Paul pursued in this statement, he is referring to “fellowship that results from close association” and knowing what that person suffered. Paul no doubt entered into the sufferings of Jesus by what he went through in his own life (see 2 Corinthians 11:16-32). As he writes those words, “that I may know Him…and may share His sufferings,” Paul was in prison, yet this did not concern him. He wanted to know more of Jesus and the best way to do that was learning more of His resurrection power and what Christ suffered. This was the way of becoming more like Christ; “becoming like Him in his death.” If you wanted to become more like Christ, would you choose suffering? I am afraid that most of us choose an easy path and the results show the path we chose. We will only be as effective as the lessons we choose to learn and the fellowship we experience. |
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