Most who read this blog will be familiar with the story of Jacob and Esau. As Isaac was near the end of his life, he called his sons Esau (the first born) and Jacob and asked them to make one last meal for him so he could give a final blessing to each of them before he died. Through a deceitful scheme, Jacob presented himself as Esau so Isaac would give him the firstborn’s blessing, not Esau.
This deception drove a wedge in the relationship between these two brothers for many years and they went their separate ways. As time passed, Jacob became afraid of his brother Esau, because of guilt. After hearing that Esau was coming to meet him, Jacob spent a whole night alone, that is, alone until “a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24). There are times in life as a follower of Jesus when God meets us, wrestles with us, and confronts us with unresolved issues. In the wrestling with God, He wants to change our attitude and heart toward someone or a group of people. Why? Often, we are too stubborn in our thinking and need to have a change of heart. What changed Jacob? “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (32:30). If you have resisted getting right with someone, you need to wrestle alone with God and see the other person through His eyes. After this encounter, Jacob “bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother” (33:3). Humility paves the road to reconciliation. It does not matter how difficult the situation, wrestle with God until you know HIS humility.
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If you read the blog yesterday, you may have agreed with my post because it involves our being brought into right relationship with God. I did not refer to Ephesians 2 in that blog, but in verses 11 to 22, Paul outlines how Jews and Gentiles were enemies; but “by the blood of Christ…He created in Himself one new man in place of the two…making peace.” This work of Christ made it possible for God to reconcile us both “in one body through the cross, thereby killing…hostility.”
These verses end with us who are reconciled “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit,” the place of worship. Now stop for a moment and think about other believers that you do not get along with, or will not speak to, or may even say some hateful things about (gossip). How can you have those attitudes and say you are reconciled to God? Jesus was very direct about this issue. “So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24). Let me be very blunt about this. If you are involved in any worship and know that there are outstanding issues between you and another believer, your worship is empty because it does not reflect the reconciliation God made with you in Christ. Let’s get to the real business of reconciliation and see God’s glory increase. Because of the unrest we are experiencing, not just in the United States, but in many places around the world, there is a public cry for reconciliation. How does reconciliation work between people? This is a question we as Christians should all be ready to answer anywhere, anytime.
Any meaningful reconciliation begins with a biblical understanding of what the word means. The word in Greek, katallagēs, means “to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken.” We each must first see ourselves as a sinner, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That means all need to be reconciled to God. The initiative for restoring this relationship began with God. He made the first move! “That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Going back to Romans, Paul states clearly that “while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly” (you and me) (5:6). Here are the points I want us to take away from this blog. <>···Reconciliation between people will never fully take place until we are right with God. If we have been reconciled with God (forgiven), then God has “entrusted to us the message of reconciliation” and made us “ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us…be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Are you doing that? This afternoon, I was speaking with a young man I consider one of my “Timothys” who has a real love for the Lord and passion to serve Him in some way. He also has a successful business that is bringing him many opportunities well into next year. His concern was a very strong feeling that he not become so tied down with work that it hinders him from freedom to do the Lord’s work if he should be called to disciple others.
This reminded me of the instructions of James; “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that”” (4:13–15). This was the attitude of my friend, and it should be the attitude of every believer. Part of being a disciple of Jesus is always letting Him prepare us for being sent out on His mission (Mark 3:14). This preparation comes in many forms. It certainly is first spiritual and character formation. It may also be through a career that allows us to provide for ourselves, which Paul did (Acts 20:34). If a person is married, it requires unity between the husband and wife (Acts 18:26). The questions we ask about what the Lord wants us to do should always start with; how is He preparing me for HIS work? Without that preparation, the sending will be mostly what I want to do, not what God wants me to do. Paul is often referred to as a “model” servant minister, pastor, evangelist and teacher; and so he was. We may forget the conditions in which he often worked were much less than friendly. Even leaders within the church said some cruel things about this amazing apostle (2 Corinthians 11:26).
One of the hallmarks of Paul was his laser focus on the pure gospel of grace and the truth that was part of the foundation. As we look at his visits and the letters he wrote to churches and individuals, we see the ‘real man’ behind his titles. “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?” (12:15). It did not matter how they responded to His labors and love. What was behind this attitude? Why would anyone keep accepting abuse, verbal and physical, first from his own people, the Jews (Acts 21), and then rebuffed from church leaders? This was part of sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Philippians 3:10). These sufferings were not for having a martyr spirit, but from knowing that being faithful to the gospel message and the Church requires suffering. There is one more aspect of this we cannot leave out; maturity of believers. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Never forget these two principles; truth must be spoken in love for the persons we address, and we must desire and work for their spiritual growth. We live in a very complex world. People say what they think others want to hear. Platitudes, clichés and double talk are used all the time to make people think you are on their side, either to win acceptance or just to protect their own image, or in some cases, to just stay alive. Very few speak the truth based on their relationship with the Author of truth who died speaking the truth.
Jesus never lowered Himself to man’s level. He only spoke the truth. In fact, He told Pilate; “Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice” (John 18:37). Jesus could say that because He is the truth (14:6). The religious leaders of His day tried to kill Jesus over and over because He spoke the truth to them (8:40), but they followed what their fathers did--murder and lie (8:44). My longing and challenge for you is that you come into a stronger relationship with Jesus, the person who is the Truth. We should never be afraid of the truth, even when it cuts across what the whole world is saying and doing. How are we able to do that in a corrupt and chaotic world? Since truth is light, then walk with the Person who is the light and truth. “Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”” (8:12). There is more! “Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”” (John 8:31–32). Stop living in bondage to other people. Live by HIS truth and you will be FREE! We are told very little about Timothy in Acts 16:1-2 except that “he was well spoken of by the brothers.” As we piece together other references to this young man, we read that Paul had “no one like him who [would] be genuinely concerned for” the welfare of other Christians (Philippians 2:20). That is in contrast to others who “seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (21).
While there are many other key characteristics of godly men who God uses, this is an important attitude if anyone is going to be effective in the Lord’s work. Concern for others means that we intentionally sacrifice self-interests so we can focus on the spiritual needs of others. Earlier in this chapter, Paul said, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (2:4). This is how he introduces the ‘mind of Christ,’ the attitude of a servant and humility that serves, even if it means laying down our lives so others are blessed. John says the same thing; “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). Let these verse be the motivation of your ministry and the measure of your effectiveness. Always be governed by truth and principle, but never hindered by tradition. That was Paul’s motto. When the Early Church sought to impose legal restrictions on new Gentile believers (Acts 15), Barnabas and Paul stood together “as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (15:12). That struggle at Jerusalem inspired Paul to write his first letter to the Galatians about the pure gospel of grace.
Throughout his ministry, Paul was always seeking to be effective in preaching the gospel and making disciples so they were established in their faith (14:21-23). He always looked “for a wide door for effective work [to] open” even when there were “many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9). We have tried to follow Paul’s example. Even before travel restrictions prevented us from conducting training sessions in various parts of the world, God was preparing us for this time. Before COVID-19 hit the world, we were perfecting the interactive format for both training books so that students could do their studies right on their computers or iPads. This solved the problem of having to print books in many places where there were obstacles. This is why I am happy to announce that God’s Plan for His Disciples and God’s Plan for His Church are both in the interactive format. They can be downloaded from our website: http://www.newfoundationsinternational.org/training-resources.html The English and Mandarin are on that page and we will soon add the Vietnamese and Spanish. Arabic and Farsi are being translated now. As we desire to be more effective in helping you, we also long that you become more effective in your work for the Lord. The memory is so vivid to me. When I disobeyed my parents, I would get a good scolding from my mother, but my father would give me a certain look that said much more than words. Later, he would have words with me after I had time to think about what I had done. It was that look without words that got to my heart!
Peter loved the Lord. He said so just before Jesus was about to be falsely accused, judged and crucified; “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). That bold statement was tested within hours as Jesus was arrested and Peter is recognized and identified as one of Jesus’ followers. Then the awful moment came when Peter denied the relationship; “Man, I do not know what you are talking about” (22:60). As Jesus had told Peter, the rooster would crow on the third time that Peter denied Him. What Peter did not expect was the moment after the rooster alarm when “the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord” (22:61). Have you felt the Lord look at you? That look is not one of condemnation, but love and desire that you be fully restored to an intimate relationship with Him. If that is true of you, let His look do the work of grace in your life. A special person who had much influence on my life has just passed into the presence of Jesus. He was looking forward to seeing his Savior and Lord whom he served for over fifty years. Ravi Zacharias had many sayings, but one that stands out in my mind and was a cornerstone of his ministry was; “love is the most powerful apologetic.”
This causes me to reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus. Ravi learned from Him principles that guided his ministry and how he was so successful in presenting the gospel in many different venues around the world. On one occasion, “a man ran up and knelt before Him [Jesus] and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” (Mark 10:17). Jesus answered by quoting some of the Ten Commandments. The man replied, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth” (20). Mark records something about Jesus that no other gospel writer gives us. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (21). I have pondered this section of Scripture for a long time today and realized that in dealing with individuals who were in His path, Jesus’ love for them was behind every word and action. I began to ask myself whether genuine love is motivating me as I serve each person. When I preach, do I really love each person I speak to? When I counsel persons, are my words coming from a heart of love for them? As I write these articles, is the love of Christ motivating what and how I write? His love flowing through me to them will determine my approach to each person and how they receive my act of service. Will you ask these and similar questions of yourself? |
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