In What Do You Put Your Hope?

 

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of a man;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

—The words of the Psalmist from Psalm 147:10-11

 

In the midst of chaos on every side, one quality helps keep people on track. That quality? Hope!

If you peruse the pages of various professional journals devoted to Applied Psychology, you will find that, over the past decade or two, a new interest has arisen in what creates and sustains motivation. Quite a large number of studies have sought to ascertain the elements that will help individuals become motivated to complete defined tasks. The studies also examined the elements that will help sustain the motivation, so that people will actually succeed.

In virtually every study the quality of “hope” has emerged as one of the most important sustainers of motivation.

Think about the last time you started a project around your home or office. Maybe the task was one you had put off for some time. You dreaded even beginning this loathesome pursuit. But, you knew that you eventually had to complete the job. So, you decided, “Why put it off any longer?”

With no small amount of determination, you began the task. As you had suspected—based on your past experience with such matters—once begun, the task grew harder than you had wished. Soon, you felt mired in the work. You felt surrounded by nearly insurmountable barriers. You questioned your wisdom at ever starting. You wanted to quit. But, something grabbed you and kept you striving to complete the job at hand.

Perhaps that “something” that helped you sustain your motivation was “hope.”

Hope is often the light at the end of the tunnel that you can almost see. Hope is the recognition that you are making progress toward the goal of completing the job. Hope allows you to look backward for a moment and see how much progress you’ve made. Hope gives you the nudge of knowing that, if you stop, to get going again will take far more energy than the effort needed to complete the task, now.

Every day, in many ways, job after job, task after task, hope gently nudges us forward. Hope helps us sustain the motivation we need to do what has to be done. Yet, the question remains, “In what do you put your hope?”

For those who belong to God—that is, for believers in God through the resurrection power of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—the Psalmist has given us a very clear statement of the source of our hope. In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, the ancient songwriter insists that “the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” How wise, indeed. God’s love never fails.

All throughout Scripture, we read about the depth of God’s love for us. The most magnificent example of His love comes from His willingness to send His one and only Son to die on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins. And, to raise Jesus from the dead that we may know we will spend eternity with Him.

God has clearly proven His love for us. He stands ready every moment of every day to have us put the entirety of our faith, trust, and hope in His unfailing, undying, matchless, magnificent, protective, and enduring love.

So, when you need hope to sustain your motivation, look to God’s love. He will, most assuredly, not disappoint you.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to stir up Your hope within us.

Please help us to draw strength from knowing that, if we place our hope in Your love, You will sustain us, no matter what we may face. Thank You that when we need hope the most, You always provide it. We pray with great joy, in the powerful Name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Settling Conflicts in the Church

 

¹⁹ An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

—The words of the King Solomon from Proverbs 18:19

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from Colossians 3:12-17

 

Somewhere in the United States, right now, a church stands poised for a split.

Division! Separation! Divorce!

Whatever word the parties involved may choose to use, it means that brothers and sisters in Christ—who, heretofore, have worshipped together and served the Kingdom of God standing side-by-side—have reached the point in a conflict where they have decided to part company. People in the church have chosen sides. Claims and counter-claims have circulated openly in some cases, or under a shroud of secrecy in others. Some people feel they have a complete understanding of the issues involved. Many others find themselves caught in the crossfire of competing factions. Everyone is hurting. Worship has become tainted by sorrow. Joy has left the building. Only one is happy. That’s because Satan delights when brothers and sisters attack each other and divide the church.

A skillful analysis of both sides of any church conflict often discloses a confused morass of miscommunication, misunderstanding, distrust, conflict of wills, outright lies, disingenuous behavior, and, occasionally, genuine disagreement. But, most of the time, conflicts within a church begin with the unrecognized and un-confessed sin of one individual that snowballs until it draws more and more people into a growing, tangled mass hurtling down the hill, stopping only when it hits some immoveable object and bursts apart.

You see, it may take many years to build an effective ministry in a church and only a few months to destroy the effectiveness of that ministry. So, what should you do if you find yourself caught in the middle of a church conflict? Maybe you serve on the church governing board. Or, perhaps you have a role of leadership because of your long history of faithful service. Or, you could be one who, standing a bit aside, watches the church you love disintegrate before your eyes. Whatever your particular status, please let me offer a few suggestions:

1. Understand that virtually every church conflict begins with a single individual. You should make a concerted effort to determine the identity of that one person who began the conflict. Understanding who started the conflict will help you sort out the facts of the case.

   Look for the one who initiated the bringing of the first charges against another brother or sister in Christ. Because, no matter what “bad” behavior someone may have exhibited toward another, Scripture requires the offended party to follow Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 18:15-17.

   ¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

   No one may bring open charges against another person until he or she has followed the first two steps of Matthew 18:15-17. Failure to follow this instruction of the Lord Jesus Christ completely invalidates any open charges.

   So, if you’re in the audience hearing the charges, stop and ask whether the one bringing the charges has followed Matthew 18:15-17. If the one bringing the charges has not followed the first two steps, refuse to listen to the charges. Rather, instruct the one bringing the charges to follow Matthew 18:15-17 and take no further action until he or she follows those steps.

2. Next, set aside all of your emotion before you pass any judgment on the seriousness and legitimacy of the charges. This may seem hard to do, but in order to resolve any conflict, you must put aside your emotion and deal only with the facts. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer one of the parties over the other. It doesn't matter if you think one party has positional authority over another. In the Kingdom of God, each person has equal standing before our Father. Don’t allow yourself to become swayed by emotional ties to one person or another. Only the facts matter.

   Now, it is true that all decisions depend on the facts and our feelings about those facts. But, notice that it is our feelings about the facts, not our feelings about the situation, nor our feelings about the parties involved. Don’t confuse which kind of feelings may legitimately weigh in on your decision.

3. Don’t make a decision based on what anyone tells you, no matter who he or she is, nor how trustworthy you may feel that one to be. Insist that the person bringing accusations present you with concrete, factual evidence of the charges. Anything apart from audio recording, video recording, actual first-hand documentation, or the testimony of two or three witnesses constitutes hearsay.

   Keep in mind that in order to consider the statements of others, two or three actual, direct witnesses must come forward. And, you must examine each witness individually to verify the veracity of what he or she says.

   Always search for the context. Make certain that neither side of a conflict has begun to bend the facts to fit their preconceived notions. Make certain that you place every statement in the full context of the actual event.

   I cannot overemphasize that in all matters relating to the peace, unity, and purity of the body of Christ—the church—you must be scrupulously careful to take no action until you have done everything possible to ascertain all of the facts.

4. You absolutely must directly and carefully interview the person, or persons, against whom the charges have been levied. Examine carefully his, her, or their recitation of the facts surrounding the accusations.

   Set aside any preference you may have for either of the parties in the matter. This means you must not consider either the position in the church of the parties, nor their personalities, nor any other aspect of the parties that may tend to influence your decision. Remember, you must intentionally purpose to deal only with facts.




5. Once you examine and verify every possible fact, take a few days—even a week or more—to weigh the matter before taking any action. Time brings greater clarity and perspective. Make certain you do not rush to judgment. Bathe the matter in earnest and fervent prayer. Study God’s Word for any insight the Scriptures may offer on the matter. Give full and careful consideration to how your decision will impact the entire body of believers.

   Be very careful if either party has issued an ultimatum. Ultimatums ususally indicate a weakness in the facts surrounding the cause of action. Don’t allow yourself to become bullied into a decision because one of the parties has threatened some dire outcome.

   When you think you have prayed enough about the matter, pray some more. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your inner being. Let His guidance direct your decision based on the facts, and only the facts.

Now these few steps may seem onerous to you. But, if you fail to follow them you will become part of the problem, not part of the solution. Virtually every church split could have been avoided if people had taken the time to follow these simple, straightforward steps.

When you take these steps you will often find that factors tend to emerge that will help you assure that the process proceeds with extreme fairness to everyone involved. For example, you may discover that some long-held grudge has motivated someone, or some group, to work behind the scenes to create a situation that will boil up into a conflict.

Many individuals have become quite expert at the tactic that noted psychiatrist, Dr. Eric Berne, called “Let’s you and him fight.” In other words, some people become adept at attacking another targeted individual by getting someone else to engage in a conflict with the intended target. Watch out for this. If you examine the facts carefully, you will often find this tactic at work in the church.

Also, watch out for long-term hurts and grudges that underlie attacks on others. Some people—especially arrogant, pompous, and insecure individuals—tend to hold grudges for years! Many times they will follow the old adage from the 1841 French novel Mathilde, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Such people will wait a long, long time and then try to bring down a person against whom they have a grudge, while all the while giving every appearance of harmonious behavior.

Ultimately, all conflict is a result of sin. Do your best not to become drawn into such sin. Follow the advice of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:1-2.

¹ Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Take heed of the two Scripture passages at the beginning of this blog post. They offer sage advice and describe a spirit of gentleness, tenderness, and grace that must prevail whenever you deal with conflict.

In fact, keep an eye out for grace. Has the one who brought the charges exhibited God’s grace in the way he or she has handled the matter? An absence of grace can serve to indicate a lack of validity for the charges that one has brought against another. For even in accusing another of unrepentent sin, the accuser must bring the accusation tempered by grace.

Whatever you do, please keep in mind that Satan delights when brothers and sisters attack each other and divide the church. Let me state that again. Satan delights when brothers and sisters attack each other and divide the church.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You God for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to remind us of the best pathway to follow, so we may remain obedient to Your perfect will for us. Help us to submit to one another in love. Help us to guard ourselves against conflicts in our church by following the instructions You have given us in Your Word. We pray in the Precious Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Definite Article!

 

¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

—The words of Jesus from John 14:1-7

 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive!”

Have you ever heard such a conversation? Or, maybe you’ve participated in such a conversation yourself. In any case, we find ourselves in a very topsy-turvy world these days. It doesn’t seem as if we can consider much as “definite.”

Among the many things seemingly up for grabs, some grapple with whether or not we humans have more than one way to connect with God.

“Come on! Religions are all the same! They all offer a pathway to diety. They all offer a way of salvation. Who’s to say one religion trumps another? Take Islam and Christianity, for example. Both religions worship God, don’t they? So, why can’t Christians and Muslims simply get along?”

Now, I happen to believe that strong evidence exists that the God of the Bible and the Hebrew Scriptures—that is to say, the God of Jews and Christians—is not the same as Allah, the god of Islam. But, a blogsite like this one, with limited space and limited time on the part of the blogger, cannot possibly deal with a subject as complex as a comparison of world religions. However, I can offer some thoughtful commentary on one of the most important tenets of the Christian faith.

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, Jesus declares that He is the one and only pathway to God, the Father. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” On its face, this represents a most significant and strong statement. Jesus declares, quite clearly, that He stands alone as the One who gives us access to God. Jesus insists that we can only come to God through Him!

One key aspect of this assertion rests with Jesus’ use of the definite article. As you know, in the English language we have the definite article “the” and we also have the indefinite articles “a” and “an.” You might be surprised to learn that the definite article exists in the Greek language of the New Testament, as well. The use of the definite article translates perfectly from New Testament Greek to English.

So, when Jesus asserts that He offers the way to God, He makes it quite clear that He offers “the one and only way” to His Father. Could Jesus have made it any clearer? Why, then, do some people—even some Christians, even some members of the clergy—want to disregard Jesus’ statement in favor of a belief that He didn’t really mean exactly what He said? Here’s some possibilities:

1. They have loved ones, maybe family members, who have abandoned the Christian faith to pursue some other religion.



2. They fear that holding tightly to the truth that Jesus offers the only way to God will set them up to receive ridicule from their friends.



3. They want to believe that there’s no real need to evangelize—to tell others the good news about Jesus—because they don’t have the courage to confront others about their need of a Savior.



4. They want to get along as peacefully as possible with everyone and, thus, believe that all humans will find their way to God by whatever means they choose.



5. They don’t want to follow everything that Jesus has said. So, they pick and choose what they want to implement from His teachings. By discounting that Jesus offers the only way to God, they release themselves from following all His teachings.

When it comes to members of the clergy who do not accept the truth that Jesus provides the one and only pathway to God, I suspect that this last item offers the best explanation.

An obvious question remains: What do you believe? Yes, you! Do you take Jesus at His word and believe that He offers the one and only pathway to God? Or, do you believe that each of the world’s religions offers an equally efficacious pathway to the Creator of the Universe?

It will likely not surprise you that I’m chosing to believe exactly what Jesus said. In fact, the very foundation of every aspect of my faith rests on the absolute veracity of this truth. And, if you think about it, it’s a “win-win” proposition for me. If I’m right, I win! If those who believe in multiple pathways to God have a stranglehold on the truth, since I’m on one of those pathways, I also win.

The next time you hear someone declare that all religions provide an equally effective pathway to God, I urge you to remember the definite article. Whether that definite article appears in English or in New Testament Greek, it speaks with a singular and unmistakeable voice: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God for loving us. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to confirm, in the depths of our hearts, everything that Jesus has taught us through His written Word.

Help us to have the courage to very graciously and very gracefully tell others about Your love for them and Your salvation through Jesus. Please be so evidentally with us each day, that we will strongly sense Your Presence. We pray, with gratitude and with humility, in the Matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Prove it!”

 

¹ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

—The words of the Apostle Paul Ephesians 5:1-2

 

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

—The words of the Apostle John 1 John 3:16a

 

In early September of 1957, I was ten years old and recovering from a very serious bicycle accident. The front axle of my bike had broken as I rode down a steep hill on a dirt and gravel road. I had pitched forward over the handlebars and slid 110 feet down the hill. The only part of my body touching the road was my face. Following a 16-hour operation, a plastic surgeon had successfully rebuilt my face from a photograph.

One neighborhood girl, a year older than I, had taken a particular interest in my recovery. This was the first time in my life that any female, other than my mother, had shown an interest in me. Frankly, it was intoxicating.

Each day after school, JoAnn would stop by the front porch of my house where I was resting. She insisted that I lay down on the porch swing and put my head on her lap. I remember how soothing it felt when she would stroke my hair.

One day, JoAnn looked down into my eyes and said, “Do you love me?”

Her question caught me completely off guard. “I guess so,” I replied rather tentatively.

“Prove it!” she demanded.

“How?” I asked with great puzzlement filling my voice.

“If you really love me, you’ll know how to prove it!”

“I don’t understand,” I replied with consternation.

“If you really love me, you’ll know how to prove it!” she insisted.

By the end of that afternoon, my three-day love affair with JoAnn was over. I simply couldn’t figure out how to prove that I loved her. So, she stomped off my front porch and proceeded to become one of my worst enemies. In fact, from that day forward until she graduated from high school, six-and-a-half years later, she seemed to burn with an enormously hot hatred for me and took every opportunity to say bad things about me to other people.

In the breadth of three days, I experienced—for the first time—the joy of attention from a female, the confusion of trying to figure out what she wanted from me, and the intense pain of rejection. Almost too much learning in too short a time!

As a footnote, I should say that once she graduated from high school, I have never seen her, nor heard anything about her, during the intervening 47 years. By the way, I did eventually figure out that she wanted me to kiss her, But, alas, too little revelation, too late.

How does one prove “love?”

In the two Scripture passages at the beginning of this blog post, the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John make clear declarations of the irrefutable evidence of God’s love for us. God has shown His love for us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in our behalf, paying the penalty for our sins. Moreso, through the power of His resurrection, we have a guaranteed home in heaven for all eternity.

So, when someone asks me how I know God loves me, I can affirm that He has most certainly responded to the challenge, “Prove it!”

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God for loving us. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to continually speak Your gentle words of inner assurance confirming that You love us and that we belong to You. Help us to show Your love to everyone who crosses the pathway of our lives. We pray, with joy and gratitude, in the Precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Divide and Conquer!” Or, Becoming Wise About Being Good

 

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

—The words of the Apostle Paul Romans 16:17-20

 

“Divide and conquer!”

Have you ever heard that phrase? In Latin, divide et impera (dee-VEE-day   eht   eem-PER-ah) means either “divide and rule” or “divide and conquer.” Many historians attribute this phrase to King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.

Known as a consummate warrior and harsh military commander, King Philip also created a very interesting secret strategy to develop an initial foothold in the Greek City-States he wanted to conquer. This strategy allowed King Philip to later conquer those living in each particular City-State without enormous expenditure of either financial resources or human capital.

You might suspect this strategy involved a mighty conquering army that rushed into the land, dividing the native forces, and taking control. But, King Philip had a much more subtle plan.

He would select either a revered building, or a revered philosophy, or a revered individual of the particular City-State. Then, he would take action against that building, philosophy, or individual. He would tear down the building, or threaten to do so. He would attack the philosophy, or begin a process of diminishing it. He would start a whispering campaign against an esteemed individual and through outright lies or half-truths, stir up controversy about that highly regarded person.

In each case, King Philip’s emissaries would so inflame the people of the particular City-State that the people would takes sides regarding the building, philosophy, or individual. Soon, the people would have divided themselves into smaller, contentious groups. As their in-fighting accelerated, King Philip would sweep in with his army and take control of the City-State.

Most of the time, King Philip had to expend very little financial and human capital to achieve his objective. His takeovers usually required a minimum of actual violence. In fact, while he personally possessed a very ruthless and cold-hearted, narcissistic/sociopathic personality, many people—even his most ardent foes—saw a public persona that seemed kind and gentle. (It is worth noting that the older Philip became, and the further he traveled away from people-groups most similar to his own, the more ineffective this strategy became. It was in these later attacks, in more far-away places, that he earned his reputation as a ruthlessly harsh commander in battle.)

Most of us may think of the term “divide and conquer” as a ruthless battleground strategy. But, it actually represents a very clever, decisive, enormously deceptive, and quietly subtle methodology.

And, that brings us to the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. The Apostle Paul, as he concludes his long letter to the Christians gathered in Rome, warns them about the King Philip II-like strategy of “divide and conquer.” He urges them to watch out for those who would divide the believers in a particular gathering by pushing forward philosophies that do not square with what the Bible actually teaches. Such a strategy may possess a degree of subtlety that almost allows it to go unnoticed until it becomes too late to reverse. Yet, Paul makes it crystal clear how to respond: “...stay away from them.”

Yes! Stay away from those who begin a process of dividing the believers. Watch out for the very subtle activity that may represent the beginning of a campaign to fundamentally transform a body of believers, in order that a force coming from the outside may take control.

Follow Paul’s instruction to “...be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Paul even tells the Roman Christians why he asks this of them. Because “...the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

The only real antidote for an attempt to “divide and conquer” comes from Paul’s parting wish: “The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Is the body of believers (the church) to which you belong experiencing a hostile takeover led by outside forces that wish to fundamentally transform your group into something that seems evil to you? If something seems “evil” it likely is evil! You must follow Paul’s instructions: “...stay away from them.”

Am I suggesting that you leave your church? Of course not! But, do not allow yourself to become pulled into the sphere of evil influence that wants to conquer your church. Keep away from them! Recongize this is spiritual warfare. Use the spiritual weapons of prayer, fasting, and the obedient application of God's Word to turn back the evil. Gather together with like-minded believers and support each other.

If you decide to act—by taking steps to repel the evil—by all means, “Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Know the difference between behavior that seems righteous and godly and obedient to Scripture, and behavior that seems evil, and ungodly, and disobedient to Scripture.

No matter how many of your friends fall into the trap set by your very own “King Philip II” don’t become one of them.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to enable us to discern good from evil. Protect us when someone tries to “divide and conquer” our particular fellowship of believers. Keep each of our churches safe from harm. Guard us and guide us, so that we may continue to obediently serve You. Grant us the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in our own lives and in the lives of our fellow believers. We pray in the merciful and protective Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

It’s a Matter of Reconciliation, or Not

 

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

—The words of Jesus from Matthew 18:15-17

 

Has anyone among your circle of believing friends ever taken an evil action against you? By that I mean, has any single one of the people around you who profess to believe in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ ever lied to you, or lied about you, or spoken hurtful words to you, or spoken harmful words about you, or taken some hurtful action against you? In other words, has another believer ever sinned against you?

If you answer “No!” to this question, I suggest you might well represent one of the most fortunate people on earth. Virtually all of us, at some point in our lives, have had another believer lie to us, or speak ill of us, or take action against us, or in some other way commit a sin against us.

The question: “What do you do when another believer sins against you?”

The Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post represents one of the most often-quoted and least-followed words of Jesus in all of the Bible. As usual, Jesus’ teaching seems quite clear. He offers four specific and distinct steps when another believer sins against you:

1. Go to the one who has sinned. Show that one what he or she has done. Wait to see how he or she responds. If that one asks for forgiveness and repents of the sin, extend forgiveness and treat the matter as concluded.



2. If the one who sinned against you does not ask for forgiveness nor repent, take one or two other believers with you and, once again, confront that one. If he or she repents and seeks forgiveness and repents, then extend forgiveness and treat the matter as if it never happened.



3. If the one who sinned against you still does not ask for forgiveness, then make a report to the whole body of believers. This will offer the one who sinned the opportunity to receive the wise counsel of the entire church. If he or she repents and seeks forgiveness, then extend forgiveness and treat the matter as if it never happened.



4. But, if the one who sinned against you refuses to repent and seek forgiveness, then Jesus instructs the church to excommunicate that one in the hopes that separation from the body of believers will bring that one to full and absolute repentance.

You can clearly see why very few individuals, and even fewer churches, have the courage and tenacity to actually employ this potent instruction from the King of Kings. It takes a willingness to go way out on a limb to actually confront a person when that one has sinned against you. It takes even more courage to follow through with the second, third, and fourth steps of this process.

But, whenever a believer, or body of believers, puts to use this very wise teaching of Jesus, confession, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, and full reconciliation will often come to pass. It’s clearly worth the effort.

So, if you have a Christian person or two, or maybe a long list of Christian people, who have sinned against you and have breached the brotherly and sisterly relationship we must have with each other in the Lord Jesus Christ, I would urge you to lovingly, carefully, prayerfully put Jesus’ teaching on this matter to good use. For nothing surpasses the joy that comes from true reconciliation.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to bring us to the point where we will have the courage and tenacity to put Jesus’ teaching to work in our own lives. Help us to always seek true reconciliation with those who may sin against us. And, just as importantly, help us to make every conscious effort not to sin against anyone, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray in the strong and enabling Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Worldwide Fruit-bearing

 

⁶ All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from Colossians 1:6b

 

“No matter what we do, no matter what we say, we will never belong!”

The frustrated words of my dear friend, Jerry, cut through the song on the radio as we drove out of the parking lot at work on our way to lunch. The nature of our jobs at the insurance company where we worked often put us on the “other side” of various issues.

As fire protection engineers, our job required us to evaluate the relative hazards at each insured property. Sometimes our assessments prevented eager underwriters from writing the insurance on a particular facility. And, for those facilities already on the books, our recommendations forced the underwriters to approach the existing insureds with some mandatory new requirements.

We had become “buzzkills” before that word even existed in the vocabulary. As a result of our profession, even within our own company, most colleagues treated us as outcasts. No one wants to become an outcast. Everyone wants to belong.

Have you ever thought about the fact that Christians—literally “Christ’s ones”—belong to an enormous group of individuals that reaches back in history nearly 2,000 years? If you identify with the Lord Jesus Christ and accept the truth that He died for you on Calvary’s cross so the shedding of His blood would pay the penalty for your sins, and if you accept the truth that His resurrection from the dead has secured your place for all eternity in heaven, then you belong to a worldwide fellowship of likeminded believers.

The question for this fellowship—and for each individual gathering of believers in a local church—derives from the Apostle Paul’s statement in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. Of the church in Colosse, Paul declares, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you...” The question: “Are you bearing fruit and growing?”

In a recent Ministry Prospectus, Fr. Eric A. Kouns, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, wrote these prescient words:

“I firmly believe that the heart of pastoral ministry is Spiritual Formation—exhibiting, encouraging, and enabling Christlikeness in people’s lives. Moreover, and perhaps more pertinently, as a pastor at this stage of my own pilgrimage, I am committed to the idea of the church as both the agent of the Kingdom of God and as a compassionate community in which people feel loved and accepted and where they are enabled to heal and encouraged to grow.”

Herein, Fr. Kouns displays a critically important emphasis on Spiritual Formation. I submit that a key element of personal spiritual fruitfulness and growth rests in each individual’s efforts at “exhibiting, encouraging, and enabling Christlikeness.”

So, how about you? Are you taking steps to exhibit, encourage, and enable your own Christlikeness? And, what about your church? Does the gathering of believers to which you belong, and to which you give your support, exhibit, encourage, and enable Christlikeness in its members? Does your church reach out to a lost and dying world with the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ in an effective and life-transforming way?

If you spend more time talking about Jersey Shore, or whatever television program you favor, than you spend talking about the amazing things God does in your life, then perhaps you need to make an adjustment. Likewise, if your church spends more time dealing with internal issues where your pastor, or board, or members draw battle lines against other members he or she or they do not favor, perhaps your whole church needs to make an adjustment.

After all, we belong to a worldwide fellowship. We need to seek and find individual spiritual fruit. And, we need to seek and find global spiritual fruit. Both as individuals and as a worldwide body of believers, we are either “growing” or “going.” I say, “Let’s grow! Let’s bear fruit!”

Will you pray with me?

Thank you, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us along the pathway that You have laid out for us. Help us to exhibit, encourage, and enable Christlikeness in our own lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. We pray in the powerful and precious Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Do You Love The Saints?

 

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from Colossians 1:3-6

 

When you go to your mailbox to retrieve your daily mail, do you stand right there and look through the mail to see what you’ve received? I do. I can’t wait to see what “treasures” await me in the daily mail.

Sometimes, an interesting catalog of electronic gadgets has arrived. Sometimes, I receive a magazine that I particularly enjoy reading. Sometimes, I spot a bill to pay. While I can’t say that bills bring any joy, at least I know that by promptly paying the bill I will avoid any late charges.

Sometimes, among all the other mail, I will see a personally addressed letter. I always quickly look at the return address to see who’s written the letter. If the return address does not disclose the name of the sender, then I immediately open the envelope to discover who has taken the time to write to me and to read what that one has to communicate.

Getting mail can become the highlight of one’s day. At least in the world of those of us who have stepped back a bit from the daily grind, mail becomes a lifeline to the world.

Imagine the thrill that the Christians at Colosse must have felt when they received a letter from the Apostle Paul. His reputation had certainly preceded him. His work on behalf of the Kingdom of God had become well known. People held a particular fascination with Paul because many of them had heard the terrifying stories of his earlier days—when he was known as “Saul of Tarsus”—and had gone about persecuting believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But then, they had heard about a miraculous encounter Saul had on the road to Damascus that changed him completely. From that time forward, with a new name and a new attitude, Paul became an amazing servant of the very One he had previously hated.

So, here comes a letter from Paul. And, what does he write to the Christians at Colosse? Well, you can read those opening words in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. Please take note that Paul commends the Colossian Christians for “...your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints...”

Imagine such a commendation! I don’t know about you, but when I read those words I am prompted to examine my own heart to determine if Paul could write those words to me. Would Paul commend me for my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for the love I have for all the saints?

That first part? Well, I certainly have walked with Jesus for a long, long time. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I have put all my faith in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. But, that second part? I guess, with more than a little embarrassment, I have to confess that I sometimes find it very hard to love all the saints.

I have trouble loving the saints who have taken direct action to harm me. I have trouble loving the saints who have spoken lies about me or have treated me in an unkind way. I have trouble loving the saints who have taken a profoundly different view of Scripture, or theology, or salvation, or sin, or repentance, or virtually anything else that I consider so very important. I have a hard time loving the saints who judge me without even really getting to know me. And, on and on...

I am very ashamed that I am way too critical of my fellow believers. In fact, increasingly as I get older, I find myself loving my brothers and sisters in Christ less and less. I am reminded of a silly little poem that a dear saint of God shared with me many years ago.

To live above
With saints we love,
That will be glory!

To live below
With saints we know,
Well, that’s another story!

So, as I read Paul’s opening remarks to the Christians at Colosse, I am convicted of my own lack of love for the saints. May the God of All Mercy and Grace continually remind me that, even though I am completely unlovable, He has chosen to love me and send His Precious Son to die for me and to forgive my sins.

What about you? If you do a personal check-up and seek to apply Paul’s words to yourself, what results does your self-assessment show?

Will you pray with me?

Thank you, God, for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and help us to repent of them. We ask you to give us loving hearts. I, especially, ask You to let me view my fellow believers through Your eyes and to love them, even as You love them. We pray in the powerful and matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Most Wonderful Gift

 

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

—The words of Jesus from John 3:16-21

 

During the last year, did you celebrate your birthday? I surely hope that you did. And, if you did, what gifts did you receive?

As much as you enjoyed receiving those amazing gifts, I know a secret about them. That’s right. I know a secret about each gift that you received. Do you want to know that secret?

Okay, I’ll tell you. Here’s the secret: the ones who gave those gifts to you enjoyed giving the gifts every bit as much as you enjoyed receiving them. That’s one of the truly neat things about gifts. They bless the receiver and they also bless the giver.

The very familiar Bible passage at the beginning of this blog post contains one of the most well known verses in all of Scripture. It says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This verse talks about the greatest gift ever given. God loves us so much that He gave us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Anyone who believes in Him—that means, literally, any person, any mom, any dad, any uncle, any aunt, any grandma, any grandpa, any boy, or any girl, anyone, anyone at all, who believes in Him will have eternal life!

Wow! What a truly spectacular gift! God, in His mercy and grace, has given us this amazing gift. And, this great gift blesses us, but it also blesses God as the Giver of that Gift. It blesses Him because He loves us so much, that He wants to make certain that we will have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. He wants to make a provision to forgive our sins, so that we can spend eternity with Him.

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank you for helping us understand this Gift you have given us. Help us become people who accept this great Gift. We pray in the matchless and powerful Name of Jesus. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2011 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}