I'm sure the thought in that title is something you wouldn't normally look forward to. Follow along and see what I mean though.
Vicksburg, Mississippi was one of the richest cities in the south and probably in the entire nation prior to the Civil War. The town was filled with grand homes owned by some of the wealthiest planters and business men in the region. It was a busy commericial port on the Mississippi River.
In 1863 though Federal forces took city under siege. They had not been able to successfully invade Vicksburg. Gunboats cut off the river to the west and regularly bombarded the downtown area. Troops led by General Grant dug in to the north, east and south. Entering or exiting the town was not possible. This began on May 22 and lasted until July 4. The citizens of this once rich and proud town were reduced to living in caves and surviving on rats. Most of us can't imagine how hard that would have been.
II Kings 6 gives us the story of Samaria as it lay under siege by the Syrian army. Verses 24 and 25 tell us that items once considered worthless were being bought and sold for incredibly high prices. The following five verses are so horrible I don't think it's possible for us to imagine how unbelievably difficult the situation was.
Those verses tell us of a lady explaining to King Jehoram that she and another lady had decided that to survive they would have to eat their children. They decided one day to boil this lady's son for food. They were supposed to boil the son of the second lady but she had hidden him. Talk about a disturbing picture of want!
Now look at II Kings 7:3-5. In those verses we find four lepers sitting outside the city gates. They are trying to choose between the better of three bad options. They stay where they are and die of starvation. They can enter the city and die or they can surrender to the Syrians. They figure the last option is best. There might be a small chance they will be fed by the invaders. If not, they figure death at the hands of the Syrian army will be quicker and easier than the death they face in town.
Verses 6-8 tell us that God had, "caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses-the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, 'Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!' Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact..."
As a result of the camp being left intact, these four lepers who had been facing certain starvation found food. Can you imagine the swing in emotions at their discovery? God made the army flee. God provided the food these four men needed. They were saved. They also knew the people in the city were still starving and the food they needed was here in the camp. Unless they were told about God's deliverance they would continue to suffer and die. These lepers understood this and knew what they had to do.
To me verse 9 is the key to this story. "Then they said to one another, 'We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent..." Get the point? As Christians we know and remember the state we were in; our souls under siege and under attack by sin. If we didn't find a way out death and punishment were guaranteed to be our end.
God provided a way out. Jesus dying on the cross gave us the way out we needed; the spiritual food to save our souls. We now have all we need to live. We should be like these four lepers who also discovered God's salvation. Why are we so silent about what we have and what we know about? "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent." Let's quit being so silent and quit treating salvation as a great secret. How good a day has this been? Why are we not making this the great day it really is and telling others?
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Where Is My Faith (Part 4)
Now we come to the Christians who were praying at Mary's house. We're told twice in this chapter that they were praying for Peter; in verse 5 and in verse 12. That part of the lesson they give us is wonderful. It's a great example of Christians praying for other Christians. We need to know and should enjoy knowing when others are praying for us. Jesus told Peter, "I will pray for you that your faith will not fail". What's it mean to us to know others are praying for us? It's uplifting.
The problem with this group though seems to be the attitude behind their prayers. They seemed to know the order, form and procedure for prayer. However, in verse14 their prayers were answered in the most direct and concrete way possible. Peter was standing at the door. Yet in verse 15 they can't or don't believe it's happened. The prayers of these believers were like emergency levers. They grabbed ahold of it held on for dear life wondering if it would work.
They remind me of Huck Finn when Miss Watson tried to teach him to pray. Huck decided to pray for fish hooks. When he woke up the next morning and didn't have his hooks he decided he couldn't make it work. Do we believe in prayer or are we shocked when we see it work? In verse 16, after Rhoda has been insistent they were still astonished to see Peter. Like Thomas and too many of us, they had faith in the flesh, not faith in faith. Their reaction in verse 16 shows us they didn't "walk in faith not in sight." Literally and figuratively they kept a door closed they should have opened with faith.
Was their faith really in the power of God or like many of us did they treat Him like Santa Claus; asking for something they hope to get but not expecting it?
"When the Son of Man returns will he find faith?" What kind?
The problem with this group though seems to be the attitude behind their prayers. They seemed to know the order, form and procedure for prayer. However, in verse14 their prayers were answered in the most direct and concrete way possible. Peter was standing at the door. Yet in verse 15 they can't or don't believe it's happened. The prayers of these believers were like emergency levers. They grabbed ahold of it held on for dear life wondering if it would work.
They remind me of Huck Finn when Miss Watson tried to teach him to pray. Huck decided to pray for fish hooks. When he woke up the next morning and didn't have his hooks he decided he couldn't make it work. Do we believe in prayer or are we shocked when we see it work? In verse 16, after Rhoda has been insistent they were still astonished to see Peter. Like Thomas and too many of us, they had faith in the flesh, not faith in faith. Their reaction in verse 16 shows us they didn't "walk in faith not in sight." Literally and figuratively they kept a door closed they should have opened with faith.
Was their faith really in the power of God or like many of us did they treat Him like Santa Claus; asking for something they hope to get but not expecting it?
"When the Son of Man returns will he find faith?" What kind?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Where Is My Faith? (Part 3)
Everything we know about the servant girl Rhoda, we learn from Acts 12:13-15. In these three verses though Rhoda is the perfect example of having a childlike faith. For the lesson she gives us during her brief time in the spotlight I think she's one of the great minor characters of the New Testament.
It's obvious from verse 14 that Rhoda knew who Peter was. She knew his voice. Was she a Christian? Had she been part of the group of Christians who were at Mary's house praying at this time? Considering Peter's influence in Jerusalem and who she worked for, it's possible that she knew Peter from previous visits to the house. Maybe she's heard him preach.
It's the middle of the night at this time, perhaps not far from daylight. The Christians have been praying there at the house for Peter. We know there are many people there for this purpose. Peter knocks on the door. Don't you think considering the time of night and the circumstances that a knock at the door would be noticed inside? Rhoda goes to the door. Verse 14 tells us Peter spoke at the door. She knew it was Peter; she knew his voice.
Look at her reaction. Due to her gladness she did not open the gate. Her faith was acknowledged yet she lost sight of the prize. Do we lose sense of what's important? When receive the answer we're looking for do we then focus on that answer instead of where and Who it came from?
I like Rhoda's behavior in verse 15 when she has gone into the house to tell the Christians that Peter is at the gate. They don't believe her but she keeps insisting. The next verse says that while that was happening inside, Peter "continued knocking" on the outside. As a side note, remember that the iron gate opened to the city in verse 10, "of its own accord" while Mary's gate remained closed. We need to remember that while God does some things for us, He expects us to do other things.
The persistance displayed by Rhoda in verse 15 and Peter in verse 16 is something we need to remember. Peter continues knocking while Rhoda keeps insisting. Let's hold to our faith regardless of what others think. Hold the commitment even if we're mocked. Look to God as responsible and able to guide us and just as importantly be ready to do our part. Never lose sight of the goal.
Ask yourself again, "Where is my faith?"
It's obvious from verse 14 that Rhoda knew who Peter was. She knew his voice. Was she a Christian? Had she been part of the group of Christians who were at Mary's house praying at this time? Considering Peter's influence in Jerusalem and who she worked for, it's possible that she knew Peter from previous visits to the house. Maybe she's heard him preach.
It's the middle of the night at this time, perhaps not far from daylight. The Christians have been praying there at the house for Peter. We know there are many people there for this purpose. Peter knocks on the door. Don't you think considering the time of night and the circumstances that a knock at the door would be noticed inside? Rhoda goes to the door. Verse 14 tells us Peter spoke at the door. She knew it was Peter; she knew his voice.
Look at her reaction. Due to her gladness she did not open the gate. Her faith was acknowledged yet she lost sight of the prize. Do we lose sense of what's important? When receive the answer we're looking for do we then focus on that answer instead of where and Who it came from?
I like Rhoda's behavior in verse 15 when she has gone into the house to tell the Christians that Peter is at the gate. They don't believe her but she keeps insisting. The next verse says that while that was happening inside, Peter "continued knocking" on the outside. As a side note, remember that the iron gate opened to the city in verse 10, "of its own accord" while Mary's gate remained closed. We need to remember that while God does some things for us, He expects us to do other things.
The persistance displayed by Rhoda in verse 15 and Peter in verse 16 is something we need to remember. Peter continues knocking while Rhoda keeps insisting. Let's hold to our faith regardless of what others think. Hold the commitment even if we're mocked. Look to God as responsible and able to guide us and just as importantly be ready to do our part. Never lose sight of the goal.
Ask yourself again, "Where is my faith?"
Friday, May 16, 2008
Where Is My Faith? (Part 2)
I realize it's easy to save the best for last but in the order these examples of faith are given in Acts 12, the apostle Peter is next. I'm glad Peter is the one who is a part of this story. When the word faith is mentioned with Peter, too often it's in a negative context. We think of the time he lost faith when trying to walk on the water towards Jesus. Of course we also remember that he denied Jesus three times the night before He was crucified. Adding insult to injury he did that after telling Jesus he would never deny Him.
Yet here Peter is in Acts 12 as a glowing example of a growing, solid faith. I like that. That shows me a person can grow in their faith. Our faith has to be growing. Faith is not and cannot be stagnet. It's either growing or dying. Too often when we talk about faith I'm afraid we don't get much beyond saying it's our belief in God. James 2:19 tells us it has to be much more than that. Otherwise we're on the same level as the "...demons believe - and tremble." James goes on to remind us of the importance of faithful works in conjunction with our belief.
Think abou the things that keep us awake at night; the concerns we have about different aspects of our lives. Now imagine Peter in that prison in Acts 12. He knows what's happened to James. Certainly he would feel sorrow. He knows that he is living through what is intended to be the last night of his life. He is literally hours away from being killed if things go according to Herod's plan. He has four squads of Roman soldiers guarding him; 16 soldiers. He is chained to two of these soldiers, one on either side of him. Yet look at verse 6. He slept. Imagine yourself in Peter's position. How are you spending that night? Peter is confident in his faith. He has grown. He feels secure and has a quiet acceptance while waiting for God's time. That's what a living faith does!
Verses 7 through 10 tells how Peter was released from the prison and taken through the streets of Jerusalem. We have no evidence that Peter did anything other than obey. In verse 11 he acknowledges God's hand in what's happened to him. He's been sustained by a faith that comforted him knowing that whatever happens, God is in charge. That's what we need, a growing, living faith where we trust Him and let faith take control. Allow ourselves to be led by the will of God.
Yet here Peter is in Acts 12 as a glowing example of a growing, solid faith. I like that. That shows me a person can grow in their faith. Our faith has to be growing. Faith is not and cannot be stagnet. It's either growing or dying. Too often when we talk about faith I'm afraid we don't get much beyond saying it's our belief in God. James 2:19 tells us it has to be much more than that. Otherwise we're on the same level as the "...demons believe - and tremble." James goes on to remind us of the importance of faithful works in conjunction with our belief.
Think abou the things that keep us awake at night; the concerns we have about different aspects of our lives. Now imagine Peter in that prison in Acts 12. He knows what's happened to James. Certainly he would feel sorrow. He knows that he is living through what is intended to be the last night of his life. He is literally hours away from being killed if things go according to Herod's plan. He has four squads of Roman soldiers guarding him; 16 soldiers. He is chained to two of these soldiers, one on either side of him. Yet look at verse 6. He slept. Imagine yourself in Peter's position. How are you spending that night? Peter is confident in his faith. He has grown. He feels secure and has a quiet acceptance while waiting for God's time. That's what a living faith does!
Verses 7 through 10 tells how Peter was released from the prison and taken through the streets of Jerusalem. We have no evidence that Peter did anything other than obey. In verse 11 he acknowledges God's hand in what's happened to him. He's been sustained by a faith that comforted him knowing that whatever happens, God is in charge. That's what we need, a growing, living faith where we trust Him and let faith take control. Allow ourselves to be led by the will of God.
Where Is My Faith? (Part 1)
Note: The idea for this post and the related ones that will follow come from a sermon I heard several years ago by Dr. Dennis Lloyd of the Granny White congregation in Nashville.
Acts 12 is an interesting chapter. It's almost a side note to the story of Saul. It follows chapters that describe the work of Peter and the early work of Paul, then called Saul. The end of chapter 11 sends Saul and Barnabas off from Antioch to Jerusalem. We don't read of them again until the very last verse of chapter 12. In between we're given four examples of faith as displayed by other people. The focus of the chapter is on other people; James, Peter, Herod, Rhoda and the believers at Mary's house. It reveals to us varying levels of faith, microcosms of us.
The first example in chapter 12 is the faith of Herod Agrippa I. We're told he is harassing the church and kills the apostle James. Verse 3 tells us a lot about where his priorities are. He imprisons Peter because he saw that killing James, "pleased the Jews". He no doubt planned to also have Peter killed for sport based on verse 4.
Starting in verse 20 we read another account of Herod, this time in Caesarea. He'd not been happy with the people of Tyre and Sidon but through his personal aide, they'd come asking for peace. They were giving in to him and he decides to address them. Verse 21 says he was, "...arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them." The first century historian Josephus says in his Jewish Antiquities that this "royal apparel" was made out of material that had silver sown into it. As Herod sat on his throne above the people, sunlight reflected on the silver shined off of him. This made it look like light was coming from Herod. That's why the people listening got caught up in the moment and shouted, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" Verse 23 tells us the result of his actions which was death, "because he did not give glory to God." His faith was in himself and his public, not what was right and wrong. God not only received no glory, He wasn't even considered.
It's easy for us to read this and not see any similarities between us and Herod. After all we don't have the ability to imprison and kill people on a whim. We don't rule over people. Besides his actions, our lesson should be from his motivation.
He wanted people to like him. He wanted people to be happy with him and what he did. He's sensitive to his actions from pleasing the Jews to killing the guards for letting Peter escape. How many times do we let our desire to be liked or accepted by others interfere with what we know is right? How many times do we say or do something not because it gives glory to God, not because it's the right thing to do but because it will make others feel good about us? That's the faith Herod had; a faith in himself and in others. When we feel we can make decisions on our own we have this same faithless faith.Look at the result then ask youself "Where Is My Faith?"
Acts 12 is an interesting chapter. It's almost a side note to the story of Saul. It follows chapters that describe the work of Peter and the early work of Paul, then called Saul. The end of chapter 11 sends Saul and Barnabas off from Antioch to Jerusalem. We don't read of them again until the very last verse of chapter 12. In between we're given four examples of faith as displayed by other people. The focus of the chapter is on other people; James, Peter, Herod, Rhoda and the believers at Mary's house. It reveals to us varying levels of faith, microcosms of us.
The first example in chapter 12 is the faith of Herod Agrippa I. We're told he is harassing the church and kills the apostle James. Verse 3 tells us a lot about where his priorities are. He imprisons Peter because he saw that killing James, "pleased the Jews". He no doubt planned to also have Peter killed for sport based on verse 4.
Starting in verse 20 we read another account of Herod, this time in Caesarea. He'd not been happy with the people of Tyre and Sidon but through his personal aide, they'd come asking for peace. They were giving in to him and he decides to address them. Verse 21 says he was, "...arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them." The first century historian Josephus says in his Jewish Antiquities that this "royal apparel" was made out of material that had silver sown into it. As Herod sat on his throne above the people, sunlight reflected on the silver shined off of him. This made it look like light was coming from Herod. That's why the people listening got caught up in the moment and shouted, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" Verse 23 tells us the result of his actions which was death, "because he did not give glory to God." His faith was in himself and his public, not what was right and wrong. God not only received no glory, He wasn't even considered.
It's easy for us to read this and not see any similarities between us and Herod. After all we don't have the ability to imprison and kill people on a whim. We don't rule over people. Besides his actions, our lesson should be from his motivation.
He wanted people to like him. He wanted people to be happy with him and what he did. He's sensitive to his actions from pleasing the Jews to killing the guards for letting Peter escape. How many times do we let our desire to be liked or accepted by others interfere with what we know is right? How many times do we say or do something not because it gives glory to God, not because it's the right thing to do but because it will make others feel good about us? That's the faith Herod had; a faith in himself and in others. When we feel we can make decisions on our own we have this same faithless faith.Look at the result then ask youself "Where Is My Faith?"
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Get Off the Spiritual Tight Rope...It Doesn't Exist
The great gospel preacher Willard Collins conducted a survey many years ago. He asked several Nashville area psychologists what the religious backgrounds were of the people they saw whose greatest challenge was guilt. The overwhelming leaders were members of the Assembly of God and members of the churches of Christ.
Now imagine a scene in a worship service where the preacher asks everyone who believes they're going to Heaven then and there to raise there hands. What kind of response would he get? Unfortunately I think he'd see few hands go straight up. Most would want to raise them but just couldn't be sure.
I don't claim to have all the answers but I think I have a pretty good idea about this these two scenarios. It's really simple. Some how for some reason over the years we have either forgotten or not paid attention to I John, specifically I John 1:7 through 2:2.
To truly grasp the meaning of this passage, one needs a basic understanding of Greek verb tenses since this book was written in that language. There are three types of Greek verbs. An aorist verb signifies a single action event; something that happened once. A perfect verb represents an action that has already happened but which still has ramifications. The sacrifice of Christ is the best example of this. Finally, the present tense verb indicates a continuous action; something that is ongoing. This is the tense regularly used in I John and specifically it's used in chapter 1, verse 7.
Understand that because for too long too many people have not. Now look at verse 7 again with that thought. The blood of Jesus continually cleanses us if we continually walk in the light. That doesn't mean we have to continually be perfect because we can't be. Verse 8 tells us that. The first verse of chapter 2 reinforces the idea that Jesus is still there for us after we sin.
What does this really mean for us? It means we can eliminate the idea of a good person doing or saying something bad as their last action on earth and being sent to Hell for that one misdeed. Teachers for too long have taught the idea that a good person could be in a car wreck and if they say a bad word then are killed they're going to Hell because they didn't ask to be forgiven. If that were the case then the opposite would have to be true. One could be a convicted murderer. Their last action on earth could be something good. Yet that doesn't make them a good person. It doesn't mean they're "walking in the light". So why have we fallen for the idea that one can happen but not the other?
Joe Barnett from Texas is a great gospel preacher. He tells the story of holding a meeting. An older lady in the congregation asked him to visit with her. She had something on her mind. Barnett went to visit her and she told him about a situation in which she had said something unkind to another church member quite a while in the past. She'd told that member she was sorry and had prayed about it. She wanted Barnett to pray for her and he did. Two or three years later he was back for another meeting. The same lady approached him with the same problem. He says he refused to pray for her. He would however pray for her lack of faith. Why pray for a situation that's been forgiven by the continuing cleansing of Jesus? God forgives us easier than we forgive ourselves. That in itself is worth talking about.
Not only have too many Christians been carrying too much unneccessary guilt, I believe this has probably driven away more people from the church than any other single issue. Seriously, who wants to serve a God that makes us walk that kind of tight rope? Fortunately we don't and more of us need to start figuring that out.
Now imagine a scene in a worship service where the preacher asks everyone who believes they're going to Heaven then and there to raise there hands. What kind of response would he get? Unfortunately I think he'd see few hands go straight up. Most would want to raise them but just couldn't be sure.
I don't claim to have all the answers but I think I have a pretty good idea about this these two scenarios. It's really simple. Some how for some reason over the years we have either forgotten or not paid attention to I John, specifically I John 1:7 through 2:2.
To truly grasp the meaning of this passage, one needs a basic understanding of Greek verb tenses since this book was written in that language. There are three types of Greek verbs. An aorist verb signifies a single action event; something that happened once. A perfect verb represents an action that has already happened but which still has ramifications. The sacrifice of Christ is the best example of this. Finally, the present tense verb indicates a continuous action; something that is ongoing. This is the tense regularly used in I John and specifically it's used in chapter 1, verse 7.
Understand that because for too long too many people have not. Now look at verse 7 again with that thought. The blood of Jesus continually cleanses us if we continually walk in the light. That doesn't mean we have to continually be perfect because we can't be. Verse 8 tells us that. The first verse of chapter 2 reinforces the idea that Jesus is still there for us after we sin.
What does this really mean for us? It means we can eliminate the idea of a good person doing or saying something bad as their last action on earth and being sent to Hell for that one misdeed. Teachers for too long have taught the idea that a good person could be in a car wreck and if they say a bad word then are killed they're going to Hell because they didn't ask to be forgiven. If that were the case then the opposite would have to be true. One could be a convicted murderer. Their last action on earth could be something good. Yet that doesn't make them a good person. It doesn't mean they're "walking in the light". So why have we fallen for the idea that one can happen but not the other?
Joe Barnett from Texas is a great gospel preacher. He tells the story of holding a meeting. An older lady in the congregation asked him to visit with her. She had something on her mind. Barnett went to visit her and she told him about a situation in which she had said something unkind to another church member quite a while in the past. She'd told that member she was sorry and had prayed about it. She wanted Barnett to pray for her and he did. Two or three years later he was back for another meeting. The same lady approached him with the same problem. He says he refused to pray for her. He would however pray for her lack of faith. Why pray for a situation that's been forgiven by the continuing cleansing of Jesus? God forgives us easier than we forgive ourselves. That in itself is worth talking about.
Not only have too many Christians been carrying too much unneccessary guilt, I believe this has probably driven away more people from the church than any other single issue. Seriously, who wants to serve a God that makes us walk that kind of tight rope? Fortunately we don't and more of us need to start figuring that out.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A Quick Thought Worth Sharing
The following was written by Jim Waldron in the May 2008 "Bulletin Briefs" printed by the Crossville church of Christ in Crossville, TN. He is a missionary in India.
"The world population for 2008 stands at 6.7 billion (www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf) If a man gave his wife one billion dollars and gave her two rules about spending it: 'Spend $10,000 every day and don't come back until you have spent it all' she would be gone for more than 273 years. Yet our Lord expects us to preach to 6 billions plus...As disciples of Christ we have been given the greatest responsibility in the world which is to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15-16)."
What did we do today?
"The world population for 2008 stands at 6.7 billion (www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf) If a man gave his wife one billion dollars and gave her two rules about spending it: 'Spend $10,000 every day and don't come back until you have spent it all' she would be gone for more than 273 years. Yet our Lord expects us to preach to 6 billions plus...As disciples of Christ we have been given the greatest responsibility in the world which is to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15-16)."
What did we do today?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Benevolence
In 1989 I was attending the Hillsboro church of Christ in Nashville. In January of that year the Elders presented the year's budget to the congregation. Two points still stick in my mind about that. It was the first time I ever heard of a church with an annual budget of one million dollars. If I remember correctly it was also the first year Hillsboro's budget was that large. Secondly, the Elders were not only proud of the fact that 50% of it was geared towards benevolence but they were hopeful they could increase that percentage. I don't believe it was a coincidence that Hillsboro was a growing church grounded in the New Testament.
I've personally dealt with two situations in the past four days where people needed money. I also became aware tonight of a lady who had a need for clothing a few days ago. With fuel and food prices rising as quickly as they are we're going to see an increase in the number of people needing help from both inside our church family and from the outside. I think we're already seeing it.
I'm coming to the conclusion that a "lack of money" is not a valid reason for not helping others. In the situation I dealt with tonight I would have liked to have helped the lady. Our church budget for benevolence is already gone for the month of may and there are 24 days left in the month as I write this. The lady this evening came asking for help just minutes before the service started. I would have liked to have gone to several individuals who were already there for the service and "passed the hat". In hindsight I believe I should have and hopefully next time I will. When we can afford $60+ a month for cable tv and waste money on countless other ways for our own pleasure I believe the problem is anything but a lack of money. It's a lack of priorities.
I've mentioned this in an earlier post but if we're going to continue to call ourselves the New Testament church we need to start acting like it. Act 2:44-45 show us the first example of how the early Christians cared for each other. Acts 4:32-34 of course is another example; one I discussed in an earlier post. I also like the example given in Acts 11:28-30. In that one a man showed the Christians a need that existed in another area and the Christians responded. There were no committee meetings. There doesn't appear to be much thought or discussion. There is only action, positive action shown. II Corinthians 8 and 9 are also powerful chapters we need to re-read.
I do see positives coming out of the current wide spread financial situation. Tonight in our adult Bible class we had a wonderful, positive discussion about giving and helping others in need. That wasn't the plan but as we studied Elisha helping the widow and her two sons in II Kings 4:1-7 the discussion took us down that road. We had tons of comments, some coming from people who don't normally speak up in class. Everyone also seemed to have the same general idea and thoughts; we need to do more and more importantly we can do more. The big test of course comes as we transform those words and thoughts into action. Here's hoping we do because I know we can.
I've personally dealt with two situations in the past four days where people needed money. I also became aware tonight of a lady who had a need for clothing a few days ago. With fuel and food prices rising as quickly as they are we're going to see an increase in the number of people needing help from both inside our church family and from the outside. I think we're already seeing it.
I'm coming to the conclusion that a "lack of money" is not a valid reason for not helping others. In the situation I dealt with tonight I would have liked to have helped the lady. Our church budget for benevolence is already gone for the month of may and there are 24 days left in the month as I write this. The lady this evening came asking for help just minutes before the service started. I would have liked to have gone to several individuals who were already there for the service and "passed the hat". In hindsight I believe I should have and hopefully next time I will. When we can afford $60+ a month for cable tv and waste money on countless other ways for our own pleasure I believe the problem is anything but a lack of money. It's a lack of priorities.
I've mentioned this in an earlier post but if we're going to continue to call ourselves the New Testament church we need to start acting like it. Act 2:44-45 show us the first example of how the early Christians cared for each other. Acts 4:32-34 of course is another example; one I discussed in an earlier post. I also like the example given in Acts 11:28-30. In that one a man showed the Christians a need that existed in another area and the Christians responded. There were no committee meetings. There doesn't appear to be much thought or discussion. There is only action, positive action shown. II Corinthians 8 and 9 are also powerful chapters we need to re-read.
I do see positives coming out of the current wide spread financial situation. Tonight in our adult Bible class we had a wonderful, positive discussion about giving and helping others in need. That wasn't the plan but as we studied Elisha helping the widow and her two sons in II Kings 4:1-7 the discussion took us down that road. We had tons of comments, some coming from people who don't normally speak up in class. Everyone also seemed to have the same general idea and thoughts; we need to do more and more importantly we can do more. The big test of course comes as we transform those words and thoughts into action. Here's hoping we do because I know we can.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A Quick Thought On Helping Others
I was approached after this morning's worship service by one of our ushers. He told me there was a man and his daughter there who came in asking for financial assistance. It's the policy of our congregation to ask people in that position to come to a service or in this case stay through the service before we find out what we can possibly do for them. I believe that's a fair policy.
I met with the man who appeared to be in his 30's. The girl with him was probably four or five. He said he lived in our area. He wasn't a member of any church and that his mother died in another state. He said he had been recently laid off from work and needed $100 to $150 to get him to the funeral. He would worry about getting the money to make it back home once he was there. He even offered to call someone to back up his story.
Now a cynic would say that's a pretty unlikely story. How would we know that whoever he might call on the phone wasn't part of his plan? We could have grilled him about why he couldn't look at other avenues for the money. I'll admit that in the past I probably would have asked the same thing.
I'm proud to say we were able to help him out. At least three of us invited him to come visit us again with his wife and daughter.We usually don't give that much monetary assistance to one person. Due to the number of requests we get we try to help more people with less money each.
Will we ever see him again? Was his story legitimate? More importantly are those really our concerns? That end of the equation doesn't lay on us or our consciences. The only thing we needed to worry about was whether or not we could help this person who expressed a need. If we had the opportunity and failed then we're the ones with the problem as individuals and as a congregation.
Whether or not the man's mother was dead and his story was real is something he has to be responsible for. I don't believe we need to foolishly throw money away but we should be more willing to give than to not give. I know there are those who become "regulars" in needing assistance. I've personally dealt with some. Those need to be treated differently but that's not the type of situation I'm talking about.
This is important for a couple of reasons. First I think churches in the past have been more stingy in situations like this than they should be. I realize there are budgets to meet but in our case I'm sure the contribution today was over $2000. What's $100 from that? Secondly we're going to be seeing more situations like this in the future. With fuel and food prices soaring as they are more churches are going to be asked to help more people than ever before. Obviously we can't help them all with everything they need. We do need to make sure we're doing what we can and in this instance I'm glad to see that we did.
I wonder if we'll see this man and his family again. I'll let you know.
I met with the man who appeared to be in his 30's. The girl with him was probably four or five. He said he lived in our area. He wasn't a member of any church and that his mother died in another state. He said he had been recently laid off from work and needed $100 to $150 to get him to the funeral. He would worry about getting the money to make it back home once he was there. He even offered to call someone to back up his story.
Now a cynic would say that's a pretty unlikely story. How would we know that whoever he might call on the phone wasn't part of his plan? We could have grilled him about why he couldn't look at other avenues for the money. I'll admit that in the past I probably would have asked the same thing.
I'm proud to say we were able to help him out. At least three of us invited him to come visit us again with his wife and daughter.We usually don't give that much monetary assistance to one person. Due to the number of requests we get we try to help more people with less money each.
Will we ever see him again? Was his story legitimate? More importantly are those really our concerns? That end of the equation doesn't lay on us or our consciences. The only thing we needed to worry about was whether or not we could help this person who expressed a need. If we had the opportunity and failed then we're the ones with the problem as individuals and as a congregation.
Whether or not the man's mother was dead and his story was real is something he has to be responsible for. I don't believe we need to foolishly throw money away but we should be more willing to give than to not give. I know there are those who become "regulars" in needing assistance. I've personally dealt with some. Those need to be treated differently but that's not the type of situation I'm talking about.
This is important for a couple of reasons. First I think churches in the past have been more stingy in situations like this than they should be. I realize there are budgets to meet but in our case I'm sure the contribution today was over $2000. What's $100 from that? Secondly we're going to be seeing more situations like this in the future. With fuel and food prices soaring as they are more churches are going to be asked to help more people than ever before. Obviously we can't help them all with everything they need. We do need to make sure we're doing what we can and in this instance I'm glad to see that we did.
I wonder if we'll see this man and his family again. I'll let you know.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)