Seven Thoughts on Prayer
Tony Cooke

This article presents seven simple thoughts on prayer, and then shares insights from different individuals. I didn’t feel that a lot of explanation or amplification was needed on these.

1. Prayer is not a religious ritual.

“Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth, but from falling in love.” (Richard Foster)

“I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming.” (George Mueller)

"Unless I had the spirit of prayer, I could do nothing." (Charles G. Finney)

"Beloved, it is not our long prayers but our believing God that gets the answer." (John G. Lake)

“There is no need to get to a place of prayer; pray wherever you are.” (Oswald Chambers)

2. Prayer is not a one-way conversation.

“God must speak to us before we have any liberty to speak to him.” (John Stott)

“The true spirit of prayer is no other than God’s own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer.”
(Jonathan Edwards)

Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

3. Prayer is not a matter of talking an unwilling God into doing what you want Him to do.

"Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of God’s willingness."
(Phillips Brooks)

“Prayer is not a means by which I seek to control God; it is a means of putting myself in a position where God can control me.” (Charles L. Allen)

“A sinning man will stop praying. A praying man will stop sinning.” (Leonard Ravenhill)

"I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Remember, we don’t pray to change God. Prayer allows God to change me.

4. Prayer is not a substitute for action.

“Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.”
(A.W. Tozer)

"I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."
(Frederick Douglass)

“We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism…To your knees, man! and to your Bible! Decide at once! Don’t hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses. Enlist!” (C.T. Studd)

5. Prayer is not informing God about things He didn’t know.

“Prayer is not designed to inform God, but… to humble man’s heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, and to raise his soul from earth to heaven.” (Adam Clarke)

6. Prayer is not an exercise is hyper-technical precision.

Some get excessively concerned about technicalities when they pray. Granted, we want to pray accurately, according to the truth of Scripture, and according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But people can get so caught up in hyper-technicalities that they get off track when it comes to simply trusting God.

• Was I binding when I should have been loosing?
• Was I interceding when I should have been supplicating?
• Was I praying to the Father when I should have been talking to Jesus?

As Corrie Ten Boom said, “Nestle, don’t wrestle.” The simplicity of David’s faith is expressed beautifully in Psalm 131:1-2 (NLT): “I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

7. Prayer is not a peripheral activity of the church.

“Prayer is not just getting ready for Christian service. Prayer is Christian service.”
(Adrian Rodgers)

“It is obvious that Paul did not regard prayer as supplemental, but as fundamental—not something to be added to his work but the very matrix out of which his work was born. He was a man of action because he was a man of prayer. It was probably his prayer even more than his preaching that produced the kind of leaders we meet in his letters.” (Oswald Sanders, from Dynamic Spiritual Leadership)

"I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach." (Charles Spurgeon)

“You could remove the powerful preaching from our church and it would still continue. You could remove the administration of pastoral care through the cell group system and the church would still continue. But if you remove the prayer life of our church it would collapse.” (David Yonggi Cho)

May your walk with Him will be rich and sweet!

Don’t Sell Out Harry!
By Tony Cooke

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in two’s for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck. “Where’s Harry?” “Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail.” “You left Harry lying there, and carried the deer back?” “It was a tough call,” acknowledged the hunter, “but I figured no one is going to steal Harry.”

This hunter sold-out Harry, his friend, for a prize deer! While the story is meant to be humorous, it parallels something that’s not funny at all in real life. As Christians, we have a holy calling, and we can’t sell out our core values for things that seemingly promise instant gratification. We need to have strong core values—principles that please and honor God—and then carry out those values in our lives and ministries.

Walking in integrity means choosing principle above popularity, convictions above convenience, and ethics above expedience. Edward R Lyman said, "Principle – particularly moral principle – can never be a weathervane, spinning around this way and that with the shifting winds of expediency. Moral principle is a compass forever fixed and forever true."

Stephen Covey said, "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.’"

May you be blessed and strengthened as you serve the Lord with integrity and with clarity of principle!

RSVP
Tony Cooke

We’ve all seen these initials. When you receive an invitation to a wedding or to some other type of formal event, these initials will likely be on the card. RSVP is derived from the French expression répondez s’il vous plaît, which means “Please Respond.” To honor such a request and to let the host know whether or not you are coming is a simple courtesy that allows an event planner to know how to prepare.

If it is proper to respond to earthly invitations, how much more should we respond appropriately to God’s Word?  Our purpose in responding to God is not to inform Him of something He wouldn’t otherwise know.  After all, He’s the God that knows “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10).  He is a God who initiates, and He desires people to respond.  2 Peter 1:5 (NLT) says, “…make every effort to respond to God’s promises.”

It becomes evident as we study the Bible that there is both a God-side and a man-side of every issue.  Consider John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

What is the God-side of that verse?  God loved the world and gave His only begotten Son. 

What is the man-side of that verse?  If we believe in Him we will not perish but have everlasting life. 

In order for us to properly understand any biblical topic properly, we must always consider that God initiates AND that He expects us to respond.  To ignore either God’s part or man’s part in the equation will lead us to an imbalanced perspective of the truth.

Consider the God-side and man-side of Ephesians 2:8-10.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Grace refers to God’s initiation toward us and on our behalf.  Faith is man’s response to what God in His grace has provided.  But even the faith with which we respond to God did not originate with us.  Paul said that God’s grace and faith are gifts from God.  We know that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but had God not given his Word we would have no basis or ability to respond with faith.  Nevertheless, a faith response is necessary to appropriate and to receive what God in His grace has provided.  Paul went on to say that God prepared good works beforehand (His initiation) that we should walk in them (our response).

Believers who only think of the God-side of things may bristle at suggestions that they embrace work, responsibility, obedience duty, etc.  They may be quick to declare: “It’s ALL grace.  I have been delivered from all that.  I’m not under bondage.  I don’t have to do anything to earn my salvation!”  I must agree with them in part.  We certainly don’t engage in any kind of “works” to earn our salvation.  However, we certainly do engage in works to express our salvation and to respond appropriately to the salvation that has been freely given to us.  The Bible says it plainly: we are to walk in the works God has prepared for us.

Paul, the Apostle of Grace, told believers in Philippi (2:12) to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  Notice that he did not tell them to work for their salvation, but to work out their salvation.  He wasn’t telling them to try to earn their salvation, but he was encouraging them to express the salvation that they had freely received.  Paul also advocated works in writing to Titus (3:8).  He said, “those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”  These are good works, not dead works, but they are still works.

Likewise, Jesus (the Author and Initiator of salvation) told His earliest disciples (Matthew 5:16) to, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Even after His resurrection, Jesus did not tell the believers (Revelation 2-3) that He just wanted them to know that they were unconditionally accepted and that nothing they did mattered because of grace.  No, He told them (all seven churches), “I know your works.”  He specifically commended certain good works, and identified specific bad works of others.  He warned some of them in very strong terms to change their behavior.  How they responded mattered to Jesus!

We said earlier that there is a God-side and a man-side of every issue.  If a person only embraces the man-side of Scripture, he certainly would be imbalanced.  Assuming that everything depends on him and his efforts, he would be relying on his own strength, striving compulsively and frantically to keep all the commandments, and trying to earn acceptance through his performance.  This is certainly not what God has in mind for our lives, and such individuals would be under much bondage, fear, and insecurity.

However, if a person only recognizes the God-side of Scripture, he is going to be in the ditch on the other side of the road.  He is going to mistakenly think that God’s actions make his responses unnecessary.  He might think, “Well, Jesus died for my sins, so I’m automatically right with God.”  If you carry that type of thinking far enough, you’ll end up with universalism (“Since Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, everyone is going to be saved because God’s side covers everything; man’s response or lack of response is inconsequential”).  Such erroneous thinking elevates the God-side of Scripture but completely ignores clear biblical teaching about the necessity of man responding affirmatively toward God and His Word.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians illustrates perfectly the need for balance.  Chapters 1-3 are predominantly about the God-side of salvation (who we are and what we have through Christ and because of His work).  However, Ephesians 4-6 predominantly focuses on the man-side of salvation (how we are to live and walk in this world).  When we refer to the man-side (obedience) we are speaking of responding appropriately to God’s free gift and expressing that salvation through our lifestyle. 

A balanced Christian is not one who lives only in the spiritual realities of Ephesians 1-3, nor in the behavioral commandments of Ephesians 4-6.  Rather, he lives in the entirety of Ephesians 1-6.  He realizes that he’s been “accepted in the beloved” and “seated with Christ in heavenly places.” He has ALSO begun (with God’s empowering grace) walking in love, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord, giving thanks, treating one’s spouse properly, honoring one’s parents, etc.  He has also (with God’s empowering grace) stopped lying, stealing, fornicating, being covetous, etc.

When you RSVP… when you respond appropriately to God… you first recognize what He has done for you in His grace.  You recognize that Jesus – while you were yet a sinner – died for you, and that He has made available salvation, justification, and acceptance as an absolutely free gift.  There is no work or performance-oriented thing you can do to earn or merit His forgiveness.  But there’s more to responding than to God and His Word than simply accepting His free gift.  How else do we respond to Him?

1. Repentance is a part of RSVP. 
2. Getting water baptized is a part of RSVP. 
3. Getting filled with the Holy Spirit is a part of RSVP. 
4. Becoming a fully-committed disciple of the Lord Jesus is a part of RSVP.
5. Growing in the Word is a part of RSVP. 
6. Praising and Worshiping God is a part of RSVP.
7. Getting involved in a good church is part of RSVP.
8. Becoming a generous giver is a part of RSVP.
9. Ministering to others is a part of RSVP.
10. Evangelizing and sharing the love of God with others is a part of RSVP.
11. When we miss it, acknowledging our sin and receiving His forgiveness is a part of RSVP.

When the Word says, “Please respond,” our response should be, “Thy will be done,” and then we should do it.  Responding appropriately and obediently to God is exactly what God is looking for in our lives.  God’s grace doesn’t eradicate the need for an appropriate response.  Rather, His grace is what empowers us to respond in ways that please Him.  May grace and faith work powerfully in your life to make you all that He intends for you to be!

The Right to Think! by Tony Cooke

New Testament leaders such as Jesus and Paul wanted believers to be thinkers.  Specifically, they wanted them to think through issues scripturally.  Paul did not say we were to be transformed by the removing of our minds, but by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)! In Isaiah 1:18, God said, “…let us reason together.”  Reasoning is a good thing as long as we’re reasoning with God, not against Him!
 
When Paul preached in Berea, Luke noted (Acts 17:11), “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Notice that these believers were not condemned for checking things out against the Scripture, but they were commended for it.

When Luke said they “searched” the Scriptures daily, that is not a reference to a casual glance.  That word means, to investigate, examine, judge, interrogate, inquire into, scrutinize, sift, and to question.  In other words, they were truly diligent students of the Word of God.  They weren’t mean-spirited about it, but they valued truth based on Scripture.  When Luke described these believers as “fair-minded,” he was using a term of honor that meant they were well-born or noble-minded.

In contrast, this reminds me of a minister I heard more than a decade ago who was introducing a supposed “new revelation.” As he spoke, it was apparent that he was defensive of his doctrine, and in presenting it, he portrayed anyone who would question his teaching as being religious like the Pharisees.  His line of self-protective thought was essentially that, “Religious spirits have always opposed and persecuted new truth.  People persecuted Jesus and Paul, and they’re probably going to persecute me.”

There was no middle ground in his presentation.  Either you embraced his teaching because he claimed that God had revealed it to him, or you were a Pharisee being motivated by a religious spirit.  There was no encouragement for people to evaluate his teaching against Scripture, and to think for oneself was not an option (at least not one that he presented).
 
Great ministers want people to be more committed to Scriptural truth than to human personalities or human approval!  Howard Hendricks said, “When you see me stop following Christ, stop following me.”

Peer Pressure The pressure to compromise one’s inner-convictions and conform in order to be accepted by a group can be very strong.  A very sad Scripture illustrating this is found in John 12:42-43.  The Apostle said, “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him [Jesus], but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
 
One of my favorite characters in the New Testament is Barnabas.  He was truly a good man!  I admire the fact that he was an encourager, and was always pulling for the underdog.  

• His generous spirit encouraged the apostles (Acts 4:36-37).  
• He believed in Paul when nobody else did (Acts 9:26-27).
• When many were skeptical of the conversion of the Gentiles, he saw the grace of God in their lives and encouraged them (Acts 11:22-23).
• When Paul refused to give Mark a second chance, Barnabas took the young man under his wings, restored him, and helped cultivate him into a great minister (Acts 15:37-39).

However, in spite of Barnabas’ great character, there was a time when he (and Peter) got off-track, and peer pressure was a factor.  Paul said (Galatians 2:11-13): “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.”
 
The Phillips Translation of verse 13 says, “…the force of their bad example was so great that even Barnabas was infected by it.”  We often think that peer pressure is an issue that only teen-agers face, but Barnabas might well have attempted (at least initially) to justify his gaffe by saying, “But everybody’s doing it, even Peter!”

This situation illustrates the truth that our sense of discernment must go beyond whether someone is a good person.  Jessie Penn-Lewis wrote in the early twentieth century: “Every believer must test all teachers today for himself, by the Word of God and their attitude toward the atoning work of Christ, and other fundamental truths of the Gospel, and not be misled into testing ‘teaching’ by the character of the teacher.  Good men can be deceived, and Satan needs good men to float his lies under the guise of truth.”

As a believer and as a leader, there are times in my life when I am going to have to decide:

• Am I going to stand on principle or yield to peer pressure?
• Am I going to conform to group expectations or make a stand based on conscience?
• Am I going to place human acceptance and approval above faithfulness to Scripture?

Mob Mentality In Acts 19, the silversmiths in Ephesus were successful in stirring up a large number of people, but the description of their gathering is most interesting.  Acts 19:32 says, “…for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.”  The Message version renders this, “Most of them had no idea what was going on or why they were there.”
 
Believers must be thinkers!  We can’t blindly follow something just because it’s the proverbial “flavor of the month.”  When we hear things, even from good people, we need to be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures.  Because we value truth, we’ll make sure that what we embrace lines up with both the consensus and the spirit of the Scripture. We won’t allow ourselves to be pressured to accept something without reasonable support and solid precedent from the New Testament, and we won’t be moved by “proof texts” that are wrenched out of their context.  Then, as we cling to truth with clear convictions, may we also courageously and confidently stand on those convictions.

Relevance Without Compromise
Rev. Tony Cooke

These are notes to a message that Tony shared with a group of pastors at a conference in Pittsburgh in February of 2003. To order a copy of the CD, please Click Here.

1. THEY SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES (A Humorous Look at Witnessing) By Bob Cohen

“Have you ever been saved?” A rather wide-eyed young fellow startled me with his question as we waited for the bus. He handed me a booklet with a picture of hell on the front. “Sure,” I responded. “Once when I was nine years old I was swimming at Jones Beach on Long Island, and a strong undertow began to drag me out to sea. My uncle heard my call for help and ….” “No, no,” he interrupted, “Redeemed! Have you ever been redeemed? You know, reborn … washed in the blood?” “What,” I inquired, “in the world are you talking about?” “Convicted. Have you ever felt convicted?” “No, of course not!” I replied. “I’ve never been in trouble with the law.” He looked at me square in the eye. “I think you need to be delivered.” “Delivered? I was just waiting for the bus home. I think I’ll stick with that, but thank you very much.” He looked at me as if I were speaking another language. “Can we have lunch together sometime?” he asked. “I work just down the street.” “Sure, that would be fine.” He looked harmless enough, but I must admit he was an unusual fellow and quite difficult to understand.

That Wednesday I had lunch with Ed. He was a little late but explained that he was having some quiet time. “Quiet time?” I asked. “What do you mean?” “Each day just before lunch I have some time in my prayer closet,” he responded. I was puzzled. “Do you pray in a closet at work?” “No,” he answered. “It’s in my car.” “A closet in your car?!” He changed the subject. Like the first day I met him, again he left me confused. This Ed is quite a unique fellow, I thought.

As we parted that day, Ed gave me a little booklet that explained how someone could come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I read it and understood it and knew that was exactly what I needed. That night I submitted my life to Jesus, and I was “born again” as it stated in the booklet. Two days later I told Ed. He was overjoyed.

The following week we got together again, and Ed strongly urged me to find a good body. I was surprised at his suggestion, but it sounded good to me. I took his advice and proceeded to comb the local health clubs for an attractive woman. When I met Denise, I knew she was the one. We began to date and soon she became a believer, too. Ed rejoiced and told us that it was crucial that we get planted so that we could grow together.

“Sometimes it’s hard to understand this guy,” I confided to Denise. I told Ed that I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by planted. He responded, “Committed! You both need to be committed now that you know Jesus.” ” Now wait a minute,” I protested. “Just because I don’t understand what planted means doesn’t mean I’m nuts. Anyway, I think that trusting Jesus is the most sane thing that I’ve ever done in my life.”

It was obvious that Ed’s patience was growing thin. He explained, “Bob and Denise, you have to get plugged in. Don’t you understand?” No we didn’t! But I did wonder if getting plugged in had any connection with “going out under the power,” something that I had heard Ed mention but hoped it would never happen to me.

Regretfully, I had to miss worship the next Sunday. But Ed and I had breakfast together Monday morning, and he filled me in on what happened. “God moved!” he said with excitement. “God really moved yesterday!” “Where is he now?” I pleaded. I was just getting to know Him, and now He’s gone?” “No, no, Bob, God hasn’t gone anywhere.” I was relieved. “It’s just that so many people were stepping out and moving in the gifts.” “You mean people were leaving during the meeting?” I asked. “And what’s this about presents?” ” No, it’s the gifts. The gifts were really flowing,” he said. “That’s beautiful,” I answered. “People were giving gifts to each other. I wish I was there.” Now Ed seemed confused.

“Anyway,” he said, changing the subject, “Denise was there, and boy, was she on fire.” “Fire? Denise got burned? What happened? Is she O.K.?” “No, Bob, you don’t understand.” (That sure is an understatement, I thought.) “Denise is just fine. It’s just that I believe she is really called, and that God wants to use her.” Things were not getting clearer. “Did Denise mention that she’s getting too many phone calls or something? And what’s this about God wanting to take advantage of her?” I asked. Ed sighed, “Can I walk in the light with you?” “Where do you want to go?” I answered. “Of course we can walk in the light. It’s daytime, Ed.” He just shook his head. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes it seems that Ed and I have a hard time communicating.

It’s been two years since I was saved and delivered. Now I’m plugged in, planted, and committed to a good body. God has been moving, and I’ve been stepping out in the gifts. I can hardly believe how God has been using me! I have developed one new problem, though. It seems that all my old friends just don’t understand me anymore. When I share about my redemption, that I’ve been washed as white as snow, and that I desire to follow the Lamb, they seem to tune me right out. I guess they’re just convicted when they see that I’m on fire.

2. RELEVANCE & COMPROMISE DEFINED

Relevant:

* relating to, or bearing upon the matter at hand
* connected with what is happening or being discussed
* correct or suitable for a particular purpose
* important, useful
* implies a traceable, significant, logical connection
* pertinent, applicable

Compromise:

* (to reach) an agreement in an argument in which the people involved reduce their demands or change their opinion in order to agree
* to allow (your principles) to be weakened or (your standards or morals) to be lowered
* an agreement reached by mutual concession
* to modify one’s opinions, demands, etc.
* to bring into disrepute or danger by indiscretion
* give and take
* to concede a point
* to make concessions
* something that combines qualities or elements of different things

3. SCRIPTURES, QUOTES, & PRINCIPLES PROMOTING THE CONCEPT OF “NO COMPROMISE”

John 12:42-43
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Acts 20:20-21, 26-27
20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

1 Corinthians 1:23-25
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Galatians 1:10
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Galatians 5:11
11 …the offense of the cross…

Colossians 3:22
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

1 Thessalonians 2:4
4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

2 Timothy 4:1-4
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

“A vacillating unbeliever has no respect for the man who lacks the courage to preach what he believes.”
– Billy Graham

“The pulpits of the great cities in Christendom are filled largely by two classes of men – critics who believe too little to preach and men who fear the critics too much to preach.”
– Warren Akin Chandler

“Compromise is always wrong when it means sacrificing principle.”
– Drake Raft

“Everywhere there is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false. A sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only the shorter it is the better.”
– Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Where the gospel is fully and powerfully preached, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, our churches do not only hold their own, but win converts; but when that which constitutes their strength is gone—we mean when the gospel is concealed, and the life of prayer is slighted—the whole thing becomes a mere form and fiction. For this thing our heart is sore grieved.”
– Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Our Lord attracted sinners because He was different. They drew near to Him because they felt that there was something different about Him… And the world expects us to be different. The idea that we are going to win people to the Christian faith by showing them that after all you are remarkably like them, is theologically and psychologically a profound blunder.”
– Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Marketing principles are becoming the arbiter of truth. Elements of the message that don’t fit the promotional plan are simply omitted. Marketing savvy demands that the offense of the cross must be downplayed. Salesmanship requires that negative subjects like divine wrath be avoided. Consumer satisfaction means that the standard of righteousness cannot be raised too high. The seeds of a watered-down gospel are thus sown in the very philosophy that drives many ministries today.”

“In show business, truth is irrelevant; what really matters is whether we are entertained. Substance counts for very little; style is everything.”
– John MacArthur Jr., Ashamed of the Gospel – When the Church Becomes Like the World.

“Biblical preaching was God-centered, sin-exposing, self convicting and life-challenging—the direct opposite of today’s light, informal sermons that Christianize self-help and entertain better than they convict.

There are so many illustrations in today’s market sensitive sermons that the hearer forgets the biblical truth that is being illustrated; so many personal anecdotes that the hearer knows the pastor better than she knows Christ; so many human-interest stories that listening to the sermon is easier than reading the Sunday paper; so practical that there is hardly anything to practice.

No wonder nominal Christians leave church feeling upbeat. Their self-esteem is safely intact. Their minds and hearts have been sparked and soothed with sound-bite theology, Christian maxims, and a few practical pointers dealing with self-esteem, kids or work. But the question remains: has the Word of God been effectively and faithfully proclaimed, penetrating comfort zones and the veneer of self-satisfaction with the truth of Jesus Christ?”
– Dr. Douglas D. Webster, Selling Jesus: What’s Wrong with Marketing the Church.

“The faith-world of John Wesley, Jonathon Edwards, John Jay, William Wilberforce, Hannah Moore, Lord Shaftesbury, Catherine Booth, Hudson Taylor, D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, Carl Henry, and John Stott is disappearing. In its place a new evangelicalism is arriving in which therapeutic self-concern overshadows knowing God, spirituality displaces theology, end-times escapism crowds out day-to-day discipleship, marketing triumphs over mission, references to opinion polls outweigh reliance upon biblical exposition, concerns for power and relevance are more obvious than concern for piety and faithfulness, talk of reinventing the church has replaced prayer for revival, and the characteristic evangelical passion for missionary enterprise is overpowered by the all-consuming drive to sustain the multiple business empires of the booming evangelical subculture.”
– Os Guiness, Prophetic Untimeliness – A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance. Baker. 2003.

4. SCRIPTURES, QUOTES, & PRINCIPLES PROMOTING THE CONCEPT OF “RELEVANCE”

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (TLB)
19 …I am not bound to obey anyone just because he pays my salary; yet I have freely and happily become a servant of any and all so that I can win them to Christ. 20 When I am with the Jews I seem as one of them so that they will listen to the Gospel and I can win them to Christ. When I am with Gentiles who follow Jewish customs and ceremonies I don’t argue, even though I don’t agree, because I want to help them. 21 When with the heathen I agree with them as much as I can, except of course that I must always do what is right as a Christian. And so, by agreeing, I can win their confidence and help them too. 22 When I am with those whose consciences bother them easily, I don’t act as though I know it all and don’t say they are foolish; the result is that they are willing to let me help them. Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. 23 I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 14:7-9
7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

2 Corinthians 5:13-14
13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.14 For the love of Christ compels us…

“Unless the gospel is preached with contemporary relevance it has not been preached.”
– Martin Luther

“The men in the Lewis and Clark expedition thought of themselves as explorers, not a war party. This has to be out attitude toward contemporary culture – we are not at war with them; we are explorers looking for the initiation of God’s kingdom in the culture, so we can come alongside it as ambassadors of His kingdom and partner with Him.”
– Todd Hunter (quoted in Explorer, July 17, 2000)

5. BLENDING “NO COMPROMISE” AND RELEVANCE – THEY ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY!

“In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
– Thomas Jefferson

“In essentials, unity.
In non-essentials, liberty.
In all things, charity.”
– Pascal

These showed “seeker sensitivity” without compromise…

Ezra and his fellow priests – Nehemiah 8:8 – So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

John the Baptist – (Luke 3:10-14) He gave the people, especially those that inquired—tax collectors and soldiers—specific instructions about how to implement the uncompromised message that he was preaching.

Jesus – The Incarnation is the greatest example of adaptability that has ever taken place. He was the Word made flesh. Jesus never dealt with any two individuals exactly the same way. The substance of His message, in the final analysis, was always the same: “Believe in Me.” However, the style varied from Nicodemus to the Woman at the Well. His technique was different in reaching out to the Woman at the Well than it was in communicating to the Rich Young Ruler.

Paul – Paul exhibited relevance without compromise when he spoke to the Athenians in Acts 17. He did not speak of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but of the “God in whom we live, move, and have our being.” He also quoted one of their own poets, not one of the Jewish prophets (Acts 17:28). His presentation exhibited traits of adaptation, but not compromise. The people learned of judgment, Jesus, and the resurrection.

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul provided guidelines for the proper usage of spiritual gifts so that the uninformed and unbelievers would not be alienated and repelled.

Those Who Translated Scripture into the Language of the People:

“I wish that the Scriptures might be translated into all languages, so that not only the Scots and the Irish, but also the Turk and the Saracen might read and understand them. I long that the farm-laboring might sing them as he follows his plough, the weaver hum them to the tune of his shuttle, the traveler beguile the weariness of his journey with their stories.” Erasmus of Rotterdam (1467-1536), from Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Chrisitanity, page 359.

In a heated debate with church authorities in 1522, William Tyndale said, “If God spare my life, ‘ere many years I will cause the boy that driveth the plough to know more Scripture than thou dost.” Tyndale was a the greatest Greek scholar in England, but his success was not simply based on his scholarship, but on his “his ability to use the expressions of the English people.”

“The Fire of Devotion – the History of the English Bible.” Dr. John R. Hellstern and Dr. Donald L. Brake Sr., page 9.

6. Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin said the following in his book, Plans, Purposes, and Pursuits (Faith Library Publications).

Then He [Jesus] spoke to me about different kinds of meetings – believers’ meetings, evangelistic meetings, healing meetings, teaching meetings, prayer meetings, worship services, and so forth.

He said, ‘Where you are missing it today in your culture in the United States is, you try to put all those kinds of meetings into one service, and so you never really reach the full potential of any meeting.’

Sometimes in a campmeeting-type setting, we have to combine many different kinds of services. However, people in a church setting often try to have constant campmeeting, or all crusade-type services. You can’t have campmeeting all the time. In order for people to get a balanced spiritual diet, they need all kinds of meetings. When we try to have all kinds of meetings in one, none of them are as successful as they should be. (Pages 41-42)

If I were a pastor again, at certain times I’d have believers’ meetings. These meetings would not be for the general public. Things can happen in a meeting when just believers are present that should not happen in a meeting open to the general public. But if anyone else happened to come in, they would get saved…and they would encounter the Presence of God just as 1 Corinthians 14 says.

We called our Sunday morning services in Farmersville, believers’ meetings, because no one came except Christians.

On Sunday nights, though, visitors came and filled up the building. They even stood outside looking in the doors! We’d have more sinners than saints at those Sunday night meetings.

I would say to our congregation ahead of time, ‘We’re coming tonight with the sinner in mind. We’re not coming to worship God or to get blessed ourselves. We got blessed this morning. This isn’t a believer’s meeting. Some things which happened this morning would be out of order tonight. This is an evangelistic meeting. We’re not interested in jumping and shouting, but we’re interested in helping that unsaved one along.’ (Page 49)

Consider also what Smith Wigglesworth said about certain types of public manifestations:
The Lord will allow you to be very drunk in His presence, but sober among people. I like to see people so filled with the Spirit that they are drunk like the 120 on the Day of Pentecost, but I don’t like to see people drunk in the wrong place. That is what troubles us, somebody being drunk in a place of worship where a lot of people come in that know nothing about the Word. If you allow yourself to be drunk there, you send people away; they look at you instead of seeing God. They condemn the whole thing because you have not been sober at the right time. Paul writes, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause” (2 Corinthians 5:13). You can be beside yourself. You can go a bit further than being drunk. You can dance, if you will do it at the right time. So many things are commendable when all the people are in the Spirit. Many things are foolish about you when you are not in the Spirit. We must be careful not to have a good time at the expense of somebody else. When you have a good time you must see that the spiritual conditions in the place lend themselves to help you and that the people are falling in line with you. Then you will find it always a blessing. (Ever Increasing Faith, by Smith Wigglesworth. Gospel Publishing House, 1971. Pages 122-123.)

7. There are issues that every pastor must resolve as he establishes his approach to ministry:

* The Negotiable vs. the Non-negotiable
* Adaptability vs. Compromise
* Flexibility vs. Rigidity
* Principle vs. Preference
* Substance vs. Style
* Inclusivism vs. Exclusivism

8. Seven Areas We Must Examine

The message you minister, as well as the philosophy and style of ministry you embrace, is something that you must determine. The following questions are not designed to dictate an answer for you, but rather, to help you process and work through the issues at hand.

* What are my motives in ministry? Am I pursuing, above all else, the glory of God and the benefit of those to whom I minister? Does the fear of man, a desire for popularity, approval, or acceptance cause me to shrink back from any aspect of my assignment as a minister?

* Am I making a clear presentation of the gospel through my ministry? Do people have opportunity to receive a clear and thorough understanding of the claims of Christ and the teachings of the Bible through my ministry?

* Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16),” and “I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27).” Can I say the same – that I am not ashamed of the gospel, and that I am declaring the whole counsel of God?

* Jesus and Paul were both aware that their respective audiences had certain limitations in their ability to receive, and they calibrated what they ministered accordingly (John 16:12; 1 Corinthians 3:2). However, provision, opportunity, and encouragement was always present for those believers to move deeper into the things of God and to move into maturity (Hebrews 5:12 – 6:13). Am I properly calibrating my message to my audience, and concurrently providing the appropriate mechanism(s) for those who are prepared to move deeper into the things of God? Also, if my focus is toward a more spiritually mature audience, is there a mechanism in place to provide appropriate ministry for the lost and to spiritual babes?

* Am I trying to minister to such a wide spectrum of people in each service that I am not achieving maximum effectiveness toward anyone? Do I need to provide more distinction as to the purpose of various types of services? Do we need to have greater clarity in establishing certain types of meetings, such as evangelistic services, believers’ meetings, etc.? Are people in my church aware of the different purposes for various types of services? Have I modeled and taught my people how to operate in the things of the Spirit “decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40)?”

* Am I diligently and prayerfully seeking to incorporate both concepts—”no compromise” and “relevance”—into my ministry? While trying to make our churches outreach-oriented, have we stifled the Holy Spirit? In trying to be free and expressive concerning manifestations of the Holy Spirit, have we sometimes repelled unbelievers and alienated the uninformed from us, leaving them with the impression that we are crazy (1 Corinthians 14:11, 23)? (Note: Those who hold to a staunch “no compromise” position would not say that we should be insensitive to or unfriendly toward seekers. Neither would those who advocate seeker-friendly or seeker-sensitive approaches say that the gospel should be compromised. This is not an either/or issue.)

* Am I threatened by others whose style, approach, methods, and emphases are different than mine? Do I feel insecure, invalidated, or pressured to conform to and imitate others? Do I feel the need to condemn others who have a different style or methodology than my own? Do I feel that others need to be a clone—a carbon-copy of my own style—in order for them to have a valid ministry? Am I comfortable with the idea that another minister may have an entirely different assignment or thrust than what I have—that each minister may have a different personality, gifting, anointing, style, methodology, approach, and even a unique target audience from what I have?

9. A pastor friend of mine who believes in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit encountered a problem in his church with the way in which a certain person was endeavoring to operate. Having shared the incident with me, I asked him to put it in written form so others could consider how he handled the situation.

Dear Tony,

One Sunday morning at the end of praise and worship one of our “regular attendees,” not a church member, gave a rather earsplitting, intense tongue. After which I gave the interpretation, which was a challenging word, but not as fierce as the tongue. The delivery of the tongue was unnerving to our mature members and quite terrifying to our guests, none which returned to our church. We had been developing relationships with some of these guests over a period of weeks and months. Our one shot at winning them to the church was ruined with one supposed manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Several weeks passed before the same man once again delivered the same earsplitting, intense sort of tongue, followed by an earsplitting, intense interpretation of the love and mercy of God. The delivery and message were quite contradictory. The incident had the same effect on our guests, none returned. It is not unusual for us to have guests who enjoy our church and return and become members within a few months.

Following this tongue and interpretation, even long-standing church members were confused and upset. The delivery of the tongue would scare the wits out of a person. People wondered why God was yelling at us. Visitors thought us to be crazy.

I called the man into my office and asked him to soften his tone. I appreciated his boldness and obedience to the Spirit, but could he soften the delivery? Actually, he is a rather gentle man, but his Pentecostal tradition conditioned him in only one way of operating in the Spirit. His message was, in my opinion, correct, his timing appropriate; yet, his tone was too severe. I consulted with other spiritual leaders of the congregation. Their ruling was the same as mine. We judged him out of line, unless he softened his tone. We suggested him coming to the stage to be acknowledged and to use a microphone. His response was, “This is the way the Holy Ghost gives it to me, this is the way I must give it.” I told him that he was out of order, and was no longer free to give a tongue or prophecy, if he would not yield to the church leaders.

He and several family members left the church. They accused us of grieving and stifling the Holy Spirit. The result, however, is that we continue to have an occasional tongue & interpretation and prophecy, without scaring the wits out of our guests and members.

I also spent a Wednesday night service explaining to the church our decision about these incidents, and the Scriptural basis of our decision. The teaching brought great reassurance to the members that we are a Holy Spirit church, operating decently and in order. Demonstrations of the Spirit which bring confusion, fear and frustration cannot be tolerated in the church. Prophecy (or any demonstration) should bring edification, exhortation and comfort to people (1 Corinthians 14.3-4). An outsider, or unbeliever should not come in to our services and conclude that we are crazy. The proper demonstrations of the Holy Spirit bring conviction and revelation to outsiders and unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14.23-25).

Realistic Optimism
Tony Cooke

I recently submitted the manuscript of a brand new book – Through the Storms: Help from Heaven When All Hell Breaks Loose – to the publisher. This book will be available in late June. Chapter titles include:

1. Can’t I Just Have a Trouble-Free Life?
2. Jonah’s Storm
3. The Storm of the Disciples
4. Paul’s Storm
5. The Storms Within
6. It’s About the Destination
7. The Four Wheel Drive Christian
8. Can I Avoid at Least Some Problems?
9. Becoming a Storm Chaser
10. Suffering and the Will of God

We’re designing this material not only for individual reading, but for small group study as well. The end of each chapter has six discussion questions, and I’ll be doing a fifteen minute DVD lesson to accompany each chapter as well.

The teaching that follows is an excerpt from Through the Storms: Help from Heaven When All Hell Breaks Loose.

Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”

Perhaps there is something in all of us that really desires utopia—a perfect life free from any inconveniences or anything that is uncomfortable or unpleasant. Who wouldn’t like a perfect life, perfect marriage, perfect kids, perfect job, perfect church, and perfect friends? Perhaps hyper-idealism causes us to read the Bible selectively, filtering out the parts we don’t want to hear, and only focusing on those parts of Scripture that promise what we want. Perhaps this sense of denial (ignoring Scriptures we deem negative) is really based on fear, and the misbelief that I can somehow control absolutely everything and every outcome in this world.

Have you ever had the following type of thought? “If I can just do everything perfect… make the right decision and do the right thing 100% of the time, then I’ll never have a problem.” There’s only been one person in all of human history that has done everything perfect, who never sinned or made a mistake, who made the right decision and did the right thing 100% of the time; His name is Jesus. So, did he have a trouble-free life? Hardly.

1. God sends His Son to the earth, and the first thing an evil king does is to put out a “hit” on Him. An assassination squad attempted to kill Jesus while He still a small child.
2. Mark’s gospel gives this interesting perspective on how Jesus’ own natural family perceived Him. “And when those who belonged to Him (His kinsmen) heard it, they went out to take Him by force, for they kept saying, He is out of His mind (beside Himself, deranged)!” (Mark 3:21, AMP).
3. Jesus was reviled, hated, despised, and accused of being a blasphemer, etc. On various occasions, people tried to kill Him.
4. His close friends argued frequently. One of his associates eventually betrayed him and committed suicide.
5. Eventually, He was crucified.

Recognizing these facts will pretty much ruin anyone’s plans to avoid problems in life through means of personal perfection. In my younger years, I didn’t care too much for it when I heard a respected spiritual leader make the comment, “The crises of life come to us all.” Nor did I care for it when another minister wrote a book called “Ready or Not, Here Comes Trouble.” Wishful thinking—based on hyper-idealism—says, “I will never have a problem.”  Faith—based on the reality of God’s word—says, “I may face problems, but my God is greater than any problem, and He will see me through.”

The Bible teaches us to be realistically optimistic. If we are optimistic without being grounded in reality, we can easily become a Pollyanna—naive, unrealistic, and with our head in the clouds. If we are realistic without being optimistic, we can easily end up jaded, cynical, pessimistic, and even fatalistic. Being realistically optimistic is consistent with Jesus’ admonition to his disciples to, “…be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, NCV).

Let’s look at this idea of realistic optimism when it comes to marriage. Billy Graham said, “For a married couple to expect perfection in each other is unrealistic.” The Apostle Paul was even more blunt when he said, “…those who marry will face many troubles in this life…” (1 Corinthians 7:28, NIV). Does this mean we should morbidly dread an unbearably bad marriage, something akin to Armageddon? Not at all. We should aspire to have healthy, growing marriages. We should not, however, be shocked when we encounter issues that we have to work through, challenges that we have to overcome, and problems that we have to resolve. To go into marriage assuming it will be nothing more than constant euphoria and perpetual bliss is to set oneself up for great disappointment and disillusionment.

In “Good to Great,” Jim Collins recounts a conversation he had with Admiral Jim Stockdale, decorated war veteran and the highest ranking U.S. military officer to be imprisoned during the Vietnam War. He was a P.O.W. for eight years and was tortured more than twenty times. As the commanding officer in that setting, Stockdale helped as many men survive as he could. Collins wrote, “What separates people, Stockdale taught me, is not the presence or absence of difficulty, but how they deal with the inevitable difficulties of life. In wrestling with life’s challenges, the Stockdale Paradox (you must retain faith that you will prevail in the end and you must also confront the brutal facts of your current reality) has proved powerful for coming back from difficulties not weakened, but stronger…”

Winston Churchill modeled this realistic optimistic approach well. He was profoundly aware of the grave challenges faced by Great Britain in WWII, and yet he said, “I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.” Helen Keller stated, “A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.”

So just how realistic is the Bible when it comes to facing adversity—storms—in life?
Proverbs 21:31 (NASBU) says, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD.” The Message Version renders that verse, “Do your best, prepare for the worst—then trust GOD to bring victory.” Note that these people were admonished to prepare for battle! Faith is not an excuse to not make proper preparation in natural areas. Let me say that another way: faith is not a basis for negligence in practical areas. In addition to fortifying themselves, they were instructed to remember that God is the One who ultimately brings victory!

Nehemiah had tremendous faith in God, but faith did not preclude him from taking natural preparations and precautions in carrying out his assignment of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Consider the actions based on his awareness of the threats against his people and the project. “From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah, who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the trumpeter was beside me” (Nehemiah 4:16-18, HCSB). They believed that victory was from the Lord, but they still prepared themselves for the day of battle.

Paul told believers to “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” and to “Put on the whole armor of God…” (Ephesians 6:10-11). He also told Timothy to, “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” and to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:1, 3).

Believers understand that God is not just basis for our optimism, but He is also very much a part of our reality! God is real. His promises are real. His Presence is real. His power is real. Faith in God does not give us blanket immunity from all of the problems of the world, but it does give us entirely different framework and perspective with which to face those problems. The faith component does not negate us doing our part, but it adds an element of reliance upon a God who, “…is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

What Does it Mean to be Qualified?
Tony Cooke

The following article is excerpted from the upcoming book, “Qualified: Serving God with Integrity and Finishing Your Course with Honor.” It will be released no later than July, but you can order your copy today!

It has been said that “God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” God calls us and desires to work in our lives to qualify us for godly service, but we need to participate in an on-going process of growth, obedience, and development. I’ve often pondered the words of the Lord Jesus when He said (Matthew 22:14, NKJV), “For many are called, but few are chosen.” What is the difference between those who are called and those who go on to be chosen? Is it possible that those who are chosen are those who have cooperated more fully with their Caller and their calling?

We can respond or not respond.
We can obey or not obey.
We can cooperate or not cooperate.
We can follow completely, partially, or not at all.

Oswald Sanders said, “Our Lord made clear to James and John that high position in the Kingdom of God is reserved for those whose hearts – even the secret places where no one else probes – are qualified.”

Those that were selected to help Moses (Exodus 18:21) were to meet certain qualifications:

• They were to be capable and competent
• They were to be God-fearing
• They were to be people of honesty and integrity
• They were to be incorruptible, hating covetousness and immune to bribery

Those selected to serve in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:3) also had to exhibit certain characteristics:

• They were to be well respected, trusted, and have a good reputation
• They were to full of the Holy Spirit
• They were to be full of wisdom

The Apostle Paul recognized that the journey of spiritual leadership is challenging and that great diligence is required to finish well. Likening the Christian journey to a track race, he said:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Notice that Paul wasn’t just concerned about “preaching to others.” He was diligent to discipline his own body and, as the NKJV says, “bring it into subjection.” Paul realized before he could lead others, he first had to lead himself. Before he could effectively influence others, he first had to influence himself to stay on-course. It is terribly unfortunate when ministers seek to excel in their “public performance” but deteriorate in their character and integrity. Patsy Cameneti once remarked, “In the process of becoming great preachers, some become lousy Christians.”

Diego Mesa is a friend who pastors in southern California. He used to run marathons and participate in triathlons. In the early ’80’s he felt great as he finished third in a very competitive event. He had done well in the swimming, cycling, and running, and he went happily to collect his prize of $250 (that was a lot of money to him back then). Instead, he received a check for $175 and was informed that he had neglected to wear his helmet during the cycling portion of the event. As a result, $75 had been deducted from his award. I wonder how many believers, including preachers, will stand before the Lord, thinking they’d done wonderful things for him, only to find out their reward has been affected by wrong motives, attitudes, or methods.

Paul advised Timothy, a young pastor, “…athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5, NLT). In trying to avoid legalism, many have downplayed the idea of “rules,” but there are definite guidelines involved in carrying out fruitful and effective ministerial service, and likewise, ignoring or violating such precepts can greatly diminish one’s productivity and effectiveness, and ultimately affect their reward.

In speaking to one group of believers, Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

In order to become disqualified, it seems that a person would have to become qualified in the first place. Speaking of his own ministry, Paul said, “God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message” (1 Thessalonians 2:3 MSG).

Our task is to pursue whole-heartedly those characteristics that qualify us for effective service, and eradicate those traits from our lives that would disqualify us. Paul’s analogy and admonition in 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NLT) supports this entirely.

“In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”

Men and women don’t become great by accident. They are carried into greatness by great values, great decisions, great convictions, great principles, and great actions. One person said, “Make your decisions, and your decisions will make you.”

• Make it your determined effort not to grow lax or sloppy in your morals, values, and convictions, even if others around you seem to be.
• Don’t let yourself simply “go with the crowd” when their values or morals are lacking.
• Embrace the highest and the best that God has for you.
• Don’t let His Word be a book of ideals to you from which you can selectively and occasionally live, but let them be your commandments—orders given by one in authority about which there is no choice and from which there is no retreat!

Daniel didn’t stumble into integrity; the excellency of his character was deliberate and intentional. Daniel 1:8 (NKJV) says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…”

Paul advised the believers to “…take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone” (Romans 12:17, AMP).

In November of 1948, shortly before his ministry was launched into major national prominence, Billy Graham met with three of his top associates (Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and Grady Wilson) to discuss ways to lead their ministry with integrity and avoid scandalous, shameful practices which had brought reproach on many in evangelistic-type ministries. In what became known as the “Modesto Manifesto,” Graham and his team identified four areas of concern and resolved to conduct themselves with the upmost integrity in these matters.

The four areas that were identified included:

• The shady handling of money
• Sexual immorality
• Badmouthing others doing similar work
• Exaggerated accomplishments

Billy spoke of these guidelines, saying, “In reality, it did not mark a radical departure for us; we had always held these principles. It did, however, settle in our hearts and minds once and for all, the determination that integrity would be the hallmark of both our lives and our ministry.”

Here are some of decisions principled leaders have already made.

• To be 100% honest in all of one’s dealings.
• To stay completely submitted to the principles of honor and integrity in God’s Word.
• To be a good steward of one’s body, mind, finances, and gifts.
• If wrong is done, to make it right.
• To be completely faithful to one’s spouse and to maintain moral purity in every way.
• To take the “high road” in all dealings in life.
• To treat all people with dignity and respect.
• To never try to get ahead or make oneself look good by tearing down others.
• To be the best possible example of Christlikeness.
• To never exploit or take advantage of anyone, especially the weak and vulnerable.
• To be an authentic person, not living behind a front or facade.
• To do what is in the best interests of others; seeking their edification and avoiding what will bring harm to others.

It’s important to keep in mind that if God had to wait until we were flawlessly perfect to use us, no one would ever be used by God. All of us are a work in progress. It’s not where we’ve been that matters; it’s where we’re headed now that counts. Your past is no excuse to keep you from the future that God has for you. God has a work for you to do, and He wants you to fulfill it with integrity and honor. God help us all to become and remain qualified!

Order your copy of “Qualified: Serving God with Integrity and Finishing Your Course with Honor” today!

The Power of Talking to Yourself
Rev. Tony Cooke

One of the reasons that Lisa and I love sharing the Word of God around the world is because it is the truth of His Word that changes lives.  When people come to the knowledge of His Word, they are acquiring the tools and skills necessary to experience transformation in their lives.

It’s true that we can’t necessarily control every circumstance in life, but we can, through the power of God’s enabling Spirit, choose what kind of attitude and response we are going to have in the midst of every situation we face.

Lisa recently came across the following humorous story that really communicates a powerful truth:

A man observed a woman in the grocery store with a three-year-old girl in her basket. As they passed the cookie section, the little girl asked for cookies and her mother told her, "No." The little girl immediately began to whine and fuss, and the mother said quietly, "Now Jane, we just have half of the aisles left to go through – don’t be upset. It won’t be long now."

Soon, they came to the candy aisle and the little girl began to shout for candy.

When told she couldn’t have any, she began to cry. The mother said, "There, there, Jane, don’t cry – only two more aisles to go and then we’ll be checking out."

When they got to the checkout stand, the little girl immediately began to clamor for gum and burst into a terrible tantrum upon discovering there’d be no gum purchased. The mother said serenely, "Jane, we’ll be through this check out stand in five minutes and then you can go home and have a nice nap."

The man followed them out to the parking lot and stopped the woman to compliment her. "I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Jane.

It’s quite commendable," he remarked.

The mother replied, "I’m Jane. My little girl’s name is Tammy."

This mom had really tapped into a great principle of successful living.  She realized that she was in a situation where it was important to do some talking to herself!  Zig Ziglar said, "The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you!"

The Bible contains several references of David talking to himself as a means of comforting, encouraging, and strengthening himself.  Consider the following from the Psalms:

Psalm 42:11 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God…

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