Mastering the Paradoxes of Ministry Tony Cooke


Mastering the Paradoxes of Ministry
Tony Cooke

Ministry ParadoxA paradox involves the presentation of two ideas which seem to be contradictory, but are in fact, complementary. A few classic examples in Scripture of paradoxical statements are:

  •  “…when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
  •  We are in the world, but we are not of the world (John 17:11, 14)
  •  “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Galatians 2:20)

In his classic, “Make Me an Instrument,” Francis of Assisi captured the essence of paradox when he prayed: “…for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.”

Richard B. Hansenis said, “Paradox is the wild territory within which most ministers live and work. We see unseen things. We conquer by yielding. We find rest under a yoke. We reign by serving. We are made great by becoming small. We are exalted when we are humble. We become wise by being fools for Christ’s sake. We are made free by becoming bondservants. We gain strength when we are weak. We triumph through defeat. We find victory by glorying in our infirmities. We live by dying.”

Parádoxos is a word common in secular Greek for “an unusual event contrary to belief or expectation.”  Its only use in the New Testament is in Luke 5:26: “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange [parádoxos] things today!”

The word here literally means “things which are contrary to opinion, expectation, or belief.” The Amplified Bible renders this, “We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!” Does that seem like a pretty good description of ministry? Sometimes it’s wonderful. Sometimes it’s strange. Sometimes it’s incredible. Sometimes it’s unthinkable.

God’s kingdom is full of paradoxes. We might like to only deal with one end of the spectrum (the good side), but those who survive and thrive are those who learn to deal effectively with all aspects of ministry. We recognize that serving God offers us many “both/and” scenarios… not just “either/or” situations. Consider these statements by the Apostle Paul that reflect paradox.

2 Corinthians 6:8-10
8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed —  10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

How many seemingly conflicting and contradictory statements can someone make in one letter? How many seemingly conflicting and contradictory emotions can one minister experience in one season of life? In a Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown tells Lucy the universal axiom, “Life has its ups and downs.” Lucy is seen screaming in the last box, “I don’t want downs. I want ups, ups, and more ups. The truth is that life involves learning to deal with the good and the bad, and ministry involves a broad spectrum of experiences as well.

Jesus not only got, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” He also got “Crucify him, crucify him!” Ministers need to know how to deal with both criticism and praise—with the ups and the downs. In Acts 14:18, Paul is barely able to keep the multitude from offering sacrifices to him and Barnabas as gods. In Acts 14:19, one verse later, the same multitude is stoning Paul and dragging him out of the city, assuming that they’ve killed him.

Perhaps what we experience—going from one end of the spectrum to the other—isn’t quite as drastic as what Paul experienced, but many ministers know what it is:

  • To go from the funeral home to the wedding rehearsal. You weep with those that weep and you rejoice with those that rejoice.
  • To be overwhelmed by the amazing love and kindness of a church member one day, and feel the sting of betrayal by someone else the next day.
  • To have someone tell you how grateful they are for your ministry and share how their life has been totally changed, only to be followed by a meeting with someone else who is telling you that they’re leaving your church.

Paul dealt with these paradoxes—these seemingly contradictory situations—and so did David. David had the most wonderful relationship imaginable with Jonathan. He also had the most horrible relationship imaginable with Saul. 1 Samuel 18:3, we read that, “Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.” In verse 11, just a few verses later, Saul is throwing a spear at David, saying, “I will pin David to the wall!” David’s experience could have been the inspiration for the opening statement of “A Tale of Two Cities:” “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

The question is: Can we get our mind and our emotions around these circumstances and these dynamics without being pulled apart by them?

  • Pilots have to deal with crosswinds and wind shear.
  • Swimmers have to deal with riptides and undertow.
  • Ministers have to deal with paradoxes—these situations that seemingly pull us in different directions.

Have you ever considered the fact that Proverbs 26:4-5 (NLT) seems to give us completely contradictory instructions? “Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.” So how is a believer supposed to know what to do when encountering foolishness? Do we ignore it or address it? I think this Scripture indicates that there is a time for both, and we must have wisdom and direction from the Holy Spirit to know which is an appropriate response in a given situation.

A lot of what we’ve mentioned so far is situational and relational. But we also deal with paradoxes theologically. Theological paradoxes are often those issues where people take one side of an issue and exalt it to the neglect of another issue. They take two issues that both involve truth, but instead of realizing the complementary nature of these issues, they perceive them as somehow being contradictory and exclusive.

  • There is something true about the sovereignty of God, and there is something true about human responsibility (the free will of man). It’s not an either/or… it is a both/and.
  • Some hold to an emphasis on an unchanging God, while others herald the power of prevailing prayer. There is truth in both concepts.
  • What about the transcendence and the imminence of God? The God who dwells in eternity and the God who is present with us right now? They are the same God.
  • Is God Three, or is God One? There is truth regarding the Trinity of God, and there is also truth regarding the Unity of God.
  • Is Jesus human or is Jesus divine? It’s not an “either/or.”  It’s a “both/and.”
  • Romans 11:22 says, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God…”
  • In 2 Corinthians, Paul referred both to “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,” but also to “the terror of the Lord” (1:3 and 5:11).
  • Hebrews 4:11 says, “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…”
  • What about the paradox of faith and works?
  • We are not saved by works, but we are saved “unto good works” (Ephesians 2:9-10).
  • We are to “Study to show ourselves approved unto God,” but we must not “lean to our own understanding” (2 Timothy 2:15 and Proverbs 3:5).
  • A man who surrenders himself over to the Lordship of Jesus—who becomes a bond-slave of Christ—experiences absolute liberty and freedom, while a man who insists on being free from the rule of God wears a ball and chain throughout his life.

All of these are paradoxical ideas, and we’ll always be lacking if we think we have to choose either/or when it comes to the great truths of Scripture. Many times, we feel a tension between these truths…yet with God, we know that He holds all of these things in perfect harmony. Hansenis said, “Paradox beckons us into Mystery, and offers a wholesome reminder that God is infinitely greater than our ideas about God.”

May we receive great wisdom from God to walk skillfully in His paths!

Loving the Old Testament By Rev. Tony Cooke

Loving the Old Testament
By Rev. Tony Cooke

For the past several months, I have been reading the Old Testament slowly and systematically, and it has done my soul good.  I have always majored on the New Testament, and I’m sure that this will always be the case; after all, that is OUR Covenant.  But there has been something very rich and meaningful that I’ve been enjoying in mulling over God’s dealings with humanity prior to the coming of Jesus.

Paul was referring to the Old Testament writings when he said, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action).[i]  Paul further validated the value of the Old Testament in Romans 15:14 and 1 Corinthians 10:11.

  • “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (NKJV)
  • “All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close.” (NLT)

In spite of the high value that Jesus and the Apostles placed on the Old Testament writings, there are still those who are fairly dismissive of it.  You may have been in a conversation with someone and brought up a principle from the Old Testament, only to have your statement trivialized by the response, “Yes, but that’s from the Old Testament.”  I realize we are not under the Law of Moses, but the Old Testament contains so much more than just “the Law.”  Much of the Old Testament reflects eternal principles that transcend all covenants and ages!

For example, the principle of the Sabbath was first articulated in Genesis 2:2-3, long before Mosaic regulations were placed upon it.  It is true that we are not under the Old Testament Law of the Sabbath, but we are asking for serious trouble if we don’t honor the principle of the Sabbath in our lives (we all need rest).  Likewise, the tithe existed long before the imposition of any Mosaic regulations as a principle and expression of faith.  The book of Proverbs isn’t simply Old Testament; it’s the eternal wisdom of God.  If we violate those principles from Proverbs (such as diligence, integrity, and self-control) we can still experience very negative consequences.

Today, it seems that some are quick to cry “legalism!” if any kinds of boundaries or guidelines for behavior are communicated.  While no serious student of the New Testament wants to live under or put others under Mosaic legalism, it’s important to realize that many of the standards associated with “the Law” are actually clearly taught in the New Testament as well.  For example, in just a few verses in Ephesians, Paul tells believers:

  • Stop telling lies (4:25).
  • Quit stealing (4:28).
  • Don’t use foul or abusive language (4:29).
  • Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you (5:3).

Are those admonitions legalism?  No!  But to label and reject such commands as legalism certainly opens up the door to a life of lasciviousness.  If you’re perfect in all those areas, will you earn your salvation?  No!  We are saved by grace through faith, but because we are saved, we want to live in a way that pleases God and reflects obedience to the standards that He has articulated in both the Old and New Testaments.  The fact that many of these principles were first articulated in the Old Testament merely strengthens and reinforces the fact that God wants us honoring His standards and living in a way that truly pleases Him.  God’s grace, properly understood, gives us the ability to obey Him. 

What about the heart-cry of David in the book of Psalms?  When he acknowledged his sin and repented with tears, is that just an Old Testament phenomenon?  Or is confession of sin and repentance a transcendent principle that teaches us something yet today?  I think if we look at the New Testament, we see that these are also timeless truths.  When Paul addressed an issue of blatant sin in the Corinthian church, he said (1 Corinthians 5:2, Message), “And you’re so above it all that it doesn’t even faze you! Shouldn’t this break your hearts? Shouldn’t it bring you to your knees in tears?”

In another place, we see the same type of heartfelt, passionate repentance that David exhibited in the Psalms being demonstrated by the Corinthian believers (2 Corinthians 7:11, Message): “And now, isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you’ve come out of this with purity of heart.”  Grace in the New Testament should not cause believers to have a flippant disregard for sin and for things that grieve the Holy Spirit.  The presence of repentance and the pursuit of purity in the Old Testament should not diminish our spiritual needs or our need to respond appropriately to God as New Testament believers.

And what about the great exploits of men and women of faith throughout the Old Testament?  If you rip those from the minds of believers today, you’ll also have to remove the entire 11th Chapter of Hebrews.  Those narratives are not irrelevant simply because they happened before Jesus came; they remain as stellar examples of faith and obedience to inspire us as we seek to follow God with their same fervency.

Throughout Church history, some have greatly minimized the significance of the Old Testament.  One radical example is the second century heretic and Gnostic, Marcion.  The son of the Bishop of Pontus, he rejected the entire Old Testament and any New Testament writings that he felt had any positive inclination toward the Old Testament or toward Jewish readers.  The “canon” he proposed for his many followers contained only a heavily edited version of Luke’s Gospel and ten of Paul’s epistles.  Marcion went so far as to proclaim that the harsh and inconsistent God of the Old Testament was an entirely different God than the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Though some have tried to entirely eradicate the influence of the Old Testament in the life of the believer, we should consider the value placed on the Old Testament throughout the New.

“There are more than 250 direct quotations from the Old Testament to be found on the pages of the New.  Even more important are the vast number of references and allusions which… draw on the terminology of modes of thought and expression to be found in the Hebrew Scriptures.  One scholar lists a total of 1,603 quotations, references, and allusions which link the New Testament with the Old.

The Book of Isaiah is the most frequently used Old Testament book, with a total of 308 New Testament allusions.  Psalms runs a close second with 303 references.  In the New Testament, Revelation makes most frequent allusions to the Old Testament with 574 references, more than one-third the total number in the entire New Testament.  The book of Acts contains 169, Luke 140, Matthew 135, Hebrews 115, and Romans 103. 

All of the New Testament writers assumed that God’s dealings with man in the history of redemption form a continuous whole, out of which whole came both the Old and New Testaments.  A “New” Covenant implies an “Old” Covenant, to which it stands in relation as well as in contrast.  Indeed the idea of fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New means continuity with the past, as well as the introduction of something new.  Neither the Old Testament nor the New is fully understandable without the other.  Both form two halves of a perfect whole.  The Old Testament without the New is like a head without a body.  Tertullian said, ‘In the Old Testament, the New is concealed; in the New Testament the Old is revealed.’”[ii]

Martin Luther said, “I beg every devout Christian not to despise the simplicity of language and the stories found in the Old Testament.  He should remember that, however simple the Old Testament may seem, it contains the words, works, judgments, and actions of God himself.  Indeed the simplicity makes fools of the wise and clever, and allows the poor and simple to see the ways of God.  Therefore submit your thoughts and feelings to the stories you read, and let yourself be carried like a child to God.”

I realize that the entire Word of God—both the Old and the New Testaments—must be rightly divided.  We need to have good tools of Bible interpretation to know how to make wise and accurate applications of the Scripture.  But anyone who would have a disrespectful or dismissive attitude toward the wonderful principles of the Old Testament (or the clear commands of the New Testament) has certainly violated Jesus’ description (Matthew 13:52, NLT) of a good Bible teacher: “Every teacher of religious law who has become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a person who brings out of the storehouse the new teachings as well as the old.”

May God help and strengthen each of us as we endeavor to walk in the full counsel of God!

[i] 2 Timothy 3:16 (Amplified Version)

[ii] “Exploring the Old Testament,” Edited by W.T. Purkiser.  Beacon Hill Press, 1955.

Are You Making Pearls or Just Getting Irritated? Rev. Tony Cooke

Are You Making Pearls or Just Getting Irritated? Rev. Tony Cooke

There is a great lesson for us in understanding the formation of pearls.  Natural pearls are formed when a grain of sand or another object slips in between one of the two shells of the oyster.  Because of the irritating nature of the sand, the oyster encapsulates it in layers of “mother of pearl” secretion, and the pearl grows in size as the number of layers increases and the iridescent gem is formed.

So the next time you find yourself in disagreement with someone (or someone in disagreement with you), ask yourself this question: “Am I just getting irritated, or am I making a pearl?”  Wisdom teaches us to benefit from disagreements and to make each incident, no matter how irritating it may seem at first, into a redemptive growth experience.

Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher (his friends just called him Cletus), said: “The unlike is joined together, and from differences results the most beautiful harmony, and all things take place by strife.”  My natural reaction to the word strife is to recoil against it as being evil and undesirable, and there certainly is a toxic form of strife that destroys and injures.  But there is another understanding of this principle that is far less sinister. 

When people with good hearts disagree, but are respectful and teachable, there is a great benefit that occurs.  This is the kind of advantage that is derived from the principle spoken of in Proverbs 27:17 (NLT): “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”  I have seen wonderful men clash over a disagreement, but because they kept an open-heart and didn’t write each other off, became best of friends (or resumed a great friendship), and both of them learned and were broadened because of what they learned in working through the disagreement.

George Whitfield had sharp disagreement with John Wesley on the Calvinistic-Arminian issue, and yet when Whitfield was asked (antagonistically) if he thought he would see John Wesley in heaven, Whitfield responded, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.” 

Cultivating the Art of Redemptive Disagreement

I have long been amazed at the graciousness, character, and maturity displayed by Peter after incurring the public rebuke of an angry Apostle Paul.  Paul not only corrected Peter in front of the congregation in Antioch, but then he related the event in his epistle to the Galatians, which resulted in the conflict being “replayed” over and over for believers in countless generations (Galatians 2:11-14).

While Paul was correct doctrinally, you’ve got to admire how Peter so humbly responded.  He probably felt hurt and chafed at the rebuke initially—that’s something we can only speculate about.  What we do know is that he ultimately allowed this experience to make him better, not bitter.  Lesser men, embarrassed, would have likely held a grudge and been driven to discredit Paul.  But Peter allowed the disagreement to season him and refused to let it to poison him.

Instead of operating out of insecurity because of Paul’s great intellect, Peter later honored and even defended Paul: “This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture” (2 Peter 3:15-16, NLT).

When I was younger (and operating out of much insecurity myself), it was vitally important to me to be right.  When I graduated from Bible school, I was nearly omniscient (or thought I was) and was on the alert to quickly defeat any belief or idea that did not agree with mine.  As I’ve aged a bit, it’s amazing how much less I know now than I did nearly 30 years ago.  I still hold strongly to certain core beliefs, and I think that is important.  But I’ve also learned to be more respectful of people’s beliefs, ideas, and viewpoints that may disagree with mine.  Instead of seeing them as threats to be defeated, I now see them as learning opportunities.  I’ve found it very liberating to embrace the attitude (in many non-essential matters relating to styles, methods, etc.) that “You don’t have to be wrong for me to be right.”  I appreciate the oft-stated principle, ‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.’”

Many wise individuals have learned to benefit, grow, and learn through conflict—they have cultivated the art of redemptive disagreement.  Consider the following:

• “Agreement makes us soft and complacent; disagreement brings out our strength.  Our real enemies are the people who make us feel so good that we are slowly, but inexorably, pulled down into the quicksand of smugness and self-satisfaction.” (Sydney Harris)

• “We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t.”  (Frank A. Clark)

• “When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not.  Disagreement at this stage, stimulates me.  But once a decision has been made, the debate ends.  From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.”  (Colin Powell)

• “I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” (Dudley Field Malone)

• “The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know.”  (Napoleon Bonaparte)

• “He who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of a diplomat.”  (Robert Estabrook)

• “A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man; it is what he wants and must have to be good for anything.  Hardship and opposition are the native soil of manhood and self-reliance.”  (John Neal)

• "Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool!" (Charles H. Spurgeon)

• Benjamin Disraeli humorously said, “My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.”

In “The Grace Awakening,” Charles Swindoll shared the following guidelines for modeling grace through disagreeable times:

  • Always leave room for an opposing viewpoint.
  • If an argument must occur, don’t assassinate.
  • If you don’t get your way, get over it, get on with life.
  • Sometimes the best solution is separation.

On that fourth point, Swindoll cited Paul and Barnabas, and said, “If I can’t go on with the way things are in a particular ministry, I need to resign!  But in doing so I should not drag people through my unresolved conflicts because I didn’t get my way.  If separation is the best solution, doing it graciously is essential.

I trust that we’ll all be receptive to the wisdom and grace that will enable us to do what Paul said in Romans 12:18 (NKJV):  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Are You “Looking After” or “Looking Up?” by Tony Cooke

Are You “Looking After” or “Looking Up?” Rev. Tony Cooke

Perhaps you’ve heard about the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought for a second, handed the orange back, and said, “Peel it.”  There’s a little bit of gratitude lacking there, wouldn’t you say?

As we approach Thanksgiving, this is a great time to stop and remember how much we have to be thankful for.  Lisa and I are so grateful for the privilege of being able to share our heart with you each month, for those who have supported financially and through prayer, and we thank God for the tremendous opportunities we’ve had this year to strengthen churches and leaders.

With a “Global Economic Crisis” being declared this past month (with all of its accompanying angst), I was reminded of the strength of a German minister named Martin Rinkart who ministered in the 1600s during the Thirty Years’ War.  This was a most devastating time in German history, as the nation’s population was reduced from 16 to 6 million due to war, plagues, and famines.  It is said that in one year alone Rinkart buried 4,000 people.  Even though he carried out his ministry in such a difficult time, Rinkart had an unswerving confidence in God, and he ended up writing one of the most loved hymns of the German church, “Now Thank We All Our God.”  The first verse reads:

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

It’s remarkable to think that someone who witnessed that much pain and suffering could have such praise and thanksgiving welling up out of his heart, but he did.  This is no “doom and gloom” newsletter, and I thank God that He’s made a covenant with us, and that He’s given us inside information!  This is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith (1 John 5:4).

Focus is Essential

One of the recurring themes of Scripture has to do with our focus—what are eyes our fixed upon.  Jesus described end-time events and said that there would be “distress of nations, with perplexity” (Luke 21:25).  He then described two different directions that people could look:

  • In the next verse, Jesus referred to, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” 
  • Two verses later, He said, “…when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” 

We all have to answer the question: Are we “looking after” or “looking up?”

In the Old Testament, there are some beautiful “Beholds” (compliments of Isaiah and Zechariah) that directed the people of God to focus their attention on Him!

1. BEHOLD YOUR KING! – Zechariah 9:9

This messianic prophecy foreshadows Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem.  “Behold your King!” corresponds to Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus as the King.  Beholding Him as such reminds us that we under the Lord’s authority and reign.

2. BEHOLD MY SERVANT! – Isaiah 52:13

Isaiah 52:13 says, “…Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.”  Jesus is not only the King of Kings, but He came and lived as One who served.  Mark’s Gospel especially emphasizes Jesus as a servant.  When we see Jesus as the Servant, we are reminded of His willingness to meet our needs at the Father’s request.

3. BEHOLD THE MAN! – Zechariah 6:12

Luke’s Gospel underscores Jesus’ humanity.  Because Jesus was made like us in all things, and was in all points tempted as we are (yet without sin), He is able to aid us in our challenges, and is touched with the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15).  Seeing Him in His humanity reminds us of how truly He identified Himself with us.

4. BEHOLD YOUR GOD! – Isaiah 40:9

The prophet Isaiah uttered many of the most beautiful and lofty descriptions of God, including this one which urges His people to behold their God.

Isaiah 40:9

9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"

John’s Gospel reveals the Deity of Jesus.  It’s wonderful that Jesus is the King, a Servant, and fully man, but behind it all is His Deity.  He was and is God manifested in the flesh.  His Deity reminds us of his absolute ability to accomplish His good will and pleasure.

We saw what happens when people focus on the turbulence on the earth, but what happens when we set our gaze steadfast upon the Lord, even in troubled times?  Psalms 34:5 says, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”  That sounds a lot better than hearts fainting for fear, doesn’t it?

The world is providing plenty for us to look at, and I do believe we need to be wise.  I’m not saying that we should be like the ostrich and stick our heads in the sand.  Our assignment in life is not to live in denial of the challenges around us, but to believe in a God who is bigger than those challenges, and to walk in faith and wisdom. 

In closing, let me just mention a few more Scriptures that pertain to where our focus should be:

  • “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)
  • “…lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35)
  • “…we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
  • “…looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:13) 
  • “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2)
  •   “…keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 21)

May God give us all 20-20 vision as we behold Him, look to Him, and keep our focus on Him!

Living Deliberately

Living Deliberately
By Tony Cooke

Every time January rolls around, people begin speculating about what the New Year will bring. One individual said, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." As understandable as that perspective is, Winston Churchill emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on "today" when he said, "It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time." Planning in life is important, but a great future will only be ours if we do the vital and necessary things today!

In his book, "You Can Live a Purposeful Life," James Emery White related a series of questions to help us determine if we’ve considered and identified our core values:

* If I knew that tomorrow would be the last full day of my life, how would I spend the day?
* At the end of my life, what do I want to look back and say I’ve accomplished?
* If a list of adjectives were compiled to describe my life, what words would I like on that list?
* If I were to die tomorrow, what would I want people to remember as my most important achievement?
* Am I investing myself in those things that matter to me?
* Is there any person or cause I would be willing to die for?
* If I were contemplating suicide, what are five reasons for not killing myself?
* What is vitally important to me, what has some importance, and what is a complete waste to me?
* If I were to write a letter to my children about what was most important in my life, what would I tell them?
* If only a single word could be written on my tombstone, what would that word be?

It’s easy to waste time and energy in life worrying about things over which we have no control, instead of focusing on and acting on those very important issues that we do have control over. If you find yourself being tempted this year to be distracted by the many cares of this world, remind yourself of the importance of living deliberately according to the values that are really vital to you.

What Do You See When You Look on the Table?

Someone once said, “I might pick a rosebud off a tree, and it would be a rosebud and no more. The one I love in all the world might pluck a rosebud off a tree and give it to me, and it would be a rosebud and a great deal more. The meaning would be changed because she gave it to me.” … read more

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Process, Event, and the Little Red Hen By Tony Cooke

Process, Event, and the Little Red Hen
By Tony Cooke

Little Red HenMany years ago at a church service, I gave an altar call and a handful of people responded; one of these being a boy in his early teens. I had a self-congratulatory thought as though I was somehow responsible for these responses. Reality came quickly as a dear lady approached and let me know how thankful she was that God had touched her grandson’s heart. This grandmother told me that she had been praying for years for her grandson to come to the Lord. I realized that “I” wasn’t the cause of this young man coming to the Lord at all. I had been privileged to have a role in the overall process, but the gospel, the Power of the Holy Spirit, and this lady’s prayers were the major components of the process that led to this glorious event.

Getting born-again is an event. Many people can remember the moment their heart was convicted and they prayed to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That is truly a glorious event. But there was a process that preceded and led up to that event; it didn’t “just happen.” God knew you before the foundation of the world. Jesus came and performed the great work of redemption in His death, burial, and resurrection. Then the Holy Spirit came and worked through laborers to get you the gospel and to draw you to the point of faith.

Once the event of the new birth occurred in our lives, it launched us into another process: discipleship – being a fully committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Praying “the sinners prayer” wasn’t a final step; it was a first step. Billy Graham said, “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”

The Day of Pentecost was an event for the 120 gathered in the upper room, but it wasn’t an event for the sake of the event itself. It was a catalyst for other events and processes that were to follow. That glorious event launched those affected into a lifestyle (or process) of serving, witnessing, and continually being filled with and being led by the Spirit of God.

The word “event” comes from a Latin word meaning “to happen.” It refers to an outcome, a result, or an occurrence. In physics, an event is “an occurrence that is sharply localized at a single point in space and instant of time.” On the other hand, “process” refers to various steps, changes, or actions that progressively build upon one another and lead to a certain outcome or result.

Thanksgiving dinner may be the event, but just ask the cook; it took a process to get ready for and to prepare for the event. A team winning the championship game is an event, but all of the practicing and preparation by the winning team was a process. It’s very easy to focus on the event and to prize it above all else, while at the same time forgetting or not appreciating the process (or processes) that made the event possible.

Mature Believers Value Both Process and Event

I don’t know what it is about human nature, but I think all of us tend to love the event, but not care too much for the process. We look for the destination, but we don’t always appreciate the journey. We tend to love the results, but we don’t always want to take the steps necessary to experience the results.

One of David’s mighty men was named Eleazar. 2 Samuel 23:7 says, “He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the LORD gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!” The victory and the collecting of the spoils was a great event. The process that led to the event was the battle. Eleazar embraced the process, but everyone else only wanted to enjoy the event that followed.

That reminds me of the story many of us read as a child called “The Little Red Hen.” Do you remember it? The little red hen lived with a duck, a pig, and a cat. The hen found a grain of corn, planted it, harvested it, took the kernels to be turned into flour, and made the flour into bread. At every step, she asked the others if they would help her, and always received a negative response. However, when she sat down to eat the bread, everyone else wanted to partake. The story perfectly illustrates how people love the event (the finished product), but don’t necessarily want to participate in the process.

You’ve probably heard about the struggle a butterfly undergoes as it works its way out of its chrysalis (cocoon). It is a struggle (a process) as it works and fights its way out, but it is that very struggle that enables the wings of the butterfly to develop properly so that it can both be and fly beautifully (the outcome or the event). There is character that is developed in our lives through the growing process that enables us to be healthy and appreciate the outcomes we later experience in life. Perhaps that’s why Proverbs 20:21 tells us, “An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.”

For us…

A Sunday morning church service is an event, but all the prayer, planning, and preparation that goes on behind the scenes is a process.

The rapture of the church is an event, but “occupying until He comes” is a process.

Hearing “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” will be an event, but the obedience that leads up to that is a process. 2 Timothy 2:5 says, “if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned [the event] unless he competes according to the rules [the process].

Mike Krzyzewski of Duke’s basketball team said, “Our goal is not to win. It’s to play together and play hard. Then, winning takes care of itself.” At first glance, his statement seems to be counter-intuitive, but he’s differentiating between process and event. He’s saying that if his team will focus on the right components of the process, they’ll experience the right outcome (or event).

Likewise, famed boxer of yesteryear, Joe Frazier noted, “You can map out a fight plan or a life plan. But when the action starts, you’re down to your reflexes. That’s where your roadwork shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.” The training in the dark of the morning he referred to is the process; the big match under the bright lights is the event.

Over the years, I’ve observed that some Christians are thrill-seekers, always pursuing a greater spiritual high (event) than their last one. They travel here, there, and everywhere looking for the most dynamic services they can find. The more sensational the better. Please don’t misunderstand me; I’m thankful for services where God touches people in profound and meaningful ways, but “events” that we have with God should lead us into a process of transformation, service, obedience, and discipleship; not simply cause us to pursue more events.

I remember hearing Brother Hagin say something once that really shocked me. He said that often, instantaneous healings are more of a curse than a blessing. I couldn’t fathom that being true until he explained what he had observed over the years. He said that when people received an instantaneous healing, it was often based on the faith, gift, or anointing of another person, and they often lost that healing. Then, they had no idea of what to do to receive healing. However, when people received healing as a result of a process…of their faith being built on the word of God, and allowing His word to be medicine to their flesh, they not only received their healing, but they also knew how to maintain their healing. Of course, we appreciate instant healings (Jesus ministered these consistently), but let’s understand what Brother Hagin was communicating.

Let’s celebrate and fully pursue both great processes and great events. Like so many of the things God makes available to us, it’s really not an either/or proposition. Most often, it’s a matter of both/and. Let’s go after and actively embrace everything that God has for us, whether it’s in the form of a process or an event!

Is it Live, or is it Memorex? By Tony Cooke


Is it Live, or is it Memorex?
By Tony Cooke

life or memorexI remember a decades-old television commercial from Memorex, a company that made cassette tapes. A glass was shown sitting on a table while the voice of Ella Fitzgerald was heard singing. When a certain high note was hit, the glass shattered and the viewer was asked, “Is it live, or is it Memorex?” The point is that the quality of their product was so high that taped recordings were essentially indistinguishable from the live voice.

If you stop and think about it, our lives are supposed to be a duplication, of sorts, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    1. Luke 6:40 says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” 
    2. Ephesians 5:1 in the Amplified reads, “Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].”  
    3. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

This makes me wonder what kind of “reproduction quality” is happening in our lives. Is it possible for us to be so infused with and transformed by God’s Spirit that what comes out of us is “indistinguishable” from God Himself? The Spirit of God had worked so deeply and profoundly in the life of the Apostle Paul that he seemed to wrestle at times with the question, “Is this me, or is it God in me?”

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…

1 Corinthians 15:10
10 I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

What a delightful dilemma! The indwelling work of the Holy Spirit within Paul’s human spirit was such that he said, “I live” or “I worked,” but then he would have to clarify and say, “…but it really wasn’t me… at least it certainly wasn’t just me; it was Christ living and working through me.”

Paul did not believe that Christ dwelling in him meant that he had been thrown into a state of passivity, inactivity, or irresponsibility. Certainly he rested in the finished work of Christ, recognizing that God was the source of all life and power within him, but still he recognized that he was an active participant with God. He recognized his complete dependence upon God, but he also recognized that God desired his active cooperation and involvement in serving, obeying, and fulfilling Heaven’s plan for his life.

For example, Paul said in Colossians 1:29 (Amplified), “For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me.” So back to an earlier question, “Was this Paul, or was this God?” I don’t think we can answer that as an either/or; I think it is clearly a both/and. It was God working in and through Paul, AND it was Paul yielding to and cooperating with God.

Don’t Expect God To Do What He Told You To Do
We need to accurately discern what God’s role is in our lives, and what is our role; what are His responsibilities and what are our responsibilities? If people simply think that God is going to do everything, they can slip into a sense of irresponsibility and passivity that is certainly not supported or encouraged by the New Testament. On the other hand, if people think that they are going to do it all (without the empowerment and enablement of God), they are going to end up worn out and exhausted.

Paul did not say, “I don’t live at all; it’s all Christ.” Neither did he say, “I didn’t do any work of any kind, it was only God’s grace doing it all.” Paul said, “Nevertheless, I live…” and “I labored more abundantly than they all…” He qualified his role, though, by recognizing God as the Source of his life and his labors.

I remember hearing about an individual who read Romans 8:26 (“…the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us…”) and said that he had quit praying since and was just letting the Holy Spirit do all of his praying for him. No, we can’t expect God to do what He’s clearly told us to do, but we can trust Him to help and empower us as we obey Him.

What About Works? 
Ephesians 2:9 and Titus 3:5 emphatically state that our salvation is NOT based on our works! The gift of salvation is God’s part. He offers that to us freely based on the finished work of Christ. However, if you read just a bit further, Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 3:8 says that we are saved for good works and that we are to maintain good works. That is our part! 

Together, salvation by grace through faith AND good works which result from and follow that salvation point us toward “the whole counsel of God.” This does not present a contradiction; rather, a progression. Salvation, of course, starts with God saving us when we were completely incapable of saving ourselves. But having saved us and made us His children through faith, He works in us to do the degree that we see Philippians 2:13 (AMP) becoming a reality in our lives: “Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”

Is this you, or is this God? It is neither you or God exclusively. It is God working in you and it is you yielding yourself in submission and obedience to God. The verse which precedes that statement tells believers to, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12, NKJV). Notice that Paul did not say to work for your salvation, but rather, to work it out. The Amplified renders verse 12, “…work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling…”

We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), but we also have to walk in this world (Ephesians 4:1) and stand against spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:10). In being seated, we rest in the finished work of Christ. In walking and standing, we act on the finished work of Christ.

What About Cleansing?
Does God cleanse us or do we cleanse ourselves? Every Christian I know would heartily rejoice in the fact that God, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, has cleansed us from all sin! As a matter of fact, we read of this great truth in Hebrews 9:14: “…how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

While Hebrews 9:14 stresses God’s part in our cleansing, various other Scriptures emphasize our responsibility in cooperating with and obeying God in the overall process of living a holy life here on earth. 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV) says, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Someone might say, “Wait a minute! If God cleanses us, then how do we cleanse ourselves? Wouldn’t that be unnecessary?” That’s a very logical question, but we need to understand that these types of Scriptures are not contradictory; they are complementary. There is a God-ward side of our redemption (what He did for us) and a man-ward side (how we respond to what He did).

The book of Ephesians illustrates this perfectly. Chapters 1-3 can be summed up in a single word: Done. Those first three chapters of Ephesians emphasize what Christ has done for us. There we find that we have been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” (1:3), have been “accepted in the beloved” (1:6), and that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (2:6). All of that speaks of what He has already done for us in and in us.

But Paul doesn’t stop with “Done.” In Ephesians 4-6 he proceeds to instruct believers about “Do.” He addresses what we are to do and how are we to live in the light of what Christ has done for us. The Bible doesn’t just teach about the spiritual life we have from Christ, but it also teaches us about the practical lifestyle we are to lead because of Christ. Ephesians 4:1 sets the tone for the remainder of the epistle: “I… beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called…”

Is it God or is it us? The truth is that it is both. God does His part and we do our part.    Jude 24 says that God, “…is able to keep you from stumbling” and 1 Peter 1:5 says that we are “kept by the power of God…” God’s part is clearly articulated, but as we read other Scriptures, we see that we have a part to play as well. John said, “he who has been born of God keeps himself” (1 John 5:18) and also, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Jude also instructed believers, “keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21). James even said that a component of pure religion is, “to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

Paul said that Christ gave Himself for us so that He might, “purify for Himself His own special people” (Titus 2:14). Then he tells Timothy, “keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). The Apostle John said, “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). So, does God purify us, or do we purify ourselves? The answer is a resounding yes! We should never think that we can do anything of spiritual or eternal significance apart from His enablement, assistance, and empowerment, but neither should we think that true discipleship involves a passive, inactive, or disengaged state on our part. The wonderful, finished work of Christ does not nullify our responsibility to be “doers of the Word” (James 1:22). As we trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we actively yield to, obey, and cooperate with His plan and purpose being worked out in our lives.

Lessons From a Fallen King by Tony Cooke

Lessons from a Fallen King
Rev. Tony Cooke

We are going to look at a person in the Bible who never realized his full potential in God. The person I speak of is Saul from the Old Testament.

Saul is not one of the more positive role models given to us in the Word of God.

When we consider Saul, we realize several things…

* The Bible is honest about the flaws and the sins of its characters
* God did not try to sugar-coat the truth
* We see the very tangible dangers of disobedience

1 Corinthians 10:11-12
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition…
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

My desire in sharing this is that we will all learn from Saul, and benefit from his experience.

We can learn certain things…

* from Saul
* from how God dealt with him
* from how Saul responded.

1. GOD MAY HAVE SOME SURPRISES FOR YOU. HIS PLANS FOR YOU MAY BE BIGGER THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED.

Saul was merely looking for some lost donkeys when Samuel confronted him with his destiny… to become the King of Israel – 1 Samuel 9:3

This is not something Saul was ready to hear. He was intimidated and overwhelmed by the magnitude of his assignment.

1 Samuel 9:21 – Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?

John 15:16 – You did not choose me, but I chose you, and ordained you…

2 Tim. 1:9 – God has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

2. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE.

1 Samuel 10:6, 9-10
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.
10 When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

Pentecost was all about the life-transforming power of the Spirit of God coming upon believers – when we get filled with the Holy Spirit, He turns us into something we never were before – He gives us gifts and endowments that enable us to do things we never could have done on our own.

3. YOU MUST NOT FORGET THE PRACTICAL ISSUES IN LIFE AND MINISTRY.

I Samuel 10:7
And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. (NKJV)

(NAS) do whatever you find to be done…

(NIV) do whatever your hand finds to do…

(TLB) your decisions should be based on whatever seems best under the circumstances…

Notice the balance

vs. 6 – Emphasizes the Spirit

vs. 7 – Emphasizes the practical

Some are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. Others are so earthly minded they are no heavenly good. We need both!

4. A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE IS ESSENTIAL TO A LONG AND FRUITFUL MINISTRY.

There were key points in Saul’s life where he disobeyed God, and it cost him the kingdom.

1 Samuel 13:13-14
13 And Samuel said to Saul,"You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

1 Samuel 15:10-11
10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.

Obedience to God is not an option.

Isaiah 1:19-20
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

5. WHEN GOD USES YOU, STAY SMALL IN YOUR OWN EYES.

1 Samuel 15:17-18 (NIV)
Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.

Always remember that whatever you have is a gift from God.

Always remember that the gifts God has given you are (1) for the purpose of blessing others and (2) for His glory.

If God has given you the gift of teaching, it is so others can learn.

If God has given you the gift of pastoring, it is so others can be cared for.

If God has given you the gift of evangelism, it is so the lost can be saved.

If God has given you the gift of healing and miracles, it is so others can be healed.

Jesus said: "I can of mine own self do nothing."

Paul said: "Yet not I, but Christ lives in me." "Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

6. NEVER RESENT THE GIFTINGS OR THE ANOINTING THAT RESTS UPON OTHERS.

Saul was jealous of David. It created hatefulness and brought forth violence.

You must be secure in your own relationship with God, in your walk with God, and in your ministry.

Do not fall prey to the deadly trap of comparison, or get into competition with other ministers.

7. DO NOT FORCE GOD TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE JOB THAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO.

Because Saul disqualified himself, God had to appoint another.

1 Samuel 13:14
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

The Apostle Paul was very aware of the need to be diligent and disciplined.

1 Corinthians 9:27
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

God will raise up others to do your work if He has to, but He wants you to do what you’ve been called to do!

Esther 4:14
For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

God is still seeking men after his own heart!

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

God has a place for you, and He’s waiting for you to take your place.

Not necessarily because someone else did wrong, but because:

* The fields are white unto harvest
* The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few
* He still sees the multitudes and is still filled with compassion – sees them weary, scattered, as sheep without a shepherd

God has a place for you, and He’s waiting for you to take your place because…

* He is still building His Church, a Church that the gates of hell will not prevail against.
* His Church is still under orders, the Great Commission – to go into all the world…

What Do We Learn from Saul?

1. God has surprises for you. His plan for you may be bigger than you ever imagined.
2. The power of the Holy Spirit will make the difference in your life.
3. Don’t forget the practical areas of life and ministry.
4. A life of obedience is essential for a long and fruitful ministry.
5. When God uses you, stay small in your own eyes.
6. Never resent the giftings/anointing of others.
7. Don’t force God to find someone else to do the job you were supposed to do.

Limitations: The Ones We Respect and the Ones We Transcend by Tony Cooke


Limitations: The Ones We Respect and the Ones We Transcend
Tony Cooke

Limitations by Tony CookeThere are two types of limitations. There are legitimate limitations that we should respect, and there are perceived limitations that we should transcend. Wisdom in life is knowing which limitations are valid and are to be respected, and which limitations are illusions that are meant to be conquered.

It’s more exciting to preach about the limitations we get to (with God’s help) transcend, but it’s needful that we recognize limitations that we should respect. For example, if you try to engage in “limitless” activities, you will have no focus in your life. You’ll be trying to do so many things that you’ll do nothing effectively. Wisdom teaches us to limit ourselves appropriately and strategically so that what we do is meaningful and fruitful.

In other words, it’s way better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly. Blaise Pascal said, “We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything.” The Apostle Paul understood the principle of limiting himself to what God had actually assigned him to do.

2 Corinthians 10:13 (AMP)
13 We, on the other hand, will not boast beyond our legitimate province and proper limit, but will keep within the limits [of our commission which] God has allotted us as our measuring line and which reaches and includes even you.

When we recognize the role that God has given us, the assignment that He has for us, it helps us know what to say “yes” to, and also, what to say “no” to. Failure to understand and respect one’s limitations can have tragic consequences.

Jude 1:6 (NLT)
6 …I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged.

Jacob understood the physical and “endurance” limitations of those under his care, and he treated them accordingly. After what could have been a very tense reuniting with his brother, Esau said to Jacob, “let’s be going. I will lead the way.” Have you ever felt pressure to keep up with someone, to measure up to someone else’s expectations? Jacob wisely responded, “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir” (Genesis 33:12-14, NLT).

Jacob recognized some legitimate limitations, and those under his care were blessed because of his wisdom. I’m a wise person if I recognize that there are some legitimate limits. I’ll be safer and not pay fines if I observe the speed limit when I drive. I’ll be healthier if I respect the limits of my physical body and make sure I get proper rest. I’ll be able to apply myself realistically to life if I accept the fact that I’m not going to be drafted to play in the NBA next year.

While there are proper and legitimate limitations that we should observe, there are also pseudo-limitations that we can transcend. One of the things that made Walt Disney great in terms of his contributions to the happiness of people of all ages was his attitude about transcending limitations. He said, "It’s kind of fun to do the impossible."

I recently read the following about Lucille Ball. “Lucy grew up with a burning desire to be in show business. She left home in 1927 at the age of 15 and headed to New York City to study drama. After a short time her drama instructors sent a letter to her mother DeDe, stating that her daughter had no talent and was too introverted to make it in show business.” Anyone who knows anything about her illustrious career knows that her supposed “limitations” were radically transcended, and she became one of the greatest comedic actresses in America.

I’ve read from various sources about what is involved in training elephants. I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “Elephants never forget.” Trainers apparently capitalize upon that, beginning when an elephant is young and small. It is said that they will tie a rope to the ankle of the elephant and tie the other end to a stake that is driven firmly into the ground. The baby elephant quickly learns that when it feels tension on the rope, that it can go no further, and eventually quits trying.

Even when the elephant becomes a powerful adult and is capable of easily yanking the stake from the ground, it doesn’t even try. Why? Because it’s been programmed mentally to believe that when it feels the least bit of tension, it can go no further. So even though the adult elephant is now capable of going wherever it wants, it doesn’t try. It is “limited” by a misbelief… one that was true when it was a baby, but is certainly no longer the case.

I wonder how many believers are bound today by mental ropes? People are often intimidated by past failures, or simply by fears based on prognostications of, “You can’t do it; you’ll never succeed.” How many are being held by limitations that God wants them to transcend? God had so much more for Israel than they ever experienced, and this grieved God. Psalm 78:41 (NKJV) says, “Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”

If we only see our potential in terms of our own abilities and our own resources, we’re probably going to set our sights pretty low. On the other hand, if we see our potential in terms of God being with us and God being for us, we can have much greater expectations. As a matter of fact, Paul strongly encouraged this when he said, “Now to Him 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, NKJV).

There is a “spirit of faith” that believes with God’s help, we can go further, higher, and deeper. There is an attitude that simply doesn’t want to settle for mediocre or the bare minimum. Wilfred A. Peterson summed this up when he said, “Every forward step achieved by man has been due to the adventurous attitude. This attitude inspires dissatisfaction with the world as it is; it arouses the desire to change and improve things. The attitude of adventure is the flame that lights the fuse to explode new ideas."

Jessie Owens, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, powerfully expressed the significance of passion that endures. "There is something that can happen to every athlete and every human being; the instinct to slack off, to give in to pain, to give less than your best; the instinct to hope you can win through luck or through your opponent not doing his best, instead of going to the limit and past your limit where victory is always found. Defeating those negative instincts that are out to defeat us, is the difference between winning and losing – and we all face that battle every day."

Complacency and lethargy are great enemies to achievement. It’s easy to get comfortable in routines and to let past accomplishments be the measure of tomorrow’s goals. God is not a relentless taskmaster, driving us incessantly toward exhaustion, but if we listen to Him and get His direction, we’ll find that He will empower us to accomplish great things for His glory. Daniel 11:32 says, “…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Neil Simon said, “If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.”

Peter learned about transcending limitations when he loaned Jesus his boat.

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)
1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

I love the way the Message Version renders verses 6-7… “It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.”

What did Peter learn on this day? He learned that when you cooperate with Jesus and have good partners, you can transcend what have been your limitations in the past.

In summary, a person who thinks they can transcend all limitations is foolish and will end up in trouble. A person who thinks they are bound by all limitations is captive and will end up achieving little. A person who knows the difference between legitimate limitations and conquerable limitations is wise and will end up doing great things.

The Last Skill Spiritual Leaders Learn by Tony Cooke

The Last Skill Spiritual Leaders Learn
Tony Cooke

 

Video Message: Skills Part 1

 Video Message: Skills Part 2

Spiritual Skills for Leaders

Whether it’s learning to tie your shoes or driving a stick shift, life is a series of skill acquisitions. It doesn’t matter if you are a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker, you must have certain skills in order to do what you do. A Boy Scout who just earned his First Aid Badge will have acquired certain skills, a Registered Nurse will possess far more skills, while a neurosurgeon will have more specialized and advanced skills yet.

In this article, we are addressing what is often the last skill a spiritual leader learns: Self-Care. When I went to Bible School and began serving in the ministry, I was eager to acquire skills that I could use in pastoral ministry—in ministering to others. I first studied in the classroom, and eventually began to practice implementing those principles in real-life situations. Stop and consider a few basic and foundational skills a minister needs: prayer, study, teaching and preaching, organizing and administrating, counseling, and evangelizing.

As time goes on, leaders become aware that other skills are necessary, such as motivating, recruiting, delegating, and supervising. What about bookkeeping, accounting, banking, legal issues, building maintenance, church construction, and technology needs? Leaders confront problems associated with ministering to youth and marriages, as well as issues issues pertaining to aging, hospitalizations, and the bereaved. The need for people-skills becomes apparent as ministers find themselves wishing they had advanced training in psychology, conflict resolution, and human resources.

I was curious about what congregations and boards sometime expect of pastors, and I did an internet search on “pastoral opportunities.” I located one church that was looking to hire a pastor, and this is what they had listed as “required skills” for the prospective candidate:

  • Administration of Programs, Administrative Leadership, Adult Ministry , Communication (Written/Oral), Conflict Management, Congregational Communication, Congregational Fellowship, Congregational Home Visitation, Corporate Worship & Administration of Sacraments, Evaluation of Program and Staff, Evangelism, Family Ministry, Financial Management, Fund-Raising, Hospital and Emergency Visitation, Information Technology, Involvement in Mission beyond the Local Community, Leadership Development, Management of Building Usage, Mediation Skills, Office Management, Organizational Development, Pastoral Care, Preaching, Spiritual Development, Stewardship and Commitment Programs, Strategic Planning, Teaching, Youth Ministry

Does it make you tired to read that list? Of course, no one person can possibly be proficient in all areas, and hopefully leaders will be able to surround themselves with like-minded people who have skills in these various areas, but even then, a pastor can still feel responsibility to oversee others who are working in these areas, and that means he usually has to have at least some working knowledge in these varied issues.

What often results? Dr. Richard A. Swenson spoke of burnout in the “Charred Bacon” section of his book, Margin. He said, “Next time you fry bacon, leave one strip in the pan for an extra fifteen minutes. Then pick it up and look it over. This shriveled, charred, stiff-ended strip is analogous to what a person experiences in burnout.”

Some ministers seem to have a knack for taking care of themselves, pacing themselves, and setting proper boundaries for their lives. A significant number, though, seem not to learn these things until they’ve had the “charred bacon” experience. This is why I say that “self-care” is often the last skill a minister learns. He spends decades ministering to others before realizing that his own inner-resources have become depleted.

Let’s look at two individuals in Scripture. The first did not know his limits and failed to take care of himself. The second wisely operated in the skill of self-care.

Example One: Paul’s Assistant, Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:26-28, 30 (NKJV)
26 …he [Epaphroditus] was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;  30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.

Kenneth Wuest renders verse 30, “…he recklessly exposed his own life.” The Message Version paraphrases it, “in the process of finishing up that work, he put his life on the line and nearly died doing it.”

I love it that Paul did not condemn Epaphroditus. As a matter of fact, he said, “…hold such men in esteem.” But in pointing out the nature of the problem—that he over-extended himself and failed to pace himself—he was also warning others not to follow in the same pattern. The lessons seem clear:

  1. You can’t neglect yourself while you’re trying to save the world.
  2. You have limitations and you have needs.
  3. Respect your limitations and meet your needs in healthy, appropriate ways.
  4. If you don’t take care of your own well-being, no one else will.
  5. You are the steward of your own spiritual, emotional, and physical health.
  6. The Sabbath is important. We are not under the Old Testament “Law” of the Sabbath, but there is a Sabbath principle that is universal, and it needs to be observed.
  7. We need seasons of rest, refreshing, and rejuvenation.

In Pastors at Great Risk, Bob Sewell is quoted: “When my burnout was taking place, Howard Hendricks looked over his desk at me one day and said, ‘If you don’t do what you’re professing and teaching others to do, you’re a spiritual con artist.’  I think that as we continually give out when our inner reservoir is dry and empty, we become spiritual con artists as we call people to spiritual exercises that no longer matter much to us. It’s strong language, but that’s exactly what I was becoming as I talked to others about a full life in God while I was empty, dangerously empty.”

Example Two: The Lord Jesus

Mark 6:30-31 (NLT)
30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

We said earlier that the last skill that some ministers learn is that of taking care of themselves. Apparently, Epaphroditus didn’t operate in this, but Jesus did. Today, there are different levels we should consider.

  1. We must PERCEIVE the skill. This speaks of our awareness of the need to take care of ourselves.
  2. We must POSSESS the skill. This means that we know how to take care of ourselves.
  3. We must PRACTICE the skill. This means that we are actually doing it—we are actually taking care of ourselves.

Consider how Paul instructed Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:15-16 (NKJV)
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

It’s not that Paul wanted Timothy to be self-absorbed or narcissistic, but he realized that if Timothy was going to last in helping others, he had to be strong and refreshed himself.

Here are some thoughts about the skill of self-care:

  1. You need breaks. Not just physical breaks, but mental and emotional breaks also. Some ministers never shut down their brain activity concerning church related issues. Vacations, relaxation, and hobbies are NOT enemies of the ministry; they are necessary for longevity in ministry. What have you done for fun lately? Dave Williams said, “Working too long without a break is a form of pride.”
  2. You need help. God sends others to help, and if they aren’t there, consider scaling back what  you’re doing. If you feel like the guy at the carnival spinning all the plates on the sticks, you may need to let a few of the plates fall. It’s better to do a few things well than to do many things badly.
  3. You need health. You’ve only got one body, and God said it was the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Are you taking good care of your temple? Good food, good sleep, and good exercise are all important. Emotional health is also vitally important. How are you handling stress? Are you being honest with frustrations and other emotions? Do you have a good sounding board in your life (I know you’ve got God, but do you have a friend, a peer, a mentor that is also helping you in your journey)?
  4. You need renewal. The Great Shepherd is still in the business of restoring souls and making us to lie down in green pastures beside still waters (Psalm 23:2-3). If all of your prayer and study is just so you can “do your job,” are you really absorbing enough nutrients yourself? Don’t stay so preoccupied with ministry work that you forget to be transformed yourself by the Savior you love.

If you learned self-care early on, wonderful. If you’re like many and it’s one of the later skills you learn, may you practice and perfect it well.

Jurassic Park and the Incarnation by Tony Cooke

Jurassic Park and the Incarnation Rev. Tony Cooke

You’ve probably seen the movie, Jurassic Park.  It’s the story of some ambitious geneticists who embrace the undertaking of creating living dinosaurs from the DNA of extinct dinosaurs.  The endeavor is going so well that a theme park is being built around the exhibition, but then things go dreadfully wrong and the dinosaurs start killing the people.

One of the characters, Malcolm, tries to warn the founder of Jurassic Park with these words: “Don’t you see the danger, John, inherent in what you’re doing here?  Genetic power is the most awesome force ever seen on this planet.  But you wield it like a kid who’s found his dad’s gun.  You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you knew what you had, you patented it, packaged it, slapped in on a plastic lunch box, and now you want to sell it.  Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

That last statement offers succinct insight to the effect that power has if it is unchecked and unrestrained by ethical considerations.  This brings us to the Incarnation (God becoming a man in the Person of Jesus Christ).  Jesus’ entire life and ministry here on earth wasn’t a matter of Him pursuing what he could have, but rather, it was Him embracing and carrying out what He should do.

I really like how the New Living Translation renders Philippians 2:5-8.  “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Stop and think about it…

  • Jesus could have stayed in heaven and enjoyed the comforts and pleasure of His eternal co-existence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but He didn’t.
  • Jesus could have turned stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger, but he didn’t (Matthew 4:3).
  • Jesus could have received earthly kingship, but He didn’t (John 6:15).
  • Jesus could have received angelic deliverance from the cross, but He didn’t (Matthew 26:53).

Similarly, Moses focused on what he should do, not on what he could do.  Hebrews 11:24-27 (The Message) reads, By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house.  He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors.  He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff.  By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going.

Christianity in America

Richard Halverson, former Chaplain to the U.S. Senate made a fascinating observation about how Christianity has been expressed through various societal and cultural filters.  He said, “Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship. Then it moved to Greece and became a philosophy, then it went to Rome and became an institution, and then it went to Europe and became a government. Finally it came to America where we made it an enterprise.”

I believe we should use every tool available to spread the gospel, but we’ve got to be extremely careful about two things in our corporate-minded, entertainment-oriented society:

1. We cannot let these tools become an end in-and-of-themselves.  For example, a building can be a “tool” that facilitates fellowship, teaching, and worship.  But we don’t build buildings just to build buildings.  We may use programs, but ministry is not about programs; it’s about purpose.  Make sure you don’t lose your sense of purpose in the programs, the buildings, or the “trappings” of ministry.

2. We cannot let the spirit of the world poison our efforts.  TV, for example, can be a powerful tool for ministry, but if a “celebrity” mentality replaces a servant’s heart, the result becomes more of a Jurassic Park than an Incarnation (Jurassic Park was an answer to what could be done, while the Incarnation was an answer to what should be done).

Keep in mind – Christianity is not about building enterprises, egos, or empires; it is about building people.  Church is not about entertaining saints; it is about equipping people to work for God.  “Growth” is not merely about increased crowds, it’s about enlarged hearts.  Ministry is not about becoming a celebrity; it is about being a servant.

I’m not against ministers or ministries that become “big,” but I am concerned when pastors and others feel inferior if their labors have not resulted in what is considered a “mega” ministry.  Pastor Hagin was right when he said that ministry is spelled W-O-R-K.  And we need to know that God is pleased when we work for Him, regardless of whether what we do draws massive crowds or generates fame for ourselves. 

Christianity in the Trenches

We tend to think that God only smiles on the guy in the spotlight (or the television lights), but I believe that God is pleased with the men and the women who are striving in the trenches.  You may not receive the accolades of men for making sure the single mom’s kids have school supplies or shoes, or for sitting with a family in the emergency room, or for feeding the hungry, but those labors of love please God.   I think that’s why Jesus said (Matthew 10:42, NLT), “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”  Some things may not look to magnificent from an “enterprise” mentality, but they are powerful expressions of the Kingdom!

We pray that you’ll have a crystal-clear perspective of how God sees you and the work that He’s called you to do for Him.  If your call results in something really “big,” that’s great, but that’s not what it’s about.  We know that we are not the Incarnation in the same sense that Jesus was and is, but when you express Him in the earth, you are “incarnating” the Kingdom.  That’s what Paul meant (2 Cor. 4:7) when he said, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.”  The expressions of His love that you exhibit through your ministry—the kind you do all the time—really please God.  Thank you for being a faithful servant!

A Final Thought

“During WW II, England needed to increase its production of coal.  Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support.  At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Picadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open.  Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa.  Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-soaked men in miner’s caps.  Someone would cry from the crowd, ‘And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’  And from ten thousand throats would come the answer: ‘We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.’”

Not all jobs in the church are prominent and glamorous.  But the people with their “faces to the coal” play a vital role in helping to build the Kingdom of God!

When Labels are Fables by Tony Cooke


When Labels are Fables
Tony Cooke

Labels are FablesI’m curious. Who has defined reality for you? What is the basis for how you see yourself, the people around you, your circumstances, your destiny, and your world? How much of your sense of reality has been defined by your parents, your education, society, and the media?

The world around us works very hard to define reality for us.

  • If you buy this car, you will really be happy.
  • If you use this cologne or perfume, the opposite sex will be crazy about you.
  • If you wear this brand of clothing, you will be really cool.
  • If you drink this beverage, you will be really popular and will have great times with great friends.
  • If you hold these politically correct views, you will be socially acceptable.

It should go without saying—but perhaps it’s good to be reminded—that this world is full of people who will sell you a bill of goods. If you buy them, you’ll be left frustrated, empty, and disillusioned. Deception is referred to three times in Matthew 24—a chapter that deals with the end-times. Twice it says that many will be deceived (verses 5 and 11), and verse 24 says that, “…false christs and false prophets will rise and… deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Don’t let anyone else define reality for you! David said, “Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:2-3). You need to believe what you say—not what they say—and what you say needs to be based on the truth of the Word.

Proverbs 14:15 (MSG) tells us that, “…the gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word.” If there was ever a time when God’s people need to be discerning, today is that day! Romans 16:19 (MSG) says, “I want you also to be smart, making sure every ‘good’ thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this…”

We need to be deeply grounded in the truth and have our minds renewed by God’s Word so that we are not conformed to or deceived by the world. If a thousand people say that “up” is “down” and “down” is “up,” it doesn’t make it so. Isaiah 5:20 (NLT) says, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.” There was a time in Israel’s history where God’s own covenant people were so far off-track that God said to them, “Because of your great sin and hostility, you say, ‘The prophets are crazy and the inspired men are fools!’” (Hosea 9:7, NLT).

Rev. Joe Wright of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, gave the invocation at the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 1996. He prayed:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbors’ possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Deception can come from outside the church, but also from within. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus spoke to local churches, and made it very plain that sometimes, labels are fables! People would claim to be something, but Jesus knew who they really were. He commended His people when they did not swallow lies! He did not want His people to be misled. Consider the following:

  • “…you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars…” (Revelation 2:2)
  • “…those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9)
  • “…that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess…” (Revelation 2:20)
  • “…those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie…” (Revelation 3:9)
  • “Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…” (Revelation 3:17)

Jesus is not impressed with slick talk, smooth words, self-promotion, rationalization, excuses, or false labels. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT) says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

Jesus knows when labels are fables—He knows reality. He is not fooled by smoke and mirrors. One of the most sobering statements Jesus ever made is Matthew 7:22-23: “Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” This really drives home the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:18 (AMP), “For [it is] not [the man] who praises and commends himself who is approved and accepted, but [it is the person] whom the Lord accredits and commends.”

In the end, the reasonings of men will not prevail. Humanistic philosophies will not prevail. Popular opinion will not prevail. Political correctness will not prevail. In the end, only the Word of God will prevail.

People can either deal with reality now, or they can deal with reality later. But ultimately, everyone will some day face reality. John 12:47-48 says, “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” What is our mission? We are endeavoring to help people respond joyfully to the Word of God now, so that they do not have to react mournfully to it later!

A Jealous God? Rev. Tony Cooke

A Jealous God?
Rev. Tony Cooke

jealous godJealousy is often thought of only in a negative light, and there has been no shortage of negative examples to reinforce such thinking.  In its negative expression, ungodly jealousy is a carnal, ugly trait associated with insecurity, fear, covetousness, and suspicion.  It was Shakespeare who called jealousy a “green-eyed monster.”

But there is another side of jealousy.  God said of Himself, even in the midst of delivering the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me. …you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…(Exodus 20:3, 5 – NKJV).

Other versions of verse 5 read:

    1.  I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. (GNT)
    2.  I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! (NLT)
    3.  I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. (TLB)

“A Handbook on Genesis” tells us that the root meaning for jealous here is “red,” and “may suggest the color of one’s face produced by deep emotion. It is a human emotion, to be sure, but it is used here to describe the intense reaction of a holy God who demands unqualified loyalty from his chosen people.”

Later in Exodus, God makes another powerful statement about his jealousy, and goes so far as to identify His very Name as Jealous:

Exodus 34:14 (NKJV)
14 …for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God

Other translations render this:

    1.  You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you. (NLT)
    2.  For you must worship no other gods, but only Jehovah, for he is a God who claims absolute loyalty and exclusive devotion. (TLB)
    3.  Do not worship any other god, because I, the Lord, tolerate no rivals. (GNT)
    4.  Don’t worship any other god. God—his name is The-Jealous-One—is a jealous God. (MSG)
    5.  For you shall worship no other god; for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God. (AMP)

Some might contend that God was only jealous “under the Law.”  However, a careful study of Scripture indicates that the jealousy of God is an unchanging part of His Nature; it is one of His eternal attributes.  Godly jealousy is a beautiful aspect of the eternal nature of God.  Because of this godly jealousy, He rightly desires to draw us unto Himself to satisfy His own mercy and love by bestowing them on us. 

In the New Testament, godly jealousy is clearly seen in various Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 11:1-2 (NKJV)
2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Other versions read:

    1.  I am jealous for you, just as God is… (GNT)
    2.  I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy… (ISV)
    3.  I have a deep jealousy over you like God’s own jealousy for his people. (NIGTC)
    4.  I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. (NLT)

One commentary renders this, “I have zeal with a zeal of God.”

John Chrysostom, the Bishop of Constantinople who died in 407 A.D., spoke of this verse: “Paul uses a word here which is far stronger than mere love. Jealous souls burn ardently for those whom they love, and jealousy presupposes a strong affection. Then, in order that they should not think that Paul is after power, wealth or honor, he adds that his jealousy is ‘divine.’ For God is said to be jealous, not in a human way but so that everyone may know that he claims sovereign rights over those whom he loves and does what he does for their exclusive benefit. Human jealousy is basically selfish, but divine jealousy is both intense and pure.”

James 4:4-5 (NLT)
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful?

Other versions read:

    1.  The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously. (NKJV)
    2.  The Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely. (NIV)
    3.  The Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, watches over us with tender jealousy. (TLB)
    4.  The Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us? (ISV)
    5.  The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” (MSG)
    6.  The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone. (NCV)

William Barclay said of the above verse: “There is… a sense in which love gives and demands an exclusive devotion to one person.  It is profoundly true that a man can be in love with only one person at a time; if he thinks otherwise, he does not know the meaning of love.”

Echoing God’s command that we not have any gods before Him, the Apostle John ended his first epistle with this simple phrase: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1 John 5:21).

Other versions say:

    1.  Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. (NLT)
    2.  Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. (MSG)
    3.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)–[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).

1 Corinthians 10:14, 22 (NKJV)
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
22 …do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

The Amplified translation of verse 14 reads: Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).

Verse 22 is rendered elsewhere:

    1.  What? Do you dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy as Israel did? Do you think we are stronger than he is? (NLT)
    2.  Besides, the Master won’t put up with it. He wants us—all or nothing. Do you think you can get off with anything less? (MSG)

Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?  Paul asked this question because we, as believers, can be doing one of two things: (1) we can provoke God’s jealousy, or (2) we can satisfy God’s jealousy.  We can either frustrate His burning desire for us for Himself, or we can satisfy His burning desire for us for Himself.  He wants our focus, our attention, our devotion, and our commitment.  He wants all of our hearts and all of our lives.

The Prophet Isaiah said that God created us for His glory, had formed us for Himself to declare His praise, and had blotted out our transgressions for His own sake (43:7, 21, 25).  It has been said that God gives gifts with “no strings attached,” but I believe that every gift God gives has strings attached by which He can draw us unto Himself.  In Hosea 11:4, God said, “I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love…”  God’s jealousy is a wonderful aspect of His nature, because through it He draws us unto Himself.  May we ever satisfy – and never provoke – His jealousy.

Was Jesus a Jedi? by Tony Cooke

Was Jesus a Jedi?
By Tony Cooke

Biblical Texts: 1 John 1:5; Acts 17:16-34; John 14:6

Introduction and Overview

Very few people in this country are unfamiliar with the term, “Jedi,” but in case you are, let me give you some background.

The first Star Wars movie came out in 1977 and was followed by two sequels:
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Return of the Jedi (1983)

After many years, three prequels in the same series were released:
The Phantom Menace (1999).
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The story line is one of good and evil. In many ways, it is similar to the old-time, medieval romances.

  • A tale of knights and chivalry
  • A princess being rescued
  • Battles with dragons and monsters
  • Epic wars
  • Imaginative fantasy and superstition

In King Arthur’s saga, you had Merlin the Magician, as well as the Knights of the Round Table. In Star Wars, you have Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. They are “Jedi Knights,” and they are a combination of Merlin (with his connection to supernatural powers) and the Knights (with their bravery in battle).

The Ewoks, furry little forest creatures, are somewhat reminiscent of Robin Hood’s Merry Men.

There is the storming of what seemed to be the impenetrable castle, only this time, the castle is a “Death Star” in outer space.

There are even sword fights, although these swords are made of laser rather than steel.

The Pervasive Influence of Star Wars

Shortly before the release of Phantom Menace, there was a survey of 16,000 15-34 year olds in which they were asked to identify their hero. The results were:

1. Luke Skywalker
2. Jesus Christ
3. Michael Jordan
4. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The significance of the first Star Wars movies was such that President Reagan borrowed terminology from the movie during a critical time in our Nation. In a speech delivered on March 8, 1983, President Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as “an evil empire.” Two weeks after his speech, the President announced his Strategic Defense Initiative, involving a proposed plan whereby the United States would be able to shoot down incoming missiles. This defense system was quickly called Star Wars.

Analyzing the Movie and Its Influence

What is it that separates Star Wars from a good, old-fashioned King Arthur or Robin Hood movie?

  1. There are high-tech special effects that are impressive and enjoyable.
  2. The movie is set in outer space, not in the middle ages.
  3. There is a spiritual dimension to the film that is presented as “The Force.” Many of the characters in the movie dismiss the Force as an ancient, outdated, and irrelevant superstition. However, the Jedi Knights learn how to tap into this supernatural power and use it to their advantage. To do so, they must follow their instincts, trust their feelings, quiet their minds, avoid their fears, etc.

Concerned Christians have correctly pointed out the following:

  1. The Force of Star Wars should not be confused with the God of the Bible. Nor should it be confused with faith as it is taught in the Bible.
    a. The Force is impersonal, but the God of the Bible is personal.
    b. The Force has both a good side and a dark side, but the God of the Bible “…is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
  2. The concepts in Star Wars are predominantly those of eastern religions and the occult. There is a strong pull from Buddhism, pantheism, New Age philosophies, and even a sprinkling of Christian symbolism.

These observations have caused some to denounce Star Wars, stating that Christians should have nothing to do with something that is worldly, ungodly, promoting religious and even occult philosophies.

Another Perspective?

While I certainly do not embrace all of the philosophies that are communicated in Star Wars, I believe that Christians can have a much more productive response than, like turtles, pulling our heads in our shells and isolating ourselves from the outside world.

I believe the response of the Church to Star Wars should be identical to Paul’s response to the false religious views he saw in Athens.

William Barclay said of the religious climate in Athens: “It was said that there were more statues of gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together and that in Athens it was easier to meet a god than a man.”

Acts 17:16-34

16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
17. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the [Gentile] worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
18. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine [is] of which you speak?
20. “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
21. For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
23. “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
24. “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25. “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26. “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27. “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28. “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
29. “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
30. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31. “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
32. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this [matter.”]
33. So Paul departed from among them.
34. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Consider what happened here:

1. Paul saw people in Athens searching for an answer. He saw empty people searching for something that would satisfy them, something that would genuinely meet their needs, and something that would truly answer the cry of their heart.

2. Paul found a point of common ground with these people. He saw that one of their many altars was “unoccupied,” that there was no statue behind the altar… only an inscription that said, “To the Unknown God.” Paul saw this as an opportunity to introduce them to the God they did not know, and the God he did know.

3. Paul did not attack and denounce their idolatry. Instead, he found something in their belief system that served as an entrance, an open door for the Gospel. He did not compromise the truth of God’s Word, but he found a way to present the Word of God to them in the framework of their existing mentality. In essence, Paul used their system, in spite of its flaws, to point them to the true God.

One reason I believe that people are drawn to Star Wars is that people have a hunger for the God they don’t know (just like the Athenians did). They crave supernatural reality.

They may have never seen genuine Christian spirituality. Perhaps all they’ve seen is dead religion and dead churches, but have never seen the true power of God in demonstration.

I believe that Star Wars asks the right questions; it just doesn’t have the right answers.
The Producer Speaks

In an interview with Time Magazine, George Lucas (the Producer of the Star Wars movies) said the following:

“I put the Force into the movie in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people – more a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system. I wanted to make it so that young people would begin to ask questions about the mystery. Not having enough interest in the mysteries of life to ask the question, ‘Is there a God or is there not a God?’ – that is for me the worst thing that can happen. I think you should have an opinion about that. Or you should be saying, ‘I’m looking. I’m very curious about this, and I am going to continue to look until I can find an answer, and if I can’t find an answer, then I’ll die trying.’”

Lucas admitted that “…he is in that searching category, that he believes in a God but does not know who that God is.”

Lucas expresses his belief that one religion “is as good as another,” and directly states: “The conclusion I’ve come to is that all religions are true.” (Reported by Albert Mohler Jr. in World Magazine, “Faith vs. the Force,” May 22, 1999).

In an article entitled, “Seduced by the Dark Side,” Dr. Tom Snyder said:

“It’s really downright confounding how a man as smart as George Lucas can make the stupid statement that ‘all religions are true.’ They can’t possibly all be true.

…Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other non-Christian religions disagree ENTIRELY with the New Testament’s view of God and Jesus Christ, and with the historic Christian faith. To pretend otherwise is not only just wishful thinking, it’s a big fat lie.” (From Movieguide / June A 1999).

Finding The Real Answer

Stop and think about it. Jesus did not say, “I am one of many ways.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).

When Jesus was facing the prospect of Calvary, He prayed, “Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me.” He didn’t get up from that prayer and run away from the Cross. He didn’t abandon God’s plan for man’s redemption and say, “May the Force be with you.”

  • Mankind’s need was not be get connected with some universal, cosmic, impersonal force.
  • Mankind’s need was to have sin—that which separates man from God—taken out of the way.
  • Mankind’s need was to be brought into relationship with a personal Heavenly Father. Jesus accomplished this through His death on the Cross, through the shedding of His blood, and through His resurrection.

I believe the best thing the Church can do is to use movies such as Star Wars to engage people and direct them to the One True God.

Shortly after Star Wars first came out, I was a freshman at Butler University. I used that movie to lead another student (a real skeptic) to the Lord. I found that the mystical emphasis of the movie really spoke to the spiritual hunger that he had on the inside. I explained that the Force wasn’t real, but it was a philosophical attempt to answer the true spiritual hunger that people have in their heart.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the true realities that man’s empty heart yearns for.

Our God is Personal, and there is no dark side in Him.

Was Jesus a Jedi?

No. Jedi is a myth.

Jesus is a reality.

Jesus wasn’t trying to tap into some universal force. He was (and is) the Creator of the Universe and all of its laws.

He didn’t use mind control to influence people. He spoke the truth and allowed people to accept or reject.

He turned water into wine.
He walked on the water.
He calmed the storms.
He multiplied food.
He healed the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He raised the dead.
He bore sin of humanity.
He conquered death, hell, and the grave.
He rose triumphantly and is alive forevermore.

The dilemma of the first three movies is that of an evil empire that needs to be defeated. The focus of the second set of movies is on the evil within. In other words, how does a cute and seemingly innocent young boy named Annakin Skywalker become the sinister Darth Vader? How does one with so much potential begin his journey down the dark side?

Really, this is the story of the human race.

The hunger and the questions raised are universal. But the answer to these questions will not be seen on the big screen or on the videos.

  • The true answers will only be found in God’s Word, the Bible.
  • The answer will not be found in an impersonal force, but in a personal God.
  • The answer is not found in following your instincts, but in following the Holy Spirit.
  • The answer is not found in trusting your feelings, but by trusting in God.
  • The answer is not found in emptying your mind, but in filling your mind with the truth of God’s Word.

Conclusion

If you just want to go and enjoy the special effects and see the film for entertainment value, that is fine. Enjoy the movie.

But if you want to look deeper and see the “religious stew” that is assembled, please realize that a false view (“all religions are true”) underlies the film. This confusion reflects a confused society that is like the Athenians of old. Embracing a multiplicity of false gods while remaining ignorant of the one true God.

Realize that the spiritual hunger that causes people to be drawn to Star Wars is legitimate, but the answer to that spiritual hunger will never be found on the Big Screen. It will only be found in the Big Book!

To Christians, I recommend that instead of denouncing the movie because it violates your theology, use the movie as a touch-point for people who identify with its search, but take them a step farther and show them the truth that is only found in Jesus Christ.

Involuntary Heroes by Rev. Tony Cooke

Involuntary Heroes Rev. Tony Cooke

John F. Kennedy is a great figure in American history, and is well-known as our thirty-fifth president.  After graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy and was put in charge of a U.S. Navy Torpedo Boat, PT-109, in the Pacific.  When he and his crew were on a night patrol in August of 1943, their boat was rammed by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri.  Kennedy (who had been injured himself) towed a more seriously wounded man as he led the survivors to safety by swimming to a nearby island.  Five difficult days afterward they were rescued.

As a result, JFK received the Purple Heart and other military honors.  Kennedy was later asked how he became a war hero.  Expressing his keen sense of humor, he said, “It was involuntary.  They sank my boat.”

When I read that, it made me think of how many situations we face in life that really are involuntary.  In other words, we all encounter circumstances that we never asked for (and probably never would ask for).  This leads us to a great truth in life: We don’t have control over all the situations we encounter, but we do have control over our reactions and responses.  In spite of Kennedy’s humorous twist regarding the question he was asked, it wasn’t his boat being sunk, but rather his response that made him a hero

The same principle is true of many of the great characters in the Bible:

  • Joseph didn’t volunteer to be sold into slavery or thrown into jail, but his response made him a hero.
  • Gideon didn’t volunteer to be one of those oppressed by the Midianites, but his response made him a hero.
  • Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t volunteer to go into Babylonian captivity, but their response made them heroes.
  • Esther didn’t volunteer to be raised as a Jewish orphan in a foreign land, but her response made her a hero.
  • Paul didn’t volunteer for a shipwreck, but his response made him a hero.

When confronted with great adversity, our natural instinct may be to despair, to complain, and to say, “This isn’t fair.  Why is this happening to me?” or even, “I didn’t sign up for this!”  But the Bible makes it clear that our response to negative circumstances needs to be the response of faith.

This is why James told us, “…when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.   So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4, NLT).

James understood that certain challenges in life were inevitable, but we can respond to such inevitabilities with a great confidence in God.  When we do, great results occur.  Someone said, “A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure.” 

Author Zane Grey shared the following outstanding insight: “Recipe for greatness — To bear up under loss, to fight the bitterness of defeat and the weakness of grief, to be victor over anger, to smile when tears are close, to resist evil men and base instincts, to hate hate and to love love, to go on when it would seem good to die, to seek ever after the glory and the dream, to look up with unquenchable faith in something evermore about to be, that is what any man can do, and so be great.”

Something Else That’s Involuntary

We don’t only face involuntary adversity, but when we stop and think about it, we realize that our calling in life—the assignment that God’s given each of us—is also involuntary.  It’s true that we have a choice to accept it or reject it, to submit to it or rebel against it, but God has given us a calling according to His own choosing.  Consider the following Scriptures:

Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you… (John 15:16).

2 Timothy 1:9 says that God “…has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

Paul, in Philippians 3:12, references the calling he received from the Lord and his response to that calling, and says, “…that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”  Notice that he refers to his calling as having been “apprehended.”

It is true that God is a gentleman, that He does not override our free will.  However, He does issue commands and asks that we submit our will to his.  Even Jesus had to do this, as was evidenced by His statement, “…not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Summary

We all face things in life that are involuntary.  We didn’t ask for some of the challenges we face, nor did we necessarily ask for God’s plan for our lives.  He loved us before we loved Him.  He sought us before we ever thought about seeking Him, and thank God that he also apprehended us!

There may be times in your life when you feel like JFK… that someone sank your boat, and now you find yourself dealing with the results.  You can bemoan the predicament, or you can become a hero through a positive and persistent response. 

William Shakespeare said, “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”  I believe that greatness is thrust upon us when we respond positively both to the trials of life and to God’s claims upon our lives.

We pray that this will be a tremendous year for you, and that regardless of the challenges that life brings, you will find great strength and courage through your relationship with Him.

 

Are Indulgences Making a Comeback?

Are Indulgences Making a Comeback? Rev. Tony Cooke

One of the movies I’ve enjoyed in recent year was about Martin Luther’s ministry leading up to and through the Protestant Reformation (the title of this work from 2003 is “Luther”).  In it, his grief over the unscriptural practice of indulgences is clearly seen.  The “Pocket History of the Church” says that indulgences, “…authorized by papal authority in 1411, had begun in the eleventh century with the teaching that pious service, say, in the Crusades would reduce one’s stay in purgatory. In the fifteenth century, guarantees of shorter stays in purgatory in exchange for monies became a regular component of fundraising techniques for the papacy.”

The idea of “buying blessings” did not start, though, in the Middle Ages.  In Acts 8, Simon the Sorcerer made an offer to Peter that he could refuse (because of Peter’s integrity)!

Acts 8:18-22

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

The New Testament in Modern English translates verse 20, “To hell with you and your money!”  J.B. Phillips says that this “is exactly what the Greek means,” and the Message Version and the Good News Translation also provide similar renderings.  Even today, the term “Simony” refers not only to the practice of purchasing ecclesiastical offices, but also is used broadly to denote any kind of trafficking in sacred things.

We all know that tithing and giving is an important part of what the Bible teaches, and we know that it takes money for churches and ministries to operate, but there is a serious problem when the impression is given that every blessing, every breakthrough, every miracle, and every answer to prayer is contingent upon a financial gift being given.  Maybe we’re not trying to reduce our own time, or spring a relative from purgatory through financial gifts today, but isn’t it still a serious matter if people are led to believe that every blessing and breakthrough is somehow connected to money?

I recently heard a minister on television extolling the virtues of the number “seven” as it is used throughout the Bible.  Somehow, he drew the conclusion that since this is 2007, that meant that his viewers were being instructed by God to give a certain monetary amount to receive their breakthrough.  Somehow, though, I didn’t hear him suggest that anyone send in a $7 offering (which would have seemed logical if there really was even a remote connection to what we’re supposed to give relative to the calendar year).  Somehow, $77, or $777, and $7,777 were the suggested amounts.  His line of thought made me wonder if no offerings would have been expected in the year 2000. 

As I listened to this slick presentation, I couldn’t help but wonder if Martin Luther wasn’t questioning if he had published his Ninety-five Theses in vain.  I thought to myself, “I’ve heard of the ministries of encouragement, edification, and exhortation, but this is nothing more than extraction—extracting money out of the peoples’ wallets!”  Further, I wondered why all of these presentations on television always end with the phrase, “Go to your phone,” and never, “Go to your church.” 

Recently, I heard of a minister who said, “You can receive information from anyone, but you can only receive revelation from a minister that you sow into.”  I thought to myself, “If that’s the case, then none of us would be able to receive revelation from any of Paul’s writings, because none of us ever gave financially to him.”

As much as I dislike some of the things I’m seeing and hearing (and I know that these are just a couple of examples among hundreds), it reminded me of how grateful I am for the pastors, missionaries, and other fine ministers who share the Gospel and the Word of God in a straightforward manner, with simplicity and sincerity.  Thank God for those who are keeping the waters pure!

Blessings Without Money

I was refreshed as I remembered Isaiah 55:1-2:  Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Please know, though, that I’m not against giving!  Churches, missionaries, and ministries all need finances to operate, and to fulfill the Great Commission!  As long as we hold to the understanding that God’s greatest blessings are free gifts, then we can give from the right heart and the right motive, and we can avoid being pressured, manipulated, or taken advantage of!  What are some of the healthy New Testament principles of giving?

  1. Believers are to give PERSONALLY.  In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul described the great generosity of the Macedonians, and he said (verse 5), “…they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”  Giving wasn’t just a religious ritual, but it was a reflection of a life totally given to God.
  2. Believers are to give SYSTEMATICALLY.  Paul said (1 Corinthians 16:2), “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside…”  Systematic and regular giving produces stability in churches and promotes maturity and responsibility in believers.
  3. Believers are to give PROPORTIONATELY.  If you read more of 1 Corinthians 16:2, it says, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper…”  Giving was to be in proportion to how much the people had prospered.
  4. Believers are to give GENEROUSLY.  Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”  Keep in mind that this doesn’t just apply to money.  We can also be generous with our time, our talents, our encouragement of others, etc.
  5. Believers are to give WILLINGLY.  In Exodus 35:5, Moses said, “Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD…”
  6. Believers are to give PURPOSEFULLY.  One of my favorite verses on giving has always been 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart…”  Giving should be deliberate and intentional, not because of pressure, hype, or manipulation.
  7. Believers are to give CHEERFULLY.  The last part of 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “…for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The word cheerful here is the Greek word hilaros, from which we get our English word hilarious.  Giving truly should be a joy!
  8. Believers are to give RESPONSIBLY.  There is a principle of responsibility when it comes to finances.  We need to be responsible not only with the 10%, but also with the 90%.  We are to be responsible to tithe to our local church and we are responsible to see to it that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is carried out.
  9. Believers are to give EXPECTANTLY.  Many Scriptures (e.g., Ecclesiastes 11:1-3, Luke 6:38, etc.) address the blessing connected with giving, and we should give with a heart of expectancy.
  10. Believers are to give WORSHIPFULLY.  True giving is far more than a financial transaction; it is an act of worship unto God.  In Deuteronomy 26:10-11, God’s people were instructed (regarding their giving), "Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God. 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house…”

Coming Full Cycle

Wrong teaching or practices should never keep us from doing the right thing!  There was a time in the Old Testament, when God instructed Moses to make a brass serpent and put it up on a pole (Numbers 21:8-9).  It symbolized Christ on the Cross, and everyone who looked on it was healed.  However, that symbol was later abused.  In 2 Kings 18:1-8, King Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent because the children of Israel had begun to worship it instead of God.  What God intended to bless the children of Israel became an idolatrous stumbling block to them!  Later, though, Jesus said (John 3:14-15): “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus didn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater!  Even though a godly king had to destroy what had been corrupted, Jesus was able to see beyond the distortions, recall God’s original purpose, and reclaim the truth of what God had originally brought forth.  May we all be very strong in seeing through the clutter and distractions as we walk out God’s original purpose of who He has called us to be and what He has called us to do!

 

Image vs. Substance: Avoiding the ‘Saul Syndrome’ and Cultivating a ‘David Heart’

Image vs. Substance: Avoiding the ‘Saul Syndrome’ and Cultivating a ‘David Heart’
By Tony Cooke

image versus substance by Tony CookeThere wasn’t anyone who seemed to be better “kingly material” than Saul. Scripture tells us, “…There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2).

Saul not only looked good, but he was also humble. When Samuel declared to him that God’s hand was upon his life, Saul replied, “…Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21).

Unfortunately, the humility that marked Saul’s early days evaporated with his ascension to the throne and his subsequent usurping of inappropriate power. Through impatience and presumption, Saul foolishly intruded into the priestly office — an office to which he was not called (see 1 Samuel 13:8-14).

Later Saul disobeyed God’s command to “…attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them…” (1 Samuel 15:3). When the prophet Samuel encountered Saul, Saul lied and said that he had, in fact, carried out the Lord’s command. Saul tried to make himself look good in Samuel’s eyes, but the prophet didn’t buy it (see 1 Samuel 15:13-23).

What was God’s response to Saul’s presumption, rebellion, and disobedience? Samuel said to him, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14). There was even a reference to Saul’s humility in days gone by: “…When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17).

I don’t want to focus on the negative, but I’d rather learn from the mistakes of others than have to learn unnecessarily from my own mistakes. In fact, we learn from First Corinthians 10:11 that many of the things recorded in the Old Testament were written as examples, admonitions, and warnings to us so we wouldn’t have to experience the same disastrous results as others have suffered before us. Regarding Saul’s life, one of the things we learn is that something can begin with great promise and potential and yet end in great heartache and tragedy.

No Substitute for Substance

Having said all that, let’s turn to the positive. God did reject Saul as king, but He didn’t give up; He sought out David, “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). What does it mean to be a man after God’s heart? It’s obviously not something that’s found in a façade — in someone’s external image or appearance. Saul had every appearance of being kingly, but his character eventually revealed serious flaws.

Before David was anointed to be the next king, even the great prophet Samuel was almost misled by the wonderful “appearance” of one of David’s brothers.

…He [Samuel] looked at Eliab and said, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
1 Samuel 16:6,7

I want to discuss the identifying traits of a person after God’s own heart. But first, let’s talk about the dangers of magnifying image and appearance while ignoring substance and content.

We live in a day of “image management,” and that’s not entirely a bad thing. We all want to put our best foot forward, have a good reputation, and present ourselves well. However, a problem develops when image becomes a substitute for substance — and especially when the image is so doctored, practiced, and polished that it presents a misleading and disingenuous portrayal of reality.

Perhaps the harshest words that came from the mouth of Jesus had to do with those who focused on projecting an outward appearance of righteousness but were internally corrupt.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Matthew 23:25-28

Likewise, Paul had some very stern words for those whose focus was merely on their appearance. He spoke of such people as those who “…exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves…” (2 Corinthians 10:12 AMP).

Paul went on to describe those who project one image outwardly but possess an entirely different character internally. He said, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

The Greek word that Paul uses here for “transform” is not always used negatively in the New Testament. However, here it means to assume an appearance; to disguise, masquerade, or pose.

Injured by betrayal that came under the guise of friendship and trust, David was painfully reminded of this truth that “all that glitters is not gold.” He wrote: “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords” (Psalm 55:21).

We Must Value What God Values

God values honesty, truth, and sincerity; therefore, we must avoid deception of every kind. Consider the following instances in Scripture where we are admonished to avoid focusing on appearance and image.

  • “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them…. They [hypocrites] love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men…. For they [hypocrites] disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting…” (Matthew 6:1,5,16).
  • “But all their works they do to be seen by men…” (Matthew 23:5).
  • “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
  • In addressing the church at Sardis, Jesus referred to an entire congregation that seemed to be enjoying a great “image.” However, Jesus indicated that their internal state of affairs was far less healthy. He said, “…You have a reputation for being alive — but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1 NLT).
  • Paul spoke of those who “…boast in appearance and not in heart” (2 Corinthians 5:12).

It’s not that appearance is irrelevant; we should certainly avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). But substance is what ultimately matters. Dwight L. Moody said, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” John Wooden observed, “Your character is what you really are. Your reputation is only what others think you are.”

If we don’t cultivate and maintain a godly character, we can easily end up leading a double or secret life. Charles Spurgeon said, “We have all heard the story of the man who preached so well and lived so badly that when he was in the pulpit, everybody said he ought never to come out again, and when he was out of it, they all declared he never ought to enter it again.”

We must be on guard lest we end up becoming a public success but a private failure!

It’s easy to sit back and point a self-righteous finger at those wicked hypocrites who live behind a mask of diabolical deceit — but is it only “the other guy” who gets caught in a trap of focusing on image and appearance? I wonder how many “good-hearted” ministers have struggled with the fear of man and with “approval addiction.” What about us? What about me, and what about you? Have we ever allowed these to cause us to act less honorably than we should?

Consider the following characteristics that might cause us to be less than genuine and sincere for the sake of appearance.

  • Exaggeration. Has insecurity or the fear of disapproval (or the craving for approval) ever caused us to exaggerate a claim to make us look a little better?
  • Name-dropping. Have we ever name-dropped to impress others and to make them think we are important?
  • Flattery. Have we ever flattered someone in hopes of obtaining some kind of favor from that person?
  • Rationalization. When we made a mistake for which we should have apologized, have we ever rationalized or minimized our mistake instead in an attempt to save our image?
  • Criticism. Have we ever spoken badly of someone, thinking that it somehow made us look better?

It seems from Scripture that it is sometimes simply insecurity, fear, or a desire for approval that causes people to be untrue to their inner convictions. Peter and Barnabas weren’t bad guys, but they violated their convictions in Antioch because Peter didn’t want to displease James’ representatives from Jerusalem (Galatians 2:11-14).

Consider some of the rulers from Jesus’ day (John 12:42,43): “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; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

Those rulers didn’t wake up one morning and decide to be evil; they just wanted to be accepted, approved of, and in favor with the people they thought were important. However understandable that may be, it still caused them to miss out on a vital relationship with God.

So what was it about David that differentiated him from Saul? What was it that caused David to be called “a man after God’s own heart”? Let me share five observations.

  1. David truly desired God more than anything else (Psalm 63:1-8).
  2. David loved the Word of God (Psalm 119:47,48,103,127-131,162,167).
  3. David was willing to confess his sin and repent with his whole heart (Psalm 51:1-12; 119:11; 101:2,3).

Part of the contrast between Saul and David is revealed in the way they each responded when they were confronted with their respective sins. Saul acknowledged the sin but seemed rather flippant about it, merely asking Samuel, “…Please pardon my sin…” (1 Samuel 15:25).

David, however, seemed to have taken the seriousness of his sin much more deeply and personally. He didn’t simply ask Nathan the prophet to pardon him; instead, David said directly to God, “Against You, You only have I sinned…” (Psalm 51:4). David realized that he hadn’t merely transgressed a commandment — he had sinned against God Himself. However, although forgiveness was granted, the social and relational consequences of David’s sin reverberated throughout his life. As Nathan said, the sword never departed from David’s house after that (2 Samuel 12:7-15).

It was perhaps the way David repented in spite of his failings and sins that substantiates the next point.

4. David was a man after God’s own heart because he was a man of integrity (1 Kings 9:4,5; Psalm 26:1; 15:1-5)

5. David was a man after God’s own heart because he was a man of gratitude and a man of praise (Psalm 34:1; 119:164)

I believe that God is still seeking people who are after His heart! Second Chronicles 16:9 (NASB) says, “…The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His….” Jesus confirmed this when He said that the Father is seeking those who worship Him “in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).

We need to keep in mind that God has not called us to be the judge of anyone else’s motives; rather, our job is to focus on the motives of our own hearts. Paul even admonished us, “So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time — before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due” (1 Corinthians 4:5 NLT).

Paul further elaborated on his own personal commitment to keep his heart right and his motives pure when he said, “For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!” (1 Thessalonians 2:4,5 NLT).

Purity of heart and motives is huge with God. It was important to Him in Saul’s day, and it’s still important today. If we want to avoid the failings of Saul in our own lives — and to cultivate a heart like David’s — we need to examine our hearts regularly and be brutally honest with ourselves. If we do, we’ll maintain a clear conscience throughout life and reap wonderful rewards throughout eternity.

 

In Memoriam Barbara Bennett Cooke (1923 – 2011)

In Memoriam
Barbara Bennett Cooke (1923 – 2011)

While sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning, January 24, Barbara Cooke slipped peacefully into eternity. Like many of her era, she was born in the family home in Boonville, Indiana on September 23, 1923.

Barbara Bennett Cooke MemoriamIn her youth, mom was very athletic. She played softball, tennis, and basketball competitively, and was a Physical Education major at Hanover College in Madison, Indiana. She held the record in discus there for some time. Her studies at Hanover were cut short because of Rheumatic Fever, and the doctors told her mother that she would only live for four or five more years. Mom always took pride in being strong, and even in her mid-80’s as she was recovering from injuries sustained in the car accident that took my dad’s life, she periodically would challenge her doctors to an arm-wrestling match.

Barbara met Kenneth Cooke while attending Hanover, and following WWII (my dad served in the Navy), they were married on August 22, 1946 in Scottsburg, Indiana. Dad began pursuing what would become his lifelong career as an educator, and in 1949, they had the first of four sons (I was number four).

When it came to manners, doing things properly, and speaking properly, mom would have made Emily Post and Noah Webster very proud. When my dad passed away in 2007, mom was unable to attend the memorial service because she was still in the hospital recovering from her own injuries. Shortly after that, I showed her a DVD of the funeral service, and mom watched with great interest – not only because it involved her husband’s memorial service, but because she was very interested in etiquette, dignity, and decorum… she wanted to make sure things were done right. The only “suggestion” she offered from her hospital bed – as she lay there recovering from multiple injuries – is that it would have been more appropriate for me to have referred to him as “father” instead of “dad.”

But Mom was far from stuffy. She loved having fun, and could be a real cut-up at family gatherings. Barbara enjoyed antiques, church activities, decorating, gardening, painting, arranging flowers, and playing bridge. Mom was also a life-long learner; not only was she a reader, but she also took various courses at the Indiana University extension campus in Kokomo.

At her memorial service (January 29, 2011), I shared what I believed were the three most important things in my mother’s life.

1. Friends

Mom absolutely loved being with people. Whether it was her bridge club, small groups through her church, or volunteering in service and philanthropic organizations, Mom was always involved with people. She loved entertaining, and always gave events a special touch with decorations and other expressions of gifted hospitality.

Mom formed friendships that lasted decades, and in some cases, a lifetime. She often spoke of her childhood friends from her hometown, and it was obvious that she treasured these relationships greatly. The value that Mom placed upon friendships, and the fact that she had so many friends, was indicative of a sense of community, loyalty, and interest in others.

2. Family

The second thing that was valuable to Barbara Cooke was family. All the way back to her Boonville roots, she spoke frequently of her family, of her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. My brothers and I heard countless stories from generations past. She highly valued her roots. Later in life, she even bought the house that sat on the corner opposite her birthplace, and remodeled it.

As a mother, she was extremely conscientious and diligent in raising her kids. They could have easily patterned the June Cleaver character after her. We were always cared for extremely well, and probably the most-oft heard question in the Cooke household was, “Did you wash your hands?” After we said yes, the next statement was, “Let me smell your hands.” Verbal confirmation was not enough. Many people have credited President Reagan with the phrase, “Trust, but verify,” but I’m pretty sure he got that from my mom.

As we all grew up and moved out, no visit to Mom and Dad’s house was made without hearing multiple times, “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

Mom absolutely loved her kids, she adored her grandkids, and she really, really loved her great-grandkids.

3. Faith

Barbara often spoke fondly of a godly, Methodist grandmother that regularly taught her Bible stories when she was a little girl. Mom made sure that all of us were in church when we were little, and she taught us important morals and values.

There are two statements I remember hearing mom make when I was young, and both of these made an impression on me. The first statement that stands out to me is when she said, “If you can believe any of the Bible, you can believe all of it.”

Another time (we must have been talking about Christians in other nations being persecuted for their faith) she said, “I’d let them cut my fingers off before I said it wasn’t true.”

In the last several years, mom spoke of God, the Bible, and Heaven often. Even within the last year, when her memory became more and more challenged, she would sometimes say, “Let me see if I can say the Lord’s Prayer,” or “Let’s see if I can say the Apostle’s Creed.” Remarkably, she did extremely well in reciting them verbatim. These seemed to be deeply ingrained in her, and even when other details were fading from her memory, these remained very precious to her.

When I was with mom in early December of 2010, we were preparing to leave to go back to Oklahoma… my wife said, “Why don’t you pray for your mom before we leave?”

I did, and I concluded my prayer with the words… “In the Name of Jesus, Amen.” Even though it was a challenge at that point for her to recognize her own children, as I said those words, she repeated them almost simultaneously with me – “In the Name of Jesus, Amen.” Those were the last words I heard her say.

Weeks and months prior to last December, mom had expressed to me on different occasions her desire for Heaven. She said she was looking forward to seeing her mother and father, and even asked for me to pray that she go to Heaven soon.

Of course, that got me thinking more about the reality of heaven, and I was reminded of some wonderful statements…

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
– C.S. Lewis

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
– C.S. Lewis

“Thoughts of heaven quicken our faith. Our only sure and solid foundation is the hope of heaven. The only solution to earth’s mysteries and the only righter of earth’s wrongs is heaven. We need an infusion of heaven into our faith and hope that will create a homesickness for that blessed place. God’s home is heaven. Eternal life and all good were born there and flourish there. All life, happiness, beauty, and glory are native to the home of God. All this belongs to and awaits the heirs of God in heaven. What a glorious inheritance!”
– E.M. Bounds

My mom has made the transition that all of us must make. I am thankful today that the mother who raised me was a person who loved friends, loved family, and was a person of faith.

Gurus, Groupies, and Gullibility by Tony Cooke

Gurus, Groupies, and Gullibility
Tony Cooke

gurus, groupiesIf you are my age or a bit older, you may remember the hysteria surrounding the Beatles when they first became popular. In addition to “Let it Be” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” you may recall teenybopper fans who were beside themselves, screaming, crying, and swooning in their presence.

This phenomenon of being caught up and carried away in a frenzy of unthinking enthusiasm is not restricted to teenage girls and rock stars. Sometimes it is far more sinister with deadly results. Adolf Hitler said, “What luck for rulers that men do not think.”  One of Hitler’s leading henchmen, Herman Goering said, “I have no conscience. Adolf Hitler is my conscience.”  The ability and courage to think clearly in the context of truth is essential if one is to avoid being deceived in large or small matters.

The very word “gullible” is thought to have been derived from “gull” – the bird. The words “gull” and “gullet” refer to swallowing and the throat. Gulls (as in seagulls) were said to swallow anything that was thrown at them. Likewise, a gullible person is easily deceived, accepting the thoughts of others without intelligent consideration as to their veracity.

Believers sometimes become enamored with certain charismatic leaders and blindly embrace every word they say, putting them on pedestals, and forgetting all of the Bible’s admonitions about our need to operate with keen discernment and scriptural intelligence. Not only does it take spiritual insight to discern the truth, but it also takes courage to stand up for the truth and not be swept away with the swooning masses. It is important to remember that not everything that is popular is principled.

I have been reading “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.”  This is a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was executed for his opposition to Hitler and his policies during WWII.

In the Forward of the book, Timothy J. Keller addresses the capitulation of the German church to Hitler. “How could ‘the church of Luther,’ that great teacher of the gospel, have ever come to such a place?  The answer is that the true gospel, summed up by Bonhoeffer as costly grace, had been lost. On the one hand, the church had become marked by formalism. That meant going to church and hearing that God just loves and forgives everyone, so it doesn’t really matter much how you live. Bonhoeffer called this cheap grace. On the other hand, there was legalism, or salvation by law and good works. Legalism meant that God loves you because you have pulled yourself together and are trying to live a good, disciplined life.”

Bonhoeffer demonstrated what it meant to be an independent thinker. Educated in the midst of extreme theological liberalism, he defied many of the “academic giants” of his day and later actively withstood the evils of Nazism as well. I am not writing this to endorse all of Bonhoeffer’s theological positions, but I do admire his courage and the deliberateness of his thought processes.

Bonhoeffer’s independence reminds me of Paul’s tenacity and stand for the truth in the light of what he saw in the church at Antioch. Galatians 2:11-13 says, “But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by 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.”

Peter and Barnabas were no doubt good men, but in this unfortunate moment, they became “groupies” who were simply following the crowd. In this particular situation, they lacked the insight and/or the fortitude to stand up for what was right.

The Bible provides numerous admonitions about the need to not be gullible, but to use study, wisdom, and discernment in our lives.

Proverbs 14:15 (MSG)
15 The gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word.

Romans 16:19 (MSG)
19 I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this…

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (NLT)
3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (AMP)
21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

1 John 4:1 (NKJV)
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Not only does all of this involve knowing the Bible and being led by the Holy Spirit, but it also involves a skill known as “critical thinking.”  A few of the many definitions of critical thinking include:

    1. “Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe and do.”
    2. “…interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to form a good understanding, judgment, or solution.”
    3. “…an ability to evaluate information and opinions in a systematic, purposeful, efficient manner.” 

Being a “critical thinker” does not mean you are a critical person. We typically think of critical in the sense of someone who is always negative, griping, tearing others down, etc. This is not what we’re saying. Neither does critical thinking mean that you are narrow-minded or unwilling to consider other points of view. I remember a spiritual leader sharing about a time when he was listening to another minister preach, and he recalled that he disagreed with some of the things the minister had said. Instead of shutting him off because of a disagreement, the spiritual leader continued listening (even though he was filtering as he listened), and later, said this minister communicated an outstanding truth that answered a question he had been wondering about for years. He said he was so glad that he didn’t shut that minister off just because he’d said some things earlier in the message that he disagreed with.

Job 34:3 says, “The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.”

While we must be careful not to exalt our reasoning above God and His Word, God does want us to use our minds (guided by His Word and Spirit) in discerning truth. In Isaiah 1:18, God said, “Come now, and let us reason together…” Notice that we are to reason with God, not to reason against Him. Logic and reason certainly are not our gods, but they are tools to be used in establishing our beliefs and practices. This is why Paul said, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, AMP).

As leaders, God has not called us to be gurus. As followers, God has not called us to be groupies. And God has certainly not called any of us to gullible. May God help us all as we seek to discern, embrace, and proclaim truth.

The God of the Hills, Plains, and Valleys by Rev. Tony Cooke

The God of the Hills, Plains, and Valleys
By Rev. Tony Cooke

In the Old Testament, the enemies of God’s people made a serious miscalculation.  Having lost a battle against the Israelites, the advisors to the king of Syria said, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they” (1 Kings 20:23).

When they were ready to attack God’s people using their new strategy, God had a surprise in store for them: “Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD: Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD’” (1 Kings 20:28).

The Syrians had the idea that God was a “territorial” God, that He was restricted in His ability to deliver His people.  They thought that their God was only a God of the hills, but God wants us to know that He is the God of the hills, the plains, and the valleys!

How does this apply to our lives? 

The God of the Hills

Figuratively speaking, the hills represent the high points in our lives, the mountaintop experiences, the times when we feel like we’re on top of the world. 

Certainly, it’s easy to relate to the idea of God being the God of the hills.  After all:

  • God revealed Himself to Abraham as Jehovah Jireh on Mount Moriah.
  • God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
  • God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice on Mount Horeb.

Even in Jesus’ life, victory over the greatest temptations occurred on a mountain.  His most glorious moment was on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he ascended from the Mount of Olives

Mountains were used by God for times of visitation and revelation, when His glory was poured out in a special way.  These become landmarks and milestones in our lives—they are events and experiences that empower us and launch us into the plan of God.

The God of the Plains

But God isn’t just with us when we’re on top of everything.  He’s also the God of the plains.  The plains speak of what we consider to be the routine, ordinary, day-to-day aspects of our lives.  Richard J. Foster said, “The discovery of God lies in the daily and the ordinary, not in the spectacular and the heroic. If we cannot find God in the routines of home and shop, then we will not find Him at all.”

God is just as interested in the “plains” in our lives as He is in the hills of our lives!  Don’t let impatience and a lack of contentment with where you are cause you to think that you’re missing it!  The grass isn’t greener on the other side!

The God of the Valleys

And what about the valleys?  We know what they represent.  The valleys represent the low times, the difficult times, the challenging times.  Thank God that He is with us in the valleys!  He doesn’t abandon us when we hit the hard times.  Always remember what Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Remember to emphasize the “through” part of that!  Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” 

Sometimes in the difficult times, we can be tempted to feel that God is no longer with us.  Imagine, for a second, the letters, N-O-W-H-E-R-E.  What did you see when you saw those letters?  Some will see the word, “Nowhere,” but others will see the words, “Now Here.” 

No matter what you’re going through, God is “Now Here” with you!  He is not just the God of the hills, but He is the God of the hills, plains, and valleys.  He is God in all times and during all seasons of our lives.

Grace, Repentance, and Confession

Grace, Repentance, and Confession
Tony Cooke

I recently had the privilege of doing some extended meetings at Pastor Jerry Weinzierl’s church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and was able to teach in-depth on the topic of grace. One of the areas I taught related to how God’s grace affects whether believers need to confess sins or repent. Some have the distinct impression that being under grace means that it is unnecessary to repent of or confess sins we commit. Instead, it is thought, believers simply need to recognize that they were already forgiven.

grace and repentanceBefore addressing this, it is vital to define our terms scripturally. The words “repent” and “repentance” do not mean that we anxiously wallow in guilt, hashing and re-hashing our failures, or that we walk perpetually in sin-consciousness. Here is what some of the most respected Greek scholars have to say about the Greek word for repentance:

“The Greek noun metanoia literally means, ‘a change of mind.’ It is more than an emotional sorrow, which too often does not produce any change of life. Rather, it is a change of mind, or attitude, toward God, sin, and ourselves” (Ralph Earle).

“…the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds” (Joseph H. Thayer).

In his outstanding work, A Light in the Darkness: Seven Messages to the Seven Churches, Rick Renner writes: “When the words meta and nous are combined together; the new word depicts a decision to completely change the way one thinks, lives, or behaves. This doesn’t describe a temporary emotional sorrow for past actions; rather, it is a solid, intellectual decision to turn about-face and take a new direction, to completely alter one’s life by discarding an old, destructive pattern and embracing a brand new one. True repentance involves a conscious decision both to turn away from sin, selfishness, and rebellion, and to turn toward God with all of one’s heart and mind. It is a complete, 180-degree turn in one’s thinking and behaving.”

Resolutions are not the same as repentance. William Douglas Chamberlain wrote, “The Christian faith turns men’s faces forward. Repentance is the reorientation of a personality with reference to God and His purpose.” Further, he states that in order for believers to enjoy the kingdom of God, they must “undergo a mental transfiguration, which we call ‘repentance.’ Repentance looks ahead in hope and anticipation while remorse “looks backward in shame and forward in fear.”

Jesus Preached Repentance
The very first words Jesus preached (according to Matthew 4:17) were “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Notice that Jesus didn’t simply advocate people turning from the negative, but He wanted people to awaken to the positive – the kingdom of heaven – that was becoming available to them. In this sense, we can say that repentance is really prophetic preparation; it is the preparation of our hearts for something wonderful that God is making available to us.

Repentance occurs when we awaken to God’s glorious potential for our lives. In the light of God’s goodness and good intentions toward us, we recognize the deficiency of our selfish perspective and the destructiveness of our sinful behavior. Thus, we turn from them in order to embrace a new, better, and higher life offered by the God of grace. Like grace, repentance involves both attitude and action. There is the discontinuation of wrong behavior based upon a heart and mind that have turned completely toward God and His ways.

But Do Believers Have to Repent?
Some believe that confession of sin and repentance is important for unbelievers, but becomes unnecessary once a person has become born-again. After all, it is reasoned, if Jesus already died for and has already forgiven all of our sins, why would we need to acknowledge them or confess them if they’re already under the blood?

Long after His ascension, Jesus addressed believers in various congregations throughout Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). He told five out of seven congregations that they needed to repent of certain sins, and specifically told the Laodiceans: “Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]” (Revelation 3:19, Amplified).

Jesus was not telling these believers that they needed to earn their forgiveness by repentance, but He certainly wanted them to acknowledge the areas where they needed to make adjustments and align themselves with His Word.

The Apostle Paul certainly believed that it was important for believers who had missed it to repent before God and, with the help of God, to get their lives in order. In 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 (NLT), he said, “For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.”

Paul has often been called “The Apostle of Grace,” and yet he obviously believed that repentance is important for Christians who get off-track. I believe the clear teaching of Scripture is not that grace makes repentance unnecessary, but that grace makes repentance possible. Because God is gracious, He doesn’t reject us or cast us out when we struggle or fail, but He invites us to, “…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul said that, “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

What About Confession?
When we understand what confession (of sin) really entails, we realize that it is THE first step in the repentance process. The Greek word “homologeo” is derived from two words meaning “same” and “to speak.” Hence, it is typically defined as meaning to speak the same thing. Confess also means to agree with, to concede, to admit, and to acknowledge. If a person doesn’t first acknowledge that there is a problem, how or why would they bother to change their mind, their attitude, or their conduct about that problem? A person will never repent unless they first confess (or acknowledge) that the issue is a sin.

It is unfortunate that some have endeavored to diminish the significance of confession by claiming the 1 John 1 was not written to Christians, but to unbelievers or gnostics. Many epistles were written against backdrops of doctrinal error, but every New Testament epistle was written to Christians. 1 Corinthians was written against a backdrop of antinomianism, Galatians against a backdrop of legalism, Colossians against a backdrop of asceticism, and 1 John against a backdrop of gnosticism, but ALL were written TO Christians.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary states: “In modern times some have occasionally denied that a Christian needs to confess his sins and ask forgiveness. It is claimed that a believer already has forgiveness in Christ (Ephesians 1:7). But this point of view confuses the perfect position which a Christian has in God’s Son (by which he is even ‘seated…with Him in the heavenly realms’ [Ephesians 2:6]) with his needs as a failing individual on earth. What is considered in 1 John 1:9 may be described as ‘familial’ forgiveness. It is perfectly understandable how a son may need to ask his father to forgive him for his faults while at the same time his position within the family is not in jeopardy. A Christian who never asks his heavenly Father for forgiveness for his sins can hardly have much sensitivity to the ways in which he grieves his Father. First John 1:9 is not spoken to the unsaved, and the effort to turn it into a soteriological affirmation is misguided.”

Grace does not eradicate or make unnecessary any other New Testament teaching or discipline. Grace does not do away with the need for repentance, obedience, holiness, church involvement, or giving. Rather, grace provides forgiveness when we have fallen short of His directives, and if we will respond to His grace, we will find the power to obey Him in all things. Grace is not an excuse; it is enablement. Grace is not a cop-out; it is a catalyst. Grace is not divine permission to do wrong; it is divine empowerment to do right!

May you find great strength in His all-sufficient grace!

 

Great Missions Quotes by Tony Cooke


Great Missions Quotes

"God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply."
– Hudson Taylor

 

"God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him."
– Hudson Taylor

 

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”
– Hudson Taylor

 

"If I had 1,000 lives, I’d give them all for China."
– Hudson Taylor

 

"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him."
– Hudson Taylor

 

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
– William Carey

 

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become."
-Henry Martyn

 

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
– Jim Elliot

"We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it.”
– P.F. Bresee

 

"In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been."
– Robert Moffat

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
– David Livingstone

 

"Sympathy is no substitute for action."
– David Livingstone

 

"Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us."
– Keith Wright

 

"The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible."
– Ralph Winter

 

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."
– C.T. Studd

 

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
– C.T. Studd

 

"No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once."
– Oswald J. Smith

 

"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist."
– Oswald J. Smith

 

"The mission of the church is missions.”
– Oswald J. Smith

 

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first."
– Oswald J. Smith

 

"This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!"
– Keith Green

 

"There is nothing in the world or the Church — except the church’s disobedience — to render the evangelization of the world in this generation an impossibility."
– Robert Speer

 

"If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king."
– Jordan Groom

 

"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind?  How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death."
– Dave Davidson

 

"World missions was on God’s mind from the beginning."
– Dave Davidson

 

"In our lifetime, wouldn’t it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?"
– Dave Davidson

 

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart."
– Bob Pierce

 

"No reserves. No retreats. No regrets."
– William Borden

 

"If ten men are carrying a log — nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end — and you want to help, which end will you lift on?"
– William Borden

 

"The reason some folks don’t believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn’t worth propagating."
– Unknown

 

When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."

 

"Someone asked, ‘Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved?’ It is more a question with me whether we — who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not — can be saved."
– Charles Spurgeon

 

"The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”
– Carl F. H. Henry

 

"Our God of Grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop."
– Kurt von Schleicher

 

"God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."
– John Piper

 

"Go, send, or disobey."
– John Piper

 

"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving."
– Amy Carmichael

 

"Only as the church fulfills her missionary obligation does she justify her existence."
– Unknown

 

"As long as there are millions destitute of the Word of God and knowledge of Jesus Christ, it will be impossible for me to devote time and energy to those who have both."
– J. L. Ewen

 

"The command has been to ‘go,’ but we have stayed — in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth … but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland."
– Robert Savage

 

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives … and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."
– Nate Saint

 

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."
– John Stott

 

"Believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story."
– K.P. Yohannan

 

"Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ."
– Francis Xavier

 

"The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity."
– Mike Stachura

 

"The true greatness of any church in not how many it seats but how many it sends!"
– Unknown

 

"’Not called!’ did you say?  ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say.  Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
– William Booth

 

"It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not."
– Peter Taylor Forsyth

 

"If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere."
– Edward Lawlor

 

"Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is — where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge."
– Robert C. Shannon

 

"People who don’t believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South."
– J. Howard Edington

 

"It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions."
– John R. Mott

 

"In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer."
– Dick Eastman

 

"What’s your dream and to what corner of the missions world will it take you?"
– Eleanor Roat

 

"We can reach our world, if we will. The greatest lack today is not people or funds. The greatest need is prayer."
– Wesley Duewel

 

"Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions."
– Roderick Davis

 

"Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.”
– Roland Allen

 

"I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
– Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

 

"If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t have anything left but the covers.”
– Nina Gunter

 

"If the Church is ‘in Christ,’ she is involved in mission. Her whole existence then has a missionary character. Her conduct as well as her words will convince the unbelievers and put their ignorance and stupidity to silence."
– David Bosch

 

"Missions is not the ‘ministry of choice’ for a few hyperactive Christians in the church. Missions is the purpose of the church."
– Unknown

 

"The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man’s personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian."
– James S. Stewart

 

"The average pastor views his church as a local church with a missions program; while he ought to realize that if he is in fact pastoring a church, it is to be a global church with a missions purpose."
– Unknown

 

"The Christian is not obedient unless he is doing all in his power to send the Gospel to the heathen world."
– A. B. Simpson

 

"The will of God — nothing less, nothing more, nothing else."
– F. E. Marsh

 

"If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small."
– Pat Morley

 

"If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving and going will always be found together."
– Arthur T. Pierson

 

"The history of missions is the history of answered prayer."
– Samuel Zwemer

 

"A congregation that is not deeply and earnestly involved in the worldwide proclamation of the gospel does not understand the nature of salvation."
Ted Engstrom

 

"To stay here and disobey God — I can’t afford to take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed."
– Amanda Berry Smith

 

"I believe that in each generation God has called’ enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth…. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!"
– Isobel Kuhn

 

"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map."
– William Carey

 

"God is a God of missions. He wills missions. He commands missions. He demands missions. He made missions possible through His Son. He made missions actual in sending the Holy Spirit."
– George W. Peters

 

"The best remedy for a sick church is to put it on a missionary diet."
– Unknown

 

"The Church must send or the church will end."
– Mendell Taylor

Building God’s Dream Team by Tony Cooke

Building God’s Dream Team
by Tony Cooke

The Apostle Paul used athletic imagery on occasion to emphasize certain aspects of the Christian life and of ministry work.  I’ve enjoyed seeing the many parallels that exist when it comes to those who excel and become true champions in their given fields, whether it’s in the natural arena of sports or the spiritual field of ministry and working for God.

The following are thoughts from those whose coaching and athletic careers demonstrated that they understood what it took to be successful, and implementing these same principles will also help produce strong believers and churches.

  • Regarding the value of everyone’s contribution, Brooks Robinson said, “To make a ball club a champion, the effort has to start with the bat boy and move right up to the owner.”
  • Concerning maintaining focus and persistence, Bear Bryant remarked, “Don’t give up at halftime.  Concentrate on winning the second half.”
  • Regarding adaptability, Patrick Ewing noted, “The greatest players fit with the team.  They play within the team’s style, rather than asking the team to change its style.”
  • Babe Ruth advocated the importance of being teachable when he said, “Don’t be afraid to take advice.  There’s always something new to learn.”
  • The importance of self-motivation was advocated by Lou Holtz, who stated, “Nobody is going to wind you up every morning and give you a pep talk.  So be a self-starter.
  • Often, it’s what happens behind the scenes that matters most.  The great boxer Joe Frazier said, “You can map out a fight plan or a life plan.  But when the action starts, you’re down to your reflexes.  That’s where your roadwork shows.  If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.
  • Basketball legend, Bill Walton highlighted the importance of teamwork when he commented, “The nicest thing people ever said about me as a basketball player was that I made the players around me better.  To me, there’s no higher compliment.”
  • And finally, Johnny Majors said, “The first thing any coaching staff must do is weed out selfishness.  No program can be successful with players who put themselves ahead of the team.”

While we admire the accomplishments of athletes, naturally speaking, we need to remember that earthly trophies and championships pale in comparison to the exploits and rewards of those who are building God’s Kingdom and whose efforts are impacting the landscape of eternity.  Paul said (1 Corinthians 9:25), “They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”

Jesus Built (and is still building) a Dream Team!

One of the noticeable things about the Dream Team that Jesus assembled (the original twelve) is that they were all completely ordinary.  They were common people with regular lives.  They had not distinguished themselves as great philosophers, scholars, orators, or achievers.   

They ultimately became a great team through their association with Jesus and by the influence of the Holy Spirit, but they had to overcome problems common to all: inferiority, pride, jealousy, foot-in-mouth disease, doubts, fear, failure, etc.  Scripture does not try to conceal the complete humanness of the disciples, and a key lesson from the lives of that band of twelve is that if God can use them, then God can use us.

Someone related an imaginary story about the day that Jesus returned to Heaven. The angels gathered and asked Jesus to explain what had happened down there on earth.

They asked, “Did they make you King?” Jesus answered, “No.”

“Did they make you prince?” “No.”

“Did they worship you?” “Most of them didn’t.”

“Well then, what happened?” “They crucified me.”

“But after you rose from the Dead, everyone worshipped you, right?” “No.”

“So, what is your plan?” “I left my people down there.”
The angels looked skeptical.

“But if they fail —- What is your other plan?”

Jesus replied, “I have no other plan.”

What a defining moment it is in our lives when we realize that we are “Plan A,” and there is no “Plan B.”  God is depending on us—His Church!  Believers must embrace God’s assignment to not merely be consumers of His blessings, but to be distributors as well.  It’s our cooperation with Him and each other that will help bring the will of God to pass in the earth.  Remember that it’s teamwork that makes the dream work! 

A Gospel of Irresponsibility by Tony Cooke

A Gospel of Irresponsibility?
Rev Tony Cooke

As I travel, I’m hearing more and more thought that is circulating in the Body of Christ regarding an “understanding” of grace that seems to be facilitating and promoting a sense of irresponsibility in people.  Some applications of this would include:

  • “Because I’m saved by grace, it doesn’t really matter if I sin or not, because Jesus has already taken care of all my sins – they’re already covered by grace.”
  • “I’m not under the law, so I don’t have to tithe.  I can just give whatever I want.”
  • “It doesn’t really matter if I attend or am a member of a local church or not, just so long as I’m a part of the Universal Body of Christ.”

Before addressing such lines of thinking, I believe it’s important to recognize that some have labored under wrong perceptions of God in the past.  They’ve been under a form of legalism—a bondage that causes them to think they are saved by faith in Christ plus never making a mistake, or faith in Christ plus tithing, or faith in Christ plus perfect church attendance or good works.  In doing so, they’ve never understood or rested in the fact that our salvation and forgiveness is not an issue of faith in Christ plus anything. 

They’ve never known the nature of God’s gift or the true rest offered by the One who said (Matthew 11:28-30): “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When such an individual realizes, “I am saved by grace through faith, and that not of myself, it is the gift of God…” he or she may become resentful of any previously held perception of God as a taskmaster… of one who was “driving” them or putting them under compulsion to perform—to measure up—in order to be accepted by God.  As they throw off the chains of such legalistic thinking, they may end up in the ditch on the other side of the road and think that any form of discipline or obedience is a form of bondage that is to be rejected.  In short, they throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Paul taught a strong doctrine of grace, but it was not a grace that promoted irresponsibility or sinful living.  Grace, then as now, was misunderstood and distorted.  In Romans 6:1 and 6:15, Paul asked, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” and “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?”  To both questions, Paul responded with an emphatic “Certainly not!”

Paul was so misunderstood (I believe in particular about grace) that Peter referred to Paul’s writings in the following way: “Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction” (2 Peter 3:16, NLT).

The Galatians were greatly entangled in legalism, and Paul yearned for them to understand the grace of God (Galatians 2:16).  At the same time, though, he didn’t want them going to the other extreme.  He told this confused group of believers, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Titus has been called “The Book of Good Works.”  In this epistle to a young pastor, Paul reminded Titus that God’s grace alone is the source of our salvation (3:4-7): “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

This same book, which makes it so plain that works are not the cause of our salvation also makes it abundantly clear that works (good works) are a most appropriate result of our salvation:

  • Titus 2:7 – “…in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works…”
  • Titus 2:14 “…who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
  • Titus 3:8 – “…those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”
  • Titus 3:14 – “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”

Was Paul—the man who said more about grace than anyone else in the New Testament —telling Titus to put the believers under some kind of legalistic bondage?  Absolutely not!  Paul understood that grace, while imparting the gift of eternal life to the believer based on the redemptive work of Christ, was not some kind of doorway into laziness and looseness for the believer, but rather, a springboard into a life of obedience.  Actually, grace (divine empowerment in our lives) provides the impetus for and is the very basis for our ability to obey God.

Paul also told Titus, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” (Titus 2:11-12).  The true grace of God is never divine permission to do what’s wrong.  Rather, it is divine empowerment to do what is right!

As believers, we rightly rejoice in the gospel… the good news… the declaration of the fact that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).  But what does that free gift usher us into?  A life of self-indulgence?  A life of irresponsibility?  Conformity to the world?  A life of fleshly gratification?

I think the best way to tell what Jesus had in mind is to go back to the Great Commission that He gave.  We’re all very familiar with the first part of that commission (Matthew 28:19)… “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”   But the very next verse makes clear the type of life that Jesus intended for those who received his free gift… “…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”  Jesus didn’t say, “…teaching them that they don’t have to do anything at all because I’ve done it all.”  Yes, He did it all in terms of purchasing our salvation for us, but He then called us to lives of purpose, responsibility, and obedience.

It is 100% true that people don’t need to live holy in order to get God to love them; He loved us while we were yet sinners.  It’s true that people don’t need to tithe or go to church in order to get God to love them; He’s loved us with an everlasting love regardless of our performance of perfection.  But there are good works and a holy lifestyle that we are called to, not to earn salvation but to express salvation.

When Paul spoke to Titus about good works, He said, “These are good and profitable to men” (3:8).  We are responsible to live right so that others can see the nature and character of God.  We are responsible to tithe and give generously so that others can hear the gospel.  We are responsible to be vitally involved in a local church so that we have a place to serve and help others (as well as to grow personally).  It is absolutely true that it is grace that saves us and keeps us, but that grace will never lead us into leading irresponsible, self-indulging lives!

We would do well to remember the words of Dietrich Bonhoffer, the Protestant theologian and anti-Nazi activist, who said: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

May you have wisdom in both receiving and expressing God’s indescribable gift!