And Justice for SOME

We humans are a funny bunch. We love to talk about fairness and justice and everybody getting what they deserve…just as long as we get to decide just what that means.

Jonah is a prime example. God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the folks there that if they don’t make some big changes, He’s going to destroy the whole place. Jonah’s response is to hop on a ship going as far in the other direction as possible. Why? Because he’s afraid to give them the bad news? Nope, because he knows that if the Ninevites actually do repent and change things around, God won’t punish them.

Huh. Why do you think Jonah was so anti-Ninevite?

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about it. Did a bully from Nineveh beat Jonah up and take away his lunch money every day? Did he get his heart broken by a Ninevite girl? Whatever it was, Jonah wanted them to get the punishment he thought they deserved – whether or not they repented.

Part of it may have been just plain, old-fashioned bigotry – those folks from Nineveh weren’t like the people around whom Jonah grew up. He didn’t know anything about them except what he’d heard…and what he’d heard was all bad.

Does that kind of prejudice effect the way we decide who gets the chance to hear about salvation and who doesn’t today? Do we have prejudices grown out of ignorance or past experiences that keep us from exposing certain groups of people to God’s mercy?

Harvard has put out the “Implicit Association Test,” or IAT (https://implicit.harvard.edu). It’s a test that attempts to answer certain questions about prejudice. The makers of this test aren’t looking to see if a person is or is not prejudice. They assume that everyone favors one group of people over another, and that is what they are measuring. Taking the IAT and receiving my results was very interesting – not at all what I expected.

According to Clayton McCleskey’s article in The Wall Street Journal, our biases can be based solely on a person’s accent.

“Most of us like to assume that we're enlightened, tolerant, and unprejudiced people. Unfortunately, a new study reveals many of us have a hidden bias against anyone with a foreign accent. … ‘The further from native-sounding an accent is, the harder we have to work, and the less trustworthy we perceive the information to be.’ It gets worse: ‘Researchers found that the heavier the accent, the more skeptical participants became.’ In other words, if it sounds like you're not from around here, my suspicion radar is on high alert. My bias about you isn't based on your character; it's based on the fact that you talk ‘different.’
“The researchers want to reassure us that we're not really racist or prejudiced (thank goodness). Apparently, we're just lazy. Well, again they don't want to pass judgment: we're not actually lazy; our brains are lazy. In the researcher's words, ‘Our brains prefer the path of least resistance.’
“That seems like a nice way to say that, despite our best intentions, we all have pockets of prejudice and bias. In biblical terms, we show favoritism toward people who resemble us. Perhaps this study shows why we need Jesus' help to uproot our partiality and love people who don't resemble us, especially people from different racial, ethnic or national groups.”[1]

So, to what extent are our prejudices shaping our ministry? Think about it – I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t support a mission trip to some third world country, but what about ministering to inmates in our county jails or state and federal prisons. What about sharing Jesus with the folks who live in homeless shelters, or the ones who aren’t lucky enough to live in a shelter. How many of us have considered ministering to the intellectually and/or physically challenged?

Paul reminds us that every human is the same in Jesus’ eyes.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“God desires that we should have tender, sanctified regard one for another, and as dear children in his family, we need to have the pure love of Christ. O, shall not the seed that produces roots of bitterness and unseemly fruit be banished from our hearts, that we may cherish the heavenly plant of love? As mature Christians we shall love more and more, not less and less. We need the warmth and glow of Christ in our cold, stony hearts. We want our hearts broken by the love of Christ, and then we shall defend the characters of those who are giving their lives to the service of him who has died for them. We shall not then act the part of accusers, and treat our brethren and their labors as worthless. Let us daily pray that we may be led to a higher plane of thought and living, that we may love in sincerity and Christlike deeds.” (E.G. White, Review and Herald, October 24, 1893)

It’s important to remember that we aren’t the ones who decide who needs/deserves forgiveness. Technically, no one deserves mercy or forgiveness but we all need it! And no matter who we are, or what we’ve done, Jesus died to make sure it’s there if we want it.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26

Even at the end of the book of Jonah, Jonah is still bitter about having to share God’s mercy with the people of Nineveh. He reminds me of the Prodigal Son’s big brother. 

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:25-31

Let’s not be like either Jonah or that older brother. Jesus died so that we could all spend eternity with Him. 

Let’s not miss it!

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[1] Clayton M. McCleskey, "Accentuating Bias," The Wall Street Journal (10-2-10)

Doe a Deer -- volume 2

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 5.5.12

We’re having a Julie Andrews moment here. I’m sure you remember that song:

“Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start. When we read we begin with a, b, c; when we sing we begin with doe, ray, me…” 

But when we’re sharing the gospel of Jesus with someone, where do we start?

Have you ever thought about in what order we should present Bible truth? Do you think it matters? I mean, it’s all truth, right?

Apparently, it is the order matters. I’ve worked in education for enough years to know that almost everything we do needs to happen in a particular sequence and every step in that sequence is important – not just for what it is, but also for where it falls. For example, babies learn to roll over, to crawl, to pull up on furniture, to walk and then to run. Each one of those steps is important because of the way the muscles and the brain work together to make each one happen.

Actually, Paul talked about that very thing:

“I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;” I Corinthians 3:2

Ellen White describes the process like this: 

“Christ drew the hearts of His hearers to Him by the manifestation of His love, and then, little by little, as they were able to bear it, He unfolded to them the great truths of the kingdom. We also must learn to adapt our labors to the condition of the people—to meet men where they are.”[1]

How do we know where to start, then? Well, if we look at the way Jesus worked with people, we can see that He almost always started at a purely physical level: if someone needed healing, He healed them. If they needed feeding, He fed them. Only after a person’s physical needs were met would Jesus talk to him or her about His and His Father’s love.

My aunt and uncle have an amazing ministry that follows the example of Jesus. Twice a year for as long as I can remember, they have gone to little villages in Mexico with bus and van loads of doctors, nurses, dentists and assorted volunteers. They spend a week or two meeting the physical needs of hundreds of villagers with every kind of ailment you can imagine…and some you’d rather not. Every day the medical folks work to comfort, if not heal, the people who come to them. Then, in the evenings, they share the love of Jesus. Thousands of people have met Jesus and given their hearts to Him because they experienced the love of people who love Jesus.

I’m not saying that everybody needs to pack up and take a mission trip; there are plenty of folks who are starving for Jesus all around us. Not everyone has a medical need. Thy point isn’t what you do; just that you do something to show someone else how much Jesus loves him.

“Doe a deer, a female deer; ray a drop of golden sun. Me, a name I call myself, fa – a long, long way to run…”

You know when we’re just discovering the world around us, as children, we experience things very simply: the sky is blue, the sun is yellow, all trees are apple trees, and all houses are two stories, have a peaked roof, chimney, a front door and five windows. Do you doubt it? Ask a six or seven year old to draw you a picture of a house and that’s almost certainly what you’ll get. If you ask a child to sing you a song, you’ll probably hear them sing “Jesus Loves Me.”

Is there anything wrong with any of that? Not at all. But as children grow, their understanding grows with them. They learn why the sky looks blue. They realize that all houses and trees aren’t the same and they’ll begin to understand why those differences are important. It wouldn’t do anybody any good though to sit a six year old down and try to explain to him the finer points of architecture or the layers of the atmosphere. You’d both end up frustrated and chances are, the next time you asked that child to draw you a picture, he’d be less likely to oblige.

When we introduce someone to Jesus, it’s important that first and always foremost, he knows that Jesus loves him. What’s the best way to show Jesus’ love? By loving that person ourselves. As we build a relationship with him or her, he will begin his relationship with Jesus as well.

Little by little, as the Holy Spirit leads, the person will be able to understand more and more Bible truth. How fast will you progress? Probably everybody understands at a different rate. As the Holy Spirit works on his or her heart, new truths will sink in.

It’s important to remember, though, that relationship comes first – a relationship with you and then one with Jesus.

Check out these statistics from the Institute for American Church Growth. That organization asked 10,000 people how they came to join their church.

People who started coming to church because they had some special need: 2%

People who just walked in: 3%

Folks who said they joined because of the pastor: 6%

Those who joined a church because somebody came to visit them: 1%

Folks who joined because they liked the church study program: 5%

People who joined through an evangelistic crusade: 5%

Those who joined for a particular program: 3%

Now, here’s the biggie! People who joined a church because they had a friend or relative in that church: 79%[2]

Everything builds on the foundation built through a personal connection with someone who loves Jesus. Everything else builds off of that foundation. As he becomes a more mature Christian, he will have to make the decision to follow Jesus for himself. Every person comes to a point when he or she has to decide to continue to follow Jesus or to walk on by himself. But a belief built on a relationship with Jesus will stand that test.

“Doe a deer, a female deer; ray a drop of golden sun. Me, a name I call myself, fa – a long, long way to run. Sew, a needle pulling thread. La, a note to follow sew. Tea, a drink with jam and bread. That will bring us back to doe!”

We begin and end with Jesus. In between there are truths and trials, heartaches and hopes, but Jesus is the constant. As the Holy Spirit leads to people who are starving for Jesus, we just need to remember to start at the beginning. Find out what that person needs: healing, help or just someone to listen, provide it and then tell him or her the amazing things Jesus has done in your life. Then hang on as the Holy Spirit works through you to help this baby Christian grow. What a miracle!

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[1] Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 57.

[2] Wayne Zunkel, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3

Fishers of Men

Did you know that, at first, the name Christian was a derogatory name for the people who believed in the Risen Jesus?  Neither did I.  Apparently the word Christian means “little anointed one” and was generally used by non-believers to make fun of those who did believe.  It's hard to believe that we gladly call ourselves by that same name...do you think that will ever work for words like “nerd” or “geek”?  Hmm.

Anyway, for the most part, we consider ourselves Christians, but can you think of yourself as a “fisher of men”?  Or did that line only apply to the first four apostles?  I mean, Jesus doesn't really want us to go out there and grab people we may or may not know and bring them to church, does He?  Does that mean that I should be standing on the street corner preaching?  Just in case the words of Matthew 4:19 ARE meant for you and me, how do we go about fishing for people?

Now, I could be wrong, but I don't believe that gathering people is our first concern.  The first step in Matthew 4:19 is not to gather people, but to follow Jesus.

According to C.H. Spurgeon, following Jesus has three distinct meaning.  The first is to 

“be separate unto Christ”, to come away from worldly things.  Instead of thinking, “What can I get away with?”; think, “What would Jesus have me do?” 

The second meaning of Jesus' statement, “Follow me”, Spurgeon explains as, “Abide with Christ.”  When Jesus called His disciples, they spent every day with Him.  They ate with Him, slept wherever He did, They became His best friends and biggest helpers.  They heard Him speak to the multitudes, but then they got “bonus material” when He explained things just to them.  They saw Him perform miracles.  And they watched Him die for their sins.  Imagine how well we would know Jesus if we spent that kind of time in the Bible and in prayer. 

Finally, Spurgeon restates Jesus' “Follow me” as “Obey me”.  As Spurgeon puts it, “If we desire to be largely used by God, we must copy our Lord Jesus Christ in everything, and obey Him in every point.  Failure in obedience may mean failure in success.” 

“Follow me” is the extent of our part of that bargain.  The next part is completely Jesus' part, and it's a promise.  We don't have to fret and stew about how to become fishers of men.  Jesus tells us that if we will follow Him, HE will take care of the rest!  Wow!  What a great promise!  You know, I have spent a lot of time worrying about witnessing and all that that entails...but Jesus says our responsibility is not planning, but following...I can do that!  This is how Spurgeon puts it:

“The Lord's directions make Himself our leader and example. It is 'Follow me. Follow me. Preach my gospel. Preach what I preached. Teach what I taught and keep to that.'  With that blessed servility which becomes one whose ambition is to be a copyist, and never to be an original, copy Christ even in jots and tittles.  Do this, and He will make you fishers of men, but if you do not do this, you shall fish in vain.”

Another author says it this way: “Jesus calls us to a ministry – He assumes the responsibility to teach us everything we need to learn in order to fulfill that calling.  As we yield to Him – let go of all our accessories and follow Him – He will equip us – what makes us uniquely us – to fulfill His calling.”  Stephen Muncherian, “Fishers of Men”.

Pastor Muncherian has in his statement a phrase that I find extremely comforting; “what makes us uniquely us”.  Why do I find that phrase comforting?  Some of you have already guessed, maybe because you feel the same way.  I especially like that phrase because, for a long time, when I thought of being a fisher of men, I thought of >gasp< preaching or giving individual Bible studies.  And I really have never felt very comfortable doing either of those, so for a long time, I felt like I didn't have a gift that would be helpful to God.  As Muncherian says, “Peter and Andrew were casting their nets into the sea – that's what they knew how to do and what their abilities were.  Jesus teaches them to cast nets for men.  We read in the Gospel of Matthew that Andrew becomes the disciple who brings people to Jesus – even as he's brought his brother Peter to Christ.  In Acts chapter 2 – Peter becomes the great evangelist – on the day of Pentecost he preaches the Gospel to three thousand people.

“James and John were doing something else – they were mending their nets.  That was their skill and ability.  The Greek word for 'mending' has the idea of equipping – preparing.  Just as James and John were equipping their nets when Jesus called them – Jesus teaches them to men nets as fishers of men.  Later they would become teachers – equipping – mending – the saints.

In our kitchen we have a toaster oven and a waffle iron – we plug them into the wall sockets.  They draw power from the same source but they do different things.  

That's the way it is with God and us.

Whew!!!!  What a relief!!!!!  The way God uses me to reach people might not be the same way that He uses you.  Fishing for men is a group effort and we don't all have to do the same job.  The preacher or the evangelist is only part of what is going on.  He (or she) may cast the net, reaching a large number of people, but he couldn't do it alone.  If there hadn't been for faithful folk who handed/mailed our advertising flyers, made calls, visited and invited friends, family members to come to/watch the meeting.  Then there are the jobs during the meeting: ministering to the children, so that the adults can hear the Gospel without worrying or being interrupted.  Not to mention the jobs that come after of making friends, teaching and shepherding the newcomers, and helping them to become disciples themselves.  That all takes very different skills that may not be the gift of the pastor or evangelist.  And I know that I haven't even begun to name all the different jobs that are just as important but less visible than the pastor/evangelist.

Just remember, there are those who “cast the nets” but they can't finish (or even start) the job.  You and I need to be willing to be the partners to those who cast the nets.  All it takes on our part is to be willing.  Be willing to be available—to come and help.  Be willing to make new friends.  One pastor reminds us, 

“The Great Commission is a continuum.  And you are part of it, somewhere on that continuum.  Some cast the net, some row the boat.  All contribute to the catch.”

Are you ready to find your place on the fishers of men continuum?  How do we know which job Jesus wants us to do?  Does He want us out their preaching if that's not what He has given us the talent to do?  I don't think so.  I believe that sometimes we pick for ourselves the jobs we want to do that are not the jobs that Jesus has given us.  I'm not completely sure why we feel we know better than God about these things, but I have done it myself.  We try to force ourselves into the mold WE have made of what we think a fisher of men looks like.  We might think it's a Billy Graham type, or a Sandi Patti (singer) type.  And those are important parts of ministry, but they're not the ONLY parts.  There are also the folks who clean the place, who make sure the air conditioners/ heaters are on in plenty of time to make the area inhabitable.  There are the folk who hand out literature and others who give Bible studies and others who invite visitors home for lunch.  Some folk are gifted in the areas of praying.  Not one of us can do it alone.  Which part are you willing to do? 

"We are laborers together with God." It is God that gives success to human endeavor. Without his presence with us, our efforts would amount to nothing. We are simply channels through which his blessings flow to our fellow beings. From every one in whose heart Christ is an abiding presence, will go forth a power that will influence others to accept the Saviour as their Redeemer. E.G. White, Article Title: "Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men"[SERMONDELIVERED IN THE CHURCH AT HEALDSBURG, CAL., AT THE CLOSEOF THE HEALDSBURG COLLEGE SCHOOL YEAR, MAY 30, 1903.]