Beware of the Big Names

[Proverbs 30:1-6]

The one name we really need to be excited about is the name of Jesus. The one person we really should want to hear from is Jesus. The one whose ideas we should really want to hear about are Jesus’.

Please don’t ask me right now about whose book I’m reading, or who my favorite pastor is, or about what big name person has made the biggest impact on my life. Right now, if you’ve got a big name in the Christian community, I’m really not impressed.

I think “well-known” and “pastor” should become an oxymoron. I believe in the New Testament, the pastors were nobodies. I mean, they were church members like everybody else - parts of the Body, using their gifts together with the Body of Christ. The one-pastor leader model, who is the sole speaker/teacher during the gatherings of the Body, is not to be found in the Bible.

The well-known guys among the communities of faith in the NT were actually apostles, like Paul. And they were well known not only because of their teachings and well-circulated letters, but because they suffered like dogs for the kingdom of Christ. They were beaten, imprisoned, tortured and sometimes put to death, but still kept on serving Christ and the churches, making disciples of the nations, advancing His kingdom.

There are still apostles and pastors and church members like that today. They have to hide, moving around, persecuted, beaten, tortured, and sometimes even killed. They don’t have any book deals, or DVD sets out there for purchase. They don’t do conferences or TV shows. They don’t blog. Their names are only big with the authorities who are trying to hunt them down and stop them.

Whatever their theology is, or their politics, or however great their gifts and talents and abilities are, don’t let yourself get impressed with anybody who’s got a big name. Jesus, the name above all names – His name is the one name worthy to be magnified.

A Time to Keep Silence

Proverbs 29:30 “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.”

We must obey God, rather than men, even if the law of the land in which you live forbids you to tell others about your relationship with Christ. We are witnesses of Christ; we cannot help but give an answer to people when they ask about how we could have such hope and peace in our lives.

There is also a time when God may move us to refrain from speaking further with someone about the Good News of Jesus.

No one is going to move toward our Creator unless the Spirit of our Creator is at work in his or her heart. When we talk to people about Jesus, we can often tell that God is working in their spirit through our conversation because of how they are listening, because of the questions they are asking, and often because of their body language.

The wisdom of God is absent in the hearts of non-Christians. They are, at heart, fools (as we once were). When an unbeliever is making fun of you, laughing at your words, unwilling to listen, becoming increasingly more antagonistic, then don’t argue with them. In fact, try not even saying a word to them. Sometimes, our silence is enough to bring calmness to the situation and we can keep conversing.

We ask for wisdom, Lord, to know when to boldly move forward in speaking Your truth, and when to remain silent or walk away.

Walking Wisdom's Path

PROVERBS 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

Looking inward and trusting in ourselves leads, ultimately, to foolish living. Do you want to know the joy of close friendship with God? Do you want to feel like you are bringing glory to Him by fulfilling His desires for you? If yes, then be alert to when your mind begins to wander down the following pathways:

The pathway of “following your heart” - We hear that a lot, especially on American television. US culture is saturated with this sentiment. It’s been the source of a lot of poor decisions, the break up of families, a lot of idiot behavior.

The pathway of opinions, i.e., “What do you think?’ - If this is all there is when decision-making, then we need help. Lots of good ideas are out there, but what does God think about it? If we are asking for Godly counsel from a true brother or sister, a spiritual mother/father, then we’re headed in the right direction. But, too often, I think we like to get people’s opinions and take a vote on the best course of action.

The pathway of trying harder - Sometimes we just get off track from listening to God, from being still and knowing that He is God. I’ve been to several training events that were supposed to help open the door to a multiplication of disciples and churches in the place where we lived. Looking back, it felt so human-driven, and I thought that if I just kept trying with follow-up, and try harder, we’d see results. But, ultimately, God is the one who does the work, and we must simply see His hand at work and join in. Yes, we do have to put forth effort when making disciples, but there is a strong sense of God’s presence and peace and strength through it all.

God, help us to walk in your wisdom today, and deliver us from trusting in our own understanding, our feelings and our own strength.

True Brothers

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

I can probably count on one hand the number of Christian brothers I’ve had who have sharpened me like iron. This kind of sharpening is a painful process, but is necessary in going deeper with Christ.

Being sharpened by iron means humbly receiving open rebuke. When I’m wrong, I need someone who loves me enough to come and tell me (27:5).

Sharpening a man can also mean giving him timely, much-needed counsel from God. Brothers in Christ speak the truth of God to each other, giving encouragement and direction in the midst of weariness and, often, in the fog of spiritual warfare (27:9).

God, please bless us with true brothers and sisters who will sharpen us as useful instruments in Your hand, and give us grace, also, to be that kind of brother/sister in our communities of faith.

FOR THE GIRLS

While in college, I remember two girls who were a case study in the contrast between a woman with outer beauty and a women with inner beauty.

One girl was definitely attractive, the kind of girl who turns heads when she passes by. But she didn’t smile much, she often would not even acknowledge your presence if you passed her by in the hallway, even if there wasn’t another soul around. She didn’t appear to be very happy, and came across as very, well, snobbish.

Girl number two was not a great-looking girl, by any means. If you just saw a picture of her, you might describe her as downright homely. But there was something about her that just made people want to be with her, to get to know her. Her smile was contagious; she was not an in-your-face, over-bearing extrovert, but could be friendly and outgoing without even saying a word. You could see in her eyes and smile the love and peace of Christ.

Over time, semester after semester, I noticed that whatever outer attractiveness the first girl had was being completely cancelled out by her arrogant demeanor. She became ugly. By contrast, the inner beauty of the second girl rose to the surface; she was very attractive both inwardly and outwardly.

Please don’t be deceived by the call of this pagan world to think that outward beauty is your goal. Loving God and bringing glory to Him in all your relationships is a very beautiful thing, indeed.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” [Proverbs 31:30]

What Can Be Learned from the Lamed-Vovnik?

Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

While I was in college I participated in a Sunday school class, and just this week recalled a lesson our teacher gave in which he used an illustration about the Lamed-Vovnik. It’s strange how God will bring to mind something from such a long time ago.

The Lamed-Vovnik are 36 people living on the earth, throughout history and continuing on today, who, because of their righteousness and humility before God, are the sole reason God does not pass judgment and bring the earth to an end. It’s an old Jewish tradition; it’s not in the Bible. Apparently, some ancient Jewish scholars came up with the story to help explain why God had not yet passed judgment on all the evil operating in the world.

The Lamed-Vovnik, or “thirty-sixers”, are not aware that they are Lamed-Vovniks, and they do not know about the existence of the other Lamed-Vovniks. If and when a Lamed Vovnik becomes aware that he or she is one of the thirty six, they would be immediately be disqualified from being one of them.

This Jewish mystical tradition also holds that the Messiah may possibly arise from one of the Lamed-Vovnik.

What can we learn from the Lamed-Vovnik teaching? It is said that Jews developed this tradition from the account of Abraham’s intercession for Sodom in Genesis 18. Sodom was a very evil, wicked city, but Abraham pleaded with God that He would not destroy it.

From 18:24 we read: “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a think, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

Abraham continues to pray for the people of Sodom, until God agrees not to destroy Sodom if there were but 10 righteous people living in the city: “He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it’”.

What if this was the reason God tarries today? Is God withholding judgment from the earth today because of unknown, humble servants of His whom, not being sinless or without fault, but humbly submitting to Him, are carrying out kingdom activity every day, in unknown places with no applause from men? The beauty of the idea is that these folks would hardly be aware of their own service to Him; they are Christians, just loving God and loving people.

The value in this tradition of the Lamed-Vovnik is in pointing us back to the account of Abraham’s intercession on behalf of Sodom, and in reminding us that, as followers of Jesus, we must be careful about who we make our “heroes.” The real heroes of the faith are pretty much nobodies in the eyes of the world. But God definitely knows whom they are, and is showing the world His great mercy through these disciples, who are not wise in their own eyes, and who are living lives of sacrificial service.

Glory via Mystery

“It is the glory of God to conceal things…” Proverbs 25:2.

About a month ago at our church we had a rather lively discussion regarding the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

The Scripture that day was on the lost sheep, and we discussed how dumb sheep are, how the Shepherd must go out and physically pick up the sheep to bring the sheep back to Himself. The point was that a cat or dog, for example, would be more likely to follow naturally, but sheep must be pursued and brought back in a more direct manner.

Some in our church felt that the illustration given went too far. There is still a choice for man, they said. ‘If God saves us dumb people by simply scooping us up out of our sin and lost-ness, then why does He not do that for everyone?” was the key question for these people. “After all, the Word teaches that God desires all to be saved.”

Had God’s Spirit not been present and given complete freedom and unity in our meeting, I think we would have digressed into one big, frustrating argument.

Questions about the sovereignty of God (for example, how/why does God choose His elect?)  and man’s responsibility (for example, can/does man choose God by his own free will?) have been going on for centuries.  

These are heavy questions that I believe, sooner or later, every follower of Jesus will take into serious consideration, because followers of Jesus want to know His Word, and submit to His Word, and because we see very clearly both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man throughout His Word.

Here’s what I think you should consider when you begin to look at these two truths (the absolute sovereignty and control of God, and the responsibility/will of people) in Scripture:

1. People don’t like to live with mystery. We enjoy a good mystery novel, or a suspenseful movie, but we don’t want to stop short of reading the final few pages, or to abruptly hit "pause" on the last three minutes of our thriller, never to know how the mystery is resolved.

2. Christians live with mystery every day, however. We know Jesus promised to come again, but we don’t have any clue as to when; we know God is all powerful and loves unconditionally, but we don’t know why He allows suffering; we know there is only one God, yet there are three Persons called “God” in the Bible (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), etc. So, while we don’t fully understand these and other mysterious truths from Scripture, we still live with them, for now.

3. Consider the possibility that God gives these tensions for a reason. In the case of Sovereignty and responsibility, He doesn’t want to see either extreme among us, His Body of believers, because He knows if there were either extreme, we would stray from Truth, and He knew that His Body lives in community, not as individuals, and we need BOTH in the Body – those who glorify Him in emphasizing the responsibility of man before God, and those who glorify Him by emphasizing the absolute control of God over all. Consider that He is, in fact, glorifying Himself in concealing, for a time, the “whys and hows” of many of His workings.

4. Consider that any tension or mystery that makes God seem bigger in your life, bigger than you could ever possibly imagine, is a good thing.  Anything that magnifies Him is a good thing.

5. Consider that He is the final Judge of all, and He has all rights and authority, and man does not have the right to dictate to God whom He should be, nor how He should act. We must not make for ourselves an idol or an image of whom WE think God should be, but we should enjoy getting to know Him for who He really is. This is an eternal endeavor.

6. I believe when the Bible speaks of the “mysterious” side of God and His plan, the focus is not on something that is incomprehensible and unknowable. But mystery is that which God has chosen, for a specified time that He has established, to keep hidden from us for His good purpose.

God-fearing, Spirit-filled followers of Christ, who study and know and love the Bible, disagree on quite a number of issues in God’s Word. For example: Did God really create the universe in six days, or over a much longer period of time? What exactly is going to happen in the end times?

I think there will continue to be a sense of mystery about some of these issues until we get to Heaven and all becomes clearer ("for now, we see in a mirror dimly... " - I Corinthians 13:12).  Until then, don't argue about this stuff with people.  God is not glorified in the disunity that results from arguments over many of these areas.  Continue to move forward on the basic teachings He has given us that are very clear in His Word.  All else can prove to be a very costly distraction.

You want to be like whom?

Proverbs 24:1-2 “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.”

I once read something Philip Yancey said about famous people, and how messed up their lives are. At some point in his career, he had the opportunity to meet with a lot of these actor types, and later he described how almost all of them were in some sort of psychotherapy, and their lives were empty and void of meaning, nothing you would really want to emulate.

Whether famous or not, we’re never to let our hearts become envious of people who don’t know Christ. It’s easy to do; I’ve let my heart go there many times before, sadly. Here’s a guy with lots of money, lots of skill in some sport, a really strong body, thinks on his feet superbly. These images mostly come from the movies, for me. But Christ is the One whom we are to emulate.

Ultimately, let Christ be your model for attitudes and behavior. Ask Him, “Lord, how do you want me to live? How do you want me to respond here?” Even if a person IS a follower of Christ, he or she can fail you, but Jesus never will.

It makes me a bit nervous when I see famous people who have decided to follow Christ, and then see young Christians so excited they’ve got a famous brother or sister up there that they can point to and say, “hey, he’s a Christian, too!” because, so often, that person fails horribly, crashes and burns.

Twice, in I Corinthians, the apostle Paul says, “imitate me”. In 4:16, he says, “be imitators of me.” And, in 11:1, Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

Yes, there are Godly men and women we should want to be like, insofar as they are trying to follow Jesus and live lives of integrity and influence. But, as Paul qualified his own words, be an imitator of those who are imitating Christ.

Matthew Henry says it this way: “Follow me as far as I follow Christ. Come up as close as you can to my example in those instances wherein I endeavor to copy after his pattern. Be my disciples, as far as I manifest myself to be a faithful minister and disciple of Christ, and no further. I would not have you be my disciples, but his.”

Less is More (a LOT more)

[Proverbs 23:4-5]

There’s nothing like flying with just one carry-on bag. It’s nice to know you can go straight from landing to your ground transportation, skipping over the baggage claim area.

It’s been much easier to do that when I’m flying alone than when we travel as a family. But that’s okay; over the years I’m amazed at how my wife has become a minimalist when it comes to packing for trips out of country.

Our kids, well, let’s just say they are accustomed to air travel. More than once we’ve caught them in their rooms playing “airport”, complete with the check-in, passport control, security and baggage check, and boarding processes, and of course baggage claim after they get to destination. As they’ve gotten older and had more opportunities to pack their own bags for real-life travel, I think they are learning the value of taking less stuff with them for their journeys.

I think the Biblical focus is that, as we make our pilgrimage through life on this earth, we travel light.

We lack discernment if the goal of our work is to acquire more stuff, according to Proverbs 23:4. Our goal should be, rather, to bring glory to God (I Corinthians 10:31).

As far as material possessions go, the Bible teaches that we are to be content with two things: food and clothing (see I Timothy 6:6-10). That eliminates a whole lot of excess baggage, yes? Light travel frees up not only our hands – so that we can serve others and help them with their burden (Galatians 6:1-5) – but our minds and hearts, so that our concern can be for things eternal, not temporal (Colossians 3:2).

The accumulation of a lot of stuff where you live can make or break your effectiveness as a disciple maker, as well. A great story regarding this, especially for those who work cross culturally, is called “18 Barrels and Two Crates”. You might want to take a look at it here:

http://www.missionfrontiers.com/pdf/1992/0304/ma925.htm

Ancient Landmarks

Proverbs 22:28 “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.”

We’re in the process of buying a small piece of land back in the States. Other people own the land on either side of this property.

In Biblical times, normally one marked his property line by digging a small trench, probably with a plow, to make a visible line on the ground, and at each end of the trench he would place a heap of stones as a landmark. The landmark was most important, because even if the trench was covered up or washed away over time, the property owner could always run another line between piles of stones to see exactly where his boundary was.

Today, we’ve gotten a bit more high-tech with survey equipment, and the corner of one’s property might have a wooden stake in the ground with a piece of colored ribbon tied to it, but not a pile of stones.

But the idea behind this verse is the same. You would be in a lot of trouble with your neighbor, even today, if he or she discovered that you’d been moving that stake over to make it look like you have more land than you really do. It’s the same as stealing your neighbor’s land, and in Biblical times this was a big no no (see Deuteronomy 19:14).

You will stay out of much trouble if you hold to the Truth. The heaps of stones, that wooden stake in the ground, are true markers of your boundary line.

It’s the same with the Truth of God’s Word. Stay close to His Word, stay close to good, solid teaching of His Word. Be sure that your heart, your actions and words stay true to the teaching of the Bible.

Likewise, someone may try to move your landmark. The Bible says your Redeemer is strong, and He will plea your cause against those who try to lead you astray from His truth (see Proverbs 23:10-11).

Thank God for the ancient landmarks.

Less Folly, More Jolly

Proverbs 19:3

I don’t think God ever intended for His Kingdom to be filled with party poopers. “A joyful heart is good medicine” is from Scripture, after all (Proverbs 17:22).

Followers of Jesus have every right to be the most joyful people on the planet.

But folly is a different story. Folly is a silly, foolish side-road away from God’s best. It’s when we make those idiotic decisions that leave God completely out of the equation. We habitually squander our time on a worthless activity. We spend our money on stuff we don’t need, without asking God how to use His resources in the best way.

The irony is, according to 19:3, it’s our human nature to want to blame God after we’ve gotten ourselves way off track.

Maybe today our prayer should go something like this: “God, help us to know the joy of staying close to You and Your ways. Amen.”