Biblical Leadership (3-26-12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Tim 3:1-7.

Yahweh is working very hard in our generation to give his people an understanding of true biblical leadership. Those who have been wounded and damaged in the past by the misuse of authority will have the opportunity to experience a great healing and freedom from their past hurts and pain, but only if they'll seek the Lord and follow the Holy Spirit's guidance. If these spiritually wounded people will trust their Lord and Savior they'll receive healing and can overcome their fears and doubts. There are still many places working under illegitimate authority, but Yahweh is attempting to get his people to a place of healthy submission and proper leadership.

The Church of Jesus Christ will walk in godly honor and respect for those the Spirit has raised up and set in places of authority. The true followers of Jesus will make this step of faith and maturity. We'll experience the spiritual benefits resulting from that godly honor and respect. Any who will properly submit with a pure heart will see Yahweh's authority working as it should in the local body of believers. The authority our Father raises up will always be pure and right and just. We need more of the body to do the work of praying and seeking and doing his will. We must corporately submit to our Father's will to see the benefits of good biblical leadership.

So, what are the requirements set forth in the Bible for proper leadership? There are twelve of them listed in the verses you just read. The order of the requirements isn't rigid because you'll find a slightly different list in Titus 1:6-8. These twelve characteristics aren't a checklist, but a guide to us in choosing people to be our leaders.

First, let's look at the word overseer. It means one who guards, supervises, and helps. It's the Greek word Episkopos, where we get our word episcopal from. It indicates an office of responsibility, and the giving of divine power to serve. It's referring to a person who exercises the work of oversight.

The first quality mentioned is to be "above reproach." This means that the body of believers trusts this person because they aren't open to censure or reprimand. This is a person who's general behavior is good, that they have a good background. It means outsiders don't have charges against his character. This isn't someone who's never offended anyone, but a person who everyone recognizes as honest and appreciates his integrity.

The next quality is "the husband of one wife." The context appears to be speaking about being devoted to his one and only wife. Polygamy isn't acceptable, and neither is any living arrangement outside marriage. It doesn't expressly forbid divorce and remarriage as some strongly advocate. The main issue is how he treats his wife right now. The point isn't how often one can be married, nor what necessarily constitutes a legitimate marriage, but rather how one conducts himself in marriage at the moment.

The next quality is "temperate." this means they handle alcohol responsibly. This can be combined with "not given to drunkenness." The good overseer knows the dangers of overindulgence. This isn't a total ban on the use of alcohol, actually there isn't one within the Bible. What's implied here is that the overseer isn't an alcoholic, but someone who tempers their use of the substance. This may mean he doesn't ever touch it, but that's not the requirement being set here.

The next quality is "self-controlled." This means to be wise and prudent in nature. This is a person who can control and curb their passions and desires. It indicates a soundness and balance in judgment, a stability that keeps him from making quick or superficial decisions. It's mostly about emotional maturity. You don't want a leader who flies off the handle too easily or has deep emotional mood swings.

The next quality is "respectable." This means honorable and modest. This is a person who lives a life worthy of honor and respect. It goes along with being above reproach. People outside the Church should think well of our leaders. As it says in verse 7, "He must also have a good reputation with outsiders." Unbelievers should appreciate those in authority within the Body of Christ. This doesn't mean that everyone will like him. Some may have a bad opinion simply because of his proclamation of biblical truth.

The next quality is "hospitable." This means hospitable. This is a basic Christian characteristic that should be evident in those raised up into spiritual leadership. We should be very able to share what we have, to open up our homes to bless others. This should especially be true of those who know that all their stuff belongs to Jesus and his Word does tell us to take good care of those in need.

The next quality is "able to teach." All spiritual leaders should be able to teach the basics of Christianity to others. The overseer should be able to understand and communicate the Truth of the Gospel to others. He should also be able to refute false teachers and skeptics, those who mishandle the Word of God. Anyone in public ministry must be able to handle the Word of God with skill. And being a good biblical scholar doesn't mean having training from any specific school or school of thought. This is about 2 Tim 2:15. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

The next quality is "not quarrelsome." This is referring to someone able to make peace, not a contentious person. They don't pick fights, but they do finish them when necessary. Interestingly, several commentaries mentioned that this is unlike false teachers. The good overseer can take on contentious people without being pulled down to their level, or without giving in to being baited. A good overseer can handle controversy or controversial subjects without becoming argumentative.

The next quality is "not a lover of money." This means not greedy, not given over to seeking personal gain above the benefits of those he leads. The actual breakout for the words is "not overly friendly with silver." Money is handled well by the overseer because he's not caught up in the world system of Mammon. They may have dreams and visions for the future which require more money, but their focus is on obeying their Lord and Master, not just accumulating the riches necessary to fulfill the dream.

The next quality is that they're a good family manager. He has well-behaved children and a well-run household. A very reliable test of leadership is to check how his children behave. Do they respect their father enough to submit to his leadership? And there's a rhetorical question in verse 5. "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?" Manage here refers to good direction and leadership, proven responsibility. If his home isn't peaceful and generally in good order, how can he be a good leader in the family of Yahweh?

The last quality listed is "not a recent convert." The word means a novice, a neophyte. The warning is that too rapidly advancing someone into leadership could fill him with pride and conceit. If the Body of Christ would properly pray and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance we can avoid this problem. This is the issue that lead to the devil's downfall. He got conceited and filled with pride because of his exalted station in Heaven. When people are raised up into leadership too quickly, they don't often have the maturity to handle the transition into greater responsibility. Men raised up too quickly can become a hindrance to the advance of our Lord's Kingdom.

Satan loves to use disgrace against Yahweh's Church. If he can trap leaders and get them caught up in sinful situations he can parade them before a world eager to find fault. That's why all these areas are spoken of. We must use our God-given wisdom and discernment to appoint solid leadership and avoid all these painful traps and pitfalls. We need to look at the whole person, not just their special gifts. Being a good teacher doesn't necessarily make someone a good pastor. Being a good administrator doesn't also mean that the person will be a good leader. Trust in Yahweh's help to choose good leaders. Listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance.

The Church will see a great emergence of true leadership as we draw ever closer to the end of the age. We need leaders who have a true father's heart, men who can lead with right power and authority. The prophetic word is that Yahweh is raising up true overseers, men who carry tremendous authority in their teaching and preaching. It's not about holding and maintaining a position, but about functioning in the power of the Holy Spirit. May our great Lord have his way in his Church.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Why Creeds? (3/19/2012)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Cor 15:3-6.

To begin with I need to say that the Bible is the foundation for Christianity. Everything we need is found within its pages. The building blocks for the Church/Ekklesia are there. Practical instructions for right spiritual living are there. The basics for our doctrines and theology are there. The Scriptures do contain creed-like passages, what we might call statements of faith. And of course, the Bible is the source and guide for each of the historic creeds.

Creeds are brief statements or summaries of basic beliefs. They're an attempt to put these beliefs in a memorable form to help Christians make affirmations of faith. They're meant to capture the essence of our doctrinal beliefs, the core teachings of our faith. They were meant to be memorized because the majority of people didn't have access to the written scriptures at the time.

I'm going to make general statements about liberal and conservative belief. I use these designators very simply. Not all liberals are fully Gnostic and driven only by intellect. Not all conservatives are truly Christian, but are badly stuck in tradition. Theologians of the liberal kind picture themselves as the leaders into a new horizon. They say things like "the word myth doesn't mean what most people assume it to mean." They tell us the ordinary, "unschooled," person can't truly understand because the meaning is too complicated and requires the specialist's academic ability to explain. This is blatantly Gnostic because of its "insider information" basis. Theologians of the conservative stripe can go too far into defending the "old" orthodoxy and tradition because of the apostasy of the liberals, and get themselves trapped in legalism.

Modern day Christianity, especially in America, can't escape from the charge that they've replaced solid biblical instruction and the making of true disciples with religious entertainment. Many have no idea that creeds can help people gain a basic understanding of spiritual truth. The creeds can help us understand that even through doctrinal and theological controversy, Yahweh's Word has stood strong. A twentieth century scholar writing about the Resurrection isn't more highly qualified than a first century eyewitness in interpreting the meaning of our Lord rising from the dead. We need to know the historical teachings of the early believers, especially those who were eyewitnesses. Hopefully, as we look at how the creeds were developed to fight the unbiblical intellectual teachings that tried to take over the Church, we can become more grounded in the historical teachings ourselves.

I'll venture to say that creeds began with the Shema. This is found in Deut 6:4-5. "Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one. Love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The verses that follow go on to tell us that this truth is to be learned and passed along from generation to generation. This basic understanding of Yahweh was to be shared throughout all time. There's something important we must be sure we understand about this statement, "Yahweh is ONE." The word one is ECHAD, which means a compound unity. The Father, Son, and Spirit are completely and absolutely united as one in thought and substance, but they are also separate entities.

There are several New Testament examples of creedal statements. The passage you read to begin is one. Another is Col 1:15-20 which speaks of the supremacy of Jesus as the fullness of God and the Head of the Church. There are others and portions of them can be found in the different creeds still in use today.

As the Church continued to grow in the first and second centuries, a need arose for apologists. An apologist is one who argues in defense or justification of the truth of Scripture. Tertullian is recognized in this capacity. He wrote a book called Apology which underlined the legal and moral absurdity of the persecution of Christians. He attacked heretics, explained the meaning of the Lord's Prayer and other things like baptism. He was one of the early Church leaders who developed the orthodox understanding of the Trinity, being the first person to put the word into writing.

The biggest battle during this time was fought with the Gnostics. The Gnostics believed knowing truth was more important than having faith. You could call the Gnostics the first liberal theologians because they combined human religious thought with biblical ideas. The Apostle's Creed was developed to directly fight Gnostic teaching. The Christian leaders worked hard to write something which could explain their biblical convictions in a short enough form for the majority of believers to memorize. It was likely used for a while before it began to come into common use as a baptismal confession in second century Rome.

This creed is obviously built upon the belief in the Trinity, but it doesn't attempt to explain our Three-in One God. Its central concern is giving the general public an idea of how Yahweh relates to the world and mankind. It affirms belief in Jesus and his redeeming life. It points us to the facts of his direct involvement in our world and the world to come.

The Gnostics taught that salvation comes from some "secret" knowledge of the spiritual realm. The Apostle's Creed stated that it comes by the direct action of Yahweh in human history. The writers wanted to point to the specific event, not some hard to grasp insider information known only to an elite inner group. The Gnostics

The Phrase "the resurrection of the flesh" is aimed specifically at the Gnostics. It stresses that a truly whole man is a three-part being, not a divided one like they taught. They said man has a good soul and an evil body, that only the soul could be redeemed. The Christians stressed that the body isn't a burden to be discarded, it's a gift from Yahweh for use now and in eternity. We don't need salvation because we're trapped in an evil body. We need it because we willfully choose to disobey Yahweh. Our evil isn't only in our flesh, but also in our evil thoughts and desires. We don't need a teacher to help us find Yahweh. We need a Savior.

The Nicene Creed is a further development of the Apostle's Creed. It was built in defense of orthodox Christianity. One teaching it was built to refute was that Jesus was some half-god and half-man, not truly one with the Father. A compromise was tried that stated Jesus was only "like" the Father, but not fully God. This was firmly denied and eventually we find "true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father." The fight against false teachings was a very important part of forming these teaching tools of our faith.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. He's ONE God, not many or multiple gods. He's the Creator of everything in the universe, not just certain things. He's not limited to what man can understand about him,. He is the Almighty.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. Jesus is unique and truly divine. He's not a separate or lesser god. What's to follow deals with the issues that the early Church needed to affirm and establish due to the challenges they faced.

Eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. Jesus is fully one with the Father. He's truly and fully God, not some lesser of demi-god. He's not less than the Father in any conceivable way. Jesus stated this very clearly in John 10:30.

Through him all things were made. Jesus was a full participant in the Creation, and according to Col 1:17 all things are sustained and kept alive by him.

For us and for our salvation he came down from Heaven. Jesus laid aside his divinity and became fully human. This enabled him to become the acceptable sacrifice for our sins.

Was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. Jesus shared our human experience of birth, life, and death. He was Jesus the man, not the half-man and half-god. He truly lived as a human making him the ultimate and true example for right living.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontious Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. Crucial historical information to refute the Gnostic idea of an only spiritual Jesus. He was human and he really died. It wasn't some spiritual play-acting, but a real death with real suffering.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Again some historical proof. He really died, so he really rose from the dead. Jesus fully triumphed over sin and death and now fully shares in Yahweh's sovereignty.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his Kingdom will have no end. The final victory is at hand. The reign of Yahweh's Kingdom will definitely come. Jesus promised he would come back and when he does he will be the absolute Judge.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. The Holy Spirit is a full partner in the Trinity. He's not just some essence of the Father and the Son, but a full and equal part. As such, he's worthy of praise and glory and honor.

Who has spoken through the prophets. The Holy Spirit has been and continues to be active in our world. He speaks into the hearts of the prophets and gives words of life and hope, or conviction and condemnation.

We believe in one holy universal and apostolic Church. The Church is worldwide and founded on the principles taught by the apostles. Its witness continues based on the foundations laid by the first Christians and the ongoing apostolic leadership of today's Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. This is to overcome the fights about how baptism is done, the methods used. It's meant to focus us on its necessity as an act of obedience as we begin walking out our Christian life.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. As 1 Cor 15 says, if there's no resurrection we have nothing to hope for. There is life after death, a joyous existence promised us by Jesus and proclaimed throughout the Bible.

I know this is very brief, that many of the points could have much more explanation. But I hope this helps you understand that the creeds aren't just old liturgical tools. They were established with a purpose, to help believers know the basic truths of their faith. If you hunger for more information, this could be a good Bible study subject. Think of going through the points and finding the scriptures which confirm them. Blessings in your search. May you find Yahweh's Truth and be blessed by it.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Yahweh's Universal Love

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Tim 2:1-6.

Around the celebration of Valentine's Day we see many representations of flying little babies. Call them Cupids or cherubs, they're an interesting and unusual symbol of love. Yahweh's universal love for mankind was clearly expressed in the birth of a little baby in an obscure place. But this baby certainly wasn't obscure, he was worshiped and adored by angels and shepherds, later by wise men, end eventually by people like us. This little baby had been sent on a mission of great and profound love. The end product of his life was salvation for every human being in the world willing to seek and reach out to him to receive the great love he offers.

Those who have accepted this great love into their lives now have the responsibility of sharing what they've received with the whole world. There's no person who's supposed to remain untouched by this universal love. It doesn't matter what their skin color is. It doesn't matter what religion they've grown up with. It doesn't matter whether they believe in creation or evolution. It doesn't matter what level of education they're attained. It doesn't matter if they've been our enemies in the past. It doesn't matter how sincerely they believe something else. Yahweh has called those who've been touched and blessed by the love of Jesus to proclaim this Good News to the whole world.

The words found in Paul's letter to Timothy encourage us to pray for all people, especially those in authority. There are many billions of people living on our world right now, that means we have a huge task in front of us. Are we praying for people to respond to the Gospel? Are we praying for our leaders so we can have true peace and quiet? They tell us Jesus died for all sin, and that he's the only mediator between Yahweh and mankind. Are we sharing this powerful word with everyone we can? Are we failing to share it because people believe other things? Do we really believe that Jesus is "the Way and the Truth and the Life," the only way to the Father? They tell us Yahweh wants everyone to get saved. Jesus is the ransom for all men. All means all! Jesus paid the ransom, the purchase price to liberate us from our bondage to sin and the oppression of the devil.

Love is Yahweh, and because of that it's our duty to love others. In loving all other people we have the opportunity of fellowship and blessing. We must overcome the bigotry of my way is better than your way, especially when it's found inside our churches. Yahweh calls us to a mutual, universal love that should be the natural reaction of receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Letting the labels we put on our churches keep us separated is a hindrance to sharing the Love of Jesus with the whole world.

The love Yahweh has shared with us isn't to be confined to a particular denomination, church, fellowship, doctrine, style of worship, or any other human limitation. Yahweh's love seeks no advantage for itself, it embraces neighbors and strangers, friends and enemies, and even the evil and ungrateful. This doesn't mean we accept everything that other people "believe," but that we reach out to them in love. It's not our job to correct other people, but to share the truth we know. If we spend more time sharing truth instead of debating positions, we might even help draw more people into the Kingdom.

Sometimes loving people means telling them that something they're doing is wrong according to Yahweh's standards. If someone is clearly breaking one of the Ten Commandments, we should be able to point this out and attempt to help them move away from this sin. Sometimes love compels us to speak out against harmful things. We know how harmful sin can be, the damage it can do in our lives. So we should be willing to share the truth of Yahweh's Word in an attempt to help people turn to Jesus and away from their sin. This can be tough, and too many times we're told we have to be gentle. How can we be gentle when they have a life-threatening disease. Sin is a cancer that kills everyone who fails to find redemption through Jesus.

Think about John 3:16. "For Yahweh so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The word SO is a small but powerful word. It says that the limitless love of the Most High God is lavished upon this sinful world. The great love of the Creator is poured out on the world system of selfishness, greed, and corruption. The holy love of the Most Holy One is directed toward the most unholy world. His love is amazing. Our heavenly Father isn't waiting for us to love him so he can love us in return. He loves us even when we ignore and reject him.

"That he gave" means Yahweh felt the need to act on our behalf. True love is never content to simply stand by and watch. Agape is a word of action. True love will act on behalf of the one loved no matter what we think or believe. Yahweh's love is proved to us by his action. And again, he didn't give this love because the world was worthy, but because the world was needy. Yahweh's motivation to help us is his love.

None of us can love more than Yahweh does. People are arrogant enough to claim they can love more because they wouldn't send anyone to Hell. When any of us makes that claim, we're being pious and foolish. We're not seeing things clearly or understanding the depth of our holy and righteous God. Yahweh has given us a standard to live by and we're accountable to him whether or not we choose to follow it. He's the Creator, the one who established the operating instructions for our world. We can't understand that it's his great love for all of mankind that makes it necessary to allow people to go to Hell. Heaven, the place of reward and blessing for those who trusted and obeyed his standards, would be less than a Paradise if the people who rejected Yahweh were allowed to live there for an eternity.

The answer for us is that we have a requirement to pray for everyone. That means we're seeking Yahweh's best for them. So we can't deny them their heavenly Father's great love. Praying for people frees us from our human bigotry and prejudice. Praying for others to receive Jesus into their lives should help us overcome our human limitations. We should begin to see others with eyes of love and grace. And spending a lot of time in communication with the Father, Son,and Spirit should also help us think more like they do. We'll love people more and also gain a better understanding of how sin can't be allowed in the presence of our Most Holy God.

If Jesus is the "only mediator" between Yahweh and man, then we must love people enough to tell them this. If their religion or belief system allows them other paths to God, we must tell them that their Creator himself said there's no other path to heaven than the one provided through Jesus. You're not being disrespectful to them, you're trying to help them understand their Creator's Truth. We have to disagree with those believe there are other ways to Heaven. Don't be disagreeable in making your stand for Jesus, but do ensure that they know that the Bible does say it matters what they believe.

Eph 2:8-9 clearly tells us that salvation is a "gift of Yahweh, not by works." It's Yahweh who sets forth the rules for entry into Heaven, not us. In Yahweh's great love he gave us one way to enter Heaven. There's no need for confusion, our heavenly Father has made things simple. If we'll trust in him and his great love, we'll find true and everlasting peace. This isn't saying that the way to Heaven is exclusive, but that those who choose to believe other things exclude themselves. Yahweh says "whoever believes in him."

1 Tim 2:4 says Yahweh "wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Key on the two words: The Truth! There aren't many truths out there. There aren't any deeper truths than we find in the Bible. The Amplified Bible phrases it "so we can perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and accurately the divine Truth." Yahweh wants people to understand his Truth. He's made it possible for all of us to understand his Truth! Yahweh's Truth, and therefore his will, is recognizable to every human being who truly seeks after him. The limitation is that it can only be understand spiritually, so we'll never grasp it with our limited human intelligence.

The forgiveness found through the death and resurrection of Jesus is for all who will choose to believe. At the same time, we should all be aware of the fact that mankind without the Holy Spirit's influence is totally depraved. So how can totally depraved humans choose to follow Yahweh's righteous path of salvation? The answer is by the divine grace offered to us through Yahweh's great universal love. No one is left out or ignored or excluded. Every single individual on this earth has the same opportunity to receive this amazing grace.

"Whoever" includes the happy and the sad, the weak and the strong, the wise and the foolish, the educated and the simple, the nice and the nasty. No matter where any of us has been or what we've done, Yahweh's love gift is available. That's why we need to be praying for everyone, so that they'll have an ample opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel.

Is it loving to allow people to go their merry way denying Yahweh's Truth? Is it loving to not speak against the philosophies and religions which deny the divinity of Jesus? Pray for the Holy Spirit's help in speaking to the people you meet. Yahweh wants us to be bold and forthright in proclaiming salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Remember what we're told about praying for all these people: "This is good, and pleases God our Savior." If you're not pleasing your Father, why would you continue to do what you're doing?

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Stretch or Lose Mobility (3/5/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Isa 54:1-3.

My least favorite part of exercising is the tedious stretching portion. I know stretching is good for me, meant to keep me from hurting myself during the more strenuous activities that are about to follow. But I like the game. I'm eager to play. I want to hop on my bike and ride. I want to get straight into action. The problem is that I've caused myself injury at times by not doing a good job of stretching.

One of our major issues we have as we age is the loss of mobility and flexibility. We don't exercise like we did in the past, and our bodies are slower to properly stretch and become prepared for the effort. Also, stretching itself can cause pain. When we work those tired muscles and they don't respond "like they used to," we can get frustrated and sometimes quit right on the spot. I would like there to be a simpler way to maintain muscle tone now that I'm 57 years old. But Yahweh says I need persistence to do what's good and right for me. May we all trust him and do what's good for our bodies, minds, and spirits.

This passage instructs us to "stretch." It means to spread out or extend. Yahweh wants us to stretch so we're ready when he calls us into action. If we're not ready to move and act when he calls, we may not be able to reach the potential our Lord expects of us. Too many times we set down roots in places our Lord never intended us to and we're then unable stretch with him, or at best it takes a lot of effort to obey his call. What is your spiritual commitment level? What are you currently doing as active service unto your Lord and King?

When pitching a tent, it has to be anchored to the ground with tent pegs. If you have a large tent, you ensure that your pegs are strongly secured. Tents aren't normally used as permanent housing, but more often as temporary. Yahweh is telling the Israelites, and us, don't set your tent pegs as if they're immovable, or don't set them in concrete. Make sure your tent pegs can be easily removed and placed differently when you expand your territory. We're all being called to expand our influence and activity to further Yahweh's Kingdom.

Tent pegs can represent being stationary and immovable. Yahweh desires for his people to be able to extend our capacity, to grow and mature. We can always do more if it's his desire for us. We too often think that we've reached the end of our effectiveness or ability, denying the Spirit's ability to work in and through us. Yahweh wants us to remain mobile and flexible so we can move forward at his command. Our Creator designed us with the ability to keep expanding, so stay flexible. Don't judge yourself by your known weaknesses, trust that your Lord can and will strengthen you to do his work.

Our calling is never stationary. If our tent pegs are inflexible and immovable it's very difficult for us to expand with Yahweh's vision. History is important, but can also be a major hindrance to advancing the Kingdom. We should celebrate what Yahweh has done in and through us in the past, but we should also be celebrating how he's continuing to work in and through us. Learn from history, but live looking toward the future.

Immovable lives are often camped in places of fear. We've all experienced failures, and some of us live in the fear of future failures. Some of these failures were honest attempts to do our Father's will. Some of them are our willful actions gone wrong. Sort through them and get free of the burdens that keep you from moving with your Lord. We can get ourselves weighed down and make it hard to move by the way we react to our past failures. Sometimes we even make ungodly vows, declaring that we'll never do anything like that again.

When we get stuck in a memory of failure and the fear of repeating the mistake, it keeps us from moving with our Lord. The Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with grace to overcome this fear. Flexibility and mobility return when we renounce these ungodly vows we made in fear. Then we can move forward with Yahweh as he directs. As long as we'll surrender everything, especially our past mistakes and the fear they bring, we can stretch and expand as our Lord leads us.

Immovable lives are often camped in the past. What was once fresh revelation is now stale because it's not drawing on the resource of faith. Just because a method was productive in the past doesn't mean it will continue to be. If we refuse to change our methods because it's what we've always done, we'll eventually find ourselves operating strictly in the past. Our world is constantly moving and changing. It's part of life, yet we hate change. Again, we need to trust our Lord and obediently follow him into the future because by remaining in the past we'll miss out on many opportunities for Kingdom service.

Old methods are comfortable. Old methods are familiar. There's a real sense of security in repeating the old methods. But Yahweh is always doing a new work, and following him requires vision that's likely to take us out of our comfort zones. Trusting and believing that our Lord only wants what's best for us should be the source of our security and comfort, not anything of this temporary world.

We can also be intimidated into this by the group's expectation of our conformity to their ways. How can we hear fresh and innovative words from the Holy Spirit when we're trying to conform to human expectations? Our differences reflect the creative genius of Yahweh. The only conforming we should be doing is trying to conform to the image of Jesus. There is compromise with the world that must be avoided at all costs, but there's also staying in tune with society so we can effectively reach them with the Gospel.

We need to have enough faith to trust Yahweh to do what he says he will. In this passage he tells the barren woman she'll have many children. She's not told to produce children herself, but that Yahweh will accomplish this impossible feat. His instruction is for his people to expand their space and that he'll be the one to fill it. This is very typical of what our Lord expects of us. He's looking for us to put forth a good effort in Kingdom service so that he can bless us and fulfill his promises to us.

In most cultures, a barren woman is looked down on as a disappointment to her husband and family. It's a major cause of embarrassment within these societies. Yahweh turns this all around by telling the barren woman she'll have more children than a husband could ever provide. Our Father says he can do this without human help. We need to consider that he's talking directly to us about our spiritual fruit. Do we have an empty basket? He can fill it. Is our tree barren? He can work the soil and nurture us to help us become fruitful.

Some churches almost demand that each of its members "lead" someone to Jesus to prove their faith. Many people sitting in the pews of these churches are intimidated and embarrassed because they feel something's wrong with them. Many Christians feel like a barren woman, never having brought forth seed that bore fruit for the Kingdom. Yahweh's advice is that we expand our vision to allow him to work through us. Much of our problem is rooted in our American sales pitch kind of evangelism. There's too much of an expectation that we can share our faith and seal the deal if we can only give the right sales pitch. This kind of thinking is extremely stressful to the introverts.

Yahweh said, "Enlarge the place of your tent." Prepare some new space for the new followers of Jesus I'll work through you to influence for my Kingdom. There are clear misconceptions about this in Christianity. The measure of who and what we are in Christ isn't just about us, but also about what we've allowed our Father to birth through us. He never said we had to also fill the tent. He said he would do that. We're to live giving of what we've received from our Lord. We're to work with what he provides, not generate our own stuff.

Salmon spend the last days of their lives battling upstream to spawn. They have an intuitive sense that they exist for the purpose of birthing new life. More Christians need to feel this way. Yahweh works with expandable tents. There's always room for more in the tents he provides for us. We won't run out of room if Yahweh is the one drawing people in. And he uses those who are flexible because they're ready for action and more able to change and grow with what the Holy Spirit is leading them to do.

Verse 2 includes "do not hold back." Don't limit what Yahweh wants to do through you. The Bible says we reap what we sow. The return we get on our spiritual investment is directly connected to what we give in service to our Lord. When we enlarge our space in response to his calling, Yahweh will expand our influence. Don't get the idea that he has to fill the space you determined to open up. Don't presume on your Lord God Almighty. Just be a good servant and obediently respond when he calls.

Faith is about concrete actions. It's not just believing in our heads. It's solid and requires us to stay stretched and flexible to receive in the capacity Yahweh is giving. We don't just believe and everything happens. We act in faith and then things begin to happen. Don't passively wait for Yahweh to move, prepare yourself to move with him by remaining spiritually young and agile.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Wisdom (2/20/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Prov 24:3-4.

All of us have built up what's known as "collective wisdom" throughout our lifetimes. This is based on the things passed along to us by significant people we've known. We've picked up this wisdom from our parents, friends, teachers, leaders, barbers, hairdressers, mechanics, and lots of other people. Some of their wisdom is very helpful, but some of it is also just plain wrong. There are lots of things passed around among mankind which really aren't true, and really aren't going to benefit us.

For instance, many of us were taught the slogan, "Look out for number one." This is a totally unbiblical position to hold. We're not to defend and build ourselves up as the most important entity in the world. Yahweh says we're to do that for others. Looking out for number one has me caring about my needs first, and then if I feel like it or think it will improve my position, I'll do something nice for you. We're selfish enough without reinforcing that nonsense through this kind of self-glorification.

What kind of wisdom is inhabiting your brain? What are the slogans and mottos your parents, coaches, teachers, and others have used to shape and mold you into the person you are today? Some are probably pretty good, actually benefiting your growth into being an effective member of society. Others are probably dead wrong, putting you squarely in the world system instead of Yahweh's Kingdom. Part of being an adult is sorting through all these things and only keeping what is truly godly. Don't be like the men Paul warned Timothy about in 2 Tim 3:7. "Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."

The dictionary says wisdom is the ability to discern what is true and right. So our English word for wisdom and its definition considers that there are such things as truth and morals. Discerning truth can be difficult in our culture because of the fuzzy logic used to decide what truth really is. I would say there's not much true wisdom in our current society because there's an unwillingness to accept a general standard for truth. The same goes when considering morality. If truth is fuzzy, then standards of right and wrong are very hard to establish. If that's the case, where do we go to find true wisdom?

The Hebrew word for wisdom has a depth our English words lacks. It also means skillful. The best example of that is how Bezalel was described when Yahweh chose him as the lead craftsman for the building of the Tabernacle. In Ex 31:2-3 Yahweh says, "I have chosen Bezalel, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts." His ability to follow Yahweh's design plans in doing all these different types of skills was called wisdom. He had the Holy Spirit helping him understand what was to be built and then the skill to do the work in several different mediums. The wise person today will be wise and skillful by following Yahweh's counsel just like Bezalel did.

We need to distinguish between wisdom and knowledge. A person can have a mind filled with facts, yet they can lack authentic wisdom. Bezalel was skilled in woodworking, metal working, embroidery, and weaving. We can be skilled in finances, computers, management, and many other areas. Probably what we need most in our culture is some solid leadership, people willing to make the hard decisions to fight our slide toward utter chaos. Knowing information isn't the same as having the wisdom to make good decisions. Having the facts doesn't help if we don't have wisdom to interpret the facts or to make adjustments to move into a better future.

The place to start if we want wisdom is Prov 1:7. "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." This knowledge is of our Almighty God and his truth. That's the only kind of knowledge that makes us truly wise. The fool doesn't try to discern what's truly wise, he just wants to be left alone to do his own thing. For true believers, being in fear and awe of our Creator is the starting point for gaining wisdom. Growing in wisdom is more about having a good understanding of our lowly position instead of the amount of knowledge we happen to have amassed.

To fear Yahweh means to view him with a very healthy respect. We know he's the Sovereign Lord and that he can do whatever he wants. One of the things he wants is for us to hate evil and love good. True wisdom causes us to work at pleasing our Father instead of ourselves. True wisdom sorts out good and evil with Yahweh's holy standard, trusting that he knows best. Having a healthy respect for the fact that all life is in Yahweh's hands helps us be quicker to lift up praise and worship instead of complaints. Having a healthy respect for Yahweh means we'll obey what we know is right even if we're uncertain of why we should do it.

James 1:5 is an important verse for us to remember. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." We need to admit that we lack true wisdom, that our knowledge is always lacking. We need to seek wisdom at its source, our Creator. All too often we humans lack wisdom because we're not able to humble ourselves enough to ask our Creator for his help. All too often we fail to seek his advice because we have an over-inflated belief in our capacity to find solutions.

We can observe the consequences of laziness and the blessing of diligence by looking at people's yards. Laziness brings disorder, a mess that will be harder and harder to clean up. Diligence brings order, making it easier to keep things in order. If we're lazy, things pile up and the mess becomes ever bigger and more discouraging to think about cleaning up. If we're diligent, the piles stay manageable and we're encouraged to keep being diligent.

The path of righteousness is a common theme in Proverbs. It pictures life as a journey with different roads we can travel. The path of righteousness isn't righteous because of the character of the people traveling on it. It's righteous because it's consistent with Yahweh's righteous standards for life. We don't make the path righteous because of our obedient actions, walking on the path means we're actively seeking to do what's right. Our character is changed as we walk on this path of blessing.

In contrast, the path of the wicked is a place of spiritual darkness. Again, it's not wicked because sinners walk on it, but because its character is in opposition to Yahweh's holiness. On this path things never seem to work right, at least not for the long term. On this path we wheel and deal to make things better for ourselves. We manipulate people and situations to try to get ahead. But relationships keep falling apart, circumstances never seem to go our way, bad things continue to happen. When we choose this path we're being foolish, choosing a path of destruction instead of the path of life. Denying the blessing of Yahweh, rejecting his guidance, will always get us caught up in darkness and eventually despair.

True wisdom comes from our Creator. Anything else called wisdom is man made and can't bring eternal blessings. 1 Cor 1:25 says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." Even if Yahweh had any real weaknesses, they're better than the very best that man can come up with on his own. Thinking we have a better way to operate how this world works is a rejection of basic truth. Claiming to know better than our Designer is absolute foolishness. How can we come up with a better way of living than one set forth by our Designer?

To live wisely is to do all our planning in conjunction with the Holy Spirit's direct guidance. Prov 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is Yahweh's purpose that prevails." Plans means designs and imaginations, things we hope to accomplish. Purpose comes from wise counsel, advice on how to do something right. We have great imaginations, coming up with all sorts of ideas and plans. But they must be submitted to our Lord's purpose. We need to let Yahweh guide us so that our plans don't bring us grief and ruin because they aren't in line with his purposes.

Yahweh has a very important purpose that we must align with, to bring as many people into his Kingdom as possible. We need to align ourselves with him instead of chasing after goals and aspirations which remove us from his service. The implication of this proverb is that our plans will eventually fade away, while Yahweh's purpose will be fully established. Remember that he's the eternal one, the only one capable of ensuring his purpose is the last one standing.

A wise person aligns their life with Yahweh's purpose. Doing anything else is foolish. We need to discover how Yahweh has uniquely wired us to participate in the fulfillment of his purpose. Don't let Reader's Digest or some talk show or any other humanistic-based advisor teach you what's right and wrong. Use godly wisdom and learn from the source, Yahweh our eternal lord God Almighty.

Blessings & Peace, Mike