Facts of the Matter

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?…ACCORDING TO YOU? Good Morning!  

“You are writing a Gospel, a chapter every day, By the things that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write – distorted or true,

What is the Gospel, according to you?” (Unknown)

  It doesn’t take much to leave a negative mark upon those lost people in your life :   An unkind remark A critical spirit An off-color joke Conversely , An act of kindness, A gentle touch A restrained tongue Also leave an impression – Perhaps plant a seed and initiate a hunger that is the beginning of their quest for God. Many of our friends who are outside of Christ will rarely, if ever, darken the door of a church. But you can be sure they are reading the Gospel through your life…for good or for bad.   “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ…” (II Cor. 3:2,3a) SO, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL, ACCORDING TO YOU? My prayer is that you are having a great week! R. Dwight Hill * (Original release date July 1^st, 1998)

Dear Colleague,

Perhaps some of us share Woody Allen’s confused perspective: “If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a deposit in my name in a Swiss bank account.”

On a more serious note, Robert J. McCraken comments, “Get to know two things about a man – how he earns his money and how he spends it – and you have the clue to his character, for you have a searchlight that shows up the inmost recesses of his soul. You know all you need to know about his standards, his motives, his driving desires, his real religion.”

Many believers in Christ wonder if is it OK to be wealthy. Is it more spiritual to be relatively poor or of modest means? How do I deal with the success when it comes my way? Is it God’s blessing, or should I feel guilty about it? How do I keep the balance between enjoying the material blessings and not being corrupted by greed and pride?

The Scriptures teach,

Wealth may be the result of hard work, or the special blessing of God : “Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich…The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” (Prov. 10:4; 10:22). “God said to Solomon, ‘Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for personal wealth and honor or the death of your enemies or even a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people, I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. And I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor such as no other king has ever had before you or will ever have again!’” (2 Chron. 1:11,12) (See Deut. 6:10,11; Prov. 13:4; Hos. 2:8; 1 Cor. 15:58)

Wealth can be used to enhance our relationship to God and bless others : “ And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints…Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 8:1-4; 9:7)

Wealth carries with it the potential for certain sins such as pride (1 Tim. 6:17), oppression of the poor (Jms. 2:6), selfishness (Lk. 12 and 16), dishonesty (Lk. 19:10), conceit (Prov. 28:11), and trusting in it for security. (Prov. 18:11)

Wealth and God cannot be equally served: “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Lk.16:13) (See Josh. 24:15; Rom. 6:16-22; 8:5-8; Jms. 4:4; I Jn. 2:15,16)

Wealth can be a seductive force for those ministering for God : “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve…There are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach–and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ” (I Pet. 5:2; Tit. 1:10b,11) (See 1 Tim. 3:2,3,8)

May you experience His grace, peace and protection this week.

R. Dwight Hill

*original date of Facts December 29^th, 2005

In the previous three “Facts” we emphasized that effectual laborers walk with God, possess a passion to know, love and become like Jesus, live among the lost, winsomely and fruitfully engaging and embracing people wherever they are as they verbalize and live out the gospel. Effectual laborers also know and love the Scriptures, recognizing God’s word to be sufficient in its application to all of life:

Effectual laborers also live with a generational mindset , reproducing the character of Jesus in others :

Intentional discipleship, coupled with a biblically based Christian community fosters the natural expansion of the Gospel. By community we mean a body of believers unified around the common cause of “Knowing Christ and making him known,” who are interconnected and interdependent, doing life together by loving one another deeply and helping each other flourish. (See Isa. 58:6; Rom. 15:1; I Cor. 12 – 14; Gal. 5:13, 14; 6:2; Col. 3:12-14)

Spiritually healthy communities of believers co-labor with God in spawning gospel movements among people groups resulting in generational fruitfulness. Effectual laborers, espousing and living out the Gospel in community possess the potential of exponentially multiplying their influence.

Below are a few factors that could restrict the spontaneous expansion of the gospel:

The absence of visionary leaders.

Losing sight of the fact that we are laborers in the Father’s field, not ours.

Possessing a sectarian rather than a kingdom mindset.

Fostering a competitive attitude toward other Christian entities.

Allowing function to follow form rather than the other way around.

Cultivating a culture of fear and legalism rather than a culture of faith and freedom.

Practicing heavy top down leadership that squelches creativity and healthy risk taking.

QUESTION : Are you an effectual laborer who has chosen to be part of this incredible global movement? Or are you party to those who restrict the gospel’s expansion?

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

1 The core concepts in this six part series are derived from a bulletin from the U. S. Director of the Navigator, March, 2013

My guess is that most of us are probably a bit uptight on how to go about ministering to the “lost” among us. How often have we blurted out brittle, poorly timed, and faintly thought through pontifications? Or we have wilted in silence; inert for fear of offending? Following are a few questions we may want to ask ourselves as we ponder the story of Jesus’ healing a blind man in a poised and natural fashion. (Jn. 9)

• As I make my way through my day, am I aware of the prevailing needs of those around me?

  To be honest, I tend to be oblivious toward those around me, self-absorbed as I am in my own affairs. This was not the case with Jesus who chose to look beyond himself to others and their needs: ^“As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth…” (vs. 1).

• Is my natural inclination to pre-judge those in my path? I confess that first impressions and snap judgments generally prevail, before the person even opens their mouth. I have learned that I am wrong in most of my assessments once I make the effort to know the person. The disciples had the same problem: “ His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (vs. 2)

• Do I recognize that God has a sovereign and unique plan for each individual? Jesus knew God’s hidden purpose for this gravely handicapped man: ” Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life’” (vs. 3). In their rush to judgment, the disciples impetuously catalogued him as either a sinner, or the son of sinners.

• Do I have a sense of divine urgency in accomplishing God’s work? Frankly, my nervous agenda generally takes precedent over responding to the needs of others around me. Jesus informed the disciples, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (vs 4). (See also Lk. 10:25-37)

• Am I prevented from being used of God because I am paralyzed by the fear of man? The blind man was fearless in challenging the Jewish leaders. When quizzed about Jesus, he said, “I think he must be a prophet.” Called in a second time, they denigrate Jesus and press him for an explanation, “Look… I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” (vs. 27) (See also vss. 30-33) Oh, that I had that quality of fearlessness before men!

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

 

In the last three Facts we have addressed the question as to why we suffer. We now turn to the question,  

 

How are we to respond to suffering?

 

Dont blame God:

Upon learning of his cataclysmic loss, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.  In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. When Jobs wife told him to curse God and die, He replied, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said As his illness progressed Job stated, Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him (Job 1:20-22; 2:10; 13:15)  (See Job 23:8-10a; Isa. 40:27; Rom. 9:19, 20; Jms. 1:13)

Rejoice in our suffering: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love himHowever, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (Jms. 1:2-4, 12; I Pet. 4:16). (See Lk. 6:22, 23;  Act. 5:40, 41; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:35-37; 2 Cor. 12:7-10; Eph. 3:13; Phil. 2:17, 18; I Pet. 3:14)

Grasp the fact that Gods presence is with you amidst your suffering:

[God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] The first time I [Paul] defended myself, no one helped me. Everyone left me. I pray that God will forgive them. But the Lord stayed with me. He gave me strength so that I could fully tell the Good News to the non-Jews. The Lord wanted all the non-Jews to hear it. So I was saved from the lion's mouth (Heb. 13:5 Amp.; 2 Tim. 4:16, 17).  (See Psa. 109:31; Isa. 41:10; Jer. 15:20; 20:11; Act. 18:9-11; 23:11; 27:23)

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

In the last two Facts we discussed several principles: (1) Germane to effectively proclaiming the gospel is a willingness to openly speak of Jesus, and present the fact of the resurrection, even in a hostile environment, (2) Only by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit can we do Gods work, (3) Peter and John possessed a holy boldness when challenged by their opponents, (4) Peter knew the word of God and was able to use it skillfully and effectively (5) Peter boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the only way to salvation, and (6) Peter and John reflected Jesus in their lives.  To continue:

7. God uses ordinary people to accomplish His work: The authorities comprehended the fact that Peter and John were without formal education and that they were not professional men but laymen (Act. 4:13b Wuest Trans.). (See Pro. 3:7; 1 Cor. 1:26-29; 8:1)

Question:  Do you humbly have a sane estimate of yourself before God? (See Rom. 12:3)

8. We must decide whether we are going to serve God or please man: The authorities called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Act. 4:18b-20).  (See Josh. 24:15; 1 Kin. 18:21; Jn. 12:43; Gal.1:10; Jms.1:8)

Question:  When the pressure is on, whom are you really pleasing?  God or man?

9. Peter and John spoke out of their own life experiences, as opposed to speaking from theory or intellectualize truth:  We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20b). (See 1 Jn. 1:1-3)

Question:  Does your message have the authentic ring of shoe leather Christianity lived out in the trenches of daily life?  Or do you intellectualize the truth and speak from theory?

10. Peter and John were part of a larger supportive community:  On their release (from prison), Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.  When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God  (Act. 4:23, 24a). (See Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:25)

Question:  Are you a loner, or healthily part of a larger Christian community?

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

In last weeks Facts, we discussed one of three issues we need to come to grips with if we are to remain free from bitterness:  1 Recognize Gods Sovereignty in our lives.

2 Forgive those who have offended us:

Jesus cry while on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," serves as a powerful example of Christs unconditional forgiveness toward his abusers. (Lk. 23:43) (See Matt. 18:21-35)

Years ago, before moving to Asia, I gave a Christian businessman power of attorney over our financial affairs, entrusting him with capital to invest for our kids college education and our future retirement. Well, he ripped us off royally. For years, pray as I may, I could not get the bitterness of what he had done to us out of my system. Finally he agreed to meet with me in my attempt to bring closure to this painful situation. While we bantered back and forth on the issues I felt the Lord speaking to me to let it go. So I interrupted the argumentation, looked him in the eye and said, You owe men nothing. I forgive you, and if you are ever in trouble Ill be there for you. In that moment I was liberated from the bitterness for the first time in years. Six months later, God restored the money he had stolen through another unexpected source.

QUESTION: Have you forgiven those who have offended you?

3  Surrender our rights

It is a given that throughout our lives people will violate our rights. It is only when we surrender our rights, as did the Son of God that we will be free from bitterness. (Matt. 26:39; Phil. 2:5-8)  Jesus laid down total surrender as a condition of discipleship, If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, carry his cross every day and keep close behind me. For the man who wants to save his life will lose it, but the man who loses his life for my sake will save it. (Lk. 9:23,24 Phil. Trans.)

James 3:14 speaks about two characteristics of a person who demands his rights, If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

1 Bitter envy: The reason we harbor bitter envy is because we feel we have the right to be on par with the next guy in terms of lifestyle, promotions, recognition, and our general quality of life. When these expectations are left unfulfilled, we feel our rights have been violated. So we pout and become bitter.

2 Selfish ambition: Lets be honest. Left to our natural inclinations, we believe that we are entitled to the best, the biggest, and the latest of everything. Now. And we are hell bent on getting it because we believe that life is all about fulfilling our egotistical needs. And if life does not play out our way we get angry and bitter.

QUESTION: Have you relinquished your rights up to God? Are you willing for Him to direct your life as He sees fit?

The other day, a young, newly minted PhD philosophy professor sat in my living room, expressing with angst doubts he harbors concerning the veracity of the Biblical accounts. It is obvious that his blue chip education is crashing head on with his faith in Jesus.

Tell me, do you ever have moments of doubt? Ever wonder if the whole Christian thing is a charade?  Ever fear that God wont show up in your time of crisis?  How do you think God views our struggles with doubt?  Is it ok to doubt? Is there a difference between  honest doubt and unbelief?  

The Scripture seem to divide honest doubt into three categories.

#1  Weak Faith: Remember the father whose son Jesus delivered from an evil spirit? Said the father, If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us, to which Jesus replied, Everything is possible for him who believes. Said the man in response, Lord I believehelp my weakness of faith. (Mk. 9:23 Amp, 24).  My guess is that what this father meant in his heart of hearts was, Lord, it is useless to hide this unbelief that still struggles in my heart. I wrestle with it and cry out for your help against it. Obviously, the Lord had compassion on him. After all, he healed his son.

The disciples on the Road to Emmaus after the crucifixion said, We thought [Jesus] was the Messiah, to which the Master replied, O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull in perception] and of heart to believe. (Lk. 24:25 Amp.)  Commentator Adam Clarke writes of these men:  They were slow of heart backward, not easy to be persuaded of the truth, always giving way to doubtfulness and distrust.  Yet, it was these very men Jesus commissioned to take the Gospel to the ends of the world. We know from history that most of them were martyred for their faith.

#2  Wavering Faith: John the Baptist, languishing in prison while awaiting execution – after powerfully heralding the coming of Christ wavers in his faith, sending an emissary to Jesus, asking, Are you the Christ, or do we seek another?  And Jesus response? Castigation?  Angry disappointment? No, exoneration. I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. (Matt. 11:3, 11)

Remember the account of the disciples observing Jesus walking on the water?  Peter asked if he could walk to Christ.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt?"  That is, Why did you waver?  (Matt. 14:30, 31) Yes, Peter wavered in his faith. But he grew in faith to become the powerful leader of the 1^st Century church.  Years later, he wrote this powerful statement on faith: In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (I Pet. 1:6, 7)  Some years later Peter was martyred for his faith.

After the resurrection, Jesus met the eleven on the mountain where he commissioned them to take the Gospel to the world. Yet, When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  (Matt. 28:17) That is, they wavered in their faith. Had this been my training program, I probably would have said, Hey guys.  Time out. Lets take another year or so and go back over this issue of faith..  Given your shaky belief system, Im not quite ready to entrust the future of Christianity into your hands.  Not Jesus. He went with what he had, knowing, as history has proven, that their wavering faith would mature into stable, strong convictions.

Next week we will conclude our discussion with Perplexed Faith, and Stubborn unbelief.