Sometimes Christians will strive for something God doesn't want them to have. It might be a ruling position in the church, it might be revenge, or it might be admiration. What those people need is a friend like Jonadab.
2 Chronicles 13 tells us that Amnon fell in love with his beautiful half-sister Tamar. He knew that their father, King David, would not allow him to do anything. It seems that Amnon was kept under careful watch because he was next in line to be king. But Amnon had a friend named Jonadab. The Bible says that Jonadab was a "very" subtle man. The Hebrew word for "very" refers to diligence; Jonadab was diligent in his efforts to be a successful sneak.
If God couldn't get Amnon what he wanted, Jonadab could. He came up with a clever plan for Amnon to rape Tamar. The plan succeeded, but now Absalom, Tamar's full brother, wanted revenge.
It took Absalom two years to win King David's trust, but David finally allowed Amnon to go to a feast that Absalom had. There, Absalom had Amnon killed.
But where was Amnon's old buddy Jonadab? It turned out that Jonadab knew about the plot, but he was busy winning King David's confidence, comforting him with assurance that only one of his sons had been killed.
So why hadn't Jonadab warned either Amnon or David about the plot? Well, he was a very subtle man, and he knew how to look after himself. After hurting Tamar, David, Amnon, and Absalom, Jonadab was safe and sound.
Folks, you'll meet people who are good at church plots. They can sometimes deliver leadership positions when God won't. They're skilled at backstabbing and lying. And like Jonadab, they'll usually wind up safe when the people who listened to them get hurt.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Ganging Up on God's Man
Have you ever been in a situation in which many of God's people are united against you? Our new church in Mexico, and another small church, just concluded a successful week of Vacation Bible School. Catholic opposition to us appears to have collapsed, while Christian opposition to us is growing.
2 Ch 20:1-2 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria..."
The Moabites, Ammonites, and Seirites were brethren of the Jews, and now they had united against a Godly man. Jehoshaphat wasn't perfect, but he had yielded himself to God, was being blessed by God, and now he had himself a large group of enemies.
2 Ch 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Jehoshaphat was afraid for a good reason: he was hopelessly outnumbered. But he set out to seek the Lord, perhaps remembering the promise that "If you seek Him, He will be found by you" (2 Chron. 15:2)
Gathering the people together, Jehoshaphat prayed, and was promised 2 Ch 20:17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you...
Heading towards their enemies, Jehoshaphat called on the people to trust the Lord and His Word. Then they advanced, singing and praising God.
2 Chron 20:23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Do the people of God want to unite against you? Leave them alone, and they can unite against each other. You don't need to fight God's people; you need to serve the Lord.
2 Ch 20:1-2 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria..."
The Moabites, Ammonites, and Seirites were brethren of the Jews, and now they had united against a Godly man. Jehoshaphat wasn't perfect, but he had yielded himself to God, was being blessed by God, and now he had himself a large group of enemies.
2 Ch 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Jehoshaphat was afraid for a good reason: he was hopelessly outnumbered. But he set out to seek the Lord, perhaps remembering the promise that "If you seek Him, He will be found by you" (2 Chron. 15:2)
Gathering the people together, Jehoshaphat prayed, and was promised 2 Ch 20:17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you...
Heading towards their enemies, Jehoshaphat called on the people to trust the Lord and His Word. Then they advanced, singing and praising God.
2 Chron 20:23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Do the people of God want to unite against you? Leave them alone, and they can unite against each other. You don't need to fight God's people; you need to serve the Lord.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Why Do Christians Fight Each Other So Much?
So David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" 1 Samuel 29:8
Fleeing from King Saul, David took refuge with King Achish of the Philistines. In the Bible, Israel pictures an individual Christian, while the Philistines picture besetting sin (sin that won't go away). While serving Achish, David secretly raided Israel's enemies, while lying about his activities. Not knowing David's true motives, King Achish took David and his army with him when the Philistines went to battle agaisnt God's people. Fortunately, the other lords of the Philistines didn't trust David, and they successfully demanded that David be sent away.
Now, Brethren, EVERY commentary I can find says that David hadn't wanted to fight against King Saul, and that he lied to Achish when he pretended that he did. But there's another explanation:
David meant what he said. After years of trying to get along with God's annointed servant, David finally decided to fight him. It really is hard to believe that King Achish would take David to fight God's people without talking to him first. And Achish really did believe that David could be trusted to fight against King Saul.
In 2 Timothy, we are told "3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."
David was a soldier, and it was God Who had made him into one. David fought often, and he fought successfully. After years of fighting God's enemies, he finally decided to use the skills God had given him to fight God's allies.
Unknown to David, while he was on his way to fight God's people, God's enemies raided his city and took the people captive. What had gone wrong? David had gone to fight the wrong people. If he had been fighting God's battles, he wouldn't have had time to fight for the Devil.
When Christians forsake soul-wining, witnessing, teaching God's Word, etc., they have time to serve as soldiers against other Christians. As a Christian, you might find other Christians attacking you. Hopefully, you'll be too busy serving God to fight back.
Fleeing from King Saul, David took refuge with King Achish of the Philistines. In the Bible, Israel pictures an individual Christian, while the Philistines picture besetting sin (sin that won't go away). While serving Achish, David secretly raided Israel's enemies, while lying about his activities. Not knowing David's true motives, King Achish took David and his army with him when the Philistines went to battle agaisnt God's people. Fortunately, the other lords of the Philistines didn't trust David, and they successfully demanded that David be sent away.
Now, Brethren, EVERY commentary I can find says that David hadn't wanted to fight against King Saul, and that he lied to Achish when he pretended that he did. But there's another explanation:
David meant what he said. After years of trying to get along with God's annointed servant, David finally decided to fight him. It really is hard to believe that King Achish would take David to fight God's people without talking to him first. And Achish really did believe that David could be trusted to fight against King Saul.
In 2 Timothy, we are told "3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."
David was a soldier, and it was God Who had made him into one. David fought often, and he fought successfully. After years of fighting God's enemies, he finally decided to use the skills God had given him to fight God's allies.
Unknown to David, while he was on his way to fight God's people, God's enemies raided his city and took the people captive. What had gone wrong? David had gone to fight the wrong people. If he had been fighting God's battles, he wouldn't have had time to fight for the Devil.
When Christians forsake soul-wining, witnessing, teaching God's Word, etc., they have time to serve as soldiers against other Christians. As a Christian, you might find other Christians attacking you. Hopefully, you'll be too busy serving God to fight back.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Heb 13:7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
Heb 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
It's kind of tough to realize that we, as Christians, are to be ruled over by other Christians. It is definitely not "the American way." But we do get some leeway in deciding WHO will rule over us.
From these two verses, we see that we are to be ruled by people who teach us the Word of God, whose conduct will bring a good reward, and who watch for our souls. Elsewhere, the Bible establishes the local church as having authority from God. If the pastor of a local church does not meet the descriptions of a "ruler," you need to leave. But if he does meet those descriptions, he is meeting God's requirements to lead God's sheep, and you will grow spiritually if you follow his lead.
Heb 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
It's kind of tough to realize that we, as Christians, are to be ruled over by other Christians. It is definitely not "the American way." But we do get some leeway in deciding WHO will rule over us.
From these two verses, we see that we are to be ruled by people who teach us the Word of God, whose conduct will bring a good reward, and who watch for our souls. Elsewhere, the Bible establishes the local church as having authority from God. If the pastor of a local church does not meet the descriptions of a "ruler," you need to leave. But if he does meet those descriptions, he is meeting God's requirements to lead God's sheep, and you will grow spiritually if you follow his lead.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
UNDERCOVER AGENTS FOR GOD
"...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..." Ephesians 4:14
I'll sometimes meet Christians who bitterly complain about being expelled from a church. Some complain about being expelled from several churches. They usually tell the same story:
The church, pastor, elders, deacons, etc., wanted to go in a certain direction. The person wanted to go in a different direction. After failing to convince the leadership, the person began a secret campaign to change the direction of the church. One tactic is to seek an adult Sunday School class; there the person can teach his own doctrines and standards, contrary to what the church believes. The person openly admits (later, after getting caught) that he was trying to change the church into what he thought it should be. A few will actually defend being deceitful, because "God called me to do this, so I couldn't tell them what I was up to." How do you know whom to believe?
Ephesians 4:14 warns us not to be carried about by doctrines that are brought in deceitfully. The preceeding four verses explain that God calls church leaders to lead the church in spiritual growth. The people who plot against the church leaders are described as being deceitful and cunning. But what if the person doing the plotting is right, and the leaders are wrong?
Obviously, the person believes he is right. But if he is, he needs to either submit to the authority of God's ordained leaders, or he needs to leave quietly.
I'll sometimes meet Christians who bitterly complain about being expelled from a church. Some complain about being expelled from several churches. They usually tell the same story:
The church, pastor, elders, deacons, etc., wanted to go in a certain direction. The person wanted to go in a different direction. After failing to convince the leadership, the person began a secret campaign to change the direction of the church. One tactic is to seek an adult Sunday School class; there the person can teach his own doctrines and standards, contrary to what the church believes. The person openly admits (later, after getting caught) that he was trying to change the church into what he thought it should be. A few will actually defend being deceitful, because "God called me to do this, so I couldn't tell them what I was up to." How do you know whom to believe?
Ephesians 4:14 warns us not to be carried about by doctrines that are brought in deceitfully. The preceeding four verses explain that God calls church leaders to lead the church in spiritual growth. The people who plot against the church leaders are described as being deceitful and cunning. But what if the person doing the plotting is right, and the leaders are wrong?
Obviously, the person believes he is right. But if he is, he needs to either submit to the authority of God's ordained leaders, or he needs to leave quietly.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
HOW TO GET GRACE
We've seen that grace gives you the desire and ability to serve God. We've seen that a person who is not already serving Gud successfuly lacks grace. So, how do you get grace?
James 4:6 tells us "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 tells us "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Humble people realize the awful truth: without God, we are nothing. Anything good that is in us came from God, not from ourselves. A person with a humble attitude is more likely to do things God's way, rather than his own way.
Since God resists the proud, how should we respond to them when they want to be leaders? Psalm 40:4 tells us "Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud..." In other words, when people who are not already serving God desire positions of leadership, we should not allow it.
So the next question is: How do you get humility?
James 4:6 tells us "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 tells us "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Humble people realize the awful truth: without God, we are nothing. Anything good that is in us came from God, not from ourselves. A person with a humble attitude is more likely to do things God's way, rather than his own way.
Since God resists the proud, how should we respond to them when they want to be leaders? Psalm 40:4 tells us "Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud..." In other words, when people who are not already serving God desire positions of leadership, we should not allow it.
So the next question is: How do you get humility?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
LEADERS NEED GRACE
We have seen that wanting to be a leader is not evidence of God's call. So how do you know if God really has called you to be a leader? In 1 Corinthians 15:19, Paul writes: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Here, Paul tells us that "grace" is not useless ("in vain") because it made him work hard. He then explains that it wasn't really him; it was God's grace that made him work so hard.
If a person has grace, that person is ALREADY DOING GOD'S WORK. A person who is not already doing God's work lacks grace. What made Paul so successful? "By the grace of God I am what I am.." Churches often encounter people who announce that God has called them to leadership positions. But unless that person is already serving God, that person does not have the grace to be a leader.
I've been told things like "I don't go soul-winning because God hasn't told me to. He's told me to be in charge of..." Christian leader wannabees will post frequently on Christian websites, write blogs (whoops), practice church politics, etc., when they could be visiting the sick, serving meals, cleaning the church, helping with the children on Sunday, inviting the lost to church, and witnessing.
So the second thing you need to know is: If you are not already serving God, you don't have the grace to succeed as a leader.
Here, Paul tells us that "grace" is not useless ("in vain") because it made him work hard. He then explains that it wasn't really him; it was God's grace that made him work so hard.
If a person has grace, that person is ALREADY DOING GOD'S WORK. A person who is not already doing God's work lacks grace. What made Paul so successful? "By the grace of God I am what I am.." Churches often encounter people who announce that God has called them to leadership positions. But unless that person is already serving God, that person does not have the grace to be a leader.
I've been told things like "I don't go soul-winning because God hasn't told me to. He's told me to be in charge of..." Christian leader wannabees will post frequently on Christian websites, write blogs (whoops), practice church politics, etc., when they could be visiting the sick, serving meals, cleaning the church, helping with the children on Sunday, inviting the lost to church, and witnessing.
So the second thing you need to know is: If you are not already serving God, you don't have the grace to succeed as a leader.
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