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We Belong to the LORD

for Four Reasons.

–Leroy Eims

Many years ago, Leroy related a hypothetical story illustrating his statement as noted above.  He told about a time in which he was driving around a new neighborhood with a friend who was an architect.  As they drove through the streets, his friend pointed to one of the newer houses and stated,”There, that is my house.”  As they drove by, the architect explained in detail how each aspect of the house was designed, its reason for doing so, as well as its intended function.  A few days later, he was in the same neighborhood with a builder.  As they were driving past the same house, the builder said  “Look, there is one of my houses.”  They left the car, and with the builder began looking through the rooms that were built.  Within the next week, Leroy describes visiting the same neighborhood with a developer.  As he listened to the stories of the houses that had been purchased by the developer, they again came to the house which Leroy had seen earlier.  “There,”  the developer exclaimed, ”is one of my houses,” and pointed to the house previously described by the architect and the builder.  As they stopped the car, a little girl saw them from the sidewalk, got off her bicycle and said, “Hi, this is my new house.”  Leroy then asks the question, “Whose house was it?”  The answer of course, is that it was all four of their houses.  It was the architects, the builder, the developer who bought the house, and the little girl who lived in the house.  In the same ways, Leroy explained, we belong to our LORD because He designed us, He created us, He redeemed us, and He lives in us.

He is our designer.  Before the creation of the world, He had each cell of our bodies designed.  He selected our height, the color of our eyes, our hair and every other part of our genetic makeup.  This all comes from the hand of One who framed us with His infinite Love and perfect wisdom.  The One who designed the furthest reaches of the galaxies has designed in each one of us a unique person to His glory.  As a Bill Gaither song describes, “You’re the only one of your kind.”  In her book entitled “To Know Him by Name,”  Kay Arthur states the following.

“Your conception, no matter what the circumstances, was no “accident.”

You are exactly as Elohim designed you to be.

And that design has a purpose.

And that purpose is to bring God glory.”

He is our builder.  Psalm 139:13-14 states:  “For you created my inmost being.  You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.”  Revelation 4:11 tells us that “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power:  for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”  We were created for His pleasure.  Isaiah 43:7 also relates …”whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Not only is our LORD our designer and Creator, but He is also our Redeemer.  At infinite cost, which we cannot fathom, He paid the ultimate price of Himself when it was declared that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.”  (II Corinthians 5:19)  Hebrews 9:12 states, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”  What should our response be to this possession by means of redemption?  I Corinthians 6:19-20 declares, “You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor (KJV-glorify) God with your body.”

We are also His by means of His possession of our lives.  He has taken up residence in us.  It is His life that is lived through us.  (Galatians 2:20)  John 14:23 relates, “Jesus replied, pIf anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  As Christ was fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit to manifest the Father in and through His life, so we can have the same confidence that the Holy Spirit will manifest the life of Christ in and through our lives.

We belong to our LORD because He is our architect, He is our builder, He is our redeemer, and we are His possession.  Nearly every morning, I begin the day reflecting on the fact that the architect and creator of the universe has designed and created me for His glory, He has redeemed me for His glory, and He lives in me for His glory.  His design, creation, redemption and possession reflect His infinite Love from eternity past to eternity future.  The effect of this love is seen in our lives in II Corinthians 5:14 (Wuest Translation) “For the love which Christ has for me presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end and prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself around me in tenderness, giving me an impelling motive.”  That motive, of course, is to live in such a way as to glorify our designer, creator, redeemer and possessor.  May you be so filled with your awareness of His great love that our LORD will be fully glorified in your life.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

 

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another

As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,

if ye have love one to another.

 John 13: 34-35

We are conscious of and dependent upon the word of God as He uses it in the lives of people to bring them to Him.  Romans 10:17 declares “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  We know the importance of exposing others to this word, as we use it in Bible studies, and in our testimonies describing the Lord’s work in our lives.  We are also aware of how the Lord uses not only the word, but our lives as well.  Matthew 5:16 states “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  I Peter 2:12 also relates “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”  Both our individual lives, as well as the word of God are key elements by which our Lord brings mankind to Himself.  There is a third process, however, of which I was ignorant for many years.  It is a powerful way by which He draws people into the Kingdom:  the work of the Body of Christ, manifesting its love for one another.

Years ago, I met with my medical residents in training for daily rounds at the hospital.  I would often meet with them for lunch, as well as engage in various activities such as golf, tennis, and fishing.  If they were responsive to spiritual topics, we would look at the scriptures together as well, either individually or in a small group.  One particular young man was willing to meet for lunch, but saw no relevance of the scriptures to his life.  He was willing, however, to attend a Leighton Ford crusade with me.  Following the meeting, I asked him for his comments.  I was expecting him to ask about what he had heard from the speaker, and perhaps need some clarification about the message.  Instead his answer was, “The people.”  I said, “What do you mean, the people?”  His reply was, “The way they treated one another.  They greeted each other.  They cared for them.  They loved them.”  Amazing!  He had picked up from observation that many of the people who attended knew one another, and had expressed a love and concern which he had never seen before.

About the same time the above incident occurred, my wife and I had traveled to Glen Eyrie with another couple to attend the summer conference.  He had trusted Christ a few years earlier and I had been meeting with him weekly at his home.  His wife manifested no interest in her husband’s faith, yet was willing to go with us for a week at Colorado Springs.  More than one hundred people were in attendance that week, and she had opportunity to see them in small group settings, as well as in larger groups throughout the week.  The last night of the conference, as testimonies were being given she stood and related the following story.

“I grew up in London during World War II.  I saw daily destruction of lives as a young girl and I decided that there was no God.  This last week has changed my thinking.  I have seen the way you relate to one another.  Your love for each other has convinced me of the reality of the Lord and His truth.”

During that week the truth of John 13:35 became evident in her life.  “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”  She subsequently trusted Christ and became one of His followers.

On our return from Glen Eyrie that year, we decided to try something new with our social relationships.  We began to schedule activities that would mix our non-Christian friends with our Christian friends.  Our initial venture consisted of an afternoon of tennis matches followed with a dinner together.  We were praying and trusting the Lord to use the truth of John 13:34-35 in the lives of the non-Christians.

The second lesson I learned from the conference was the importance of love in the Christian community.  Ray Stedman once made the following comment.

To dwell above with saints we love,

Oh, that would be glory!

To dwell below with saints we know,

well, that’s another story.

 

There are many reasons for the lack of love among Christians.  One of the foremost reasons for this is the lack of agreement in the non-essentials of our faith.  The Lord has never called us to unity of mind, but instead to unity of Spirit.  Ephesians 4:3 states the following, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  If we make the knowledge we have the basis for our fellowship, then churches, ministries, and personal relationships will end up in division.  I Corinthians 8:1 reminds us that “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”  In discussion of this topic with Mike Treneer, (President of the Navigators) about six years ago, he made the following statement, “I have learned to float my boat in the deep waters of the Christian faith.”  Several weeks ago, Beverly and I were listening again to a  message given by Dr. Ken Bailey on I Corinthians 13.  His remarks comparing faith, hope, and love were quite intriguing.  He stated that faith was secondary to love, which was the greatest and most important of the three gifts (faith, hope, and love).  If that is so, why are we not known as lovers (focusing on love), rather than as believers (focusing on faith)?  Why are our lives not singled out as those in the first century when it was remarked “Behold, how they love one another?”  Is knowledge the basis of our fellowship, or is it love?  Have we learned to float our boat in the deep waters of the Christian faith?  Are we known by others simply as believers, or as lovers?

As we seek to evangelize, establish, and equip others for their work in the Kingdom, we cannot lose sight of the importance of love in our relationships with others.  Yes, the Lord uses our lives.  Yes, He will use His word.  But if we make love our goal, the following promise holds true.  “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

In Christ,

Richard Spann

The Harvest is at the end of the age,

not at the end of the Bible study.

We are often inspired by stories about people who came to know the Lord during their initial exposure to the truth of the scriptures.  I recall one individual who gave a series of talks at Glen Eyrie stating that in his monthly studies, he would share a clear presentation of the Gospel after the first few meetings.  I received the impression that a significant number of those present trusted Christ at that point.  Some Evangelism methods to which we are exposed have a several week progression from information about the Bible, the person of Christ, and the commitment necessary in your life.  Other methods assume that the new birth takes place the first week of exposure to the study.    Overall, we are sometimes left with the assumption that somewhere along the line, most people will come to know the Lord during the Bible study.  For most individuals, however, repeated exposure to the truth of the scriptures and the lives of other Christians are required over a longer period of time in order to bring them to faith.  The last few decades have seemingly increased the time necessary for an acceptance of the truth.  A lack of God-consciousness and secular world views will require more time for change to occur.

“The harvest is at the end of the age,” (Matthew 13:39) not at the end of the Bible study. Thankfully, a number of individuals do come to faith during Bible studies whether in personal or group study.  The majority, however, in my experience, have not.  I well recall one friend who commented at the end of our studies that if Jesus were to come again, He would not say the same things He did the first time, because His sayings gave Him so much trouble.  He went on to say that in his own life that he had become more like a Hindu than anything else.  Another friend claimed that our study had excluded whole cultures of individuals from God.  One couple ended up in a divorce soon after the study was completed.  A number of individuals maintained attendance, but without any transformation of their lives.  Some politely chose to not pursue further studies of the Bible.  Others, however, begin to slowly embrace the truth intellectually , and then commit their lives to Christ over the next several years.  Sometimes a difficult circumstance in their lives such as an unexpected illness years later stimulated them to again look at the truth and commit their lives to the Lord.  The Holy Spirit had continued to use the sword of Spirit in their lives years after our involvement with them in the study.

The harvest is at the end of the age.  I have also had opportunities over the years to interact with others at the end of their lives, enabling me to see the fruit of prior exposure to the Bible.  One of these situations involved a lady in a coma that had lasted for one week.  I was called for respiratory evaluation in her terminal state.  The day I saw her, however, she had awakened, and was quite alert.  I reasoned that the only explanation for this was that she might hear the gospel and trust her life to the Lord.  In conversation with her, she related that she had previously been exposed to the scriptures but had not responded at that time with a commitment to Christ.  She did embrace the truth and became a follower of Christ that day.  Later that evening, she passed from this life.  The harvest of the fruit of the word of God took a lifetime to occur.

Another of my patients was interested initially in the Gospel but after a few visits and discussions declined to discuss it further.  After a few years, I was called by the emergency room at the hospital to evaluate him.  He had developed a stroke at home, and was unable to speak or move one side of his body.  He was admitted to the  hospital, where he was cared for by the staff.  After a few days, I noticed that his eyes would follow me around the room.  A day or so later, he would try to speak to me when I entered the room.  As he began to regain his speaking ability, he would excitedly mumble to me for a few minutes during my daily evaluations at his bedside.  Several weeks later, his speech regained enough to a point where he could tell his story.  He said that even though he had rejected the Gospel, it came to his mind as he was developing the stroke.  Although he was unable to speak or move, he was still able to think clearly enough to trust Christ as his Savior.  He related that during those days spent lying in bed at the hospital, he hoped daily to have an opportunity to tell me about his transition to faith.  The harvest of the Gospel, in his case, came just as he could well have been slipping away from this life.

The fact that the harvest is at the end of the age should motivate us in three ways; in prayer, in patience, and in perseverance.  The Lord’s work is not finished at the end of the Bible study.  For many, it may just be the beginning.  Prayer is necessary that the word implanted will be watered, nourished and brought to fruition.  Mark 4:27 states, “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”  We need to pray that the Lord would send other laborers into their lives to share not only the word of truth with them but their lives as well.  We are dependent upon prayer.  We should never give up in our prayer for others.  A friend of mine once told me that I had responded years previously to her question, “How long should we pray for a non-believer?” with the reply, “As long as they are still breathing!”

We are instructed about our Lord’s patience with us in Romans 2:4 and in II Peter 3:9.  If He is patient with us, can we not be patient with others?  We should not force them into the Kingdom on our schedule.  We cannot instruct them to pray a prayer, or sign a card when their understanding or commitment may be slower than we would anticipate.  Being patient means that we leave the timing to the Lord, not ourselves.  We can give opportunity, but we cannot coerce the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s heart.

As we pray in patience, we must also persevere in the lives of others.  We need to continue our relationship with them despite a seeming lack of interest in spiritual things.  In some instances, I have found other Christian literature or books to be helpful to those who are no longer interested in the scriptures themselves.  I have also had opportunities to take individuals to hear a speaker, despite lack of interest in further Bible studies.  There are also various movies that have spiritual truths that might help them change their world view.  They may also benefit from an introduction to other believers who would have opportunity to impact their lives.  Winston Churchill’s words “Never give up, Never give up, Never, ever give up,” although given in a secular context, are true of our Lord in His relationship with us, and should be true in our relationships with the lost around us.  As we pray, and persevere with patience, we can have hope in our with others, because the harvest is at the end of the age, not at the end of the Bible study.

In Christ, Richard Spann

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

Life can be difficult.  Job describes it as “man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”  In Matthew 7, our Lord refers to the fact that “the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew.”  The Apostle Paul refers briefly to his life in II Corinthians 4:8-9.  “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.”  Each of our lives are confronted by financial challenges, the need for job security, our physical safety and the uncertainties of our health.  We live moment by moment in an uncertain world.  We are given one heart beat and one breath at a time.  We are tempted to live in fear of the certainties of life (deteriorating health and eventual physical death) as well as its uncertainties.  Our Lord, however, has not left us without a compass to chart our path through this life.   One of the verses that I have learned to continually look to as a compass is Psalm 91:1.  In this verse we find six key words that are profitable to consider.  They are as follows:  dwelleth, secret place, Most High, abide, shadow and Almighty.

The first word for evaluation is “Most High.”  In Hebrew the word is “El Elyon.”  This is the name by which Abram encountered the LORD in Genesis 14:20.

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor

of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

It was El Elyon (God Most High) who enabled Abram and his band of 318 men to destroy four foreign armies and bring back captives and plunder.  It was El Elyon (God Most High) who was referred to in Daniel 4:34-35 as follows “but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off his hand or say to Him, “what hast thou done?”  The Most High (El Elyon) is the name by which God has made known to us that He is the sovereign controller of everything in the universe.  No angel, no demon, no person, and no circumstance can affect our lives without the permission of our Father’s perfect love.  It was this understanding of God that enabled Paul to write in Romans 8:38-39.  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  The Most High is the one who Psalm 139:3 tells us has charted the path before us and tells us where to stop and rest.”  He is the One who communicates to us in verse 16.  “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  This refers not only to the number of days, but also to what each day brings our way.  It is our Heavenly Father’s certain control over all the uncertainties of our world that creates the foundation for peace in our lives.

What is the secret place (KJV) to which the psalmist refers?  (Shelter in the NIV)  Although we all need a secret place to which we go when we meet with the Lord, I think the reference here is not to a physical location.  Rather, it refers to an attitude of the heart and mind.  For some, it may be that of praise, or to others of worship.  For many, it may be a secret place in which we give thanks in everything. (I Thessalonians 5:18)  It may also be a secret place of trust in the Most High, when everything around us is cloudy and uncertain.  This trust is described in Isaiah 50:10.  “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

The third word “dwelleth” is the one I find most arresting and challenging.  We are all familiar with the devotional “7 minutes with God.”  It is a useful beginning to our Christian walk, but if that is all we have, the rest of the day we may be in deep trouble.  To dwell means that we cannot leave the chamber of our time with the Lord.  We need to take with us that attitude of mind toward the Most High that enables us to trust , to give thanks, to praise and to worship continually.  “Trust in Him at all times, O people.” (Psalm 62)  If we, by His Grace, are enabled to do this, then we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

The Almighty (El Shaddai) first revealed Himself by this name to Abram in Genesis 17:1-2.  “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before Me, and be blameless.  And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”  Kay Arthur in her book “To Know Him by Name” relates that Andrew Jukes defines the name as follows:   “The thought expressed in the name “Shaddai” describes power; but it is the power, not of violence, but of all bountifulness.”  Parkhurst explains the name-”Shaddai, one of the Divine titles, meaning the Pourer or Shedder forth, that is of blessings, temporal and spiritual.”  El Shaddai is the one who will wrap His arms around you in tenderness, providing His comfort and His power to abundantly supply more than we need, ask, or expect.

We all experience being affected by shadows, or in this case under a shadow.  We walk under the shadow of trees, of buildings and occasionally at higher altitudes, may experience a shadow of a cloud.  It always gives us a sense of nearness, and may provide some protection from the sun or perhaps other elements of nature.  The use of the word shadow in this verse gives us the understanding of One who is hovering directly over us, shielding us from harm and manifesting His nearness to us.

The word abide is also translated as to continue, or to remain.  It implies stability and safety.  It connotes the picture of having needs met, and a position from which one could draw up nourishment.

Such is the picture that our Heavenly Father paints for us in this verse.  His love extends to everything that affects our lives, and He assures us of His presence and protection during each second of our lives.  But do we live in the power and comfort of His words?  We are enabled to do so, if we dwell in the secret place (of trust, thankfulness and praise) of the Most High.  We are then assured that we can abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

Willing to be Willing to be Willing

–Lorne Sanny

Many times in our lives when presented with the opportunity to follow our Lord, we quickly affirm His Lordship and are willing to respond in a way that pleases Him.  This may involve use of the spiritual gifts which He has bestowed upon us, or it may represent a venture into a new area for us.  It may involve a local commitment, or it may take us overseas.  The trust we have in the Lord enables us to respond and follow Him.  The scriptures also attest to the willingness of many.  The apostle Matthew left his tax collecting business.  Peter and Andrew left their fishing boats.  Elisha slaughtered his oxen and followed Elijah.

Scripture also attests to the presence of those who were not willing initially, but were willing to be willing.  Their initial reluctance through fear or lack of faith was overcome as they subsequently obeyed the Lord.  One of these was Gideon, who was not willing to lead his brothers into battle, yet was willing to be convinced of the Lord’s presence and power as his faith was bolstered with answered prayer concerning the fleece.  In Luke 5, Peter initially was reluctant to put out into the deep water and go fishing, stating that they had already fished all night and had caught nothing.  He was willing to be willing however as he said to the Lord, “Nevertheless, because you say so, we will do it.”  Ananias, through fear of Saul, was not willing to anoint him and pray for him as the Lord had commanded.  He was, however, willing to be willing, and responded to the Lord’s repeated command to go.

Moses responded to God with His initial call to go to Pharaoh in Exodus with the question “Who am I?”  When told again by God to go, his answer was “What if?”  After a series of demonstrated miracles, he was again told to go.  His reply at this time was “O Lord, I have never been eloquent…”  The Lord answered him and then commanded him “Now go!”  Moses’ reply was “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”  Moses initially was not willing, but was at least willing to be willing.  He finally agreed to follow the Lord’s command.

Lorne recognized that we are not always willing, and at times are not even willing to be willing.  This may be due to fear, lack of faith, or even rebellion in our lives.  If we find ourselves in this position, Lorne states that we should at least be willing to be willing to be willing.  What would it look like to be willing to be willing to be willing?  It can perhaps be characterized by what we do with our unwilling spirit.  Are we willing to bring our unwillingness to the Lord?  Are we willing to bring our unwillingness to the scriptures?

Years ago, I was asked by a friend to meet with a man who was an alcoholic.  He had been convicted of vehicular manslaughter and had spent a number of years in prison.  Following his release, he had been homeless, basically living in dumpsters, following his alcoholic lifestyle.  When I met him, he was hostile to the person of Christ and had numerous objections to the gospel.  He was unwilling to be willing to the message of the gospel.  He was willing, however, to meet weekly with me and look at the Gospel of John together, even though he did not believe the truth of the scriptures, nor did he believe they had any relevance to his life.  Over the next year, the Sword of the Spirit did its work, convicting this man of sin and righteousness and judgment, bringing him to the Lord.  He had brought his unwilling spirit to the right place-to the scriptures themselves.

In the Gospel of Mark, we see two individuals who were willing to bring their doubts, their fears, and their lack of faith to Jesus.  In the one case, it was a leper.  He did not doubt the ability of the Lord, but he doubted the Lord’s willingness to heal him.  He stated “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40)  The second man, who had brought his son to Jesus, had doubts as to Jesus ability.  He said ”But if you can do anything take pity on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22).  We also may at times have an unwillingness to follow Him through lack of faith in His power or in His desire to guide us.  If we bring our doubts to Him, however, He assures us through His word in Psalms 62:11.   “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:  That you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.”

Have you experienced an unwillingness to follow the Lord due to lack of faith?  Are you hesitant to be willing in some areas due to doubt as to His ability or his desire to do that in your life which would glorify Him and which is for your eternal good?  Are you unwilling to be willing in some area?  When this occurs, we should be willing to be willing to be willing.  We must bring our doubts, our lack of faith to Him and to His word.  Philippians 2:13 reminds us that “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”  If we place our unwilling hearts in His hands, he will change them into willing hearts.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

The above statement, attributed to Winston Churchill, was quoted by Lorne Sanny.  Although not scripture, he related that it had significant truth spiritually and said that perhaps it should be memorized and followed by a reference of “Churchill 2:22.”  Some have modified the comment to read “Failure is seldom fatal.”  Churchill used this in reference to what he had seen on a worldly level.  Our own lives as well as many scriptures attest to its truth in a spiritual realm as well.

Success is never final.  We never “arrive” spiritually in this world.  Some years ago, people would wear pins with the following letters PBPGIFWMY.   This was an acronym for “Please be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.”  The apostle Paul expressed this in Philippians 3 where he stated “not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  Paul realized that it was a journey to be traveled, not a destination at which he had arrived.  The language of the New Testament emphasizes this in the use of the present progressive tense.  II Timothy 1:6 stated as follows, “for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,” means that Timothy not only is to fan once, but to fan and to keep on fanning.  It implies the need for continued effort and diligence.  Ephesians 5:18 also states “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”  The filling is not one time only.  It should be read as “be being continually filled,” or “be being continually controlled.”  Ray Stedman once commented on the Hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour,” saying that is not often enough.  He said it should be “I Need Thee Every Second!”  We never will reach a plateau in the Christian life.  Each day we draw nearer to the likeness of Christ, or we grow more distant from His reflection in our lives.  Hebrews 2:1 reminds us that “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”  These are the two alternatives.  We are either paying more careful attention, or we are drifting away.

Failure is never (seldom) fatal.  Most of us can identify more with failures in our lives than we can success.  This is the history of the human race.  It is the history of mankind as chronicled in the pages of the Bible.  We read of failure in the lives of the priests (Aaron), the prophets (Jonah), and the kings (David).  We ourselves continue to experience failure in terms of sins of omission and sins of commission.  We look at the tasks which God has given us to complete in His world and very often find that we have taken one step forward and two steps backward.  The reason that we can have hope in our failure is due to the great mercy of our Lord.  A friend of mine recounted to me an event that happened in his family.  His young son was struggling with a problem be couldn’t quite overcome.  My friend had encouraged him saying that if he could be successful for only one week, there would be a significant reward at the end of the week.  Only three days later the young boy came to where his father was reading the Bible early in the morning.  With tears in his eyes, he said “Dad, I failed again, could we start all over again today?”  His father was reading in Lamentations 3 and had just come to the verses 22 and 23.  “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” The father quickly granted the son his request, and was also reminded that his Heavenly Father extends His mercy to us in our failure as well.

Mark was a failure.  He had joined Barnabas and Paul in a missionary journey and later deserted them in Pamphyllia and had not continued with them in the work. (Acts 15:38)  His failure led to a division of the ministry of Paul and Barnabas.  I am certain that the following thoughts must have been foremost on his mind.  “I am a failure, I deserted my friends and deserted the ministry.”  Yet the Lord restored Mark to a point that Paul later stated of him in II Timothy “he is useful to me in the ministry.”  It is highly significant that when God wanted to write about the unfailing servant Christ, He chose the failing servant Mark to do so .  Failure in our lives should teach us to immediately come to the unfailing Servant, Christ Jesus our Lord, whose mercy and grace overflow into our lives.  I Corinthians 6:9-10 lists some significant failures that occur in our lives.  The following verse, however, relates to us “And that is what some of your were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Our response to failure may be to retreat from others or from God, and to attempt to hide the fact of our failure.  We may also try to work our way slowly back to God and others, hoping that altered behavior or good deeds may find grace in their sight.  Hebrews 4:16 tells us the proper response to failure in our lives.  “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Leroy Eims once defined mercy as “God not giving us that which we have coming to us,” and grace as “God giving us that which we have no right to expect.”’  It is His Grace that spurs us on, knowing that success is never final, and His mercy that assures us that failure is never fatal.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

One of my favorite memories of Lorne Sanny is a story he told regarding an Admiral in the U.S. Navy.  After rising through the ranks of Ensign, Captain and Commodore, he served for many years as an Admiral in the Navy.  Over the years, the other personnel noticed a strange habit of his each time he came to work in the morning.  He would take a key out of his pocket, and unlock a small drawer in his desk.  He would then reach into the drawer, take out a small slip of paper, read it, place the paper back in the drawer, lock the drawer and put the key back in his pocket.  After doing this he would then go about the business of the day.  Every day without fail he continued this routine.  As Admiral of the ship, no one dared to ask him what this was all about, but they were filled with curiosity.  The day came when he finally retired and to their surprise, they discovered that he had left the key to the drawer on top of the desk.  Excitedly, they gathered around the desk in his office, opened the drawer and found the following note:  Remember, starboard is right, port is left.  As an Admiral of the U.S. Navy, it is critical to remember these six words.  Lorne uses this story to remind us that as disciples of Jesus Christ, it is critical to remember another six words; harvest is plentiful, workers are few.

The harvest is plentiful.  It is very common to hear complaints about the harvest. We hear about the increasing problem of the secularized society.  We are told the harvest is poor because of the changing world views of many.  We even label them as Generation X, or Y to help us understand, in part, lack of response to the gospel.  The Lord’s statement, however, when he saw the crowds as harassed and helpless, was that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

The workers are few.  I wonder if we really believe this statement of the Lord’s.   Our churches seem to be full of pastors, assistant pastors, youth workers and those in charge of discipleship ministries.  Most of us are deluged with fundraising requests from a myriad of Christian organizations.  Some of these are inner city in scope, others focus on various ethnic and culture groups, and still others from a wide range of world wide mission organizations.  Are the workers really that few?  Many followed Christ, and placed their trust in Him.  He met with five hundred disciples after His resurrection, but only seventy (or seventy two in another account) were declared to be workers; those actively involved in the harvest of souls for the Kingdom.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Churches have had various responses to their actual belief in Christ’s words.  One church had a retreat for its elders, appointed committees which met for a six month period of time, reported again to the session, and developed a mission statement.  Another church looked around the nation, and sent teams of individuals to study the methods of several growing churches, hoping to change their own church by adopting the methods of others.  Still another decided to recruit widely within the church to fill various designated responsibilities, largely without regard to gifting or qualifications.  There is nothing inherently wrong with committee functions, learning from others, or recruitment to the Lord’s work, but it falls far short of the Lord’s method of addressing the problem.   “Then he said to his disciples,‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ “  (Matthew 9:37-38)

“Ask the Lord of the harvest.”  Most of us assume that the Lord is going to do things without our asking.  An example of this is in the Lord’s prayer:  “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”  We forget that our asking is an integral part of His kingdom coming and His will being done.  We also read in Revelation 7:9,  “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”  When we read this, are we content with nodding our head, thanking the Lord for this promise in the future and going on to the next verse?  Such a response to God’s promises stands in stark contrast to the action of Daniel as described in Daniel 9:1-3, “In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent) who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.  So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”  Daniel did not assume on a promise.  He sought the Lord, in repentance for his people, saying in verse 19, “O Lord, listen!  O  Lord, forgive!  O Lord, hear and act!  For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Soon after the Navigator ministry began in 1933, Dawson Trotman began meeting with others on a California beach at 5:00 AM each morning.  Looking at some of God’s promises in Isaiah they spread out a map and placed their fingers on each country in the world and asked the Lord to send out workers into His harvest field in those locations.  There are now active workers in more than one hundred nations.  The lives of the succeeding generation of disciples are touching many other countries on the globe.

Since the harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few, let us therefore be diligent in asking the Lord of harvest to send out workers.  Are we asking for workers in our neighborhoods, our churches, and our cities?  Are we asking for workers in each nation, tribe, people and language?  The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. The Lord has placed the solution to this problem in our hands.  Let us be diligent so that we would be found faithful in that which He has called us to do .

In Christ,

Richard Spann

I can see him now in my minds eye, leaning over the podium in the Great Hall at Glen Eyrie, his penetrating gaze traversing the entire audience.  His first words were as follows:  “The greatest threat to Christianity is not Communism; the greatest threat to Christianity is not materialism; the greatest threat to Christianity is not Islam; the greatest threat to Christianity is Christians:  trying-to-sneak-into-Heaven-incognito.  Howard Hendricks thus began his series of messages to us that summer with the above statement.  As I have considered these words over the years it is apparent that little outward expression leads to little inward impression.  Little inward impression in our lives leads to little outward impact on the world around us.  The world around us then begins to impact our lives more than our lives impact the world.

A clear demonstration of outward expression deepening inward impression is seen in Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John.  When the blind man was first asked how his eyes were opened, he replied, ‘the man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes.” (verse 11)  When the Pharisees turned again to him and asked what he thought about the man they call Jesus, he replied, “He is a prophet.” (verse 17)  Some time after this, they again had a discussion with the blind man during which he stated, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (verse 32)  In the space of a short period of time, his understanding of Christ progressed from a man to a prophet to one sent from God.

A young man with whom I had spent some time years ago had just placed his faith in Christ.  After relating this to his wife, he began telling others at his place of work.  A co-worker trusted Christ as well and my friend was strengthened in his desire to communicate his faith to others.  As he began to develop a clear testimony I asked him to talk with another man with whom I had been meeting.  His ability to accurately describe what Christ had done in his life had improved significantly.  As he grew in the awareness of his life in Christ, he was asked to give his testimony at one of our Navigator Conferences.  As I reflect on his solid and progressive growth in Christ, and the work that the Lord was able to accomplish through his life, I think that a significant amount of this was related to expression deepening impression.

Psalm 107:2 states:  “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”  Is this command given  only for the impact it would have on others, and not also for the impact on our lives as well?  It is crucial for followers of Christ to tell others, to be prepared with their testimony and to be able to share with others.  This is true not only for the benefit for others but that the work in our own lives would deepen as well.  Paul writes in Philemon 6:  “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have inChrist.”  Our full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ is somehow dependent upon our activity in sharing our faith.  Expression deepens impression.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continually hear about those who have followed Christ for many years whose lives have been marred by moral failure, corrupt financial practices or the destructive behaviour resulting from the arrogance of authority.  It is as prevalent in our leaders as in those who follow; as common in the pulpit as in the pew.   The fallout from these failures affects not only their own lives and ministry, but the devastation it leaves in its wake is slow to recover, affecting the lives of many others.  Such was the case in the Old Testament where we see the start of King Asa’s reign described in II Chronicles 14:2, “ Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.”  His finish was described in II Chronicles 16:9-10.  “..You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.  Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.  At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.”  Verse 12 also relates, “In the thirty ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet.  Though his illness was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.”   We also read about Uzziah King of Judah in II Chronicles 26:4.  “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.”  He started well.  His finish is described in II Chronicles 26:16.  “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.  He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”  We read further in II Chronicles 26:21, “King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died.  He lived in a separate house-leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD.”

In contrast to the above we see the apostle Paul describe his finish in II Timothy 4:7-8.  “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also who love his appearing.”  What was it that so characterized the life of the apostle that he was able to finish well?  We find three things that enabled him and will also enable us to finish well in his statement found in Philippians 3:14.  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  First and foremost, he established the goal of his life.  Secondly the word press implies that Paul needed to exert effort to meet this goal.  Thirdly, he anticipated resistance.  Paul not only experienced resistance to his goal but he expected it to occur.

Paul established the goal for his own life based upon God’s goal for Pauls‘ life.  This is seen in Romans 8:29.  “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers.”  His goal is also seen in Ephesians 4:13.   “Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  Paul states further in II Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  This goal was ever before Paul throughout his life.  Is this our goal as well?  Or have we substituted for this goal others which are noticed and acclaimed by others and may bring us a sense of self satisfaction?  If it is our goal to attain to the fullness of Christ, then we must exert effort as Paul did when he fought the good fight , and pressed toward the goal.

We need not shrink back from the thought of effort in the Christian life.  Dallas Willard comments that Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.  Leroy Eims once commented on the common phrase as two friends leave one another, “Well, take it easy.”  Leroy said that we should say, “Tackle it with all the gusto you can muster, not “take it easy!”  Jerry Bridges has remarked in his book Disciplines of Grace that it will require effort to avail ourselves of the means of His Grace; His word, prayer, and fellowship with other followers of Christ.  This effort which avails us of the means of His Grace enables us to live in the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:16.  “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  As His Spirit leads us in our time in the Word, prayer, and in fellowship with others, we are kept on target as we run the race.  Leroy Eims once characterized it this way.  “When is the last time you were tempted to some sinful behaviour while you were sharing the gospel with a non-believer or praying at the bedside of a sick friend?”  Our enemy would have us think that the way to live by the Spirit is to stop gratifying the desires of the sinful nature.  The truth is just the opposite.  The way to stop gratifying the sinful nature is to live by the Spirit!  This will require effort to which we can expect resistance.

Paul was well acquainted with the resistance to running the race.  He related in II Timothy 4:10 the following statement.  “For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”   Our enemy uses the world to attack the flesh in attempts to delay, divert, discourage and destroy our lives and ministry.  James 4:7 relates:  “Submit yourselves then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  It is with our goal firmly established, in a continued effort to live by the Spirit, that we are enabled to overcome the resistance to finishing well.

It is my prayer that each of us involved in the Navigator ministry in Kansas will finish well.    To this end, therefore, I would urge you to fix your eyes upon our Redeemer (Hebrews 12:2), prepare your minds for expected resistance (I Peter 5:8-9), and commit your hearts to a race that is finished well. (I Corinthians 9:24)

In Christ,

Richard Spann

Emotion is no substitute for activity.

Activity is no substitute for production.

 (Production is no substitute for reproduction.)

— Dawson Trotman

The first two phrases above have been well known and applied to a number of situations.  Dawson Trotman, viewing them from a spiritual point of view, added the third phrase.  In his mind, not only emotion and activity; but production also falls short of what Christ desires of us as His followers.

An emotional response is the intended target of the televison and movie industry.  All too often it may be the predominant response to a spiritual message as well.  Whether it be a speaker, a book, a DVD, or a conference, all that may be received is an emotional high.  The message may have been intellectually stimulating, one with which we agreed wholeheartedly and recommended to others.  We leave with a sense of satisfaction, having agreed with and having been stimulated by the words spoken.  The following day, however, we typically struggle to recall the subject matter which had stirred us so greatly the day before.  Emotions come quickly, and leave just as quickly.  I have heard some describe a message as “powerful” and “life-changing,” yet no power or change ever became evident in their lives.  It is apparently all too easy to be satisfied with an emotional experience without a corresponding response in our lives.  Emotion is no substitute for activity.

Leroy Eims describes activity without production in Chapter 5 of his book, “Lost Art of Disciplemaking.”  “Visualize a large manufacturing plant in your town or city that produces shoes.  The management has invested great sums of money and many man-hours into the plant to produce the finest shoes possible.  Money has been spent on salaries for the employees, machinery for shoemaking, and materials from which the shoes are to be made.  The plant is now in operation with hundreds of workers scurrying to and fro.  Machines are running full blast, and activity is at a maximum.

One day the president asks the production manager, “How many shoes have we produced so far?”  “None,” the manager answers.”  “None!”  the president exclaims. “How long have we been in operation?”  “Two years.”  “Two years?  And still no shoes?”  “That’s right,”  the manager says, “no shoes, but we are really busy.  In fact, we have been so busy that we are all nearly tired out.  We’ve been very active at our job.”

Now let’s put a cross on top of that building and transform it into the church on the corner-your church.  Again, there is much activity.  Men and women are working hard.  The budget is higher this year than ever before.   The church is very active. The objective, however, is not to produce shoes but disciples.”

A pastor friend of mine once described what he saw in the church as a large funnel at the top where people, events, committees and programs all entered but with a very small trickle of disciples emerging.  His church had spent several years developing the correct mission statement, but despite all the activity there were few disciples produced. He was describing the fact that activity is no substitute for production.

Many have been productive in their spiritual lives.  Much fewer have led lives that were reproductive.  When Les Spencer brought a man to Dawson Trotman, Dawsons’ reply was “you teach him.”  Dawson had a vision for what the Lord would do in the lives of others, not just his own life.  Many years ago when I initially started the practice of Medicine in Wichita, I had the opportunity to lead a number of people to the Lord.  Although this was production, there was no reproduction.  They were converts, but they were a long way from being disciples.  I did not have the vision of the importance of training people to do for others what I had done for them.  I was attempting to fulfill only a part of the great commission. After my exposure to the Navigators, I saw the importance of the concepts taught in Colossians 1:28-29 and II Timothy 2:2.  I learned that production is no substitute for reproduction.

Why is reproduction seen so seldom?  Production can involve a matter of minutes; reproduction takes years.  Production can be accomplished with a message; reproduction requires your life.  Production can occur when it is convenient; reproduction is costly.  It is one thing to find a lost sheep; it is another to put them on your shoulders and carry them back to the fold.  It is easy to be content when a new convert becomes established in their faith and becomes active in a church.  To continue an investment in that individual until they are equipped for their ministry will take additional years.  In II Timothy 2:2 we see four generations:  Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others also.  We can only be assured that we have adequately transmitted our lives when we can see these succeeding generations in a persons’ life.  Our goal should be to continue contact and ministry with individuals until the people they are discipling are actively discipling others.  The Christian message is always just one generation from extinction.  We are perpetually in danger of becoming like the people described in Judges 2:10:  “There arose a generation that knew not the Lord.”  Psalm 78:5-6 describes our task as follows:  “He decreed statues for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”   It is my conviction that this applies to spiritual children as well as physical children.  It is only generational vision that will assure the fruitfulness of our ministry throughout the coming years.

May the Lord multiply His grace through your lives as you serve Him.

In Christ,

Richard Spann