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Come apart; or you will come apart.

Howard Hendricks

 

In this statement Howard Hendricks is referring to the words of Jesus to his disciples in Mark 6:31.  “And he said unto them, come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:” In Mark chapter 6, the disciples were given authority over evil spirits and sent out two by two throughout Judea.  They preached the need for repentance, drove out demons, and healed many sick people. On their return from the journey, so many people were coming and going that they did not even have time to eat.  It was at that point that Jesus words were spoken, “come ye yourselves apart.”  In the NIV it reads “come with me by yourselves.”

In the above passage Jesus is recognizing the need to leave the pressure of daily activities, and spend time in His presence for the purpose of rest and renewal.  This need is more pressing, I think, in our lifetime than it has ever been before. Our lives are crammed with activities from dawn to dusk, leaving little time for one another, let alone time with the Lord.  I see many who are coming apart, because they have never learned to “come apart.”  They characterize this quote from Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles E. Hummel:  “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.” Lorne Sanny would describe those things which we ought to have done as “essential.”

That which is most essential in my life is that which Jesus declared to be essential in Matthew 4:4.  “It is written:  “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Knowing that this is essential, however, does not guarantee its practice.  In fact, our enemy knows that my daily communication with the Lord in His Word and prayer is the most important aspect of my life.  He will fight harder to prevent this than anything else.  Even though it has become a daily habit, it is still opposed by the presentation of more seemingly urgent matters.  In the midst of the call of the urgent, however, there comes the persistent voice of the Holy Spirit, reminding me of the Lord’s words in Matthew 11:28-30.  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  As I “come apart” to be with Him I am made aware of His rest.  Each day, I am able to contemplate anew what it means to be yoked with Him.  We are inseparable .  His unseen presence witnesses and understands each demand that the day brings.  His power deals with each event in ways that I cannot understand and accomplishes His purposes.  Much of what happens is beyond my control or understanding.  Some days may appear like chaos from my end of the yoke, but He who is yoked with me assures me that He is in control.  His call to me is to walk by faith. It is a call to grow in dependence upon Him.  It is a call to relinquish the need to control or even to understand.  His presence, His power, and His purpose are assured.  He will do all that needs to be done in and through my life whether I am aware of it or not.  It is my task to simply learn of Him.  As I come apart to do this, I find that the daily demands and circumstances of life are much less likely to cause me to come apart.

In addition to the daily times with the Lord, I have found that it is also essential to “come apart” periodically for a more protracted time in His presence.  At a recent Navigator conference our speaker, David Legg, related that margin is the difference between our load and our limit.  These periods of greater time duration increase our margin by both decreasing our load and increasing our limit.  As I wait in His presence, He helps me understand what part of my load can be delegated or eliminated.  Waiting in His presence also increases my limit by renewing my strength, enabling me to “run and not be weary” and to “walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31)  To start this practice, I would recommend Lorne Sanny”s booklet “How to spend a day in prayer.”  Setting aside four hours each month to “come apart” will be a practice that you, also, will find essential.

It is also essential that I highly value the relationships that the Lord has given me with others.  The most important one in my life is with my wife, Beverly.  I have learned that it requites a choice to make sure that this relationship is nurtured.  This requires saying “NO” to activities and other meetings that would interfere with our time together.  Other than time with the Lord, this is the most important part of my day.  The Lord desires that I “come apart” to enjoy and to be nurtured by this relationship He has given me with her.

Some years ago, Beverly and I were asked to be in a small group in addition to our usual weekly activities.  The following month we also found ourselves involved with yet another weekly commitment.  We woke up to the realization that we were spending four nights a week away from our young daughters!  Even though all of these were good, some were not necessary, and none of them were essential.  What was essential was time with our daughters.  We made the necessary changes to our schedule that would allow us to keep a commitment to “come apart” as a family.

The Lord has also given us another responsibility as individuals, couples, and families which he considers as essential.  He describes this in Matthew 28:18-20. We call it the “Great Commission”.  He asks us to “come apart” with Him in His work in the lives of others.  His work of grace in our lives as couples and families was not intended to stop there, but to proceed through our lives to those around us.  Jim Morris often stated that “everybody can help somebody.”  Do we have even an hour per week to “come apart” with the Lord for His work in another life?

We have a society that is coming apart at the seams.  In the newspaper we read about various illustrations of how it has become fragmented.  The root cause is that mankind is attempting to live independent from every word that comes from the mouth of God.  They do not come apart to listen, to heed and be changed by the Word of God.  If our lives are going to make a difference in our culture, we need to “come apart” as individuals before the Lord, “come apart” as couples, and “come apart” as families so that we will be salt and light to a perishing world.

In Christ, Richard Spann

 

My Objective is to know Christ

in my own life in ever increasing depth

 

 

The above phrase is the first part of the objective of the Kansas Navigator team.  It is taken from a scriptural reference in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”  What does this process look like?  It can be described as a response to the call of God; its knowledge made necessary by rebellion in the Garden of Eden.  His lamenting call to Adam, “Where are you?” echoes through the centuries to each one of us with the knowledge of His Divine nature imprinted on our hearts. (Romans 1:20)  To know Him, then, is a desire in our hearts which is initiated by God Himself.  This was made possible only by the “lamb slain before the foundation of the world.”  In the written word we see His testimony concerning the Living Word in John 20:31.  “But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.” It is by this belief, this act of dependence, this transfer of trust to Him to make us righteous in His sight that we begin to know Him.  This is the beginning of eternal life. (John 17:3)  God declares that we are in Christ and says the following in I Corinthians 1:30.  “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. In righteousness we are free from the penalty of sin, in sanctification we are being made free from the power of sin, and when redemption is final we will be made free from the presence of sin.  God further states that His process of knowing Him takes place by interaction with Him in fellowship. I Corinthians 1:9 states:  “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (KJV)  The word translated fellowship is a word which implies that we have everything in common.  G. Campbell Morgan states that this is best described in terms of two words:   resources and responsibilities.  To have resources and responsibilities in fellowship with Christ means that all His resources are available to meet all my responsibilities, and that all my resources are available to Him to meet His responsibilities.

What are the responsibilities that I have?  In Micah 6:8 we read the following.  “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”  As I look at my own capacity, I can say with the apostle Paul in Romans 7:21, “So I find this law at work:  when I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”  The good that needs to be done, I am powerless to perform.  In the Gospels however, I find His power for my paralysis; His strength for my weakness.  He says to the man with the withered hand, “stretch out your hand.”  To the paralytic, He says “Get up.”  Those were exactly the things they could not do!  That which is impossible to do I find possible through the obedience of faith placing its dependence upon His resources. As I look to Him for His resources to meet my responsibilities my knowledge of Him deepens as I interact in fellowship with Him.   Jesus states in John 5:30; “By myself I can do nothing,” in John 8:28, “I do nothing on my own,” in John 12:49, “I did not speak of my own accord,” and in John 14:10,”Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work.”  Christ was dependent upon the Holy Spirit moment by moment to manifest the life of the Father and to make the Father visible to the world.  In fellowship with Christ I learn the truth of John 15:4, “apart from me you can do nothing.”  In John 17:18 the Lord states, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”  As Christ lived in fellowship with the Father, the Holy Spirit manifested the words and the works of the Father through his life.  As we live in fellowship with Christ, the Holy Spirit manifests the words and works of Christ through our lives as well.  As the Holy Spirit manifested the life of the Father in Christ, so the same Holy Spirit manifests the life of Christ in us.

To live in fellowship with Christ also means that my resources are to be made available for His responsibilities.  What are His responsibilities?  Luke 19:10 states the following, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  What resources does Christ require of us that He may seek and save?  John 12:24 says it this way.  “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.”  We see this illustrated in the life of Isaiah when the Lord asks in Isaiah 6:8, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  Isaiah’s reply was “Here am I.  Send me!”  G. Campbell Morgan uses two words to describe Isaiah’s statement. These words are abandonment and readiness.

It is in the abandonment of ourselves to Him that the depth of our relationship increases.  In abandonment we lift our arms, as did Moses to Jehovah–Nissi (The Lord our Banner) for His supply.  His answer enables us know Him as God Most High, (El–Elyon), the One with perfect knowledge, and absolute sovereignty over our lives.  As we look to Him each day, he reveals Himself as Jehovah–Jireh (The Lord will Provide).  Literally, the term Jireh means to see, or to foresee.  We know Him who has foreseen every need that we will have throughout our life and has already taken steps to provide for us at the perfect time.  In all these ways and more, He reveals Himself to us as YHWH.   This word, YHWH, translated “I am that I am,” the “Self-existent One,” can be understood as “I am becoming all you need me to be” or as Jill Briscoe described it, the One who “will become all we need Him to be when we need Him to be all that we need.”

Send me.  Readiness does not wait until tomorrow.  It does not delay its availability until further preparation has occurred.  It is the conviction that Christ wants to use me in His redemptive mission today.  In readiness I know Christ as the One who has not only prepared me for His work, but has also prepared the work for me to do.  Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Readiness allows me to know Him more deeply as He lives in me to enable me to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Him.

In summary, we can know Christ in our own lives in every increasing depth because “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” (I Corinthians 1:9 NIV)   We, in turn, need to be faithful to interact in fellowship with Him.   How much time does this require?  As much time as you want to spend.  II Corinthians 3:18 states that “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  How much change do we want?  How much like Him do we want to be?  How much do we desire that He be glorified?  Our answers to these questions will be reflected in the choices we make every day.  If we choose fellowship with Him above all other pursuits, His character will become increasingly evident in our lives and will result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.  (Hosea 6:3 NASB)

In Christ , Richard Spann

 

                              Sow a thought; reap an act.
                              Sow an act; reap a habit.
                              Sow a habit; reap a character.
                              Sow a character; reap a destiny. 

The thoughts of our hearts have a dominating influence upon our actions, which become habits issuing in the formation of character.  We are admonished in Philippians 4:8:  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  I recall Leroy Eims suggesting that we use this verse to help us determine which movies to watch at the theater.  We should open the Bible to this verse, and match the description of what is said about the movie to the list of true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, and praise. We may smile at the attempt to choose our entertainment by this method, but only because it is so far removed from our practice.  Our lives are continually bombarded with exposures that keep us on the defensive with our thought lives.  And that is precisely where our enemy wants us to live; on the defensive.  His lie to us is that you must stop gratifying the thoughts that are a part of our sinful nature in order to live by the Spirit.  Scripture states just the opposite. Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  By immersing our minds and thoughts continually in the scriptures and in prayer, the Holy Spirit forms a barrier to that which would assail our thoughts.  Leroy Eims once stated “When is the last time you were tempted in your thought life while you were leading someone else to Christ? or praying at the bedside of a sick friend?”

 We are not responsible for all the random thoughts that come our way, but we are responsible for what we do with them.  To sow a thought means to allow it to be deliberately planted in the soil of our mind; to water it; to fertilize it; and to allow it to grow.  What does scripture say about how to deal with these “random thoughts?”  I have found the following three steps to be helpful. 

 1)      Pray for protection from unwholesome thoughts.  Psalm 139:23-24 relates “Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 2)      Bring the thoughts into the presence of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5 states “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  When I do what this verse suggests, I picture myself holding the thought by the neck and depositing it before the throne of Christ, asking Him to deal with it.  It has been my experience that the Lord immediately dispatches that thought to whence it came, freeing me from its recurrence. 

 3)  Some thoughts may not leave us because we have not dealt with the root cause.  Ephesians 4:22-32 relate that change in some areas occurs only when we replace the old with the new.  Suppose, for example, that I am continually troubled by envious thoughts about a colleague who has enjoyed success in an area where I have experienced failure.  Perhaps it is irritation over someone who has taken some of my medical techniques and marketed them as his own.  In addition to confession concerning envy, irritation, and pride; I must congratulate them on their recognition and begin praying for their continued success.  Only then will I have put on the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24) in Christ. 

 As described previously; sowing a thought means deliberately planting it in good soil, watering it, fertilizing it, and allowing it to grow into its fruit, which is an act. Each of us have daily opportunities to sow God’s thoughts from the word of God into the soil of our lives.  (Isaiah 55:8-9) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”   As we water these thoughts with prayer, and fertilize them with the further study of scripture; acts of His righteousness are reaped in our lives.  These acts lead to habits which will reflect the character of Christ.  We can then say with the apostle Paul, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  (Philippians 1:21)  What gain is Paul referring to here?  It is to reap a destiny, a destiny for which we were created; to know, to love, to serve, and to worship God throughout all eternity. 

 In Christ, Richard Spann

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 in Christ. 

 Philemon 6

 

The above verse has always challenged my thinking in regard to the “good things” that we have in Christ.  In the ages to come, they will be shown to be infinite in scope.  At the present time, our appreciation of the extent of these good things is limited.  Philemon 6 states that our understanding increases as we become active in sharing our faith.  In the past few years, I have attempted to enumerate some of these good things that I have experienced since I first started sharing my faith.  Let me mention two of these at the present time.  These two are the ones that Lord said we would experience; His power and His presence.  Matthew 28:18-20 states “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.”  In these verses we see that the Great Commission is bracketed by His power (“All power is given unto me”) and His presence (“I am with you alway”). 

Years ago, following sharing my testimony at the Wichita Prayer Breakfast, I agreed to meet with a man who had some questions about what I had said.  I knew this man fairly well, and realized that he would have some tough questions about the gospel and its implications for his life.  I was fearful as I walked across Hillside to Brown’s Grill and almost felt like canceling the meeting. I repeated II Timothy 1:9 to myself over and over as I walked toward our meeting.  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” As I entered the restaurant, the oppression lifted and I was able to discuss the gospel freely with him.  I was aware of His power made available to me for the purpose of sharing the gospel. 

Not only have I been privileged to experience His power to give utterance to the gospel, but have been witness to His power made evident in the lives of those who came to faith. One young man and I had visited over lunch, played tennis together and looked at the scriptures over a several month period of time. After he trusted Christ following one of our meetings, he shared with me that he was amazed at the power of God in his life.  He said it this way. “I asked Him to come into my life, and He really did!  I was not sure He would, but He did!  Not only that, but when I arrived at work my foul mouthed speech was gone.  He took it away!”  The power of Christ was so evident in his life that within a few weeks his closest co-worker also came to Christ.  My friend’s wife later told me that she felt her husband was one of the least likely persons to come to the Lord that she had ever known.

The second “good thing” that Christ said we would experience is that of His presence.  Although not visibly manifested, nevertheless He is a part of every conversation we have with a non believer. Two situations come to mind which illustrate this.  One was concerning a patient who had experienced a near death experience.  I always discuss this experience frankly with these individuals asking “Why do you think your life was spared?” and, What do you think it is that you still might need to learn or do?”   This usually leads to fruitful discussions about the gospel.  One such individual and I had had numerous conversations about some material I had given him to read.  He always seemed to come up with some bizarre objections to the gospel or some questions about an isolated part of the scriptures.  One day he arrived for his follow-up medical appointment and announced that he had been reading and wanted an explanation of several verses he had read.  My heart sank and I prayed “Help, Lord, Don’t let him be in the wheels of Ezekiel!”  The patient then took a Bible and pointed to Romans 10:9-10; “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  I immediately thanked the Lord for His direction in this man’s life, and we began to explore the meaning of these verses together.  He trusted Christ during the ensuing conversation. 

 The second situation that I would use to illustrate the presence of the Lord is in regard to a medical resident that was assigned to me as part of a teaching responsibility at the hospital.  On most months I would be responsible for two or three residents or medical students.  They would be given some measure of responsibility for the care of patients under my supervision.  I would spend time teaching them medicine, but would also pray for them, seeking opportunities to develop relationships that would bear the weight of the truth of the gospel.  One resident and I had met on numerous occasions.  He was reluctant to pursue any opening I had offered to discuss any spiritual topics.  One day after playing tennis, we were sitting in the tennis club having a soda.  I remember saying to the Lord,  “I have no idea what to say next.  If anything further is to be done with this individual, you are going to have to initiate it.  I am at the end of my thoughts.”  Almost immediately he turned to me and said “I have a question.  My wife has been reading a book called “Life after Life.”  What is that all about?”  I was astonished at such an immediate clear answer to my request from the Lord. We then had an opportunity to begin to examine the gospel together.

 The opportunities that the Lord gives us to share the gospel are always accompanied by His power and His presence.  I was given a more tangible evidence of these in the situations as described above, perhaps to provide the encouragement to continue to walk by faith in sharing the gospel.

 My prayer for you is that you, too, will be encouraged to walk by faith so that (Philemon 6) “you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”

In Christ,

Richard Spann

God doesn’t need our help;

He wants our obedience.

Several years ago, I learned some important lessons about my relationship with God by watching my grandson.  I was laying sections of sod from one part of my daughter and son-in-law’s lawn to fill in a bare spot in the yard.  The weather was hot, and the section of sod had to be transported quickly to the bare area.  The soil was prepared with a sharp rake and the sod put in place and quickly watered.  My grandson was four years old at the time and wanted to help his grandpa.  When I put the rake down, he quickly grabbed it, saying “Let me help you, Grandpa.”  I said “No, Grandpa needs to do this.”  Before I could reach him, he swung the rake around nearly clubbing me on the head, and dropped it on his foot.  He proceeded to the area where the sod was being placed and began scraping up the sod that had been previously placed on the lawn.  Before I could remove the rake from his hands, some delay took place in our project.  As I considered this chain of events, I began to reflect on my efforts to help the Lord.  It was as if the Lord were saying “Now see what happens when you try to help Me do my work?  You endanger yourself, you endanger Me, you tear up the work that has been done, and you delay the work that needs to be done!”

The first area in which I am tempted to “help God do His work” is in the area of physical needs for myself and /or for others.  Philippians 4:19 states “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  God has gone on record that it is His responsibility to meet my needs.  He will certainly use our education, training and employment as a part of the process, but it is still His responsibility, not ours.  Walt Henrichsen, long time Navigator, and author of “Disciples are Made, not Born,” points out that if we try to assume responsibility for our needs four things will happen.

1) Our needs will never be met.  They will become like a black hole.

2) We compete with others to meet our needs.

3) We use others to meet our needs.

4) We end up on the back side of God.  (We accuse Him because our needs are not met to our satisfaction.)

The first temptation that Christ faced in the wilderness was that of stepping outside God’s provision to meet physical needs.  He was tempted to act independently of God to meet a valid need.  Whenever I choose to act independent of God to meet a physical need, I am trying to “help God do His work.”  I am acting apart from His will, declaring my independence from Him rather than dependence upon Him, and in effect stating that He is not capable of caring for me.

The second temptation that Christ faced was in the spiritual realm.  Again, the test was to assert independence from submission to God’s will and initiate some spiritual activity.  In His answer, Jesus declared that to perform any act with a spiritual objective apart from God’s will is to test Him.

We see the above testing of God in “helping Him do His work” multiple times in Scripture.  In Leviticus, we read of Nadab and Abihu offering unauthorized fire before the Lord.  In I Samuel, we see Saul offering the burnt offering against the Lord’s command.  II Chronicles 26 relates the story of Uzziah, who, though warned by the priests, entered the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

God is to be the sole author of any spiritual activity.  It is His gifts, His calling, His preparation and His guidance that will glorify Him. (Ephesians 2:10)   Pride in my life may lead me to “help God do His work’ by choosing some activity that is highly regarded  and visible for my personal gain and recognition.

Jesus, having defeated Satan in the first two temptations, was now to be tested in the area of methodology of God’s work.  Having declared that the spiritual is superior to the physical, and the spiritual activity of man is to be chosen only by submission to God, the Lord was then offered a seeming short cut to the accomplishment of that work. Spare the cross, said the Devil, You came for the Kingdoms,  “I will turn them over to you, if you worship me.”  The Devil is the father of lies, and Christ’s victory could not take place by agreeing to such an absurd proposal.  The Lord chose to submit to the Father’s will in the realm of the process of accomplishing his will.

How subtle a temptation is this third one for us in ministry!  In our failure to resist “short cuts” to “success” in ministry, we may fall trying to “help God do His work.” We may unwisely place an emphasis on ‘results.”  In Philippians chapter one, we read of those who “preach Christ out of envy, rivalry……selfish ambition.” In our desire to see something accomplished in ministry we may be tempted to “lord it over those entrusted to us” (I Peter 5:2-3) rather than by being “examples to the flock.”

What was the methodology of Christ in accomplishing the Father’s will?  We read in Mark 10:45 “For the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  In the garden we see Him again in Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you, Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus methodology was that of the Cross. His call to us is no different than His.  Luke 9:23 relates “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and  take up his cross daily and follow me.”  And again, in John 12, we read in verse 24,”…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  Jesus calls us to die to the world, and to ourselves.  This is what accomplishes the work of the Kingdom in and through our lives.  All attempts to find some other way to accomplish His work are efforts to “help God do His work,” rather than to obey Him.  He does not need our help: He wants our obedience.

In Christ, Richard Spann

 

                                         Remember. God has called you to be

                                                   Faithful; not Successful. 

                                                            Frank N. Kik

 I was late to church one Sunday, having seen more than the usual amount of patients in the hospital that morning.  I almost didn’t come, but thought that I at least might be able to hear some part of the sermon.  As I sat down, Frank concluded his sermon with the words as quoted above.  I can say in all honesty that it was one of the few sermons I have remembered.  It may be in part related to the fact that this was the only sentence that I heard.  My daughters would probably attribute it to the fact that I managed to stay awake during the sermon!  As I contemplated the significance of his words, I was impressed that it was worthwhile to have made the effort to hear them, even though it was a brief comment summarizing his sermon. 

Over the last twenty five years since this sermon was given, I have observed the universal obsession that our world has with success.  Corporations, their leaders and employees are driven to reach ever increasing goals resulting in more acclaim by the business world.  There is fierce competition in business to be the first in areas of growth and earnings.  In the areas of sports and entertainment the accolades are given only to those who are first.  Unfortunately this mindset carries over into our Christian culture as well.  Churches are recognized for the number of buildings, bodies and bucks they accumulate.  We become trapped into using worldly measures to determine spiritual value. 

I am frequently asked the following question by interested individuals. “How is the ministry of the Kansas Navigators doing?”  I always hesitate before I answer.  I know that they would like to hear and be encouraged by the number of people coming to the Lord as new believers, the growth in the number of disciples as well as increased outreach to new communities.  I find that I cannot consistently encourage them with reports of what would be regarded as a successful ministry.  It is true that in my travels to another area of the state, at a conference, or over a conversation, I hear such encouraging news on occasion.   At the same time, however, I see and hear of those who are slow to understand the implications of the gospel despite prolonged input from those connected with our team.  I see some of our team members, who, though prepared and able to make a difference in the lives of others, are being diverted by the worries, cares, and responsibilities of this life. (Mark 4:19)  Our summer conference is barely surviving due to decreased attendance.  Financially, we have been in a precarious position for the past eight years.  Through the faithful and sacrificial giving of many, we have been able to keep the office open, but just barely.  When Jim Morris turned over the Kansas Navigator Ministry to me eighteen years ago, he remarked that he thought our ministry was on the verge of rapid expansion into new areas of Kansas.  That has not happened. 

As I consider what it means to be successful, I also look at what the Lord has called me to do with individuals.  Some are thankfully walking faithfully with the Lord and making a difference in the lives of people.  Others, however, have reached plateaus in their Christian lives and are not progressing beyond a certain level.  Some are still struggling to be established in their faith.  The lives of others take one step forward and two steps backward. 

It is so refreshing to be reminded again as I write these thoughts that the Lord has called us to be faithful, not successful.  In I Corinthians 4:2, it states “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  In what areas of ministry has the Lord called us to be faithful?  Let me suggest four of these for your consideration.  

1)      Intercede.

I have been a good friend of this man for thirty five years.  We have visited at his place of business, his home and have had dinner together. I have visited with him at the hospital during various illnesses and have had opportunity to pray for him during those times.  Throughout this time he has remained closed to the gospel.  Though there is no visible sign of openness, however, I can remain faithful to intercede.    

2)      Initiate.

It was just a simple question which prompted our conversation.  It would have been easier and less time consuming not to have described where I had been earlier that day.  The Lord enabled me to be faithful to initiate a spiritual discussion for which there was a definite hunger.  This interaction has led to other conversations regarding spiritual topics. My co-worker has continued to pursue the scriptures and look for answers to questions and problems.

3)      Invite.

I have discovered over the years that it is very easy and non- threatening to simply invite someone to do something.  All they can say is no, and some of them have declined.  This man, however, said yes.  We are studying the Bible together regularly.  At this point he has not yet trusted Christ, but he has continued to look into God’s Word.  All I did was to simply be faithful to invite him to look at the scriptures together.  

4)      Invest.

To invest in someone means simply to take time out of your day to spend time together.  To spiritually invest means to share your life, to share God’s Word together and to pray together. This can be done as individuals, as a couple or in a small group.  In the last few months, Beverly and I have had an opportunity to invest in the lives of a young couple. They are learning to read the Bible, to memorize some verses, and apply them to their lives.

In the examples given above which are to intercede, to initiate, to invite and to invest, there is no guarantee of “success.”  We are praying for a change in these lives, but it is by no means certain.  It is the Lord’s desire that we remain faithful to His calling, despite the presence or absence of visible fruit.  It is in these times when the veil is drawn over the work of God in the lives of others that I recall Isaiah 50:10.  “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant?  Let him who walks in the dark; who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.   This is pleasing to Him and when He calls us home to be with Him, He will not use worldly methods to evaluate our lives.  The growth and fiscal position of our religious organization will not be a topic of conversation.  What will our LORD remember and mention?  It will be our faithfulness!

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)

May the LORD establish you in His faithfulness. 

In Christ, Richard Spann

                               “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,

                                     so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him,

                                     and stablished in the faith, as ye have been

                                     taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

                                                                             Colossians 2:6-7

Twenty years ago, I developed an interest in the subject of “walking with God.”  In the years since that time, I have discovered several pictures of what it means to “walk with God.”  One of these is from a sermon by G. Campbell Morgan based on Colossians 2:6-7.  His thoughts on this passage have helped form some of the framework for frequent meditation on this subject.  Because they are detailed in some respects, I have chosen to use his words, rather than to paraphrase them myself.  They are excerpts from a sermon on this subject given at Westminster Chapel, London, England in the early part of last century. His emphasis is on a “walk” of faith in Christ (Messiah), a “walk” of love toward Jesus, and a “walk” of hope expressed in Him as Lord.  His comments are as follows:

The Messiah to the Hebrew was the King-Priest, both the One who reigns and the One who mediates.  He is surely King, governing, requiring, giving law, shedding light; but with equal assurance, He is priest, administering grace, bringing about reconciliation, expressing love, and communicating life to the souls on whom the light has fallen. 

Jesus of Nazareth was the central, final, ultimate anthropomorphism.  Because men could encompass a conception of God only by projecting their own personalities into immensity, God out of immensity contracted His personality to that of a human being, that men might see Him and know Him, grasp the infinite, fathom the unfathomable, and come through flesh into communion with the eternal Spirit.

His title as Lord is supremely the word of His Godhead, the word that reminds us that He is the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Accomplisher of human redemption.

Faith fastening on Christ as Saviour expresses itself in love to Jesus as Friend, and finds its hope and confidence in Him as Lord.  So He is received. 

Faith is submission to His Kingship, and confidence in His priesthood.  This is to receive by faith.  He is also received by love.  To know the man Jesus is to love Him.  The reception of this person in hope indicates relationship to the Lord, the eternal One, the creator, and sustainer.  It marks the soul’s confidence in God. 

 “As ye therefore received Him” –in your faith, in your love, in your hope—“so walk in Him.”  The walk here enjoined is continuity of faith.  Continuity of faith means persistent loyalty to Christ as King, and unswerving confidence in Him as Saviour.  Mark the two elements:  First, unswerving loyalty to His Kingship.  I admit the necessity for that.  I see it; I strive after it: but Oh, my God, I do not do it.  I stumble and fall.  Then let me never forget the second, unswerving confidence in His Saviourhood.  The subtlest temptation that ever assaults the heart of man, of the struggling saint, is the temptation to doubt God’s willingness to forgive.  Unswerving confidence in His Saviourhood means that I make confession of my sin to God, and rest in the knowledge that He will forgive and put away and blot out.  He does none of those things easily, for behind them lies forevermore the infinite, unfathomable passion and sorrow of His heart.  To walk in Him is to walk in continuity of faith. 

Walking in Him as we received Him is to walk forevermore guarding love.  How are we to guard love?  By yielding to the fear which results from the casting out of fear.  When we know His perfect love it casteth out fear, but it inspires a new fear.  No longer do we fear the consequences of our sin as it affects us, but we fear the consequences of sin as it affects Him. No longer do I fear that He will blast and damn me; but I fear lest I crucify my Lord anew, and put Him to an open shame.  Strange, beauteous, paradox of the life of love; His love has banished all my fear for myself; but, oh, I am afraid lest I wound Him, grieve Him, cause sorrow to Him.  To walk in Him is to abide in love by faith, in keeping the commandments.  The experience must be cultivated in the secret place; and the expression will be manifested in public places, in my perpetual love of His name, and the kindling of my eye when He is referred to, and my readiness to speak of Him, and in my love to all the saints, and for all for whom Christ died, and who are near and dear to Him. 

 Finally, the walk is maintenance of hope.  As in receiving Christ hope was born in the soul, so in walking with Him that hope is to be maintained.  We shall maintain hope as we dwell in the light which keeps our vision of His ultimate purpose clear.  Our hope will be maintained as we resolutely refuse to doubt Him on the darkest day.  Paul talks about the things by which the saints would be surrounded and might be disturbed: vain deceits, rudiments of the world, traditions of men not after Christ.  If we listen to the vain deceits of men, if we allow ourselves to be bound by the traditions of men, if we measure our outlook and inspire our thinking by the rudiments of the world, hope will surely die out. In proportion as we are walking in Him, though it be amid the furnace, we shall sing, we shall rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  So that to walk in Him is to walk in faith, that is, humbly with God; in love, that is, loving mercy; in hope, that is, doing justly .  All this is made possible to us by the Gospel. 

 Is not that Gospel enough for you?  Can you not trust yourself to the vastness of this strength?  Sin not against the light by postponing thy reception of this Christ, but ere this day closes receive Him, and thus begin to walk in Him. 

                                                         G. Campbell Morgan

                                                           The Westminster Pulpit Vol. X.

I trust that you heart is stirred and encouraged by the above description of walking with Christ.  May your walk grow ever more firm as you rest your faith, love, and hope in Him. 

In Christ, Richard Spann

If you feel like reading the Bible,
go pick it up and read it.
If you don’t feel like reading the Bible,
go pick it up and read it.

On awakening in the morning, if I feel like reading the Bible, I open it and begin to read.  Sometimes, I feel I can concentrate better if I have a diet coke to drink as I read.  On my way to get the coke I notice that I forgot to check the mail from the previous day, and stop to do that as well.  In the mail there may be something that has to be taken care of by a phone call or E-mail.  Before long, it becomes a tale from the story of “If you give a moose a muffin!”  In short, I have found that the sooner I start to read the better.  There are many distractions between the desire to read the Bible and actually reading the Bible.  It is best to pick up the Bible and read the moment the Lord gives you that desire. 

If I were to wake up some morning and not feel like reading the Bible, then I must pick up my Bible and start reading.  Emotions that would capture my will and lead it in a direction opposite of God’s best for me are not to be trusted.  Our lives are controlled by  our will.  The Lord uses the intellect (mind) to capture the will (heart) (Romans 12:2) and the emotions subsequently rejoice in this decision.  Our enemy uses our emotions to capture our will resulting in the intellect (mind) justifying the decision of the will.  The words from a popular song of a few decades ago capture this process this way:  “how can something be wrong if it feels this right?” 

Howard Hendricks, retired professor from Dallas Theological Seminary, relates that inside the cover of the first Bible which he was given as a young man the following words were written.  “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this
book.”  To illustrate this, let us look at the life of one man in the scriptures.  The instructions to him were clear:  “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life:  that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.”  (Deut. 17:19)  As king of Israel, he had a responsibility as leader of the people.  The future of the nation would be greatly influenced by his response to Deut. 17:19.  The direction of the nation spiritually rested in large part on his shoulders.  What was his decision?  Sadly for his life and that of Israel, he chose not to obey Deut. 17:19.  Instead, his life was characterized by those things that the kings of Israel were told not to do.  These are listed in Deut. 17:16-17:  “The king, moreover must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself……..He must not take many wives……..He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” (Solomon had 12,000 horses, 700 wives, 300 concubines, and accumulated 25 tons of gold yearly!) I Kings 10-11.  His failure to follow the direction given to him in Deut 17:19 turned his heart away from the Lord.  The nation was divided after his death, followed his example of idolatry and was eventually banished from the land.  No one but the Lord knows what Old Testament history would have been like had Solomon read daily in the book of the law, feared God and kept His commandments.

As Solomon was an example to many people in his day, so our lives will be an example to others.  What will our legacy be?  Will it be one of reading God’s Word daily as Solomon was instructed to do, fearing God and following His commands?   Or will it be one of accumulation of that which turns our hearts away from Him?   The choice is ours. 

From Deut. 17:19, we learn that fearing God and keeping His commands begins with the daily reading of His Word.  Today, then, if you feel like reading your Bible, pick it up and read it.  If you don’t feel like reading your Bible, pick it up and read it.

In Christ, Richard Spann

Wherever you are; BE there.

Lorne Sanny

 

A common phrase heard in our house as our daughters were growing up was “Earth calling Dad.”  I would “zone out,” and be in my own thoughts oblivious to what was going on around me. I wish I could say that such a pattern is behind me and that I have learned to heed Lornes’ words. I partially excuse my inattention to others around me as coming from an ability to “really concentrate’ on an item of interest to me and look upon this tendency of mine as a “gift of concentration.”

In the few paragraphs to follow, I have related some thoughts that have been helpful to me in learning to deal with my inattentiveness.  I share these with you not as something that I have accomplished, but rather a goal toward which I am working. 

First, what are the results of not really “being” where you are?  I think Lorne had seen this a great deal in the lives of others and how it affected them and their ministry.  I heard him make his statement; “Wherever you are, be there,” on more than one occasion.  To not “be there” when we are with others hinders the development of our relationship with them.  It also lessens our awareness of needs on their part that the Lord would want us to address.  In addition, the failure of our ability to relate appropriately interferes with the grace that the Lord would have us receive from Him through others.

As I look at the reasons why I am “not there” when I should “be there,” two thoughts come to mind.  The first is that my mind is occupied with unresolved issues at work/in ministry/in daily life.  I am absorbed with working out details and possible solutions to these matters, and I only pay surface attention to whatever else is happening at the moment.  Interestingly enough, I seem to be able to recall word for word when questioned about what was just said, even though it had no observable effect on me at the time.  My brain must function like a cardiac monitor, which, when its button is pushed, will produce the previous twelve seconds of a patient’s cardiac rhythm!   I recall Howard Hendricks comments on having your mind cluttered with unresolved issues. He relates that he found a place on the freeway not far from home where he left all the daily concerns. He simply chose a location at which to do this, and refused to deal with them any further that day. That choice freed him up for relationships at home.  I have profited from his advice and have been able to leave much behind me as I close the office door each day. 

The second reason for not “being there” is simply my absorption with what I happen to be doing at the time; whether reading, or being involved in some project.  Romans 12:10 speaks to this issue:  “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.”  When I regard what I am doing of such importance that I cannot pay attention to others, I am not honoring them above myself. 

If any one ever had reason to be occupied with their own thoughts and concerns, it would have been our Lord.  Yet we see Him on the way to Jerusalem, having just explained his necessary passion to His disciples.  As he was headed to the cross, in the company of a large crowd leaving Jericho, a lone voice called to Him by the side of the road.  With the press of the crowd, and all that lay before Him, it could have been easily dismissed.  Mark 10:40 relates that “Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”  Earlier in Mark chapter 5, as Jesus was called to the bedside of a twelve year old girl in the process of dying, He was pressed by a large crowd.  In the midst of all the jostling and pressure, there came a touch which drew healing power.  It was the touch of a woman desperate because of her disease.  In the press of the crowd, and with the urgency of the impending death of the twelve year old girl, it could have been easily overlooked.  Not so with Jesus.  He stopped and asked; “Who touched my clothes?” 

 The above accounts help me understand that wherever I go, there are those who are calling by the side of the road, and those who can only reach out and touch.  There is a reason for Lornes’ repeated statement:  “Wherever you are; be there.”  Unless I “am there,” I will not be aware of the voices of those calling for help, or feel the touch of those in need.  Unless I “am there,” the Lord cannot use me in their lives.   

The Lord has called us to make disciples.   As we go, we are to bring others to identification with Him, and to equip them for their ministry to others.  The relationship that is required in this process is one of “being there.”  It is characterized more often by silence than by speech, by listening carefully rather than by explaining.  May the Lord so work in us that “wherever we are,” we can “be there.”

In Christ, Richard Spann

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more,

because God took him away.

Genesis 5:23

 

One of the subjects that has occupied my interest in terms of knowing Christ is that of what it means to walk with God.  Although this is addressed numerous times and in various ways in the scriptures, the above passage is the most thought provoking.  The picture we are given in Genesis 5 is the first example in scripture of one who “walked with God”, since the fall of the human race into sin.  It stands in marked contrast to the world at that time, characterized by the Lord in Genesis 6:5:  “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  In the midst of that decaying and wicked culture, this one man is singled out as one who “walked with God.”   What can we learn from this man about walking with God that will affect our lives in the midst of our culture?

 We see references to Enoch on three occasions in scripture.  In Genesis 5 it is stated that he “walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him away.”   We read in Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch…was commended as one who pleased God.”   In Jude 14 it relates that “Enoch…prophesied… the Lord is coming….to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken  against him.”  Enoch’s emphasis on the judgment given to the ungodly indicates that the goal of his walk by faith was one that would lead to Godliness, which stood in opposition to all he was around in this world. Taking one of the words from each of these three references for further analysis, let us look at the word  “walk” in Genesis, the word “faith” in Hebrews 11, and the word “Godliness” as it stands in contrast to the ungodliness referred to in Jude. 

In Amos 3:3 it says “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (KJV)  Enoch was in agreement with God, and God with Enoch.  To walk also implies that they were walking in the same direction, and at the same speed.  It requires availability to one another and results in fellowship with one another.  This walk was energized by faith.  It was this faith that commended him as one who pleased God in Hebrews 11. 

Faith is contrasted to sight in II Corinthians 5:7:  “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (KJV)  Enoch did not walk by sight.  He walked by faith.  Seeing is not believing.  Believing is seeing.  Faith looks beyond sight. Sight can only substantiate that which can be appreciated by a physical sense.  Hebrews 11:1 states:  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.”(KJV)  A more accurate rendering of the word translated as substance may be the word “substantiating.”  Faith, then, “substantiates” things hoped for.  It verifies their existence.  As our hearing verifies the noise of a train, or our sense of smell verifies perfume, so faith verifies or “substantiates” that which no physical sense can do.  The Kingdom of God, and our walk with Him in His Kingdom is one of faith. 

A walk with God by faith is a walk which stands opposed to ungodliness and will in itself bring judgment upon the ungodly.  Who are the ungodly?  The ungodly are those who live without reference to God.  They do not consider God as having any thing to do with the course of their lives; their use of time, resources or their daily decisions. They are content to live without Him.  As a result, all their ways are ungodly, their actions are ungodly, and their words are ungodly. They may possess high moral standards, or they may be criminals in our jails. They may live in palaces, or be homeless.  They may be highly regarded as leaders in our world or common place laborers.  Enoch saw all this in his day and his walk with God by faith stood in contrast to ungodliness.  His walk was one towards increasing Godliness. It was a walk that brought all aspects of his life under the dominion of God.  As the ungodly declared their independence from God, Enoch was declaring his dependence upon God.  It was a walk which depended upon God for His ways, His words, and His deeds to be manifested in Enoch’s life.

And what was the result of that walk?  Genesis says that “God took him away.”  I love the way Ray Stedman has described this.  He related that the two were out walking as they did every day.  One day they walked a longer time than usual.  The Lord turned to Enoch and said, “Enoch, we have walked a long time today.  We are closer to where I live than where you live.  Why don’t your come home and spend the night with me?” And Enoch did. 

 Enoch’s life reminds me that it is still possible to walk closely with God in the midst of an ungodly world.  It also challenges me to live each day in such a way that I am closer to where God lives at the end of the day than where I was at the start of the day, for someday, I will hear His voice, saying something like this:  “Richard, we have walked a long time together.  Why don’t you come home and spend eternity with me?” And I will. 

May our Lord encourage your hearts in your daily walk with Him. 

In Christ , Richard Spann