For This Cause

In today’s world, causes are not in short supply:  Healthcare reform, civil rights, climate change, immigration, impeachment, education, animal cruelty, the homeless, vaccinations, Save the White Whale, Save the Dolphin, save “whatever,” house churches, and countless others.  

Cause-oriented and cause-driven people fill Facebook posts; and conversations in general center around those causes near and dear to us.  Inherently, there is nothing wrong with this; however, let me sound a warning, especially to all professing Christians.

God’s people need to remember that one CAUSE overrides all others:  the CAUSE of Jesus Christ.  Even in the church, people tend to elevate CAUSES over this most important issue.  Music preferences, preaching series, prophetic ministry, church government, sound volumes, and other issues catch the attention of church-goers, often “CAUS-ing” division and unrest.  I’m amazed at how often the enemy successfully CAUSES godly people to focus on lesser pursuits.  

My friend, believe me, a lot of issues beckon for my attention; however, I’m becoming very selective as to what I give my time and energy.  I understand that blogs like this tend to put well-meaning people on edge, but this I caution:

1. If you feel strongly about a given issue, avoid becoming disagreeable in the face of disagreements.
2. Ask yourself:  Does my approach need to be altered?  Am I building bridges or walls? Have I come across hateful and mean-spirited?  Christians especially, HAVE to consider the “how’ to’s.”
3. Am I adhering to the “Good-Better-Best” principle in my life?  Always remember, good and better causes abound.  But am I giving my life to those things closest to God’s heart?  In other words, is what I’m doing “cause-worthy?”
4. Do you understand that some causes are best confronted through fervent prayer?  The infamous quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”  has merit, but be careful saint, that what you devote your life to is pushing back evil, not just reinforcing a strong opinion.
5. The Apostle Paul makes it clear to believers that ONE CAUSE supersedes all others:  “For this cause (reason), I Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ..” (Ephesians 3:1).  Paul’s cause (reason for living) was to carry the life-changing Gospel to Gentiles. I may be splitting hairs here, but it concerns me when Christ followers spend their time and energy never affecting positive change, ending their days tired and frustrated and living with an antagonistic mindset.  Positive, long-term change seldom, if ever, comes when divisive, at times violent, confrontational hearts demand their way.  Yes, Paul was at times confrontational, but always love-driven.  He says in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “The love of Christ constrains (compels) me.”  Another translation says, “The love of Christ drives me…”  Love for the lost was his motivating force!

We may live under a mindset where “opinion is king.” However, the downside to this liberty is mishandling our approach to those issues we feel so strongly about. Talking down to people, degrading comments, and unkind words never achieve righteous outcomes.  It concerns me that the Church in many sectors of society is known more for what we’re against than what we’re for. Do we walk in agape (God’s) love?  

My friend, we possess the greatest CAUSE known to mankind -- “that Christ Jesus came into the world to  save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).   YOUR GREATEST CAUSE AS A BELIEVER IS TO TELL ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!  The believer’s greatest cause is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2)!

Tell everyone!  Witness with not only your words, but with your lifestyle, your actions and attitudes.  If Jesus tells you to speak out against a certain cause, then speak out in love and brokenness.  And make sure that your primary cause -- Jesus Christ -- is first and foremost! 

Filter every cause through the Cross.  Weigh the temporary against the eternal, and make sure the scales of endeavor first and foremost lean others toward the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The Proverb says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise,” 11:30).  The preacher encourages us to use our righteous influence to touch and change our surroundings.  He reminds us that there’s our way, and then God’s way of doing things.  Follow the way of wisdom!  Sadly, many causes are picked up by those who employ counter-productive methods. 

Are You a Project?

Many years ago, at my invitation, I had breakfast with another pastor.  Instead of pouring into him and enjoying his company, I used the time to whine about a church problem.  The man abruptly interrupted me mid-sentence and said, “I didn’t come here to listen to your problems. Frankly, I don’t want to hear about them.”  Then, he got up and left.  

Admittedly, I was embarrassed and my feelings were hurt.  Anger quickly followed. “Who does he think he is?” I thought.  “What an arrogant, uncaring pastor.”

Was the man rude?  Yes. Did his approach leave something to be desired?  Absolutely! But out of that emotionally painful experience the Lord showed me that I had become a “project.”  I was all too willing to tell anyone who would listen about my woes. I was not enjoyable to be around because I allowed my personal hurts to define me.  I wasn’t interested in changing my outlook or moving past my pain. In this particular case, I was seeking the wrong kind of attention, unwilling to learn from his response, no matter how unkind.  

Nobody needs a “project.”  Why? Because nothing ever changes with some people. They get stuck.  They spin their wheels in the deep ruts of their past. They seek out those willing to validate their pain.  “Projects” become broken records that fixate on the same things. They never change, nor do they want to. They are the same today as they were three years ago!  Pain and on-going drama become their “normal.”

What do “project people” look like?  What are their characteristics?

1. They are totally self-centered.  Everything is about their pain.
2. They seldom, if ever, ask about others.
3. They tell the same stories over and over, refusing to walk in forgiveness.
4. They usually become social misfits, unable to make or keep friends.
5. They leave a trail of broken relationships behind them, often including family members.
6. They become unattached to the needs of others and easily angered when others try to redirect them.  
7. They despise healthy social boundaries.
8.  They become unteachable.
9.  Finally, they spend their lives playing the victim.

How do we address “project people?”  Sadly, many times these individuals cannot be helped until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.

“Projects” gravitate toward sympathetic listening ears.  Once...twice...three times, maybe; then an on-going “project” has to be lovingly confronted.  Often, “projects” move toward flight instead of being willing to honestly confront their deeper issues.

We are followers of Christ, who of course, should love everyone.  Sometimes, however, tough love is needed to effect life change. Until  “projects” are willing to make the necessary adjustments in their thinking patterns and actions, they remain time wasters.  

Remember, everyone is precious to God and possesses divinely given potential.  Some, however, refuse to improve the quality of their present, by allowing their past to enslave them.   

Do you know someone you view as a “project?”  Refuse to live in guilt when you have to call them to task. At times we offer the wrong kind of help that only perpetuates already negatively-established patterns. We are called upon to teach “project people” how to plant wheat instead of always giving them bread. 

Open, honest, and loving confrontation may drive them away temporarily, but in the long run, our prayer is that these “projects” seek life change that rebuilds their credibility and integrity.

A Contradiction? (Part 3)

Parts 1 and 2 of this blog launched from the story of my friend losing his job and ultimately his home, all the while tithing to God.  Let’s continue this discussion.

Sometimes the promises of God do seem to contradict our way of thinking.  For example, what about those heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, who walked in faith and yet did not realize the outcome of promises received?  God's promises are unfailing, but His timing is often called into question by we, who hold on indefinitely without seeing the results of promises given.  God sees the larger picture, so we are called upon to place our total trust and faith in His all-sustaining grace.

May I share a personal struggle I had when a promise in the Scriptures seemed to contradict reality?  Psalm 91:11 says, "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways."  However, in March 1995 my in-laws (pastors) were traveling in a foggy rain to visit a man in an Indianapolis hospital.  Just outside of Frankfort, another preacher ran a stop sign, resulting in the instant death of my father-in-law and five weeks later my mother-in-law.  That accident ushered in some of the most trying days of my life.

What happened seemed to directly contradict the promise of Psalm 91:11.  No, I did not get bitter, but I certainly questioned the Lord as to His ways.  Is the Bible true?  Yes indeed! However, God's ways are above ours; His thoughts are higher than ours.  He's sovereign (all-powerful) and we're not.  He makes decisions based out of His sovereignty.  To us, these times may seem to contradict His Word.  Times of inexplicable loss have always plagued the hearts of men.  Ask Job!

My friend lost his good job and now his home.  I don't know the reasons why, and I would not begin to wax eloquently or even to defend what may appear to be God's indifference. What I do know, however, is that because he has been faithful with his tithes and offerings, God is obligated to fulfill His Word in his life.  What appears to be so unfair and contradictory in the scheme of life and God's promises, I believe, will "produce for [you] an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).  Remember In the end, God blessed Job with what he lost and more!

This is not "preacher talk," but if we obsess over the inequities and all the unfair things that happen to us in this life, we could very well jeopardize our faith and become cynical, even bitter.  I encouraged my friend to look ahead and believe that God has placed a "replacement clause" in his life.  Job came out on top and he will, too!  

Are you facing financial loss or difficulties?  Keep tithing.  Keep giving offerings as He directs.  And know that in the future you have every right to make heavenly withdrawals because you have made earthly deposits.  I believe God will turn your circumstances around for your good and His glory.

A Contradiction? (Part 2)

If you missed Part 1 of this blog, please go back and read it as a background for my continuing response to the issue of tithing versus financial losses we sometimes incur.

I believe we should give generously and cheerfully.  I believe we should give not because we have to, but because we love Christ!  Attitude when we give is always more important than the amount we give.  Obedience always follows love!  Simply stated, I believe that God honors giving.  He gives us resources to use and invest for Him.  Paul uses the illustration of seeds to explain that the resources God gives us are not to be hidden, foolishly devoured or thrown away, but cultivated in order to produce more crops.  When we invest what God has given us in His work, He will provide us with even more to give.  We all understand that we won't reap if we don't sow.  If we plow and don't plant, we won't reap!

However, along with finances, Paul emphasizes spiritual rewards for those who give generously to God's work.  We should not expect to become wealthy through giving.  Those who receive our gifts will be helped, will praise God, and will pray for us.  As we bless others, we are blessed!

Now, back to the foreclosure and unemployment.  How do we incorporate these realities into the before-mentioned verses of Scripture?  I believe that giving to God does place a protective bond around our lives.  However, we live in a world where inequities abound. Many things that happen to us in life are unfair.  The important thing, and I believe the overriding principle for believers to remember, is that giving to God assures that we will not be "devoured."

People of all ages, races and descriptions suffer loss of properties and things every day.  But God still causes them to triumph!  Obviously, losing a house or a job is a very heart-rending, difficult thing.  However, there are worse things that can happen to a believer.  During times of loss, I believe we have to look to God for a deeper interpretation of the facts, and for His grace, which sustains us even in the darkest of times.  

If we compare our plight to other believers, we may very well become discouraged and bitter.  Asking "why" during times of loss is perfectly okay; however, dwelling on the apparent inequity may cause us to stumble in our faith.  I believe in the sovereignty of God, which says to me, that no matter what may happen in my life, Jesus is still Lord and He will provide a way of escape.

No Couch Potatoes Allowed!

Have you ever met a lazy person?  Some years ago, a   woman said to me, “I think my son has a “spirit of laziness.”

Personally, I do not subscribe to the "spirit (demon) behind every bush" theology.  Many times we attach the word "spirit" to something, when in reality the problem is an attitude, a fleshly issue or a negative stronghold in our lives.

The Bible does indeed identify at least several "spirits."  Let me name a few:

Spirit of heaviness (depression)--Isaiah 61:3

Spirit of holiness--Romans 1:4

Spirit of bondage--Romans 8:15

Spirit of slumber (the result of hardened hearts)--Romans 11:8

Spirit of meekness--1 Corinthians 4:21

Spirit of faith--2 Corinthians 4:13

Spirit of wisdom--Ephesians 1:17

Spirit of fear--2 Timothy 1:7

Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error--1 John 4:6

Used in these contexts, the word "spirit" refers to an outside spiritual influence that attaches itself to the soul of a person--his mind, will and emotions.  These can be either positive or negative.  They are spiritual influences that "hold on" and which become strongholds.  

A stronghold by definition is a system of thinking, attitudes, beliefs and expectations that develop over a period of time.  To summarize, a "spirit" involves an external force, while a stronghold builds from within a person.  One does, however, feed into the other.  Both attach themselves to the soul of a person.  Remember, the Christian life is played out on the battlefield of the mind. (FYI…there are of course, positive strongholds, too).

Take a few minutes to read Proverbs 6:1-15.  The preacher talks about the lazy person, or the sluggard.  Let me single out verses 3-5.  "Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.  Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids; deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler."

What is he saying?  Notice three very important phrases here: "deliver yourself," "humble yourself," and again "deliver yourself."  In other words, take responsibility for your actions and habits.  Years ago Chuck Swindoll wrote, "Sow a thought, reap an attitude.  Sow an attitude, reap a habit.  Sow a habit, reap a character.  Sow a character, reap a destiny."  We are responsible not for the thoughts that knock on our mind gate, but for what we do with those thoughts.

Laziness is a choice.  People choose to become lazy.  Some spirit named "LAZY" does not attach itself to anyone.  Lazy people, through their own volition, make a choice to be lazy.  They need to be renewed in the "spirit of (their) mind" (Romans 12:2).  In other words, they need to re-train their mind to be productive and to develop a strong work ethic.

Let's go back to Proverbs 6.  Verses 9-11 say, "How long will you lie down, O sluggard?  When will you arise from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man."

Laziness is a personal choice, not a spirit.  The Apostle Paul was rather hard on laziness when he told the believers in Thessalonica, "...if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.  For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all..." (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11).  In this case, laziness was not a spirit, but an attitude.  Freeloaders have been around a long time!

Lazy people need to re-think their position, change their attitude, make a character adjustment and get up from the couch!  In closing, sometimes it takes harsh circumstances to get through to some people.  Ask the prodigal son, who after spending his inheritance, found out that corn husks and pig pens are everything they're cracked up to be!

Perhaps lazy people need to be served a summons to become productive – an ultimatum, if you please.  The preacher gave the sluggard an ultimatum in Proverbs 6.  Remember, laziness is not a spirit; it’s a choice that may lead to an unproductive lifestyle.  God forbid!