Seasons, Life, and The Preacher

Today my morning walk took me through our beautiful little community south of Munich, along a gorgeous path through a beautiful park, and on the way into a very peaceful forest. As I walked, I noticed golden leaves floating from the branches where they lived and thrived through the seasons of spring and summer. The leaves fell and joined others, as together they formed a golden carpet over the paths along which I walked. As the cool breeze of autumn refreshed my face, I began to think how seasons change to offer a continual feast of beauty to those who can have the desire or capability to perceive it.

Such an experience often calls my attention to life and life experiences. I of course reflect on the glory of our Heavenly Father expressed in and through His creation, but today I was caused to think of the grief which had suddenly invaded the lives of people who are in some way very significant to me. Some from many years ago, others more recently, have been thrown into a time of grief. As I reflected on their lives and their losses, I allowed my thoughts to once again reflect on the realities of life. Life is beautiful in every respect. It is unimaginable that one could witness the birth of a child and not be humbled by the majesty of God as He once again bestows life. We then witness children growing up, and so often we fail to appreciate the beauty of all the changes involved in their lives individually and in their family’s life as they change and mature. Maturity brings with it preparation for an ultimate independence as they make their way through life.

The joys experienced, achievements made, the challenges overcome, relationships formed and relationships lost all can join together to weave a beautiful tapestry of life. Some tapestries portray a life filled with hope, even when loss is very real and often repeated. Even when joy fades, failures disappoint, or life becomes uncertain, hope sustains. Lives filled with such hope portray a special beauty through all the seasons of life, and this beauty glorifies God and sustains a joy. Other tapestries seem to picture lives lived in hopelessness. These lives seem to be characterized by despair, often bitterness, emptiness, and a tragic self-focus.

Life is wonderful, but no life is free from loss—and all loss will cause a sense of grief for each one who has experienced it. What makes the difference between the two is the subject of many explanations, philosophical discussions, sermons, and thoughts. As I walked, I thought of those who had suffered recent loss and the words of our Lord echoed in my mind, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." The question is, “From where does this comfort come?” The Bible explains that hope is not only the basis for our endurance, but it is also the source of our comfort. For hope flows from the very nature of our Heavenly Father's love revealed in His Son Jesus Christ, who has loved us so much that He gave Himself for us.

Solomon wrote a truth thousands of years ago which is relevant to life for each of us today. After his reflection on almost every aspect of life he wrote, "The end of the matter; all has been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind." To understand this ultimate truth about life is to be able to know the beauty and wonder of life and the comfort of our Heavenly Father's love in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This leads me to once again encourage us to abide in Christ, for to abide in Christ is to know the hope of the very love of God. This hope reminds us of our purpose of life, and it provides the hope in the love of our Heavenly Father, which enables us to rejoice in life through all of its seasons and, yes, be comforted in our grief.

Good Seed, Weeds, and Harvest

My practice is to maintain a routine schedule of prayerfully reading through the Bible and interacting with the Scripture. As I do so, I experience the Lord's ministering to me through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I receive much needed encouragement; other times I receive instruction and wisdom concerning matters about which I am seeking answers and/or guidance. Often times I am convicted or even rebuked by the Spirit as I am confronted in the Word.

Recently I have been reading through the Gospel of Matthew. Each time I begin to read through Matthew I always look forward to the parables of Chapter 13. This past week I once again was enjoying reading these parables. My attention was arrested as I read "The Parable of the Weeds" in verses 24-30 and our Lord’s explanation of the parable in verses 36-43.

Most who are reading this remember the story. A farmer sowed good seed in his field, and he did so with the anticipation of a productive harvest. His success in raising a crop which would produce a good harvest was threatened when his enemy came and sowed bad seed in the field.

As I read this portion of the story, I was reminded of a conversation I once had with a wheat farmer. He explained that he had to be careful each year as he harvested his crop because there was a weed he called "cheat" that would grow in his wheat field along with his crop. He explained the problem was that the "cheat" (weed) would look just like the wheat until it was almost mature and ready for harvest. He also explained that he could not get rid of the "cheat" until harvest time because he would damage too much of his other crop to do so. He had to wait, and then when harvesting the wheat he had to be careful to sift out the "cheat" because he would destroy the integrity of the crop if it were allowed to be included with the wheat.

The dangers the farmer spoke of are represented in the parable told by our Lord. The first danger is that of the crop being destroyed by the weeds sowed by the enemy. We realize this danger and realize the weeds cannot be allowed in the final harvest. We therefore are often tempted to go and root them out of the field in some way—the second danger. Our Lord explains that if we were to make such an attempt, we would destroy the good crop while doing so. Our motives would be correct, but our self-reliant approach would be destructive.

This reminds me of those times when I have been guilty of falling prey to being the spiritual policeman for a congregation. I also am reminded of the destruction of churches and of many spiritual lives that have been compromised when the self-righteous of a congregation take it upon themselves to attack others because they have judged them to be weeds. Such people seem to have a sense of self importance and arrogance in their approach, which has more to do with their pride or agendas than it does with the holiness of God. Weeds can be destructive in more ways than just by contaminating the crop. They can be used by the enemy to tempt sincere people to wrong attitudes and actions which will be more destructive than contamination.

Weeds however cannot be allowed to be part of the harvest, or the harvest will be ruined. Here we find much instruction from our Lord concerning weeds. They are among us, but we must be guided by our Lord's wisdom in our relationship with them. First we must live as the good seeds—by honoring the ways and will of our Lord as we grow as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We must not allow ourselves to be tempted to hatred, resentment, or self-righteous behavior toward the weeds, but we must continue to trust our Lord. The harvest is the end of the age. The weeds may grow alongside the good wheat and may even look like wheat, but when the harvest comes (the end of the age) the weeds will be recognized for what they are and will be gathered out from among the children of the Kingdom and will be destroyed. How tragic for them. Perhaps if we remember the counsel of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love," some of the weeds might become true wheat and be included in the harvest.

As I read this parable once again I am encouraged, instructed, and challenged. I am encouraged to know that the harvest does not depend on my being the spiritual policeman. I am instructed by my Lord in how to continue, even when it seems like some weeds are around me, and I am challenged to take account of the hope that is within me.

Every person born of the Spirit knows and recognizes the destructive nature of unrepented sin in one’s life. All too many churches understand how the spiritual power of the congregation is limited by sin. In the same way many churches have experienced the destruction and compromise of their witness by the manner in which they chose to deal with the weeds. So let us so abide that we can respond to the weeds [and even those who destroy others as they try to remove the weeds] out of the Lord’s counsel, out of our trust in the Lord, and out of the Lord’s love.

Wisdom, Arrogance, and Peace

Today I am mindful of how dependent I am on wisdom. Not just any wisdom, however, will do. I must have wisdom from above. This being true, a legitimate question is How do we know wisdom which is from above?

To answer this question I turn to James 3:13-18. In this passage I find a type of wisdom which can best be described as arrogance. It seems everyone has an opinion, and everyone has a dominant yet basic motivation behind what he or she does. This is true in the Christian community as well as outside the church. It is even true of those who are faithful in attendance at church and in ministry.

According to this scripture arrogance is the expression of wisdom which is motivated by impure and selfish ambitions or desires. These ambitions can be legion. Motivations can be pure, or they can be selfish. Normally ambitious wisdom is characterized by a desire for and an insistence upon control or self-advancement. It is the kind of wisdom that cultivates important relationships, uses deceptive ploys, and manipulates people to achieve what one has determined to accomplish.

Ambitious wisdom normally breeds resentments, judgmentalism, self-righteousness, and even hatred toward others. It often seems to disregard the good of others and even the ultimate impact upon the witness of the name of the Lord and His church. It divides and condemns in order to justify itself.

However, wisdom from above, that is authentic wisdom, is discernable as well. Wisdom from above is first pure in its motives. It is wisdom that rises out of a sincere commitment to and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Such wisdom enables obedience to His command to love God, oneself (appropriately) and others. It is reasonable—that is, it is willing to yield and give way when it recognizes an equal or more effective way of accomplishing the Lord's purposes.

Wisdom from above considers others and does not insist upon its own. Wisdom from above is peaceable. It may require sacrifice, but it will always defer to the truth of God. It does not compromise, but holds forth the teachings of the Scriptures as an authority intended to bring peace to life, family, community, and church. It is peace that flows from above through an abiding relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is the descriptive authority:

James 3:13–18 (ESV)
Wisdom from Above

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The final word in this portion of scripture is highly instructive to me: A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Jesus said it this way, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God."

Let us never call right wrong or wrong right, but let us be sowers of seeds in peace. Let us abide that we may know and exercise wisdom from above, be peacemakers, and avoid the evil traps of arrogance.

Church Growth

The commission of our Lord Jesus Christ to His people is to "... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He is the one who has formed His local assemblies (church) through whom He desires to fulfill this commission. Each and every believer is sent into his or her home, workplace, community, and church with this commission. Every church must be sensitive to this commission.

It seems to me evangelical churches take this commission very seriously. There are many books describing many excellent methods for doing church growth, advancing philosophies of ministry, and many courses which teach leaders how to organize in order to accomplish church growth. Church growth is advanced as being obedient and fulfilling this commission. I admire and embrace many of these concepts, but I have being thinking about the basics. What is true church growth, and how do we really accomplish it, even after we are organized, mobilized, and philosphised up?

Two scriptures come to my mind as I think on this. Both are from the gospel of John. The first is John 4:13, "...whoever drinks of the water I give him (her) will never be thirsty again. The water I give him (her) will become in him (her) a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The second verse is John 7:38, "Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

These words clearly indicate that true ministry is about people. Yet, it’s not just caring for human needs or providing encouragement through human efforts or affections. It is all these things, but it is much more. True ministry is first loving God, and as a consequence of encountering the infinite joy of His character, ministering to others. Then true ministry is bringing care to others out of the joy of knowing Him, in order that those who will can encounter the ministry of their Heavenly Father, in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit. This seems to be the Lord's plan and provision for fulfilling the Great Commission.

It seems to me that church growth at its very basic level is about loving God and caring for people. Let us abide, so His divine power will meet the needs of those around us in family, workplace, community, and church. Let us fulfill His commission with His plan, knowing His promised presence, and in the joy of our daily encounter with Him.

Gratitude

Once again I have been considering life and ministry, and as I do so, one word comes prominently to mind. It is the word gratitude.

Through the story our Lord tells of the day laborers, our Lord reminds us of how central the mindset of gratitude is for our lives. The apostle Paul in Philippians includes the practice of thanksgiving as an important part of rejoicing in the Lord and prayerfully presenting our anxieties, needs, and even desires to the Lord. Paul explains that gratitude is central to knowing the peace of God, which only God can bestow upon us in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was reminded of this recently as a member of IBC Munich was discussing the world circumstances and some of the devastation so many in the world are experiencing. The normal approach would have been to compare the pleasant circumstances he and those who are a part of our church normally enjoy with those who are experiencing devastation and say, “I am grateful we are not experiencing such circumstances." That however was not the attitude expressed. Rather, his comment was, "We see these things others are going through, and yet we complain about every little thing." The comment is both an encouragement and a rebuke—a very insightful way of reminding us of how important it is to maintain a sense of gratitude.

So what am I grateful for today? I am of course grateful for my life circumstances, the security in which I live, the privilege of living in a country I can enjoy, the relatively good health my family and I are experiencing, the wellbeing of my children at present, the friends with whom I share life. I am grateful for these things, but I am reminded that our gratitude rises out of a much more profound reality—hope in Christ.

I recently stood at the bedside of a critically ill person, and as we spoke together, I was reminded in a very, very profound way of what we as believers have that cannot be taken away and that undergirds all of our life. It is the love of God, which provides an incorruptible hope that cannot be tainted by any earthly or eternal experience or circumstance. His love has been demonstrated for us through the death on the cross of the Son of God and through the power of the resurrection. When thinking on this hope and how much our Heavenly Father loves us (He allowed Jesus, who lived in perfect righteousness, to die for my unrighteousness so I can live with hope), I can only humbly say, "Thank you, Lord.”

Let me commend the reading of Romans 8:31-39 to you today, as we continue to abide with hope and gratitude in fellowship with Him who has loved us and given Himself for us.

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

The quote from A Tale of Two Cities, "it was the best of times and it was the worst of times" is an appropriate description of this past month since my last posting. The anticipated visit by some friends was very much on my mind and deterred me from a focus on the visit to Interlaken, Switzerland, which our church had provided for my wife and me. However, the day of my arrival in Switzerland, I was reminded of the joy it is to be a part of the International Baptist Convention and to be the pastor of the International Baptist Church of Munich. Meeting old friends, and the fellowship we enjoyed with new ones, was an encouraging experience. The opportunity to travel around the lakes and view the beauty of our Lord's creation and to enjoy laughing with friends from all across the convention was truly refreshing and energizing.

The first evening of the conference worship set an expectation of tremendous teaching and preaching from the word of God. The remainder of the services did not disappoint. Each time either Stuart McAllister or Anthony Carter spoke, I was lifted in spirit and edified in my relationship with our Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. There were many times the Holy Spirit challenged me in the word. These moments required that I spend time reflecting and praying. This resulted in much encouragement and a strengthened hope and faith in the Lord. There was also need for repentance and planned adjustments in my life, as I continue life with the Lord.

The promises of God for our church were renewed in my heart and in my mind. I was encouraged to remember the joy that is available to Christians, even in the midst of the life’s struggles.

The week was not without difficulty. However, the teachings of the apostle Peter, in I Peter 1:3-9, continue to be true. It is in our trials of various kinds that our faith is purified—the dross of selfishness and misguided priorities or attitudes surfaces. The real motives for our actions, even our ministry involvements, become apparent; and we are required to look to the Lord for forgiveness and encouragement in our personal growth. His faithfulness in both serves to strengthen our faith.

Another passage I reflected on is Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In Philippians 4:4-9 Paul gives us three important aspects of remaining steadfast in the Lord. First, rejoice in the sovereignty of God, knowing He relates to His children in steadfast love. This knowledge is the source of our strength, joy, hope, and help. Then Paul encourages us to manage life by faith in the Lord, who has so powerfully demonstrated His love for us. Paul says we are to seek the Lord, who is our resource, through prayer, supplication, and with gratitude whenever the daily experiences, or great struggles or disappointments tempt us to anxiety. Seeking the Lord in these ways enables us to receive the peace that God bestows— peace which we do not understand but can experience. In verses 8 and 9 Paul challenges us to remember that knowing the presence of God in our lives is a matter of where we set our minds. We can choose to set our minds on the negative experiences and realities of a very corrupt world, or we can choose to set our minds on those things which are pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. To choose the latter is to choose to know the Presence of the God of Peace in our lives.

Let us abide in the best of times and in the worst of times.

Heaven on Earth

Today as I was returning from a long walk in the forest I encountered a very precious young lady out enjoying the sunshine. She greeted me as her pastor and began to speak to me about her life and her recent experience of love after lamenting her life for several months. It reminded me of a common experience of many believers or churches.

We find ourselves having made the wrong decision in the face of temptation, or we say the wrong word in a moment of insecurity or anxiety. Churches find themselves embroiled in conflict and confusion without many, if any, knowing the real reason why. When these experiences occur we are heartbroken, and we grieve. Oh, how we wish we could take back the word, back up the clock and make a decision led of the Lord, or somehow unwind the confusion created by conflict in relationships and churches. We grieve and wish we could undo them, but sadly new beginnings and correction for past sins are not possible for us.

What is not possible for us, however, is possible with God in our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot undo our sin or wipe away some of the consequences, but we can be reconciled to our Lord by admitting our mistakes, asking Him to teach us and to strengthen us in Him at the point of our weaknesses. Such confession brings His forgiveness, and we are reconciled to Him. When we are restored we rejoice in His goodness and are able then to demonstrate the same goodness to others as they need our grace to be restored to relationship as well.

We cannot undo our sin or our mistakes, but we can be forgiven through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we can forgive others. Such restoration calls us beyond ourselves and our failures or our difficulties. It lifts us above the shortcomings and mistakes of others and draws us ever upward with an attitude of joy and thanksgiving for the love and grace of our Heavenly Father expressed in the sending of His Son Jesus Christ.

We at IBC Munich turn to the Lord with rejoicing and thanksgiving for His goodness. We invite all who will to come and join us as we learn and celebrate Heaven on Earth. This Sunday we begin a series of sermons from the life and teaching of Christ entitled “Heaven on Earth.” In the Pastor's Club we will be telling the story of a man named Christian, and in the youth time we will continue looking at how we can avoid wasting the life our Heavenly Father has given us. Come join us as we continue to abide.