I'd rather be wise than smart!

I'd rather be wise than smart!

There are two people (who will remain anonymous) that I was thinking about when I wrote this blog. Before I go to far, I must say I am not writing this out of anger or spitefulness, but out of a deep love and concern for these two and the many more out there like them.

The first individual is a young man who is smart.  Smart, smart.  Not book smart, but savvy.  He's one of the few, who could actually sell ice to an Eskimo.  The problem is he knows it.  I don't know his IQ score, but it certainly is higher than mine and in the times we have disagreed over things I have always felt he had a leg up on me.  It is often difficult to refute what he says.  Not because he is right, but because he is a quick thinker, and proud of his knowledge.

The second individual is book smart.  He knows his stuff.  When he decides he wants to learn about something, he studies it from all sides.  He is currently pursuing a doctorate from Seminary, this dude knows his Bible.  I can appreciate the vast library that runs through his head.  He is smart, book smart.  The problem is he knows it.  He has become proud of his knowledge.  He won't admit it, but everyone who knows this man can see it.

And here is the point of my blog today...wisdom is not knowing a bunch of facts.  Knowledge is not wisdom.  Wisdom rather is taking the principles that God teaches us through His Word and putting them into good practice.  In other words, wisdom is being obedient.

I may not always have all the answers to all the questions.  I may not always persuade petulant youngin' with my oratory skills.  I may not know how to parse Greek and Hebrew, but I do know how to recognize wisdom.  I may not always act obedient, though I do realize that wisdom is found in obedience, even on the difficult matters of life.

So I may never be mistaken for a rocket scientist, or a brain surgeon, but in my own daily struggle with the flesh my prayer is that someone, somewhere will, through my obedience to my heavenly Father, see Christ in me.  I hope that is your prayer for yourself as well.

Let us not tear down and destroy

I have a friend (well I have many, but I am talking about one in particular). This friend, who shall remain nameless is, to say the least, misguided.

Let me explain what I mean. This friend has been to Bible college, is way smarter than I am, has all the right mental capabilities to be an amazing Bible teacher and preacher (as a matter of fact I have heard him preach and came away convicted). However, in the handful of discussions we have had over the past two years he has done nothing but rip people and their ministries.

Granted some of his points were very valid and even had plenty of biblical merit. However, each of these very public, and not very public men alike he has disparaged has held to a Biblical view of the most important doctrines (the doctrines pertaining to man, sin, Jesus Christ, the Trinity, salvation, etc.) And yet, nothing I have heard my friend say about these men is encouraging.

I wonder how much my description of my friend actually describes you? Maybe you do not have all of the degrees my friend has, but is your attitude the same? Do you spend more time tearing down and destroying the bride of Christ than you do building it up and encouraging it? (Yes, I see the irony of that question since this installment of my blog seems to be doing that which I am being critical of). Yet, I am genuinely hurt when the bride of Christ is hurt. I am wounded when she is wounded. There are very few things that I cherish as much as the bride of Christ, the local and global genuine church.

Many in our culture are of the opinion that instead of standing for something greater than themselves it is easier to take a stand against something. I want to be a voice that says otherwise. To stand for Christ and His bride is the greatest honor you could ever have, and you do not have to be a paid pastor to stand for the bride of Christ.

Let me share just a couple of passages that if we did well, would go miles in growing unity rather than division among the family of God.

Romans 15:5, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus."

1st Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."

Philippians 2:1, 2, "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."

Lest, anyone think I am saying that we do not take a stance on certain issues that seem to be bombarding the church these days I am not. As a shepherd who has been entrusted to oversee the lambs I have been entrusted with, I will be the first to use my staff as a club to beat off wolves (but that is another installment). Instead I want to end by asking a series of questions...

If we are called to encourage one another, what is encouraging in a spirit of criticism?

If we are called to be united in spirit, what is unifying in a spirit of criticism?

If we are called to build one another up, how can we expect to do that if we are hyper-critical at every turn?

If you are like my friend, you (like he) need to repent of your hyper-criticism. Let us hold things of first importance as first importance, but let us not elevate things of a secondary nature to first importance. I rather like the saying that should be given credit to the original author, but alas I do not know the original source (though I'd like to say I came up with it).

In essentials; unity

In non-essentials; diversity

In all things; charity

In our churches this should be our battle cry. Let us stop criticizing unnecessarily and strive for genuine unity which finds its foundation in the blood of Christ.

Praying for our Children

Parents, how do you pray for your children? As a father of five I have prayed countless prayers regarding the welfare of my children.

Like you, I have prayed for the health of my children. Like you, I have prayed for my children to excel in school. Like you, I have prayed that my children would do well in sports. Like you, I have petitioned the Lord for Christlike characteristics to be displayed in my children; attributes such as, patience with their siblings, obedience to myself and their mother, respect for their elders, teachers, and other authority figures in their lives. I have also, especially for my daughters, been praying for their spouses that they haven't even met yet. I have worn holes in my jeans asking that my children would be caring, that they would have servant hearts, and that they would display humility. All of these things I am certain you have spent time praying your own children to display.

I would contend, however, that as parents who genuinely want the best for their children we can at times ask for the wrong things, or perhaps a better way to say it is that we have elevated secondary things to first importance in our prayer lives.

Consider how Jesus prayed for Peter in Luke 22:31, 32, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

There are a couple of very important things that jump out at me from this passage. First of all, Jesus was well aware that Peter would fail miserably and sin against Him in a very devastating and personal way. As parents we should fully anticipate that our children will also, sometimes rather consistently, fail miserably and sin against us in devastating and personal ways as well. There is a real probability that not only will our children refuse to acknowledge us, but even more painful they will also likely at some point in their live choose to deny their Creator and Savior Jesus Christ.

We should not necessarily take this as some commentary on our ability to parent. If Jesus' most personal disciples can deny Him and it not be a commentary on Jesus' ability to raise up others, neither should we take it as a commentary when our children choose to deny everything that we have brought them up to believe either.

The second thing that so clearly speaks to me from this passage in Luke is how Jesus prays for Peter, the one who He knew would deny Him and reject the faith. Jesus didn't pray for Peter's physical well being, but rather Jesus' main concern was for Peter's spiritual well being. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would be restored.

All our prayers for our children that I mentioned in the first couple of paragraphs are all well and good, we should want health for our children. We should want them to excel in all that they endeavor. But, if our first prayer for our children is not that when the inevitable difficult times of their faith journey come about, that their faith would be restored we are missing the mark; we are praying for more tangible things and neglecting the most important things.

Parents let us not be neglectful in how we pray for our kids. Spend time praying for their faith to be strengthened. Even better yet, spend some time with your spouse praying for the faith of your children. And like Jesus, pray before hand for your children that when the difficult times in life come, that their faith would be restored and that because of the strength of their faith they would be an encouragement to others.

God bless you, and may God bless your children.

Can you really live the gospel?

"Preach the gospel and if necessary use words." We've all heard this famous quote by Saint Francis of Assisi. The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is this...is this even possible?

Don't misunderstand what I am saying. I completely comprehend the sentiment. Live well, live as if you have been transformed by Christ. But for many people I know they live by this principle. Living to the best of their ability but never sharing the vital truths of the gospel with those whom they care about.

But living well, living a moral life, living with exceptional ethics is not the gospel. The gospel rather is the truth that we are all willing sinners who break the statutes of a holy and just God. This holy and just God loves the epitome of His creation, you and I, to the degree that He sent His one and only son, who never sinned Himself, to pay the penalty of our sins, which is something we could never do on our own. By His substitutionary death on the cross Jesus has made it possible for us to be called sons and daughters of our Creator God.

That is the gospel. Not right living!

How do you say all of this by "living right"? The answer is that you can't. Preaching involves words not actions. And no matter how many times you try and show someone the gospel through actions alone you will fail. To share the gospel you must open your mouth. To share the gospel means you must speak the gospel.

That does not mean that we do not try and live right, but if we are to make disciples our conduct alone will not cut it. To preach the gospel by its definition means we must use words. The question that remains is are you willing to do so, or are you going to continue to walk the path of least resistance and hope your actions are enough to get someone else into God's good graces.