Focusing Our Energies

We only have so much time and energy. As Christians only one area deserves the bulk of those resources.

If you follow this blog, you know that I am concerned about how Christians as individuals and the church at large should be relating to government. Last night as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I found an article retweeted by Univision's Jorge Ramos. Written by a South African Journalist, it talked about what the press can expect from a President Trump, and how they should deal with it. This got me thinking once again about my role a Christian in this upcoming presidency. What should I be concerned with, and what should I do?

The Benefit of Focus

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, doing something is much better than doing nothing, but we still need to be intelligent as to how we use our time and energy. Better to put a lot of energy into one area, than to spread yourself too thin. Think of it this way, if you take a sewing needle and push it into a piece of fabric, it doesn't take a lot of force to push it through. When we focus even a small amount of energy into a precise area it can be quite effective. As a parent of small children, I don't have a lot of time to spare, and I would venture a guess that many of you also have some committments that are non-negoitable. So that being said, in what area should we focus our energies?

Where Should We Focus?

 

For me there is only one area that should receive the bulk of my energy, and that is the building up of God's kingdom. Sadly, I have to clarify what I mean by that statement. I say "sadly" because many people are under the dangerous misconception that expanding God's kingdom involves greater political influence. Their goals are to put "Christian" politicans into office and pass laws that enforce their personal beliefs. The Biblical view of God's kingdom tends to be quite different.

The passage in the Scriptures commonly referred to as The Gospel Comission goes as follows,

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

As a Christian, that is my mandate, and that should be the focal point of my energies. All other goals should either be secondary or non-existent. How do we put that thought into practice? The answer is simpler that you may think.

How Do We Put Our Focus Into Practice?

Jesus told His first disciples, and us, to make people followers of Him, and to teach others what He has taught them. The only way we can truly accomplish those goals for others is to accomplish those goals first for ourselves. To be a follower of Jesus, one must first know Who He is. Where did He focus His attention? What did He do with His time? While there are many good books about Jesus, the best is, of course, the Bible. Begin first with those parts of the Bible that focus on His life and expand from there. With much of the world now turning their attention to the story of His birth, there is no better time than now to start striving for that goal.

So what are you waiting for?

Fighting the Bad Fight

Christianity's ongoing battle with atheism and secularism is not only misguided, but also not what God intended for His church.

I recently heard a story about the evangelist Billy Graham. What piqued my interest was how almost overnight he transitioned from relative unknown to household name. One day he showed up to the tent where he was holding a series of meetings and discovered a gaggle of news reporters who were eagerly writing down everything he said. When he inquired as to what caused all this interest, he discovered that he had caught the eye of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, and the rest, as we say, is history. Mr. Hearst never divulged the reason for his interest in Graham, but the historian who was telling the story stated that it had a lot to do with current world events, namely the rise of communism as a world power.

You see, the Soviet Union had successfully test fired a nuclear bomb, and Mao Zedong had recently taken over China. Communism now posed a real threat to the American way of life, or at least that is how many perceived it. Atheism being one of the main tenets of Communism, a key way to fight against it was a revival of religion in the United States. Hearst most likely saw in Graham a person who could spearhead such a revival. This revival that Graham participated in came about in a large part as a means to counteract the perceived encroachment of atheistic communism. Religion (i.e. the Judeo-Christian belief system) was essentially a weapon meant to ward off those who would seek to undermine American ideals.

The popularity of "this Christianity as a weapon" concept has in a large part caused the downfall of true Biblical Christianity because it has made the religion popular again on a grand scale. Christianity was never meant to be popular. The Roman emperor Constantine's supposed conversion did more damage than all the persecution up to that point because by making Christianity popular it brought in a sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement causes adherents to the religion to do whatever it takes to preserve their popularity, including countless atrocities committed in the name of God, but more subtly it causes Christians to be on the continual lookout for battles to fight as a means of promoting the Christian brand.

One can hardly escape hearing about some ideological battle that Christians are fighting: creation vs. evolution, the "War on Christmas", abortion, gay marriage, the list goes on and on, all the while neglecting Jesus' words and example to the contrary. A prime example is His declaration to "be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." That's right, Jesus said that He has overcome the world, meaning that we don't have to, so why do we insist on trying to accomplish such a feat?

When Jesus was on the earth, His focus was on relieving people from religious oppression, not secular oppression, so why do His professed followers focus so much on the secular aspect? The simple answer is that it is easier to look out than to look within. Personal attacks are much easier to accomplish than personal growth because growth requires sacrifice, and sacrifice is uncomfortable. Despite the fact that Jesus sacrificed not only His comfort, but also His very life, we would rather give up as little as possible and attack those who threaten our comfortable way of life.

You can probably see where I'm going here. For multiple reasons, the professed followers of Christ have decided to go against His teachings and as a result are trying to compensate for the church's shortcomings by attacking those outside of the church; the very ones Jesus told us we should be trying to reach.

Now is high time for Christians to stop fighting the bad fight of unbelief and start fighting the good fight of faith, and see what wonders God will work in our lives and in the lives of others.

Finding the Truth about God

The world is full of lies about God and the Bible.  A creative resource exists to help us find the truth.

Those opening sentences sum it up rather well.  It seems that almost everywhere we look we can find someone promoting false ideas and concepts. (a certain popular movie comes to mind).  Instead of simply cursing the darkness, I decided to light the proverbial candle.  Here is a resource that can help us find the truth about God and His word.

Take a look.  I'll post a link for it below the video.

Here is the link.  Let me know what you think of it in the comments section.

Apples, Milk, and Fire Hoses

Courtesy designtaxi.com

How Apple's latest software update reminded me about how we should talk with people.

As many of you know, Apple recently released it's new operating system, iOS 7, to the general public, and those familiar with Apple's style will notice a difference.  Gone are much of the three-dimensional images, wood, leather, felt etc.  A recent post on the website Fast Company explains much of the reasoning behind the change.  A quote from one of their sources,

"Our culture has changed. We don’t need translation of the digital medium in mechanical real-life terms. It’s an old-fashioned paradigm."

To put it in other terms, we don't need a calendar that looks like a physical calendar to know how to use the program.  We don't need that bridge to understand a no longer unfamiliar concept.  Those who want to share the gospel with other people need to implement a similar methodology.

In the apostle Paul's first letter to the believers in Corinth, he stated,

"Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?" 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT

Paul spoke to them in certain terms because they would have been unable to understand more advanced concepts.  In doing this, he followed the same line as Jesus with His disciples when He said

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:12-14 NIV

Now where the rubber meets the road is how do we put this principle into practice in our own lives.  We need to have discernment as to how much people can bear; how much can they understand.  We don't want others to have to drink out of the proverbial fire hose. A key to doing this is simply to relax a bit when communicating with others.  I know from personal experience that learning something new and interesting can be very exciting, and I want to transmit as much information as quickly as possible.  However, not everyone wants to hear it and even those who do want to hear it can be overwhelmed if it involves concepts that they don't understand.

So next time you want to share something with others: stop, pray, and then share.  The results may surprise you.

Lost in Our Own Home

"The Lost Drachma" by James Tissot
Courtesy Brooklyn Museum

When God looks for us sometimes He doesn't have to go very far to find us.

In my last post, I wrote about a story involving God looking for someone who has wandered far away.  Today's story involves a similar scenario, but with a twist.  The searcher doesn't have to go far to find that which was lost, but that doesn't make the search any easier.

This story involves a woman should have ten pieces of silver, but only has nine.  She knows that the silver pieces have never left the house, so the missing one must be around somewhere.  No doubt we can identify with her situation in one way or another.  At one point or another we have lost something in our own homes; something valuable, i. e. our keys.  We know that they are in our home somewhere because the car is here and we are inside, but for the life of us we cannot find them.  The situation often becomes more intense by the fact that we need to go to an appointment, work, or some other time-sensitive engagement.  We leave "no stone unturned" as the saying goes, in our search for our missing item.

In the story involving the woman she has no appointment to go to, but she still desperately needs to find that silver piece.  She lives in a time and place where women received a dowry, and she wishes to pass these silver pieces on to her daughter, all of them.  An incomplete set simply will not do.  The loss of even one of these pieces would be a serious problem.  The poverty in which she lives only serves to compound her anxiety.  So she cleans the entire house looking for this piece of silver, and great rejoicing comes as a result of her finally finding it.

One of the main differences that exist between this story and the one with the lost sheep is that the sheep knows it's in trouble.  It knows it has done/is doing things that aren't right.  It knows that it needs help; needs to be found.  On the other hand, people represented by the piece of silver think that they are doing alright.  They often profess to be believers in God, and may be quite active in their respective churches, communities, etc.  They may also be out there "in the world" and have become desensitized to their true need of God.  They think these ways while all the time living under the same roof as faithful believers.

People in this category often receive harsh treatment, the religious ones being called "hypocrites" and being used as an excuse by those in open rebellion as the reason they rebelled.  The non-religious ones often receive the label "lost cause" and people do not even try to reach out to them.  We need to be crystal clear that these people have as much value and need to be sought after as much, or even more than, those who have openly gone away from God.  One author put it this way.

"The coin, though lying among dust and rubbish, is a piece of silver still. Its owner seeks it because it is of value. So every soul, however degraded by sin, is in God's sight accounted precious. As the coin bears the image and superscription of the reigning power, so man at his creation bore the image and superscription of God; and though now marred and dim through the influence of sin, the traces of this inscription remain upon every soul. God desires to recover that soul and to retrace upon it His own image in righteousness and holiness"  Christ's Object Lessons pg. 194

This simple truth remains, God loves everyone, even those who have no feeling, no real sense, that they walk the wrong path, and in order for these "coins" to be found we need to have that same love for them in our hearts.

Spiritual Hotspotting

Can an innovative approach to dealing with people's physical health translate into the spiritual realm?

I recently watched a relatively short (13 min) video about a doctor named Jeffrey Brenner in New Jersey who has taken upon himself the task of dealing with the sickest people in his city of Camden.  He found these people through analyzing medical billing data and by doing so mapped out "hot spots" where people incurring the highest medical costs lived.  He developed the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers as a means of helping improve these people's lives.  While innovation is definitely needed in the healthcare system, should we implement such innovation in our dealings with people's spiritual lives?

First off, how would we determine people's level of spirituality?  Dr. Brenner found his high cost patients through analyzing medical billing records.  Similar records showing spirituality simply do not exist.  Sure, we could go such organizations such as The Association of Religion Data Archives and find all sorts of data on religious attendance and adherence, but as we probably all know, a high level of spiritual health and regular church attendance do not always go together.  We could go to the impoverished, high-crime areas in hope of finding those with the greatest spiritual need, but as I mentioned in a previous post, Jesus did not have many positives to say about the spiritual health of rich people.  Simply put, it is virtually impossible to get an accurate picture of someone's spiritual health by focusing on the externals.  Sure, a man who systematically abuses his wife is definitely not one who has a high level of spirituality, but Jesus made it quite clear in His famous Sermon on the Mount that it is what is on the inside that matters most to God.  So, since our lack of the ability to accurately determine spiritual health (even, oftentimes our own) prevents us from spiritual hotspotting, what about the One Who is able to accurately determine spiritual health, does He target only high-need individuals?

No, and Yes.  Jesus was the best representation of how God deals with people, and we read about Him dealing with everyone from the profligate Samaritan woman to the well-behaved Nicodemus.  God does not demonstrate a favoritism in regards to how He deals with people.  So, then where does the "Yes" come from?  The "Yes" comes from the fact that "all have sinned" and therefore all need to be saved.  "All" means "all", from the person who systematically commits open sins, to the person whose sinning resides only between their ears, nobody can save themselves, and therefore everybody need a Savior.

So if the temptation comes to deal with the spiritual needs of only a specific group, remember "hotspotting" may work for the physical life but does not work for the spiritual life.

What is In Your Hand?

Courtesy Pitts Theology Library

We make a lot of excuses not to follow God's plan for our lives, and those excuses mean very little to God.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”   Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
   “A staff,” he replied.
  The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
   Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.  Exodus 4:1-3

I had to laugh a little bit when I read that text, and I'll tell you why.  God told Moses via the burning bush that He had decided to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage, and that Moses was to be the one to tell Pharaoh that this was going to happen.  Moses wasn't excited about this new assignment, so he tried to convince God that He should look elsewhere.  (You can find the entire conversation in Exodus 3 & 4.)  One by one Moses kept making excuses, and one by one God kept knocking them down.

• Moses:  Who am I to go and say these things to Pharaoh?   
• God:  You won't be alone.  I will be with you.
• Moses:  What if the Israelites ask "What is this God's name?"   
• God:  Tell them "I AM has sent me to you."
• Moses:  What if they don't believe that You actually sent me?   
• God:  Throw your staff on the ground, and it'll turn into a snake then back into a staff.  If that doesn't work, put your hand in your cloak and it will become leprous and then be healed.  And, if those two don't work, take some river water and pour it on the ground and it will become blood.
• Moses:  You know, I've never been a good speaker.   
• God:  Who made your mouth?  I will help you speak and teach you what to say.
• Moses:  I still would feel better if you sent someone else.   
• God:  Oh, alright!  Take your brother with you.  He's already on his way to meet you, and he will speak for you.

We may not be called like Moses to help deliver a nation from slavery, but we all could be doing more in regards to following God's plan for our lives.  God has already promised that He will be with us.  So stop making excuses, and do what He has asked you to do.

Featured Post: Outreach is the Fuel for Revival

This Featured Post comes from Mike Jones of Portland, OR.  Mike is a seminar leader on how to reconnect with missing church members (reconnectnow.org). He is also author of the re-released book "Help, Lord, I Blew It Again" (2010, Pacific Press).
You can find the original post here.

Commentary: Outreach is the fuel for revival

Without ongoing community impact, revival is short-lived and self-absorbed

Calls for revival coming from our denomination's leadership are gratifying, but we must never forget the importance of outreach.

I'll never forget a revival that swept my home church back in 1969 in Worthington, Ohio. I had just left the ranks of cultural Adventism, having made an adult decision for Christ at the age of 30. Adventist businessman-turned-revivalist Emilio Knechtle had become my mentor, and at my suggestion, the church invited him to hold a weekend series of meetings. The result? A revival broke out.

That revival resulted in our launching approximately a dozen small prayer-study groups. Some groups studied various books of the Bible, while others used Christ-centered books such as church co-founder Ellen G. White's Steps to Christ. A new spirit permeated the church and lives were changed for the better. It was wonderful. For a while.

But a year later, our revival had mostly ended.

Why? Because our focus was mostly on us. We wanted to strengthen our walk with Jesus -- a good thing. But, regrettably, we weren't doing the works of Jesus -- not a good thing. You see, outreach is the fuel that keeps revival fires burning, and outreach wasn't happening with us.

There's nothing new about this. White once reported on a revival that happened in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1893, which faded when the students didn't engage in outreach. I will never forget the revival that swept the campus at Andrews University in 1971, my first year as an instructor there. It was powerful, impacting both students and faculty. But it didn't last, either.

Jesus underscores the importance of outreach: "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons," he says in Matthew 10:8. But those ideas simply weren't on our plate back in 1969. We weren't impacting our community. We were so happy enjoying our sweet little revival and the new closeness many of us had with each other that we didn't do much else except maintain our groups.

Regrettably, it wasn't long before we were back in our Laodicean twilight zone. We liked what had happened and didn't want to lose it.

Jesus warned in Mark 4:18 that "the cares of this world and...the desire for other things" would, if permitted, choke the Word, causing it to be unfruitful. That's what happened to us. Over time, some of us even left the church, including me.

Today I'm back and believe I have revival in my life. But outreach is what's keeping it alive. As I encounter people in my church and community with fractured relationships, some homeless and others mentally ill, among other issues, I come face to face with a huge problem. I'm not up to the task. I'm inadequate.

But that inadequacy is proving to be quite a blessing. Because my sense of inadequacy these days drives me to my knees and to God's Word. Every morning I tell Jesus, "It's your son Mike down here in the war zone of Planet Earth, and I am desperate for your presence in my life." As I pray, I plead for God's power and wisdom and grace (His adequacy) to be manifest in my encounters.

Without a doubt, the one-two punch of prayer and Bible study, when combined with outreach, is what fuels the fires of revival.

"But I'm not good at outreach," you may say. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Let me help you.

You can begin by asking people questions, even ones you don't know. Perhaps it will be the bank teller. Or the cashier at the super market. Or the guy at the car wash. Or someone in the pew in front of you.

"How are you doing? How's everything going in your life?" you ask. Then you simply listen. More than a few will tell you about some pain in their life. You'll hear, "My mother died last week," "I'm recovering from a stroke," or "Our house is in foreclosure."

You'll think, Yikes, what can I say? And all you may be able to say is, "I'm so sorry. I'll be praying for you." And so you will, keeping in mind you'll try to connect with them again.

Even if you're not preaching an evangelism series in a far-away country, I assure you these kinds of seemingly small encounters -- listening to someone's pain -- will drive you to your knees, where revival takes place. It's also evangelism of the highest kind.

The great theologian Francis Schaeffer said it well in replying to his teenage son, Frankie, who had asked him his secret for turning so many people's lives around. "It isn't what you say to someone that matters so much. Knowing how to listen to people is what helps them."

If listening to people in pain is a key to keeping revival alive, then let's start today.

What do you say?

The Gospel According to Horton

It sometimes amazes me what lessons can be learned from simple children's stories.

Recently I came across a short 1970 cartoon based off of Dr. Seuss's book "Horton Hears a Who!"  In which an elephant named Horton hears a cry for help from a speck of dust and comes to the realization that this speck is home to a city called Whoville occupied by microscopic people called Whos.

There are scoffers from both worlds.  All the other jungle animals think that Horton has "cracked", and the Whos down in Whoville think that the doctor with whom Horton communicates is well, is more than a little bit crazy.  Long story short, both worlds end up becoming fully aware of each other and the lesson learned is, "even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small."

The gospel implications are pretty clear.  Everybody is valuable regardless of their status.  So often when we think about doing evangelism, we think primarily about talking with people who are very much like us.  If we as Christians were to break out of our usual circle of friends and talk to somebody with whom we wouldn't usually talk, we would probably be surprised as how much we would grow as individuals and how much we would grow as a church.

View From the Outside

Sometimes we need to ask ourselves what our church would look like through someone else's eyes.

A week or so ago I visited a church that I had only attended a couple of times before, and I couldn't help but make some observations. However, before I get into that, I'm going to give some background information. I am a firm believer that friendliness and openness are key components that add to the overall quality of the church experience, and, naturally, the lack of these components can put a somewhat negative spin to that experience. That being said, let's get into what I encountered.

I arrived at church as the first worship service was nearing an end (this church had two worship services). Simone was taking care of something at the time, so I decided to walk around the building a little bit. I decided to take a passive role regarding my interactions, that is, I wasn't openly friendly while at the same time conducting myself so as to appear approachable. The interesting thing was that during this time nobody approached me or even said "Hello" to me. It wasn't until some time later when the worship service was completed and I was seated for Sabbath School that an older gentleman came to me and welcomed me to the church.

This series of events would not have caught my attention had not just a few days earlier I had gone to an auto parts store. I had hardly two steps into the store when one of the employees called out "Welcome to _____!" A phrase that was repeated by that same person whenever someone walked into the store. The contrast between that prompt greeting and the delayed greeting I received at the church was startling.

I don't harbor any negative feelings, but I can't help but wonder if my attitude would be different had I been a true outsider, someone who had never been to that church before, or any church before my visit there. Would I have been treated differently if I wasn't dressed like an insider (shaved, combed with shirt & tie)? The more I think, the more questions come to mind, and I'm sure that some come to your mind as well.

The key conclusion I drew from this experience is that surely God's church can do better than an auto parts store. If someone were to feel unwelcome there it probably wouldn't be a problem if they could find the right part for the right price, but if someone were to feel unwelcome when they walk into a church, well, now, that's a problem.

My point in sharing all this with you is not to place blame, but hopefully to increase our awareness of how we treat the people that walk through our church doors. Because if we want those who are outsiders to our church to become insiders, well maybe we should act more like auto parts store employees.

Paul Before Nero

We must never give up witnessing to others for we never know what may come from it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the evil Jewish leaders had accused Paul of burning Rome. Now in this chapter, Paul is brought before the emperor Nero to answer for his so-called crimes. It was customary in the Greek and Roman culture to have an advocate speak for the accused much like a defense lawyer. This advocated need not be a lawyer, simply someone eloquent who might convince the tribunal to release the prisoner or at least mitigate the punishment. Paul had no such advocate. For one reason or another, no one came forward to defend Paul. So Paul had to speak for himself. However he was not alone, for God was with him.

A great crowd had gathered to see the proceedings, for apparently such things were as interesting to people back then as they are now. Paul used this for the advantage of the gospel. His whole being radiated peace to the surprise of many of the onlookers, and he spoke with such eloquence that many people were led to believe in Jesus and change their ways. Even Nero, whose debauchery was repulsive to even many of the heathens of his day was pricked in the heart, and for a brief moment he almost surrender his heart to God. Sadly, that moment was simply just a moment, and when the prison door shut behind Paul once again, the door of probation was shut forever behind Nero.

Too many people if put in a similar situation would have said "What's the use? These people are too far gone, it pointless to even bother. I'm not going to to put pearls in front of swine." Such people do not have the mind of Christ. We must never give up trying to witness to others regardless of how hopeless it seems.

At Liberty

We should make the most of the opportunities God gives us.

In this chapter there is an interesting turn of events in Paul's life. Up until this point, the centurion overseeing him had been quite helpful and gracious to him. This man is now replaced by someone quite the opposite. And the Caesar to which Paul had appealed to, well, lets just say that he was not so favorable either.

Paul could hope for little justice from the Caesar to whom he had appealed. Nero was more debased in morals, more frivolous in character, and at the same time capable of more atrocious cruelty, than any ruler who had preceded him. The reins of government could not have been entrusted to a more despotic ruler. The first year of his reign had been marked by the poisoning of his young stepbrother, the rightful heir to the throne. From one depth of vice and crime to another, Nero had descended, until he had murdered his own mother, and then his wife. There was no atrocity which he would not perpetrate, no vile act to which he would not stoop. In every noble mind he inspired only abhorrence and contempt. pp. 486, 487

From a human perspective, Paul was pretty much doomed, yet we have to remember this is Paul we're dealing with here. He was not afraid. He knew that God would take care of him, and you know what, He did.

 And God did shield His servant. At Paul's examination the charges against him were not sustained, and, contrary to the general expectation, and with a regard for justice wholly at variance with his character, Nero declared the prisoner guiltless. Paul's bonds were removed; he was again a free man. pp. 487, 488

This happened just in time too. For soon after Paul's release and departure from Rome (would you stick around?) the infamous Nero did what he is now infamous for. He burned Rome and blamed the Christians.

Paul was now getting up there in years, and he knew his time was short, so he now worked that much harder to win souls and strengthen those in the faith.

Our opportunities may not be as dramatic as Paul's, yet we can make full use of the advantages given to us. If we are faithful in the little things, Jesus said, we will be faithful in the big ones as well.

Caesar's Household

We often don't know what will be the result of our humble witnessing.

This chapter deals with a phrase found in Philippians 4:22 that is also the title for this chapter. It talks about how even though Paul was limited to his house, and he witnessed mainly to the lower classes of people that somehow his witness reached into the halls of the emperor Nero.

Now even those of us with only a superficial knowledge of the Roman Empire have probably heard the name Nero, and the reason we have heard it is because he was so evil. E.G. White points out that the people that lived and worked in his halls were about the same as him.

Yet in this case, as in so many others, was proved the truth of Paul's assertion that the weapons of his warfare were "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds," 2 Corinthians 10:4. Even in Nero's household, trophies of the cross were won. From the vile attendants of a viler king were gained converts who became sons of God. These were not Christians secretly, but openly. They were not ashamed of their faith. pg. 463

Paul never intended to have an influence in this area. He did not receive a divine mandate like Moses or Elijah to go and preach to the rulers of the land, yet by his persistent, humble labors a foothold for the gospel was made in the courts of the Caesar.

This should be an encouragement for us. I know it is for me. Even if we don't have the opportunity to do some "great" form of witnessing, our influence can spread farther and wider than we think. Even just through the simple witness to those we work with can make a difference. Even if we work in a Christian environment, we can be a witness to strengthen the faith of those with whom we work. Wherever we go, whatever we do, our witness can spread far and wide regardless of our situation.

He whose heart is fixed to serve God will find opportunity to witness for Him. Difficulties will be powerless to hinder him who is determined to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In the strength gained by prayer and a study of the word, he will seek virtue and forsake vice. Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of the faith, who endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, the believer will willingly brave contempt and derision. And help and grace sufficient for every circumstances are promised by Him whose word is truth. His everlasting arms encircle the soul that turns to Him for aid. In His care we may rest safely, saying, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Psalm 56:3. To all who put their trust in Him, God will fulfill His promise. pg. 467

The Voyage and Shipwreck

We should be ready to witness for God in any situation.

As you may have guessed from the title, this chapter is another one that is full of adventure. E.G.White is sure to let the reader know that travel at that time was no easy matter.

In the first century of the Christian Era traveling by sea was attended with peculiar hardship and peril. Mariners directed their course largely by the position of the sun and stars; and when these did not appear, and there were indications of storm, the owners of vessels were fearful of venturing into the open sea. During a portion of the year, safe navigation was almost impossible. pg. 439

Regardless of those facts, everything was going well. The authorities allowed Paul to have companions on his journey, so Luke and Aristarchus joined him. They traveled a little while, but the winds soon became unfavorable and they were now somewhat stuck at a place called Fair Havens. Paul strongly suggested that they stay there until the travel season opened up, but the majority of the people wanted to go Phenice, which was a nicer place to be. Therefore the ship sailed to Phenice.

They soon encountered severe weather, and after fourteen days of the storm, people were starting to lose heart. Paul earnestly prayed that everyone's life would be spared, and God granted his request.

Taking advantage of a lull in the tempest, Paul stood forth on the deck and, lifting up his voice, said: "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island." pg. 443

In the following days Paul survived the shipwreck, made it to shore, and even survived being bitten by a poisonous viper. In fact everyone involved survived and did quite well because of Paul.

During the three months that the ship's company remained at Melita, Paul and his fellow laborers improved many opportunities to preach the gospel. In a remarkable manner the Lord wrought through them. For Paul's sake the entire shipwrecked company were treated with great kindness; all their wants were supplied, and upon leaving Melita they were liberally provided with everything needful for their voyage. . . . pg. 446

If I had been in a similar situation, would I have acted and reacted in a similar way? Crises are great opportunities to witness, and they are also great opportunities to be selfish. May our faith be strengthened so that we can have such a positive influence in negative situations.

"Almost Thou Persuadest Me"

We shouldn't be afraid to witness to those in a higher social status than ourselves.

In this chapter, Paul was not immediately sent to Rome, and this gave him some time to witness to more people in Caesarea. The most prominent person was King Agrippa II, the last in the line of the Herods ("Herod" is not so much a name as a title much like "Caesar" or "Pharaoh"). Festus told Agrippa about Paul, and the king was interested to see the prisoner. E.G. White paints the picture of the contrast between the king and his prisoner.

In honor of his visitors, Festus had sought to make this an occasion of imposing display. The rich robes of the procurator and his guests, the swords of the soldiers, and the gleaming armor of their commanders, lent brilliancy to the scene. 

And now Paul, still manacled, stood before the assembled company. What a contrast was here presented! Agrippa and Bernice possessed power and position, and because of this they were favored by the world. But they were destitute of the traits of character that God esteems. They were transgressors of His law, corrupt in heart and life. Their course of action was abhorred by heaven. 

The aged prisoner, chained to his soldier guard, had in his appearance nothing that would lead the world to pay him homage. Yet in this man, apparently without friends or wealth or position, and held a prisoner for his faith in the Son of God, all heaven was interested. Angels were his attendants. Had the glory of one of those shining messengers flashed forth, the pomp and pride of royalty would have paled; king and courtiers would have been stricken to the earth, as were the Roman guards at the sepulcher of Christ. pgs. 434, 435

Paul then then took the time to talk about Jesus: His life, death & resurrection. He continued by saying how that he was compelled to witness for Him, and that it was for this reason that the Jews had arrested him.

This got me thinking as to what I would say if I were to have an audience with some of the world leaders of today. Even though many political leaders have done away with much of the pomp and display of the kings of old it can still be an intimidating experience. Yet Paul was not intimidated to the slightest degree. He knew that all of this in reality meant nothing. I think that we need to overcome the concept of seeing people in higher levels differently. I do not mean that we should be rude or impolite, but to simply view people as people regardless of how many times we may have seen them on T.V., magazines, or billboards. If more people would have this attitude that Paul had, the gospel would go out much faster than it is now.

Of course, as in this case, such boldness does not always bear fruit.

Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice might in justice have worn the fetters that bound the apostle. All were guilty of grievous crimes. These offenders had that day heard the offer of salvation through the name of Christ. One, at least, had been almost persuaded to accept the grace and pardon offered. But Agrippa put aside the proffered mercy, refusing to accept the cross of a crucified Redeemer. pg. 438

May we all have holy boldness regardless of the outcome. 

Apostasy in Galatia

We are not to have a cookie-cutter approach to evangelism.

In this chapter the contrast is brought out between how the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and how he wrote to the Galatians.

How different from Paul's manner of writing to the Corinthian church was the course he pursued toward the Galatians! The former he rebuked with caution and tenderness, the latter with words of unsparing reproof. The Corinthians had been overcome by temptation. Deceived by the ingenious sophistry of teachers who presented errors under the guise of truth, they had become confused and bewildered. To teach them to distinguish the false from the true, called for caution and patience. Harshness or injudicious haste on Paul's part would have destroyed his influence over many of those whom he longed to help. 

In the Galatian churches, open, unmasked error was supplanting the gospel message. Christ, the true foundation of the faith, was virtually renounced for the obsolete ceremonies of Judaism. The apostle saw that if the believers in Galatia were saved from the dangerous influences which threatened them, the most decisive measures must be taken, the sharpest warnings given. pg. 385

To put it into more modern terms, Paul exercised some tough love with the Galatians. Many Christians are hesitant to get tough with people for fear of driving them away. The scales seemed tipped in the direction of softness, tenderness and permissiveness causing a lot of things to go on in the Christian church that should not be allowed to happen. I won't give examples, but I'm sure that you can think of some.

What made Paul such a successful missionary is his ability to adapt, and we can develop that same ability.

An important lesson for every minister of Christ to learn is that of adapting his labors to the condition of those whom he seeks to benefit. Tenderness, patience, decision, and firmness are alike needful; but these are to be exercised with proper discrimination. To deal wisely with different classes of minds, under varied circumstances and conditions, is a work requiring wisdom and judgment enlightened and sanctified by the Spirit of God. pgs. 385,386

A problem I see in much of Adventist outreach efforts is the lack of adaptation. We have programs on top of programs. Every time you turn around someone has developed a new evangelistic program. The individual churches take these programs, follow them to the letter, and expect the converts to roll in. We need less programs and more "wisdom and judgment enlightened and sanctified by the Spirit of God." I'm not advocating the abolishment of programs, I'm simply saying that we need to use wisdom and judgment in adapting those programs to the various circumstances and conditions.

A good example of this is an evangelistic campaign I was involved with in San Francisco, CA. The evangelist used the traditional program but changed it somewhat. The traditional Seventh-day Adventist program starts off with the metal image in Daniel chapter two and uses it to show how people can trust the Bible. The evangelist saw this and thought that something should be altered. He looked around and saw that San Francisco was an extremely secular city. Whereas in other places people grow up with some knowledge of God, the Bible, etc., in that city there was an extreme lack of that knowledge. So instead of starting off with the traditional presentation, his first presentation was "Who is God?" in which he sought to let people know the truth about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In order to make such adaptations we need to get to know our surroundings. Exactly how we go about learning about them is something will probably vary but it often involves doing some research. I had a class in missions as part of my graduate work in which the professor advocated looking at recent census data, as well as looking at The Association of Religious Data Archives to see the socioeconomic and religious make-up of your area. Another great resource is Mark Finley's book "Studying Together" which goes through various belief systems and shows the similarities and differences between them and Adventism.

Whatever tools we use, they are useless if we don't have the Spirit of God in our hearts, so as we seek to draw others a better relationship with God, let us seek to improve our relationship as well.

Pyramid Witnessing

I'm still getting used to having a blog, and have been keeping my thoughts mainly in my head (often a good place for them), but I've decided to let this one slip out onto the web.

I was talking with someone a couple weeks ago and they were telling me how they recently got involved in some program selling acai fruit juice. They were quite aware that this was one of those pyramid marketing things, and naturally I was a bit put off by their interest in it. That was, until, I discovered their motive behind getting involved. They were using it as a springboard into witnessing to the other marketers because a good way to witness is to befriend somebody first. It got me thinking about the Bible text where the apostle Paul wrote that he was all things to all people that he might save some.

Now, I'm not advocating that well all go out in search of the latest "business opportunity" and use that as a means of witnessing. However, I think that we should give more thought into being more creative in our witnessing. So often so many of us get stuck into narrow means of sharing our faith. Therefore, I'm asking that you keep your eyes open for new ways of getting in contact with people for the gospel's sake.