Did you ever notice that when it comes to preaching, the less a person has to say, the louder they say it?
It seems that when people lack meat in their message, they try to hide it with shouting and pulpit pounding.
Say it LOUD
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When Helping Hurts
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(#AmazonAdLink) 
I recently finished reading a book called (#AmazonAdLink) When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. In it they write about the great damage that churches and missionaries can do at home and overseas when we try to “meet the needs of others” in our mission activity and outreach endeavors. It was a real eye-opener for me, to see that there might be a better way to do “missions.”
For example, they have a whole chapter on rethinking Short Term Missions. In one part of the chapter, they write that in many “Majority World” countries (aka “Third World”), we could fund a full time national evangelist there for $1540 per year. The average Short Term Mission (STM) from the US to those same countries runs between $20,000 and $40,000 for ten people to go for two weeks. “The money spent on a single STM team for a one- to two- week experience would be sufficient to support more than a dozen far more effective indigenous workers for an entire year. And we complain about wasteful government spending!” (p. 173).
This doesn’t mean there aren’t benefits to Short Term Missions, but they can and should be done in a much different way. Consider also that in 2006, US churches spent $1,600,000,000 on Short Term Missions (p. 161). Do you think this was a good use of that much money?
As another example, consider the following quote from a ministry leader in a Latin America:
The indigenous staff in my organization lead weekly Bible studies with children in low-income communities. These Bible studies are just one aspect of my organization’s overall attempts to bring long-lasting development to these broken communities. After a short-term team conducts a Bible study in one of these communities, the children stop attending the Bible studies of my organization. Our indigenous staff tell me that the children stop coming because we do not have all the fancy materials and crafts that short-term teams have, and we do not give away things like these teams do. The children have also come to believe that our staff are not as interesting or as creative as teh Americans that come on these teams (p. 169).
Sad, huh? But imagine the report that this team brought back to their home church about all the children they ministered to!
The book abounds with such information and ideas, so please, if you are involved in the mission board of your church, are helping plan a mission, have teenagers going on a mission, or are thinking of going on a mission trip yourself (even if it is just to the local homeless shelter), (#AmazonAdLink) you must read this book.
Kings and the Kingdom
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Some people aren’t very happy with where the government is going. But that has always been the case, no matter who was in power. In such situations, what should be done, if anything?
In Luke 3:19-20, John preached against King Herod for how he married his brother’s wife (She was also his niece). We can imagine John and his audience thinking (and maybe even saying among themselves) that if the Messiah was going to rule and reign from Jerusalem, then King Herod would have to be deposed.
John had been preaching about fire coming to destroy those who rebelled against God, and many probably looked at King Herod as the epitome of wickedness in Israel. Surely, if judgment was coming, it would begin with King Herod.
But shockingly, it is John himself who ends up in prison. This was not the way the promised Kingdom was supposed to begin! He is confused, as are his disciples. Later, from prison, John sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus to explain Himself (Luke 7:19). Why is Jesus partying while John sits in jail? Herod should be in jail, not John. We can almost hear John’s thoughts: “I preached about a coming judgment, but it wasn’t supposed to fall on me!”
Jesus basically replies that John needs a new paradigm for how the Kingdom will look (7:22). The Kingdom, says Jesus, is not about conquest and the destruction of our enemies, but about healing, grace, and forgiveness. It is about restoration and redemption. If we do overthrow our enemies, it will be through love and kindness. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “We destroy our enemies when we make them our friends.”
So, like John, are you experiencing a fiery trial (cf. 1 Pet 4:12)? Don’t be surprised at such things, for judgment begins with the house of God (cf. 1 Pet 4:17), and the promise of Jesus is that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). Realize that the trial you are experiencing is to refine and purify you for God’s purposes. And currently, His purpose is not to overthrow leaders and governments. Rather, His purposes are for you to bless the world and do for for the world what leaders and governments never can.
God’s justice is displayed, not in riches and royalty, but through service and sacrifice. Do you have criticisms of the way the world is going? Fine. But rather than look to leaders to change direction, start doing in your own community what needs to be done to restore justice and right all wrongs.
This post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 3:15-22.
Finding Your John
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Who do we look to for solutions to life’s problems? Who do we look to for answers to life’s questions and issues? Politicians? Religious leaders? Fox news correspondents? Radio show hosts? Hollywood? Sports starts? Pop singers? Oprah? Glen Beck?
And if your answer is “God” or “the Bible,” whose understanding of God and the Bible do you go by?
Maybe the real question we should be asking ourselves is, “Who does God gives the answers and solutions to?”
For that question, Luke 3:1-14 provides an interesting answer. In these verses, Luke reveals that God’s solutions to life’s questions and problems did not come from rulers or religious leaders or those with power, prominence, money, and authority. Instead, the word of God came through a poor and relatively unknown man living in the wilderness: John.
It is John who showed the people how to live under the rule of a corrupt government and religious system. It is John who explained to the people how to live lives of generosity, honesty, and integrity. He was a nobody, but God used Him to call the people back to God’s way of living.
Do you know a “John” today? I know some people who might fit the bill, but you don’t know them, and that’s the whole point. It is partly due to their lack of fame and power that qualifies them. They don’t live in mansions, ride in limousines, or appear on TV. But God uses them to bring wisdom into my life. A few of them aren’t even Christians (*Gasp*)!
Who do you have tha that God uses to speak to you? If you don’t have somebody, don’t look to TV or D.C. Instead, find someone who is weak, despised, and foolish (1 Cor 1:27-28), and hang out with them. You never know…maybe you’ll find your John.
This post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 3:1-6 and Luke 3:7-14.
Even Jesus had to Learn
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It constantly amazes me how many Christians think that serious study of Scripture is “optional.”
When challenged to read and study, many will answer, “Oh, that’s for pastors and professors. I just want to love God. And besides, the Bible says that ‘knowledge puffs up.'”
There is no other area in life where such logic would be accepted.
Can you imagine telling your wife, “I don’t really care to read the notes you have written to me, or really get to know who you are, what you like, and how you think. I just want to love you, and all the knowledge about you will just get in the way”? Since when does knowledge about your loved ones hinder your love for them?
How long would you last at your job if you told you boss, “I don’t really care about knowing how to do my job. Right now I love my job, and think that if I learn how to do it better, I might not love it any more”? You’d be out on the street before the end of the day.
Even with something like sports. Have you ever heard a sports fanatic say, “I love watching sports. I don’t know much about the teams, the players, or even the rules, but I sure do love sports! If I had to spend time reading and learning about the games and the players, it would ruin my enjoyment! So don’t bother me with all those stats and numbers”?
All this is crazy talk…except in some Christian circles. In some churches, it is considered “spiritual” to ignore serious study of Scripture. Oh sure, they may talk a lot about the Bible, and may even memorize large portions of it, but attempting actually learning what those passages mean is frowned upon.
Of course, what many don’t realize is that even Jesus studied. Even Jesus had to learn the Scriptures. In Luke 2:41-52, there are several references to the fact that Jesus learned (from His parents and from the Jewish priests, scribes, and Pharisees) what the Scriptures meant and how to live them.
And if that’s true, how much more do we!
This post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 2:41-52.
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