Zeal in Christian preaching denotes fervent passion and earnest devotion to God's work, balanced by patience and wisdom. Illustrations often contrast the power of persistent, guided effort with the pitfalls of excessive, uncontrolled enthusiasm, emphasizing a zeal that is fervent yet measured (Romans 12:11).
Patient, guided effort achieves success better than forceful, impatient struggle.
Two ships were aground at London Bridge. The proprietors of one sent for a hundred horses, and pulled it to pieces; the proprietors of the other waited for the tide, and with sails and rudder directed it as they pleased. C. Simeon.
It is better to have overflowing zeal than none at all.
An Indian, having heard from a white man some strictures on zeal, replied, "I don't know about having too much zeal; but I think it is better the pot should boil over than not boil at all."
True zeal for God is like lions among sheep, fighting eagerly without being forced.
When the Spartans marched into battle they advanced with cheerful songs, willing to fight; but when the Persians entered the conflict, you could hear, as the regiments came on, the crack of whip's by which the officers drove the cowards to the fray. You need not wonder that a few Spartans were more than a match for thousands of Persians, that in fact they were like lions in the midst of sheep. So let it be with the church: never should she need to be forced to reluctant action, but full of irrepressible life, she should long for conflict against everything which is contrary to God. Were we enthusiastic soldiers of the cross we should be like lions in the midst of herds of enemies, and through God's help nothing would be able to stand against us.
Indifference to urgent danger shows lack of zeal to warn others about salvation.
A traveller was journeying in the darkness of night along a road that led to a deep and rapid river, which, swollen by sudden rains, was chafing and roaring within its precipitous banks. The bridge that crossed the stream had been swept away by the torrent, but he knew it not. A man met him, and after enquiring whither he was bound, said to him in an indifferent way—"Are you aware that the bridge is gone?' "No," was the answer. "Why do you think so?" "Oh, I heard such a report this afternoon, and though I am not certain about it, you had perhaps better not proceed."
Analyzing zeal reveals mixed motives, prompting deeper consecration to God.
Z
ZEAL
Dr. Bonar tells of a dream he once had. In his dream the angels weighed his zeal, and he was delighted with the result. It reached the maximum and turned the scale at a hundred. Then they analyzed it, and his delight vanished. For (out of the hundred) fourteen parts were pure selfishness, fifteen parts sectarianism, twenty-two parts ambition, twenty-three parts love for man, and twenty-six parts love to God. He awoke from his dream sobered and saddened, but resolved on a new consecration.
How much religious zeal (if analyzed) would prove even more corrupt!
Enoch haunts us with the challenge of walking with God. Others turn to such spiritual giants for their secret. Most make no effort to follow God.
When Napoleon finally met his Waterloo, one of his soldiers, Chauvin, refused to believe that the little general was defeated and insisted on fighting on even though the battle was lost. This man’s name has lived on into our contemporary era because we now call anyone who fights on when the situation is hopeless a chauvinist.
David McCullough in his book “Morning on Horseback” tells this story about young Teddy Roosevelt:
“Mittie (his mother) had found he was so afraid of the Madison Square Church that he refused to set foot inside it alone. He was terrified, she discovered, of something called the “Zeal”. It was crouched in the dark corners of the church ready to jump at him, he said. When she asked what a zeal might be, he said he was not sure, but thought it was probably a large animal like an alligator or a dragon. He had heard the minister read about it from the Bible.
“Using a concordance she read him those passages containing the word ZEAL until suddenly, very excited, he told her to stop. The line was from the Book of John, 2:17: “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The Zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.””
People are still justifiably afraid to come near the ZEAL of the Lord, for they are perfectly aware it could “eat them up” if they aren’t one of his. Our Lord is good, but he isn’t safe.
At their school carnival, our kids won four free goldfish (lucky us!), so I went Saturday morning to find an aquarium.
The first few I priced ranged from $40 to $70. Then I spotted it - right in the aisle: a discarded 10 gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter - for a mere five bucks. Sold! Of course, it was nasty dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a breeze.
Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. But Sunday one had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed a second casualty, and by Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up.
We called in an expert, a member of our church who has a 30 gallon tank. It didn't take him long to discover the problem: I had washed the tank with soap, an absolute no-no. My uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives I was trying to protect.
Sometimes in our zeal to clean up our own lives or the lives of others, we unfortunately us "Killer soaps" - Condemnation, criticism, nagging, fits of temper. We think we're doing right, but our harsh, self-righteous treatment is more than they can bear.
Sermon in Acts series. Riot in Ephesus. Acts 19:23-32
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GET ALL EXCITED
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I. Religious enthusiasm.
II. Genuine Christianity brings about change.
A. Jesus motivates people to turn their lives around.
B. The mark of a spiritual church remains its impact on people.
III. Change can be disturbing.
A. Those who don't change, react.
B. An outside challenge can reveal our real motivations.
IV. The place of emotions.
A. Emotions are God's gift to us.
B. Emotions are an important part of faith.
C. It is a drawback to be too rational.
D. When God is at work, people get excited.
V. Ignorant zeal or excited faith?
A. Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
B. Emotions can be manipulated.
C. Be excited, but know what you believe.
Albert Meyer is the 44-year-old associate professor of accounting at Michigan's Spring Arbor College. The small Christian school invested $900,000 in the New Era Foundation with the expectation it would be doubled every six months. Meyer immediately suspected it was a Ponzi scheme but no one would believe him. As an immigrant from South Africa he knew he was putting his job on the line and also his work visa.
His wife knew her husband never did anything halfway. In 15 years of marriage, he'd never turned from a wrong that he could make right. She remembered a favorite saying of his: "Daylight is a great disinfectant."
Meyer contacted the Wall Street Journal and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Both listened but took no action. The college kept investing and received some money back, doubled. The president sent a memo to the business faculty and said he and the trustees were satisfied that New Era was clean. The president's concluding line hurt Meyer the most: "A healthy skepticism and good questions are commendable; crusading zeal is often counterproductive."
As the Wall Street Journal followed up, New Era gave up the pretense. On May 13, 1995, founder John Bennett admitted to his staff there were no anonymous donors. Breaking the paper's policy, journalist Steve Stecklow called Meyer to congratulate him before the story came out. "You're a hero, Albert," he said. "Get tomorrow's paper."
A week later 2000 people assembled in the Free Methodist Church for Spring Arbor's commencement. Holding up a copy of The Wall Street Journal, president Carden told the audience, "Our college has been in the news lately over the New Era affair and the man who exposed it for what it was. The article is entitled 'UNLIKELY HERO.' But those of us who know Albert would disagree with the word UNLIKELY." Rising from their seats, the audience broke into sustained applause.
Standing before the crowd, Meyer felt a surge of pride - not for himself, but for the ideals he had maintained, ideals that he'd passed on to his sons. "Don't follow the herd," Albert Meyer had told them. "Whatever the cost, do what you know is right."
(New Era resulted in the loss of $100 million for charities.)
#2896
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Christians can fall into a state of malaise for many reasons:
1. They're not really believers.
2. Their zeal is choked by the world's cares and worries.
3. They depend too much on self.
4. They've been disappointed or hurt by their church.
5. They fail to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit.
Four ways to light a fire under an apathetic Christian:
1. Re-emphasize the gospel.
2. Get people's eyes off themselves.
3. Teach the Spirit's fullness.
4. Expose them to the spiritual passion burning in you. (best one)
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. Missions is a temporary necessity but worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions.
The most crucial issue in missions is the centrality of God in the life of the church. Where people are not stunned by the greatness of God, how can they be sent with the ringing message, “GREAT is the Lord and GREATLY to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods!” (Psalm 96:4)? Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to “declare his glory among the nations” (Psalm 96:3).
1. God’s passion for God is the foundation of ours.
2. The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy himself forever.
3. Missions is to bring about obedience of faith for the SAKE OF HIS NAME among all nations.
Have you lost your spiritual fervor? Scripture gives some clear instructions on how to find it again. Paul didn't suggest that I plan daring spiritual exploits to fuel my fervor. I needed to nourish my faith, not my spiritual ecstasy.
1. A Spiritual Virus
2. Diagnosing the Disease
a. Spiritual Depression
b. Spiritual Doldrums
c. Spiritual Burnout.
3. The Way Back To Health
a. A balanced diet
b. Exercise
c. Lifestyle change
4. Time for a Checkup?
A Nashville newspaper carried a tongue-in-cheek story about Mrs. Lila Craig who hasn't missed attending church in 1,040 Sundays although she is in her eighties. The editor commented:
"It makes one wonder, what's the matter with Mrs. Craig? Doesn't it ever rain or snow in her town on Sunday? Doesn't she ever have unexpected company? How is it that she never goes anywhere on Saturday night so that she's too tired to attend the worship service the next morning? Doesn't she ever 'beg off' to attend picnics or family reunions, or have headaches, colds, nervous spells, or tired feelings? Doesn't she ever oversleep or need time to read her Sunday newspaper? Hasn't she ever become angry at the minister or had her feelings hurt by someone and felt justified in staying home to hear a good sermon on the radio or TV? WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MRS. CRAIG ANYWAY?
1. I suspect Mrs. Craig made a priority out of the church.
2. I suspect that serving and worshipping God were important to her.
What do you value most?
When you value something, you talk about it. If you get a new car, do you tell anyone? How excited would you be to discuss a new child or grandchild? Are you energized about the start of an upcoming sports season? Don’t you naturally talk about it?
Why do Christians offer so many excuses for not incorporating God in conversations? We say we don’t know enough Scripture. We try to convince ourselves that others don’t want to talk to us. We are afraid or don’t have time. Excuse after excuse.
“If someone doesn’t want to hear about the thing you’re interested in, do you stop talking about it with everyone? No. You find someone who is interested in talking about it,” John Avant, pastor of First Baptist Church West Monroe, Louisiana, once said.
When you value Jesus above everything else, you find ways to tell others what He has done for you.
I watched this become a reality in my son’s life recently. We went to North Carolina to participate in a Southern Baptist-sponsored mission trip for parents and grandparents with children.
Jeremy, who is 12, told my wife he wanted to lead someone to faith in Christ. Then he said, “Mom, can you imagine walking around in heaven and someone walking up to you that you lead to Jesus. That guy might say, ‘Thanks, man. Because you told me about Jesus, I’m here in heaven.’ Mom, that would be awesome!” He began to pray that God would open the door during the mission trip for him to share his faith.
That particular week Jeremy didn’t lead someone to the Lord, but he didn’t quit praying. Two weeks later, while helping with a Vacation Bible School, he helped lead a girl to the Lord. He was so excited when the parents of the girl wanted to meet him and thank him.
What happened to Jeremy can happen to anyone. Jeremy made three instinctual choices to become obedient to Christ’s command.
First, he had the desire. Jeremy loves Jesus, and loves to go to church. He has studied the Bible enough to know what Jesus wanted him to do. Because of his love for Jesus, he wanted to tell someone what Jesus did for him. He knew the other person’s eternal life depended on it. Desire or passion leads to intentional evangelism.
Secondly, Jeremy prayed. God tells us to pray for laborers to go into the harvest. However, when we ask for laborers, God points to us and says, “OK, let’s start with you.” When you pray for opportunities to witness, God opens your spiritual eyes to where He is working.
Thirdly, Jeremy acted when the opportunity presented itself. He put himself in places where lost people were. Then when the opportunity arose, he put his faith into action. He and an adult teacher shared the Gospel with the girl and Jeremy led her as she prayed to receive Christ.
To Jeremy, the value of Jesus was so important that it motivated him to find someone and tell her about Jesus. Watching Jeremy motivates me to continue to set the example and to reevaluate how much I value the Lord Jesus. What do you value most?
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #8787]
The following story is one that is reported to have been told by Napoleon to spark patriotism among his men:
Once, while visiting a province he came upon an old soldier in full uniform but with one sleeve hanging empty. He proudly wore the coveted Legion of Honor. Napoleon asked, “Where did you lose your arm?” The soldier answered, “At Austerlitz, sire.”
Napoleon asked, “And for that you received the Legion of Honor?” The man said, “Yes, sire. It is but a small token to pay for the decoration.” Napoleon continued, “You must be the kind of man who regrets he did not lose both arms for his country.”
The one-armed man asked, “What then would have been my reward?” Napoleon answered, “I would have awarded you a double Legion of Honor.” And with that, the proud old fighter drew his sword and immediately cut off his other arm.
What a great story of patriotic duty! It apparently was quite effective in stirring up in Napoleon’s men a desire to sacrifice even more for the cause of France!
There’s only one problem with the story. You may have already noticed the inconsistency. But apparently it was years before anyone dared to ask Napoleon the question, “How did the soldier cut off his arm with only one arm to do it with?”
Nice story. Stirring, moving, motivating......but it wasn’t true. It’s possible for the same thing to happen to us in a religious sense. We can get all “fired up” without much thought as to the truth of what we’re getting excited about. Paul said of those who were motivated in such a way:
“...They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” (Romans 10:2, NIV)
Zeal is good. We all need more of it. But we need to make certain that our enthusiasm is firmly based on our knowledge of God’s will.
Alan Smith
Boone church of Christ
Boone, NC
”What meaneth this?” — Acts 2:12
When a church takes action on intemperance, or disciplines its members for theater-going or dancing, or when it is roused to unwonted zeal in saving souls, the world asks, “What meaneth this?”
Years ago, a new pastor, determined to get the people out of their grooves, started a prayer-meeting before daylight, and created a sensation all through the community. Some said he was a fire-eater; some, a fanatic. But people came without breakfast or brought it with them.
One morning there was a deep snow, and the pavements had not been cleared. The stars were in the sky. The sexton had overslept and the gates were locked and a crowd of people were waiting outside.
Two policemen came up and one said, “This is an unlawful assembly at this time of night, and you will have to disperse.” The other asked, “What does it mean, anyhow?” The pastor told him they had come to meeting, and this made him still more suspicious. “What denomination?” A boy blurted out, “Presbyterian!” “No, sonny, that’s too thin, I know the Presbyterians; they are too high-toned to turn out at this hour. Why, they wear patent leathers; they don’t go out in the wet. No, no, if you tell me any more of that I will arrest you all.” Three elders arrived, who knew the policemen, and explained the situation, but they went away, thinking, “What meaneth this?”
#9648
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A PIGEON, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water painted on a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard, jarring herself terribly. Having broken her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders.
Zeal nor enthusiasm should not outrun discretion.
Christ said of John the Baptist that he was "a burning and a
shining light." His ministry of a holy fire throughout the hills of
Judea. He started a spiritual flame that has warmed the world because
he had compassion for the lost. One of the most beautiful pictures in
all the art galleries of revelation is the weeping Christ standing on
the brow of Olivet, looking over lost Jerusalem. His great
compassionate heart, as it yearned for lost men, brought tears to his
eyes. the deepest mysteries of revelation are sounded and the highest
tableland of gospel grace is reached when Paul said: "I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren." He spent
three years in Ephesus weeping over the lost men, warning them "night
and day with tears." {- Lee R. Scarborough}
- Paul E. Holdcraft, {Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations }( New
York: Abingdon-Cokesbury) 311
In England, in the last generation, Robert Arthington was a shining
example of Christian stewardship. He lived in a single room, cooked
his own meals, and shared his friendship with students who were in
need. Yet he gave to Christian missions more than $25,000,000 during
his lifetime. After his death these words were found on a slip of
paper: "Gladly would I make the floor my bed, and a box my chair, and
another box my table rather than that men should perish for want of
the knowledge of Christ." {- G. Ernest Thomas}
- Paul E. Holdcraft, {Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations }( New
York: Abingdon-Cokesbury) 311
William Lloyd Garrison, who wrote the anti-slavery paper called the Abolitionist and was probably the leader in that cause, was so hot to get rid of the slavery cancer upon our society that he angered many many people. One of his friends, Samuel May, said one day to him, and I quote, "Oh, my friend, do try to moderate your indignation and keep more cool, why you're all on fire." To which Garrison replied, "My friend, I have need to be all on fire for I have mountains of ice around me to melt."
-- John Maxwell
George Whitefield, famous English evangelist, said, “O Lord, give me souls, or take my soul.”
Henry Martyn, missionary, cried as he knelt on India's coral strands, “Here let me burn out for God.”
David Brainerd, missionary to North American Indians, declared, “Lord, to Thee I dedicate myself. Oh, accept of me be Thine forever. Lord, I desire nothing else; I desire nothing more.”
Dwight L. Moody implored, “Use me, then, my Saviour, for whatever purpose and in whatever way Thou mayest require. Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with Thy Grace.”
Martin Luther prayed on the night preceding his appearance before the Diet of Worms: “Do Thou, my God, stand by me against all the world's wisdom and reason. Oh, do it! Thou must do it. Stand by me, Thou true, eternal God!”
“Praying Hyde,” a missionary in India, pleaded, “Father, give me these souls, or I die.”
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see also HolwickID #22984
When the Crystal Palace Exhibition opened in 1851, people flocked
to London's Hyde Park to behold the marvels. One of the greatest
marvels back then was steam. Steam plows were displayed. Steam
locomotives. Steam looms. Steam organs. Even a steam cannon.
Of all the great exhibits that year, the first-prize winner was a
steam invention with seven thousand parts. When it was turned on, its
pulleys, whistles, bells, and gears made a lot of noise, but,
ironically, the contraption didn't do a thing! Seven thousand moving
parts making a lot of commotion... but having no practical use.
With the high-tech era we live in, it's easy to confuse activity
with accomplishment, to be fooled into thinking that the sound of
gears and pulleys is the sound of something important being done.
Is that true of your life? Of your church? Are there hundreds,
even thousands, of parts spinning and turning and making a lot of
noise, but accomplishing very little?
If so, just remember that even though your contraption may win a
prize at the state fair or the denominational convention, God is the
final judge. And what you think has substance may dissipate before
His searching eyes like steam.
Once at Wotton, Rowland Hill was carried away by the impetuous rush of his feelings and exclaimed: "Because I am in earnest, men call me an enthusiast [i.e., fanatic]; but I am not; mine are the words of truth and soberness. I once saw a gravel pit fall in and bury three human beings alive. I shouted so loudly for help that I was heard at the distance of a mile. Help came, and rescued two of the poor sufferers. No one called me an enthusiast then. When I see eternal destruction ready to fall on poor sinners, and about to entomb them irrevocably in an eternal mass of woe, and call aloud to them to escape, shall I be called an enthusiast now?"
An old washerwoman noted for her soul-winning zeal was partially
blind. One day she stepped in front of what she thought was an Indian
on the street and began to tell him the gospel.
"Sophie, don't you know that's a wooden Indian you're talking to?"
said a bystander to her.
"Sophie replied, "Well, I'd rather be a living Christian talking to
a dead Indian, than a dead Christian talking to no one!"
From strength to strength, go on;
Wrestle, and fight, and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well fought day.
______________________ part of verse 3 of hymn:
Soldiers of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies
Through His eternal Son;
Strong in the Lord of Hosts,
And in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts,
Is more than conqueror.
Stand, then, in His great might,
With all His strength endued;
But take, to arm you for the fight,
The panoply of God;
That, having all things done,
And all your conflicts passed,
Ye may o’ercome through Christ alone,
And stand entire at last.
From strength to strength, go on;
Wrestle, and fight, and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well fought day.
Still let the Spirit cry,
In all His soldiers, “Come!”
Till Christ the Lord who reigns on high
Shall take the conquerors home.
#14653
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"I want to see all in a flame of fire. You know what kind of fire I mean. I desire that none of my wildfire may be mixed with the pure fire of holy zeal coming from God’s altar."
— George Whitefield
#14654
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Every Brahmin is required by the shastas to keep alive the fire
which consumes the offering on the day of his investment to the day of
his death. In the family of Krishna-Chundra Roy, such a fire has been
kept burning for seventy years. It is a hard requirement for the poor
priests. Christ requires of His ministers that the fire of the love
of God and souls shall never grow dim.
- Selected
[see also "Quotes on Faith"]
"Whatever you believe with emotion becomes reality. You always act in a manner consistent with your innermost beliefs and convictions."
-- Brian Tracy
"Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret - curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."
-- Walt Disney
"One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests."
-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
"It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative."
-- John Burroughs (1837-1921), naturalist and writer
"Some things have to be believed to be seen."
-- Ralph Hodgson (1871-1962), poet, B&P
"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is."
-- 'Bhagavad-Gita,' Mahabharata, B&P
"Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."
-- William James
"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable."
-- Oscar Wilde
"Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know."
-- Michel de Montaigne
"Every time a child says "I don't believe in fairies" there is a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead."
-- James Matthew Barrie
"The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its soundness."
-- James A. Froude
"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for--because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."
-- Peter Marshall
“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”
-- Denis Waitley
“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests.”
-- John Stuart Mill
"The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions."
-- William F. Scolavino
1. Fight the good fight with all thy might!
Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right;
Lay hold on life and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.
2. Run the straight race through God's good grace,
Lift up thine eyes and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path and Christ the prize.
3. Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide,
His boundless mercy will provide;
Trust and thy trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life and Christ its love.
4. Faint not nor fear, for He is near,
He changeth not and thou art dear;
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is all in all to thee.
[Tune “Pentecost”]
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David Brainerd had such an intense compassion for souls, and was so concerned for their salvation, that he said, "I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke, the first thing I thought of was this great work. All my desire was for the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God."
"Many wise words are spoken in jest, but they don't compare with the number of stupid words spoken in earnest."
Sam Levenson (1911 - 1980)
Humorist
Cited in Even More of the Best of...BITS & PIECES
Look, I wish I had all the time in the world to get places. Usually, that is just not possible. I'm moving pretty fast - sometimes too fast. Recently, I was on the verge of being late, and I was driving in a very unfamiliar place. You probably know the feeling of trying to follow directions to a new place, you're looking for your turn, and suddenly you're driving a long way without seeing your turn. This was one of those days for me. And the reason I was driving so far was because I had missed the place I was supposed to turn. And I missed it because I was just going too fast. So, of course, it actually took me longer to get where I was supposed to be.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Speeding Past the Right Road."
Because I've missed way too many roads in my life because I was going too fast to see them, I was arrested the other day - uh, not by a police officer, but by a Bible verse. It's our word for today from the Word of God. Proverbs 19:2 says, "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." Now, how many times have you and I missed the way because we were being too hasty?
I remember in high school when they were teaching us to type, we weren't just graded on how many words per minute we could type. All that counted was the number of correct words per minute. You know, speed isn't all that matters in life. Getting it right matters more! And speed often diminishes accuracy ... especially in making wise choices. You may, in fact, be reaping right now the unpleasant harvest of some hasty decisions you made in the past. You were going so fast that you sped right past the right road. So, let's learn from those mistakes - and slow down and get it right!
Moving fast works against some key factors in making decisions that we won't regret later on. Like time to pray, for example. In our haste to get things out of the way, we often forget to check with heaven. King Jehoshaphat gave this wise counsel to King Ahab on the eve of a battle he should have never been involved in - he said, "First, seek the counsel of the Lord." (1 Kings 22:5) We all ought to have that hanging in some prominent place in front of us all day long! By the way, Ahab died in that battle that day. We're moving way too fast when we're in too much of a hurry to slow down and listen to the Lord.
Speeding also means we tend to neglect getting all the facts. Next to this "don't be hasty and miss the way" verse in my Bible, I've written these words - "Do your homework!" Now often, slowing down to assess all the available information - including the future ramifications of various options - can save us a lot of grief. Now another factor we speed by is taking time to seek Godly advice. Proverbs 20:18 counsels us to "make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance." Talk to others who've been there; get the objectivity of someone who follows the Lord and who isn't so close to your situation.
All these wise steps, though, take some time - and if you're moving too fast, you're going to miss the steps that make for wise choices - and happy endings. By the way, there's another danger in going too fast - you have a tendency to run over people. And you may have left some hit-and-run victims in your wake - you ran over them on your way to your wonderful goal.
Take it from a man who has too often missed the way that he should have gone. When you're moving too fast ... well, you tend to make a lot of mistakes. And you often end up going very fast - in the wrong direction!
________________
Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"
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Columnist Jonathan Rauch believes that America has made “a major civilizational advance” in recent years. Rauch, a longtime atheist, is thrilled about a phenomenon he calls “apatheism.” [See KeruxID #25076]
It’s not that people don’t believe in God anymore, Rauch writes in the ATLANTIC MONTHLY — the majority will still say they believe. But statistics show that they’re going to church less, and when they do go, it’s more to socialize or enjoy a familiar ritual than to worship. And as Rauch observes, they’re refraining from sharing their faith with their friends and neighbors.
On the whole, the people Rauch describes haven’t been putting much thought or effort into their faith. They’re looking for comfort and reassurance, not for a God who asks anything of them. Hence the rise of “apatheism,” which Rauch defines as “a disinclination to care all that much about one’s own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people’s.”
Writer David Brooks noticed a similar trend a few years ago. In his book BOBOS IN PARADISE: THE NEW UPPER CLASS AND HOW THEY GOT THERE, Brooks popularized the term FLEXIDOXY to describe the form of religion practiced by many educated young Americans. He wrote that in a complicated and confusing world, these people “spend much of their time pining for simpler ways of living, looking backward for the wisdom that people with settled lives seem to possess.” But at the same time, they “show little evidence of renouncing freedom and personal choice. They are not returning to the world of deference and obedience.”
It appears that flexidoxy was a natural precursor to “apatheism.” If a person makes himself the center of his own faith, there’s not much room for God.
Rauch thinks this is great, because he believes that “religion, as the events of September 11 and after have so brutally underscored, remains the most divisive and volatile of social forces.” If you must have faith, he argues, it’s better to be lukewarm about it than to be “controlled by godly passions.”
There are several problems with Rauch’s analysis, but the main one is that the “apatheism” he describes looks very much like selfishness. And it’s selfishness, not religious faith, that is a truly disruptive force.
If we really have faith in God, and aren’t just paying lip service to Him, that faith takes us out of ourselves, leading us to serve God and other people. It’s selfishness, not tolerance, that dictates that we direct our own lives and stay where we’re comfortable. Selfishness makes us keep our faith strictly personal, afraid to integrate it with the rest of our lives or even to talk about it for fear of being judged harshly.
In Jonathan Rauch’s ideal world, without the “godly passions” he deplores, there would have been no Mother Teresa, Corrie ten Boom, or William Wilberforce able to identify evil and stand against it. There would be no BreakPoint challenging you to do the same.
Rauch may not like the idea of a world controlled by godly passions, but if he could see a world free of godly passions, controlled entirely by human passions, he might not think it such a great civilizational advance after all.
FOR FURTHER READING:
Jonathan Rauch, “LET IT BE,” ATLANTIC MONTHLY, May 2003.
David Brooks, BOBOS IN PARADISE: THE NEW UPPER CLASS AND HOW THEY GOT THERE (Touchstone edition, 2001).
“A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID BROOKS,” ONLINE NEWSHOUR, PBS, May 9, 2000.
“SURVEY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE,” INSIGHT, Spring 2003. (ADOBE ACROBAT READER required).
BreakPoint Commentary No. 030506, “AN UNSTABLE BALANCE.”
BreakPoint Commentary No. 021119, “LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR IN TENNESSEE.”
BreakPoint Commentary No. 021127, “FAITH AT WORK: TRANSFORMING THE CULTURE FROM WITHIN.”
Fred Barnes, “THE MEDIA GETS RELIGION,” DAILY STANDARD, May 6, 2003.
Edward Farley, “TRANSFORMING A LUKEWARM CHURCH,” CHRISTIAN CENTURY, August 27-September 3, 1997, 754-57.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP (1937).
John Fischer, FEARLESS FAITH: LIVING BEYOND THE WALLS OF ‘SAFE’ CHRISTIANITY (Harvest House, 2002).
Hugh Hewitt, IN, BUT NOT OF (Thomas Nelson, 2003).
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Copyright (c) 2003 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
” …zeal for your house consumes me… “ (Psalm 69:9)
— For reading & meditation: Psalm 69:1-15
We continue thinking about zealousness, which we said yesterday is one of the characteristics of “revival praying”. An example of what I mean by zealous praying comes out of the story of the great revival which hit New York in the middle of the nineteenth century.
On 1st July 1857 a man by the name of Jeremiah Lanphier, described as “a quiet and zealous businessman”, took up an appointment as city missionary in the Dutch Reformed Church in New York. He decided to hold a noon-day prayer meeting and distributed a few handbills inviting others to join him during the lunch hour every Wednesday. At the first meeting six people were present. The second week there were twenty and the third week over forty. It was then decided to hold the prayer meeting every day. Within months 10,000 people were gathering in the city every day to pray.
Thus began in New York the spiritual awakening which eventually spread through America and in 1859 crossed the seas to the British Isles. Zealous praying — the kind that precedes revival — usually begins with one person in an area and then spreads to others. I know of no revival where this has not happened.
How can we explain this strange “spirit of prayer” that grips God’s people prior to revival? What makes them want to be present at as many prayer meetings as they can get to and pour out their hearts in earnest supplication to God?
There is only one convincing explanation — it is a supernatural phenomenon. The heart of revival is beyond psychological or sociological explanation. It has been well said that if in prayer we have great intention, then God gives greater attention.
PRAYER:
Father, I have already asked You to give me more zealousness in prayer; now I must go further and take it. I reach out with empty hands to receive the fullness of Your Spirit. From now on my prayer life shall be Spirit-taught and Spirit-wrought. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Acts 3:1-10; 4:24; 12:12; 21:5
1. Where were Peter and John going?
2. What was the result?
In a world torn by religious zealotry, not caring much about other people's beliefs (or even your own) can be a virtue.
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It came to me recently in a blinding vision that I am an apatheist. Well, “blinding vision” may be an overstatement. “Wine-induced haze” might be more strictly accurate. This was after a couple of glasses of Merlot, when someone asked me about my religion. “Atheist,” I was about to say, but I stopped myself. “I used to call myself an atheist,” I said, “and I still don't believe in God, but the larger truth is that it has been years since I really cared one way or another. I'm” — that was when it hit me — “an ... apatheist!”
That got a chuckle, but the point was serious. Apatheism — a disinclination to care all that much about one's own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people's — may or may not be something new in the world, but its modern flowering, particularly in ostensibly pious America, is worth getting excited about.
Apatheism concerns not what you believe but how. In that respect it differs from the standard concepts used to describe religious views and people. Atheism, for instance, is not at all like apatheism; the hot-blooded atheist cares as much about religion as does the evangelical Christian, but in the opposite direction. “Secularism” can refer to a simple absence of devoutness, but it more accurately refers to an ACLU-style disapproval of any profession of religion in public life — a disapproval that seems puritanical and quaint to apatheists. Tolerance is a magnificent concept, John Locke's inestimable gift to all mankind; but it assumes, as Locke did, that everyone brims with religious passions that everyone else must work hard to put up with.
And agnostics? True, most of them are apatheists, but most apatheists are not agnostics. Because — and this is an essential point — many apatheists are believers.
In America, as Thomas Byrne Edsall reported in these pages recently, the proportion of people who say they never go to church or synagogue has tripled since 1972, to 33 percent in 2000. Most of these people believe in God (professed atheists are very rare in the United States); they just don't care much about him. They do care a bit; but apatheism is an attitude, not a belief system, and the over-riding fact is that these people are relaxed about religion.
Even regular churchgoers can, and often do, rank quite high on the apatheism scale. There are a lot of reasons to attend religious services: to connect with a culture or a community, to socialize, to expose children to religion, to find the warming comfort of familiar ritual. The softer denominations in America are packed with apatheists. The apatheism of Reform Jews is so well known as to be a staple of synagogue humor. (Orthodox rabbi to Reform rabbi: “One of my congregants says his son wants a Harley for his bar mitzvah. What's a Harley?” Reform rabbi to Orthodox rabbi: “A Harley is a motorcycle. What's a bar mitzvah?”)
Finally, and this may seem strangest of all, even true-believing godliness today often has an apatheistic flavor. I have Christian friends who organize their lives around an intense and personal relationship with God, but who betray no sign of caring that I am an unrepentantly atheistic Jewish homosexual. They are exponents, at least, of the second, more important part of apatheism: the part that doesn't mind what other people think about God.
I believe that the rise of apatheism is to be celebrated as nothing less than a major civilizational advance. Religion, as the events of September 11 and after have so brutally underscored, remains the most divisive and volatile of social forces. To be in the grip of religious zeal is the natural state of human beings, or at least of a great many human beings; that is how much of the species seems to be wired. Apatheism, therefore, should not be assumed to represent a lazy recumbency, like my collapse into a soft chair after a long day. Just the opposite: it is the product of a determined cultural effort to discipline the religious mindset, and often of an equally determined personal effort to master the spiritual passions. It is not a lapse. It is an achievement.
“A world of pragmatic atheists,” the philosopher Richard Rorty once wrote, “would be a better, happier world than our present one.” Perhaps. But best of all would be a world generously leavened with apatheists: people who feel at ease with religion even if they are irreligious; people who may themselves be members of religious communities, but who are neither controlled by godly passions nor concerned about the (nonviolent, noncoercive) religious beliefs of others. In my lifetime America has taken great strides in this direction, and its example will be a source of strength, not weakness, in a world still beset by fanatical religiosity (al Qaeda) and tyrannical secularism (China).
Ronald Reagan used to insist that he was religious even though, as President, he hardly ever entered a church. It turns out he was in good company. Those Americans who tell pollsters they worship faithfully? Many of them are lying. John G. Stackhouse Jr., a professor of theology and culture, wrote recently in American Outlook magazine, “Beginning in the 1990s, a series of sociological studies has shown that many more Americans tell pollsters that they attend church regularly than can be found in church when teams actually count.” In fact, he says, actual churchgoing may be at little more than half the professed rate. A great many Americans, like their fortieth President, apparently care about religion enough to say they are religious, but not enough to go to church.
You can snicker at Reagan and the millions of others like him; you can call them hypocrites if you like. I say, God bless them, every one.
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The Atlantic Monthly, May 2003
[see KeruxID #22848 for Charles Colson's review of this approach]
”Be zealous.” — Revelation 3:19.
If you desire to see souls converted and long to hear the cry that “The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord;” Rev. 11:15. if you long to place crowns upon the head of the Savior and see His throne lifted high, then be filled with zeal. For under God, the way of the world’s conversion must be by the zeal of the church. Every grace shall do exploits, but this must be first. Prudence, knowledge, patience, and courage will follow in their places, but zeal must lead the way. It is not the extent of your knowledge, though that is useful; it is not the extent of your talent, though that is not to be despised; it is your zeal that shall do great exploits. This zeal is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: it draws its vital force from the continued operations of the Holy Ghost in the soul. If our inner life dwindles or our heart beats slowly before God, we shall not know zeal. However, if all is strong and vigorous within, then we cannot help but feel a loving anxiety to see the Kingdom of Christ come, and His will done on earth, even as it is in Heaven. A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal. Looking back to where we were without Christ, we can find abundant reasons why we should spend and be spent for God. Zeal is also stimulated by the thought of the eternal future. It looks with tearful eyes down to the flames of hell, and it cannot slumber: it looks up with anxious gaze to the Glories of Heaven, and it cannot help but be stirred. It feels that time is short compared with the work to be done, and therefore it devotes all that it has to the cause of its Lord. And it is ever strengthened by the remembrance of Christ’s example. He was clothed with zeal as with a cloak. How swift the chariot-wheels of duty went with Him! He knew no loitering by the way. Let us prove that we are His disciples by manifesting the same spirit of zeal.
— the Evangelist, news-magazine of the Evangelical Tract Distributors, P.O. Box 146, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 2G9 –1-780-477-1538 – www.evangelicaltract.com – support@evangelicaltract.com
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” (Ro 10:1-2 NKJV)
The Apostle’s Desire For Israel
• brethren — so he calls believing Jews
• that…saved — 1 Tim 2:1, 3-4, Matt 5:44, 1 Sam 12:23, Luke 19:41-42, 23:24 — from the sin of unbelief, and its consequences
• record[witness] — witness
• zeal…God — Acts 21:20, 22:3, Gal 1:14, John 5:16, Rom 9:21 — in regard to His worship, cause, Sabbath, etc.
• not…knowledge — not directed by true knowledge of God’s Word and will; hence their zeal misled them
Apostolic patriotism — Dr Thomas
The Apostle’s patriotism –
I. Sought the highest good of his country. There is here implied a conviction that –
1. His countrymen needed salvation;
2. Their salvation required God’s interposition;
3. This interposition is to be obtained by intercessory prayer.
II. Recognised its characteristic evils:
1. Corrupt zealotism;
2. Ignorance of Christianity;
3. Self-righteousness;
4. Gospel rejection.
III. Proposed the right method of saving it:
1. Righteousness is essential to the well-being of the people;
2. The grand aim of the law is to promote righteousness;
3. This righteousness is to be obtained by faith in Christ.
The balances of the sanctuary — In the reign of King Charles I., the goldsmiths of London had a custom of weighing several sorts of their precious metals before the privy council. On this occasion they made use of scales, poised with such exquisite nicety, that the beam would turn, the master of the company affirmed, at the two-hundredth part of a grain. Noy, the famous attorney-general, standing by, and hearing this, replied, “I shall be loath, then, to have all my actions weighed in these scales.” “With whom I heartily concur,” says the pious Hervey, “in relation to myself. And since the balances of the sanctuary, the balances in God’s hand, are infinitely exact, O what need have we of the merit and righteousness of Christ, to make as acceptable in His sight, and passable in His esteem!”
eudokia — “Most benevolent and affectionate desire” (Guyse). “Anxious wish” (Bloomfield). “Benevolent, kind desire, sincere and hearty wish” (Stuart). “Inclination” (Alford). “That wherein my heart would entirely acquiesce, and be fully pleased” (Ellicot).
“Zeal without knowledge is like expedition to a man in the dark.” — J. Newton
Rev. James Henley Thornwell was a staunch Old School Presbyterian preacher who fought against theological modernism in the 19th century. He was the sixth president of South Carolina College (today the University of South Carolina). He was weary with the compromised evangelicals of his day, who said they loved the truth but were soft in their stance and refused to withstand heresy boldly. Note his powerful words and his understanding of true biblical love:
To employ soft words and honeyed phrases in discussing questions of everlasting importance; to deal with errors that strike at the foundations of all human hope as if they were harmless and venial mistakes; to bless where God disapproves, and to make apologies where He calls us to stand up like men and assert, though it may be the aptest method of securing popular applause in a sophistical age, is cruelty to man and treachery to Heaven. Those who on such subjects attach more importance to the rules of courtesy than they do to the measures of truth do not defend the citadel, but betray it into the hands of its enemies. Love for Christ, and for the souls for whom He died, will be the exact measure of our zeal in exposing the dangers by which men’s souls are ensnared. [1]
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1. Quoted in a sermon by George Sayles Bishop, author of THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE AND KINDRED THEMES, 1910.
John Paul II — a feeding tube in his stomach — died a natural and peaceful death just days after the deliberate starvation of Terri Schiavo, whose feeding tube was callously removed. God in His providence often uses events like this to teach the world the difference between Christianity and secularism.
The world mourns the death of John Paul. As he lay dying, his spokesman explained how suffering is redeemed, and in doing so, he gives hope to all of us. In the Vatican, we saw the culture of life on display, while in Florida, we saw the gruesome alternative: the culture of death.
We witnessed a similar teaching moment eight years ago when Mother Teresa died the same week as Princess Diana. While Diana was a much-loved celebrity — famous for being famous — Mother Teresa's death reminded us of what true greatness is: a life of service to God and suffering mankind. Just as this week, the contrast was stark.
I met with the Pope twice — once when Jim Dobson and I were invited as the first evangelicals to speak in the Synod Hall in the Vatican. I was struck by the intensity of his blue eyes and the glow he seemed to have about him. He was an extraordinary human being — and I say that as a devout Southern Baptist.
This Pope was not only the spiritual leader of one billion Roman Catholics; he was also one of the handful of world leaders most responsible for bringing down Communism.
His political journey began in the town of Nowa Huta, Poland, designed as a living monument to communist utopianism. When the people demanded a church, a Polish priest and a few workers nailed together two rugged beams as a makeshift cross, marking the site of the chapel they would build.
The communists angrily tore it down. But when the sun rose the next morning, another cross had been raised in its place.
This went on for years as the people gathered at their cross, singing and celebrating Communion. The people's faith became strong as steel. In the end, they got their church. And the man who was planting the crosses? Karol Wojtyla, later bishop of Krakow, and still later elected the first non-Italian Pope in history [actually, the first since the Middle Ages -Holwick].
When Stalin was once told that the Pope (of his day) would defy him, the communist tyrant jeeringly asked, “And how many divisions does the Pope have?” Years later, when the Soviets threatened to send troops in to quell a Polish uprising, Pope John Paul II announced he would return home to stand with his people.
The Soviet tanks never moved. Who had the most divisions?
As a Christian persecuted for his faith under the two worst totalitarian regimes of the century, Wojtyla believed passionately in the dignity of every human being. This conviction lasted throughout his life. When he became Pope in 1978 and gave his inaugural sermon, his first words were: “Be not afraid!” He never was, even unto death.
John Paul II cast the shadow of the Cross across Eastern Europe: Along with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, he heroically helped bring down the Soviet Empire.
As we mourn the passing of a great leader, tell your kids that being a hero isn't about success or power; it's about doing our duty faithfully and “being not afraid” — whether it's raising crosses in a Polish town or lying on a bed facing death with dignity.
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Copyright (c) 2005 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
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Sami Dagher is one of the main characters in a story I never grow tired of hearing. Ravi Zacharias tells of a time when he was traveling through a tense and volatile land in a van that “moved more by prayer than mechanical ability.” Through a territory often hostile to Christianity, Dagher drove cheerfully, his van's bumper bearing a sticker that read: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” As they continued along the dusty, winding roads, they approached an intimidating group of soldiers who immediately motioned them to stop. Through the van's lowered windows, a soldier rested the barrel of his gun. Looking at the driver with steeled eyes, the soldier asked blankly, “Are you carrying explosives?” To Ravi's utter horror, Dagher replied, “Yes, this van is full of explosives.” Rummaging under a canvas, as the soldier stared intently, Sami pulled out a New Testament. Placing it in his hands, he said, “This is the dynamite. It’s not the kind that will hurt.”
Reverend Sami Dagher is a man who thoroughly lives the apostle Paul's directive, “Never be lacking in zeal.” Ravi describes him as a man who pours more enthusiasm into his “good morning” than most people do in an entire conversation. He is the picture of zealousness. He is also a man who lives out Paul's instruction in its entirety: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:9-14).
Dagher is the leader of the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Lebanon, founder of a growing church in Iraq, and the director of a humanitarian center that provides aid and medical care to Lebanese and Palestinian refugees. It is the same clinic that was in the news in recent years after one of its volunteer nurses was shot in the head by a militant after she answered a knock at the door. Threats have not been uncommon to those who serve Christ beside Reverend Dagher; Christian persecution is a reality they are always aware of. Yet, after this murder, many insisted the danger was too much for their doors to remain open. To those who made the suggestion, Dagher simply replied, “We provide medical and educational services to a large number of people in addition to a range of spiritual services. Let them come to us and say what mistake we have made. We do not force anyone to come here. As for me, this is my city and I am ready to wash their feet.”
The church in Iraq has also been the target of violent threats and vandalism. It began as a small underground gathering with five families holding Bible studies and prayer meetings in different homes. Yet despite persecution, the church has grown dramatically in recent months, and they now meet in a large two-story building, topped by a lit cross. A sign on the building boldly proclaims, “Jesus is the light of the world.” Despite daunting shadows or darkened days, with all that is in him, Sami Dagher believes in this hope. The light of Christ is real. The story must be told. “If they want to kill us all,” he proclaims, “we are ready to die. But we are not going to close either the clinic or the church.”
C.S. Lewis once said that miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story that is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. The faith of men and women in areas that require sacrifice and suffering, who live among those who attempt to destroy zeal and hope, is a miracle that shouts of the story I take for granted: Christ died; Christ rose; Christ is coming again. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of me. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). Might our lives reflect the same story that Christ has written across history. For some stories cry out for repeating.
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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
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The history of Israelites is a powerful lesson of all that can happen on the spiritual journey. We see the glory of the great deliverance in the Exodus, the giving of the tabernacle and the Law in the wilderness. The people were formed by God and called to serve. They entered the land and conquered it in order to obtain the promise. But, as we know, all did not go well. They did not follow the Lord fully or faithfully. They formed alliances with the local people and steadily adopted foreign customs, ways, and worst of all, foreign gods. In the history of the people of Israel, we see the pendulum swing back and forth from faithfulness to rampant rejection of God.
The last verse of the book of Judges captures the situation and the mood of one stage in their history: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (21:25). In the midst of their oscillating responses of half-hearted faith and complete disobedience to God, Israel continued to face the up and down situation of peace and war. The lessons they were left with are still timely in their importance and lasting in their urgency. Casual religion has serious consequences. Religious hypocrisy is altogether deplorable.
Through the Israelites, we see the reflections of our own polished idols, veiled motives, and empty rituals. Author A.J. Conyers suggests the very real danger that “all religion, and every practice of religion, and in fact all of human life, is in danger of being marshaled into the service of the human ego.” Within us is the tendency to center all thinking and concerns in the self, the propensity to give attention only to things that seem to offer immediate yield or gratification, and the inability to rest, relax, or be satisfied unless we are constantly stimulated or perpetually entertained. Elsewhere Conyers speaks of the ease with which, in the presence of a skewed image of our fallenness, our images of God Himself become skewed, “Rather than understanding God as the meaning in all things, he becomes the means by which we gain some things. Rather than a God to be worshiped, he becomes a god to be used.” What can we do to remain awake on the journey of belief?
Author Harry Blamires, in his book The Secular Heresy, hits the nail on the head. “We must not exploit our faith by advertising it as a technique for achieving earthly satisfactions. The faith is not a recipe and not a program. It is a Way. Recipes and programs are made to help you carry out earthly jobs successfully. But a Way is something you walk in.”
The entire story of the people of Israel and the whole of the New Testament run against the grain of lukewarm religion or casual spirituality. The writer of Hebrews encourages our total attention to what has been set before us: “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so” (6:1-3). We are to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, bowing to the clear implications and imperatives of such a task.
I am not suggesting spiritual zeal for zeal's sake. I am urging us all to take the goal of growth and the way of growth seriously, for Christ has called. I am suggesting that we need to give diligent heed and due care to the right use of godly ways and means to develop our life and mission before God. God will not do it for us, but He will accomplish it with us. To those who bow before Him, this He has promised.
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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
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If you look on the backside of an American nickel, you'll see a picture of it. It's the domed mansion of President Thomas Jefferson, known as Monticello. And it's a living monument to the genius of one of America's great minds - the author of America's Declaration of Independence, the architect of the Louisiana Purchase that more than doubled the size of this nation in a day. Monticello reflects so much of his creative genius and his insatiable, inquiring mind. Everywhere you turn, there are inventive touches that were there years ahead of their time. Perhaps the single feature of that house that best reveals the mind of Thomas Jefferson is the direction that its main rooms face. His study, bedroom and library, for example, all face west. Jefferson loved to look west; he wanted his guests and friends to be looking west because that's where the frontier was. That's where the unexplored territory was. And Tom Jefferson was always facing the frontier!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Hungry for 'Something More.'“
Facing that frontier - that's an exciting way to live. With a restless heart that says, “You know, there's more out there, and I want it.” It's the heart of the spiritually healthy Jesus-follower. However far you've come in your relationship with Christ, however much you've experienced of Him, you know there's much more. And you want to go beyond anywhere you've gone before.
That was the passion of the great Apostle Paul - thirty years into what may have been the most powerful relationship with Jesus anyone ever had. But in Philippians 3, beginning with verse 10, our word for today from the Word of God, he says: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings ... Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” If the Apostle Paul felt that way - that he had much more of Jesus to experience - you should be concerned if you find your heart isn't restless for more! Oswald Chambers put it this way: “Beware the danger of spiritual relaxation.” The spiritual level you're at may very well be enough to satisfy your pastor or other Christians, but I hope it isn't enough to satisfy you.
I pray for you and me the driving passion of Paul as he says: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” There's so much more - a greater experience of the closeness of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the moment-by-moment leading of Jesus.
There are two major spiritual frontiers to hunger for. First, greater intimacy with Jesus. I'm by nature a doer. I'm more Martha than I am Mary, busy running around serving Jesus. But I want to experience more of the realness of His presence and His love, the sound of His voice in my soul. I want to be a lot more like Him a lot more minutes of the day.
The second frontier is a greater impact for Jesus; making a greater difference for Him than I've ever made before. The road to His glorious “more” is increased time with Him each day, more “cuddle time” where I just love on Him and let Him love on me; a passionate pursuit of personal orders from Jesus every time I open His book. Every time we're in His book, every time we're in a Christian meeting, we should go with this prayer in our heart, “Jesus, help me come away with more of You!” And then, we need to be mining each day for every possible opportunity to have an impact on somebody's life for Him.
“More, Lord, I want more. I want all You have for me. I want to go beyond anywhere I've ever gone with You before!” Let that be the cry of your hungry heart, and don't ever be content with how far you've come. There's so much more!
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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"
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What truly inspires you? Baseball fans can now show their ultimate devotion by resting in peace inside a coffin or urn inscribed with their team colors and insignia. Baseball has set up a marketing deal with a company called Eternal Image. The effort begins next season with the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers. It could eventually include all 30 teams.
Each urn will be stamped with a message saying Major League Baseball officially recognizes the deceased as a lifelong fan of that team.
After starting with baseball, Eternal Image hopes to branch out by making similar deals with the NFL, the NHL and NASCAR. “We have been receiving these requests either directly or through our clubs for several years,” said Susan Goodenow, an MLB spokeswoman. “Passionate fans express their love of their team in a number of different ways.”
Kurt Soffe, a spokesman for the funeral association, said the MLB caskets are part of a trend of trying to capture “the life and the passions of the person that has passed away.” At this year’s convention, for instance, there was a Harley Davidson-themed casket and one featuring Betty Boop. “More and more families are wanting to have something that respects the personalities,” Soffe said.
Farmington Hills, Michigan-based Eternal Image, which also makes a line of Vatican-themed products, “wanted to break into a sports venue of some kind,” said Clint Mytych, the company’s CEO. “It is the all-American sport.” He said he has gotten at least 1,000 inquiries since June.
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Adapted from "Marketing Deal Allows Departed to be Fans for Eternity," by Patrick Walters, Copyright 2006 The Associated Press, 10/18/06.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. (John 4:39 AV)
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:20 AV)
Some are jealous of being successors of the Apostles. I would rather be a successor of the Samaritan woman who, while they went for meat, forgot her waterpot in her zeal for souls. – Hudson Taylor
Not for those who ever loved Him,
Did the Lord of glory die;
Pity to the wretched moved Him:
Who that hears it will deny that God is love?
’Tis a truth: away and spread it;
Spread the tidings far and near;
O may sinners give it credit,
And be joyful when they hear that God is love.
Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence. — Deut. 24:18.
Because we are apt to forget, we need to have our minds stirred up by way of remembrance.
1. For the purpose of humility. We are prone to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. If we are now wise, we were once foolish. If we are now justified, we were once condemned. If we are now sons of God, we were once servants of sin.
2. For the purpose of gratitude. Forgetfulness leads to ingratitude. If we would bless God we must remember (not forget) all the benefits He has bestowed upon us.
3. For the purpose of confidence. He pardoned us when we were rebels. He will not cast us off now that we are His children.
4. For the ,purpose of piety and zeal. How many are all around us bound by Satan and ready to perish. We can tell them what God is able and willing to do. We can speak from experience. — Wm. Jay.
‘Tis we, 0 Lord, whom Thou hast shown
The deadly bitterness of sin,
We who delivering grace have known
May fitly bring thank offerings in.
A family lived off the alley behind my first church. There were three floors to their row house, each floor inhabited by a different generation. The grandparents, who were members of the church, lived on the ground floor. Next floor up was their son and daughter-in-law, and the grandchildren’s bedrooms were at the top.
One day, the grandfather beckoned me to the back fence. “I’m worried about my grandson,” he said.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
He said, “When he gets up in the morning, he reads the Bible before he does anything else. Every time he sits at the kitchen table, he insists on saying grace. Now he’s talking about joining a prayer group with his girlfriend.”
“Walter,” I said, “what’s the problem?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Reverend,” he said. “Religion is a good thing, as long as it’s in small doses. I’m worried my grandson is becoming an extremist.”
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William G. Carter, PRAYING FOR A WHOLE NEW WORLD
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of #21019]
"I prayed God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian." So reads an entry in the diary of the legendary George Whitefield, and his life is the evidence that the prayer was heard and answered. In spirit, in prayerfulness, in ceaseless labor, in love to Christ, and in earnest and tireless efforts to win men from their sins to Him, he was, as he prayed to be, "an extraordinary Christian." As I read the prayer, I cannot but approve and admire its spirit. But can I and do I adopt it as my own? Is it my daily, earnest, heartfelt prayer, "O Lord, make me an extraordinary Christian."
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