Replace Yourself

President George H.W. Bush (#41) tells the story that he woke up one morning to reach for a red button (while in bed) that usually notifies someone on his staff he wants his morning coffee (nice huh?). Well, all he did was wake up Barbra and she responded, “Get it yourself!” She continued to tell him that he was also not the president anymore! One day, it is all over. People get replaced ~ as ministry leaders we should take a cue from the former president. At some point, we are all going to be replaced in our ministries, for a variety of possible reasons. In response to this reality, it should be our goal to replace ourselves in ministry. How much better would our church be if the mindset of our leaders was to constantly be working ourselves out of a job? Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Always be looking for your replacement; build into others because it is the calling of those in leadership. Do not do the work of ministry alone; find someone else to do it with you! Think about how you can build into others so that they grow in their relationship with Christ. And if you are really feeling up to it, get them a cup of coffee while you are at it.

Have you considered the Priesthood?

I saw a billboard the other day driving that said, “Have you considered the priesthood?” Apparently, the Catholic church is in need of clergy. I looked it up and also found that the year of priests ended for the Catholic church on June 19, 2o10 (see this article: http://tinyurl.com/2cc33d7). This is not intended to bash the Catholic church, but it got me thinking that it is a shame they stopped. Every year in the church should be about equipping the priests. Not the Catholic kind, but the royal kind…you know, the kind of priest the New Testament uses to refer to all believers. Every Christian is a priest; we do not need a year of priests. Our ministries should be made up of priests (that’s you) who have the same access to our Lord that every pastor and elder does. Peter wrote in his first letter, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). All of God’s people are able to do God’s work (that is what a priest does); I am encouraged that at my church we have an army of priests doing God’s work. Continue to press on in ministry because you are a priest, called to do God’s work. And if you see that billboard, you already know the answer to the question.

“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
Exodus 19:6

God: Near and Far

God is great. We know this. We say this often in song and in speech. Even if we did not acknowledge it, it would still be true. What is it about Him, other than His omnipotence (all-powerful), omnipresence, knowledge, love, justice, righteousness and holiness, that makes this claim true? I believe there are two key attributes that are often overlooked, yet provide much comfort to me and show His greatness: His transcendence and His immanence (nearness). One of the mysteries of God is His ability to rule Sovereignly and powerfully from afar (transcendence), yet He is simultaneously near by residing in the hearts of His followers. Jeremiah 23:23 says, “‘Am I a God at hand,’ declares the LORD, ‘and not a God far away?’” Stop and think about that for a second…now that you are thoroughly confused, let’s look at it a little closer. God is at hand; he came to dwell among us as Jesus of Nazareth and also sent His Holy Spirit after Christ ascended into heaven. God is not only at hand, but He dwells in the very bodies of His people (1 Cor. 6:19)! The same God who dwells within us is the God Most High. He is “the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:” (Is. 57:15). Wow! God is larger and greater than any adjective we can ascribe to Him. He is far off in the heavens ruling this universe as its Creator, but He is also intimately involved in the tiny details of our lives because He is also near. This is a mystery to our little minds, but it is true. He is powerfully and righteously ruling the universe, while at the same time He actually cares, loves and knows us! God is truly great. He demonstrated it on Calvary, but He also demonstrates it by sustaining the universe from afar, while also dwelling in us. Amen!

Isaiah 57:15:
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

Murky Motivations?

When serving the Lord, what is your motivation? Is it honestly to serve God, or do you simply desire the reputation of one who seeks and serves the Lord? I must confess that motives are difficult to judge because our hearts are so complex, and they are nearly impossible to judge in others (thankfully, it is not our job!). When I consider the reasons I seek to write a meaningful paragraph in this space there are many: I have been asked to do so; I want to do a good job; and hopefully it can be encouraging or challenging in its use for God’s kingdom in your lives. None seem negative on the surface, but what if I was trying to impress anyone reading with whit and wisdom because my name is attached to the end of this piece? It is easy for us who serve others in the church to let our ministries serve as a tool to advance our name rather than Christ’s. It is at the point when that desire exceeds the desire to serve God when it becomes sin. Our job is to give God glory, not ourselves. This is exactly what was going on in Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira. In the first eleven verses of the chapter, we learn that they sold a piece of their property. They gave half of the profit to the church, but they told the church they gave it all. Peter was clear that they were under no obligation to give it all to the apostles (v. 4). The problem was not that they did not give enough, but that they wanted others to think they were more generous than they actually were. This is why they lied. What took place is astonishing: Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead as a result of God’s judgment! We must believe that God has the authority to judge the hearts of men, and we must be thankful that He is completely just and right in doing so with perfect timing. The challenge for us is not to give all of our possessions to the elders at your church. It is to examine our hearts as we serve God in this church. Are you serving the Lord wholeheartedly or are there times when you serve out of obligation or out of a desire to be known as a person who is a servant? The answers may not be simple. We may never have completely pure motives, but we must serve out of a heart that seeks to primarily glorify God rather than self.

P.S. I’m really thankful that God is gracious and has not caused me to drop dead when my motives have been less than honest! This raises the question of why God judged Ananias and Sapphira in the way He did. I do not pretend to know why, but it can be observed that God seems to judge more acutely and immediately during the times in history when God’s Spirit has been at work in extremely clear ways. This incident is in close proximity to God pouring out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). Another example is God’s judgment of Achan in Joshua 7, which occurs after God’s work in tearing down the walls of Jericho.

Why Are You Surprised?

Consider the ways that God may be providing for you: church, family, friends, health, or even a job are a few of the areas God might be blessing you. Many times we complain that our lives are not what they could be or what we think they should be. In all honesty, how dare we! We should not be surprised when we look intently at our lives and realize that God has provided beyond what we need. God is working, and we should not be surprised that His handiwork is all over the place. Take a minute and read Acts 3; Peter heals a lame man (from birth) at the temple, while the onlookers are completely astonished. Peter says in Acts 3:12 (NIV), “Why does this surprise you?” The people of Israel were utterly unaware of the power of God. Peter and the other apostles were ordinary people (Acts 14:15), like you and me, who understood the power and provision of the God they served. God is good, and His mighty power is beyond our comprehension. God raised His Son Jesus for His glory, and He is at work today. He is working in our church and in your life. Do you see it? When you do, why are you surprised?