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My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.
Psalm 62:1

 

Webster’s dictionary defines rest as follows: abode, a stopping place, a place of shelter and lodging, freedom from activity, quiet, tranquility, peace of mind or spirit, to repose without anxiety, to trust, rely, and to depend upon.  This psalm, written by David, describes where such rest may be found, namely in God alone.  The world around us, with no concept of God as its Father, digs broken cisterns of entertainment, power and prestige to attempt to find the rest that their souls need.  In vain they try to fill a God shaped eternal vacuum with temporal misshapen pieces which will not satisfy.  Even as those who belong to God, we need also to learn what it means to find our rest in God alone. 

One of the ways in which we can try to find rest in Him is to attempt to find rest in His provisions.  Our Heavenly Father delights to provide for all our needs and states in Romans 8:32, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things?”  To major, however, in looking to His provisions as the substance and purpose of our relationship with Him is to fail to find that rest.  It is to repeat that error of those in John chapter 6 to whom Jesus replied with the following statement, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (John 6:26)  Meeting the needs of the temporal cannot satisfy a heart that is designed for eternity.  God has created within us a soul that was never destined to find rest simply in His provisions.  His desire is to train us such that we learn to look beyond his provisions to find that rest for which we were created.  This rest comes from a relationship with Him as described in Habakkuk 3:17-19.

                              “Though the fig tree does not bud

                                     and there are no grapes on the vines,

                               though the olive crop fails

                                     and the fields produce no food,

                               though there are no sheep in the pen

                                     and no cattle in the stalls,

                               Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

                                     I will be joyful in God my Savior.

                               The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

                                     he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

                                     he enables me to go on the heights.”

Habakkuk’s rest was not found in the provisions of God, but in the person of God. 

Another way in which we may misalign our effort to obtain this rest is to focus on the programs of God.  The Lord summarized this problem when He addressed the church at Ephesus.  “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.  I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you.  You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”  (Revelation 2:2-5)   Our Lord knows that He alone will satisfy our hearts.  Unless our hearts are fixed upon Him, everything will dissolve.  Our busyness for God can prevent our business with God.  We cannot replace the person of God with the programs of God.  We must remember, repent, and repeat (Rev: 2:5) those things which drew us near to His person. 

II Peter 1:4 refers to “his very great and precious promises.”  We read also of God’s promise to Abraham in Hebrews 6:14 “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”  It is through the many promises of God in the scriptures that we know of His Mercy, His Grace and His love to us.  We see other promises in the scriptures that are given to others, or that we take for ourselves without full understanding of the promise.  We all see through a glass darkly.  At other times, we experience a long delay in the fulfillment of the promise.  Such was the case with Abraham. God had promised an heir coming from his own body. (Genesis 15) After waiting ten years with no fulfillment of the promise, he agreed with Sarai to have a child, Ishmael, through her maidservant Hagar.  (We read of the results of that decision in our newspapers daily.)  Abraham was focused on the promise and decided to “help” God with the answer.  Later, God tested him again in regard to a promise.  “By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Hebrews 11:17-19)  Abraham looked beyond the gift of God to the Giver Himself.  He was enabled to relinquish his own understanding of the promise of God because of a relationship with God. He chose the person and trusted Him to fulfill the promise in His own way. 

Psalm 62:1 points to a rest that goes beyond provision, programs, or promises.  It rests in the person of God.  Throughout the ages, we have seen many who have found their rest in God, and God alone.  One of these was David.  Years had gone by since the kingship was declared to be David’s by the prophet Samuel.  Year after year he was hunted and driven at times from his own people.  Surely he despaired of the fulfillment of God’s promise.  He was constantly in need of provisions.  At one time, upon returning to Ziklag, he found his town destroyed, and his possessions captured along with his wives.  And what purpose did his followers have in mind?  They were talking of stoning him!  I Samuel 30:6 states “But David found strength in the LORD his God.”  We find this attitude further described in Psalm 27:4.  “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”  In this verse we see David’s activity described as “ask,” “seek,” “dwell,” “and gaze upon.”  David had found the secret of the rest that God intends for us to have, and that is in the person of God. 

There are certain markers in my life which tell me that I am not finding my rest in Him.  Some of these are anxiety, irritation with others, and discouragement.  Whenever I experience them, they are a reminder that I am looking to a source other than the person of God in which to find rest.  How can I know when my rest is in Him alone?  G. Campbell Morgan related two words in a sermon on the subject of worship that were used throughout the scriptures.  These words describe a life that is perfectly at rest with God and are used in worship of Him.  They have never been translated and are in common use today in the original language.  These words are “Hallelujah” (Praise the LORD) and “Amen” (let it be so).  Am I able to say “Praise the LORD,” and let it be so” in the midst of life’s perplexities?  To the measure in which I am able to relinquish control of my needs, circumstances around me, and the lives of others into His care, I experience His rest.  It is my prayer that as you direct your attention to the “ask,” “seek,” “dwell,” and “gaze upon” as David described in Psalm 27, that your lives as well will find their rest in the person of our LORD. 

In Christ,
Richard Spann

 

You may impress from a distance,

but to have impact, you must be up close.

 

Over the years, I have attended dozens of retreats, seminars, and conferences.  I have also listened to thousands of sermons.  Many of the speakers were outstanding.  What they said was interesting and provocative.  I was impressed with most of them in regard to their knowledge of the subject, and the degree in which they were able to communicate their message clearly.  All of this pales in significance, however, in comparison to the impact that one man, Jim Morris, made on my life.  Up close, I heard not only the message, but also saw the man.  He was not giving a sermon, he was living a sermon.  It was not just listening to someone while sitting in a pew, it was interacting with someone in the workplace and community.  We were not dealing with hypothetical issues while in the huddle of the game of life, we were involved in the game itself.  By living up close, I could become aware of the single mindedness of his commitment, the importance of the word of God, and the importance of the individual.  I have met many individuals over the years who have been more impressive than Jim, but none have had the impact on my life that he has had. 

In the Scriptures we see multiple examples of the impact of one life upon another.  Deuteronomy 34:9 describes the result of the relationship of Moses with Joshua.  “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on Him.  So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.”  A similar relationship existed between Elijah and Elisha.  After Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind we read the effect of Elijah upon Elisha in II Kings 2:13-14.  “He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.  Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it.  ‘Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ he asked.  When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”  As we progress to the New Testament we see the activity of our Lord in Mark 3:14.  “He appointed twelve–designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.”  And what was the result of being with Jesus?  Acts 4:13 states “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.  With whom do men take note that you have been with?  With whom are you spending time with in such a way as to produce an impact?

In our churches, neighborhoods and workplaces we find those who are curious about spiritual truth; those who are convinced of its importance, and those who are committed to its application in their lives.  We can influence the curious, invest in the convinced, but can impact only those who are committed.  In the process of leading any small group, teaching a class, or speaking before an audience, I look for the individuals who are committed and ask the Lord to give me an opportunity with them.  These people can be identified by the acronym FAT.  They are faithful, available, and teachable.  I ask them to meet with me apart from a group setting and begin to share my life with them.  It may be possible to impress someone with what I say before a group.  If I want to have an impact, however, more of my life is needed than just words.  Philippians 4:9 states “Whatever you have learned, or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  I must live close enough to them so that they can not only hear, but also see, learn, and receive. 

“Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:1-2)  The transmission of the message of Christ throughout succeeding generations requires transformed lives.  Information may come from those who impress us from a distance, but transformation comes only from those who impact our lives up close. May the Lord so use your lives in such a way as to produce an impact in the lives of others. 

In Christ, Richard Spann

 

 

El Roi (The God who sees) Genesis 16:13-14

El Elyon (The God most High) Genesis 14:17-20

El Shaddai (The All-Sufficient One) Genesis 17:1-8

Every Friday morning at this point in my life began the same way.  I would meet a friend from 6AM to 7AM in the church parking lot.  We spent this time sharing scripture and praying together.  At 7AM, we would join a group of another four men for a Bible study the following hour in the church library.  This particular Friday morning he was late, so I walked on into the library.  While I waited for him to come, I saw a book with an interesting title and started reading.  At 7AM, he still had not arrived, and I made preparations for the Bible study group which were soon to arrive.  I then went back to reading.  At 7:30 AM, to my surprise, no one came and I continued to read until 8AM.  This was quite unusual for me not to connect with my friend, and the group was faithful in attendance as well.  (I later discovered that each had some development that prevented their attendance.)

The book that I had an uninterrupted opportunity to read for two hours was entitled “To Know Him by Name,” by Kay Arthur.  I was impressed with the significance of one of the first verses she used in her book which was from Proverbs 18:10. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe.”  The Lord gave me a desire to pursue His name; to understand that it is a strong tower; to run into it; and experience His safety.  The three names that captivated my interest most were El Roi, El Elyon, and El Shaddai.  In the Bible, El Elyon is usually translated as Most High or God Most High; and El Shaddai as Almighty, or God Almighty.

The first of these names was El Roi, the God who sees.  Nothing in all creation escapes His eyes.  He is the one who knows where I am, and how I came to be there.  He knows where I am going.  Psalm 139 states that He goes before and behind and lays His hand of blessing on my head.  He is my designer, creator and sustainer.  He numbers the hairs on my head, not just counts them, but each one has a number!  He sees each cell in my body. 

El Elyon is the name God gives us so that we may know Him as the Sovereign ruler over all of creation.  It was Abraham who first encountered El Elyon as the One who enabled his band of followers (318 men) to defeat four armies.  Nebuchadnezzar declared El Elyon to be the One who does according to His will in heaven and on earth.  He is the One who has absolute authority over everything that affects my life.  As Kay Arthur states in her book,  “Although we have been given a free will, God so rules and overrules in this universe of His that no person, angel, demon, or devil – nor any circumstance of life – can thwart His plan.  You will know that nothing in the universe can touch your life except by His permission and filtered through His fingers of love.  Bend your knee before God Most High, and learn that His sovereign power toward you means nothing less than perfect love.”

El Shaddai (God Almighty) is the all Sufficient One; the One with unlimited power to pour forth His blessings, both temporal and spiritual.  He is the One into whose arms we can come for comfort and protection.  When in our lives we seem to hit bottom, we find that “the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deut 33:27)  We will never sink deep enough into any spiritual or physical problem that we do not find the everlasting arms of El Shaddai underneath us. 

After seeing patients at the hospital that morning, I arrived at my office at 10 AM to find a letter addressed to me from the hospital laboratory.  As the contents of the letter began soaking in, I began to be overwhelmed with the significance of the names of God that I had studied earlier that morning.  The Lord, who was revealed in the pages of the Old Testament as El Roi, El Elyon, and El Shaddai, was now writing in the pages of my life.  What was intellectual knowledge about Him was becoming personal experience of Him.  The Lord who saw Hagar had also seen me; the God who controlled Abraham’s battle was controlling my life and the God who appeared as the All-Sufficient One of comfort and sustenance to Abraham was now comforting me.  The God of the past was making His reality visible in the present and giving me hope for the future.  I found each of these names to be a strong tower.  I ran into each of them and found myself to be safe. 

El Roi (The God who sees) saw each cell of my body and knew that there was a small area of cancer in the prostate.  He also knew its exact location at the edge of the prostate and that it would soon break through the wall and spread throughout my body.  This explained the repeated strong impression to obtain blood tests earlier in the week.  Although the letter mentioned only a slight degree of elevation of the PSA it was sufficient to need a biopsy.  Again, as El Roi, He was able to guide one of the biopsy needles the following week to the exact location to establish a diagnosis. 

As El Elyon, He had arranged my schedule that morning to provide time to learn of Him.  He had rearranged the schedule of five other men, led me to the book I had read and provided me uninterrupted time for two hours to study His name.  I later experienced El Elyon as the One who would control the spread of the cancer, allowing its complete removal. 

As El Shaddai, He had wrapped His arms around me with His comfort and presence, preparing me for the news I was to receive in the letter

As of this writing, it has been eight years since the diagnosis of prostate cancer and its subsequent removal at surgery.  I am, to my knowledge, free from any recurrence.  A number of my friends (who were more diligent than I was at checking PSA levels) are now dead of this disease.  Why was I permitted to survive and they were not?  Why was I allowed this disease at all with its attendant complications?  These are questions for which I have no answer.  As our pastor, David McKechnie, related in a recent sermon, “we must learn to move beyond the questions that cannot be answered to the answers that cannot be questioned.”  In the scriptures I find the answers of God that cannot be questioned.  One of these answers relates to His ultimate purpose for my life, which is simply to know Him.  (Titus 1:2, John 17:3)  During these last eight years I have come to realize that the chief benefit of this experience was not the healing of cancer, but the opportunity to know and experience God more deeply.  I have also realized that He desires to use each person, each event, and each illness in our lives to increase our understanding and worship of Him.  This knowledge which begins now will grow and increase throughout all eternity, and is indeed, the eternal life for which we were created. 

Following the initial finding of the elevated PSA, consultation was made with the urologist and a biopsy was performed.  The night before we were to receive the report of the biopsy, Beverly and I attended a retirement dinner for a local pastor.  The first part of the evening featured a soloist who sang the Hymn “Because He Lives.”  The refrain is as follows:

                                     Because He lives I can face tomorrow;

                                     Because He lives, all fear is gone.

                                     Because I know He holds the future,

                                     And life is worth the living just because He lives. 

The moment she began singing I knew that the biopsy results would be positive the next day.  I also knew that the song was selected not only because it was a favorite of the retiring pastor, but because it was what El Shaddai knew I needed to hear. 

In your life, as well as mine, we need to know the closeness of the One who reveals Himself as El Roi, as El Elyon, and as El Shaddai.  He desires us to know Him by name and to experience Him as a strong tower.  Our journey to know Him is not only a life-long pursuit, it will be a principal occupation of eternity.   I would encourage you to be attentive to how God is revealing Himself to you.  His desire is that we may love Him more deeply, worship Him more completely, and serve Him more effectively.  These all come from our deepening knowledge of Him.  It is my prayer that this deepening knowledge of Him will accomplish His work in your lives for His glory. 

In Christ , Richard Spann

Then the word of the Lord came
to Jonah a second time.

Jonah 3:1

Jonah was a prophet of the Lord; a man whom God had prepared and set apart as His messenger.  He was one in whom the Lord had placed His trust.  He had been chosen as the ambassador of His grace to those who were perishing in their sin.  He was given a ministry, but he did not have a heart for the ministry.  When Jonah saw that God had compassion on Nineveh,  Jonah states ”I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.” (Jonah 4:2) He was sent to speak to the people of Nineveh, but he had no heart for the people of Nineveh.  He was in possession of the word of God to the people, but lacked the heart of God for the people to whom he was sent.

God, in His Grace, has prepared each of us for the ministry which He has prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)  We are given His word, His promises, and the Holy Spirit. Opportunities abound to share His grace with a perishing world around us in our neighborhoods, our families and in our workplaces.  We know that our God is a compassionate God, ready and eager to provide forgiveness and restoration to all who call upon His name.  Has a lack of having God’s heart for the people to whom you were sent ever turned you away from following His will?  It has in my life on several occasions.

Years ago, I met a young man from Iran, a student at Wichita State University.  He was a patient of mine with whom I had developed a friendship.  As we began to discuss the Gospel of Christ, he showed interest and we were planning on pursuing a Bible study together.  On one of our meetings, he asked if I could do him a favor by attending a special activity some weekend at WSU.  It would have involved a fair amount of time, and as I had other plans during that time,  I told him that I was busy.  Over the next several weeks, I noticed a change in our relationship.  He was no longer available, and showed little interest in further exploration of the Gospel.  My lack of God’s heart for this man evidenced itself in saying no to a greater cost of involvement with his life.

Another situation concerned a patient of mine who was an accountant.  We had met for breakfast on several occasions and had been fishing several times over a period of a few months.  He had a definite interest in the Gospel and we were able to discuss the scriptures in some detail together.  Following attending a Wichita prayer breakfast together, he said that he was interested in attending a Bible study group.  I took him with me to a group that had just started, introduced him to the group and left him in their care.  If I had God’s heart for this man, I would have continued to meet with him individually. He soon dropped out of the group,  married a young girl involved in a religious cult, and to my knowledge has never come to Christ.

About twenty five years ago, I received a call from a man who lived in the neighborhood.  I had been referred by our church as someone who might help him find a Bible study group.  He gave me the nights that were available to him and I told Him I would see what groups were available.  I looked at several possibilities, but nothing was immediately available.  I subsequently forgot about his request.  Six months later, I happened to meet him and found out that he had found a group at another church, one that did not preach the Gospel.  I realized, with regret, that if I would have had God’s heart for this man, I would have been more diligent in caring for him spiritually.

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.” (Jonah 3:1)  Though Jonah had failed God and run away from his assignment, the LORD was merciful.  Even though the prophet was unfaithful, the LORD was faithful.  All of God’s work with this man focused on his protection; his restoration to a point of obedience to the voice of the Lord.  The work of God continued beyond obedience with the intent of producing a change of heart in Jonah’s life.  The Lord’s desire was not only a work through Jonah but a work in Jonah.

The Lord’s desire for us is the same that He had for Jonah, which is to work in us as well as through us.  The experiences which I related previously have helped me to know and appreciate God’s heart for people.  I have experienced His word coming a second time, giving opportunities to express His love to others.  God’s word not only comes a second time, but a third, a fourth and as many as necessary to the completion of His work in us and through us.   “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Howard Hendricks once stated that when God chose to write about Jesus, the unfailing servant, He chose Mark, the failing servant, to do so.  I also remember Lorne Sanny’s comments regarding Psalm 119.  He related that nearly all of the verses mention the word of God as  statutes, ordinances, precepts, commands, laws etc.  Almost all of them are written as prayers to God.  This, then, was written by one who was deeply influenced by the word and had given their lives to prayer.  Yet in the last verse we read; “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:176)

It is possible to go astray in our devotion and in our obedience to His voice, yet in His grace and mercy, he will not leave us there.  He will seek His servant.  It is not our grip on Him that will sustain us, but His grip on us.  As with Jonah, the word of the LORD will come a second time.  May the Lord encourage your hearts as you look to Him to establish His work both in and through your lives.

In Christ,
Richard Spann

Read it through.

Pray it in.

Live it out.

Pass it on.

The oft quoted phrase above is familiar to many.  It is a brief synopsis of the Christian life, yet how easy it becomes to neglect parts of the statement.  Unless we begin with the Bible, there is no basis for change in our life.  If our reading produces no conviction leading to the prayer of faith which desires change, there is no benefit. The work of God in our lives must then be lived out before it is passed on.  Ezra 7:10 describes the process this way.  “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

This is illustrated by the passage found in II Peter 1:3-8.

Read it through.  II Peter 1:3 reads as follows:  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” In this sentence we see major themes of the scriptures described.  In reading the Bible through, we come to know our Lord, His divine power, His glory and goodness, His call to us, and His provisions for life and godliness.

Pray it in.  II Peter 1:4 relates, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  God’s promises are given to us, but we must accept them and live in dependence upon them.  Several years ago, I transitioned from one position in the hospital where I work to another department.  Thinking that my benefits would be transferred as well, I asked about the four thousand dollars that was in my education account.  I was told that it was mine, and that I could have used it anytime, but that it was too late now.  His words were “You left it on the table.”  The Lord has given us great and precious promises by which He desires to enrich our lives.  When I see Him face to face, I do not want to hear Him say, “This was yours, but you left it on the table.”

What are the promises referred to in II Peter 1:4?  We see some of them referred to by Paul in II Corinthians 6:16.  “As God has said; ‘I will live with them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  Through promises like these, Peter says, we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  Our response to this statement from Peter must be to pray it in.  In prayer we come to the Lord in total dependence, asking Him to do in our lives that which is impossible for us to do.  The apostle Paul further describes our response in II Corinthians 7:1, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  It is through the prayer of repentance and faith that we are enabled daily to appropriate His promises and walk in holiness in the fear of God.

Live it out.  What would it look like to perfect holiness in the fear of God that would enable us to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires?  A sermon by G. Campbell Morgan describes this holiness of life by the following seven statements.

1. Holiness is not freedom from all sin as imperfection but it is freedom from the dominion of sin and from willful sinning.
2. Holiness is not freedom from mistakes in judgment, but it is freedom from the need to exercise judgment alone.
3. Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but it is freedom from the paralysis which necessitates failure.
4. Holiness does not mean freedom from bodily infirmity, but it does mean freedom from all ailments which are the direct result of disobedience.
5. Holiness does not mean freedom from conflict, but it does mean freedom from defeat.
6. Holiness is not freedom from liability to fall, but it is freedom from the necessity of falling.
7. Holiness is not freedom from the possibility of advance, but it is freedom from the impossibility of advance.

II Peter 1:5-7 describes living it out in this manner.  “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”  Paul uses this passage to describe living it out.  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:14)  To press implies both effort required and resistance encountered.  Both must be experienced as we live it out.

Pass it on.  II Peter 1:8 is as follows.  “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  What we read must be prayed into our hearts, and lived out before it can be passed on.  The Lord must work in us before he can work through us.  John 1:6 states, “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.”  John was not sent with a message, He was the message.  It is the word of God, changing our lives; that when proclaimed to others, produces change in their lives as well.  It is my prayer that as these qualities are seen in your lives in increasing measure, the effectiveness and the productivity of your lives will greatly increase in Him.

In Christ, Richard Spann

 (More Good Things)

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith,

so that you will have a full understanding of

every good thing we have in Christ.

Philemon 6

The apostle Paul is referring in this verse to a cause and effect relationship.  The activity of sharing our faith brings us naturally into an understanding of many things in Christ which we would not appreciate unless we were involved in that activity.  It is the Lord’s desire that we share our faith, not only to be witnesses of His power in the lives of others, but also to be recipients of His grace in our lives as well.  As I think about His work both in us and through us two “good things” come to mind.  The first of these is in reference to an understanding of His protection.  The second deals with His work in my own heart in removing prejudice.

This young man and I had formed a good relationship over the preceding several months.   We would usually meet for lunch, but on occasion would play tennis together.  His understanding of the implications of the gospel came slowly as we looked at the scriptures together.  Some of C.S. Lewis’s writings were helpful to him as well, and one day after we had met, he trusted Christ as his Savior.  We met several times soon after that day and the following week I was to meet him at his house later in the afternoon.  After being detained at a meeting, I called to let him know that I was running late.  He replied that he had just met two friendly men who had just come to his door. He had invited them in, accepted their books and was in an active discussion of spiritual topics with them.  My reply to him was to tell them to wait right there because I would be on my way and I wanted to talk to them.  The moment I hung up the phone I prayed “Lord, get rid of those people.”  I arrived ten minutes later to find no one but my friend at his house.  When I asked him where they were he replied, “It was the weirdest thing.  I told them what you said and then they looked at one another and said together, ‘We have to be going now.’”  After thanking the Lord for His protection, we had a discussion about various cults, their methods and their errors, and destroyed the books.  Through this experience, I came to a greater understanding of one the “good things” referred to in Philemon 6; namely His protection.  Our Lord states in John 10:27-29, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

During the early years of my medical practice, I entered into a discussion of spiritual topics with most of my patients.  As the years progressed, I became more selective and began to develop discernment as to their degree of spiritual interest.  It was during the earlier years when I entered a room to meet this patient.  She was a woman who had suffered a disease early in life leaving her nearly blind.  She had been sedentary for years, and had grown to be quite heavy.  Her knees and hips were weakened, requiring the use of a cane.  The years of her limitation had worn on her emotionally and she had become somewhat ill-tempered as well.  The nursing personnel reported to me that she had tried to hit people at times with her cane.  On my examination, I found huge, weeping sores covering her legs.  As a specialist in lung disease, seeing primarily referrals from other physicians, I wondered how she came to be on my schedule.  I went outside to our receptionist and asked that she be referred to a Dermatologist.  When the receptionist checked our book, she found out that the Dermatologist had referred her to me!  I was dumbfounded.  How could this happen, I wondered?  As I thought further about this chain of events, it became apparent to me that the only possible reason that she was in my office was to hear the gospel.

In addition to caring for the sores on her legs and helping with the chronic leg pain, I began the process of earning her trust and building a relationship with her as her physician.  I began to experience practically what I had known only intellectually, that God does not show favoritism.  (Romans 2:11)  I needed to know that God’s love extended to her as much as she needed to receive His love in her own life.  She was a very needy person, and the next several years were challenging, but in the end very rewarding.  After some months, she agreed to come with our family to a local church we were attending not far from where she lived.  She began attending regularly and the Lord continued his work in her life.  Following one of the Sunday services, the pastor came out and said to me.  Your friend sent me to find you and say, “Tell Dr. Spann that I am praying at the altar.” Her physical sight never recovered, but the Lord granted 20/20 spiritual sight as she began her life as a follower of Christ.  My spiritual sight sharpened as well, learning that no one is outside the desire of His grace or beyond the reach of His grace.

A few years after the above had taken place, any remaining prejudice as to the working of His grace was to be challenged in a different area.  The young man in my office had been ill for several months.  He had a cough, low grade fever, and some chest X-ray abnormalities  that were compatible with pneumonia.  He had seen several doctors already and had been treated with multiple antibiotics, but with no benefit.  I admitted him to the hospital and performed a surgical procedure called a bronchoscopy and a lung biopsy.  To my surprise, it showed some parasites typically seen only in patients with leukemia, and or who had received kidney transplants. After calling the Communicable Disease Center, I was informed that in California and New York, they were beginning to see these organisms in people who were homosexual.  Although not seen before in our state, he became the first patient to be diagnosed with what was later known as HIV or AIDS in Kansas.

I felt uncomfortable spending time apart from the office with this young man as we met for lunch.  As we spent more time together, however, the Lord removed any hesitation on my part to become his friend and enabled me to not only share the gospel but my time as well.  Despite the rapid advance of his disease, he did live long enough to respond to the gospel and turn his life over to the Lord.  He was even feeling well enough to attend a Navigator fall conference the following year.  The Lord, in His grace, had worked in his heart to enable him to become a follower of Christ.  At the same time, the Lord was working in my heart, removing prejudice as to who would respond to the gospel message.

The activity of sharing my faith has helped me understand in a personal way that there is no prejudice to the working of God’s grace in someone’s life.  Many of those with whom I have had an opportunity to share the gospel have been in the eyes of the world either off the road in a ditch, or up a tree, out on a limb.  This, of course, is exactly where Jesus found them as well. (Luke 18:35-19:10)

May the Lord continue to enable you to be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

In Christ,

Richard Spann

The Lord said,

Fear not, Abram

I am your shield,

Your exceeding great reward.

 Genesis 15:1 (NKJV)

After thirty four years of medical practice, I was asked by the hospital where I worked to help support a new program designed to improve the level of care in the intensive care units.  I agreed to do so, but this required closing my practice and turning over my patients to a new partner.  Three years later, I received a letter in the mail stating that my services were no longer needed. My employment was terminated three weeks after receiving the letter.  This notice came without apology, without explanation and without recommendations for the future.  I was offended, and in my mind I composed several letters to the CEO of the Hospital.  None were written or sent, however, and the tone of the imagined replies gradually softened.  As I gradually stopped planning my response and began to listen for the Lord’s response, I took out the letter, and began writing His scriptural answers on the top of the letter itself.  Eight verses came to mind and I started the list just above the part that said:  CERTIFIED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED. They are as follows: Matthew 4:4, Psalm 16:5, Proverbs 3:5-6, Lamentations 3:37, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, and I Thessalonians 5:18.  I will reference these only as my purpose is to concentrate on the eighth verse, Genesis 15:1: “The Lord said:  Fear not, Abram.  I am your shield, your exceeding great reward.”

I have been told that the two basic needs of humanity are security and significance.  In Genesis 15:1, I find that the Lord Himself is my security (shield) and that He alone is my significance (reward).  In the situation as described above, I was at least partially dependent upon employment as a shield or security.  Being terminated helped expose this shield as being a “false shield.”  There are in fact many false shields we may depend upon in our lives.  The Lord has helped me understand that any wealth given by Him is not our shield (For example, there was a twenty percent decrease in our retirement account two years ago).  Likewise, my health is not my security either.  I am now seven years post surgery for cancer of the prostate.  Although I am fairly certain that I am cured, it is a reminder that each breath and each heart beat come as a gift from His hand.  I also am in the process of realizing in a small way that the security of simply being in control of anything is a false shield.  Our car has refused to start on five occasions in the last seven months, requiring us to use six different rental cars at unexpected moments and places!

In each instance where a false shield is exposed, I am given an opportunity to respond by faith in Him as my shield. (Hebrews 11:6)   In Genesis 14:22-23, Abram rejected the shield of the possessions he had accumulated in battle and refused any reward from the King of Sodom.  He placed his faith in God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth.  This act of faith was followed by God’s declaration that He, Himself would be Abram’s shield and reward.  This shield was once described to me by a friend, Larry Beck, as being one of infinite love, perfect knowledge, and absolute control.  Larry stated that this was his paraphrase from Jerry Bridges book, entitled “Trusting God even when Life Hurts” In his book Jerry makes three statements about God: God is completely sovereign:   God is infinite in wisdom:  God is perfect in love.  The shield, then, in which the Lord asks me to put my faith is one which expresses His perfect love, His infinite wisdom and His complete control.

When we think of rewards in the Bible we usually think of God giving something to us.  Here, however, God is not referring to “things.”  What He says is that He will give us Himself!  (See also Psalm 16:5 (KJV) and Lamentations 3:24)  This, importantly, is not something that occurs in the future.  He says “I am your reward.’ It is not future, but present.  It is today, this moment.  He further describes this as an “exceeding great” reward.  Its degree and significance are not only immense, but it exceeds our capacity to receive.  This capacity is increased when we find ourselves in situations where we need to look to Him, and to Him only as our shield.  Whenever I, by faith, look to Him as my shield, He increasingly becomes my reward.

How is this reward manifested in our lives?  In I John we read that God is Love (I John 4:8) and that God is Light. (I John 1:5)  In Hebrews 12:29, we see that “God is a consuming fire.”

The Lord’s expression of Himself as Love in our lives may be seen in Galatians 5:22-23.  As a prism disperses light into its various colors even so God is manifested in our lives as joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. He rewards us with the realization that joy is not the absence of sorrow, nor is peace the absence of problems, but that both joy and peace are the presence of Christ.  We are aware of His presence when in the midst of difficult situations we see His patience expressed in our lives.  When His kindness is exhibited in our lives at times that do not call forth kindness of our own; we know that He is present.  To depend on His goodness as our standing before Him, rather than look to merit within ourselves is a work of His Love in our lives.  Remaining faithful to a variety of commitments when it would be easier to neglect them reminds us that He resides within.  A gentle spirit that is not our own manifests His presence. God’s gift of Himself as Love conquers self, resulting in self-control, convincing us that He is our reward.

God is Light.  Light dispels darkness.  His presence causes darkness of motive and thought to disappear.  In His light, the words and the works of Jesus Christ are made manifest in our lives.  As we see His Life manifested in us we can rejoice in Him as our reward.

Our God is a consuming fire.  He lives in us that He may consume by fire all that is not of Him, and purify all that is of Him.  As we see His reflection (II Corinthians 3:18) in greater clarity as the dross is removed by the fire of His presence, we can have confidence that He indeed, is our reward.

The Lord’s first words to Abram were “Fear not.”  Neither need we fear, as we face situations in life that threaten our security.  These come that we may realize that only in Him do we find security and significance.  May He encourage our hearts as we look to the manifestation of Him in our lives.

In Christ, Richard Spann

Discipleship is more caught than taught.

–Jim Morris

 I had been invited to a Memorize the Word course for eight weeks in a row.  Each week I continually found some reason for not attending the evening meeting.  Although told of the benefits of memorizing scripture, it made no impression sufficient to lead me to go.  Finally, out of embarrassment from saying no to Harvey Ellis for two months, I reluctantly agreed to attend.  At the meeting, I listened to the other participants (all of which had by this time memorized nineteen verses) relate the verses that they knew.  As I listened to them one by one, I became convinced that a significant change had occurred in the lives of each of them, and that it was due to the scriptures they had memorized.  At the end of that Memorize the Word session, I had “caught’ from others what I could not be taught.

Two months later I met Jim Morris and he began to meet with me weekly.  As we visited, he would often share different stories.  Often, I noticed, he would repeat the same story!  One in particular was concerning a meeting he had organized in Colorado Springs.  Although he had responsibilities at the meeting, he could not find a certain individual and left others in charge of the meeting, enabling him to find that person and spend time with them.  The first time I heard this story I thought to myself. “That is crazy.  Why would he do that?”  A few months later, Jim again related the same story.  This time, I recall thinking a little differently about that event.  I thought to myself. ”Well, I can see how a person might be inclined to do such a thing.” Three months later, Jim again repeated the identical story.  This time, a light bulb went on somewhere and I thought the following. “That’s it!  Individuals are the key to multiplication!”  I started to see what Paul was talking about in II Corinthians 2:12-13.  “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there.  So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.”  I began to understand why Paul did this.  If he could find Titus and equip him for the ministry, the effect of Paul’s life and ministry would be doubled!  Through Jim Morris, I “caught” the vision of disciple-making rather than having had it taught.

For nearly a full year, Jim and I met weekly and spent time sharing our lives, looking at God’s word together and praying together.  These three simple steps were what I saw in his life in regard to discipling others. Although very basic, they were foundational, and equipped me for a life of making disciples.  Again, they were “caught,” rather than taught.

The Apostle Paul describes this method of transmission of principles of ministry in this way.  “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me– put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.  (Phil 4:9)  “Join with others in following my example.” (Phil 3:17)  “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  (I Corinthians 11:1)  To Timothy he related the following.  “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecution, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.  Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”  (II Timothy 3:10-11)  Paul was committed to life on life transmission.  Although he taught many, they also “caught” discipleship from contact with this apostle.

Over the past thirty five years, I have had occasion to teach numerous Sunday school classes on the subjects of discipleship.  These included instruction in evangelism, establishing others in their walk with Christ and equipping them for their ministry.  The materials were excellent, the classes were well attended and those present were responsive to the presentations.  As I reviewed these efforts, I realized that, with very few exceptions, only those individuals with whom I had met regularly in a discipleship context have continued to make an impact with their lives. In the case of couples, only those with whom my wife and I had met regularly have continued to minister as couples in the area of disciplemaking.  Principles about discipleship may be taught, but discipleship itself must be caught.  You can’t catch anything from a distance.  We will need to live up close if others are going to catch discipleship from our lives.

The main effort of many churches is directed toward gathering everyone together once a week for an hour and listening to a sermon.  This may be an adequate method of disseminating information, but it does little in the area of transformation.  Our philosophy of ministry will determine our activities.  If we are content to merely provide information, we can live our lives at a distance from others.  If we would want to see our lives used to transform lives rather than to merely inform them, this will be a costly decision in terms of time and resources.  I am convinced, however, that this is the method that God uses to raise up disciples.

II Timothy 2:1-2 relates the following. “Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

May the Lord encourage your hearts as you live with others in such a way that their discipleship will be “caught” rather than taught.

In Christ, Richard Spann

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “put out into

deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”  Simon answered,

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.

But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  Luke 5:4-6

 

There are few things I enjoy more than going fishing.  I especially enjoy actually catching a few trout in a Colorado stream.  There are times, however, when I am like Simon.  I have worked hard and haven’t caught a thing.  I have used the right fly, the cast was good, and my selection of where to cast was appropriate.  There were simply no fish where I was fishing.  This was apparently the situation with Simon.  He was an experienced fisherman.  He knew the lake and he knew how to use the equipment.  Again, there were no fish where he was fishing.

The problem of fishing where there are no fish is not unique to Simon and me.  It is a common problem in the church as well.  I have seen a number of churches that look like attractive places to visit.  The pews are comfortable and the songs are pleasant to hear and to sing.  The sermons may be excellent.  Special programs are even held and lost fish are invited to come.  The speakers at these programs are well selected.  They feature sports celebrities, various performers and other newsworthy individuals.  Despite the extensive planning and preparation, it is seldom that a truly lost person ever shows up at these meetings in most churches.  Why is this?

In the last few years, I have begun to study the behavior of trout.  I have learned that three things determine their location.  These are safety, availability of a food source, and a place where their energy is conserved.  First and foremost, they need a place where they feel safe.  Secondly, they have basic needs that need to be met.  Lastly, they want to be able to live and survive without making any undue effort.  People are a lot like trout.  They want to be in a place where they feel safe.  They will go where they feel comfortable, and where they are accepted as they are.  Friends and relationships are a basic human need.  They will go to locations and meetings where their friends gather.  Additionally, it is much easier for most people to go to someone’s home than a service at a church.

I read two books that were a great encouragement as Beverly and I started home Bible studies years ago.  The first of these was “Evangelism as a Lifestyle” by Jim Petersen, and the second was “Your Home a Lighthouse” by Bob Jacks. These books described how easy it was to simply invite friends and neighbors to your home to read the Bible together.  We went out of our way to make those invited to the group feel comfortable and welcome.  One or two other couples would meet with us in the planning and preparation for the study.  In some cases, we met for only eight weeks. Other groups would last for several years.  Sometimes, we met at our home, but usually the study was conducted at the home of one of the other participants.  Over the years, we have seen people come to know the Lord personally that would never have attended a church.  The invitation to go with others to a church came after they grew in their faith.

God does not command the lost to come.  He commands us to go.  He commands us to go where they are, in the “deep water” of our neighborhoods and workplaces.  “As we go” (literally), we are to develop relationships, identifying with them and serving them.  Through these relationships, we can invite them to the safe convenient location of a home in which to read the Bible together.

Where is the “deep water” in your web of relationships in which the Lord is calling you to “let down the nets?”  My prayer for you is that as you do this faithfully, the fruit through your lives will be like that seen in Luke 5:6, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”

In Christ, Richard Spann

 

People often ask me if I am a fanatic about Scripture memory.

I tell them.  “No, I am not a fanatic about Scripture memory,

I am a WILD-EYED FANATIC about Scripture memory!”

 –Leroy Eims

Yes, Leroy was a WILD-EYED FANATIC about Scripture memory. So also were Dawson Trotman, Lorne Sanny, Jim Morris, Bill Brunson, Dick Grant, and many other Navigators who have gone before us.  Why the necessity of being WILD-EYED?  It is because there is absolutely no change in our lives that happens apart from our exposure to the Word of God.  It is His means of Grace.  If we do not avail ourselves of the Lord’s means of Grace, we cannot glorify Him.  Only the Scripture that the Holy Spirit has access to in our lives can be used to produce change (II Corinthians 3:18)  If we have memorized and meditated upon His Word to a significant degree, the Holy Spirit is better able to produce His work in and through us. 

The Lord has used memorized Scripture in my life in many ways.  Let me give three illustrations of this.  The first of these involved a former patient of mine who had reacted to an illness out of fear and misunderstanding.  During my consultation with him the discussion of various possibilities of his X-ray abnormality was distressful to him.  He developed some degree of resentment toward me and discussed his feelings with another individual. Thankfully, this individual was able to help bring him to faith in Christ. The individual who helped him was also a friend of mine, and suggested that I might want to call this man and be reconciled to him.  I did not think seriously about his request, not really understanding why the patient was so troubled.  A short while later I was memorizing some verses in Matthew and came to Matthew 5:23-24 which states “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”  After memorizing this verse and thinking about it for only a few days, it became clear that I was to do what was a difficult action on my part.  I called him, invited him to lunch, and apologized for how our interaction had affected him.  The Lord’s power had been made available to me to enable me to apply these scriptures to my life.  If I had not memorized and meditated upon them, this needed reconciliation would never have happened. 

 Continually, on a day to day level, the Lord provides His peace through His scriptures.  The worries, the cares and the responsibilities of this life, as mentioned in Mark 4 can be consuming. The newspapers continually detail illustrations of why we cannot put our trust in the economy, politicians, businesses and organizations. Years ago, in an uncertain time, I memorized Psalm 20:7. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:  but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”  In remembering His name there is peace.  This peace does not depend upon health, wealth, or anything in this world.  It is the peace that Christ gives.  He declared in John 14:27.  “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  It is only as these words live in our hearts, that His Spirit is able to guide us in His peace.

 Scripture that is memorized also enables me to live my life with purpose.  Colossians 1:28-29 (Phillips Version) is as follows. “So naturally we proclaim Christ, we warn every one we meet and we teach everyone we can all that we know about Him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ.  This is what I am working at all the time with all the strength that God gives me.”   This verse was one that I memorized thirty eight years ago.  To have this in my subconscious mind; to review it periodically is to enable the Holy Spirit to direct my life to those with whom my life may have an impact.  To encounter those I meet with thoughts of “how would the Lord want me to pray for this person?” or “is this someone with whom the Lord wants me to begin a relationship?” are questions brought to my conscious mind by the Holy Spirit’s use of memorized scripture. 

 In the Old Testament we see the memorization of scripture commanded in Deuteronomy 6:6-7.  “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”  In the New Testament, we see the memorization of scripture demonstrated by our Lord. (Luke 4:4,8,12, Mark 12:24, Luke 24:27)  If we do not follow the commandment of the Old Testament , and the demonstration in the New Testament, our lives will leave only a blur instead of a mark  We will have made only a living, without making a difference.   

 May the Lord encourage your hearts, and bring fruit to your lives as you meditate upon and apply the instruction given to us in Colossians 3:16.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom:  teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

In Christ, Richard Spann