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                                                   When His Answer is ‘No”

     This is something we all have experienced.  It may have been for ourselves or for a loved one.  The causes are multiple.  Perhaps there was a disability resulting from birth or an accident that occurred causing limitation of function.  Diseases of all kinds may have produced chronic suffering without any relief.  Situations with our families, our neighborhoods, or workplaces may be trying and difficult, yet they continue without any resolution.  In some cultures, those who follow Christ are shunned, persecuted, and even killed.  In each of these situations, we seek the Lord and ask for healing of our infirmities, physical protection, or alteration of the circumstances which are such a pressure to us.  Despite our continuing prayers, however, His answer to our repeated requests has been “No.” 

     His answer to me when I was 14 years of age was “No” when He took my mother to be with Him.  His answer for the healing of my wife was “No” when He gathered her into His arms and took her to heaven 2 and 1/2 years ago.  Again He answered “No” when He took my oldest daughter home to be with Him 2 years ago.  Many others have experienced His “No” during illnesses or lifelong debilitating illnesses.  Although the Lord does not give us specific reasons for why He allows His children to be in distress and disease, He does offer us some clues in His word as to why His answer is sometimes “No.”

     II Corinthians 1:3-4 is as follows.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  In this passage, the Lord assures us that He comforts us in whatever situation we are in.  His purpose for doing so is that we might extend the comfort we have received from Him to others who have similar afflictions.  Everyone can provide comfort to others by praying with them and for them.  Scriptures that are shared in a wise, timely manner may also be used by the Lord to provide comfort.  The greatest degree of comfort, however, comes from those who have experienced and are experiencing what others are going through.  They have walked or are walking where others walk.  The pain they experience has been felt by them.  The depth of comfort is greater when provided by those whom the Lord has permitted to go through similar trials.  They are used by Him for His Glory in a profound way that no one else can provide.

     II Corinthians 12:7-10 is a familiar passage to many.  “To keep from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then i am strong.”   Because the Grace of the Lord was sufficient, he no longer looked to his own wisdom or abilities, instead, he celebrated in his weakness.  It was in learning compete dependence that the power  of Christ was made perfect in and through his life.  Most of us are yet to learn this lesson.  We still depend somewhat on our own efforts.  It is only as we are conscious of our weakness, perhaps through infirmity permitted by His Grace, that we learn that His Grace is sufficient, and that we can trust in His perfect control of our lives.   

     Philippians 3:10 also sheds light on a reason for suffering.  “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”  We all want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, but Paul continues with this additional comment, “and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.”   It is helpful to look at John 17:3 in order to understand the purpose of sharing in His sufferings.  It states the following, “Now this is eternal life:  that they may know you the only true God and Jesus  Christ, whom you have sent.”  Eternal life is equated with the knowledge of Christ.  The sufferings we are permitted to have enable us to know Him more deeply, increasing our appreciation of the unity we have with Him, and deepening our trust in Him. 

     II Corinthians 4:17 suggests another reason for our ongoing trials.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  Here the Lord is actually saying that the very things in our lives that we are going through, the heart aches, the disappointments, the tribulations of disease and difficulties, are the very substance  which He is using to produce an eternal glory for us!  He is using the momentary sufferings to produce an eternal benefit!   None of them are wasted.  Every one has a purpose to produce eternal joy and pleasures at His Right Hand!  They, themselves, are being used by Him for His Glory and our eternal benefit.  

     Revelation 2:10 also reminds us that the Lord sets a time limit on our trials.  “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”  Only ten days!  The Lord controls every action of our enemy.  The devil is only permitted to interfere with our lives in order to accomplish the purpose of the Lord in and through us.  I also like the thought of His control of our daily struggles as expressed by Habakkuk 2:3. (Living Bible)   “But these things I plan won’t happen right away, Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.  Just be patient.  It will not be overdue a single day.” The relief that God has designed for each of us will not be overdue a single day!

     We also have a promise from the Lord in Daniel 3:23-25.  As Tony Evans describes this verse, “It is a promise that if the Lord does not deliver us from, He will join us in.”  “And these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?  They replied, ‘Certainly, O king,’  He said, ‘Look!  I see four men walking around the fire unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’”  As stated in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord Himself will go before you.  He will not leave you or forget you.  Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”   

     The most foundational truth in the life of a Christian is the assurance that all sins have been atoned for, that they are now united with Christ through His resurrection and that He is their life.  The second most foundational truth is the sovereignty of God.  In the life of a Christian, there are no accidents, only incidents.  The words chance and coincidence should be removed from their vocabulary.  Each second of their lives is governed by His infinite knowledge, His perfect control, and His infinite love.  All hindrances to His answer to our needs are but to help His eternal purpose in some way we cannot understand.  There is always a meaning in His delay. 

We can, therefore, have full confidence in Him and His purpose in our lives as stated in Philippians 1:6.  “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

In Christ, Richard Spann  

                                                        The Longest Journey

     When we think of long journeys, our minds may go back to the Lewis and Clark expedition, or perhaps Magellan or Captain Cook.  We will most likely never take any of those journeys!

The longest journey that each of will take is not measured in miles, but rather in time.  It is the length of time that it takes information about what God has done for us in Christ to travel two feet, from our heads to our hearts.  The scriptures are clear in the information given to us, that we are one with Him, seated in Heaven, while He is one with us in our lives.  The lives we live are not lived by us, but rather by Christ. (Galatians 2:20)  We can look forward each day, not to what Christ would do, but to what He will do, in and through us.  Every sin is forgiven, the old man is crucified and buried with Him, our lives are now hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4), He abides with us and we abide with Him (John 15:4), and we are complete in Him. (Colossians 2:10)  The Apostle Paul, well into his years of ministry, expressed this realization when he stated these words in Philippians 3:12.  “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.”  Paul was conscious of this journey and pressed on to close the gap between his head and his heart.

     Some of us, like Paul, are conscious of this gap and desire to close that gap by the daily appropriation of all that Christ has done for us.  Others, although aware of the gap, have grown to settle for less than they were given in Christ.  They may have made efforts in the past to change, but these attempts may have been ineffective due to self effort.  Some may have given up hope of progress, seeing little immediate change.  The enemy may have convinced them that there is no more to appropriate than what they have already experienced.  They have settled for a “mediocre” relationship with Christ which is not satisfying to them or to Christ.

Still others, although born-again by the Holy Spirit, may not be aware of all that the Lord has done for them.  They think that their current experience of being accepted by God through Christ is all they need to know and are experiencing but a small fraction of what God has made available to them.  

     Regardless of which group of the above three we find ourselves in, we can be assured of God’s promise in Philippians 1:6.  “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  To those who need the light of His word, He will instruct them.  To those who need hope for the journey, He will supply hope.  To those who earnestly desire, like Paul, to have the daily experience of seeing Christ be manifested fully in their lives, He brings the encouragement that it will come to pass in His time.  We may grow impatient, however, wanting to speed up the Lord’s process.  We forget that He works from eternity and for eternity.  This is His process and we cannot speed it up.  The Holy Spirit uses the means of Grace, which include the written word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers to accomplish His work.  He also uses circumstances in our lives to produce the transformation of our lives.  As we set our hearts to follow Him and seek the experiential oneness with Him, we are prone to suffer discouragement because of the slowness of change which we experience.  Habakkuk 2:3, however, reminds us of God’s promise.  “But these things I plan won’t happen right away.  Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches for the vision to be fulfilled.  It it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.  Just be patient.  They will not be overdue a single day.” 

     Although we are not able to speed up the work of God in our lives we have the capacity to slow it down. The Holy Spirit’s use of the word, prayer and fellowship with others is dependent upon availing ourselves of these means of Grace.  They are the Lord’s chosen methods of instruction about all we have in Christ and our neglect of them hinders His work.  As Dallas Willard once remarked, “God is not opposed to effort, He is opposed to earning.” 

Our maximum growth can be attained in experiencing oneness with Christ by fully availing ourselves of the means of Grace:  memorizing, meditating, reading, hearing, and studying the word of God, along with prayer and fellowship with other believers.  

     It is not only the exposure to the means of Grace that is important.  The critical element in our growth is our response to the means of Grace!  Paul describes the response needed in the following passage.  “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.  And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”  (Philippians 3:15-16)  If we are to appropriate fully our oneness with Christ, we need to live up by faith to what we have attained by God’s Grace in Christ.  We need to, by faith, appropriate what has already been attained for us by the Cross, Resurrection and the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Belief, as referred to in the scriptures, is always accompanied by the Greek word, “eis,” which refers to an action that accompanies belief.  This indicates that faith is not intellectual understanding only, but it involves activity. It is a response to truth, an application of understanding received, and progress made by an accompanying effect on our lives.  The faith that lays hold upon all that we have been granted in Christ is described well in the five following statements by G. Campbell Morgan.   

     The faith that saves is the answer of the will to the truth of which the reason is convinced.  

     Faith is the handing over of the life to the claim of truth.

     That belief saves which compels the surrender of the whole life to the conviction of truth. 

     The following of light is the faith that saves a man.  

     Unbelief is the refusal to obey that truth of which I am convinced intellectually.  

     If we apply this type of faith to our continued exposure to His means of Grace, we will be able to claim His promise to the Psalmist in Psalm 138:8.  “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands.”   We can rest assured that the journey from our head to our heart will not prolonged, not even by one day!     

In Christ, Richard Spann 

                                          

                                           Shrewd as Snakes, Innocent as Doves

     Have you ever heard a sermon about snakes, or read a book entitled “The Pursuit of Shrewdness?”  Both snakes and shrewdness seem foreign to our concept of what we are called to do, yet our Lord specifically told us that this is what we needed to be!  When we think of the word shrewd, our minds turn to “cunning” or “craftiness.”  The Greek word, translated as “shrewd,” is “phronimus,” and means “prudent,” “sensible,” and “using practical wisdom in relationships with others.”  When Jesus sent the twelve out to unbelievers, He gave them these instructions.  “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)  To be as shrewd as snakes, (Their relationship with the lost), is persuasion of the Gospel.  To be as innocent as doves, (Their relationship with the Lord), is the affirmation of the Gospel.  Both of these are needed.  Much thought and writing has gone into the “innocent as doves” part of His command.  Comparatively little effort has been given to “using practical wisdom in relationships with others.”  The wolves deride and accuse the lambs if they are not proved to be genuine in their relationship with the Lord.  Likewise, the wolves will defend and barricade themselves against the truth if prudence and practical wisdom are not employed in our efforts to reach them with the Gospel.    

     Ephesians 4:15 tells us that we should be “speaking the truth in love.”  I Peter 3:15 also directs us in our relationship with others as follows.  “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  The lack of wisdom (Matthew 10:16), love (Ephesians 4:15), and gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15), has helped produce a culture with the following views of the Evangelical Christian.

 

Phony	Pushy	Manipulative
Politically Conservative	Socially Conservative	Intolerant
Know-it-all	Out of touch	Out of date
No sense of humor

    Not only are Christians viewed in this regard but the following societal attitudes themselves have become an obstacle to the Gospel.

Resistance to Persuasion	High value on  tolerance	Deeply imbedded skepticism
Insistence on privacy	Commitment to diversity	Relativistic view of truth

(Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, Moody Press, 1999, pg 115, 120)

     If we are to penetrate these societal attitudes and antipathy toward Christians, it is critical that we learn to be prudent, sensible, and use practical wisdom in our relationships with others.  The first place in which we find practical wisdom in relationship with others is found in the life of the Lord.  We need to learn to see with His eyes, and have our hearts touched with His compassion for others. (Matthew 9:36)  Lorne Sanny described this as “Freely accepting  them and seeking their good.”  The first individual in the state of Kansas with what was to be later known as AIDS was one of my patients.  I needed to learn to see Him as the Lord saw him and respond with the compassion of the Lord in my relationship with him.  The Lord desired that I freely accept him and seek his good.  His ultimate good, in the eyes of the Lord, was to come to know Jesus as his Savior, which he did before the Lord took him home. 

     The book of James also counsels us on practical wisdom. “My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”   (James 1:19)  I visited with a returning Navigator missionary to Japan several years ago.  I asked him how he managed to gain a hearing in such a diverse culture.  His answer was straight forward.  “All I did was to listen.”   He also used wisdom as he listened to people.  It enabled him to know whether it was a time to sow, or a time to reap.  In foreign cultures, as well as in our current culture in America, significant effort needs to be made in sowing before there is a harvest.  In fact, the soil is not even ready for sowing in the lives of many people today.  World views, a lack of a correct concept of truth and other cultural issues need to be changed before the seed can even be planted.  The following list from Finding Common Ground describes the importance of sowing before we can expect a harvest.  

The Harvester focuses on:	While the Sower focuses on:
The end result	Preparing the way
Proclamation	Persuasion
Immediate Results	Gradual Change
Individual Effort	Team Impact
Points of disagreement	Common Ground
Answers	Questions
Justice	Love
Courage	Wisdom
Innocence	Shrewdness

     To sow, the sower needs to cultivate, to plant, and to nurture.  Tim Downs states that a sower’s first job is to cultivate the soil-“to work in the listener’s life to create an atmosphere where belief is at least possible.”  Planting is best done by questions for four reasons.  

       1) Questions are non-threatening.

       2) Questions communicate humility.

       3) Questions allow listeners to discover truth for themselves. 

       4) Questions demand return questions.  

Good Questions are as follows:

       1) Questions about the listener’s background. 

       2) Questions asking the listener’s opinion or advice. 

       3) Questions that involve the listener’s imagination.  

       4) Questions that ask for the listener’s emotions.  

Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, Moody Press 1999, Pg  102, 129-132.   

Nurturing involves watering the garden, pruning and caring for the vine and tending the soil  This requires much prayer, perseverance and patience.  Jesus tells his disciples the following in John 4:38.  “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.  Others have done the hard work and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”  Our culture is one in which hard work is necessary.  The three hallmarks of this work include freely accepting them, listening, and asking questions. Although some reaping is present, it is growing less with each passing year.  Unless we sow there will be no harvest for the future!  It is my prayer that the Lord will enable you to be “prudent, sensible, and use practical wisdom with others” so that His harvest will continue!  

In Christ, Richard Spann

                                     

     

     

                                                                 SIN

     Sin is a topic that our culture disregards, although it is the root cause of the deterioration of the culture in which we live.  Those with spiritual awareness are familiar with the theological definition of sin as “missing the mark.”  In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord used a word in Aramaic for sin which includes both sins of offense, (Trespasses) and sins of neglecting to do what we ought to do. (Debts) (James 4:17)  Romans 4:23 adds another to the list.  “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.”  The following comments from a devotional entitled “New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp characterize the personal aspects of sin.  

    “I wish I could say that sin always appears horribly ugly and destructive to me, but it doesn’t.  I wish I could say that all the time and in every way I hate what God hates, but I don’t.  I wish I could say that I always love to do what is right, but I don’t.  I wish I could say that I never think that my way is better than God’s way, but I can’t.  I wish my heart were forever settled with staying inside God’s boundaries, but it isn’t.  I wish I could say that my war with sin is over, but it’s not.

     Here’s the danger for me and for you: sin doesn’t always look sinful to us.  It’s hard to admit it, but sometimes sin actually looks beautiful to us.  The man lusting after the woman in the mall doesn’t actually see something ugly and dangerous.  No, he sees beauty.  The guy who is cheating on his taxes doesn’t see the moral danger of deception.  He sees the excitement of having additional money to satisfy his desires.  The woman gossiping on the phone doesn’t see the destructiveness of what she’s doing because she is taken up with the buzz of passing a tale.  The child who is rebelling against the will of her parents doesn’t see the danger that she’s placing herself in because she is captivated by the thrill of her temporary independence.  Part of the deceptive power of sin in my heart is its ability to look beautiful when it is actually terribly ugly.” Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies, Crossway, 2014, December 20.  

     The most direct definition of sin, however, comes from I John 3:4.  “Sin is lawlessness.”  A fuller definition of lawlessness and its effects are supplied by G. Campbell Morgan.  “Sin is not a thing to be pitied.  It is a thing to be smitten, to be punished.  Its punishment lies in the line of its own activity.  If a man will turn away he turns to death, for mark the last word of James, The sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death.  The man who is indeed alive, desires fulness of life, vision, sense of God and turns to find fulfillment for these things in the evil and pernicious ways of ungodliness, is not after God, he is attempting to get round God and win something which his nature wants without God, and he never succeeds.  This is sin, not merely against himself, not merely against the community, but against the cosmic order.  Sin as the willful choice of wrong is not a part of God’s cosmic process.  It is rebellion.  It is treason,  It is chaos.  Let every man who feels allurement to satisfy desire apart from the way of God know this, that when he turns in answer to it to the house of evil, to the method of wrong, he is not after God, but lifting the fist of rebellion in the face of God.  There can be but one issue for all such high treason, and that is the nemesis and the ruin of alienation from God and the consequent cutting off of the possibility of all that man most seeks after.” G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol. 2, Page 73.           

     In view of the severity of sin and its effects on us and our relationship with God, it is critical that we look at sin carefully to understand its development in our lives.  What is the genesis of sin?  What are the methods of the enemy?  What thought patterns lead to sin in our lives?  For  these answers we will look to the book of James and to the book of Genesis.   

      Sin is the answer to the suggestion that I break law to satisfy desire.  The desire is not wrong.  The temptation to satisfy that desire outside the will of God is not wrong.  James describes the process in these following verses.  “But each is one is tempted, when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” (James1:14-15)  G. Campbell Morgan has these comments on this passage.  “‘Dragged away’ is a hunting figure, and the word means seduced from safety into snares.  The next word, ‘enticed,’ is a fishing figure, and includes the thought of a bait held out.  The thought of the word enticed is ‘seduced by a fancied advantage.’  There is desire.  Here is a suggestion that I shall satisfy that desire by being drawn away from the straight line I see in front of me.  I am enticed by the bait that offers me immediate realization of the thing I am after.  The desire is right; the peril is that I am asked to satisfy proper desire by breaking law.  The temptation itself is not sin.  When the will within us decides to turn from the life of rectitude, take the suggestion, lay hold upon it, seize it, and capture it, then the act is committed.  That is sin.  When I seize the bait, the hidden hook seizes me.  The hook is not sin. The hook is the penalty, the first pang of hell.  The sin is the deliberate choice of the will and the determined act by which I turn aside to answer, not my desire, but the allurement to the fulfillment of desire in an improper way.  A man wins when he says, ‘Desire is perfectly right.  It is right that I should desire vision and life at it fullest, but I must find these things along the line of law.’”  G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol. 2, Page 72.       

     In the book of Genesis, we are also given insight into the method of the enemy.  “The method of the enemy was full of all subtlety.  He first asked a question which was calculated to create the sense of restricted liberty, and so cast an aspersion on the goodness of God.  Whereas the limitation in the purpose of God was wholly beneficent, and intended to hold man within the only sphere in which he could make progress towards the largest and fullest possibility of his being; the enemy suggested that it was imposed by a desire on the part of God to keep man from progress and enlargement of capacity.  Thus it is seen that at the back of the method of the devil is an aspersion cast upon the character of God.  Man was made to question the goodness of law.  By this declaration he created in the mind of man a question as to the goodness of the God who had made the law, and thus imperiled the relation of the will to God, as he called it into a place of activity outside, and contrary to, the will of God.  When man, listening to his suggestion of evil, asserted his will, it was upon the basis of a doubt of the Divine Love, which he had allowed himself to entertain.”  G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol 2, Pg 14, 20.  To allow myself to entertain, then, a doubt of the Divine Love is to initiate a pathway which leads to sin.  

     One of the statements of G. Campbell Morgan that he makes in the the above book is that “To know God is to know Love, to know Love is to love.”  It naturally follows, then, that the best way to guard our lives against doubting the love of God is to deepen our relationship with Him.  Hosea 6:3 states the following about the knowledge of God. “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (NASB)  This verse speaks of the certainty and of the abundance of the Lord’s provision for us.  The word “press” implies that effort will be required and that there will be opposition to that effort.  As we press toward that knowledge, we will become aware that each step we take is governed by His Infinite Light and His Infinite Love.  As we draw near to Him, our doubts of His Love will diminish and our wills will increasingly become one with His.  It is my prayer that the Lord will lead you into further comprehension of the methods of the enemy and enable you to be triumphant over sin by the supply of His Gracel  

In Christ, Richard Spann          

                                                    The Great Commission

     When we think of the Great Commission, our minds automatically go to Matthew 28:18-20.  One of the speakers at the Navigator conference in Glen Eyrie reminded us years ago that it was only one of five times that the Great Commission was given.  In each situation there was a different emphasis to be considered.  It was the last command, and in each of these five instances, it was only given to the eleven apostles.  The reason for this is that only a disciple is able to make another disciple.  In Matthew 28:18-20, we see the substance of the Great Commission.  In Mark 16:15, we see the scope of the Great Commission.  In Luke 24:46-47 we see how it is to be accomplished.  In John 20:19-21, we see the cost involved in proclaiming the Gospel and in Acts 1:8, we see the strategy of the Great Commission.

     The substance of the Great Commission has been extensively studied in Matthew 28:18-20.  The main verb is to “make disciples,” and there are three participles to this command.  “Go,” or “as you go,” “bring them into identification with Christ” {Baptize them into Christ), and “teach them to obey everything that I commanded you.”  All three of these are important.  Wherever we are, whatever we do, we are to allow the invisible Christ to be made visible in our lives.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (II Corinthians 2:14)  This part of the Great Commission will require time, prayer, and much cultivation in preparation for the planting.  The sowing is usually a gradual process involving patience, prayer and perseverance.  Following regeneration in Christ, the third aspect of making disciples must not be neglected, which is transformation into Christ likeness.  “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) 

     In Mark 16:15, we find the scope of the Great Commission.  “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” The focus on “all creation” reminds us that there is no one who is outside the reach of His Grace.  Not only your neighbors, but the immigrants, the homeless, and those in prison must be a recipient of our prayers, compassion, and communication.  God has called some to travel, to translate languages, and to penetrate different parts of the world with His message of salvation  It is incumbent upon those He has not called to this particular mission, however, to give themselves to prayer and financial support to these efforts  “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”  (Matthew 9:37-38)  As we stand before Him in Glory, He is going to have an interest in our faithfulness to his command to pray for, and to support these laborers.

     Luke 24:46-47 tells us how the Great Commission is to be accomplished.  “He told them,       ‘This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”  The preaching is to include the need for repentance, a “changing of the mind,” as well as forgiveness in His name.  In our eagerness to have others receive Christ, repentance may be easily bypassed resulting in “a decision” for Christ but without regeneration.  The first word that Jesus spoke when He began to preach was “repent.”  “From that time on Jesus began to preach ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:17)  Those who heard Peter’s sermon on the day Pentecost asked “Brothers, what shall we do?, Peter replied,’Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37b) 

     In John 20:19-21, we are given a visual demonstration of the cost involved in sharing the Great Commission.  “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’  After he said this he showed them his hands and side.  The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!’  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”  His wounds were a visible testimony of the cost that would be involved.  As He was sent into a hostile world which crucified Him, we are also being sent.  In John 15:20, Our Lord said the following words to them.  ”Remember the words I spoke to you!  No servant is greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”  He also gave them his promise in John 16:33.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” 

     The strategy of the Great Commission is given to us in Acts 1:8.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  The strategy is first and foremost dependence upon the Holy Spirit to live the life of Christ in us, to direct, empower and accomplish His work through us.  It cannot be accomplished otherwise.  To allow this to take place, we must be ever attentive to not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), to quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19), to be filled (Be being continually controlled with the Spirit)(Ephesians 5:18), and to be led by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:18)   

     The Lord, on five separate occasions, gave the Great Commission to these eleven men.  It was only until the coming of the Holy Spirit ten days later that they received His life anew and were enabled to obey His last and greatest command.  Our relationship with and dependence upon the Holy Spirit is vital to accomplishing anything the Lord has for us to do.  It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead you into a life that fully reflects our Savior and accomplishes His work in and through your life.  

In Christ, Richard Spann                

     

                                                Exceeding Abundantly Above

     These three adverbs are only vaguely familiar to those who have not read the King James Bible recently.  They describe something that is not only above, but abundantly above.  It is not only abundantly above, but it even exceeds that!  Our imaginations find it hard to go anywhere to that degree of description, but it is one of God’s promises to us.  It is found in Ephesians 3:20.  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  It is the perfect description of how the Lord answers our prayers.  A striking illustration of this is found in the prophecy of Zechariah in Luke 1:67-79.  His words were a request, a prayer that God would fulfill the oath He swore to Abraham.  One of his requests is found in verses 74 and 75.  “That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life.”

     Zechariah’s prayer included a past, (freedom from enemies), a present (serving Him without fear), and a future (in holiness and righteousness before him, all days of our life).  He had only a dim concept of that for which he was asking.  It is probable that Zechariah was thinking only of the Romans who occupied Israel at that time.  He, no doubt, regarded fear as being produced by the extreme circumstances in which he lived and hoped to be free from that oppression.  The holiness and righteousness of which he spoke were likely due only to the daily cleansing of the temple rituals.  God’s answer to his prayer was exceedingly abundantly above all that he asked and was able to think.  

     The Lord’s answer to the prayer that Zechariah would be free from his enemies did not involve Rome.  The Lord knew what Zechariah did not know, that his true enemies were the world, the flesh and the devil.  The Lord’s answer included freedom from all three.  Galatians 6:14 states that freedom from the world and the flesh is obtained by the cross.  “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.”  By the cross, we have been given these freedoms.  We are enabled, then, by His power, to deny self (Luke 9:23), and love not the world. (I John 2:15-16)  I John 3:8 tells us further that the Lord came to destroy the devil’s work.  

     The fear that Zechariah wanted to be delivered from was not only of temporal origin.  Their system of worship, derived from the old covenant, was one which produced a fear, as Moses described in Hebrews 12:21.  “The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’”  In contrast to the fear produced by the old covenant, the new covenant contains this promise in I John 4:18. (Living Bible)   “We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.”  

     Zechariah’s longing to experience holiness and righteousness all the days of his life was dependent solely upon the duties of the priest.  Hebrews 10:11 relates that “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”  Hebrews 10:1b has this comment about the law.  “For this reason it can never by the same sacrifice repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.”  It was impossible for him to conceive that the provision of the Lord was so exceeding abundantly above his concept of holiness and righteousness that it would involve oneness with Christ Himself!  “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”  (I Corinthians 1:30)

     Zechariah’s prayer was based upon his limited temporal understanding of God’s plans for Israel.  God’s answer was based upon His eternal plans for mankind before the foundation of the world.  Zechariah’s prayer was based upon his own knowledge of what was needed.  God’s answer was based upon His perfect knowledge, complete authority, and infinite love.  In our prayers to God, we sometimes struggle with the correct terminology to describe what we are asking Him to do.  We cannot see the future.  We don’t even know, at times, what is best for ourselves and others.  Our prayers cannot begin to address the immense needs in the countries and cultures of the world whose problems are beyond our understanding.  We can be encouraged, however, by the prayer of Zechariah.  He was faithful to pray and to ask to the degree of which he was able.  His faithfulness was answered in ways that he was not able to comprehend.  It is the same with our prayers.  We need only to bring our requests to Him.  We see through a glass darkly but He does not.  He answers according to His wisdom, not ours.  His answer embraces the eternal, not just the temporal.  We are able to pray Ephesians 3:20 with confidence, knowing that His answers are, indeed, exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think.   

In Christ, Richard Spann              

        

                  

                                                       Releasing Control

     In the book of Jeremiah, we find the following statement from God.  “My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”  (Jeremiah 2:13)  Paul David Tripp states that these two sins of mankind are autonomy and self-sufficiency.  Autonomy is saying to God that “I am responsible to no one.  I have a right to rule my own life.”  In the words of A.W. Tozer,  “He challenges God’s selfhood in relation to his own.  In all else he may willingly accept the sovereignty of God; in his own life he rejects it.  For him, God’s dominion ends where his begins.  For him, self becomes Self and in this he unconsciously imitates Lucifer, that fallen son of the morning who said in his heart, ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God….I will be like the Most High.’”  A.W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy, Harper and Row, 1961 Pg 36.

     The second of these two sins is Self sufficiency.  It is to say to God and ourselves that we are adequate to control ourselves and our environment so that all of our needs will be met.  Indeed, our very schooling and culture endeavors to teach and affirm to us that such is the case.  If we only had the right education and the opportunities, our efforts would lead to success.  We multiply efforts, change jobs, attend special seminars, move to new locations, and try new investments.  All of the above can be exhausting and lead to anxiety, depression, and damaged relationships.  The more we try to control our own lives and the environment around us, the more anxious and depressed we may become. Those who are apparently successful in control of their lives may be the most prone to experience problems.  If we assume control of our own lives we become focused upon ourselves, on others, and on our circumstances.  Such was the case with a man named Asaph.  

     In Psalm 73, Asaph describes his plight in these words.  “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold, for I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:2-3)  In this statement he reveals his own effort to be self sufficient and finds that he compares unfavorably with others.  Because of his inability to control and manage his life with his own efforts he concludes the following in verse thirteen.  “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” He admitted failure in his effort to control his surroundings and his own life in order to produce the satisfaction he desired.  The recognition that one is not able to control their own life to their own satisfaction is the first step toward relinquishing control of one’s life. 

     The second step is to recognize that there is Someone who is abundantly able to guard, to control, and to fulfill that which is best for our lives.  He is the only One who knows us perfectly, who has designed us with an eternal purpose, and who is aware of our past, present, and future.  He alone knows what each day will bring, because he has written it in His book before the beginning of time. (Psalm 139:16)  Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us that “The Lord Himself will go before you. He will be with you.  He will not leave you or forget you.  Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”  It is when we are most aware of our need that we can be assured of His care.   Job was a man who was under duress of a degree which few have experienced except the Lord Jesus.  His torment was unexplained to him.  All his friends but three deserted him, and they accused him.  Yet, even in his worst moments he realized the truth of God’s control of his life.  “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.  When He is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.  But he knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:8-10)

     The truth is that it is impossible to escape the fact that the Lord has complete knowledge  (El Roi-the God who sees), complete control (El Elyon ), and is the One who pours forth spiritual and temporal blessings on our lives. (El Shaddai)  This knowledge should produce a trust in the Lord as to His infinite love and perfect control of our lives.  Such a One as this is the One who created each of us for His glory and will prepare us to share His Glory for eternity.  Knowing these truths intellectually, and living in the power of them, however, are two different things.  If we are convinced that He is able to control our lives and that He is the only One able to do this, then why don’t we trust Him to do it? 

     In his book, Disciples are Made, not Born, Walt Henrichsen states that both God and mankind want the same thing, namely, what is best for mankind.  The problem is that mankind wills one path, while God wills another path.  It is, ultimately, our will that stands in the way of relinquishing control. It is only in relinquishing that control that we are able to enter the path that God has chosen for us.  In His will and in His path there is to be found the security and significance which our hearts desire.  Ray Stedman once commented that to ask in God’s will meant three things. 1) What God wants.  2) Dependence on Him to do it.  3) Dependence on His process to do it.  If we are to release control of our lives and rest in Him, it will come from trusting Him for these same three things in our lives. Firstly, what God wants is that the Lord Jesus be manifested in our lives each moment of every day.  We are united with Him for that purpose.  Paul states in Galatians 2:20.  “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:  and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (KJV)  It is God’s will that the invisible Christ is made visible in our lives each moment of every day. 

     Secondly, we are dependent fully upon the work of the Holy Spirit to manifest the risen Christ.  As the Lord Himself depended fully upon the Holy Spirit to manifest the Father through His life, we are to depend moment by moment for the Holy Spirit to manifest the life of Christ.  Indeed, He tells us this in John 17:18.  “As you sent me into the world I have sent them into the world.”  

     Lastly, to be controlled by Him, we are dependent upon his process to accomplish his will.   This process is described in II Corinthians 4:10-11.  “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.”  This process provides opportunities to depend upon His power to manifest His presence.  The circumstances that come our way each day are orchestrated by our Heavenly Father for one purpose, that the risen Christ may be made visible in and through our lives.  The response that we make to each event in our lives is made in dependence upon the Holy Spirit with one end in mind, that Jesus would be made visible and the Father would be glorified.  Some of these situations in which we find ourselves are pleasant, and we are thankful for them.  Others seem to have no meaning or purpose at all.  Still others represent difficulties for which there is no explanation.  Some, however, we can see in retrospect have represented situations in which the Lord clearly wanted to manifest Himself.  Such an event was described by Jim Peterson in his book, Living Proof.    

     While in Brazil, he had labored for months with one man, sharing the Bible at length, exposing him to different people, various authors, meetings and requiring much prayer.  When he at last confessed that he had trusted Christ, Jim asked him what the key event was that had convinced him. He asked about various talks, conversations, scripture references, etc.  His friend looked at him and said, “No, none of those things.”  “Then what was it?,” asked Jim.  His friend said that one evening Jim’s family was in an uproar during the Bible study and they could hardly concentrate on the topic.  His wife was in tears and Jim calmly went over to her, held her and spoke words of comfort to her.  His friend then said that his response to that trying situation was what convinced him of the reality of the message that Jim had been teaching him.  He then said “That was the kind of life that I needed, and your faith in Christ is what I wanted in my life.”    

     We were created by the Lord to be controlled by Him.  As J.I. Packer once commented,  “When we stand before Him in glory, we will then see that nothing that was needed for our perfection in Him was omitted.  We will also see that nothing was permitted that was not necessary to complete His work in us.”  As we release the control of our lives to Him, we enter into a security and significance from Him and with Him that glorifies Him and will prepare us for our role in His eternal Kingdom.  May the Lord direct you in His will, by His power, and through His process to accomplish His work through your life.     

In Christ,  Richard Spann          

  

                          Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, 

                         shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For

                                  with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

                                                                      Luke 6:38

     The first year of my medical school training was in Lawrence, KS, where I attended a small church.  A missionary came to preach one Sunday and also presented the needs of his ministry.  I had no money available at that time since I had just spent all I had for tuition and books for the first semester.  I thought I might be able to scrape up fifty dollars by June of the next year and made a pledge for that amount.  In January, I found myself with no finances available for the second semester.  The Dean explained that their policy was not to provide loans for the first two years and they expected the students to have enough for these two years.  Because of an additional research project I had started on the history of medicine, however, he provided a scholarship grant for the last half of the first year.  All that he asked was that I present my paper at the history of medicine meeting in the spring, which I agreed to do.  June rolled around quickly and I was still fifty dollars short of making my pledge.  As I was in the midst of planning jobs for the summer I received a call from the Dean asking me if I was going to be at the Graduation Ceremonies.  When I asked why I should attend them as a freshman in Medical School, he replied that the committee had submitted my manuscript on the History of Medicine for the D.C. Guffey History of Medicine award.  He further informed me that I had won second prize!  You can imagine my surprise when he told me the award was fifty dollars!  I think to this day that if I had pledged one hundred dollars in September I would have received first prize instead!  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, had been poured into my lap!   

     We are often challenged in our churches and various other gatherings to give to the Lord’s work.  We are less often instructed as to why we should do so!  Some would say, “Does the Lord really need our money?”  “Does He not own the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine?”  Yes, indeed He does!  He also says in Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty.”  We do not give because of His need, but because of our need.  There are at least four reasons given in scripture why we need to give to Him and His work.  We need to guard our hearts, to express Christ’s love to others, to provide an inheritance for ourselves and to share His happiness.   

     I know of some who check the Dow Jones Index daily and monitor their assets and bank balances regularly.  They can tell you their net worth without batting an eye!  Their treasure is stored up on earth.  This is what the Lord says about them.  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)  The Lord is concerned about our heart.  It will be where our treasure is.  If our treasure is only in the earth, our heart will be earthly and the “worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”  (Mark 4:19)  It is in laying up treasure in heaven that our heart will be guarded from an unfruitful life. 

     Our need to express Christ’s love to others is addressed in I John 3:17-20.  “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”   In the act of giving to those in need we experience the love of God in and through our lives.  This manifestation of our Lord in us is used by the Holy Spirit to provide us the assurance that we belong to the Truth.   

     As parents, we teach our children financial principles which will enable them to have an inheritance for their future.  God, in the same way, desires that we have a rich inheritance for the life to come.  This is why He says that we are to “store up treasure for yourselves” in Matthew 6:19.  I Timothy 6:17-19 gives us the following instructions.  “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”  The Lord tells us further in Luke 16:9, that the size of our welcoming committee in eternal dwellings is related to our use of worldly wealth!   “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”   

     The greatest need of mankind, however, is to enjoy God and enter into oneness with Him.  Our God is a joyful God and wants us to participate with Him in His joy and happiness.  We are given glimpses of this joy throughout the scriptures.  In each case it is centered in mankind, His redemption for them and their return to Him.  Our Lord was looking forward to that time in Zephaniah 3:17.  (NASB) “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of Joy.”   His joy in our redemption is foreshadowed in the following parable in Matthew 13:44.  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”  In this parable, the field is the world and the treasure represents those who belong to Christ and His Kingdom.  The man who was seeking the treasure and sold all he had was Christ.  The redemption itself is described in Hebrews 12:2.  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”   In Luke 15:10, we see the joy produced in heaven over mankind’s reception of God’s redemption.  “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  

     All the resources that we are given in life are given for a purpose.  Our use of them to advance and fill His Kingdom with those who are redeemed allows us the opportunity to join with Him in His happiness.  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!’”  (Matthew 25:21)  Will the measure with which we are able to enjoy His happiness be related to the measure of our faithfulness with the use of the resources he has given us?  

     One more question remains to be considered.  How much should we invest in eternity?       II Corinthians 9:6-7 has the answer.  “Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Every man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The answer is, of course, as much as you want!  How many would we want to greet us with outstretched arms, those who would not have been there but for the Lord’s use of our resources?  How much of our Lord’s happiness do we wish to share with Him?     

     The Lord says in Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given to you.”  Sometimes, as in my experience earlier, He bestows a blessing in this life.  More commonly, it seems that He wants us to wait until we are with Him to receive His reward.  We have only a brief time here to prepare for eternity.  As Dr. David Jeremiah once noted, “We are either moving away from our investments  (on earth), or toward them ( in heaven)!”   Our Lord desires that our investment be in the right place.  He is waiting for each one of us to appear before Him and hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.”   

In Christ, Richard Spann                                              

  

                  

                                                          Gifts For The King

     In the past few weeks, the magazine catalogs have continued to come, sometimes five or six a day, promoting and offering different Christmas gifts from various locations around the world.  For many years, these have been my shopping outlet for Christmas.  Lacking the time and wisdom to know where to shop, I let the shopping venues come to me!   Starting in September, I perused each magazine carefully for any ideas.  I would consider things that would be of use in the house, the garden, the car, or for travel.  Was there anything that needed to be replaced?  Had any new tastes or interests developed in the last year?  What was most enjoyable?  Was any hint of a need or desire expressed which I had overlooked?  Gradually over the next several months until Christmas, I accumulated item after item and hid them in my den, wrapping them and putting them under the Christmas tree soon after Thanksgiving each year. 

     Although Bev enjoyed these gifts very much, there were other gifts that she appreciated even more.  One of these was simply the gift of my time.  I would schedule a full day off from work with no appointments at the office or hospital.  I arranged for one of my partners to take all of my calls that day.  My desire was just to be available to her.  She planned the day!  My goal was just to be with her and to be involved in the things that interested her.  Over the years we both learned to treasure the day together.  Another part of our Christmas time that gave her delight was seeing my joy at what she had given me.  She was particularly pleased when she saw that I was fully understanding and utilizing the gifts she had given to me.  The deepest part of our joy together, however, was a celebration of trust that we had given to each other many years ago.  This gift of trust in our relationship was foundational to every other gift. 

     These traditions came to a close last year, when Beverly received the gift that surpasses all gifts, the gift of being present eternally with the Lord.  My oldest daughter, Nicolle, also joined her around the throne just ten days before Christmas last year.  When the ones who have been  with you for fifty six years (Bev) and fifty one years (Nicolle) are gone, to whom then do you give Christmas gifts?  My thoughts turned to the One who will never leave you or forsake you!  He is the great I AM, the One who becomes all I need Him to be when I need Him to be all that I need.  He, the Creator and giver of all things, humbled Himself and was born a babe in a manger and received gifts from us, his creation, in the form of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  He, our Redeemer, the One who purchased eternal life for us at the cost of His own life, was the One to whom gifts were given at the first Christmas!  Although He needs no gifts, He still rejoices at what we bring to Him.  This year, I am choosing to give Him the gifts that Bev treasured the most year after year, the gifts of time, thankfulness, treasuring her gifts, and trust.     

     I have selected a day as I did with Bev, several weeks from now, which is to be a gift from me to the Lord.  I am planning to spend the entire day with Him, just the two of us together.  I am asking Him for His agenda, not mine!  It will doubtless include time with Him in His word, time together in prayer and a significant portion of time to simply wait and listen to Him.  I will wait for Him to show me what He wants me to do that day.  I call it a gift from me to Him, but it will really be His gift to Me!  “Come near to God, and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8)  

     As I would give Bev the gift of thankfulness for her gifts to me, I am planning on doing the same with the Lord this Christmas.  There is no material need that I have that He has not abundantly and exceedingly met.  “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)  This is also true regarding every spiritual need I have or will ever have!  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has  blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) 

     Another gift that Bev appreciated was for me to demonstrate my interest in, and use of the gifts I had been given.  Whether this was sports related or for the yard and garden maintenance, she was delighted to see me using it to its intended capacity.  Likewise, the gift that I can bring to the Lord is to receive fully the gifts He has given and allow them to be used by Him for His glory.  “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (I Peter 4:10)   

     The greatest gift that Bev and I gave to each other not only at Christmas time but throughout the year was our unwavering trust in one another.  This, then, is the most important gift that I am giving to the Lord this year, my unwavering trust in His love for me.  It is the gift that I know will bring Him delight!   As gifts are given at Christmas, we look for delight on the faces of those to whom we give gifts.  We can tell this readily from the expression of the eyes, the smile, and the excited demeanor of the recipient of the gift.  We do not often remember that we have a Lord who waits to be delighted as well.  His delight is more real than those of our children at Christmas time!  It does not fade away as it sometimes does with others.  It is eternal.  There is nothing He cherishes more than to be delighted with us!  He tells us what brings Him this delight in Psalm 147:11, “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”  I can bring Him delight this Christmas by simply putting my hope in his unfailing love! 

     The Lord, being in very nature Love, is governed in all He does for us and in us by His infinite love.  This love is expressed to us with His perfect knowledge and absolute control.  At any given moment in our lives, it is impossible to escape the center of His love for us!   We can, then, confidently say the following with the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39,  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”    

     At Christmas time we commonly sing songs about the cradle in the stable.  The cradle, however, was only necessary as a path to the cross.  What the Lord desires is that we join Him by faith at the cross, trusting in His atonement for our sins, so that we may be in the mighty throng in glory as we see Him receive the crown!  The joy of our presence there with Him is the reason why He came 2,000 years ago!  May this cause for celebration be with you this season and throughout the coming year!          

 In Christ, Richard Spann  

                                  

                                        We are not saved by the amount of our faith,

                                                   but by the object of our faith.  

     On September 8th,1974, famous daredevil Evel Knievel climbed into a steam-powered rocket and attempted to blast across Idaho’s Snake River Canyon.  He had carefully assessed both sides of the canyon, prepared a ramp, and arranged for a parachute to deploy to bring him to safety on the other side of the river.  He widely acclaimed his faith in this venture and was certain of its success.  Unfortunately, the parachute opened too early, leading to a crash landing in the canyon below.  Despite his great faith, he discovered that he had placed it in the wrong object.

     About this same time, my wife and I were traveling to a similar canyon called the Royal Gorge.  A bridge had been built across the canyon.  As we stepped up to the bridge, we could see a dizzying distance to the river below.  It took a great deal of persuading to entice my wife to cross the bridge.  Her faith was weak and we took very hesitating steps across the bridge and before long, we arrived in safety on the other side.  We made it to safety, not because of the amount of our faith but because of the object of our faith.  

     Our physical lives are dependent upon placing our faith in the right objects.  The spiritual nature, likewise, looks for that in which it can exercise its faith.  G. Campbell Morgan, in the Crises of the Christ, makes this statement.  “It is unthinkable and impossible that human nature should exist without a god in some form.  The most blatant infidel, denying the existence of a Supreme Being, yet worships; and where there is no other object, then man enshrines his own intellect, bows down before that, declaring that he will receive and yield to the things he can comprehend, thus making his understanding the very deity that receives his worship.  The creation of a god upon the basis of man’s knowledge of himself lies at the back of the whole story of idolatry.” Hardpress Publishing, Fifth Edition, Pages 22-23.  Over the many centuries, the evil one has induced fallen humanity to exercise great faith in many false gods.  Evel Kneivel’s misplaced faith resulted in bodily injury.  Misplaced faith in these lies of the evil one, however, result in eternal separation from God. 

     Having blinded the eyes of many to the glory of the finished work of Christ, the devil does not consider his work to be finished.  He also turns his attention to those who have placed their faith in Christ.  Although he has failed in his attempt to induce us to place our faith in false gods, the enemy of our souls now attempts to rob us of the joy we now have in our relationship with Christ.  He does this by motivating us to look at our faith rather than at the object of our faith, which is Christ.  He gives us the impression that our faith is too little to receive the blessings that are available to us from our Lord.  Although we don’t hear his audible voice, we are led to compare our faith with others and we always come up on the short end of the stick.  When we read Hebrews chapter eleven we may be led to conclude that those heroes of faith were in a different league, and that is why the Lord honored and blessed them.  He causes us to remember instances in our own life when our faith was weak.  He may pose imaginary situations in the future and then remind us that if these things were to happen to us we would never be able to handle it.  His focus is ultimately to force us to look at ourselves rather than to Christ, who is the object of our faith.    

     How much faith is necessary to follow our Lord?  The disciples sensed a lack of faith when told by the Lord that they must forgive one another seven times in one day!  Their conversation is chronicled for us in Luke 17:5-6.  “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’”  “He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.’”   Even faith as small as a mustard seed will be enough!  G. Campbell Morgan interprets this passage to mean that it is the quality of our faith, not the quantity, that is important. The elements of the quality of faith that is required are illustrated for us by three different individuals in the scriptures, all of which were noted for not having a large amount of faith!  

     The first of these was the apostle Peter, who, along with other disciples was to hear this comment from the Lord.  “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  Mark 8:26.  He demonstrated, however, a critical quality of faith in the following passage of scripture.  “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’”  John 6:68-69.  His faith was one that was characterized by the abandonment of all other alternatives than faith in Him.  Psalm 20:7 states that “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”  The chariots and horses of today include material wealth, our own training and education, political parties, other people and various philosophies to name a few.  If we, however, like Peter, have rejected other alternatives and have abandoned ourselves to Him, even with a small amount of faith, it will be enough.  

      In the Gospel of Mark we have the story of a man whose need was met not because of the amount of faith but because of the object of his faith.  It is recorded in Chapter nine that a man brought his son to Jesus, but with doubts as to the ability of the Lord to do anything.  “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22)  He further confessed his doubts when he related “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”  (Mark 9:24)  He did not possess a great quantity of faith.  He did have, however, a critical quality of faith which was evidenced by the fact that he brought whatever faith he had to Jesus.  If we have sufficient faith to come to Jesus, it will be enough!  

     A third individual that the scriptures record as having little quantity of faith was Gideon.  In Judges chapter six we read the account where two times he used a wool fleece to test God’s ability to do what He had promised to do!  Yet the Lord brought him to a point where he acted based on the promise of God.  In chapter seven it is recorded that he said to the three hundred men “Watch me, follow my lead.  When I get to the edge of the camp do exactly as I do.”  This third quality of faith is an action, an activity, a response to a promise or command given.  True belief, or faith is always characterized by a response.  Romans 1:5 describes this as the “obedience of faith.”  In some cases, we are asked to do the very thing, perhaps the only thing, that we cannot do!  Such was the man in Mark 3:5 who was asked to stretch out a shriveled hand.  His faith was sufficient because he acted in response to the Lord’s command, trusting in the object of his faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, rather than in his quantity of faith.       

     Do you ever feel like your faith is not enough for the Lord to act on your behalf?  Does the thought ever cross your mind that if you just had more faith there would be restoration of a relationship, ability to get out of debt, or wisdom to know which course to take in a business venture?  We can be confident, however, that whatever faith you have that brings you to Jesus, trusting only in Him, and responsive to His command or direction will be sufficient.  We are not saved in any situation in life by the amount of our faith, but by the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

In Christ, Richard Spann