Esteeming Godly Elders!

 An emcee at a large fancy gala dinner introduced the guest speaker as follows: "Rumor has it our speaker maintained a 4.0 grade point average and stayed on the dean’s list throughout his college career. Rumor has it that he was captain of the football, baseball, and track teams three years in a row. Rumor has it he has a waiting list of intelligent, attractive, and professionally accomplished women who have called asking him out on a date. Rumor has it he is able leap tall buildings at a single bound. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to meet and make welcome the man who started all these rumors – our speaker!" Like many people, this guy was highly esteemed – by himself! 

Let us think about esteeming the special group of servants in the church described as "elders." Under inspired guidance early Christians "appointed elders in every church" (or congregation). The apostle Paul implied the church is lacking something vitally important without qualified elders. In Titus 1:5 he reminds Titus: "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you." Elders are clearly a vital part of God’s plan for His church. The kind of elders God esteems are described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Character traits and spiritual responsibilities include: "blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent (‘no striker’ - kjv), not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; rules (‘manage’- esv) his own house well ... take care of the church of God ... not a novice ... a good testimony among outsiders." This is not a rumor, and these are not suggestions. God expects there will be men of that kind of exemplary spiritual and moral character among us. He also expects and directs the church to recognize and support them in the most weighty task on earth. The sobering responsibilities placed on elders include: leading the church; watching out for and some day giving account for the souls of those under their God-given care; shepherding and overseeing the flock of God and leading by a good example; feeding and tending to the needs of the flock while watching for wolves (false teachers); exhorting and convicting the gainsayers and those who contradict sound doctrine (Hebrews 13:17 * 1 Peter 5:2-3 * Acts 20:28-32 * Titus 1:9). What an enormous job. What a soul-gripping responsibility. Would you want it? It must never be entered into lightly by those who accept it, nor be taken for granted by members of the church. Thank God some are willing, with God’s help and the congregation’s prayers and support, to take it on. Some in the church are quick to be "arm chair" elders. When an elder falls short or when they think the elders have made the wrong "decision," they criticize from the safety and comfort of a pew. Are we just as quick to esteem and encourage them when they do well? In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 God’s Spirit directs Christians to "recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake." Phyllis McGinley said, "Sticks and stones are hard on bones, Aimed with angry art; Words can sting like anything, But silence breaks the heart." Scripture is clear how Jesus feels about faithful elders – He will give them a crown of glory when He returns (1 Peter 5:4). Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt if we would give them our esteem and an encouraging word. May all God’s children take these things to heart.

 "The elders who are among you I exhort" – 1 Peter 5:1a 

        by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

 

Tired But Still Loving!

 I read a story about a 4-year-old boy who was waiting with his mother in the doctor’s office. They were discussing the kinds of earth-shaking issues that concern a four-year old in a doctor’s office. Issues like, "What am I doing here?" and "Where’s the doctor?" and "Why isn’t God married?" and "Does the doctor ever get sick?" – that kind of stuff. Finally the child asked the ultimate question: "Why doesn’t God just get tired and stop?" His mom had to think for several moments. Finally she said, "God is love, and love never gets tired." I think I know what that mom meant, and I would never try to undermine her noble attempt to her help little boy understand how hard and how long, true God-like love will work. The beautiful and immortal words of 1 Corinthians 13 describe a kind of love modern America as a culture has lost touch with – "Love suffers long and is kind . . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (verses 4-7). But as I reflect on all the Bible teaches about love, I think it is reasonable to say that while true love will never quit, it does, indeed, at times grow tired. Very tired. In a section of Scripture discussing the dramatic difference love and hatred have on life and relationships between people, the apostle John wrote these arresting words sixty years after he witnessed Jesus suffering on the cross – "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). The context and background from which John penned these words reveals that some in John’s day were as confused about the nature of true love as they are today. Some, apparently in close proximity to or perhaps even in the church, were not loving the brethren, and John equates that with hatred. We don’t have space to examine all that is behind John’s statements. But if you read 1 John you can’t help but wonder if the reason some in John’s day were no longer loving was because they just found it too tiring to continue? Life in the church or marriage or any other human relationship can wear you down, especially when you love enough to hang in there and suffer long! Selfish love often quits as soon ass it begins to suffer or get tired.

 Years ago I was blessed – and challenged – by words in a church bulletin article by Bro. John Gipson entitled, "When Love Gets Tired." He began by quoting Ephesians 5:1-2 where Christians are called to "follow (imitate) God and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering ... to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Bro. Gipson then wrote words that continue to grip me: ". . . love is sometimes more troublesome and worrisome than wonderful, and loving others as Christ loved us often involves the doing of some things that must be done in the name of love: helping with the dishes, folding the laundry, disciplining the kids, and paying the bills. And even when the tasks are a lot more serious – involving real courage and sacrifice – the truth remains the same, the ultimate example was set for us 2,000 years ago. His anguished prayer in Gethsemane makes it clear that Jesus didn’t love dying. But He definitely died loving." Jesus was tired by the time He died, but, to borrow words from John 13:1b, "He loved them to the end." The plain truth is that love that sticks around only when things feel good and pleasing and easy – whatever that kind of love is, it is not the God-like kind that suffers long. No, Jesus didn’t love dying. But the cross forever proclaims He loved us till His dying breath. It’s okay to be tired, but don’t ever quit loving. 

by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

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The Bottle, or What’s in the Bottle?

 The Talmud is the comprehensive written version of vast Jewish oral laws and the subsequent commentaries. It is a challenging religious text, but contains some very practical advice. I ran across one example years ago that has remained in my memory banks. It says, "Examine the contents, not the bottle." We hear the same difficult challenge in our more contemporary idiom, "Don’t judge a book by its cover." Several years ago I experienced first-hand insight into that idea. An acquaintance with whom I shared a mutual interest in the history of the Civil War loaned me, one book at a time, each volume of author Shelby Foote’s three-volume series on that awful war. Foote is famous for this compelling and comprehensive non-fictional narrative history of that war that threatened to literally rip America into two separate nations forever. Written between 1958 and 1974, the three volumes contained a 1.2 million word history of the American Civil War. When I first saw the three books (all first editions), they were dusty and the covers were torn and ragged (I actually ended up attempting to make new covers for them). They just weren’t much to look at. But once I cracked the first volume open and set my eyes on the first line, I was hooked! I found the books to be the most fascinating and thorough and enriching thing I had ever read about that great civil cataclysm that tore

 

American culture to threads for four bloody and bitter years. I’m glad I didn’t judge those books by their covers! The content was excellent although the "bottles" (that is, books!) were aged and worn. Later, a closer friend (and a great brother in Christ) learned of my interest in Civil War history and found and provided for me (as a gift!) a beautiful complete set of all three volumes – again all first editions. This time the books themselves and their covers were in much better physical shape than the first set I read. Both sets of books tell the exact same story – same content, but very different looking bottles. Americans are into judging bottles and books (people, that is) by outward appearance, not content. As a culture we spend gargantuan amounts of money and efforts seeking to beautify and decorate the body. We measure beauty not on the basis of character but clothing. Many believe the false notion that the beauty of the bottle is more important than its contents. We augment body parts and spend tons of money on hair. We paint and pierce parts of the anatomy from head to toe. Several years ago TV celebrity Ellen Degeneres was in an ad for "Simply Ageless" Cover Girl makeup. In that ad she came out loud and proud with what millions of Americans, including some Christians, believe. She crooned into the camera, "Inner beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty." But that’s a lie. God has something very different to say. Hear the words of the Lord in 1 Samuel 16:7 as Samuel vetted a possible replacement for King Saul – "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Now God wouldn’t have any of us to misuse or not be concerned about our bottles – that is, our bodies (see 1 Cor.6:18-20). But He admonishes us the soul is more important than skin, and character more important than clothing. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are pure in heart, For they shall see God" (Matt.5:8). It is the "hidden person of the heart" that is most precious in God’s sight (1 Pet.3:5). The Lord’s chief concern is how we adorn and beautify our souls, not our bodies. If you desire His favor, be sure to examine the contents, not just the bottle.

    by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Don’t Run Out Of Whack!

 A lady named Jacqueline Power said, "A sign on the elevator door in the building where I worked said, ‘This elevator is out of whack.’ Later someone had penciled in, ‘More whack is on order.’ " Do you ever feel like you’ve "out of whack?" The phrase just means something is not working properly or, as we say with another idiom, "not up to speed." A big challenge facing every Christian is to not run out of whack! And a big problem is, many do. The apostle Paul addresses the problem in a single little verse of Scripture in Romans 12:11. The verse lays out a simple, clear challenge that has proven difficult for many Christians to consistently practice: "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." I like the King James Version in this verse – "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." The "business" referred can properly stand for the Lord’s business and / or the business of living the Christian life, in whatever capacity that might be. Elders can, and do, run of whack when they began to take their God-given role as overseers and shepherds lightly, and when they fail to properly and zealously keep watch over God’s flock where they serve. Preachers can run out of whack if they take their eye off of the Christ and the cross and begin to grow discouraged by a lack of visible progress or by sin and setbacks in the lives of people in the congregation where they preach and serve. Deacons can fail to "deke" – that is, they grow lukewarm about the charge they have been given by the congregation to serve and take care of some responsibility in the church. Every member of the church is daily engaged in the good fight of faith and is the target of a relentless foe who never runs out of diabolical whack – the devil – who "walks about as a roaring lion Bible, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Bible class teachers can lose their enthusiasm for the God’s word and get lazy and sloppy in their preparation. In the face of that perpetual possibility, Paul’s words in Romans 12:11 challenge every Christian: "Don’t run out of spiritual whack!"

 There are ten words in Romans 12:11 (King James and New King James Versions). In them Paul acknowledges it is easy to get discouraged and dispirited or distracted as we strive to live the Christian life. Like a physical muscle grows tired after long, hard exertion, so we, too, can grow weary while doing good (Galatians 6:9). The danger is not necessarily that we get tired, but that we tire to the point we faint or lose heart and lose all our spiritual whack. Someone observed that you may be on the right track, but you will get run over if you just sit there. That is certainly true of the Christian life. One of the most acute dangers in the spiritual life is that a person is baptized into Christ and is on fire with love and zeal, but then they begin "lagging in diligence." Like a flame that flickers and burns out, the initial commitment and enthusiasm for Bible reading, worship, and serving cools off to the point we just sit down and cease serving the Lord! A lady named Carol Leifer said, "I’m not into working out. My philosophy: No pain, no pain." But my friends, we can’t do that as Christians and please God! And we can’t be like Robert Hutchins who said, "Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes." And we can’t be like Jo Bran who commented, "My favorite machine in the gym is the vending machine." No, my dear friends. The reward we seek is not for those who run out of spiritual whack, for Jesus promised a crown of life to those who are "faithful until death" (Rev.2:10). As a Christian, whatever you do, you must see it through. Don’t run out of whack!

      by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

The Book That Bares Our Souls!

 

A "cover-up" is an attempt to prevent people from discovering the truth about a serious crime, mistake, or sin. But the truth has a way of eventually coming to light. Like a robbery suspect who couldn’t help himself in a line-up. When detectives asked each man lined up to repeat the words, "Give me all your money or I’ll shoot," the guilty man shouted, "That’s not what I said!" While it’s sometimes difficult to always know the truth about others, Rita Rudner reminds us it’s pretty hard to hide the truth about ourselves from ourselves. She said, "I work for myself, which is fun. Except for when I call in sick – I know I’m lying." Is there something you know about yourself that you don’t like? Are you attempting to keep something secret about your life that makes you miserable? Have you lied to a friend, held out on the IRS, stolen from a neighbor, cheated an employer or employee, been sexually unfaithful to a wife or husband, mate, etc.? History books are peppered with examples of people ranging from average, everyday citizens to presidents, preachers, policemen, teachers, and CEO’s of huge corporations who did something slimy and sinful and depraved and then sought to hide their actions. Of course, there are criminals who lie and cheat and rape and rob and even murder who think they "got away" with it. And sometimes they succeed in covering it up, at least for awhile. But cover-ups are hard to keep covered up forever. To borrow a 3,400 year old phrase in the Bible from Numbers 32:23, "be sure your sin will find you out." Note now, not that your sin will always be found out, but be sure it will eventually find you out, even if that moment doesn’t come until "the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:16).

 Cover-ups are not new. Adam and Eve attempted one in the Garden of Eden, but it didn’t work(see Genesis 3). After they did what God said don’t do, they were ashamed and afraid and did what a lot of us do when we do wrong and are afraid and ashamed – they covered their heretofore naked bodies with fig leaves and hopelessly sought to hide from God. When God called them to account, they tried to play the "blame game." But God didn’t buy that either. Other memorable attempts to hide something in the Bible are the accounts of Achan (Joshua 6-7), David (2 Samuel 11-12), Jonah (Jonah 1), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). The narratives all send the same message – God sees through our flimsy and futile attempts to hide from Him! In our modern age of medical marvels, doctors and medical professionals can send a scope through our mouths, up our noses, down our throats (and through a couple of other places) to see deep into our bodies. These scopes and imaging devices bare the inside of our throats, brains, bladders, stomachs, and intestines to health experts. But long before these devices bared human bodies to doctors, human souls have been bare before God. He "sees through us." Hebrews 4:12-13 declares that God’s word bares our souls – "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." That thought either thrills or chills, depending on the nature of our thoughts, motives, deeds, and whether or not we are in Christ. The naked truth is cover-ups never fool God. He sees past all our attempts to hide who and what we really are. The Bible is truly the book that lays our souls bare.

     by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Hanging With Jesus!

 You may want to "hang" me after your read the next sentences. I warn you ahead of time I am going to be "hung up" on the word "hang" for a few moments. Like many other words in the English language, the word "hang" can have several different meanings according to context and usage. In days gone by to "hang" somebody meant to kill them by tying a rope attached from above around the neck and removing the support from beneath. When used as a form of capital punishment people referred to it as " a hanging." But to "hang" does not necessarily refer to putting to death. We "hang" clothes in the closet, pictures on the wall, hats on a peg or even a nail. Then, some people identify where they reside as the place where "I hang my hat." To "hang up" commonly means to end a phone conversation. But wait – to be "hung up" on something is to be extremely interested in or worried about or preoccupied with it. A jury can be "hung" meaning that they are unable to agree on a verdict. Ever found yourself "hung up" in traffic on the interstate? Then there is the slang usage of "hang" as in "hanging with" or perhaps "hang out with." According to the Online Slang Dictionary this use of "hang" is a verb and means "to relax, usually with friends; to chill." The parallel to this verb is the noun "hang" which means "a place at which one relaxes, as in, "Come see our new hang?" If you are older, you might better recognize this usage as a "hangout."

 Let us shift directions. When Jesus was crucified, Luke 23:32-33 tells us, "There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left" (Matthew 27:38 calls the criminals "robbers"). Luke 23:39-43 relates an astonishing conversation between the three men as they suffered on their crosses. "One of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save yourself and us’ " (vs 39). Matthew 27:44 relates both robbers had earlier reviled the Lord. But now, one robber, clearly undergoing a change of heart, defended Jesus, rebuking the other criminal, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing we are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong" (vs 40). Both criminals were "hanging" with Jesus on their own cross. But one was "hanging" with Jesus in far more than a physical way. Even as he inches toward certain death on his cross, this desperate criminal clearly knows enough about Christ to believe there is hope beyond death. Desperately he pleads in vs 41, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." We don’t have space to consider all that he had in mind. But something mind- boggling happened that day – Jesus promised that penitent criminal in vs 43, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Whoa – who’d have thunk it?! Where would you have thought that thief would end up judging from appearances at the cross? Christ had power on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6), and He clearly forgave this thief before he died and took him to Paradise later that day! Careful now – this side of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ you and I must exercise faith and obey the gospel in order to receive forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 2:8-9 * Hebrews 5:9 * Mark 16:15-16 *Acts 2:38; 22:16). All that being said, let us "hang" our hopes on Jesus. If He could and would save a penitent thief who hung with Him in death, surely He will save you and me if we hang with Him in life! Hallelujah! Hang with Jesus!

    by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN