Who Helped You?

He glared straight at me as he publicly thanked individuals in the congregation by name for visiting him while in the hospital. I had not visited him, no doubt the reason for the glare-stare.

I know that I was supposed to be embarrassed, after all, I was the preacher and preachers are supposed to visit everyone in the hospital. The trouble was, his public ‘show of gratitude’ was the first I had heard of his trip to the hospital.

Have we misunderstood how the church functions? I would have to shout, “Yes!”

I personally think preachers are largely to blame. Many preachers, not all, but many really like being in the spotlight. They want to be the sage-on-the-stage Bible-answer-man, leader and promoter of all programs, building supervisor, Sunday School superintendent, church counselor, music man, information gateway, and the keeper of the calendar. (Perhaps I exaggerate, but you get the point.)

Without exaggeration, a spotlight on the preacher fosters an unhealthy view of the church and a skewed view of the role and responsibility of the members of the church.

When a check is sent from our congregation to support a missionary or assist fellow Christians in a disaster, we ALL participate. Even if none of us are able to leave town to help, we participate through our finances.

The Apostle Paul expressed joy for the Christians in Philippi for their “participation in the gospel.” They had not accompanied him to the mission field, but had sent him some sort of assistance, probably financial. It is worth noting that he credited the entire church for their assistance. ALL had participated.

If you needed someone to give you a ride, you wouldn’t expect everyone to give you a ride. Let’s take it a step further. What if the preacher was not the one who helped you; what if it was not one of the elders, or one of the deacons? Does it count only if someone ‘official’ gave you the ride? (That’s silly, but you get the point.)

Paul described the way the different members of the church function in the context of spiritual gifts. He said that the Spirit of God distributed spiritual gifts according to God’s will. He went on to use the human body as an illustration saying that the foot is no less a part of the body just because it does not function as a hand. Likewise, the ear is no less a part of the body just because it is not an eye. 

My friend was upset with me for not visiting him, yet several others had visited. That was as silly as my injured hand feeling neglected because my ear did not tend to it.

Here are two things Paul wanted us to know about the way the body of Christ functions:

God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
—1 Corinthians 12:18, 27 (NASB95)

We must understand that when any fellow Christian helps us in a time of need, it is Christ extending assistance through His body, the church. While it is proper to show gratitude to an individual, don’t just thank the ‘hand’ that helped you, thank the head of the body, Jesus Christ in whom we are all connected.

And when you are the helper, remember, it is Christ providing help through you (unless you covet the spotlight). So, give Jesus the credit.

We’re in this together; keep focus on Jesus.

Mark Stinnett

September 29, 2019

I Sold an Old Lady a Bible

I signed up with a company to sell books door-to-door one college summer, but I was a horrible salesman. Still, the memory of one old lady lingers.

Since I had my own car I was assigned an entire county about an hour’s drive from the central Tennessee town where four of us college guys stayed. I don’t remember the town where I was selling or the old lady’s name, but she lived on the ‘wrong side of the tracks.’

Her house needed paint and repair; her yard was mostly dirt with a few sprigs of grass. She sat practically motionless on her weathered-gray front porch overseeing her neighborhood. Eyes watched from a distance as I whipped out a shiny new Bible and my polished sales pitch.

The Bible had a special leather binding, special pages, special features...special everything. It cost twice what you would pay in a store, expensive for anyone and completely out of range for this lady. (Going through my sales spiel I remembered how we were taught to avoid poor folks; a waste of time. But I was there. Ugh.)

Then she said, “Yes.”

I was supposed to take a 50% deposit with the balance due upon delivery at the end of summer, but I accepted all that she had, $5.00.

The long summer passed and I received the books for delivery. As I drove to the old lady’s house, I decided that I would just give her the Bible. She had been so excited to place the order, but I KNEW that she wouldn’t be able to pay full price. I just could not disappoint her.

I drove up to her house and reasoned that there had been a lookout--word had spread quickly and a small crowd gathered at her front porch almost immediately. I approached with the new Bible while receiving kind greetings from both young and old. She was ready with the exact amount owed for the Bible, so I filled out a receipt and delivered the Bible. I have never seen anyone more grateful to receive a Bible.

As I got into my car and drove away the crowd continued to grow...all eyes fixed on that old lady and her new Bible. I don’t know how the story ended, but I quite imagine that it is unfinished still. I can see her in my mind pouring over the pages of God’s word. Perhaps she read it aloud to her grandchildren or to friends in her neighborhood. I would like to think that her Bible was handed down and gratefully received when she passed away, but I can only imagine. Yet, I am certain of her love for that book. I’m sure she appreciated all the special features, but she loved its content. She loved God’s word.

I wonder if my children will love God’s word like that. 

I wonder if my grandchildren will.

There was a time when virtually everybody wanted a copy of the Bible. Translations were few and copies expensive, yet printers could not keep up with the demand. Nowadays publishers use all sorts of marketing gimmicks to entice people to buy a Bible. Is it that Bibles are so cheap and so common that there is a loss of interest or is it rather that people have lost regard for the word of our eternal Creator?

What if I told you I made up this story?
Do you prefer my story or God’s word???

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of God stands forever.
—Isaiah 40:8

Are you eager to read God’s message?
Or, have you outgrown God’s word and prefer stories by clever writers?

Mark Stinnett

Who Is Worthy of the Gospel?

Who is worthy to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Are there people who are so despicable or who are so entrenched in sin that they are not even deserving of the gospel message?

Imagine for a moment that you arrived in a foreign country (no language barrier). In this country there are actual idols of wood, stone, silver and gold. The people who live there willingly bow to their ‘gods’ that are no gods at all.

The gods they worship deeply influence their thinking and behavior. One of their many gods is a god of war. As a prominent god in their culture, violence is justified as a tribute to this god. To you and me they would seem blood-thirsty and brutal. Yet, violence has become their way of life.

Another one of their gods is a god of sensuality. So, the people accept all kinds of sexual practices as normal. To us, their practices are a perversion of what God intended when he created mankind. However, their gods approve, even promote, acts that we would call immoral. A prostitute in their culture could be just as prominent a citizen as a successful and respected businessman in our society.

Because of our values based on biblical teaching we would find their beliefs, attitudes and practices barbaric and completely immoral.

Is there any hope for those people? How many barriers must be hurdled to reach them with the gospel? Many gods; sensuality and immorality; violence. 
Hopeless!

Would you waste your breath sharing the gospel with a prostitute in that foreign land of idolatry and paganism?

There was a prostitute in a land of idolatry, sensuality and violence and her name was Rahab. (See Joshua 2.) The people of Jericho were so deeply entrenched in sin that God had decided that it was time for judgment – they were to be wiped off the face of the earth!

Nearly 700 years later God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh, a city filled with idols, the capital city of a nation given to war and sensuality. Jonah did not think they were deserving, but God wanted wanted them to be warned...and they believed!

Nearly 800 years later the Apostle Paul entered another city of idols and he was completely repulsed. Yet he found a way to speak to the people of Athens by observing that they were religious. He spoke God’s message and there were some who believed.

There was no preaching in Jericho. It was too late; it was time for judgment. Yet, Rahab the harlot believed in God. In faith she made a desperate plea and she and her family were spared from destruction. She then followed God.

Are there people that you know, like Rahab the harlot, who would surely not listen to the gospel. Would you think that they are unworthy of the gospel?

Are there people who are so different in their thinking, their beliefs, their values, that you find their way of life repulsive like Paul’s Athens?

Is there a place in this world to which you would refuse to go, like Jonah’s Nineveh?

If these examples teach us anything, it is that God is looking for genuine faith, but not all believers will be found in our nice, clean Midwestern neighborhoods. In truth, no one is ‘worthy’ of the gospel.

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient.
Hebrews 11:31

We must never think anyone is a lost cause!

Mark Stinnett

Who Would Rage Against God?

Who in their right mind would be filled with rage against God?

After all, God is our creator. He gives life. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall on the earth for the benefit of all people. He sent His Son to redeem mankind. Yet, Solomon wrote:

The foolishness of man subverts his way,
And his heart rages against the LORD.
--Proverbs 19:3

Foolishness is a lack of understanding and discernment. A foolish person is one who does not consider the consequences of his choices. He just blunders along thinking everything will somehow work out.

Subvert means to twist, pervert or ruin.

His way refers to the actual ‘path of life’ along which a person walks. It involves the reasoning behind the choices, thought, speech and behavior. It also includes the thinking behind daily decision and long-term plans. It is descriptive of one’s direction in life and its outcome.

To subvert his way is to change course in life. It describes a generally good direction being twisted or perverted so that the person goes in a different direction and experiences a different outcome. His foolishness is behind it all.

Rage is a word that describes a constant ongoing anger that affects one’s overall disposition. It is not just a flash of anger from a hot temper.

The proverb describes people who desire to go along the path of life without opposition to their choices. They want to “live and let live” and enjoy tolerance. Yet, ultimately, their expectation is that everybody would tolerate their thinking, their behavior, their speech, their rights, their choices, their values. When they encounter any kind of opposition to their way, they cry out, “Don’t judge me!”

They are foolish because they blunder through life without a thought of the consequences of their choices. Then when things do not go well, they become angry...even angry at God.

In our day they include those who take marriage casually: Those who desire the sexual privileges of marriage, yet do not marry; who are unfaithful to their spouse; who swap spouses; who quit one marriage for another without thought; who engage in homosexuality.

Oddly, many who are sexually immoral claim faith in God while discrediting His word. Where their choices are condemned in the Bible they claim that it is outdated or wrong or misinterpreted. After all, God surely accepts them just the way they are…because God made them the way they are. They worship a god of tolerance.

Many churches and preachers stand under the banner of God and Christianity, yet do not hold to God’s teachings. In foolishness they ‘subvert the way’ for many who wish to find acceptance regardless of their attitudes and behaviors.

In truth, God will accept anyone who comes to Him in faith. Yet, He intends to transform people into the image of Christ, not tolerate their life of sin. God is holy and He demands holiness.

So, it should be no surprise that when confronted with the glaring reality of God’s unchangeable holiness, many lash out in rage. Do not take it personally when people who reject the Scriptures are corrected. Their rage is against God.

There is a battle. It is not about issues and arguments; it is about souls. There are many who can out-argue you; many who stubbornly refuse to listen. We must lift up Jesus in love.

Be on guard for yourself. Be wise.

Mark Stinnett

Grab Hold, For Dear Life!

Have you ever had someone take up for you when you were at a disadvantage?

For example, perhaps you were being bullied by someone bigger and stronger. Then, an older brother or friend stepped in and defended you.

Or, perhaps you were being cast aside by coworkers after having asserted yourself in a meeting. You had spent time and energy putting together a proposal only to have it attacked or casually dismissed. Then, a coworker or someone in a position above you stepped in to suggest that your idea had merit and should be considered.

Children depend upon their parents watch over them at all times; to defend them when wronged; to guard them from dangers of life they have not yet learned.

The Bible teaches that wisdom is a defender and guardian.

It is so easy to think of the wisdom of God as a kind of intellectual pursuit; as if it is all about knowing stuff and thinking and pondering. However, Solomon described wisdom as the older brother, stronger friend, valued coworker, loving parent--Wisdom is one who will guard you and watch over you.

Do not forsake her,
    and she will guard you;
Love her,
    and she will watch over you.
--Proverbs 4:6

The Hebrew terms for ‘guard’ and ‘watch over’ are synonyms, the second having, perhaps, a greater emphasis on an assertive defense.

The wise man instructed: Do not forsake her. That means, do not turn your back on wisdom.

I have been sorely disappointed by many studies and classes on the Book of Proverbs. A proverb would be presented followed by long explanations illustrating the proverb and perceived exceptions. They were nothing other than presumptuous evaluations of God’s word. So many times proverbs have been watered down in meaning so that the perceived ’exception’ won the day as truth and the proverb was virtually cast aside as something that was only sometimes true...maybe.

When we diminish the meaning of the Proverbs, we are forsaking wisdom. When we hurry to find exceptions we contradict what God has revealed; we forsake wisdom.

In contrast, when we embrace the wisdom that God has revealed and live by it, we demonstrate a ’love for wisdom.’

God’s wisdom is not revealed to make you into some sort of wise sage who offers advice. Rather, His wisdom is designed to guard you like an older brother, to watch over you like a loving parent, and defend you like a valued coworker. And to what end is this guarding and watching and defending?

God breathed life into man and, man became a living soul. God’s desire is to save your soul from death. Wisdom is for the purpose of life, now and forever.

Don’t turn away from wisdom, grab hold!!

Wisdom IS Life!

Mark Stinnett