Drastic Action Needed

In a regular column called “By The Numbers,” the most recent issue of World Magazine shared some startling figures associated with New York City’s burgeoning rat problem.  The piece was written by John Dawson and titled “Rat Wars.” The sub title reads: “New York City’s surging rat census has the city officials looking for a real Pied Piper.”  Here are the numbers he shares: “60” - The number of young a female rat can give birth to within a year under hospitable conditions…”  Unsurprisingly, this number helps to explain another one: “2 million - The number of rats estimated to live in New York City…”  Wow!  Apparently the city hasn’t had much success in addressing the problem because he also lists this number: “$32 million - The cost of rat eradication efforts let by former Mayor Bill deBlasio in 2017.  The campaign appears to have had little impact.”  But all hope isn’t lost!  One final number is shared.  “$120,000 - The minimum starting salary for New York City’s next director of rodent mitigation, nicknamed the “rat czar” by a city spokesperson” (World Magazine, January 14, 2023).  Anyone for a new career???

It sounds like some drastic action needs to be taken in NYC.  Some problems are like that, though.  Half-hearted attention and efforts won’t always get the job done.  This is the lesson Jesus was trying to teach as he spoke of the sin of adultery and the lust that leads to it.  “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).

Is Jesus advocating actual physical self-mutilation?  Of course not.  But He is making a graphic metaphorical point about taking our sin problems seriously.  

 

God loves you!

Mike

Unified Diversity

“After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord” (Acts 15:36-40).

Faithful believers will not always agree on every issue and in every situation.  That is a false understanding of biblical unity.  Paul affirms this very fact in places like Romans 14:1-6: “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:1-6).

Instead of rigid conformity, in most cases biblical unity is forging a way forward even when we don’t agree.  We can disagree without writing each other off.

God loves you!

Mike 

Proceeding Properly

“...it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:25-26).

The gathering arranged in Jerusalem to deal with the issues raised by the Gentile expansion of the church had talked it over and come to a conclusion.  The two verses referenced above speak to how they proceeded to implement the decision.  In many ways these procedural steps were just as important as the decision itself.  Here is what I notice:

They didn’t move forward until they were unified.  “...having become of one mind…”  Given the nature of the problem as described earlier in Acts 15, I’m confident not everyone got the result they wanted.  Those who said the Gentile converts had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses didn’t get their way.  And yet, unity prevailed.  Biblical unity doesn’t mean everyone gets their way.  But it does mean that we move forward together regarding the decision that is made.

They spoke highly of each other.  “...with our beloved Barnabas and Paul…”  When disagreements arise between fellow believers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of  speaking ill of those who don’t see things our way.  Those who disagree with us become “sons of the devil” or “heretics.”  But here, Barnabas and Paul are still “beloved” even though they were on the other side of the issue from others.

They affirmed the work of each other.  “...men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Just because someone does things differently than you do doesn’t mean they are necessarily doing it wrong.  Speaking highly of the efforts of others in a group is a great way to promote unity as you move forward.

Unity is hard work!  It can stretch our comfort zones, challenging our normal ways of doing things.  But it is vital to being effective in our efforts to serve God.

God loves you!

Mike 

Disturbing Words

“Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls…” (Acts 15.24).

Words are powerful and can be used to accomplish great good or great evil.  In the case referenced in the verse above, some were causing harm in the early church with their words.  Specifically, they were saying that keeping the Law of Moses was necessary to be saved (Acts 15:1,5).  The words themselves were simple enough to understand but they promoted a teaching that was false.  Salvation was through faith in Christ without any additions.  The testimony given at the Jerusalem council affirmed this fact.  To use words to teach otherwise was to disturb and unsettle potential converts and the council stood firmly against it.

How am I using my words?  The Scriptures often warn against the misuse of my words.  I should consider the quantity of my words.  In most cases, fewer words are better than many (Matthew 6:7; Proverbs 10:19; 17:27-28; Ecclesiastes 5:2-3).  I must guard against the careless use of my words because they are part of the standard of how I will be judged (Matthew 12:36-37; Proverbs 13:3).  I should never use words to deceive others (Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 2:4; Proverbs 4.24).  I should be careful against being hasty with my words (Proverbs 29:11,20; James 1:19).  Abusive words shouldn’t be part of my vocabulary (Colossians 3:18).

“Aesop, the ancient storyteller, told this fable: Once upon a time, a donkey found a lion's skin. He tried it on, strutted around, and frightened many animals. Soon a fox came along, and the donkey tried to scare him, too. But the fox, hearing the donkey's voice, said, "If you want to terrify me, you'll have to disguise your bray." Aesop's moral: Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away.”*

Lord, please help me never to misuse my words.

God loves you!

Mike

*http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/s/speech.htm 

Don't Make Me Wait!

A CNN Business article on 11-30-22 had the following title: “A Florida woman is suing Kraft for $5 million, saying Velveeta microwave mac and cheese takes longer to make than advertised.”  Here are clips from the larger story: “Amanda Ramirez, of Hialeah, has filed a proposed $5 million class action lawsuit against Kraft Heinz Foods Company alleging the food producer's Velveeta Shells & Cheese takes longer than advertised to prepare, court documents show…The lawsuit claims that the packaging on the microwavable single-serve cups of mac and cheese that says it will be "ready in 3½ minutes," is "false and misleading." The product's instructions say to microwave the cup for 3½ minutes. But Ramirez's attorneys argue this number doesn't account for the other four steps required to prepare the pasta: removing the lid and sauce pouch, adding water, microwaving, and stirring, according to court documents. The additional steps mean it's impossible for the mac and cheese to be ready in just three and a half minutes, according to the complaint.”*

Impatience.  We don’t like to wait.  Heaven forbid that our mac and cheese takes 4 or 5 minutes to prepare rather than 3.5.  No one has time for that! (sarcasm alert).  The larger point is that impatience leads us to do dumb things. Remember the Israelites at Mt. Sinai? “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32.1).  Who has time to wait for Moses?  Not us.  Let’s build an idol, worship it, and return to slavery.

Waiting on the Lord can be difficult.  But letting our impatience cause us to run carelessly ahead of Him is both foolhardy and dangerous to our souls.  Be patient.  Don’t rush the mac and cheese!

God loves you!

Mike

*https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/11/28/business/florida-kraft-velveeta-mac-and-cheese-lawsuit/index.html 

Standing In The Way

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles…” (Acts 15:19).

Sadly, there were some Jewish Christians in the early church who were creating roadblocks for Gentiles who were being saved.  These sincere but misguided believers were adding conditions to the simple gospel of salvation by faith that were getting in the way of evangelism (Acts 15:1,5).  The turmoil that resulted prompted a gathering in Jerusalem to deal with the issue.  The apostle Peter shared his experiences with a Gentile convert in Caesarea named Cornelius (Acts 15:7-11).  Barnabus and Paul gave a report of their missionary work among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12).  James, a leader in the Jerusalem church, demonstrated how the prophets of old spoke of how God always intended to include the nations in His plan (Acts 15:13-18).  All of this deliberation led to the statement of James referenced at the beginning of this article about not troubling the Gentiles who were turning to God.  The early church agreed with him (Acts 15:22). Don’t get in the way of the gospel!

All of this got me thinking about how I could be guilty of doing the same thing. Of course it is just as wrong for me today as it was for them to add or subtract from the gospel of salvation by faith.  But might there be other ways to “...trouble those who are turning to God…?”  Yes, but how?  New or potential converts could be troubled by my actions or attitudes toward others.  If I am divisive, that may foster unbelief in others (John 7:21).  If I am unloving, it may create doubts in others (John 13.35).

It’s been said that a Christian is a walking billboard for Christ.  Does the way I live my life draw others to God or does it become a troubling thing for those who are turning to Him?  Please Lord, help me never to stand in the way of someone turning to God.

God loves you!

Mike 

Saved By Grace

“But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:11).

Peter affirms something here that is taught throughout the New Testament.  Here are a few examples.  Romans 3:23-24: “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…” Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…” Titus 3:5-7: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

How many ways does God have to say it?  And yet, just like those in Peter’s day, there are still some who claim that salvation comes by grace PLUS something else.  That “something else” in many minds is human faith.  The equation becomes “God’s grace PLUS human faith equals salvation. But Paul didn’t say: “For by grace PLUS faith you have been saved…”  He did say: “For by grace you have been saved THROUGH faith…”  Our faith is just the means through which we gratefully accept the gift of salvation which is 100 percent God’s doing.  We contribute NOTHING to it. Salvation is ALL a gift of God.

God loves you!

Mike