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A storm is coming. What are you going to do: brace for it or run for cover?
“Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”
I also mentioned a previous related blog post entitled Faith Over Fear.
One of the storms many leaders face is the attack from those whom they lead. I address this topic extensively—and a better alternative to a fight-or-flight response—in my book When Sheep Bite.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (James 1:3).
Dr. Henry Halley noted, “Perseverance here transcends the idea of bearing affliction; it includes the idea of standing fast under pressure, with a staying power that turns adversities into opportunities.” The opportunity is to allow my life to be valuable currency for my King to use for His pleasure and purpose.
The Greek word for “testing” has several aspects to it, but all of them point to this truth: God desires purity, and He is the final Judge on the value of my purity. It has been said that the only faith that can be trusted is a faith that has been tested—and passed the test!
James in this verse, and Peter in 1 Peter 1:7, are the only New Testament writers to use the Greek word dokimion, which means testing for purity and genuineness.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:7 NLT)
These verses insist that God has a loving and specific purpose in His refining process. The Septuagint uses dokimion when David declares the absolute purity—and the standard of all purity—that is found in God’s Word: The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times (Psalm 12:6).
James says this purifying process “produces perseverance.” Paul takes this a step further in saying that perseverance produces character (Romans 5:4). This word for character is the word from which dokimion comes: dokime. This is defined as a proven character, or having received the the stamp of approval from God. Paul uses this word again…
Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand thetest and be obedient in everything. (2 Corinthians 2:9)
But you know [Timothy’s] proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. (Philippians 2:22)
All of this testing and refining and proving is to make me valuable for God’s use, and to be one who points others to Him.
Dokime comes from dokimos, which James uses this way: “Having stood the test” (James 1:12). Other translations of this phrase read:
When he has been approved (NKJV)
The man who doesn’t give in (TLB)
Proven to be genuine (NET)
Dokime means beings pleasing, acceptable, and valuable to God and men. It is money of undiminished value—currency of the highest purity. Just as monarchs would have their image stamped into the metal of the official coinage of their realm, the stamp of approval on my life comes from God but is seen by men and valued by men—
Because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval (Romans 14:18).
Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test (Romans 16:10).
For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends (2 Corinthians 10:18).
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
This is why I must “consider it pure joy” (James 1:2) when God puts me through His purifying process. He sees value in me that is not yet currency that can be placed into circulation. He wants my life to be spendable for His glory, so He loving removes anything that would diminish His image being seen in the currency of my life.
As the Christmas hymn captures: “Adam’s likeness now efface; stamp Thine image in its place”!
Make me valuable and useful for You, my King. Purify me and put me into circulation for Your glory.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Choose work you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”? I’m not sure that is totally accurate. Work that is meaningful and fulfilling will be draining, hard work. We see Jesus taking time away from His work to be replenished from the activities that drained Him.
Instead, I think we need to find joy in our work. That joy comes from knowing why we are working. If we know the answer to the question, “Why do I do what I do, even if what I do is hard and demanding work” (and we can stay focused on that), then I think there is a joy that makes our duty a delight.
Jesus knew His duty from the very beginning. We see this in the story Luke shares with us about 12-year-old Jesus visiting Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-50). The phrase “I had to be in My Father’s house” (NIV) is rendered “must be” (NLT, KJV), and “I had to be here dealing with the things of My Father” (MSG). And I think the AMPC version is especially telling: Did you not see and know that it is necessary as a duty for Me to be in My Father’s house and occupied about My Father’s business?
Jesus came to Jerusalem every year for the festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits (see Leviticus 23:4-6, 9-14). Now at “twelve years old” He has had His bar mitzvah and is considered a Man in the eyes of the Jewish community. Eighteen years later, we see Jesus still focused on this same duty (Luke 3:23, 9:18-22).
Jesus found delight and fulfillment in doing His duty (Luke 10:21; John 4:31-34).
Jesus calls His followers to this same food that sustained Him (John 4:35-38). He calls this “hard work” that allows us to “be glad together.” Our joy is the joy of Jesus. Notice in Luke 10:21 that His joy was because His followers found joy in doing their duty for Him (Luke 10:1-3, 17).
Don’t look for the wages or your reward here, but do your duty joyfully in expectation of future and eternal rewards (Luke 17:7-10; John 3:27-30).
Let’s go back to 12-year-old Jesus in the temple. He was there during three Old Testament feasts that all pointed to Him and were fulfilled in Him:
Passover (Abib 14)—the day Jesus was crucified
Unleavened Bread (Abib 15-21)—when Jesus was in the grave
Firstfruits (Abib 16)—the day Jesus was resurrected (see James 1:18)
Pentecost (50 days after Firstfruits)
Twenty-one years after this story in Luke 2, in the very same place where Jesus is interacting with these religious leaders, the followers of Jesus would be baptized in the Holy Spirit! He is the One Who makes our duty a delight.
We get a foreshadowing of the joy in the Holy Spirit in Luke 1:41-44 when just a greeting from Mary—who was pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit—causes the baby in Elizabeth’s womb to leap with joy in the Holy Spirit. We, too, live in joy when the Spirit is actively at work in us (John 15:11; Romans 5:3-5). The Spirit reminds us of the rewards for our joyful duty (Matthew 25:34; Luke 12:35-37).
You can stick with your have-to-do duties if you have a get-to-do attitude that comes from the joy the Holy Spirit gives.
Which is why Jesus prays for our joy to be complete, and Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Check out all of the messages in this series about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives by clicking here.
I had the honor of offering the prayer of dedication for the building that will be home to City Hall in Cedar Springs, MI. In our City’s long history, this is only the fourth building which they have occupied, with the previous building being their home for 50 years. So I was probably given a once-in-a-generation opportunity!
Here is the text of my remarks and prayer.
When the Constitutional Convention convened, Benjamin Franklin rose and said, “I therefore beg leave to move, That henceforth Prayers, imploring the Assistance of Heaven, and its Blessing on our Deliberations, be held in this Assembly every Morning before we proceed to Business.”
Prayer before legislative deliberations has been ingrained in our Nation since her inception. So in that spirit, I humbly offer this prayer of dedication for our new City Hall.
Almighty God, Your servant Paul told us to “pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” [1 Timothy 2:2]. We are also told that those in civic leadership positions are Your servants that You have appointed to do Your work [Romans 13:1].
There are so many issues that are before both our elected officials and our City staff that need a wise and prudent answer. We believe that You delight in giving us Your counsel which is far above the counsel of mere humans.
Therefore, I humbly ask for wisdom for Your servants who serve us in the City of Cedar Springs. You have told us that wisdom will be “given generously” to all who ask You for it [James 1:5]. And that by Your wisdom officials “rule wisely” [Proverbs 8:15]. Give these civil servants such wisdom to deliberate and to decide in a fashion that pleases Your righteousness and Your justice. May the City of Cedar Springs—and all of her citizens—be blessed because of Your wisdom that guides the deliberations and the decisions that will be made made in this building.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
There is a phrase the apostle Paul uses frequently: “in service to God.” Let me give you one example from Romans 15:17—“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.” The Amplified Bible renders this verse like this: “In Christ Jesus, then, I have legitimate reason to glory (exult) in my work for God—in what through Christ Jesus I have accomplished concerning the things of God.”
In this passage in Romans 15 Paul says he preached in service to God.
A few verses later he says that he was on his way to minister to the financial needs of the saints “in the service of the Lord’s people” in Jerusalem (vv. 25-26). He uses similar words to the church at Corinth when he speaks of people devoting themselves “to the service of the Lord’s people” (1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:4). He tells them, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12-13).
In other words, Paul says that we may be serving people, but this is really service to God through Jesus. Jesus Himself would say that all of our ministry to people is ultimately done “for Me” (see Matthew 25:40).
Because this is service done for Jesus, it is only recognition from Jesus that we should desire. We want to hear Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Sadly, in the very next chapter of Romans, Paul warns the saints about people who are serving “their own appetites” instead of serving Jesus—
I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. (Romans 16:17-18)
Notice that those who speak with smooth talk and flattery are serving themselves by trying to earn accolades from other people. But this motivation only ends up causing divisions.
In my book When Sheep Bite, I call flattery from others—and the desire to receive human praise—the “sneaky bite.”
Flattery needs to be quickly identified and quarantined because it has two ways it can set up a shepherd for a painful fall.
First, the flatterers are usually more concerned about themselves than they are about the shepherd. You may appreciate the compliments at first, but if you listen closely you can begin to pick up the note of insincerity that morphs these encouraging compliments into dangerous flattery. …
The second sneaky danger in flattery is what it does to your heart, especially if you have been recently bitten, attacked, or abandoned by other sheep. Mark Twain once quipped, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” It’s true that we can get parched for a kind word if we haven’t heard one for a while. A thirsty man will drink just about anything, and a flatterer can offer you a tasty refreshment that, if you gulp it down, can end up turning quite bitter later on.
When no one praises your sermon, or appreciates your wisdom that made the difference, or notices your long hours given in service to them, how do you feel?
If you feel like you should have been recognized for your shepherding work, let me ask another question: For whom were you working?
Jesus told us that when you lead sheep to green pastures, or when you guide them to sparkling waters, when you care for the sick, carry the weak on your shoulders, and rescue the wandering lambs, you are really doing all of this for Him. They are His sheep which have been entrusted to your care for this period of time (see Matthew 25:31-46). (From chapter 6 ‘When the Sheep Flatter You’)
Although When Sheep Bite was written for those in leadership, we can all learn this important lesson—
We want to speak serving words to encourage people to praise Jesus; we don’t want to speak smooth words to encourage people to praise us.
There is a massive difference between serving words and smooth words. This will be made abundantly and eternally clear when Jesus returns and says, “Take your inheritance” to those who served Him by their words, or “Depart from Me” to those who merely served themselves by their words.
Take a close listen to make sure your words are serving words, and that the posture of your heart is to only help others praise Jesus.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
I’m going to spoil some of the surprise right up front. We’re going to look at two questions about death, and the answer to the question, “Is that in the Bible?” is “No” for both questions.
Persisting to do unbiblical things is a sin because we are trying to point out why God is wrong and why our opinion is right.
But there is also a danger in pursuing non-biblical things, when we try to give our non-biblical opinion or preferencebiblical weight, and then look down on anyone who doesn’t believe or act like we do. The Bible does tell us tobe peacemakers (Romans 14:13-21).
Statement #17—Cremating a loved one exempts them from heaven. Is that in the Bible?No.
The preferred method in the Old Testament appears to be burial. Sometimes in the ground, but more typically in a cave or man-made crypt. There were exceptions. For instance, the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were cremated (1 Samuel 31:11-13), and King Jehoram could have been cremated, but certainly he wasn’t interred the same way that his father and grandfather were (2 Chronicles 21:1, 4-6, 18-20).
In the New Testament era there was an end-of-life process the Greeks adopted called ossilegium. The Greeks frequently anointed the body with oil and wine and burned it until just the bones were left. The Jews wrapped the dead body in burial shroud and anointed it with spices—as with Lazarus (John 11:38-44) and Jesus (John 19:38-41). About a year after death, the bones would be collected and placed in an ossuary. Most often, multiple family members’ bones would share the same ossuary.
Statement #18—Suicide is an unforgivable sin. Is that in the Bible?No.
We don’t see suicide a lot in Scripture:
Saul died by his own sword—1 Samuel 31:4
Zimri died by self-immolation—1 Kings 16:18
Ahithophel and Judas both hanged themselves—2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5
But no where does Scripture speak to this form of death as being a reason to exclude that person from Heaven. These deaths do seem like last-ditch, hopeless acts. Because they are the very last act, it seems like these people have utterly rejected God. It has been a misconception for a long time that the way you die determines your eternal home. Consider a scene in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Hamlet will not kill Claudius while he’s praying and send him to heaven—
And now I’ll do ’t.
⌜He draws his sword.⌝
And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I revenged. That would be scanned:
A villain kills my father, and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Why, this is ⟨hire⟩ and ⟨salary,⟩ not revenge.
He took my father grossly, full of bread,
With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;
And how his audit stands who knows save heaven. …
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?
No. …
⌜He sheathes his sword.⌝
When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,
Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed,
At game, a-swearing, or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in ’t—
Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell, whereto it goes.
Here are the truths we see in Scripture:
We are created in God’s image and given a body—Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7.
Yet our body is called a temporary tent—2 Corinthians 5:1-3.
We will be raised either to eternal life or a second and eternal death—Luke 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54, 20-21; Revelation 20:11-15.
How we die and how our body is disposed of makes no difference to where we will spend eternity. The only thing that matters is if our name is written in the Book of Life. Our name is written there only if we are covered by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10, 17-22).
Check out more of the questions we have covered in our Is That In The Bible? series by clicking here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Fifty-eight years ago this weekend, on April 4, 1968, just after 6pm on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cut down by an assassin’s bullet. A powerful voice in the struggle for civil rights for African Americans was silenced, and yet his legacy still lives on more than a half-century later.
A couple of days ago, we remembered another historic death: the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. But unlike Dr. King, today we also celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
Does it matter that Jesus was raised back to life? If Dr. King’s legacy can still live on in the life of his followers, even though his body is in the grave, couldn’t the same thing happen for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth? The answer, quite simply, is “No!” This is because Jesus claimed that His kingdom was an eternal Kingdom, and that He came to bring people eternal life (John 3:16). If the Founder of this Kingdom could be held in the grave, what would His followers have to look forward to? Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19.
(I’m not going to take the time to go through all the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus here, but I would encourage you to check out our series A.L.I.V.E.
We have named this series after a statement from Jesus, “I will build My Church.” He made this statement before His death and before His resurrection, which tells us that He knew the outcome before those events even occurred.
Look how Paul concludes that the resurrection of Jesus is what gives meaning to the terms “saints” and “Church” in Ephesians 1:15-23. Our faith in what Jesus did for us on the Cross—namely, paying the penalty for our sins—is what justifies us, allowing us to be called saints (2:4-5). Notice how saints are to now live (2:6-10).
Look at those two phrases: “saved…not by works” and “created…to do good works.” As my friend T.M. Moore noted, “We are not saved by good works, but we’re not truly saved without them.” Good works is what characterized the earthly ministry of Jesus (Acts 10:38), and good works are what His saints are now freed and empowered to do (Romans 7:4; 1 Peter 2:12).
Paul goes on to say that saints are who make up the Church of Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-22). The Church is not a building, but saints following the example of Jesus to make the Kingdom of God known in the world (Acts 4:32-35).
A hundred years later, Aristides wrote a letter to Emperor Hadrian about these saints (who were now known as Christians):
“They help those who offend them, making friends of them; do good to their enemies. They don’t adore idols; they are kind, good, modest, sincere, they love one another; don’t despise widows; protect the orphans; those who have much give without grumbling, to those in need. When they meet strangers, they invite them to their homes with joy, for they recognize them as true brothers, not natural but spiritual. When a poor man dies, if they become aware, they contribute according to their means for his funeral; if they come to know that some people are persecuted or sent to prison or condemned for the sake of Christ’s name, they put their alms together and send them to those in need. If they can do it, they try to obtain their release. When a slave or a beggar is in need of help, they fast two or three days, and give him the food they had prepared for themselves, because they think that he too should be joyful, as he has been called to be joyful like themselves.”
Jesus is the eternally-living Founder of His Church, and those who have had their sins forgiven by their faith in His death and resurrection are the living stones of His Church (1 Peter 2:5).
Coming to the Cross makes us saints. Making the Savior known by the way we live makes us the Church.
We can’t do this unless Jesus is alive and actively empowering us (Matthew 28:18-20).
Let me reiterate what my friend wrote, because this is how saints should live: “We are not saved by good works, but we’re not truly saved without them.”
The resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for us to not only be delivered from trying to earn our salvation by doing good works, but to be empowered to do good works so that we compel others want to know Jesus for themselves.
As the saints go, so goes the Church.
Check out all of the messages in this series “I will build My Church” by clicking here.
My books are for my fellow pastors. Shepherd Leadership will help us keep the biblical metrics in mind when we are thinking about our leadership roles. When Sheep Bite is an invaluable resource to help pastors continue to serve their flock, even after being painfully attacked. And Amen Indeed is a book of prayers for pastoral effectiveness.
If you are a pastor—or if you love your pastor—please pick up copies of these books today!
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Paul salutes his friend Titus, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 1:4).
I’m not sure why several English translations of the Bible leave the word mercy out of this verse, because the Greek clearly says charis, eleos, eirene. Especially when we consider that this was an intentional word Paul was inspired to pen to a specific person.
In every letter Paul writes to a church (plus in his personal letter to his friend Philemon), he greets the saints with “grace and peace” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 3). This is also the greeting of Peter and John to the churches (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Revelation 1:4).
But in Paul’s three pastoral letters, he says, “Grace, mercy, and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). Only John in the New Testament uses this salutation in a personal correspondence to another church leader (2 John 3).
From this, I think we would be wise to note that Paul feels his pastoral proteges need to keep mercy in the forefront of their minds. Not that pastors—and the “dear lady” in John’s second letter—don’t know that God has been merciful to them, but as a reminder of just how importantmercy truly is to both pastors and to the saints under their care.
Charles Spurgeon wrote that pastors need to be reminded of mercy “as if the higher the office, the greater the liability to sin.” I think one of the biggest temptations for leaders is to believe their elevated title means they are to be served by others, rather than to continually take the role of a servant serving others.
Pastoral leaders will also do well to recall that “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25), and that “all” includes both pastors and saints. Pastors need to quickly recognize anytime they may be straying from their servant’s role, repent, and receive God’s mercy.
Shepherd leaders also need to guard against the frustration that can creep into their heart when they see the sheep in their flock going astray. Paul and John are reminding these pastors to keep in mind how merciful the Chief Shepherd has been to them, and how this should stir up their mercy toward the flock around them.
Shepherd leaders have a vital need to keep mercy always in mind.
I think a good prayer for pastors might be—
Holy Spirit, in my moments of frustration, remind me of the “grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ [my] Savior” which has been extended to me innumerable times. May that recollection awaken in me increased depths of mercy toward the flock around me, despite how frequently they may stray. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
P.S. If you are interested in going deeper on the topic of pastors as leaders, please check out my book Shepherd Leadership.
As we mature physically we pay more attention to our physical health. Why is that people who see themselves as spiritually mature think they can do the exact opposite by taking it easy? We must pay more attention, not less.
A worldwide missions movement that was started by five college students while they were sheltering from a storm in a haystack. Appropriately enough, this is remembered as the haystack prayer meeting.
“Intangible falsehood, based upon no authority, is of all things the most difficult to fight.” —G.K. Chesterton
“In his gospel, Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy to Adam. He then says Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by satan, the same spiritual being who tempted Adam thousands of years before. The apostle Paul makes the same comparison in Romans. Adam brought death into the world; Jesus brought life. In fact, Jesus came to save us because of what Adam did. When Paul is in Athens, he explains that all people are descended from one man. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says marriage goes back to the first couple. And when Paul talks about roles in the church, He refers to the first temptation.” —From the ‘Is Genesis History?’ reading plan on YouVersion. Check out Luke 3:23-38, 4:1-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 19:4.
Craig T. Owens 