Over time these changes have proven to be of spiritual blessing to the saints of God. Change in the church is not always of the devil. The only constants are Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:8) and His Word (Isa. 40:8). Living within a constantly changing culture we must study and understand the trends that are confronting the church. The context of I Chronicles 12:32 is still pertinent for today: “The Sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” We must identify trends, not to be changed by the trends, but to know how to minister to those affected by them.
 
Under Divine design, living within a continually shifting culture, some of our approaches to ministry may need to be re-evaluated. But we do not let culture dictate our thinking. That has happened too much already. We are in the world, but are not to be of, or like, the world. The First Epistle of John should be our mandate regarding our relationship to the world. Change must be inside out, and not outside in. It must be Christocentric in purpose. It must be earnestly bathed in prayer. It must be considered in the light of Scripture. It must not imitate the fad of the world. It must reconcile with the glory of God. I am sure that Watts, Raikes, Jones and the authors of the King James Bible recognized that they were approaching ministry in a new and different way, but sought to follow the leading of the Lord, not the influence of a godless society. Their motivation was to create new ways in which to reach the lost and edify the saints of their day.
 
For some of our churches it may be time for some re-tooling. If so, remember change takes time. Pastors must be patient and people need to be flexible. Don’t change for the sake of change. Follow God’s leading and minister to the spirit, the world caters to the flesh. Test the waters before jumping in headlong. Educate before you initiate. Present proposals with clarity. Expect resistance. Encourage responses. Advance by favor not by foolishness. Personally, change raises my blood pressure. But change in some areas may be applicable. The world is changing so fast that, as someone said, you couldn’t stay wrong all the time even if you tried. Our goal is to do what is right and pleasing to the Lord. Even though not popular in the day of their inception, I am so thankful for hymns, for the Sunday School, for genuine Gospel presentations via radio, TV, and the Internet, and I am also thankful for my King James Bible! As we observe moderations in the church throughout the ages, it could be that some changes may be of the Lord, not of the devil.  Our responsibility is to ask the Lord to help us discern the difference.

Photo by: joiseyshowaa (Creative Commons)

Heaven could not hold Him!  What amazing grace!  But even more amazing  is that when Christ’s work was finished, the grave could not hold Him!  Hell could not hold Him.  And when it was time to return to the Father, this enticing world could not hold Him!  We should stand in awe of the Incarnation!  If not for our sins, there would have been no need for the Incarnation!  But because of our sins, heaven could not hold Him!  It was never a choice in the mind of the triune Godhead.  Heaven would willingly release the Son, and the Son would willingly go.  The mission to provide a Savior for sinners, which was designed for success from the beginning, must be accomplished.  God must become man in the form of a Servant, a Savior, and a Substitute.  Paul in II Corinthians 8:9 gives us just one of many reasons why heaven could not hold Him:  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Such a gift of love should bring us to our knees in humble submission to the fact that through the Incarnation, Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and we are the objects of such love.  Might the Incarnation lead us to the foot of the Cross, where we can receive full forgiveness as we repent of our sins, and by faith believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again on our behalf.  Only then can we be assured that we have become His workmanship, and that such great salvation is not by our meritorious works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
 
Christina Rossetti’s lyric concludes by asking, “What can I give Him, poor as I am?  Her prompt reply was, “I give Him my heart.”  To give Him our heart is to give Him our life; a very appropriate gift in light of heaven’s gift.  Heaven could not hold the Son from giving full obedience to the Father.  Is there something holding you from giving such obedience?

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter a stable place suffice
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshiped the Beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: I give Him my heart.
—Christina Rossetti

–Maynard H. Belt

I read somewhere that of all the books of the Bible read by contemporary college students, this is the book that turns them on the most. Ecclesiastes is a book about life and that is where the interests of people lie. They want to know how to get the most out of life. What is the point of a life filled with hard work, sweat and tears? How important should things be in life? Why do the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous suffer? Where’s fairness? Where’s truth? Really, Ecclesiastes is the best news around for baffled modern man. It’s the working man’s book. It’s a book of hope for those who want to live again.

Ecclesiastes is a book about life in which Solomon writes about frustration, fulfillment, work, sex, injustice, friendship, death, worship, happiness, insecurity, suffering, youth, temptation, folly, confusion, emptiness and the list goes on and on. In essence, Solomon writes about our major concerns in life. He is very honest when he says that all human striving is worthless – if God is out of the picture, really, what is life?

The English title Ecclesiastes comes from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Hebrew word behind the Greek is Qoheleth, which appears seven times in the book. This is the title by which Solomon describes himself and it is translated “preacher” (KJV): 1:1, 2, 12; 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10. The word basically means “To call together to assemble, to collect.” It is that act of gathering people together, especially for spiritual purposes. This would be one good reason for pastors to preach from Ecclesiastes.

It is my conviction that Solomon is the author and that this book is in the form of a first person narrative. Some doubt his authorship simply because he signs Proverbs and the Song of Solomon but not Ecclesiastes. May I share with you a little more background that might entice you to dig into this Old Testament book of poetry?

Solomon the Person
The tenth son of David, the second by Bathsheba, Solomon’s name appears some 300 times in Scripture. He was but twenty years old when he succeeded his father on the throne where he reigned for some forty years. William Graham Scroggie speaks objectively of Solomon when he said, “Personally, he was characterized by wisdom and wickedness. Greatly gifted intellectually, he was very weak ethically. His mind and his morals were not on the same level!”

Viewed officially, Solomon’s primary work was the material development of the kingdom, the erection of the temple, and under the inspiration of God, the writings of Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Yet the man who penned a thousand wise things failed to practice the wisdom that he taught. He spent foolishly the money that had been reserved to build the temple and the people had to be taxed (truly, there is nothing new under the sun!). He went to Egypt for his queen and married the daughter of Pharaoh, and with this strange wife came her strange gods. Then came the harem of women that caused him to sin. It is also my conviction that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes later in life after he had returned to fellowship with God. There seems to be an air of repentance in the writer and the evidence of a deep maturity of one who now gives wise advice on how to live the best possible kind of life and how to avoid the heartaches attached to the ways of the world.

Some Primary Words & Phrases
At least three key words, or phrases, surface as we read and study this book: under the sun, vanity of vanities, God. Elohim, one of the primary names given to God in the Old Testament, carries the meaning of infinite strength and absolute faithfulness. It is found at least 40 times giving us encouragement that hope can be gleaned from this book. If you keep in mind this meaning wherever “God” is found, it will shed great light upon your study. On twelve occasions God is said to give; on seven occasions mankind is said to have a joyful portion from God. The phrase, “Under the sun,” is found at least twenty-nine times and simply speaks of that which goes on upon earth, mostly in relation to man’s lifestyle as the result of a fallen nature. The phrase, “Vanity of vanities,” occurs at least thirty-eight times and carries the meaning of, “breath of breathes; all is utter emptiness; life is meaningless.” Solomon is stating that life is but a puff of wind, or just bubbles in the breeze. This is what life is like apart from God.

Solomon’s Purpose
Though Solomon is sharing his experiences while out of fellowship with God, he brings everything into proper perspective in Chapter 12:13-14: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is Man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” God will judge all of our deeds after this life. God must be kept in the center of life because it is so easy to go astray. Here Solomon gives a watchword (fear God), and a warning (judgment). Ecclesiastes can still speak to us today. We all need to be reminded to stop searching for things under the sun and begin setting our affections on things above (Colossians 3:2).

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it that men should fear before Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:14

–Maynard H. Belt

Look around you!  How often do you see others bearing the cross in some form or another?  It may be a cross on a ring, necklace, earring, ankle bracelet, bumper sticker on a car, or a tattoo placed visibly on some part of the body’s anatomy.   Usually this is just one of several tattooed images so I wonder what it really means to them.  While on vacation a few years ago I was picking up some deli items when I looked up and next to me in line was a scantily clad lady with tattoos from her neck to her feet.  She caught me gawking and the only thing that came to my mind to say was, “Did that hurt!”  As I uncomfortably continued our conversation she indicated that sometimes she can make up to $200.00 a weekend at “Tattoo Shows.”  Without trying to be too conspicuous I did find the “cross” but when Jesus said we are to bear our “cross” I am sure this is not what he had in mind. Occasionally I will ask a person wearing a cross what it means to them.  Often the answers are mind-boggling but I have found it an interesting way to witness.

The world does not understand that the cross represents sacrifice.  To bear the cross in the New Testament meant self-denial, suffering and submission, as demonstrated in the life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  A condemned man was forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution.  It was a shameful act.  The cross represented the “death dues” of living a wicked and disgraced life.  But our Lord’s death upon the cross was of far different meaning than that of any other of his day or since.  A.W. Tozer states that, “He was too holy to be received by sinful men and He was too sinful to be received by a holy God.”

For us today as the genuinely repentant recipients of divine grace, bearing the cross brings forth both demands and delights.  The demands are no less than what was demanded of the Savior.  First, we must be devoted to the Father’s will.  We must understand that we are chosen to be His light in darkness; we must see the world through God’s eyes; we are His special people always revealing the Glory of God regardless of any pain we must suffer. I read of one old Baptist missionary society that had as its symbol an ox standing between a plow and an altar. Underneath were the words, “Ready for either or both!”  Some plow, some sacrifice.  History verifies it and we must submit to it.  Second, we must separate ourselves from the world, though we are in the world, and focus on divine mission.  Side issues may be many but nothing must side track us from our devotion to God. We must be wise discerners between the frivolous and the favorable.  Finally, we must identify ourselves unashamedly with the cross.  Everything Christ accomplished was for us and everything we do must be for Him. His incarnation identified Himself with us; in bearing our cross daily we identify with Him.

The demands are great, but no less are the delights!  On my 34th birthday I received an 1848 copy of Thomas Kempis’s classic work, “The Imitation of Christ!”  Born in 1380. Kempis lived to be 91 years of age, much of that time spent in a monastery where he practiced exercises of devotion, writing and copying, reading, preaching and exhorting novices and inquirers who visited him.  During this time he copied the Bible no less than four times.  In his volume on “The Imitation of Christ,” he stated that “Only the servants of the cross can find the way of blessedness and of true light.”   Bearing the cross brings assurance of my salvation for why would I bear it if it were not for the transforming grace of God.    Kempis, in acknowledging Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, goes on to say, “Without the way there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.  I AM the way, which thou oughtest to follow; the truth, which thou oughtest to trust; the life, which thou oughtest to hope for.  I AM the way inviolable, the truth infallible, and the life that cannot end.”  The study of the Cross in Scripture continues to endear itself to my heart.  It reminds me of my sinfulness without Christ, my inheritance in Christ; and my responsibility in imitating Christ.

We are called to be Cross-bearers, not simply bearing visible symbols of the cross, but demonstrating daily the marks of the Cross through a life crucified unto Christ.

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken – Thou from hence my all shalt be.

Let the world despise and leave me  – they have left my Savior too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me – Thou are not, like man, untrue.

Man may trouble and distress me – ‘twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me – heav’n will bring me sweeter rest.

Hasten on from grace to glory, armed by faith and winged by prayer;
Heav’ns eternal day’s before me – God’s own hand shall guide me there.
 -Henry F. Lyte

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” -II Corinthians 2:2

-Maynard H. Belt

George Mueller, born into a German tax collector’s home, was often in trouble. He learned early to steal, gamble and drink. As a teenager he was caught and jailed after pilfering expensive hotels out of their payment. But prison life was no friend to him and after being released, Mueller continued his life of crime until converted to Christ one Saturday night in 1825. Later he married, settled down in Bristol, England, and while growing in his walk with Christ, developed a burden for all of the homeless children running the streets of the city. The story goes that he called for a public meeting, presented a plan for an orphanage, and raised sufficient funds to open his first home with 26 homeless occupants. Soon a second home was established, and then a third.

From the beginning Mueller refused to ask for funds or even to speak of the ministry’s financial needs. He believed in praying earnestly and trusting the Lord to provide each and every need. And the Lord did provide, though sometimes at the very last moment. The best-known account involves a morning when the plates and bowls and cups were set on the tables, but there was no food or milk. The children sat waiting for breakfast while Mueller led in prayer for their daily bread. While he was praying a knock came to the door, and it was the baker. He told Mr. Mueller that he could not sleep that night and felt that they had need of bread for breakfast, so he arose at 2 a.m. and baked some fresh bread. Another knock at the door revealed that the milkman had broken down right in front of the orphanage, and he wanted to give the children his milk so that he could empty his wagon in order to repair it. Such stories became the norm for Mueller’s work. During the course of his 93 years, Mueller provided a loving, caring home for more than 10,000 homeless and hopeless children, prayed in millions of dollars, traveled to scores of countries preaching the gospel, and recorded fifty-thousand answers to prayer!

Does God answer prayer? Why certainly He does! Maybe in light of all the despair of a dark and dismal hour in history, it is time once again to remind our people that God does answer prayer – but on HIS terms. We must be abiding in Him and He will gladly come to our aid. When, on our part, there is sincerity (Psa. 17:1), reverence (Rev. 4:9-11); humility (Isa. 6:5); importunity (Mt. 15:21-18); submission (Luke 22:42); faith (Mt. 9:27-31); and specificity (John 16:23-24) — on His part, there is always a response. For George Mueller, there were fifty-thousand responses. For us? Well, maybe it is also time to start making a list.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15:7

–Maynard H. Belt

Introductory Thoughts

Have you not noticed how often the Scriptures direct those in ministry to seriously heed their own walk with Christ before they attempt to lead others down the path of holiness in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  Have you not felt times of desperation in your life when you seemed so inadequate to minister and fell victim to some of the same depressions as those to whom you were called to minister?  Have you not sensed, in such times of prostration, that you were all alone, and even if you could share with another, they would not fully understand why you might experience such times in your life also?  After all, you are the pastor, the missionary, the faithful servant of the Lord who has been called to lead and lift up others, to encourage, and to somehow, make all things well!  Please take a few moments to walk with me down the corridors of time and see how some of the greatest servants of generations past experienced some of the very same emotions as they sought to “take heed to themselves,” how they dealt with them, while at the same time,  continued ministering to those to whom they had been called.

Some Soul-searching Discoveries

“I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.  Personally I have often passed through this dark valley.”  Charles Spurgeon

“He had seasons of deep depression regarding the results of his work in the pulpit or among his people….”  Spoken of Alexander Whyte

“You seem to imagine that I have no ups and downs, but just a level and lofty stretch of spiritual attainment with unbroken joy.  By no means!  I am often perfectly wretched and everything appears most murky.  My ministry has appeared to me to be wanting in so many ways, that I can only say of it, indescribably inadequate.”  Andrew Bonar

“During these ten years, I have known more of visions fading into mirages, of purposes failing of fulfillment, of things of strength crumbling away in weakness than ever in my life before.”  G. Campbell Morgan on 10th anniversary at London’s Westminster Chapel.

“Sometimes he would suspend the routine of parochial engagements and devote whole days to these secret exercises, in order to which he would contrive to be alone in some void house, or else in some sequestered spot in the open valley.”  Joseph Alleine (Alarm to the Unconverted)

“Enjoyed sweet hours on the banks of Hudson’s River, in sweet converse with God…abstracted from all the concerns of this world…rapt and swallowed up in God.”  Spoken of Jonathan Edwards

David Brainerd, as described by Jonathan Edwards, to whose daughter he was engaged: His life shows the right way to success in the works of the ministry.  He sought it as the resolute soldier seeks victory in a siege or battle; or as a man that runs a race for a great prize.  Animated with love to Christ and souls, how did he labor always fervently, not only in words and doctrine in public and private, but in prayers day and night wrestling with God in secret and travailing in birth with unutterable groans and agonies until Christ were formed in the hearts of the people to whom he was sent.”

“While holding communion with his God, he seemed to lose all sense of time.  Once, we are told by one who was present, he was so filled with the sense of God’s love that, being able to contain no more, he cried out, ‘O, my God, withhold Thy hand, or the vessel will burst!’”  Spoken of Fletcher of Mandalay

Some Spiritual Disciplines

Read Your Bible Every Day!    

“The Study of God’s Word for the purpose of discovering God’s will is the secret of discipline which has formed the greatest characters.”  James Alexander

“Apply thy whole self to the text; apply the whole text to thyself.”  J. Bengel

“Read it through; pray it in; live it out; pass it on!”  G. Gritter

Find A Place to Pray!

“God’s promises lie like giant corpses without life, only for decay and dust, unless men appropriate those promises by earnest and prevailing prayer.”  E.M. Bounds

“In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words than words without heart.”  John Bunyan

“Let’s move from theology to kneeology!  Power for victory in spiritual warfare is found in prayer.”  R. Lawrence

“Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much!”  John Newton

“The battlefield of prayer will be your greatest warfare.  Be consistent!  Be systematic!  Be specific!  Take long walks!  Hide in a corner!  Keep a fresh list of requests!  Walk the pews of your church!  Early in the morning!  Late at night!  When you wake and can’t sleep!  Pray!  Pray!  Pray!  MHB

Choose Right Relationships!

“Five years from now you will be pretty much the same as you are today except for two things:  the books that you read and the people you get close to.”  Charles Jones

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”  George Washington

“A real friend is one who helps us to think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, and be our finest selves.”  Unknown

“Keep in touch with men who love God!  Right or wrong, through the years I have striven to find men who might teach and challenge me in certain spiritual disciplines needed in my life.”  MHB

Make Books The Best of Friends!

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”  Francis Bacon

“I would urge upon every young man…to obtain as soon as he can, by the severest economy, a restricted, serviceable, and steadily….increasing service of books for use throughout life.”  John Rustin

“John Wesley had absolutely no faith in the kind of religion that was not informed.  he believed a person ought to read, and he offered to give any of his preachers, who could not afford to buy literature, up to five pounds’ worth of books.”

Time Outs Are Extremely Important!

“Solitude is a release to the soul that was imprisoned in company.”  George Swinnock

“Sleep more hours than the mechanic, who uses his brain less than the minister.”

“An annual holiday of at least four weeks should be secured by every minister.  No minister can do twelve months’ work, though he can in eleven.  He will hear quoted, without doubt, the example of the Prince of this world who ‘never takes a vacation.’   Our advice is that the preacher pay no attention to such critics, but seek in every way, to be as unlike Satan as possible!”  T.H. Pattison, Pastoral Theology Book, 1912!

Some Scriptural Directives

Following are some passages from Scripture that can encourage and assist you in keeping fresh in ministry.  Sometime when you have a few quiet, uninterrupted moments, reflect upon them and rejoice in the Lord.

• I Timothy 4:16
• Psalm 1
• Jeremiah 31:1-3
• I Samuel 16:23
• Psalm 23:3
• Proverbs 25:13
• Isaiah 40:31
• Philemon 19-20   
• Ephesians 4:22-24
• 2 Samuel 7:18
• Daniel 9:3-4

Some Concluding Thoughts

The counsel of Dr. Alexander McLaren:  “Dwell in the secret place of the Most High.  We must be first and foremost good men if we are to be good students or good ministers…the first, second and third requisite for our work is personal godliness; without that, though I have the tongues of men and angels, I am harsh and discordant as sounding brass, monotonous and unmusical as a tinkling cymbal.  Like our Lord we must go to the Mount of Olives, when the people go every man to his own house.  Then shall we be able, at early morning, and noontide, and evening, to come down to the temple and teach.  Then, and only then, will the common people hear us gladly, and men be constrained to say, ‘It is not ye that speak; but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.’”

Thomas Watson:  “I will conclude with that excellent saying of Bernard: ‘Lord, I will never come away from Thee without Thee.’  Let this be a Christian’s resolution, not to leave off his mediation of God till he find something of God in him!”

–Maynard H. Belt

They happened to be booked on the same ship as Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from a big-game hunting expedition. At the dock in New York a band was waiting to greet the President, and while they did, the missionary couple slipped off the ship unnoticed.

That night, in a cheap room they had found on the east side, the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, “I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly.” His wife suggested he go into the bedroom and tell the Lord.

A short time later he came out of the bedroom with a face completely changed. His wife asked, “Dear, what happened?” He responded by stating, “The Lord settled it with me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, ‘But you’re not home yet!’”

May this little story encourage some of us weary saints in ministry who may sometimes feel that life is unfair. We faithfully labor for the Lord and so often it just seems to go unnoticed. Well, my friend, “You’re not home yet!”

As the songwriter has said, “Are you weary, are you heavy-hearted? Are you grieving over joys departed? Do you fear the gath’ring clouds of sorrow? Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow?” Well, tell it to Jesus, and remember, “You’re not home yet!”

Another songwriter put it this way when he wrote, “Run the straight race thro’ God’s good grace, lift up thine eyes, and seek His face; Life with its way before us lies, Christ is the path, and Christ the prize!” We are just pilgrims journeying to a sacred place based on a hope and a trust…..”You’re not home yet!”

“There remains a rest to the people of God…let us labor therefore to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:9, 11). May just knowing that “We’re not home yet” encourage us to keep laboring until we do get home! Amen?

In Jesus’ name – press on! Hold His Banner high,

Stand strong against the ways of sin, your God – do glorify!

In Jesus’ Name – press on! Cling firmly to His Word;

And when you see Him face to face, you’ll hear Him say, “Well done.” -MHB

Philippians 3:14
“I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

I would like to address the leadership of the church. I would like to address pastors and deacons. I would like to address those who have been entrusted, by the Lord and by the people, to lead the church in godly edification and God-honoring evangelism. Those who have been chosen to be the spiritual leaders of the flock. A.W. Tozer once said, “Until self-effacing men return again to spiritual leadership, we may expect a progressive deterioration in the quality of popular Christianity year after year till we reach the point where the grieved Holy Spirit withdraws–like the Shekinah from the temple.” Someone else said, “Leaders should be the chief repenters!“ 

For pastors, one problem of leadership in the church is that you can’t be sure whether people are following you or chasing you!  On the other hand, a friend on vacation a few years ago sent me a beautiful postcard.  It is a scenery picture of a graceful team of huskies being driven through the snowy plains of Alaska. The caption reads, “If you are not the lead dog, the scenery never changes!”

It is very important that those who have been placed in positions of leadership, and those who have placed them there, fully understand their God-given roles. Our examples for leadership are not leaders in the world, but Christ in the Word!  For example:

1. His leadership focused on individuals – His personal conversation with Peter in John chapter 21 is a good example of that.
2. His leadership focused on the Scriptures – “You have heard that it was said….but I say unto you.” 　Matthew 5:21-48.
3. His leadership focused on purpose – He had clear cut goals for His earthly ministry. How might we lead if we only had three and one half years?
4. His leadership majored on being a servant – He came to minister to, not to be ministered unto (Matthew 20:28).  Richard Foster stated that leadership is found in becoming the servant of all.

The truly first spiritual servant leader to surface in the Old Testament was Moses. His name means “drawn forth” which is true of most leaders doing service for God. We did not seek our positions but were drawn forth by the will of the Father though the choice of the people.  As you have heard many times, Moses lived for 120 years, a period divided into three sections:  the first 40 years were spent as Pharaoh’s son learning how to be SOMEBODY.  The second 40 years were spent in the desert learning how to become a NOBODY.  The third 40 years he became the leader of God’s people and learned that GOD WAS EVERYBODY!  For the purpose of challenging both pastors and deacons to be godly leaders, let’s briefly look at the “leadership qualities” of Moses as recorded in Hebrews 11:24-29:

1. Faith – Heb. 11:24 – Faith in essence is believing in God’s promises (11:1), is always related to God’s people (11:2), and is believing in God’s power (11:3). How can you lead without faith?  We must “step” out into the water as Moses did at the Red Sea.
2. Integrity – Heb. 11:25 – There is no room for hypocrisy in leading the people of God. Will Rogers said, “I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it!” It’s true, if men speak ill of you, live so that no one will believe them.
3. Vision – Heb. 11:26 – Vision is simply believing that God can do greater things in the future than He has done in the past AND being willing to be a part of it!  If you are a perennial pessimist you should drop out now!
4. Decisiveness – Heb. 11:27 – Decision-making is a big part of leadership BUT our decisions are always weighed in the light of God’s Word and God’s will, not our own personal agenda.
5. Responsibility - Heb. 11:29 – Moses was committed to trusting God and being responsible in his obligation to lead God’s people to places they had never been before. Leadership does that.  There is no place for irresponsibility in serving God. Never treat lightly the privilege of being appointed to His service.

As pastors and deacons, the spiritual leaders of God’s flock, you must always keep the bigger picture in mind.  In God’s calendar of time for all ages, it is now YOUR time to be counted for Him, no matter how insignificant it might seem in the light of eternity.

Bruce Larson, in his book Wind & Fire, points out some interesting facts about sandhill cranes. These large birds, who fly great distances across continents, have three remarkable qualities. First, they rotate leadership.  No one bird stays out in front all the time. Second, they choose leaders who can handle turbulence. Finally, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation. That’s not a bad model for the church. Certainly we need leaders who can handle turbulence and who are aware that leadership ought to be shared. But most of all, we need a church where we are all honking encouragement.  Well, maybe not a honk, but at least a good “Amen!

–Maynard H. Belt

I am sure that you have heard of the “Emergent Church Movement” that has been spreading its errant wings across the land for several years. One of the main spokesperson is Rob Bell, who pastors Mars Hill Church in Grandville, a Grand Rapids, MI, suburb. Since its inception, maybe ten years ago, it has grown into a mega church with some eight to ten thousand attending every week and another 50,000 that download Bell’s weekly podcasts.

Earlier this month, Bell’s newest book was released entitled, “LOVE WINS, a Book About Heaven, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.” Maybe you have seen him reviewed and questioned about his beliefs on various national talk shows in the last couple of weeks. Attached for you is a review and critique by Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor of University Reformed Church, East Lansing, MI. DeYoung, a young and upcoming author, has also published, “Why We’re Not Emergent;” “Why We Love the Church;” and his latest book, “Don’t Call It a Comeback, the Old Faith for a New Day,” which received a full page ad in the most recent edition of World Magazine. At the core of Bell’s book are universal salvation and the questioning, if not denying, of the reality of hell. The devil is peddling his doctrine today (Eph. 4:14; II Cor. 2:17) and I am afraid that many of our younger pastors, and missionaries, are buying his merchandise. I hope it will be helpful to you.

Download: Kevin DeYoung’s review of Love Wins (PDF)

Years ago in a little community near Hodgenville, Kentucky, a man returning from a city trip met a neighbor who asked if anything was happening in the outside world.  The friend told him of the war in Europe and the latest news in Washington and then inquired if anything had happened at home.  “Not a thing,” the old man said, “Except last night Mrs. Lincoln did give birth to a baby boy.  Named him Abraham.  But nothing important ever happens around here.”

That’s what many thought the night the Creator of the world was born.  Reminds me of that Negro spiritual, “Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger, sweet little holy child, didn’t know who He was.”   But the Son of God must have a birth place.  In that day only three continents were known in the ancient world:  Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Asia was chosen!  But Asia had many countries, one of which was a little country known as the land of promise, Palestine.  In Palestine there were three main districts: Judea, Galilee and Samaria; Judea was the chosen one!  But again, in Judea, there were many villages, and from them the selected sight was the “little town of Bethlehem,” about 5 miles southwest of Jerusalem.  And to make the prediction more accurate, it was Bethlehem (house of bread) in the land of Judea (Ephrathah [fruitful], Micah 5:2).  This had to be made clear for there was another Bethlehem, about 7 miles northwest of Nazareth in the land of Zebulan (Joshua 19:15).

No Room!

Bethlehem was the burial place of Rachel; It was the home of Boaz, Ruth, Obed and Jesse (Ruth 4:11-17; I Samuel 16:18); and it was the birthplace of David (I Samuel 17:12). Here he was anointed king, and thus Bethlehem was called “The City of David.”  It was here where God became man only to find that the world He had created had no room for Him.   The innkeeper, though only doing his job, said “no room!”  In those days inns were for common people while rich people stayed with friends.  Today it is the other way around.  The very first spurning of the Savior in Scripture found Him in an unpretentious, unassuming stable, but this was not the only place where no room would be made for the Son of God.

King Herod had no room for baby Jesus either.  He was very troubled when the wisemen arrived in Jerusalem requesting the presence of He who had been born King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-16).  Fearing the loss of his kingdom, he spared no mercy in protecting his throne. King Herod had descended from the lineage of Esau and hated the Jews because Jacob had deceitfully taken the inheritance away from Esau.  Upon finding the approximate location of the Christ child this wicked king ordered the death of all baby boys less than two years of age.  We might ask, “How could one do such a thing?”  He must have been without conscience for he had killed at least three of his sons and some of his wives for plotting against him.  The word was out, “Don’t marry King Herod!”  Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus stated, “It was better to be Herod’s sow than his son for his sow had a better chance of surviving in a Jewish community!”   All of this senseless killing because there was no room for Jesus.

Even the chief priests and scribes, the religious leaders of the day, had no room for Jesus.  Though they told the wisemen and King Herod where Jesus would be born, we have no record that they ever bothered to travel the six short miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see this prophesied Child and investigate the truth they had been teaching for years (Matthew 2:4-6).  They knew the content of Scripture but they did not know the Christ of Scripture.  They knew about Him but did not care to know Him.  Not even the spiritual chiefs of the day had room for Jesus.

A few years have passed now, and we see that even the home town where Jesus had grown up, Nazareth, had no room for Him (Luke 4:16-21; 28-30).  Here Jesus stood in the synagogue and preached with persuasion to the people He knew and loved most, those closest to His heart.  They had known Him from a child, the son of godly parents, a tradesman like His father, who no doubt had helped many in the community. Do you remember what they did?  Filled with wrath, they literally dragged Him out of town with intent to kill Him by hurling Him from a cliff.   Some may have been His childhood friends.  But, as before and still to come, our Lord’s hour had not yet come.  God, again through divine intervention spared His Son from a sovereignly selected site that had no room.  Had he been a home town basketball celebrity or Rock superstar there would have been room but not for one whose greatest credit was truth!

As we follow our Lord’s well-marked path His next visit is to Gadara, a small seacoast town located some 6 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  Gadara, meaning “walls,” was just that as they also had no room for Jesus.  This particular area was riddled with caves filled with demon-possessed people (Matthew 8:28-34).  When this rarely roamed region was visited by Jesus, immediately these demoniacs recognized that Satan’s territory was being invaded by a higher power than his. Two of the demon-possessed men, in fear, pleaded to be cast into a herd of nearby swine rather than be tormented (judged) before God’s appointed time.  Jesus answered their plea and after the pigs, some 2,000, perished in the sea, the Gentile owners told everyone and the whole city begged Jesus to depart from them. They showed no mercy for the healed demoniacs but rather feared because their “business” had been destroyed.  How sad, no room for the One who could meet very need: physical, financial and spiritual.

In one last scene, we see that Jesus found no room in Jerusalem, in that day the religious capital of the world (John 8:48-59).  When Jesus taught them truth, the religious leaders accused Him of having a demon, and in anger began to stone Him, but God again intervened and delivered Him safely, for His hour had not yet come and His mission was yet unfulfilled.  From this point on we also discover that no room for Jesus could be found by Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, the Roman soldiers, nor His own chosen people, the Jews (John 1:11).  So they all plotted together and were finally prosperous in their pursuit, they killed the Son of God!

One Room!

It hardly seems true, but it is.  Room was finally found for Jesus.  Did the “little town of Bethlehem,” King Herod, Nazareth, Gadara, or Jerusalem and the religious leaders of the day finally find room for Jesus?  Did they change their minds?  NO!  The only place that the entire world had room for Jesus was a short distance outside the Damascus Gate, a spot the Scriptures call Calvary (Luke 23:33);  a location also called “Golgotha”  or “skull” (Mark 15:22; Matthew 27:33).   The early church father, Jerome, theorized that this place received its name from the skulls of many executed criminals, their bones exposed to remind people of the hideousness of this horrifying place;  others say that this hill called Calvary represented the shape of a skull.  Some say that it was visible from a public travel way which would have brought more humiliation to those who were despicably nailed to a cross.

Of all the beautiful places created by the Savior Himself, only here in this repulsive “room” was there accommodation for Jesus.  One room! There, suspended between his own creations, heaven and earth, they nailed Him to a cross between two criminals.  Finally, in God’s divine providence, the Savior’s hour had finally come.  In that appointed hour in history (Galatians 4:4-5), the little baby, now become Savior, cried again (Matthew 27:46), darkness came, the earth shook, graves were opened, fear gripped the oppressors, and Jesus breathed his last breath.

But praise the Lord, it was not God’s will for His Son to remain where men had made room for Him!  There was still more for the Son of God to do!  On the third day after His burial, God raised Him up from the grave, a sign of victory over death and sin conquered!  What good would be a virgin born Babe if He could not save from sin?  But there is more to the story.

Many Rooms!

After our Lord’s return to heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, not only is He interceding for us (Romans 8:34), but He is also preparing a “room” for us!  “In My Father’s house are many mansions (rooms), if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also”  (John 14:2-3).  The Son of God suffered NO ROOM that there might be MANY ROOMS!   “No room – one room – many rooms!”  Through forgiveness of our sins and confession of faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, never will we hear the words, “No room!” Never!  Never!  Never! 

The question we must face is not, “Does Jesus have room for us, but do we have room for Jesus?”

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown
when Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room
for Thy holy nativity.

The foxes found rest and the birds their nest
in the shade of the forest tree;

But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
in the desert of Galilee.

Thou camest, O Lord, with the Living Word
that should set Thy people free;

But with mocking scorn, and with crown of throne,
they bore Thee to Calvary.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus! 
There is room in my heart for Thee.

There’s room at the cross for you,
there’s room at the cross for you;

Tho’ millions have come, there’s still room for one –
Yes, there’s room at the cross for you.

_______________________________________________

For those who are called to proclaim – we must!

For those who are lost – we pray they trust!

For every believer – follow no matter the cost!

–Maynard H. Belt