Growth Stops with Death

Recently I was involved in a training event for a group of church leaders. What I thought would be “old hat” material became a time for new realizations and self-application. It was a time for spiritual and ministry growth.

It is mid-winter. Outside it is eight degrees with three inches of freshly fallen snow, balmy in comparison to regions north and west of here. Schools and the office are closed due to road conditions. Work will have to continue from home.

Growth like my work doesn’t stop because it is winter and the schools are closed. Nature uses this time to strengthen roots and prepare for the coming spring explosion of new life. Perennials will be preparing to send up new shoots and trees and shrubs will have used the time to prepare what is below ground to nurture what is above ground. At the training conference ministry growth took place regardless of the age or experience of the participants.

Growth in life begins with conception. We are growing physically from the time that first cell is formed. We change. Unique differences appear among individuals. A variety of influences bring about different results. Growth never stops. Until death comes.

Speculation about the size of some of the largest dinosaurs includes the idea their growth inhibitor code or whatever didn’t work so well. For whatever reason they kept growing until death took them. They got longer, or taller, or heavier until some organ failed, they couldn’t get unstuck from the mud, or some gang of carnivores saw them as a buffet beyond resistance. Whatever ended their growth, the possibility existed that it continued until death stopped it.

Such continuous growth is not a welcome thing in most matters. We enjoy seeing it in trees like the great redwoods of California, but we are not happy about it when it refers to our waistline. It’s fully acceptable when it refers to our bank account, but it scares us into sleeplessness when it appears on our credit card statement.

A place where it should and must occur is in the context of church leaders, in our ability to minister to others in the name of Christ. Growth must continue in the areas of our personal walk with God and in our ability to use the gifts he has given us in our service for his Kingdom. (Ephesians 4:15)

Growth takes place in two critical areas, knowledge and skill. The former we gain through study and experience. The latter we gain by simply doing. We practice. We are involved in situations where the knowledge is used over and over. We grow through using what we have learned. (II Timothy 2:15)

To ask when we can stop growing is a question having no meaning for the Master of our lives. Followers of Christ are allowed no vacations from ministering to the world. We are always on the job. Retirement is a part of our eternal rest, not a time when we can tell the world and God we have done our part and now the next generation has to take responsibility. We are to be growing always.

When we stop learning we turn inward and become cold and indifferent to a world that needs the hope we have to give. When we stop sharing, our hearts become hardened and no longer can feel the compassion we are called to express. When we stop growing as followers of Christ, spiritual death sets in and destroys our relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Growth is spurred by dissatisfaction with the status quo. Growth is spurred by inspiration from those who have grown before us. Growth is spurred by a vision of what can be through the power of the Holy Spirit unleashed in our lives. (Matthew 9:36-38; I Timothy 4:11-16)

The Lord is too big for us to ever feel we have grown in all we need to learn of him or of his plan for us. When death does come, then we will continue our growing, but we will do it at his feet.

Finding Satisfaction

It’s been called one of the greatest rock songs of all time. When the Rolling Stones came out with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, they needed a hit to stay in the upper echelons of the groups touring Europe and America. This song did it for them. Whatever you (or I) may think of rock music in general, the lyrics should resonate with the search we all have to find some satisfaction in this troubled world.

Mick Jagger’s search for satisfaction takes him into the realm of material possessions, sexual encounters, and possibly social acceptance through conformity. All comes to naught as he finds emptiness time after time.

The search for satisfaction and its more profound family member, significance, is as old as mankind. Some would call the search a seeking after enduring happiness. It has been the subject of songs, books, and movies for thousands of years. In the Old Testament the subject is addressed in similar fashion as the Rolling Stones lyrics.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is not impressive in its length, but its honesty concerning the human condition is enlightening and refreshing. Qoheleth, the Preacher, tried many ways to find satisfaction and still came up with a loss. The author is often assumed to be Solomon, the second king of united Israel and who is assigned a legendary level of wisdom. The experiences of his son, Rehoboam, would seem to fit better the despairing line of thinking. The general range of thought and vocabulary would point more, however, to a time when Greek influence was weighing heavily on Jewish thought.

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 RSV). The phrase is repeated several times in this book best known for its poem “For Everything There Is a Season” found in chapter 3. The author seeks satisfaction in multiple ways including “wisdom and…madness and folly”, pleasure through amassing possessions both objects and slaves, and the gathering of concubines for sexual fulfillment. In the end he concludes that all is meaningless. Whatever one accumulates will only end up in the hands of the one who comes after. There is no point to life except to obey God and enjoy the work he has put in one’s hands.

Mick Jagger and Qoheleth share the drive to find meaning and satisfaction in life. Their words also show they miss the one source of meaning that was there from the beginning. Man was never intended to find joy, satisfaction, or purpose in life and eternity apart from his relationship with God.

There is an awesome greatness in the opening chapter of Genesis. Created in the image of God, man has within himself a connection to the divine he cannot escape. God calls to us and seeks the fulfillment of that connection. Satisfaction comes only as we respond in total surrender to who we are. We are creations of God designed, hardwired, to live in an intimate relationship with him. We are empty until we accept that, and we can become so hardened by our rejection of his design we become deaf to the call and numb to our own loss.

Where do we find satisfaction according to the New Testament? The joy is found in the relationship with God through Jesus Christ, his plan for us from the beginning. Satisfaction comes as we experience a freedom from all the frustrations and disappointments of this world. Jesus declared to his disciples real and lasting joy was not to be found in this world regardless of what we experienced here. (Luke 10:20) Only in our ties to the eternal and the joy found there would we find the satisfaction our souls are seeking.

The Apostle Paul was in a Roman prison and in chains. By the world’s standards he had every right to be angry, frustrated, and disappointed in the way things were going. Yet it was in that situation he writes one of the most joyous pieces of literature we have. His letter to the church at Philippi was filled with joy and gratitude. Paul had found satisfaction. (Philippians 1:19-21; 4:4, 10-13 et al)

God-Sanctioned Escapism

We all know of times when we want to escape. Perhaps it is to avoid meeting someone. Perhaps it is to avoid someone we have already met. Maybe we need to escape from the reality in which we find ourselves. We feel out of control. We feel helpless. We see little light in the darkness ahead. We just need to get away!

Middle Earth has done that for me on more than one occasion. A book I am writing, which may get finished someday, offers a place where it seems heaven itself has come to dwell. Peace and honesty, acceptance and grace are the rules of engagement. It is a great place to which one may escape.

These places, however, are not real. A big problem with escapism is it provides nothing real. You have to come back and nothing has changed while you have been gone. You are just as frustrated and still at a loss about what to do with life and all it throws at you.

Jesus escaped, but the difference for him was it was not escapism. It was the opportunity for protected communion. A wide gulf exists between escapism and protected communion. All too often we seek the former when what we need is the latter.

Though mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels, Luke especially emphasizes the times Jesus escaped. (Luke 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 28, 11:1, 22:41-46) Jesus left the reality of disciples, crowds, hungry people, hurting people, and criticizing people not because he couldn’t face the people, but because he needed the protected communion with his heavenly Father. He needed to pray.

Jesus was human, feeling the same wearing on his mind, body, and emotions we all feel. He grew tired enough to fall asleep in a small boat and almost miss a severe storm. (Matthew 8:23-27)  He grew angry enough to chastise his disciples in front of a crowd (Matthew 19:13-15) and synagogue leaders in front of their religious community. (Mark 3:1-6) He was cautious enough to spend a full night in prayer before choosing his twelve closest followers. (Luke 6:12)

Jesus knew his limitations and he knew he had to pray. Such times of prayer could tolerate no interruptions or distractions. His times away from disciples and crowds were times of decision, times of building resolve, and times of strengthening determination to follow through on an accepted mission.

I cannot escape to Middle Earth or the Undying Lands in the Uttermost West. The Shire may seem idyllic, but the Old Forest is always waiting with orcs aplenty. No matter high close to heaven the highest mountain may take me, down below the valley is waiting for me to return. That is why prayer is so important.

God calls us to pray so we might have that most important of all gifts, communion with him. Jeremiah knew the meaning of honest prayer. He took his worst to the God he served (Jeremiah 20), and he found God big enough to take it and still promise his presence and his love. When we like Jeremiah only have anger and frustration to fill our prayers, God still answers, “You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV) In finding God with an honest and seeking heart, we will find what we need just as Jesus did.

Escaping to God is not a bad thing. We just have to remember he doesn’t let us stay in isolation. He comforts us. He heals us. He rejuvenates us. He fills us with his wisdom. He restores our soul. Then he sends us back into the world, back down into the valley, and reminds us as he sends us to take up our cross and follow him.

The Body of Christ

Recently I had the blessing of being a part of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Your Christian tradition may refer to this as the Holy Eucharist or Communion. We Baptists generally stick to Communion and Lord’s Supper. It represents a time of reflection that combines thoughts of one’s personal relationship with God with perspectives on the Universal Church. It also transcends time and geography to where a participant becomes aware of the saints of all the centuries and all nations. When you get the image of the unlimited table we call the Table of Christ, you feel both small and yet important.

The words of Christ as recorded in Luke 22 came back to me as I sat there in the midst of the gathered congregation. The small cubes of bread came by in their plate. “This is my body which is given for you.” The plastic cups filled with grape juice were passed down our row in its tray. “This is my blood which is poured out for you.”

The body of Jesus was given, broken, pierced with nails and spear for me. His blood was shed, spilled, poured out for me. The Innocent died for the guilty. The Sinless died for the sinner. The Faithful Son died for the rebel.

The Church in the New Testament is pictured in several images: building, priesthood, family, bride, and body among others. As believers within the body of Christ we are all unique members. (I Corinthians 12:27) We have roles to play and we have a responsibility to fulfill. As the body of Christ we continue the work of Christ. We carry on that work with integrity and faithfulness to the One whose name we bear. With that responsibility also comes the call to suffer.

Christ offered his life, his body and blood, to provide a way for reconciliation between Creator and creature. That was his purpose in coming. That was the fulfillment of his life’s work. That sacrifice also gave birth to the Church, his body that was to carry on his work until he returned to bring human history to its divinely ordained conclusion.

The incomprehensible event that occurred at Pentecost (Acts 2) set in motion the life of the Church. It also provided the presence of the Holy Spirit who would allow the Church to be obedient to its Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The divine command that became the responsibility of the Church was also a personal command given to every believer.

His body was broken for me. How far will I go in allowing my body to be broken for him? His blood was poured out for me? Am I willing to pour out my blood for him? Taking the bread and cup during a Communion celebration is one thing. It is something else for me to consider my own body and blood being sacrificed through a faithful life in the name of Christ.

My death will not guarantee anyone salvation. My life might, however, open the way for someone else to reach that point of decision. The feet of Christ went into the homes and cities of the social outcasts. The hands of Christ lifted the weak out of the dust. The voice of Christ proclaimed hope and the way of reconciliation. The Church, the body of Christ, through the centuries and into today must do the same.

Christ gave his body in service to the world. I must live with the same generosity. Christ gave his life in service to the world. I must live with the same selflessness. When I join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, I am identifying with the body of Christ. That makes me responsible to live, and if necessary die, just like the Head of the Body, Jesus.

Did You Celebrate or Grieve?

New Year’s Day is about over. Now what should my feelings be about what I have just left behind? What should be my emotions as I look ahead to the next 364 days? Do I grieve or celebrate over the past? Do I look ahead with eager anticipation or do I fear each coming day?

I find it easy to get in a dark funk thinking about the things that went wrong last year and might again. Then the sun comes up, I get out of bed, get busy with the affairs of the day, and all those fears seem to disappear. This is not exactly how God wants his children to face the beginning of the day.

The opposite attitude has a common name, a Pollyanna perspective. You just know everything will turn out fine. Everyone will be happy. The best will always be the result and everybody will love the world. I meet someone like that and I just get mad.

Was last year all that bad? It had its moments I wish could have been avoided. Were there any moments of joy and satisfaction? Because there weren’t as many as I might have wished, doesn’t mean there were none.

If last year was a typical year in the life of yours truly, I have no reason to believe the next will not be the same. Events will be different. People involved will be different. The world around us will be different. However, the joyful times will be present. The times of sorrow will have their place. So do I celebrate or do I grieve?

An old bit of wisdom goes something like this: If you can affect what you face for the positive, then do it. If you cannot affect what you are facing, then don’t worry about. Act or refocus, but don’t allow yourself to wallow in a sense of helplessness. Jesus told his followers in Matthew 6:34 to stay focused on the current moment. Tomorrow will provide plenty of opportunity to handle its unique set of challenges.

Today has its priorities. We must discover them and focus upon them. Jesus confronted one of his close friends in just this matter when he told Martha her sister was focused on the real priority of life and she should perhaps follow suit. (Luke 10:38-42)

The Apostle Peter in his first letter (I Peter 5:7) encourages his readers to leave their worries in the hands of God, much as Jesus did back in Matthew 6. We are to cast our cares upon the heart of God. We are NOT to come back a few hours later and ask for them back!

Perhaps the word I quote to myself most is the message the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. (Philippians 4:6-7) There is always something we can do with our worries, our griefs, and our sorrows. Following Peter’s words we can take everything to God in prayer. Now does that mean we get our prayers answered according to our human wisdom. We have no guarantee God will see our solutions as the best ones. He simply asks us to bring our burdens, fears, and worries to him and leave them there.

As we surrender our will to him, God will be able to provide us with what is necessary to face whatever is coming down to the road. We will receive the peace that comes from knowing someone smarter and stronger than we are is in control. Prayer and petitions combined with a willingness to offer them up with thanksgiving opens our spirits to the work of God’s Spirit. Then miracles can take place.

Maybe the sorrows will come. Perhaps the reasons for joy may appear rare. The miracle may be most obvious in our attitude about trusting God to handle the situations we face each day without our effort to tell him what to do.

This year will have both joys and sorrows, victories and defeats. I can celebrate. I will learn from the sorrows and I will share the joys. God will be with me through both offering the gift of peace.