Archive for October, 2008
A Lesson from Zack
For the longest time Isaiah has prayed for a little brother or sister. Often his little mind has imagined situations and conversations that he would have with his sibling. I remember one time he told me, “Daddy, if I had a little brother his bed would be in my room and when Evan [his cousin] came over he would say, ‘Whose bed is that?’ and I would say [at this point his little chest swelled with pride], ‘That’s my little brother’s.’” Isaiah thought about a little brother so much that one day he decided to make one out of paper. He cut out a square and drew a crooked face. Then he cut out two strips of paper for arms and two strips of paper for legs and then taped them to the “body.” He named his new little brother Zack. Isaiah made a place for Zack to sleep by his bed. When I went in to kiss Isaiah goodnight I was told not to step on Zack and I couldn’t leave the room without giving Zack a kiss goodnight as well. However, Zack was soon forgotten about and eventually placed in a box. It would be a year and a half from the time Isaiah made Zack till his prayers were answered. Isaiah will be a big brother this coming April.
I don’t want to over-analyze the motives of Isaiah but as I recalled “Zack” not long ago it made me think of the times that I have grown impatient with the Lord’s timing and have tried to take matters into my own hands – the result is never pretty and far from satisfying.
“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.” – Psalm 130:5
A Faithful Steward
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” – 1 Cor. 4:1,2
A steward is somebody that is given something valuable to take care of, and he is supposed to take care of it for his master. Paul, as a minister of Jesus Christ, was a steward of the mysteries of God. If a minister, following in the footsteps of Paul (1 Cor. 11:1), is to be found faithful then he must preserve the mysteries of God by teaching them to others.
There are at least seven mysteries mentioned in the New Testament, they include:
- God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16)
- Christ in the believer (Col. 1:27)
- Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32)
- The Rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-55)
- The restoration of Israel (Rom. 11:25)
- Mystery of Iniquity (2 Thes. 2:7)
- Mystery Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5)
Consider for a moment the last of these seven mysteries listed… “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” It is an amazing fact that every feature of the religious Harlot in Revelation chapter 17 is found in the Roman Catholic Church. She has ridden through church history upon the back of kings, is clothed in gorgeous robes and decked in expensive attire. She sits on seven hills, is full of abominations, and has a golden cup. She is certainly drunk with the blood of the martyrs. Countless multitudes of deceived people from practically every nation blindly follow Rome’s errors and glory in Rome ’s false religion.
I mention all of this because of a brief conversation I had with my dear mother. She was concerned about how I might preach against Catholicism in a country that is 90% Roman Catholic. As a mother, she was concerned about the potential back-lash that might be directed against me and my family.
To ease her concern, and perhaps yours if you share it, let me first say that there is a difference between evangelization of the lost and edification of the saved. In regards to evangelizing in Italy , we will humbly approach the unsaved with Hebrews 9:27 in one hand and 1 Peter 3:18 in the other. We will keep them at the foot of the cross and present Christ without being distracted by their religious beliefs, traditions of men, etc.
However, when it comes to dealing with the body of Christ, it is the duty of a minister to declare all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and this would include the mysteries of God. It seems plain from the scriptures that the church is not a place for evangelization, but for edification. (That is not to say there is no room for special services where the focus is on evangelizing the lost nor does it mean that the salvation message should not be presented to some degree for those who are in attendance that might not be saved). However, the ministering gifts found in Ephesians 4 are for the purpose of, “perfecting the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” I submit to you that it is the duty of a faithful minister to present the Roman Catholic Church to believers for what it is – a satanic religious system that blinds the minds of men and keeps them in spiritual darkness. This subject is most appropriate for the church and deserves a proper hearing in a day of ecumenicalism, where doctrinal distinctives are being erased and spiritual inroads are being made towards “ Rome .”
As I present the work of Italy to the brethren on deputation I briefly compare the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings to what the Bible actually says. I feel this is necessary because there are many Christians today that consider Catholicism to be under the umbrella of Christianity – it is not. I do not want to place too much emphasis on the Roman Catholic Church – our emphasis is on winning Italian souls for Christ – but due to the fact that 90% of Italians identify themselves as Catholic, I think it is of import to understand that we are not going to a Christian country.
Let me pause to say that some of the most moral, generous, and kind-hearted people I have met in my life have been Roman Catholics. I would also submit that there are certainly Roman Catholics that are saved – but they are saved in spite of their religion, not because of it and they are certainly the exception and not the rule.
I agree with the Apostle Paul as he says a minister should speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). However, in today’s society it seems the emphasis is on love at the exclusion of truth. The command is to speak the truth in love, and sometimes the truth hurts. As the wise man noted, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Prov. 27:6).
I appreciate the loving concern of my mother. The bottom line – don’t worry Mom, I won’t be street preaching in St. Peter’s square from Revelation chapter 17.
After While Tozer
You see, for nearly a year Isaiah has been asking for a dog and back in the Spring Sandy and I agreed to get him one – after all, “every boy needs a dog.” At the time I was still praying about the mission field and the reality of deputation was still beyond the horizon. Even after the Lord confirmed in my spirit that He was calling us to Italy back in June, I did not see a problem with taking a dog with us to Italy. The only major hurdle I foresaw was housebreaking him and how hard could that be, right?
There was no question what kind of dog we would get, to me there is one breed that epitomizes what a dog should be and that is the German Shepherd. We bought Tozer in August. A week later we found out Sandy was with child. Not only was I preparing for deputation in August and September by working with our designer on our prayer cards, display, DVD, etc. and making endless phone calls to pastors whenever it didn’t interfere with my day job, but also Sandy was very nauseated in the first trimester while also home schooling Isaiah. Throw in a puppy to the mix and the stress level was kicked up a notch.
Tozer lasted two weeks in the house before he was moved to the outside… I’ll spare you the details. It quickly became apparent that deputation with a dog and a new baby would be very difficult, not to mention the unknowns of living in Italy. I explained to Isaiah some of the problems that would come up as a result of taking Tozer with us. I also talked to him about how happy Tozer would be at Grandma and Grandpa’s and that he would still be his dog. He accepted the idea, albeit with some sadness.
We’ll miss Tozer. He always greeted us at the gate when we came home and was always so happy to spend time with us. He loved to play soccer with Isaiah and he followed us wherever we went.
Tonight after supper, Dad, Isaiah, and me took Tozer and Dad’s adult Shepherd, Rommel, for a walk in the cow pasture to introduce them to each other. Things were a little tense at first but the two dogs warmed up to each other quickly. It was an enjoyable walk. I have always been impressed with how Dad can handle animals and it was a joy to see how content Dad was to have another Shepherd. Isaiah enjoyed the adventure of walking in the cow pasture and seeing his dog with Rommel.
The sun was setting on the horizon when we turned to head back to the house. Dad was leading Tozer and Rommel was running free. I was carrying Isaiah on my shoulders. There was a finality about the evening that I don’t think I can fully explain. Over the course of deputation, we will be leaving behind pieces of our life that we would not normally have set aside. Tonight it was a boy and his dog. Some day it will be my job, then our house, and finally our family. If I dwelt on this aspect of our call it could darken my mood a little this evening, but thank God the Bible puts things in perspective…
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” - 2 Cor 4:18