Whiter than snow

By Monty Hope
Because of its rarity in these parts, a good snow storm always creates lasting memories.  From a South Carolina perspective, we have had two memory makers this year.  Tuesday, January 25th, marked a nice white covering for the midlands, but that storm will best be remembered for the apocalyptic traffic conditions in Atlanta.  I was stuck in a hotel about an hour north of Atlanta and my wife sent a picture of our home after the snow.  While the picture looked beautiful, I knew the real story under the covering of wintry wonder.

I know our porch has some rotten wood and needs painting.  I know many of the shrubs are >18 years old and need to be pulled up.  They look tired and weak.  I know multiple screens on the back porch have been ripped where my youngest son was practicing his best Lionel Messi routines.  I know there are crabgrass patches in the yard that need to be dug up and replanted with centipede.  I know Zone 4 of my sprinkler system doesn’t work because there is a short in it.  I could go on and on.  In fact, Rene’e can give a more detailed and exhaustive list of the things I never get around to fixing.  Bottom line: That beautiful picture is a cover up.

For some of us, our lives may look like a snow covered landscape.  We look clean or “all together” when seen by others.  Perhaps we are even camouflaging the truth from ourselves.  After all, we are good Baptists.  What possibly could be wrong?  What is the snow we “pile on” to make our lives seem clean / blessed to ourselves and others?

Is it material possessions?  Do we live in the right house in the right neighborhood?  Do we drive the right car? Do we wear the right clothes?  Nothing wrong with having what we have, but do we use these possessions to try and hide the truth?  Could the truth be that we have more debt than we should or that we spend more than we should or that we give less than we should?

Is it our work or occupations?  Do we have the right “position” with the right pay?  Do we use the “position” as a means to hide the strife and struggles we face in our work?  Do we use the job as a way to pretend the grass really is greener?  We know the truth.  You have to cut the grass no matter what side of the fence you are on.

Is it community service?  Do we belong to the right charity or volunteer in the right organization?  When we serve, is it to pile on the snow hiding the fact that our own family is a wreck and we are avoiding the time we need to spend there?

What about religion?  This one hurts.  Do we attend the right church or the right Sunday school class that somehow creates a façade of religion rather than a true relationship with Jesus and fellow believers?
Why do we pile this snow on?  To fool ourselves into thinking all is ok.  Perhaps we are suffering pain, uncertainty, or low self-esteem.  We believe piling snow will solve our problem.  At least it makes it look good.  Do we pile it on to fool our fellow man?  We surely do not want them to know what is going on.  Do we cover with snow to hide the sin that is in our lives rather than to deal with it?  For me, it’s all about pride.  I am a man.  I am an Engineer.  I am a leader.  It is my job to fix things.  So, what do I do?  When I am trying to fix things in my own power, they don’t get fixed; they get covered with snow.  Heck, instead of solving the problem, I often create a deeper mess to have to dig out of.

Jesus said in Matthew 23: 27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”  Are we whitewashed tombs?  It’s God’s will for his sons and daughters to be blessed.  Please do not hear me say something is wrong with having wonderful possessions, wonderful jobs, or a wonderful church.  I know I just need to evaluate those for what they are: blessings.  I don’t need to use them to cover up what reality may be.

We have an alternative to the cover up plan.  We have the wash away plan.  Psalm 51:7 says, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.  Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  The wash away plan was perfected 2000 years ago when Christ died on the cross.  There is no need to pile on the snow; there is only a need to be cleansed.  When we know and accept that His blood was shed for us, we are perfected.  We must also recognize that, in this life, we need to stay connected to this cleansing power.  Our world is imperfect; we are imperfect.  When sin creeps in (and it will), we must return to the blood not cover with snow.

If we are true believers in Jesus, we will soon enough know perfection without sin.  Perhaps that day is today?  Are you ready?

The old hymn “I Shall Be Whiter than Snow” by James L. Nicholson states is well.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet,
By faith for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Christian Community - The Witnessing Gifts

By Monty Hope --
If your strongest spiritual gifts are knowledge, teaching, faith, prophecy, exhortation, evangelism, healing, and/or the interpret of tongues, God has wired you for witnessing.  For those of us who may not be strong in each of these, it is still our obligation to witness. Here is why:

1. Obedience.  Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
2. Compassion.  We do not want anyone to suffer the eternal agony and damnation of Hell.  We all sympathize with and minister to the earthly troubles of our fellow man.  Let us consider their eternal fate to be of an even greater importance.

God has enabled each of us with special, spiritual gifts.  They all come from the same place  God.  The Holy Spirit works through us to use them.  No matter how you boil them down, they only have two real purposes.

1. The support of the existing Christian community.
2. The growth of the Christian community through witnessing

Here is a recap of the simple witnessing model Jimmy and I demonstrated.  You can study it in great depths is you go to the following website:  http://www.wayofthemaster.com/.  Jimmy and I did not rehearse.  In fact, I only asked for his help right before class started.  I hope it came across as well as I felt it did.  Thank you Jimmy for being a great sport!

• W:  Would you consider yourself a good person?

• D: Do you follow the 10 commandments?

• J: If God judged you against those commandments, would you be guilty?

• D: Knowing God’s judgment based on those commandments, what would be your eternal destiny? 

These leading questions should give you a great basis for sharing Jesus with others.  God bless and have a great week!

Do you have one of the Spiritual Gifts that can lead others in Witnessing? Do you have one of the Spiritual Gifts that can model Outreach, showing us what it looks like and leading by your own example. We need you; the Kingdom needs you. Here are the Spiritual Gifts that drive the Outreach of the Christian Community:

• Evangelism - The gift of evangelism is the gift of faith-sharing and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to those we meet.  Evangelism is primarily a one-to-one or small group experience, grounded in building relationships with others and inviting them to make a decision for Christ.  Gifted evangelists do not force their faith on others, but offer relationship with God as a gift, and are ready to tell the story of God and Christ in their own lives.
• Exhortation - The gift of exhortation is manifest in people who offer encouragement, wise counsel, unflagging support, and empowerment.  Those who exhort stay focused on helping people maximize their own potential and live from their own gifts and skills.  Exhorters help people feel good about themselves, build confidence, and not grow discouraged.  Often, those with the gift of exhortation make others feel good just by being present.
• Knowledge - The gift of knowledge allows people to automatically convert facts, data, and information into useful and important knowledge.  People possessing this gift can learn in a variety of ways, retain what they learn, and understand how learning can be applied in meaningful and productive ways.  Those gifted with knowledge have a voracious and insatiable desire to learn more, and they seek multiple avenues for deepening their understanding of God’s world, God’s will, and God’s people.
• Teaching - The gift of teaching allows people to transform data and information into life changing knowledge.  Teachers do not have to stand in front of a class to teach.  Often gifted teachers communicate best in informal, one-on-one settings.  Teachers have the uncanny knack of helping people learn effortlessly.  People internalize and retain the knowledge and learning they receive from gifted teachers.  Good teachers transform more than they inform.
• Faith - The gift of faith is more than belief in Jesus Christ, but an abiding foundation of confidence that God works all things together for good, and that they people of God can rise above any obstacle.  Faith is the bedrock upon which we build lives, congregations, and communities.  People with the gift of faith hold fast to the deep conviction that no matter what we see with our eyes, we can trust the promises and plan of God.
• Prophecy - The gift of prophecy is the ability to speak God’s word to others, or more appropriately to be open for God to speak God’s word through us.  Prophets do not predict the future, but offer insight and perspective on current conditions and how things might turn out if changes aren’t made.  Prophets are incisive, clear, and often controversial, communicators.  Prophets see things that others often don’t, and they have the courage to “tell it like it ought to be.”
• Healing - Servanthood is the gift of doing for others, sometimes to the exclusion of meeting personal needs.  Servants look for ways to do for others both within and beyond the congregation and community.  Servants do not choose to serve, but serve from a sense of identity and call.  Gifted servants never feel put-upon or taken advantage of, but see each opportunity to do for others as a way to be true to self.
• Tongues - The gift of tongues is a communication gift that allows people to speak foreign languages and convey concepts they never formally studied.  People with this gift “pick up” the ability to communicate across barriers of language, culture, age, or physical limitation (some people with the gift of tongues work with the deaf or blind).  The gift of tongues is not a “secret” prayer language, but a way to communicate the faith to people in a known language.

(Source: www.umc.org)

Beware the Thief

By Monty Hope -- Growing up the son of a Southern Baptist Music Minister in a small town was always interesting.  My mother, ever the right brained, creative, emotional entertainer has always had a problem with time.  She never has been able to gage time and surely has an issue showing up on time.  One warm, summer, Sunday morning I was a good little eight year old and got myself ready for church.  With plenty of time to kill, I climbed into the front seat of our ‘74, Chevy, Impala and rolled the windows down.

Well, time kept on ticking and I got a little antsy.  Compared to the right brained personality of my mother, I am diametrically imposed.  Even as a young child, I was severely left brained (logical, not emotional, concerned about time, etc).  So, with time clicking away, what was a left brained little boy to do?  That’s right, get on the horn.  The first series nor the second series of honks brought any attention.  It was on the third series of honks that all hell broke loose.  My mama erupted out of the house with screen door swinging behind.  Her hair was done, her makeup was done, but she was only wearing a slip.  She extracted me out of the Impala through the open window and, before she planted my feet on the ground, there were at least three swats to the backside.

Why so much trouble on Sundays?  I dare say that during my childhood I got more beatings on Sunday morning that any other day.  While I will never blame my sinful actions on the old phrase “the Devil made me do it,” I do believe Satan, the Thief, was and is very interested in disrupting the Lord’s day.  This is especially true if that day is going to be a day in which the gospel is spread and lives are saved.  Revelation 12:12 says, “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

So, if you think the Thief is a little ticked and wants to disrupt a simple day of worship, imagine what he wants to do because of the revival that is occurring in our class?  According to Charles Spurgeon, “When the devil roars at anything, you may rest assured there is some good in it. The devil is not like some dogs we know of; he never barks unless there is something to bark at. When Satan howls we may rest assured he is afraid his kingdom is in danger.”

Revival is occurring because of one simple fact.  The Gospel of Jesus is being taught.  Even more importantly, the Gospel is being taken beyond the four walls of our class into the community and world. There is no doubt Satan must be shaken by this revival.  The more he is shaken the more desperate his actions may become.  We must be on guard for the thief.  Will we be so enamored with what “WE” accomplish that we forget Jesus is accomplishing it?  Will we be so focused on what “WE” need from this class that we forget our goal is to share what we receive with others?  Will our pride be hurt because we are not included in this group or that group.  Will we not recognize our goal is to include others and not worry about being included?

Take head, but also take heart.  Jesus says in John 16: 33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Yes, there will be trouble.  Anytime Jesus is using us to expand His kingdom, resistance and pain will be encountered.  The wonderful thing is that the same Jesus who is our message is also our deliverer.  He has overcome this word.  He has overcome the Thief.

Pleasing People v Pleasing Jesus

By Monty Hope -- Piles of financial data, spreadsheets built with cunning insight, sales reports loaded with client information, detailed cost reports showing where the money was going………these were the heart of six, super-duper, financial reports I spent an entire weekend constructing.  Each report was sent to my boss, our CFO, and the General Manager of the area studied.  Each was concise and contained detailed action plans for improvement.  As I went to bed Sunday night after emailing the last of the reports, a smug grin emerged across my face.  I drifted to sleep sure of the at-a-boy emails I would receive on Monday.

Monday came and went; no emails, no calls.  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed with no acknowledgement of the work that surely could have earned a Nobel Prize in economics.  I made my way home for the weekend questioning the value of the sweat I put into those reports.  By Monday the disillusionment had worn off, but God waited until Wednesday to teach me a lesson.  As I opened my “Stand Firm” devotional on June 5, 2013, the title of the lesson read, “Seeking the Approval of Others.”  There is always a “Bottom Line” in this devotional.  It read, “Pursuing the fleeting, conditional recognition of others is like running in the wrong direction.  It takes us further away from God, never closer.”  While I did emit a slight chuckle at God’s sense of humor, it was done so through a shroud of shame.

In John 5:38-47, Jesus addresses the danger of seeking praise from others.  In his words to the Jewish leaders, “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.  How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

Here is the crux of the issue.  There is no sin or harm in pleasing others.  In fact, obedience taken to the max should be pleasing.  The harm and the sin occur when we please other so that we can receive the praise.  Pride is truly at the root of all sin and you can see its interface here.  Let us follow the advice of Paul in Colossians 3:22-25 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Go ahead.  Work hard so that others may be pleased.  Work hard so that Jesus will be glorified through you.  Take great comfort knowing Jesus has granted us all the reward we will ever need.  We have eternal life through Him.  What more could we ask?

The simplicity of the Gospel

By Monty Hope

No matter our Myers-Briggs profiles, there are only two types of people in our class today.  There were those who know Jesus as their personal savior and those who do not.  Those who have accepted Jesus need to hear the simplicity of the Gospel often.  If not, we will let Jesus slip from the center of our life and replace Him with ourselves.  For those who have not accepted Jesus, they yearn for His peace, love, and salvation.  The Gospel is a must for both groups.  We should not complicate it.  Jesus made it simple and we must keep it that way.

First, there is the life of Jesus.  He is our example.  As he said:

• John 13:15 “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
• Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

We need a role model to live by.  Jesus’s life was that model.  He was a humble servant.  He placed himself behind others.  He led a sinless, spotless life.  All other role models are flawed in comparison to Him.  How could we ever hope to emulate this model?

Good news, we do not have to live up to His example.  There is every expectation from Jesus and God that we should, but we are flawed.  Praise be to God, Jesus knew we could not live up to his example so He gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins.  He died for our salvation.

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

After we accept Jesus as our savior, our holy God can commune with us.  When he sees us, he sees us through lenses covered with the blood of His son.  Through these lenses, we are seen as pure as Jesus.

The role model through Jesus’ life and the salvation through Jesus’ death are more than enough in terms of the Gospel.  We are blessed that there is more.  Death was not the end.  The third simple component of the Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus.

• Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

We are a weak race; a frail people.  We need hope.  Jesus resurrection from the tomb is this hope.  In fact, it is more than hope.  It is the assurance that when we trust in Him as our Savior, death is not our end.  We will live with Him in eternity.

So there it is; the simplicity of the Gospel.  Remember Jesus’ life through the manger; humble, pure, spotless.  Remember Jesus’ death through the cross; atoning blood spilled for our salvation.  Remember Jesus’ resurrection through the empty tomb; the assurance that we too can conquer death through Him.  If you were part of the group today who know Him as your savior, keep the simplicity of the Gospel at the center of your being.  If you were part of the group today who has not accepted Jesus as your savior, DO SO NOW!  Accept the simplicity of His plan.  Be assured of your fate.