Work Stoppage?

In Sunday’s sermon Pastor Althea made the point that we cannot produce our own faith, but we can hinder it from growing.

Let’s re-visit one of the verses from yesterday’s post: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3, emphasis mine)

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25) we see an example of the graciousness of our God. He has given us the faith necessary to work for Him, using whatever gifts He has given to us. He knows our capability to operate in faith, to the glory of His name, and we can choose to joyfully obey His call... or summarily dismiss it. Let’s read this parable today, absorbing its encouragement, and heeding its warning.

Are you growing in faith, or are you hindering faith from growing?

Matthew 25:14-30

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Watch Your Wait!

In Sunday's sermon, Reverend Ronald Benjamin shared a point I'd like us to reflect on today: We know that in Communion we remember Christ Jesus, but we often forget the entire phrasing of First Corinthians 11:23-26. It says: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The Lord who instituted communion is the Lord who will one day come back for His people.

I think the challenge we have is that, as Scripture asserts, there are many people who believe they qualify as "His people" (see Matthew 7:21-23)-- but we would do well to remind ourselves of a few passages in which God shows us what sorts of people are not qualified to join Him in glory. As we wait for the Lord "until He comes", let us not approach the process with pride, nor shame, nor confusion, but with a heart to experience the grace of God.

What happens to people who, as they wait for the Lord’s coming, fail to remember Jesus?

1. They attempt to siphon faith from stronger Christians instead of seeking to develop their own faith-walk with the Lord. We see an example of this in Jesus’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise ones carried extra oil (a metaphor for the presence of God’s Spirit), while the foolish had no reserves. In the face of the lack which was exacerbated by the length of their wait, the foolish virgins sought to take from the resources of their colleagues. “The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’” (Matthew 25:8) But we are instructed to receive our resources from the Lord. Jesus says, “I am the vine… apart from me you can do nothing.” (see John15:5)

2. They forget that the forgiveness of God, extended towards them, models the way in which they are to forgive others. In the parable of the unforgiving servant (see Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus tells us that the one who is forgiven is expected to have compassionate mercy on those who are in need of forgiveness. The parable ends with the rescinding of mercy, because the man who was forgiven of massive debt had refused to forgive another man of a very small debt. We must remember what our Lord has said: “But if you do not forgive others their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)

3. They assume that the Lord’s delayed appearance grants them license to disobey. Jesus shared with His disciples a brief narrative about an unjust manager. The manager was a man who knew the desires of the owner, but who opted to do wrong in light of the owner’s extended absence. In the narrative, Jesus said: “But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.” (Luke 12:45-47)

Let us remember the Lord's death. Let us remember the Lord's imminent return. Let us watch our wait.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Inheritance Inherent!

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” (Matthew 25:31-34)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam reminded us of the last section of Matthew 25. Though we commonly refer to this passage as the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), we should keep in mind that Jesus is teaching us about the status of humanity. At the end of our lives, we will be in one of two categories: either we are among the blessed, or we are among the wicked. (Our pastor noted that this same division, blessed versus wicked, occurs in Psalm 1. There is no other category available.)

Jesus, referring to Himself, says that He will separate the people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And the litmus test is an interesting one: it’s a list of activities.

Our Lord notes six things:

“I was hungry…”

“I was thirsty…”

“I was a stranger…”

“I was naked…”

“I was sick…”

“I was in prison…”

Those who serve the disenfranchised are designated as sheep, and those who ignore the disenfranchised are designated as goats. On the first read, this might seem to be a works-based judgement of souls. But Psalm 1 can help us here. As we noted in yesterday’s post, there is a phrase in Psalm 1:2: But his delight is in the law of the Lord. The Hebrew word we translate as delight, chephets, suggests the act of being inclined towards or bending towards something that has great value. So, it’s not just that we are diligent to read God’s law. Our delight is indicated by our inclination to obey God’s law. Our love is expressed not just in our words, but through our works. And Jesus gives us a wonderful creed that’s easy to memorize: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

[Interestingly, this passage also brings up the question of philanthropy without faith, as there are many people who give to the poor but have no love for God. I will address that in a separate post.]

God, thank You! Pour Your love into us, and give us grace to pour Your love into the world. Help us to love Your word, and help us to live Your word. Lead us by Your Holy Spirit, today and every day. Amen.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reading Session

In this past Sunday’s sermon, You Know You Are Blessed When…, Pastor Sam shared a few Scripture passages that help us to see when and how God imparts His blessing on people. Today, let’s read each of the chapters that were referred to during the sermon.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 32

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Matthew 25

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Attitude, Controlled.

“I want to talk to you about a word that is extremely important, a word that is critical... the one thing that can single-handedly determine the job that you have, the friends that you have, the place that you may land in life… is a word called attitude.” –Rev. Dimas Salaberrios

In Tuesday evening’s revival service Pastor Dimas shared with us about the importance of having an appropriate attitude towards God, and maintaining an appropriate attitude as we live out God's agenda.

Our speaker shared excerpts from the parable of the talents (found in Matthew 25:14-30-- click here to read the passage). He noted that if we believe God for “big and tremendous things”, do our part in working diligently, and avoid an attitude of laziness and finger-pointing, then God will honor our faith-filled acts.

Pastor Dimas also noted that our Lord increases our responsibilities as we demonstrate:

v  Faithfulness in obeying God;

v  Fearlessness in doing what God has called us to do;

v  Execution of God’s work without waiting for “the perfect conditions” to start doing what He has said;

v  Willingness to be countercultural, not attempting nor craving the acceptance of the world.

v  Openness to always seeking the will of God in every situation we face;

v  Rejection of evil alliances and attachments.

Pastor Dimas said that as we ask Jesus to show us His good ideas, and as we engage in His work with an attitude of enthusiasm, we will be positioned to labor faithfully for Kingdom business. We serve a God who is interested in us doing our best, and who longs for us to put forth our best efforts in order to accomplish His will in the world.

What do we believe about the LORD?

What do we believe about ourselves?

How do our beliefs influence our work ethic?

Checkout Lines.

In last Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam noted that the word of the Lord through Isaiah (see Isaiah 58:6-9a) was echoed in the New Testament. As we close out this week of reflection on God's chosen fast, let's take time to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25.  

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ Then he will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46, NET Bible

All Dressed Up, But Not Ready To Go.

“It is a vital thing to prepare yourself for what God is going to do decisively. This kind of decisive coming of God is not something that He must make catch you unawares or unprepared.” –Rev. Dr. Sam Vassel

The unprepared. In this past Sunday’s sermon Pastor Sam spoke of the parable of the ten virgins. All ten were dressed and waiting for the bridegroom, but when the bridegroom finally arrived five of the virgins were unprepared to go out to meet him. Though they were in the right place and in the right attire, they lacked the supply of oil needed to light their way. (see Matthew 25:1-13) As we engage in Christian ministry and activity today, we are warned that not everyone who adopts Christian culture is ready to meet the Christ we claim to serve.

The unaware. The purpose of the life and ministry of John the Baptist was to serve as one who prepared people for the ministry of Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:5-17). Our pastor shared: “The Holy Spirit took care to fill John the Baptist from his mother’s womb.” In the same way, the Holy Spirit is present today to make us aware of our need to renounce idolatry and seek the presence and blessing of the Lord. John the Baptist exhorted the people of his day to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8a); we are encouraged to do the same.

v  Are we producing fruit that shows the world we have embraced repentance, or do our lives show a lack of joyful obedience to God’s word?

v  Are we prepared to meet our Lord Jesus at any time, or are we harboring known sin and self-serving works?

v  Are we aware of our need to give ourselves, completely, to the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

Come In, Please.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us that the Advent of Christ is a phenomenon that transcends time.

Christ came. As we noted in Tuesday's post, we have historical record that Jesus was born into a particular time and place.

Christ comes. As Christians, we walk in a lived experience of Jesus being present in us. Every day we embrace a new opportunity to see the life and ministry of Jesus being represented in the way we treat ourselves and others.

Christ will come. At some future point in time, our Lord will return to bring the righteous into eternal life, and the wicked into eternal punishment (see Matthew 25).

How do we respond to this truth? We look back with gratitude; we live today with joy; we look forward with hopeful expectation.

Our pastor noted that Christ is the King in the kingdom of God: He is the already, and the not yet.

Believe this truth.
Live in accordance with this truth.
Proclaim this truth.
Veni, Emmanuel.

Vessel. Vassal. Vassel.

Matthew 25 consists of three sections. We have the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (25:1-13), the parable of the talents (25:14-30), and the explanation of the judgement (25:31-46).

One of the scary things about this chapter is that, on the surface, there seems to be no distinction between the faithful and the unfaithful. In the first parable, all the virgins look alike. In the second parable, the master entrusted property to all of his servants. In the explanation of the judgement, Jesus tells us that "all the nations will be assembled before him" (25:31). So we have a scenario where these groups appear unified in position, placement, and purpose.

But then, Jesus comes along and points out certain distinctives that reveal the people who are really His, versus the people who are serving the devil.

For the virgins, the distinctive is not the oil in their lamps, but the extra oil reserves in their jars. The wise virgins have chosen to carry a heavier burden, a chabod, the weight of extra flasks of oil (which alludes to the fullness of the Spirit in their lives). The foolish virgins were content to just get by with whatever was in their lamp. But in the end, those foolish virgins were refused admittance to the Bridegroom's banquet.

For the servants, the distinctive was not their possession of talents, but the manner in which those talents were stewarded. In telling this parable Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of God does not tolerate cowardice. In fact, the unfaithful steward's action (that is, his lack of action) is interpreted as laziness and wickedness. And in the end, that wicked lazy steward is evicted: thrown into "outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". He is banished to a place absent of the Light, and his talent is taken away and given to a faithful servant (25:28-30).

In the explanation of the judgement, Jesus says that He will separate the nations into two categories. The separation is based on how the people of the world respond to the poor, the sick, and the disenfranchised. Perhaps the most amazing thing in this passage is that Jesus puts Himself in the center of the issue: "I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did it for me." (25:40).

As Pastor Sam shared on Sunday, and I paraphrase here, the only thing that will make us take risks is an overwhelming love for God. And this love comes from God! It is He who empowers us to love enough to risk bearing the weight of His Presence, to take the risk of investing in His kingdom, and to risk expending the energy necessary to serve the downtrodden of the world.

So here we are, in the twenty-first century, confronted with Matthew 25. And we need to respond.

What will you do, virgin?
What will you do, steward?
What will you do, people of the world?

Yes, Sir!

The (steward) who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. (Matthew 25:16-17)

"Right away."

There are some people in my life who I obey immediately, without question and without backtalk. I am okay with these people having authority over me, because I love them dearly and I trust them unequivocally. They expressed love and trust of me in moments where I was really messed up and unlovable, and I am eternally indebted to them. So when they ask me to do something, and especially when they authorize me to act on their behalf, I do it. No conditions attached.

The faithful stewards' eagerness in their work was an expression of their love and trust of the master who loved and trusted them. Jesus tells this parable as an example of how things work in the kingdom of God: it is a kingdom of love, love expressed in joyful vigorous service to our Lord.

How amazing that God allows us to act on His behalf! We are the body of Christ, and His Spirit has empowered us to do things for the sake of the kingdom of God. In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam shared two characteristics found in faithful stewards:

Faithful stewards risk everything. In the parable, we see that the faithful stewards did not hold anything back. They worked hard, they took risks, and they received returns on their investments.

Faithful stewards act immediately. They did not second-guess their master's choices. They didn't seek to modify their work assignment. They went out right away and got to work immediately. They made excellent use of the time they had. And when their master returned, they were able to present a positive accounting of how they handled his resources.

How about you? Is your life an expression of faithful stewardship?

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire.

In this past Sunday's sermon on Matthew 25:14-30, Pastor Sam shared two key points about the unfaithful steward.

Satanic misconception. "Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed," (Matthew 25:24). In other words, the unfaithful steward's disapproval of the master's business plan "justified" his inactivity. Further, the unfaithful steward made a false character assessment of the master. Misrepresentation (of God and God's servants) is a hallmark trait of the activity of Satan, who constantly accuses and lies (see Genesis 3:1-5; Revelation 12:10).

Self-interested motivation. "so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours." (Matthew 25:25). Hiding is an expression of fear (see Genesis 3:10), and Scripture informs us that cowards have no place in the kingdom of God- in fact, cowards lead the list of those destined for eternal punishment (see Revelation 21:8).

Are you afraid to work with what God has entrusted to you? Are you blaming God for your own unwillingness to "work while it is day" (John 9:4)? If so, then seek God for forgiveness. He will change your attitude so that you can become a successful steward of His gifts and graces.

I Can Handle This.

As we continue reflections on this past Sunday's sermon, let's recall the three components of stewardship seen in the Matthew 25 passage.

Responsibility. God expects us to accomplish the tasks He assigns to us.

For (the kingdom of heaven) is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. -Matthew 25:14

Ability. The Lord has given us the capacity to perform the tasks He has assigned us.

To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. -Matthew 25:15

Accountability. Though the parable began with the owner leaving for a long journey, eventually a day came where the owner returned.

After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. -Matthew 25:19

Though these things were shared as part of our Stewardship Sunday for the capital campaign, Pastor Sam made it clear that God's expectations regarding our stewardship go beyond mere finances. God has created us to be successful stewards of our bodies, our families, our minds, and our spiritual graces.

I pray that when He calls us to account, we will be able to give Him a good report.

But why do people sometimes miss the mark in their stewardship efforts? Tomorrow we'll have a discussion on what makes a person fail in their stewardship.

"Distributive" Property.

Today we continue our reflections on the parable of the talents.

The LORD owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (First Corinthians 6:19)

Pastor Sam said, and I paraphrase here, that we must have a clear sense of what we own and what we are in charge of. And, the scriptural reality is that we don't own anything. God owns everything.

God has, however, given us the privilege of being stewards of the things He owns.

Matthew 25:14-30 presents a wonderful parable that warns of the consequences of being a poor manager of what God has placed in our custody. Implicit in God's entrusting of these things to us is that God knows we're able to care for what He's loaned us. In other words, He has equipped us to handle the job.

So why do we sometimes fail so miserably in caring for His property, whether it's our bodies, our jobs, or our relationships? Perhaps it is because we don't really understand what it means to be a steward of God's stuff.

Tomorrow we'll look at three components of stewardship: responsibility, ability, and accountability.

Sam/ I Am.

This past Sunday we spent some time reflecting on the importance of biblical stewardship.

Pastor Sam spoke as an oracle of God. He focused on four major points:

-Stewardship versus ownership
-Responsibility, Ability, and Accountability
-Failed Stewardship
-Faithful Stewardship

As we go through this week, we'll dissect each of these points.

For today, though, here's a few questions for contemplation:

Do you tithe out of an overwhelming love for God, or do you tithe out of fear?
How have you allocated the financial resources that God has given you?
If the LORD were to return today, would you be prepared to meet Him?

I encourage you to read (or re-read) Matthew 25 today in preparation for this week's blogs.

Blessings and peace to you all.

A Day to Pray

Hello! Hope you all are having a restful Saturday. Today seems to be a good day to put the writing on pause in favor of prayer and supplication.

I'd like to encourage all of us to pray for the modern-day versions of our examples from Matthew 25: that is, those who are entrenched in church and church programming but are not on board with God's agenda. His judgement is coming and we pray that our fellow believers will not be caught unawares.

Blessings and peace to each of you. In respect of the LORD's day there will not be a Sunday morning posting, but I may do a posting on Sunday night. Take care.

From My Journal

Here is the way Sunday's sermon from the second service was captured in my journal:

PSJC (Pastor Sam Jamaican Colloquialism): "oonoo"? = "you all" with urgency.

Mark 1:15 - The Kingdom is here to bring justice and peace and joy. These are things we experience now: God's future has invaded the present.

We become: peaceable; peaceful; peacemakers

What has Jesus done? He has spoken like no one else does; and He has demonstrated signs of the kingdom: feeding the 5000 (the King cares), walking on water (the King is competent), raising from the dead (the King is in control)

Matthew 25: Jesus shows who is and who is not of the kingdom of God

The parable of the virgins: dressed and in the right place but not ready; in the right associations and in the right activity but not ready

PSJC: "do something before something do you"

The parable of the talents: the indictment of ignoring the opportunities that God presents

The parable of the sheep and goats: how we live now determines where we end up then; the people who were commended did not even realize their works as commendable ("when did we...?")

As you can see these notes are not as good as other people's notes (Marilyn! Wayne! Pastor Joy!), but I hope it's enough to remind us of the flow of the sermon and cause us to further reflect on what we've heard and learned.

Thank you for reading, and God bless you.

What's Yours Is His.

Every now and then, a pastor preaches and during the preaching an atmosphere of conviction falls over the congregation. This phenomenon occurred in both services this past Sunday. Scripture records the optional responses for one who is "cut to the heart": either they repent, as in the case of those who heard Peter's sermon (Acts 2:37); or they revolt, as the religious leaders did in response to Stephen's sermon (Acts 7:54). I am mentioning this because today's blog reflects on money, and I have seen otherwise calm Christians get really upset when their financial stewardship is brought into question. So if that's you getting mad in the back row, just relax and embrace the conviction. God is trying to help us all get with His program of giving.

The parables of Matthew 25 are loaded with monetary references. The wise and foolish virgins had to spend money to be appropriately attired and to obtain the extra oil they needed while waiting for the Bridegroom. The parable of the sheep and the goats indicates that the commended individuals made financial sacrifices in offering food, drink, shelter, provision, and visitation to strangers in need.

The parable of the talents, however, is the one most overtly concerned with financial stewardship. For years I thought that "talent" referred to some sort of artistic or spiritual gifting/grace, and that "money" was a euphemism for the skills we have been given by God. I later found out that a talent was a weight, and that the substance being weighed (usually silver or gold) carried monetary value. The original readers and hearers of the Matthew 25 parable would have immediately understood the talent as a financial entity.

But we are trying to understand this in twenty-first century life. So, let's pretend that the master gave you a talent of gold, and that he gave it to you on Tuesday. If a talent weighs approximately seventy-five pounds, and the master gave you a talent of gold which on Tuesday carried a trade value of about $800 per ounce, then the monetary value of that talent would be about $960,000. Wow. What will you do with his money while he tarries? Does it make a difference to you whether you are stewarding $20 or $2 million?

We can recall the commendation that Jesus gave to the widow who gave all she had into the temple treasury. And some of us know the story of Hudson Taylor, who raised his tithe to 90% and left a legacy of excellent business strategy and extravagant giving to God. I have to ask again, and I have to include myself: what will we do with His money while He tarries? Lord, help us to handle your money in such a way that we are able to demonstrate financial excellence and deliver substantial returns to You- not just for your commendation, but because we love You.

Apathy=Wickedness

Most of the time, persons who are task-avoidant can provide a logical reason for their unwillingness to work. The servant has presented a strong indictment against the master (Matthew 25:24-25, paraphrase mine): Master, I have decided that I am not interested in performing according to the ability you know I have within me. Master, I have a problem with the way you do things and therefore I refuse to support your agenda. Master, I am afraid of you and therefore I will do nothing. Master, since I was reluctant to invest your money I did absolutely nothing with it- well no, I did do one thing: I dug a hole and buried it. Master, I am giving you a zero percent return on what you have given me.

Apathy. Hole-digging aside, apathy gives the lie that it is the easy way out. But the master returns a stronger indictment against the servant: You wicked and lazy servant... Pastor Sam has offered some additional reflection on this indictment, which I will attempt to summarize in the remainder of this paragraph. Pastor Sam noted that we tend to relegate the word 'wicked' to those who engage in active evil, but Jesus uses the word to describe those who embrace inactivity in opposition to the mandate of God. As Jesus tells the parable, it is clear that He has a problem with people who, having been entrusted with God's property, do nothing with it. Or do the wrong thing with it. To make matters worse, there was probably some unknown servant (in the background of the story) who got no talents, but who would have performed better than the wicked servant.

We serve a God of multiplication. A single marigold flowerhead can contain over 50 seeds (yes, I counted this myself). In tithing we give God ten percent, and He promises to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we cannot contain. God's first mandate to man, recorded in Genesis 1, is a simple order: Be fruitful. Multiply. Increase in number.

As was said in Sunday's sermon, doing nothing is dangerous. In God's economy, doing nothing is an affront to His agenda and earns you the label wicked- an enemy of God. It is also an affront to the body of Christ, which is designed to live with all its parts functioning. What part of God's estate have you been entrusted with? Are you spending your energies digging a hole to hide the very thing God has asked you to invest and increase?

In the language of the first century, "talent" was a sum of money. Interestingly, all the parables in Matthew 25 involve money. I think that is something we can reflect on in tomorrow's blog.

A Special Anniversary

On September 2, 2007 my husband and I became members of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. It was an extremely important event for us. God is so good! We are blessed to be under spiritual covering. One of the interesting aspects of membership in a prophetic community is that, every now and then, God shows up and manifests His presence in ways that confound and humble us. Events occur that cannot be attributed to anything but the work of God. We see the impossible made possible and we marvel.

But, just as in the days of Christ, the community also contains those who are staunch skeptics. We heard this reiterated in the sermon example of the Pharisees and Sadducees who would listen to the words of Christ only for the purpose of looking for flaws in His teaching. And we have seen this reiterated in the present-day example of persons who are in attendance at church, but have their hearts set on criticism and doubt.

Part of the text that precedes Matthew 25 says 'no one knows the day or the hour'. Sadly, that truth seems not to be sufficient for some of us. If anyone needs incentive to trim their lamps and carry extra oil, what better incentive can there be than not knowing what time the Bridegroom will appear? If we know that our Master is returning to settle accounts, shouldn't that be incentive enough to maximize our talents? If God has indicated that His heart is for 'the least of these' and our eternal destiny is at stake, then why not embrace His heart?

The Matthew 25 passage warns us that one day the ride will be over. The passage has an undertone that hints at the subsequent tragedy of Ananias and Sapphira, a wonderfully prominent couple in the early church who were in the right prophetic community but with the wrong motive. We would do well to learn from their failure.

Interestingly enough, sometimes it takes a manifestation on the level of an 'Ananias and Sapphira' event in order to shake communities and deliver people from apathy and doubt. Yesterday evening I spoke very briefly with Pastor Sam on the aspect of apathy as a form of wickedness. Tomorrow's blog will offer some reflections on that topic.

And your name is...?

It's not hard to live a dichotomous life. If we just keep saying no to the agenda of God, He will stop striving with us and will allow callouses to form on our reprobate hearts. And, strangely enough, He does not cancel the promises. We tithe and see the windows of heaven opened. We can pray and see people healed. We can even be effective in evangelism. I know this because I have lived this. And I appreciate the plaintive inquiry: what good is it if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul?

Oh, the dreaded fear of not being recognized by Jesus. As we heard in Sunday's sermon, and as we have read for ourselves in Matthew 25, this is a reality of the kingdom of God. If the LORD had returned in 1990, I certainly would have been 'cast into the darkness'... the consequence of embracing my own agenda and using God as a personal candy machine. To quote Reverend Darryl, I was saved but not surrendered. God, in His graciousness, has allowed me to live long enough to wake up and happily abandon my agenda for His.

What is God seeking? Not just trimmed lamps, but a supply of extra oil; not just talent, but immediate and aggressive investment of the talent with the intent to produce a substantial return; and not just 'all my work is for the Master', but a heart to embrace 'the least of these'. Reflecting on these three parables has led me to consider, deeply and with excitement, how I can support God's agenda in a way that brings Him returns worthy of commendation.