New Things

Bob Benson wrote a wonderful little book entitled "Come Share the Being". In it he tells the story of when he was a young child and had a younger brother born into the family. He related how he was jealous of the younger boy because he would get to experience "all them new things." What new things? Well, new things like riding a bike for the first time, or smelling a rose for the first time, or eating ice cream. You get the idea. There are lots of "new things" in life that we only do once. That doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the "old things", it just means that there is a special wonder of doing something for the first time.

There is another emotion that comes with doing something for the first time. PANIC! That's nearly what I'm experiencing now as I prepare to go to Korea for my first round of training trainers. I've had the training myself. Well, most of it. It's now my turn to go to Korea and train the first group of trainers who have the responsibility of training church planters. This will be done with my Korean partner who is also doing it for the first time. (What were the planners thinking when they paired two novice trainers?)

However, I have to remember some of the promises I've learned in scripture. "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you." "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose."

Maybe I can do this.

Discovering God's Plan?

“How do I know what God’s plan is for me?” Such is the question asked by the student attempting to discover a career that is meaningful. This question is asked by the middle aged couple who’ve been downsized by their employer. People nearing the end of a lifetime of work ask this question as they look ahead at retirement. In one way or another, virtually every believer asks this question during their walk with Christ. I believe most of us ask it as we look ahead to forks in the road that we have to navigate – some of us regularly.

How does one answer that question? I believe every time the issue arises it’s a new situation that demands fresh faith, if not a new strategy. We can believe, if we want to, that there is a formula to discovering God’s plan and all we have to do is mix the ingredients together and out pops the answer. Oh, that it might be that simple! Wouldn’t life be wonderful if all we had to do was know which button to press on the machine to have God’s perfect plan pop out in plain English (or whatever the appropriate language) and lay out each step we’re supposed to take? Well, not really. The Bible tells us, “everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Where does faith come in if every step is marked out?

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that we can’t know God’s plan. I don’t want to imply that God’s plan is some intangible thing that we can never quite get our hands on. It is possible to be confident in our understanding of God’s plan for our lives. He will make his plan known in such a way that we can walk in it with peace. With no questions? No. Questions are part of human nature. They’re natural. That doesn’t mean that the motivation to ask questions, or the inferences accompanying questions aren’t affected by our fallen nature. Curiosity, I believe, is one of the great gifts to humans from the Loving God. We’re born to ask questions. We’re born to seek out answers to “Why?,” “How?,” and others. Refraining from asking questions may not be a sign of great faith. It might be a sign of a mind lacking the most basic understanding of how God works with people – not to dominate, but to lead. Not dragging along a resisting subject, but guiding a willing servant.

I’ve discovered that the level of difficulty in the decisions we face is proportional to our spiritual maturity. In life, we don’t expect an adult to struggle carrying a five pound bag of sugar. However, we’re not surprised when we see a toddler working hard to help carry the same item into the house for Mom. Why is that? The same task is easy or difficult based on the age of the subject. An adult may struggle with a fifty pound bag of dog food just as much as a child with the sugar. Is the adult stronger? Of course. Is the subject of the task larger? Certainly. Who has the greater task? I would submit that the two tasks are proportionally the same.

As “mature” Christians, we can look at the decisions facing younger believers and be tempted to say, “Come on! Get with the program! Make a decision!” all the while completely missing how significant a decision it is to the new Christian. However, when we labor over a decision in our life the story is altogether different. Our response is, “Don’t you know this is a serious issue? Don’t you understand the implications of such a heavy decision?” We miss the point entirely that, proportionally, the decision the younger Christian faces is just as significant, just as complex, just as daunting.

What does this have to do with discovering God’s plan? I’ve pastored for thirty years. The number of times I’ve been asked, “How can I know God’s plan?,” or a similar question, is beyond counting. Yet, when Suzanne and I have stood in the position of wondering about the next step in our lives, I have to go back to the same strategy believers have used from the beginning:

Pray,
Seek counsel,
Read the Bible,
Review God’s previous directions,
Weigh the pros and cons of the various options

If we do all of that will we know for sure what we should do? Well, not necessarily. We might have a pretty good indication. We may find all of these lining up in the same direction – which is a good thing. But, where then, does faith come in? Doesn’t faith come into play when we believe God has spoken and we act on that word?

Someone used a simple illustration many years ago to demonstrate an important principle at this point. It’s easier to turn a car that’s moving than one that’s sitting still. When we step out in faith that God has spoken, one of three things will be true: 1), we’ll have made the correct choice and find confirmation and blessing, or 2), we’ll discover we should have gone a different direction, or 3), we’ll discover we could have taken either path because God promised to always be with us. There are times when God’s plan isn’t a specific path, but how we walk on that path, not the job title we have, but the kind of employee we are.

Suzanne and I have been on an amazing path these past eighteen months. Since we were first approached about ministering in Central Asia, we’ve seen God direct us and, at the same time, allow choices for us to make. There have been times when his desire was specific and clear. There have been other times when his plan was something we had to work to discover, or wait to see. We strive to discover the plan God has for us, but perhaps the greatest discovery is finding him.

Believing Without Seeing

My father was from the deep south, though he had left that region long before he ever met my mother. Periodically he would utter some phrase that had it’s origin, in my mind, in his home area. I finally learned that one phrase he used a lot wasn’t from the deep south, but was from somewhere other than I had experienced. The phrase was, “I’m from Missouri – the Show Me State. You have to show me.” I don’t know that this concept led to the phrase, “Seeing is believing,” but they do address the same issue – unbelief, or at least, skepticism.

We’ve watched a cute Christmas movie the last few years. It’s an animated movie for kids, but we’ve found it enjoyable in more ways than one – “Polar Express.” There is a line in the movie that takes the “Missouri” phrase and twists it just a bit, “Believing is seeing.” That small change changes a lot.

The “Missouri” phrase might be the skeptic’s claim. Until there is something concrete that can be seen, or until all the dots are connected, belief will be withheld. The jury will stay out and no judgment will be rendered without indisputable evidence. On the other hand, the “Polar” phrase could be the mantra of the gullible who want others to “just believe” and not to worry about the facts. “Don’t worry – be happy!”

I had a friend from early grade school through high school with whom I attended a small church near our homes. He made a comment to me one day in church. “They just want us to take off our heads and leave them on the coat rack by the door.” He meant that the church just wanted our belief and didn’t want us to evaluate the truth claims of the gospel. He was wrong, of course. The church, especially as I look back from this vantage point, wasn’t asking us to suspend rational thought. I believe they were asking people to look beyond the things we can see to the One who created the physical world and gave us things to see.

When God created people, besides giving them an intense curiosity about life and meaning, he included something that reflected a part of himself – creativity. With that gift, we have brought about some wonderful things. Oh yes, there have been some horrific things conceived by people, but that doesn’t negate those things of beauty and usefulness that bring a sense of wonder or make life a bit easier. Think of some of the great works of art. I’m not talking about those that capture life at it’s worst, but life at it’s best. Those things that lift the spirit, move people beyond themselves and inspire goodness, generosity and kindness.

Beyond art, there are the practical things of this world. The creativity of people has brought us medical advances that have made such a difference for so many people. Of course, there are those who have misused their creativity in this area, just like other areas, and brought about much evil. Engineers have given us some terrible things that have resulted in great harm to people. But, at the same time, physicians, engineers and other inventors have contributed in magnificent ways to the betterment of life for untold millions.

Every piece of art that was created, every medical advance, and each piece of equipment or building was first conceived in someone’s brain. An idea was born and that thought was given room to grow. Eventually, sometimes through great difficulty, the thought resulted in something concrete. The person whose brain gave birth to an idea could step back and see the culmination of that idea. That’s not the case with everything created. When something is built, for example, there is something to look at or touch. It’s easy to see the product of the thought process and the labor. There are other times when that isn’t the case.

In ministry, a pastor can “create” a sermon, put it on paper (or in PowerPoint) and deliver it to the congregation. He might have people comment with, “Good sermon, Pastor!” but the goal of a sermon, or a Bible study, is not the presentation – it’s the changed lives that result from interacting with the Word of God that has been presented. As we wrestle with the truth of the Word, we have the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to do those things only he can do to make us more like Jesus. Changed lives – that’s the goal! Sometimes it’s possible to see that change. Sometimes the change is almost immediate. Sometimes, most often, the change comes over time. Sometimes it’s a long time. Sometimes the preacher/teacher doesn’t see the change at all.

A verse of scripture has come to mean a lot to me for this very reason: we don’t always see the “product” of the labor we exert. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says,

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV)

In this case, seeing isn’t believing, nor is believing seeing. When we take God at his word, we know that he will accomplish something through our labor for him – even if we never see it.

The Wonder of It All

I think I'm getting old. There are those (my kids?) who would ask, "What took you so long to figure that out?" I don't feel old. Well, that's true most of the time. Full disclosure requires that I admit to times of aches and pains that are new. I still like the slogan I first heard from a friend many years ago (Larry Whittlesey): "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up." I understand that Satchell Paige, perhaps the greatest pitcher ever in baseball, said in answer to a question asking how old he was, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?" (It's my understanding that there wasn't a record of when he was born.)

My point about age is that I believe reflection is something that comes (or should come) with age. Perhaps it's because we ("aged ones") have more time. Perhaps it's because we have more perspective. I'm not sure why it's true, but I find myself thinking more about things. Sometimes it means that I see things differently. Often, I find myself more convinced about some of the things I've held dear over the years. Time for reflection has become a valuable thing in my life.

One of the things that I've found myself thinking about over these four months in Asia is the "wonder" of being called into Jesus' service. Of course, one of the treasured doctrines of the Christian church is the priesthood of all believers - every person who names Jesus as Lord has been called to serve the King of kings. Those of us who have been called into "full time ministry" have the special privilege of additional training and opportunities to serve that the "laity" miss out on. Suzanne and I just spoke a few minutes ago about how amazing it has been to see how God has used us in the last three summers. In 2006 we were in Brazil. In 2007 we were in Central Africa. This year we moved to Central Asia for a year. Why us? It is amazing that we've been honored to have these experiences!

When I take time to reflect on the One who has called me to Himself then called me into His service, it causes me to pause in wonder. The One who put the stars in place, the One who ordered the seas and raised the mountains from the plains, the One who breathed into man the breath of life and saw His Son breathe His last on the cross of Calvary, the One who then called Jesus from the tomb and to His rightful place at the Father's right hand has called me to work for Him. Amazing!

"Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all."