Q: Through the years we've attended a handful of churches. Inevitably, each of them seems to hit periods of turbulence. I mean, there are nasty political situations in the church. People get wounded. Some get mad and leave. You keep thinking you'll find another church where they don't have the conflict or the drama. But then it happens again. Is it me? Am I a magnet for conflict? What is it about churches that make so many of them dysfunctional?
A: The real problem is simply that the churches are full of sinners who are in desperate need of a Savior. They're broken, flawed people with incomplete and impure thinking. This may be one of the most misunderstood truths in all of Christianity. People look at the problems in a church and conclude that they mean something about the authenticity or legitimacy of that church. They don't. They simply mean that the church is human.
If you set out to find the perfect church, I daresay you would never find it. For even if it looks perfect now, you're not seeing everything and/or it won't look that way for long. Everyone in a church must yield to a higher authority than mankind. It's the only way that everything can be made right. The fact is that not many churches or church leaders, including lay leaders, recognize that conflict is inevitable and therefore must be dealt with.
Churches, leaders and even the lay people in them need to acquire a "black belt in conflict." Seriously, because conflict is so natural to our flawed nature, we can only honor God when we learn to deal with it successfully. And for what it's worth, we honor God most when we walk through the conflict instead of around it.
I teach a course on conflict resolution. The Bible is chock full of advice and tools to help us deal with conflict successfully.
Spiritual Gifts
Q: What exactly are spiritual gifts? And how do I know if I have them?
A: Spiritual gifts are special abilities that are supernaturally bestowed on each of them. Everyone of us has them and the mix of them tends to vary from one person to another. Opinions tend to vary about what the gifts are, depending on where they're referenced in the Bible. A few commonly accepted gifts are also not referenced specifically in the Bible, but are rather implied.
The most commonly accepted reference to the spiritual gifts is 1 Corinthians 12, which most people think lists just nine (9) spiritual gifts. They are wisdom & knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8), faith (1 Cor. 12:9), healing (1 Cor. 12:9 & 12:28), miracles (1 Cor. 12:10 & 12:28), prophesy (1 Cor. 12:10 & 12:28), discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10), speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:10), and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10). These are also known as the charismatic gifts because they tend to be more supernatural in nature.
There are other references in Romans 12 to things that Christianity tends to accept as being spiritual gifts. Those include things like exhortation, serving, giving, leadership, mercy, and teaching. Ephesians 4 also list some things that Christians believe are spiritual gifts of apostleship, pastoring, and evangelism. But the list is actually a little longer still. There are various passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testament that suggest a few other spiritual gifts. Celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7), martyrdom, voluntary poverty, hospitality and missionary are all on that last.
The best way to determine which of the gifts you have is through a professionally developed spiritual gifts test. The one I favor is called the Wagner-Houts Gift Analysis. You can find it on-line. There are other tests available on-line as well. You might want to take more than one of them and compare the results for consistency. Then I recommend you take the results and talk them over with someone who knows you well to see if the results line up with what is known about you.
The bottom line is that we all have spiritual gifts to one degree or another. Some of us are aware of them, and some of us put them to better use than others. So once you identify them, the challenge is to become a good steward of those spiritual gifts!
A: Spiritual gifts are special abilities that are supernaturally bestowed on each of them. Everyone of us has them and the mix of them tends to vary from one person to another. Opinions tend to vary about what the gifts are, depending on where they're referenced in the Bible. A few commonly accepted gifts are also not referenced specifically in the Bible, but are rather implied.
The most commonly accepted reference to the spiritual gifts is 1 Corinthians 12, which most people think lists just nine (9) spiritual gifts. They are wisdom & knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8), faith (1 Cor. 12:9), healing (1 Cor. 12:9 & 12:28), miracles (1 Cor. 12:10 & 12:28), prophesy (1 Cor. 12:10 & 12:28), discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10), speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:10), and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10). These are also known as the charismatic gifts because they tend to be more supernatural in nature.
There are other references in Romans 12 to things that Christianity tends to accept as being spiritual gifts. Those include things like exhortation, serving, giving, leadership, mercy, and teaching. Ephesians 4 also list some things that Christians believe are spiritual gifts of apostleship, pastoring, and evangelism. But the list is actually a little longer still. There are various passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testament that suggest a few other spiritual gifts. Celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7), martyrdom, voluntary poverty, hospitality and missionary are all on that last.
The best way to determine which of the gifts you have is through a professionally developed spiritual gifts test. The one I favor is called the Wagner-Houts Gift Analysis. You can find it on-line. There are other tests available on-line as well. You might want to take more than one of them and compare the results for consistency. Then I recommend you take the results and talk them over with someone who knows you well to see if the results line up with what is known about you.
The bottom line is that we all have spiritual gifts to one degree or another. Some of us are aware of them, and some of us put them to better use than others. So once you identify them, the challenge is to become a good steward of those spiritual gifts!
Letters To 7 Churches?
Q: What are the "Letters To 7 Churches." I heard someone preaching about them on the radio the other day and was not familiar with them. The guy on the radio said they're in the Bible?
A: John, the author of the book of Revelation (the last book in the Christian Bible) included in that book letters to seven different churches that were all located in what was then known as the province of Asia. They were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were simply cities in that province and the letters were simply addressing the Christian church located in each city.
The significance of the letters - or perhaps their relevance in our modern day culture - is that each church displayed a certain set of behaviors. Some were godly and some were not. Each letter addressed the strength of the church to which it was written. But each letter also addressed the weakness of the church to which each particular letter was written.
If you read the letters (Revelation 2 & 3) you'll see that the nature and character of those church congregations was very common to what we might find in American churches today. So the challenge is then to look at my own church and see what it has in common with any or all of those seven (7) churches. Would Jesus have any different perspective or point to make with my church than He did with those churches? Definitely not!
The letters to those seven churches back then were meant to motivate those churches to make changes. They're there for us to read today for exactly the same reason. We should read them and be motivated to make changes!
A: John, the author of the book of Revelation (the last book in the Christian Bible) included in that book letters to seven different churches that were all located in what was then known as the province of Asia. They were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were simply cities in that province and the letters were simply addressing the Christian church located in each city.
The significance of the letters - or perhaps their relevance in our modern day culture - is that each church displayed a certain set of behaviors. Some were godly and some were not. Each letter addressed the strength of the church to which it was written. But each letter also addressed the weakness of the church to which each particular letter was written.
If you read the letters (Revelation 2 & 3) you'll see that the nature and character of those church congregations was very common to what we might find in American churches today. So the challenge is then to look at my own church and see what it has in common with any or all of those seven (7) churches. Would Jesus have any different perspective or point to make with my church than He did with those churches? Definitely not!
The letters to those seven churches back then were meant to motivate those churches to make changes. They're there for us to read today for exactly the same reason. We should read them and be motivated to make changes!
Nehemiah Lessons
Q: Our small group at church is doing a study of the book of Nehemiah. We're almost finished, and frankly I'm not sure that I get the point. I mean it's cool that Nehemiah was able to organize the people and rebuild the city within just a few weeks. It's even more cool that the king supported him in his effort. Is there one thing that we should learn from this book? If so, what would it be?
A: People often point to the book of Nehemiah as being a model for leadership. So often a study of Nehemiah focuses on the virtues of Nehemiah's style of leadership. And that may all be true. But I do believe there are a couple of key points that I've not seen any Bible study focus on.
For starters Nehemiah's heart was broken for the people. When he heard about the conditions in Jerusalem - he was broken hearted. He grieved. He fasted. He prayed. I wonder how many of us are that broken hearted. We're so filled with images on TV, for example, that we might be immune. Take for example, the recent tragedy in Japan. I've no doubt that hundreds of thousands of Americans watched these images --- hearing the story of destruction, suffering and despair --- and then went out to dinner and to a movie. Few of us wept for Japan, fasted for Japan, etc. So like I said, I wonder if any of us could love a people group so much that we could be broken hearted for their misery, suffering, vulnerability, etc.
Secondly, Nehemiah looked to God for everything. He prayed often. He was specific in his requests of God. He was confident that God would answer. He encouraged the people to be confident in God's provision. I think that too stands in stark contrast to how we live today. Even the most faithful Christians are probably falling short of the level of faith that Nehemiah exhibited. Look at it another way. When Jesus performed miracles - He was never surprised that they worked. For example, when Jesus turned water into wine, He didn't say, "Oh my gosh! It worked! It worked!" Jesus knew who He was and He was confident in the power the Lord had given Him. How may of us really expect miracles in our day to day lives?
Just because you don't quite get it, I encourage you not to give up on the book of Nehemiah. Virtually every book in your Bible is "useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:16).
A: People often point to the book of Nehemiah as being a model for leadership. So often a study of Nehemiah focuses on the virtues of Nehemiah's style of leadership. And that may all be true. But I do believe there are a couple of key points that I've not seen any Bible study focus on.
For starters Nehemiah's heart was broken for the people. When he heard about the conditions in Jerusalem - he was broken hearted. He grieved. He fasted. He prayed. I wonder how many of us are that broken hearted. We're so filled with images on TV, for example, that we might be immune. Take for example, the recent tragedy in Japan. I've no doubt that hundreds of thousands of Americans watched these images --- hearing the story of destruction, suffering and despair --- and then went out to dinner and to a movie. Few of us wept for Japan, fasted for Japan, etc. So like I said, I wonder if any of us could love a people group so much that we could be broken hearted for their misery, suffering, vulnerability, etc.
Secondly, Nehemiah looked to God for everything. He prayed often. He was specific in his requests of God. He was confident that God would answer. He encouraged the people to be confident in God's provision. I think that too stands in stark contrast to how we live today. Even the most faithful Christians are probably falling short of the level of faith that Nehemiah exhibited. Look at it another way. When Jesus performed miracles - He was never surprised that they worked. For example, when Jesus turned water into wine, He didn't say, "Oh my gosh! It worked! It worked!" Jesus knew who He was and He was confident in the power the Lord had given Him. How may of us really expect miracles in our day to day lives?
Just because you don't quite get it, I encourage you not to give up on the book of Nehemiah. Virtually every book in your Bible is "useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Charity Requests
Q: We are really overwhelmed sometimes with the requests we get for donations to charities. They send you mail. They call on the phone. They come to your front door. They send your friends to ask you to support their cause. It seems there's no end to the requests for money. The problem is that so many of them have good causes that seem worthy of support. But there's no way we can support all of them. What's a Christian to do?
A: What a Christian is supposed to do is first realize that virtually all of your money, time and resources belong to the Lord. We are just temporary stewards of these things --- and we are responsible to Him for how we spend or save or donate those resources.
The second thing a Christian is supposed to do is take 10% off the top and give it to your local church as soon as you get it. No exceptions. The remaining 90% of your money, etc. are to be prayed over. "Lord, what would You have me do with this money? How should I spend it?"
And finally, when these requests come in, you pray over each and every one of them. "Lord, how should I respond to this request? Should I give? If so, how much? Should I ask for more information? Is there anything I should do besides give money? (Like maybe volunteer or pray?)"
There are a couple of important truths about non-profits and so-called "para-church ministries." The first is that these non-profit organizations aren't Biblical. Seriously, they're not. The Old Testament model was that everyone bring their tithes and offerings to the temple - which operates a storehouse out of which it works to meet the needs in the community. So the social ills that all these non-profits are trying to address today? God's plan for meeting them is through the church. But the people aren't obedient in giving their tithes and offerings to the church. And some churches aren't obedient to their calling. (They'd rather build palatial facilities than help the poor!)
Secondly, God doesn't want you to give to the vast majority of the organizations that ask you for donations. Really. Pray and ask God ... and don't be surprised when He tells you to grow a spine and learn to say no. "I'm sorry, but all of our giving dollars are spoken for. I have no money to give you." It isn't mean. It isn't unloving. It doesn't mean that you don't care about the poor, the oppressed, the environment, the rescue animals, the diseases, etc. It just means you don't have your Father's permission to put your money there at this time. He has other things He wants you to spend it on or donate it to. And He has other people whom He will call to support this charity --- if indeed it is doing work that pleases Him.
A: What a Christian is supposed to do is first realize that virtually all of your money, time and resources belong to the Lord. We are just temporary stewards of these things --- and we are responsible to Him for how we spend or save or donate those resources.
The second thing a Christian is supposed to do is take 10% off the top and give it to your local church as soon as you get it. No exceptions. The remaining 90% of your money, etc. are to be prayed over. "Lord, what would You have me do with this money? How should I spend it?"
And finally, when these requests come in, you pray over each and every one of them. "Lord, how should I respond to this request? Should I give? If so, how much? Should I ask for more information? Is there anything I should do besides give money? (Like maybe volunteer or pray?)"
There are a couple of important truths about non-profits and so-called "para-church ministries." The first is that these non-profit organizations aren't Biblical. Seriously, they're not. The Old Testament model was that everyone bring their tithes and offerings to the temple - which operates a storehouse out of which it works to meet the needs in the community. So the social ills that all these non-profits are trying to address today? God's plan for meeting them is through the church. But the people aren't obedient in giving their tithes and offerings to the church. And some churches aren't obedient to their calling. (They'd rather build palatial facilities than help the poor!)
Secondly, God doesn't want you to give to the vast majority of the organizations that ask you for donations. Really. Pray and ask God ... and don't be surprised when He tells you to grow a spine and learn to say no. "I'm sorry, but all of our giving dollars are spoken for. I have no money to give you." It isn't mean. It isn't unloving. It doesn't mean that you don't care about the poor, the oppressed, the environment, the rescue animals, the diseases, etc. It just means you don't have your Father's permission to put your money there at this time. He has other things He wants you to spend it on or donate it to. And He has other people whom He will call to support this charity --- if indeed it is doing work that pleases Him.
Old Testament Relevance?
Q: I was looking for information on tattoo's and came across this web site that says, (and I quote), "It is ALWAYS (sic) wrong to apply Old Testament Law, which was given only to the Jews, to New Testament times. We DO NOT (sic) live under the Old Testament Law. To take a verse our of the Old Testament and attempt to apply it today is to practice legalism." Is that true? We don't have to do anything it says in the Old Testament?
(You can check it out for yourself. The web site is
http://www.scripturessay.com/article.php?cat=&id=523/.)
A: This information is seriously misguided. It is not true. It is not accurate information. I looked at that web site and it appears to be written by the pastor of a small church in Arizona. There's no doubt that the author is sincere - but in this case I believe he is sincerely wrong.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, "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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
I don't believe Jesus could have made it any more clear than this. The Ten Commandments are probably the best illustration of Jesus' point. Not a single one of them has been abolished. God's people are still expected to obey them even today. And we will be expected to obey them.
For the record, I believe the primary difference that you'll find between the guidance in the Old and New Testaments is how we deal with sin. In the Old Testament, sin was to be confessed and then a sacrifice was made for sin in order to reconcile the sinner to God. In the New Testament, sin is still to be confessed --- but the Jesus is the sacrifice made for that sin in order to reconcile the sinner to God. Because of this, we also don't need an intercessor between ourselves and God. In the Old Testament nobody was good enought to talk directly to God ... they had to have a priest intervene on their behalf. But in the New Testament, Jesus makes us good enough to talk directly to God. There is no longer a need for a priest to intervene on anyone's behalf. Other than these differences, the Old and New Testament basically say the same thing.
A final note: the conversation on that web site was about tattoo's. While the Old Testament says tattoos are strictly forbidden, the author explains that this had cultural contact around it that may mean something different today. There are other places in the Old Testament where what's said cannot be directly interpreted ... because the cultural context changed the meaning. So what's said in the Old Testament, in this case "no tattoos" is still true. But the context may give it a different meaning. In other words that tattoos that it was forbidding back then may not be the same tattoos that we have today.
And so ... you really cannot read the Bible without considering the context because it often has a bearing on the what the Scriptures are really telling us. It's why people "wrestle" with Scripture. It's why we're told to contemplate Scripture. If all you do is read the Bible, you'll fall seriously short of what God intends for you in terms of hearing what God has to say in the Bible. This studying of the Scriptures, wrestling with it, contemplating it, thinking it through, discussing it with others ... all are efforts to look at the context of what's being said and realize the communication from God that we find in the Bible is more than just the words that are printed.
(You can check it out for yourself. The web site is
http://www.scripturessay.com/article.php?cat=&id=523/.)
A: This information is seriously misguided. It is not true. It is not accurate information. I looked at that web site and it appears to be written by the pastor of a small church in Arizona. There's no doubt that the author is sincere - but in this case I believe he is sincerely wrong.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, "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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
I don't believe Jesus could have made it any more clear than this. The Ten Commandments are probably the best illustration of Jesus' point. Not a single one of them has been abolished. God's people are still expected to obey them even today. And we will be expected to obey them.
For the record, I believe the primary difference that you'll find between the guidance in the Old and New Testaments is how we deal with sin. In the Old Testament, sin was to be confessed and then a sacrifice was made for sin in order to reconcile the sinner to God. In the New Testament, sin is still to be confessed --- but the Jesus is the sacrifice made for that sin in order to reconcile the sinner to God. Because of this, we also don't need an intercessor between ourselves and God. In the Old Testament nobody was good enought to talk directly to God ... they had to have a priest intervene on their behalf. But in the New Testament, Jesus makes us good enough to talk directly to God. There is no longer a need for a priest to intervene on anyone's behalf. Other than these differences, the Old and New Testament basically say the same thing.
A final note: the conversation on that web site was about tattoo's. While the Old Testament says tattoos are strictly forbidden, the author explains that this had cultural contact around it that may mean something different today. There are other places in the Old Testament where what's said cannot be directly interpreted ... because the cultural context changed the meaning. So what's said in the Old Testament, in this case "no tattoos" is still true. But the context may give it a different meaning. In other words that tattoos that it was forbidding back then may not be the same tattoos that we have today.
And so ... you really cannot read the Bible without considering the context because it often has a bearing on the what the Scriptures are really telling us. It's why people "wrestle" with Scripture. It's why we're told to contemplate Scripture. If all you do is read the Bible, you'll fall seriously short of what God intends for you in terms of hearing what God has to say in the Bible. This studying of the Scriptures, wrestling with it, contemplating it, thinking it through, discussing it with others ... all are efforts to look at the context of what's being said and realize the communication from God that we find in the Bible is more than just the words that are printed.
Real Love
Q: How would you define love? I mean, how do you know if your love for someone else is real? Or more importantly, how do you know if their love for you is real?
A: Of course 1 Corinthians 13 ("Love is patient ...") is the defining Scripture for what love is or isn't. From a practical application perspective, I think you have to look at that (1 Corinthians 13) as the foundation and start building on it. The first thing you have to notice is that love is action and not feeling or emotion. You may have strong feelings or emotions ... but they aren't love.
Then we have to consider what actions constitute love. Typically their acts of sacrifice, of consideration, of unmerited favor. They're selfless acts. They're thoughtful acts. Real love is focused on the object of love ... with absolutely no regard for what's in it for itself. So, for example, if I say I love you, that love is only real when my love for you has no regard for what you can give me in return. In fact, real love expects or demands nothing in return.
A: Of course 1 Corinthians 13 ("Love is patient ...") is the defining Scripture for what love is or isn't. From a practical application perspective, I think you have to look at that (1 Corinthians 13) as the foundation and start building on it. The first thing you have to notice is that love is action and not feeling or emotion. You may have strong feelings or emotions ... but they aren't love.
Then we have to consider what actions constitute love. Typically their acts of sacrifice, of consideration, of unmerited favor. They're selfless acts. They're thoughtful acts. Real love is focused on the object of love ... with absolutely no regard for what's in it for itself. So, for example, if I say I love you, that love is only real when my love for you has no regard for what you can give me in return. In fact, real love expects or demands nothing in return.
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