God's Ways Are Not Our Ways: Abraham

 Abraham: Faithful Obedience

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were living in the land.  The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I give this land.”  So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

-Genesis 12:2-3, 6-7

            When Abraham received his call from God, he had no idea what God had in store for him and Sarah.  God told him to go, and he went.  He trusted God.  He trusted that God had a plan, and it would be revealed to him whenever God chose to reveal it to him.  When God told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his family (Genesis 12:1) there is no indication that Abraham questioned God and pushed for an explanation.  We are told, “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him…” (Genesis 12:4).

            Abraham simply picked up and left, trusting God’s promises from vss.2&3.  Abraham had a lot of reasons to question God, but he did not.  Those questions would arise later when God’s promises were not being fulfilled in Abraham and Sarah’s timing, but initially Abraham obeyed God’s command and picked up and left trusting God would show him where he was to settle.

            Abraham’s life demonstrates that our timing is not God’s timing.  God revealed his plan to Abraham.  He directed Abraham throughout his life.  But God never told Abraham the timing of the fulfillment of his greatest promise: The promise of a son.  The son which was necessary for Abraham to become a great nation and through whom “all nations would be blessed”.  It is reasonable to think that Abraham would have expected Sarah to conceive shortly after God gave this promise.  After all, they were both already old and well past the age of having children: Abraham was 75 and Sarah was 65 and barren.

            It was only after Abraham and Sarah had made several mistakes trying to “help” God fulfill this promise that God revealed the timing of the fulfillment of the promise, 24 years later.  Sarah would give birth to a son one year later, when Abraham was 100 and she was 90 (Genesis 16,18,21).  God’s timing is not our timing.

            Abraham began to question God’s promise because he had placed his own arbitrary timeline and expectation on God for when this promise should be fulfilled.  This is the same mistake that we so often make.  We know that God has promised to care for us and provide for us, but we want to dictate to him how that promise should be fulfilled and what the timing of our demanded fulfillment should be.  When we place demands on God we display a lack of faith, and we demonstrate that we do not trust him to live up to his promises.

            Abraham was given an incredible promise from God.  And then he faced decades of testing before that promise would be truly fulfilled.  The time in which Abraham received his call and promise from God to its fulfillment on Mt. Moriah, where he was in the process of sacrificing Isaac to God, spanned more than 40 years. 

            Abraham lived for 175 years.  Genesis 12-25:11 tells us about ~60 years of his life.  That is a little more than 1/3 of his life; yet these six decades are clearly the defining years of Abraham’s life.  God’s plan for Abraham did not play out over days or weeks.  It took decades for everything to come together.  Abraham could only really understand God’s plan at its completion when he could look back over time and see how God worked everything out.  That is how it is for us, as well.  When we are in the beginning or middle stages of carrying out God’s plan, we cannot reasonably expect to know exactly how it will come together.  We just need to trust that God will bring it all together.

            Also, it is foolish to think that anything in life will come together in a few days, or a few weeks.  Even a few months is an unrealistic expectation in most situations.  Any worthwhile endeavor in life will take years to bring to fruition.  It is our responsibility to keep working and trust that God will bless our efforts and make them work out exactly how they need to, to bless his church and the world.

            God’s timing is not our timing!

God's Ways Are Not Our Ways- Introduction

 (The following is the introduction to an essay I am writing on patiently letting God reveal his plans in our lives. The coming weeks will feature each section of the body of that essay.)

I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:11-18

            This is God’s plan of salvation.  This is also sinful man’s great difficulty: It does not make sense.

            No human being would ever devise a plan for saving the world from sin by punishing someone who never sinned, for the sins of everyone who ever lived.  God’s plan of salvation is a plan no human being would have ever devised or even imagined.  It just does not make sense to our sinful, limited thinking and understanding.  That is why God’s plan of salvation is the perfect place to begin the conversation about how God’s ways are above our ways.

            “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

A Portrait of Peter: Leadership

 There are, then, three peaks, or highpoints, in the period of Peter's leadership of the church.  First, there was the role Peter was allowed to play in the founding of the Jewish congregation in Jerusalem at Pentecost.  Second, there is his role in establishing the important principle that Samaritans, who by a generous estimate might be called half-jews, could have a place in the church.  And finally, Peter was allowed to demonstrate that even full-blooded Gentiles  could be accepted into the Christian church. (A Portrait of Peter, Panning, p.30)

Peter's life is incredibly instructive for us today, especially for those of us in Christ's church.

Peter's leadership journey had distinct phases of prominence, influence, and anonymity.  He is the prominent apostle throughout the first twelve chapters of Acts, but even here, several chapters are already laying the foundation for the early church moving beyond him (Acts 6-9:31).

There is no doubt Peter was the rock of the early church.  His leadership was crucial in keeping the apostles together after Jesus' ascension.  It is his sermon that Luke records on the day of Pentecost.  We are told of several times that he was arrested for proclaiming the message of Christ crucified.  He was crucial to the original church in Jerusalem.

Peter also played an important role in the church's understanding that "all nations" meant Samaritans and Gentiles as well, not just Jews.  Peter's time living and serving in Joppa and Lydda, and his visit to the house of Cornelius emphatically demonstrated to the early church that Samaritan and Gentile believers were just as much a part of Christ's church as any Jew.  This may be where Peter's leadership was most important.  We are still blessed by the ripple effect of this part of Peter's ministry.  Most of you reading this are likely Gentiles.  This part of Peter's ministry opened the door for Paul's minsitry to the Gentiles to be accepted and celebrated by the early church.  Paul had an ally at the meeting of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15) in Peter making the point that the Church is made up of all who have faith in Jesus Christ as their savior, not just those who can trace their lineage back to Abraham.

Let's look at three important leadership lessons from Peter's ministry and life:

Somebody Needs to Take Responsibility

Peter stepped into this role right away.  When the all the dicsiples returned from the mount of ascension it is Peter who stands up before everyone and declares that they should appoint someone to take the spot vacated by Judas.  He recognizes this need and takes responsibility for making sure the situation is handled sooner than later, immediately.

Throughout the first chapters of Acts, Peter seems to be the one giving the infant church its organizational structure.  Luke records Peter as the one who addresses the crowd at Pentecost defending his congregation.  It is also Peter's sermon on Pentecost that Luke has recorded for us.  (Panning makes the point in his book that it is likely that all the apostles would have been preaching on Pentecost since they were each given the ability to speak in different tongues.)

Leaders Act Courageously

There are two distinct groups with whom Peter had to demonstrate courage: The Sanhedrin and his own church.

Peter continued to preach in public despite constant persecution by the Jews.  Several times Peter was arrested, flogged, and brought before the Sanhedrin.  Every time they warned him, and whoever was with him, not to preach in the name of Jesus.  Every time Peter refused to capitulate: "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God." (Acts 4:19)  Peter evevtually had to leave Jerusalem because both the Jews and King Herrod wanted to kill him.

The other group Peter had to act courageously with was his own church.  One form this took was him rebuking the sinful actions of his members: specifically Ananias and Sapphira.  That rebuke led to their immediate death and judgment.

 The other group within the church was the council.  After Peter visited Cornelius, at God's direction, members of the Jerusalem council were not happy that he had visited the house of a Gentile.  Peter had to instruct them about God's declaration that no people are unclean.  God's wants all people to be saved.  

Often times, a leader's fiercest battles will be fought against people who are supposed to be on his side.  Peter was incorporating change within the church and this was a problem for the Jewish believers who had strong preconcieved notions of what the church was.  Leaders have the courage to make the changes that need to be made.  Leaders attack the status quo and long-entrenched paradigms about "this is how it's done because this is how we've always done it."

Never be suprised when you are attacked and criticized for changing the status quo.

Leaders Are Humble Enough to Pass the Torch

Yet we also notice that Peter's stature declines in direct proportion to the church's movement away from Jerusalem. (A Portrait of Peter, Panning, p.18)

This is a hard lesson for many leaders.  Sadly, many never learn this lesson and their organization pays the price.  

A leader's true job is to develop other leaders.  If that's true (which it is) then the whole purpose of leadership is to replace yourself.  If you care about the mission more than personal glory this isn't difficult.  It's what supports your long-term vision.  To me, the most tragic loss a leader can experience is the death of his organization the day after he leaves.

There is nothing in Scripture that tells us Peter ever suffered from jealousy of Paul, Philip, or any of the other apostles and early evangelists.  Peter cared about Christ's church and leading people to heaven.  He didn't seem to care whose preaching was accomplishing this work.  Peter understood team ministry.

It is sad to me that so few churches today focus on leadership development within their congregation.  Then they complain that no one will step up and take leadership positions within the church.  If the men who have held those offices for decades won't step down, and if the church is doing nothing to help its members develop their leadership skills and abilities this church will die within the next twenty years.  They probably don't really have that long.

The apostles were constantly developing the next generation of leaders as a matter of course.  They never carried out the ministry of the church alone.  Their discipleship is what prepared the next generation of pastors and church leaders.  Maybe there's a lesson in the pages of Scripture for the church today...maybe.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.- Luke 10:1

God bless

Jason Fredrick

A Portrait of Peter: Training

 From that point on [Luke 5:10] Peter was a full-time disciple, or learner.  In this triaining program, there were no classrooms, no formal requirements, and no written assignments with footnotes and bibliographies.  Peter and the rest of the disciples used a better method.  According to the ancient mode of education, discipleship meant personal attachment to the master. (A Portrait of Peter, Panning, p.7)

Look carefully at this description of Peter's education.  Discipleship is much more than just mentorship.  Peter didn't meet with Jesus once-a-month to check his thinking around his gameplan and results, or to get some counseling to improve his marriage.  Discipleship meant (and should still mean) walking in the footsteps of the master.  Peter spent every day with Jesus.  

Peter was privileged to be at Jesus' side everyday.  He would have seen how he interacted with people.  He had a front-row seat to how, and how often, Jesus prayed.  He witnessed many of his miracles.  He heard all his parables, and probably had Jesus explain them during the down times.  Peter didn't learn from Jesus through his lectures, books, essays, or podcasts.  Peter learned from Jesus by living life side-by-side with him every day.

Peter went from fisherman to apostle by living a life of ministry for three years walking daily with his teacher.  This definitely was not conveyor-belt schooling.  Peter recieved a leadership education.  He could never have learned everything he needed to learn by sitting for hours in a classroom listening to a theoretical lecture on ministry.  Peter was living his lessons every day.  When Jesus taught a lesson it was relevant to the day's events and immediately applicable.  The closest thing we have to discipleship today are apprenticeships, but an apprentice doesn't live his life with his master.  Today's apprentices clock in to work for 8 or 9 hours and then go home.  Peter lived his life with Jesus.

There is coming, and very soon now, a time in which Peter will be very influential in establishing the fledgling Christian church.  Peter and the other apostles were to realize that order and discipline, not anarchy, must rule in the church under the guidance of a leader, Peter, whom Jesus had trained and prepared for that work. (A Portrait of Peter, Panning, p.13)

Peter's three years of discipleship were preparing him for Jesus' departure from the earth physically.  Peter would be the one all the other apostles and disciples would look to for leadership after Jesus ascended into heaven.  Jesus knew what was needed.  He knew who he had assigned this responsibility.  He was intentional about training and preparing Peter for his calling: 

        Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."

        So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him.

        Luke 5:10-11

It's interesting to me that through true discipleship Peter was trained for his call, which was significant, in three years of serving alongside his master.  

Today it takes more than eight years to train men for the ministry.  Likely, because instead of serving while they're learning, they are isolated from the world they will be serving.  Spending everyday in a classroom instead of the mission field.

My dream is that one day the church will make a move back to discipleship and leave behind schooling.  The world can have its conveyor-belt schooling.  The church needs discipleship.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

God Has Not Abandoned You

Psalm 138:6 

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever-
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Do you ever feel like you've been abandoned by the Lord?  Does it seem like God has left you to fend for yourself?

If you ever feel that way, take encouragement from this Psalm of David.  

Not only does God have a purpose for you, but he will fulfill that purpose for you.  You are not alone.  God has not abandoned you.  It may feel like it.  Your life may be crumbling down around you.  Your health may be failing.  But God has not forgotten you.

Jesus has promised, "And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

When life gets tough and everything is going against you, it can be difficult to remember this promise of Jesus.  It's so easy to get caught up in your struggles and hardships, and that's right where Satan wants you.  He wants you to take your focus off Jesus and focus all your attention on yourself.  And its so easy to do.  As sinful people, we are all naturally bent on focusing on ourselves.

This is when it's so important for you to run back to Jesus in his Word.  The harder your life is right now the more you need to be in God's Word everyday.  You will not find answers or relief in complaining about your situation.  You will only find anwers and relief in the comfort and encouragement found in Scripture.  That is where Jesus is found.

As the Psalm above says, "God's love endures forever."  Never forget it.  Never doubt it.  Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.

God bless

Jason Fredrick