SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #129 ---- 7/3/00
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight
(A letter of Encouragement to People in
Vocational and Lay Ministry)
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #29 ---- 7/3/00
TITLE: "No Reason To Gripe"
My Dear Partner in the Battle:
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you are
being blessed, and recognizing them all, beyond all you can think or
comprehend ---- and that you are gratefully expressing thanks to the Lord
for them all. It's wonderful to remember that our King is the Conqueror,
and Not the conquered.
If you had perchance forgotten, ---- be reminded.
He wins!
AVAILABLE TO MINISTER:
While I normally do not do this kind of thing, I want to pass on a couple
of availabilities, just in case you may know of a church looking for
someone like this.
I know of a friend who is available for a pastoral role to a church that
would be described as non-traditional or at least hungry for God to do
something. He is experienced as a pastor and also as a staff member, and
has a degree from a Christian university. His primary background happens
to be Southern Baptist, although he would fit well in any number of other
settings.
Also, I know of someone who is open to a change in a staff position. His
specialties would be praise and worship, and discipleship. He is
qualified to provide leadership in either contemporary or blended worship
styles. Again, he is experienced in worship, discipleship, preaching,
and teaching, and has graduated from a Christian school.
If you happen to know of a church who might be looking for someone for
either type of ministry, please let me know.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:
A dear brother whom I have known for over five years, a pastor in Rijeka,
Croatia, recently had a major bike accident. One of the church elders,
Srecko Ilisinovic, with whom we have worked closely in some of our
ministry in Croatia, wrote the following:
"Dear friends !
"I would like to inform you about very sad thing which happened
yesterday. Our pastor Giorgio Grlj has accident with bicycle. Bus hooked
him and very seriously injured his whole right leg. He had very difficult
operation and
it is still very uncertain will he lose the leg or not. He has very badly
injured muscles, broken bones, veins, etc. It is now very risky situation
about blood circulation and infection. Please pray for our dear brother
to recover well. It will take a lot of operations and long period of
recovery."
That was June 25. Last Friday I received the following update:
"I visited pastor Giorgio in the hospital today. Although visits are
alowed just for close family I could pass together with his wife. It
seems that he is little bit improving with his recovering. Blood
circulation is working
again in his leg what is good sign. He seems to me strong in the spirit
and optimistic. Thank you for your prayer. There is still risk of
infection and blood clot which can appear and circulate in veins but
situation seems to go on better. Thank God. We believe and hope that God
can heals him and rehabilitates his leg complitely.
Continue to pray for him and his family."
Would you please pray for Giorgio? He has been a major force in the
Kingdom's work in Croatia, pastoring under most terrible conditions ----
Communism, war, political and religious opposition, needs beyond their
resources, etc. He is a man we cannot afford to lose in the battle for
the souls of hopeless people.
COMMENTS RE LAST WEEK:
I never know when something I write will strike a chord with someone ----
such as a friend I've never seen in person here in the States. In
response to some of my observations about how "Laodicean" a large part of
the Church has become, here is what "Mike" (not his real name) said.
"Bob,
"I couldn't believe this issue of STS when I read it. You must be lurking
in our church and not telling anyone. You have so described our church in
this issue.
" . . . Our church . . . has been in building programs since . . . 1984.
Our church is growing tremendously. However, we are currently about $1.5
million in debt. Our "house payment" is outrageous.
"[Recently] we had a missions sharing night. [One person] shared on the
trip . . . with you. Also, we had [others] just return from building
homes in [another country]. . . This was the most tremendous missions
program I have ever heard.
"I just cried as I listened to the stories . . . [about]the living
conditions of the people and how joyous they were to get some animal
crackers or crayons or have someone tell them of Jesus or build them a
house.
"I couldn't help but think of how much money we are spending to make our
building payments. Now, we are
"exploring" whether we should build [again] . . . I know this could be
used for the Lord, but I can't help but think of all those people who go
to bed hungry each night, not to mention having no home.
"I just get so frustrated at the church we play. I firmly believe that
one day, the real church will be driven back into homes and the large
institutions will cater to the mass to support their building payments
and large staff. I get so frustrated at the spiritual immaturity of the
believers in our church.
"Well, I'm sorry to have rambled, but you really struck a cord with this
newsletter. I really look forward to
reading it on Mondays. I am not a minister, in fact, I am an engineer."
Powerful thoughts. Two things really bless me from this brother's
letter. One is that it's obvious he's thinking about the disparity often
found between what the Church is to be according to Scripture and what it
often is in real life ---- quite a contrast. The other thing is that
this brother is not an ordained or vocational minister, but a "layman".
Would that more of them would start thinking this way ---- and that their
pastors would listen to their frustrations.
NO REASON TO GRIPE:
It occurred to me after I wrote you last week that it would be easy for
you and other readers to conclude that I was always complaining about the
way things are ---- always cursing the darkness rather than shining the
light. Nothing is further from the truth when it comes to my disposition
and to my heart. I consider myself to be eternally optimistic, and very
excited over what I believe God is doing.
That does not change the truth of what is happening, however. Just as
the Bible predicted long ago, things are "waxing worse and worse" ----
and they will continue to do so.
You see, God will not be making any exceptions in either His Character,
His Conduct, or His Sovereign Plan. Those will all remain the same,
because He is the same, and is the One who never changes.
So, just because things don't go well, and just because the clouds on the
horizon grow increasingly black, we still do not have any reason to gripe
and complain.
Yet, that's one of the easiest things for us to do.
I remember years ago during my boyhood, one of my Sunday School teachers
held up a large piece of what paper on which had been drawn a black dot
about the size of a small coin. She asked, "what do you see?"
Nearly all of us answered, "A black dot!". One arrogant little kid,
known for his adolescent academia said, "A black dot on a piece of
paper!"
Well, at least he was closer to the truth than the rest of us.
The teacher followed up with another question; "Why did you focus your
attention on the tiny dot instead of the large piece of white paper?"
She made her point ---- and mine.
We sometimes forget that our focus, even in the darkest moments of life,
should always be on the Light rather than on the darkness. Recognizing
and cursing the darkness never eliminates it ---- it only intensifies the
blackness thereof.
If I understand this principle, though we must never deny or hide the
truth, we must always be willing to look at things from God's
perspective. While the Bible indeed gives necessary and appropriate
attention to Satan and his powers of darkness, it does much more ---- it
boldly declares "The Light of the World", our Lord Jesus Christ, as the
One who destroyed all the works of the devil.
Whether it pertains to our field of ministry or our personal lives, the
truth is the same ---- darkness is here in abundance.
But ---- the Light has come, and the darkness could not overcome it!
The beloved Apostle John said more about that than any other writer.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [or
overpower] it." (John 1:4-5).
"And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that
God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth;
"But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son cleanses us
from all sin." (I John 1:5-7).
So ---- what does this have to do with you and me?
I think the answer is at least partially found in the preceding verse:
"These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." (I John
1:4).
John in his Gospel quotes Jesus as saying, "These things I have spoken to
you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full" (John
15:11). Later, in His great High Priestly prayer, He confesses to His
own Father, "Now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world,
that they may have My joy made full in themselves" (John 17:13).
Paul uses that one segment of the fruit of the Spirit, joy, as a major
element in his entire Epistle to the believers in Philippi. At least
twice he admonishes them to "Rejoice in the Lord [enthusiastically and
exhuberantly]!" (3:1 and 4:4).
Apparently the Thessalonian believers needed that same reminder, because
in 5:16, Paul says, "Rejoice always!", and then seconds later says, "In
everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the spirit!" (I Thes 5:16, 18-19).
THE BLESSINGS OF THE DARK TIMES:
Just a few days ago a brother, Hans-Georg Hoprich, from Austria, sent the
following story. I heard it years ago as a boy, but it is worth reading
again:
---------------------------
THE SILVERSMITH
Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to study the
scriptures.
While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable
expression in the third verse:
"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Malachi 3:3)"
One lady proposed to visit a silversmith, and report to them on what he
said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the
object of her errand, begged the silversmith to tell her about the
process of
refining silver.
After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But Sir, do you sit
while the work of refining is going on?"
"Oh, yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eyes
steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be
exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He
shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." God sees it needful to
put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work
of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner
for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be
tested beyond what we can endure.
Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the
process is complete?"
"Why, that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my
own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."
Author Unknown
-------------------
Therefore, my encouragement to you, dear friend, is that no matter how
hard life may be, no matter how hot the refiner's fire may get, and no
matter how dark the night may become, your response and mine must always
be that of rejoicing in all things.
You and your ministry may be blinded by the darkest midnight, but that
doesn't mean it's all over. And, where you are is familiar territory.
Jesus came through there.
So did John ---- and Revelation was written.
So did Paul ---- and because of his joyous songs of praise in the
Philippian prison, a man and his family came to Jesus, and a church was
born.
If you listen carefully, you may still hear the crusty voices of Paul and
Silas praising God in the darkness, worshiping Him in the stench of
humanity, giving glory to Him in the musty gloom of man made bondage.
In fact, if you examine his life and ministry, you'll find that Paul got
used to rejoicing and praising God in the most adverse conditions.
FINALLY:
So, dear friend ---- let's be honest to recognize the evil and darkness
around us; but let's not allow it all to get us down or to rob us of the
joy we have in Christ.
Let's remember that victory over the darkness comes by rejoicing in it,
and not by cursing it. As I mentioned at the end of last week's letter,
Jesus has indeed written the final chapter ---- and it's a best seller!
Have a wonderful and Joyous week! It will be a great one because it came
from a Great God ---- just for you.
I really cherish the opportunities to encourage you. Please be diligent
to pray for me that, when I draw something from the well, it will always
be fresh and full, and not filled with sediment stirred up by drawing
from a well nearly dry.
In Christ's Great Bond of Mercy and Grace,
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright July, 2000. All rights reserved.
We would love to hear from you ---- prayer requests, insights, etc. Feel
free to drop us a note at <[email protected]>.
If this letter has blessed you and you know of someone else who needs to
be encouraged, feel free to forward it in its entirety to all such people
you know.
If you would like a list of past issues which you could receive upon
request, just let us know. Write <[email protected]>.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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