SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #15 ---- 4/26/98
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Encouraging One Another as we "Fight the Good Fight"
Title: RETURNING TO SIMPLICITY
Dear Co-laborers:
What a great time to be alive! In spite of the ugliness that sometimes
surfaces in life, there are still those amazing signals and signs God
gives us that Christ is still in control, on schedule, and due to arrive
momentarily. Things like the unbelievable colors of the dogwood, redbud,
flowering pear, and flowering crab apple in southwest Missouri would make
a dead man sing.
The meeting we had in Humansville last week was a very special time with
a special people pastored by one of the most compassionate pastors I've
ever met. He reminded me again of what it means to have been truly
called of God to shepherd a flock. Shepherds just know how to do that,
and he does. I was blessed both by his example and friendship, and by
the warmth of his people. I am glad we leave near each other so we can
maintain fellowship together.
How are you doing? Is it well with you?
One thing I learned years ago about the ministry ---- it's a
24-hour-a-day calling that often makes us feel we have no days off to
relax or catch a breath. Unfortunately, I don't believe that's a picture
the Bible paints; I believe it is one we have created in our own minds.
If Jesus, the very Son of God in the flesh, knew when to take some time
off to rest and simply enjoy the view, then why do we think we should
not?
Do we think it's some kind of terrible sin to have some spare time we can
take for ourselves and our families? Or is it that we are afraid of what
our members may think if they caught us just relaxing or doing some type
of recreation.
I well remember the days of my pastorates in St. Louis and in Iowa when I
was so afraid some of my members might think I was slacking off that I
actually wore old dress pants and shoes when I mowed the lawn. If they
did happen to catch me doing yard work, I wanted to be sure they
understood that I was just squeezing it in between appointments and would
be faithfully back to work in a matter of minutes.
Somewhere we need to get a real grip on what it truly means to be in the
vocational ministry ---- and the current typical view is far from
accurate.
A CALL FOR SIMPLER TIMES:
Last Tuesday my friend, Jeff Floyd, of Jubilee Ministries, wrote the
following article as his "Today" feature. It was so appropriate to the
series I just concluded, and it said so succinctly the basic essence of
the issues we face, that I wanted to pass it on to you.
Incidentally, of the many e-mail articles I receive daily, I know of none
of greater value to me than Jeff's. He is not only my friend of over 30
years, and someone with whom I walked through the fires of sweeping
revival in the mid 1960's, but he is eminently qualified to speak to
matters regarding the restoration of human lives, personal relationships,
and the Church.
Frankly, I would strongly urge you to write him and request to be placed
on his mailing list. No daily letter consistently and constantly blesses
me more than his. After you read this, you will see what I mean.
Contact him at <jhf72934@aol.com> and request his daily letters. They
are pertinent, insightful, and to the point.
"TODAY: The Simplicity that is in Christ
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
craftiness, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is
in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have
not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not
received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well
bear with him' (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).
"Sometimes I wonder if other people read the same Bible that I read. If
they do, where do they get the concepts of Jesus that they have? In
essence, that is the question Paul had in his mind when he offered this
warning.
"Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is changeless and
immutable, but yet Satan is forever trying to mutilate men's ideas as to
who He is, what He came to do, what we can expect from Him, ---- and what
He expects from us.
"Although Satan can't change Jesus from Who He is, what He came to do,
and what He is to those who believe, he can alter the perception men have
of Jesus, thus effectively achieving the same thing.
"Satan is a master of misinformation--the arch-deceiver.
"There is a simplicity about Jesus that is at the same time eternal and
contemporarily relevant. His stated objectives for coming are
non-negotiable.
---He came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10).
---He came to be Lord (Romans 14:9).
---He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b).
"Many contemporary concepts of Christ and His objectives are the result
of thinking corrupted by the taint of secular humanism and its
rationalistic concepts ---- the serpent. Instead of viewing man and
human affairs in the light
of the gospel, the contemporary church largely views the gospel in the
light of modern rationalistic thinking. Instead of accepting the
beliefs, standards and agendas of Jesus, modern churchmen have largely
established their own.
"Much of what contemporary churches believe and practice is because of
their insecurity about the validity of its God-given message and
commission, causing them to adopt the values and agendas the world finds
acceptable.
"Few of us have escaped the contamination of religious humanism. As Paul
warned the Corinthians about the deceptiveness of Satan and the thinking
he filters into Christian thinking, so we should be warned today.
"A very simple test of to determine the presence of corrupted thinking is
to objectively assess where and how we have derived what we believe about
the teachings of the scripture. The degree to which we subject
scriptural teachings to interpretive explanation tells us how much we
deviate from the simplicity that is in Christ.
"Much biblical interpretation is an intellectualized attempt to explain
away those scriptural teachings and experiences which don't fit within
the acceptable norms of our particular belief, or to provide persuasive
arguments to get others to accept our systems of belief.
"An acid test of simplicity would be to present the scripture, without
accompanying explanation, to a primitive society which has had no
previous exposure to the gospel . Aviators For Christ as well as other
organizations have done precisely that. They have airlifted the gospel
to remote tribes of people and have been amazed at a later date to find
newly formed churches in those locations established on very simplistic
and biblically orthodox understandings.
"These new converts were not corrupted by rationalistic modern thinking
but simply took the Word literally in understanding and application. They
were not defiled by prejudicial thinking and unbelief. If the Word said
it, it was settled.
"The corruption of Eve by the serpent was occasioned by his planting one
very destructive thought in her mind: 'Yea, hath God said' (Genesis
3:1b)? When man falls prey to that question his mind is opened to all
the insinuation of
the enemy--in contemporary terms--doubting the reliability and veracity
of the Bible.
"The Corinthians were warned that the tempter and deceiver would come as
another spirit with another gospel (in both cases, "heteros" - another
of a different kind). If the enemy can't get us to reject the Bible he
will attempt to get us to doubt it, to be confused about its message and
to ultimately to accept another ("heteros") gospel.
"Many today are embarrassed by literal scriptural concepts and practices
and have found creative ways of explaining (explaining away) the
scripture, and/or have derived new standards of practice and behavior.
For example, if we consolidate all the expressed commands of Jesus into
their simplest forms, our commission would be to preach the gospel of the
kingdom, cast out demons and to heal the sick.
"A significant portion of Christendom doesn't find these basic commands
acceptable to the modern mind. As a result they seek out and establish
alternatives to the simplistic commands of Jesus, thus formulating a new
gospel.
"If I understand this word today, it is calling us back to a more
simplistic and fundamental understanding of scriptural truth and
practice, not defiled and corrupted by rationalization and social
acceptability. We must get back to the 'God said it, it is settled'
framework of thinking. God moves within the boundaries of His thinking,
not ours.
Just a word to stimulate your thinking,
Jeff
Jefferson H. Floyd, Director
Jubilee Ministries
P. O. Box 3202
Carmel, IN 46032
Copyright April, 1998 by Jefferson H. Floyd. All rights reserved.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. An SBC missionary, Charles Hood, was shot and killed in his front
yard in Bogota, Colombia just seven days after we were there visiting our
children, who are also missionaries. He was 44, a graduate of SBU, and
leaves a wife, a son, and a daughter, I believe. Please pray for that
family, for our children there, and for all missionaries who are serving
under such unpredictable conditions.
2. Continue praying that the remaining $4,000 to house, feed, and
transport victims of the Bosnian/Croatian Wars will come in by the end of
May. We have committed ourselves to fund not only the "state-side"
costs, but also the costs of bringing in the refugees to the Life Center
in Crikvenica, Croatia for up to 14 days.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Is it possible to return to the "Simplicity that is in Christ"?
Absolutely!
You can begin by returning in your own heart, and then returning in your
own lifestyle and conduct. Next, begin teaching that concept to your
people and start examining everything your church does in light of His
simple yet highly focused purpose. Then, begin studying His simple
practices. Finally, begin the process of shifting your life and ministry
from that of what is logical to that of what is commanded and anointed of
God.
Most of what is logical is neither commanded nor anointed ---- it's just
logical ---- reasonable ---- traditional. I love what author Henry
Blackaby says: "Find out what God is doing, and then join Him in it."
That's pretty simple ---- and life changing!
Have a wonderful week!
In Christ's Bond,
Bob Tolliver
Copyright April, 1998. Permission is granted to share this letter, with
credits, with anyone whom you feel would benefit from its content.
LIFE UNLIMITED MINISTRIES
ADDRESS: Route 1, Box 87AB, Collins, MO 64738
Ph: 417-275-4854. Fax: 417-275-4855
E-mail: lifeunlimited@juno.com
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