SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #152 ---- 12/11/00
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #152 ---- 12/10/00
Title: "Bright Light For Dark Paths" (#1 of series of 4)
My Dear Friend and Ministry Partner:
Today I greet you in the mighty and victorious name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying that you have been enriched and encouraged by the Holy
Spirit in every sector of your life. In spite of challenges and
adversities, sometimes beyond description or bearing, you and I both have
much for which to be grateful.
We praise God, for one thing, that my Father has finally been able to
move into his new apartment and is enjoying it immensely. He's now only
30 minutes from us ---- at least when we're home.
We praise Him for the new pastor at the church where I served as interim
for 20 months. It is a very encouraging time for him and for the church.
We praise Him, too, for the privilege of ministering the past two weeks
at another pastorless church. They have asked me to be interim pastor
beginning the end of January. I just don't know the will of the Lord in
that yet, so ask you to pray for us.
Finally, we praise Him that, in spite of 80 miles of ice coated late
night driving to the airport in Kansas City, we arrived safely, I am
finishing up my letter to you, and Jo Ann and I leave shortly after lunch
for eight wonderful days with our oldest daughter and family in San Jose,
Costa Rica where they are in language school as missionaries to Colombia.
We need the rest and the change of pace. This is the first trip we've
had in six or eight years where we had no official ministry obligations
and the trip was "just for us".
Three years ago this week I sat as I do today at my desk, thinking about
several pastor friends and their respective circumstances. I had been
inundated the previous week with letters and calls of such diversity that
it made my head swim.
Some were saying how wonderful their ministry was, while others seemed to
be at the brink of disaster. I found myself rejoicing with those that
rejoiced and weeping with those who were in the pit of despair.
Frankly, the emotional oscillation made me dizzy and confused. In some
ways this past week has been similar. (I wonder if, for some reason,
it's the time of the year or the season.
Later that day during a time of Bible reading, my heart was drawn to the
various passages pertaining to the Christmas story. I began reading the
story of the shepherds.
As I read it through (for perhaps the gazillionth time in my life), it
came alive in a manner never before experienced. That's when the Holy
Spirit impressed my heart with, "those unassuming guys were a lot like
your pastor-shepherd friends."
Then the thoughts began to roll as I contrasted the scenario of Bethlehem
with the circumstances of some of my friends. I clicked on my computer
and began writing the thoughts that were flooding my mind. It was so
exciting!
Then I clicked the "Send" button and shipped my little letter off to
about 40 friends around the United States . . . .
And "Shoulder To Shoulder" was born. It was not only an unexpected
"pregnancy" but an unexpected "delivery" as well.
Since that day, and even though today's letter shows only 152, I have
actually written over 180 letters of encouragement.
It's hard to believe that was three years ago.
Today, instead of the 40 friends in about seven states who received the
letter that day, there are now multiplied hundreds in about 30 countries
on six continents who get the letter. I am so grateful! Nothing thrills
me more, apart from seeing someone come to a personal relationship with
Jesus, than to encourage my brothers and sisters who are part of the army
of the Lord.
Now, if I can just find time to get those 1,000 + addresses piled on the
top of my bookcase added to the list!
Incidentally, because there are so many newer subscribers who know
nothing of previous letters, I will be sending out digest lists for each
of the past three years. Each list contains brief one or two sentence
descriptions of each letter. They will be sent hopefully at the end of
the year before Jo Ann and I leave New Year's Day for a mission trip to
Kiev, Ukraine.
BRIGHT LIGHT FOR DARK PATHS:
When it comes to "Christmas" scriptures, some of my most cherished come
from the prophet Isaiah. If the Lord continues to lead, I want to focus
on that book for the next three or four letters.
The past two years I wrote to you about various "secondary characters" of
the Christmas story ---- the wise men, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zacharias, the
innkeeper, Simeon, etc. This year I feel this is the direction I am to
go.
My first passage is Isaiah 9:2-7: "The people who walk in darkness will
see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on
them.
"You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They
will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men
rejoice when they divide the spoil.
"For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their
shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
"For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak
rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the
government will rest on His shoulders: and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
"There will be no end to the increase of His government, or of peace, on
the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold
it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.
"The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this."
I've been reminded, even as recently as today, of . . . .
1. The Tragedy of Living in Darkness,
2. The Terror Who Created the Darkness,
3. The Triumph of the Coming Deliverer.
I. THE TRAGEDY OF LIVING IN DARKNESS:
Nothing is worse than living in darkness. It affects more senses by
either disabling them or distorting them than any other circumstance of
which I can think.
A person can live in darkness due to no fault of his own, or because of
his own choice to do so. Either way, the tragedy is great.
I see three thoughts here:
1. The Colors of Darkness ----
There are varying shades and types of darkness, both physically,
emotionally, and spiritually. You and I may walk in the light in one
area and yet walk in darkness in another. This can frustrate us.
For example, there is a darkness of helplessness when we feel we're in a
situation that we cannot solve. There is a darkness of hopelessness when
we feel there is no future ---- there is no light at the end of the
tunnel.
There is the darkness of broken relationships, of hidden hurts and deep
wounds. There is a darkness of discouragement when we feel nothing we do
is acceptable or all our best efforts have ended in failure.
What about the darkness of despair ---- that comes from the darkness of
discouragement when discouragement lasts too long without any sign of
change.
There is the darkness of failure, whether it is ministry, moral,
financial, personal, or any other kind. And, if you fail often enough,
you eventually quit trying and content yourself to be a dweller of
darkness.
Spiritual darkness, of course, is the most severe ---- and in some ways
is probably the perpetrator of all other shades and types of darkness.
The ultimate spiritual darkness is to simply be without Jesus Christ as
your personal Savior and Lord.
Then, I also see . . . .
2. The Conditions of Darkness. They are cold and ominous. Look at
verses 2-5.
First is the reality of the darkness itself. It is there. It is black.
It is bleak. It's as black as coal at Midnight. Most of all, it is the
total absence of light of any kind. What a terrible state in which to
be.
Then you have the condition of "Walking in darkness". That's dangerous.
Ask my Father. Years ago when he was a full time evangelist and I was a
young boy, my Mother had a hobby of rearranging furniture. She loved to
do it, and she did it often.
Usually she waited until my Father was away, because he discouraged her
from doing it, and he didn't care to do it himself. So, it was a moment
of danger whenever Dad would arrive home from a revival meeting or
evangelistic campaign late in the night and walk into the house intending
to be as quiet as a mouse so as not to wake Mother and me.
If the furniture had been moved, we always woke up. The darkness caused
my Father to "walk wrong" ---- right into a piece of furniture that
wasn't there the week before when he left.
According to verse three darkness also creates sorrow and depression.
Verse four describes darkness as a yoke of bondage, a staff of
authoritarianism, a rod of oppression, a boot of humiliation.
Darkness is terrible.
I also note. . . .
3. The Consequences of walking in darkness. The first thing you do is
try to adapt. You get accustomed enough to darkness dwelling that you
learn to "grope" and get around. You try to sharpen your other senses to
compensate.
Eventually, if you walk in darkness long enough, you learn to not expect
light ---- you have moved into hopelessness.
Then when you hit that point, you learn to act and function in darkness
with the appearance of successful activity, but with no real
accomplishment. Paul described this in Ephesians 5:11 as the "unfruitful
works of darkness".
Then something begins to happen. You get to the point where any form of
light, even the faintest light, begins to bother and irritate. The
logical outcome of that is that you begin to prefer darkness because
light hurts and irritates. Jesus said, in John 3:19, "men love darkness
rather than light".
Keep that up long enough, and there develops a hatred toward even the
slightest form of light. Paul raises the question in II Cor 6:14 "What
fellowship do darkness and light have?" The answer is ---- none!
Do you see the sequence here?
And we're not done.
This hatred toward any form of light, and the total rejection of light in
preference for darkness will lead us to conclude that there is actually
no such thing as light. Why is that true? Because, according to II Cor
4:4, the prince of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so
that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God."
Incidentally, this helps explain the political confusion going on in many
denominations, and even in my own country as it pertains to the election
of our president. We are living, my friend, in a day when for the very
first time in America's history, we have a generation in leadership
positions who have had virtually no exposure to the Gospel nor to the
principles of morality found in God's Word.
They don't know there is such as thing as moral, ethical, or spiritual
light. And if they don't know there is light, they neither know there is
such a thing as darkness. It's all a matter or relativism and preference.
Charles Colson called it a "Post Christian" era.
That doesn't mean the Gospel isn't being proclaimed, and it certainly
doesn't mean there are no Christians in America or even in public circles
of government. There are indeed many. But the society as a whole is a
society of "non religion".
We live indeed in a day of great darkness.
I wish that is where the cycle ended, but it is not. For, once you
conclude there is no such thing as light, and that darkness is the
preferred norm, you end up living in a sense of absolute hopelessness.
That hopelessness drives you to create so called solutions through
manipulation, compromise, and perverse actions.
Out of such solutions a horrible tragedy occurs. A new generation ---- a
new offspring is born with no eyes!
It is the cycle or Romans chapters one and two.
II. THE TERROR WHO CREATED THE DARKNESS:
This whole thing happened, of course, at the hand of the Prince of
Darkness, that "god of this age" who did the blinding and the binding.
It all began in Genesis 1 when "darkness brooded over the face of the
deep". Even after God created the world, the darkness was present,
hidden in the outer recesses of the galaxies, waiting for his
opportunity.
I find it interesting that when God created the world and set the sun,
moon, and stars in their respective and delegated places, God called the
cycle "Day" and "Night". Why didn't He call it "Day" and "Darkness"?
It's simple ---- Darkness cannot survive in God's presence.
The consequences of that dark day in the soul of man in the Garden of
Eden is clearly described in Genesis 3:6-24. It affected every aspect of
his life, and even to this very day we continue suffering from the deep
darkness and tragedy of the Fall of man.
But! . . . . . I'm so glad the story doesn't end there.
We see, finally, . . . . .
III. THE TRIUMPH OF THE COMING DELIVERER:
In Isaiah 9:2 and 6-7 there are three wonderful truths to discover.
1. The Inconspicuousness of His Birth in verse 6a. He is described is
simple and unassuming terms ---- a "child"; a "son". Notice the phrases
used. A child "is born"; a son "is given". There has to be some
significant meaning there. God doesn't inspire men to write
insignificant small talk.
Next I see . . . . .
2. The Uniqueness of His Name in verse 6c. There are 272 different
names in the Bible for Jesus. Here He is described in four names
magnified by explosive adjectives.
First He is a Counselor . . . . Who is Wonderful!
He is God . . . . Who is Mighty!
He is Father . . . . Who is Eternal and will never leave or forsake us.
He is the Prince . . . . who not only Brings peace, but Is peace ---- our
peace, according to John's Gospel. I love the praise chorus, "He is our
peace Who has Broken Down every Wall."
Why are His names Unique? Because in the Bible proper names always point
to the nature, character, purpose, or activity of the one named. The
same is true with locations such as mountains, cities, or rivers.
Jesus is described as Emmanuel, "God With Us", or the Son of the Highest,
"The most Supreme above all else", or Jesus, "Jehovah is our salvation".
What's in a name? Plenty!
Finally, I see in this Coming Deliverer . . . .
3. The Awesomeness of His Task in Verses 4, 6b and 7.'
In verse four he has come to break the yoke of burden and fight
victoriously against all oppression, whether societal, political,
military, or demonic.
In verse six He will rule as king, and He will rule in righteousness.
Then in verse seven He will give security and permanency, He will
establish a permanent peace and not a negotiated one, and that peace will
be exercised personally by Him with justice and righteousness ----
something our world desperately needs.
Finally he will carry out His ministry as described in Luke 4:18-19.
IN CONCLUSION:
Well, there you have it, my friend.
People who have walked or still walk in great darkness don't need to any
longer!
The Light has come. And He can be seen.
John 1:4-5 says, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of Men.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Verse 9 says, "There was the true Light which, coming into the world,
enlightens every man."
I John 1:5 tells us, "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!"
Consider Colossians 1:13 when it says that God ". . . . rescued us from
the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved
Son."
Or, how about our responsibility to all this as found in I Peter 2:9?
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
Who has called you OUT of Darkness into His Marvelous Light!"
Finally, Paul described not only his own ministry, but yours and mine as
well when he declared in Acts 26:16-18, [God said] . . . . "get up and
stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint
you a minister and witness not only to the things which you have seen,
but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you . . .
. to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and
from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in
Me."
WHAT'S THE POINT?
It's simple, friend.
All of us have times of darkness, sometimes self imposed, sometimes
caused by circumstances, sometimes demonic in its source.
But, because we have been brought into the light, we have no reason to
remain in those times of darkness, we have no right to stay there, and we
do indeed have a responsibility to get out quickly, and get on with the
business of letting our light shine before men.
That's the Christmas story, friend, plain and simple ---- "The people who
walk in darkness have seen a great light."
So ---- "Arise! Shine! For your Light has come!"
Hallelujah!
Have a de-Light-Full week, friend. Lord willing, and assuming I can get
to a computer, I'll write again next week from San Jose, Costa Rica.
I love you, and thrill over the joy of sharing my heart with you.
It's just after 1:00 a.m. Monday morning, and I should get to bed so I
can catch the plane wide eyed and ready to go.
In His Bond of Love and Grace,
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright December, 2000. All rights reserved.
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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.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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