Quote from Forum Archives on January 31, 1999, 11:33 pm

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Standing Shoulder To Shoulder With You In The Trenches
As We fight The Good Fight

TITLE: "If I Were To Start Over ---- Be More Socially Involved" (#5)

My Dear Friend:

I trust you are rejoicing in the Lord today. I thank God for you and
what He is doing in your life. I trust that you are keeping today's
incredible events ---- sports mania, natural catastrophes, political
upheaval, moral degeneration, ---- in proper perspective.

One way I have found to do that is to ask a very simple question. Let me
give you some examples:

1. The first three speeds on the heater fan quit, the cruise control
won't work, and there is a frightening sound coming out of the front
wheel drive of my Taurus. Question: "What effect will that have on the
Gospel and the message of Eternity?"

2. President Clinton, though undoubtedly guilty of crimes against the
Constitution, will almost certainly remain in office after the Senate
concludes its work. Question: "What effect will that have on the Gospel
and the message of Eternity?"

3. The earthquakes in Colombia have destroyed thousands of buildings and
have killed hundreds of people, while unbelievable needs beyond human
description continue to escalate. Question: "What effect will that have
on the Gospel and the message of Eternity?"

4. Attendance was down, offerings were off, nobody was saved, and the
power struggle in my church continues to grow. Question: "What effect
will that have on the Gospel and the message of Eternity?"

5. The Denver Bronco's won the Super Bowl yesterday ---- two in a row.
John Elway was selected MVP. Question: "What effect will that have on
the Gospel and the message of Eternity?"

It does help put things in perspective to ask such a question, doesn't
it.

Dear friend, whatever you do in your life and ministry, make sure that
the first thing you do is make sure the first thing is the first thing.

IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICTS:

Ten days ago I did something I have never done before ---- I wrote to
every member of the U.S. Senate concerning the issue before them
pertaining to our President. As of yesterday morning, I had received
responses from fourteen Senators ---- seven from each party Of those
responses, None were personal notes but rather were pre-composed letters
(I can understand that being necessary when most senators are averaging
about 1,000 e-mails a week on the subject.

Three, however, had composed letters spelling out their personal
perspectives on the issue. The other eleven were totally vague,
non-descript, and very protective of the "author", though some did
promise to write a "personal" letter if I would send them a "snail mail"
address. I won't bother.

Several things stand out in my mind, mostly underscoring what I already
believed:

1. Many senators, in my opinion, have probably already made their minds
up, and neither Have not nor Will not, in spite of the oath they took,
approach this issue with an open mind.

2. To many, if not most, expediency has become a more valued commodity
than truth in the processes of governing.

3. While there are many politicians left in government, there are very
few true statesmen, which we desperately need.

4. Many of our senators do not have an accurate picture of the desires
of the people because they place more value on polls taken by politically
motivated individuals and organizations than they do on the voices of the
people who live down here in everyday life.

5. There is an enormous need for Christians in all parties and in no
parties to get more seriously involved in the most basic activities of
civic duty and responsibility.

NOT JUST IN GOVERNMENT:

Differences of opinion, philosophy, and idealogy exist in more places
than the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. I grew up in
a day when there was a very heavy line drawn between what we then called
the "social Gospel" and the "real Gospel".

To the "Real Gospel-er", those who practiced prison work, social
benevolence, humanitarian aid, feeding the poor, etc. and seemed to place
little or no emphasis on the sinfulness of man and the salvation of his
soul, were identified as left-wing liberals who were simply soothing the
external needs of man, were neglecting the more important spiritual
needs, and were "almost definitely" not even saved.

To the "Social Gospel-er", those who mostly ignored those practical human
areas of suffering and need and concentrated on "Biblical truth", were
always talking about sin, salvation, heaven, and hell, and spent more
time condemning the drunk, the prostitute, and the vagrant instead of
ministering to them, were "Bible thumping extremists and fanatical
fundamentalists".

(Be sure you see all the quote marks before you write me, friend.)

What both groups back then failed to recognize was that Jesus voted for
both. With Him and His Father there was never supposed to be a choice.
In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared, among other things,
that it was not a choice between the two, nor was it even a merging of
the two ---- it was All One!

1. James 1:27 tells us that visiting and ministering to orphans and
widows is the purest form of religion.

2. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that giving the cup of cold water,
clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, binding up the wounded,
ministering to the prisoner, and other such actions are a clear sign of
true discipleship.

This line in the sand between the two ideologies is not so evident today
---- not so much because of compromise, but rather because of the
wonderful work of the Holy Spirit in these days bringing the Body of
Christ into a greater sense of unity of purpose and singular focus on
salvation in its fullest meaning.

The Real Gospel touches the total person. The fact that our presentation
of that Gospel in past generations failed to touch the total person has
left us with churches today filled, on the one hand, with insensitive,
uncaring, uninvolved Christians who look down on the prisoner, the
prostitute, the homeless, and the drug addict. They "preach" at them
("shout" and "condemn" are really better words) from afar.

Other churches, on the other hand, are filled with well intentioned
people who minister compassion but without life, who apply ointment that
temporarily soothes but doesn't permanently heal, and who unintentionally
project the message that everybody is good and probably saved, but end up
leaving them empty on the inside and without real hope. They themselves,
in fact, are often trying to find fulfillment in their own empty souls
through good works void of a personal relationship with Christ. All they
have to cling to is the comradeship of like-minded well-intentioned
unbelievers trying to be Christian, thinking that makes them Christians.

It reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan. On the one hand the
religious bigots walk by, condemn the poor guy in the ditch, and head off
to "church", yelling over their shoulders as they walk, "If you were
right with God, this wouldn't have happened to you!".

On the other, some come along like the Good Samaritan and try to drag him
out of the ditch. However, they don't know how to get him up on the
donkey and take him to the "Inn Keeper" Who has already paid the price
for his restoration.

TROUBLING WORD PICTURES:

While there are many, Jesus used three word pictures that have brazenly
confronted me in the past concerning what I would call a singular
dimension I had of the Gospel:

Salt ---- Light ---- Cup of Water.

These words can be troubling words.

1. Salt:
1) Salt preserves things from spoiling.
2) Salt irritates open wounds not properly tended to.
3) Salt seasons things that are bland and dull.
4) Salt intensifies flavors already present.
5) Salt heals wounds and sores.

2. Light:
1) Light exposes flaws unseen to the average naked eye.
2) Light illumines and reveals the reality of the way things actually
are.
3) Light pushes back darkness as far as the light can shine.
4) Light warms by its luminating glow.
5) Light energizes by the energy it exudes.

3. Water:
1) Water washes what is dirty.
2) Water refreshes what is wilting.
3) Water quenches thirst.
4) Water cools and warms whatever is immersed in it.
5) Water extinguishes fire.

Why are these three analogies so troubling?

Because they describe who Jesus said we were to be and do as true
believers and followers. Frankly, many of us are not doing a very good
job.

That's very troubling.

Seems to me, friend, that the world needs the Salt, Light, and Water that
Jesus has to offer.

The questions then are, . . .

1. Why do we not do a better job?, and . . .

2. How do we do a better job?

The answers, of course, I believe are really quite simple ---- but, at
the same time, not so simple.

WHY SUCH A POOR JOB:

In spite of the fact that the Bible is clear that we are to minister to
the physical and the emotional as well as the spiritual, most of us are
pathetic at it.

Why is that so?

Well, while there may be several reasons, I believe one reason is because
of our eschatological theology ---- most Christians believe that things
will "wax worse and worse" in the last days, "the poor we will always
have with us", and "all this will be consumed".

So ---- why waste our time??? After all, if we believe the return of
Christ is eminent, then there is no need to minister to the physical and
emotional needs that have no future.

Dennis Peacocke said it something like this: "Most Christians are trying
to figure out when we're going to get out of here, while the Lord Jesus
Christ is trying get us to wake up and reap the harvest while we're here.
The sooner we do that, the sooner He'll return."

It doesn't take much intelligence when reading the Gospels to see that
the practical needs of man were the perfect occasion for Jesus to
demonstrate His power, His Deity, and His message of salvation. The
wedding in Cana, the woman at the well, Zachaeus in the tree, Simon the
leper, the ten blind men, the man at the Pool of Siloam, the woman with
the bleeding problem, ---- every single situation became Jesus'
opportunity.

When will we understand that human crises are not to be avoided because
"we don't want to take advantage of their emotional state". Hog wash!
What more perfect opportunity is there to minister the grace of God than
during a time of crisis? Satan has sold many of us a big lie. We should
rebuke him and get on with the business of the Gospel.

SO HOW DO WE DO IT?

Programs and plans are a dime a dozen. Let me mention three simple
principles.

If I were to start over again in ministry, I would do the following:

1. I would be more influential as a Christian in community and
educational activities.

My friend, if you have neglected involvement in things such as Chamber of
Commerce, PTA meetings, fraternal organizations, ministerial groups,
writing articles for the newspaper, and the like, because you feel you
are too busy with the work of the Lord, you have two problems:

1) You have an incomplete view of what the work of the Lord really
is.

2) You're taking up a lot of time doing a bunch of stuff that is
basically irrelevant to the Gospel.

Which do you think has more eternal value ---- sending a form letter to
the new president of the Board of Education or going to the meeting and
taking time to get acquainted with him, find out his goals and needs, and
become available to help affect the integrity and quality of the Board's
future work?

Which do you think has more eternal value ---- writing a scathing rebuke
in the "letter to the editor" section about some action by a member of
the Police Department or making yourself available to be an unofficial
"chaplain" to all those officers who lay down their lives daily for their
community?

I really think it's time to stop the griping until we have earned the
right to be heard.

I get between 40 and 50 e-mails a week dealing with current moral and
political issues. To my great disappointment, most of them seem to focus
primarily on "cursing the darkness" rather than "shining the light".
Jesus was clear that it wouldn't be our "darkness cursing" that would win
people over ---- it was going to be "letting our light shine" that would
prompt people to see our good works and therefore glorify God.

Unfortunately I believe many of us have read the wrong book ---- "How To
Lose Friends And Antagonize Enemies". A friend of mine many years
picketed a church he believed was teaching heresy. He said he was doing
it in order to show them the truth, but I suspect deep inside he was
doing it to show them they were wrong.

It's a little like the guy driving down a one way street the wrong way,
constantly being yelled at from the sidewalk that he was going the wrong
way. I would think he would have already concluded that by simply
observing the traffic, the horns, and the flashing headlights coming
toward him. What he needs is a guy who will show him where to get turned
around.

Then, if I were to start over in vocational ministry, . . .

2. I would be more immersed as a Christian in meeting practical human
needs.

Sometimes we spend so much time being protective of what we do, making
sure no "undeserving" person gets even one sack of our groceries, that we
totally ignore the servant spirit and the non-judging generosity of our
Savior to meet the needs of people ---- simply out of His compassion, and
nothing else.

So what, if they abuse it? So what, if they don't appreciate it? So
what, if they take our last dollar? Have we forgotten that we are not
the owners? ---- but simply the stewards? What right do we have to
dictate how something that does not belong to us is used?

In trying to better meet practical needs through my church, I would do
three things:

1) I would be as personally generous as I could be to people in need
---- from good tips to the cranky waitress, to a hot meal for the local
drunk, to painting the fence of a local widow, to buying a cart full of
toys for "Toys For Tots". So what if it's affiliated with The United
Way?

This may come as a surprise, my friend, but I believe, if the United Way
or the Salvation Army had been around in Jesus' day, He would have been a
willing and generous participant. Jesus was a unique Person in many
ways, one of which was He didn't have some of the hang-ups you and I have
toward others who don't talk like, walk like, look like, or act like us.

2) I would challenge my congregation to be personally extravagant in
their ministering to the practical needs of people. If you really want
your people to be more supportive of your own church ministry, the best
way you can do it is to challenge them to be personally generous in
local, national, and international causes.

My father taught me years ago that seed hoarded in the grain bin never
produces a harvest. If you want a crop, you've got to get the grain out
of the bin and into the ground ---- you've got to become a sower. When
you do, there's enough for everyone.

3) I would develop specific mechanisms as a church to minister to the
practical needs of my community. I would want my church to be known as a
church that gave ---- with no expectation of anything in return.
Frankly, many citizens look at the church as being an organization
interested only in propagating their special "brand" of religion and in
trying to get something from them. How in heaven's name did the church
get in such a mess????

Finally, if I were to start my ministry over, . . .

3. I would be more vocal and involved as a Christian outside the pulpit
regarding ethical and moral issues.

Frankly, because the "salt lost its savor" the "light was kept under the
basket", and the "faucets were shut so the water couldn't flow", we are
in the mess we're in today.

You see, friend, when salt is used, it automatically gets results. When
the light shines, it spontaneously does its work. When the water is
freely given, it naturally accomplishes that for which it was created.

I don't mean by this that I didn't preach and teach my people in these
areas. What I do mean, however, is that I didn't do enough, in my
opinion, outside the pulpit to promote ethics and morality ---- Christian
values, if you please ---- both locally and nationally.

We really have nobody to blame except ourselves for the moral vacuum, the
ethical void, and the political stalemates that exist on many levels in
our nation, and even in the world as a whole. Jesus gave the Church the
mandate some 2,000 years ago to preach the Gospel to every nation.

IN CONCLUSION:

Obviously you and I have inherited much of the condition existing within
and outside the Church. Our ancestors had the same misfortune, as did
theirs. It's not something that happened overnight. It took
generations, yes even centuries, to bring us to this point.

Now ---- since it is of little value to discuss how we got here, we are
faced with a most confrontive question ---- "What are we going to do
now?"

In that sense, my statement, "If I were to Start over in ministry" is
really irrelevant. The question I need to ask, and so do you, is "What
am I going to do today? This evening? Tomorrow morning?"

There has never been a more opportune time than now. There has never
been a more exciting time in which to be alive. There has never been a
greater challenge than the one before us.

Let's get on with it!

In Christ's Bond and For His Glory,

Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright February, 1999. All rights reserved.

P.S. This is the final "If I Were To Start Over" letters. I'm excited
about what I feel God has put in my heart for next week. I look forward
to sharing with you then.

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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