Epistle for August 25, 2006
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E-pistle
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation August 25, 2006
God Needs a Few Good Men of Iron
(I Timothy 2:8)
I saw Ed Ames in the musical "The Man of LaManacha" at the Muny in St. Louis
some years ago. At the end of the play when Don Quixote died, all the people he loved
were gathered around weeping. Finally, he rose up and from the back of the stage came
a great staircase with its ray of light shining down. He picked up his lance, looked at
everybody he loved, smiled, and walked up into this light.
The orchestra and chorus blared away "The Impossible Dream." I was sitting there
in the audience with tears streaming down my cheeks, and a woman next to me nudged
her husband and said; "Look this man is crying!" And I thought, "I'll give you something
to really go home and tell your friends about." So I took out my hanky and really wailed.
That blew her mind! She may forget Ed Ames and Don Quixote, but she'll never forget me!
I identified with Quixote. What a beautiful character. "Oh God, to have reached
the point of death, only to find that you never really lived at all!" That wasn't true of
Quixote. He knew he'd really lived!
Paul described such "Men of Iron" in I Timothy 2:8, "I desire therefore that men
pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Christian men typically have problems in four areas of their lives: spirit, mind,
emotions, and will. The text deals with these problem areas.
I. In the Spirit: Prayer
Men don't like to ask for help or directions. We'll drive around lost
for an hour before pulling into a service station for directions. We
see ourselves as independent, self-sufficient, rugged individuals.
Prayer acknowledges our weakness and inadequacy. It focuses on
God's power, wisdom, and provision. Prayerlessness is a major
problem in most Christian men.
II. In the Mind: Holy Hands
We live in a wicked, perverse, corrupt, violent, demonic society
where it is practically impossible in our own strength to remain
clean in thoughts, "Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord? Or
who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and
a pure heart." (Psalm 24:3, 4)
How can I get my hands clean? How can I keep them that way?
Holy Hands can be ours daily only through the cleansing blood of
Jesus Christ (I John 1:7,9).
III. In the Emotions: Without Wrath
Wrath is an uncontrollable, violent emotion . . . Hot anger, rage,
lost temper! In a man's psyche, just below the veneer of "civilized,"
lurks this anger, this wrath. Why is anger a common emotion in the
heart of man? It goes all the way back to Adam. With him, we too
feel the frustration of dashed dreams, disappointed ambitions,
unrealized hopes, missed identity. And such crushing defeatedness
of "what could have been" . . . "what should have been" . . .
produces seething resentment.
The opposite of wrath is love . . . God's love. In the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus taught, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use
you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Paul describes such love in
I Corinthians 13.
Without wrath means "with love!"
IV. In the Will: Without Doubting
Men typically are highly skeptical, suspicious, untrusting . . . especially
men from Missouri, the "Show Me" State. "I'll believe it when I see it
. . . maybe!" is our motto. Why is doubting such a common characteristic
for men?
This, too, goes back to the Garden of Eden. Satan deceived Eve. She
was more trusting, more naïve than Adam. Both were guilty, but Eve was
deceived while Adam deliberately disobeyed.
Just as it is easier for a woman than a man to love, so also it is easier for
a woman than a man to trust . . . to have faith. So Jesus frequently is heard
saying to His band of men, "Only believe . . . All things are possible to those
who believe . . . Why did you doubt? . . . If you have faith as small as a
mustard seed, you can move mountains."
"Without doubting" means "with strong active faith."
MEN OF IRON
These four qualities of character in a man's life are capsulized in the word IRON.
As in "Men of Iron" (Proverbs 27:17)
"I" stands for Integrity of Mind (Holy Hands)
Sincerity means "judged by sunlight." It is transparent honesty, genuine purity,
manifested clarity, unsullied innocence . . . men with nothing to hide.
"R" stands for Radiance of Spirit (Pray)
Spending time with God produces radiance as in the case of Moses on Mt. Sinai. This
radiance is a vivid brightness, an emanated light. The word translated "transformed"
in Romans 12:2 is the same word translated "transfigured" in the Gospel accounts
of Jesus shining as the sun.
"O" stands of Obedience of Will (Faith Without Doubting)
Obedience involves subjection to authority. It's voluntary obedience because one
trusts the person in charge. Faith produces obedience.
"N" stands for Nobility of Heart (Love Without Wrath)
Nobility means high and great in birth, rank, or title. It involves excellence of
character; self-control. We Christian men are nobility, part of the Royal family,
sons of the King, brothers of the Crown Prince. As knights of Christ's "Round Table,"
we are to exhibit Camelot-type chivalry: dignity, bravery, courtesy, generosity, and
gallantry. In other words, we as nobles are to exemplify unselfish love in action.
I challenge Christian men to be "MEN OF IRON" . . . Men of LaMancha,
Quixotes of the spiritual realm, daring to dream "The Impossible Dream" . . .
"To fight for the right, without question or pause: To be willing to march into
hell for a heavenly cause."
BROTHER VS. BROTHER
Dr. Curt Scarborough
Introduction:
Even among Christian ministers, there are disagreements, misunderstandings, and
conflicts. This is not untypical, as we can see in Scripture.
1. James and John (and mother) vs. other disciples, Matthew 20:20-28.
2. Paul vs. Peter, Galatians 2:11; I Corinthians 9:1-6.
3. Paul vs. Barnabas, Acts 15:36-41.
The causes of these conflicts include immaturity, selfish ambition, meddling by a
family member, hypocrisy, low self-esteem, different background, education, gifting,
temperament, disagreement over staff relationships and leadership style, and not having
the same ministry vision.
PRINCIPLES ON BROTHER VS. BROTHER CONFLICT
1. All are different: God made us that way, I Corinthians 4:7.
2. Mind your OWN business, John 21:22, 22.
3. Don't judge your brother's servant, Romans 14:4.
4. Accept those who serve Jesus differently from yourself:
a. Three reasons, each introduced by "for", Mark 9:38-41.
b. Even if they have unworthy motives, Philippians 1:15-18.
5. Learn from and accept another's ministry, II Peter 3:15, 16.
6. Be teachable, flexible, willing to change your opinion,
Colossians 4:10; II Timothy 4:11.
7. Be forgiving and be reconciled immediately, Matthew 5:24; Ephesians 4:26.
Conclusion:
1. Much of the conflict among brother ministers (and Christian
denominations) has to do with different gifts, I Corinthians 12:1-12.
2. Desiring a particular spiritual gift or office is permitted, even
-encouraged, I Corinthians 14:1; I Timothy 3:1.
3. Attempting to acquire spiritual gifts or offices by worldly means is not
only impossible, it is a sin, Acts 8:19-24.
3. The Father wants to give His children good gifts from the Holy Spirit,
if they'll just ask Him, Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Has God been speaking to you about becoming a student at
Pillsbury College & Seminary? Maybe now is the time for you to
continue your education. Please call us at 314-739-1121 or email
<a href="mailto:info@pillsburycs.org" title="mailto:info@pillsburycs.org">info@pillsburycs.org and we will be glad to answer any questions.
If you call, Dr. Bartlett will speak to you about class work or any other
concerns you may have about Pillsbury.
We will also mail our catalog if you provide your name and address.
Our catalog contains information concerning all our class work and tells
about Pillsbury's vision for all of our graduates.
All work is done through distance learning. There are no on-campus
classes to attend. Dr. Scarborough has tutorials for most of the classes,
which will help in studying for the exams.
Contact us about furthering your education at Pillsbury College &
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-Robert Frost
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