God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Crises can be very rude.  They rarely tell you in advance when they're going to pay you a visit.  They just show up, and usually at the most inopportune times.

That's how it happened this past weekend when a dear friend and colleague in ministry was candidating for an Associate Pastor position at my church.  This is a weekend that I, along with the rest of the church, had been anticipating for some time.  It was a big stepping stone in terms of our long-term vision.

Yet it was at the outset of this monumental weekend, indeed, on the very day it began, that a close family member had (and continues to be) steeped in an immoral lifestyle.  Worse than that, he has all but turned his back on God, now doubting the existence of God, the reality of the Gospel, the veracity of Scripture.  This is a man who, for the most part, had the same advantages of a godly upbringing that I did.

How could such a thing happen?

Before you answer, let me say that my question is more emotional than it is mental.  I know theologically how such a thing can happen, based on what Scripture says about the depravity of man, the deceitfulness of sin, etc.  It's just that sometimes we are stupefied over the sudden change of course that life can take.

It was right around this time (I think it was the same day, in fact), that I discovered that the family business might go belly-up due to the economic (and more specifically, the mortgage) crisis.  Imminent bankruptcy looms before my loved ones.

Years ago, I read an article wherein a pastor wrote, "Our tendency in the midst of a crisis is to ask, 'God, what is the meaning of this?', when the question we ought to be asking is, "God, what is the meaning in this?" - A subtle change in words represents a big difference in the dynamic of the question.  Right now, I'm looking to learn whatever lessons God has for us in these crises, and encouraging my family members to do the same.

On the back of the sermon hand-out last Sunday was the following poem by William Cowper.  As always, God's timing is impeccable.  I have been drinking in the theological richness of this rhyme since the moment these crises hit.  May it fortify your faith in the midst of whatever trial you might be enduring this hour:

GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY

By William Cowper

 

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

 

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.

 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

 

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

A Walk in the Park

Yes, and a long walk it was!  The park referenced in the title was none other than Busch Gardens, the well-known theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia.  While on vacation last week, our family spent a day getting "Busched."

It was great!  Despite the hot weather (the temps soared into the upper nineties), we were able to take in a lot of rides and other attractions.  One of my sons said this was best theme park he had ever been to.  If you were to ask my kids what they found so impressive, they would tell you the roller coasters (especially the Griffon and Apollo's Chariot) as well as the 4-D attraction at Corkscrew Hill.

But if you were to ask us as parents what impressed us most about the park, we would say it was the creativity of the park's layout (it's divided into the different countries of Europe, with each section having the flavor of that particular culture) and especially the service of the staff.  Regarding the latter, we were amazed at how consistently friendly the staff, especially in light of the fact that they go through the same routines with thousands of people day after day after day.  When they thanked us for visiting Busch Gardens and wished us a pleasant and fun experience, it sounded like they really meant it!  On one occasion, our family was one of the very few in line to get on a train, and the worker at that station offered to refill our water bottles from the staff's private water cooler.  (I think he pitied our family of seven, knowing the park charged nearly $4 for one bottle of water!)

The workers were not only courteous, they were also conscientious.  Not once did I see any of the staff horsing around while tending to their duties.  Oh, they were good-natured and all, but at the same time they took their jobs very seriously.  They checked and often re-checked every seat on ever ride to make sure every passenger was secure.  The operator would wait for the "thumbs up" safety signal from every worker before "throwing the switch" to start the ride.  There was no goofing around when it came to their jobs, and we appreciated that.

The icing on the cake was the cleanliness of the facilities.  Thousands upon thousands of people made their way through the park that hot summer day, and you know that many are not careful to throw their litter where it belongs!  Yet we were hard-pressed to find any trash on the grounds.  The staff was composed of a "leadership team" who were very conscientious about keeping their facilities clean for their customers' enjoyment.  This was quite apparent to us, and we were pleased with their standard of excellence.

As I thought about all these impressive qualities, I began wondering how the Busch Gardens management train their staff.  Do they convey to them the importance of people's safety, that lives are literally on the line every time a machine is in operation, that their type of work allows no room for careless mishaps?  Is there some kind of incentive program like "Employee of the Month" for whoever shows the most diligence in their duties or courtesy to customers? Whatever they do, it is effective ... and makes quite the impression.

Finally my thoughts shifted to our service as a church.  As the Lord brings folks across our path, how courteous are we?  How conscientious are we in serving them?  How much diligence is given by each member to keep our facilities looking clean, efficient, pleasant and inviting?  After all, "they do it to obtain an imperishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Cor. 9:25).  That is to say, we as ambassadors for Christ have far more incentive to serve with excellence than unregenerate staff members at a theme park!  No wonder Scripture says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Col. 3:23-24).

We went to Busch Gardens for entertaintment.  But we also got an education.  Considering that the tuition was worked into the cost of the ticket, I guess it wasn't so expensive after all.

The Conversion and Calling of a Pastor

Last Monday evening, the Board of Elders at First Baptist hosted an Ordination Council for Nick Jones, our Assistant Pastor of Student Ministries.  This is more or less our "endorsement" of Pastor Nick for ministry abroad, not just here under the auspices of First Baptist Church in Weymouth.

The council proceedings included hearing Pastor Nick's testimony regarding his salvation and sense of God's call to the gospel ministry.  I found this to be so well-written and down-to-earth, that I asked Pastor Nick if he minded my posting it here at TruthWalk.  He consented, and I believe that by reading this, you will get a more "personal" look at Pastor Nick and how our Lord has led him thus far. 

By the way, Pastor Nick survived the elders' barrage of doctrinal questions very well!  After a 150-minute examination, the elders affirmed Pastor Nick's call to the gospel ministry.  We laid hands on our brother and had an encouraging season of prayer, asking God to bless his life and ministry for His glory.

Hopefully after reading Pastor Nick's testimony, you'll feel as if you know him a little more personally.  When you're done, feel free to leave a comment.  We'd love to hear from you.

I was raised in the metro Houston area in southeast Texas by my mom and stepdad. We were not religious, we didn’t go to church, and the only time I heard God’s name was in a curse word. My real dad took me to church when I was with him every-other weekend, but I hated it and tried to get out of it.

I was a lonely, nerdy little kid who always sought to overcome the verbal, emotional, and sometimes physical abuse from my stepdad, by trying to get people to like me. I thought that if I could make them laugh at my jokes or believe I was cool by telling them lies, then I would be happy. I failed miserably.

As I made my way through Jr. High, I continued in my endeavors of acceptance. I began drinking and smoking and became an expert at cutting people down so that my friends would think I was cool and funny. I only became more isolated. In my eighth grade year I was lost in a sea of depression. I hated my life, but didn’t know why. I couldn’t understand why people didn’t like me and why I was so disconsolate.

Then I met Brad Barnes. Brad was a senior and I was an incoming freshman. He played the same instrument I did in band and even though I was so much younger, he would talk to me and take me to lunch during summer band. One afternoon he invited me to his church. I said, “no way,” but he pressed on. I finally relented when he told me that there was free pizza.

At the church that night, the preacher was preaching on Hell. He was fire-and-brimstone and roared from the pulpit that without Jesus I would suffer forever. I didn’t like the sound of that and I walked down the aisle. Afterward I called home to tell my mom that the reason I was late was because I got saved, but she cussed me out and told me to get home.

That freshman year of high school was rough for me. I called myself a Christian, and tried to stop doing all the bad things I was a part of, but something was missing. I still didn’t like going to church, but I thought I was doing good if I wasn’t cussing or drinking; I was also still extremely lonely and depressed. Then the breakthrough came.

My dad signed me up for a summer camp at his church. I didn’t want to go and fought against it, but my dad (Mr. Pushover) amazingly stayed firm and made me go. Of course, now I am eternally grateful. The preacher at this camp taught us that Jesus was more than a “get out of Hell, free – card.” He showed us that Jesus was the Son of God who is the only one worthy of our praise. He helped us understand that we were (and are) so sinful that we can never do enough good things to earn God’s favor. Even if we could stop sinning (we can’t), that’s still not enough for God. He requires perfection – and that’s why Jesus is necessary. He’s the only perfect one, and he lived and died, and now lives again, not so we can merely get out of Hell (although we do!), but so we could have a relationship with him now.

This was all so new to me. I thought being a Christian just meant managing a list of dos and don’ts, but this guy spoke of freedom. I came to understand the truth of who God is and who I am and what grace is. This brought joy where there was only sorrow. This brought acceptance where there was only rejection. This brought peace where there was only strife. Instead of hate, I was filled with love: love for Jesus, love for my stepdad, love for the church, love for scripture. And sin, instead of being something I liked but was supposed to avoid, became something I loathed.  I trusted in Christ as my Lord and Savior that evening (it was a Thursday), and I was baptized the very next morning in the Gulf of Mexico!

From that point on, I was a changed boy. I was still only allowed to go to church when I was with my real dad every other weekend, but we somehow convinced my mom to let me go on Wednesday nights as well. Aside from that, things at home didn’t get any better – they actually got worse, especially with my stepdad who hated Christianity. But this battleground provided great soil for growth. I was pressed into dependence on God. He was teaching me that He had a plan and that He was totally in charge, and that if I was going through hard times, He had a good reason for it.

A few years later I found myself leading our school’s Youth for Christ group. Although looking back I can tell that I wasn’t anywhere near ready for such a position, God blessed me during that time and began to impress upon me that He had given me some sort of leadership skills. I assumed that I would teach a Sunday School class at church or something similar, but had no idea or desire to go into the ministry.

After graduating from High School and moving on campus at Houston Baptist University, I threw myself into everything I could at my church (Second Baptist – Houston). With my parents no longer restricting me I made myself available for everything. I still had no intention of working at the church; I just wanted to help. Soon I was teaching High School Bible study classes, directing a college-age Sunday School class, and leading worship for both. After two years, they asked me to come on staff as a summer intern with the Jr. High ministry. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, to be paid for working at a church!

As the summer ended, the church asked me to stay on full-time with the Jr. High ministry. While I loved being in the ministry, I still had no thoughts of doing it beyond graduation. My friends and co-workers, however, saw things differently. Starting with little comments and teases that eventually led to lengthy discussions, they began to voice their opinion that I was called to the ministry. I fought against it for a while, although looking back, I can’t recall why. Slowly, over the next two years though, while teaching and leading worship week-in and week-out, I began to get the internal confirmation of what my friends had been trying to assure me of.

This had been perfect timing because by then end of that time I was engaged to my lovely wife-to-be and just a few months from graduating with a BA (double-major in Christianity and Speech Communications) from HBU. I was still far from perfect, but had an incredible pastor/boss who patiently worked with me, sharpened me, and helped burn out some of my impurities. He, along with the other ministry staff, encouraged me in my spiritual giftedness and challenged me areas that needed help. I knew I still needed to grow, but I also knew that God called me to be in ministry full-time, for the rest of my life.

The church, however, could only keep me at an intern’s salary, and I was not able to support a family on that income, so I soon found myself looking for a ministry position at another church. Since that time, Amanda and I have been through a mountain range of experiences. We’ve been a part of some good ministries with some great men of God, and we’ve been in some valleys, that have stretched our faith in ways unimaginable. Through it all, however, God has confirmed in us, again and again (sometimes through tears), that His place for us is in ministry. And thus we will stay in the strength and grace He provides.

Wise in Grace

The other evening I was meeting with a couple who, along with me, are working their way through a wonderful Gospel-centered book for married (or about-to-be-married) couples.  In the particular chapter we were studying, the author used a certain phrase that caught our attention:

"WISE IN GRACE"

We mulled that over in our minds for a moment, even repeating the phrase aloud as we did so.  We asked ourselves, "What exactly does he mean by this?"

To give you a fair shot at answering the same question, I should give you the context in which it appeared.  The book is entitled When Two Sinners Say, "I Do":  Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage.  The chapter in which the phrase "wise in grace" appears is the one on how to deal with a spouse in sin.  Comparing confrontation to surgery, the author, Dave Harvey, said:  

To be wise in grace is to see that a well-considered word carefully applied is good medicine.  This is a soul you're slicing open.  Go very slowly.  Cut very gently.

What does it mean to be "wise in grace"?  Here's what we came up with, based on the context in which the phrase was used, as well as the biblical concept of wisdom and grace:  it's applying the truth of Scripture in a constructive way in any given situation through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Notice how the author said that one wise in grace would "see that a well-considered word carefully applied is good medicine."  Well, how would one "wise in grace" see that?  How would he know that?  He would know this by knowing God's Word, for that's what Scripture clearly conveys:  "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Prov. 12:18).  

So to be "wise in grace," one must know the Scriptures.  But scriptural knowledge means nothing, if it is not accompanied by love.  Paul told the Corinthians:  "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up," and "If I ... can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge ... but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor. 8:1; 13:2 NIV).  If I wield the sword of truth in a reckless, unloving manner, I am not using God's Word rightly.  After all, "the word of God" is "the sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17), and "the fruit of the Spirit is love" (Gal. 5:22).

In fact, it's interesting that Ephesians 5:18 says, "Be filled with the Spirit," and the corresponding passage in Colossians says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (3:16).  So Scripture equates being filled with the Spirit as letting God's Word dwell in us "richly" (abundantly) in such a way that we teach and admonish one another in a way that exudes grace.  Ephesians 4:29, another great cross-reference, says:  "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  This requires wisdom, which is the skillful application of truth in any given situation.

So that teeny-weeny phrase, "wise in grace," speaks volumes, doesn't it?  May this quality characterize our dealings with each person the Lord brings across our path, especially those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).