Monthly Archives: December 2014

Cowardly Complaining

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Say-SomethingTom S. Rainer writes:

The moment they hear it, but the meaning is still similar. “People” is never defined. The true complainer is never identified. It is one of the most frustrating and demoralizing sentences pastors and staff will hear. Here are some reasons for the frustration:

The complainer lacks the courage to speak for himself or herself. So he or she hides behind the deceitful veil of “people are saying.” Leaders in churches know that when complainers lack courage to speak for themselves, or when they have to hide behind anonymous complainers, they are trouble in the making.

The leader has no recourse or action to take. These complainers never identify the source or sources. So the pastor or staff person cannot follow up and speak directly to the dissidents. He or she is left with a complaint that cannot be resolved due to anonymity.

The leader immediately questions the motive of the complainer. The moment the ministry leader hears those words, “People are saying . . . “, he or she doubts the credibility and the heart of the complainer. The approach is cowardly; it thus is always seen through the lens of doubt and frustration.

This approach is a double frustration for the ministry leader. First, he or she has heard yet another criticism. Most ministry leaders have to deal with criticisms too often. Second, the ambiguity of the complaint and the source of the complaint can leave a leader wondering if the problem is really bigger than reality. He or she can waste a lot of emotional energy on something that really may not be such a big deal.

Indirect criticisms can be the most painful criticisms. Most ministry leaders deal better with someone who is direct and precise in his or her concerns. But indirect criticisms such as “People are saying . . . “ or “I love you pastor, but . . . “ hurt more because cowardly actions and duplicitous behavior are added to the criticism itself.

As a leader in a local church and in other places, I got to the point where I did not entertain such veiled criticisms. I tried to be polite and say, “I am sorry, but I cannot listen to you further because you will not give me the specific sources of the concerns. If you are willing to name those people specifically or, even better, get them to speak to me directly, I will be happy to hear the concerns.”

Has my approached worked? Frankly, I don’t recall any of these critics being happy with my response. But I have had to learn that there are certain people in churches and other organizations who have the spiritual gift of complaining. And they will exercise that gift frequently and with vigor.

I have to move on to those who have positive and encouraging solutions. Life is too short to deal with cowardly complainers.

A Virgin Shall Be With Child

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the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).” Isaiah 7:14

Larry King of CNN fame was once asked, “Who would you have most liked to have interviewed in human history and what would you ask them?” Without hesitating at all, he answered, “Jesus of Nazareth, and I would ask Him, ‘Were You born of a virgin?'” He went on to say that the answer to this question is the most important in history.

I agree.

Humanity’s greatest need is atonement and for that we need a sacrifice that is acceptable to God, one that is flawless and perfect. Only a perfect sacrifice is acceptable in God’s eyes. That is why Mr. King’s question reveals a profound insight. If Jesus was born of a virgin, He is the Son of God; if not, he is just a man like us, and not able to provide us with redemption. If Joseph was Jesus’ real father after all, then all of Christ’s claims lie in shambles and ruins. Jesus would have been born with a sin nature just like ours, and even if He had lived a perfect sin-free life, would be in no state to be the spotless Lamb without blemish, and if that is true, He would be in no position to atone for his own sins, let alone someone else’s.

Each Christmas we hear the story about angels and shepherds, of wise men and strange sightings of a star, of a donkey, and of the Child that was laid in a stable manger. Yet the actual birth of Jesus, though highly unusual, was not entirely unique. Of course, not everyone is born to the sight of a star moving and coming to rest overhead, or to the sound of angelic announcements and trumpet blasts! Yet it is true to say that many children have been born in humble surroundings. Therefore, it was the manner in which Jesus was conceived that marks Him out from others. The doctrine of the Virgin Birth holds that Jesus’ birth was the result of a miraculous conception whereby the Virgin Mary conceived a baby in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, without a human father. Christ’s miraculous birth tells us much about His nature. Because He was born of a woman, He was indeed human, and therefore, one of us. That is, one of us in every way, except one. We are born with original sin and Christ was not.

The miracle of the Virgin Birth reveals Christ’s perfect humanity and also points us to His majestic Deity. Notice that the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary includes the statement that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35).

Of course, in the ordinary course of nature, a virgin birth is impossible. But the angel Gabriel finishes his announcement to Mary by saying, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

Christianity is supernatural or it is nothing. It is based, not simply on Christ’s teaching, miracles or morals, but on the Person of Christ Himself. Jesus Himself states that the revelation that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” is the bedrock upon which His Church is to be built, a Church which all the powers of hell cannot thwart (Matt. 16:18). Those who do not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin usually do not believe that Jesus is the true Son of God. Yet the message of Christmas is that God has sent His Son, born of a virgin, into our world, to save His people from their sins.

The virgin birth of Christ testifies to His Deity, setting Him apart from all others. It is therefore appropriate that He should be born in this way, since He was not implicated in sin, like all others since the Fall. Mary was not an exception in this respect, any more than David or Peter, though her sins are not recorded as theirs were. Through His death, Jesus became her Savior and the Savior of all those who would believe in Him.

Election – Shai Linne

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Peep it son, no need to run from the truth
We need to come to understand Ephesians 1
We see in love the Father predestined
We seem to have a problem with the doctrine of election
We keep stressin’ and leave guessin’ leadin’ to depression
Because it’s God’s love we question
Well sit back and take a deep breath in
And exhale, let’s set sail, the word of God is refreshin’
Let’s be real with it, the Bible obviously talks
about predestination so we gotta deal with it
I’ll be a fake attorney by His grace and mercy
And present my case so let’s take a journey for the sake of learning
First turn to Romans 8:28-30
Zoomin’ in on verse 29, read the first line
“Those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His Son”- Exhibit #1
People try to use an argument lacking common sense
Concerning the foreknowledge of God thinking the logic fits
Dudes are saying He looked out into the future ages
With illumination seeing all that would choose salvation
And those men were chosen by God because they chose Him
But that’s not what the passage has spoken
It says those He foreknew He predestined
If he foreknew everybody, is everybody predestined?
Is everyone His object of affection?
If so, then what’s the point of the doctrine of election?
It’s spiritual but let me make it plain so u see the miracle
And praise His Name instead of taking His grace in vain
It isn’t complicated, we all evaded the God that made us
And traded in His truth for a lie
Worshiping what God created more than God who is glorified
Corroborated our death, our lives are an abomination
But if the Father’s aim is to bestow mercy
Then it’s not to say that He was obligated but that God is gracious
As God’s enemies we deserve to be crushed
We’re dirty enough to be eternally cursed and turned into dust
And if he did it He would be perfectly just to murder me but
He decided to show mercy to us
I didn’t choose God, God chose me
Gave me a new heart and it wasn’t because I was holy
But if I chose G-O-D then God owes me, the only reason
I first walked thru them church doors is
Psalm 65 verse 4, why do I know God?
Matthew 11:27 says it best and
Those that have been predestined keep pressin’
It’s a deep message, I only see blessin’ in election
‘ma see the blessin’, yo it’s not even a question
How God in His perfection wrote the doctrine of election

(shai linne)

God in His perfection wrote the doctrine of election
Cause He’s sovereign, there’s no question and that got some people stressin’
But no option but election can account for our protection
Godly direction or perfected bodily resurrection, yo!
Don’t let the thinking of modern men fool ya
God does what He wants- that’s what it means to be Sovereign Ruler
It’s deep but not complicated- with complete confidence I’ll state it:
Peep it- it’s how God has always operated
He’s the greatest, fam- His amazing plan made His hand
Save the man Abraham from a pagan land
Who can argue with the people that God chooses?
Israel and not Egypt, Peter and not Judas
Humanly speaking, it should have been Saul and not David
The inheritance should have been Esau’s and not Jacob’s
The truth it speaks brightly so you can see rightly
A huge, mighty God who chooses the least likely
Still some contest it as a phony doctrine
But if we’re really dead in sin, predestination is the only option
With reservations they fume inside
There’s hesitation because it’s devastating to human pride
This truth is the sober kind that you’re prone to find
In passages like Romans 9- it’s so divine it’ll blow your mind
We are the clay and we’ve been formed by the Potter
None can come to the Son unless they’re drawn by the Father
“But God draws everybody” That’s what some cats say
It can’t be that way because all who are drawn are raised on the last day
Because of original sin and all of our despicable deadness within
Election must be unconditional then
Some people say that we were drowning in the ocean
Barely floating until God threw us the rope then
Our free will helped us as we groped
Our faith is the hand that grabbed the rope and God put us back in the boat
Nope! Without apology I deny that analogy
Reality- we were dead at the bottom of the sea
I was a swollen corpse with hope no more
Until Jehovah the LORD dove from the shore to the ocean floor
Yeah, I was a corpse and I smelled like it
I’ll keep it simple, why did God choose me? Because He felt like it!
He brought me out, not an act of my volition
Breathed life into my lungs and didn’t ask for my permission
Throughout the Bible there’s major examples of this
Pages of passages like the raising of Lazarus
Rather than debating the Master’s gift
We should be happily praising His magnanimous saving of savages
It’s time we see God’s sovereignty and His primacy
His holy dynasty running things by divine decree
Why does He choose some and not others to see Jesus?
Our God is in the heavens- He does whatever He pleases!