by J. Randal Matheny

Ever since C. H. Dodd, in 1936, made a severe separation between preaching (kerygma) the gospel and Christian teaching (didache), people have tried to whittle down what we should tell the non-Christian about the church and Christian life.

Recently, as I prepared for Bible class, another little note of interest surfaced. We're studying the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. As I neared the finish line on one lesson, I consulted the Expositor's Bible Commentary, where James Montgomery Boice offered a perspective on the phrase in Galatians 5:21 about the works of the flesh, "of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, ..."

Boice remarks, "When Paul says that he warned the Galatians of this previously (presumably when he was among them), he reveals that his preaching was never what one might call mere evangelism but that it always contained a strong dose of the standard of morality expected from Christians" (p. 497).

In the next paragraph, calvinist Boice offers the old saw to wiggle out of a bind that "those who keep living in the flesh give evidence that they are not Abraham's seed and therefore will not inherit salvation" (p. 497). But it's his first affirmation above that especially interests me at the moment.

As an intelligent interpreter of Scripture, Boice is aware of the preaching/teaching dichotomy. And, if we understand his point properly, he comes down clearly that evangelistic preaching includes teaching about morals.

From the start, he says, Paul preached about repentance and the difference between right and wrong. And most certainly he preached about God's church, God's kingdom, God's mission.

It's simplistic to say, "Just preach Jesus, and worry later about the rest." Our Lord always made it clear the cost of following him. Changes, repentance, commitment. And how can one repent without knowing the wrong behavior which one exhibits and the godly conduct demanded? Lists of vices and virtues have fallen from modern use, but not from ancient Testimony.

In an age when so-called Christians in denominational churches demonstrate, according to evangelical-friendly U.S. surveys, a conduct equal to the world (and worse, in some cases), the need to preach repentance from evil works and commitment to godly conduct is greater than ever.

All preaching and teaching is necessarily selective, according to the audience, the moment, and the need. But as a general rule, we neglect preaching the full meaning of repentance to the peril of our hearers and ourselves as well.

by J. Randal Matheny

Gideon was a reluctant savior. Called to be a "judge" during the Dark Ages of Israel's history, he considered himself too small to answer the call of the Lord's Angel (Judges 6.17-18). Later, on the eve of battle against the Midianites, he asked for a sign of victory by putting a piece of wool on the threshing floor.

According to Gideon's request, God wets the wool with dew and leaves the ground dry. He further permits yet another test, this time leaving the wool dry while the ground is covered with dew.

The sad moment is often used as an example of what Christians can do, by "putting out the fleece." But Gideon's request is no model for knowing God's will.

First, Gideon already knew what God wanted of him, for the Lord's Angel had informed him. He himself recognized that he wasn't looking for guidance but merely confirmation of the information he'd already been given (6.36).

Second, Gideon's request arose from doubts and fears. His was not an act of faith, but weakness. The Angel had appeared and spoken to him. The Angel had shown his divine origin by consuming Gideon's offering with fire from the rock. The Spirit of the Lord had come upon Gideon. With so many miraculous demonstrations from God, this leader had both a word and a confirmation that he was acting according to God's will. But it still wasn't enough.

Third, the Lord disapproves of those who seek for signs. When Zacariah asked for a sign, the angel caused him to be mute until John's birth. He rebuked him with this explanation, "because you did not believe my words" (Luke 1:20).

When the Jews asked for a sign as proof of Jesus' words, he chided them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet" (Matt. 12:39).

Jonah's story is contained in Scripture. It is to there that Jesus sends us. And it is there we will discover the will of God for our lives.

In this case, Gideon is a prime example of what we should not do.

by J. Randal Matheny

Faithfulness has gotten a bum rap. It's been equated with a works-based righteousness. It got discarded by a faith-only religion. The prevailing idea is that, sure, God may say such-and-such, but after all, his grace will cover it all, if you're really sincere and depend on Jesus for your salvation.

• How could God give a one-size-fits-all plan for the church's work and worship, when we have so many cultures, situations, and contingencies to deal with?
• He says obedience is necessary to be saved -- we understand that -- but, hey, nobody's perfect.
• Yes, he hates divorce, and we do read that Jesus said marriage is a life-time covenant, but the Lord knows you just couldn't live in that situation.
• And what about those people in the desert with no water for immersion or in the Amazon jungle who never heard the name of Jesus Christ?

Paul challenges us to faithfulness by God's own: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13 NASU).

Faith and faithfulness are two sides of the same coin. Even the Greek word for faith, pistis, is translated as faithfulness in many contexts.

If we have faith, we will be faithful. No separating the two, in God's book. We might want to think twice before etching it in ours.

We can theologize, philosophize, and fantasize all we want, but if God says he will punish the disobedient, we can be sure he will do as he promised. For God will be faithful to himself, even if we aren't to him.

by J. Randal Matheny

There are days I'd like to stay in bed. It's cold or rainy or still dark outside or I stayed up late the night before or I have some heavy task awaiting me. I wish I could pull the covers over my head and make the world go away.

But I pull back the covers, roll out of bed, stick my feet into my havaianas, and shuffle off to the shower. For a person like myself with no boss to check my time sheet or clock to punch, with no supervisor looking over my shoulder, the temptation can be great to shave corners and sluff off.

It's all about self-discipline.

Discipline is consistently doing what you must do to get to where to want to go, regardless of your level of motivation or intensity of emotion.

It feels good to be on an emotional high. Getting charged up pumps us with energy. But we don't live on full tanks.

Discipline is keeping important things up front, putting everything in its place and having a place for everything, as Isabella Beeton said. Discipline means order in the midst of chaos, calm in the heat of conflict.

Discipline is learned, acquired in increments as we daily make small decisions with big cumulative effects.

Discipline is a result, a consequence of divine intervention, a fruit of the Spirit given to the attentive. Not an end but a means to an end, an evidence of God at work.

Discipline is submission to God's training, to an admonition or correction. Stubborn determination to get the job done, starting from within.

Discipline, at least these days, it seems, is a rare commodity, since so many are after the fast buck and the easy road. Or the comfortable bed.

So, it's 6 a.m.

Covers back. Roll out. Off to the shower and into the world of discipline.

Congratulations.

by J. Randal Matheny

Want to discover things about yourself you never knew? Type your name in at www.googlism.com and -- surprise! See what things you've been up to lately. Discover who you really are.

This site is not connected directly to Google but uses the search feature to scoop up text about people. It probably uses the phrase, "John Doe is..." to come up with information.

In this search, of course, anybody with that name shows up. Here was mine:

"Randal Matheny is the missionary." That was all. Nothing else. Seems to be missing something, but okay, close enough.

I put a friend's name in (sorry, Richard), and here are a few of the many discoveries I turned up.

• richard hill is the manager of the city of capitola
• richard hill is the silent assassin of the england team
• richard hill is no stranger to tough music
• richard hill is in heaven where we can all meet him and his partings will never come again
• richard hill is buried in serre road no 3 cemetery
• richard hill is taking a well deserved test along with scott murray
• richard hill is their sole survivor but a major one at that
• richard hill is fit
• richard hill is a member of the tuscarora tribe and is employed as a research assistant at the buffalo and erie county historical society
• richard hill is suffering from concussion and will miss the final test
• richard hill is bearhugged from behind by a monster
• richard hill is preparing to roll back the frontiers eastwards
• richard hill is a sell out and i would encourage home fans to support him
• richard hill is cleaning out his basement and has 4 cases of empty beer bottles
• richard hill is going to get away with murder
• richard hill is no longer with inner circle
• richard hill is the vicar of st barnabas
• richard hill is the new spa director
• richard hill is listed as missing in action

I hope you weren't disappointed. I promised you a site where you could "discover yourself," didn't I? Well, there's another one.

This site will not do a web search, but a soul search. It will look into your inner being and plumb the depths of your true self. In doing so, it has a purpose: to gauge the degree of your depravity, scoop it out, and do a complete remake.

This takes some doing, as you can imagine. You have seen hints of perversity bubble up from down deep, only to hide them quickly. We can only imagine the extent of our evil hearts. It's a scary and sometimes painful process. But worth it in the end.

It is one of the most visited sites of all, this soul search, but most people don't stay there long. There are browsers who hop in for an occasional superficial dose (some even daily), skimmers who take what's useful for the moment, flamers who dip in to grab a handful of ammunition for their next invective.

To really discover yourself, though, you've got to do some serious engagement at this site with the Webmaster and his writers. Only then will you manage the changeover you've always wanted.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

... you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth ... you have been born again ... through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23).