by Randal Matheny

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was supposedly buried, violence erupted in July between two care-taker groups. All furniture and space, including the roof, have been entrusted to various so-called Christian organizations. The scuffle ocurred when a monk of the Coptic Christian Church of Egypt moved his chair on the roof into the shade -- and invaded an area overseen by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church. Ethiopian monks responded by throwing rocks, iron bars, and chairs. Seven Ethiopians and four Egyptians were injured.

At one Jerusalem site, the "Christian" groups are so acrimonious, they delivered the building key to a Muslim. They trust a pagan over a not-so-friendly fellow believer in Jesus.

First reaction? How petty! And so it would appear. But those groups have their reasons, however wrong-headed, for clashing over inches of property believed to be sacred.

Would to God that we were so careful to know and do the Savior's will! And to teach it. So many wrong ideas have their tooth-and-toenail defenders, while the truth goes fallen in the street.

So Paul instructs Timothy.

"Be diligent." Make every effort. This is priority stuff. Give it your best shot.

"To present yourself." You do need to be concerned for other people's souls, but you're the only one whose will you control. It's you and Him.

"Approved to God." It doesn't matter what others think. Do it to get His good seal of approval.

"As a workman." Do a good job. Do the right job. He's watching and wanting to give you a pat on the back. So hoe that row!

"Who does not need to be ashamed." You'll be able to look Him in the eye when He comes to examine your work.

"Handling accurately." Deal honestly and straightfowardly with the gospel message. Don't play games with the truth. Get to the point.

"The word of truth." Remember there are real lines drawn in this world. Don't move your chair over it for sake of a shade. Stay within the bounds of the revealed will of God.

Second Timothy 2:15 isn't the only instruction to spare no effort for sake of the truth. Others may think you petty. You may be called names and persecuted.

But rejoice and be exceedingly glad you chose not to move your chair in the shade.

Image source here

by Randal Matheny

In Scripture, the Lord leaves little doubt about what he means when he refers to someone as a man or woman of God. The phrase doesn't occur often, but its use is always significant.

As Moses concluded his series of going-away discourses, Deuteronomy 33.1 states, "Now this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death" (NASB). One time in the entire Pentateuch is Moses called the man of God. So it must be significant here.

To be a man (or woman) of God implies a life that blesses others. Here's what this blessing entails.

1. This blessing imitates the creative God. The Lord's first act after creating man was to bless him.

"And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them; . . ." (Genesis 1.27-28).

Moses has been blessing Israel for 40 years, and his last act is consistent with his whole life.

The blessing gives a word which becomes the act. Though our modern society separates word and action today, the Lord blends them into one. For his word makes it so.

The man of God depends upon God to make the blessing come true.

2. As man of God, Moses also pointed the Israelites to God. His blessing begins by a focus on the glory and goodness of the Lord.

"The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And he came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At his right hand there was flashing lightning for them. Indeed, he loves the people; All thy holy ones are in thy hand, And they followed in thy steps; Everone receives of thy words." Deuteronomy 33.2-3

The man of God doesn't call attention to himself, but to the one who calls all to his holiness.

3. Moses blesses by presenting a future vision of each individual tribe (verses 6-25).

Starting with Reuben and ending with Asher, Moses foresees the wonderful possibilities of each tribe. He sets forth for the twelve family clans what God would have them be and do.

I remember as a child, when the local preacher and I folded bulletins one Saturday, he turned to me and said, "Randy, some day you will be a great elder." I took a while to recover from the shock of that thought, but he was fulfilling his man-of-God function.

Be a man of God, a woman of God, by imitating his goodness, pointing others to his glory, and giving hope by a vision of life with the Lord.

by Randal Matheny

It's important, they say. You really should, they claim. A Christian, truly converted, will do so, they insist.

But if you don't, they are quick to point out, it won't make any difference in your final, eternal destiny.

So they say.

The New Testament takes a different view.

"So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8.12-13, NASB).

There is no sense in which one can understand the phrase "you will live," except spiritually, of one's relationship to God. And one cannot be dead spiritually and enter into eternal life.

What is, then, the condition to live spiritually, forever? Putting to death the deeds of the body. Giving obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and making his life ours.

But if you don't? Paul doesn't mince words on this point either. "If you are living according to the flesh, you must die." Spiritual death is an inevitable, inexorable consequence of wrong living. Inescapable. Unavoidable.

The Greek uses the helping verb "mello" to strengthen the idea. The standard Greek lexicon (Bauer, Gingrich, and Danker) says it's used "denoting an action that necessarily follows a divine decree [and means] is destined, must, will certainly."

And that word "die?" It is used figuratively here, says the same good dictionary, "of losing the true, eternal life." Our passage of Romans 8.13 is the first passage cited as an example.

God's divine decree is that, if you don't live by the Spirit's standards, you will die and be eternally separated from him.

The message is plain: obey God and enjoy eternal life; disobedy him, and you will most certainly, by divine decree, forfeit that wonderful, everlasting life at the Savior's side.

by Randal Matheny

Take the last six weeks. Please. (Just kidding.) Here's a little list of what's been happening in our congregation over the last month and a half:

• Suicide attempt • Personal financial disaster(s) • Sexual immorality • Cancer • Victims of robbery • Marital separation and reconciliation • Prolonged unemployment • Persecution

And we have "only" about 40 Christians in the congregation! We're not exactly Corinth redivivus, but we've had our share of problems.

That's why Hebreus 12.7 spoke loud and clear to me recently.

"Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?"

Many things we bring upon ourselves, yet the resulting bumps and lumps can teach us something. And it seems some of us (if not all) have a lot to learn.

There is much we can do to avoid the lumps. We can go a long way in avoiding a lot of suffering. We can

• Live like Jesus. • Soak up the wisdom of God. • Learn from others' mistakes. • Be frugal in personal spending, generous toward others. • Work hard, even for a meager salary. • Be squeaky-clean honest. • Show bend-over-backwards kindness. • Turn the other cheek. • Let resentment shrivel on the vine. • Eat right, sleep well, wake up with a smile.

The more we add to this list the more we can make the first one shorter. But in spite of it all, sufferings will come. We cannot but involve ourselves in the problems of Christian friends and family members. Sickness pops in for a visit when we least want it. Persecution comes calling when we feel least prepared to meet it.

What then?

Back to Hebrews 12.7. "Endure." It's no easy row to hoe. There's no softening the blow. Sometimes we feel as if we're in the ring with the heavy-weight champion slugging away at us.

The Lord helps, he wants us to take a lesson to heart, wants us to draw closer to him, but from somewhere down deep we have to pull out the desire, the determination, the decision to endure.

The fog may be so thick I can't tell which way is up. The mud may be so deep I can barely extract my foot with a thluck.

My problems mixed with your problems, and our problems piled in on their problems seem to constitute the perfect motive for bailing out of the church. That's what the Hebrew Christians were doing, and we're tempted to do the same.

The Hebrew writer tells us we're in the right place (10.19-25). The place where problems and sufferings and sins are seen for what they are, dealt with as they should be, examined for lessons to be learned.

We're in the right place. Stick it out. Endure.

It's a sign, says Hebrews, God is treating you as his child.

by Randal Matheny

People seem to like to tell what they're going to do. Big plans. Impressive ideas. Political promises.

One brother I know has told me, oh, a half a dozen times, how he's really getting back on track this time. And it lasts, oh, a couple of weeks.

May he had a father who made lots of promises and never came through with them. Whatever. He does have a Heavenly Father who has never missed a lick.

That's why Jesus -- and the rest of the entire Bible -- is so adamant about doing what you say you'll do. No big oaths or impressive prefaces needed. And think hard before you put the wet pencil tip to the agenda.

The Big Truth is, God is faithful. And any child of his worth his salt will be, too.

What'd you say?

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this" (1 Thes. 5.24, NRSV).