Fully Committed

Acts 27:40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach.


40 καὶ τὰς ἀγκύρας περιελόντες εἴων εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ἅμα ἀνέντες τὰς ζευκτηρίας τῶν πηδαλίων καὶ ἐπάραντες τὸν ἀρτέμωνα τῇ πνεούσῃ κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν.

This is a verse in the shipwreck narrative. Paul gave the sailors a little "told you so" and then watched as they resigned themselves to the destruction of their ship. Some tried to escape, but he explained the need for everyone to stay on the ship. The rest of the sailors agreed with him and they stayed on board. Then as their plight went on for a full fortnight they eventually realized that they had to just let the ship run aground.

I'm no sailor, but I would think that in general you would not just cut the anchors unless you had given up on ever using the ship the same way again. You would reel them in. But once you realize that your ship is lost then there is no need for an anchor.

I understand that the point of this text is not to teach us about being fully committed. However, as I read this today I was struck by the resignation of the sailors. They realized what was going on and they became intensely practical. I am reminded of the movie "The High and the Mighty" where the passengers had to get rid of all unnecessary weight so that the plane could make it through the rest of its flight. One woman kissed her fur coat goodbye before throwing it off the plane. But she still threw it off.

I am just struck by the intense practicality of the sailors. In a previous verse they had thrown all the wheat into the sea. There was no reason to hold on to all the stuff because it was unnecessary.

So what are you holding on to? Again, I would not preach this as an application to this text, but as I read it this morning this occurred to me. This blog is meant to be something of an online journal as I read through some text every day. I think my question is certainly biblical. How do you answer it?

Pick Your Master

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."


13 Οὐδεὶς οἰκέτης δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.

This comes at the end of the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. Or, if you prefer, the shred steward. Whatever you want to call it, the conclusion is a bit confusing as Jesus commends the use of unrighteous wealth in verse 9. That may be confusing, but this verse is crystal-clear.

This is one of those times where the English translation just does not quite capture the full essence of the verse. The KJV translates the last sentence very literally with, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." That last word is simply a transliteration of μαμωνᾷ.

But what does that word mean? It goes beyond simply "money." According to Thayer, it comes from the Hebrew word אםן, which is something that you trust in. Of course, it also means money or riches. Perhaps a better colloquial translation would be "stuff we trust in for our security." In other words, you can't serve both God and stuff.

This has profound applications for anyone who is reading this. If you're reading this you have access to a computer and the internet. That means that I can assume you have safe drinking water, shelter, and food. You probably have to worry more about not overeating than where your next meal is coming from. You probably have more stuff in your house than you can possibly use. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Jesus is not saying that all stuff is bad. What He is saying is that we cannot serve both God and stuff. What are you working for? Are you working to get all you can, can all you get, and then sit on your can? Or are you working for the glory of the Lord so that you can use the resources He gives you to serve Him? Who is your master?

I write this surrounded by 3 guitars that I do not play because I do not have time. Yet I feel guilty about that because I own these guitars and want to make music with them. In other words, in a sense this stuff has a grip on me. I'm not sure that this verse means I must get rid of my guitars, but I also know that they demonstrate the dangers of acquiring stuff. Let's be aware of this as we live our lives, amen? The American Dream and the gospel are not the same thing.

Money

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

10 ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἑαυτοὺς περιέπειραν ὀδύναις πολλαῖς.

This may be one of the most misquoted verses in all of Scripture, right next to the verses that don't exist like, "Cleanliness is next to godliness" or "Heaven helps those who help themselves."  The word φιλαργυρία only appears here in the New Testament.  You have to look to the Apocrypha to find it in the Old Testament (4Ma 1:26).  The lexicons say that it means "love of money" or "avarice."  The problem is that the verse is sometimes quoted "Money is the root of all evil."  But that's not what it says, is it?

There are two extremes that we need to be careful about as we look at this verse.  First, there is the permissive side that takes it as a license to be as rich as possible.  As long as we don't "love" money we're fine, right?  This is tough to defend given all the commands about taking care of the less fortunate among us.  Clearly God does not want for us to just amass as much wealth as we are able to.  Or, as a pastor of mine once said, "Get all you can, can all you get, so you can sit on your can."  If we keep reading 1 Timothy 6 we see that Paul has different treasures in mind.

But then we also need to be careful not to fall into the other extreme.  Folks may read this and couple it with Jesus' commands in the Beatitudes to say that there is virtue in poverty.  I don't think that's what he's getting at here either.  There is nothing particularly noble about poverty and I'm sure most poor folks would agree.

Here in America we have more wealth than just about anywhere else in the world.  Even those in poverty live better than most folks in the world.  According to the Global Rich List, my salary puts me in the top 0.84% of income in the world.  Looking at it the other way, I make more money than 99.16% of the people in the world. And I'm hardly fabulously wealthy by American standards.  We think of rich as anyone who makes more money than we do.  

So what do we do with this?  Find some worthwhile mercy ministries and contribute.  Give faithfully at your church.  Give more and live on less.  We sponsor a child through World Vision for $35/month.  Can you live without one time eating out each month so that an orphan could be fed, clothed, and educated?  I am certainly not calling anyone to a life of poverty, but I do want to exhort you to think about how you live and how you may be able to help out.  We're pretty wealthy in this country whether we realize it or not.

Damaging Trade

Acts 19:27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship."

27 οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο κινδυνεύει ἡμῖν τὸ μέρος εἰς ἀπελεγμὸν ἐλθεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῆς μεγάλης θεᾶς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι, μέλλειν τε καὶ καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς ἣν ὅλη ἡ Ἀσία καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη σέβεται.

This is the end of a speech that Demetrius, a silversmith, makes to the people of Ephesus.  He saw the writing on the wall with respect to the gospel.  He understood that the message Paul preached would be bad for his business.  Who needs to buy silver idols of Artemis when they can worship the true and living God?

I find it interesting that he only appeals to Artemis' honor at the end of his speech.  If you read the whole passage in context you will see that he is very concerned about the loss of trade.  He should be.  He is after all a pagan and he is doing what pagans do.  I can't fault him for that based on the values he had.

However, my fear is that we have the same mentality in the church.  I highly recommend the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I think it is typical for us to filter decisions through our wallets.  I know that I do.  I'm thinking about going on for further schooling.  Yet we are likely going to need to replace our home's air conditioner this year.  The well is going to be pretty dry if we do that.  How am I going to pay for more school if we don't have the money readily available?  I don't know.  This is a good test of my faith.

If you are a preacher consider how this affects your preaching.  Are you going to challenge your people to get off their fat American backsides and sacrifice?  Are you going to threaten the American way?  I don't mean to do that for the sake of doing it, but to challenge them to put the cross of Christ front and center and leave everything else as secondary.  Can you bring yourself to do that?  Can you do that if you are working in a Baptist or otherwise independent church knowing that you are likely to offend a prominent family that supports a major part of your church's operating budget?  I don't know if I could.

Demetrius is everywhere in a sense.  He is in our churches.  And he is in our hearts.  Let's be sure not to let his pragmatism get in the way of the truth of the gospel.

How to be Saved

Zephaniah 1:18-2:3
(18) Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
(1) Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,
(2) before the decree takes effect --before the day passes away like chaff-- before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.
(3) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Reading the Twelve can be a pretty heavy business. It is not a happy story. Israel was wallowing in sin and the prophets had to tell of the coming judgment. However, through it all there is some hope intermingled with the decrees of woe.

When I read this passage I think of how we tend to live our lives here in America. We have certainly made an idol of money. We plan on money to save us. We may not think it will save us spiritually, but we do count on it to save us materially. At least I tend to. It is easy for me to get concerned about my 401(k) and the rollover IRA I have. They aren't doing so well these days, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Yet ultimately it will not matter. Ultimately the Lord is going to come in judgment. Am I ready for that? I hope to be more prepared for that than I am for any kind of financial hardship. Which is more important?

Of course, we need to be good stewards. I don't think God wants for us to be irresponsible. Yet we must remember that money is simply a tool for living and it is not life. Nor does it secure life. Only God can do that.

Obeying Instruction

I was struck by this today:

Jeremiah 35:13-19
(13) "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the LORD.
(14) The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.
(15) I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, 'Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.' But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.
(16) The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.
(17) Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered."
(18) But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you,
(19) therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me."

Earlier in this chapter Jeremiah had offered the sons of Rechab wine to drink and they refused because of their father's command. The Lord used them as an object lesson for the people. They had obeyed their father's command, but they did not obey His.

I think of this as we stand post-election awaiting the inauguration of President-elect Obama. I wonder if we listen to the words of the Lord? From my way of thinking I don't understand how anyone can say they believe the words of Scripture and vote for him, but I realize that good people differ on that. My complaint is that the exit polls showed that America's primary concern in this election was the economy. Their concern is not for the righteousness of our nation.

I guess I'm developing more of a pastoral heart about this. I want to see people really believe the truth of God's Word. That's my goal in whatever ministry the Lord puts me. Is it possible to vote for Obama and really believe the Bible? I'm sure that some who did vote for him do. However, I sure hope that no Christians say that the economy is their primary concern. That shows me a misplaced focus away from what the Lord tells us in His Word.

The Mina Project

Our church had another sermon on money this past Sunday. I knew pretty much what the whole sermon was going to be because I had heard it before. I knew that we would hear the phrase "God owns it all". I thought about how we spend our money and I figured that I would get through a Sunday with very little conviction about the sermon.

Then at the end a surprising thing happened. Our church normally gives away about $35,000 during the Christmas season. Instead of doing it the usual way the church decided to give everyone 18 and over an envelope with an amount of cash between $10 and $500. The challenge is to use the money to help someone in the community. We can't spend it on ourselves and we can't give it back to the church. We do have to tell the church what we're doing with it, however.

This suddenly made the message a LOT more challenging. I'm pretty good at funding others and other organizations. I've flirted with the idea of being a missionary. However, this is where the rubber meets the road. What can I do with this money to the glory of God? How can I show the love of Jesus and make Him seem infinitely valuable through the use of this money?

Incidentally, Amanda and I each got $20. I'm glad it wasn't $500. I think God realizes that I need to start small with this. I'd welcome any ideas anyone has.

Affluenza

Our pastor is going through a series called "How to be a Christian Without Being Religious". I think it is a great idea and he is doing a good job of it. I know that it smacks a bit of Emergent, but so far I think we're still on the side of truth. Last week he introduced the idea of "RTDs" which stands for "religiously-transmitted diseases". Obviously he's having fun with some plays on words.

Today's topic was on what he called "affluenza", which is about our greed. He said that this year's Christmas offering is going to go toward digging wells in the Central African Republic. His vision is that our church could make it so that everyone in that country has fresh drinking water. It is indeed a laudable goal and one that we can get behind (though I do wonder where the gospel gets shared in this). To accomplish this he challenged everyone to step up their giving.

He challenged those who aren't giving to start. He challenged those who give irregularly to give regularly. He challenged those who give regularly to make sure that they give cheerfully. And he challenged those who give cheerfully to stretch themselves if possible. He did make the good point that we will often stretch ourselves to put our kids in private school, start a business, etc, but we won't stretch ourselves to give. Fair enough.

This is something that Amanda and I feel like we've dealt with over the years. We feel like we give to the point where it hurts a little bit. Now we're to the point of deciding what we could potentially get rid of in order to raise $1000 toward this effort. Amanda has already put in $100 of her allowance money that she hasn't used. We're going to sell some books. I'm considering selling our pool table that I almost never use. We have some ideas. Now it's just a matter of making some decisions.

We don't believe that God has called us to live as ascetics. However, we also know that we are blessed beyond measure compared to most in the world. Mike listed some interesting statistics. The mean household income in the US is something like $43K/year. In our town of Cary it is $77K/year. In the Central African Republic it is $240/year. God didn't give us this so that we can enjoy more comforts. He gave us this so that we can serve His kingdom.

Now I Know

I had wondered what Barry Zito was doing with all his millions. Now I see that he is doing this. Pretty cool stuff.

How to Spend It?

I'm glad that baseball is back. I love the consistency of having the daily news and watching what goes on. I pretty much hibernated all winter and didn't pay any attention to the hot-stove league. I was surprised to find that Barry Zito signed with the Giants for $126M over 7 years. The fact that he signed with the Giants doesn't surprise me because it makes sense that he would want to keep his ties in the Bay Area. What surprises me is that the Giants were willing to give him that much security.

We're taking a class at church called "Beyond Budgeting". One of the tenets is that you pick a standard of living and stay there. As you are blessed with more material wealth you can use that to serve God. Given that, I tried to imagine what I would do with that much money. His salary comes out to $18M/year. Very conservatively, I would imagine that he will clear at least $12M after taxes.

I currently make less than $100k/year. But if I were to round way up to $100k/year that still leaves me with $11.9M to think about (now this is just for one year). Off the top of my head, I could:

• Pay off our mortgage
• Make sure that Lily and "Sweet Pea" do not have to worry about paying for college
• Pay off the debt at our church
• Increase the funding we give to the college missionaries we support
• Fund our friends in Hungary
• Fund some more children through World Vision
• Significantly fund my seminary

I think I could do all of those things with just a year's salary. I'd still have $72M more to think about how to spend for the rest of the time of the contract. And I also realize that I'm thinking just small potatoes here. It seems like that would be enough money to start some kind of foundation to do even more good things.

The point is that it is an overwhelming amount of money. I wonder what Barry Zito will do with it?