Do not boast in tomorrow, for you do not know
what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs
27:1)
As the days until the election in this country wind down, the talk turns
more and more toward the topics of security. Social Security, prescription
drugs, education, taxes and a whole host of other issues are described in terms
of our future security. Perhaps, that is why the situation in the Middle East
and Israel is no longer being covered by the national press. Coverage would
threaten the security of our electoral process and the great American
electorate may begin to understand that the status quo is really not that
secure. What about tomorrow?
If you look at the current situation critically, you see that most of our
culture, our enterprise and desires rest on the premise of the development of
security. Women, as a class, are generally understood to focus on material
security, not fully understanding that temporal security comes not from
circumstance, but from God. My observation is this is because they tend in most
cases to be more emotionally secure than men, but are trained to look to men as
that source of illusionary security. Men on the other hand spend so much of
their energies trying to be manly, or emotionally secure, they never seem to
get to the mundane question of temporal sufficiency. Invisible monsters, demons
and Popes (for the sake of Halloween, All Saints, and Reformation Day) along
with other visible challenges occupy the focus of being a man. Self sufficiency
and toughness never allow men to understand their need for openness and
tenderness.
Over the past two millennia the church has developed doctrines, dogma and
teaching that all point toward helping the brethren feel secure in their faith,
but only to a limited extent does that teaching point beyond itself toward the
finished work of Jesus Christ. The justification found in Christ alone has
tended to take a back seat to the justification of our religious enterprise.
For example, Yesterday, I drove by a church that was building a new sanctuary.
They also got a new sign which reads something like "Come and experience
Pentecost!" Well hallelujah, but what ever happened to the experience (and
the knowledge) that your sins have been forgiven! Now there is a reason to get
excited. There is a security I need to learn more about.
It is good that some churches are seriously looking at the events happening
in the Middle East. According to the Bible some day, or 'what a day may bring forth,'
some pretty wild stuff. Luke 21:28 states at the end of his version of
the discourse on the end times referring to the whole context: Now when these things begin to happen, look up for
your redemption draws near. This
is the cumulation of the coming of Jesus with power and great glory in the
preceding verse.
The point of this whole discourse is not the events, however clever or
sophisticated we may invent or create the story, or our eschatology. The focus
here as well as in Matthew 24, Mark 13 is upon the redemption of God's elect.
Those purchased from this world at a great price. Those redeemed from there
attempts to promote earthly security and given the gift of eternal security.
Now that is an election where our vote doesn't count and that in turn is the
only security worth the effort. To the extent that we cause others to look at
the events themselves and not redemption offered in Christ, is truly what
brings our propheticpredictions into question.
As case in point, when I first returned to church I was in a Bible study
where the Pastor was discussing these passages when he mentioned that these
passages prophetically pertained exclusively to the nation of Israel during the
Great Tribulation just before the millennium, after all the disciples were
Jews. "But excuse me Sam, all believers at the time of this discussion and
present were Jews. It seems to me that perhaps one might be able to broaden the
context to include the whole church, since if Jesus, to continue that line of
thinking, would have decided to talk to the gentile disciples, He would have
had to talk to himself, alone he would have had no audience. Chances are, in
that case,the Olivet discourse would not be in our Bibles and especially all
three of the gospels."
Now the problem is not really with dispensational teaching of the end times
any more than it is with any other eschatology. In due time one of them might
be essentially right and the others not quite so good, or just plaine wrong.
The whole concept of "Pan-Trib" is nothing but a great amorphous
blob. The grace of God is sufficient to overcome our human desire for temporal
and eternal security. The problem is, especially in the case of eschatology, we
shift our focus from Christ to the events themselves. We are no longer
concerned with effective Christ centered ministry in the time preceding our
redemption. We are raptured with the concept of the rapture. As Spurgeon said
of his contemporary John Darby, one of the original promoters of modern
dispensationalism, "If he would write in plain English, people would soon
realize he really didn't have much to say!" The important thing that
Spurgeon in context realized, and that American evangelism has definitely
misplaced, is that, outside of the presentation of the gospel, Christianity has
really not much to say about making our way secure into the uncertain worldly
future, except to be cautious. Surely, the statement that "God is in
control," does not ease the mind of my bankers when the cash flow doesn't
seem to meet their expectations.
These are rapidly becoming precarious times. To continue to focus upon an
illusionary secure tomorrow, no matter the sophistication of our economic
computer models, or our religious teachings and not to tackle some specific
consequences of that uncertainly, cheapens our resolve and makes light of
Christ's purpose. To put it another old way, "Christians
are so heavenly minded, they are of no earthly good!" To
understand better the situation in Israel and the Middle East and how it may have
an effect on our lives, one should develop an understanding of the Islamic
Jihad, or Holy War. There is at least one book on the subject and PBS has an
excellent documentary entitled "Jihad in America" that has a timeless application. From there one should
branch out into specific areas of personal giftedness and church community
development and/or evangelism.
I'm not feeling very secure today, can tomorrow be any worse? Today, I could
be working on a job that I am currently owed over $4200. If I worked really
efficiently by the end of the week I could be owed close to $7000. Now the
reason for this whole problem is that the financial investor in this particular
project is for some reason not upholding his end of the commitment. Probably
some issue of financial security. As a consequence of his insecurity, the
delays he has caused has meant that the project has been delayed, competent
help has left in frustration and more importantly, the window of opportunity to
make a decent return on his capital has been missed. "And frankly my
dear, I don't care to hear any more lame excuses!" (To be religiously and politically correct.) After
praying about the situation, I have decided to let the Lord work out these
details, for I will only make matters worse. I have a very low tolerance for
individuals who try to make their fortune on the backs of hard working men and
women, being unable themselves to contribute anything but selfish ambition and
arrogance.
The way I see this ministry work proceeding, consistent with virtually all
my training, (formal education, military, religious and business) is to provide
as secure a base (in some way) to as many people, missionaries, ministers and
pastors as possible in a time of frustration, leading to or through a coming
time of turmoil, tribulation, or persecution, however that fits into your end
times outlook. I received the information on the properties in Eastern
Washington and the one up by Northport seems to fit that description quite
well, the one near Kettle Falls to a lesser degree. But God knows no one would
ever choose to live there without Divine intervention. Now if I can't get paid
for the work I have already done, or am capable of doing, how can I expect to
rely on my own ability to come of with the debt service, expenses etc.
amounting on a yearly basis to about 10 times what could quickly be in accounts
receivable. The answer of course is "Do not boast in tomorrow, for you
do not know what a day may bring forth."
There is an upside as well as a down side to not being secure in your future.
The rapture could happen before I finish this and it will never be sent out.
Our nigh redemption could be here. An other concept is that some way the Lord
could provide miraculously some means to establish this ministry in some way
secure in turbulent times. All the above are impossible for me, but not for
God.
Zechariah's prophesy concerning the deliverance of Jerusalem in Chapter 12
must to some extent be extended to the church and church leadership as well as
the application of the deception of the Olivet discourse. Drunkenness of
Zechariah manifests itself in unwise judgement or a failing to fully understand
the true seriousness of the times. Those of you who have received this letter
for a while understand that I am a strong believer in the development of
community. You also know that I have never directly ask for donations. However,
at this time I would like those who are able, to help raise the approximately
$300,000 that is required to set this community development effort on the
ground and to allow us to move forward. That really is only 300 people who
could give a thousand dollars. More importantly, it would give those persons,
as well as those who cannot financially participate, the opportunity to develop
the skills required to understand not only the times, but God's provisions for
his people, no matter which, if any, eschatological view you might hold.
So where does that leave you? Content with state,or corporate retirement,
invested in high tech stocks and baby boomer hyped real estate? How about
secure in the knowledge that you will fly away before things might get tough
for a few years? The American proverb that "God helps those who help
themselves." is only true in the context of the coming judgement and it is
only true as He helps them towards the destiny of their own judgement, based on
their own justification. Since the One justifier of mankind has come and the
world crucified Him, does your eternal election lie in Him or in your own
provisions for tomorrow? For all temporal and eternal security rests in none
other than Jesus Christ's righteousness.