The Seventh "C"

So we come to the end of our little excursion into a study of Christian leadership. We have looked at the topics 

• 1.  Calling
• 2.    Cost
• 3.    Commitment
• 4.    Confidentiality
• 5.    Communication
• 6.    Cooperation

Today we take a peak at the final C of the "Seven Cs of Christian Leadership": Completion.

We already pondered the concept of Commitment. When we say we will do a job, we should see to it that it is done, unless we are providentially hindered.  In 2 Corinthians 8:10-11, the Apostle Paul wrote, 

10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it.11So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 

Paul wanted the Corinthians to finish the good work they had started. He also gave us the ultimate example of the need and desire to finish well. This is found in Philippians 1:3-6. 

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Here are just a couple of tips as to how to get this done.


Ask for help. I know we all like to think we can manage on our own, but sometimes we need help with our commitments, if we are going to carry them out. And when we ask for help we need to be able to let the other person or persons do what it is we asked. In other words, we need to be able to delegate - and trust those to whom we delegate. I love the advice Moses' Father-in-Law, Jethro, gives him in Exodus 18:13-18. 

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.

14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?"

15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God;

16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws."

17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.

18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

Sometimes a job, a committee, a program needs to carry on to completion, even if we are not there to do it. There are some things that we can all do to make sure the work of the Gospel is being carried on

Pass the baton. This is not the same as quitting. Sometimes, we just are not the one for that particular job. That doesn’t mean that God’s done with us and there is no job for us…. Consider Elijah and Elisha.

1 Kings 19:19. Elijah had been the Lord’s prophet. He had battled the prophets of Baal and the Lord had shown Himself through Elijah’s ministry. Now it was time for Elijah to leave. He was sent to find his replacement: Elisha, and he put his cloak over him. This was the mantle of leadership. But he didn’t just walk away.

1 Kings 19:21. He became Elijah’s attendant. He was working under him and learning from him. Elijah was passing on his knowledge and experience. We do not just say, “OK, I’m done,” and walk away. We need to train up the next generation of leadership, through hands-on apprenticeship. Bring them in; give them tasks; show them how to do the tasks; then ask them; As Elijah did:

"Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you."  (2 Kings 2:9).

Conclusion: Leadership is the job of all Christians. We all lead somebody, by word and/or deed. We have been called and we have been given gifts. 

As Paul wrote in Romans 11:29….

“God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

Who Is God?

Well, PragueBlog readers, believe it or not, someone has requested that I write and post something about the character of God. So, in three installments (naturally), I will share some thoughts based upon Exodus 20:3.

The starting point for a satisfying and obedient life in Christ is our relationship to God, the Father. A correct understanding of His character is what’s necessary for a full life.

God Must Be Our God. Exodus 20:3 states simply and declaratively, "You shall have no other gods before me." God, in this verse, is making a claim on our allegiance. “I am your Lord and God,” He has already told us in v. 2. Now, this verse is an explanation of what that means.

He declares that He already is our God. Whether we acknowledge it or not, God is still God, He already is God. He doesn’t need our approval. He doesn’t need us to “create Him in our own image,” as so many have tried – which, in fact, all of us have tried to do at one time or another. There are a lot of more or less standard views about God circulating. You can be an Atheist, who claims to believe in no God, then spends a lot of time and energy debunking the God he/she says does not exist; a polytheist, who believes in many gods; a pantheist, believing that God is IN all things like in the trees they hug and the rocks and the mountains; or even an agnostic, one who is confused and undecided (as though it is up to him.her to decide on the existence of the Creator of the universe!). 

None of these stances change the truth a bit. Believing hard enough in something won’t make it real. I often use the illustration of the rungs on a ladder. If one believes that the third rung on the ladder is not rotted - although it is - it does not matter how fervently this person believes in the soundness of that rung. It will probably break under his/her weight.

No matter what we believe about God it does not change the fact that He is; and that he has been active. He’s the creator and sustainer of the universe. He’s the owner of the universe.

To Know Him is to Love Him. This is the title of an old song in the US.  IF you can’t love the God who is revealed in Scripture, then you do not know Him. You can’t; because He is lovable. What often gets in our way is the faulty perception we have of who God really is. Instead of reading, studying, searching the Scriptures for ourselves, we let others create for us our understanding of who God is and what He is like. But friends, to worship a made up God is to worship a false God.  

Psalm 9:7-18 reads this way:

7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,

8and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.9The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.10And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.11Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!12For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.13Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,14that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.15The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.16The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah17The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

 Next time: "God must be our only God."

Homeschoolers and College

So, it has been a while since I shared a humorous video (remember, humorous is in the eye of the beholder. But, it is August. Some homeschoolers will be headed to college for the first time in weeks. They NEED the sage advice offered here.

Views of the Bible, Part 3

Last installment in this quick look at views of God's Word.

It’s a goldmine of selfish platitudes about abundance. Sometimes the Church is its own worst enemy. Christianity is intended to be God-centered. Yet, we have turned it into a self-centered dispenser of good news about health, beauty and riches. Those who believe it is God's will that we all be rich are part of the movement generally referred to as the Prosperity Gospel. Yes, God has promised material blessings to some specific individuals in the Bible, specifically in the OT.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job -  are a few examples. The Lord promises Joshua for example, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you... then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:7-8).

Denis Haack in "The Success Factor" describes a TV preacher declare as he pointed to his diamond rings and new Cadillac, that the difference between him and us is that "I have Cadillac faith and you have Volkswagen faith." Haack continues, "By the end of his message I was led to believe that to own anything less than the most expensive was not only an indication of anaemic faith, but a slap at the dignity and generosity of the God of Abraham. And Abraham happened to be, by the way, a very wealthy man." So what's so wrong with all this? Prosperity teaching undermines the teaching of the Bible in numerous ways.

1 Timothy 6
Love of Money 

³If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

God’s Word is not down on capitalism or possessions. But God makes no specific promises that we will all get rich. By spending time and energy  - and sending money to the preachers who promise to pray us into riches – we are elevating an idol, and perverting God’s Word.

So whats true?

It’s the authoritative manual for life. (This falls under the category of “What does Scripture say about itself?")

1 Timothy 3

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Hebrews 4¹²For 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. ¹³Nothing 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.

'Nuff Said. It's God's Word.

No Snooping Allowed - in Czech Republic

Citizens in the USA are fuming about revelations that governments agencies tasked with protecting them are actually spying on them. "Big Brother" is keeping current with the activities of the people, it seems (see this article, among many on the situation). 

Meanwhile, an short note appeared at the Prague Radio website, indicating that this sort of thing will not be tolerated here in the Czech Republic.

Personal data watchdog fines Post over making deliverers carry GPS devices
The Office for the Protection of Personal Data has fined Czech Post for monitoring the routes of postal delivery workers using devices equipped with GPS technology, Czech Television has reported. While the fine was a token CZK 80,000, the country’s postal service operator has changed its practices, no longer employing blanket monitoring of employees in the field and processing the data acquired differently, Czech TV said. Czech Post said it had introduced the system so as to be able to investigate complaints from clients who said delivery staff had not rung at their door when attempting to deliver a parcel. A spokesperson for Czech Post said it now used a system under which they can monitor whether deliverers reached a certain point a certain time.

So, the USA, with a splendid history of personal freedoms and constitutional protections, moves toward big-brotherliness. Meanwhile former Soviet-sphere state Czech Republic is taking steps to see to it that this does not happen here - again.

With regard to Edward Snowden, the US government analyst currently hiding out in the Moscow airport, I don't know what to think. A long time ago I worked in an allied field. I don't know whether he is a traitor or a hero. I don't suppose we in the general public will ever have enough information to make an informed opinion on that. But, just a few years ago, I would never have even considered the question. I would have assume he is a traitor. How things have changed.

Does anybody else see the emerging patterns here?

Thinking About the Bible, Part Two

Another (incorrect) take on God's Word.

It’s a great textbook on social injustice. This is the view of many who call themselves social activists or “liberation theologians.” One can certainly understand the motivation of these activists who wish to alleviate suffering as well as economic and social injustice. Certainly they do have Biblical data on their side: Just for a few examples of this we might read Isaiah 1:10-17 or Amos 5:21-24. But, unfortunately, this is often the full extent to which these “theologians” put their Bibles to use (prooftexting). Their blend of Marxism and Christianity is neither – though it is usually considerably closer to the former rather than the latter. 

When these activists are using their Bibles as a means to an end, we seldom hear such passages as: Romans 13:1-2 or 1 Peter 2:13-14; or Matthew 28:19-20; or Matthew 5:43-44. Understand that I am not advocating on behalf of sheeplike acceptance of injustice. I have seen the conditions of the people in many third-world countries – and many US ghettoes. I have no pat, well-formulated answers for those things (other than to reference sin, and man’s inhumanity toward man). But the activists simply use Scripture to fit their own perceived needs. They are truncating God’s Word to make it fit their own agendas.  

Eric Schlossberg, author of Idols for Destruction, wrote,                           

Paul Johnson, a former editor of The New Statesman, writes that if the biblical understanding of evil is driven from the field, "then the Chris­tian legitimation of social order, law, and communal self-restraint can­not be maintained very long either." Morality based on individual sentiment means anarchy and the disintegration of society. Humanists cannot have this, and their writings are filled with fervid arguments in favor of a powerful central state. Autonomous man, they find, needs leadership, and strong leadership is the hallmark of humanist society. Whether embodied in a committee or personalized in a leader, the elite dominates. Thus, far from bringing liberation, the anarchy of human­ism brings enslavement. The better educated he is, the more likely the humanist is to believe that people are like machines and need to be pro­grammed, and the more likely he is to believe that he should be one of the programmers. Given their premises, the logic of their position is invin­cible: Gods without power and wealth are an absurd contradiction.

Humanitarianism is saviorhood, an ethic perfectly suited to the the­ology that divinizes man. But the theology that divinizes man, it turns out, only divinizes some men. The objects of humanitarian concern be­come less than men, so that the humanitarian can exercise the preroga­tives of a god.

The god that failed is man.

2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL Scripture is God-breathed. We can’t simply pick and choose what suits us.

More to come....