Pastoral Resources

Quite often, when people are encouraged to put aside whatever is preventing them from attending services regularly, they will say: "Well, I really should be there, but I think God understands!"

God has gone on record in Hebrews 10:25 as saying, "Not forsaking the assembling...." He does not understand why some of His people willfully hold to habits of forsaking the assembly! God does understand that we need to meet to praise Him and study His Word God understands that others need the encouragement of our presence, we are a family that He put together He does understand group fellowship, the power of people meeting together for mutual strengthening.

But do we understand those things? Many times we do not-and that is why so many allow Satan to bring one little excuse after another into their lives until they are separated from our God and His assembly.

Let us pray that God will help us to understand the need, the purpose and the power of attendance to Bible classes and worship services whenever the doors are open And let us pray for the courage to do our part in making the gathering of the saints a time of love, praise, and spiritual growth! It is a matter of spiritual life and death, really, not only for us, but also for others whom we are influencing Think about it!

Did you ever notice in the TV family The Waltons how the father was always available; or in Little House on The Prairie, how Laura's dad was always there for the tight squeezes? Contrast these situations with the modern dad who is gone from morning to night Things have certainly changed since the 1930s and the earlier house on the prairie days, maybe too much Years ago, Dr Charlie Shedd held a contest called "One Neat Dad." He asked contestants to send in letters recommending their dad for this great honor Here's a list of the ten most appreciated qualities for "One Neat Dad."

He takes time for me.

He listens to me.

He plays with me.

He invites me to go places with him.

He lets me help him.

He treats my mother well.

He lets me say what I think.

He is nice to my friends.

He only punishes me when I deserve it.

He is not afraid to admit when he is wrong.

Qualities one to five are versions of the single word, "time!" Spell it-listen, spell it-play, spell it-help me, spell it-jump in the pickup ...it all comes out in the same four letters, T-I-M-E Time was the most appreciated trait of "One Neat Dad"!

Queen Elizabeth once sent an ambassador far away on important and difficult business He objected, saying to the queen, "But what will become of my business and my family?" The queen replied, "You take care of my business and I will take care of yours." He went In this he showed more faith than Christians who are unwilling to trust God's care for business and family How many vacancies on the mission field exist because of such a lack of faith or unwillingness to serve the Lord.

Many of us come to worship expecting to be entertained If the song leader is not great, if the preacher is not polished, and if the Scripture readers and prayer leaders are just common, they are disappointed, and often times seek a new congregation As children participate in family devotionals, they always show great interest The song leading is rarely great, but they are familiar with the songs so they sing with great enthusiasm As they pray, and are led in prayer, it is with a keen interest in all that has happened that day, and with a Bible story, even if it is the twelfth time they have heard it Why all this interest? Why are they not as "fickle" as those we mentioned above The answer is obvious, RELATIONSHIP! Children are participating in a family event, therefore, they are interested This is Mom and Dad stuff! Brothers and sisters are involved! This is who they are, therefore it is vital and important to them They appreciate every little thing that is being done.

We need to let the children instruct us We have allowed the thinking and philosophy of a spoiled world influence our thinking in the church, AND IT IS NOT GOOD! When we gather together, there is a lot of family stuff going on Our Father is to be worshiped, our brothers are leading, our sisters are singing, there is a lot of our relationship going into that special time What is wrong is that we have forgotten who we are, so the unique privilege is lost on us We have come as one who expects to be entertained, not as a family member who expects to participate and appreciate It is just that simple If we will remember the relationship, we can better appreciate worship, even when it is not all that polished! Let the children speak!

A large family sat around the table for breakfast one morning As the custom was, the father returned thanks, blessing God for the food Immediately afterward, however, as was his bad habit, he began to grumble about hard times, the poor quality of the food he was forced to eat, the way it was cooked, and much more His little daughter interrupted him saying, "Father, do you suppose God heard what you said a little while ago?" "Certainly," replied the father with the confident air of an instructor "And did He hear what you said about the bacon and the coffee?" "Of course," the father replied, but not as confidently as before Then his little girl asked him again, "Then, Father, which did God believe?"

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

It was Palm Sunday, 1987, when a dear woman was waiting for service to conclude and looking forward to an afternoon when the entire family would enjoy a rare day together As the final song was beginning to flow from the congregation, she knew something was wrong Pushing past the other family members, she made it as far as the outside steps It was Tuesday when she awoke and found herself in the hospital surrounded by her family and physician A visit to a neurologist was suggested.

The neurologist found an aneurysm in the major artery of the brain No symptoms: no headaches, no blurred vision, no motor problems-never been in better health Still young in years, still eating correctly, still exercising-yet within a touch of death She had two choices: 1) live with the knowledge of the aneurysm and hope for the best; or 2) have brain surgery.

How does someone handle news like this? How would you handle it? How did our friend handle it? Where is God at a time like this?

The tears came first, then the resolve to stay busy So she went back to work and did not tell anyone about it She discussed it only with family and a trusted physician Her decision-surgery She began to review life and wonder why, and at the same time, be thankful for what God had already provided.

Then the panic attack came Would the surgery leave her paralyzed, blind, or even dead? All were possible There were long talks with her husband far into the night-there was inability to sleep-it was real-it was happening and it was happening to her!

On one of those sleepless nights she walked downstairs, picked up her Bible, looked at a red ribbon imprinted with suggested topics: sorrow, worry, loneliness, courage -and picked courage The passage was Joshua 1:9, and the words jumped out at her: "Be strong and courageous Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord Your God will be with you wherever you go." Tearing a piece of paper from a note pad, she copied the verse and clasped it in her hand The sense of panic then drained away.

The piece of paper remained with her during the days leading up to the day of the surgery Surgery day found her with no fear of the surgery or the future The piece of paper remained in her right hand as she was moved into the operating room The final exam by the attending nurses revealed the paper.

The piece of paper with the verse had served its purpose She told the nurse to throw it away But in her beautiful wisdom, the nurse responded, "I have to take it now; but when you wake up, you will find it taped to your palm."

Twenty-six hours later two smiling nurses appeared "Did you find your verse?" Slowly she opened her fist The tattered scrap was secured with surgical tape Reading it would not be possible for a long time, but the words are etched forever in her memory: "...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Only He can give us the courage to face life and death May we be moved to call upon His power and promises daily.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB).

Here is a quote from Thomas Fleming, in The Man Who Dared The Lightning "When Benjamin Franklin was seven years old, a visitor gave him some small change Later, seeing another boy playing with a whistle, young Benjamin gave the boy all his money for it He played the whistle all over the house, enjoying it until he discovered that he had given four times as much as the whistle was worth Instantly, the whistle lost its charm As he grew older, Franklin generalized this principle When he saw a man neglecting his family or business for political popularity, or a miser giving up friendship for the sake of accumulating wealth, he would say, 'He pays too much for his whistle."

The above story has an excellent lesson in it: Too often we pay too great a price for something that looks so good and promises so much Fish are hooked because they are attracted to something that looks like food and would make a good meal only to become food themselves Do not be fooled, the world offers you whistles that are not worth the price.

John Gipson shares this lesson:

"As I turned the key in the ignition my car radio sprang to life Some popular singer was belting out the lyrics, 'I can't get no satisfaction.'I didn't care for the song and turned the dial But the memory lingered I wonder how many people there are in the world who cannot find satisfaction? Do they even know where to look?

"Countless people are on record to testify that satisfaction does not come in gathering up things for ourselves As Horace said, 'Those who seek for much are left in want of much Happy is he to whom God has given, with sparing hand, as much as is enough.'

"And satisfaction does not come in showing off a Gold Card, or bragging about one's possessions In fact, 'If the crow had been satisfied to eat his prey in silence, he would have had more meat and less quarreling and envy.'

"I learned something last week from a commercial Normally, I do not care for commercials They carry about as much weight with me as a political jingle But this one caught my attention The man was explaining that when he was growing up he tried everything in the world to make his sister cry Nothing worked Then last week he decided to send her a bouquet of flowers And you know what? She cried.

"Sometimes we get the desired results in the most unexpected ways.

"Take the young woman with a busy schedule and small children who went out of her way to minister to a family in need After her mission was complete she said, 'I just have to do more of that It really makes me feel good inside.'

"David knew people who were saying, 'Oh, that we might see some good!'But he confessed to God, 'Thou hast put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound' (Psalm 4:7) Only by drawing near to God would he ever find complete satisfaction Thus he says, 'As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form' (Psalm 17:15).

"It is sad that a lot of people cannot find any satisfaction because they do not know where to look Take out your Bible and read John 10:10."

How many people celebrate your birth? When a prince is born, there is usually a big national celebration But when a child is born into a poor family, little or no celebration may take place Yet, children of humble origin have often become national heroes whose birthdays continue to be celebrated long after their deaths However, there is only one Person whose birthday is still celebrated nearly 2,000 years after the event-and He was born in a stable!

"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go" (Matthew 8:19).

A number of years ago a Johns Hopkins University professor asked his graduate students to locate 200 boys, ages 12-16 and research their family backgrounds The assignment was then to predict their future The students were sent to the slum area of the city to find the boys The conclusion reached by the graduate students was that 90 percent of those researched would spend time in jail The final chapter of this study would not completed until 25 years later.

When the 200 original students were sought after, some 25 years later, John Hopkins sent the researchers into the slum area again Some of the group still remained in the slums, others had moved away, a few had died In all they were able to locate 180 of the original 200 What they found amazed them Only four had ever been to jail (remember the prediction had been 90 percent of 200)!

What caused this figure to be so low when all indications pointed to a larger number? When the researchers began to ask this question they found that they were getting the same answer, "Well, there was this teacher...." Pressed further, the researchers found that the teacher in all cases was one and the same The boys had all been influenced by the same teacher.

The graduate students traced down the teacher, now living in a retirement home, and inquired about her remarkable influence over a group of boys who were headed for a life of crime She really could not think of any reason why she would have this kind of influence She did mention that "I truly loved my students."

A certain family had two sons The older said he must make a name for his family, so turned his face toward Parliament and fame The younger decided to give his life to the service of Christ and turned his face toward China and duty He was Hudson Taylor, the missionary, who died beloved and known on every continent "But," someone wrote, "when I looked in the encyclopedia to see what the other son had done, I found these words, 'the brother of Hudson Taylor.' " It may be that some were inclined to ridicule him when he went to the mission field, but in the end, he was respected and admired His mercifulness had not been in vain, even as far as the world was concerned But the merciful also receive recognition and reward from God Himself This takes place both in this world and, in its full measure, in the world to come.

The son of a rich father forsook his fine home for a life of crime and immorality, bringing disgrace to his family and causing his father many years of deep sorrow One day he learned of his father's death and decided to return home at once He wanted to be present at the reading of the will to see if he had been left anything He thought possibly his father out of kindness had bequeathed him something Together, with other members of the family, he assembled at the lawyer's office to listen to the reading of the will The first part of it was a long recital of his son's sins Father had set them down carefully, one by one, expressing the grief of heart which he had borne for so many years The son became more and more restless as he heard that sad story of his evil doings He began to fidget and fuss in his seat, obviously disgusted with the whole proceedings Finally, he could stand it no longer and grabbed his hat, rose to his feet, stomped out of the room, and slammed the door behind him But he left too soon For the second part of the will said that his father had left him $25,000 He could not subsequently be located and thus never got the money for the simple reason that he declined to hear about the sins which he refused to confess He lost his inheritance.

C S Johnson shares this family lesson:

"My son, Michael, was four years old the night I found him sobbing uncontrollably in the hallway Concerned, I knelt next to him and drew him close.

"'What's the matter, sweetheart? Are you hurt?'He shook his head and turned to me, but I was unprepared for his response.

"'Daddy said a bad word to me!'he sobbed I almost laughed out loud I had known my husband 12 years and had rarely heard him raise his voice But Michael had heard him say something, and I was curious enough to want to know what it was.

"'Honey, what bad word did Daddy say?'And seeing a chance for sympathy, my sensitive four-year-old stopped crying and blurted out-'Obey!'

"I never think of that incident now without asking my Heavenly Father to keep me from believing, as my son did, that 'obey'is a bad word."

In a certain mountain village in Europe several centuries ago, a nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople Finally, he decided to build a church for a legacy.

The complete plans for the church were kept secret until its completion When the people gathered, they marveled at the church's beauty and its completeness Following many comments of praise, an astute observer inquired, "But where are the lamps? How will the church be lighted?"

Without answer, the nobleman pointed to some brackets in the wall; he then gave to each family a lamp to be carried to the worship service and hung on the wall "Each time you are here, the area where you are seated will be lighted," the nobleman explained "Each time you are not here, that area will be dark Whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."

If the following story were not true, it would surely be unbelievable It is true, however, as you yourself will agree when you have read it.

There was once a great king His love for his people knew no limits Although the kingdom was very large, the king knew every person by name Everything the people of the kingdom had was a gift freely given by the loving king.

So, to show their love and appreciation to the king for all he had done for them, the people decided to have a great celebration to honor his birthday Everyone agreed it was a marvelous idea Preparations for the celebration were very elaborate No expense was spared by the people They adorned their homes with lights, decorations, and expensive ornaments There were parties, dinners, and celebrations throughout the kingdom.

All the people brought gifts for their friends and family Many of the gifts which the people gave each other were quite expensive, involving considerable indebtedness In fact, the people spent more on the birthday celebration than they spent at any other time of the year.

Many who were not citizens of the kingdom, and who did not even know the king, joined in the celebration Their celebration of the king's birth was marked by excessive drinking Since they did not know the king, they invented a good-natured, fat fellow in a red suit He laughed a lot, but never said anything But that didn't matter because they were too busy celebrating to listen anyhow.

The great day of celebrating his birth finally arrived, and some of his people did come bringing gifts and thanking him for his goodness to them But to his dismay, most of the citizens never came to his house at all on the day of celebration And the gifts brought to the king by those few who came were very meager when compared with the gifts they had given themselves.

For the most part the people said they had been so busy with all the celebrations and personal plans that they had forgotten about the king Several said they had thought of him, but really could not work it into their schedules or budgets to come see him or bring a gift A few were known to be quite put out when it was suggested that going to the king's house or remembering him with a gift was important.

Those people who did come to his house and who brought their loving gifts were welcomed and blessed by the king But when they had gone and he was alone again, the king fell to thinking of the vast numbers of his people who had forgotten and forsaken him How could they have forgotten? Had he not loved them all? How could so many of his beloved people who had found the time and money for shopping and feasting and partying and decorating and all sorts of celebrations-how could they possibly be so thoughtless, so ungrateful or selfish? Did they not know that he, too, had feelings? Was not the purpose of the birthday celebration originally planned to honor him?

When the king was alone, pondering these questions, he felt the tears well up in his eyes And in his loneliness, he wept.

One thought brought some hope and consolation Even though they had forgotten him, he had not forgotten them.

A man prayed fervently every morning at family worship for the poor in the community, but he was never known to give anything to the poor One morning at the conclusion of family worship, after the usual prayer had been offered for the poor and destitute, his little son said, "Father, I wish I had your corncrib." "Why, my son?" asked the father "Why, because then I would answer your prayer myself."

While a student at Yale University, Eugene F Suter, Jr.'s father died, leaving him an estate of $400,000 When Eugene refused the inheritance, the trustees of the estate insisted he take it, and even took him to court to force him to accept the money In an unprecedented case held in New York City, Judge William T Collins reluctantly ruled that the young man had a legal right to reject the $400,000 The order legally cut off the 22-year-old student from all future interest in the family fortune, leaving him without an income.

There are a lot of people in this world who are refusing a far greater inheritance than Suter did God has offered us the opportunity to be joint-heirs with Christ and heirs of eternal life, and so many are refusing to profess belief in Christ and to be born again Like Suter, they will be cut off from all future benefits from their Father's estate Will your inheritance go unclaimed?

Elderly Christians tend to be thoughtful, kind, patient and loving Through years of imitating Christ they have grown more and more into his image Physical health may be failing, or the eyesight growing dim, the hearing failing, but there is no reason to lose heart Why? "The inner nature is being renewed every day." And these saints are more lovely than they have ever been.

For those who resent the passing years, an interesting possibility has been suggested by Charles L Allen He writes, "Just suppose the process were reversed You would start living at an old age and every day be a little younger Now that would be terrible Every day you would know a little less than you knew the day before You would start off with your grandchildren but in a few years they would all be gone Your family, instead of growing, would constantly be diminishing You would eventually get to the age where you start to college You would start off a senior and end up in the first grade Now, little first graders are cute with their short pants or little pink dresses, but I would hate to think I would have to be one again.

"Tottering old age has its drawbacks, but being a tiny baby is a lot worse If you were getting younger, you would have to look forward to losing everything and end up by being a helpless baby with a bottle Finally, you would just fade away into nothing Babies do not have a previous existence, so complete oblivion would be the end."

When it is put like that, it is easy to see the advantage of growing older rather than shrinking younger In the spiritual realm, who would want his faith to grow weaker day by day? Who would want to see his Christ-like qualities diminish with the passing of time? Who would want to give up the personal experiences where God has proven His faithfulness time and again in one's own life? Not me!

Experience is a great teacher We are confident that:

They who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings

like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31)

At times it appears that in our "Christian world" man is converted to a church rather than to Jesus Christ Loyalty to a body of believers seems to have priority over allegiance to the Lord Jesus Although each religion claims faith in the same Bible, because of certain doctrines peculiar to various denominations they separate themselves from one another Frequently each denomination is divided into a number of sects.

Is it possible for man simply to be a "Christian"? Must he separate himself with some denominational name as Baptist Christian, Methodist Christian, etc.? God doesn't divide believers into various denominations-man does Even with his own church choice, man is frequently at variance with his brother over some biblical understanding Also, world Bible scholars differ in matters pertaining to Scripture understanding.

What authority does one believer have in saying, "I am right and you are wrong," or "I am more honest than you." Certainly the Bible is right, but does it necessarily follow that I am the one who has perfect understanding? Do you ever differ with members of your family over some conviction? Does it mean that you are no longer a member of that family? If there can be no unity in diversity, there is simply no possibility of unity, for we all differ in many things.

A missionary visiting a poor hut in a refugee district was challenged by a suffering woman: "You tell us that you are interested in us and want to help us But it's very easy for you to simply come to see us in our poverty-stricken home The question is, are you ready to bring your family from the clean and comfortable home in which they live, in order to live in our district with all its poverty and suffering and sin? Would you do that in order to lift us up?" That is exactly what Christ did "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:16).