Thursday, August 15, 2013

Where Have You Come From?

muslim woman In Genesis 15:3-5, we read how Abram approached the Lord with a heavy heart, concerning how he had no offspring of his own; and thus, no male heir from his bloodline. The only person whom he could foresee as an heir, who would one day receive his blessing and inheritance, was a household servant (15:3).

In response to his plight, God replied, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body” (15:4). The Scripture continues to tell us, “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’” (15:5).

The Lord made Abram an incredible promise: his barren wife (16:1) would bear him a male heir, and his descendant would be as numerous as the stars. You would think that Abram and Sarai would have gained a newfound hope and trust in God’s enduring faithfulness; but on the contrary, in Genesis 16:1-8, we see how they responded in unbelief, taking matters into their own hands:

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.” So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.

Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

So, what’s wrong with the picture here? Keep in mind how the Lord had just promised Abram that he would have a child of his own flesh and blood; and yet, he went in to Hagar and had a child by her at Sarai’s suggestion. Both Abram and Sarai refused to trust God; thereby, committing sin.

We see that Hagar allowed Abram to come in to her (16:4), which was actually sin on her part; and when she conceived, Hagar began to despise her mistress Sarai, feeling superior to her (16:4-5); adding a prideful spirit to her growing list of sins. She then fled the scene after upsetting her mistress (16:6).

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar in the wilderness, He asked an important question: “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (16:8). Hagar responded with a partial truth. She told Him only that she was running away from Sarai. She didn’t say, “I’m running away from my mistress, because I despised her.” Hagar tried to imply that Sarai had dealt unjustly with her; but she was on the run, because she had exalted herself above her mistress.

What the angel of the Lord was prompting from Hagar by asking, “Where have you come from?” was for her to reflect on her actions. He was asking her, “Where have you come from in your spiritual life?” This is a question that calls each of us to reflect on our sinful choices and behavior.

Did you know that Satan was once asked the same question that Hagar was asked? In the book of Job, the Lord inquired of the devil, “Where have you come from?” (1:7, NRSV). His reply was similar to Hagar’s; for he avoided the spiritual and convicting aspect of the question, and answered only that he was “going to and fro on the earth, and walking back and forth on it” (1:7, 2:2).

Going to and fro on the earth was actually an “appropriate” answer. You see, there are countless people wandering to and fro on the earth, lost in what they’re doing; and they can find no real meaning or purpose in life. Sin has resulted in numerous people losing sight of our ultimate purpose and reason why we were created; which is for the glorification of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus once said, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going” (John 8:14). Jesus is the only one who can truly know where He came from and where He’s going, because He is God incarnate and He knows no sin.

The second half of the angel’s question was “Where are you going?” He was asking, “How do you want this story to end?” “Will you continue down the same path, leading to destruction; or will you repent, change course, and live?”

All people are sinners, according to the Bible (Rm 3:10, 3:23). The Lord calls us to reflect on our life and look to see where we have come from – what particular sins we have committed. Many people wander through life to and fro like Satan, trapped in their sins. Whether you’re lost in sin, or confused in understanding God’s will for your life, you should stop and look back to see what has taken place.

If you turn to the Lord through His Son, Jesus Christ, then you will receive the forgiveness of sin, and find direction for your life. Jesus sees the beginning and the end. He sees where you have come from, and where you are going. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Rv 21:6). Therefore, make sure that “where you are going” is founded in Him.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Assisting Pastoral Leadership by Serving

Aaron-and-Hur Rick Warren says, “A few years back I made a list of young pastors in America that I needed to be praying for; like others had prayed for me when I was young. Today, more than half of the young pastors on that list are no longer in ministry.” In this article, I wish to share with you about a serious problem happening in ministerial leadership, which is pastoral burnout; and I also wish to propose a biblical solution.

Kent Crockett tells us, “Burn-out occurs when we give out more than we take in. We go from giving out to giving up. Cars that aren’t refueled will run out of gas. Wells that are not replenished will run dry. Batteries that are not recharged will have no power. We are not any different. A Christian [or a pastor] that is not refueled, replenished, and recharged will burn out.”

In the book of Exodus, we find an example of a God-ordained leader on the verge of exhaustion and burnout; physical burnout that is. However, the account gives us something to apply when considering spiritual and emotional burnout in Christian leadership. Let’s take a look at Exodus 17:8-13:

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

We read here that Israel went out to fight against the Amalekites, and how Israel prevailed whenever Moses kept his staff held high in the air; however, when his arms became tired and he lowered them, then the Amalekites prevailed. In applying this example to burnout in Christian leadership, we’re reminded that no one can keep working incessantly without getting weak and tired.

Do pastors get burned out? Don’t they just work only one day a week? According to the August 1, 2010 issue of the New York Times “33 percent [of pastors] felt burned out within their first five years of ministry,” “50 percent feel unable to meet the needs of the job,” “90 percent work more than fifty hours a week,” and “1500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout and conflict.”

Pastoral ministry also takes a toll on the family. The same New York Times article tells how “52 percent of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family’s well-being and health,” “80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse,” and to top it off, “the clergy has the second highest divorce rate among all professions.”

In our passage, we see that Moses was unable to keep his staff held high for hours on end; therefore, Aaron and Hur rolled up a stone and sat Moses down in order to alleviate some of his fatigue, and they also stepped in on either side of him and held up his arms, refusing to leave his side until Joshua had won the battle. This example shows us that the only way a Christian leader can continue to effectively minister in his calling is to have others come alongside him and help out.

In the very next chapter, in Exodus eighteen; when Jethro saw Moses judging the cases of the people all by himself, he told him, “The thing that you do is not good . . . This thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself” (18:17b, 18b). Jethro then instructed him, “You shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God . . . And let them judge the people at all times . . . So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you” (18:21a, 22).

In Acts 6:1-4, we read that when the “widows were neglected in the daily distribution” of bread, that “the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word’.”

Both Moses and the twelve apostles needed help, though they are considered among the greatest men of faith. Moses needed help in order not to wear himself out judging the people all by his lonesome; and the twelve apostles need assistance ministering to the widows, so they could have time to dedicate themselves to the study of the Word, which was their foremost calling. From where did their help arrive? It came from among the congregations which they were leading and shepherding.

When you see a pastor doing most of the church’s ministry alone, keep in mind that he’s not following a biblical model. He might be doing too much because he sees others as being incompetent; or perhaps, he doesn’t understand God’s grace and is operating under a works- based system; or maybe, his congregation feels that since the pastor is getting paid that he must earn his keep, and that the church must get its “money’s worth” out of him. Whatever the reason, ministry that excludes the help of others within the body of Christ is unscriptural and ineffective.

Both Moses and the apostles appointed leaders to be over certain areas of ministry; and they also called upon deacons and volunteers, delegating some of the ministry needs to them. Therefore, if congregations wish to have healthy, productive and effective pastors then other church appointed leaders, deacons and compassionate volunteers must seek out ways in which they can share the burden with their pastor; and please keep in mind that, according to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), each and every Christ-follower has the responsibility of serving in the kingdom.