WHEN OLD MEN KILL YOUNG MEN ... GOD IS WATCHING!

(MAY GOD BLESS ALL THE CALEBS AND JOSHUAS OUT THERE)

Somewhere around 605 BC, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, invaded, conquered and enslaved the Israelites–this captivity lasted 70 years (Jer 25:11-12). The Babylonians totally destroyed their house of worship (Solomon’s temple). This was tragic. Solomon’s Temple was the wonder of the world. No expense was spared when building it. Tons of gold, the rarest jewels, and the finest lumber and cloth in the world was gathered and used to build God’s House. When the Babylonians were done there was nothing left but ashes and memories.

Please, take note that these things happened because God removed His favor from Israel. He removed His favor because of their sins. (I’ll repeat this statement in a moment).

About 70 years later, Cyrus the Persian overthrew the Babylonians and gave permission for the Jews to return to their homeland. Almost 50,000 Jews left Babylon and returned to Palestine. Three years later, in 535 BC, they laid the foundation for a new Temple, thus ending the 70 years of their captivity.

For the younger men and women, it was a time of great joy. The Bible says they shouted aloud because they were so joyful. The strange thing is the older folks were not excited–they were not shouting over what they were seeing. Instead, the Bible says they were weeping and crying out loud (Ezra 3:11-13). Now, you may ask why the young people were excited and praising the Lord while the older men were sad and weeping? Let’s allow the Bible to the answer that question.

Ezr 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
 
THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH THE GHOSTS OF THE PAST! 

These older men remembered the first temple. They remembered the Grandeur, the Gold, and the Glory of Solomon’s Temple. They remembered the old days when the temple of the Lord was one of he wonders of the world. They couldn’t enjoy what the younger people were building because they esteemed it to be less than what they had experienced. While the young men were rejoicing the older men were crying and saying:
   
Hag 2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
       
They could see that the new temple was smaller and lacked much of the grandeur of Solomon’s temple which they esteemed to be superior, so they refused to rejoice with the younger men. I think some of those old men and women are still around today.

NEWFANGLED RELIGION

 I came up in a church world that constantly referred to “old time holiness” and the “old paths”. They fought anything that was new. They absolutely detested change. According to them, they knew what “old time religion” was and anything that didn’t look like it was worldly, modern, and newfangled. I have one major problem with their “old time religion” ... IT ISN’T OLD ENOUGH. They don’t go all the way back to the Book of Acts; they merely go back to where they experienced God. In other words, their old paths are simply the churches they grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's, etc. They hold to that style of worship, singing, fellowship, and preaching as if it is the only way God has ever or will ever move among His people.     

But what about the Bible? The early church didn’t have church buildings, elevated pulpits, pulpit standards, Bible stands, church clothes, pews, etc–those things were introduced by the Catholic church many years later. I suppose those things have their place, but the first Christians had church in their houses, especially when it was too dangerous to go to the Jewish temples. The early church was more consumed with BEING the church than they were building sacred edifices and adhering to staunch ritualism. They were more consumed with spreading the name of Jesus than they were creating an organized religion. The only things that were sacred to them was God, His Spirit, His Word, and the name of Jesus!

Just for a side note: They had some of these grieving old men among them, too. There were those that couldn’t enjoy what Jesus was doing in the world because they wanted everyone to be circumcised and quit eating pork chops. Thankfully, the elders were able to correct them and they were able to build together (Acts 15). For me ... that’s “old time religion”.

I want to be careful here because there are some aspects of my early church days that I miss. The people’s dedication to God’s house and their hunger for holiness of heart was beautiful. I have seen God move mightily in my life. I remember preaching a seven week revival where over a hundred people gave their lives to Christ. It was glorious. It was there that God truly revealed Jesus to me. I suppose I could hang my hat there and spend the rest of my life grieving because today’s church world doesn’t look like that, but the truth is I don’t want a church that looks like that. It was eat up with false doctrine and false prophecy. The Spirit and miracles He performed were sacred, but the songs the people sang, style of worship, ignorance of the Bible, and dislike for teaching was not. I was ultimately kicked out of that church because I preached Jesus’ blood is sufficient to save. It was a glorious time, but I’m not staying there. GOD MET ME IN A STRANGE PLACE, BUT HE HAD TO ... THAT’S WHERE I WAS.

Now, I’m somewhat confused about those elder men that refused to rejoice with the younger men. It was actually their fault Solomon’s temple was destroyed in the first place. God removed His favor from them because of THEIR SINS.

DEAR ANCIENT MEN AND WOMEN ... It’s hypocritical to destroy the church and then pout when the younger men start rebuilding it. And you need to remember that ... NOT EVERYONE HAS YOUR EXPERIENCES!

The younger men that rebuilt the temple did not remember the first temple. They had no idea of what it had looked like or of the glory that had been in it. All they remembered was a life of captivity and bondage in a foreign land. No doubt many of these people had been born during the time of Israel’s captivity and all they could remember was their slavery. I believe they also remembered how God in His power had delivered them from that bondage. They could not remember the first temple, but they were thankful for what they had!

THEY WERE THANKFUL FOR THE GIFTS OF THE PRESENT!

Ezr 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
 
These young people could not remember the old days, but they could see that a new day of opportunity had dawned for them and they embraced it wholeheartedly! These young people had no frame of reference concerning the old days, but they were excited about what God was doing in their day.

The young people were singing while the older people were grieving. The younger people were praising the Lord while the older people were weeping. The younger people were giving God thanks for His goodness and mercy while the older people were pouting. They were sulled up because the young men weren’t doing like they had done it in the past. If that’s not selfish I don’t know what is.

They may not have had the resources King David and Solomon had, but they were bound and determined to do the best with what they had. While the older men were overcome by the GHOSTS OF THE PAST, the younger men were thankful for the GIFTS OF THE PRESENT. While the old men wept over what was, the young men built! While the old men reminisced, the young men worked for God.

I’d like to encourage the younger men and women to be respectful to the ancient men and women that simply cannot overcome their fixation on the past. Their motives may be sincere. They may not be able to separate the God that moved in their churches from the culture in which He moved in. When they attack you for doing something new and when they dogmatically fight to hold on to what was, they truly believe they are fighting God’s battle. Pray for them. Love them. Treat them with respect. You’ll probably feel the same way as they do in few years. The music you like today will be outdated tomorrow. You may not like tomorrow's music either. Our elders are allowed to like whatever music they want. They're allowed to have any type of preference they want. What's that to you? 

I’d like to encourage the ancient men and women to be careful with how you handle this younger generation. They watch you. They hear your snide remarks. They notice when you don’t support them. They can’t understand why you won’t worship with them. They think you don’t care about them. They feel like you don’t want them in your church. They may like a different type of Christian music than you ... so what? Stand up and sing with them. At the very least stand up and support them. Pray with them. Worship with them. They live in a technologically advanced society; it’s how they learn; it’s how they relate. Get used to it. Stop accusing them of not reverencing the house of God because they’re not wearing “church clothes”. They may not adhere to your style of church clothes, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dressing up. They may not line up to your pet peeves and pious preferences, but you should be celebrating what God’s doing in their life. You're attitude could make or break them. If you break them, I promise you it'll follow you into judgment (1Ti 5:24).

Young men and women ... God will send you some older, seasoned Joshua(s) and Caleb(s) to give you wisdom. Listen  to them. Learn from them. You'll know who they are when they come along. They may not be able to keep up with you, but they will want to. They may not understand everything you're doing, but they will try. They may not like the style of music you're singing, but they'll be glad you're serving God and singing out to Him because they like you.

But regardless ... don’t ever allow sulking, weeping traditionalists stop you from building the kingdom of God in your day! Keep rejoicing. Keep praising God for what He’s done for you. Serve God in your generation. Reach your world regardless of what anyone says. If you have to, shout so loud that it overrides the negativity of those that want you to stop! You are called to reach this world. If you don't, those that are standing in the corner crying about what was sure aren't going to!

Peace. Love. Hope. 

David Lamb

A BURNT OUT MINISTER IS IRRELEVANT

  A BURNT OUT MINISTER IS IRRELEVANT

 

I've been reading staggering statistics about clergy burnout. Statistics revealing how depression, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are incredibly high among ministers. Did you know the life expectancy of a minister is much lower than the average person? 1,500 preachers leave the ministry every month. Why? I know what some will say, "They're hirelings. They don't pray. They don't love God. Etc." I'm sure that's true way too often, but that's not always the case. And those that readily say such things usually aren't pastors.

We are living in a different world than the men of old. Did you ever consider the fact that John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Finney, Jonathan Edwards, General Booth, A. B. Simpson, etc, didn't have access to phones, planes, cars, internet, Facebook, email or text messaging? If the congregation got a hold of them it was on Sunday or via horse and buggy. And if your preacher was a circuit rider ... you DIDN'T get a hold of him.

 

They didn't have to compete with cell phones, ipads, ipods, television, radio, internet or Hollywood. People weren't gospel hardened and entertained to death. People didn't expect the preacher to cater to their every whim because they knew they COULDN'T cater to their every whim. Now, compare that with the hundred phone calls, text messages, emails, and literally thousands of Facebook messages I receive per week! I'm not unique, any pastor worth their salt has a similar story. Today's pastor is on call 24/7! The expectation level is insane. People want them to be at all places at all times having the answers to every dilemma. The minister (and whole family) never fully meet the requirements demanded of them because they haven't yet figured out how to be God! John Wesley attributed his long life to taking naps as often as he needed. If today's minister takes a nap someone rings the door bell and accuses them of being lazy and sleeping all day. (Been there and done that!)

But concerning the men and women of old ... they had revival and we (for the most part) do not. They spent most of their time praying, reading, and preaching. Their greatest stress came from wrestling with God, not men. 

 

They understood that the church belonged to God, not them. They understood that counseling can never take the place of the unadulterated preached Word. They understood that the hard-hearted and stubborn laity sitting in the pews were lost and in need of conversion and not to be reckoned as church bosses.

The answer? You need to remember that you're a Christian before you're a pastor! Let's spend more time in prayer and the Word, talking to God about men; and less time on Facebook, answering text messages and counseling people to do what we've told them a hundred times from the pulpit.

If you're tired, sleep. If you're on the verge of burning out, shut your phone off, take a few days off, spend time with God and your family. Learn how to say "NO"! If you're overweight and your health is breaking down ... man up! Get some discipline. Eat right and exercise! It'll pay off in the long run.

Don't let your wife suffer because you're ministering to another man's wife and don't have time for her. Don't lose your kids trying to save other people's kids. If you burn out you will wreck yourself and then be irrelevant anyway. You have no business overseeing spiritual business if you can't overseer your own personal business! (1Ti 3:5)

Don't allow anyone to push you beyond your capacity. And ... remember it all belongs to God. He's the husbandman. Let the divine stay up all night. Let the omnipresent be every where at all times. Let Him be responsible for HIS church. You? Just do what you can. You ask what the people will think? The true Christians will understand and be merciful. The hypocrites? Who cares? 

Let go and let God!
Peace, love, hope!

RECALCULATING

RECALCULATING

 

Have you ever missed your turn and had your GPS unit inform you that it's recalculating? Me, too, both while driving and in life!

For the most part, technology is awesome! Where would we be without it? On the other hand, I have lost a few things because of it. Do any of you know more than five phone numbers by heart? Nope? Me either. I have three phone numbers memorized: mine, my wife's, and the church's. I used to know a hundred, but it isn't necessary for me to memorize numbers any more because I have them all logged into my smart phone under the person's name.

I also have no idea how to get any where outside of Madison County. PRAISE GOD FOR GOOGLE MAPS! I follow my GPS. I don't pay any attention to landmarks or road signs. I follow the GPS! Without it, I'm pretty much lost regardless of where I am. That's terrible ... I know.

One of the beautiful things about a GPS unit (or google maps) is it won't allow you to go 127 miles past your destination. Have you ever got caught up listening to music, talking on the phone, or simply zoned out and drove 20 miles past your turn? Yep, me too! I love (and sometimes hate) the fact that when I overshoot an exit, the GPS unit is extremely stubborn. "Recalculating! Take the next left. Take the next left. Make a u-turn in 200 feet. Recalculating. Take the next left."

I know everyone of us have missed a turn here and there. We set out to achieve certain things, to accomplish certain goals, but we zoned out and overshot our exit. We feel as if we're useless or have lost so much time that we can't get caught up; we can't make it there on time. Although we've missed many turns, God is merciful! He'll RECALCULATE our route.

Many of you feel as if you've dropped the ball with your spouses and children ... maybe you have, but God's not finished with you! Perhaps you've wasted money and time on drugs and alcohol, hurt your family and friends. You've overshot your turn by 100 miles. If you can stop for just a second, you will hear the voice of God saying, "I'm recalculating the best route for you to get to where I intended you to go. RECALCULATING!"

Brothers and sisters, God is recalculating our journey! You may not have been obedient in the past. You may not have paid attention in the past. You may have even intentionally took wrongs turns, going in the opposite direction that God wanted you to, but His mercy endures forever!

The Apostle Paul said:

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
 

Only in Christ can we truly start over. Only through Jesus' mercy can we still make our way toward the mark that God has set for us. If you will choose obedience RIGHT NOW, you can forget the many wrong turns of the past. It may take you a little while to get there, but you can know that every turn you make, every mile you travel, is taking you to the will of God!

Be encouraged! God is RECALCULATING your journey!

Peace, Love, Hope,
David Lamb