I did nothing; the Word did everything

I ran across this quote from Martin Luther which I thought to be a particularly strong contrast to the attempts people make in this day and age to try and accomplish the work of God using the power of man:

In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. Had I desired to foment trouble, I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany; indeed, I could have started such a game that even the emperor would not have been safe. But what would it have been? Mere fool's play. I did nothing; I let the Word do its work.
--Martin Luther

Church Politics - Israel Style II

As I discussed in the first part of this blog entry, Korah and his allies were swallowed up by the earth, and the 250 men who allied with him were consumed by fire from God, and Israel fled from these sinners in fear.

This fear didn't last very long, as we see in Numbers 16:41

But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.”

This really puzzles me - Korah's swallowed by the earth, 250 men were consumed by fire from God - and the people of Israel blame Moses and Aaron?

One can only shake one's head in wonder at this - but there's an important lesson to be learned from this. Israel had direct, visible evidence of the presence of their Lord and God through a cloud that led them by day, and a pillar of fire by night, manna to feed them every day - and still they did not believe it was God who was working in their midst and leading them. I can only surmise that - for some reason - they thought that Moses and Aaron had the power to command all these wonders which kept them alive while dealing with their opponents using earthquakes and fire from the sky.

This is an important lesson to remember in our present days when we wonder why more people do not believe - if Israel, whom God made His chosen people - repeatedly refused to believe, is it any wonder that people in our present day don't believe either?

Whatever the truth behind Israel's unbelief is, the events of the prior day repeat themselves again, but this time with much more dire results. After the congregation of Israel assembled against Moses and Aaron, a cloud covers the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord appears. And what does the Lord have to say this time?

“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."

which is exactly what He said about Israel the day before. And just like the day before, Moses and Aaron have to stand in for the people. Moses can tell that wrath is proceeding from the Lord and tells Aaron to take a censer and make atonement for the congregation. This time, however, instead of three families, and 250 men being lost to the wrath of the Lord, the death count was significantly higher:

And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he [Aaron] put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.

Fourteen thousand, seven hundred people - dead. And why? Because they refused to have Moses and Aaron as their leaders? No, it's Israel's direct disobedience to God Himself. God named the people He wanted to lead Israel, He confirmed it with many mighty acts, and they still rebelled. This goes to show that the God with whom we have to do, while He is a loving and patient God, His patience only lasts so long, and when His patience runs out and He decides to act, justice is swift, certain, complete, and irresistible.

It makes you stop and think of what's in store for the people in our present day who mistreat and abuse the faithful ambassadors God has sent them to keep them safe and fed...

Church Politics - Israel Style

Wherever there are people, there’ll be politics, and Israel was no exception.

After God had used Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, there was a rebellion against Moses’s leadership by a man named Korah. As Numbers 16 reports:

Now Korah ... , and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Anyone who has been in a church with strife between the congregation's "leadership" and it's pastor probably recognizes what this looks like - namely the gathering of numbers against the man God has placed in their midst as His Ambassador, and asserting that since "all" are equal in the church - why does this person have any greater authority than anyone else?

Moses's first response is a bit atypical of what one generally sees in a congregational dispute:

When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one hom he chooses he will bring near to him.

In Israel's time God manifested Himself to Israel in a more directly apparent manner than He does in current days, so Moses could call on God to decide between people and get a decisive response in short order. In current "church politics" God shows a lot more patience and allows His servants to suffer, like the prophets in Israel's later years that He sent to call Israel back to Him when they strayed.

In the following passages, Moses has a few things to say to Korah and the Sons of Levi who aspire to a position of power and authority beyond where God placed them. His concluding remark is the most telling:

Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together.

So, the issue wasn't Korah et al's rebellion against Moses and Aaron per se, but that they were rebelling against God Himself.

Where did this rebellion come from? When Moses called to Datahn and Abiram, and they refused to respond and come talk to Moses, we see what the complaint is:

“We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us? Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”

In other words, they had a "cushy" life in Egypt, Moses hadn't delivered a "cushy" life yet, they're accusing Moses of trying to kill the people of Israel and setting himself as a prince over the people.

What's strange about this statement is that it shows a complete lack of appreciation for how it was God that brought all the plagues on Egypt, and it was God that brought them out of Egypt with His own right hand. Maybe they were asleep when God parted the Red Sea and Israel crossed on dry land. But here they are, instead of giving God the glory for what He'd already done, and trusting Him to continue to care and provide for them as His people, they're putting all their complaints about their current troubles and lack of a cushy life on Moses and Aaron!

It's amazing when you think about it, and shows how God can work all kinds of wonders and miracle, and people still will not believe.

The question then is - how to decide whom God had chosen to lead Israel. Numbers 16:16 details the test. Moses, Aaron, Korah, and the 250 leaders in Israel would all bring censors and stand before the Tent of Meeting to see who God would choose. Korah, however, brings some more support besides the 250...

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

If this was a democratic gathering, then Korah and the 250 would certainly've come out on top. But Israel wasn't a democratically ruled body, any more than today's churches should be. The doctrine and rule of God in the church - both in Israel's and today's time - is based on what God wills, not what man wills. People who want something that's at variance with what God wants will find themselves in opposition to God Himself, as Korah and his friends soon discovered.

The stage is set. What happens next doesn't take very long.

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them hin a moment.”

Uh-oh. Since Israel has rebelled as a body by backing Korah against Moses, God is about to wipe all of them off the face of the Earth. Despite the actions of the Israelites, Moses and Aaron, however, stand in for them and ask God to spare Israel for their foolishness.

And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

So while Israel is spared, this can't be good for Korah and his friends. Moses goes out to the people of Israel and tells them to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. So the people withdraw, while Korah and his allies, together with their wives and children stand at the door of their tents. Here are Moses's words to Israel about Korah et al.

And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

Moses states that it was God that sent Moses to do all the works that he did, he didn't send himself to get Israel out of Egypt and lead them. And if God was really the one who sent Moses, then He would confirm it by creating something new that the people of Israel had never seen before - Korah and all his allies would go down alive to Sheol.

But more than that - Korah and his allies - by their action - had shown that they despised God, and God would confirm that by His action.

What happens next is immediate and certain:

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

So complete was the fate of Korah and his allies that it was as if they never existed. None of their descendants would live on, nor would their names continue, which was a huge deal in Israel's time.

But this isn't the end of the matter:

And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

These men who joined Korah in his rebellion paid for their sin with their lives, but their families were spared. Beyond that, there's not much to say other than with what God follows this up with:

As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.”

So while thes 250 men sinned, and it cost them their lives, their action was still counted as having been offered to the Lord, and thus the censors became holy. The metal was then hammered and used as a covering on the altar, to remind Israel of what had happened for as long as the altar existed -

...so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.

The main lesson I would have people take from this is that today - just like in Israel's time - it's God who wills and does things, and it is God who enables us to do His will.

Any pastors that read this may want to consider how Moses and Aaron acted towards their opponents - as in this case it was God who acted on His own behalf for the people He placed in charge of Israel.

The story, however, doesn't stop there. You'd think the people of Israel would learn something from God's display of His power and authority, but such was not the case. Israel has this problem with "getting it", which they would repeat over and over again throughout history.But that's a topic for another blog entry, so stay tuned - or read Numbers 16:41ff for yourself. :)

All quotes from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

With Fear and Trembling

Scriptures tells us:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Php 2:12).

There's a good reason to be afraid - because our God is a God of justice and wrath, a God who will not let the unrepentant and unjust go unpunished - either in this life, or whatever comes after. While the Law testifies to the perfection of God and so convict us of our sin, it will be God Himself who will enforce it and render judgment. Nothing in all of creation can escape, and on the day of judgment, you will have to give account for all the words you speak:

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Mt 12:36

and

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:13

Imagine, for instance, being on trial where you had to testify against yourself, everything you said and did was on display, and you had to explain ever single thing you said and did for your entire life. Could you come out justified? I know I couldn't.

Consider the parable of the unforgiving servant - he's forgiven an un-imaginable debt, then goes out and shakes down his fellow servant for a trifle, and when the king hears about it, has him thrown in debtor's prison until the debt's completely paid.

And that's where people usually stop - right before the punchline.

So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Mt 18:35

When the Spirit opened my eyes to that particular passage, it was like a 2x4 upside the head. I kept on wondering why I'd never heard that before.

However, serious as all this is, there is still hope - to return to the passage I'd originally cited:

...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phillipians 2:12)

We as believers have not been left alone, God's right there, in each and every one us, helping us along to do what we cannot do on our power. So just as we should be scared out of our wits by the implications of what we're facing at Judgment, we can take even greater comfort and joy in the promised saving work Christ has done - and continues to do - in us. As it is written:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Lk 7:47

When we think about it, it's amazing what God has done for us given the how hopeless our situation was before the promise was made.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The "Best" Pastors?

Recently I've been seeing references to "best" pastors, which leads directly to the question - what exactly is a "best" pastor? Does such a creature exist, or is this notion that there are such things as a "best" or "greatest" pastor remarkably similar to controversy the apostles got into over which of them was the greatest. Mark 9:33 relates this discussion

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Here, Christ defines "greatness" in the kingdom of God as putting one's self last and serving others. But in today's church, the typical definition of a "best" pastor appears to be someone who is highly trained, are good speakers, able to spot heresies, and the like. But I can't say I've heard the term "servant of all" ever as part of the definition of "best" pastor.

Not only that, but allowing the idea that there are being "best" pastors also allows an opening for the inherent temptation to favor one pastor over against another. This kind of division is nothing new, and we read from 1 Corinthian 3:5ff:

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

The Corinthians were divide as to who they were following - as if Paul or Apollos could save them. Paul makes it absolutely clear that the accomplishment of any growth in the kingdom of God was from God alone, not those who planted or watered as God assigned to each.

This problem is discussed again in 1 Corinthians 4:6ff:

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

There is nothing any Pastor has or does which is not from God, so the idea of there being a "best" pastor is like saying there's a "best" God. Since it's God which accomplishes His working through His ambassadors, all glory should go to Him alone for any good which is accomplished through His soldiers.

Were that more people instead took instruction from Luke 17:10ff:

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

Only God works faith in man, and brings about His will. Pastors serve as His ambassadors, through whom Christ makes His appeal (2 Corinthians 5:20), but they must never consider that the success of this appeal is due to anything other than the working of God Himself through them.

To God alone be the Glory!

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

A fate worse than Sodom and Gomorrah's

In the previous blog entry I discussed why Sodom and Gomorrah was overthrown, but like any area of inquiry, answering one question often raises a multitude of new questions. In this case, while Sodom suffered it's well-known fate, Capernaum's eventual fate would be worse. Why? Because God had personally came to the city in the person of Jesus Christ, and performed many mighty works in their presence, which would've brought even wicked Sodom to repentance. But, they still rejected Him. Christ discusses the reason why Capernaum's eventual fate would be worse than Sodom's here:

"And that servant who ^knew his master’s will but ^did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a ^severe beating. ^But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^will receive a light beating." (Lk 12:47-48)

Sodom may've gravely sinned against God, but done it without knowledge and in accordance with their human nature. The residents of Capernaum would not have that excuse though, which is why their fate would be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Capernaum would not be the only city to suffer this fate - elsewhere in His ministry, Jesus sent 72 of His disciples out ahead of Him to work in His harvest field. If a city accepted the disciples in their ministry, the peace Christ gave the disciples would rest on the household. But if a town rejected them, the peace that God had given them would return to them. Christ said about such towns:

"I tell you, ^it will be more bearable on ^that day for Sodom than for that town ."

(Lk 10:12)

All citations The Holy Bible : English standard version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Why did Sodom and Gomorrah perish?

One of the best-know stories from Scripture is that of Sodom and Gomorrah, where two cities were reduced a smoldering rubble by fire from heaven, and Lot's wife was turned to a pillar of salt after she looked back as her family was fleeing the city. The reason for their destruction was pretty simple - the depth and range of their sin against God had cried out to heavens, and God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family before they destroyed it (Gen 19:13).

The puzzle, though, comes from this citation:

And you, ^Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to ^Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ^But I tell you that ^it will be more tolerable on ^the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matt 11:23-24)

In other words, Sodom could've been saved if the works that had been done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom. But why didn't God do those works in Sodom's time? That's a to ask on the other side of eternity, but the following passage provides a clue:

"...if by ^turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, ^making them an example of ^what is going to happen to the ungodly..." (2 Peter 2:6, see also Jude 7)

Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire valley they inhabited were overthrown because of their sin, but the manner in which they perished demonstrated to all the following generations of what will happen to those who die in their sins outside of faith in Christ.

All citations from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.