Americans have high expectations of their leaders. We’ll tolerate bad behavior on their part but the moment it touches our pocketbooks, we’re ready to throw them out of office. Polls say that 82 percent of Americans would like to do that with Congress; 54 percent with the President. We’re a tough crowd to please. It makes me wonder. What would we do if we had a king who was enthroned for life? Try to overthrow him the way we did King George? No doubt! But America will soon, along with the whole world, have a perfect king who will live forever – Jesus the Christ! The question is: How will we respond to Him? In my last post, I cited two reasons for His Kingship. In this study, I give one more reason, based on Matthew’s gospel, followed by two responses we ought to have as a result.

3) His Royal Bearing. If a president is expected to be presidential, how much more a king? A king is to remain calm in the face of trial, solve problems others cannot overcome, and do it with dignity and grace. This we find in the words and works of Jesus. On one occasion, you may recall, the chief priests sent guards to arrest Him but they came back empty-handed. What was their excuse? “No man ever spoke like this man!” Matthew is best at portraying this aspect of Jesus’ personality, giving far more emphasis to His words than Mark or Luke. The quintessential example is the Sermon on the Mount. Mark doesn’t record the message. Luke gives a page to it. But Matthew devotes 3 full chapters to this, the most powerful proclamation given by any king. Why? To demonstrate the eloquence of Jesus as He delivers the entrance requirements for His kingdom.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the meek.” Why? “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

His majesty is also seen in His works. Matthew 8:27 is a case in point. Jesus and His disciples are traveling across the sea by boat when a storm comes up on the water, so great that the boat is on the verge of capsizing and His disciples are sure they’re about to drown. Meanwhile Jesus is at perfect peace sleeping in the hold. So they wake Him up crying, “Lord, save us! We’re perishing!” With great dignity and grace, Jesus calms the disciples, rebukes the wind and the waves, and the sea becomes as smooth as glass. And now, instead of fearing the storm, they  fear Jesus. “What kind of man is this?” they ask one another. “Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” You know the answer. He is the King, not only of Israel, but of Creation with all authority in heaven and on earth. That’s the portrait of this Gospel, and lest you think it’s hyperbole, remember who the witness to His words and works was – Matthew, the converted tax collector, whose passion is now  integrity. After living with Jesus day and night for 3 years, he testifies,  ”This is the Messiah King, matchless and majestic in His character!”

4) His Royal Rights. By virtue of his office, a king is accorded certain rights and privileges by his subjects. But Jesus is more than a king. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, worthy of two divine rights. The first is reverence. Let me offer a few slices from the book of Matthew. It began with the worship of the magi, but there are multiple other examples. Matthew 8:1 says, “When He (Jesus) had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Matthew 9:18 adds, “While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’” Matthew 14:33 tells the story of Jesus walking on the water with this conclusion: “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’”

Two more examples from Matthew 28. How a writer ends his story is telling. Marks ends with the Ascension, Luke with the promise of the Holy Spirit, John with a reminder of the Second Coming, but Matthew ends with the resurrection and His disciples’ response to it. Verse 9 says the women “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.’” Verse 16 adds that the disciples then “proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him.” Make no mistake. Jesus welcomed the worship of His followers, which begs the question: Are you  His follower and are you giving Him the worship He deserves. Americans are not by nature a respectful people. Watch our late night comics and see how quick we are to mock the failures of our leaders. We say, “Respect must be earned.” I agree and pray that the Spirit of Christ will convince you that Jesus your King is worthy of all the reverence you can give Him.

His second divine right is obedience. Jesus is the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, but He’s not our buddy. We find this reminder in Matthew’s closing lines where Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The proof of discipleship is obedience, loyalty, and submission to His will no matter where He asks us to go, what He calls us to do, or what it costs us to do it! This is why missionaries leave home and comfort to serve in hard places. This is why believers in persecuted lands suffer and die rather than give up their faith. It’s also how we appropriate the promise made to the shepherds that first Christmas. The NASB translates the words of the angels very precisely, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” For this is where true peace begins – from surrendering to the Kingship of Jesus and submitting to His rule.

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Merry Christmas, Dear Friends!

May God bless each one of you for your faithful prayers, financial support, meals, cards, rides, cleaning and handyman help, words of encouragement, and all the other things you’ve done to help us these past 6 months.

Cheryl had her pre-op exam yesterday. Her surgeons found no sign of a tumor, which means your prayers, the chemotherapy, and the radiation treatments have done their work! She is now scheduled to have surgery on December 19 to remove the organs and tissues affected by the cancer and radiation.

What we ask you to pray for now is the staph infection she is currently fighting in her abdomen where the drainage tube is. She is on antibiotics to heal it. Pray also for the pain and swelling in her abdomen and right leg to be relieved by the operation and the occupational therapy she will have following surgery.

We can’t thank you enough for being our friends!

Our Love in Christ,

Gary and Cheryl

Have you ever compared memories with others about someone you love? The holidays give opportunity for this. I’m thinking now of conversations I have had with my sister, my nephew, and my daughter about my father who died in 1998. To my sister, he was her Daddy; to my nephew, he was the father figure he never had; to my daughter, he was Grandpa; and to me, he was the man who taught me to believe in God and be honest with myself. Though our memories are similar,  what surprised me was the difference in our perspectives. It was a reminder that personalities are complex requiring many perspectives to get the picture right.

I believe this was God’s purpose in giving us four accounts of Jesus’ life. One Gospel couldn’t possibly capture the multifaceted nature of His grace. Each of the Gospels was also written with different readers in mind in hopes of inspiring faith in our Messiah. Matthew was written to the Jews presenting Jesus as their long-awaited King; Mark was written to the Romans picturing Him as the humble yet all-powerful Servant of God; Luke was written to the Greeks depicting Him as the Perfect Man; and John was written to prove His deity. In the next several posts, I intend to focus on these portraits with the goal of increasing our love for Jesus and thereby making this the most meaningful Christmas we’ve ever had. In this post, I focus on two proofs of His Kingship as presented by Matthew.

1) His Royal Lineage. Not everyone who wants to be king is qualified to be one. Consider Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Though he has been near the throne for 64 years, he will never be king because he wasn’t born in the royal line. Elizabeth’s right to rule by contrast has been fully authenticated. She can trace her family tree all the way back to William the Conqueror in 1066 A.D.

This is why Matthew’s Gospel begins the way it does. Many who set out to read the New Testament are stymied at this point, running into a long list of names extending all the way back to Abraham. He writes, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah…and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.” It may be boring to us Gentiles, but this genealogy is here for good reason. Knowing the Old Testament prophecies, the Jews would never accept a King who was not descended from Abraham, born of the tribe of Judah, and able to trace his ancestry back to King David. For that reason, Matthew demonstrates that on this basis the credentials of Jesus are impeccable.

2) His Royal Birth. This is why Matthew also describes the prophetic and miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth. Josh McDowell insists in his book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, “If God were to become a man, we would expect Him to have an unusual entrance into life.” This Jesus clearly had, the most impressive aspect of which is His fulfillment of prophecy. Babies have no control over when and where they are born. Yet Matthew chapters 1-2 record His fulfillment of 8 prophecies including His virgin birth “in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king.” (Matt. 2:1) Josh McDowell estimates the odds of 8 prophecies like these being fulfilled in the life of one person at 100 quadrillion to 1.

Two of these prophecies are worthy of special attention. One is His virgin birth. Many Christians mistakenly believe that the virgin birth is what protected Jesus from inheriting a sin nature. While it is true that there was no sin in Jesus (1 John 3:5), this fails to take into account Mary’s sin. What protected Him from sin was the holiness of God’s Spirit by whom He was conceived. (Matt. 1:20) Then why does the virgin birth matter? (1) A supernatural birth heralds the birth of a Supernatural Person – God the Son! (2) It fulfilled the most ancient prophecy of all! In cursing the serpent for tempting the woman, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He shall crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” (Gen. 3:15). This was the first hint that just as sin first made its made into the world through a woman, God in His amazing grace would work through the Offspring (Jesus) of another woman to strike the mortal blow against evil and thereby bring salvation to the world.

The second event worthy of mention is the visit of the Magi, for not only did it fulfill prophecy (Psa. 72:10) and announce the birth of Someone special, it also foreshadowed His ministry to come. Gold is a gift fit for a king. Frankincense is a present for a priest; and myrrh, used to relieve pain (Mark 15:23) and  anoint the dead (John 19:39), is a gift for someone about to die. These 3 gifts remind us that Jesus is our King, worthy of our worship, our High Priest who lives forever to make intercession for us, and our Savior who gave His life to pay for our sins.

(Later this week –  part 2 of “The King”)

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George Washington could have been king or at least president for life. For there was no rival to his popularity in this new nation he had fathered. He was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen – the only president  unanimously elected not once, but twice. In fact, his leadership was so effective that he was asked to serve a third term, but he had no lust for power. Once his public service was complete, he quietly retired to his home at Mount Vernon.

But, then, his honor and humility should not surprise us. As a Bible-reading and God-fearing man, his model was Jesus who, though he was by “very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Phil. 2:6-7) This is the miracle of Christmas. It is also the mystery of Christ’s leadership. For rather than keep all the power to Himself, our King has entrusted each of us who loves Him with one or more spiritual gifts. My last post focused on the first 5 serving gifts. This study focuses on 5 more, beginning with  -

1) Leadership. Romans 12:8 says, “He who leads with diligence.” The word means to “stand before” God’s people  for the purpose of rallying them toward a God-given goal. “Diligence” contains two ideas – zeal, for no one is motivated to follow a reluctant, half-hearted leader. He must be convinced in his heart that this is what God wants him to accomplish, working tirelessly to get them to their goal. It also has the idea of speed, for a good leader will not procrastinate. He knows that unmet needs are the fodder for discontent. Acts 6 illustrates how quickly the church’s growth stopped and started again when the apostles sensed the disunity over the neglect of their widows and quickly  found a solution.

2) Administration – 1 Cor. 12:28. Administration differs from leadership in that leadership is visionary and directive, while administration is the ability to organize a large project into smaller tasks, so people know how to get from Point A to Z. The Greeks used the word to describe a ship’s captain (Think Jason and the Argonauts!) who was able to steer a ship through troubled waters and bring the crew safely to their destination. Smart leaders look for a person with this skill set to make sure all the details get covered. Smart administrators, on the other hand, look for a humble, honorable leader they can support with their gift.

3) Shepherding. This is the ability to guide people in their walk with God.  Ephesians 4:11-13 uses it of pastors who “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Those who serve as pastors should have this gift. But it can also be used by small group leaders, Bible class teachers, or anyone with a passion to help people grow in their love for Christ. The one prerequisite for using this gift is a genuine love for people. In re-commissioning Peter, Jesus asked him, “Do you love me? Then feed my sheep.” (John 21:17)

4) Knowledge. “The word of knowledge,” as 1 Cor. 12:8 calls it,  is the love of studying the Bible. I base this on Paul’s use of logos (word) in connection with knowledge. This is where we get the suffix “ology” as in biology, geology, etc. In each case, the emphasis is on study of these fields of knowledge. In the same way, the Holy Spirit has gifted some of us to spend extended time in God’s Word, mining out of it great truths that we can share with others. Knowledge in this sense involves special insight into the Bible’s meaning, whereas we learned earlier in our study of gifts, wisdom is the ability to hear the voice of the Spirit telling us how God wants His people to apply the truth in a given situation.

5) Discernment. 1 Cor. 12:10 calls this the “distinguishing of spirits.” Peter used it in Acts 5:1-11 when Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive the apostles about the amount of money they were giving the church. He had no need to hire a private investigator. The Holy Spirit within him served as a spiritual polygraph exposing their lie. A. T. Robertson, the Greek scholar, called this “the gift on gifts” revealing if the other gifts are being used in power of the Holy Spirit or by someone apt to lead the church into heresy and away from their love for Christ. The danger facing those with this gift is that of becoming overly judgmental and developing a critical spirit. What they need to remember is that the goal of criticism is to leave people with the feeling that they’ve been helped.

Finally, though it is often omitted from the list of spiritual gifts, based on the call of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13, I believe there are also some with a special missionary gift enabling them to learn languages and communicate the gospel in ways that make sense in other cultures. My prayer in describing  this and the other gifts is that it will whet your desire to develop the spiritual abilities God has given you. But always and only for the purpose of building His kingdom.  Like Washington, serve others with honor and humility giving all the glory to  Jesus until that day when you quietly retire to the mansion prepared for you.

Click here for the audio message – “Where did George Washington go?”

The Thanksgiving Day Parade traditionally ends with Santa waving from a float, a signal that the Christmas season has begun. Macy’s motive, of course, is to get people to shop in their store. For me, it’s an opportunity to begin talking about the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, what better way is there to draw near to our Lord than to celebrate how He took on baby flesh and became a man. Without that event we would have no salvation! It also gives me an opportunity to return to the topic I’ve been addressing and remind us of the many spiritual gifts God has given us in addition to salvation. In a recent post, I addressed the speaking gifts. In this study, I continue with the first five serving gifts with this reminder: the abilities given to us by the Holy Spirit are not for our enjoyment alone, they are for the blessing and building up of the entire body of Christ. (1 Cor. 13:7)

1) Service must be the most needful of the gifts, because it is the gift most frequently given to God’s children. Unfortunately, some have concluded  from this that they have no spiritual gifts or that their gift is unspectacular. Shame on us for demeaning what God considers indispensable. This gift is so valuable that it is mentioned throughout the New Testament. Romans 12:7 calls it the gift of “service,” the same word from which we get the word “deacon.” All one need do to recognize the importance of deacons is to read how the  love of the church was threatened and the growth of the church came to a halt before deacons were added in Acts 6:1-7. Paul also uses the word “helps” to describe this gift in 1 Cor. 12:28, meaning to “take the burden off someone else and put it on yourself.” Think how the ministries of pastors, missionaries, and evangelists would come to a grinding halt without a host of saints using this spiritual gift!

2) Craftsmanship often accompanies the spiritual gift of service. This is the use of one’s creative ability to serve God’s people. Though it isn’t found in the New Testament, it is often mentioned in the context of the Old Testament Tabernacle and priestly garments.  Exodus 31:2-5 gives an excellent example: “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

3) Mercy is the kindness of Christ in action. Dorcas exemplified this gift. Acts 9  describes her premature death which left the church reeling with grief, so much so that they sent for Peter showing him all the garments she had made for the poor and praising her for all her “deeds of mercy.” This so touched the heart of God that He listened to the church and gave Peter the power to raise her from the dead. The one caution Paul gives in connection with this gift is that those who show mercy must  do so with “cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:8) This is necessary because of how easy it is for the merciful to “grow weary in well-doing.” (Gal. 6:9) Filled with compassion, they feel compelled to respond whenever they see a need, often growing weary from the effort. The remedy is to keep our eyes on Jesus and remember why we’re doing it, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.

4) Hospitality is included among the spiritual gifts because of how often  it is mentioned in the context of the gifts, as it is in 1 Peter 4:9 where we are told to “be hospitable to one another without complaint.” The word is made up of two small words meaning “love of strangers.” This was a vital trait in the ancient church where Christians were often in transit due to persecution and  public inns were akin to brothels. We in the western world often fail to grasp the power of hospitality, but I have found in visiting developing countries that invitations there continue to carry the expectation of meals, overnight lodging, and a “care package” for the road. Remember too that the call for hospitality went beyond entertaining someone in your home, for there were no church buildings in that day making an invitation to church a de facto offer to be hosted in someone’s home. Imagine how we could multiply the number of return visits to our church if we cultivated the same hospitable spirit toward our first time guests.

5) Giving is found in Romans 12:8 where it says, “he who gives with liberality.” The normal word for “giving” is didomi which is something every believer is expected to do. This word is metadidomi meaning a “super-giver.” It refers to those with an ability to make or save money with the goal of giving it sacrificially to support the work of God. Those with this gift are often quiet and careful about their giving, wanting to invest it in ways that make the biggest impact for God’s kingdom. Without this gift, ministries like Principles for Life would be unable to operate. One of the believers best known for this gift was George Mueller, the founder of five 19th century British orphanages and the number one contributor to the ministry of Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China. How did he do it? By faith he prayed for God to supply his needs and God faithfully answered. In fact, it’s said that during his lifetime Mueller contributed more than $3 million to Hudson Taylor’s ministry in spite of his poverty.

Have you been given one of these spiritual gifts – service, craftsmanship, mercy, hospitality, or giving? Then use it with all the grace God gives you remembering the engine that drives it and all the other spiritual gifts. Paul reminds us of this in alluding to what someone has called “the least prayed for gifts” – poverty and martyrdom. “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:3) God has given you this gift for two reason: He loves you and He wants to give you the privilege of letting Him love others through you.

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Life is usually harder than we expect making it difficult for even the most spiritual among us to maintain a joyful spirit. One writer described his pastor’s efforts like this: “For the last 12 years, our minister, his wife, and two sons have been building a cabin in Maine during their  vacations. Each time they go to a nearby lumberyard for needed materials. On their last visit, the proprietor was filling out the sales receipt when the pastor started to grumble about the ever-increasing cost of building supplies. “Why, when I started this project, sheet rock was only $2.00 a sheet, and now it’s $7.00!” he complained. In a terse Northeastern twang, the Mainer replied, “Don’t work very fast, do ya?”

I sympathize with that brother. Just think of all the disappointments poised to pounce on our joy. The economy is bad, unemployment is high, government is gridlocked, healthcare is skyrocketing, and the golden years we save for aren’t nearly as golden as we imagine. Yet, my Christian faith forbids me to complain commanding me to “consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (Jam. 1:2-3) and to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:5) “

Tall order, isn’t it? This year alone, my wife and I underwent a major job change and decrease in our monthly income followed by a 5-month long battle against cervical cancer, which she’s winning, praise God! But what is easy to overlook in the midst of our troubles is the longer list of God’s blessings –  friends who have faithfully supported us, a new ministry risen from the ashes of the old, virtuous daughters married to men of God who’ve helped us however they can, our first grandchild due to arrive in 4 weeks, enough income to meet our expenses, and best of all, the daily presence of Jesus to comfort us and sustain us whenever we call upon Him. Instead of clouding our view of His goodness, our trials should simply be the black backdrop against which His grace shines brighter.

Knowing that life doesn’t usually turn out the way we’ve planned, I memorized a hymn years ago whose words continue to encourage me to this day. It says -

There are several things this hymn teaches me. First, it reminds me that there are no accidents. God must approve whatever enters my life and works all things together for my good using every circumstance to mold me into the likeness of Christ. (Rom. 8:28) He also knows what I can bear and mixes the right amount of toil with rest, so I can enjoy a measure of pleasure even in the worst trials. And He loves me so intimately that He does this on a daily basis, “giving unto each day what He deems best.” This means I can rest content in His will, refusing to chafe against my trials for I know that these are the very means by which He is changing me into the likeness of His Son. For if there were only pleasure and peace, I would drift away from God. But because there is pain mixed with pleasure, I stay close to Christ being made like Him in the process.

We wish you the happiest Thanksgiving ever! But don’t forget the recipe for it. You recognize how God has blessed you, even though you do not deserve it. To that you add trust and gratitude for His perfect wisdom in giving to you each day what He deems best, both its pain and its pleasure. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess. 5:18)

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The Jewish Talmud tells the story of a king who sent his jesters on an errand. “Foolish Simon, go and bring me the best thing in the world, and you, Silly John, go and find me the worst thing in the world.” Each jester was back soon carrying a package in his arms. Simon bowed low and said, “Behold, Sire, the best thing in the world.” His package contained a tongue. Silly John giggled and unwrapped his bundle. “Behold, the worst thing in the world, Sire.” It was another tongue!

Both jokers were right! The tongue is the best and worst thing in the world. With it we can bless God and encourage others or we can curse God and destroy their reputations. My prayer is that we will use our tongues for the good purpose God has given them. Referring to spiritual gifts, 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Peter divides the spiritual gifts into two general categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts. In this study we’ll look at several speaking gifts and how to use them for God’s glory.

1) Prophecy is the greatest speaking gift. The Old Testament word means a mouth or mouthpiece. Moses exemplified it when he stood before Pharaoh and declared, “The Lord says, ‘Let My people go!’” Later he used the gift to deliver the 10 commandments to God’s people. Sometimes it was predictive and used to foretell the future, but usually it involved the forth-telling of God’s will. Leslie Flynn writes: “Prophets are God’s loudspeakers” proclaiming His Word to men.  The caution, if you have this gift, is to keep from becoming overly negative and condemning, for as Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 14:3, “Everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.”

2) Evangelism like prophecy involves preaching God’s truth but in a targeted sense. Evangelists are gifted (Eph. 4:11) to preach the good news that the work of salvation is finished and we can enter Christ’s kingdom by faith in His grace. Like prophecy, it can be used to reach multitudes as Billy Graham has done for over 60 years or one-on-one like Philip the evangelist’s conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. Those with this gift must remember that it’s good news they’re proclaiming and do so in the love and joy of Jesus Christ.

3) Teaching is the explanation of God’s Word as opposed to its proclamation. Priscilla and Aquila used this gift in Acts 18:26 when they met Apollos, a young man who loved Jesus and faithfully preached His Word, but he hadn’t yet heard of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” The evangelist is the obstetrician who delivers spiritual babies; the teacher is the pediatrician who makes sure they get the right diet to help them grow. Because this gift is so influential, the Bible warns that those of us who have it will face a stricter judgment when we stand before the Lord. (James 3:1)

4) Exhortation comes from the same word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit in John 14:15, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” It means to come alongside to encourage and support. Joseph of Cyprus, nicknamed Barnabas (“son of encouragement”) epitomized this gift. (Acts 4:36) When Saul, the church’s persecutor, was converted, the believers feared to embrace him as a brother until Barnabas came alongside him to support him. Later, he did the same thing for Mark, the future Gospel writer, even though he’d deserted them on their missionary journey. Paul objected so strongly that he departed for Syria with Silas. And yet, he later admitted that Barnabas’ ministry had done its work, for he wrote, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11)

5) Wisdom differs from knowledge in that knowledge involves the acquisition of information, whereas wisdom involves the practical application of the truth. James, the half-brother of our Lord, displayed this gift at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. The issue at stake was huge: Do Gentiles need to be circumcised  in order to be saved? After listening to Barnabas and Paul describe their ministry to the Gentiles, James stood up and shared a word of wisdom from the Lord. No, they do not need to be circumcised. Since the Holy Spirit has fallen on them as well as us because of their faith in Christ, we must require nothing more from them but to abstain from sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols. So it is today. Those who have this gift can listen to a problem and hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit giving them His judgment or solution to the problem.

6) Faith like wisdom is the ability to look beyond the problem to the solution in God. Paul alludes to it in 1 Cor. 13:2, “If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Roy Martin used this gift to great effect in my life as a new believer. When I faced a problem as a youth pastor or our church was going through hard times, Roy would challenge us, “What’s wrong with you people? God is still on His throne ruling and overruling all things to accomplish His will! He won’t let us down. Let’s trust Him together.” And  we would. We’d turn away from our trials and fix our eyes on Jesus our ever-faithful Lord.

So let me challenge you. If you have one of the speaking gifts, use it with all the faith you can muster as if speaking the very words of  God. Goethe, the German philosopher, put it well: “Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any, but pray keep your doubts to yourself; I already have enough of my own.”

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Dear Friends,

We want to thank for your faithful prayers and support the last 3 months. It’s been a tough road filled with unrelenting pain for Cheryl. She has now finished 5 weeks of chemotherapy with its constant nausea (but she didn’t lose her hair!), 25 rounds of external radiation with the intense burning it causes, and 4 weeks of internal radiation which felt like, she says, giving birth to a steel baby every time she had it. She has also worn a drainage tube the entire time because of the lymph nodes that we’re removed in her abdomen and the fluid which has been draining ever since. This led to an abdominal infection for which she was had to be hospitalized twice. In addition, she has had a blot clot in her pelvis which has slowed the flow of blood in her right leg causing a painful case of lymphedema, for which she gives herself an injection of blood thinner every evening.

And yet, in answer to your prayers, God has in His mercy given her the strength to persevere. The cancer has been greatly reduced, almost destroyed, for which we give Him praise. The final step, Lord willing, is surgery on December 19 at which time she will undergo a radical hysterectomy and have the other tissues affected by the cancer removed. It will also be exploratory in the sense that the surgeons will try to find the reason for the constant drainage in her abdomen.

Our prayer is that Cheryl will regain enough strength for surgery. She must also remain infection free. Even as I write this note, she is running another fever. Pray that it will pass without the need for another stay in the hospital. Pray also for spiritual strength and complete healing. Our hope is that by February we’ll be able to fly to Virginia to see the baby Rebecca is expected to deliver next month.

With love and thanks in Christ,

Pastor Gary for Cheryl