The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding - Proverbs 9:10

Unless one has acknowledged the LORD, one has not even begun in the pursuit of wisdom, for fear of the Lord is the starting point. We have all met folks who are worldly smart and those who are highly educated and esteemed as "brilliant" - only to show their lack of wisdom in failing to give proper reverence to God. In their endeavors to become wise, they prove their ignorance. Look at how Phillips describes it:

To me there is a much more frightening ignorance in our modern world than the ignorance of the heathen." I am referring to the almost total ignorance of the content and implication of the Christian Faith shown by many "clever" people today. Frankly, I find it horrifying to discover that men who are experts in their own line--in astronomy, genetics, or nuclear physics, for example--have no adult knowledge of what the Church of Christ stands for, and a complete blank ignorance of what the Church is achieving today. It is the more horrifying because people who rightly respect the expert for his knowledge in his own field have no idea that he has not carefully examined and reluctantly discarded Christianity; but in all probability he has never studied it at all!

J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), The Church Under the Cross [1956]

In Defense of Ministry

A prevailing public view dismisses charitable endeavors as lacking substantive contribution to the “for profit” world. Worse, Christian ministries like FCA whose focus is evangelism are held in the lowest esteem for their inability to produce a tangible product. Even in my own family I have listened to comments that have amounted to:
· When are you going to get a ‘real job?’
· The rest of us work hard for our money so people like you can ask for it.
· Ministry seems like a fun hobby, not a career.
· You should leave changing society up to the 'professionals' who have proper training and skills.

In all of this remember the words of Christ:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)

We must not admit for one moment the truth of a statement often made, that the man who devotes himself to the establishment of the church, declining to be involved in all sorts of activities for the improvement of social conditions, is indifferent to, or heedless of, the sufferings and injustices under which men suffer. He is nothing of the kind: he is simply a man who is sure of his foundation, and is convinced that the only way to any true advancement is spiritual, and is Christ; and therefore he persists, in spite of all appearances, in clinging to Christ as the only foundation, and in building all his hopes for the future on the acceptance of Christ. He is not content with attacks upon symptoms of evil; they seem to him superficial: he goes to the roots. He cannot be content with teaching men Christian
principles of conduct, "Christian ideals of social life"-- still less with the establishment of colleges and clubs. Nothing but Christ Himself, faith in Christ, the obedience of Christ, seems to him equal to the need, and nothing else is his work but the establishment of that foundation. In doing this he is not showing indifference to social evils, he is not standing aloof from beneficent movements; he is actively engaged in laying the axe to the roots of the trees which bear the evil. That is not indifference.
... Roland Allen (1869-1947), Mission Activities [1927]

The fact is, true Christians are the most compassionate people on earth. And true, lasting change happens from the inside out. May we not grow weary in well doing!

Not so Fast!

Perhaps the most impactful sermon I have ever heard is "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" by Paris Reidhead. Paris, who died in 1992, had a great grasp of the balance between law and gospel and was a champion for lordship and a preacher against self-centered easy believism. Here is a great quote from Paris:

“If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium on public preaching of ‘the plan of salvation’ in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airwaves and the pulpits to preach the "holiness" of God, the righteousness" of God, and the "Law" of God, until sinners would cry out, ‘What must we do to be saved?’ Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the gospel to them. Such drastic action is needed because we have gospel hardened a generation of sinners by telling them how to be saved before they have any understanding "why" they need to be saved.”

Let us be finished with hurrying people into praying the "sinner's prayer" before they have a proper understanding of their need of God and His standard of righteousness. May the focus be on the Lord and not on man.

Indestructible

The more ye mow us down, the more we grow. The blood of Christians is the seed of the church.
- Tertullian, Church Father, to the Romans

Early Christians faced persecution and even death for their following Christ. The result? The Church actually grew! Tertullian boasted to the Romans in the above quote that their efforts to end the Christian movement actually extended it.
I remember attending an underground church in Cuba several years ago and watching the congregation clap by waiving their hands and fingers to keep the sound down to not attract attention. These Christians were true disciples and willing to face the Biblically-promised trial and tribulation to worship Christ.
This is lost on most people today, especially in America, where we face few of the challenges that are faced by Christians around the world. Some of them even follow Christ knowing their public profession will result in their physical death! Despite the fact that I do not face such severe measures, there are some times I face people looking down at me for my faith and when some view me as not having a real or legitimate job in my role as a missionary with FCA and this can cause hurt and doubt. Whatever form of persecution or opposition I face, I must also be focused on Christ and not be swayed by the opinions or actions of others.
"Lord, give me courage to serve you. May any resistance or persecution I face actually spur me on to a greater passion for you and service of you. May you make my heart aflame for you. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Still Scared?

"I was overwhelmed with fear and replied to the king, 'May the king
live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my
ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed
by fire?'
"Then the king asked me, 'What is your request?'
"So I prayed to the God of heaven and answered the king..."
- Nehemiah 2:2-4

Notice that Nehemiah...

1. Was overwhelmed with fear.
2. Prayed to God.
3. Then answered the King.

He was so scared, but he had a greater fear/reverence for the Lord than he did for the King. When fear knocks, Lord, remind me to let prayer-inspired faith answer the door.

What are you so afraid of?

I recently had a couple of great times with the Lord: our Regional FCA Prayer and Fasting in Maryland and our National FCA Real Time II in Kansas City. During both of these times (and others like them), the Lord revealed to me how worried, fearful, and anxious my heart often is. Sometimes worry and fear are such a part of my day that I don't even catch that I am doing it.
Yet, there is one thing I am told to fear: Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
My fear of things (like the FCA finances) is an indicator of the fact that I am not really fearing the Lord. To fear Him, means to revere Him. Check out what the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary has to say about "Fear of the Lord:"

is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Prov. 1:7; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp. Deut. 32:6; Hos. 11:1; Isa. 1:2; 63:16; 64:8.) God is called "the Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared.

A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:11; 7:1; Phil. 2:12; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28, 29).

As I see you, Lord, for who you truly are, teach me to fear you and you alone!

Kerry

Learning from the Word
One of my goals for 2005 was to read through the entire Bible. I didn't set the goal at the beginning of the year, so I really had to get after it to finish. Fortunately, I did with a couple of days to spare! The one theme that seemed to continually jump out in my reading was a warning against idolatry. While there is not an exact correlation to worshipping idols for most modern day Americans such as myself, there certainly are plenty of examples in our lives where people or things can become "idols." As I read, it became clear to me the lunacy of substituting anyone or anything for worshipping the one, true God.
He is a jealous God and is not interested in us sharing our allegiance with another. In fact, when the Israelites served other gods, the Lord described their activity as adultery and prostitution! This seems harsh, but what a blessing to know that the Lord is that interested in having a relationship with us.
He is the one, true God...the only God with a capital "G." And He is a good God!

A Look Back
I read recently that life is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer you get to the end, the quicker it goes. Wow, time does fly! But I am encouraged looking back not only on 2005, but also looking at the 2+ years that I have been in Fredericksburg. I whole-heartedly believe that our pastor's words in Nebraska have proven to be prophetic when he said this to us before leaving for Fredericksburg, in front of a congregation of a couple of hundred:
"The Lord has taken you, he has blessed you, he has broken you, and He is going to give you away. In your four years in Nebraska you have been broken and He has found you faithful in your brokenness. Now, He is going to give you away to the Church of Fredericksburg...not a Baptist church or Assemblies of God church, but to His Church - the Body of Christ. You will be given away like never before and it will be foundational for you for the rest of your lives."
It is so amazing at the level to which this has proven true already. Fredericksburg has become home so quickly that we cannot imaging living anywhere else. It is a pleasure to be in a season of bearing fruit in our family (tracing God's hand in our family and in our neighborhood and community) and in the FCA ministry.
I am fired up looking back at the wonderful things the Lord has done in Fredericksburg Area FCA. Trusting the Lord will continue to do His work in us and through us, I am fired up thinking about what the Lord could have in store for the next couple of years!
Grateful for you...
Kerry