Pleasing God: It’s the Only Thing

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. – Hebrews 11:5 (NIV)

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13 (CSB)

Christianity 201’s tag line is “digging a little deeper.” We’re looking today at something that arises periodically as an issue when people are considering ministry, either vocationally or as part of what’s called the laity. You may find yourself on the other side of this debate, but I hope you’ll catch the spirit of the article as I believe it’s worthy of our time together.

Today we’re again featuring the writing and ministry of R.T. Kendall, who despite the fact his 87th birthday is approaching in a few days, has had two books release this spring; Double Anointing (Charisma House) and Prophetic Integrity (Zondervan). This blog post appeared at his website exactly six months ago. Click the link below to read it there.

What Pleases the Lord

“Find out what pleases the Lord” – Ephesians 5:10 (NIV).

Two Scriptures have gripped me in recent months: (1) Hebrews 11:5, referring to Enoch who had the testimony before his translation to Heaven that he “pleased God”; and (2) Acts 4:13, which speaks of Peter and John having “boldness” and who were “uneducated” but had “been with Jesus”. Next to being ready to go to Heaven, the greatest accomplishment for any human being is to have pleased God – which is possible to do.

When asked what was his secret to winning so many football games, Coach Vince Lombardi replied: “Winning isn’t the main thing; it is the only thing”. So with pleasing God. It is the only thing that ultimately matters in this life. Paul’s admonishment was that we find out what pleases the Lord. Not what pleases people. Pleasing your friends can be hard to do. Pleasing your relatives can be hard to do. Pleasing your enemies is impossible to do. But pleasing God – although costly – is possible to do. If you like, Google “R T Kendall sermon Pleasing God”. I would urge all who read these lines to set as your goal for 2022: find out what pleases God and follow through with this.

Second, if you follow my tweets you will have noticed recently how gripped I have been with this thought: the danger of theological education for ministers. Strange as this may seem to some, I am coming to the conclusion that theological education does more harm than good for those in the ministry and those who plan to go into the ministry. What seminaries don’t teach students is how they might personally please God. They pass on intellectual knowledge rather than experiential knowledge by the Holy Spirit. They teach about God but one doesn’t get to know God by merely learning things about Him. Knowing about Him might even put you off Him! But knowing Him – as Moses (Exod.33:13) and Paul (Phil.3:10) aspired to do will bring you great peace, joy and incalculable satisfaction – and usefulness – whether you are in the ministry or are seen as a lay person.

I feel like a fraud writing like this. I have had a good education. By the sheer grace of God I somehow avoided falling into the trap Satan sets for those who aspire to please God. My chief mentor Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had no theological education and often warned against going to seminary. C.H. Spurgeon had no theological education. Uncle Buddy Robinson was the greatest evangelist in the history of the Church of the Nazarene – winning some 200,000 souls to Christ – did not learn how to read until he was twenty. He was utterly uneducated. David Wilkerson, who founded Times Square Church, had minimal education in a Bible college. The man he chose to follow him – Carter Conlon – was a policeman with no theological education. Tim Dilena, chosen by Carter to be the present pastor of Times Square Church, had a secular degree from Baylor University but comparatively little theological training. The last sermon preached by Dr. Michael Eaton, probably the most learned man I have known, urged people going into the ministry not to go to seminary!

My heart is burning unlike any burden I have felt since the day I had the vision in April 1982 to begin our Pilot Light ministry at Westminster Chapel.

At age 86 I must be realistic about how many years I have left. Oh yes, I could live to be 100! But even if I thought I would live that long, I want to spend my time urging people to do two things: (1) know the Bible backwards and forwards and (2) spend much time alone with God. Read good books too – yes, of course, but be careful!

That is how Peter and John got their boldness. The Greek word parresia in Acts 4:13 is variously translated as “boldness”, “confidence”, “courage” or “without fear”. What gives that boldness and fearlessness? Time with Jesus. They were of course filled with the Holy Spirit. One more thing: “they” (meaning the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders) were “astonished”, “amazed” at Peter and John. How could uneducated men astonish people like that? Time with Jesus. Mind you, they had three years to be taught by Jesus! They were ready for ministry when Jesus went to Heaven.

I’m afraid no one nowadays – in a wicked world and a sleeping church – is astonished by any of us. So sad. But let us all do our best to find out what pleases the Lord…

 

R. T. Ephesians 5:10.

If People are Hungry for God, Is Higher Education Necessary?

Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn’t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly. – 2 Timothy 2:15 CEB

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. – 2 Peter 1:10 NLT

Today’s post was originally scheduled to run in the early summer. It spent three months in a pending file. It was a heartfelt case for higher Christian education; over 1,200 words penned by an employee of a theological seminary. If you know the first of the two scriptures quoted above, you know that the Bible fully endorses training for ministry. One will often hear this verse quoted:

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.  – Acts 17:11 (NLT)

Possibly the first “discernment ministry” in scripture!

So I fully agree with training in ministry.

But today I trashed the entire post.

I felt that the writer simply had too narrow a view as to the people that God uses. Perhaps even people like you; the reader.

The first generation church narrative is known to us as The Book of Acts, or The Acts of the Apostles. It begins with God using a rag-tag bunch who Acts 4:13 describes in these terms:

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.  (NLT)

Of course they had said the same thing about Jesus himself. In John 7:15 we’re told

The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. (NLT)

The problem that we encounter in the modern church is that we have so many people who have received so much training that it’s easy for the “lay people” to be easily intimidated. Those who don’t have the letters after their name. Those who can’t necessarily define all the big words. Those who don’t know the secret handshake.

It’s all about academia. This hit home in our family with full force this week — someone excluded from future ministry opportunities on academic grounds due to educational requirements — and I’ll tell that story at some point in the future on the other blog…

…Nine years ago we posted a song here titled Ordinary People by Danniebelle Hall. It was the only version we could find at the time, but I’m glad to see there’s now a studio version online. I like the bridge of the song especially:

Just like that little lad
who gave Jesus all he had
How the multitude was fed
with a fish and loaves of bread
What you have may not seem much
but when you yield it to the touch
of the Master’s loving hand
then you will understand
how your life could never be the same

The purpose of this is not to undermine the role of formal theological study. I am a book guy. I believe in training. I believe in the mentoring that takes place through formal programs of study.

But I also believe our modern church should make way for those people whose life journey and natural gifting have combined to give them what the early Calvary Chapel movement would — when setting people apart for ministry — refer to as a ‘proven ministry.’

Recently a well known megachurch posted the job of senior pastor. I inwardly rejoiced that they set no specific educational standard. But one respected writer noted that the church in question “wants a leader who is both theologically grounded and (or but) that person does not need a theological degree. That’s a very very rare combination. So rare that this… job description is stomping recklessly on thin ice.” Seeing this as symptomatic of larger problem — and one which I would not necessarily disagree — he added that, “those who devalue theology don’t think theology is needed.”

So training needs to be seen as normative, but our title question concerned whether it is necessary, and I would want to argue that it is not in all cases.

He chooses people,
just like me and you
who are willing
to do what he commands

 

 

The Importance of Spiritual Training

Yesterday at our local Christian bookstore, I was briefly introduced to Rick Reed, president of Heritage Bible College & Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Along with his wife Linda he has a blog where recently he did a two-part series on the importance of being grounded and trained in the faith, regardless of what you end up doing vocationally. I encourage you to read the full posts at source; this is a mash-up of the two parts. Maybe you’re at a crossroads regarding Christian higher education, or know someone who is. I hope this is helpful to you, or them; and to all of us.

From Part One

The best people to send on a rescue mission are those who blend trust with training.

There’s a fascinating story tucked away in Genesis 14 about the time Abram’s nephew Lot got caught in the middle of a tribal war.  He (and his entire family) was taken captive as a POW by the conquering kings.  When Abram got the bad news, he “called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit” (Genesis 14:14).  Dividing his men into two groups, Abram’s small army attacked at night, routed the enemy and recovered Lot.

On the way back home, Abram is met by a king named Melchizedek who blesses Abram for his daring rescue and praises God “who delivered your enemies into your hand” (14:20).

So let me ask you a question, “Why was Abram successful in his rescue mission?”  Was it because of his 318 trained men or because of God’s timely intervention?  The Bible’s answer is “both.”  The passage emphasizes the fact that Abram had men who were trained for battle.  They knew how to handle weapons.  They could be deployed strategically.  But above and beyond that, the Bible credits God with winning the day.  As Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”

The church is engaged in a massive rescue mission.  People all around us are spiritual POWs, held captive and unable to deliver themselves.  As we mobilize to help liberate them through bringing the good news of the gospel, we will need to deploy men and women who trust the Lord and who are trained for service.

From Part Two

We are commanded to love God with all our minds.

Shortly before He was arrested, Jesus faced a series of challenging questions from Jewish religious leaders (Matthew 22).  The Pharisees asked whether it was kosher to pay taxes to Caesar (22:17).  The Sadducees laid out a convoluted case study about a lady who’d been married seven times.  “Now then,” they asked, “at the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” (22:28).

Finally, an expert in Jewish law inquired, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?”   Jesus replied with these well-known words:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

We know we are to love God with all our hearts, but what does it mean to love Him with all our minds?  If you study Jesus’ responses to the questions He faced that day in the Temple, you’ll get an answer.  Loving God with your mind involves:

• using discernment to see through hypocritical questions
  “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?” (22:18)

• using reason to expose erroneous conclusions
  “you are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (22:29)

• using logic to lead people to new insights
  “If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” (22:45)

And most of all…

• using Scripture as the final authority in life and death
  “But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (22:32-33)

A Bible school education can help a Christian dig deeper into Scriptures to grow in the knowledge of God.  It can assist a  student in developing a Christian mind and a biblical worldview.   It can shape and sharpen the skills needed to engage in serious theological reflection and answer hostile theological objections.