When I Become Spiritual

Won't it be a wonderful day when all God's children are spiritual enough to be a blessing and encouragement to someone else?

Won't it be a wonderful day when all God's children finally reach the level of spiritual maturity God requires before He will use someone?

Won't it be a wonderful day when all God's children are finally qualified enough to pray for someone near them?

Won't it be a wonderful day when, . . . ok, enough sarcasm.

How many of us have exempted ourselves from the responsibilities of ministering to others because, "I am not qualified," "I am not confident enough," "I am not educated enough," "I still have sin I am struggling with?" Unfortunately, finding an excuse is something we are all quite gifted at.

We have in the "roll-call of the faithful" (Hebrews 11) a list of people God used in the Old Testament.

Imagine a house party with a guest list filled with names like:

Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.

That would be some dinner party!!!

And then add to that list some who are not mentioned in that particular "roll-call," like Elijah, Jeremiah, Solomon, Jonah, Aaron and Peter.

Imagine a church with a staff made up of these people.

Imagine the concentrated righteousness you would feel in the room.

Imagine trying to just get some of them past the security clearance needed to serve in the nursery!!!!

And yet, these are the people God used.

Frankly, when it comes to finding people in the Bible who never doubted, never stumbled, never sinned, it becomes a really short list.

We do have Abel right up there at the very beginning of the book, but there is not even one recorded word having come from Abel's mouth. All we know about him is he offered a sacrifice pleasing to God, and his brother killed him. He obeyed, was murdered, and made the list! And the one who never said a word, "through his faith, though he died, he still speaks" (Heb 11:4).

We also have Enoch listed in the roll-call. He was another from whom we have no recorded words, and yet, he walked with God and one evening Jesus invited him to jump the hedge that had been build around the Garden of Eden. When Enoch chose Jesus over all the others, we are told he, "Walked with God and was no more" (Gen 5:24).

I wonder if the lesson we should learn from those two is the benefit of combining complete obedience with a healthy dose of "keeping one's mouth shut!"

If we were to examine some of our favorite excuses for not being involved in the lives of other people in light of the lives of those God used in the Bible, I wonder how well our excuses would hold up.

When a bush spontaneously combusted, Moses was intrigued. But when the bush began speaking in a Semitic language and calling him by name, Moses began looking for the cameras. Oh wait. Never mind.

It was the Lord, and He gaves four very clear statements to Moses concerning the affliction of His people and their cries for deliverance:

I have seen.

I have heard.

I know their sufferings.

I have come to deliver (Ex 3:7-8).

But, since there is not much ministry God does apart from human involvement, He then gives Moses the good news.

"MOSES!! COME ON DOWN!!! You've been chosen the next lead singer of, 'Let My People Go!!'" (Ex 3:10). And here begins our identification with the humanity of Moses. He lists off, what he considers to be, five perfectly good reasons why he is not the man for the job!

1) "Who am I?!?" (Ex 3:10).

And God's response: "Valid point. But here's the good news. . . it is not really about you, because, I will be with you" (Ex 3:12).

2) "Who are YOU?!?! These people are going to ask me for a name and I got nothin'!! (Ex 3:13)."

And God's response: "Understandable. You can't just go in there and tell them 'thus saith the bush aglow in the desert!!' now can you? Let Me TELL you My name. I am the ever present One. The I Am of all I Am's!"

3) "But what about THEM?!?! They'll think I'm crazy and will never believe you spoke to me!!" (Ex 4:1-2).

And God's response: "Agreed! This is something of a fantastic tale. If only I had something through which I could prove My power to them. Hmmm. Hey, let me see that stick for a second."

4) "But I stutter!! I have all my life!! I can sure let fly with the wife and kids, but, with other people, I'm just not eloquent enough!!" (Ex 4:10-12).

And God's response: "I am fully aware of your speaking abilities. Since I am 'the ever-present One,' I remember very well your presentations in 'Communications' class. Not good. But I will give you the words to say and speak through you, so, no worries."

And then Moses drops the truth-bomb. He tells God what every one of us wish we had courage enough to tell God. He gives the REAL reason God should choose someone else.

5) "BUT GOD!!! I DON'T WANNA!!!!" (Ex 4:13-17).

And God has had it: "This is not a negotiation. I have chosen you because I know you better than you know you. I will allow Aaron, the one with the stentorian voice and the florid elocution, to speak for you, but I am STILL going to be talking to YOU."

I wonder if Moses was as frustrated as we can become when God seems to have an answer to every reason he came up with.

If God really never regrets, and never retracts the gifts and callings He has placed inside us (Ro 11:29), and if we truly have made Him Lord of our lives, do we have any more right of refusal than Moses did?

Yeah. . . probably not.

Do we just assume Moses was born "MOSES?" Was he born with the full white beard, long flowing hair and radiating halo he is portrayed with in all those renaissance paintings and engravings?

No, he wasn't! He was born just as weak, fearful, impulsive and falsely self-assured as every one of us. He only became "MOSES" after murder, escape and 40 years of study at the "Sinai Peninsula Sheep Dip Theological Seminary."

Moses and Aaron went to Egypt where Aaron acted as spokesman for his younger brother, Mo. But that arrangement did not last long.

Aaron spoke to the people in Exodus 4, and they believed his words. But when the straw supply was cut and the people got angry, Moses tried speaking directly to the people in Exodus 6:9, and it did not go well. He argued with God that, if his own people wouldn't listen to him, why in the world would Pharaoh listen (Ex 6:30).

Aaron accompanied Moses to visit Pharaoh and it was Aaron's rod which became a snake, was lifted over the waters to turn them to blood, and was lifted to herd the frogs into the homes, beds and kneading troughs of the people. But when it came time for the second plague to end, an interesting shift took place.

It was Moses, not Aaron, who asked Pharaoh, "At what time do you want the plague to end?" And when Pharaoh said, "oh, tomorrow sounds good," (why in the world did he not say, "RIGHT NOW!!!"? I've always thought that was funny.), it was Moses, not Aaron, who promised Pharaoh it would be done.

All the way through to the end of Numbers, it was MOSES, who spoke to Pharaoh, who addressed the people, who corrected the rebels, who gave the orders, and who spoke for God. When Moses saw the immediacy of what needed to be done, when he saw the obvious presence of God in the words spoken and deeds performed, and when he had experience with the faithfulness of God, he no longer needed a spokesman. He no longer needed someone else to do his talking for him. Moses became the spokesman God had always known him to be.

No matter how convincing our argument or impassioned our presentation, our excuses, just like those of Moses, always devolve to the simply statement of, "But Lord, I don't want to!!" Someone said, "The words 'no' and 'Lord' are mutually exclusive. If you say 'no,' He is not your Lord and if He is your 'Lord,' you will not say 'no.'"

What is it God has called YOU to do? Who is it God has called YOU to minister to? And it does not always include saying something. Sometimes it is giving, or doing, or, here's a really difficult one for most people, just sitting and being quiet with someone!

Do you have your excuses reasons all lined up? Do you have your arguments refined and polished? Might the whole process be much easier if you admitted at the very beginning the root cause of your refusal, "I do not want to!!"?

Moses' stutter was a legitimate concern. But God had a solution until such time as the boldness kicked in.

Moses' being unknown to Pharaoh and to the people was a legitimate concern. But God had a way of getting their complete and undivided attention.

Every excuse we can produce can easily be answered with a, "But God. . ." So, what's your excuse?

Let's look at some more excuses we like to hide behind. How about this one? It is always a favorite.

"God can't use me. I have done some pretty terrible things in my past."

I heard someone say something similar to this not too long ago as the reason they could not believe Jesus actually loved them. This is a really popular one. Nothing like using our past failures to prevent us from present relationship or future successes!

And when we look at our past foolishness, are they really worse than some of those we see in the Bible? Are the things we have done really worse than denying God, offering your spouse to complete strangers to save your own neck, having hundreds of wives and concubines, or being mad at God for not destroying an entire city? People in the Bible did every one of those things, but God still used them.

Moses killed the Egyptian, broke the tablets, and struck the rock, but he appeared on the Mt of transfiguration.

David counted those he was not supposed to, left to others the responsibility of leading into battle, and, while it looks to us like he was a man after his neighbor's wife, the Bible records him as a man after God's own heart.

Lot chose out of greed, weaseled his way into leadership, offered his daughters to the mob, married a woman who couldn't follow simple instructions, and was still called "righteous Lot." He even had an inside tip the market was about to heat up. Why didn't he sell and get out?

And then there is this excuse.

"I don't have enough education."

Whatever you may not know I can guarantee you this; you know more about the back story of Job than he did. You have access to more of the revelation of God than any of the Old Testament saints because the best they could do was imagine what Jesus might be like in the future. We have the full revelation of the Bible to guide us.

And what constitutes "enough" education? What is the amount of education that magically qualifies you to care for someone else?

Here are a couple of thoughts about "not enough" education.

1) Get more education!! But don't wait until you "have enough" to begin ministering because you will NEVER "have enough." When I went to university my mother told me, "don't wait until you are 'a minister' to minister." Some of the best advice I have ever been given. It made it so I was a minister when I sold women's shoes (yes, me and Al Bundy), when I owned a car detailing business and when I go into antique stores. They know I will pray with them and for them.

2) The Jewish religious leaders took note the disciples were ignorant men who had been with Jesus. The greatest qualifier for ministry is not a piece of paper on the wall or letters behind your name, but a changed heart by the work of Jesus. The seminary Moses attended did not even offer an accredited degree!! But somehow he and Jesus were able to get some work done.

Get all the education you can get, but do not set aside opportunities to minister today because you are waiting for tomorrow's piece of paper.

Let's consider some more popular excuses for why we do not minister more intentionally today. How about this one?

"My marriage isn't where it should be."

And whose is?!?!? I have yet to meet the perfect couple! That is because couples are made up of people, and I have never met a perfect people!!!

I hear a lot of people talk about wanting a "Biblical marriage." Would you like to know the most difficult place to find a biblical marriage? How about. . . THE BIBLE!!! There aren't too many marriages in there you would want replicated in your own life!! I'll give you Boaz and Ruth, and maybe even Priscilla and Aquilla, but would you want Hosea's marriage? David married to Saul's daughter? Solomon's (pick one!!)? Ananias and Sapphira's?!?!?

Think about some of the great saints of the Bible.

Abraham gave his wife away to save himself. . . Twice. But he was "the friend of God.' Zipporah, the wife of Moses, had, at the least, a very questionable relationship with Moses, but Moses still appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration. She called Moses a "Bridegroom of blood" in Exodus 4 and there is plenty of discussion as to whether that was a good thing or not. Moses had sent his wife and sons away and, whether they were getting along with one another or not is uncertain, but there is one thing which is certain: they were not listed as "co-pastors" on local billboards advertising the church!

Do not use your lack of a "Biblical marriage" as an excuse, especially when Hosea used his exTREMEly un-Biblical marriage as a living parable to the people of Israel.

God is able to use anybody's anything, if they will just bring it to Him and ask Him to redeem it. Here is an excuse which is gaining popularity in our day"

"I take medicine for my mental health."

And how many of the people around you are rejoicing with great joy because you do?!?

And how many Bible saints would have benefitted from some psych meds? There are some real nut-jobs in there.

Elijah was probably bi-polar, ran from the enemies God had just defeated, and missed the only question on the final exam. . . TWICE! While we would be glad to agree that, "He was a man just like us," it might be hard for us to understand why when he "prayed, it did not rain for 3 years," especially when God doesn't answer my prayer for my son's football team to win!

Elijah could, very probably, have greatly benefitted from some psych meds, unless his mental quirks were a part of what made him so effective!

His complete self-absorption did finally get him fired, but oh the things God did through Elijah before he was told to clear out his desk and pray for his replacement!

Jeremiah probably could have used some counseling and mood stabilizers after all the things he went through, and John the Baptist would definitely have been put on lithium in the '60's, but all these people were used, powerfully, in spite of their mental instabilities.

Effectiveness is not rooted in adherence to society's definition of "normal." Effectiveness is rooted in obedience! Immediate, complete and unswerving obedience.

And, if you need psych meds to help you deal with the stresses of a world gone mad, God bless you. It is, frankly, none of anyone else's business.

Several years ago Russell Crowe starred in a movie called "A Beautiful Mind." I am not recommending the movie because I do not know anything about it, except for a scene at the very end. Crowe had, during the course of the movie, come to grips with the fact that he had some mental illness issues, but had learned methods to help him deal with those issues. At the end of the movie he was standing in the hallway of the college he was a professor at and some men from the government walked up to him and introduced themselves. Knowing his ability to imagine things that weren't really there, Crowe stopped some girls in the hall and asked if they saw some men standing in front of him. When they said yes, they do see them, he turned back to the men and started talking with them.

Crowe, in the movie, acknowledged his weakness, took practical steps to deal with that weakness, and implemented those steps, even if it made him look strange to those around him. I believe that is a huge part of what "community" is supposed to do for us. Have people around us who know our quirks, are not put off by them (good luck finding THOSE people!!) and are willing to help us compensate for those weaknesses.

Instead of using his mental illness as an excuse for attention, laziness or disengagement, Crowe's character found ways to address his illness and still engage in a meaningful way with the needs and opportunities around him.

For every three people you ask you will get five different opinions on meds to address mental health issues. But, since you are reading my post, I will give you my opinion. You're welcome. If you have done everything you know to do in order to be able to function in polite society but still can't seem to cope well, you might need some medical help.

If people around you are telling you your erratic conduct is taking away from your ability to be productive, you might need some medical help.

If you see repeated patterns of success, then failure in relationships, jobs, activities and goals, you might need good, Biblical counseling (which truly does exist) and possibly some medical help.

Your brain is nothing more than an organ.

If you are having heart issues, you will take digitalis.

If you are having pancreas issues, you will take insulin.

If you have stomach issues, you will take TUMS.

If you are having kidney issues, you will have dialysis.

What sets the brain apart as the only organ in the body you won't take medicine for, especially in light of the technology and amazing options available today?

I am not advocating taking medicine in a frivolous manner, . . . at all!

However, Romans 14:23 says well, whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. We will, every one, stand in front of Jesus all by our very lonesome. We had better, on that day, be able to say, "Jesus, I did what I THOUGHT You told me to do."

No one's opinion will matter on that day except His. And if we desire to hear then "Well done," we would be wise to pursue radical obedience to His opinion today, and not just our comfortable assumption of what we HOPE He would say to us.

"My kids are not following the Lord."

The Bible provides us with a pretty long list of spiritual giants whose children did not follow the Lord.

Poor Adam and Eve. They had no one to blame their bad parenting skills on! They could not claim to have been beaten or yelled at. No one ignored them or mentally oppressed them.

Imagine having no one to blame for your bad parenting skills!

But, then again, they did have Jesus Himself in the Garden of Eden communing with them, and only them, for however long they were in there before the trip to the fruit market.

That notwithstanding, their children had some relationship issues which could have been worked out more peaceably. Consider Cain. He was not angry, necessarily, at Abel. Abel had not done anything to Cain. Abel offered his offering to God who received Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. Cain wasn't angry at Abel. Cain was angry at God! But how do you get back at God?

Abel took his anger at God out on the one God approved; his brother Abel. Remember that the next time someone who has a problem with God is mis-treating you. It might not be about you! Even though Adam and Eve's sons were not able to get along, God still blessed them with Seth and a heritage which extends all the way to you and me.

Here are some more examples.

David's son, Absalom, raped David's concubines, fomented a rebellion to try and gain the kingdom, and tried to kill his own father. But David was still used in amazing ways in the economy of God.

How many of the good kings of Judah produced sons who rejected God and encouraged idol worship?

Noah was laughed to scorn by his son.

Neither Eli nor Samuel "restrained" their sons.

That whole thing with Jacob and all 12 of his sons was weird. Maybe he should not have shown such favoritism to just the one son, huh?

Were the daughters of Lot following the Lord when they got their father drunk and got pregnant by him so he would have sons to carry on his name? That's some pretty messed up stuff! Shall we continue?

How about the most unbelievable one of them all? Joseph and Mary's kids thought their oldest, half-brother, was nuts. Some of Jesus' siblings did come around over time but, during His ministry they were not supportive, at all.

Friends, as much as we want our adult kids to love Jesus more than we do, their choices are just exactly that. . . their choices. Their choices have nothing to do with our responsibilities to give everything we have for the sake of the Kingdom.

We recently had a pastor who baptized an 83 year old man. After his baptism the man was lamenting that his mother, who had prayed for him for so many years, was not able to see him be baptized.

How God deals with our children is between Him and them, and how they choose to respond is not our responsibility.

Acknowledge, apologize and ask forgiveness for your mistakes in parenting, and then, let's get back to work!

"I am offended at God or the Church."

It is interesting to me how many times we get frustrated with God because He did not keep His end of an agreement we made with Him. . . WHICH HE NEVER AGREED TO!!

"I made an agreement with God I would go wherever He told me to go if He would just protect my kids, and He did not protect them."

The reality is we sign a lot of agreements with God which He never signed. This is not terribly uncommon, but it is a major mistake in how we approach our relationship with Jesus. It betrays a transactional mentality rather than a Lordship realization. "I will do for Him if He does for me" is not the same as "Jesus is Lord and there is salvation in no one other than Him."

And the offenses we have with God. . . do we really have more right to offense than Jeremiah?

"O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived" (Jer 20:7).

It's almost as if he was saying to God, "Ok. You got me! That was a good one!! You got me!"

Cursed be the day on which I was born! (Jer 20:14).

Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, "A son is born to you," making him very glad (Jer 20:15).

Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? (Jer 20:18).

Imagine the ministry of Jeremiah. Beaten, rejected by his own people, locked in stocks for long periods of time, thrown in a well and left to die in the muck at the bottom, his work destroyed, his reputation non-existent and accused of treason, before the beatings resumed?

In our accusations against God, should we really feel more frustrated at who gets forgiven than Jonah?

More exhausted than Isaiah? More rejected than Amos?

More tempted to jealousy than Asaph? More filled with self-pity than Elijah?

Do we have more questions than Habakkuk?

Have you embarrassed yourself in front of more people than Moses?

Have you doubted the worth of your efforts more than John the Baptist?

Have you searched for any other way to fulfill your calling more than Jesus?

Have things not turned out the way you had hoped? The way they were promised?

Abraham was promised land but it was not produced until his descendants received it 400 years later.

Jesus did not defeat Rome and establish a throne. David was not allowed to build the temple.

Samson did not expect a midnight haircut, and this could go on for pages!!!

You are offended at God or at the Church?!?!? Well join the club and welcome to the party!!!! The Bible is full of people to whom Jesus could have said, just like He said to John the Baptist, ". . . blessed is the one who is not offended by me" (Luke 7:23). I doubt John envisioned a broadax to the neck when he was wandering around the desert of Quarantania earning HIS post- graduate degree. The response of Jesus is simple: "You will be happy if you don't get offended at the way I run My business." He knows what He is doing, even when we don't.

"But if I were God I would have done things differently." And our idolatry of self could not be more clearly exposed!

The lure of the fruit was godlikeness (Gen 3:5).

The promise of a bent knee was the adoration of all the kingdoms of the world, a short-cut around the cross (Matt 4:8-9).

Our proto-parents believed the lie. Thank God, Jesus did not!

Please don't wait for your own perfection before you engage the call to minister. Ministry does not require perfection. It requires obedience.

God's ways and God's character are not on trial. His faithfulness has been proven time without number for millennia. His goodness is inescapable. His wisdom is unassailable. And His call on your life is the highest expression of fulfilled humanity you will ever hope to display. "Reasons" to not be diligent in ministering to those around you quickly turn into "excuses" when viewed in the light of God's Word.

The simple reality is that when we confess Jesus is Lord, that means He gets to be in charge. He gets to do what He wants to do and we get to submit to it. It doesn't mean there are not questions and it certainly doesn't mean it is always easy. But it does mean we begin our response to the difficulties we face in life with the firm conviction of His character, His complete oversight of our situation and His commitment that we WILL be conformed into the very image of Christ.

If you are waiting until you are "perfect" to minister, you have a long wait ahead of you!!

If you are waiting until you are "perfect" to minister, no one will need you to minister to them in Heaven.

Ministry is not reserved for the "qualified." Ministry is the natural outflow of the obedient. Ministry is not reserved for the pulpit. When Jesus stood behind a pulpit and preached, the people tried to kill Him! Jesus did His ministry in the streets, except, of course, for that demon possessed guy in the synagogue that day. (I wonder if that guy was on staff.)

There is so much work to be done and we have no clue how much time we have to do it in. How can you minister for the Kingdom, today?

Who can you bless, today?

What can you do to point someone to Jesus, today?

I would submit the highest expression of submission to the work God has called us to and equipped us for is the example Jesus gave us in Acts 10:38 when, "anointed . . . with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good. "

How can you, how will you, serve Jesus today?

Will you ask Him, right now, to fill you with His Spirit today?

Will you ask Him, right now, to give you an opportunity to "do good" today?

Will you ask Him, right now, to use you to point someone to Jesus today?

- By Robert E. Marshall