1Cor12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Rom12:6-8, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if ministry, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Service and serving are the words used representing ministry, and we often think of it as a deacon and priestly gift. And, like apostle, prophet, pastor, healing, miracles and teaching are Holy Spirit gifts meant to be employed for the common good of all, so those who have the gift of ministry are not less than any other gifts, but are vibrant and necessary for the well being of the house of the Lord.

Ministry…what a broad word we toss around these days. Basically the word means service, to serve, to work, and is also used in reference to serving God. In Rom15:16, Paul refers to himself as a minister of Christ Jesus but the word for “minister” in that verse has a slightly different connotation other than simply service. What Paul meant was that he was literally, in a liturgical sense or what was called wearing a “reversed collar”, he was “doing priest’s work” “that the offering-up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”

The word “minister” in Rom15:16, carries with it the idea of the “sacrificing priest”. i can’t say i’ve ever been that person that i would claim such a thing… i’m just as guilty as anyone else of misusing the word ministry, largely out of ignorance, but also, in my being as honest as possible, i’ve done it with a faint hope of also gaining some respect for myself, and that’s a poor motivation.

Surprisingly, the same word used in a priestly fashion that we translate as “minister” also means “one who discharges a public office at his own expense, generally, a public servant, a minister “. That’s challenging…. “a servant of the state, assuming public office to be administered at his own expense”. Hmmm….i’d guess that the, “at your own expense” part wouldn’t go over too well with many who are in ministry. The, “at your own expense” part is really a challenge when you know you’re doing a viable service, endorsed by God, but you’ve got $10 in your pocket and the rent is due. It’s easy to say, “just trust God”, but when the rent is due, now we’re down to where the rubber meets the road

When we tell people we are “in ministry”, just what are we looking to convey to the other person or people? Many seem so very focused on making sure others know they are “in ministry”, but making sure others know that about you has a subtle way of spoiling the simplicity of our walk with God…bear in mind that even “ministry” can be an idol, birthed by the spirit of religion.

Bob Deffinbaugh of Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas said, “While watching the television coverage of the visit of Pope John Paul II, I was reminded of the Roman Catholic concept of ministry. If I were to try to distinguish the Catholic view of ministry from that of our local church, I would say that Catholicism still practices an Old Testament ministry. Catholicism continues to perpetuate a clerical priesthood that is almost entirely responsible for what is called “the ministry.”

Mr. Diffinbaugh went on to say, “Probably few Catholics or Protestants would disagree with this analysis. But what most Protestant evangelicals fail to realize is that much of the Roman Catholic conception of ministry is perpetuated in Protestantism with only the labels having changed.”

It would not be difficult to surmise that so much of church leadership truly operates that same way. It is possible that if we aren’t under the thumb of leadership, even the most effective may not be allowed to serve, unless they come to the table with degrees, titles, and seminary experience accompanied by strict obedience to the rules of those recognized as leadership.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, broadcast semi-live from the deck of a rural café which overlooks the broad and beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant.

Service unto the Lord and those around you is a “get to” not a “have to”, and to have a heart and mind to serve is a Holy Spirit gift.

Come go with me as we explore “ministry”, what do we mean, how do we do it, and the benefits of a sold out heart to God. Sit back in your big arm chair, relax and breath….i’ll be right back.

Joyce Meyer once said she gets tons of mail from people asking her to pray for them that God would reveal what their ministry was. She said, straight out, to quit worrying about it because every morning, when you wake up and go out your door, you are IN your ministry.” If we truly believe God has called us to “go out” and serve others, then why are we waiting around to find out what we should do?

Years ago i read a story about Mother Teresa. She and another nun wanted to go to an unchurched town in India and start a mission with a small aid station. In order to accomplish that, they had to play by the rules of their denomination, so they put in a request with the local priest, who made all the decisions for everyone in the service of the church…. and there they waited. Yep, they waited 5 years for a reply, but for 5 years they prayed and asked the Lord to move the heart of the priest to grant their petition. Sure enough, by-and-by, they got their walking papers. They packed the one pair of extra clothes they had, picked up their walking sticks and left for the remote town. When they got there, they had no idea what the Lord wanted them to do, or what their ministry was. So while they waited to hear from God, they sat under the big tree at the center of town and sent word out to the street children that if anyone wanted to know how to read and write, meet at the big tree at about noon. A lot of kids showed up, all living on the streets, children of all types, all homeless, all hungry and unlearned. Every day the two nuns would pray to God and ask Him what their ministry was, but in the mean time they were teaching the kids to pray, read and write…..all while they were waiting to hear from God. Over the following many months, while they were waiting to find out what their ministry was, a church had sprung up, salvations occurred, and a small hospital of sorts was developed. i don’t reckon they ever did get a “word from God” exactly concerning what their ministry was, but in the mean time, they served the community with all their heart, and God was brilliant among them…..just brilliant.

So what do you mean when you tell people, “i’m in ministry”? What do you think the head guy who comes to your church all dressed in high dollar clothing and is always asking for money, what do you think his or her idea of “being in ministry” is? Does that person say things like, “If you want God to bless you, put some extra in the offering plate?” How do you think it would go if you asked a very dangerous question, which is “What does the ministry do with the money?” They may very well give you the left foot of fellowship real quick, so brace yourself.

We who are in ministry, as servants of the people, are not in that position to get wealthy. We are in the position of servants to comfort, encourage, teach and strengthen those around us, not to sheer the sheep so closely they bleed.

To be a servant we must think like a servant. i heard somewhere that servants make g-r-e-a-t leaders. Hmmm…. i wonder where i got that idea? In Numbers 14 the Lord pardoned Israel after Moses pled their case, but even though God pardoned their rebellion, He said none of the people who had seen His glory and signs in the desert would enter the promised land…..except…..Caleb. Num14:24, “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.”

Wanna live under an open Heaven? You don’t have to give money to make that happen….that’s a lie. Besides, how can you buy an open window in Heaven anyway? i didn’t think God, His callings, or Holy Spirit gifts were for sale that He would open the windows of Heaven if you gave enough money. Now you may think that’s absurd, but there are people in ministry who will tell you that if you give more money you will get more of the Holy Spirit, and it’s simply not true. If you want to live under an open Heaven, be a servant, get low, like Jesus, and God will use you, just watch and see. People are looking for a knight, someone of honor and humility, not a street fighter.

If you’ll live as a servant to others, God will, i repeat, will use you. Philip2:4-5, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” or like the Msg Bible translates, “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.” And how did Jesus see Himself? As the Son of God, yes, but also as a servant and He is the greatest leader in the history of everything. He humbled Himself all the way to the cross. He did the ultimate balancing act between maintaining His position with the Father as Lord, and also stooping to wash the feet of the disciples. He didn’t exalt Himself, He got low and waited on the Father to raise Him up.

How often do we want to get into ministry so, so bad, we run ahead of God, creating a platform of our own making? i can tell you from my own sad experience, it’s easy, real easy. We often think to ourselves we’ve got something to say, that it’s very important others hear it, but no one is letting us say it, so we finagle around to get ourselves in position to be on a platform we think we should have. The Greek word for “dignity” means, with in all honesty, being just as serious about our motivations as possible. The Hebrew word “dignity” reflects the idea of being elevated by respect and worthy of honor, an attribute worthy of those who minister, unless…. we elevate ourselves, then there’s a problem. Titus2:7, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,” We will be far more effective in our servitude of the Lord if we will step off our self-made dignity, a platform of our own making, and get low. Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes.
Again, the word “ministry”, as used in Rom12 also means “let us wait on”. It always appears in the N.T. in connection with the service of the church and others. Being in “ministry” is a gift of God for us to serve others, with the goal of  lifting them up, leaving ourselves out of the credits at the end of the movie…and that’s not so easy in a world which constantly capitalizes on being seen and recognized, promoting the idea of lifting ourselves up. We are very vulnerable to advertising ourselves when we feel very unseen and unheard. i have a friend who had a word from the Lord while at church one time. He was slightly driven by the urgency to give it. When he asked if he could say it he was told no, not because he was wrong or ever had been wrong, it was just no. His feelings were hurt, of course, but then the Lord spoke to him saying, “Isn’t it enough that i have spoken to you?” So when i’ve felt the urgency to speak or act, i remind myself that God sees and hears me, isn’t it enough for me to know He has spoken to me?

Some limit the idea of “ministry” to that of being a deacon, but yet i wonder why Paul split ministry out as something separate from prophecy, exhortation, and teaching and the other gifts of the Spirit? i don’t know, but there it is in 1Cor12:5 where Paul says, “different kinds of services”, and again it is considered a gift in Rom12:7, saying, “if ministry, then in our serving.”

Frédéric Godet, a Swiss Protestant theologian who wrote some of the most noteworthy commentaries of the time calls ministry, “An activity of a practical nature exerted in action, not in word.”

i made note of a statement by a friend who said, “Ministry is about our focus on others, not ourselves. This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. Paul said, Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. This is what it means to “lose your life”- forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our needs, we become aware of the needs around us. Jesus “emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant.”

Here’s a good question we should ask ourselves while we’re being venerable and as honest as we can possibly be about our motivations: When was the last time you emptied yourself for someone else’s benefit? It’s tough to be a servant if you’re full of yourself.

What is it which prevents us from getting low and serving others?

To say you have the gift of ministry is very broad, as was previously mentioned. There are many different services which require real Holy Spirit gifting to accomplish. Being of service to others one time may be easy, but to be consistent and repeatable about the calling is another story.

For example in 2Cor5:18 there is mentioned the “ministry of reconciliation”. There is the ministry by the prophets in Hosea12:10, where the Hebrew word there for “ministry” means service with an open hand, like a picture of being generous. Acts6:4 is about being devoted to prayer and ministry of the word.

That part about devoted to the ministry of the word speaks to those who are commissioned for the continual proclamation of the gospel, and tending to the care of the congregation. It’s basically the job description of what we call “a deacon”, which was originally taken from the Jewish concept of someone who continues in prayer, and works to feed, nourish, support and even govern, sort of like a deputized priest. In Rom15:8 Jesus was called the “deacon of the circumcision”. Being a deacon is about serving, not a position above the congregation and below the pastor. Apostles, and bishops qualify to be called deacons because they serve and are called to the ministry or reconciliation.

1Cor16:15 shows us another ministry, “ministry of the saints”,  they devoted themselves to the service of Christians…that is, by showing hospitality; by providing for their needs; by attending and aiding other believers in their journeys, etc. According to 2Cor3:7-9, even death and condemnation have ministries, in this case the reference is to the law which was carved in stone by the finger of God. In the next verse though, the ministry of the Spirit and of righteousness far exceeds the ministry of death and condemnation beyond all imagination, far beyond the vanishing point forever….and that’s a long way.

i love Paul’s visual in 2Cor9:10-13, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the implementation of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their concrete trustworthiness of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others”.

Stephen and Phillip were appointed to wait tables in the church, they were leaders by being servants.

i believe that is a great picture of having the ministry of giving….some are gifted at making money, then let them give to those who are in need; some are gifted in administration and staff support, then let them do their calling without pointing themselves out; some are gifted in the ministry of teaching, which is a technical service, let them discover the sound doctrinal precepts with all honesty and openness; some have a ministry gifting of being a visionary, they’re very good at conceptualizing and imagining, let leadership allow those people to tell what they see and take it seriously.

Here’s a gift i think needs special notation: some have a deep caring for the sheep and are called to be pastors, although i must admit, calling someone a pastor nowadays is like a catch-all title. If you ask most pastors what they do, if they’re honest, they’ll say they don’t really know except that they counsel, clean toilets, speak the gospel, field complaints, help define sound doctrine, organize events when those talented with organizational skills don’t step up to the plate, and visit the ill and terminal. Even when they themselves are ill and possibly near the end of their vision, their passion to serve the body is extraordinary….which is an earmark of a Holy Spirit gift. And of course, let it be said, not everyone who calls themselves pastor actually has a gift for it. Ministry isn’t something we go get, it’s something God gives, and if He didn’t give it, we would simply be performing and that would be a counterfeit.

Paul said there were many variations of gifts, like the service of discernment, the ministry of clerical needs, the service of prayer. Ahh, now there’s a good one, the service of prayer …it is a powerful yet subtle ministry we are all invited to participate in, but there are some who have an unquenchable fire in them to pray, like the extraordinary life of Rees Howells, a powerful, gifted intercessor. God has distributed to some the ministry to the infirmed, it’s a mercy gift, like some nurses i’ve met….they aren’t just doing medicine, they bring with them the power of the Holy Spirit that makes a difference in everyone’s life who they touch. Or like some doctors, they have a gift for healing and medicine and the power of the gospel just comes in the room with them and they are extraordinary in their practice. The list goes on and on and i wonder if we’ve limited ourselves to seeing the gifts of the Holy Spirit to just the “big 5” in Eph4?

To continue the list a little of different ministry-type giftings a little further, how about missions as a ministry? Having a gift and passion for outreach is huge and takes a real team effort to accomplish, not to mention very specialized leadership with an anointing to accomplish it. Even flying out of the country with 15 or more people to a 3^rd world nation for 2 weeks involves an amazing amount of planning, which often requires a multi-faceted team of people with very diverse gifts. How about the ministry of counseling? i’ve met some very gifted counselors, some of which actually had little education, but with them was the presence of God who gave them insight and wisdom and a real knack of speaking right to the heart of the problem. Here’s a vital ministry….How about the gift of consistently showing at the right time with the right supplies in order that certain needs would be met? That’s a real ministry friends.

i believe the Lord’s concept of ministry is pretty different than much of modern Christianity. The Gr. word for ministry most often used in the N.T. is diakoneo, meaning …service while having an eye on the health of God’s house through the door of grace, which speaks highly of… being a steward not an owner. In Mark10:45, Jesus said, “For _even the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakoneo) but to serve (diakoneo), and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He also taught that being a servant was an integral part of following Him. John12:26, “If anyone wants to serve (diakoneo) me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant (diakonos) will be too. If anyone serves (diakoneo) me, the Father will honor him.” Wanna really live under an open Heaven? Do you really want God to bless and honor you? Then forget giving some big shot your money and be a servant. i believe one way Jesus measured greatness was in terms of service.

From what i understand, and i could be wrong, the Greeks had a disdain for service to others, being a servant was to be insignificant, but the Jews believed it had great dignity. Sadly, and not much different than today, the religious leaders of Israel began to think of ministry in terms of status rather than service, and then came Jesus who absolutely refused to accept such thinking and put all service, or ministry on the same level of importance, when He said in Matt23:8, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one teacher and you are all brothers”. i’d guess that just added fuel to the fire God had lit under the hyper-religiousness Pharisee’s who stood to lose titles, authority, money, respect, and then to be lowered, how dreadful, lowered to be called merely a brother among other brothers. Yet, that’s exactly where Jesus said we have to go if we’re going to be in viable, powerful, authoritative ministry, which is a humble calling …. To be a servant we’ve gotta think like a servant, they make g-r-e-a-t leaders, and it’s really difficult to be a servant when you’re full of yourself. Again…from God’s perspective, ministry is being a steward, not an owner.

i believe most people in ministry fall into 1 of 2 categories, they’re either empire builders or kingdom builders. Both are gifted, but the empire builders build for themselves, and the kingdom builders are servants of the Lord who work to prosper the gospel. Kingdom builders don’t see others who have the same gifting as competition but as allies and partners….there’s just no place in God’s plan for being envious of other fellowships or servants. Kingdom builders classify themselves as being servants after God’s heart and see ministry, as a “get to” not a “have to”.

i used to play on the worship team a long time ago before it was called “the worship team”, and after several years it became common place to me. It wasn’t long before i groaned inwardly that i had to play again. i ceased seeing it as an honor, a get to, i saw it as an obligation, a “have to”, and it wasn’t long before my passion and zeal was just gone for playing music at church. Another of my shortcomings in the past has been i tended to judge a book by it’s cover, but the truth is you can’t judge the “spirituality” of a ministry by the form it takes as much as by the results it produces.

1Peter4:10-11, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Think about it.

John12:26, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Ministry is service, and if we’re going to be servants then it needs saying: real servants think like stewards, not owners. Pause if you need to in order to let that one sink in. If you’re the senior pastor or in leadership of a church that has church running on a nearly unalterable time schedule, got it down to the minute for worship, prayer, and preaching….are you being an owner, or a steward, and if you’re a steward, just what are you stewarding, what are the sheep being served?

We who are in ministry, our first purpose is to bring glory to God by way of our obedience, our confession of Jesus, and our generosity toward others. Our ministries should be an expression of our love of the Lord and thanksgiving.

2 Cor4:15, “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

Christian ministry is both at the same time, practical and spiritual. Christians should never be accused of being “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” Ministry builds up the church, the body of Christ. In the words of Paul, it supplies “the needs of the saints”, and gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Each of us has a unique role to play for which no one else can serve as a substitute. You and your ministry gifting are necessary. Do you hear that?

There is a call on your life, what will the Lord lead you to put your hand to? Keep in mind while you’re waiting to find out what your ministry is, if you’ll live as a servant to others, God will use you.

Drive carefully, pray for your neighbors. The Lord hears your prayers, it’s a fact, so you are never alone. i’ll talk to you next time. Amen.

Bigger

Many years ago, down beyond my house near an old tobacco barn was a large spreading Mulberry tree. i never cared much for Mulberry’s but the birds were absolutely crazy over them in the season of the tree bearing it’s fruit. The truth is, that old tree, which had likely been there for 100 years was just an irritation to me. Like i said, i didn’t care for the fruit enough to make jelly, and when you picked the berries, the mulberry juice stained your fingers a deep purple which wouldn’t come off even with the best soap. But i had an incredible realization of the magnitude of creation one day there at the Mulberry tree.

It was hot, oh so hot and the birds were in all their glory as they gorged themselves on the fruit. i muttered out loud to no one in particular, “Stupid tree”, and suddenly, woosh, God was amongst us, catching me by surprise. He called me to come closer to the tree and just look, more than just notice, but really take in all that it was. You know, when the Lord is upon you, there is a brilliant clarity that happens, as in that moment i saw the massive creation of just the intricacy of leaves, the strength of bark and roots, and got an idea of how the tree served as shade and shelter for some, and food for others, including bugs and gnawing things, and how the Lord had sustained that tree for a really long time.

From that day till now, i’ve slowly begun to realize i have such a small view of the vastness of God. His idea of things like prosperity is so, so much larger and far reaching than what i think. i think of it like a rich guy driving a Cadillac with steer horns on the front, but God sees it as a knight in armor who is buffed to a high shine with sword and shield and the full endorsement of the king.

i see faith as something i wish i had more of like a glass with only a little bit of water in it, He sees faith as a place i stand on the foundation of the work of Christ with a constant upward pointing to the sovereignty of God as a second nature. God’s idea of faith is so, so much larger than we think.

My idea of healing most of the time is i just want the pain to stop and not be sick anymore. God’s idea of healing is that we are brought into unity and made whole, functioning as one person, in our right mind, flesh and soul in complete subjection and obedience, under the governance of the Holy Spirit, to function in season and out how so ever He asks us. God’s idea of healing is far beyond the light of this world. Bigger.

My idea of mercy is merely that i, yes I want God to be nice to me even when i’m a horrible person. God’s idea of mercy is bigger, so, SO much larger it is beyond my imagination. If everyone got what they “deserved” and what was “fair”, there would be no one left alive. The mercy of the Lord spans our lives from the beginning to the end. Every mountain and valley, every river and sea, every man, woman and child breath and live within the amazing mercy of God. His mercy is over the horizon and beyond the vanishing point. That is huge. i am the one who makes His ideas small.

We make grace to be nice, necessary, and we say knowingly, “Oh, it means unmerited favor”. How narrow because God’s idea of grace is as amazing and vast as His mercy. Grace is sister to mercy, and where mercy is, grace is close by. Within the Hebrew word for mercy is the word grace and Grace under the umbrella of mercy is “Compassion and kindness beyond the vanishing point, which crowns us with the Sword of the Spirit for life and new beginnings.” God’s idea of grace so totally eclipses anything i had in mind. Bigger.

We all need hope, and if we have faith, we can rest assured hope was there first. Once again though, many seem to have turned the vastness of the hope in Christ into a narrow one way street, and His idea is so much larger. And no, i’m not going to tell you. It would be best if you pondered God’s idea of hope to a conclusion, you look it up, you read and find out how He sees it. You’ll be amazed at how much larger it is than would have ever entered your mind. Bigger. Way bigger.

Too often, we accept Christ to our own salvation, but many just stop there. When i first got saved and went to a little rural church, after a while i noticed we never got beyond “Jesus saves” to really knowing God’s preferences and standards. Sure, the important 3 initial survival tools of any believer are, pray, read your Bible, and tell others about Jesus, but for me, i wanted to know who was behind my faith, my peace, my courage and hope. i thought then, and still believe now that there is so much more of God to know. He is much, much bigger than we have imagined. i barely have grace for people who say they’re believers and don’t act like it, but Jesus, oh my gosh, Jesus died for a world of people who don’t do what they say, and i think i was at the top of the list of sinners, yet He died for me and did not flinch at my wrongness.

God’s idea of goodness is vastly larger than ours. Read your Bible, and don’t take the word of a friend because it’s too much trouble to find out what the Lord says for yourself.. On almost all counts, i find the Lord is so much larger and better than i’ve thought. We’ve gotta know it for ourselves. Friends, you can do this!!

What do you think?

          The storm is raging, i mean the ocean spray across the deck is being blown so hard it stings your skin and eyes and there is nowhere to hide from the pounding, the thunder and lightning. Through squinted eyes you can see nothing but water and rain, sheets of rain driven in front of your eyes… just raging water and wind from every direction. Every now and then a huge wave hits the bow at a perfect angle and nearly rolls the small ship over, either way, the last time a wave hit like that, the ship rolled over far enough for deep green water to come over the side. Men are yelling for the bailers to bail faster and for the men rowing to put their backs to it. “Keep the nose into the wind!” the senior leader yells. The helmsman has tied himself to the post at the wheel so that no matter how bad things get he can hopefully maintain some semblance of steering, if there really is such a thing in that kind of storm.

There is a long tearing sound as you watch the sails rip like newspaper and blow off into the distance as if that sail can’t wait to be far away. This is bad… really bad. The order is given to toss some of the ballast over. Men scramble to the bottom and start hoisting up the heavy things which helped the ship stay upright, but also made it ride too low in the water for a storm like this. Everyone is scared, really scared. Everyone is wondering if they will ever see home and families again.

Everyone, even those who adamantly deny the existence of God, secretly search their lives to see if there is any sin in them which would incur such wrath from Heaven, the very abode of God almighty whom they gave no thought to until it looked as if they might be lost at sea. Each man has abandoned his idol gods, and from somewhere deep in his heart he knows there is only one true God. Funny how in the face of terror and death, men suddenly realize the Lord is God and are compelled to call on Him alone to help. Funny how there are no atheists in a fox hole when bombs are falling and bullets are flying. Fear has a way of leveling the playing field for everyone when death is so close. All hands on deck are tired, nearing complete exhaustion, blue with cold, sick with hunger, all trying not to panic. It truly is a defining moment in the hearts of everyone on board. If you were one of the numbers on that ship, consider, what would you do? You’re dangling at the end of your rope, it seems you’re out of options, life seems about to come to the end of the line. Maybe… maybe not. This evening’s program is about the Options At The End Of Your Rope.

In everyone’s life, there are times and maybe even seasons when it seems we’re out of options and we’re at the end of the line… crying doesn’t help, being indifferent doesn’t help… we’ve mustered our best faith only to be met with the same problem… we feel stuck and hung out to dry. Regardless of all our drumming up faith, and declaring scripture over ourselves, it appears nothing has changed and we think probably never will. Stay with me for a little while and let’s see what God has to say, how to act and not to act when life seems at the end of the road.

Genesis 4:6-8 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

Alrighty then, right there is one idea for when you’re all out of options. Cain was in a spot, a tough place i’d say. The Lord was confronting Cain about his anger, and his bad attitude which probably made his eyes dark, his face long, and i’d guess maybe his face was in a perpetual sneer, not to mention he was probably really hard to get along with too. The Lord suggested the fix… my paraphrase here, “just do the right thing buddy and don’t let your bad attitude get the better of you.” Can you imagine yourself in that position? God is confronting Cain about himself… in Cain’s eyes, i reckon there was only two options left on his game board – either own his actions and change, or get rid of the problem, and in this case Cain figured Abel was the problem. Evidently, it was easier to get rid of Abel than it was to deal with his own attitude and actions. Yea, just get rid of the troubling people in your life and things will be better. Yea, just dis-fellowship those folks because they’re too honest and ask too many questions. Yea, that’s the ticket! Don’t deal with your stuff, just get rid of “them”, you know, the troubling, “them”. It was either checkmate for righteousness or checkmate for sin. There’s an idiom used occasionally meaning we are at the limit of our patience or endurance, the phrase is “i’m at the end of my rope”. So with Cain at the end of his rope, he figured Abel, not himself Cain, but Abel was the problem… so, in his mind, just get rid of Abel and he’s gotten rid of his problem. No good thing came from his attitude and actions, in fact, his attitude and problem followed him ever after.

There you have it, there is one thing to do while at the end of your rope: get rid of the other person you’re sure is causing you grief. Yea, that’s the ticket. That’ll sure fix it all right. Cain made a decision, refused to be responsible for his behavior, betrayed his brothers trust, lured Abel out to the field and took action… yea, he fixed it alright. It was a permanent fix to a temporary problem. Horrible as it is, believe it or not, some feel this is not a bad option, but it is surely at the top of the list of terrible ideas when at the end of your rope.

Another thing you can do while at the end of your rope is… nothing. Just hang there, hoping the knot doesn’t slip, hoping your hands don’t lose their grip…and just hang there, doing nothing other than thinking about all the other people who put you in that position, “what THEY did to me”, letting the obsession of bitterness overwhelm your heart. Don’t you think, when at the end of your rope, the option of “doing nothing” screams “victim” and “oh, poor pitiful me”?

In 2 Kings 24:8-16 we read the story of Jehoiakin. He came to the crown, not to have the honor of wearing it, but to the shame of losing it. As Matthew Henry would say, “He came in only to go out.” Jehoiakin was in power long enough to realize he was paying the price for his fathers’ poor choosings, and what’s worse, he continued in his fathers evil footsteps. Things were bad, he was at the end of his rope, but just like his father… he did nothing, he just suffered along, took no action to stop the curse, and as a result of his doing nothing, the curse just flowed down from the crown to the people. His lack of action to change things just made the end of his rope harder to hang on to, and the more things stayed the same, the more things stayed the same.

Let’s put that in today’s culture. One parent drinks like a fish and lives the part of an alcoholic, the other parent swears they will never drink a drop but exhibits all the earmarks of an alcoholic, which is called a “dry drunk”. The parents know they’ve got terrible problems and, are daily if not hourly, at the end of their rope with themselves and life, but rather than do something about themselves for their sakes and their children, they just… do nothing. The never admit their addiction, often blame others for all their struggles, never get counseling for their twisted thinking, never consider to change anything and simply continue as always in their fighting, drinking, blaming and chaos… they just let it all ride. The kids grow up with all the attitudes of the parents, after all, the parents were the model. From generation to generation, the chaos and catastrophically poor choices continue. Friends, it’s not a generational curse, but generational choice. They are choosing to perpetuate the sins of their parents. Personally, i am the first male in my family in four generations who is not addicted to something. Jesus stepped into my life and by His power, i chose to do something rather than do nothing. i’m not much on generational curses, but i think in terms more of generational choices. The horrible results that followed four generations through life in my family stopped with me. Thank you Jesus!

Doing nothing is an option… granted… it is another really bad option, but it is still an option. Are we in America and the church any different when we … do nothing? When our leadership distorts the truth, shows favoritism, does injustice, equity is nowhere to be found, and they do nothing, will their badness simply flow downhill to us? You know, like Jehoiakin, incumbrance flows down from the crown. And if we do nothing when we’re at the end of our rope, how are we any different?

When at the end of your rope, what are your options? So far, one is to be irresponsible and blame anyone and everyone else, the next thing to do is…nothing, taking no action to change anything, just let everything ride and become the well-practiced, consummate victim, heaving a heavy sigh, and resigning ourselves to the fate of the wind with a depressing “Oh well…”, trudging on, cold, hungry, and alone.

Here is a third thing to do: Take matters into your own hands, leaving God out of your idea of the fix, thinking “God is busy with important stuff. He probably doesn’t want me around… whatever, who needs Him anyway?” Some people say “we need to tend to our own business because God doesn’t busy Himself with the affairs of men.” It sounds more like an excuse to, once again, leave God out of the picture, because who needs Him anyway? Well… i do. SO… Let me understand better what is being said here, what we’re saying is we’re going to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps? Have you ever actually tried that? i have and not one boot ever came off the floor, and if anything, i ended up ripping the boot pulls off the side and hurting my back, all the while that boot never left the floor.

In 1 Samuel 13:10-12, in all his arrogance, all knowing-ness, and self importance, Saul took matters into his own hands… starting in vs 10, “Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash (mic-maws’), I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” When God didn’t move fast enough for Saul, he “felt compelled”; he took matters into his own hands. Saul did that sort of thing alot you know… but in the end, when at the end of his rope, this was another really bad option to exercise… needless to say, things didn’t go well for Saul.

For all us modern day Saul’s who take matters into our own hands, how is that working for you? For me, “Not too good!” How often do you wait for the poo to hit the fan full force before deciding that taking matters into your own hands was a bad idea? Once that poo has hit the fan, it’s impossible to get it back you know. It’s another poor option when you’re at the end of your rope, though truly an option, just not a good one by any means. How many times will we repeat the behavior i’ve just described before we get tired of being splattered in the face with our poor choices and bad ideas? How many times will we repeat our behavior before we do things differently?

Let’s get down to options that work then: A fourth option is to – (tada)  !Call upon the Lord!. Of course, most listeners this evening are probably believers, and we all know this option when at the end of our rope, but, really… honestly… is that what we do? Often what we say we do and what we actually do are different things. In Psalm 50:15 the Lord sez, “… call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

It is never wasted effort to trust in God, in fact, it’s the best idea we’ll ever have, to call upon Him in the day of trouble; those who do – often find the issue much better than they expected, God will give them wisdom about the best course of action when at the end of their rope. Repeat with me: With God, good idea. Without God, bad idea.

Here is wisdom: If you can’t get out of the storm with Jesus, then be in the storm with Jesus, with God being the key phrase there. Grip to Jesus with all your heart, and then, like Paul said in Acts27:15, “let her ride”. Lean into the wind and trust Him. Jesus will not forsake us, not now, or later. Let faith do it’s work. Let God be God, allow yourself to be persuaded by His counsel. He’s really really good at what He does ya’ know.

Here’s another great option when at the end of your rope: Wait on God. Oh, and don’t we all know that is also an excellent option but it’s also one of the most difficult, especially when your back is tired from rowing and wrestling with the storm as the ship seems it will sink at any moment. Let me encourage you, just keep rowing, keep steering, keep bailing, i can assure you, Jesus will show up at the right time, not at the final minute, but right on time. i’ve heard some refer to Him as the “God of the Final Hour” and i object… He’s the God of “right on time, every time”. Psalm 123:1-3, “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven, we look up to you for help. Like servants, alert to their master’s commands, like a maiden attending her lady, We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting your word of mercy till You come and have mercy on us. Mercy, GOD, mercy!”

Here’s another r-e-a-l-l-y good option, while we’re calling on the Lord in our day of trouble, while we’re waiting on the Lord to come and have mercy on us… let’s pray. i want to add something at this point: maybe it would be good to not wait until deep water is coming over the side before we pray; maybe we shouldn’t wait till our business is collapsing before we invite others to join us in prayer; maybe it would be good to ask the Lord for work before our checking account is empty. The Lord is not a dry ditch that only runs full when it rains, which would be a fair-weather friend, nor does He only come around when the weather is bad. i’ve got a buddy who only calls me when he’s in crisis, but soon as good weather breaks through, he sort’a quits praying and cruises until bad weather again. We’ve got to row the boat while we can, not just when it looks like we might sink. One translation of the word prayer literally means “i cannot but God can.”

Oh, and there is one more option and it is the crème de la crème …(tada)… simply let go and trust God. That’s the ultimate option and you know it, but it’s also a real scary one for those of us who have a hard time trusting, which is most everyone. Jesus said in Luke 9:24, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” Stop saving your own life and let go… just… let… go. Learn to live life without a net, trusting the Lord implicitly for all your needs.

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” And then the text continues reading, “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”
Mind you, that part about “heal their land” doesn’t mean the Lord will make things like they used to be and we’ll all get our houses, boats, and stuff back. When the Lord heals our land, things will not be like they were but will become like they will be… better, holy, righteous and men will sing a new song and speak a new language. (Revelation 5:9)

Zeph3:9, “For then I will restore to the people a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord.” Think about it.

Our options when at the end of our rope are not too widely varied. i think the most basic option when at the end of your rope, when the storm is howling, the ship is taking on water, the mast is cracked and the sails are torn, the most basic and foundational option is to simply believe on the Name of Christ. Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It all may not happen like you’ve imagined, dreamed, or wished, but God is good for His word. When we’re at the end of our rope, believing in Christ, calling on His Name, and holding onto our relationship with Him no matter if the ship sinks or not, that is the key. i love this verse: John6:18-21, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” Do you see that?! When they believed, suddenly they were where they were going. When you’re at the end of your rope, and all out of options, Jesus is your answer. He is always your answer and there is never a time He is not your answer.

i’m Social Porter and thanks for joining me here at Outposts  .

If your down to the wire, your boat is taking on water, and you feel fresh out of options, Jesus is the answer, really really, actually actually.

Go with God this week, read your Bible, pray for your friends and take the Lord seriously when He says He is the Lord. i’ll talk to you next time.