“Opportunities”

“Opportunities”

Over the years I’ve had some kind of connection with about a dozen Christian camps and conference centers. Many have come to faith in Christ, grown in their walk with Him and (as in my case) felt His call to ministry at these facilities. They provide a God-centered environment in which He can work in special ways to carry out His purpose in people’s lives.

I remember one particular Camp Director in yon times of yore who from time to time would say, “We have an opportunity”. This was his way of approaching a challenge (aka problem). Since every event in our lives is intended as a learning experience I believe his terminology was appropriate as shown by the camp’s continued strong operation some 30 years later.

The dictionary defines opportunity as “A favorable time or occasion for a certain purpose.” In God’s economy everything has the objective of fulfilling His intentions. This is part of the reason He’s given us His Word (“…Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us….”—Romans 15:4) and the Holy Spirit (“…The Spirit…will guide you into all truth….”—John 16:13). Solomon wrote, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven….” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV). And while the specifics may be unpleasant the outcome will ultimately be positive (“…We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”--Romans 8:28).

The opportunities God sends our way may not be a cake-walk (after all, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.”—John 16:33) but the circumstances are there for Him to work mightily. Paul certainly knew pain and struggles in his life but, like my Camp Director friend, he looked beyond them for the resulting blessings when he wrote, “…A great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Life isn’t without its adversities, but do we see them as problems or opportunities? As we pray with Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) God provides the answers. So let’s look at our circumstances through His eyes, not our own.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

“Accountability”

“Accountability”

While pastoring in New Hampshire I had a call from a church in Florida asking for support for a church planting effort in our area. Since we received funding requests from many missionaries and ministries and it wasn’t possible to honor them all I asked for some information from the lady who contacted us (the church secretary if I remember correctly). One question concerned accountability. The response was that the man being sent would answer to the pastor and no one else. Since our policy was to adopt only those endorsed by and responsible to a board of some type the discussion went no further. (As far as I know this venture never materialized.)

I thought about accountability at the time of Billy Graham’s recent Homegoing. During his long national and international ministry both he and his organization maintained a high degree of integrity and effectiveness. I believe God blessed the work at least in part because early on he and his colleagues established accountability with each other before the Lord. As I’ve gotten older I’ve seen this need in my life and have participated in various men’s groups for this purpose as well as for fellowship and growth.

I once received a four page letter from an individual saying I’d misused my office and calling on me to leave my pastoral position. While I was aware of the incident in question my recollection of the events differed significantly from his. He was a good witness in our community but identified with no local church. I never responded to him as I felt it inconsistent to imply that I was accountable but he wasn’t.

Accountability has a biblical basis. Paul saw himself and his team as answerable to the church which sent them on their mission (“…They sailed back to Antioch…On arriving there, they…reported all that God had done through them…And they stayed there a long time with the disciples—Acts 14:26-28, see also Acts 18:22-23). Even Jesus did so with His Father (“…I always do what pleases him.”—John 8:29). And ultimately, “…Each of us will give an account…to God.” (Romans 14:12).

We have responsibilities not only to our earthly families (see Ephesians 6:1-4) but also to our brothers and sisters in Christ as shown by the many “one another” admonitions in the New Testament. These are commands, not suggestions. As we obey, both our families and Christ’s Body will be strengthened for the work God’s called us to do.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

“The Spirit of Dependence”

“The Spirit of Dependence”

On July 4, 1976 our nation celebrated the bicentennial of its independence from England. Many special patriotic events were held throughout the country in recognition of this milestone. Since the occasion took place on a Sunday numerous churches (including ours in western New York) marked the event with appropriate music, messages, thanksgiving to God for granting two centuries of liberty and prayers for His continued blessing.

During that year our state’s fellowship of churches had a theme, “The Spirit of Dependence”. Flyers and buttons were made available to open doors to conversations about how good God had been and how much we needed to rely on Him for national favor. Subsequent years have demonstrated the consequences of ignoring Him and making Him unwelcome in our society (“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”—Proverbs 14:34).

The dictionary defines independent as “Free from the influence, guidance, or control of others”. Politically this refers to self-government (the objective of our founding fathers). But is there any such thing as true independence? Nations rely on other nations to supply goods they’re unable to provide for themselves. We as individuals need other people (physicians, financial advisors, contractors, etc.). And churches need to work together in missions and outreach (not to mention when problems arise and outside counsel is needed). So rather than independence maybe we ought to emphasize our interdependence on one another.

Most of all, however, we must recognize our dependence on God. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). (In the Greek the expression is emphatic and could be rendered, “Apart from me you can do nothing at all.”) Our total reliance on Him is reinforced by Paul’s assertions, “…Our power and ability and sufficiency are from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5, Amplified) and “…I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.” (Philippians 4:13, NLT). To cite a line from a great hymn from 1787 (the year our Constitution took effect), “What more can He say than to you He has said….?”

In this, our nation’s 242^nd birthday month, may we together show “The Spirit of Dependence” on Him who said, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord….” (Psalm 33:12).

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

“An Unemployed King?”

“An Unemployed King?”

As a high school junior I took World History. It wasn’t my favorite course so a few eyebrows were raised when some of my friends found out I’d chosen history as my college major. I remember little about the class but one thing stands out. As we studied the French Revolution we learned that King Louis XVI was deposed which brought this comment from our teacher: “It gets dangerous with an unemployed king running around.” And the anarchy of that period, part of which is known as “The Reign of Terror”, shows the truth of his statement.

Early on in my blogging I posted an article called “Firing God”. While we certainly can’t fire Him as King of His creation (“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth….”—Acts 17:24) we can “lay Him off” by the improper use of our free will. This was done time and again by Israel during the period of the judges. The nation would “lay God off” resulting in oppression by its idolatrous neighbors for a period of between seven and forty years. The people then “…cried to the Lord….” (Judges 4:3), God in His mercy and grace would raise up a leader to defeat the enemy du jour and the nation would enjoy peace for some forty to eighty years before the vicious cycle repeated itself.

Before we start accusing the Israelites of not learning from their misdeeds (aka sin) let’s take a look at our own actions. I know I’ve done some of the same things over and over but somehow have thought the results would be different and better. (Didn’t someone say this is the definition of insanity?) God allowed me to “lay Him off” for a while but time and again He came through when I asked for His help. Hopefully by now I’ve gotten the message that “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Have we treated God as “an Unemployed King” to be called back to work when we get in a jam? We’d do far better to retain Him as Master of our lives and (in the words of an old hymn) “…Walk with the Lord in the light of His Word….” Then we can fulfill Paul’s admonition to “Live your whole life in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of your lower nature.” (Galatians 5:16, Phillips). Will you join me in praying for this to be a reality in our daily walk?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan