Insights Magazine: Number Eleven, 2022

NUMBER ELEVEN, 2022

Insights is published by Insight for Living Canada, the Bibleteaching ministry of Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll. Chuck is the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Texas. His international radio program Insight for Living has aired for more than 40 years. We hope this publication will instruct, inspire, and encourage you in your walk with Christ.

Copyright © 2022 Insight for Living Canada. All rights reserved. No portion of this monthly publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NLT. Unless otherwise noted, photography and illustration by Tim Schellenberg. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities. Printed in Canada.

SEVEN BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LEADERS

by charles r. swindoll

Cover

Article

Photograghy

Ican’t think of a better model of leader ship than Nehemiah. I once sat down and looked over Nehemiah’s shoulder for a couple of hours, reviewing the things this ancient Jewish leader recorded while rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. As I read, it dawned on me that his journal is a storehouse of leadership insights. The first six chapters of Nehemiah ought to be required reading each year for all leaders as well as those who wish to be.

In his book, I found seven essential skills that today’s Christian leaders can use as stones on which to build their own strategy for leadership.

The first foundation stone is a passion for the project

Passion includes vision, enthusiasm, drive, determination, cre ative dreams, and innova tive ideas. Leaders with passion can grasp the big picture without becoming enmeshed in or preoccu pied with all the details. Nehemiah could hardly sleep as he imagined him self accomplishing God’s objective. His passion was off the chart.

Nehemiah’s journal is filled with prayers—silent ones, short ones, spe cific ones. He never failed to remind the people of the Lord’s presence and protec tion. Leaders who are genuinely Christian consistently turn others’ attention to the Source of strength—the One who can accomplish the impossible, the awesome Provider. Confidence in Him does not waver. Their faith is contagious. While they may occasionally doubt their own ability, they do not doubt God’s invincible commitment to His work.

Resilience and patience through opposition mark the fourth piece

Let’s be the Nehemiahs of this generation—leaders who get things done for God’s glory, standing strong on the building blocks of leadership.

The second building block is the ability to motivate others

Getting along well with others is a crucial part of leadership. This would include such skills as verbalizing ideas, dreams, and concerns; articulating goals succinctly and simply; and demonstrating organizational strength and boundless energy. Leaders who motivate inspire others to do their best. They quickly affirm and remember to give credit where credit is due. Nehemiah was strong at all those points. The third stone is an unswerving confidence in God

Nehemiah endured it all: sarcasm, suspicion, gossip, mockery, threats, anonymous notes, open letters, false accusations—you name it. None of it moved him. No leader can survive if he or she cannot stay patient and resilient through criticism. It is important to be firm in purpose without becoming cranky, vengeful, or meanspirited. Anger expressed for the right reason and at the right time is appropriate and healthy, but holding a grudge is neither. The fifth stone to lock in place is a practical, balanced grip on reality

While the good leader may have dreams and ideas, he or she doesn’t live in a dreamworld with a fixation on the ideal. The actual facts—the hard pieces of evidence— are in clear focus. As Nehemiah began his opening speech, it was obvious to all that he was no air-headed cheerleader: “You see the bad situation we are in” (Nehemiah 2:17). He told the workers to stay at their jobs, but he wisely stationed others to protect the wall from attack. Smart. Discerning.

Tough. He acted without overreacting. He remained gracious yet unbendingly firm. Good leaders maintain that needed balance between being positive and being aware of the negative.

Number six is a willingness to work hard and remain unselfish

All Christian leaders have at least one thing in common: diligence. They also know the value of calling it a day (diligence and workaholism are not synonyms).

Because of his hard work, Nehemiah was “appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah” (Nehemiah 5:14 NIV) even before the wall was done. He accepted his appointment humbly, refusing special treatment and willingly sacrificing for the good of the people. Nehemiah led a clinic on servant leadership.

Finally, leaders must have the discipline to finish the job

Good leaders are finishers. They know how to concentrate on essentials without allowing perfectionistic details to block the path. I am certain that some of Nehemiah’s stones were a tad crooked and a few of the joints may have been loose. Perhaps a gate or two wasn’t perfectly level and maybe no doubt a hinge or

two squeaked...but that baby got done. Mis sion accomplished. The end. Done!

And when the task is finished, good leaders celebrate...they have fun!

In Nehemiah’s case, they had a blast walking on the wall, marching and dancing, shouting and singing—they even invited two choirs whose “songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46 NASB1995)) could be heard from afar. What a grand party!

Christian leaders with character continue to be in demand. Ezekiel recorded God’s plea for leaders who would “stand in the gap before Me for the land,” but, tragically, He “found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30). His search continues today. Let’s determine to be the men and women for whom God is search ing to close the gap. Let’s be the Nehemiahs of this generation—leaders who get things done for God’s glory, standing strong on the building blocks of leadership.

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, “7 Building Blocks for Leaders,” Insights (February 2007): 1, 3. Copyright © 2007 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

HASN’T ASKED, “O

LONG?”

A Song for Times of Crisis SINGLE CD MESSAGE

LONGFELLOW

by b ill Gemaehlich

While researching fellow believ ers who have been comforted by the hope we have in Christ during times of crisis, I came across a Christmas carol penned during the Civil War that caught my interest. The carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” is based on the 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I am not sure that I paid close attention to the lyrics before, but as I sat at my desk the words reminded me of the hope of our calling and the One in whom our hope is found.

Longfellow was the most popular poet of his day, widely read both in the US and Europe. Two years before he wrote the poem “Christmas Bells,” his life was

shaken by tragedy. His beloved second wife, Fanny, lost her life when her dress caught fire and she died from severe burns the following day. Longfellow was devastated and as he grieved the death of his wife the Civil War raged around him. In a letter dated March 14, 1863, he learned that his oldest son Charles had joined the Union Army without his blessing. Charles wrote to his father, “I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer. I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good.” Then a few months later on December 1, 1863, Longfellow received

a telegram that his son had been severely wounded during the Battle of New Hope Church. Charles was fighting for his life after a bullet entered his left shoulder and damaged his spine.

Still mourning for his wife, and uncer tain of his son’s recovery, Longfellow sat down at his desk on Christmas morning, 1863, and penned the poem “Christmas Bells.” Seven years later his poem would be set to music and become the Christ mas carol we know today. The first and last few verses of the song refer directly to the national tragedy of the Civil War.

(First verse) I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of Peace on earth, good will to men. (Fourth verse) Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound

The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! (Fifth verse) It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

(Sixth verse) And in despair I bowed my head

‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.’ (Seventh verse) Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;

‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail With peace on earth, good will to men.’ 1 Longfellow captured the tragedy of the Civil War through his words. You can almost hear the cannons firing and see the smoke filling the air. He found a confident hope amid the chaos of a hor rific war and personal grief. His faith gave him perspective and strength to carry on, fortifying him to persevere. He realized that God was not dead nor asleep and that ultimately “wrong shall fail, and the right prevail.” We have this same hope during this very surreal time in our country. As we come together to pray let's lis ten to the carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and remember the hope we have found in our Redeemer, who left the glory of heaven to dwell among us and bring sal vation to the world.

“He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:9–11 ESV)

1 Longfellow, Henry W. “Christmas Bells,” Public Domain (1864) Bill Gemaehlich is the EVP/COO operations at Insight for Living Ministries

Longfellow captured the tragedy of the Civil War through his words. You can almost hear the cannons firing and see the smoke filling the air

A TOUGH ASSIGNMENT

by c olleen s windoll Thompson

“ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” How familiar we are with Paul’s penciled words; Paul’s oft-used salutation rests upon God’s grace in salvation and peace that comes through the work of Jesus Christ. The sub ject matters vary: to the Romans, he wrote of unshakable truths for the Christian life; to the Corinthians, he sent a resounding wake-up call due to their pathetic pettiness, quarrelsome conflicts, and carnal compromise; to the Galatians, he wrote of freedom through grace by faith; and to the Ephesians, he provided truths about diver sity, unity, and spiritual maturity. Yet most often these days, ministry concentrates on age or interest classifications in place of Christ’s call to all Christians—to be securely cradled in God’s grace and peace that He provides when we embrace Him.

Raising my disabled son has transformed my life—its mean ing, purpose, ministry, focus, as well as my faith. Central to my perspective is Christ’s view of us, without labels, classifications, judgments, and human-made rules. Remember, disability ministry is viewed as a topical issue about which most pastors feel ill-equipped and uncomfortable to address. Pastors, your ministry call is not to personally know it all, have it all, be comfortable with, or be invul nerable; it is to be saturated with God’s mes sage of grace and peace and then to proclaim His truth from your soul.

digm that shapes our perspective, beginning with an accurate definition. Disability represents any condition which,

1. Removes a person’s independence, thereby causing them to depend on others for managing life

2. Requires a caregiver to provide physical, emotional, medical, therapeutic, practical, and/or spiritual support

3. Creates a crisis for family members

4. Requires acquisition of new skills, changed beliefs, extensive family care, and healing hope wrapped in grace and peace Notice, there was no mention of physical equipment, wheelchairs, or other symbols we associate with disabilities. “Equipment” is a small topic in the realm of disability ministry; it does not repre sent an entire disability ministry.

Raising my disabled son has transformed my life—its meaning, purpose, ministry, focus, as well as my faith.

In grave honesty, those suf fering with disabling condi tions who have sought help from a church or other Chris tian organizations report their greatest pain and deepest soul damage came from a neglectful Christian or church. Ninety-eight per cent of these folks never return to church because of the painful rejection, severe criticism, pious statements, and biting gossip they received from these Christian entities.

But I believe revolutionary changes can happen in your church and in communities around the world. So where do you begin?

For example, what does disability min istry mean, once removed from group and topical classifications? First, we need a para

Embrace the mindset of grace and peace in serving those who suffer. We have grace because our gracious God has continually ministered grace to His creation—first and foremost is that of Jesus Christ, who came to us and lived among us. God gives us

peace with God and with others through acknowledging, surrendering, and hum bling our lives under the lordship of Jesus. Pastors and church ministry leaders, here is your necessary, core challenge as you endeavour to provide ministry to the dis abled and suffering.

Experience the disabled world by choosing to do two or three of the following suggestions

Rent a wheelchair from any hospital or medical facility. For three consecutive days, stay in the wheelchair...everywhere you go and in everything you do. Personal hygiene, shopping, cooking, cleaning, office and home responsibilities should all be done while remaining in the wheelchair.

Spend a day at a facility caring for disabled aging people. Locate such a facility in your area, and ask for permission to come and serve for a day. You may speak with them as to your purpose, and then follow through. Suggestions: wash feet, change bedding, clean bathrooms after accidents, offer to bring lunch or feed a person, or clean the face of someone with a runny nose, watering eyes, or dripping saliva.

Spend one or two days in a hospital ward...cancer, heart disease, stroke victims, or emergency rooms. Just sit and listen, or meet family members without preaching to them...just listen.

Ride for several hours on a public bus for the disabled.

Spend a day in a facility caring for those with mental or emotional disabilities.

Go to a family’s home (with clear permission), and provide care in daily tasks, learn ing the responsibilities of disability support.

Keep a journal. Start it off with your thoughts about accepting these chal lenges. Write down your feelings...your fears, anger, embarrassment, reservations, and so on.

Write about your experiences. Finally, reflect and write on what happened inside your soul as a result of this first disability project.

May grace and peace be with you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 2012 by Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved worldwide.

GOD THE FATHER

by robyn ros T e

I

’m the oldest child of four and growing up, I would often find myself in trouble for teasing or picking on my younger siblings.

Most of the time, I wasn’t aware of how my actions impacted my parents, but one day I noticed the compassion my dad had for me as I was being punished. It was like something woke up inside.

Dad doesn’t want to punish me any more than I want him to, but he does because he loves me and wants to teach me how to be a good kid.

Hebrews 12:5–6 says “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” The Lord, like my dad, wants me to grow up to be a good, God-honouring person.

I understand concepts like compassion, grace, love, and justice because my parents model them. And I wonder how I would know these things about God if I didn’t have a godly father.

Of course, my parents and all other peo ple are only human and therefore imper fect. If I were to only look at others to shape how I see God, it would be a discouraging and distorted picture.

In his message titled “The Love of God,” Pastor Chuck Swindoll warns against bas

ing our idea of God on our earthly experi ences. “If we shape our thinking about God from the culture around us, our life will remain complicated and even become cha otic. But if we allow Holy Scripture to shape our thinking, God will emerge in our minds as he is: real, personal, meaningful, allpowerful. What we think about God is the most important thing about us.”1 What we think about God shapes our hearts, minds, and actions.

Having an imperfect dad does not make God less perfect (Matthew 5:48), and even if you haven’t experienced God's love through an earthly parent it doesn’t change the fact that God’s love is perfect and He is your Heavenly Father (1 John 4:7–8).

Seeing God's love demonstrated through my dad was how I first learned to relate to God. But it wouldn't be enough to leave it there. In order for my relationship with God to become living and active, I had to learn for myself what the Bible said about Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to shape my thinking of who God really is.

1 “The Love of God,” How Great is our God

Robyn Roste is the communications director at Insight for Living Canada.

by sT eve Johnson

Egalitarianism used to mean that all people are equal with respect to social, political, and economic affairs. But in our day, the term has come to refer to a sociopolitical philosophy that says all people are equal and deserve equal treatment in all things, and inequality among people must be removed. This article focuses on egali tarianism regarding the equal distribution of wealth.

Egalitarianism assumes that, morally speaking, everyone is ultimately in the same boat. No one morally deserves any special advantages. In this view, no one has much to do with how we turn out, for better or for worse. When some end up better situated than others, this has nothing to do with personal effort and achievement, only

with so-called luck. This also means no one is responsible for failures, or for acting as a predator or oppressor of others. We are, morally speaking, all the same—neither better nor worse, neither more nor less deserving of the advantages we enjoy in life. Everything happens as it must. And since we are all in the same boat, we are committed to sharing our benefits and burdens.

This assumption leads the egalitarian to consider it immoral if a well-off person doesn’t give away most of their financially valuable assets and income to those who have less. Wealth must be redistributed to be “fair.”

Egalitarianism’s idea of “fairness” is a slippery, subjective idea. Whose idea of fair is right? What about justice? Justice means giving to everyone that which is due them.

Article photo: Piggybank on unsplash.com

It is just when the worker receives compen sation for their work. It is unjust to take it from them and give it to someone else.

What does Scripture say?

The Bible does not condemn riches. It does condemn the vices, which easily snare the wealthy. Money is not the root of all kinds of evil. It is the love of money (1 Timo thy 6:10). The abuse of money and abuses by the rich do not make wealth evil. The eco nomic structure presupposed in the Bible is one where there is a divinely instituted dis tinction between rich and poor. Jesus said, “You will always have the poor among you” (Matthew 26:11).

When Paul writes about the wealthy he doesn’t say it is wrong to possess riches. Instead, he points out the characteristics that wealthy believers should have.

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (1 Timothy 6:17–18)

Some people have less because of the choices they’ve made—they choose not to learn skills that could result in having more opportunities, they choose to live with less, they choose to make a living by doing something that’s not as financially rewarding as other occupations, they choose not to work as much as others and so they have less. Some are more capable of increasing their possessions. They are more diligent and industrious.

“Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.” (Proverbs 10:4)

Egalitarianism assumes that, morally speaking, everyone is ultimately in the same boat. No one morally deserves any special advantages.

Even if you could give everybody equal amounts of money, it wouldn’t be long before some had less because of the way they use it. And the only way you could give everyone equal amounts is if some one assumes they are not equal and has the right and authority to command that everyone has the same.

Diversity, not equality is the fact of God’s providence. Unequal distribution of wealth is inherent to the order God has established and to the natures He has endowed us with. It is impossible to put economic egalitarianism into effect.

Riches are not evil. They are gifts from God and He can just as readily take them away as give them. It is simply a fact that God has not ordained equality of distribution of gifts or possessions (1 Corinthians 12).

All people are equal before God as human beings are made in the image of God. But people are not equal and alike when it comes to genetics, talents, opportunities, intelligence, drive to succeed, heritage, and even geographic location. Because we believe God is sovereign we must believe inequalities are not accidental.

To sum it up, here are some relevant Bib lical principles: Work is good. Stealing is wrong. Coveting is wrong. Greed is wrong. Take care of widows and orphans. Be a good Samaritan and help those in need. God owns everything and we are merely stewards of what we have. One day we will give an account for how we used what He providentially gave us.

Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.

“In appearance, Jesus looked like any other Jewish baby. The truth is— and talk about surprises—God who came to earth to live among us did not come as a raging whirlwind or in a devouring fire or to inhabit Caesar’s halls, commanding the world to bow down and worship. No. What stands out is a term that no mighty king ever used: HUMILITY. What stands out is the humility, the obscurity, of it all.”

CHUCK SWINDOLL

Let’s Hear God’s Voice in a Baby’s Cry

God did not come to Jerusalem with all its hustle and bustle to be born among the powerful and prestigious. Instead, Jesus was born in little Bethlehem. No earthly fanfare accompanied His arrival. He first laid His head in a feed trough sta tioned in an animal shelter reeking of all the common smells of a dirty barn.

It took an angel for humanity to learn the significance of the moment. But governors, centurions, or priests didn’t hear heaven’s praise. Instead, God’s mes sengers went to shepherds...people who talked more with animals than humans. These lowly men would become some of the first to gaze upon undiminished deity in true humanity.

Interpretation: God’s Voice

Jesus’ birth occurred in obscurity. Luke juxtaposed that obscurity with the angelic pronouncement regarding Jesus’

exalted identity. This pronouncement conveys key historical and theological points which Luke wanted to make clear from the outset of his gospel.

Remember that God acts in human history and uncovers the intentions of His actions. The Bible—God’s revelation— teaches us what happened as well as the meaning of what happened. Therefore, the Bible teaches history and theology. Interpretation seeks a clear understand ing of a passage’s history in order to arrive at its theology.

In Jesus, God’s attributes hold together. Meek and almighty. Holy and near. Just and merciful. The vision of John in Rev elation 5:4–8 states it perfectly. The con quering lion was victorious by becoming a slain lamb. At the cross, God’s attributes converge. Through the resurrection, they’re unleashed.

“Let’s Hear God’s Voice in a Baby’s Cry” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series Holiday Messages 2020. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary .

the

Last call for our FALL SALE!

Last call for our Fall Sale! We have a variety of Bible-teaching resources for all ages on sale during our fall sale.

Prices in effect until December 9, while supplies last. Visit insightforliving.ca/sale for full sales flyer and product descriptions.