NUMBER FOUR, 2017
In this issue
8
6 3 6 8
The Other Side of Letting Go
charles r. swindoll Quenching Burnout
steve johnson
Selfish to be Selfless
robyn roste
12 Names of Jesus
11 Lamb of God
The Hea[r]t of the Issue
12 Idle Worship
steve johnson Beyond the Broadcast
15 Strengthening Your Grip on Leisure
Insights is published by Insight for Living Canada, the Bible-teaching 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 35 years. We hope this publication will instruct, inspire, and encourage you in your walk with Christ. Copyright Š 2017 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 Council of Christian Charities. Printed in Canada.
by charles r. swindoll
I
t was the ultimate test of faith. Here’s why I’m convinced of that: God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much…and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2) Yes, you read that correctly. God’s words pound against our ears like shock waves. How could God require His faithful servant to sacrifice his precious son? You and I would run for cover if God were to tell us to do that. Not Abraham. The Bible says he got up early the next morning and set out. I love that! He couldn’t wait to see what God was going to do. As the patriarch led his son up the mountain, he spoke words not of consternation but anticipation: “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” (22:8). Abraham loved his son, but he also knew his God. His life was built on the positive side of faith. Knowing deep in his soul that God is a God who provides, Abraham never doubted. He crested that rugged mountain with confidence, determined to pass this final exam of his faith. At Moriah’s peak with a west wind swirling his grey hair, aging Abraham prepared his boy, his invaluable treasure, for the altar. He calmly, deliberately tied Isaac up. Then he raised the blade to bring it down into his son’s chest. In that epochal moment, the
angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and shouted, “Abraham! Abraham!…Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” (22:11-12). This was the last of God’s final exams for Abraham. You’ll have some in your life. Especially if you’re a parent. Parenting includes interventions from the Lord to test our faith to the maximum and deepen our confidence in His Word. I’ve had some gruelling exams, and so have you. We’ll have plenty more. There’s nothing funny or frivolous about God’s tests; they’re as serious as a coronary. But just when you think it’s all ending, God breaks through the silence and says, “I’m right here. I’m with you in this. I now know you trust Me. There’s no longer any question your faith rests on Me…not with your treasure. You’ve passed your final exam!” Abraham released his son to God on that altar that day. Immediately afterward, Abraham saw God provide. Read it for yourself, nice and slowly… Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided” (22:13-14). Yahweh-Yireh. The God who provides took centre stage in Abraham’s story. Every major test that comes our way is designed to put God’s character on display. Then after
Abraham loved his son, but he also knew his God. His life was built on the positive side of faith. Knowing deep in his soul that God is a God who provides, Abraham never doubted. He crested that rugged mountain with confidence, determined to pass this final exam of his faith. we’ve seen the “ram caught in the thicket,” we’ll tell the story of God’s wonderful provision with pleasure! That’s what happens after you pass one of God’s excruciating exams. Pleasure comes. Rejoicing follows! The heart sings! Faith blossoms! The spirit swells with cheer! Laughter abounds! I don’t believe Abraham came down from that mountain with a grim face. I know Isaac didn’t. They came down together, probably arm in arm talking about how magnificently God provides. Can’t you just hear Abraham and Isaac (whose name means laughter, by the way) singing their praise to God all the way home? And how about when they told Sarah?
Chances are good you’re facing an Abraham-and-Isaac kind of test right now. It may be a material test—you have to let go of some cherished thing; a relational test—you need to release someone you love into God’s hands; the loss of a dream test—you have to say goodbye to the life you envisioned as it slips from your fingers. Let it go…simply, let it go. Remember: Ultimate tests are about God. Trust Him in your darkest moment. Look for the “ram caught in the thicket.” His provision is there. (Really, it is; maybe you haven’t seen it yet.) Live like Abraham, on the positive side of faith. Anticipate the pleasures that come from receiving God’s provision. It’s what I call the other side of letting go. Charles R. Swindoll serves as the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.
An Endangered Species? SINGLE CD MESSAGE
What makes an authentic
Christian home? For ordering information visit insightforliving.ca or view enclosed flyer.
by Steve Johnson
F
rom time to time I reflect on my early days of pastoral ministry. Great things were happening, but I was burning out. I was finishing my post-graduate degree thesis, raising a young family, planting a church, constructing a church building, holding services in my home, and helping start a Christian school. I was so burnt out I smelled like smoke! I seriously contemplated joining the army. Up to that point I viewed daily devotional time in the same category as daily physical exercise. It is a good thing but who can
find time for it? But someone who has suffered a heart attack and a near miss with death knows that physical exercise is not optional but rather a matter of survival. I have learned the same thing about regular devotional time with the Lord. My perspective changed when I read Gordon MacDonald’s book Ordering your Private World. It resonated with what I felt then and still feel today. He taught me we all will eventually burn out, break down, or blow up without regularly restoring the spiritual strength that is sapped by life’s demands. My experience isn’t unique. How many
I was finishing my post-graduate degree thesis, raising a young family, planting a church, constructing a church building, holding services in my home, and helping start a Christian school. I was so burnt out I smelled like smoke!
of us claim to believe Jesus’ words, “For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b), yet treat daily time with the Lord as a luxury instead of a necessary requirement for survival? It always impressed me that Jesus arose while it was still dark to spend time with His Father (Mark 1:35). If anyone didn’t need spiritual tweaking, I thought, it was Jesus. Yet there he was spending time with the Father each morning and evening. Why? I used to think that Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness on the heels of His 40 days of fasting came at a time of weakness. Now I believe that the Spirit’s strategy was to prepare Jesus for the temptation. As a result of His time of fasting, prayer, and communion with the Father in the silence and solitude of the wilderness the Devil’s assault actually came at a time of spiritual strength. In spite of physical weakness due to lack of food Jesus’ communion with the Father was the key to overcoming the temptations. Everyone struggles with some sort of weakness, deprivation, affliction, attack, or test from time to time. Jesus exemplifies how even in the face of such severe circumstances we can stand strong. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus told his disciples, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
(Matthew 26:41) Then He went off to pray by Himself. In His humanity Jesus was tempted not to go through with the torture of the cross that lie ahead. So He agonized in prayer. When He came back to the disciples Jesus was dismayed to see they were sleeping, not praying. He did this three times and each time found them sleeping. Now here’s the punchline. A short time later, when the hour of testing came, Jesus was seized and the disciples failed to stand with Him. Lacking spiritual courage and fortitude, they succumbed to fear and gave into the temptation to run (Matthew 26:56). In stark contrast, having drawn strength from His time with the Father, Jesus endured everything. Victoriously. Jesus knew that time communing with the Father was a matter of survival and spiritual power. He experienced the benefit of it in the desert when He fought the Devil and continued the practice throughout His ministry. Without it, He could do nothing. If Jesus needed regular personal times with God to find empowerment to do the Father’s will then so do we. If we think and do otherwise, we are playing with fire and we will get burned…out.
Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.
by Robyn Roste
As I thought about the words I wondered if I was running on my own strength. Of course I was. So what if I stopped—what if I became selfish about my time with God?
s a teen and young adult I was all about summer camp. It’s an experience unlike anything else—becoming wrapped up in a ministry you believe in is a great feeling. And being a small part of someone’s faith story, or introducing him or her to Christ is an unbelievable experience I hope everyone has the chance to have. When you work at a summer camp you feel like you have to be “on” 24/7. Week one you’re excited, you’re an example, and you give your all. By week seven you’re spent. Over a summer at camp the kids I met had a wide range of experience with God, Christianity, and church. Sometimes the stories I heard would break my heart, other times they encouraged me. And sometimes I couldn’t wait for the week to end. Each summer was the same—I felt compelled to pour myself into each and every child until I had nothing left. For many years this was my pattern but then things changed. During staff training, the camp director gave a message that
Photo by Jennifer Pinkerton
A
changed my summer, my ministry, and my life. He said something like, “You all have an incredible gift to show love to these kids, but how can you find the stamina to show Christ if you’re not taking time to be fed by God? The kids will ask for every second of your time. I will warn you now: Be selfish with your personal time with God. If you are not fed, nourished, and encouraged, you will have nothing of substance to give to the kids who you meet. Sure, they’ll still have a good time at camp, but we want them to go home changed; strong in their faith, with a personal and real relationship with God.” The word, “selfish” caught my attention. Why would I want to be selfish? It’s so negative. Each night after the final lights out, I’d read my Bible by porch light. I had heard once that I should read until something struck me, and reflect on it. This is the way I was reading the night I read Psalm 62:5. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him” (NIV). As I thought about the words I wondered
if I was running on my own strength. Of course I was. So what if I stopped—what if I became selfish about my time with God? I realized I needed to depend on God so He would sustain me. It would be Him who got me through the summer, not my stamina and sheer will. By leaning on Him, He’d give me not only the words to say to the kids but the love and energy to pour into them. But could I trust Him to come through for me? I asked God to show me how to both spend time doing my job, and find ways to rest in Him and He showed me Matthew 14. The story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people found in Matthew 14:13-21 is an amazing and miraculous story, which I had loved for years. But what I noticed this time is it all started by Jesus trying to spend time alone after learning of John the Baptist’s death. A large crowd followed, and He had compassion on them and ministered to them. After the day,
Jesus dismissed the crowd, sent the disciples away, and went up on a mountainside to pray. Alone. Jesus was intentional about spending time alone with God, but also compassionate and sensitive to people’s needs. What I saw missing from my ministry was balance. While it was important for me to be there when someone needed me, it was also important to spend time alone with God because I needed Him. I spent the rest of the summer searching for the balance, which developed into a habit I try to practice to this day, years after summer camp. I am selfish about my personal time with God so I can be selfless towards those I meet.
Robyn Roste is the media and marketing manager at Insight for Living Canada.
On The Air Did you know Insight for Living airs on radio stations across the country every day? To find the program on your local station visit
insightforliving.ca/find-station
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
Origins: When man sinned God provided skins, implying the slaying of an animal covered their sin and restored fellowship with Him (Genesis 3:21)
Meaning: God said, “...without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). An animal was slain in place of the sinner so, on the basis of that sacrifice, sins were atoned for and the sin forgiven Usage: Lambs were sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42). The slaying of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:11-13) pictured Christ’s atoning death on the cross for the sins of the world as Christ’s applied blood causes God’s judgment to pass over sinners and gives life to believers (Romans 6:23).
Application: Accept the payment for your sin-debt in the shedding of Christ’s blood (Romans 5:9). Confess and ask forgiveness for any sin in your life as a believer. The blood of God’s Lamb continues cleansing you from unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). Resist and overcome the accusations of Satan by pointing him to Christ’s blood, shed for you (Revelation 12:11). Share the good news that God has provided a sacrifice to take away your sins (2 Corinthians 5:19).
by steve johnson
H
ow should you spend your weekends? Answers to this question will determine whether you live under the authority of Scripture or not. Those who do not claim Scripture as their authority will say weekends should be spent doing whatever you want. Those under the authority of Scripture will say it weekends are about doing what God wants. Determining what God wants is derived from the Bible’s teaching regarding the Sabbath, work, worship, and rest—no simple task.
Here’s Where They’re At
Photo: unsplash.com
Here’s what you will likely hear when discussing weekends, Sabbath, Sunday, rest, and recreation with others. “I don’t believe in taking time off. Life is too short.” “We were made to be productive so we should always be working on something.” “If I take time off my competition will get ahead and I will lose out. If I rest, I rust.” “I am the parent of small children. The idea of rest is a dream.”
Here’s Where You’re At
Maybe you believe the Sabbath was instituted by God at creation when He rested on the seventh day, so Saturday is the Sabbath and is binding on all people for all time. You
may believe God rested on the seventh day after creation and so we are supposed to rest one day in seven too. You may believe the Sabbath shifted from Saturday to Sunday because the Lord rose on the first day of the week and now Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. You may believe there is no difference in any day. Or maybe you believe Sabbath-keeping is not binding, seeing the principle as resting one day in seven.
Here’s Where Scripture’s At
God did His creative work for six days and then ceased working on the seventh, blessing and sanctifying it (Genesis 2:2-3). For Israel, God instituted the Sabbath for rest and worship, as a mark of their unique identity, and as a sign of the covenant with them (Exodus 20:11; 31:12-17). Jesus fulfilled the covenantal law with its Sabbath demands (Luke 4:16-30; Matthew 5:17-18) meaning Christians are not under law but under grace, under the new covenant not the old (Romans 6:14; 10:4). The Lord’s Day is the new focal point of worship chosen to commemorate and celebrate the work and Lordship of Christ (Revelation 1:10). Those in Christ enjoy rest now and experience a foretaste of what they will enjoy in heaven (Hebrews 4:3-4) and Christian worship is a celebration of this.
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. Genesis 2:1-3
Make rest an activity. The commands to Israel about the Sabbath, while not binding, do communicate God’s concern that His people rest. Work is important, but the Bible has a six-day workweek in mind. You need regular periods of rest, which can be on any day, or extended part of a day, including but not limited to Sunday. If you work five days per week what you do with days off matters. Leisure is to be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The fact that Christ rose on the first day of week and is Lord of all makes the Lord’s Day particularly appropriate as the day of worship by the church. Worship, and more than just a one-hour church service, needs to be the priority and focus for you as a believer on Sunday. Sunday worship needs to be a celebration of the salvation rest you enjoy through Christ’s resurrection and mutual exhortation to enter into and live out that rest. In that spiritual and
theological sense, Sunday is a day of rest and worship. Do not judge others because they hold one day in higher esteem than others and don’t fall into the trap of legalism thinking that man-made rules must be kept to please God.
REMINDER:
Ask yourself, “What do I feel about this particular subject and what would I like them to understand?”
This series provides training on having difficult conversations. How do you discuss difficult topics in a way you hear and are heard, maintain your influence, and avoid alienation? How do you deal with different worldviews while still valuing the person? Read our basic guidelines for having difficult conversations at insightforliving.ca/tough-talk.
Photo: unsplash.com
Where to Go from Here
Strengthening Your Grip on Leisure
“You can come to church, sit, leave, and NEVER be impacted by another life. That’s tragic, you know?” - CHARLES R. SWINDOLL to the human body. If we’re to mimic God, When was the last time you took a we must also take time to create long walk, read a good book, or watched a sunset? Many of us feel guilty when • Communication: God exists as three divine Persons: the Father, Son, and we spend more than 10 minutes being Spirit. And when He created Adam and “unproductive.” We’ve been sold a bill of Eve, God desired relationships with goods that the committed Christian is the them. Since we’ve been created in His busy Christian—constantly involved with image, we must prioritize communicapeople, programs, and producing results. tion with God and others A scarcity of leisure in our lives reflects a lack of balance, with the scales tipped heav- • Rest: On the seventh day, God deliberately stopped working to enjoy His ily toward work. Scripture, though, calls us creation and to set an example for us. to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). This Rest doesn’t mean becoming part of the requires that, among other things, we use couch and watching TV for hours but our time wisely. After He created the heavreflecting on God’s goodness and thankens and the earth, God took time for leisure ing Him for His provision (Genesis 2:1-3). God didn’t rest because he needed it but to set an example for His • Relationships: Leisure gives us time to build relationships. God spent time with creatures. Even Jesus, though He had many Adam and Eve, paid attention to their things to accomplish during His short time hearts, and anticipated their needs. We on earth, took time to rest, spend time with must spend time with the people we love God, and sleep (Matthew 14:23; Luke 6:12). in order to understand their hopes, joys, During our times of rest, God wants us to dreams, and needs spend time with Him, building intimacy Leisure helps develop in us the capacity and trust in His provision. The first three chapters of Genesis show to perceive the eternal. It provides the time us that leisure should have room for creativ- to get refocused on God and to recall what ity, communication, rest, and relationships. matters most in life. • Creativity: In the beginning, God created everything—from the skies, to the seas, “Strengthening Your Grip on Leisure” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series Strengthening Your Grip: Essentials in an Aimless World. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.
Whether you’re basking in the light of God’s blessings or struggling against the howling winds of change, God’s Word provides courage and calm. Join us for an enjoyable evening of modern music from the Psalms, biblical encouragement, and desserts.
May 5, 2017 6-9 pm
Winkler Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church 600 Southview Drive Winkler, MB R6W 2P7
May 6, 2017 6-9 pm
Tickets: $12 Whats included? Dessert buffet Live music from The SHIYR Poets Biblical encouragement
Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church 500 Lagimodière Boulevard Winnipeg, MB R2J 4J1
for details and tickets visit experiencethepsalms.ca