FEBRUARY 2014
Measuring YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
In this issue
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Two Suggestions for Becoming Great charles r. swindoll
6 My Redemption Story robyn roste
What does it mean to have childlike faith?
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11 Bubble Wrap Children dr. dave currie
14 Q & A steve johnson
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Copyright Š 2014 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. Insights is published by IFLC, the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NASB. Unless otherwise noted, photography and illustration by IFLC staff. Printed in Canada.
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8 Wise Stuff About Life steve johnson
by charles r. swindoll
here’s something beautiful and innocent about the answers children give. Why? Children simply speak the truth—as best as they understand it. I love these answers that some kids gave to questions about the Bible. See if they don’t prompt a grin: • “Noah’s wife was named Joan of Ark.” • “The fifth commandment is, ‘Humour thy father and thy mother.’” • “Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.” • “A Christian can have only one wife. This is called monotony.” Aren’t those answers great? Is there anyone more playful, naive, innocent, or unassuming than a child? Kids are unimpressed with someone’s title, salary, or education. They don’t envy the clothes you wear or the car you drive. Only adults are mesmerized by those things. The world’s view of children is that they should be seen and not heard. God’s view, however, is just the opposite. He sees their value and their worth. It’s no wonder, then, that the Lord chose a child as an illustration when answering a question about greatness. Matthew frames the question this way: “The disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’” (Matthew 18:1). Do you know why the Twelve asked Jesus that question? Because they had been arguing among themselves which of them was the greatest (Mark 9:34). Now, picture this. To answer their question, Jesus called a little child “and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and Two Suggestions for Becoming Great continued from p. 3
become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3). Can you picture 12 jaws dropping as Jesus gave His answer? This response was not what the disciples expected. They saw children as incidentals, as noisy interruptions, and as unimportant (Mark 10:1315). Certainly not as anything great! Jesus turned that notion on its head. “Unless you turn,” Jesus told them. You see, the Twelve were moving in the wrong direction. Their misguided idea of greatness led them to the wrong conclusions about God’s kingdom. It’s as if Jesus said, “Unless you allow me to turn you around, you’re going to miss the truth you’re asking about the Kingdom of Heaven.” What did Jesus mean by telling them that they needed to “become like little children”? There are numerous characteristics of children Jesus could have pointed to. Here are four I have observed: 1. Children have an innocence about them. By that I’m referring to an absence of a calloused conscience. I don’t mean they’re sinless. I mean they are trusting and often naive. We have to teach them to not trust everyone. 2. Children have an ability to wonder. Before adulthood steals away curiosity and creativity, a child is full of questions. 3. Children truly forgive. Even though treated harshly, often ignored, and occasionally even abused, kids have an amazing ability to let love overshadow the insults. 4. Children are who they are. There is no pretence, no show, no phoney-baloney. Are you ready for this? Jesus chooses none of those characteristics as the
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"Jesus selected
humility as the
FUNDAMENTAL QUALITY OF
greatness."
childlike quality essential for true greatness. Jesus continues: “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:4) Jesus selected humility as the fundamental quality of greatness. Let me ask you: do you see a humble child as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? I’ll be honest. That perspective is one I must continually remind myself of—daily. Why? Like you, I live in a world that values power, pride, money, and a quick wit. You want to be great? You want to make a lasting impact? You want to make a significant contribution? I don’t think that’s a bad ambition—if we’re talking true greatness. Here are two suggestions, beginning right where Jesus said to begin: First, stay in touch with children. Don’t let children get squeezed out of your life.
As I have become a grandfather and a great-grandfather, I have come to realize more than ever the impact I can have in the lives of children—as well as the impact they can have on me. If you have an occasion to spend an evening with someone great or with someone small, choose the latter. You will learn more from that child, and you will invest more in him or her too. Second, ask God to cultivate in you a genuine, childlike humility. Ask Him to deflate your ego, to release your grip on fierce competitiveness, and to soften your harsh words. Begin to say (and mean) what children say—words like: please, may I? thank you, I’m sorry, I forgive you, and of course, I love you. Childlike qualities are qualities of humility. They are qualities of Christ. It’s not without reason we are called God’s children. All of us who have come to God did so by a humble confession: Lord Jesus Christ, I come as a child. I bring nothing to commend myself. I have no worthy achievements to offer you. I come by faith alone to the cross where you died for me. I give You my heart, my will, my life. That, my friend, is humility. In our sophisticated, fast-moving, pressurized world, we need to come back again to what truly matters—to the qualities of childlike humility. We need to lose greatness in the eyes of the world and become truly great in the kingdom of heaven. Charles R. Swindoll serves as the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.
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MY REDEMPTION STORY
by robyn roste
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very Christian has a story of when her faith changes from head knowledge to heart knowledge, when she becomes convinced Jesus is the only possible way to be saved. My story begins with a headboard and includes a Bible verse, a world religions course, and a pocket-sized Gideon New Testament. It was a great headboard. There were shelves and reading lights where I stored my notebooks and favourite books for easy nighttime access.
One book in particular had a special place in my headboard. A red, pocketsized Gideon New Testament. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This story needs a bit of background. One regular Sunday I took an enormous amount of notes in church. This does not mean it was either an unusually brilliant sermon or an especially important day. I often take notes in church. However, despite its normalcy I managed to document something I now see as the trigger to a discovery that changed my life.
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The sermon highlighted Acts 4:1-12, finishing with a reference to Jesus’ words in John 14:6, “...I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Puzzled, I wrote.
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Question. Talking about Christianity as if it’s the antivirus to our sick world seems idealistic. Yeah, great idea. Unfortunately, we’re human and flawed and broken and sinful. Therefore, it’s not going to work. Right? I wondered if Jesus really was the ONLY way to God. The idea struck me as harsh and not very open-minded. Isn’t grace available to anyone who asks? Before university I was rarely exposed to anything outside of Christian ideology and I never thought to question anything I heard. But in university I learned of many new ways to view life, politics, and religion from professors and students alike. At first I resisted, then I was intrigued. By the end of my first year, I was confused. With all the different ways of looking at life, how does anyone know what to think or believe, or how one should act? How do you know what you believe is right? To combat my uncomfortable doubt, I took a world religions course. I thought knowing about different religions would help me understand different worldviews. I found the course interesting because it explained many cultural differences, which I didn’t see reason in before. Where there had previously been clashes at work or school, I could now understand different perspectives. Shortly after fall semester I told my small group about my newly widened perspectives and accepted the challenge from
my small group leader to read the Bible book by book. He said, “You know a lot about other religions now, but you haven’t put the same energy into learning about the faith you were raised with. Why don’t you find out for yourself what you believe?”
"With all the different ways of looking at life, how does anyone know what to think or believe, or how one should act?" Finally the red Bible in my headboard became a part of my daily life. Each night I turned on my reading light and read three chapters, highlighted verses that struck me, and took notes. I started in the beginning. In this case Matthew. I noticed after writing questions prompted by my reading, I would find an answer a few chapters later. Reading books in their entirety opened my understanding to see the Bible in a new way—to relate with it on a deeper level than I had before. By the time I reached John 14:6 again I took a different note. This seemed so narrow, but I can see, finally, it is actually wide enough for everyone. Instead of despairing over the state of our broken world, I should admit I am a sinner and fully accept Christ. It took until John 19, Jesus’ crucifixion, for me to notice I was no longer detached from the story. This story is my redemption story. It began in a stable 2,000 years ago and is still being written and now affected me directly. Robyn Roste is the Living Bridge Media manager at Insight for Living Canada.
by steve johnson
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’m captivated by hearing or reading the wise thoughts people have learned in life, distilled into a few words. One of my favourite messages by Chuck Swindoll is, “Stuff I’ve Learned That I’ll Never Forget: Sixteen Essentials from the Last Fifty Years.” Life can be confusing at best, meaningless at worst. And when a person, particularly a young person, is trying to figure life out it can be almost overwhelming. Having wise words from someone who has learned a few things along the way is so helpful. That’s why I especially like the book of Proverbs. The whole Bible was given to us for training and correction so that we may be thoroughly equipped (2 Timothy 3: 16-17), but Proverbs specializes in wise, practical stuff about life. Solomon, said to be the wisest person who ever lived, wrote most of the proverbs but added other wisdom writers to his collection. He especially wanted young people to learn essential requirements for success in life: …so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going; A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. (Proverbs 1:2-4 The Message) Proverbs contains many wise sayings covering multitudes of life situations. But foundational to all of them is three core
concepts. By orienting our lives to obey these concepts we lay the foundation for wise and God-glorifying lives. 1. Upward—Fear the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). If Proverbs is the curriculum in God’s school for young people then this is the first and most significant lesson.
WISE LIVING IS THE OUTFLOW OF A HEART THAT FEARS THE LORD AND IS SIMULTANEOUSLY THE VERY LIFESTYLE THAT STRENGTHENS IT. There is a distinct worldview in Proverbs. It assumes God made and controls the universe and has hard-wired it with moral and ethical laws that we can observe and choose to live by. The proverbs are observations of these laws working out in everyday life. The right perspective then is to fear God who made everything and view everything in relation to Him. Seeing and interpreting all of life from this Godfearing perspective is foundational for wise living. This perspective is necessary for all true knowledge. For example, we must acknowledge man is made in the image of God for a true understanding of human nature. Therefore, fearing the Lord is the compass that provides orientation to all of life.
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This fear is not an anxious dread of judgment. Rather it is a loving respect by which we humbly acknowledge our majestic Lord in everything. It is living in reverence, devotion, and trust of Him (3:5-6). To not live like this is to live as a fool or a mocker in God’s eyes and subject to His judgment. 2. Inward—Guard the Heart. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (4:23 NIV). Biblically the heart is the control centre of our motives, desires, affections, will, and intellect. Everything—what we see, hear, think, and do—flows from our heart. In turn, everything also impacts our heart. There are two aspects to this guarding. We need to guard against anything that diminishes our devotion and reverence for the Lord. And we need to engage in anything that will enhance it. We must constantly measure everything in our lives against this standard asking, “Does it strengthen or weaken my fear of the Lord?” Embrace that which strengthens it, shun that which weakens it.
3. Outward—Choose the way of wisdom. The idea of choosing between wisdom and foolishness is constantly present in Proverbs. Outcomes of wise and foolish choices are contrasted so people can see where their choices will lead. Since everything we see, hear, think, and do flows from our heart and affects our fear of the Lord we are to choose the way of wisdom. Wise living is the outflow of a heart that fears the Lord and is simultaneously the very lifestyle that strengthens it. Wise living chooses to understand and respond to all of life—our relationships, our work, our words, and our money— from God’s viewpoint. It is living by the boundaries, principles, and guidelines He has established. To choose wisdom is to live according to the laws God has built into life. And rather than being a limitation, living in harmony with them brings blessing (Proverbs 3). How great that God has given us a book full of wise stuff for life! All that’s left is to live it. Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.
ON THE AIR IN MARCH
Real Christianity. Where is it? What is it? What does it look like? Simple Faith isn’t about religion. It’s about getting out of the cage and winging your way back to freedom, peace, and rest in Jesus Christ.
UPCOMING MESSAGES INCLUDE: Simple Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz When Simple Faith Erodes The Subtle Enemy of Simple Faith
BUBBLE WRAP CHILDREN How Shielding Kids from Suffering Works against Them
by dr. dave currie
Shielding kids from suffering tends to work against their future success.
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any well-meaning parents today are mistakenly committed to removing every obstacle from their children’s lives. They insulate them much like bubble wrap to shield and protect their children from any and all harm. Problem: How will children learn to handle life stress with this kind of pampering? Shielding kids from suffering tends to work against their future success. Avoidance of critical conversations or denial of problems does nothing toward developing the skills needed to overcome difficulties. Jesus said it clearly, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV). Trials should be expected. Learning how to overcome through Jesus is what matters. Difficult circumstances that directly affect our children and impact their world need to be discussed in a thoughtful and ageappropriate way to bring critical insight for their future. Here are five key lessons kids learn through going through hard times with the sensitive guidance of their parents. 1. Suffering is a normal part of life. Children need to understand the balance of life. Stresses and joys flow in and out like the tides. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. But regardless of the circumstances, God’s love never fails and He is still sovereign. We don’t always understand the whys.
Bubble Wrap Children continued from p. 11
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But kids need to learn that when they can’t see the hand of God, they can always trust the heart of God. He works out everything for our good—our ultimate good. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”(Romans 8:28 NLT) 2. Suffering teaches things we can’t learn any other way. Troubles serve to shape us. Most people would admit they have experienced the greatest growth through hard times. Teach children to learn all that God may be teaching them through the difficulties they face. The Lord is more concerned about our character than our comfort. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.”(Romans 5:3-4 LB) 3. Suffering prepares us to persevere. We don’t do children any favours by letting them live in a fairy tale world. If they don’t experience tough times, they will miss the critical experiences that give them valuable perspective about living life in spite of suffering. They need to begin to understand even the ultimate hurdle: Death is a part of life. We need to talk about life after death with our kids. With straight theology teach how to grieve, to get up, and keep going. That’s the persevering perspective. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”(James 1:2-4 NIV). 4. Parents show the way to face suffering. Children take their cues from their parents’ response to suffering. Develop crisis intimacy as a family. Care for one another and learn how to empathize with others beyond family. God doesn’t waste our pain. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”(2 Corinthians 1:3-4). 5. Praying is the best way to face difficulties. Prayer should be a regular part of life problem solving. Teach children to give their concerns to God because He cares for them. Don’t let them miss the building of their faith as they trust God in His silence and the dark times. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6-7). Enough with the bubble wrap. May the Lord guide you as you train and nurture your children and grandchildren for the path ahead. I’d love to hear from you on how you are teaching them these critical life lessons. Dr. Dave Currie is the president of Doing Family Right.
by steve johnson
What does it mean to have childlike faith? The concept of faith is woven through the pages of Scripture and is essential to a personal relationship with God. In fact, “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). It is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not only is it necessary for salvation it is part of our daily walk and warfare as believers (Ephesians 6:16). Contrary to popular Christian opinion, the Bible neither exhorts us to have childlike faith nor does it tell us to believe as children believe. The idea that we are to have childlike faith is an incorrect inference based on several passages of Scripture. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:14-15; Luke 18:15-17 NIV). These passages don’t tell us what receiving the kingdom of God like a little child means so it is wrongly assumed to be
referring to the faith of a child. In Matthew 18:2-4 Jesus spells out what He means. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus said these things in response to the disciples’ question, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (v.1). There is no discussion of faith in this passage. Rather, He is exhorting us to be humble like a child who is not ambitious, proud, or haughty. Children are characteristically humble and teachable. It is the humility of children that we are to emulate, not their faith. Children are easily fooled and led astray, often accepting things blindly and missing truth while being drawn to myths and fantasies. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” but that doesn’t mean we accept blindly as a child
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often does. True faith, the gift from God, is characterized by “assurance” and “conviction,” not by blind belief for no reason. Childlike faith, while a good place to start, must mature. How do we mature in our faith? Just as physical maturity requires certain things the same is true for spiritual maturity. Here are three major requirements for spiritual maturity. 1. Scripture—Eating. “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). The Word is our spiritual food. We must take it in and digest it. Reading, studying, memorizing, and obeying are the ways we digest the Word. Our thinking is to become biblical and theological, our obedience is to be total. The result will be personal growth and transformation (Romans 12:2-3). If we ignore Scripture we will remain spiritual babies. 2. Prayer—Breathing. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What breathing is to the body, prayer is to the believer. Through prayer we submit to the Lord’s will, cement His truth in our hearts, express our adoration, confess our sins, give thanks for blessings, wage spiritual war, and present needs to Him. Learning
“Childlike faith, while a good place to start, must mature.” to breathe deeper, that is, expanding our prayer life will help us mature. 3. Service—Doing. Christ gave us spiritual gifts “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all…become mature” (Ephesians 4:12-13). An inactive body doesn’t grow, it remains stunted. A body that stops being active withers. We are to be active in ministry exercising the spiritual gifts God gave us. By such activity we and the body of Christ mature. Through service we experience fellowship with others, and are personally challenged, stretched, and refined. The more we serve the more our capacity for service grows. Our goal as believers is not childlike faith. Instead it is to grow to be “mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4). I hope this helps. - Steve Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.
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