NUMBER NINE, 2016
In this issue
11
8
15
3
A Conversation with Chuck Swindoll and Mark Young
11 30 Days to Understanding God's Will steve johnson
8
How Can I Discover My Purpose? robyn roste
Beyond the Broadcast 15 What If You Talk Too Much?
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 2016 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 Laura Vanderwel. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. Printed in Canada.
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ometime ago, Chuck Swindoll sat down with Dr. Mark Young, president of Denver Seminary. Mark served as professor of World Missions and Intercultural Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, and was senior executive pastor for Missions at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, before accepting his role at Denver Seminary. In this conversation, the two longtime friends discussed the timeless treasure of the Bible and Chuck’s growth as a preacher throughout the years.
Mark Young: When do you remember preaching your first sermon? Chuck Swindoll: When Cynthia and I were dating. I was leading music for a little evangelistic team, and she played piano. On one occasion, one of the preachers didn’t feel well, and I preached in his place…on the prodigal son. Mark: Nice. Chuck: It was dreadful. Mark: So, when did you first begin to think, I love this! about preaching? Chuck: I was serving as a Marine on Okinawa and doing street evangelism with Bob Newkirk, my Navigator mentor, as both of us stood on the back of a flatbed truck. People know me today only as a preacher, but back then, I was a Marine. I was doing ministry
with the Navigators, which is mainly a oneon-one ministry, so at that time I never saw myself as a preacher. I had been helping with the singing until one day Bob gave me the opportunity to preach—and I had a delightful time. Earlier, I had asked Bob, “You’re gonna have me do this? I could never preach.” And he said to me (I’ll never forget it), “You’re a natural.” Afterward, I thought, I could do this. Mark: Right. Exactly. Chuck: No pastor in any church I previously attended was like Bob. They were always buttoned up tight, and I never heard a story of something that they had done wrong. Such authenticity was never modelled. Though an Okinawan street ministry sparked Chuck’s desire to preach in his winsome, candid style, his ability to speak publically didn’t come easily. A high school teacher helped Chuck to speak with the clarity and passion we instantly recognize today. Mark: Chuck, I’ve heard you talk about a speech problem you had earlier in life. Was that part of your hesitance to become a preacher? Chuck: By junior high, I had a real speech impediment…I was so self-conscious. I remember thinking, Am I going to be like this forever? By the time I reached high school, a drama teacher, Dick Nieme, stopped me in the hallway one day. He said, “I want you on my drama team and in my speech class, and I want you to be in some of our plays.” I said, “Ma…ma…me?” I thought he was talkin’ to
“Earlier, I had asked Bob, “You’re gonna have me do this? I could never preach.” And he said to me (I’ll never forget it), “You’re a natural.” Afterward, I thought, I could do this. ”
the guy at the next locker. He said, “Yeah, you’ve got what it takes.”
Chuck: And I love books! I’ll pause over a phrase and read it again and again. I love great words.
Mark: Wow. Chuck: So that summer I went through speech therapy with that man. Isn’t that great? Mark: That almost makes me tear up. Chuck: I have him to thank for teaching me how to speak. He said to me, “Your mind is running ahead of your mouth.” I have the opposite problem today. But, seriously… I love words. I’ve become a word vulture. Mark: I know you are.
Chuck has a great love not just for words but an even greater love for the Word. This reverence and fidelity to God’s Word influences his dedication to cultivating biblical knowledge through his preaching ministry. Mark: Do you think that the expectations of congregations have changed through the years? Chuck: Of course. Over my 50-plus years in ministry, things have changed, just as styles have changed…but some things
don’t: God’s Word stays the same; it abides forever. Mark: How do you earn a hearing in today’s climate?
personally — since the Bible itself doesn’t have authority in the minds of many people and since the office of the pastor doesn’t have the same authority. Chuck: Yes. Very true.
Chuck: You respect the audience. No one learns well when they’re insulted or made to feel foolish or uneasy. Now, I don’t tiptoe around and try to shape everything according to what everybody would want to hear. I don’t do that.
Mark: You care and you’re authentic. That conversational style of preaching that you have…that’s who you are. Chuck: Yeah, it is.
Mark: No.
Mark: And it actually is so powerful, Chuck.
Chuck: Also, I am now more aware than ever of those who are virtually illiterate, biblically. Many could not name the Four Gospels. They think, “I’ll never know what this book is about. . . .” My job is to say, “You can know what this is about. This book talks about the life you want to live.”
Chuck: When I gave myself permission to go there, it was liberating. When I preach, I’m not doing a performance.
Mark: I think that’s an absolute key, because you can’t assume that people come knowing what the Bible says or believing that it makes any difference in their lives. Chuck: That’s correct. Who am I to stand there in front of a large group of people, without being interrupted, and expect to keep their attention for 30 or 40 minutes without keeping it interesting?
In the final part of the conversation, Chuck talks about preaching as a gift, a calling — and a ministry. To shepherd in the way that Jesus modelled, Chuck continues to prioritize people, even after he speaks the last words of his sermon. Whether preaching to a packed house or a small gathering, his focus is on ensuring that the Bible is taught in an accurate and caring way. Mark: You preach two services every Sunday morning. After the second message, how do you feel?
Chuck: People today are not automatically interested.
Chuck: I’m exhausted, and yet, I make myself available because I’m a pastor. I’m not a guest preacher or a lecturer. I walk down front, and I stay there, often until the last person leaves.
Mark: Right. You know, one of the ways we reach contemporary culture comes from a willingness to connect with people
Mark: I’ve watched you for years at the front of the church. And I’ve heard people say, “He’s still here?”
Mark: So true.
Chuck: I really want to be there. I may be exhausted, but I still take time to be with others, because I believe it ministers to people.
listening, or am I out of touch?” That’s why I often ask people who come, “Did what I said today make sense?” Mark: Right.
Mark: Do you think there’s a difference in the dynamic between preacher and audience when preaching to a smaller group? Chuck: Oh, I think there is. But it’s still God’s Word, and truth is still truth, whether you’re talking to two inmates in a cell or you’re talking to a church congregation of thousands. Mark: Now let’s take a moment and think about the pastors who are weary, and they’re wondering, Is God working through preaching? What’s your word to them? Chuck: “Yes.” My word is “yes.” I fully understand such thoughts. I go through times like that. “Is it time for me to hang it up?” or “Am I connecting with those who are
Chuck: Let me remind all of us that the Lord said He would bless His Word. He didn’t say, “I’ll always help you feel good about how you delivered My Word.” He said, “I will bless My Word.” Mark: That’s right. Chuck: It will never return empty. Isaiah 55:10–11 says, “As the rain comes down and the snow from heaven waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud,… even so shall it be when my word goes forth; it will never return empty.” Every time anyone delivers God’s Word, it’s like tossing a log on a frozen lake. Finally, warmer days arrive, the thaw comes… and it sinks in.
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HOW CAN I
DISCOVER MY PURPOSE? by robyn roste
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rowing up I was driven to find my Christian calling. I tried babysitting, teaching Sunday school, leading a small group, singing in church, helping at youth group, etc. But I always felt like it wasn't my "function;” that there were others better suited to those roles and I was just taking up space. I was inspired by 1 Corinthians 12:12, about the body of Christ. “Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ” (MSG). To me this meant we are all part of the same club, but everyone has different talents and responsibilities. And some are cooler than others. Thinking about the body of Christ this way put me into a bit of a Catch 22. With all my trial and error I concluded I didn't have a significant role to play and, therefore, stopped participating in my church and the larger Christian community. Once I moved away from my hometown and home church I floated through the Christian experience, if that makes sense. Whenever I went to any sort of service or event I didn’t seek to be involved and no one asked me for much. It was a lonely, isolated time. And I fell through the cracks.
Looking back I can see how disengaging from church participation led me to a faith crisis but at the time I was surprised. Why was I feeling so alone? Why wasn’t this easier? Why weren’t people friendlier? Why wasn’t my faith strong anymore? What was I doing wrong? I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.... If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. (1 Corinthians 12:14, 16 MSG) Here I was, sitting around expecting the body of Christ to meet my needs, yet offering nothing but distain in return. I was acting like Ear, saying I wasn’t really a part of the body because I wasn’t Eye. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to a church whose members felt they could do without each other. They were arrogant, argumen-
tative, proud, and jealous of each other. By comparing the church to the human body, he was saying no one member has all the qualities needed to successfully live the Christian life. We need each other.
"Here I was, sitting around expecting the body of Christ to meet my needs, yet offering nothing but distain in return. I was acting like Ear, saying I wasn’t really a part of the body because I wasn’t Eye." With Christ as the brain, every body part needs to be in direct contact with Him. Without that connection we don’t have a chance of survival. Think of an arm: if you were to lose it your body would still be able to survive. What about the arm—if it’s disconnected from the body can it keep living? No way. But what if you’re still connected to the body but you, like me, are inactive? You’re a dangling limb; dead weight. Sure you’re technically still a part of the body, but you’re being dragged along. Not only that, you’re slowing everyone down. It’s when the entire body is working together for the same goals it is most effective.
Being involved in church, volunteering your skills, and helping others however you can aren’t actions specially set aside for the chosen few or the super religious. This is a calling for each of us and if we think we can strike out on our own, or just show up for nourishment but give nothing back to the body, we are missing the point. Since connecting with my bigger purpose, serving others in obedience to Christ, I’ve let go of the “who am I” questions. From this shift in perspective those questions don’t matter to me anymore. Yes, I struggle with insecurity and shyness and outright selfishness most days. Yes, I have to drag myself to church sometimes. But I do it, and I try. And I fail, and I try again. And I’m going to keep trying and keep serving because it’s my responsibility and calling as a member of the body of Christ. The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t.... You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. (1 Corinthians 12:25, 27) Robyn Roste is the media and marketing manager at Insight for Living Canada.
Insight for Living Canada began over 30 years ago when a Bible-study group in Vancouver decided to look into bringing Chuck Swindoll’s messages into Canada. For more visit insightforliving.ca/our-history
PHOTO BY TORI NIKKEL
TO UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WILL
This inductive study is designed to help you better understand God’s will. For the next 30 days read the questions and allow them to spark deeper personal reflection and life change.
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ssential for understanding God’s will is recognizing the distinction between two aspects of God. On one hand God’s thoughts, ways, plans and purposes are higher than ours and beyond anything we could imagine (Isaiah 55:8-10). On the other hand God has revealed in His Word what He wants from us.
DAY 1
Read Daniel 4:35; Psalm 115:3. What authority and power does God have? Can anyone resist Him? What happens when you try to resist God?
DAY 2
Read Psalm 24:1-2; Revelation 4:11. What gives God the right to do as He pleases in heaven and on earth and direct things the way He wants?
DAY 3
Read Proverbs 19:21; 21:1. Over whom does God exercise His sovereign direction? Is this still true today? What determines God’s actions?
DAY 4
Read Deuteronomy 29:29. What distinction is made in this verse? Why can you only know God’s secret sovereign plan after it happens? What are you accountable for?
DAY 5
Read Ephesians 1:11. Does God act randomly? What guides His actions? Who is God accountable to?
DAY 6
Read 1 John 2:17. What does this verse imply about choosing to do God’s will? How is this different from His sovereign will that is always accomplished (Ephesians 1:11)?
DAY 7
Read Psalm 139:16. What does this verse indicate about God’s plan for your life? If God’s sovereign plan is secret, what can you do to discover it?
DAY 8 DAY 9 DAY 10
Read Romans 2:18. How do you know what God wants of you? How is this different from His secret sovereign plan?
Read Ephesians 5:15-17. In this passage you are commanded to understand the will of God. Does this apply to God’s secret sovereign will? What are you able to understand? Read Ephesians 5:17-21. What examples are given in this passage for following the command to understand and do the will of God?
30 Days to Understanding God's Will
DAY 11
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18. What is explicitly said to be God’s will for you? Do you always do this? How is this will different than His secret sovereign will?
DAY 12
Read 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4. Is it God’s moral will that each person believes on Christ and has eternal life? What are the implications of this?
DAY 13
Read Colossians 1:10. What steps can you take to know God’s will better? Why is it essential to know God’s moral will in order to be pleasing to Him?
DAY 14
Read James 4:13-16. What kind of attitude should you have since you don’t know what God’s sovereign plan is for your life? Does this attitude characterize your life?
DAY 15
Read Proverbs 9:10; 11:2. What attitudes are necessary to obtain wisdom to make good decisions? What attitudes characterize you?
DAY 16
Read Mark 12:28-31; Colossians 3:17. What is God’s will for your attitudes? What other attitudes are mentioned as God’s desire for you?
DAY 17
Read Proverbs 3:5-6; Deuteronomy 29:29. What do these verses prompt you to do continuously even though you don’t know God’s future plan for you? How can you do this more?
DAY 18
Read Ephesians 5:15-17; James 1:5. God tells you to make wise choices. Since you don’t know His plan for your life, what are ways you can get wisdom?
DAY 19 DAY 20
Read Proverbs 2:4-6. What is the source of the wisdom we need for daily life and decisions? What is the prerequisite to obtaining it?
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What is your final complete authority for what you believe and how you behave? What steps can you take to know Scripture better?
TIP: Keep your Bible handy and refer to it as you read the questions
DAY 21
Read Joshua 1:8. What does this verse tell you to do and what does it promise? What steps can you take to do this more?
DAY 22
Read 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 10:31. What is God’s will for all your life goals? How do these verses provide guidance for your life?
DAY 23
Read Ephesians 5:15-20; Colossians 4:5. Do you live your life wisely and in a spiritually opportunistic way? What is God’s will for the way you live your life?
DAY 24
Read Acts 2:23; 4:27-28. What is said to have determined Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and His subsequent crucifixion? Who determined what would happen?
DAY 25
Read Romans 4:14-15. If you disobey the revealed will of God in Scripture you sin. But what about where there is no command given, do you sin then?
DAY 26
Read Romans 14:14, 20. What are two things that should govern your freedom where the Lord gives you freedom to choose wisely? What is a modern example of this?
DAY 27
Read Proverbs 11:14; 13:20. What is another source of wisdom for making decisions? What kind of counsellors should you consult if you want to make choices pleasing to God?
DAY 28
Read Nehemiah 2:11-16; Luke 14:28-32. What did Nehemiah do in order to obtain the wisdom needed to make a decision about rebuilding Jerusalem? Why is research important?
DAY 29
Read 1 Corinthians 7:36-39. Apart from one command for believers, we have freedom to choose our marriage partner. What then is the basis for deciding whom you will marry?
DAY 30
Read Acts 15:28; Philippians 2:25-26. How did Paul make decisions where there was no direct command from Scripture? What guided and governed his thinking?
30 Days to Understanding God's Will
WHAT IF YOU TALK TOO MUCH? “We need to think of our tongue as a messenger that runs errands for our heart. Our words reveal our character.” - CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Be honest—do you talk too much? Do you find yourself saying, “I shouldn’t say anything...” and then spill it out? Do you promise to keep information shared in confidence, only to leak it a few days (or hours) later? Worse, do you speak against others behind their backs and say something different to their faces? If these habits sound like yours then you’re like the majority. Verbal restraint is rare. In fact, consistent verbal restraint is almost non-existent. No wonder the Bible has so much to say about getting our mouths under control! Most of us see the reality of our “tongue problem” but we often treat the symptoms rather than the source. Jesus tells us the source of our problem in Matthew 15:18: “The words you speak come from the heart— that’s what defiles you.” In James 3:1-12 we find direct teaching on our use of language. In verse one, James began his treatment of the tongue with a warning to those who speak to others,
specifically teachers. James said not many should aspire to the role of a teacher, for those who teach will be judged according to a higher standard. After this he broadened the warning to include all people. Three principles about our tongues become clear in this passage. • First, the tongue is small but powerful • Second, the tongue is necessary but dangerous • Third, the tongue is helpful but inconsistent Having thought about the roots of our wickedness and the dangerous and helpful potential of our tongues, we can draw out two practical applications that we should never forget. • First, you will never regret restraining your tongue • Second, apologize for the times you have failed to restrain your tongue Are there people you need to seek forgiveness from due to an out-of-control tongue?
“What If You Talk Too Much?” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series What If...? You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.
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