A Thorny Topic

Much has been said and written about Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). We use the phrase like an idiom to describe every problem that annoys us, from in-laws to athlete's foot. But is that what Paul meant?

To determine whether or not our life issue is truly a thorn in the flesh, we have to look at the verse in context. Paul had just described an amazing time when he was "caught up into the third heaven and heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak." Jesus had revealed Himself to Paul, taught him spiritual truths, and given him an experience that would change him and the rest of history.

Then Paul writes, "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself!" 

There are several crucial elements about his thorn in the flesh that don't apply to most of our issues. First of all, it was there for a specific reason. He had just encountered God in a way few had and lived to tell about it. Imagine the temptation to pride! Even if you don't want the pride, it will invade your private moments anyway. So God in His mercy granted Paul a weakness that would continually remind him that he was frail flesh, not the fourth person of the Trinity. It was given to him "because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations" and "to keep me from exalting myself."

Secondly, this "thorn" was a messenger from Satan. A messenger carries a message. God allowed Satan to deliver a continuous message to Paul through his own weakness. What message would keep him from exalting himself? His omission of the exact nature of the weakness is intentional. It may have been a physical abnormality, an overwhelming temptation, or inadequacy in a job God had given him. He may have had a speech impediment that made preaching arduous. Or poor eyesight may have made writing difficult. But we do know the message from Satan had to be something like this: "You are so weak. You are one step away from blowing it. No matter what God is doing through you, you know who you are. You are nothing. You struggle just like everybody else. Why would God choose you?"

And as difficult as that message must have been to hear, Paul knew he needed it to stay humble. We all need messages like that when God is doing great things through us. Our flesh longs to exalt itself. But if we truly desire God's best in our lives, we will embrace the "thorn" He gives us.

We are candidates for a "thorn in the flesh" when:

• We have surrendered everything to God and desire to be used by Him for His plans.
• We are filled with the Holy Spirit and choose every day to walk in His Spirit
• God has revealed Himself to us in tangible, earth-shaking ways and we are changed by it
• God has chosen us for a specific purpose to bring others into His kingdom
• God has blessed our ministry and others notice it
• We have a tendency toward pride

When those factors are present, God is merciful to us. He allows similar thorns in our flesh to keep us from exalting ourselves. The same Paul who wrote about his thorn also wrote, "...God chose the foolish things to confound the wise...that no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Corinthians 1:29) His chief aim was the glory of God, even when struggling under the weight of personal weakness. The comfort God gave him has comforted thousands of others who struggle with thorns: "My grace is sufficient for you."

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Homosexual Cowardice

SIGH!


So, more Christian leaders have grown spines of mush in the face of the out-of-control homosexual agenda. I was so disappointed to read of more mega-church pastors taking a "non-stance" on what God clearly takes a strong stand against.

The repeated excuses all sound something like this: "Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality, so we won't either. We want to focus on love, love, love..."

Well, isn't that nice. If Jesus had only focused on love, love, love, He would never have been crucified. He never softened His Father's law or His Father's truth, even when it killed Him. So why do His modern followers think they have the right to do less?

Jesus never spoke of necromancy or bestiality either, because His Father had already spoken. In Jewish culture, open homosexuals were to be stoned, so there were no parades flaunting their perversions. There was no question in anyone's mind what God thought about it. No need to ask.

There is still no question in God's mind about it. So why are we asking?
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All -around Guy

 

Have you ever considered that the rich young ruler, spoken of in Mark 10:17-22,  would probably be voted chairman of the deacons in most evangelical churches today? 

His self-defined "relationship with God" would be accepted at face value and applauded by most church leaders. He would be head of the finance committee, a youth sponsor, and considered an all-around pillar of the religious community. He could discuss theology with anyone, and talk about Jesus with warmth and affection. Many would look up to him as the epitome of both worldly and spiritual success...

But he was not born again. And only Jesus had the courage and love to tell him so. Who is telling his protégés today?

Disordered Desires

In our age of information overload, sin in its varied forms is paraded continually before us. It is tempting to latch onto a particular manifestation of evil and make it the logo for things we abhor. However, scripture rarely does this. In fact, the only evil consistently railed against by God Himself is idolatry, a sin of which we are all guilty.

The primary foundation of all sin 
is God-given desire turned upside down. 

The very first sin in the Garden of Eden was one of disordered desires. God planted desires within the human heart. They are not evil in themselves. However, what God creates, Satan manipulates. Satan hijacked a good desire within Eve---to be like God. The desire was good, but the way she chose to achieve it was not.

At the root of most manifestations of evil are disordered desires. Idolatry starts with the innate longing to worship someone or something greater than ourselves. Rather than look to the Creator who planted that desire within us, we substitute lesser objects in His place. Greed, covetousness, and envy start with healthy desires to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. But that desire turns evil when it becomes disordered by the lack of contentment. Homosexuality, immorality, sensuality, and promiscuity are rooted in the God-given desire for sexual intimacy. But they go awry when sinful man chooses his own ways to fulfill them.

When we see the atrocities of our world, it is easy to become frustrated and even prideful, imagining ourselves beyond such things. But when we recognize our own disordered desires and how they manifest in our lives in ungodly ways, we can respond to this disordered world with more compassion and humility. That person shrieking his or her foul agenda has the same problem I do: desires gone dark. Only a face-to-face encounter with Jesus can bring order to our desires. Only then does He promise to give us the desires of our hearts. (Ps. 37:4)

Is God Disappointed With Me?

I  talk with a number of people who fear that God is disappointed with them. 

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"I let God down," they say and the mountain of shame threatens to crush them. These are people who know they have trusted Christ for salvation, they have been made new by the power of God, but they messed up way back there. Or they fear they messed up. Or they struggle with a vague uneasiness that somehow they aren't all God had in mind when He saved them. They have shied away from looking him full in the face because they cannot imagine that He's smiling.
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This whole outlook is based on a false premise. To be disappointed means that we believed one thing was going to happen and instead got something less. That only works for humans. In order for the Lord God Almighty to be disappointed, He would have had to have an expectation that did not come true. He thought we were going to do A, but we shocked Him by doing B.
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However, this scenario is not possible just as it is not possible for red to be green or up to be down. God is omniscient, which means He already knows everything. We can't surprise Him or catch Him off guard. He is grieved at our sin, sorrowful over our suffering, and will discipline us when we need it. But He's never disappointed. He already knew we were going to mess up before we did it. That's why He sent Jesus. It is the righteousness of Jesus that makes us right with God. That's why He can be so eager to forgive. He has already planned it out so we can be right with Him again. He is more eager to restore the relationship than we are.
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The idea that we've disappointed God is a fabrication of our enemy to keep us from racing back to our Father when we mess up. Satan knows the transforming power of God's full pardon and does what he can to keep us from knowing it too. When we turn from our sin and accept the cleansing of Jesus, it's as if it never happened. Jesus bought for us us the smile of God. The only one we've disappointed is Satan.


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Paul's To-Do List

Second Thessalonians 5 has another list from Paul. This one I call "Paul's To-Do List."

Starting with verse 12, Paul leaps into active voice with a string of action verbs. I don't think his words are limited to the church as Thessalonica. Notice how many commands come in quick succession. We would do well to apply them all.

Paul's To-Do List:
1. Appreciate your ministers
2. Encourage each other
3. Build each other up
4. Esteem your leaders
5. Live in peace
6. Admonish the undisciplined
7. Encourage the fainthearted
8. Help the weak
9. Be patient with everyone
10. Seek whatever is good
11. Pray all the time
12. Rejoice all the time
13. Give thanks
14. Examine everything carefully
15. Hold tight to what is good
16. Stay away from every form of evil

Two don'ts:
1. Don't quench the Holy Spirit
2. Don't despise prophecies

Just imagine what our lives and our churches would be like if we all took this to-do list seriously!
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Paul's Recipe for Successful Ministry

Sometimes patterns in the Bible leap off the page. 1 Thessalonians 2 did that this week. In it, Paul lays out an infallible pattern for ministry: pitfalls to avoid and patterns to follow. If you are involved in or aspire to any type of spiritual ministry, here is a simple list of patterns and pitfalls straight from the apostle Paul.

Pitfalls to avoid:
1. Men pleasing
2. Flattery
3. Greed
4. Glory seeking
5. Opportunities to abuse spiritual authority

Patterns to copy: 
A minister must be...
1. Gentle
2. Full of fond affection
3. Devout
4. Upright
5. Blameless
6. An exhorter
7. An encourager
8. ...Imploring those entrusted to him as a father would his children.

The result of such ministry is found in verse 12: "So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."

We can also use this model as a test for those under whose spiritual nurture we place ourselves or our children. Can your spiritual leaders pass this test?
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