THE MINIMALIST MIND

I had been wasting hours trying to gain points on a video game with nothing to show for it.

One night I was bored and resumed an activity I had done during COVID – a video game on my Kindle. I am a total idiot with math puzzle games but give me anything visual and I’m all in. One night I was so enthralled that I didn’t go to bed until 1AM. Time just raced by.

THE WAKEUP CALL

Shortly after that late night, I read Voice of the Martyrs “Global Prayer Guide”. Each day’s reading is devoted to a different country. It gives a brief snapshot of the persecution taking place in that country and how we can pray for it. I read about the #1 country in the world for persecution of Christians (and anyone else who doesn’t agree with the state). The state requires all citizens to function as informants – even young children are taught to spy on their parents from a young age. When a Christian is discovered, the government punishes the entire family. Those “lucky” enough to not be executed suffer in prison and labor camps.

THE GIFT OF MEMORIZATION

What caught my attention was that “few people ever have access to Scripture because of the regime’s unceasing efforts to restrict access. Most of the underground Christians find memorization the safest and most effective way to keep God’s Word.”

Wow – is that convicting! I had been wasting hours trying to gain points on a video game with nothing to show for it. I just got off the Minimalist Challenge with physical things. Could I do it with mental/spiritual items? What does it take to move to a minimalist mind?

CHANGING TO A MINIMALIST MIND

I deleted the game from my Kindle. In its place, I have a notebook I carry with me containing handwritten memory verses. If ever there is a time in my life I need to carry God’s Word in my mind and heart, it is now. Knowing the location of the candlestick in the videogame room on my Kindle is just not going to help me get it through my day.

So, the deal is, the notebook travels with me. On my commute to work the notebook on the passenger seat so that at red lights I can find hints for any Scripture I am saying out loud and am stymied. (Yes, I actually am a careful driver). Right now, I’m working on I Peter 4:7-11. It is an applicable passage considering it begins with “The end of all things is near.”

Do you also need to begin working on a Minimalist Brain and Spirit and to clean up the clutter? Delete those things that side-track your mind from Christ.

Take heart from the words good old Minimalist Apostle Paul: “You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

JOSEPH’S ENTRY INTO GOD’S MASTER CLASS

What loss haunts your soul? Are you allowing it to be used by God?

Imagine the 17-year-old version of you. Not an adult, but not a child anymore; maybe not the “sharpest knife in the drawer”. This is the story of Joseph in Genesis 37:1-11. Add his family dynamics. He resides in a household with 4 moms (2 regular moms and 2 concubines) and 12 older brothers from the “unfavored” moms. Dad makes Joe the favorite son. Things arrive at a tipping point. Father Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat, a gift of the greatest honor. Talk about dysfunctional. Imagine the conversation around that Thanksgiving table.

THE TWO DREAMS

During this, God interjects Himself. God gives Joseph 2 dreams. (Please remember Joseph is only age 17.) Without thinking of the consequences, Joe blurts out both dreams to his bros. Right away the siblings recognize the significance of the dreams: at some point Joseph is going to reign over them. The bros ravenously feast on jealousy and hatred. Joe has a bullseye on his back.

WHAT GOD DOES NOT GIVE JOSEPH

Notice what insight God does not give Joseph: what the 2 dreams are going personally cost Joseph. God does not share the fact that the bros will sell Joe into slavery and fake his death. God only imparts to Joseph the prophecies. Faith in the eternal God is going to have to carry 17-year-old Joseph through years of tremendous isolation, suffering, and injustice. Are you disappointed with the conditions you are living under? Where are the “better” plans you imagined God having for you?

A PAINFUL EDUCATION

Joseph at age 17 enters God’s master class of leadership. This education involves a great deal of pain. Armed with the promises of God, and at the mercy of the machinations of his brothers, Joseph crosses the threshold into his nightmare years. Suffering is all part of God’s plan for Joe’s master class in leadership. These are part of God’s “better” plans. God maintains control despite the dark seasons.

MY MASTER CLASS IN PRAYER

I have been battling an inflammation of my sciatic nerve. The pain escalates in the middle of the night as I lay in bed. In the midst, I have discovered this is an opportunity to begin praying for others. I can’t sleep, so God has another agenda for me. It’s been a master class in prayer. God is in control when the pain shouts its loudest. God’s school often involves great pain.

GOD’S NIGHT SCHOOL

What loss haunts your soul? Are you allowing it to be used by God? Hope for Joseph was around the corner, but he had to learn to navigate through darkness while maintaining hope. Do you allow your pain to shape you into a more loving person? Are you holding on to hope during the darkness and maturing for the good? Are you attending God’s night school?

This is Joseph’s gift to the world = maintaining hope through darkness. Do you maintain a positive attitude amid our chaotic world? Who are you choosing to hope in during your “master class” from God?

Click to here for the amazing testimony of Päivi Räsänen – one who stands tall in the darkness

EVEN THE BEARS ARE HIS

I sprinted over the finish line for my month-long Minimalist Challenge.

I sprinted over the finish line for my month-long Minimalist Challenge. Miraculously, it seemed to get easier to let go of stuff, even when I got to day 31 (I let go of 31 things that day). I wished it had been more palatable for my husband when he realized that I was going to give away most of my Boyd’s Bear collection. That assortment of stuffed animals was the embodiment of our dream – that someday we would have grandchildren to share the bears with.

GRANDCHILDREN NOT ON THE HORIZON

Our plans for grandchildren do not appear to be part of God’s plan. However, I recently came across a family with two little girls who definitely needed something to brighten their summer. A box of assorted delightful bears was just what God ordered.

CHANGING DREAMS CAN BE PAINFUL

Yes, giving up or changing dreams can be painful, but giving into the dreams of my Heavenly Father is much more rewarding. It’s funny how I can squirrel away portions of my life safe-guarding segment which I think are mine alone. God does not view it the same way. He doesn’t want just a little piece of me. God wants all of me. He already owned all the bears, silverware, pens, and appliances even when they exited my home during August. Everything is His.

THINGS I THOUGHT WERE IMPORTANT

In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul writes: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” Paul probably was not writing specifically about bears or even dreams, but they all can go under the category of “Things I Once Thought Were Important”.

WHAT TO MAKE ROOM FOR

I’ve discovered a little life lesson: The more tightly I hold on to something, thinking that it is mine, the less room I have for Jesus in my life. The more I limit room for Jesus, the more room I provide for useless things in my life. Paul is correct. Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Live as a Christian Minimalist.

Listen to Susan Vinton’s story

TETHERED TO GOD – WOLVES AT THE DOOR

If you are willing, the Holy Spirit will come alongside of you before the Throne of God. That composes a portion of the beautiful picture of being tethered to God.

At the beginning of WWII, King Edward of England was forced to abdicate the throne. The public reason being his refusal to give up the love of his life (she was not queenly material). There was a greater reason Edward could not remain on the throne. England was fighting for its existence as a free country. However, Edward greatly admired Hitler and made visits to Nazi Germany.  Like the false teachers in Jude, Edward “found fault, followed after his own lusts, and always spoke arrogantly.” If he had remained on the throne, the outcome of England from WWII would have been disastrous. Edward was tethered to Hitler.

GRUMBLING FALSE TEACHERS

Jude addresses influential false teachers who are dangerous. Described as “grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage” (Jude 1:16). Charles Spurgeon observed: “Nothing ever satisfies them. They are discontented even with the gospel. The bread of heaven must be cut into three pieces, and served on dainty napkins, or else they cannot eat it; and very soon their soul hates even this light bread. They pick holes in every preacher’s coat; and if the great High Priest himself were here, they would find fault with the color of the stones of his breastplate.”  These teachers are not tethered to Christ.

GOD’S GAME PLAN

What does a believer do when in danger of being influenced by such influencers? God provides a game plan. We are not to get lost in the craziness. God promises to take care of the situation. Stay tethered to God.

HOW TO PRAY

I once had pneumonia. The only way I could breathe was by sitting up, which is terrifying. My life depended on following the doctor’s instructions implicitly. Our spiritual lives depend on implicitly following the mandates in Jude 1:17-25. The first instruction is prayer. Don’t say, “I don’t know how to pray.” God already gives an answer for that excuse. “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:26). If you are willing, the Holy Spirit will come alongside of you before the Throne of God. That composes a portion of the beautiful picture of being tethered to God.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE LED ASTRAY

But what are we to do about those influenced by those wolves, the false teachers? By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can know when we should comfort and when we should rebuke. Never are we commanded to hate them or to be unconcerned for their salvation. The key is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and our own vulnerability to be led astray. We can choose Who we are tethered to.

CONNECTED TO GOD

David Guzik writes: “In mountain climbing, the beginning hiker attaches himself to the expert so that if he loses his footing he won’t stumble and fall to his death. In the same manner, if we keep connected with God, we cannot fall. He keeps us safe.” Tightly tethered to God means rigorously continuing to pray, vigorously reading and meditating on His Word, and choosing obedience to God, regardless of the consequences.

FINDING SOLACE AND PEACE

A tethered person finds solace and peace in Jude’s doxology: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Remain tethered to God!

For further inspiration, listen to the testimony of Megan Donahue  

HERE AM I, DO YOU WANT TO SEND ME?

I have tasks which overwhelm me, but are they in the Father’s plan? I worry and fret over my inadequacies.

Day 25 and so 25 items exit my life. Some of them go to the trash heap. How many plastic mats advertising businesses does one need? Other items are tools that may be invaluable to strangers. So, to the donation site they go. My apartment only has limited space. How did I accumulate so many items?

In the same way, I only have limited space in my heart and mind. What’s taking up all this mental real estate? I have tasks which overwhelm me, but are they in the Father’s plan? I worry and fret over my inadequacies. Finding peace is challenging.

I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. God gives many opportunities, but am I really obeying Him when I say “yes”? There are more qualified people. What did I get into when I said, “Here am I, send me”?

Indeed, He sent me. I look at what God is doing. All those conversations which bless both me and the other person. The work of the Holy Spirit displayed in lives I see being changed. I said, “Here am I, send me.” God is filling my life with opportunities that are not to be discarded.

My apartment is emptying out, but my soul is full and overflowing with the graciousness of God. I am not the wisest, the most intelligent, or the most gifted. However, I continue to say, “Here am I, send me.”

Listen to the story of Rebecca Stanley 

WHAT DOES GOD DO WITH BROKEN TREES?

Yes, I am that splintered and broken tree.

Once upon a time, I stood straight; filled with pride. I thought I could bear the force of life’s storms. With all our years of pastoral experience, how bad could it be? Then came the year of multiple typhoons. In a blink of an eye, came the sudden loss of career, savings, home, our church family, and friendships.

THE MIGHTY HAD FALLEN

My base weakened during that horrific season. The soil supporting my roots was filled with sand. I snapped. Uprooted from the earth, that one last mighty gust of circumstances toppled me over with a mighty crash.  And so, I lay broken, humiliated, and confused. All who passed by saw how the mighty had fallen. My dreams had plummeted to the ground.

Yes, I am that splintered and broken tree.

THAT BROKEN WORTHLESS BRANCH

What does the Father do with broken trees? All that remained of me was a branch broken from a worthless, wild wilderness tree. Certainly I am worthy of the burn pile. Yet He tenderly offers to graft me into Himself. He permanently attaches me to the eternal tree of life.

STAYING FRESH AND GREEN

I read the words of David in Psalm 92:12-15:The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.”

THE CHOICE

Old age pursues me, but I choose to still produce fruit and flourish no matter what tornadoes are headed my way. The storms threaten to twist, break and uproot me again. I choose to trust and tether my roots tightly to the Hand of God and to His Word. Never again do I want to be that barren tree filled with pride and worthless. I am grafted into Himself.

No matter what age or stage of life you are in, have you tethered your roots tightly to Jesus Christ? Lots of storms loom on the horizon.  You can bear fruit, even in the darkness.

Click for further info on being grafted into God

Click for further info on Jesus being the Vine

MINIMALIST LIVING

Over 200 items have either left my home. This led me to reflect on behaviors in my life, what I cling to, “just in case.”

Oh yes, I am doing the Minimalist 30 Day Purge with a friend. I got rid of one thing on the first day of the month. Two things on August 2nd. Three things on August 3rd. So forth and so on. The rules are explained: “Anything goes! Collectables, decorations, kitchenware, electronics, furniture, bedding, clothes, towels, tools. Whether you donate, sell, or trash your excess, every material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day.

THE CHALLENGE OF “THE PURGE”

“It’s an easy game at first. Anyone can purge a few items, right? But it grows considerably more challenging by week two, when you’re forced to jettison more than a dozen items per day. And it keeps getting more difficult as the month progresses.” (Look up the Minimalists for further instructions)

Today I drove to the drop-off at the local Reuzit Shop and the volunteer who was handling donations looked at me with horror when I explained my plan. Not sure if the horror was from him having to take continued donations from me or horror if he ever had to do it in his own life.

OVER 200 ITEMS HAVE LEFT THE HOUSE

I’m now on day 17. Okay, I’m an over-achiever, had some extra time, and now have worked ahead to day 21. So that means that over 200 items have either left my home or are waiting to make an exit. Some items have been small, such as the pens that no longer work, but then some have been larger, as in that lawn chair which has gathered dust in the storage locker.

WHAT I CLING TO “JUST IN CASE”

It’s amazing when given a great challenge, one can let go of items. I guess I needed a good excuse. This led me to reflect on behaviors in my life. The things I have clung to, “just in case.” Under the excuse of wanting to defend myself, I have clung to anger. Under the premise of desiring to have the last word, I have clung to sarcasm. God wants to empower me to purge the way I do life.

LETTING GO OF BEHAVIORS

In the words of the Apostle Paul: “You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

THE TRUCKLOAD OF “DON’TS”

“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

DON’T BREAK GOD’S HEART

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:20-32)

EACH WORD IS A GIFT

Hmm…. I think God is telling me to get rid of much more than physical items in my home. I can not do this on my own strength. My new mantra has to be “Say only what helps, each word a gift. Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.” Amen!

And now for Day 22…..

WHAT DOES UNITY REALLY MEAN?

Have you ever been through a church break-up? Resentment and unforgiveness ruled supreme and you couldn’t even seem to sense Jesus’ presence anymore. And the pain was overwhelming.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” Ahh! Easier said than done. (Psalm 133:1-3)

“Have you ever been through a church break-up? For years you met together on Sundays, wore out each other’s carpet, cooked meals for those who were sick, told one another how much you loved each other and how much Jesus loves us.  And then you found you disagreed on something vital, and everything started to crumble. Suddenly, arguments became the order of the day. Finally the congregation split in two. Those you considered your best friends didn’t want to speak to you anymore.  Resentment and unforgiveness ruled supreme and you couldn’t even seem to sense Jesus’ presence anymore. And the pain was overwhelming.” (quoted from “In Defense of the Gospel”)

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

What is the church? A club? An organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity? My father faithfully attended both the Lions Club and church. As a child, I did not see much difference between the two. Thankfully, Jesus knows the difference. Jesus considers His Body, the church, so significant that one of His final prayers is for the future church: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:20-21) How the Lions Club interacted within itself did not make anyone believe God had sent Christ. It was just a club. Church, as designed by Christ, is to be marked by unity.

CHURCH IS NOT A CLUB

Christ’s concept of unity is a miracle, utterly unique from anything offered by our world. Without the magnificent work of the Holy Spirit actively empowering how believers interact with other believers, we miss the target by a mile. We become only an organization, a club.

IN UNITY, DISAGREEMENT IS POSSIBLE

In biblical unity, believers can disagree. Remember the sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul over the issue of John Mark recorded in Acts 15:36-39? John Mark previously deserted Paul and Barnabas on a missionary trip.  Barnabas wants to give the young man a second chance. Barnabas and Paul come to a compromise: Barnabas leaves on a missions trip with John Mark and Paul departs on his journey accompanied by Silas. The plus is that they ended up making two productive trips instead of the sole one previously planned. Furthermore, notice Paul’s attitude. He continues to praise Barnabas (I Cor. 9:3-6) and at the end of his life, Paul thinks so highly of John Mark that he requests a visit from him (II Tim. 4:11).  Barnabas and Paul disagreed, but they never slammed the door on their relationship. They maintained unity even though they had disagreed.

LIVING IN UNITY LEAVES A MARK ON THE WORLD

To live in unity with believers matters to Christ! Tristan Wax observes, “In the end, the goal isn’t papering over differences and finding surface-level agreement. Church unity matters because (1) our unity is connected to the unity of God himself (and thus our disunity is a scandalous affront to the gospel), (2) the world sees a reflection of God’s inner life in our fellowship when we participate in his divine love, and (3) it’s the means by which we withstand the pressures of the world that rage against God’s truth.”

Does your unity with fellow believers mirror God’s glory or do you just consider church a club? Are you ready to obey and to “withstand the pressures of the world that rage against God’s truth”? With the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, living in unity with believers is our deepest reflection of God’s glory.

Click to read further: Christian Unity Is Deeper than ‘Getting Along’

TRANSFORMED FROM MARTHA TO MARY

All through the Martha years, I go to church, pray often, meet with a small group to discuss Christian values, and even teach Sunday school. I’m so tired.

Until five years ago, picture me a modern day “Martha”. I busy myself in the kitchen distracted by preparations; always cleaning, preparing, cooking, and organizing. My do-it-all mentality gets on my husband’s nerves as I tend to the needs of our three children. I begin my day by looking at the calendar, making a to-do-list, starting two loads of laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and unloading the dishwasher all before breakfast. All through the Martha years, I go to church, pray often, meet with a small group to discuss Christian values, and even teach Sunday school.

I PUSHED THAT VOICE ASIDE

Yet, I didn’t fully grasp the one thing that was necessary.  I heard a faint voice saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary.”  I pushed that voice aside for many years until one day I chose to listen.

BUSY MARTHA

Are you also a “Martha”? In the Bible, Martha busies herself cooking a meal for her guests, including Jesus. During the preparations, she becomes upset because her sister Mary should be helping her. Instead, sister Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening and learning from Him.

Martha harbors resentment and goes to Jesus. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Jesus replies to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).

THE INVITATION TO COMPANIONSHIP

Jesus’ openly invites not only to Martha, but all of us. He asks us to worship first before we work. Joanna Weaver, author of “Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World” states, “In obedience to his invitation, we find the key to our longings, the secret to living beyond the daily pressures that would otherwise tear us apart. For as we learn what it means to choose the Better Part of intimacy with Christ, we begin to be changed.”

Weaver explains that our world may celebrate our accomplishments, but our God desires our companionship. Martha’s hurriedness in the kitchen made her lose sight of the intimacy of the living room. Opening her home did not mean she opened her heart. We do not need to prove our love to Jesus. When we serve Jesus, don’t miss the opportunity to know Jesus and how much he loves us. 

MY SURRENDER

Then, my son Ryan was diagnosed with leukemia. At that point, five years ago, I completely understood the magnitude of what I was missing in my life.  In August 2019, I fully surrendered myself to God and my new name became “Mary”. Mary, the sister of Martha, who worshipped at the feet of Jesus and humbly learned what is most important in life.

The morning before Ryan died, I watched my son’s chest rise and fall with labored breathing. His head had not left his pillow for days as his depleted energy made any movement difficult. My Mary heart waited for Jesus to come and take the suffering away for my dear son.  At that moment, I witnessed the transforming power of God as Ryan sat straight up in bed with a force not of this world. His hands stretched outright ready to greet his heavenly Father. The gasp heard from his voice made me think that he was seeing the glory that was to be his shortly.

My itinerary for my life ahead is not mine to decide. I seek to humbly and sacrificially serve instead of allowing my achievements and to-do-list to take priority. By giving my life to God and submitting to His plan, my worries are cast aside. 1 Peter 5:7 states, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  Do you also need to be renamed “Mary”?

LOVING ENOUGH TO CONFRONT

His behavior affects the entire local church, yet they cower in fear.

The scandal of the century, Watergate, happened in 1972. Daniel Silliman writes in his book “One Lost Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation”: “President Nixon tried to hide it—blaming it on underlings, protesting he knew nothing about it—but the cover-up started to unravel. Pastor John Huffman was a personal friend of Nixon and worried about him. He said Nixon wasn’t handling things in a biblical way. ‘You need to confess,’ Pastor John Huffman told Nixon. ‘You need to be honest with the American people.’

THE MESSAGE OF NATHAN

“Pastor Huffman preached a difficult sermon with Nixon in attendance using the text of Acts 26:26: ‘The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.’ The message was clear. The cover-up was immoral. Huffman didn’t add the words of Nathan the prophet, but he might as well have said to the president, ‘You are the man!’

THE FAITHFUL FRIEND

“That sermon hit Nixon. It sent him into retreat. In that isolation, ultimately, his presidency ended. Huffman’s choice to speak up seems to be a moment of moral courage. Huffman recalls it differently. All these years later, he remembers how he felt about Nixon and how he saw in himself the same weaknesses as Nixon, the same susceptibility to sin. He remembers he said the thing he would have wanted someone to say to him as a faithful friend. “I really loved the man,”

THE DIFFERENCE

“It makes me think of all the other ministers who didn’t challenge Nixon when they knew he was like a lost sheep, gone astray. I think of all the other powerful leaders caught up in scandal, from King David to modern day leaders and the ministers around them hoping to catch a little reflection off the light of their celebrity. What made Huffman different? I think it was love.”

THE CHURCH THAT LACKS COURAGE

The church of addressed in the book of III John ignores the truth regarding one of their leaders. They have in their midst a man by the name of Diotrephes. “Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us….and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church.” Diotrephes loves being in power and refuses to listen to clear teachings regarding visiting Bible teachers. He boots out anyone who disagrees with him. His soul isn’t “prospering” (verse 3) and wilts on the vine. The danger is that soul sickness like this is contagious. The entire community of believers suffers. They lacked courage.

Diotrephes needs to be confronted face to face by his fellow believers. He appears healthy on the outside, but his interior spiritual health is desperately ill.  The man bursts with pride, envy, slander, and disobedience. His behavior affects the entire local church. They cower in fear.

LOVE ENOUGH TO CONFRONT

The Apostle John gently writes: Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who practices good [exhibiting godly character, moral courage and personal integrity] is of God; the one who practices [or permits or tolerates] evil has not seen God [he has no personal experience with Him and does not know Him at all]. Basically, John says even though Diotrephes puts on a big show, he does not know God. The local church needs to deal with it, even though this can get messy. They need to love Diotrephes enough to confront him.

Do you know a Diotrephes in your circle of believers? Have you taken the time in prayer and in the Word to lovingly deal with him/her? A soul is at stake and possibly the souls of many others. God can give you same courage He gave to Pastor John Huffman. Love enough to confront.

For further reading on confronting someone regarding sin, click to read Galatians 6

Click to read the article “He Told Nixon to Confess”