How to be An Effective Manager as A Christian in the Secular World, Part I

Perhaps one of the biggest problems the average Christian faces is how to be an effective employee as a Christian, especially in a superior position.  At issue is how he or she can implement Christian morality and practises into the workplace without "offending" anybody, or making anyone feel like you're pushing your beliefs onto them.  The principles discussed in this two-part blog series can be applied to any employee of any sort, but has more of an emphasis on those who are in some sort of management position in the secular world.

There are ten principles that I will be utilising, and since our fundamental source as Christians is sola scriptura (Scripture alone), I will be backing up each principle with Scripture and/or aspects of God's character.  As you read this, it is vital to keep in mind that it is not possible to practise every single principle in absolute perfection, but it is possible to put all these principles into practise to the best of your ability in order to be the best manager you can be.

1.  Deal with the facts, not fiction.
Sounds simple, yes?  If it were simple and therefore unnecessary to discuss, I wouldn't have included it as the first principle.  As sinful human beings, we are all born with the propensity to lie, or to see something that's not actually there.  What is the role of the manager?  As manager, you manage people (duh) within the organisation — or more concrete, the subordinates that your boss puts under your watch.  Now, what does managing consist of?  Managing consists of cognisance, standards, control of those standards, admonition, and guidance.  We won't get into all of those characteristics in this blog series, but when dealing with all those characteristics, the manager must deal with facts, not fiction.  Don't pretend you're aware of what's going on in your department.  Actually possess situational awareness and know what's going on within your department.  Set some standards, but before you set those standards you first have to know what those standards are (e.g. how much pepperoni and cheese to put on a pizza, how much dough should be used for different sized pizzas, how long each size needs to be baked, etc.).  Once those standards are set, control those standards through preventive controls, concurrent controls, and then feedback/evaluation.  When tasks aren't done as efficient as you'd like them to be, practise admonition, and after admonition, guidance is necessary.  I will go into more detail about management's composition in a future study, but those are the basics that you need to know for now.

Before dealing with a problem, or anything for that matter, know the facts.  Don't consider just one option; consider all possible options.  This will avoid bias and will enable you to be objective on a particular issue.  Scripture has a lot to say about lying, especially the proverbs.  Lying is so serious that God considers it an abomination (Proverbs 12:22).  And what does it say God delights in?  Faithfulness.  In context, this refers to the faithfulness to the Lord, but God certainly delights in our faithfulness to each other ("love thy neighbour as thyself").  Faithfulness can be synonymous to commitment.  Are you committed to your subordinates?  What should you be committed to?  At the root of it should be their individual growth.  If you are committed to each employee's individual growth, you will not only be faithful to them, but you will establish trust as well.  Proverbs 29:12 says, "If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked."  If all you do is lie as manager, how do you think those under you will act?  Not only your subordinates, but your managerial colleagues as well?  Their work, behaviour, and attitude will only emulate your actions.

Honesty and dealing with the facts opens opportunities for trustworthiness, and it especially benefits the whole of the organisation.  As manager, if you deal with your department in dishonest ways, it will only hurt the rest of the organisation.

2.  Be a servant, not an authoritative boss.
Our Lord "came not to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45).  If you go into a management position with expectations for your subordinates to serve you, chances are you'll get poor service.  The image below gives a perfect illustration of the difference between leadership and authority.

As the image portrays, picture yourself as a leader, not as a boss.  A boss gloats in his authority and barks orders at those underneath him.  A leader shares the load of tasks, duties, and responsibilities with those underneath him.  Your mindset as manager should not be one of self-interest.  If it is, you won't be a very good manager.  As manager, you don't work for yourself; you work for the organisation and since it consists of people, you therefore work for the people within the organisation as well as the consumer.  The final output of a product is dependent upon the efficiency within the organisation, and sitting on an imaginary throne with pride in your authority will not result in maximum efficiency.

Follow the advice St. Paul gave to the Philippians:  "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves..." (Philippians 2:3).  Humble yourself before your subordinates.  A higher pay grade does not increase your value or importance as a person.  Show your subordinates that you are equal to them in value.  However, take heed.  Sacrifice your desires for their needs, but don't sacrifices your needs for their desires.

3.  Have the guts to say "no."
Cowardice and timidity are not attractive traits in anybody, no matter what role you play in any kind of relationship.  But no one especially wants a cowardly and timid leader.  Initiative and fortitude are admirable.  If a worker asks to have days off a lot (and you're suspicious that they're being dishonest), have the guts to say no and confront their work productivity.  When I was in the Army, I was NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge, which in civilian terms is basically a supervisor) of transportation when I was stationed with the 2nd Infantry Division Band in South Korea, although I wasn't an NCO.  I was tasked with assigning drivers for the unit, scheduling when they had to drive for which gigs, certain paperwork, and coördinating the hiring of bus drivers to drive the entire band (or certain ensembles) to a specific area for a gig.  I was in charge of all the drivers, even those who outranked me (but only when it came to transportation).  As supervisor, I posted weekly schedules of which drive drove which vehicle on what day, when, and where.  There was a particular soldier who happened to schedule all of his hospital appointments on the days he was supposed to drive.  In the Army, hospital appointments come before work.  So, the first few times, I permitted it.  However, it started to get out of hand because I had to constantly adjust the schedule to meet this one soldier's needs.  So eventually I told him "no," that he needs to schedule his  hospital appointments more wisely during times that don't affect the unit's mission.  Fortunately, he complied with no complaints or lackadaisical behaviour.

God is probably the most unafraid to say "no."  And why not?  He created the universe, after all.  I've noticed a recent message being preached lately that teaches people how they can get answered prayer — that is, how to get God to always say yes to your prayers.  There a couple of things wrong with this.  First of all, in this way you are praying for your will to be done rather than God's will.  And secondly, it assumes that when God says "no" or "not right now, but later," it's not an answered prayer.  God answers prayer all the time; it doesn't have to be "yes" just for it to be answered.  Sometimes God's answer, or will, is "no."  The Rolling Stones put it well, "You can't always get what you want."  Jesus said "no" many times, of which the most relevant may be in Mark 8:11-13.  The context of this is when He fed the 4,000, and afterwards He left for Dalmanutha.  Upon His arrival, the Pharisees demanded that Jesus perform a sign from Heaven, and Jesus replies with, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation" (Mark 8:12), and then He just leaves.  Why would Jesus do this?  He's supposed to prove that He was begotten of God, right?  Not necessarily.  He may have made it known (as it was necessary) that He was begotten of God and is God, but His primary purpose was to save mankind, not perform miracles at the whims of sinful humanity.  Besides, He already established His authority and begotten nature; the Pharisees, Saducees, and Herodians just didn't believe Him.  Jesus doesn't want us to believe by sight, but rather by faith.  Consider what Jesus said to Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29b).

How does this relate to management?  Sometimes, it's necessary not to give people what they want and just stick to the mission.  There's a time and place for everything.  According to Jesus' will (and therefore the will of God), Dalmunatha was not the place to perform miracles.  No major event happens there, so Jesus and His disciples were probably just passing through on their way to Bethsaida.  He didn't give what the scoffing Pharisees wanted and stuck to the mission by continuing His travel to His next destination.  Jesus was, after all, on a schedule (leading up to His crucifixion).  Let me use another example from the Army.  As long as a soldier has enough days saved up to take a certain amount of time off for leave, he or she can do so, as long as it doesn't impede the mission.  In the summer of 2012, I was going to take 25 days off of leave, but I was told by my superiors (management) to take only 21 days because they needed me for several missions on those other 4 days that I would've had off.  I complied without any groans.  As manager in the citizen world, if an employee wants something but it interferes with the department's or organisation's goals or plans, have the guts to say "no."

4.  Follow through on your promises.
Nobody likes a liar.  This kind of ties in with the first principle (deal with the facts, not fiction), but this principle is unique because we always make promises.  On my free time, I'm a video gamer, believe it or not.  One of my favourite lines int he video game Halo 2 said by the character Cortana is, "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."  Not only is that true in a romantic relationship, but it's also very true in your relationships with your co-workers.  There are two types of promises:  what I call gospel promises and disciplinary promises.  When you promise to do something for an employee that's beneficial to them, that's a gospel promise.  When you promise to take disciplinary action against unwarranted behaviour, that's a disciplinary promise, which constructively benefits him or her and creates the possibility of reforming their behaviour.  (Unless that disciplinary action is termination, in which case they don't have another chance.  And what do you do after you terminate them?  Recommend them to your company's competitors of course!)  If you don't follow through on your gospel promises, no one will be able to trust you.  If you don't follow through on your disciplinary promises, people will take advantage of you and walk all over you, and neither will they respect you.

God makes gospel and disciplinary promises all over the place.  The first Gospel promise is the promise that God made (protoevangelium) in Genesis 3:15, when He promised Eve that her offspring (Jesus) would crush the serpent's head (Satan) as he bruises His heel.  This happened at the crucifixion.  Satan bruised Jesus' heel when He died, but Jesus had the victory that in His death, He saved the world, descending into Hell, being resurrected from the dead, and ascending into Heaven, crushing Satan's head.  Anyway, every single promise God makes, He fulfils them.  He fulfils His gospel promises, and He even fulfils His disciplinary promises.  When God promises to destroy an unrepentant nation, He does just that if they don't repent (and the same applies to individual people).  God is literally not a force to be reckoned with.

You don't want to be a feared leader, but you do want to establish respect.  It is because of God's love, mercy, and even wrath that we revere Him.  Likewise, following through on our gospel and disciplinary promises will establish respect.  Not reverence, but respect.  In the true sense of the word, reverence just means a deep respect, which would be great to have, but in its common use today it has a negative connotation that implies a little bit of fear that comes with the deep respect, hence our reverence for the Almighty God.  Again, you don't want to be a feared leader, but you do want to be respectable.  Nobody will respect you if you never fulfil your promises.  Trust is established in the fulfilment of your gospel promises, and respect is established in the fulfilment of yoru disciplinary promises.

5. Communicate Effectively.
I put this principle right in the middle because it encompasses all ten of these principles.  Communicate frequently, clearly, and openly.  You don't want your reputation to reflect unavailability; you want to communicate with your subordinates as frequent as necessary, with clear instructions and definitions (no ambiguity), and with openness.  As manager, when you're a poor communicator, the people you watch over will find you unreliable.  You can't rely on someone who sucks at communicating, can you?  In the workplace, there's nothing worse than a boss — or rather, a leader — you can't rely on and therefore trust.  I've found that the best way to communicate openly is to hold an open door policy.  Honesty is the best policy, and the best way to put that policy into practise is by holding one in which the door is open.  When I was in the Army, every single First Sergeant and Commanding Officer I had held an open door policy.  The CO is like the President of an organisation, and the First Sergeant like the Vice President.  If we felt that we needed to talk to either of them about something, even a sensitive matter (whether personal or professional), we could easily do so; and indeed, it was very easy to approach our CO and First Sergeant about any matter, making it easy to trust them and rely on them because they showed that they cared.  And as an extra benefit, we could each develop a friendship with them.  I believe that doing this as manager can create the same trust in your subordinates.  There's a risk in open communication, of course.  By communicating openly with your subordinates, you show the human side of you and your flaws can be known.  Most view this as a negative risk, but I see it as a positive.  If employees see their manager as human rather than some authoritative figure on a pedestal, it creates a more positive and trusting environment.  And I think we can all agree that the more positive the environment, the higher the worker productivity because the higher the worker productivity, the more happy you are to be there rather than dreading coming in to work every day.

God communicated His Word effectively by both direct revelation by saying it Himself and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by speaking to the patriarchal fathers and the prophets of the Old Testament as well as the Apostles of the New Testament.  God speaks clearly on every issue, except for issues of adiaphora (like exactly what we're talking about right now).  I've noticed that these issues of adiaphora only exist because of our modern times, so it only makes sense why you can't find certain issues in Scripture because they weren't unique to that time (e.g. marijuana smoking, cigarette smoking, euthanasia, abortion, the average Christian in the workplace, etc.).  However, Scripture can help us to make wise decisions on such issues by studying His Word.

To Be Continued...

A Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Control

1 Corinthians 6:12, " 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful.  'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything."

When Paul writes the quotations, he was quoting what the Corinthians were saying in mockery, and then refuting it with wisdom and truth revealed to him through the Holy Spirit.  Paul says this after listing the many sins that will disable one form inheriting the kingdom of God:  the sexually immoral, idolaters (people who worship other gods and other things that they put above God, like money, themselves, or anything else); adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards (people who practise inebriation as if it's a hobby), revilers, and swindlers.  The Corinthians were saying, "All things are lawful for me," using the fallacy that because they are saved Christians, they can still commit any sin they want and still repent.  But Paul writes in Romans, "What then?  Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  ...For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?  For the end of those things is death.  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (6:15-17, 20-23).

And Paul retorts to this fallacy in his first letter to the Corinthians, saying, "And such were some of you.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (6:11).  In effect, he was saying this:  "You were sexually immoral, you were idoalters, you were adulterers, you were homosexuals, you were thieves, you were greedy, you were drunkards, you were revilers, and you were swindlers.  However, having been baptised by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, these ways are unnatural for you and must never be done.  You were all these things, and now in your baptism God our Father no longer sees you for those things but who you are in the sanctity of Christ, for He has called you to live outside of those sins."  And when they were saying, "All things are lawful for me," Paul pointed out, "Not all those things are helpful."  Some things are lawful to help you, most are not.  The second time, Paul was mocking them.  He was essentially saying, "All things are lawful for me because I can choose to commit any sin I want, but I will not allow myself to be dominated by any sin because of the freedom I have in Christ from those sins."

Because of the sinful condition of the world we live in, Satan berates our minds with tempting sins, which differs from person to person.  However, Paul writes to Timothy that "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).  We are given the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer our sins and to have self-control.

"Deliver Us From Evil"

*Edited October 7, 2015.*

Before I started my Lutheran confirmation classes, I read the entire Book of Concord and one of the things that really struck me was what Luther said about the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer.  In this petition, many English translations read, “but deliver us from evil.”  For those who can read Greek, this is what it says in the original language:  ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς τοῦ πονηροῦ, which translated correctly, says, “but rescue [or deliver] us from the evil one.  As Luther points out, “It looks like Jesus was speaking about the devil, like He would summarise every petition in one” (Large Catechism, Part 3, The Lord’s Prayer, 113).  Before, when I would recite the Lord’s Prayer or read it, when I got to this seventh petition I would think of deliverance from evil things of the world, but now that I look at the Greek it’s not just those things (for the evil things of the world are Satan’s instruments of evil).  Luther says that temptation is of three kinds:  the flesh, the world, and the Devil (LC, Part 3, 101).  Satan uses all these methods as a means to an end to deceive and, as he hopes, to defeat us.  Like Luther, it intrigues me that Jesus uses this petition of deliverance from the evil one as the last petition.  We are to pray for all the other six petitions, which Luther explains in detail in his Small and Large Catechisms, but this one petition in particular is asking to be delivered from Satan specifically.

Praying for such deliverance can deliver us from any of his means — the flesh, the world, and even the Devil himself and his demons.  I won’t discuss it at length, but in the past I have faced a lot of demon attacks, and so I’ve come to regularly pray for deliverance from Satan and his demons.  Every time I do, God never fails to deliver me from evil, and the attacks cease until the next time I sense their presence.  I don’t recite the Lord’s Prayer when I do this like a ritualistic Pharisee because ritualism is often not genuine and sincere and it’s not what God asks for our teaches us to do, but I pray with my own words and genuineness, using the Lord’s Prayer as a guideline, and God never fails me.  As Luther describes, “There is also included in this petition whether evil may happen to us under the devil’s kingdom:  poverty, shame, death, and, in short, all the agonising misery and heartache of which there is such an unnumbered multitude on the earth.  Since the devil is not only a liar, but also a murderer [John 8:44], he constantly seeks our life” (LC, Part 3, 115).  That’s why we often have to pray to be delivered from him.  All the methods that Satan uses have the same end goal:  our destruction.

Although Satan uses the evil things of the world as a method to bring our lives to an end, since they all derive from him, that is not the only thing we must pray against.  We must pray against the evil one himself, “for he is an enemy that never stops or becomes tired” (LC, Part 3, 109).  Therefore, we must be ever vigilant and maintain situational awareness and never take off the armour of God (Ephesians 6:11-18).  Pray against all your fleshly temptations, all your worldly temptations and tribulations, and ultimately against the Devil himself and his demons.  Christ put this petition last because “if we are to be preserved and delivered from all evil, God’s name must first be hallowed in us, His kingdom must be with us, and His will must be done” (LC, Part 3, 118).  All Christians face spiritual attacks from the Devil in multiple ways.  Because this is never ending, Christ exhorts us to pray as He taught us (Matthew 6:9-13), not as a ritualistic pattern (hence, “Pray like this”), but as a perfect guideline so that we may be delivered from all evil and its master.

References

McCain, Paul Timothy., W.H.T. Dau, and F. Bente. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions: A

     Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2006.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged"

*Edited October 8, 2015.*

Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgement you pronounce it will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you seek the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

People often through the phrase, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” all over social media whenever someone dares to contradict or challenge their point of view or lifestyle. They quote this first verse in defence of the ideology that judging people in any way is morally wrong, ignoring the rest of the passage (which, unfortunately, many Christians ignore the context of which the verse they quote is in).  Saying, “Do not judge” is itself a moral judgement against those who make moral judgements.  Yes, we shouldn’t judge people based on their appearances and personality types, but this sense of judging is not what Jesus is talking about on this Sermon on the Mount.  If it were, it would contradict with the rest of what Jesus says in verses 2-5, illustrating for us how we are to make proper judgements.  It would also contradict with what He said in John 7:24, “Do not judge by appearance [which is exactly what I said just a few sentences ago], but judge with righteous judgement.”  Righteous judgement is exactly what Jesus illustrated for us in Matthew 7:2-5.

In order to understand what type of judgement Jesus is talking about here, we need to look at the original Greek language.  The word for “judging” that Jesus used here is the word κρίνω (KREE-no), which means to take the seat of a judge and pass judgement on somebody — literally, “to condemn.”  Condemnation to what?  To Hell.  A judge in court declares  somebody guilty and sentences them to imprisonment.  This is what Jesus is telling us not to do — to not declare somebody guilty and sentence them to eternal imprisonment in Hell.  Why?  Because God is the ultimate Judge; He is the one that judges, therefore leave that to Him.

Why does Jesus tell us to judge righteously?  He has commissioned us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), which is where we draw the term, “witnessing the Gospel.”  When witnessing, the application of Law and Gospel is necessary.  The Law has three functions:  it functions as a curb, as a mirror, and as a guide.  As a curb on the side of the road redirects us on the right path to restrain us from going off the road, the Law does the same thing with sin.  It convicts us, and because it convicts us, it restrains us from continuing in that sin.  As a mirror, the Law reveals to us our sinfulness and dirtiness, hence, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).  Because the Law reveals to us our hopelessness in our sin, it guides us to the Gospel.  And this, after revealing the sin through the Law, is where we witness the Gospel — the forgiveness of sins because of what Christ did for us and what He continues to do for us, and what He will do when He returns.

Going back to the Sermon on the Mount, basically what Jesus is saying in 7:2-5 about exercising  righteous judgement is this:  Do not look at somebody’s sin and condemn them to Hell or try to get them to change their ways before working on your own sin that binds you, especially if it’s the same sin or something similar.  (For example, if you unrepentantly commit premarital sex, it would be wrong for you to try and reform the actions of an unrepentant adulterer, for  you are also guilty of a sexual sin that you have not plucked from your own eye.)  First, go to Scripture and see what God’s Word has to say about your own sin, then spend ample time in prayer, fellowship, and application to overcome it (remember that this is done through the Holy Spirit, not by your own works).  Once that happens, then you’ll be able to see more clearly and will be better equipped to help your brother or sister in Christ who suffers with a particular sin.  In essence, this is righteous judgement:  not condemning someone to Hell for their sins, but rather recognising that they are in sin and helping them to turn away from it after you have turned away from your own with the help of God.

Why Doesn't God Stop Evil?

This is the most often asked question in the study of theodicy.  Whether it's asked by Christians or unbelievers, it remains as the top asked question in Christian history.  The truth is, other than original sin, nobody really knows what horrors He has saved the world from because we can't see what never happened.  All evil flows from independence, and independence — choosing to be apart from God — creates the promulgation of evil.  If God were to simply revoke all the choices of independence, the world as we know it would cease to exist, and love (God's love) would have no meaning.  The world is not a playground where God keeps all of His children free from evil.  Evil is the chaos of this age that we brought upon ourselves since the Fall of Man, but it will not have the final say.  Evil touches everyone whom God loves — those who follow Him and those who do not.  If God takes away the consequences of peoples' decisions, He destroys the possibility of love.  Love that is forced is no love at all.

Don't forget that in the midst of all our pain and heartache, we are surrounded by beauty, the wonder of Creation, art, our music and culture, the sounds of laughter and feelings of love, of new life and transformation, and of reconciliation and forgiveness especially given by Christ.  These are also the results of our choices, and every choice matters, even the hidden ones.  The question of "why" is irrelevant, because whose choices should God countermand?  Perhaps He should have never created?  Perhaps Adam should have been stopped before he chose independence?  By doing that, it eliminates the possibility of love.  What about a married couple's choice to have another child, only to tragically lose him or her a couple years later?  Or even at birth?  Or a man's choice to beat his wife and/or children?  By doing that, it eliminates giving them the opportunity to learn mercy and comfort given by Him, in which they can also give to others in similar situations.  We demand our independence, yet we complain that God actually loves us enough to give it to us (which is done when we reject His grace).  It is not the nature of love to force a relationship, but it is the nature of love to open the way, and that way has been opened through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Just because God works incredible good out of terrible tragedies does not mean that he orchestrates the tragedy.  God is good; it's impossible for Him to do evil.  Don't ever assume that His using something means He caused it or that He needs it to accomplish His purposes.  That will only lead you to false notions about Him.  Grace does not depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colours.

People who have a misunderstanding of God's love and goodness will ask questions like, "Why did God allow people like Hitler to exist?"  Such people are focusing on the wrong aspect of that historical event.  Did God let such people reign eternally?  No, He did not.  He provided other rulers who brought him down.  Evil always rears its ugly head because of the sinful condition that the world is in, which is our own doing.  As darkness is the absence of light, so evil is the absence of good — that is, the goodness of God.  Light doesn't cause darkness; that's scientifically impossible.  Likewise, as God is the Light, it is supernaturally impossible for Him to cause evil.

Evil never lasts forever.  God always has a means to bring evil to an end.  Evil will not have the final say; Jesus Christ will have the final say, for He has said, "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with Me, to repay each one for what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:12-13).  Jesus Christ is the end of all things, and the beginning of our eternal life with Him.

Fellowship

*Edited October 9, 2015.*

When you think of the word “fellowship,” what comes to mind?  Do you think of church events, or relationship with one another?  Fellowship is about sincere relationship with one another.  Fellowship is not about church picnics, potlucks, or conducting small talk in the “fellowship hall” before and after church while snacking on some doughnuts and sipping on orange juice.  These can be used for fellowship, but it goes beyond that.  Fellowship is about real people — real Christians — meeting each other’s real needs and coming together to fulfil the Church mission.  Our key passage to understand Christian fellowship is Acts 2:42-47:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And we came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Let’s get a little context here (context is everything!).  On the day of Pentecost, St. Peter stood up and proclaimed in the presence of thousands of people that God had risen Jesus Christ from the dead, the same Jesus that they had demanded to be crucified under Pontius Pilate.  On that day, 3,000+ people repented of their sins, and this was the beginning of the first church.  These 3,000 people are who “they” are in the above passage.  St. Luke, the author of Acts, writes that they had devoted themselves to fellowship.  I will be identifying what fellowship is in a moment, but let’s first identify what the mission of the church is.

Jesus gave us the Great Commission, commanding the apostles and all Christians to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).  That is our duty as Christians.  People often complain that we are “pushing” Christianity onto them.  The truth is, they don’t feel forced at all; they just don’t want to hear what we have to say because it opposes their way of living, hence what Jesus says in John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil.”  The truth is that we’re simply doing what we were commissioned to do over five millennia ago; not sharing the new of Jesus Christ and teaching what He has commanded us to do is doing the opposite of what He has commissioned every one of us to do.  Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).  This language He used with Peter and Andrew was significant because they were fishermen.  But what did He mean by this?  I understand this to be a metaphor of the Christian duty.  Jesus commanded and taught the apostles to teach people everything they need to know about Him and the will of His Father, our God.  Therefore,  it is our duty to cast out the bait of the Good News of Jesus Christ and pull people in.  So really, unbelievers aren’t being “pushed” upon by our beliefs, for the action of pushing forces you away.  Rather, we are attempting to reel them in — attempting to pull them in, which is to draw someone near.  Like a very large fish on the hook (bloated with arrogance), they fight really hard to escape from the reality of Jesus Christ.

Now, what is true fellowship?  The early Christian Church is often viewed as the highpoint of Christianity, and it’s because of the intense devotion to fellowship they had — devotion to one another.  Going back to Acts, it says that they were devoted  to the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.  These early Christians were devoted to the teaching of the apostles — there were no divisions, no disagreements on doctrine because they “had all things in common” (v. 44).  When we Lutherans confess in the Nicene Creed that “we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church,” we are declaring that we follow the apostles’ teachings, which sadly not many American churches do today.  (Also, “catholic” in the true sense of the word means all Christians worldwide at all times — past, present, and future.)  Although divisions did not come a little later,  nowadays there is even a wider division and there is a lot of enmity among Christians when it comes to doctrinal details.  The early Christians also practised the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper regularly.  Nowadays, the majority of denominations don’t practise it on a regular basis and most are even misinformed of what the sacrament is.  We Lutherans are blessed to realise the vitality of practising the sacrament on a regular basis.  Some Christians believe it is only a sign.  It is more than that, however.  It is for the forgiveness of sins as well, which is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

The early Christians were also devoted to the prayers, meaning that they had a prayerful life.  It was just a regular part of their daily life.  Because of their prayerful life, it is highly likely that they were praying for one another frequently, which I honestly don’t see a lot of today.  People often say to me, “I’ll pray for you,” and I wonder:  Do they really?  I’m sure many of you can relate.  How often have you told someone that you’ll pray for them, but never followed through because you “forgot”?  If you tell someone you’ll pray for them, keep that promise!  I must admit that I’m guilty of forgetting to pray for someone when I said I would.  This is why I’ve developed the method of having a prayer journal where I write down the person’s name and what I’m supposed to pray for, that way I don’t forget.  (And as a future pastor, this is a great practise!)  If I don’t have it on me, I have a smartphone so I use that easy technology to use the Notes app to jot it down.

The early Christians were also diligent in giving to the poor.  They loved doing that so much that they sold their very possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to the poor, each according to their needs.  How often do you give money to a homeless person?  Or even something simpler like buying them a meal, or a cup of coffee if you don’t have any cash on you?  How often do you get rid of your things that you no longer need to the poor — like excess sweatshirts, old clothes, etc.?  Too many people, even Christians, use the excuse, “Well, I don’t know what they’re going to use it for.  I don’t know if they’re going to use it for drugs or alcohol.”  There’s a difference between an explanation and an excuse; that is an excuse.  Did Jesus tell us to only give to the poor when we best determine how they’re going to use it?  Did He tell us to only give to the best intentioned poor person?  No, He did not.  We can never claim to know a person’s mind, especially one we don’t know at all.  It is foolish to assume we know how a homeless person will use the money we’ll give them.  All we can do is hope and pray.  We all know the story of the rich young man — that particular young man who claimed to have done many things for Christ (and don’t’ we all make similar claims?), including having kept the Ten Commandments, and he asked Jesus how he can inherit eternal life.  Jesus replied, “You lack one thing:  go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21).  Selling everything you have is a bit extreme, and because of the times we live in He doesn’t call us to do that today.

Still, however, He doesn’t distinguish whom to give to.  He simply said to give to the poor.  It’s not up to us to distinguish who deserves what.  In fact, none of us deserve anything, not even the redemption of our sins.  Yet Christ still chose to die for the whole world (hence John 3:16), not a select few  whom He felt deserved it.  So how dare we have the audacity to decide which homeless person doesn’t “deserve” our giving.  Likewise, St. Paul writes, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Not knowing what they’ll use the money for is a poor excuse.  You’re not omniscient; God is, so why worry about it?  Decide in your heart how much you’ll give, and give that amount.  They’re always grateful even for a little.  Do this not in reluctance or compulsion, but out of love and joy.  It doesn’t happen very often at all, but if God does make it irrevocably clear that He’s calling you to sell everything and follow Him elsewhere, then do so.  If you keep looking for reasons to show someone mercy, you’ll never show them mercy because there will never be a reason.  Mercy doesn’t need a reason to be established.  Just look at god’s infinite mercy on us; we deserve nothing from Him, yet He gives anyway.  We  do not deserve salvation from our sins, yet in His mercy God saved us.  He had no reason to save us other than that He had mercy on us in His love.  So if you keep trying to determine what a homeless person will use the money for, you’ll always be reluctant to do a kind thing and if you do give in reluctance, you do so under compulsion instead of love, joy, and mercy, and not with a cheerful heart.

The early Christians were in so much fellowship with one another that they went to church every day, eating together.  Granted, we’re in much different times now and can’t really afford to go to church every single day because of what our jobs and other responsibilities demand of us.  But even so, we can still put aside time to visit one another and eat together, not only at annual pot locks and a small breakfast  in the fellowship hall before service begins.  Due to their intense fellowship, God “added  to their number day by day those who were being saved” (v. 47).  Their fellowship and immense love for one another caused more and more people to be added to the Church!  That’s pretty amazing.  I have never seen a church so in love with God with so much love for one another with an abundance of fellowship that resulted  in more and more people being added to the church.  I have yet to witness such an amazing account.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting  to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  This is exactly what fellowship is, and also why God requires we go to church.  Fellowship is to cause one another to love people and to do good works as a response to our gifted faith, never neglecting to meet together.  This passage also disputes the argument, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.  I can just do a personal devotion in my home.”  False, God requires it.  As the passage says, we must not neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some,” which are those who claim they don’t need to go to church.  As God is the Creator, He set order to specific things, one of which is His people meeting together as a Church.  He requires this so that we may encourage and inspire one another in love and do His good works together in order to speak to the world, doing so more and more as we “see the Day drawing near.”  What day is that?  The Last day, which is the day our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

Individualism is widely preached, exhorted, and celebrated in western culture.  Through the influence of the media, music industry, and film industry, we are told that self-sufficiency and independence leads to a prosperous life.  Unfortunately, many Christians have developed this individualistic mindset in their faith (which is indicative of those Christians who think they don’t need to go to church).  We want to keep God all to ourselves; we don’t want to share Him with others, Christian or non-Christian.  We forget that it is God who establishes our prosperity (Psalm 1:1-3); it is not dependent on self-sufficiency, and if it happens to be borne by one’s own works, it never lasts and just leads to misery.  We don’t want to be told how to spend our time or money or what we should think.  I don’t know about you, but before I was Christian I was only concerned about myself.  I only wanted to do what was best for me; I had no concern for others.  As far as I was concerned, I didn’t need God in my life to know what I must and mustn’t do or to give me direction.  You could’ve built a monument to my narcissism.  It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit converted me that I began to think of others more than myself.  And now, I recognise that I need God in my life to know what I must and mustn’t do and that I need Him to give me direction.

The world can’t make up its mind what it wants to do.  God’s way is certain.  Like St. Paul points out, I wouldn’t know what it means to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet” (Romans 7:7).  In other words, we wouldn’t know what it means to sin had the Law not revealed it to us, and we wouldn’t know about forgiveness and freedom from sin had the Gospel not revealed it to us in Jesus Christ.  When you become Christian, it’s not longer about you.  It’s all about the Holy Trinity, and it’s about serving those around you in lovingkindness and doing so through fellowship.

The Metamorphosis of Christianity, Part 3 Finale

By consuming all these fruits of the Spirit, we show people the work of Christ as He simultaneously works in us in this Christian metamorphosis of being made new. Consuming these fruits is how we are in Christ and made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). This isn't an option we are given as Christians; it is our duty. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16). We are the salt of the earth. To understand what this means, let's examine what it is that salt does. It has three functions. Salt enhances the taste of our food, it stings and heals wounds, and it preserves food from spoiling. This is how we are supposed to be spiritually, never losing that flavour.

Jesus is using emphatic language here. You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world. This isn't something that you try to do. You either are or you aren't. Be salty Christians by adding flavour to the fruits of the Spirit — that is, by practising these fruits and instilling them in the lives of others. You add flavour by actually doing them, hence James 2:17, which I covered on the fruit of goodness. By practising these fruits and by impacting the lives of others with these fruits, you enhance their lives. You also sting them with the Law (the diagnosis of sin), but then it is necessary to heal them with the Gospel (the remedy of sin). After that is done, you continue interacting with them and guiding them and loving them in order to preserve their spirituality from spoiling. As the light of the world, influence others. When we're driving on the highway at night and see a city off in the distance, the entire city is lit up and it looks very attractive. The sight of this city attracts us and makes us eager to come towards it, and we do because we don't spend our entire lives on the highway. Likewise, we have the light of Christ within us. Shine that light with the fruits of the Spirit, and people will be attracted to that light and will want to experience it. You either are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, or you're not. If you stop salting the fruits of the Spirit and lose your flavour, how can it be restored other than doing those things again? Jesus says that it becomes worthless and is thrown out into the streets and trampled under people's feet. In biblical times, when salt became worthless, they just threw it out into the street and people would inevitably trample over it. That's why Jesus uses this imagery. In the same way, if you lose your flavour as a Christian — if you have no good works in response to your faith (as we discussed with James 2:17 on the fruit of goodness), then your faith is worthless; it is dead and you might as well have no faith at all. It's harsh, but true, and the truth is harsh at times.

Ephesians 5:6-11, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." The "sons of disobedience" are people who choose to be independent of God — to disobey Him, for they have been deceived by the words of the world ("empty words"). Paul points out that this is no longer to be our lifestyle because we were in darkness, and now that we're in Christ, we are the light of Christ. The fruit of light is that of the fruit of the Spirit. Since the fruit of light consists of the light of Christ, and God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One, then the fruit consisting of Jesus's light is therefore that of the Holy Spirit. As God's children, we walk in this way, for all would agree that the fruits of the Spirit are indeed good, right, and true. The works of darkness are what Paul listed before the fruits of the Spirit: "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). Those attributes, and others like them, are the works of darkness, and all would agree that they are unfruitful. We are to expose the unfruitfulness of this darkness by eliminating them with the light of the fruits of the Spirit that are in Christ our Lord.

Verse ten, "and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord," might come across as confusing to some people. How do we discern God's will? Exactly as Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." To be conformed to this world is to put its ways, beliefs, and practises over what God's Word says. For a simple example, God's Word prohibits a myriad of sins, and it is the world that condones sins such as premarital sex, homosexuality, stealing (particularly music and movies), and many other things. God's Word explicitly says that all those things and many more are sinful, but by being conformed to the world, one will accept sin as something right and true. This verse may also bring up some confusion: "How do our minds become transformed and renewed?" It's simple: by abiding in God's Word. The word abide means "accepting or acting in accordance with." Accept God's Word as the truth and act in accordance with what He says, and you will begin to experience the transformation of your heart and the renewing of your mind. It doesn't happen over night for many of us. It can happen, but it's extremely rare. It usually takes months or years.

I'll explain this. For me personally, it's been taking me years. Since the moment I accepted Christ into my life, that is when I first began to be transformed and renewed, which the same thing happens to everybody. I have found that transformation is a longer process than renewal. Transformation is that of the heart — growing the ability to love yourself and love others as you love Christ. For the longest time, I dealt with self-loathing and hatred for others, and it took me many years, even after accepting Christ, to conquer that anchor in my heart to begin loving myself and other people. After learning to love myself, I then grew to love others. It's a long work in progress, but as you grow, it starts to become natural. You notice the change in you that Christ started and continues to work in you. By being able to finally love myself and love others, my heart is transformed. Renewal is that of the mind — always contemplating on the ways of the Lord. The more time you spend in God's Word and the more you meditate on it, the more you will know His Word and knowing His Word is knowing what His will is. This was a much shorter process for me, and a process that I'm still growing in. Since I've come to know Christ, I've been spending a lot of time in the Word by reading it and not only that, but also living it. What's the point in reading God's Word if you don't live it? The more I read and the more I do my best to live it out, the more and more I know God's Word and ultimately what His will is because again, God's Word is His will. It took only a year, approximately, to get to the point where no matter what situation I'm in I always think, "What does God's Word say about this?" Of course, being human, there are times when I fail; but it is God's Word that reminds me that I did fail and causes me to repent. God's thoughts start to become your thoughts, and God's morals start to become your moral. You know God is speaking to you when there are Godly thoughts in your head that are in line with God's Word, and you will know this by either memorisation or by looking it up. (You can work at memorisation or memorise verses by chance. For me personally, I've accidentally memorised a few verses simply because of how much I read my Bible. The objective is not to have verses memorised and say, "Hey look at me!" but to become familiar with God's Word.) When you hear that small voice in your head telling you that something is or is not in line with God's Word, that's when you know God is speaking to you and what God's will is. By God's Word being in my mind constantly in every situation, my mind is renewed. This transformation and this renewal enables you to discern what God's will is, which is what He finds good, acceptable, and perfect, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." I only have a few words to say about this. Be kind in your speech; be meek, be compassionate, and be sympathetic by being seasoned with the salt of God's fruits. Do not criticise, condemn, or complain. Rather, speak love, truth, and genuineness into people's lives.


The final stage of our metamorphosis is salvation! As we consume each fruit of the Spirit, the goal of their digestion is our faith, which is salvation. First Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." I don't know how to expand on Peter's words here, honestly. He said it perfectly. Loving Jesus and believing in Him despite the fact that we've never seen Him is exactly what faith is, as is defined for us in Hebrews 11:1, 3; and it is through that faith in Christ by which we obtain its goal — its outcome, and that is salvation.

Acts 4:12, " 'And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' " Need I say anything more? Salvation is given by no one but Christ, whom we obtain faith from and whom we have faith in. "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him" (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

Romans 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' " God's power enables salvation for those who believe — believe what? In whom Christ was, is, and is to come — the Messiah, Redeemer of our sins. God reveals His righteousness and gifts salvation to us from His gifted faith for the purpose of faith itself. God is amazing! A voice from Heaven will say, " 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God" (Revelation 12:10). Salvation is coming!