Dealing With the Current Issue of “Racism” – Part 1

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Dear Chaplains or correctional and rescue ministers, this month I want to again address the problem and issue of ethnic hatred. It is commonly called: “Racism” or “Racial tension.” Whatever it is called - it is sin.

I personally think the government and the media’s emphasis on “Diversity,” rather than helping - has contributed to the problem. If American leaders really want unity at any level, they ought to emphasize what we have in common - not what makes us different.

I have dealt with this issue at least twice in the last 114 Chaplain’s Corner messages (in March 2001 and April, 2003). However, the current climate in America and more specifically - in places of incarceration, has made this particular sin a hot issue. In other words, there is an ongoing increase of this problem in our society right now.

I know many people (adults 30 years old and upwards) who have said to me that they feel racial tensions are worse now than ever before in their own lifetime. When you look at this problem biblically, at least four issues are contributing factors: bad theology, a lack of forgiveness, fear and pride. I will deal with the first two of those four in this month’s message and then Lord willing, next month with the fear of other people, and pride.

CORRECTING BAD THEOLOGY:

Wrong thoughts of God are idols made up by men’s minds. As you teach inmates and others you need to start with God as the Creator and Designer of each and every human being. (See last month’s Chaplain’s Corner).

Remember, the cause of the problem lies within people’s hearts. That’s where the sin of ethnic hatred is. The Scriptures teach us that the one it calls God created every human being and that He did so that they might enjoy a relationship with Him. In Adam, all the different ethnic gene pools existed.

Acts 17:24-27 (NASB) confirms this. It says:

24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to ALL PEOPLE life and breath and all things;
26 and He MADE FROM ONE MAN (Adam) EVERY NATION (‘ethnos’ – ethnic group) OF MANKIND TO LIVE ON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

And why did He make so many different ethnic groups? Acts 17:27 makes it clear:

27 THAT THEY WOULD SEEK GOD, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; “ (New American Standard Bible).

Since according to this passage, God made ALL PEOPLES TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF, no one ethnic group is left out of His plan. A good place to show this as God’s priority for each one of us and how men should love all ethnic groups equally is in Matthew 22:34-40, which reads:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5)
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In verse 37, the word Jesus used for “mind” means the mind as a faculty of UNDERSTANDING. The original word is made up of two words, “through” and “mind.” In other words: to PONDER THROUGH THE MIND.

So, the first and foremost commandment of God (verse 38) contains a command to put through the mind the nature of God, or to understand Him. He reveals Himself through creation and to a much greater extent in the Bible. According to verse 37, understanding God is a part of loving Him. We get a properl understanding of Him only in the Bible.

Verse 39 is linked to knowing and loving the true God, and His first or priority commandment in verse 37. This link is in the words “the second IS LIKE IT.” But HOW is the second great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves LIKE loving God with all our heart, soul and mind? And who does God mean by the words, “your neighbor?”

The word “like” in verse 37, means corresponding to something. The sense is IF YOU UNDERSTAND GOD WITH YOUR MIND AND LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART, THEN YOU SHOULD LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR LIKE YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

Then, just who is my neighbor? The root of the Holy Spirit written word is “near.” So, this word came to mean anyone near in location to us. Strong’s Concordance gives this as one of the definitions of “plesion” (neighbor): “according to Christ, ANY OTHER MAN IRRESPECTIVE OF NATION or religion with whom we live or WHOM WE CHANCE TO MEET.”

Then it is our Creator’s command - that we love every other person regardless of ethnic background that we chance to encounter! We will want to do this if we love and understand Him. We must have a correct theology of God to do that. He loves our neighbors and therefore each one of us love them also.

CORRECTING A LACK OF FORGIVENESS

Another contributing factor in regards to ethnic or racial hatred relates to history. We remember the recent civil war in Bosnia. That terrible conflict brought out the phrase "ethnic cleansing" which had to do with one ethnic group wanting to totally eradicate another.

Also recent civil wars in African countries like Rwanda were examples of the same kind of thing. One group in past history - even hundreds of years prior, did something to another and due to a lack of forgiveness, hatred for the other group is taught by the current generation. This is also sin. It is a lack of love and a refusal to forgive. Inmates get caught up in this kind of thing, especially those with gang affiliation.

Jesus had much to say about this. In addressing this sin, my suggestion is that you begin by teaching inmates or residents Matthew 6:14-15. The context of these verses is the difference between true worshipers of God and hypocrites. Here Jesus said:

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Those who forgive in verse 14 are true worshipers of God and they are the saved. Those who will not forgive in verse 15 are hypocritical worshipers and they have not been forgiven by God of their sins. They are not saved. Jesus was not teaching the way of salvation is through forgiving others but rather that forgiving others evidences true salvation.

He went deeper with this teaching in Matthew 18: 21-35.

The background and context of this passage is Christ teaching His disciples about dealing with those within the professing family of faith (the church) that might sin against them. He taught them they had to deal with sin and that if the sinning person heard them, that is if they repented, then heaven would forgive that person. He taught them that person would have been loosed (verse 18) from their sin. This then prompted Peter’s question in verse 21 about FORGIVENESS.

Peter’s Puzzlement – verses 21 and 22

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Note that Peter’s question was not so much about being forgiven by God (in Jewish thinking “heaven” meant God) but about his own personal responsibility to forgive someone that had offended him. “How often shall my brother SIN AGAINST ME AND I FORGIVE HIM?”

Here you need to explain what exactly is meant by this Bible word, “FORGIVE” The word means to let something go, to loose from the penalty and to not remember the thing against a person. In forgiveness the guilt is totally sent away from the wrongdoer.

Peter probably thought it would be magnanimous of him to forgive an offense SEVEN TIMES! He must have been shocked by Jesus’ answer in verse 22 -

22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

This answer was hyperbole. Jesus did not mean 490 times (70 times 7) but rather you just keep on forgiving and forgiving to the nth degree. To illustrate this and the absolute need of granting forgiveness to other people, Jesus told Peter and all His disciples a parable. This teaching is also to all those today that want to be His true followers.

The Parable taught by Christ – verses 23-34

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

Whenever Christ likened something to the kingdom of heaven (or to the kingdom of God) He was talking about the sphere of salvation. He was talking about how people get saved, or what the saved people do because of their salvation, or how God will include or exclude people from it. In this parable, God the one final Judge, who can grant forgiveness of sin is represented by the king.

24 And when he (the king) had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

Ten thousand talents of gold is an incomprehensible sum of money for normal everyday people. In the first century, one talent was a sum of money so great it would take 19 years to earn! So roughly speaking, 10,000 talents equaled 190,000 years wages. Jesus’ illustrative story continues:

25 But as he (the incredibly indebted slave) was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.

This action by the king WAS JUST. It was fair. The price of the people and things sold couldn’t come even close to the actual money owed.

26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience (literally, ‘defer anger over me’ specifically -the kind of anger that boils up, flashes and then subsides) with me, and I will pay you all.’ (there was no way he could ever do that!)
27 Then the master (the king) of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

A more literal translation of verse 27 is: “And filled with emotional tenderness from his intestines, the lord of that slave loosed him and set him free from the debt and FORGAVE by sending away the amount of the loan from him.”

This truly pictures part of the motive of the Lord God in forgiving individual sinners. The other part of course is His JUSTICE in doing so ON ACCOUNT OF THE SUBSTITUTION of His Son, who paid the debt IN FULL FOR THEM at the cross (compare 1 John 1:7,9). The wrath and sudden anger of an all holy Father against our sin fell completely on His Son Jesus, at Calvary.

What Christ wanted to stress here was the COMPASSIONATE side of God’s forgiveness.

Now we come to the heart of His message on forgiveness of one another in verses 28-34. Verses 28-30 show the unconverted attitude of some that think they will be included in the kingdom of heaven and that they will be saved from judgment.

28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; (a little over three month’s wages) and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

The fellow slave that owed him (the one just forgiven 190.000 years wages) only three and a half month’s wages even used the EXACT SAME WORDS in asking for mercy that the greater debtor had used with the king! “Have patience with me (defer your anger over me), and I will pay you all.”

30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. That is a total lack of forgiveness to a fellow human being.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33 Should you not also have had compassion (or pity) on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’
34 And his master was angry,

This is a different word for anger than one used as part of the words translated have patience – defer anger, in verses 26 and 29. This word in verse 34 denotes an anger or indignation that is settled. It even suggests eternal anger! It is an anger that never subsides. So Jesus’ illustrative story about the king and the unforgiving debtor, concludes at the end of verse 34:

34 … and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

That ending is also interesting because it is so personal between the king and the single debtor. His punishment, which he could never pay off, was for him alone. Nothing was said about his wife and children being sold or punished. So it is with God’s eternal punishment of unrepentant sinners, it is theirs alone to bear.

The Point made by Christ – verse 35

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

The issue is in the heart. A heart that by God’s grace senses the enormity of its sin against Him, and therefore wants to be forgiven by Him, will not want to hold on to anger and be unforgiving of others. This is so BECAUSE they realize how much less the sin of others against them is – WHEN COMPARED TO HOW GREAT THEIR OWN SIN against God is!

If inmates cannot forgive others of another race or group for things done to them or their group in the past, then they do not understand God’s forgiveness. They do not know it personally. They indicate that they are not forgiven by God. They are unsaved.

In Christ, this lack of forgiveness of others, changes. It has to because He replaces the true believer’s former hatred with His love and that love and compassion is willing to forgive.

1 Peter 4:8 says to those in Christ:

8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

In Christ also, there is an equality of standing before God. God is the Father of all that love the Lord Jesus and there are no distinctions to Him between His children.

This is brought out in Galatians 3:26-29, which reads:

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Racial hatred is serious evil and it is on the increase. But God, through Christ and the teaching of His word can and will overcome it. That’s why He placed you there in the midst of this problem in places of incarceration. We pray you bring God’s word to bear against this sin and for its correction.

Rich Hines

Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry

God is The Creator of Everything and is Therefore The Sovereign over Everyone Psalm 33

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Do you know what time it is? It’s time for Christian pastors, chaplains and teachers to GET BACK TO THE BASICS! As you evangelize and disciple people, one of the first things you need to teach them is to worship God rightly. This is one of the basics of Christian living.

Acceptable and right worship of the true God requires at least three things; cleansing from sin, a correct understanding of who God is and a true heart of humble gratitude for all He has done. Worship involves understanding the worthiness of God to have our full attention and heartfelt praise.

One of many great places to teach your inmates or residents about worship is Psalm 33, BECAUSE it majors on a BASIC understanding of God.

This song called PSALM 33 is very instructional, and theological. Structurally, this psalm has four stanzas (vv.1-5; vv 6-12; vv. 13-17 and vv. 18-22). The last part of the first two stanzas make a transition to the next stanza as you shall see.

In verses 1-3 of the first stanza, believers are called to praise and thank the LORD.

1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous (ones)! For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise (a different word for praise than in v.1 – this word includes giving thanks to) the LORD with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a (loud) shout of joy.

The verbs "Rejoice" in verse1; "Praise, or give thanks", in verse 2; and "Sing" in verse 3; ARE ALL IMPERATIVES. That means they are commands. In verses 20-22 we will see the obedience of some including the Psalmist himself.

Verse 4 then gives reasons for commanding such praise and thanks. Here we find some wonderful theological statements.

4 For the WORD of the LORD is right (correct), and all His WORK is done in truth (trustworthiness).

Everything the LORD does is consistent with who He is. His work is faithful to His character. We can ALWAYS count on the true God to act as He has always acted. We can truly count on His faithfulness.

Such a One ought to be constantly thanked and praised for these two truths mentioned in verse 4. His word is always correct and His doings are always consistently faithful to His good and holy nature. He is not capricious, subject to whim or unpredictable! Already, verse 4 has spoken of two of God’s great attributes.

First, He is a communicative, Self-Revealing God. He reveals Himself to us. He did this through His inspired written word and through the incarnation of His Son. Second, He is a God that is involved with us by faithfully doing things for the crown of His creation, mankind. Most people unfortunately take that for granted, yet in His goodness He makes His sun to shine and His rain to fall on both the evil and the good (Matt. 5:45, 1 Tim. 4:10).

As the first stanza closes, verse 5 touches on three more attributes of God and transitions us to the main instructive portion of the whole Psalm. Verse 5 alludes to God’s righteousness, justice and love. Note it:

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth (our planet) is full of the goodness of the LORD.

The sense of this verse is that God loves righteousness and justice shown by men. BUT, He loves that BECAUSE HE IS THE SUM OF ALL THAT IS RIGHTEOUS AND JUST.

Righteousness is what is morally right. Justice is what is a fair and proper response to any situation. The third attribute hinted at in this verse is God’s love. 1 John 4:8,16 says “God IS love.” When in Ps. 33:5, the NKJV speaks of the “goodness"of the LORD, it is the Hebrew word “Chesed.” That word is so full of meaning it is impossible to translate by one single English word.

This word right here in Ps. 33:5, is translated differently by the following good, word for word English translations:

KJV – ‘goodness,’ NASB – ‘lovingkindness,’ Holman Christian Standard – ‘unfailing love,’ ESV – ‘steadfast love.’ The Contemporary English Version even renders the last part of verse 5, “He is … kind to everyone everywhere on earth.” My NKJV translates this same word "Chesed" as "mercy" in verses 18 and 22. All of those concepts - are part of the word “Chesed.“

Now we come to the main teaching section of this wonderful Psalm. It is in the next two stanzas, in verses 6-17.

Here we are taught, and in turn you ought to teach inmates and residents that THE GOD REVEALED IN THE BIBLE (even the Lord, Jesus Christ) IS THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING AND THEREFORE IS SOVEREIGN OVER EVERYONE.

Look at verse 5 again. "He loves righteousness and justice; The EARTH (our planet) is full of the goodness of the LORD." The reference to "the earth" is transitional to the next stanza which speaks of ITS CREATOR.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens (that word ‘heavens’ includes the entire universe!) were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

Verses 7-9 then speaks on a smaller scale about our Earth) -
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all THE EARTH fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it (the Earth) was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates the Hebrew of verses 8-9 even more dramatically. Note it:
8 Let the whole earth tremble before the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence.

The Bible teaches us our God, even the one who became the historical Jesus, created the world out of NOTHING! There was nothing, then He spoke - and in obedience to His Sovereign Creative Voice, the world was! And when He created it - it was perfect and complete.

Note Hebrews 11:3 - "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed (note the plural – worlds) BY THE WORD OF GOD, so that the things which are seen were NOT MADE OF THINGS WHICH ARE VISIBLE.” (in other words, they were made from the invisible)

The invisible was the nothing. He spoke and things appeared - OUT OF NOTHING. He didn't start with matter and make something out of it. He made all matter out of nothing.

Note also 2 Peter 3:5 - "BY THE WORD OF GOD the heavens were of old, and the earth (land, or ground) standing out of water and in the water ..."

These are more than great astonishing theological statements. They MEAN SOMETHING TO US. Since God is the Master Designer and Maker of everything, He has AUTHORITY OVER IT ALL. That means mankind has no final say!

Inmates need to know this truth. They need to give up their habit of scheming and surrender everything about their future to the Lord Jesus Christ. He – not they themselves in control. He is the only true and final Sovereign.

Proud human beings cannot ultimately make anything happen outside of what God as Complete and Total Sovereign, allows or plans. That is exactly what the next two verses, are teaching.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

One translation even says: “The LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples.” I like that. This second stanza ends and trasitions to the third with the following words:

12 Blessed is THE NATION whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

The fact that He chose them, also stresses His sovereignty. They did nothing to cause Him to set His love on them and choose them. He did so SIMPLY BECAUSE HE SOVEREIGNLY WANTED TO.

To Israel God said, "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers,..." (Deut. 7:7,8)

The reference to "the Nation...The people (of Israel) He has chosen," in Psalm 33:12, is as I said, transitional to the next stanza in verses 13-17, which emphasizes God's involvement with ALL NATIONS, AND ALL PEOPLES.

13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees (observes) ALL THE SONS OF MEN.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks (literally, He gazes) on ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH;
15 He fashions (this word refers to God’s creative crafting) their hearts individually;

Again, since the LORD God makes each person’s physical body, even their key organs, He alone has the right to observe and judge them. He knows what each of us thinks and has done. He even knows WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO. Note it at the end of verse 15.

15 … He considers (lit. understands) all their works.

Therefore, how foolish is it to think like the humanists teach us, that we can save ourselves from anything, especially our biggest problems – sin and death.

Submission to God’s sovereignty means repenting from the thought that we can save ourselves (humanism). Believing in God and His control is the opposite of trusting in man-made answers to our dilemmas.

Note and teach inmates and staff about God’s rebuke against humanism in verses 16-17. As you show them these verses have them to think of politics and military might 3,000 years ago.

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

The whole world system including governmental answers to crime normally seeks man-made answers. But WE BELIEVE GOD. Therefore, we believe there is no rehabilitation of criminals without a God wrought regeneration. Which is to say, the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real solution to crime.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? If so, then don’t ever get caught up in trusting the system’s best answers. That would be like the ancient kings that trusted in large armies and powerful cavalry instead of relying upon the LORD.

The final stanza of the Psalmist’s song, in verses 18-22, is in contrast to hoping and trusting in man. Rather, the people that are the subject of this passage, submit to the sovereign Creator, therefore they hope and trust in Him alone.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, ( His ‘chesed’, His - lovingkindness, faithful love, pity, goodness and kindness)

When verse 18 it says “the eye of the LORD is on those that fear Him” - it does not mean simply to observe their sin and feeble self trust, like in verses 13-15.

Rather, because of the near context we know it means He looks on them (that is those that fear Him) with favor to deliver, save, help and protect them. The hope in the LORD’S ‘chesed,’ is part of what it means to fear Him.

The hoping here and in verse 22 means to wait for His loving deliverance in the future. Those that fear the LORD, in hope wait for Him : (verse 19)

19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

These righteous ones (compare to verse 1) close the Psalm by speaking to us and to their LORD in verses 20-22 . They say to us:

20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He (not man, - implied by context and in contrast to verses 16-17) is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.

Then these worshipers say to the LORD:
22 Let Your mercy (again, ‘chesed’) O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope (we wait expectantly) in You.

The Amplified Bible renders verse 22: “Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, IN PROPORTION TO our waiting and hoping for You.”

Believers in the LORD believe what He has revealed. Namely, He is Maker and Master of everything and His loving-kindness has provided and will provide for their greatest need through His love gift - the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Deliverer.

They will not look to any other! They worship HIM ALONE.

Rich Hines - Minister to Chaplains

Aurora Ministries.

What To Say To Those Who Are Angry With God

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Recently, on a ministry trip I encountered two situations where people had seemingly turned away from God, after professing to be followers of Jesus Christ. The first confessed that they had been angry with God. The second situation probably involved some of the same feelings.

In each case, a noticeable departure from practicing the faith had resulted. I know you will likely encounter inmates and other people in your ministry that will come to you like these two people came to me. So, this month, I want to help you think biblically and be somewhat prepared to help them through their struggle.

The first situation involved a person who told me they had been very angry with God over a horrible experience in their early life.

They said that as a result of their anger over the hurt they experienced, they wrongly chose to leave the things of God alone for about four years. Then, they had “come back” to Him, but had many struggles over the years. Now 30 years later, they were trying to get back into serving Him by getting involved in jail ministry for Christ.

When the first person came to me - they were troubled and afraid He might not accept them back. They even thought they might have blown it forever because of what they thought the passage in Hebrews 6:4-6, was saying to them.

In one and ONLY ONE SENSE, they were right to want to deal with the question of their own salvation. That is: no one should minister in the name of Christ, in any ministry, who is not absolutely sure they are saved. You cannot be an effective tool for the Lord to use and at the same time doubt your true salvation and relationship with God.

Before I even deal with that passage in Hebrews 6, (I will because the question has been raised) I want to go over two incidents recorded in the Bible where different people were angry with God. I think you can learn from them and apply truths found that will help you to counsel any that come to you, “angry with God.”

In both cases He asked them about their anger, in effect asking them WHY they were angry with Him and IF THEIR ANGER WAS RIGHT. I will deal with then in reverse chronological order, first is the prophet Jonah, and then the earlier one, Cain. There are some striking similarities between these two characters, and some striking differences.

The main difference between the two is that: Jonah was saved, and Cain was not. Jonah repented, and Cain did not. Jonah will be with the LORD forever, and Cain will not.

In Jonah Chapter 1, God sent His prophet to do a ministry. He sent him to Nineveh to call the ancient Assyrian people to repentance and to warn them of impending judgment should they not repent. But Jonah rebelled against God’s command, until at the end of Chapter 2 and the beginning of Chapter 3, after God’s discipline through the giant sea creature He had prepared for Jonah’s correction.

When Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh and preached to them about the LORD’S impending judgment, the whole of the city, from the poorest to the richest even to the king, REPENTED. So look again with me at the end of Chapter 3, verse 10:

“ … God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, …”

Now here is where it gets really interesting and we see Jonah’s anger at God for saving the people of Nineveh. Chapter 4:1-4

On the heels of their repentance and God withholding judgment -

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, (actually to the point of Jonah physically quivering) and HE BECAME ANGRY (the word means ‘with a burning anger’ so we should say that Jonah was absolutely enraged).

The context shows Jonah was angry with God for saving the people of ancient Nineveh. Most people (true with Jonah and Cain) that confess they are angry WITH GOD, are angry BECAUSE in their thinking, somehow He did something wrong (Jonah was there).

Most people who feel anger towards God as a result of being the victim of someone else’s evil, think somehow God was to blame for the hurt and the tragedy they experienced.

“How could a God who IS LOVE let this thing happen to me?” and “Surely, He could have prevented it!” are two of the thoughts they struggle with. A third thought they often have is “This thing was (or, is) SO UNFAIR, because I didn’t do anything wrong!” Which isn’t always true. There are biblical answers for all of these statements. But for now, look at Jonah in the next verse:

2 So he prayed to the LORD, (not a prayer of repentance) and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled to Tarshisah; for I knew that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. (in other words, I knew You’d do something like this)<>
3 (Jonah speaking to God) Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” (note the anger in that statement)
4 Then the LORD said, “IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU TO BE ANGRY?”

That question God asked Jonah in Jonah 4:4 is a good place to start with those that come to you angry with God. “Is it RIGHT for YOU to be angry?” By implication in that context, of Jonah 4, God was asking, “Is it RIGHT for YOU to be angry WITH ME?” So, God’s question to Jonah is a good question to ponder for anyone who is angry with God.

Jonah obviously had forgotten what a sinner he was himself. The ancient Assyrians of Nineveh were horrible people who more than likely had hurt or even possibly killed some of Jonah’s relatives. He wanted God to judge them, not forgive them. He wanted God to hate the Assyrians just like he did.

He did not want God to forgive them and save them from their sin. In saving anyone from sin, God changes them so that they do not continue in their sinful ways. He changed the Assyrians of Nineveh. Jonah just didn’t get that.

The subsequent verses of Jonah 4, show he valued a plant more than the eternal destiny of people in a city of over 600,000 human beings! A city where the infant and toddler population was more than 120,000 (verse 11). He did not think as God did. Jonah did not have God’s compassion on lost sinners.

Ask those that confess they are angry with God, “Who is God, you or God?” You see, those that say they are angry with Him are often so upset because He did not think or act like they would have or even do presently. They then have become guilty of reinventing God in their own image!

We can on biblical authority tell people it is OK and all right to be angry at sin, but it is never right to be angry with God BECAUSE OF SIN. If and when they are hurt by the sin of others, it is ALWAYS CORRECT BIBLICALLY to tell them that God was hurt even more and offended more than they were by the sin, BECAUSE THAT SIN WAS EVEN MORE AGAINST HIM (and His righteous standard) than it was against them. We are not absolute holiness, HE IS!

Two important biblical texts come to mind that make this point:

A. Isaiah 6:1-3

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet (or, trunk), and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said:
“ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

B. Habakkuk 1:13 – the Prophet was talking to God when he by the Holy Spirit said:

13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look (with approval) on wickedness.

Remember, and remind people constantly that the God we must all face is, according to 1 John 1:5 absolute moral purity, He “is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Now moving on from Jonah consider Cain, whom we read about in Genesis 4:1-10.

In verses 1-2 we see CAIN’S PROPAGATION.

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.”
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

So we learn of his birth and life up to a point.

Next, in verses 3-7, we see HIS PROBLEM WITH GOD.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought (an offering) of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.

From Hebrews 11:4, we must understand that the LORD God must have commanded this offering and specified what it should be to both Cain and Abel, because it says:

4 BY FAITH Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,

“Faith” is always an act of obedience to God’s revealed will through His word. God must have said to them what He wanted. Abel in faith obeyed God, Cain did not. So we read in the rest of verse 4 and verse 5:

… and the LORD respected (or, regarded, meaning accepted) Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect (He did not regard or accept) Cain and his offering. And (as a result) Cain was VERY ANGRY (he was extremely hot with rage), and his countenance fell (in other words, it was written all over Cain’s face).

Who was Cain very, very angry with? The answer must be, “with God!” because He did not accept Cain’s self-invented form of worship, which was in disobedience to His revealed way of worship. But God, in extreme grace, reasoned with Cain. Note it in verse 6.

6 So the LORD said to Cain, “WHY ARE YOU ANGRY? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, (in other words, ‘if you thoroughly do’ what I have asked) will you not be accepted (literally, ‘lifted up,’ implying a change of countenance in knowing you are right with God)? And if you do not do well, sin lies (is crouching) at the door. And its desire (as a carnivorous beast wants to leap on and kill prey) is for you, but you should rule over (or, dominate) it.”

Now in verses 8-10, instead of repenting and obeying God, we see HIS PROTEST.

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

He did this out of hateful anger against God. How do we know that? Because, 1 John 3:12 in speaking of the children of the Devil and the children of God says -

…
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one (the Devil) and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s RIGHTEOUS.

The word translated “murder(ed)” in this verse, suggests Cain slit Abel’s throat! The word is the same word that was used for slaughtering an animal, and in Genesis 4:10 God spoke of Abel’s “blood” being poured out on the ground. There must have been a lot of it!

In anger, Cain could not kill God, so his violent rage against God fell on one who represented Him, RIGHTEOUS Abel.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (note the unappeased tone of anger against God in Cain’s answer)
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Wew learn from Jonah and Cain that anger against God that is un-repented of, takes us farther away from God and deeper into sin.

The second situation involved a young adult child of a minister of the gospel. Their father had been suddenly dismissed from a ministry position he had loved and held for eleven years. He was “let go” for really no good reason. As a result, the young adult was saying things like “look how these Christians have treated my dad. If that’s the way it is, I don’t want to have anything to do with Christianity.”

In both cases, rather than running FOM GOD in anger, these two individuals should have been counseled to RUN TO GOD in faith and hope of His comfort and guidance. It is all right and OK to be angry at sin, but never to be angry WITH GOD, because of it.

Remind those that have experienced bad things as a result of the sin of others of these two verses:

Genesis 50:20
20 … as for you, you meant evil against me; but God MEANT IT FOR GOOD, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So, why does God allow bad things to happen to His own beloved spiritual children? Here are three answers based on biblical truth:

- To drive us TO HIM even more. (This theme is repeated throughout the Psalms)

- To MATURE US spiritually (Maturity comes through trials - consider both Joseph and Job!).

- To help us have a FUTURE MINISTRY OF COMPASSION to those that will suffer similar things. (See, 2 Corinthians 1:3,4)

Now as I close this message, I must tell you how I handled the first person and their fear of not being accepted back by God, since out of anger they had deserted Him for about four years. The text they were concerned about was Hebrews 6:4-6.

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Here in a brief form is what I told the first person that came to me and was concerned that they might not be accepted back by God on the basis of the words of verse 6, “if they fall away.”

1. Verses 4-6 are not talking about saved people. Verses 9-10 prove that –

9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you (a different group), yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner (to the other group).
10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

2. There are at least seven warning sections in the Book of Hebrews addressed to what we might call “fence sitters.” That is, people who know about Christ, BUT HAVE NEVER TRULY COME TO HIM COMPLETELY. They are somewhat intellectually convinced about who He is, but for fear of losing something they want to hold on to elements of their old life (and man-made religion). THIS SECTION IS ONE OF THOSE WARNING SECTIONS.

3. After the word “impossible” in verse 4, there is a long parenthesis down through the words “fall away” in verse 6. The sense then is, “It is impossible to renew to repentance” those described in the parenthesis.

They were “enlightened.” They only “tasted” the things of God, heavenly things. They were only “associated” with the things the Holy Spirit was doing. That’s the sense because the word “partakers” in verse 4, IS NOT a form of “koinonia” (to be in a participating partnership with) but ANOTHER WORD which is not as deep relationally as koinonia, and only means they were around or associated with.

Verse 5 says they had a head knowledge of end time prophecy. BUT, all of that closeness to the things of God in Christ never caused them to repent and truly commit themselves to follow Him, so the fell away for good.

That parenthesis therefore DID NOT describe the one I was counseling. The very fact that they were now seeking the things of the Lord, and were concerned about their relationship with Him was a witness to their true repentance and faith in Christ.

Lastly, in this sin filled and sin cursed earth, awful things happen. When an unbeliever is victimized by sin, they too should see the incident being allowed by God as a jolt to get their attention on Him, AND COME TO HIM in true repentance and faith in His salvation offered ONLY in Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of and Savior from sin.

Rich Hines

Aurora Ministries – Minister to Chaplains (and Christian correctional volunteers)

The Spiritual is Always More Important than The Physical, Pt. 2

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Last month I sensed a real need to stress and caution every chaplain and correctional minister to remember, that to God, even to Jesus, the God-Man, the eternal spiritual needs of people are always more important than their temporary physical needs.

This month I want to show you this again from a passage in Luke’s Gospel. That is significant, because more than any other of the gospels, Luke emphasizes Jesus’ compassion on the lowly, the outcasts and notable sinners of society. By application, that relates to the incarcerated people that you serve. Therefore, every correctional minister should be some what of an expert on the gospel of Luke.

In Luke 17:11-19, there is an incident recorded that I want you to consider. It is found ONLY in Luke. As we move through the passage we will see four acts to this dramatic incident. For this message I am using the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Act 1. The scene – serious physical sickness, verses 11-13

11 While He (Jesus) was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between (along the border of) Samaria and Galilee.

12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;

13 and they raised their voices (or possibly gurgled sounds), saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

According to Luke 9:51, knowing that His time to die and conquer sin and death - and then return back to His Father in heaven was near, Jesus - "steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." So this scene opens with Christ on the way to the cross in Jerusalem. In the border area between Jewish Galilee and the ethnically different area of Samaria, Jesus was approached by ten leprous men. They recognized Him and went to meet Him. They sought Him out. The language indicates that.

The fact that they stood at a distance is noted because they had the most dreaded infectious disease of the time – a form of LEPROSY. According to Leviticus 13:45, they were supposed to keep their distance and inform anyone within ear shot that they were leprous by shouting "Unclean, unclean!"

To have this dreaded disease, where your physical flesh slowly rotted away was also accompanied by the added horror of being a public outcast. Lepers bore both a physical and emotional curse. Medical and historic records tell us often the nose, mouth and palate disintegrated so that speech was even effected. The literal word in verse 13 for voices is "sounds." They may have only been able to gurgle their plea to Christ for His miraculous mercy.

Most Bible teachers and commentators stress the fact that they all had faith in Jesus as the Messiah, to be able to completely heal them and make their skin and flesh clean. I believe the next act of this unfolding drama in our text, was a complete and miraculous healing AND A RESTORATION of the body parts that had decayed and fallen off their physical bodies.

ACT 2. The sign – a superlative miracle for all. Verse 14

14 When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed.

"Go show yourselves to the priests." You should ask, “Why did Jesus say that?” Because in a Jewish context, that was a key to affirming that the leprous state had truly been removed and the victim had been completely cured.

In Leviticus 13, God gave instructions to lepers or those that might have a flesh eating disease - to go have their infected flesh examined by the priests. To the priests He gave the information on what to look for so that they could pronounce the victim cleansed and cured, or not cured.

This would also be a great testimony to the Jewish religious leaders, the priests, as to just Who Jesus really was. More than likely, their cured and restored flesh would be something they had never seen before! Who could accomplish such a thing? Only the Messiah and Lord, the very One whom Jesus claimed to be.

I should note the language in verse 14 shows they had absolute trust in Jesus as a healer of leprosy. Jesus tested this faith by not healing with a word or a touch but rather healed them as they, in faith, OBEYED HIS DIRECTIVE to head towards the priests’ location. They were healed "as they were going" towards the priests.

Now in verse 15, we see the sad truth of this incident. Ten were healed, but 90% of them looked only at the physical gift and forgot the spiritual Giver!

Act 3. The spiritual response – of ONLY one. Verses 15,16

15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice,

16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him ( a present participle, meaning he repeatedly gave praise and thanks to Jesus. He worshiped Him) . And he was a Samaritan.

This last sentence in verse 16, together with a statement in verse 18, shows us the other nine were Jewish persons. THAT’S SIGNIFICANT. All of Jesus’ disciples were Jewish. They witnessed this incident. And now, in verses 17-18, Jesus had a message for them in the form of three questions.

Act 4. The sermon – to Christ’s servants. Verses 17-19

17 Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine--where are they?

18 "Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner (can be translated - this man of another race)?"

The first question directed their attention to the miracle. Men with the most dreaded physical disease had been totally cured. "Were there not ten CLEANSED?” They had been delivered from the deterioration and loss of body parts caused by leprosy and the stigma associated with it.

The second rhetorical question focused them on the fact that 90% of those physically delivered had not given their Deliverer a second thought. “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, EXCEPT THIS MAN OF ANOTHER RACE?” They had not responded to His physical help with a spiritual thought. Only one did. Which transitions to the third question.

Only a man of a race and culture, that head LESS of God's word than the nine who did not respond rightly, did. Since the disciples were all Jewish, and the nine that failed to return and worship and give thanks to God were of that privileged culture, the nation to whom all of the written word came, the lesson is rather pointed. The one who had LESS INFORMATION FROM GOD, RESPONDED CORRECTLY, EVEN SPIRITUALLY.

Warn those whom you teach God’s word. The more they know about the Bible the more they are expected to respond to Him positively. If they, like the nine Jewish lepers that were healed focus only on the physical, God will exact a greater judgment on them.

In another passage in Luke dealing with judgment, Jesus said: “…that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. FOR EVERYONE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, FROM HIM MUCH WILL BE REQUIRED; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:47-48 NKJV)

With Christ’s disciples looking on, the incident closes with Jesus’ final words to the worshiping ex-leper, in verse 19.

19 And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well."

The phrase “has made you well” can be translated – “has saved you.” Young’s Literal Translation, the Darby Translation, and the Spanish Reina-Valera translation all render it this way.

Obviously there was a difference between the faith of the unthankful nine and this non-Jewish worshiper. Jesus wanted to teach His disciples that. The others had faith in Jesus as a PHYSICAL NEED PROVIDER ONLY. It is my personal opinion they were ONLY saved physically from the disease of leprosy. This one who returned to give God glory and worshiped Jesus, was saved physically AND SPIRITUALLY!

Leprosy kills the body, but sin damns a soul in isolated separation from God for ALL ETERNITY. The spiritual is more important to pay attention to than JUST the physical. Jesus also wants His disciples today to KNOW THAT.

The biblical record shows us that often EVEN those who do look in faith to Christ to save them from their sin eternally, fall into a sad pattern of elevating the temporary and the physical above the eternal and spiritual. TAKE HEED and tell all you teach to likewise be careful not to do this.

Consider Matthew:16:21-21. It shows this sad switch in priorities. It says:

21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, FOR YOU ARE NOT MINDFUL (Jesus used a present tense verb here, meaning repeatedly Peter fell into this way of thinking) OF THE THINGS OF GOD (spiritual things), BUT THE THINGS OF MAN (temporary physical things).

Even though he traveled around Galilee and Judea with Christ, normally he didn’t see things from God’s point of view. Rather he usually, normally saw them from man’s self-centered point of view.

Wow! So many Christians fall into the same error as the Apostle Peter did. They think in a way consistent with an unspiritual world view – held by most of the society around them. As far as I know, the ONLY CURE is to be in the word of God until the Holy Spirit transforms our whole value system and our way of seeing things - and from that, our way of living here below!

We just celebrated our Lord’s victory over sin and death in His resurrection.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek (keep seeking) those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set (keep setting) your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Col. 3:1,2 NKJV

Rich Hines

Aurora Ministries – Minister To Chaplains

Remember, the Spiritual is Always More Important Than the Physical

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

As I have pointed out from time to time, the very etymology of the word, "Chaplain" makes it mean – a minister of compassion. Christ had compassion on the downtrodden and the suffering people. In compassion He helped them – even with His miraculous deeds. BUT, HE NEVER STOPPED THERE.

As important as the physical problems of people were to Jesus, THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF PEOPLE WAS ALWAYS A GREATER CONCERN TO HIM. That same concern, in the same way, should always be mirrored by you in your ministry.

I am NOT SAYING, the physical and emotional suffering and needs of human beings are not important to Christ. A statement like that would be UNBIBLICAL. It is unchristian and wrong for us to ignore physical needs. BUT, IT IS JUST AS WRONG TO STOP THERE, AND NOT ADDRESS THE SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE YOU MINISTER TO.

I want to say it again, even though this may offend some of you who are reading or listening to this message, THE SPIRITUAL IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PHYSICAL!

How you react to what has happened and is happening in Haiti or Chile is a good example. Catastrophic disasters resulting in human tragedies on a scale not seen before. What should the response of Christians and their ministries be?

I ask this because ever so subtly, I am hearing on “Christian” radio more of a social gospel than a biblical one regarding our expected response to these tragedies. Specifically in regards to Haiti, there is little or no mention of getting them the gospel. The focus is on meeting physical needs. I am hearing “Christian” speakers say things like, “we don’t just want to give them a fish, we want to teach them how to fish for a living.” PERIOD, the end.

Don’t be influenced that way. Rather, THINK BIBLICALLY. Look at Peter and John, Apostles of Jesus Christ encountering a crippled beggar (born crippled) in the temple area in Jerusalem, in Acts 3:1-26.

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he (the cripple) gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones RECEIVED STRENGTH.
8 So he, LEAPING UP, stood and walked …

You know it was a doctor who was writing this historical account. The Amplified translation reads: “And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady, and leaping forth he stood and began to walk,” note the anatomical wording for the full healing, by Dr. Luke.

The Christian ministers certainly had compassion on the invalid. As first century Apostles with special sign gifts, they ministered to his PHYSICAL need. This healing miracle done by the power of Jesus Christ’s Spirit was complete in a physical sense, BUT the Christian ministry DID NOT END THERE. Pick up the narrative in Verse 11 and read on:

11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John (not because he needed them as a crutch, but because he was identifying with them – compare verse7b and 8a – his healing was complete), all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed (astonished).
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

Then, instead of merely explaining the compassion and power of Jesus Christ, their Christian ministry went straight to the greater spiritual need of the people – even STARTING WITH THE FACTS OF THEIR SIN! Note it in verses 13-16, and then in conclusion in verses 19 and 26.

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom YOU delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go
14 But YOU denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 And His name (the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth – verse 6), through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
…
19 Repent therefore and be converted (to Jesus as Christ), that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
…
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him TO BLESS YOU, IN TURNING AWAY EVERY ONE OF YOU FROM YOUR INIQUITIES.”

The GREATER DEED done that day at the temple was giving people the gospel! You are a Chaplain or volunteer minister in a facility that houses prisoners, or indigent people. But, let me ask you a very basic question, ARE YOU CALLED BY God to be Christ’s messenger? Your answer should be a strong affirmative, “Yes!”

If He has placed you there with the spiritual gifts He has given you - to do the ministry He wants done for Him, then you should apply Acts 26:17-18, where Jesus was speaking to Saul who became the Apostle Paul, TO YOURSELF!

17 ‘ … I NOW SEND YOU,
18 TO OPEN THEIR EYES, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

YOUR GOAL should ALWAYS be to see them accept the spiritual help God offers in Jesus Christ alone. Yes, you may have an opportunity to help them in other ways, and you should when you can, BUT YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION IS NEVER FULFILLED APART FROM HELPING PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY.

I want to stress this theme - with a look at our Lord’s ministry in the gospels. He clearly made the point that the spiritual and the eternal is always more important than the physical and the temporary.

The episode I want you to consider and even show others, began in Mark 6:30 with Jesus’ Apostles coming back to Him to report on the results of a ministry He sent them to do.

As they reported, Jesus commanded them in verse 31 to “come aside ... to a deserted place and rest a while.” So together with Jesus, they got into a boat and slipped away. The narrative then continues at verse 33 and following.

Mark 6:33-34

33 But the multitudes saw them departing (from Capernaum see Mt. 8:5; Luke 7:1), and many knew (recognized) Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.
34 And Jesus, when He came out (meaning of the boat), saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. (This means He focused on their spiritual needs).

What then ensued in Mark 6:35-44, was the miracle commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000.

John 6:15, picks up where Mark 6:44 leaves off – after the crowd of possibly 20,000 people (Mt. 14:21 tells us there were 5,000 men and many women and children besides) had been fed and were fully "foddered up," as he later said in John 6:26.

But the thinking of the crowd was on the physical, not the spiritual, so we read in John 6:15

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

On the very next day then, and in the same geographical area, we read in verses 22-27:

22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea (the NE side, where they had been fed) saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—
23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place WHERE THEY ATE BREAD after the Lord had given thanks—>
24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum (the NW side), seeking Jesus.
25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" (in other words ‘how did You get here?’)

That’s amazing. They never considered He was supernatural - the very God over nature, even though He miraculously fed them the day before. Yet verses 16-21 explain He came by way of walking on the water, stilling the storm and by possibly a third miracle – transporting the boat immediately to Capernaum’s harbor (verse 21)!

Now pay attention to what the Lord over creation, and storms and physical provision - said to them, when they asked Him “when did You come here?” in John 6:26.

26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw (meaning, noted with understanding) the signs (the miracles), BUT BECAUSE you ate of the loaves and were filled (literally, ‘foddered up’ - like a brute beast).

The point is don’t seek Jesus for simply the temporary physical needs you have, rather seek Him for something else, the spiritual provision that He alone offers. That this was the meaning of His teaching here is confirmed by what He said in the very next verse. -

27 DO NOT LABOR (literally, stop constantly laboring and expending energy) FOR THE FOOD WHICH PERISHES (i.e. physical stuff) BUT FOR THE FOOD WHICH ENDURES TO EVERLASTING (eternal) LIFE, which the Son of Man (Jesus, the Christ) will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Did you notice there were two sets of opposites laid before the crowd seeking Jesus here? The first set is - STOP CONTINUALLY LABORING or struggling for one thing - versus - DO LABOR (implied), or do struggle for something else. The second set is - THAT WHICH PERISHES - versus - THAT WHICH IS CONSTANTLY ENDURING.

So many people SEEK Jesus and Christian ministries FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS. Your job is to follow Jesus’ example and challenge them to seek Him for the right reasons. People need the Lord Jesus as their Savior from sin. Their greatest need anybody has is spiritual, that is - how they are going to relate to God. In relationship to their real life of sin, He will either be their Judge or their Savior. That is spiritual and eternal.

This is not an isolated passage. Other passages show Jesus making the point of the eternal and spiritual being higher in importance than the temporary and the physical. Look up Matthew 16:5-12, where Jesus rebuked His disciples for missing the spiritual and only focusing on the physical. Check out Mark 7:14-23, and note Jesus’ response to the disciples question; and lastly John 14:1-9, focusing on Thomas and Philip and notice Jesus’ responses to them. In effect, Jesus was saying, “Why are you so focused on the physical and miss the spiritual?”

But, we may well ask, then why does He want us to also attend to the physical needs of people, just like He did while on earth two millennia ago? One answer is BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, THE PHYSICAL AND THE SPIRITUAL ARE CONNECTED.

Sin (which is a spiritual issue) was committed through our physical bodies. The curse of dying physically is directly linked to mankind’s sin. Even eternal judgment for sin will be experienced in physical eternal bodies. Jesus’ resurrection body which we are about to celebrate, WAS PHYSICAL. Luke 24:36-43 proves it. The bodies the truly saved will get someday will be physical glorified bodies in which they will inhabit heaven forever (See 1 Cor.15:20-23, 42-44, 50-58; Phil. 3:20-21 and 1 John 3:2).

Tell your inmates to think about that on April 4, 2010, as they come to celebrate Resurrection Day. In conclusion, do good - even in the temporary and physical areas when you can BUT ALWAYS, ALWAYS LINK IT TO THE GREATER SPIRITUAL AND REAL NEED THAT ONLY THE BIBLICAL JESUS MEETS!

At our last Chaplain Enrichment Seminar, Steve Camp was driving home the point of presenting the real Jesus and the main thing He came to do as over against the other Jesus’ people are inventing for themselves to follow. He calls that Jesus a “Plastic Jesus.”

He even wrote a song that addresses this issue. He uses the word “plastic” to mean phony. Here are a few of the lyrics, which I think connect with what I’ve been saying:

“Burn your plastic Jesus, your social worker for the poor. He’s your red-letter Christian, your moral politician, He’ll be you friend but not your Lord. He’s you presidential slogan, your bumper sticker god, He wants to make you happy with your best life now.”

“Oh, but it aint no plastic Jesus who was virgin born, and it aint no plastic Jesus who was beaten and scorned. And it aint no plastic Jesus who suffered death, and it aint no plastic Jesus who drained the cup of wrath. And it aint no plastic Jesus who reigns from heaven’s throne, who’s King of kings and Lord of lords, the Sovereign over all. And it no plastic Jesus who rose up from the grave, and it aint no plastic Jesus who’s the life the truth the way.”

“He’s got all power, He’s got real love. There is a tomb that He broke through. He’s got all power, He’s got real love, He’s got a cross that He bled and died on. There is a tomb that He broke through, He aint no plastic Jesus, He aint no plastic Jesus, this aint no plastic Jesus - but He came to save the plastic me and you.”

If you wish you can listen to Steve sing this song in its entirety. Go to our web site, www.ChaplainHelp.org and click on the Enrichment Seminars link under the Navigation Menu. Then, scroll to the bottom of that page and click on the blue link that reads “Pictures Gallery and Audio Recordings.” The song is at the beginning of Session 4, “The Glory of Christ.” With your sound on, click the arrow to the right of “Download Audio.”

Next month, I will focus on yet another passage that shows Jesus wants physically hurting people to seek Him for their spiritual needs even more than their physical ones.

Until then, keep on rejoicing in our Risen Lord!

Rich Hines - Aurora Ministries, Minister To Chaplains

Confront Empty Worship - The Lord Despises Outward Religiosity

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

From my 20 years experience in pastoring inmates, I came to understand some of their ways. So, the issue which I want to deal with this month, is an issue with all types of people in free society as well. It just seems magnified with some of those incarcerated.

A lot depends on the kind of spiritual leadership they have. And yes Chaplains and volunteers, that means you!

The issue is: only an outward displaying of piety, or religiosity. God calls that hypocrisy. It is EMPTY WORSHIP. Within a correctional setting, this is sometimes heightened around special holidays, like Christmas or Easter. Especially if there is an inmate choir or a special program to be led by inmates.

Inmates, eager to feel better about themselves want to show off their talents. It’s true many of them have excellent singing voices and others have highly developed artistic drawing ability. BUT, the Bible teaches this important principal: THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE ACT OF WORSHIP IS DEPENDANT UPON THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE WORSHIPER.

This is a very important truth for them to get a hold of. They need TO BE CONFRONTED BY IT. One good place for you to start would be Psalm 24.

In this Psalm, verses 3-6 are talking about salvation from sin and about the eternal worship in heaven, which is the culmination of that salvation. It reads:

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah (pause, stop and think about it)

When verse 4 speaks of clean hands and a pure heart, we need to understand this is a poetic way of saying before we can worship the true God, we need sincere cleansing, both of our outward deeds and our inward motives. Hands represent the outward acts. Hearts speak of inward desires and motives.

The last phrase of verse 4 flows out of having clean hands and a pure heart. Because this worshiper is genuine and pure inwardly, they have not been praying to what is false (like an idol) and they have not been in the practice of deceiving others with lying promises, even as one translation puts it “lying under oath.” Because of this, their worship shall be accepted by god.

Note then again the promise of verse 5 to such true worshipers – they receive blessings (according to the riches of God’s grace), and most importantly IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD THEIR SAVIOR! Verse 6 is saying these types of people are the true spiritual Israel (Jacob). Their life is characterized by a constant seeking of God’s approval, which is part of what it means to seek God’s face.

If we could see God’s face, would He be frowning or smiling at us? We would want Him to smile at us - in approval.

Compare this teaching from Psalm 24 to 1 Timothy 2:8, where we read:

8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

The practice of lifting up of the hands in prayer and worship goes back to ancient times. There are many Old Testament references to it. Psalms 28:2; 63:4; Lamentations 2:19; and 3:41 are some examples of this.

Lifting up hands physically portrayed the giving up the whole life to the LORD – even for His examination, and also an expectation of receiving good things from the LORD.

When David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties (anxious thoughts); and see if there is any wicked way in me, …” He may well have raised his hands, as if to God - for their inspection.

I remember explaining this one time to an inmate Bible class. Many of them had their hands raised up, but when I explained the inspection aspect, the fact that their raised hands needed to be HOLY HANDS, many of those hands came down quickly!

James 4:8 says:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (literally: ‘two-souled’).

We need to give all of our soul to one Lord and Master. With God our heart is only cleansed by true confession of all known sin and repentant faith in His provision – our one true substitutionary Sacrifice – the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you teach the inmates, next show them what David said in his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51:6 and 51:16-17

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
…
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. (these were Old Testament outward forms of worship)
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite (sorry) heart— these, O God, You will not despise.

You may be even now planning an "Easter Program" for Resurrection Sunday, April 4, 2010. Be careful with which inmates have key roles in reading Scripture and singing solos. If they are not first genuine in heart and purified of all known sin, the Lord will not accept their worship. Then too, they may well assume they are right with Him when they are not, BECAUSE you allowed them this leadership role in worship. Think about your responsibility with a thing like that!

Remind the inmates and residents of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:23-24.

23 “Therefore (on account of His teaching in verses 21-22 about unholy anger against someone being equal to murder) if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, (in other words there is an unsettled rift with someone)
24 leave your gift there before the altar, (don’t yet enter into worship) and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (then come and worship)

Explain to them that the Lord despises, even hates, the outward worship of those who continue to practice their sin. It is empty. Show them this from passages like Amos 5:21-24 where God said:

21 “ I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 (Even) Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear (accept) the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But (first) let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Apparently, there was all kinds of unrighteous injustice going on all over the place, yet they thought they could just come worship the LORD.

One of the worst things a Christian Chaplain can ever hear is a report of some ongoing sinful attitude and actions “back in the dorm,” or “pod,” DONE BY THOSE WHOM HE (OR SHE) HAS ALLOWED TO HAVE SOME LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE CHRISTIAN MEETING.

Challenge them with such hypocrisy, that it would not take place. Seek the Lord. And, if they are not ready to repent, tell them to keep seeking until they are, but don’t pretend to be His true worshiper.

One final passage that shows God’s rejection of worship when the heart and life is not right is found in Isaiah 58. There He confronted the empty worship of Judah.

1 "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (this is God’s instruction to His prophet. His preacher. This is good advice for chaplains, for preachers)

(Then the LORD said)
2 Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God.

Then He quotes the people:

3 ‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls (like when fasting), and You take no notice?’

… (Now God answers them) "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure (meaning in your labor, your business), and exploit all your laborers.
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? (Note the sarcasm)

Verses 6-14 then call for a change of behavior, which is a call for repentance. Then they promise blessings that will always ensue:

6 " Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ "If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13 " If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

So always challenge those you teach like God did through His prophet Jeremiah. Note Jeremiah 4:3-4

3 ..." Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, (it is an inward operation) you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings."

The main issue is always the true innermost being getting right with the Lord. When that is fixed, then He loves to receive our acceptable worship. But never before! I pray you may have the courage to confront empty, evil worship.

Rich Hines
Aurora Ministries’ Minister to Chaplains