RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

I Was Just Thinking About - - - 

An abbreviated meaning and intent of Rules of Engagement is: “Rules of Engagement (ROE) are rules or directives to military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as provocative, may be applied. They provide authorization for and/or limits on the use of force and the employment of certain specific capabilities. In some nations, ROE have the status of guidance to military forces, while in other nations, ROE are lawful commands. Rules of Engagement do not normally dictate how a result is to be achieved but will indicate what measures may be unacceptable to achieve the result.”

The current Rules of Engagement for the United States in the so-called war on ISIS/ISIL are vague and place considerable limitations on what the military is permitted to do. The traditional rationale for warfare has usually been the understanding that things will get broken and people will get killed. In the current effort to “degrade and destroy” ISIS/ISIL, (or the current expression is to “contain”) has had almost no impact on the so called purpose of the mission. The current administration doesn’t even know how they should define the enemy or who the enemy is that they are seeking to degrade and destroy. The past few days has seen France clearly define the enemy and declare they are now at war with that enemy. Additionally, France has stated they will respond to that enemy cruelly.

When we consider the Rules of Engagement for the Church of Jesus Christ, we find that some are all too willing to blur the objective and have become reluctant to clearly define the mission or to identify the enemy. For a moment, imagine Jesus Christ walking in the Middle-East today, particularly in Iraq or Syria. How do you think He would identify the enemy? We tend to forget that when Jesus Christ was challenged by “religious leaders” as He conducted His earthly ministry, He confronted them clearly and forthrightly. An example is given in John 8:43-44, “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” How was this defining of the enemy was incorporated into the Rules of Engagement for His disciples? One example is given in I Peter 5:8-9 when Peter wrote: “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.”

How or when did the Church of Jesus Christ become so weak-kneed and spineless in its assigned task given it by Jesus Christ? He instructed His disciples and followers clearly when He said, Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Why has the task been hindered and slowed down? 

It boils down to there being some weak-kneed and spineless “shepherds” of God’s flock. They have become mercenaries concerned more with a paycheck and salary packages than they are with engaging the enemy. It is an old and chronic issue. In Ezekiel 34:2, “Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?” In Verses 7-10, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock…I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths.” Where are you in terms of God’s Rules of Engagement? Consider these things with me!

REVITALIZATION IS AWOL

I Was Just Thinking About - - - 

In corporate America, there are all kinds of effort made and action taken to generate greater market share for a product or service. Mass Media is one method as increased advertisement occurs. There are times for special sales and price adjustment to generate greater public response. We have all been familiar with the White Sales for linens, etc. on Columbus Day. Black Friday is an example of an emphasis on special and lower prices within a five to seven hour time factor on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Hundreds of people jam parking lots and stores to benefit from the advertised lower prices. It becomes one of the highest sales days for most businesses. Year-round, the business model that has been attempted by well-known firms has seen the lower prices advertised but merchandise is often of sub-standard quality.

If we translate this to consider churches and their need for revitalization, we find less enthusiasm or participation occurring. Thom S. Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. One of his reports was a feature article in the Christian Post on November 15, 2015. In that article, he states the following: Nine out of ten churches in North America are declining, or they are growing slower than the community in which they are located. Nine out of ten churches need revitalization.” There are some usual reasons given for this as churches attempt to explain their shrinkage of “market-share” in the spiritual realm. A more usual one is that demographics have shifted dramatically and people who were the likely candidates for church involvement have relocated to other less “demographically-challenged” areas. For many community churches, it boils down to a reluctance to consider or allow integration of ethnically different people into the church that has maintained restrictions in that area. 

Thom S. Rainer shares a major reason from his studies and surveys. He writes: “Many times the pastor is a major contributor to the failure to revitalize…These four hindrances are factual because pastors shared them with me. They let me know they are blockages. They let me know these four issues are a major challenge for them everyday.” The hindrances enumerated are: (1) They spend too much time trying to placate nagging critics. Ministry is totally draining if it's spent trying to appease the constant naysayers. (2) They fail to be an example of an outward focus….People will rise no higher than their leader. (3) They do not emphasize member expectations in an entry level or membership class. If there is a key characteristic of declining churches it is that the members are self-serving. They have a "me attitude." It's all about their preferences and desires. (4) They fail to focus on corporate prayer…I know a lot of pastors who do not emphasize corporate prayer in their churches. I know of one church that took five to seven minutes of their worship services every Sunday to pray that God would use them as instruments of revival and revitalization. He did.”

Revitalization is AWOL within too many churches. Harry Reeder’s paradigm for Church Revitalization is based upon one primary text, Revelation 2:5, “REMEMBER therefore from where you have fallen; REPENT, and (RECOVER) do the works you did at first.” He then adds, “Interestingly, this Divinely-designed three-fold revitalization paradigm consistently reflects the Divinely-designed three-fold emphasis in the Covenant Meals of Renewal. From the Old Covenant, the Passover meal called God’s Covenant people to “remember” the Lord who delivered them from bondage, “repent” (cleaning out the leaven) and “recover” the first things by taking up their staff to follow the Lord of Glory. Likewise, the New Covenant meal, the Lord’s Supper, commands His people, “remember” our Lord’s atoning sacrifice, “repent” through self-examination and “recover” the first things through the vitality of a Gospel proclaiming life until He returns.” Church Revitalization is possible if God’s Word is taken seriously and implemented in individual lives and corporate application. Consider these things with me!

THE "W" FACTOR

I Was Just Thinking About - - -

Yesterday, November 13, 2015 in Paris, France, the unexpected and unwanted occurred as at least six terrorist cell groups unleashed their attack on innocent people who were enjoying public and social events. The death toll was extensive and some of those who were the cause of the carnage were not immediately captured. As a result, the “W Factor” once again came to the forefront. Who? What? When? Where? Why? The answers to those questions will take civil authorities days and weeks to determine “Who” the devious minds were that conceived and coordinated this deadly attack.

In a far more practical and spiritual matter, especially as we soon enter the Advent Season, is making application of the same questions posed above. The Biblical “W Factor” refers to The One upon whom the Advent focus should be. Who is this one? “W Factor” number one is the summary given in Philippians 2:5-11, when Paul wrote: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to hold on to, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

What is it this one came to be and do? “W Factor” number two is the succinct statement in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” A further expression of this focus is given in Luke 19:9-10, “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that having been lost.”

Where in human history did this take place? “W Factor” number three is stated in different ways. In Galatians 4:4-5, Paul wrote: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born under the Law, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” 

The “fullness of time” is more specific in Luke 2:1-20. Where did this event occur?  “W Factor” number 4, the historical specificity is given as: “And it came to pass in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the world. This registration first took place when Quirinius was governing Syria. And all were going to be registered, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David, which is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to register with Mary the one being betrothed to him, she being with child. And it came to pass in the time they were there, the days of her giving birth were fulfilled. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Why was this the divine plan? “W Factor” number five is comprehensive. It can be summed up briefly: In I Timothy 1:15, Paul wrote, “This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” In John 3:17, Jesus stated that “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John’s summary to his Gospel states, John 21:25, “There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.”

The issue of the terrorists is one of evil and hatred. Their “W Factor” is driven by a satanic force where the hatred of Jesus Christ and anyone who believes in Him becomes their cause for cruelty, heinous acts and murder. The issue that surrounds the birth of Jesus Christ is a demonstration of God’s eternal love, mercy and grace. The “W Factor” for the follower of Jesus Christ is the Gospel (Good News) because it can take the one wallowing in darkness and wickedness and bring him/her into the light, Jesus Christ. This meaning, reality and purpose is stated in I John 1:5-7, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” May this be your reality and purpose for your life. Consider these things with me.

TRUCULENT TIMES

I Was Just Thinking About - - - 

There are all kinds of groups that speculate about world events as they unfold and predict what it means in terms of the end of the world. There is a webpage that calculates and speculates about events “Before It’s News” and wonders aloud what will occur if Nation A decides on retaliation against a Nation or Group B that has committed a dastardly deed that has caused the death of some of its citizens. For someone to be truculent means an action that is: “fierce; cruel; savagely brutal or harsh; vitriolic; scathing.” The “Before It’s News” speculation is headlined: “Breaking! Russian Nuclear Units on the Move, Non-Essential Civilians Told to Leave, Putin’s Ready to Nuke ISIS!” There are a lot of “what-if” scenarios as this tragic event of a downed Russian Airliner flying from Egypt to Russia unfolds. One can only wonder, if any of this is proven to be true, is the suggested response greater than the deed evoked? If limited nuclear weaponry of Russia or Iran is utilized, what will the collateral impact be in the Middle East?

While there is only speculation about what occurred to the aircraft and why the plane crashed at this point, it does raise a question on the ways by which human behavior responds to truculent events. The Sermon on the Mount contains the words of Jesus Christ regarding the law of retaliation. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus instructed: “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…” Jesus is instructing His followers of the necessity of entering into His love (agape) and adopting His actions or reactions when evil or injustices occur. Throughout the Gospels, there are several accounts where Jesus employs a logical response to the calloused adversary. He urged against retaliation and taught there would be times of suffering because of one’s righteous lifestyle and promulgations. 

Another concern pertains to how professing Christian people act or react in the routine interactions with other professing Christian people. Psalm 37:7-8 summarizes the natural tendencies with these words: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” Four phases seem to leap out of these verses: “Be still before the Lord…Wait patiently for the Lord…Do not fret (worry, anxious)…Refrain from anger…Turn away from wrath (extreme anger, outrage).” When Paul wrote to the Ephesians about new life in Christ, he shared this instruction: “Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun set upon your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:26-27). The NLT paraphrases these words: “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” There are also the words in James 1:19-20, “My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.” If this is the Word of God to His people - and it is - then why do we have professing Christians who refuse to talk or have fellowship with other professing Christians? Why is the carnal DNA of certain ones not addressed or dealt with? 

The word of God is very clear when it states the reality that a person can grieve the Holy Spirit by a lifestyle that ignores or disobeys the instructions for godly living. In Ephesians 4:30-32,“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness (harshness, acidity) and wrath (rage, fury) and anger (irritability, ire, fury) and clamor (loud noise, shouting vehemently) and slander (statements that damage a person’s reputation) be put away from you, along with all malice (ill will, vindictiveness).” How then is the Biblical Christian to live? What should be the natural behavior and instinct of the child of God? Ephesians 4:32 states that we are to:“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Any other behavior is unacceptable to God and should be to us as well. If we do not forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us, we should cringe in fear of the implication and consequence of the non-forgiveness posture and action. Too many professing Christians love to recite The Lord’s Prayer while ignoring the summary words of Jesus to all who would follow Him, Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Pause and let these words resonate in you. What do you think they mean? The words of Jesus are not ambiguous but very plain and easily comprehended. Personalize it (put your own name where “you” occurs) as you phrase it slowly: If “I” do not forgive others their sins agains “Me” personally, then “My” Heavenly Father will not forgive “Me” of “My” sins against Him.” The Amplified Bible states Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.”

Individual professing Christians suffer from stunted spiritual growth because they lack a forgiving spirit and are too willing to respond to others with bitterness , wrath, anger, evil speaking and malice. The visible Church that allows this behavior to continue will also suffer from both stunted spiritual and numeric growth. There are no shortcuts around God’s required prerequisites. What do “You” plan to do about “You” in this regard? Consider these things with me.