WHERE
DO WE GO FROM HERE?
The
bible is a book fraught with the problems of human suffering that
results as the consequences of sin. Once you complete a study of the
creation account, you are confronted with the serpent in the garden
of Eden - and from that point onward, the rest of the bible is
replete with human suffering, dread, doom and - hope.
Those
who read the bible and pass it off as so much "fantasy"
have failed to consider that last point - hope. A failure to see
beyond the present, results in the same outlook that Solomon had as
expressed in the book of Ecclesiastes. "'Vanity of vanities,'
says the preacher; 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.'" (Eccl.
1:2) His initial view of life was that of hopelessness and therefore
uselessness. - an aimless wandering through time with nothing toward
which to aim ourselves.
Therefore,
he said, "...I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom
concerning all that is done under heaven, this burdensome task God
has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised."
(Eccl. 1:13) Even the effort
to search out the meaning of life is described as a "burdensome
task" and as being our mission
in life
to discover. Yet, without a view toward the end of life's journey -
and beyond
- the answer deludes all of mankind. Why? Because we view life
while in the midst of the present.
Therefore, because our perspective is limited by our poor vantage
point, we, of ourselves, cannot see the purpose beyond the moment.
Isn't this the point expressed by Solomon? "What profit has the
worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task
with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made
everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their
hearts, except
that no one can find out the
work that God does from beginning to end."
(Eccl. 3:9-11)
Man's
earthbound, limited vantage point does not allow him to see beyond
the boundaries of his five physical senses. If all of life, and what
limited purpose it may appear to serve, is limited only to this
physical realm, then we must come to the same conclusion as Solomon
did; "I said in my heart, 'Concerning the condition of the sons
of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are
like animals.' For what happens to the sons of men also happens to
animals; one thing befalls them: as
one dies, so dies the other.
Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals,
for
all is vanity.
All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
Who knows the spirit of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the
animal, which goes down to the earth? So
I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in
his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to
see what will happen after him?"
(Eccl. 3:18-22)
As
long as our knowledge of life is limited only by our physical senses,
we will conclude that we are nothing more than animals, seeing only
those physical similarities that connect us to them. Jude spoke of
those having this mentality, describing them as "...ungodly
men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and
deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."
(Jude 4) Of those who are such, he says that "...these speak
evil of whatever
they do not know;
and whatever they know naturally,
like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves."
(Jude 10) In short, they become like animals.
As
Solomon questioned, "Who knows the spirit of men, which goes
upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth"
(Eccl. 3:21), he was stating a mystery that can only be understood
with the help of our Creator. Without the revelation of God that
tells us of our beginning, we could not otherwise know that "...God
created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them." (Gen. 1:27) We could not
understand that we are distinct from all of the animals unless our
Creator had revealed to us through His word the distinction of man
from the animals in Adam's search for a "comparable"
companion. "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast
of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to
see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living
creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to
the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam
there was not found a helper comparable
to him." (Gen. 2:19-20) Therefore God had to take a rib out of
Adam's side to make another human being (made in the image of God) to
become "...a helper comparable
to him." (Gen. 2:18)
The
answer to Solomon's question of, "...who can bring him (man,
gvw)
to see what will happen after him?" (Eccl. 3:22) is - God! And
the reason this is so is because only God, from His heavenly
perspective and eternal nature, has from the beginning of time been,
"Declaring
the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My
counsel shall stand, I will do all My pleasure." (Isa. 46:10)
Notice
that He does not declare the beginning from the end, but rather "the
end from the beginning."
God doesn't just give an accounting of history as it unfolds itself,
but rather, He tells what the end
or purpose
is for everything that precedes
it. He has pointed us in the direction of that which is beyond
the present moment and has called upon us to look ahead with eyes of
faith.
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God." (Rom. 10:17)
A
reading of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews challenges us to look
beyond the moment and our limited vantage point, to see the end
toward which we are to be pointed and progressing. The writer calls
upon a people - Christians - who are suffering, and he urges them to
look beyond the moment. He encourages them to look past their
present suffering and the dark clouds that loom ominously before
them. He uses the examples of this great "cloud of witnesses"
(Heb. 13:1) to spur them on toward an end that their physical eyes
cannot see.
The
planting of the seed of God's word in a new location is not always a
simple effort. The outcome of such work depends in large upon the
kind of soil you are working in. Jesus made this clear in His
parable of the sower. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And
as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and
the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as
it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some
fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it."
(Lk. 8:5-7) Were this the end of the parable, it might seem prudent
to go home and not waste any more seed. But the parable doesn't
end on such a sad note. He concludes by saying, "But others
fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."
(vs. 8)
In
spite of the seed that went to waste or never came to maturity so as
to produce a crop, some
seed reached its purpose by producing a crop - a hundred times its
own amount. The farmer understands the significance of this law of
nature. Seed does not only produce the fruit to be consumed - it
also produces more
seed
that is to be saved for planting the next crop. This is the thought
expressed by Isaiah. "For as the rain comes down, and the snow
from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make
it bring forth and bud, that
it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not
return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isa. 55:10-11)
`As
sowers of God's word, we reap the immediate benefits of a crop
in the form of new brethren brought into the fold. As the number of
our brethren increase, we enjoy the fellowship that we sustain among
the tender plants that we watch grow in the faith. As a result, we
are encouraged. But that growth in numbers is only the initial
blessing that we enjoy. Each young plant has more seed within
itself that is intended to be used to plant the next season's crop
with a view toward reproducing itself again.
Each
of us was planted with a view toward our continued fruitfulness. If
we fail in that purpose, we become a liability and our true purpose
is not realized. Jesus illustrated this fact in the following
parable. "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the
keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking
fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use
up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone
this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it
bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "
(Lk. 13:6-9) This is a sobering parable and should make us take a
serious look at our fruitfulness and how faithful we are at
fulfilling our purpose for living in His field.
Each
of us are the product of the seed of God's word that was planted in
our heart. When you "...receive with meekness the implanted
word, which is able to save your souls" (Jas. 1:21), you become
a living plant with the ability to "produce after your own
kind." That godly seed is what perpetuates the continued growth
of God's vineyard. It is the means by which His kingdom is brought
from generation to generation. When every "plant" is doing
its part, the outcome is destined to become a fruitful field and a
testimony to the glory of God's purpose.
But
as any farmer knows, a bumper crop doesn't just happen by accident.
It is a cooperation with God's providence and our effort in preparing
the ground, planting, and watering. But as Paul makes clear, the
ultimate outcome of our work is to God's credit. "Who then is
Paul, and who is Akpollos, but ministers through whom you believed,
as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Appollos watered, but God
gave the increase. So then, neither he who plants is anything, nor
he who waters, but God who gives the increase." (1 Cor. 3:5-7)
Luke
gives ample testimony in the accounting of Paul's ministry to the
fact that the work of seed planting is not always an easy one. It is
fraught with troubles along the way. One example of this is seen in
his first missionary journey at the city of Lystra. Trouble followed
him and those who traveled with him when "...Jews from Antioch
and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they
stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be
dead." (Acts 14:19) Yet, in the face of such trial, Paul did
not give up. But rather, "...he rose up and went into the city.
And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they
had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they
returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of
the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying,
'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.' "
(vss. 20-22)
On
Paul's third missionary journey, he came to Ephesus and encountered
what seemed to be a setback in the work. It was there that "...he
went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning
and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when
some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way
before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the
disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus." (Acts
19:8-9)
Their
place of meeting was lost in the aftermath of an ugly situation that
seemed destined to hinder the work that they had come to that city to
accomplish. But once again, they did not give up. In spite of evil
influence of divisiveness, those who remained faithful rallied around
the gospel of truth, separated themselves from the evil influence,
and assembled in a school.
Their
new location did not hinder that work. In fact, it turned out that
in their new location that work "...continued for two years, so
that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
Jews and Greeks." (vs. 10)
As
we find ourselves meeting in a new, temporary location, this is not a
hindrance to the work, but a steppingstone to greater things as the
gospel continues to do its work when planted in the hearts of men.
Some
years after the challenging experiences of his three year stay in
Ephesus, Paul writes from a Roman prison the letter to the Ephesians,
admonishing them to "...not lose heart at my tribulations for
you, which is your glory." (Eph. 3:13) In that letter he made
known to them that they were remembered by him in his prayers for
them. He prayed that "...according to the riches of His glory"
they might "...be strengthened with might through His Spirit in
the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth
and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that
you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (vss. 16-19)
The
last time Paul had seen these brethren was on a brief layover at
Myletus en route to Jerusalem (Acts 20:15-16). It was at that time
that he had delivered some troubling warnings to them of impending
troubles that lay on the horizon of their future, not to mention his
own. As for Paul, he said that "chains and tribulations await
me" in Jerusalem. (The fact that he was writing this letter
from prison was testimony to the accuracy of his prophecy) And as
for the church at Ephesus, he warned that "...savage wolves will
come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves
men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for
three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with
tears." (vss. 29-31)
Paul's
concern for these brethren with whom he had labored is evident.
These were members of his spiritual family that he had worked among,
cried with, and patiently encouraged during difficult times. No
doubt there were memories of a group of saints who suffered the
growing pains of a new work in the midst of troublesome times - such
as had forced them to meet together in the school of Tyrannus rather
than where they had originally met (Acts 19:8-9).
That
concern, fueled by the reminder of more troubles that he knew was
coming, prompted the message of steadfastness that he wrote into the
words of this letter. "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with
one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1-3)
He
called upon them to remember their roots - where they had come from,
and the purpose for which they had submitted to the will of the
Father. He admonished them to insure the future of that work by
their drawing closely together in the "unity of the Spirit and
the bond of peace." This was to be their
part in protecting themselves from the deadly influence of the
"savage wolves" that were certain to come in among them,
seeking to scatter them and to undo the work that had been done so
far.
Paul
called upon them to grow by accepting individual responsibility to
perform their part for the good of the whole; "...that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does
its share, causing growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love." (Eph. 4:14-16)
Their
greatest effort in fighting against the coming trouble was their
faithfulness to God and to one another in the perfect example of
Christ. "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And
walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."
(Eph. 5:1-2)
Finally,
he called upon them to "...be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:10-12)
It
was this church (and perhaps some of these very ones who heard the
words of Paul's letter read in their hearing), that was sent another
letter, written by the hand of John and dictated by Christ. In this
final letter the Lord rebuked them, in spite of the fact that He
could say, "...you have persevered and have patience, and have
labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I
have this against you, that you have left your first love."
(Rev. 2:3-4)
Without
our love for Christ - our first
love - nothing that we do will have any real meaning. We can do all
the right things in the right way and still not accomplish the
purpose for which we were called in Christ. Jesus said, "If you
love Me, keep My commandments." (Jn. 14:15) This is our
greatest motivation and our only hope.
Brethren,
where do we go from here? Can we relate to the example of those who
have gone before us and learn from their experience? Can we look
beyond the present and its challenges to the end toward which love
points us? Are we willing to commit ourselves to the work that has
been set before us? Will the growing community of San Antonio see
the glory of God's hand in the love and faithfulness of His children?
Our brethren in Ephesus knew the meaning of trial and faced great
obstacles in the pathway toward the goal. Let us not forget our
purpose for being where we are. And let us always be mindful of the
fact that the outcome of our efforts in this work do not solely rest
upon our
shoulders. Remember, it is Christ "...who is able to do
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that works in us, to
Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen."
(Eph. 3:20-21)
-
Gary V. Womack - August 2005