(Transcript of Mother’s Day Message 2008) 

Proverbs chapter 31 and its instruction on the subject of an excellent wife covers a broad spectrum of the model or image of a biblicaly oriented mother.

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom that fathers and mothers were to give to their children. It was common in a Jewish family for a father to teach his sons the truths of this book. And not only a father, but also a mother, for on several occasions it says, “Not to forsake the instruction of your mother.” This was basically the composite practical manual for living that Jewish parents taught their children.

One of the very most important things that children needed to learn was directed, in particular, at the young boys - how to select the right woman to marry. In fact, earlier on in the book of Proverbs young men are warned against the antithesis of the “excellent wife”, the wrong kind of woman, the adulteress who flatters with her lips, who forsakes her own husband, breaks covenant and entertains a union with someone else, whose lips drip honey but who brings about death and destruction, the smooth-tongued adulteress who hunts for the precious life to make him her prey. Proverbs warns against the noisy woman, the quarrelsome woman, the rebellious woman, the foolish woman. And the sons of Israel were to be warned to stay away from and avoid all such women.

In chapter 12 of Proverbs and verse 4 it says, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.” Find an excellent wife, stay away from anything less is the seeming imperative.

In chapter 19 and verse 14 comes a hopeful truth. It says, “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.” So all the way through this book of wisdom there is instruction about what kind of woman to avoid contrasted with the excellent woman or the excellent wife who is a gift from God.

The consumption of this teaching is in the final chapter of Proverbs. Chapter 31 is the final lesson from a parent to a child, from a mother to her son on the essential qualities of an “excellent wife and mother”. Contrasted with the qualities emulated by our society, many of these are in opposition to what the general public considers an “excellent woman and mother”

What kind of a woman does our society honor? Who is the honored woman of today? What is the modern woman like? If we look to particular individuals that are applauded as exemplar mothers we find a diverse list of those who are considered to have distinguished themselves in their roles as mothers.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Despite her public career, Clinton has (according to some) raised a seemingly well-adjusted, level-headed daughter, Chelsea. She is quoted as saying, “For Bill and me, there has been no experience more challenging, more rewarding, and more humbling than raising our daughter.” 

Melissa Etheridge

Just as famous for her homosexuality as her music is also reputed because of becoming a mother by IVF with her domestic partner. They have since broken the relationship and now live next to each other and share joint custody of their children.

Rosie O’Donnell

A single and adoptive mother, O’Donnell gave up her movie and stand-up career to host a daytime talk show so she could spend more time with her children.

Lauryn Hill

The multiple-Grammy-winning rap artist has allegedly balanced motherhood and music. In addition to recording, producing, and caring for her two children, Hill devotes significant time to two youth outreach programs.

Madonna

In 1996, she gave birth to her daughter and transformed herself into an Earth Mother devoted to her daughter. She had her second child in 2000, and married the child’s father, later in the year. More recently she was the centre of a controversial adoption a boy from Malawi.

Demi Moore

Has a highly publicized role as a mother. Moore and ex-husband have three daughters. She is known for traveling with a substantial entourage, including nannies and personal trainers.

Courtney Love

Love has fiercely denied she took drugs while pregnant with her daughter and has claimed she’s a devoted mum who totes her daughter along on film shoots and concert performances.\

With examples such as these the public image of motherhood and the contributing role of other family members varies considerably and provides little of consistency or substance for young or new families to build their own lives upon with stability and satisfaction.

Introduction to Proverbs 31

In approaching Proverbs 31 it is important not to legalisticly mimic the example given, rather identify the qualities that are portrayed and then seek, with Christ’s aid, emulate these in humble obedience. 

Verse 1 tells us that these are the words of King Lemuel, they are the “oracle” (or prophecy, in the Hebrew, literally a burden of the heart and mind) which his mother taught him. We don’t know anything else about King Lemuel or his mother. She was a mother who taught her son how to know when he had found a goodly woman. And this is her wisdom given to him.

In verse 2, “What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows?” In other words, what do I say to you? What do I leave you with as a legacy? She gives him a wide range of practical truth. The real issue on her heart which he expands to us: “Most of all, my son, find a good wife. With her you will spend your life, she will determine your earthly accomplishments and set the perimeters of your living and your influence. Find a good wife.” And from verse 10 to 31 such a wife is described.

The woman described here is of priceless value. She has physical strength, mental strength, moral strength and spiritual strength. Above all she loves God deeply and reverently. She is characterized in this section six ways. (In MacArthurs outline)

1. Her character as a wife,

2. her devotion as a homemaker,

3. her generosity as a neighbor,

4. her influence as a teacher,

5. her effectiveness as a mother and

6. her excellence as a person…

The word “excellent” in Hebrew means force, or substanatial resources, so an excellent wife is one who is rich in character, virtue and moral strength. It’s excellent in the sense of her strength spiritually, morally, mentally, physically. She is a woman who has left a mark on society. There’s a force about her life. It is hard to find this kind of woman. And verse 10 says she is more valuable than all earthly things which are valuable. She is a rare fortune, a rare find, a woman of force.

Her Character as a Wife

What are the qualities of this rare woman? First of all, let’s look at her character as a wife, verse 11.

Without saying anything about her it talks about her husband. “The heart of her husband trusts in her”.

The first thing we note about her character is that she is trustworthy. She is held in absolute confidence because of her integrity, discretion, wisdom and care for his interests.

The implication in the overall passage here is that there’s a substantial home to be cared for and considerable resources of which she is a steward. She has proven to be trustworthy. He has no jealousy, fear, suspicion, or anxiety. Integrity, discretion, wisdom, faithfulness, trustworthiness, fills the husband and he has “no lack of gain”.

This woman has the role of the ‘oikodespotes‘ to use Paul’s word used in 1 Timothy 5 and Titus 1, she’s the house manager. She manages the assets, coordinates the activities, is the steward of all of that which he has provided. That frees him to pursue bread for that family and from anxiety because he knows whatever he brings in she cares for as treasure.

She is in charge of domestic matters, using and accounting for the resources of the home so he is free to give himself to his work. She helps him to profit. She devotes herself to the care of his earnings. She is careful, wise and scrupulous. He can give his whole heart to that which compels him in his profession, his business, his work and know that all is cared for.

Personally, verse 12, she does him good and not harm. She always does what’s best for him. She pursues his best interests, strengthens him, builds him up and encourages him. She sees it as her role to do good to this man. He is providing for her and for all those in her care in that home, children and household servants (and workers as this originally included a farm). She never takes things from him, his money, possessions, resources, or reputation. She never speaks evil of him. Those in the home never learn to distrust him because of her testimony. She does everything to build him up. And then it adds this note, “all the days of her life”. In other words, her love for him is based upon high spiritual principles and doesn’t fluctuate with the circumstances of life.

The benefit to the husband is expressed in verse 23, “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” He’s risen to the very top of the esteem, respect and honour of the people in the profession he has chosen in life because he has the support receieved of his wife. She creates a world for him in which he can be everything that God would want him to be.

The noteworthy aspect of this achievement in of character is the enablement (or empowerment) provided by the husband’s trust. He gives her the highest confidence and facilitates her personal growth. This shifts the expectation on being “A Proverbs 31 Woman” squarely onto being “A Proverbs 31 Man”. If your wife is not such as woman as herein described than the first point of investigation must be your life and character as husband. If the young lady in whom you have an interest or are engaged to is not suh a woman than you are the one who needs to grow in order to lead and enable her.

Her Devotion as a Homemaker

Being a homemaker is not a popular thing today. Vivian Gornick, a professor at the University of Illinois said, quote:

“Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession.

It’s replaced prostitution, in her mind. In God’s economy being a wife is an exalted role.

The sphere of the woman’s excellence is the home. She is the house manager according to, Titus 2:5. In Prov 31:13 we see her contribution in that role unfold.

Notice verse 13. “She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.” in this case making clothing, blankets. The idea being she searches for the quality product. This involves invesitgation and research to ensure the best value for money. She brings home the wool, which was used for clothing in the cold times. Flax was used for linen which would be worn in warmer times and would be used for the specially beautiful clothing that they would wear at any season. Her relation to her husband do not make her a religious recluse, pretending to be spiritual when really being irresponsible. She is not defining laziness as spirituality. She is not shirking the duties of the home. There’s no place in this woman’s life for self-indulgence or inactivity. This is not the description of an idle busy body, with the vacant mind of a desperate housewife with nothing nothing better to waste time on the demonic counsel of Oprah Winfrey. She is full of energy. She is full of activity.

The second part of the verse says she is motivated to work with her hands in delight. She loves the family and her husband and it’s her love that puts delight in her work. The Syriac version translates:

her hands are active after the pleasure of her heart

Verse 14 says, “She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.” This speaks to engagement in good planning and good management.

Verse 15 says, “She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.” Typically in the east a little terra cotta lamp with oil and a little wick floating in the oil lamp is always burning in the house (see verse 18). The wick would only burn as long as the oil was there. When the family went to sleep at sundown, the oil would not last all night and the wife would rise some time after midnight, put oil in the lamp, keep it lit and then begin to do the work that was required to feed the family that day. She had to grind the corn and prepare all the day’s meals. Her household could enjoy comfort while she made the sacrifice for their greater enjoyment. She was much more concerned with the blessing and joy of the people she loved then with her own indulgence.

The term “portions to maidens” means assignments or portions of work, not food. When she got up in the middle of the night the maidens who were servants in the household also got up and she assigned their tasks so that everybody was busy getting ready for the family and the household. She is every bit the manager of the household.

To depreciate the role of a wife within the family home is foolish. The breadth of the role of is amazing; To be able to be an economist; a steward of funds and resources; to be able to analyse all the products available; to be strong enough and well planned enough to make the right moves at the right time to acquire the right things takes a woman of considerable quality.

Verse 16: She considers a field and buys it, from her earnings she plants a vineyard. There’s independence in that. It doesn’t say her husband bought it, she bought it. She made the decision that it was wise.

You say, “Well where did she get the money? Did she have a job on the side?” The answer is “Exactly, Yes!” Look at verse 24. “She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.” The word merchant literally is referring to the Phoenician merchant sailors of the ancient world.

She makes wise investments to assist her husband. She labors to help. She takes the money that she has earned on her own and invests that in a long-term investment for the benefit of her family and her children and her grandchildren.

Verse 17 says she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. The first statement, expresses the energy or the force of this woman. It could be translated “strength is wrapped around her”. The hebrew word “strength” means boldness or loudness and is often used in the context of describing God’s majesty and praise. This is not a description of a timid, cowering, brow-beaten woman. This is a confident able “strong” lady. Her arms are not strong because she goes to “Curves”. Her strength is a result of becoming a blessing to her family…totally selfless. This is what permeates this passage, her humility, her selflessness, her love, the joy and delight of everything she does because she’s lost in the love of her household.

Verse 18 says “she perceives that her merchandise is profitable”. In other words, as the Septuagint says ‘she makes a good profit’. She sees that it’s good for the family. She’s motivated by benefiting others. This is the woman of God’s design. She is not motivated by self- fulfillment, self-esteem, self-glory, self-adulation, but by the fact that she sees what she does bringing good to others.

Verse 21, says she’s not afraid of the snow for her household. She has planned for times of hardship and possibly struggle, “For all her household are clothed with scarlet.”

MacArthur suggests the scarlet is added to show you that this woman has a touch of class. Normally the wool wouldn’t need to be colored or dyed. She dyed it deep red in color because that was the color of elegance. It was also dark and dark clothes tend to keep the heat in better. So she made them not just functional but she made them lovely as well. And she planned far enough ahead so that she didn’t worry at all when the cold came because everything was ready.

Verse 22 adds she made bedding and “is clothed in fine linen”. In other words she has emense pride in the quality of her presentation. Not accessories of finement such as silk and gold and pearls etc. Just linen, not expensive, but the best she could do. She takes care of herself. She avoids an ostentatious display and opts for graceful simplicity. She knows that a woman’s true adornment, as Paul said in 1 Timothy and Peter in 1 Peter 3, is purity, chaste character, virtue, godliness, and inner beauty. She seeks to honor God, her family, and her husband. That does not preclude her own loveliness for that brings delight and joy to everyone. She manages it all, for her family, even for herself and has enough time, verse 24 says, as we noted, to bring a little extra in and enrich the family.

Her Generosity as a Neighbour

We skipped verse 20 so let’s go back and note the third thing about her; her generosity as a neighbor. Verse 20 says she opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She demonstrates not only devotion to her home but compassion on all those who don’t have the privilege of being in a home like her home.

This implies that she reaches out to touch the ones who don’t come near her. She reaches out to those who stay away with the idea of feeding them and clothing them and enriching their life through her resources. She is engulfed in her family but is not myopic. It’s not isolationism. She cares about others, too.

Her Influence as a Teacher

The fourth description is in verse 25 and 26. She is clothed in strength and dignity and smiles at the future. “Strength”, the same word from verse 17, has to do with spiritual character. Dignity has to do with class, quality. She is a woman of great character, strong, dignified. She has grace and confidence. She has a spirituality that is the foundation of her teaching. When you demand your family to be what you’re not, you’re only telling them to pass on the legacy of hypocrisy. The teacher in the home is the woman who has gained the right to be heard and believed because strength and dignity are her clothing.

It says, “And she smiles at the time to come.” She has no fear because all things are in God’s hands. It will be well in the future for her children because they are properly brought along in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It will be well in the future for her husband for she has made provision in his case for him to be the best that he can be. It will be well in the eternity to come for all of them because of her life. She has made a positive spiritual impact.

She guides her family daily in wisdom. The father is to be a leader in the home. But that does not preclude the reality that the mother day in and day out, hour in and hour out is teaching wisdom to the children. Not formal classes, but instruction in the flow of life. A great example for this is how Lily has been learning the Children’s Catechisim (which is based on the Shorter Westminster Catechisim). I chose and provided the material, and I help Lily with her recollection, but Rachel is the one teaching her.

“The wisdom of God comes out of her mouth and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Literally in Hebrew, ‘the tora of everlasting kindness is on her tongue‘. The word for ‘kindness’ is the same as the word ‘grace’ in the NT. Therefore she is not just teaching from compassion and tenderness, but from grace. Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. The gospel of Christ permeates her life.

Her Effectiveness as a Mother

Fifthly, we note her blessedness or her effectiveness as a mother. In verse 27 it sums up her leadership in the house by saying she looks well to the ways of her household. She exercises a diligent surveillance. She manages the children well, all the resources, the entire household. She doesn’t eat the bread of idleness. In other words, she is not eating the product of laziness, she’s eating the product of effort. She has real satisfaction that comes from a supreme effort. And it implies that her children are part of this because verse 28 says, “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” They reverence and honor her. They hold her in high esteem.

And there’s another dividend for her motherhood. Verse 28 says “her husband also and he praises her”. And he says, “Many daughters have done nobly but you excel them all.” There are many women of strength, women of force, women of character but, honey, you’re the best. That’s a woman’s reward. You invested in your children and they’ll return it. You invested in your husband and he’ll return it.

Her Excellence as a Person

The last point – the spiritual dimension. Please notice verse 30, “Charm is deceitful.” Charm means to be favoured or prefered because of your physical beauty in the Hebrew. How is your ‘body image’? Some women spend all their time on their bodily form. That is deceitful because that’s not the real you. Outward, physical beauty has no lasting value, it’s vain, useless, empty and transient. The woman of excellence is one who fears the Lord, she shall be praised, give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates. This is an eternal quality. When you live with a woman who fears and loves God and you are in the best environment. She’ll become more genuinely beautiful to you every passing year.

Only God can produce this woman who will be praised by her children and her husband; who will be given the product of her hands; who is not only privately rewarded with the product of her hands by those she loves; but publicly rewarded as her works praise her in the gates. This is the woman that God wants, that every man should desire, and that every woman should desire to be…one who is true to her husband; one who manages well her home; compassionately cares for the needy; lives and teaches divine wisdom with kindness, compassion and grace; fulfills the call of a mother so that her children bless her and though she seeks no praise will receive it anyway because of the character of her life.

We can’t promote this woman to our society. She is cast aside for one who is ambitious and self seeking. This is a woman of God’s standard, a woman of excellence by God’s grace.

This is a blog by a bloke. Unlike another blog with a similar name and address this is by an Australian Christian bloke.

When approaching theology, there is a distinct difference between contemporising your message and contextualising it. The concern of a theologian is how to maintain balance in presenting the message of Christianity from scripture amidst (and often against) the constant flux of culture and technology whilst avoiding obsolescence (i.e. contemporising) and compromise.

The abiding essence of Christian theology regardless of culture and context is the doctrine or teaching of scripture. i.e. the core biblical principles which are applicable regardless of time, location and background. Within this essence theology is not dependent upon the experience of the communicant or the extent of their sociological impact. Not everyone will have the contextual framework in which to receive those abiding timeless elements. (See Piper’s treatment of this) To attempt “contextualisation” in that event is impossible without changing the actual content of the teaching. The task of the theologian is to use contemporary language, the role of the Holy Spirit is to provide the context or framework. That’s (one reason) why preaching is considered “folly” to those that do not believe the gospel. You may be using all the current, trendy phrases you can conjure, but without the context set by the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of the hearer, your words will be as a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. The theologian needs to be contemporary in their language. However, they must avoid changing the content of the message in order to adapt it to (or sometimes force it into) the context or framework of a hearer that “has ears but does not hear”. The point of making theology contemporary is to guide discernment on the part of the audience and elicit their commitment, but ONLY as illuminated by The Holy Spirit.

One concern I have with striving excessively to contextualise theological content is that undue attention is given to the communicator instead of the WORD. Christians have become, in my opinion, a little too ‘celebrity-oriented’ towards gifted speakers and communicators. This endangers the average person from being willing to attempt communicating the gospel due to personal fear that they won’t do as good a job as “Person X”. Those speakers are great to listen to and can inspire and motivate, but at the end of the day they are merely ‘tending the garden’. Only Godcan change someones heart or understanding where spiritual comprehension is concerned.

Whilst the true or pure content of the theological cannon does not change (or should not) the method of delivery or communication of that content will be adapted to suit the culture and audience in order to convey, as accurately and succinctly as possible, the truth of that content without diluting the authority of Scripture.

In preparing or planning a theological methodology there are some basic steps that can be beneficial as sound guidance as noted by Erickson and can also double up as a basic hermeneutic philosophy:

1. Collection of Biblical Materials
This, at first, seems obvious. However it is as much concerned with the text as it is with lexicographical tools. This stage concerns basic or initial exegesis of the text. i.e. What does it say? Take the original language in so far as you are able and translate it into the context of the culture and audience that you intend to communicate it. This, depending on your skill and training in languages, may be the longest step or the shortest. However it should be the first step. There’s no point in determining your interpretation, application or theme until you have a level of confidence in what the text actually said.

2. Unification of Biblical Materials
Consider the broader context of the text, i.e. author, date, original audience etc, as well as how, in the broad sense, it fits systematically into Scripture. In other words check that you don’t treat it in complete isolation and apply some “private interpretation” that results in serious error.

3. Analysis of the Meaning of Biblical Teachings
Now you get to the interpretation part. Although at this point, you really should be considering the original context. e.g. Consider what Paul said specifically to the Christians living in Corinth in the 1st century before you consider how it applies to Christians living anywhere or at anytime.

4. Examination of Historical Treatments
This might involve consulting a commentary or two. How did our predecessors view and apply the text contemporaneously? What elements of their treatment was specific to their time? What elements are abiding and relevant now?

5. Consider Other Cultural Perspectives
With Internet access this is becoming increasingly easy. However with globalisation it also is becoming increasingly important, especially if you are communicating cross culturally. Learn to appreciate other perspectives. e.g. the Asian tradition of filial piety influences family relationships differently to Western society where “the needs of the child” are paramount and children can subpoena or divorce their parents if unsatisfied.

6. Identify the Essence of the Doctrine
By now you should be able to objectively segregate the main teaching and be ready to make a contemporary application.

7. Allow for Illumination from Extra-Biblical Resources
Whether they be language, cultural, historical, sociological, scientific or psychology, there may well be something that can serve to further explain or illustrate the text. e.g. consider the Roman concept of Adoption and how that influenced Paul’s explanation of our relationship to God in Romans 8.

8. Develop a Contemporary Expression of the Doctrine
Here’s where the current buzz-word comes into play - contextualise it I have frequently referenced my own adoption as well as our adoption of Lily as a means to explain, illustrate and understand the Biblical doctrine of adoption.

9. Develop a Central Interpretive Motif
This relates back to the concept of Systematic Theology. How do you order your understanding of theology? What is the underlying emphasis you employ to provide consistency or unity in your teaching?

10. Stratification
I think this point is very important. This is a really basic exercise, but it serves to prioritise the doctrine of the text both from a Systematic and Biblical perspective. It can also mitigate unhealthy preeminence being given to minor teachings or speculative conclusions. e.g. The doctrine of Scripture supersedes the identity of the “two witnesses” in Revelation 11. We all have our bias’ and ‘hobby horses’ which are fun to debate and speculate with friends but we need to guard against them dominating our theology and communication of truth.

Erickson raises a valid point in the first chapter of ‘Christian Theology’ when discussing The Starting Point of Theology. There is a dilemma in choosing whether to start with the idea of God or with the means of our knowledge of God. If you opt for one or the other it is easy to get trapped in circular reasoning.

If you start, as Aquinas did, with the assumption that God is readily proved by reason, then you justify the bible as a special revelation to be read and understood in order to know the nature of God and his relationship to man etc. To do this though involves a certain ‘leap’ from the idea of God to the idea that this same God has revealed himself specifically through the bible.

Alternatively if you insist, as Barth did, that knowledge of God only comes from the special revelation given in the bible. The problem with this is a flimsy foundation for any authority to be placed in the bible as the specific special revelation of God. Adherents of this view are more likely to appeal to evidentialism to argue that the internal evidence of the scripture demonstrates not only a supernatural origin but that it is in fact the specific and special revelation of God and is the means through which you can know God. As Erickson notes though you could, through the study of any well written literature establish an extensive study of the subject matter they deal with. For example, in the writings of J. K. Rowling you could produce a considerable detail on the nature and form and existence of “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”. Without any objective status, the Harry Potter books could represent reality. The bible, if represented with this line of argument, would present no better alternative.

Erickson proposes a thesis though that enables belief concerning God and the bible to be both reasonably established and scrutinised. Both God and his self-revelation are presupposed together as a single presupposition. There is no single antecedent. He quotes Bernard Ramm:

“There exists one Triune God, loving, all-powerful, holy, all-knowing, who has revealed himself in nature, history, and human personality, and in those acts and words which are now preserved in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.”

From this a theology is formulated which in turn reflects in an adherents’ worldview and can be tested for veracity. On the basis of this thesis the Christian Presuppositionalist can stand with confidence as having a reasonable basis to present the reality of God as presented in the bible and account for man’s responsibility towards God. This means the Christian is not a self-appointed authority on matters of faith and also means the reality of God is not something left to the judgement of an individual non-believer or believer who wants to argue against the thesis. It also provides a freedom for a Christian to not be obligated or forced to feel shame that they do not have an exhaustive knowledge of God. Rather they are able to pursue the development of elaborating their systematic theology which will grow and develop as their knowledge and experience of God through the bible deepens over time.

A recent study in the New Testament book of ‘Hebrews’ has given rise to consideration of why anyone should accept Christ as superior to other religious leaders and their teachings and beliefs. ‘Hebrews’ is written, predominantly, to first century Jews struggling with how their new faith fulfilled or superseded their previous Mosaic system and also to those who for a variety of reasons had opportunity to research the life and claims of Christ and yet still decide to reject him as their Lord and were opting instead for another religion (usually some form or variation of Judaism). It is also written to those who for whatever reasons were indifferent to Christ, this provides the parallel or contextualisation if you will to current 20th-21st century culture.

The author asserts that Christ is superior in his person and work in every aspect. This is not just applicable to ancient and modern Judaism but also to modern main stream religions, (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc) but also to any number of mystical or new age alternatives and to the ever popular secularism. What follows are some condensed notes (borrowed largely from a MacArthur Study Guide) introducing the discussion of Christ’s superiority. Hopefully they will provide some incentive for further thought and debate.

The recipients
There were three basic types of people in view throughout this epistle.

a) Hebrews who were intellectually convinced and committed to Christ
The book of Hebrews was written to give confidence to floundering believers. They had been raised in Judaism, but they received Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The result was tremendous hostility. They were ostracized from their families, persecuted by their own countrymen, and suffered greatly.

They should have been mature, but they weren’t. They had no confidence. They were in danger of returning to the patterns of Judaism. They were not in danger of losing their salvation, but they were in danger of confusing their salvation with legalism. They couldn’t make a clear-cut break between the New Covenant in Christ and all the ceremonies and patterns of their old life in Judaism. These people had gone beyond Judaism by receiving Jesus Christ, but they were still hanging on to many of the Judaistic rituals that had been so much a part of their life. That’s understandable when their friends and countrymen were persecuting them. They were in great danger of creating a ritualistic, legalistic Christianity. The temptation was to bolster their faith in Christ with trappings of Mosaic ritual. Similar to a child when learning how to swim lacks confidence and wants to rely on floatation devices, if they are to develop in their swimming ability they must let go and strengthen their body and breathing. Likewise a Christian must let go of religiosity and cling to Christ!

b) Hebrews who were intellectually convinced – but had no commitment to Christ
They are only half way there. With Christianity, there are no halfway houses. These people knew the truth about Christ, but never committed themselves to it. You’ve probably met people like that–they are intellectually convinced that Christ is who He claimed to be, but they’re not willing to put their faith in Him because they refuse to acknowledge their inability to save themselves and cast themselves upon the grace of God! This group is guilty of the greatest sin anyone can commit, Rejecting Christ.
Chapter 10, verse 26 says, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” Hebrews 10:26

c) Hebrews who were neither convinced nor committed to Christ - Indifferent
In Hebrews 9 He speaks directly to those people: In verses 27-28 he says,
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

The purpose of the book of Hebrews is three-fold. First, it affirms the finality or completion of Christianity as a revelation. The author states that Christianity is the ultimate, final revelation from God. There is no requirement for a subsequent revelation beyond the closed canon of scripture.

Secondly, the book of Hebrews was written to show the symbolical or typical character of the Mosaic Law and its regulations. By typical, we mean ‘type’ or ‘example.’ The Old Testament sacrificial, and priestly system was an ‘example’ of Jesus Christ.

Third, Hebrews warns against apostasy. The Jews at this time faced two realms of apostasy that needed to be addressed. First, there were those Jews who came to believe in Christ, but because of the pressures put on them, they returned to Judaism. Many of us who have come to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour may feel pressured by societal mores to return to the church/religion where we were born / raised. If we do not return, we are told that we are breaking cultural and family tradition and deserting the links to our heritage. The author’s message to the Hebrews is ‘you can not go back’. If you do, you have not fully understood the revelation of God given through Jesus Christ.

The second realm of apostasy that existed was the turning back of those who never fully came to trust Christ as Lord and Saviour. They had progressed along, evaluating the person of Christ, and the revelation given in Him, but then they turned back to Judaism before they experienced salvation.

The theme of the book of Hebrews can be stated in three words: ‘Christ Is Superior.’ Hebrews demonstrates that Christ is superior in His work, in His person, and in everything connected with Judaism. The point of the author is to prove this fact to the Hebrews by demonstrating Christ’s superiority in the context of Old Testament revelation. Therefore, it is paramount that we understand this point. If the book of Hebrews is correct, the revelation of Jesus Christ supersedes everything and everyone else. It resolves all the questions regarding the other world religions, other worship practices, and the lost people who do not respond to the truth of the Gospel. Everything is measured in the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 1, VERSE 1
The author jumps right away to the first area of Christ’s superiority over the Old Testament Prophets and over the angels. There is no attempt to convey the fact that God has already revealed Himself. The fact that God is a superior being who communicates to man through prophets is already assumed. This a presuppositional presentation, it is not seeking to defend or debate the ultimate cause or truth, rather speaks from the position of truth. Those that come to God must first believe that “he is”. You cannot argue someone into faith; it is a work of God the Holy Spirit.

The writer says, ‘ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets…’ We are told that God ’spoke’ by the prophets. The emphasis is on the manner of God’s speaking. He wants to contrast two kinds of revelation: inferior and superior. The inferior manner of revelation as seen in verse1 - the Old Testament manner of revelation is compared to the superior manner of revelation - the revelation of Jesus Christ in verse 2.

The Religion Box - an illustration courtesy of John MacArthur.
You and I live in a natural box–we are bound by our existence in time and space. Outside our natural box is the supernatural. Deep down, we know the supernatural exists outside of ourselves, but we can’t know anything about it on our own. There are people who want to discover the supernatural, so they start a religion. They run to the edge of the box and try to chisel holes in it. They figure that a hole will let them crawl out of the box and find God. The various religions of the world are all trying to accomplish the same thing– to escape the natural and enter the supernatural. But there’s one problem: No one can do it. The natural man cannot escape into the supernatural.

You can’t take your clothes off in a phone booth and come out Superman. You cannot transcend your natural existence. If you are ever to know anything about God, it will not be because you escaped to God, but that He spoke to you. You cannot discover God anymore than a bug could understand me. We can’t even condescend to a bug’s level, but God can condescend to ours. He literally became a man and burst into the box to tell us about Himself. That’s what revelation is all about.

Every religion in the world is man’s backward attempt to jump out of the box. But Christianity takes the opposite approach: Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost ” (Luke 19:10). When God burst into the box, He did so in a human form. The name of that human form was Jesus Christ. That’s the difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world. Many people think you can believe in any religion you want. However, you won’t find God by doing so. Every religion is man’s attempt to discover God. Christianity is God bursting into man’s world and telling man what He is like. Man is incapable of comprehending, identifying, or understanding God at all on his own. God must first invade his world. And He did!

Chapter 1, VERSE 2a
Now, the superseding revelation encompasses all other revelation given to that point. This is the point in verse 2a. The writer says (regarding God),
‘… but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…’

God speaks to us the same way today - through His Son. Hebrews was written to teach us what God has to say about His Son. But the problem is that many people today will act just like the Jews concerning the revelation of God. Just as the Jews refused to recognize new revelation, so too, many people today are missing the revelation that God has given us in His Word. What a tragedy.

The next statement the author makes in the first part of verse 2 is that God has spoken to us ‘…by His Son.’ One will notice that in verse 1 God spoke by ‘the prophets.’ Now in verse 2, the definite article ‘the’ is lacking. The emphasis instead is on the relationship between Christ and God, Christ’s ‘Son-ness’ if you will. He is not ‘the prophets,’ rather He is ‘Son’ of God. A prophet is a messenger, while Christ is THE MESSAGE!

So, as a personal challenge, you might be a professing believer, you might attend a Bible teaching church, you might have been baptized, but that is not the issue. The issue is, have you come to understand that Jesus Christ, the revelation of God, died a horrible death on the cross, and will provide eternal salvation for you, the moment you place your faith in Him alone as your personal Saviour? If you do not do this, you are like the Jews who ignored and rejected His revelation, and are deserving of eternal punishment from God. The time of Salvation is today. Do not wait a second longer.

(The following is a transcript of a talk I presented at Allowera Baptist Church on Palm Sunday 2008, March 16)

For several hundred years, Palm Sunday has held a place of significance in the Christian Calendar. It precedes Easter Sunday and in some tradition it also marks the end of a 40 day period of fasting and contrition known as Lent. Growing up as a Catholic, I distinctly remember Palm Sunday celebrations. All the children were given small palm leaves to wave as the procession of Christ into Jerusalem was celebrated and we marked the end of our sacrifice in Lent. I remember asking the priest to bless my palm leaf and rosary in order that by some means unknown I might receive some special grace through association and contact with these items.

Historically, the first Palm Sunday also held supreme significance in the Jewish calendar. For on this exact day a prophecy taking 483 years to complete would be fulfilled by the revelation and presentation of the messiah to Israel. This was foretold by Daniel the Prophet in Daniel 9:24 – 27. The seventy weeks are understood to be weeks of years and the end of the 69^th week, when the messiah would be identified, came exactly to the day that Christ entered Jerusalem. The reaction of the people to Christ seems at first to be opposed to receiving him as messiah until you carefully read verse 26 and understand, that by rejecting and crucifying Christ, scriptural prophecy was fulfilled further confirming him as the promised messiah.

The section of scripture in Matthew provides a juxtaposition of the reasons behind why people seek Christ and their subsequent response once Christ is presented to them. In these comparison’s we can analyse our own motivations for seeking and serving Christ.

Prestige versus Perception – Matthew 20:17 – 34

Initially Jesus is being quite plain and open in explaining precisely what is about to happen as part of the work he accomplishing for his Father. In John’s gospel where a parallel account is given of these same events, John now a much older man notes:

John 12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

Sometimes regardless of how plainly or simply something in scripture appears we will be completely blind or choose to ignore what is said. Our hubris or arrogance gets in the way and we refuse to accept that scripture is not in and of itself just another ancient text. Paul said, “These things are spiritually discerned”. Isaiah said, “Having ears they will not hear, having eyes they will not see”. But the Psalmist said, “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things in your law”. We cannot but approach or respond to the text without our preconceptions, bias and slated agenda. If we’re clever and have been around Church, Sunday School, Youth Group etc for a few years, we know the lingo, we understand the nuances and subtleties and we can hoist a façade of spirituality and we can even force a few verses from the bible to justify our bold display of ignorance, insensitivity, lack of compassion and out right stupidity. However on occasion, we can be completely stubborn and reject everything we know to right and pure and just and go along blissfully. This is what James and John have done in this instance.

They were a few days away from Passover. This is the third time Jesus has given them notice of his approaching sufferings. He was not going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover; he was going to Jerusalem because He WAS the Passover! He has specifically, sought to draw them aside privately so as to have a quite intimate discussion with them to explain what is about to happen. This is the culmination in the Fathers plan of redemption for all mankind and you guys have the inside story. But all James and John can think about is what personal gain can they accomplish. Where is the recognition and prestige for their efforts? In his response Jesus uses the opportunity to explain that Christianity is not about personal glory, it is about God’s glory.

When compared with the request by the blind men – who rightly acknowledge who Jesus is ahead of the procession that is about to take place. All they ask for is perception. Who are the real blind men in this scenario? Those that choose ignore Christ in favour of their own agenda or those that seek to worship him? We can ask the same thing at a corporate level as a ministry team and church body. In the activities you seek to pursue and promote, what is your agenda? Are you stuck in a rut? Are you stubbornly doing the same thing over and over because it just has to be done because you’re a slave to tradition or are you prayerfully seeking to be sensitive to God’s direction?

The Prophecy, The Procession and The Praise – Matthew 21:1 – 9

For the majority of the preceding 3 years, Jesus had suppressed the urge among the people to exalt him publicly as a hero, eluding them at the scenes of miracles, spending time in more obscure villages and less prominent locations throughout Israel. When the 5000 had been fed, he sped across the lake to escape their honours. He exemplified what he had taught his disciples about not seeking prestige and preference but went about doing the Father’s will in order to accomplish, God’s purpose and agenda. So it may seem at first that his lapse in receiving praise was contrary to the earlier mode of operation. Yet as we read, this too is part of God’s purpose in enlightening and clarifying that he, the Son of Man and Son of David was the Son of God and was the fulfilment of hundreds of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

In Daniel a prophecy had been given telling that 483 years to the day, from the decree of Cyrus, Messiah would be announced immediately before being cut off from the people. Jesus has already explained the purpose of entering Jerusalem was in order to be crucified. In conjunction with this, Zechariah predicted the arrival of Messiah into Jerusalem was to be on the back of the foal of a donkey. Not on a large white war horse as may have been the custom of conquering hero’s but in humility as the Servant of the Lord. Christ had a singular purpose to accomplish the desire of God the Father. He was resolute.

Luke 9:51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

The praise of the People may be attributed to the acclaim he had previously avoided. We know from the other 3 gospel accounts that many in the crowd that day had sought him out because of what had recently happened with Lazarus in Bethany. So while the shouts of the people may have partly euphoric, they also betrayed a fickle aspect of human character. We note in verse 8, “most of the crowd”, (in the ESV) so perhaps not all were pleased to herald the arrival of Christ in this manner. How many of this same crowd were amongst those a few days later when their voices cried in unison, “Crucify Him”? Perhaps the reasons for their change of heart we due in part to a lack or refusal to understand the purpose and place of God’s Kingdom on earth. It was not a political organisation. It was not an empire of merchandise and trade. It was not the establishment of a new republic that would overthrow the current Roman government. All of these things fly in the face of what we often seek to establish for ourselves in the name of Christ and Christianity.

Whilst there may be no sound argument against the idea that serving Christ produces fulfilment, satisfaction and even occasionally enjoyment, these are not the primary objectives of a servant of God. One of the foundational problems with a philosophy or theology that promotes prosperity and success as the purpose of both the individual Christian and the Church as both a local body and institution is that it contradicts and countermands the teaching and example of Christ. By doing so, you exchange the empty materialistic pursuits of secularism or the bondage of a regimented idolatrous religious system with an equally religious and equally idolatrous system that has self prestige as the ultimate goal. There is no occasion for true selfless compassion or equitable justice and there is certainly no promise of spiritual restoration and salvation.

The Perplexity – Matthew 21:10 – 17

It follows that upon the arrival of Christ in Jerusalem that the reception was agitated. The term in verse 10 describes an agitated ground swell of emotion, curiosity, and even irritation. The term is also used to describe the environmental effects of an earthquake. This is not a subtle reaction. When God intrudes upon our life we often employ the euphemism of being “shaken” by the events. Events transpire that spoil our plans or refuse to fit into our sphere of control and safety because when God rocks our world he more often than not does so in an unexpected manner.

Heralded as the miracle working Messiah, Jesus is lauded into Jerusalem by the crowds – clearly not expecting him to act the way he did when he arrived. He did not congratulate their enterprise and creativity in building a successful self funding temple ministry program. Instead he busted up the party.

The reaction of the leaders is worthy of note. It says they were “indignant”. That is a polite way of saying they were “ticked off”. When people don’t behave in a manner that we consider acceptable we get annoyed and self-righteous. Exactly the same thing happened with the disciples only a few hours earlier (Matt 20:24). It is very easy to fall into the trap of expecting God to act within the bounds of our control and then get upset when he doesn’t. Whether it is expressed through the way others behave toward or around us or some other circumstance we experience, our anger and indignation is often misdirected against other people and against events when we should be examining ourselves with the same level of criticism as in reality we are rejecting God’s work in our lives to his greater purpose. All of the frustrations and shortness of temper we feel is due to either unreasonable or selfish expectations of others and of God himself. God’s wisdom completely contradicts ours and we need a constant reprimand (or in the terms of scripture; reproved, rebuked and exhorted with long suffering and doctrine) in order to renew our mind so that we willingly surrender to His transformation in our heart and spirit.

Recently I had the honour of being invited to counsel with a young couple from our Church. I also spoke at their wedding ceremony last weekend. What follows is an amended version of my talk. The names of any potential guilty parties have been removed
Prior to this the last time I spoke at a wedding it was the “shotgun type” and we were in the tropics of Kenya, East Africa. Certainly not the case today with this young couple (D&M) as both came together out of a strong devotion to Christ and love to each other to make this public and legal commitment to each other before God in the presence of witnesses. For it is as witnesses they had come, not just to observe the wonder of an amazingly beautiful bride or to check the form of the handsome groom, but to witness and support this couple as they take this step of faith and enter into a covenant of marriage.

This was something I want the congregation to consider as they observe the proceedings, took photos and enjoyed the celebration, particularly those of whom were married. Can you recall the nervousness and anxiety you had on your own wedding day? Can you still conjure the sensation of excitement and elated love you had towards your future spouse as you went through the ceremony? Most importantly, do you remember the vows you exchanged and how you really focused on each and every word because you wanted to be deliberate and sincere before you proclaimed, “I do”? At that point you felt invulnerable, you felt as though there was nothing that would defeat your love. What does it take to reignite that and regain what perhaps may have grown cold or indifferent over time? How do ensure, and how do you intend to encourage any couple venturing into the world of marriage to ensure they maintain their passion, commitment and love? Will you pray for them? Will you hold them accountable in this most important of earthly contracts? Will you stand by them when the tough times come? Will you provide them an example of how a real passionate marriage not only gets through trials but smashes them and comes up stronger and deeper and more madly in love than previously?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could bottle the excitement the couple had right then during the ceremony and mix it into an elixir that you sip from each morning and each night to refresh, reinvigorate and reignite your own marriage? I exhort you, through the renewing of your mind and remembrance of what happened on your own wedding day. Whether it is the doom of seemingly insurmountable bills, news of a terminal illness or the kids screaming in the background, you are faced with a choice. You can snap, bite and devour each other or you can remember the joy and love and commitment you made not only to each other but to Christ and choose to press forward in love and renew your commitment to each other and to Christ and declare your intention to stay true to your vows.

We are told in scripture that marriage is a picture of what Christ accomplished for us as the church. His love endured the pain and suffering of the cross so that he might betroth himself to his bride and thereby wash and cleanse her and provide the gift of salvation. In his humanity he could have stepped aside, he could have discarded us as ungrateful, belligerent and undeserving, but his love could not be defeated and as a result we enjoy the promise of redemption.

The husband is charged with the headship of his new home and as Christ so loved the church and literally gave himself for it, so he is to love his bride sacrificially, and give his entire self to and for her. When you say, “I do” you don’t just get a free ticket to the honeymoon suite. You the whole package! You get to put up with at least one bad week out of four for the rest of your life; you get to always be reminded to put the seat down; to always put the socks and smalls in the basket; to learn what it means to really listen and empathise and always lead the way in how your family will serve and relate to God and how in tenderness you will honour and serve your wife.

The bride now has an opportunity to exemplify the response of the church to Christ and place herself willingly at her husband’s side and as she binds herself to him, enjoying the blessing of his godly leadership. You also get the package deal and have the privilege of putting up with football and golf dominating the TV; you relinquish the opportunity to ever use a remote control again; you lovingly and patiently wait on the Lord when it’s time for your husband to make a decision and put your faith in Christ through him by following his leadership.

One thing, commonly missing from wedding vows, but critical to a successful marriage, especially one that will truly example the relationship between Christ and Church is the word “forgive”. You both, in sinful selfishness are going to mess up in the next few decades, but if you are sincere and genuine in your vows today and through your public declaration are determined to endure anything for the joy that is set before you then through Christ you will be most blessed.

Our Church just recently started a new service called “Sunday Nite Live”. Not such a big deal you might say. However in conservation circles we move in, it’s quite revolutionary. Especially when one of the features of the service is the music played by the band. That’s right a band! Including, *shudder* a drum kit! Now this might seem quaint and out dated for many, but again in cconservative evangelical Australia the use of drums is still viewed by many as taboo. After all they’re evil and they drown out the spirit of God and definitely aren’t found in the Bible! … or are they?!

First, just to clarify, in case anyone thought otherwise… I thought the new Sunday evening service went very well!

Now… I had always been one of those that held the “drums were not mentioned or used in the Bible” position. Not necessarily naively, I had looked into it before (briefly) - especially whilst in Kenya as drums featured prominently in African music. However I had not formulated a strong opinion or defence either way. Certainly the concept of the modern drum is not found in scripture. When you consider the cultural and ethnic differences of the Middle East 2-3000 years ago and modern Western Society this is not that big a deal and doesn’t prove or justify in the slightest a defensible position either side of the “drum debate”.

However a bit of a search in a few different translations (uh-oh I guess I’m already in trouble eh?!) shows the term “hand-drum” used to translate the Hebrew word “toph” in Exodus 15:20 as one of the instruments used to accompany Miriam’s psalm. Most versions however translate it as a “timbrel”.

One old commentary (Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible) explains the timbrel or “toph” thus:

“a timbrel–or “tabret”–a musical instrument in the form of a hoop, edged round with rings or pieces of brass to make a jingling noise and covered over with tightened parchment like a drum. It was beat with the fingers, and corresponds to our tambourine.”

Another (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Dr. John Gill 1690-1771) says:

“timbrels were a sort of drums or tabrets, which being beat upon gave a musical sound, somewhat perhaps like our kettledrums;” (read more about Kettle Drums here)

Now regardless of how you frame it - whatever this “toph” instrument was - it was a skin stretched over a ring or box of some kind that you beat! In 21st Century speak - any street vox pop would resoundingly tell you that describes a drum!

With that in mind, consider the significance of the following verses:

Psa 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

Psa 150:3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Psa 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Psa 150:5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

And just to be safe that’s the KJV translation. (oh, and John Gill, quoted above, was Charles Spurgeon’s predecessor in London and was an ultra cconservative Baptist pastor - ie one of the hero’s of the conservative evangelical movement!)

By the way, I thought the use of the instruments was very subtle in our new Sunday night service. The singers featured more prominently from where I was sitting, and at times I wasn’t even sure if any of the instruments, other than the keyboard were being used. So whilst the diehards might still find fault - someone will always fill this role no matter what you do (!), I thought the presentation was balanced and effective and honouring to the Lord. Well done to all involved! I hope they don’t wait so long for the next one

Either way you are still out!

It has been a long time since I heard anyone speak on the topic of Christian workers becoming burnt out. There was a time when the issue was only discussed negatively, brow beating those feeling pressured to ’shape up or ship out’. I once heard the phrase used, “I would rather burn out than rust out”. This mindset ignores the fact that either way you are out and of no use to yourself, others or God.

However, even when most are conscious of the western (capitalist) culture distinctives of being time-poor, having to work extra long hours to make ends meet etc, little is said from the pulpit on burn out. The corporate environment has focused on work-life balance and for large companies seeking to expand their workforce, advantages of flexible work hours, working from home and part time opportunities are touted as benefits to assist in reducing pressure on employees and helping them maintain a balance between their work and non-work life and responsibilities. There are also claims that having work-life balance measures in place results in improved morale, increased productivity and longer tenure of valuable employees. The companies I have worked for within the IT&T sector in Australia have both had attractive life benefits that made the job more enjoyable. Whilst not the number one priority when looking for a job, it has caused me to pause when considering a job change. When I look for another job, aside from the career and salary benefits I will also weigh up the other intangible benefits. Can I manage my own start and finish times? May I freely work from home when I need to look after my daughter? Can I take flexible time off in lieu of overtime without having to reduce my paid annual leave entitlement? Etc. When it comes to participation in Church activities and ministries though there does not appear to be the same advantages or benefits.

Perhaps this is because offering flexible participation options would be construed as counter productive to the Church leadership. For instance, if part time Children’s Teachers are sought to share responsibility and effort of taking a 1 hour children’s class each week then more qualified people will be needed. Instead of having 1 teacher and 1 helper you now need to find 2 or 3 teachers and 2 or 3 helpers in order to share the work and provide each with relief to protect them from burn out, stress and other problems that arise. The scarcity of workers soon grows exponentially into a large problem that can cripple any church. If more workers are needed, then extra people have to recruit and train them. There are logistical challenges that arise, with the coordination and supply of teaching curriculum, crafts, activities, reward schemes, consistency for the children in teaching styles and discipline and so forth. If the principle of job sharing is applied consistently across other areas, then all of a sudden you have multiple people involved with the sound system, music, adult teaching, youth groups etc. When, as often is the case, only 20% of the congregation is capable of and adequate skilled and qualified to perform these tasks and responsibilities your workforce resources very quickly dissolve and the resulting effect is that while ‘Joe & Mary’ are part time Children’s teachers, they are also part time musicians and part time youth workers thus effectively having to be involved with ministry responsibilities every week anyway. It becomes a counter productive process. People still become exhausted, and when they are looking to reduce some of the pressures in their life, rather than cut back on work hours with their employer and risk reducing their income, they are going to set aside some or all of their Church associated responsibilities.

Pastors and leaders have the in-enviable role of trying to motivate and equip people to become more involved in order to support the growth of the Church numerically and qualitatively. Those already involved feel guilty and pressured about not being involved enough and those that have stopped for a break feel guilty about having broken down or in some cases become angry that they feel they are expected to become involved again to the point of having an emotional or physical breakdown. At what point within a theological economy does the Church and inevitably the leaders, stop to ask the question whether what they are doing is right? If a Church is indeed the work of Christ and the appointed institution responsible for fulfilling the commission of evangelism and discipleship, then would the maxim (cliche) of, what God designs or decrees he enables and equips to come to pass, apply? Alternatively, God wants it to happen so he will provide the means (& the people) to make it happen! I am making some presuppositions about the operation and fulfillment of God’s purpose and design with the Church, however the principle should apply that if God wants a Church to have a Children’s Teaching class then he will ensure qualified, enthusiastic, equipped people are available to teach the class, not to mention some children to attend the class Western Churches have reached an point, which I do not agree with, where certain activities are assumed to be compulsory, without which the Church is incomplete and inadequate and this to their detriment. When will the leaders stop to ask if they are doing right? Is it being overly pragmatic, and therefore insensitive or even sacrilegious to suggest that, for example, if there are not sufficient qualified teachers, then it is not right to have a Children’s class? Unfortunately, the majority of leaders will view themselves and will be viewed by their peers, as failures if they close down an activity for this reason. They return instead to recruitment drives, trying to motivate listeners into becoming more involved.

In a corporate environment, a business will make objective decisions about discontinuing products and services that are not profitable. If money is being lost of producing a certain item, then the logical approach is to review way of improving the process so that money is not lost or failing improvement remove or discontinue the item. I do not advocate that Church should be managed like a business. The Church does not exist to make a profit! It does exist to be profitable in the development of peoples spiritual growth and the evangelism and discipleship of the community. If, due to insufficient qualified workers, this objective is not achieved then there must come a time in the interests of preservation that hard questions must be asked by leaders about whether their efforts could be invested elsewhere. This does not mean that the leadership decision process becomes a cold and dispassionate exercise. There may well be occasions when it is the right thing to press on with a ministry activity in the face of failure. However that situation usually applies when there are sufficient qualified and enthusiastic workers and the activity is not producing any, or very little, visible growth response and the workers are willing and capable of pressing on. When the impact of an activity is compromising the health of the workers then I submit that leaders should reconsider whether that activity is appropriate.