Category: Practical

Does a life of faith always lead to a life of ease?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

In their book Health, Wealth, and Happiness David Jones and Russell Woodbridge, open by saying,

A new gospel is being taught today. This new gospel is perplexing. Instead of promising Christ, this gospel promises health and wealth…According to this new gospel, if believers repeat positive confession, focus their thoughts, and generate enough faith, God will release blessings, upon their lives. This new gospel claims that God desires and even promises that believers will live a healthy and financially prosperous life.”[1]

While these authors ultimately go on to show that is false teaching, there are many people who believe what these authors have described. Some even come to faith in Christ because they think it will provide them with a life of ease – a life free from pain, worry, difficulty, and hardship. But is that the case?

Does a Life of Faith Always Lead to a Life of Ease?

Well, I believe when we look at the latter part of Hebrews 11, the teaching is clear: A life of faith does not always lead to a life of ease (Heb. 11:32-40). If you remember, chapter 11 is considered the hall of faith. The chapter highlights for us the faith of the great saints of old. Near the end of the chapter as the author begins to wrap things up, he recounts for us in rapid fashion some of the things the saints of old faced. We are told they experienced war, injustice, lions, fire, torture, imprisonment, hunger, and even death.

If you remember, chapter 11 is considered the hall of faith. The chapter highlights for us the faith of the great saints of old. Near the end of the chapter as the author begins to wrap things up, he recounts for us in rapid fashion some of the things the saints of old faced. We are told they experienced war, injustice, lions, fire, torture, imprisonment, hunger, and even death.

Even though they faced these things, some of these faithful saints, by the power of God prevailed. Beginning in verse 32 we read,

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Heb 11:32–34)

However, if you keep going in the text, you see a different picture. Beginning in verse 35, we learn that:

“…Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Heb 11:35–38)

Reading the latter verses may cause you to think that the faith of those who suffered and died wasn’t as strong as those who conquered, but that is not true. Their faith was just as strong. They made it into the hall of faith after all. What this teaches us, then, is that living a life of faith doesn’t always mean we are going to live a life of ease.

What About Those Who Preach a “Best Life Now” Theology?

Those who preach and teach a “best life now” theology for the faithful are simply preaching a false gospel. One that is foreign to Scripture. Scripture never claims that our life if going to be great now. After all, the founder of our faith was lied about, attacked, and ultimately nailed to a cross. As His followers, we can expect something similar. Jesus tells us just that in John 15:20,

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” (Jn 15:20a)

Living a life of faith, then, doesn’t always mean we are going to live a life of ease. It is crucial we take hold of that truth as we enter these tumultuous times.

The Times are Changing

As Christian Americans, we have experienced a number of years of freedom and peace. For the vast majority of us, persecution has been limited to sneers, jeers, and name calling. Times, however, are rapidly changing. Just consider some of the current headlines:

As these headlines from the last week make clear, the cultural and sexual revolution is pushing forward at an unprecedented pace. A pace that is causing Religious Liberty and Erotic Liberty to clash head on. As these two ideologies collide, persecution of the faithful is bound to occur, just like it did in biblical times and throughout Church History. A life of ease for the faithful, even the relative ease we have experienced in this country, may soon be coming to an end.

As we see the slow (or rapid) fade of a persecution-free life take place before our eyes, we need to think hard about what we believe because a “Best Life Now” theology won’t provide the hope, encouragement, and strength we need to hold fast to the faith when persecution is knocking at our door.

Question for Reflection

  1. Does your theology provide you the hope and strength you need to face persecution?

Resources

[1] Health, Wealth, and Happiness David Jones and Russell Woodbridge, 14-15.

[2] See also for in-depth commentary on these issues http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/08/02/briefing-08-02-16/ and http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/08/03/briefing-08-03-16/

Post adapted from my sermon: Is a Life of Faith Always a Life of Ease?

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How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, PracticalLeave a comment

Every month I attend a networking luncheon of like-minded pastors in my area. Over the years, it has proven to be a great time of fellowship and group learning. Each month, as we gather, we not only have a meal with one another but we discuss a particular topic in an effort to sharpen one another’s ministry. The last time we gathered our topic was evangelism. The question that guided our discussion was: How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith? Our group consists not only of seasoned pastors but church planters as well. As we discussed the question, helpful ideas came from both groups. Some of these are ideas I had thought about before, but others were new.

(1) Coach a team

Almost every city has an opportunity and need for little league coaches. Not only is coaching a great way to give back to your community, but it is an excellent way to get to know kids and parents in the area, who you might not otherwise run across.

(2) Be intentional about getting to know your neighbors and using your home

If we are honest, it’s easy to stay in our family bubble once we get home from a long, hard days work. For the most part, that is not a bad thing. We need to spend time with our family relaxing, but we can’t forget about the Great Commission. Instead of holding up in the house or playing in the backyard out of sight from our neighbors, we should try to move some of our activities to the front yard where we can more easily engage those who live next to us. Once we meet our neighbors, we should invite them over to hang out, watch the game, have dinner, or have their kids over to play with ours. Getting to know their name is only the beginning. If we want to impact their life for Christ, we have to spend time with them.

(3) Be a part of events in your community

One of the church planters in our group rents a space at the YMCA. His church intentionally attends, works, or hosts a booth at almost every event the Y holds. Being involved in these events has allowed them the opportunity to meet a much larger cross section of the community and impact people’s lives for Christ than they would have been able to do by hosting their own events. Besides the increased connection with non-believers, piggy-backing on an already planned event takes the load off organizing and hosting your own event, which gives you more time to focus on the connections you have forged, the people in your church, and your Sunday Service.

(4) Work at a club in your area

Another pastor in our group volunteers his time at the Boys and Girls Club near his house. Not only has he been able to get to know a number of the kids there, but he has also been able to connect with the Director, which has opened up other opportunities. His church has been able to host a VBS at the club and invite those who normally attend to participate.

(5) Be aware of the people God continually puts in your life

Every day we encounter others in our community. Sometimes we come across the same people regularly. When that happens, don’t think it is a coincide. Rather, recognize it for what it is – someone God has placed in your life that He wants you to get to know. So don’t let what seems like a coincidental encounter be wasted, get to know the person.

(6) Video testimonies

Having someone who recently came to Christ through your ministries evangelistic efforts share their testimony is a great way to encourage and spur those in your church to persevere at the task. I suggest videos because they can be edited for time and shown easily in a service and on social media.

(7) Record the number of last week’s gospel conversations in your bulletin

Another pastor in our group has begun to lead his church to talk to as many people about Christ as they can each week (as we all should!). In order to encourage his congregation to take every opportunity to spread the gospel, he quit recording last week’s tithe numbers in the bulletin and replaced them with the number of gospel presentations his members made that last week. Each Sunday he uses that number to either encourage his congregation to do more or keep up the good work.

Question for Reflection

  1. What are other ways to increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

Resource

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How Can You Increase Your Faith?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8)

Lately, I have been meditating on this text in order to increase my faith in God.

What is faith?

It is popular to think of faith as a blind leap in the dark, but faith is far from a blind leap in the dark. It not only involves knowledge and belief, certainly those things are necessary for faith to exist. We can’t exercise faith in something we don’t know about, nor can we exercise faith in something we don’t believe is true, so we must have knowledge and belief.

Faith, however, involves more. Faith involves us actually trusting in and relying on God, His promises, His plan of salvation, which means we can say we are exercising faith until we take our hands off our life and allow God to guide and direct us. Faith requires us to fully trust in God for life and godliness. It involves us relying on Jesus alone for salvation, trusting that He really did pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, and He really did restore our relationship with the Father. There are no works left to be done, no debt left to be paid, Jesus has done it all, He has paid it all.   Faith requires full surrender. It requires us to fully and completely trust in and rely on God for everything in our life including His plan for our salvation. When we do those things, we are exercising faith.

Faith, then, requires us to fully trust in God for life and godliness. It involves us relying on Jesus alone for salvation, trusting that He really did pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, and He really did restore our relationship with the Father. There are no works left to be done, no debt left to be paid, Jesus has done it all, He has paid it all. Faith requires full surrender. It requires us to fully and completely trust in and rely on God for everything in our life including His plan for our salvation. When we do those things, we are exercising faith.

With that in mind I hope you can see why this passage is so powerful. How it can help us grow in our faith. The more we know about God, His character, promises, and the more we see Him fulfill His promises, both in Scripture and in our lives, our faith in Him will grow.

If you are struggling in your faith or want to grow your faith, as we all should, take some time this week to meditate on this Psalm with me.

Question for Reflection

  1. What are you doing to grow in your faith?

Resources

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How Should Christians Work? – Part 5

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Leadership, PracticalLeave a comment

Work, it’s something we do a lot of. I am not sure if you have ever figured it up, but on a 40 hour work week, you will spend over 2,000 hours a year working. Over 30 years that amounts to roughly 62,000 hours or 2,600 straight days at work. I think it is safe to say that work is a big part of our lives.

Work is also a necessary part of our lives because without work we wouldn’t survive. We have to pay for the place live, the food we eat, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, and the things we do. So work is not only a big part of our lives, it’s a necessity.

Since we work so much, and retirement is far away for most of us, it’s important we have a biblical understanding of work.

How Should Christians Work?

(5) As Christians, employers must recognize they are ultimately accountable to God

In the second half of verse 1 of chapter 4, Paul says this,

“…knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Col 4:1b)

Just as employees are accountable to God and should work for Him, so should employers. They too have a master in heaven that they are answerable to. Knowing they are accountable to God should drive how they treat and interact with their employees.

Conclusion

So as we have seen, work is a big part of our day and life. We are going to spend at least 62 thousand hours working. As Christians, we can’t separate our church life from our work life. They two have to be one. We have to allow the Bible to influence the way we work.

While we don’t have time in this post to cover all the ways the Bible should influence our work, applying these five ideas are a good start.

Question for Reflection

  1. Are you working from a Christian perspective?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon How Should We Work from a Christian Perspective?

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How Should Christians Work? – Part 4

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Leadership, PracticalLeave a comment

Work, it’s something we do a lot of. I am not sure if you have ever figured it up, but on a 40 hour work week, you will spend over 2,000 hours a year working. Over 30 years that amounts to roughly 62,000 hours or 2,600 straight days at work. I think it is safe to say that work is a big part of our lives.

Work is also a necessary part of our lives because without work we wouldn’t survive. We have to pay for the place live, the food we eat, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, and the things we do. So work is not only a big part of our lives, it’s a necessity.

Since we work so much, and retirement is far away for most of us, it’s important we have a biblical understanding of work.

How Should Christians Work?

(4) As Christians, we must treat our employees as we would want to be treated 

In the first part of verse 1 of chapter 4, Paul says this:

“Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly…” (Col 4:1a)

Part of treating others as we would want to be treated is for us to treat others fairly, giving them their due. Employers aren’t to rip their employees off. They work for an agreed upon wage and benefits, which should be given in a timely manner.

As well this means you should provide your employees with adequate working conditions. I recently read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. It is about what was happening in the meatpacking industry at the turn of the 20th century. One of the major things Sinclair highlights in the book is the horrible working conditions. Many were required to work in extreme heat and cold without adequate ventilation, light, or drainage. All that was so their employer could make more profits.

While profits are important, they can’t be our only focus. We also have to focus on our employees. We have to give them what they need to do their job and provide for their families.

Treating others as we would want to be treated also means that we don’t motivate with guilt or coercion. We wouldn’t want anyone to do that to us, so we shouldn’t do it to others.

Really when we use guilt or coercion to motivate others, what we show them is that we don’t really care about them, we just care about what we can get out of them, which is no way to treat our employees.

Instead, We are to think of our employees as people, not just worker bees. The people who work for us are just that — people. They aren’t machines assigned to do a task. They are people whom we have hired to work alongside us. They have families, interests, ideas, and feelings. If we are going to be a good employer, we must recognize that and try to cultivate a relationship as time and money allows.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you treat others as you would want to be treated?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon How Should We Work from a Christian Perspective?

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How Should Christians Work? – Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Leadership, PracticalLeave a comment

Work, it’s something we do a lot of. I am not sure if you have ever figured it up, but on a 40 hour work week, you will spend over 2,000 hours a year working. Over 30 years that amounts to roughly 62,000 hours or 2,600 straight days at work. I think it is safe to say that work is a big part of our lives.

Work is also a necessary part of our lives because without work we wouldn’t survive. We have to pay for the place live, the food we eat, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, and the things we do. So work is not only a big part of our lives, it’s a necessity.

Since we work so much, and retirement is far away for most of us, it’s important we have a biblical understanding of work.

How Should Christians Work?

(3) As Christians, our work must be done wholeheartedly

Look at what Paul says in verses 23-25,

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.” (Col 3:23–25)

What Paul tells us here is that we must give the work we do our all. That idea reminds me of a book that Camden had around Christmas time. It was entitled Pete the Cat Saves Christmas. There is a consistent refrain in the book that goes like this: Give it your all; Give it your all; At Christmas we give, so give it your all.

While it is good to teach our kids that they are to give it their all, that is something we have to remember as well. We are to give it our all. We aren’t to slack off. We aren’t to cut corners. We aren’t to do sloppy work as a way to get back at our company. We are to give it our all 100% of the time because we aren’t working for men; we are working for the Lord. So no matter how things are going at work. How the company is treating us. We are to give our all at all times.

We can give it our all no matter the situation because our ultimate reward and inheritance come from the Lord. We can count on God paying us our inheritance, instead of withholding it from us like an employer might do. As well as we can count on God paying the wrongdoer back for the way they have treated us. We, then, don’t have to seek vengeance. Vengeance is the Lord’s.

So no matter the situation, we are to give it our all, working wholeheartedly for the Lord.

Question for Reflection

  1. When you work, do you give it your all?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon How Should We Work from a Christian Perspective?

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