The Wise Master Builder (Part 9)

And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. (Isaiah 58:10)

Now all this talk about spiritual offspring may seem a bit overwhelming. In fact, knowing the complexities of relationships, practicing appropriate doses of grace and truth in their lives, and absorbing their wrongs may just cause one to retreat from the messy business of ministry altogether. We are tempted to adopt the mantra of “If it weren’t for people, ministry would be great” and practice the “Just me and Jesus” mentality. The problem with such a sentiment is that it is completely uncharacteristic of Jesus Himself. It sounds like a comforting prospect but in actuality Jesus didn’t model this notion nor would He endorse this lifestyle for any of His followers. He completely engaged Himself in the lives of broken people and fully expected His disciples to do the same. We may have more excuses than Moses (Ex 3.11-4.17) but the fact of the matter remains; if you want to be a follower of Jesus, you must spend your life on behalf of others (Mt 4.19, 28.18-20, Jn 13.34-35).

The Wise Master Builder (Part 8)

“Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (Luke 3:8)

When my oldest Son was born it was quite an event. I was in the mountains training Ranger students and ended up hitching a ride on a US Army helicopter to the hospital for his delivery. What would you think if, on every birthday, I talked about the cool chopper flight but never mentioned my son? Obviously I would be missing the point.

In similar fashion, we miss the point when we only reproduce physically and not spiritually. God never intended us just to have kids. His desire is that those kids relate intimately to Him. God did not judge the earth in Noah’s day for lack of population. They had failed to reproduce spiritually. Jesus brings another dimension into the generational mix. He commands us to rear spiritual children that we did not physically bring into the world. This is the incredible privilege and potential of having hundreds of spiritual offspring.

The Wise Master Builder (Part 7)

Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore… (Genesis 22:17)

Why is a promise given to a 75 year old man who lived some 4000 years ago so important? Because it captures God’s intent and purposes for man from beginning to end. The Father’s desire was to fill the earth with people who would love and glorify Him. The promise is a reflection of the first command given in the garden, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1.28). His command was reiterated by Jesus 2000 years later when He commissioned us to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28.28-20). And now in the 21st Century we continue to fill the earth with His image bearers from generation to generation. God created every man, woman, and child to intimately walk with Him. He is overjoyed to see scores of people who choose to love and follow Him (Mt 4.19, Jn 17.18). This is the great romance; God’s promise to as many as will respond to His love to create spiritual off spring through us from generation to generation. From the garden to Abraham to Jesus to us, a golden thread woven throughout the entire Bible.

The Wise Master Builder (Part 6)

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3)

And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.
(Gal 4:28)

Like a parable or riddle, unlock this promise and you will capture the heart beat of God. Do you dare to understand Him and His purposes?

The Wise Master Builder (Part 5)

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; (2 Corinthians 1:20)

As a young Christian, I was gripped by the idea God could give me a spiritual lineage that would stretch into the generations. I remember walking around the block at night, bundled up in a heavy coat, crying out to God to use my life. I read the Scriptures and found God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Jesus. I started claiming them for myself. I found other promises that were obviously made to Israel and claimed those as well. Now I’ve been to seminary and know better than to take Scripture out of context. But I was foolish enough to think that God wanted to reach the world for Christ and to do that through individuals like me. I had a fire in my belly to see the nations reached for Jesus one person at a time. And now, looking back over 30 years of ministry, I see the Father was delighted to honor those naive prayers of a simple young man. But there is one promise that clearly guarantees a spiritual lineage to every follower of Jesus Christ. We’ll take a look at that promise next time.

The Wise Master Builder (Part 4)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

How could the Apostle Paul make such a bold statement as “God causes the growth?” You may be thinking to yourself, “why not! Of course God causes the growth.” We may agree in our heads and say with our mouths that the Father develops a person spiritually, but our actions and our values may communicate something completely different. Often times we act as though a person’s spiritual growth is completely dependent on the act of human will. It shows up in our lack of prayer, unwillingness to let the Holy Spirit lead, over dependence on our methods, and various other indicators. Paul put his ultimate trust, confidence, and faith in the power of God to transform people. Now that is not to say that he didn’t believe we play a role in a person’s spiritual growth, but it is clear that he saw God as the great discipler. (Ezk 36.26, Jn 6.44, Phil 1.6, 2.13)

The Wise Master Builder (Part 3)

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

One thing I’ve always appreciated about good leaders is their ability to give clear instructions and then provide ample resources to get the job done. The Father practices these great leadership traits with His promises.

When we read His promises throughout the Scriptures we recognize that they are more about accomplishing His will and glorifying Him than they are about serving us. They are commands packaged in the promotion of His pleasure that ultimately benefit us greatly. His promises are often attached to conditions where when we arrange our desires to His wishes, we reap the fruitful harvest in obedience to His sovereign will.

But His promises not only express His directives but provide the recourses to accomplish His will. Think about that for a minute. The God that calls us to do His will also backs it up with the same creative power that formed the universe. We rejoice in the promises of God.

The Wise Master Builder (Part 2)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

My son recently graduated from the United States Military Academy. He represents the third generation in the Wood family to serve in the US Army. I can’t even describe the feelings of pride and admiration for my son.

But as a parent there is a temptation to take credit for such an accomplishment. And if you’re not careful others will help you believe this folly. The same is true in spiritual parenting. We can fool ourselves into thinking that our young disciple’s success is about our hard work and discipling skills. But the Scriptures remind us that it is God who causes the growth. Everything we are and have comes from Him and we need to give credit where credit is due.

Part of being a wise master builder is recognizing where the real growth comes from and where all the glory belongs. To God be the glory for our success in helping others become more like Jesus.

“For everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:49-50)