Looking for Faithful Slaves by David Achata

On the plane returning from vacation I found myself reading Matthew, Chapter 24. The disciples have just asked Jesus, “When is the end of the world coming?” The answer they get is more than they bargained for. Jesus prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Mt. 24:4-28) and then, in the second part of his answer, he tells the story of a household of simple slaves.

The Master has gone away and puts his slaves in charge of his household. The slaves have two options: they can be faithful and serve, or they can forget about their master. Jesus adds that the slave who is working when his Master returns will get rewarded, while the slave who gets lazy and begins to serve himself will be destroyed. Yikes! As the disciples are wondering what they can do to prepare for the coming final crisis at the end of the age, Jesus gives them a simple message: serve.

While I was on vacation, I spent some time with friends who are planting a church. What struck me the most about them was that they were simply trying to find the best way to serve their city. They are a small group, but they meet faithfully twice a week for prayer and to strategize how to best reach their city for the cause of Christ—and it’s working! In about two years time they’ve grown to a worshipping community of about 175 from a small group meeting in someone’s living room. As I saw their meeting place covered with flipcharts, a pizza box and some donuts, I had one thought: faithful slaves.

About two months ago, I received the temporary responsibility of overseeing the ministry areas from birth through college at the Hospital Church. I’ve had a great time meeting with the Children’s Ministry leaders. In our meetings we’ve talked about where Children’s Ministry needs to go. Our first goal: find some faithful slaves. What do I mean by this? I mean we are looking for a group of people who want to work on behalf of the kingdom, even when no one is looking.

I’ve started affectionately calling our leaders “Pastoral Leaders.” I’m doing this because they are leaders who are more than organizers. They are leaders who see themselves as having a pastoral calling to care for their little flock. Although I call them Pastoral Leaders, they are really just faithful slaves who need more faithful slaves to do the awesome work of caring for our little ones.

Are you a faithful slave? In your family, work or church—are you faithful, or are you living as if the master isn’t going to return? Given the times in which we live, how are we to respond? Serve. Don’t wait and watch the sky—wash feet.

David Achata

Friend-Suggesting Jesus by Tami Cinquemani

There is a feature on Facebook that allows you to send a “friend suggestion” to someone. Generally, if you have two friends that you would like to connect, you “friend suggest” one to the other. Once the suggestion is made, it’s out of your hands, and you have no further responsibility. Whether or not the actual connection is eventually made is completely up to the party to whom the friend was suggested.

I recently came across this comment made on a Facebook resource site: “The suggested friends section has to be one of the most useless features on Facebook. I don’t mean to insult the person who came up with the idea at Facebook. Seriously, I understand the purpose behind it, but as a form of personal introduction it’s horrible.”

I think sometimes we Christians “friend suggest” Jesus. Maybe it’s someone at school or work that’s going through a difficult time. You’re convinced that having Jesus for a friend would make a difference in this person’s life, but you’re just not comfortable having that conversation. So what do you do? Maybe you leave an inspirational book on their desk or a flyer for an event going on at your church in their locker. Bingo! You just “friend suggested” Jesus!

Then there are those on Facebook who include their entire friend list when they suggest a friend, and a “Mass Friend Suggestion” is made. Many of those receiving the suggestion may never have actually heard of the person they’re suggesting, but does that really matter? Kind of reminds me of those little flyers I get in my mailbox sometimes. You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re covered with menacing beasts and warn of impending world doom! Bam! Mass friend suggestion!

In the book Ministry of Healing, Ellen White wrote, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, 'Follow Me.'"

In John 1:41-42 we see clearly how excited Andrew was after meeting his Savior and his obvious passion to introduce Him to his brother, Peter: “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” If we truly want to help people begin a lifelong friendship with Jesus, we need to be willing to get involved in their lives and develop relationships of integrity that allow those conversations. And when we have the honor and privilege of making that friend suggestion, I think we should use Andrew’s example rather than Facebook’s.

Tami Cinquemani

Times are Tough? by Andy McDonald

I just pulled up the statistics, and as of August 2010 the United States unemployment rate was 9.60%. That translates into twenty-nine and a half million people! Times are tough, but our highest rate of unemployment was November 1982 when we peaked at 10.80%.

For those of you out of work right now, the pain you are currently facing is really tough. Whether it’s been for just a few years or a life-long career, you have been a hard and faithful worker. But now the work seems to be hiding. Times are tough.

Some of you had different plans for your retirement than the life you now face as your investments and retirement accounts plummeted in value and you’ve had to adjust to this new reality. Times are tough.

Not to in any way dismiss our economic pain, but it is terribly important to keep it in perspective. Right now, over three billion of our brothers and sisters on this globe, almost half the world’s population, live on less than $2.50 per day, and 80% live on less than $10 a day. And in that perspective times are tough, but we are blessed.

And while we have hope of at least a slow long-term recovery, their future isn’t so hopeful. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. A total of 1.4 million children will die this year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. (That’s equal to 318 times the number of soldiers we’ve lost in Iraq, and it happens every year.)

Yes, times are tough for us compared to how they were a couple or three years ago. However, in the middle of all our economic pain, in the middle of very tough times, we have much for which to be grateful. In fact, maybe one of our strategies for moving through these tough days would be for us to stop and count our blessings.

We don’t need to thank God for tough times, but we can praise him in the middle of those tough times. We can stop and think about literally billions of our brothers and sisters on this planet and their even tougher times, and maybe we can find cause to celebrate our blessings even in the middle of tough times. Philippians 4:4-7

Andy McDonald

For What Should We Be Known? by Chad Hess

It seems to me that there has recently been a lot of national controversy regarding religious issues (or issues that the church has jumped into). From the proposed burning of the Qur’an, to the building of mosques, to the court battles over gay marriage, Christian leaders have been heavily engaged in the conversation and in the politics surrounding them. Over the last century, Christians have advocated on many national issues (war, alcohol, abortion, homosexuality), though often unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, this has contributed to Christians being more often known for what they are against than for what they are for (see Unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons).

Sometimes our message is right, sometimes it is wrong. But the bigger problem is that the issue we are fighting can overshadow more important things. Jesus yelled at the Scribes and Pharisees for a similar problem in Matthew 23:23. It is important for Christians to engage in their world and to exercise their right to vote, but we must not let these issues become our consuming focus. Nor should we focus all our power on fighting the “bad” that we don’t have time to do the “good” that we are also called to do.

In his response to Ted Wilson’s sermon at the General Conference, Sam Neves put it this way: “I would argue that the present generation would like this movement to be known: not only by what we eat, but by whom we feed.... not only by how we dress, but by whom we clothe… not only for being different, but for making a difference in the world around us.”

Are you too busy fighting against Satan to work for God?

Chad Hess

What if . . . by John Monday

Let’s play a hypothetical game.

If I discovered that there was, in fact, no God and this fact became irrefutable –

Then . . .

What benefit has my faith been?

Has it made me a better friend?

neighbor?

employee?

father?

husband?

Has it made me more or less tolerant?

judgmental?

generous?

happy?

As a result of my faith do I make others happy?

Do others feel accepted?

Do people want to be around me?

How about my church?

As a result of my church being in my community, are the hungry fed?

widows cared for?

sick comforted?

lonely loved?

homeless sheltered?

Here's the point: in a world that does not assume "God is", if all we have to offer is the "truth of God", then we have nothing to offer.

If our faith makes us less friendly, less kind, more judgmental, more angry, stingy, difficult employees, frightened –

If our church does not improve our community, does not seek justice, does not walk humbly and gratefully –

Then why would anyone want to worship our God?

John Monday

Garage Sale Grace by Tami Cinquemani

I just spent the last week with my daughter and her new husband. While I was there, they had a “Newlywed” Garage Sale. Their intent was to clear out everything they no longer wanted or had need for, so their prices were extremely low. Even though this was the case, as is normal with garage “salers”, there was still some haggling that took place.

There are really two different types of “hagglers”. For the first type, the price will just never be low enough. It doesn’t matter if you’re asking ten cents for a brand new iPod Touch, this person would insist there was something wrong with the item and tell you it really wasn’t worth more than five cents. After landing the deal they hoped, they leave feeling quite triumphant – unconcerned by the fact that they took advantage of someone who paid dearly for the item they so proudly now own.

The other type finds an item they desperately want but realizes they just don’t have what is needed to pay the price. Regardless of how cheaply the item may appear to be priced, it’s completely out of their range. It’s situations like these that I find the most rewarding when having a garage sale. The look on someone’s face when you say, “Why don’t you just go ahead and take it. The item is yours – free of charge,” is worth every penny you might have made on the sale. That person leaves with joy, and an instant relationship has been made.

Isaiah 55:1 says, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” The grace and salvation that God offers us is something we could never afford. It is a gift.

For some, this gift is received with arrogance. They haggle a “price” in their head that they’re content with – something they feel they have offered that “landed the deal” – good Christian performance, faithful tithe, etc. The realization of the price that was originally paid for the gift is irrelevant.

And then there are those who come broken, poor, and in full awareness of their pitiful condition. They understand that they are undeserving, and the magnitude of the gift is beyond imagination. Then Jesus offers them what they most desperately need and want as a free gift. They are filled with joy, and a relationship has begun.

Tami Cinquemani

The Importance of the Process by Chad Hess

When I was in high school, one of my friends who had been home-schooled the year before, had the Solutions Manual for Algebra 2. The Solutions Manual didn't just give the correct answer, it showed all the work and how to get that answer. This is very important in math because all math teachers want to know how you got the answer, not just what the answer is. When I had questions, I would ask him for help, and if he couldn't figure out the problem, he would look in the manual. Such a valuable book also had great potential for evil. My friend's roommate stole the book and used it to cheat in the class. He didn't care about understanding the process of how to solve the problem; he only wanted the answer.

I have wished many times for a Solutions Manual for theological questions. A book that would tell me how to solve the problem and provide the right answer. But I understand how such a book could easily be abused and actually prevent people from really knowing God.

Just like in math, the process of solving a theological issue is just as important as the answer (sometimes it's even more important than the answer). A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook, "To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll to the bottom and click 'I agree'." The problem is that this approach completely misses the point of the Bible: God. God is found in the process even more than in the solution. It is in the process that we really understand the complexity and depth of God. The process is how God changes our hearts, not just our beliefs. It's how we understand who God is.

Chad Hess