Words for the Wise, Romans 10:15, Oswald Chambers Where Am I? A Spiritual Stock-Taking

Oswald Chambers

Where Am I?

A Spiritual Stock-Taking

Why Do I Want to Work? (Romans 10:15)

Romans 10 The Voice (VOICE)

10 My brothers and sisters, I pray constantly to God for the salvation of my people; it is the deep desire of my heart. ² What I can say about them is that they are enthusiastic about God, but that won’t lead them to Him because their zeal is not based on true knowledge. ³ In their ignorance about how God is working to make things right, they have been trying to establish their own right standing with God through the law. But they are not operating under God’s saving, restorative justice. ⁴ You see, God’s purpose for the law reaches its climax when the Anointed One arrives; now all who trust in Him can have their lives made right with God.

God’s plan to restore the world disfigured by sin and death reaches its climax with the resurrection of Jesus. When the King enters, all the prophecies, all the hopes, all the longings find in Him their true fulfillment. There may have been earlier fulfillments; but these are only partial fulfillments, signposts along the way to God’s true goal. The goal has been the restoration of people to a holy God. With Jesus, we find the only perfect man with right standing before God. He comes to blaze a path defined by God’s justice, not by our own sense of right and wrong. All men, women, and children who commit their lives to Him will be made right with God and will begin new lives defined by faith and God’s new covenant.

⁵ Moses made this clear long ago when he wrote about what it takes to have a right relationship with God based on the law: “The person devoted to the law’s commands will live by them.”^[a] 6 But a right relationship based on faith sounds like this: “Do not say to yourselves, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’”^[b] (that is, to bring down the Anointed One), ⁷ “or, ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’”^[c] (that is, to bring the Anointed One up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it actually say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”^[d] (that is, the good news we have been called to preach to you). ⁹ So if you believe deep in your heart that God raised Jesus from the pit of death and if you voice your allegiance by confessing the truth that “Jesus is Lord,” then you will be saved!¹⁰ Belief begins in the heart and leads to a life that’s right with God; confession departs from our lips and brings eternal salvation. ¹¹ Because what Isaiah saidwas true: “The one who trusts in Him will not be disgraced.”^[e] 12 Remember that the Lord draws no distinction between Jew and non-Jew—He is Lord over all things, and He pours out His treasures on all who invoke His name¹³ because as Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”^[f]

Faith is not something we do. It is a response to what God has done already on our behalf, the response of a spirit restless in a fragmented world.

¹⁴ How can people invoke His name when they do not believe? How can they believe in Him when they have not heard? How can they hear if there is no one proclaiming Him? ¹⁵ How can some give voice to the truth if they are not sentby God? As Isaiah said, “Ah, how beautiful the feet of those who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation.”^[g] 16 But some will hear the good news and refuse to submit to the truth they hear. Isaiah the prophet also says, “Lord, who would ever believe it? Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told?”^[h] 17 So faith proceeds from hearing, as we listen to the message about God’s Anointed.

¹⁸ But let me ask this: have my people ever heard? Indeed, they have:

Yet from here to the ends of the earth, their voice has gone out;
    the whole world has heard what they have to say.^[i]

¹⁹ But again let me ask: did Israel perhaps hear and not understand all of this?Well, Moses was the first to say,

I will make you jealous with a people who are not a nation.
    With a senseless people I will anger you.^[j]

²⁰ Then Isaiah the fearless prophet says it this way:

I was found by people who did not seek Me;
    I showed My face to those who never asked for Me.^[k]

²¹ And as to the fate of Israel, God says,

All day long I opened My hands
    to a rebellious people, who constantly work against Me.^[l]

Romans 10:14f  The Voice

14 How can people invoke His name when they do not believe? How can they believe in Him when they have not heard? How can they hear if there is no one proclaiming Him? 15 How can some give voice to the truth if they are not sent by God? As Isaiah said, “Ah, how beautiful the feet of those who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation.”[g] 16 But some will hear the good news and refuse to submit to the truth they hear. Isaiah the prophet also says, “Lord, who would ever believe it? Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told?”[h] 17 So faith proceeds from hearing, as we listen to the message about God’s Anointed.

18 But let me ask this: have my people ever heard? Indeed, they have:

Yet from here to the ends of the earth, their voice has gone out;

    the whole world has heard what they have to say.[i]

The Christian worker must be sent; he must not elect to go. Nowadays that is the last thing thought of; it is a determination on the part of the individual—“This is something I can do, and I am going to do it.” Beware of demanding that people go into work, it is a craze; the majority of saved souls are not fit to feed themselves yet. How am I to know I have been sent of God? Firstly, by the realisation that I am utterly weak and powerless and if I am to be of any use to God, God must do it all the time. Is this the humiliating certainty of my soul, or merely a sentimental phrase? Secondly, because I know I have to point men to Jesus Christ, not to get them to think what a holy man I am.

 The only way to be sent is to let God lift us right out of any sense of fitness in ourselves and place us where He will. The man whose work tells for God is the one who not only realises what God has done for him but who realises his own utter unfitness and overwhelming unsuitability—the impossibility of God ever calling me. God allows us to scrutinise ourselves in order to understand what Paul said: “We also are weak in him.”

Occasionally it may happen in your life as a worker that all you have been trying honestly and eagerly to do for God falls about your ears in ruins, and in your utterly crushed and discouraged condition God brings slowly to your mind this truth—“I have been using your work as scaffolding to perfect you to be a worker for Myself; now arise, shake off the dust, and it shall be told you what you must do.” Before ever God can use us as workers He has to bring us to a place of entire poverty, where we shall have no doubt as to where we are, “Here I am, absolutely no good!” Then God can send us, but not until then. We put hindrances in the way of God’s working by trying to do things for Him. The impatience of modern life has so crept into Christian work that we will not settle down before God and find out what He wants us to do.

Keep It Simple. Keep It Bible. Be a Shepherd. Don’t Be a Guru.by Chris Surber, Churchleaders.com

It seems most church culture these days supports guru-ism. We prop up our celebrity preachers and define ministry success almost strictly in terms of numbers. I see a lot of pastors succumbing to the internal pressure to experience success and the external pressure of their churches to manifest that kind of success. But we do better to remember the simple instruction of Paul to Timothy. “Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction” (II Timothy 4:2 NET).

Keep it simple. Keep it Bible. Be a shepherd. Don’t be a guru. To help you understand what I’m saying, and to think through how this might apply to your ministry, here are a few contrasts between gurus and shepherds.

Gurus teach pet passages and constantly come back to the theme of their ministry that makes them popular. One of my former mentors is well-known—even in secular circles—for his strong stand for the uniqueness of the Kingdom of God and his conviction that Christians should divorce their faith from politics

Read more here:

Words for the Wise, The Spirit of the Lord has Anointed Me, Isaiah 61 The Voice

Isaiah 61 The Voice (VOICE)

61 The Spirit of the Lord, the Eternal, is on me.

    The Lord has appointed me for a special purpose.

He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

    He has sent me to repair broken hearts,

And to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison,

    “Be free from your imprisonment!”

2 He has sent me to announce the year of jubilee, the season of the Eternal’s favor:

    for our enemies it will be a day of God’s wrath;

For those who mourn it will be a time of comfort.[a]

3 As for those who grieve over Zion,

    God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes,

To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow,

    to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness.

People will call them magnificent, like great towering trees

    standing for what is right.

They stand to the glory of the Eternal

    who planted them.

4 And they will rebuild this place from its ancient ruins;

    they will restore the ages-old, once-splendid structures;

They will renew Israel’s ruined cities

    from the ashes and debris that laid untouched for many generations.

5 And people will come from all over to serve you:

    Outsiders will tend your flocks, plough your fields, and prune your vines.

6 You will be known as the ones specially chosen by the Eternal as priests;

    people will speak of you as ministers of our God.

    And the wealth of nations will come to you for your delight and enrichment.

7 Many called you disgraced and defiled and said that shame should be your share of things.

    Yet you suffered doubly and lived in disgrace;

So double will be your share, and with joy everlasting.

8 Eternal One: For I, the Eternal, love justice.

        I hate stealing and all manner of wrongdoing.

    In faithfulness to those who do justice, I promise they will be rewarded for their work;

        and I will establish an everlasting covenant with them.

9     Furthermore, I will promise them My support for their children,

        so that all nations and everyone around

    Will see that they are the children blessed by the Eternal God.

10 I am filled with joy and my soul vibrates with exuberant hope,

    because of the Eternal my God;

For He has dressed me with the garment of salvation,

    wrapped me with the robe of righteousness.

It’s as though I’m dressed for my wedding day,[b]

    in the very best: a bridegroom’s garland and a bride’s jewels.

11 The whole earth sprouts newness and life in the springtime,

    and green shoots break through the well-seeded garden soil.

That’s what it is like with the Eternal’s victory—

    the Lord will cause justice and praise to sprout up before all the nations, for all peoples to see.

The Bible Panorama

Isaiah 61

V 1–3: MISSION OF MESSIAH Jesus, the Servant, will later apply this passage to Himself to show that He is Messiah. He says that ‘the Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me’, and that ‘the Lord has anointed Me to preach glad tidings to the poor’. This will result in the benefits of salvation for Israel and also for all who will trust in our Saviour and Lord. Those benefits include healing for the broken-hearted, liberty for captives and prisoners, seeing God’s timing in His salvation and judgement, comfort for mourners, and God’s giving joyful praise and righteousness. 

V 4–7: REJOICING OF RESTORED There will be restoration and repair of both buildings and people. The children of Israel will rule over the Gentiles, possessing double and experiencing everlasting life. They will be known as God’s priests and servants again. ‘Instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.’

 V 8–9: LORD OF LOVE Not only does the Lord love justice, which directs His righteous actions, but He also loves His people and will make an everlasting covenant with them. Gentiles will recognise that these are people blessed by the Lord.

 V 10–11: ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Every person counted righteous before God through the death and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, is foreseen in these verses. Security in God will not be because of our own poor efforts at righteousness but because the righteousness of Christ adorns every Christian as a robe. This is the garment of salvation which is worn by those cleansed from sin. All nations will praise God and rejoice in His wonderful provision in Christ.

Mark Driscoll Steps Down From Mars Hill Pulpit

Mark Driscoll Steps Down From Mars Hill Pulpit

Controversial Seattle megachurch founder Mark Driscoll will step down for at least six weeks while church leaders review formal charges lodged by a group of pastors that he abused his power.

The 43-year-old pastor has been under fire in recent months for plagiarism, inappropriate use of church funds and improper behavior toward subordinates.

Returning from vacation Sunday, Driscoll addressed Mars Hill worship services through a pre-recorded message.

"I want to say to my Mars Hill family, past and present, I'm very sorry. I genuinely mean it," Driscoll said in his address. "I'm very sorry for the times I've been angry, short or insensitive. I'm very sorry for anything I've done to distract from our mission by inviting criticism, controversy or negative media attention."

Driscoll said he will not do any outside speaking for the foreseeable future and postpone the publication of his next book.

"I have begun meeting with a professional team of mature Christians who provide wise counsel to help further my personal development and maturity before God and men," Driscoll told the congregation.

Mark DeMoss, an Atlanta public-relations consultant and former adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, has been brought in to work with the congregation.

DeMoss, who represented the late Jerry Falwell Sr. and now Franklin Graham, said he attended the services in Seattle today on his own expense as Driscoll's friend.

10 Reasons God Needs You to Show Courage in the Pulpit - Ministry Today

The Lord is for me; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6. See also Heb. 13:5-6)

I read that scripture-–especially the Hebrews 13:5-6 incarnation-–and smile.  Asking "what can man do to me?" is kind of like asking for it, isn't it? Daring them to "bring it on."

The answer of course is that man can do a great deal to you. But the bottom line—and the point of the scripture—is that ultimately, with God being "for me," it does not matter.

Nothing matters so much as our being one with the heavenly Father.

Can we talk about courage? This is as rare as plutonium these days, particularly among the very people who should demonstrate it most readily, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only two people in the church need courage: the one in the pulpit and the one in the pew.

The messenger of God in the pulpit needs courage for a thousand reasons. Here are 10:

1. To preach the whole counsel of God no matter who may disapprove—and to sweeten that preaching when his flesh is involved and wants to "lower the boom" on certain people. Graciousness takes courage also.

Read more here:

Further Reading:

Church Leadership, The Load Bearing Walls of the Church

Some thoughts on Christian Leadership/Church Leadership

Blackpool Rocks, What I learned on a trip to Blackpool, a perspective on Pastoral Ministry

Elders & Deacons in the Church