In Memoriam: Nelson Caswell

Let me tell you about Brother Nelson. When I first met him, my family and I were “between churches”. We had wrangled an invitation to a church’s potluck, and were enjoying the good food and kind people when I noticed Brother Nelson. He was a beehive of activity, first making sure the trash barrels had fresh bags in them, hauling out the trash if they were full, then making sure everyone had enough to eat, or seeing if anyone needed another drink, or sweeping up a spill on the floor. He managed to stop long enough to say a few words with everyone, including me, never once losing the smile from his face.

Finally, after everyone had gone through the line, Brother Nelson picked up a plate and flatware and took his helpings from whatever remained in the serving line.

My family and I had not been to services that day, but as we enjoyed the company around us, out of curiosity and courtesy I asked who the pastor was. They pointed to him, and it was Brother Nelson.

Many reading this article come from a church tradition where a minister serving his congregation is the norm, and therefore Brother Nelson’s activities are no surprise to you. But some of us come from a background where such things were simply not done.

I love the King James Version of the Bible, but it surely has its weaknesses. One such weakness is illustrated by this passage, as it reads in the King James:

Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. (Matt 20:25-26 KJV)

If we read this as translated in the King James, it implies that the greatest among us should be our ministers, and that concept has led some people to look upon certain types of service as being beneath the ministry. After all, aren’t the ministers supposed to be greatest among us?
But Brother Nelson, who as far as I know uses only the King James Version, understands the intent of the aforementioned passage. Here is what it says it the New King James Version:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”

Put differently, Jesus’ intent is the exact opposite of how some ministers I know treat their congregations. As Jesus himself said, “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.” (Luke 22:27 NKJV)

In the intervening years I came to know Brother Nelson as both a brother and a friend, and he would be the first to tell you that if Jesus could live a life as one who came to serve, then so could he. No greater love has a man than this, to lay down his life for a friend. And that even means emptying a trashcan so the other guy can enjoy the potluck.

Eating My Words

“If you don’t think you are paying enough in taxes, no one is stopping you from making a tax-deductible contribution to the treasury.” I have believed that for a long time and have so expressed it.

Now I find myself eating those words.

A few weeks ago the voters in Lee’s Summit rejected a Board of Education request to increase our levy. Both my daughters are products of this school district. Both have received an education far superior to the one I received. I look at their science and math texts, and my eyes glaze over. They are learning things far more advanced than I had even in college.

Both have picked up multiple college credits along the way, and have studied literature and the humanities in a balanced way, not only being exposed to the traditional liberal thought processes (as I was in high school), but also exploring the other side of the equation.

Did I mention how accommodating the schools and teachers have been to our family’s special needs and requests? Did I mention the dozens of teachers we have encountered who love their students and love to teach, but who never once overstepped their bounds as teachers and always respected parental prerogatives?

So here I am seeing my own words on paper screaming right back at me while I watch student programs being cut that meant so much to my girls, programs that I would have paid more for but am not being asked to. “If you don’t think you are paying enough ...”

And that puts me in a position to do something positive. The money I would have paid in higher school taxes that maybe would have gone to administration I now get to contribute to a program that has made a huge difference in the lives of my students and many others. My choice will be the Lee’s Summit North Music Parents to assist with an outstanding extracurricular activity that gets few accolades but contributes nevertheless to both character development and culture.

So, to everyone in Lee’s Summit who thinks the R-7 school district deserves our support, if you really think the district needs more money, take the R-7 challenge. Write a check to the district, the school, or a supporting organization. I will because it’s my way of saying thank you to my daughters’ teachers and counselors who stood in the gap in places where we could not.

If These Are the Last Days, What Now Should We Do?

Recently I came across a statement by Bible expositor Warren Wiersbe. Says Wiersbe, “It is unfortunate when people run from one prophetic conference to another, filling their notebooks, marking their Bibles, drawing their charts, and not living their lives to the glory of God.”

Prophetic interpretation is a dangerous business because no one really knows what the future holds. Understanding prophecy is a challenge in its own right because locking into a specific misinterpretation risks a quick loss of credibility. As Wiersbe also says, “The purpose of prophetic truth is not speculation but motivation.” Or, as we might put it, prophecy is not meant to be a crystal ball parlor game. Prophecies are meant to motivate change in our lives.

Let’s assume for a second that certain prophecy pundits are right and that the end really is nigh. What would Jesus have us do? And what would he not have us do? Luke 12 addresses both those questions.

First he tells us what not to do: Don’t worry about what you’ll eat or what you’ll wear (verse 22). Don’t worry about what you’ll drink (verse 29). God knows that we need these things, so don’t worry and don’t be fearful (verse 29 & 32). Otherwise you are no better than unbelievers (verse 30). Having extra stores on hand might be prudent, but in the end your provision will come from God. “Being ready” means having our treasure in the right place (verse 34). It means treating others properly (verses 35 – 47), even to the point of giving away from generosity of heart what we stored up for ourselves (verse 33).

It’s about motivation and not speculation – motivation to live a life worthy of your calling. A further study of scriptures that provide instruction for the last days reveals an interesting pattern, one we often don’t hear from teachers of prophecy. Here is a sample:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? (2 Peter 3:11)

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10-24-25)

The point seems to be that God is more interested in our relationships, and when times get rough, those relationships will mean more to us than what we could possibly understand when times are good. We need to learn to get each others’ backs, as it were. In fact, in Jesus’ baccalaureate address just before his death (John 13 – 16), he repeatedly tells his disciples to love each other and serve each other, and then he prays for unity among them (Chapter 17).

So if you are concerned that these might be the last days, do the things you should be doing anyway. Heal broken relationships. Live a life of service and giving. Comfort each other. Edify and encourage each other. Store houses have wings. Only character endures.

Note: The text of Dr. Wiersbe's sermon can be downloaded as a Word document here:

calvarybaptist.darien.org/sermon08/serm0208/tg021008/tg021008.doc

She Did What She Could

Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus was hosted at the house of one of his followers, and “there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very costly.” The woman broke the box of ointment and poured it on his head. This stuff was worth the equivalent of 300 days worth of wages, so the term “very costly” is an accurate one. As the story goes, the disciples protested this “waste”, and perhaps they had a case. Such an act would not change the course of history, nor would it feed the hungry, nor would it bring many to salvation, nor would it hasten the Kingdom of God to earth.

But Jesus made a comment about this that puts it all in perspective: “She did what she could.” It might not seem like much, and it might not end all suffering for all time, but she did what she could, and for that she is honored. (Mark 14:1-9)

Too often people discount the good things they do because their acts fall short of an historical epic. Jesus addressed this in one of his last discourses to his disciples, where he explained to them how the Judgement will work. He’ll separate people to his right and to his left, and those on the right will be praised because “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

The people so honored make the most interesting response: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” (Matthew 25: 31-46) They had no idea that God greatly honored the apparently little things they were doing. God does not despise the day of small things. The widow’s mite is a greater gift than the loud sacrifices that echo through the temple.

That son or daughter who cares for an elderly parent, or the volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center, or the friendly encouragement to one in the doldrums, or the parents who raise their children in a godly home, or a hot casserole delivered to a hungry family – they might seem small in the grand scheme of the universe, but such acts are not to be despised. As with the woman and the alabaster box of ointment, such deeds will be honored wherever the Kingdom of God will go, for those who have done such things have done what they could, and that is all that God requires.

A Narrow View

Harry Truman once begged for a one-armed economist because, he said, “They are always saying ‘on the other hand.’”.

I htink I know a thing or two about the subject, and I have my own beef with economists. Too many from Bernanke and Company talk about how inflation is under control because core inflation in just 2%. “Core inflation” is inflation minus the increase in energy and food costs, which means if you stay home all day and don’t eat, you don’t have to worry about inflation.

Going by the book, the gentlemen may be right, but it points out one of the kinks of economics. On the average, everything might look good, but the way the world operates, those of us who are comfortable financially don’t spend as much on a percentage basis on energy and food than those who are lower income. I know Jesus once said that the poor will always be with us, but that doesn’t give us license to hurt them more than the rest of us during times of economic location.

Why They Give Us No Respect

YouTube is a beautiful thing. I find myself searching it for old memories of television from bygone years. The old episodes of Marshall Matt Dillon cleaning up Dodge, or TV specials featuring Gene Kelly’s athletic dance or Carol Burnett’s offbeat humor make me wistful for a time that once was.

I know the good old days weren’t as good as a childhood memory might imagine it, but there is one thing that was good. There was a time not too many years ago when the world’s window to the popular culture of America presented an image of class, talent, confidence, and strength – and even a little morality to boot.

Imagine a popular culture with such masters as Sinatra singing, Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor dancing, and Louis Armstrong trumpeting. Imagine Matt Dillon upholding law and defending the defenseless, or a situation comedy with an intact family where Father really did know best instead of being a bumbling, browbeaten caricature of masculinity or of adolescent testosterone in the bodies of two and half men.

Imagine a musical like 42nd Street, with joyful singing and dancing, wrapped into a light story where the right thing happens to the right people at the end. Think of it as a window to the American psyche, and see it as a foreigner might.

Or think of Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a film that acknowledges the warts in the American political system, but one that reminds the world in general – and Americans in particular – that one man armed with principle, character, and the truth can change the world so long as he cares to fight for it. What a fitting message Mr. Capra was trying to send to his adopted country, and what an image he portrayed to those in the continent he had left behind!

If you were outside looking in, would you respect a nation with a culture like that and welcome their ideas into yours?

But that was a culture from a different time. The poets and prophets of today seem to be the Eminems and the Tupac Shakurs of the world, or they recruit the questionable types like Lady Gaga as the highest form of art. If I were a father of daughters in a more traditional society and caught a glimpse of the sexualized nature of today’s American culture and noticed the objectification of the Lindsey Lohans and Brittney Spears of the world, with them being presented as the poster girls for American womanhood, I surely would not welcome said culture into my living room. In fact I would fight to keep it out, recognizing it for what it is: an assault on decency.

The world is a complex place, and this is not to say that our popular culture is the only reason the more traditional parts of the world pay us no respect. But make no mistake: parents wish to protect their children from corruption, and the window this country shows to the world does not help us.

Religion and the Scientific Method

An interesting piece on using the scientific method when chasing doctrine.

Science and Religion

Quote:

If you are studying something scientific or doctrinal and you find yourself shoe-horning contradictory evidence into something you already believe, then start over.

God Doesn’t Play “Gotcha”

One summer my boyhood town in Upstate New York passed a parking ordinance that forbade parking on certain sides of the street on certain days of the week. The city council had their reasons for passing that law, and one benefit was an increase in revenues from cars ticketed for violations. The city, you see, didn’t post warning signs on the streets in question. In answer to queries from the local newspaper, a city spokesman pointed out that they had published a notice in the newspaper, and legally that’s all they had to do.

Maybe in this case the law was on the city’s side, but the concept of fair play was not. Ironically, many people see God’s justice in the same light. Conventional wisdom tells us that God has published his way for salvation, and that way must be honored in order to gain eternal life. But there is a problem when we realize that the majority of people who have walked this earth have never had a chance to consider that way of life. On the surface, at least, it would appear that the devil is winning the contest for souls, for billions have never held a Bible. Countless have been honestly, sincerely, yet totally deceived by theologies and philosophies other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And many have been legally barred from even being exposed to it.

God has his message, it seems, but he never got the signs posted, and ignorant or not, people bear their guilt and have a price to pay. And the way some would tell it, God is just in punishing the deceived in an equal measure with the rebellious.

But people who believe such things have some scriptures to explain.

Jesus said, “And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:47-48 NKJV)

He also said that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the judgement than for the people of his day, for “if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matthew 11:24-25 NKJV).

If we take these passages at face value, it would appear that God makes allowances of some kind if people just don’t know better. It will be more “tolerable” for them in the judgement. God is not like that Upstate New York town. He doesn’t purposely keep people ignorant so that he can get some benefit from a penalty imposed by the law’s violation.

The author of Hebrews makes a curious statement. After discussing the faithfulness of many Old Testament heroes, he says they were looking for a “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). Conventional theology teaches that the dead will rise at Christ’s return and that judgement will be made on the righteous and unrighteous at that time. Yet the book of Revelation (chapter 20) tells a different story. And it is a story that is filled with hope for those of us with loved ones who never understood God nor accepted Jesus Christ. And it is hope for the billions of people of all times whom the Gospel never reached.

Revelation 20:4-6 talks about a resurrection at the return of Christ of those who were written in the book of life. These are clearly “those who are Christ’s at his coming”. And the Bible uses a curious phrase to describe this resurrection. It’s called the “first resurrection” (v. 5), and this resurrection is clearly a better resurrection, for those in it live and reign with Christ for 1000 years.

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” , at which time they “stood”, that is, they are resurrected. “And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life” (v. 12). The book of life is being opened again! More names will be written in that book. Those who didn’t know better will have a chance to know better.

God doesn’t play “gotcha” with a little thing like salvation. He will make sure that everyone sees the signs and understands them. Then the decision will truly be theirs.

Lenny C.