The Heart Of Forgiveness

  Philemon 1-7

            1 This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, 2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house. 3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

            4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

 *** 

           On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts walked into an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, dismissed all but ten young girls, and proceeded to enact a tragedy that touched the heart of our nation. When the tragedy was over, five of those young Amish school girls were dead, five were injured, and Roberts had taken his own life.

            Immediately after the awful events of that day, the Amish community rallied together. They tore down the schoolhouse where the unspeakable had taken place, and built a new one.

            They comforted the families of those grieving unexplainable losses.

            And…they reached out and extended forgiveness to the widow of Charles Roberts, the shooter.

             Six months after this tragic event, U.S. News and World Report returned to the scene of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, to find out how the Amish were coping, reporting their findings in the article entitled, “Moving On.”

            The reporters discovered that the tragedy brought the Amish and non-Amish neighbors in a deeper sense of community togetherness. They stood together, comforting and supporting one another. The reporters learned that it was forgiveness that had helped the Amish get through the dark days they had faced.

            Donald Kraybill is an expert on the Amish tradition. He teaches at Elizabethtown College, near Nickel Mines. In an interview, he explained how forgiveness, in the biblical sense, is love letting go when wrong has been suffered. “To a person, the Amish would argue that forgiveness is the central teaching of Jesus. They will take you to the Lord’s prayer—if you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven.”

            When asked if all Amish forgive, Reverend Kristine Hileman, a Presbyterian minister serving in the area, said, “The Amish are like anyone else—some take the forgiveness of Christ and pass it on to others and some don’t … [but in the days after this tragedy] they set an example that caused me—a Presbyterian minister—to examine my own life and ask, ‘Who haven’t I forgiven?’”

             The Amish are right…it is at the heart of Christianity to forgive.

            Some of the final words that Jesus spoke as He was being crucified were, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

             It is God’s nature to forgive. In Isaiah 43:25 God says, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

             And in the New Testament we are taught in Ephesians 4:32 to, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

            But forgiveness is not easy is it?

            By its very nature to forgive someone, means that they have done something to you that has wronged you, or caused you hurt.

             C.S. Lewis once said “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until he has something to forgive.”

            Today we encounter in the brief letter to Philemon, the heart of a forgiver.

            Philemon, the central character in this letter from the Apostle Paul, has been wronged. Onesimus has taken something of value that belonged to him and has run off.

            Paul has stepped in and asked Philemon to welcome back Onesimus; to forgive him for the wrong he had done to him, and to restore him to his relationship with Philemon. In fact, Paul asked him not only to restore their broken relationship, but to make it better than it was before!

             In this passage today, we will learn what it takes to forgive like that.

  The Heart Of Forgiveness is found in:

1) Faith in the Lord Jesus (Philemon 5a)

4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus…

            Paul commends Philemon for his “faith in the Lord Jesus.”

            The heart of forgiveness begins with faith in Jesus Christ.

            Jesus is the connection we have to the source of forgiveness.

            Our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord puts us into a life transforming connection with God’s forgiveness. The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is God’s plan to bring us forgiveness in our lives, and reconciliation with God.

            As we are connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of God flows into our lives, and becomes the source for the forgiveness we need to extend to other people.

            Forgiveness at any time is not going to be easy; but without Jesus Christ in our lives, it is going to be nearly impossible.

 The Heart Of Forgiveness is found in:

2) Love for all of God’s people (Philemon 5b)

4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about…your love for all of God’s people.

            Secondly, Paul commends Philemon for his “love for all of God’s people.”

            It takes a heart of love to forgive someone who has hurt and wronged you.

            Paul tells Philemon that he thanks God when he prays for him because he has “love for all of God’s people.”

            It is hard to have love for all of God’s people.

            There are some folks who are hard to love. There are some people who get on your last nerve. When you are around them you think, “I’m having a hard enough time trying to like you, let alone love you.”

            Philemon has love that extends to other people—to “all of God’s people,” Paul says.

            If you don’t love someone, you will have a very hard time forgiving them.

            It is hard to have hate for someone, and forgiveness toward them, in your heart at the same time, isn’t it?

            This love that Paul refers to is the love of God that we experience through faith in Jesus Christ.

            Sometime when I am meeting with people who are getting married I will read to them 1 Corinthians, chapter 13.

            It goes like this:

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

            I tell the prospective bride and groom, “This is the standard of love that you are expected to live up to.”

            It is not easy is it?

            Then I usually tell them, “On my best day, I am more like to be just the opposite of this… rarely patient or kind…more likely to be demanding and irritable…”

            The only way that I can ever come close to living this out in my life is to remain connected to the source of this love…Jesus Christ.

            It is only as we stay connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ, that we have access to the love we need in order to forgive others when they wrong us and cause us hurt.

 The Heart Of Forgiveness is found in:

3) Willingness to put faith and love into action (Philemon 6)

6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.

            Paul tells Philemon that he is praying for him to “put into action” with generosity, all that he has experienced through his faith and love.

            Philemon needs to generously put into practice his faith in Jesus Christ and his love for all of God’s people by forgiving Onesimus and welcoming him back.

            It is easy to talk about forgiveness on Sunday morning, sitting in a church service. But it is much more difficult to put it into practice on Monday morning in your home, your job, your school, or your neighborhood.

            When we recite the Apostles’ Creed in worship one of the things we say is:

“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”

            But I wonder if we practice “the forgiveness of sins?”

            It is one thing to believe in forgiveness; it is another thing to practice forgiveness!

 The Heart Of Forgiveness is found in:

4) Kindness that refreshes the hearts of others (Philemon 7)

7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

            The heart of forgiveness is to be able to treat with kindness someone who has treated you with unkindness.

            The heart of forgiveness is to be able to refresh the heart of someone who has caused your heart to be broken.

            Year ago, Mahatma Gandhi said:

            “What is true of individuals is true of nations. One cannot forgive too much. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

            Don’t you think he was right?

            It seems like only the weak forgive, but in reality, it takes great strength to forgive.

            That strength is available to us through the faith and love we experience in Jesus Christ.

            Someone said to John Wesley once, “I never forgive.” Wesley replied, “Then, sir, I hope that you never sin.”

            I could ask you, “Do you have someone in your life that you need to forgive?” but I already know the answer to that. The answer is “yes.”

            Everyone has someone in their life they need to forgive.

            So the real question is, “Are you willing to put into action your faith in Jesus Christ, and extend forgiveness to them?”

            “Are you willing to set them free from the debt they rightly owe to you, so that you can be set free too?”

            Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step toward having a heart of forgiveness. Trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord connects us to God’s grace that forgives our sins, and enables us to have forgiveness toward others.

            Faith in Jesus Christ also empowers us to have love for other people—even people who cause us hurt and betrayal.

            Forgiveness does not come natural to human nature, but through the life transforming grace of God at work in us through Jesus Christ, forgiveness comes to us super-naturally.

            Now our role in forgiveness is to take the same grace that God gives us—that forgives us of our sins–and put it into action, by refreshing the heart of those who have caused our heart pain.

            Through Jesus Christ at work in you, you are forgiven, and you can forgive.

            Will you?

2009 Annual Conference Highlights

           The 2009 WNC Conference was one of the best in the 26 I have attended. Bishop Larry Goodpaster set a tone of inspiration and renewal from the start to the finish.

           Here are some thoughts from one of the members of the Conference, Dr. Don Haynes, of Hood Theological Seminary, from a recent article he wrote about the inbreaking of the Holy Spirit this year at Lake Junaluska:

     As a United Methodist preacher, annual conference is “my church.” In June, I attended the Western North Carolina Annual Conference for my fifty-fourth time. As a college student, I received my first appointment in October 1954 by telegram! I have also been to six Jurisdictional Conferences (three as a delegate), five General Conferences (two as a delegate), have been a guest at numerous other annual conferences, and a preacher at one. I thought I had “seen it all.” This was the most exciting, challenging, spiritually uplifting Methodist or United Methodist conference I ever attended.
The entire conference had been unusually superb – a superb “pastoral talk” by our new bishop at the clergy executive session. He said point-blank that if pastors were not effective, they would not get promotions and would need to explain to him why they were being asked to move and why church after church was declining on their watch! He challenged us to raise three fingers as he ticked off his goals – a net gain of 8,000 members [goal is 300,000], 30,000 more in worship, 3,000 volunteers in mission, 300 re-visioned congregations now in maintenance or survival mode, and 30 new church starts – all in 3 years. Now that is gravitas! And faith!
     We had from our own members good preaching, good music, and pointed debate that was kept to the rules of “two speeches for and two against and none to exceed three minutes.” I had a great luncheon with the three children of a deceased minister whose memorial I wrote, and they reminisced of their daddy’s days on a six point circuit and how Bishop Kenneth Goodson got him into conference membership with 30 hours of college, achieved while his daughter was a college senior! Great time! Great memories. But a new feature was our bishop’s teaching the Bible for an hour each day just after lunch! Wow, this was different! My memory delved into my acquaintance with the role of bishops since Asbury and one thing was clear – Larry Goodpaster is going to be a spiritual leader!
     Then came Saturday night – ordination of Deacons and Elders. Bishop William Hutchinson of Louisiana was the preacher. Now, frankly, the congregation had perspired its way through a long ordination liturgy, and friends and family of ordinands had miles to travel back home and really came to support and take pictures with their loves ones! No one really comes to ordination to hear the sermon! The hour is already late when it starts. I have heard scores of ordination sermons and remember only one from the past. This was the bishop’s handicap as he started to preach.
Well! No wonder the United Methodists of Louisiana asked for him back for his third quadrennium – this guy is dynamite. If ever before at annual conference I have heard a sermon on Christian perfection, it was so lousy that I have forgotten it! When he started talking about holiness as a dropped stitch in the tapestry of United Methodist weavings, I knew that he was biting off a homiletical challenge! He reminded us of Wesley’s belief in holiness of heart and life. He accurately noted that the “holiness movement” of an older Methodism morphed perfecting grace into a moralistic legalism which not only called Christians to be bit ibkt “not of the world,” but also called them to be out of the world”! He so much as told us that we threw out the baby with the bath water. We are in danger of John Wesley’s greatest fear, that we “become a dead sect.” He called us to remember the General Rules and the need for self-discipline as well as doctrine. No one was moving; this man had “unction.” Then came a powerful climax. As he seemed to tap the heavenlies of which Paul spoke in Ephesians, Bishop Hutchinson reached to the twelfth century to move us to the edge of our post-modern seats with Veni, Creator Spiritus!
          Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire and lighten with celestial fire
          Thou the anointing Spirit art who doest Thy sevenfold gifts impart.
          Thy blessed unction from above is comfort, life and fire of love
          Enable with perpetual light the dullness of our blinded sight.
          Anoint and cheer our soiled face with the abundance of Thy grace;
          Keep far our foes, give peace at home, where Thou art Guide no ill can come.
          Teach us to know the Father, Son, and Thee of both, to be but One
          That thro’ the ages all along This, this may be our endless song:
          ALL PRAISE TO THY ETERNAL MERIT
          O FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN
     Two thousand people were on their feet. “Amen’s” were being heard. But it was time for the recessional, when the ordinands filed out to meet those loved ones and face the cameras. Like Kierkegaard’s “Parable of the Ducks,” we were ready to dampen our emotions, get out of flying mode, and all waddle home!
     Then it happened. Bishop Larry Goodpaster, the next president of the Council of Bishops, stepped to the pulpit and then moved to the side of it. He said, “I have read the bulletin; it is time for a hymn and the recessional of our ordinands and the benediction. I know the Worship Committee is going to kill me, but I feel the Spirit moving. I want the District Superintendents to come and line up behind me. John-Palmer, play the hymn through twice,
          ‘God of Love and God of Power, grant us in this burning hour
          grace to ask these gifts of thee, daring hearts and spirits free.’ “
     “And,” the bishop continued, “if any of you among the laity feel that God is calling you to ordained ministry, come forward, go to your D.S. and make an appointment to see him or her next week.” I was sitting among the Elders who joined the bishops and superintendent in laying hands on the ordinands. Someone said in a loud whisper, “Bishop, you are brave, but what if no one comes.”
About that time from the rear of Lake Junaluska’s vast Stuart Auditorium, I heard clapping and shouting – someone was coming! Then from another section, more applause – someone else was coming. By now there was hardly a dry eye in the house. As the organ played on, I thought of Bishop Gerald Kennedy’s third stanza,
          “All our lives belong to thee, thou our final loyalty,
          slave are we whene’er we share that devotion anywhere,
          God of love and God of power, Thou hast called us for this hour.”
     And they kept coming. And they kept coming. The bishop was running from one set of steps to the other, embracing each one and saying a word to them. Superintendents were embracing people they had never seen before – many of them not even delegates but laity who had come in the vans to see their pastors ordained! Now the newly-ordained began to come on stage and embrace members of their church! The newly-ordained were hugging the newly-called!
And the organ played on! I began to count the people on the huge stage and subtract the number of superintendents and bishops and Board of Ordained Ministry members and new with their red stoles! Thirty-seven people had come forward to say, “I am Thine oh Lord, I have heard thy voice and it told thy love to me; (now) I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee.” My mind went to a newer beloved hymn, “…I have made the darkness bright, who will bear my light to them – whom shall I send.” Here they stood, publicly committing themselves to “ Here I am Lord…I will go Lord. If you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart.”
     People were smiling, laughing and hugging throughout the auditorium. Yes, I’ll admit, I was crying tears of sheer joy. As the ordinands regrouped for the recessional, members of the congregation jammed the stage seeking out the members of their churches, pastors were seeking out members of former churches, everyone was wanting to speak to the Bishop who had delivered such a moving message and the Bishop who had given an old-fashioned Methodist/EUB altar call! I found myself uttering the last words of Holy Scripture, words I never use because, to the detriment of my own soul, I let the charismatics own them – “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”
     And it all happened at an annual conference in 2009 right there in front of God and everybody!
I went out looking for the ten ordinands whom I had taught in seminary, proudly standing with them for a picture. I was constantly meeting up with my own generation of septuagenarians – old codgers – who were crying and saying, “Did you ever think we would see something like this?” My stock answer was, “This is my fifty-fourth annual conference, and I have never experienced a night like this at annual conference.” To the ordinands I said, “You have this night been a part of history; this night will be little forgotten and long remembered.” As I walked through the dark to our car, I felt closer to John Wesley’s “strangely warmed” heart than I had felt in a long, long time, if ever! I came home and pulled the little volume from my shelf I love to re-read on rare occasions like this – William Sangster’s 1945 volume, Methodism Can Be Born Again.
     The Lord is not through with this Church yet!

The Rev. Dr. Donald Haynes, retired United Methodist minister, is a columnist for the United Methodist Reporter, and also an instructor in United Methodist studies at Hood Theological Seminary.

July 8, 2009

An Overlooked Scripture

           Let’s take the month of July and study one of the most interesting writings in the New Testament: Paul’s letter to Philemon. In more than a quarter century of ministry in the local church, I have never led a Bible study on this Scripture or did a series of messages on it. So why not now during the warm, lazy days of summer?

            Throughout July I’ll speak on the themes found in this brief, twenty-five verse letter, on Sunday mornings. I would like for you to join me in reading and studying this little letter throughout the remainder of July. I’ve included some study questions below to help you focus on Paul’s message and get the most out of this often, overlooked Scripture. I encourage you to use these questions to help you dig deeper into this wonderful Biblical text (the entire letter to Philemon is printed at the end of the study questions).

The New Testament Letter Of Philemon

Study Questions

1. Read through the entire letter of Philemon a couple of times (it is just 25 verses). What is this letter about?

2. Why were Philemon and Onesimus at odds with one another?

3. Read the following verses to find the words or phrases that indicate how Paul felt toward Philemon:

verse 1

verse 7

verse 17

verse 19

verse 20

verse 21

verse 22

4. Read the following verses to find the words and phrases that indicate how Paul felt toward Onesimus:

verse 10

verse 12

verse 16

5. Philemon’s love and faith were well known among Christians. As a result, something had happened to those Christians. According to verse 7, what was it?

6. Read verses 12 and 17. What does Paul want Philemon to do?

7. Read verses 17-19. What price is Paul willing to pay to help restore Philemon and Onesimus?

8. Paul was trying to play the part of peacemaker between two Jesus-followers who found themselves in a disagreement with one another. What did Jesus say about this in Matthew 5:9?

9. What risks would Onesimus take to return back to Philemon?

10. How do you think Onesimus felt about the idea to return to Philemon?

11. What is God saying to you through your study of Paul’s letter to Philemon?

12. What should you do as a result of studying Paul’s letter to Philemon?

The full text of:

Philemon 1-25


1 This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
  I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker,2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.
  3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

 
4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon,5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people.6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

 
8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do.9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.
  10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.
  13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf.14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced.15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever.16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
  17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it. And I won’t mention that you owe me your very soul! 20 Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.
  21 I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more!22 One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon.

 
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.
  25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The Three People You See In The Mirror

Philemon 1-25

            1 This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, 2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house. 3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

            4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

            8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. 9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.

            10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. 11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.

            13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. 15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever.16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

            17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it. And I won’t mention that you owe me your very soul!

            20 Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.

            21 I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more! 22 One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. 25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

             When Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed “King of Pop” died on June 25, 2009, the TV and radio became saturated with reports, gossip, video footage, and Michael Jackson songs.

            For the first few days after his passing, it seemed like every Michael Jackson song ever recorded, from his early days with his brothers in the Jackson 5, to his later years, was played on the radio, on every station, all the time.

            One song that I haven’t heard in nearly 20 years became stuck in my mind, replaying itself over and over with every newscast. It was the song “Man in the Mirror.” Do you remember the lyrics to that song?

            The chorus goes,

I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change

            The phrase that keeps running through my mind this week is this one: “I’m starting with the man in the mirror…”

             One of the principles for reading, studying, and applying the Bible is to use it as a mirror to reflect our lives; either the person we need to become, or the person need to stop being!

            For the month of July, I would like for us to look into the mirror of a little know letter in the New Testament, written by the Apostle Paul to a Christian named Philemon.

            If we could allow the Letter to Philemon to serve as a mirror for us, we will be able to apply the lessons demonstrated to us by Paul, Philemon, and the third main character in the letter, Onesimus.

            Today I would like to give an overview of this letter and introduce the people involved. In the weeks that will follow, we’ll go through each of the verses individually.

            At the very outset we need to know one key fact: Philemon is a personal letter written by the Apostle Paul to a fellow Christian, and friend of Paul, named Philemon. Paul wrote to Philemon to address a very specific incident in Philemon’s life which involved another friend of Paul, and fellow Christian, named Onesimus.

            The heart of the matter is that Onesimus is a slave who belongs to Philemon. At some point Onesimus has run away from Philemon and apparently, taken something of value that belonged to Philemon. During the time that he has been a runaway slave, Onesimus met Paul, who was in prison for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. During their relationship, Paul led Onesimus to become a follower of Jesus. These relationships first with Paul, and then with Jesus, literally transformed the life of Onesimus. He went from untrustworthy fugitive, to faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and co-worker with Paul in Christian ministry.

            Paul had also led Philemon to become a follower of Jesus. The Apostle Paul knew and loved both Onesimus and Philemon. He was well aware that their relationship was badly broken. According to the laws of that time, runaway servants could be put to death at the hand of those to whom they belonged.

            Paul had developed a deep love for Onesimus, and in fact, depended on him a great deal since he was in prison. Paul also loved Philemon and wanted to see the broken relationship between these two estranged fellow believers restored and reconciled. So Paul felt he had no other choice but to step into the middle of this situation and initiate a process to bring these two back together.

             I believe when we look into the mirror of the Letter to Philemon, you and I will see three reflections that speak to each of us, in our lives as well.

            Will you join me on this journey into this very personal letter, and look deeply into it, and allow it to mirror into our lives, ways that God is calling us to live?

            Can you do that with me today?

             Let’s get started!

 1) When we look in the mirror we see the reflection of Paul: The person called to peacemaking (Philemon 10a, 18-19a)

            Listen to what Paul says to Philemon on behalf of his estranged relationship with Onesimus:

10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus…18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it.

             In this letter we see the picture of Paul as the peacemaker; the mediator at work to reconcile two Christians at odds with one another.

            This is a trait of all followers of Jesus Christ.

            Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

            The Bible says we are to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone…” (Hebrews 12:14).

            James says, “…the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving…peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17a, 18).

            Followers of Jesus Christ—those who have been reconciled to God by Jesus Himself, are called by God to help reconcile others (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

            Followers of Jesus Christ are people who work to bring opposing sides together in harmony. Instead, we often take sides and add to the division.

            Here is Paul’s teaching to the church on this in Romans 14:19:

            “…we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.”

             Paul saw two people that he loved dearly, living estranged from one another. It was his duty as a follower of Jesus Christ, to do all in his power to bring them back together and help them restore their relationship.

           Who do you know that is at odds with someone?

            Who do you know those relationship is strained and distanced?

            What will you do to reach out to both of them and help bring them back together?

            What will you do today…this week…to be a peacemaker?

             When you look into the mirror of our Christian faith, you see Paul, the one called to be a peacemaker…and you know His calling is your calling!

 2) When we look in the mirror we see the reflection of Philemon: The person called to forgive (Philemon 15-17)

            Paul wrote to Philemon:

15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever.16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.  17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.

             Paul wrote this letter directly to Philemon. He appeals directly to Philemon to forgive what Onesimus has done to him and to receive him back, not as a slave, but as a brother born into the family of Jesus Christ. Philemon is not only expected to forgive the sins Onesimus committed against him, but he is to welcome him back into relationship with him. He is no longer to see Onesimus as a slave, but as a fellowship disciple of Jesus Christ—a brother in faith. Not only is Onesimus to be welcomed back and forgiven; he is to be set free and promoted to family member!

            Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of forgiveness-not in the general sense, but in the practical sense. He says to Philemon, “I know you are a faithful follower of Jesus Christ whose love for your fellow believers is widely known. I am asking you to show the same level of love and forgiveness to Onesimus who has wronged you and run away.”

             Paul wrote to Philemon and said these words:

            21 I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more!

            What did Paul want Philemon to do?

            He wanted him to welcome Onesimus back.

            He wanted him to forgive Onesimus for what he had done.

            He wanted him to make Onesimus, not a slave, but a brother in faith.

            And he wanted Philemon to set Onesimus free.

             That’s what it means to forgive!

            It means we welcome back the one who has wronged us.

            It means we not only restore them to right relationship with us, but we promote them to a greater level of relationship.

            It means we set them free from the debt they owe us.

            And it means we set them free from the consequences that they deserve.

             Forgiveness seems much easier to agree to on Sunday morning in church, than it does on Monday morning at home, at school, or on the job.

             Who do you need to forgive?

            Who is it in your life you have become estranged and distanced from?

            What do you need to do to restore that relationship back into closeness again?

            Who do you need to reconcile with?

            Who do you need to set free from the consequences of their sin?

             The Bible says that we are to “forgive one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven” us (Ephesians 4:32).

             When you look into the mirror of our Christian faith, you see Philemon, the one called to forgive…and you know His calling is your calling!

 3) When we look in the mirror we see the reflection of Onesimus: The person called to repent (Philemon 11-12a)

            To “repent” means to “turn around, to change direction.”

             In Philemon 11-12 Paul writes:

11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.12 I am sending him back to you.

             Onesimus had wronged Philemon, and then run away from him. Now that he had met Jesus Christ through the ministry of Paul, Onesimus wanted to make things right with Philemon. In order to do that he had to stop running away from Philemon, and he had to turn around, and go back.

             Running away will never result in reconciliation. The Bible word “repent” means “turn around and go back.”

            Go back to the person you wronged.

            Go back to the incident where you sinned and straighten it out.

            Go back to that place of hurt and begin the process of healing.

             Jesus said, “…if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

            Repent is to go back and be reconciled; then you can move forward in worship and mission. Until there is the going back, there will never be the going forward.

             When we look in the mirror we see the reflection of Onesimus, and we know we need to repent.

            Who is the person you have sinned against?

            Who is the person you need to go to and be reconciled with?

            What wrong do you need to make right?

             When you look into the mirror of our Christian faith, you see Onesimus, the one called to repent…and you know His calling is your calling!

             In his book, The $64 Tomato, William Alexander writes:

            “If you were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life you are living now? The question is interesting enough, but I’ve always thought the point of asking it is really the unspoken, potentially devastating follow-up question. That is, if the answer is no, then why are you living the life you are living now? Stop making excuses, and do something about it.”

             Where do you need to work for peace and reconciliation?

            “Stop making excuses, and do something about it.”

             Who do you need to forgive?

            “Stop making excuses, and do something about it.”

             What is it that you need to repent of?

            “Stop making excuses, and do something about it.”

             You’ve seen the reflections in the mirror.

            You’ve heard the call of Scripture upon your life.

             Are you willing to stop making excuses and do something about it?

A Bishop With A Vision

            Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster presided over his first session of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference earlier this month.

           He brought strong leadership and a boost of enthusiasm for our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ in Western North Carolina.

            The 2009 Conference was inspiring and sobering.

            We learned that in spite of a Conference mission statement of “Follow Jesus, Make Disciples, Transform the World” our Conference declined by 408 members in 2008. Total membership in the WNC Conference stands at 293,180.

            Attendance at worship was also down by 806 people in 2008.

            More than 400 churches (out of 1180) had no one join the church on profession of faith in 2008.

            The good news is that Bishop Goodpaster came to Annual Conference with an exciting vision for the churches of Western North Carolina over the next few years.

            Raising three fingers in the air, he challenged the churches of Western North Carolina:

1) increase our membership to 300,000,

2) increase worship attendance to 30,000 each Sunday,

3) send 3,000 mission teams across the Conference, nation, and world in the name of Jesus Christ,

4) renew and remission 300 existing local congregations, and

5) start 30 new churches…

all in the next 3 years (by December 31, 2012)!

             Here is the vision in the Bishop’s own words:

            For those of you who were not at Annual Conference, and for those of you who have forgotten already, let me rehearse the “3” goals that I held up as our challenge: 300,000 members in the Western North Carolina Conference; 30,000 more people in worship; 3,000 mission teams sent in the name of Christ into the world; 300 resurrected churches (those that are stagnant or at plateau levels, refocused, re-energized, re-missioned for ministry in the world); 30 new faith communities – all in the next three years! Those are strategic, measurable goals that can be achieved if all of us together unite in common effort to follow Jesus, make disciples, and transform the world. What will be needed? Creativity, commitment, and intentional efforts to practice the faith we proclaim. For now, I hope that you will lift these goals in prayer, that you will explore what can happen in the community where you serve, and that you will renew personal commitments to live as faithful, fruitful disciples daily.

             I believe God has sent Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster to Western North Carolina to help our church refocus on our essential mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

In Search Of Connection

         Recently I saw the results from a survey taken by Christian pollster The Barna Group.

         In a survey of young people they found the most common elements that young people said they were seeking from a church were

• “to worship or make a connection with God” (45 percent described this as very important)
• “to better understand what I believe” (42 percent),
• “to spend time with close friends” (34 percent),
• “to get encouraged or inspired” (34 percent), or
• “to volunteer to help others” (30 percent).

         In a time when the church is losing young people at an alarming rate, this survey offered something vital information for us to reverse that trend.

         Simply put, young people are looking for connection. When they come to a church they want to experience

1) connection with God (45% said “to worship or make a connection with God”)

2) connection with other people (34% said “to spend time with close friends”)

3) connection with the world (30% said “to volunteer to help others”).

         The church has always been in the “connection business.” We are called by Jesus Christ to connect people to God through evangelism and worship; to connect people to one another through discipleship and fellowship; and to connect people to the world through mission, ministry, and (once again!) evangelism.

         When we reclaim our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ, the church will once again reach, not only, young adults, but people of all ages, with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

WWJHMD

          Do you remember the popular WWJD from a few years back? People by the tens of thousands wore these letters on their wrists in the form of bracelets first created by a church youth group. The letters WWJD stood for “What Would Jesus Do?”

          The idea was to use that question to help people make decisions in life.

           In the year 2009 I would like to submit that I think we need to modify those letters just a bit. Instead of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) I’m thinking WWJHMD is more needed today. Those letters stand for “What Would Jesus Have Me Do?”

          When I see the state of the church, the nation, the family, and the economy, I wonder if we are not making decisions based on faulty criteria. It seems too often we make decisions based on convenience, personal desires, the easiest/cheapest route, and the economy. While there is some wisdom in each of those approaches, I suspect they are not the best way to go about making decisions and discerning direction.

          Instead of making our decisions based on questions like:

• Do I really feel like doing this?
• How much will it cost? or
• How hard will it be?

how about if we asked ourselves, “What would Jesus have me do?”

          For most of my life as a pastor I have worked with churches and church leaders to make decisions based on the ministry and direction Jesus is providing the church, rather than what has always been done, or what is the bottom line. There is both an element of faith and faithfulness that is present when we seek God’s leading for our lives and our church in this way.

          One Scripture that has really helped me, comes from the words Jesus spoke to His disciples as He sent them out to do ministry in His name:

⁶ Go…to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

    ⁹ “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— ¹⁰ no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for workers are worth their keep.{Matthew 10:6-10}

          What strikes me about this passage is the division of labor between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus clearly gives His disciples the “what to” and says He Himself will provide the “how to.”

          The disciples are to focus on the “going, proclaiming, healing, and giving.” Jesus says they are not to focus on the “providing.” He will take care of that.

          When I first read and understood those verses it lifted a great burden off my shoulders. I saw that Jesus tells us stay focused on the ministry and He will supply the means.

          Someone put it this way: “If it is God’s will, then it is God’s bill.”

          The church today has one of the greatest opportunities to advance the Kingdom of God and demonstrate what it means to live by faith that I have ever witnessed in my life. I am hoping that we will allow faith to triumph over fear and that this will be the year we ask: What Would Jesus Have Me Do?

          Then I hope we just go do it…and trust Jesus to provide the way!

The Spring Of Our Discontent

         

            Have you noticed how discontent people are in our world? Is it the insecurity of the economy, the uncertainty of today’s world, the constant barrage of commercials, or just the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” syndrome?

            One of my favorite Bible images comes from Psalm 131:2 which states:

            “I have calmed myself and quieted my ambitions. I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”

            Isn’t that a great picture?

            Totally oblivious to the rise or fall of the stock market, or the threat of job loss, or terrorist attacks, or even swine flu, a weaned child is at peace, snuggled up to the warm and safe protection of her mother. What a beautiful portrait of contentment.

            How many of us more closely resemble an infant with an empty stomach and a full diaper, squalling at the top of our lungs in discontent and despair?

            What causes this sense of discontentment in our hearts?

            What makes us feel that nothing is ever good enough, and that the key to a satisfying life is for us to acquire something “more,” “different,” “newer,” “bigger,” or “better?”

            I have learned that the progression from contentment and satisfaction to discontent and dissatisfaction moves like this:

I Desire.

I Demand.

I Judge.

I Punish.

            As we move from a focus on our desires, to our demands, to criticizing those who do not fulfill them, to finally lashing out at them, we galvanize our discontent.

            James wrote:

                ¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. {James 4:1-3}

            So what is the solution to our prevalent discontent? I read a book recently where the author, John Piper, wrote: “Sin is what you do when you are not fully satisfied in God.” Contentment comes when we are fully satisfied with the choices, gifts, blessings, and circumstances that God provides for our lives.

            Hebrews 13:5 says:

                ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

            We know that the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but that grass still needs mowing too. We may think that the “new model” will satisfy us, but the new model will eventually leave us as empty as the old model did.

            Contentment comes when we relax and enjoy what God has provided for us today, knowing that God will continue to be faithful to fully provide for us tomorrow, and every day that follows.

 

 

What Makes Church Of The Resurrection So Healthy?

          Being on site at The United Methodist Church Of The Resurrection helps me understand part of the church’s great success. They have grown to 16,000 members in 19 years in part because of their commitment to radical hospitality.

         From the senior pastor to the lay volunteers, everyone at The Church Of The Resurrection works hard to make people feel welcome and cared for.

         Let me give one example.

         The 23 of us from North Carolina are all having withdrawal from the lack of sweet tea here in the Kansas heartland.

         One of the people at COR heard a member of my group pining for sweet tea. Without saying anything to my colleague, she immediately left the church, drove to the nearest Chik-Fil-A, and purchased a large sweet tea.

         As our first session of the day began, this pastor was presented with his delicious treat…to the envy of all the rest of our group.

         The person from COR who had done this, was not even there at the time of the presentation. She had already left for another assignment.

         It was a small gesture, and just one of many our group experienced this week, but it was telling for me about the culture of welcome, care, and love that Church of the Resurrection exudes to those who enter their church looking to experience the authentic love of God, expressed in the actions of Christ-followers.

         In 1 Peter 4:9, the Bible says:

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

         I have seen that scripture lived out in the words and actions of the people of the United Methodist Church Of The Resurrection this week.

When You Are Criticized

          It was my honor to present this teaching at the Reynolds Academy Seminar at the United Methodist Church Of The Resurrection (Leawood, Kansas) in the Kansas City area:

 

How To Handle Criticism

April 23, 2009

Reynolds Academy

Kansas City Seminar

 

         There is one aspect of ministry I am an expert in: being criticized.

I had no idea when I began serving as a local church pastor how much hearing and receiving criticism would be part of life as a pastor.

         Over the years I have learned that I am in good company. Jesus was criticized for what He did and the way He did it.

         Jesus was criticized for eating too much (Matthew 11:19), for being a drunk (Luke 7:34), for hanging around with the wrong kind of people (Matthew 11:19, Mark 2:16).

         At the end of His ministry Jesus and His work was criticized by the religious leaders of the day as an insult to God (Mark 14:63-64).

         But the one that really struck me was the time Jesus was criticized for the very character and nature of His ministry. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day said of Him:

         “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” {Matthew 12:24}

         Jesus was called the devil! His ministry was criticized for being evil.

         Jesus said, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” {Matthew 10:25}

         Jesus said, “If people criticized Me, the master of the house, for being the devil, how more will criticize the servants in the house!”

         This was a turning point for me.

         I heard Jesus say, when it comes to criticism I need to

(1) expect it.

         But as we learn to accept the reality of criticism in this life, there is another lesson that I have learned during the last several years.

         When it comes to criticism I need to

(2) ignore it.

         Two Bible passages have really helped me here. The first one comes from Nehemiah 6:1-4:

1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” 4 They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

         Nehemiah was focused on the work and the vision he had from God. He was working to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and bring security to the city.

         But Nehemiah had enemies. There were people who did not want him to succeed. So they sent word to Nehemiah to see if they could distract him from his mission by coming to hear their criticisms and complaints.

         Nehemiah responded by saying,

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” {Nehemiah 6:3}

         Nehemiah told his critics, “I am focused on a great work I’ve been given by God. I am not going to lose focus, quite that work, and come down to your level.

         Nehemiah ignored the complaints of his critics.

         Jesus embodied the same principle.

         As He journeyed to the home of a religious leader whose daughter was at the point of death, some came and said to Jesus:

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?” 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” {Mark 5:35-36}

 

         The phrase that leaps off the page is “Ignoring what they said…”

When Jesus was faced with talk of defeat and death, He ignored it, and told the father whose daughter was at the point of death, “Don’t live in fear. Live in faith.”

         Instead, Jesus kept His focus on bring healing to the hurting and new life out of death.

 

         If anyone knew about the pain of criticism it was Abraham Lincoln. He said:

         “If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how—the very best I am; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”

         Lincoln knew when it comes to criticism the best course of action is to ignore it and keep focused on the mission at hand.

 

         There is an old story that you are probably familiar with, but I need to remember it often because it keeps me motivated in the face of life’s inevitable criticism. Here it is:

         One day a farmer’s old mule fell into an abandoned well. The old mule began to loudly bray and cry in fear.

         The farmer loved that old mule. He had depended on that mule for many years, so he wanted to find a way to rescue his beloved animal.

         The farmer called all of his neighbors to come over to help. They began to consider how they might go about getting the mule safely out of the abandoned well.

         One neighbor suggested trying to lasso the mule and pull it up out of the well.

         The farmer decided it would not work. The mule would never survive such an ordeal.

         After considering every option the farmer decided the only thing to do was put the mule out of its misery. He would cover the mule with dirt and bury it alive.

         So the farmer and his neighbors began to shovel dirt down into the abandoned well. As the dirt landed on the back of the old mule, it began to moan and cry even louder. At one point, the mule had so much dirt on his back he just shook as hard as he could…

         And an amazing thing happened.

         When he shook off the dirt, he was able to step up a little bit higher.

         The farmers kept shoveling, and every time the dirt landed on the back of the mule he just shook it off, and stepped up.

         After a few minutes of no crying from the mule, the farmers thought he must surely be buried. Still they shoveled more dirt.

         Imagine their surprise when they looked into the hole and saw the mule just five feet below the edge of the well!

         They shoveled even faster and every time the mule just shook it off and stepped up.

         When the dirt had been piled high enough, the mule shook off the last of the dirt, stepped up out of the well, and just kept right on walking.

 

         Like Nehemiah, as long as I am focused on doing a great work for God, I refuse to come down and waste time on the useless complaints and criticisms of this world.

         Like Jesus, I am learning that in this world of so much need by so many, to keep working to bring healing and life to the hurt and hopelessness around me, and just ignore all the talk of defeat and death.

         And like that old mule, I’m learning that the best way to handle all dirt that gets dumped on us from time to time, is to just shake it off and step up!