The Chief Mark of a Fallen Empire

Neil Postman once said, “It is not as much of a tragedy when people are unable to read, but more so for those who can read but don’t.”  We are what we think.  Solomon was most profound when he wrote, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Sadly, the cultural trend of young people today is to spend (waste) much precious time on passive entertainment which neither demands nor encourages thinking, but rather promotes an apathetic and lazy existence. I am distressed by this phenomenon because I want others to experience the manifold delights that come from great books.  Every time I read a good book, or even a chapter of a good book, my spirit is awakened and my mind becomes quickened with creative ideas, many of which lead to actions that produce positive results.  If we allow ourselves to become mentally and emotionally stagnant by soaking in the sensate images that our culture makes readily available, then our actions will be governed by apathy, indifference, and a lack of creativity.  Creativity requires a continual flow and refreshing of new ideas that come primarily from the people we meet and the books we read.  Yes, we can be inspired by visual images, but it is interaction with the spoken and written word that causes us to digest and grapple with new ideas. Interaction with books and people fosters the realization of future dreams!

In his classic book, How Should We Then Live?, Frances Schaeffer describes a similar condition in Europe. Prior to the fall of Rome, the chief mark of the empire was apathy. One of the ways apathy manifested itself was in a lack of creativity in the arts.  For example, the fourth century work on the arch of Constantine stands in poor contrast to its second-century sculptures.  It was at this time that the elite of Rome abandoned their intellectual pursuits for social leisure.  Music, according to Schaeffer, was bombastic, and art was decadent.  Even the portraits on coins were of poor quality. The ancient Roman culture was apathetic, lacked artistic creativity, and finally resulted in rampant immorality and inevitable economic collapse. 

The parallels of our current culture to that of ancient Rome are cause for concern.  As Christians living in a culture dominated by apathy and passivity, how should we then live? It would behoove believers to keep their minds sharp and their thoughts clear in order to counter the indifferent—or at best, shallow—thinking of our day. As we immerse ourselves in great writing and compelling conversation, we will contribute to our culture by inspiring creativity, replacing falsehood with truth, and encouraging moral standards.  Let us learn from history and change its course as we counter our culture and become thinking people once again. Let us begin by reading, for it is a tragedy if we can, but don’t.

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Fifteen in a Row

In my early twenties, I longed for a spiritual mentor whom I could follow. I desired to be influenced. I needed someone to turn to for inspiration. Then, during the summer of 1980, a dozen biographies arrived in the mail, special delivery, from a man who knew my secret — I hated to read!  As I peered into the box, I noticed a small, non-threatening book about three-eighths of an inch thick.  Since I never judged a book by its cover, only by its size, I decided I would give it a try. It was the biography of D.L. Moody. Before I knew it, I was half way through. Literally, I couldn’t put it down! I had found my first mentor, and my love for reading was ignited.

Could there be anther book in that box that would breathe life into such a thirsty soul? I reached in and found another thin one, He Dared to Trust God for Countless Orphans , the life story of George Mueller. Skeptical at first, I found myself still reading three hours later! What faith Mueller had! What commitment to Jesus Christ on behalf of those helpless, starving children. He fed them through his incredible, faith-believing prayers! I wanted to be like him—yearning to taste the miraculous power of answered prayer!

I learned an important lesson that week. I learned that my mentors could be found on the pages of great books. Inspired by what D.L. Moody did on his feet and what George Mueller accomplished on his knees, I began to pray like  never before, and then I began to attach those prayers to my feet. I will never forget the time I was visiting the parents of children in my sunday school class. One particular dad had never attended our church, so I gave him a visit. After several knocks on the door, in a neighborhood where I felt strangely out of place, a large, dark figure emerged and pressed his nose against the fogged storm door. “Thank you, Mr. Hayes, for sending your children to our church,” was my introduction. There was a strange and eerie silence, so I repeated my nervous thank-you as I began my backward descent. He was an impressive figure with flaring nostrils and bulging eyes — about two hundred thirty pounds. Safely at my car, I began to open the door, when all of a sudden he bolted out of his house, running toward me like a mad man! It was the quickest prayer I’d ever offered! Face-to-face, he began to taunt me, yelling that if I ever came back, he’d eat me up and spit me out! There I was—five foot six and three-quarter inches — standing against a six-foot, two-hundred-thirty-pound Godzilla! Fortunately for me, he was really referring to eating me up and spitting me out in a game of basketball as we stood near his court. It was like a Clint Eastwood-style movie. I turned, looked him straight in the eyes and said, “Why wait till next time? Let’s do it now!”

Was I crazy? This guy could destroy me in a game of basketball, there was no doubt. But I had an edge — a powerful God who really could answer the innocent prayers of simple faith. This was not really about basketball. I was fighting for a soul. I can’t remember when I was more confident. I could just sense that God was there. All eight of his children and his wife came out to cheer. I looked at Mr. Hayes and told him that I wasn’t a betting man, but if I won, he would come to church for the next two Sundays; if he won I would be his slave every Saturday for one month. I felt that it was a win-win situation for me, but with all my heart I wanted this man to come to hear the gospel. He again taunted me, saying how he would eat me up and spit me out; but then there was a change in his behavior. I asked him if I could borrow a pair of his old sneakers (I learned this from Hudson Taylor!) He was shocked that I would ask him, of a different skin color, to wear his shoes. I wore a size 9; — he was a 13! Can you picture this? So there I was — it was a classic David and Goliath scene. First, I went over to a large rock behind the court, knelt and prayed, “Lord, I am in big trouble! I need your help. Please help me to beat this guy so he’ll come to church.”

I could feel him breathing down my neck as he yelled, “Hey, what’re you doing, man!?”

“I’m talking to my Coach,” I retorted with a smile. Let the game begin!

You just had to be there. He wouldn’t let me dribble the ball more than three feet on the court before he forced me out of bounds. He was playing tough. All I could do was throw the ball toward the basket from about thirty feet away and — SWISH! Fifteen in a row! Everything I shot in the air went in. Angels must have been sitting on top of the basket, catching everything I threw and guiding them in! You should have seen his face!

Two weeks later, during the Sunday evening message, Mr. Hayes was the first person down the aisle, calling upon the Lord to be saved! And to think all of this happened because of a book about a man who put his faith to his feet, and another who lived it out on his knees. Finally, I was actually experiencing what, up to this point, I had only been reading about. It is true — there is a living faith, an abundant life that God has planned for each us. All I needed was for someone to show me the way. I had been influenced. I had been inspired. And there was no turning back.

Oh, if there were only enough room for me to tell you about the life-changing stories of Amy Carmichael, John Newton, Hudson Taylor, Charlie Jones, Francois Fenelon, Gladys Aylward, and Esther Anne Kim (my favorite)!  I am wholeheartedly dedicated to the task of finding literary treasures that will give all of us, young and old, hope to take on life’s challenges, courage to overcome overwhelming obstacles, and resolve to answer the inner calling that leads to a life of purpose and meaning.

Simply, it is my desire to fan the flame, that it might burn brightly in our children’s hearts. As we at Lamplighter Publishing unbury these lost treasures, may they serve to inspire and influence you, and to help you to motivate others to fulfill their dreams and answer that calling deep within.

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Be Angry and Sin Not

“Be angry and sin not.”  For years the meaning of this verse eluded me.  One of the reasons I found it difficult to understand was because I approached it pragmatically.  Forty-eight years of personal experience has shown that my anger has left a destructive path of broken relationships, regardless if my anger was justified. Don’t misunderstand—there is an appropriate time to be angry.  For example, if you witnessed the assault of an innocent child, anger and intervention would be an appropriate response.  If a criminal were to break into your home and attempt to hurt your wife or child, anger would be a suitable, God-given response.  As I see it, anger is a built-in alarm system given for the purpose of stopping an offense in order to protect and to restore righteousness.

Unfortunately, as I look back, my outbursts of anger were not for the purpose of protecting others, but rather, to protect myself. My anger was directed toward a wife whom I wanted to control, a son whom I wanted to change, an employee who did not appreciate my sacrificial contribution and lastly, my anger was directed toward God, though I thought I loved Him dearly.

To understand the verse “be angry and sin not,” we must approach it not pragmatically, but contextually. When I first discovered the true meaning of this verse, my initial response was to laugh.  There it was right before my eyes; I just needed to read the following verses:

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil…  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers… Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also loved us.     Eph. 4-5.

At a glance, there appears to be a paradox.  First, we are to be angry and sin not, but then Paul says we are to “put away all anger, wrath, malice, evil speaking…” Paul teaches (and remember this is in the context of be angry and sin not) that we should let no unwholesome word come out of our mouth, but that which is good for edification.” Even when we’re angry, we must be careful to use words that edify, or at least refrain from using words that don’t.  Godly anger stops the offense and restores righteousness.

In Proverbs, Solomon teaches that “the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” How easily we forget that vengeance belongs to God; He will repay.  I think it would be safe to say that much of the anger we display is the means by which we try to protect our pride or disguise our hurt feelings.  If we could only remember that the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God!  (James 1:20)  It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. (Proverbs 2:4)

Overcoming our propensity to react in anger requires an understanding of the nature of God and His dealings with us.  Simply, those who understand how much they have been forgiven will forgive more easily and overlook offenses more readily.  The key is to stay focused on our own personal benefits received from a gracious God. However, these benefits seem few and far between when our hearts are far from Him! Anger which leads to unforgiveness restricts answers to prayer in marriage (I Pet. 3:7) and confronts us with one of the most compelling reasons to forgive:

“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive your trespasses.” Mk. 11:26

Even more compelling is the fact that God forgave us a debt that we could never pay back. He desires to abundantly reward those who diligently seek Him and withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)  Just read Psalm 86:15 and see for yourself how good God is!

The more we experience the goodness of God, the more we will recognize the ugliness of the sin of anger and its destructive effects.  Our tendency to respond in anger will diminish, for he who has been forgiven most, loves  most.

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Removing Mountains of Offense

Isn’t it just like God to send a person into your life just in the nick of time or the perfect book at the just the right moment?  Recently I read the book True Faced by Bruce McNikol, John Lynch, and Bill Thrall and found myself enamoured by its candor. 

Allow me to share some powerful truths gleaned from this insightful book: 

Jesus said,

“It is impossible but that offenses will come; but woe to him, through whom they come!”   Luke 17:1

“Woe unto the world because of offenses!  For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”    Matthew 18:7

Offenses are indeed a part of daily life.  In the book of James we read, “If any man offends not in word, the same is a perfect man.”  As the authors of True Faced address the subject of offenses, they explain that both the offender and the offended can react with “involuntary responses of guilt and hurt.”  The sins of the offended are like a double-edged sword, for they are first sinned against, but then they must be responsible for their own sinful reactions of bitterness and lack of forgiveness that occur when the offense is left unresolved. A little twisted, isn’t it?  Unresolved sin leads to the “inevitable effects of shame and blame.”

When shame and blame are left unresolved, the tentacles of sin become more entangled, expressing themselves further through the “inevitable effects of fear, anger, or denial.”  These patterns have been repeated since the beginning of time, and can first be seen with Adam and Eve and their children:

Shame – Adam saw his nakedness and hid himself.

Blame – “It was the woman you gave me.”  “The serpent beguiled me.”

Fear  –    “I was afraid, so I hid.”

Anger – And Cain was very angry. (This is the first time the word anger appears in the Bible)

Denial – “I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

Reactions of bitterness or lack of forgiveness are not generally caused by an offense happening in the present moment; they are often the result of an over-filled reservoir of unresolved past offenses.  The consequences often play themselves out in the following scenarios:

I am unable to be loved or to love.

I become vulnerable to wrong life choices.

I attempt to control others.

Inability to Love

According to McNikol, unresolved sin always causes preoccupation with our own lives.  We become self directed, self attentive, and self protective—unable to offer love to others.  Preoccupation with ourselves causes fear in those around us and restricts their growth.

Vulnerability to Wrong Choices

Unresolved  shame  may  cause  us  to  flee our current situation in order to avoid embarrassment or escape pain.  Unresolved blame creates a critical  spirit.  Unresolved fear may restrict growth in others.  Unresolved denial often blinds us to our part in the conflict.  Unresolved anger burns us out or pushes us away from those we love.

Control of Others

It is impossible to submit to another, to trust another, or to allow ourselves to need another person’s love when we must be in control.  Control validates our rightness and our anger.  Controllers elevate what they believe to be right at the expense of anything or anyone. 

As you can see, True Faced is filled with priceless insights that delve deeply into the root of conflict caused by offenses. The book’s second half offers solutions that will bring any weary traveler to the waters of refreshment, restoration, and hope, where we will no longer be ashamed. It is my prayer that this book has come to you “just in the nick of time.” 

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