Some years ago, I was invited to speak at a statewide conference for pastors of mission churches. Northbrook Baptist in Cedar Rapids nearly quadrupled in size within a few years, so I was asked to share what we had done that others could do to grow as we had. I was to share the methods and strategies we employed so that Iowa mission pastors could see what was working and imitate it at their churches. Such a Baptist thing to do, right?
I found the entire premise of the conference somewhat silly – whatever was happening at Northbrook was a unique work of God that could not and should not be copied at other churches. But I almost never turn down an opportunity to preach, so I drove over to Winterset (you know – the Bridges of Madison County).
As I drove, I prayed and mediated on what I should say. The Spirit began to make clear in my mind what I should say. I certainly claim no inspiration or the mantle of prophetic authority, but I was convinced that God was shepherding my thoughts. I prepared my message, preached my heart out, and sat down, feeling pretty good about things. There were three of us who spoke, and after we were all done, the pastors broke up into discussion groups. An hour later they met back to have a forum on what they had learned.
That’s when things got uncomfortable. One of the groups had evidently spent an hour dining on “Roast Dave.” They reported to the group how strongly they disagreed with both the tone and the content of my message.
I drove home in a state of confusion. I had never felt more strongly that I was stepping into the pulpit with the precise message God wanted me to deliver to a group of people. And I had never had such a negative response to any message I had ever preached. I could not understand what had gone wrong.
Then, I realized the truth. The problem was my expectations. I thought if I were doing the will of God, everything would be okay. People would respond. Everyone would like me. They would agree that a man of God had been among them.
The Bible is full of examples of people who faithfully obeyed God and found their lives disrupted. Peter, in Acts 10, responds to God’s command to minister the gospel to Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman. God’s mighty power saves Cornelius and his family, and the Spirit is poured out on these Gentiles.
Then the Jewish Christians in Judea heard about what had happened. Do you think they rejoiced at the display of God’s redemptive power? No. They criticized Peter. They called him on the carpet for not observing Jewish traditions. Peter obeyed God and got roundly criticized for it – by his brothers in Christ.
You are probably familiar with Isaiah 6, in which Isaiah sees the Lord high and exalted, displaying his glory and power. Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me” and an angel comes and cleanses him with a burning coal to his lips. Then, God someone to go and do a job for him. Isaiah says, “Here am I, send me.” What most people do not know is what the job is that God assigned to Isaiah. He called him to go before Israel and pronounce God’s judgment.
Just a guess. Proclaiming God’s judgment did not win friends for Isaiah. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micaiah, and other prophets had a similar negative response to the message God gave them.
Remember Moses? He was sent by God down into Egypt with a message for the Pharaoh. He delivered the message and the response was brutal. Pharaoh punished the people of Israel and they wanted to kill Moses. Moses did everything right and the whole world came crashing down around him.
Oh, and in case anyone forgot, they crucified our sinless Savior.
Here’s my point: You can do everything God leads you to do, you can be relentlessly obedient and faithful to God’s Word, and still experience rejection or hostility. Doing God’s will does not guarantee that everything will work out okay. People may reject you, criticize you, ignore you, belittle you. All for doing the will of God. You cannot judge the favor of God by the response of people. We should never seek to offend, but we should also never be surprised when obeying God and following his Word causes offense to sinners.
When you turn over a rock and let the sun shine on the critters than live in darkness, they never thank you for the light. They burrow for more darkness.
Your reward for serving God is the pleasure and blessing of God. If God is pleased, does it really matter what people think?
Let me state this another way. All of us would criticize the health-and-wealth preachers. But I think we buy into their theology way more than we want to admit.
Jeremiah is one of my favorite OT characters exactly for the reasons you cite. He was even told that he wasn’t going to be “successful” in the world’s estimation.
When Stacy and I were working through the IMB’s application process, our candidate consultant, Dr. Jerry DeOlivera, said:
“People will tell you that the center of God’s will is the safest place to be. Bah. No one was closer to the center of His will than Jesus Christ; look what happened to Him.”
Good words, Dave.
Very hard truth, Dave, but thanks for the reminder!
Joseph Garlington once preached “It is possible God will tell you to do (or say) something that somebody else will say He DIDN’T tell you?”
He followed up by saying “You bet”. Methinks it’s possible for a bunch of preachers’ ears to itch, in fact.
I believe I’ve seen some of that.
“Blessed are you who are persecuted for my sake.”
“If the world hates you, know that it hated me first.”
– Jesus
Even Jesus’ earthly ministry was pretty much a failure. How many were left to stand with Him at the cross? I think it was only 1 and he was there with Jesus’ mother…or he might have hid out, as well.
Oh .. I also disagree with the title of the post. It should be “Failing” In The Center Of God’s Will.
I’m not sure what the correct grammar is, Bob, but you and I are thinking the same way. There is no success as great as the success of “failing” in man’s eyes while doing God’s will.
I’ve never heard you preach, Dave, but I’d bet next month’s Social Security Check that (A) you’ve preached some terrific, well-prepared, well-presented sermons that have had people walk out yawning, and that (B) you’ve preached some in fear and trembling, feeling ill-prepared and dry-mouthed, that had people telling you how much that one meant for days after.
Sometimes I think God enjoys knocking our socks off like that, when we don’t expect it. I’ve had that happen with SS lessons, I know. I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.
Sometimes I find myself quoting Acts 9:16.
Thanks Dave. This is post that can be catalogued as “Spiritual Medication.”
Your name looks familiar. I know I should know you, Mr. Scott. Have we met?
Good to have you back on the blog, if only to start your gloating about a certain football team.
It is a clear August morning in the SABANATION. The wind is still. A familiar sound rings through the cities, towns, and burgs of the FOOTBALL Empire of the Universe. It is the sound of steel clanging in a weight room in T Town. Young giants with arms as huge as the hind leg of a Crimson Elephant and chests swollen larger that a refrigerator box methodically and silently lift tons of glimmering, well polished plates of stainless steel over their heads with one single focus in their minds. —- the absolute destruction of a little band of Wolverines on… Read more »
CB,
Sabanites….sodomites is there a difference other than massive doses of injectible testosterone? 😉
Well Jake Barker,
Why don’t you just drive on over here to T Town and ask one, or better yet, all of the starting linemen if there “is a difference.” I am sure they will be most happy to explain it to you.
I’m a Buckeye but…
GO BLUE!!!!
I am not a sports follower, and had to dig for who you were talking about. Looks like it must be Alabama team versus the Michigan Wolverines, but the Internet says the game will be September 1 unless I misread it.
Bruce McGovern, You are correct. I am shocked at such an error on my part. I don’t know why I gave the wrong date. I am on my way now to the Emergency Room at St. Vincent’s Hospital to have my vision checked, an MRI, and any other medical test they can administer to determine how I could have had such a lapse of my mental faculties to such a degree that I would have the wrong date for the first game of the season (undefeated season). Insecurity has gripped my heart for the very first time in my life.… Read more »
CB: The Tide could use another coach from Arkansas, if there is one. I fear the rest of them went into God’s ministry of Sovereign Grace.
James,
I don’t think there has ever been a coach from Arkansas who went into the Ministry…..of any kind.
CB shows up. Talk diverts to football. Odd.
Tis the season, Dave.
Oh yeah, I forgot. You live in Iowa. Sorry.
Yeah, there’s no (corrupt) football in Iowa (like there is in the SEC).
From Dave: Doug, I saw that your comment had left out a few words, so I added them for you. I hope you don’t mind me editing your comments when I see a mistake. Hugs and kisses.
Doug Hibbard, Several of the preseason polls have USC as #1. That is pitiful and just poor, rank ignorance. Everybody who has every smelled the sweet smell of a FOOTBALL field being lined off for the game while the band practices in the parking lot and pigs get cooked in the B-B-Q pit at the gas station across the road from the field know full well that an SEC Nation will be number one come National Championship time. And the odds are that Nation will be…..yes you are right, The SABANATION. Can you hear it? I can! It is ROLL… Read more »
Tide may be overpriced, but it is a serviceable detergent.
Well, USC’s coach is one who couldn’t hack it in the pros or the SEC, so it seems an odd ranking.
We will both eat and cheer for Hogs around here 🙂
Dave Miller, SBC VOICES has been dominated by posts about soteriology all during the spring and summer. The College FOOTBALL season is only about 10 days away. it is time for VOICES to get back to its true purpose. it is time for the first Sports post of the season to go up. The whole FOOTBALL Universe awaits VOICES to return to its roots and dialogue, debate and smack-talk FOOTBALL. That is especially true for all of us who are so blessed to live within the SEC Nations. I realize those of you who live in the Lesser Conferences are,… Read more »
No, no, no!!!! You people have it all wrong. Get ready for the Quack Attack! Go Ducks!
Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord, then had to build an ark over the next 120 years based upon verbal length, width and height dimensions. There was no drawings or material list. He had brothers and sisters, in-laws and friends that didn’t buy into what he was preaching and they were left behind. Imagine how he felt. I have always wondered why God gives us peculiar instructions or sends us on wild goose chases, but I am discovering that He works His works mainly for the one He has spoken to to see. He seems not to… Read more »
well, I’ve been thinking about all this, and it occurred that if we live in response to Christ, we will be given the grace to be at peace with all others . . . we need not take offense from the pain of those among us who ‘act out’ that pain towards us
I’m not sure we should be surprised by this phenomenon. Part of worshipping an invisible God is that we don’t usually get a cloud by day and column of fire by night leading us. It isn’t always clear that the whisper we hear is really God leading. Even when we follow the direction we’ve been given, we’re susceptible to wondering if we heard right. It’s quite natural to desire blessing and to desire it as a sign of success. But the real sign of success is faithfulness to what we know to be true, not the response our eyes and… Read more »
“Here’s my point: You can do everything God leads you to do, you can be relentlessly obedient and faithful to God’s Word, and still experience rejection or hostility. Doing God’s will does not guarantee that everything will work out okay.”
While I certainly agree, I can think of some ways this line of thinking can be stretched and abused.
Can anyone else?
“Doing God’s will does not guarantee that everything will work out okay.”” No. Doing what is right is done for its own sake. That is in accordance with the teaching that no evil may be done so that good may come, and none may violate their own consciences or cause someone else to violate their consciences before God. ‘At least, do no harm’ predicates that people of good must act in accordance with ‘let right be done’ without prioritizing a concern for their own gain, or a temporal victory for their side. The ends have never justified the means, have… Read more »
I think it is very risky to assume God has told you to do something. I am certainly not denying it happens, because I know it does. But, I know, for example, a couple in the US who first make up their mind what they are going to do. They they root around** in the Bible until they find something that maybe possibly perhaps relates to it. Then, proudly announce the Bible tells them what they are doing is correct. What they fail to do is note anything in the Bible which might be a negative. In my own case,… Read more »
Why do people (men of God) think there is a method that produces success?
Sometimes it’s because they want control. If the method exists, they can have that control. Hence they believe said method exists. Problem is, having control (or, more accurately, thinking you have control) is rather diametrically opposed to being dependent on God.
It doesn’t help that we look at Rom 8:28 and think that the ‘good’ referred to is success, a comfortable living, etc, etc, instead of being (as I think the logic of the following verses indicates) conformity to the image of Christ.
“We should never seek to offend, but we should also never be surprised when obeying God and following his Word causes offense to sinners.”
And often those who are offended by the truth will blame you for not being a peacemaker. This has to do with theological disagreements of all stripes as well. Statements like, “Can’t we all get along,” are often a result of someone being offended by someone else’s theological position and getting their hackles up over it. You can’t let being afraid that someone is going to accuse you of being divisive stop you from pursuing truth.
“And often those who are offended by the truth will blame you for not being a peacemaker.”
That’s the most insightful thing I’ve read in a long time. Much thanks Jim Pemberton!