Food for Thought from Rome and Slovakia

From Pope John Paul II in Rome:

“Perhaps the hardest-fought battle between Church and regime involved family life, for the Communists understood that men and women secure in the love of their families were a danger. Housing, work schedules, and school hours were all organized by the state to separate parents from their children as frequently as possible. Apartments were constructed to accommodate only small families, so that children would be regarded as a problem. Work was organized in four shifts, and families were rarely together. The workday began at 6 or 7 AM, so children had to be consigned to state-run child-care centers before school. The schools themselves were consolidated, and children were moved out of their local communities for schooling.” (Witness to Hope, p. 97)

From a pastor in Slovakia:

“How did the Communists ruling Eastern Block countries set about destroying the Church? They told the Christian community: ‘We will never try to stop you from going to church. Go to church every Sunday. Listen to those sermons. But remember this: There are to be no Bible study groups, no prayer groups, no Sunday schools, no youth groups. Just go to church and listen to those sermons. And all sporting events for children and youth are to be held on Sunday mornings!’ That strategy succeeded in all but destroying the church.” 

Several years ago, researchers probed the question, “How do people come into a relationship with Jesus and His Church?”  Their research revealed the following: 

                                                            Evangelistic crusade: 0.5% 

                                                            Special needs: 1 to 2% 

                                                            Pastoral visitation: 1 to 2%

                                                            Church program: 2 to 3%

                                                            Walk-in: 2 to 3%

                                                            Sunday school: 4 to 5% 

                                                            Pastor: 4 to 5%

                                                            Parents, relative, or friend: 75 to 90%

Jesus does not call us merely to worship in a church on Sunday mornings. He calls us to soak ourselves day in and day out in His Word, and, by faith, to embrace and live according to what He teaches. He calls us to live in caring, sharing, serving community every minute of every day of every week of every month of every year. Without a doubt, the family circle is the most important spiritual school and influence of all. Little wonder that the Communists did all that they could to destroy the family circle. We would do well to ask ourselves, “What can we learn from all this?”

Crossways International is committed to helping parents and people live in community by equipping them to show their children and youth the Jesus that God wants them to believe in and follow.

Harry Wendt

South Korean Food [for Thought and Action]

I have visited South Korea 24 times, and to date 20,000 Korean pastors have attended a Crossways training event. Protestantism was introduced into Korea in 1884 by two pastors from the United States, one a Presbyterian, the other a Methodist. A few years after they began their work, a conference was held to establish a methodology for mission. Nevius, a European missionary working in China, urged Christian communities in Korea to adopt the following approach:

• You may build a church structure as long as you can pay for it yourselves--no subsidies!
• You can have a pastor as long as you can pay the needed salary yourselves--no subsidies!
• The church must be built on the Adult Bible Class system.

The Presbyterians bought into the system; today, they have about 7.5 million members in South Korea.  The Methodists did not; today, they have about 1.5 million members. Draw you own conclusions. My number-one interpreter in Korea used to serve as senior pastor of the 30,000 member Choon Hyun Presbyterian Church in Seoul. Among other statements in that congregation’s mission document are the following:

• Each member must read three chapters of the Bible every day, and five chapters on Sunday.
• All members must contribute a tenth of their income and then begin making their offerings.
• Each member is to study the Bible at the feet of someone who knows more than he or she, and each member is to teach someone who knows less than he or she.

Food for thought, yes; guidelines for action, yes. 

Harry Wendt

Man's way leads to a hopeless end; God's way leads to an endless hope.

The elections are finally over.

 We now know who will serve as the President of the United States for the next four years. Many people are hoping that he will restore the prosperous way of life enjoyed for decades during the last century. However, we do well to ponder the five reasons that Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) offered in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as to why the Roman Empire crumbled:

• Family life disintegrated.
• All ethical systems were discarded.
• The world of entertainment became immoral and corrupt.
• The cost of maintaining the empire’s military system became enormous.
• The empire’s economy collapsed.

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a history professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, had this to say about the fall of the Greek Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

• A democracy is always temporary in nature; it cannot exist as a permanent form of government.
• A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.
• From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
• The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

 

1.         From bondage to spiritual faith;
2.         From spiritual faith to great courage;
3.         From courage to liberty;
4.         From liberty to abundance;
5.         From abundance to complacency;
6.         From complacency to apathy;
7.         From apathy to dependence;
8.         From dependence back into bondage.

 

During the early decades of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill stated: “The British Empire will rule the world for the next one thousand years.” During his time in office, President George H. W. Bush Sr stated that “The American way of life is non-negotiable.” Any thoughts?

We as God’s people would do well to remember that our focus in life must be on morals, not money. The model for our morality must be God’s will, not our whims. Jesus, our forgiving Savior and Servant Lord, demonstrated that will. If a nation does not conform to that will, it will crumble.

 

The mission of the church is not to invite people to sit, stand, say, sing, and scatter. It is to inspire them to search, stoop, serve, sanctify, and sweat—and seek the good of all on earth. 

 Harry Wendt

Sharing what you have is more important than enjoying what you have. ~Albet M. Wells Jr

A Second Email to God

 

You write: “Dear God, You know that, during the past century, we have been blessed in so many ways.  But these days, life is getting tough. In the coming election, how should we vote to get ‘the good old days’ back again?”

In my opinion, God would reply something like this: “I know that many in the land in which you live have thought of themselves as ‘blessed.’ However, they think that being ‘blessed’ has to do with being affluent, owning an expensive car and a big home (or two), plus a boat or a plane. Please remember that I made and own everything—the universe, Planet Earth, and the body in which you live. My Son made it ever so clear that ‘being blessed’ has to do with using life to glorify Me by serving everyone else.

 

Please remember that My Son Jesus is all around you in disguise. As He taught in Matthew 25:31-46, He is the hungry one, the thirsty one, the lonely one, the one who lacks clothing, the sick person, and the prison inmate.

 

I urge you to do all you can to influence all people, no matter what their position in life, to understand and reflect My Son’s servant lifestyle. Yes, tell others about the forgiveness that Jesus offers them—but also show them the servant Jesus you want them to believe in and follow.

 

When you vote, keep in mind that ‘being blessed’ does not mean accumulating more material goods. It means devoting life to meeting the needs of all on Planet Earth.”

 Harry Wendt

God, How Should We Vote?

If we were to send an email to God asking for advice about how to vote on November 6, how might He respond?

Thank you for your email. In light of what is being stated in your news media, I am grateful that you wish to have input from Me.

 

You who live in the United States refer to yourselves as “One Nation Under God.” However, I need to ask you, “Which god, and what does it mean to live under that god?”

My beloved Son Jesus revealed My answers to these questions (and hundreds of others) during His ministry. When someone asked Jesus to get involved in a dispute about dividing his father’s inheritance, Jesus told him a parable that made it clear that no person on Planet Earth owns anything—not the ground on which they stand and not the body in which they live (Luke 12:13-21). I made everything, and everything belongs to Me. I have no special, favorite people. Those who belong to me do so, not because of what they do or have done or where they live, but because of what I have done for them through the life, death and resurrection of My Son.

It disturbs Me when people insist that religion and politics should never be mixed together. Please remember that if people do not let My Holy Spirit teach and empower them to walk through life My Servant Son’s way, then Satan is leading them his way! What is Satan’s way? “Live for self! Live for self!” It is either “My way” or “Satan’s way.” In relation to the coming election, the issue is not which party gets the majority vote, but who determines the policies of that party.

Again, thank you for your email. I look forward to keeping in touch with you throughout life! There are so many things that I want to talk to you about. And remember, you already have my biggest email in your home–My Word, the Bible! Please read it so that I can keep on teaching and inspiring you.