Truths for teachers web

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A manual to help children’s workers(and other Christian workers)

in their personal livesand in their ministries.

SAM DOHERTY

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A series of devotional manuals for children’s workers “The Problems of a Children’s Worker - and God’s Solution” “Obedience to the Heavenly Vision”“Smooth Sailing in Personal Relationships and Leadership”“50 Years and Still Learning”“Salvation by Faith Alone”“Truths for Teachers”“God’s Word for God’s Workers Vol 1”

“God’s Word for God’s Workers Vol 2”

Electronic Version AvailableOctober 2011

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from theNew King James Version. Copyright by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved

Published byChild Evangelism Fellowship® Inc. – Specialized Book Ministry

Assisting Children’s Evangelists WorldwideP.O. Box 308, LISBURN, BT28 2YS, Northern Ireland, UK

© April 2004. All rights reserved.

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Foreword ........................................................................................... xIntroduction ....................................................................................... xi

SECTION 1 – WHAT IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY?THE WORSHIP OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER .......................... 1

CHAPTER 1A – Introduction, Part I:Three Lessons To Learn ................................................................ 3The Bible Shows Me What God Is Like .............................................. 4God Wants Us To Know Him ............................................................. 6God Wants Us To Worship Him .......................................................... 8

CHAPTER 1B – Introduction, Part 2:Worship – An Explanation ............................................................ 10Our Problems ................................................................................... 10Our Priorities .................................................................................... 11Two Illustrations Of Priorities ........................................................... 12

CHAPTER 2 – A Bible Passage On Worship ............................. 16A Declaration ................................................................................... 17An Explanation ................................................................................. 17The Application ................................................................................ 19

CHAPTER 3 – Questions And Answers About Worship ........... 22What Is Worship? ............................................................................. 22Why Do We Worship? ...................................................................... 24Whom Do We Worship? ................................................................... 27Where Do We Worship? ................................................................... 30When Do We Worship? .................................................................... 31How Do We Worship? - Four Steps .................................................. 31Three Biblical Examples Of Worship................................................. 40Action Stations ................................................................................. 45A Plan To Follow .............................................................................. 45

Table of Contents

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SECTION II – HOW CAN I OVERCOME MY WORRIES ANDHOW CAN I AVOID STRESS?THE WORRIES OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER ...................... 51

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:Worry – The Problem And The Solution ..................................... 53What Is Worry? ................................................................................ 54What Causes Worry? ....................................................................... 55What Are The Results Of Worry? .................................................... 57What Is The Solution To Worry? ....................................................... 60

CHAPTER 2 – Peace – The Gift Of God .................................... 67What Is Peace? ................................................................................ 67God Is Peace ................................................................................... 69God Made Peace.............................................................................. 70God Gives Peace .............................................................................. 72How Can We Experience This Peace? ............................................. 73

CHAPTER 3 – Stress – And How To Handle It ......................... 76What Is Stress? ................................................................................ 76What Are The Evidences Of Stress .................................................. 77How Can We Deal With Stress ......................................................... 79

SECTION III – WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES GOD WANTME TO BE AND HOW CAN I BE THAT KIND OF PERSON?THE WALK OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER ............................. 91

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:Learning To Walk ......................................................................... 93How Important Is Our Walk? ........................................................... 93What Does It Mean To Walk? .......................................................... 94What Is The Purpose And Goal Of Our Walk ................................... 97Who Helps Us To Walk? .................................................................. 97What Is Our Responsibility? ............................................................. 99Is There Anything Which Can Help Us In Our Walk? ..................... 101

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CHAPTER 2 – A Man Who Walked With God ......................... 105The Person He Was ....................................................................... 105The Problems He Faced .................................................................. 111The Principles He Learned .............................................................. 111The Picture He Gives ...................................................................... 114

CHAPTER 3 – To Be Like Jesus ............................................... 115Four Stages ..................................................................................... 115Predestinated To Be Like Jesus Christ ............................................. 116Regenerated To Be Like Jesus Christ .............................................. 118Sanctified To Be Like Jesus Christ ................................................... 119Glorified To Be Like Jesus Christ .................................................... 120Our Goal – Today ........................................................................... 121Be Humble – Like The Lord Jesus ................................................. 122Be Thoughtful – Like The Lord Jesus ............................................. 126Be Quiet – Like The Lord Jesus ..................................................... 129Be An Evangelist – Like The Lord Jesus ........................................ 131

SECTION IV – HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS METO DO?GOD’S WILL FOR A CHILDREN’S WORKER ..................... 137

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:The Knowledge Of God’s Will ................................................... 139Two Aspects Of God’s Will ............................................................. 139God’s Specific Will ......................................................................... 141God’s Guidance In Bible Times ....................................................... 143God’s Guidance Today .................................................................... 144A Personal Example ....................................................................... 151

CHAPTER 2 – Nehemiah: A Man Guided By God .................. 154Nehemiah – God’s Servant ............................................................. 155Nehemiah’s Consecration ............................................................... 156Nehemiah’s Curiosity ...................................................................... 157

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Nehemiah’s Comprehension ........................................................... 158Nehemiah’s Compassion ................................................................. 159Nehemiah’s Cry ............................................................................. 159Nehemiah’s Conviction ................................................................... 162

CHAPTER 3 – God’s Triangle ................................................... 164Some Basic Principles .................................................................... 164God Sees The Need ....................................................................... 165God Speaks To His Servant ............................................................ 166God Sends His Servant ................................................................... 166Jonah’s Triangle .............................................................................. 167Moses’ Triangle .............................................................................. 168Philip’s Triangle .............................................................................. 169Triangles Vary ................................................................................ 169Reactions Vary ............................................................................... 170Our Reaction .................................................................................. 172A Prayer To Pray ........................................................................... 174A Personal Testimony ..................................................................... 174

SECTION V – HOW CAN I DO A GOOD WORK?THE WORK OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER .......................... 177

CHAPTER 1A – Introduction, Part I:Go Work Today In My Vineyard ............................................... 179God’s command ............................................................................ 179

CHAPTER 1B – Introduction, Part 2:Go… And Preach The Gospel .................................................... 184Jesus Christ’s Last Great Commission ............................................ 184What Does He Want Me To Do? ................................................... 185What Does He Want Me To Say? .................................................. 187How Should I Preach It? ................................................................ 188Why Should I Do This? .................................................................. 189How Can I Possibly Do This? ......................................................... 190

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CHAPTER 2 – A Good Work ..................................................... 192Our Aim Should Be – A Good Work ................................................ 192It Is God Who Does The Work ....................................................... 193We Must Work ............................................................................... 194We Must Be Careful How We Work .............................................. 195Our Work Will Be Judged ............................................................... 196Conclusion ...................................................................................... 197

CHAPTER 3 – A Worker To Imitate ......................................... 199Paul – The Model Worker .............................................................. 199Paul Was Occupied With God’s Work ............................................. 200Paul Was Open To God’s Word ...................................................... 204Paul Was Obedient To God’s Will ................................................... 207

SECTION VI – WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO SAY TO ME?GOD’S WORD FOR A CHILDREN’S WORKER ................... 213

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:The Bible – The Word Of God ................................................... 215The Nature Of The Word Of God ................................................... 215The Power Of The Word Of God ................................................... 218The Study Of The Word Of God ..................................................... 220

CHAPTER 2 – Timothy And The Word Of God ...................... 227The Word Of God Is Inspired ......................................................... 227The Word Of God Is Committed To Us ........................................... 230The Word Of God Is Powerful ........................................................ 233The Word Of God Needs To Be Studied ......................................... 235

CHAPTER 3 – Truths From Titus ............................................ 239Background Of This Letter ............................................................. 239Outline of This Letter ..................................................................... 240The Main Themes Of This Letter ................................................... 240The Importance Of Doctrine .......................................................... 241The Way Of Salvation .................................................................... 244

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The Necessity For Good Works ...................................................... 248

SECTION VII – HOW CAN I HANDLE OPPOSITION?THE WARFARE OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER ................... 253

CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:There’s A War On! ...................................................................... 255Our Warfare .................................................................................. 255Our Enemy..................................................................................... 256Our Commander............................................................................. 257Our Armour.................................................................................... 258Our Position ................................................................................... 258A Soldier Is Selected ...................................................................... 260A Soldier Suffers ............................................................................ 260A Soldier Sacrifices ........................................................................ 261A Soldier Satisfies .......................................................................... 262A Soldier Is Supplied ....................................................................... 263

CHAPTER 2 – Our Armour ....................................................... 264What We Should know ................................................................... 264What We Should Do ....................................................................... 266The Belt Of Truth ........................................................................... 266The Breastplate Of Righteousness .................................................. 268The Shoes Of The Gospel ............................................................... 268The Shield Of Faith ........................................................................ 269The Helmet Of Salvation ................................................................ 270The Sword Of The Spirit ................................................................ 271Prayer ............................................................................................ 273Conclusion ...................................................................................... 274

CHAPTER 3 – A Soldier’s Feet ................................................. 275We Need To Have Wide Feet ......................................................... 276We Need To Have Willing Feet ....................................................... 277We Need To Have Wet Feet .......................................................... 277

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We Need To Have Witnessing Feet ................................................ 278We Need To Have Worshiping Feet ................................................ 279We Need To Have Walking Feet .................................................... 280

SECTION VIII – HOW CAN I MAKE THE RIGHTDECISIONS?THE WISDOM OF A CHILDREN’S WORKER ..................... 283CHAPTER 1 – Introduction:Biblical Wisdom ........................................................................... 285A Definition .................................................................................... 285A Quotation .................................................................................... 286Wisdom In The Scriptures ............................................................... 287

CHAPTER 2 – Wisdom – One Of God’s Greatest Attributes . 291What Is Meant By The Wisdom Of God? ....................................... 291Where Is The Wisdom Of God Taught? .......................................... 292What Is Our Reaction To The Wisdom Of God? ............................. 294

CHAPTER 3 – Wisdom – One Of Our Greatest Needs .......... 297The Definition Of Wisdom .............................................................. 297The Source Of Wisdom .................................................................. 298The Reception Of Wisdom.............................................................. 298Two Kinds Of Wisdom ................................................................... 302Earthly Wisdom .............................................................................. 303Wisdom From Above ...................................................................... 305

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Foreword

Around the world are countless Christian workers who have dedicatedthemselves to the ministry of taking the Word of God into the lives ofchildren. We make up an army whose power and effectiveness will notbe known this side of Heaven. While facing the spiritual battles ofministry day after day takes a toll on every one of us, the God whom weserve together is faithful to renew and restore His servants.

In this book Sam Doherty presents basic truths that every children’sworker not only needs to be aware of, but needs to practice in their lifeand ministry. From the importance of the personal worship of ourSovereign Lord, to the practical approach on how to handle stress, thisbook will inspire, encourage and instruct children’s workers in the keyareas of their lives.

The ministry that God has called children’s workers to is important.Consequently, it is vital that those of us who are a part of this mightyarmy make every effort to be sharp, ready and diligent to carry thework out to the fullest. While this book does not present a magical“quick fix” to the problems that you face, it will give advice andinstruction that has been gathered through the years of faithful servicethat Sam Doherty has presented to his Lord. Allow this book to blessand encourage you, and to challenge and prepare you for the battle.

Marshall J. PennellExecutive Vice PresidentChild Evangelism Fellowship, Inc.

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Introduction(To be read carefully!)

For years it has been upon my heart to write a book which would HELPchildren’s workers in their personal lives, and would, at the same time, givethem assistance in their ministry to children. I wanted it to be an “all roundmanual” which would cover all the essential aspects of life and service,dealing especially with the worker’s personal life, because that is wheremany of us face most problems.

This book is the result, and I trust it will be a HELP to everychildren’s worker who will take time to read it through carefully, andapply it to his own personal life and ministry. I believe it could also be aHELP to everyone who is engaged in the Lord’s service, and that otherChristian workers and pastors could also benefit from what I have out-lined.

There are two Bible verses through which God has spoken to meon many occasions:

“But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mightymen of valor, and HELP them” (Joshua 1 v14b).“Come over to Macedonia and HELP us” (Acts 16 v9b).

Down through the years I have seen my ministry to be a “HELP-ING ministry”. I believe that God has called me to HELP others –especially those who minister to children. And didn’t Paul list “HELPS”as one of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 v28)? My desire toHELP has been my primary reason and motivation for writing this book.Therefore I trust and pray that this book will be a real HELP to you –both in your life and in your ministry.

I certainly do not want to give the impression that I have achieved,or even come near to achieving, what I have outlined in this book. I amsimply putting down on paper what I would like to achieve, and what Iknow I should achieve. The longer I am engaged in the Lord’s service themore I realise how far short I fall of what God desires, and the more I seethe weaknesses and faults in my own personal life and ministry. But I do

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know what God desires and expects from me, and it is those standardswhich I want to share with you in this book. I pray that God will HELPboth you and me to come closer to these standards.

The BackgroundI would also like to use this introduction to explain the origin and back-ground of this book and its contents.

I have been a leader and teacher in the ministry of Child Evange-lism Fellowship for over 50 years. I was, firstly, the national director ofCEF in Ireland for 14 years; and then, secondly, the Regional Director ofCEF in Europe for 29 years. In more recent years, I have been the leaderof the little publishing team in the CEF Specialized Book Ministry, andthe writer of books like this one.

During all these years I have preached many times and have taughtmany groups of children’s workers and students. Altogether I must havepreached and taught at least 20,000 times!!! The preaching outlines whichI used were not, of course, all different from each other, and there wasobviously a certain amount of repetition. But, just as a squirrel hoardsits nuts, I have “hoarded” the notes and outlines of most of the sermons,lessons and messages I have preached, or taught, during those years.And I have used these notes and outlines as the basis of this book. Thismeans therefore that the contents of the book have already been “tried,tested and proven”; and that they are practical rather than theoretical.

These outlines have been a HELP and blessing to me in my ownlife and ministry down through the years. God also seemed to use them,when they were preached, to be a means of HELP and blessing to oth-ers. Indeed, writing them down in this book has been a renewed blessingto myself, bringing back many good memories of the times when theywere preached.

I trust therefore that the contents of this book will be a HELP andblessing to you – both in your personal life and in your ministry; and thatthey will enable you to reach more children more effectively.

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The PlanI feel it would be helpful, in this introduction, to give an outline, and anoverall view of the contents of this book:In my preparation I came to the conclusion that there were eight questionswhich children’s workers were asking, and eight main problems whichthey were facing in their lives and ministries; and I determined to try toanswer these questions and help solve these problems:

What is my number one priority?How can I handle stress and pressures – without worrying?How does God want me to live?How can I know what God wants me to do?How can I do a good work?What does God want to say to me?How can I handle opposition?How can I make the right decisions?

Consequently, this book will be divided into eight sections, with eachsection answering, in detail, each of the above eight questions. The title ofeach section will then be as follows:

The worship of a children’s workerThe worries of a children’s workerThe walk of a children’s workerGod’s will for a children’s workerThe work of a children’s workerGod’s Word for a children’s workerThe warfare of a children’s worker

The wisdom of a children’s worker

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You can see that each of the above titles is linked with one of thequestions from the list given previously.

There are usually three chapters in each section and we will con-sider each subject, and answer each of the questions, in the followingway:

Firstly, by giving an introduction (sometimes in two parts) whichoutlines and explains the subject.Secondly, by giving an exposition of one Bible passage or themewhich deals with this subject in detail.Thirdly, by outlining a Bible message, or series of related Biblemessages, or meditations, on the subject – with practical applica-tions.

How can I handle opposition? The warfare of a children’s worker

How does God want me to live? The walk of a children’s worker

What does God want to say to me? God’s Word for a children’sworker

How can I know what God wants God’s will for a children’s workerme to do?

How can I do a good work? The work of a children’s worker

What is my number one priority? The worship of a children’sworker

Question Subject

How can I handle stress and The worries of a children’spressures without worrying? worker

How can I make the right decisions? The wisdom of a children’sworker

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Please NoteThis book is not one which you can sit down and read through, chap-ter by chapter. It is not meant to be read quickly or casually:

It is, firstly, a book to STUDY. The outlines which I have given(and as I have explained earlier) are outlines of messages I havepreached and taught. They are not detailed, nor are they given innarrative form. You will need to “flesh out” these outlines byyour own personal study, as you think through what is written,and as you check up on all the Bible verses given.I believe that this method of providing study outlines will be morehelpful to you, than a detailed and easy-to-read narrative.It is, secondly, a book to USE. I have kept in mind the fact thatmany of those who will receive, read and study this book arethemselves full-time children’s workers, and “teachers of teach-ers”. I would hope therefore that they could use a number ofthese outlines, when they are speaking to teachers, or preachingin churches. None of them is copyright. There is much in themwhich I have received from others! They are available for you touse as you wish.

Truths for Teachers 1

SECTION I

Question: What is my number onepriority?

Subject: The worship of achildren’s worker

2 Chapter 1A


commence this section by sharing with you the three most importantlessons which I have tried to learn during more than fifty years of my

CHAPTER 1AIntroduction, Part 1:

Three Lessons To Learn

IChristian life, and during my ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship. Iwish someone had shared these three lessons with me many years ago –especially during the early years of my Christian life and service:

The Bible shows me what God is like.God wants me to know Him.God wants me to worship Him.

However, I would like, first of all, to emphasize again that I amnot writing as if I have learned these lessons, nor am I writing from aposition of superiority. Far from it! I realise more and more how farshort I fall in all of the three areas I outline. However, I have identifiedthe lessons which I should be learning, and I am trying to learn them –through my studies, through my experience, and even through mymistakes.

In this first part of the introduction I will outline in some detailthese three lessons which took years for me to identify and start tolearn. The third one of these lessons is that I need to take time to wor-ship God. So, in the second part of the introduction, I will try to explainwhat worship is. In the following chapter I will study one biblical pas-sage on the subject of worship; and then in the last chapter of thissection I will ask, and answer, a number of questions about worship.

These are subjects on which I have preached, and which I havetaught many times, and writing these pages has brought back to meagain the fact that God wants my worship more than anything else.

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The Bible Shows Me What God Is LikeThe first lesson I have tried to learn concerns the Bible, the Word of God.I have often asked myself the question: Why did God give us His Word,the Bible? What is its main purpose?

In my search for the answers I have, first of all, discovered atleast three “negatives”.

The main purpose of the Bible is not to tell me how to be saved(although it does).The main purpose of the Bible is not to help me in my daily spiritualgrowth (although it does).The main purpose of the Bible is not to show me what to teachchildren (although it does).

However, over a period of time, I believe that I have found theanswer to this question, and I have tried to learn the lesson contained inthat answer.

The main purpose of the Bible is to tell me what God is like.The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the revelation of God.

God speaks to us through His Word, and He, first of all, reveals Himselfand what He is like.

The Bible has, of course, other purposes:It shows us what we are like.It shows us what God wants us to be, and what He wants us todo:

To be saved. To be sanctified.

It shows us what to teach the children.But the main and primary purpose of the Word of God is to reveal

God and show us what He is like. In other words, the Bible is God-centred, not man-centred.

What is God like?Can He really do anything/everything? Or are some things beyondHis control?


Does He have decrees and plans for the world? Or can these plansbe frustrated by men or by the devil?Does He really know everything? Or are there some things unknownto Him?Can He work in the hearts of the vilest sinner and save him? Or arethere some who are beyond His reach?Can He help me with my bad temper? Or is that something I have todeal with myself?Is He ever jealous? Or angry?

The Bible gives the answers to all these questions – and many,many more.

What are the two logical consequences of this lesson once youand I have learned it, or have started to learn it?

The first result is that when we read the Bible in our Quiet Time andin our study time, we should first of all ask ourselves the question:“What does this verse (passage) teach me about God?”So often, when we read the Bible in our Quiet Time, we look forsomething that will help us during the day and enable us to deal withthe problems we will face. Or we look for a promise or for an en-couragement.It is easy (and normal) to be self-centred, even in our Bible study andQuiet Time, and to ask ourselves the question: “What is in thispassage for me?But God wants us to reverse this attitude and, instead, ask ourselvesthe question:“What does this passage teach me about God?”And we will find, paradoxically, that when we focus upon God ratherthan ourselves, we receive more help and encouragement to enableus to live as God wants us to live, and to overcome the problemswhich await us.

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The second result is that when we teach the Bible to children weshould, first of all, ask ourselves the question:“What would I like mychildren to learn about God from this passage?”An understanding of what God is like is basic and foundational to bothevangelism and Christian living. Everything is based on such under-standing. For example, if children really understand that God is holy, itwill on the one hand help unsaved children to know that they need tobe saved, and on the other hand it will help saved children to knowthat they should be holy.

Yes, the Bible is the Word of God and it shows us primarily whatGod is like. As we study His Word we can, and should, be able to have abetter understanding of God – His nature, His attributes and His works.

Ignorance of God is the source of many problems.Knowledge of God is the source of many blessings.

Our knowledge and our understanding of God determines:How we prayHow we liveHow we serveHow we teachHow we worship

You can read more on this subject in my book “The Problems ofa Children’s Worker and God’s Solution”.

God Wants Us to Know HimThe second lesson I have learned is that an understanding of what God islike is, on its own, not enough. God wants you and me to know about Him;but He also wants you and me to KNOW HIM.

It is interesting that God the Holy Spirit should choose and use theword “know” to describe the basis of our relationship with God. The teachingof the Bible is that God wants us to know Him. “Know” is a word used sooften in our human relationships - we get to know people. Similarly we


need to get to know God – especially by reading about Him, by listening toHim and by fellowshiping with Him:

God’s plan is that we come to know Him:“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the onlytrue God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17v3).

Paul’s purpose in life was to know Him:“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed toHis death” (Philippians 3 v10).

This should be our purpose also:“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in hiswisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let therich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory inthis, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord,exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness inthe earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9v23, 24).

Paul’s prayer for believers was that they might know Him:“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of

glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation inthe knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1 v17).“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,being fruitful in every good work and increasing in theknowledge of God” (Colossians 1 v10).

God has a special promise for those who know Him:“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shallcorrupt with flattery; but the people who know their Godshall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11v32).

8 Chapter 1A

J.I. Packer, the well known English theologian, writes about thosewho know their God, “They never brood on might-have-beens; they neverthink of the things they have missed; only on what they have gained.”

(More information and help on this important theme of “knowingGod” can be found in my book “The Problems of a Children’s Workerand God’s Solution”).

God Wants Us to Worship HimI trust that you and I have learned, or are in the process of learning, thesetwo lessons:

The Bible shows us what God is like.On the basis of what we learn about God from His Word, we need toknow Him more and more.

The third lesson to be learned follows on logically from the previoustwo:

God wants us to worship Him on the basis of what we have learnedabout Him in the Bible, and as an extension and important part of ourknowledge of, and communion with, Him.

The worship of God is, and should be, our very first priority. This iswhat God wants us to do – more than anything else.

The primary purpose and goal of our salvation is to glorify God.“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.” Andwe glorify God most by worshipping Him. Worship, as we will see in thechapters which follow, centres and focuses upon God. Our basic problemis that we tend to centre and focus upon ourselves – even in our QuietTime, Bible reading and prayer life. God wants us to be God-centred, notself-centred. Our key word should be “God”, not “me”. And, as He be-comes more and more central in our thoughts and lives, we will give toHim the worship He desires.

I think back to my early days as a children’s evangelist. I was full ofenthusiasm and always busy; I was building the work of CEF in Ireland! Ipreached, I evangelized, I taught, I travelled – but I did not take enoughtime to be quiet before God and worship Him. No one taught me that Ishould. No one taught me what my priorities should be, that my first prior-


ity should be to worship God. I now realise how possible it is for you andme to be so busy in Christian service that we have little time for the mostimportant activity of all – our worship. And busyness can lead to barren-ness and it is possible that we suffer, our families suffer, our work suffersand God is displeased.

Dr. Tozer, the well known American pastor and author wrote,“Worship is the missing jewel of the Christian church”, and I believe heis right, because I see how true it is in my life and ministry.

“Dear God, I want to live a God-centred life.Please deliver me from self-centredness. Helpme to realise that Jesus Christ died and savedme primarily to glorify You, and that theBible is primarily about You; and, above all,enable me to see that my primary responsibili-ties are to know You, and worship You. Amen.”

10 Chapter 1B

have outlined in the first part of the introduction the three lessons Ihave tried to learn. The third lesson was that God wants me to wor-I

CHAPTER 1BIntroduction, Part 2:

Worship – An Explanation

ship Him. In this second part of the introduction we will examine, in moredetail, the subject of worship.

Our ProblemsThere are four problems in Christian circles with regard to worship:

Some Christians don’t know that they should take time to worshipGod; and that this worship is distinct from, and additional to, interces-sion, confession and thanksgiving.Some Christians do know that they should worship God, but don’treally know what worship is, or how they should worship.Some Christians do know that they should worship God, but havedeveloped a system of “worship” which is very emotional and whichis not really based upon biblical truth.Some Christians do know they should worship God and do know howto worship Him – but don’t do so because they are too busy. Some-times they are put off by the emotional extremes of others.

As we think of these four “problem situations” and, perhaps, as weare able to locate the one which best describes ourselves, there are fourconclusions we should come to – right now:

We need to know that we should worship God.We need to know how we should worship Him.We need to know how we should worship Him – biblically andcorrectly.We need to worship Him.


Our PrioritiesThe priorities of a children’s worker are, or should be, as follows:

His first priority is his WORSHIP of God, and his LOVE for God.His next, and second, priority, in order of importance, is his WALKbefore God and his LIFE in the world.His third priority is his WORK for God and his LABOURS for thesouls of children.

Worship walk work. That is the correct order.

But, while there is such a scale of priorities which we need to un-derstand and put into practice, we also need to remember that all three ofthese activities are essential and play their necessary role in the life andministry of a Christian. Consequently, you and I need to ensure that we donot become unbalanced in our lives, nor that we lay too much emphasisupon any one of these activities to the exclusion of the others.

If a Christian is engaged only in his work – he is an activist.If he is occupied only with his walk – he is an introvert.If he is active only in worship – he is a mystic.

We always need to see how these activities are related to eachother. Our work for God depends upon our walk before God, and our walkbefore God is determined by our worship of God.

Is it not true that most of us believe that our work is our “easiest”responsibility, our walk is more difficult, and our worship is, in many ways,the most difficult of all? We do not find it easy to make time for worshipnor do we always find it easy to worship when we have the time – al-though we know that it is the most important activity of all.

H. M. Carson, a well known English pastor and theologian wrote,“Worship is man’s supreme goal here; it will be the climax andconsummation of the life in Heaven. It is the ultimate aim of aChristian life.”

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Two Illustrations of PrioritiesWe can understand our priorities better by an examination of Abrahamand his activities.

Abraham is described in the Bible in at least three ways:First of all he was an altar builder.His first act when he arrived in the promised land was to build analtar (Genesis 12 v7), and as he moved elsewhere in the land hecontinued to build altars (Genesis 12 v8, 13 v18). And it was at thesealtars that he called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12 v8), Whoappeared there unto him (Genesis 12 v7). Also, after he becameinvolved with sin and had problems in Egypt, he returned to “theplace of the altar” and there “called on the name of the Lord.”Abraham’s first priority was his relationship to God and his worshipof Him.Secondly he was a tent dweller.This information is given to us in Genesis 13 v3 and Genesis 13 v18;and is emphasized in Hebrews 11 v9:

“By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in aforeign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac andJacob, the heirs with him of the same promise”

His dwelling in tents showed that he was “in the world” but not “partof the world”; that he was a pilgrim and that his treasures were inHeaven.Abraham’s second priority was his relationship to the world – and hiswalk before the world.Thirdly he was a well digger.In Genesis 26 v15 and 18 we read of the wells which had been dugby Abraham and his servants. Everywhere he went he dug a well,and the water which came forth provided refreshment for himself, forhis animals and for many other people.


Abraham’s third priority was his relationship to those in need and hiswork for them.This is for us a picture of our work and service. Our ministry is to“dig wells” and provide the water of life for boys and girls. But onlyif, at the same time, we are “building our altars” and ensuring that weare “tent dwellers”.

And so Abraham was an altar builder, a tent dweller and a well digger inthat order.Worship walk work.

It is interesting to note that Isaac’s priorities were the same as thoseof his father:

“So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD,and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug awell” (Genesis 26 v25).

We can see a second biblical illustration of the priorities we shouldhave in Mark 3 v13 and 14:

“And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those HeHimself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointedtwelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send themout to preach.”The Lord Jesus, first of all, called those He wanted.Those He wanted came to Him.When they came, He ordained, or commissioned, them to engage intwo activities.

“that they should be with Him”.This was to be their first activity and their first priority – just to bewith Him, to know Him, to enjoy His fellowship and to worship Him.“that He might send them forth to preach”.They were, also, to work and to serve Him. But this was theirsecond priority.This same sequence can be seen with regard to the same disciples

in Matthew 28:

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“Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to seewhat is most important, to understand thatwhich You want me to do more than anythingelse, and please enable me to give first and toppriority to my worship of Yourself. Amen.”

In verse 17 the disciples “saw Him and worshipped Him.”In verses 18, 19 and 20 the disciples were sent out to serve Him(verse 19) – with the promise of His power (verse 18) and Hispresence (verse 20).


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here are many passages in the Bible which could be studied to help ussee the importance of worship, and the way to worship. BecauseT

CHAPTER 2

A Bible Passage On Worship

space is limited we will only choose one. We will therefore read and studyPsalm 95. This is a passage which I often expounded to the students at ourEuropean CEF Leadership Training Institute as an introduction to our themeof “worship.”

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to theRock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence withthanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For theLord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. InHis hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of thehills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and Hishands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bowdown; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is ourGod, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep ofHis hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, do not hardenyour hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in thewilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me,though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved withthat generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray intheir hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in Mywrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

As we study this Psalm you will see how the psalmist has based itupon good teaching principles! At least three of the teaching principles Ioutlined in my book “The Principles of Teaching” are demonstrated inthis Psalm – the principles of concentration, explanation and application.


The central truth of the Psalm is “God is a great God”, and we cansee the Psalmist’s declaration of this truth in verse 3 and his CON-CENTRATION on it throughout the Psalm.He gives a clear EXPLANATION of this central truth in verses 3-5and 7-11.He includes a detailed, three-fold APPLICATION of this centraltruth in verses 1, 2 and 6.

A DeclarationThe Psalmist CONCENTRATES throughout the psalm on one great cen-tral truth which He declares and writes in verse 3,

“For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above allgods.”

This is one of the greatest truths of the Bible. In many ways, it is themost important truth we can ever learn about God. We have seen that themain purpose of the Bible is to tell us what God is like. Here in this Psalmwe learn this wonderful truth about God – that He is a great and mightyGod, and that He is the great King above all gods. In other words, God issovereign:

This is a truth we really need to learn and understand.This is a truth we really need to believe.This is a truth we really need to experience.

An ExplanationBut the psalmist is a good teacher! He does not just state a truth; heexplains it thoroughly so that we can better understand it. Consequently,he gives us, in a systematic and well organized way, five ways by whichwe can know that God is great and sovereign.God controls

“In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights ofthe hills are His also” (verse 4).

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The whole world is in His hands, and He can do with it (and with us)what He wishes. The New International Version (NIV) translates the sec-ond part of the verse “the mountain peaks belong to Him.”

Everything is under His controlling power. He has power over depthand height. He is the God of the valleys and the God of the hills.

His power and control are universal and absolute, and show us thatHe is a great God.God creates

“The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dryland” (verse 5).

He made the sea and the oceans (and, consequently, they belong toHim). He made the continents.

Everything is the product of His creating power. As we look at themighty oceans and the awesome mountains, we see clear evidence of thepower and greatness of our great God – the One Who created them.God cares

“For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, Andthe sheep of His hand” (verse 7a).

This verse teaches us an amazing truth. The great and mighty God,Who both controls and creates, also cares – and He cares for each of uspersonally:

He is OUR God – not just God, not just the great God, but OURGod. How wonderful!He is OUR Shepherd. We are (according to the NIV) “the flockunder His care”:

Therefore He supplies all our needs.Therefore He cares for us and looks after us.

The fact that He cares and looks after every individual “sheep”in His enormous flock is also a clear evidence of His greatnessand His sovereignty.


God calls“Today, if you will hear His voice: do not harden your hearts,as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness,when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they sawMy work” (verses 7b, 8 and 9).

Our great God speaks to us (through His Word), and He expects usto listen to Him and obey Him. We must be careful not to be like thechildren of Israel in the wilderness. They did not listen and obey – theyhardened their hearts.

Isn’t it wonderful that our great God speaks to us, and to millions ofothers, worldwide. Isn’t this also a proof of His greatness?God chastens

“For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said,‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do notknow My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enterMy rest’” (verses 10 and 11).

The psalmist continues with his illustration of the children of Israeland their disobedience. He explains that this great God chastens His peo-ple when they reject His Word and disobey His commands.

This is a theme which is taken up by the writer to the Hebrews inthe sixth verse of chapter 12: “For whom the Lord loves He chastens,and scourges every son whom He receives.”

Our God displays, at the same time, both His greatness and Hislove, by correcting and chastening His children. He has the desire to chas-ten them – and also the ability.

As we consider these five truths about God, and as we meditateupon the fact that He controls, creates, cares, calls and chastens – wemust arrive at the declaration of verse 3 and the central truth of the Psalm:

“The Lord is a great God.”

The ApplicationWe have always learned that truth must not just be declared and explained;it must also be applied. The readers must realise what this truth means for

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them, and what God expects them TO DO as a result of learning andunderstanding it.

The psalmist is a good teacher, and so he applies the truth of thegreatness and sovereignty of God to his readers in three ways. In otherwords, he encourages his readers and listeners three times to COME andDO something.Come and sing.

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to theRock of our salvation” (verse 1).

The first application of this truth is – BE JOYFUL.The first result, and the first consequence of an understanding and

belief in God’s greatness and sovereignty, is one of JOY.He is in control. We can trust Him at all times. Let us be joyful and

happy – and not worry about anything.Come and give thanks.

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let usshout joyfully to Him with psalms” (verse 2).

The second application is – BE THANKFUL.When we realise that everything is under God’s control, and that

nothing can happen to us unless He sends it or allows it, then we can bethankful for everything, both in our hearts and with our tongues.Come and worship.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel beforethe Lord our Maker” (verse 6).

The third application, and the most important application is – BEPRAYERFUL AND WORSHIP HIM.

The more we know about, and understand, His greatness (and Hisother attributes), the more we will worship, the more we will bow down inprayer and worship, and the more we will, “kneel before the Lord ourMaker.”

As you and I see the greatness and the sovereignty of God, wewill want to worship Him. The most important activity in which you and I


can be involved, and our number one priority and responsibility before Godis – TO WORSHIP HIM.

It is interesting that Paul makes three somewhat similar applicationsto the Thessalonian believers at the end of his first letter to them. Hewrites in the fifth chapter:

Verse 16 – “Rejoice evermore” (BE JOYFUL).Verse 17 – “Pray without ceasing” (BE PRAYERFUL – andthat certainly should include worship).Verse 18 – “In everything give thanks” (BE THANKFUL).And Paul continues in verse 18, “This is the Will of God in ChristJesus concerning you.”

“Dear God, I pray that You will give me a new,and clearer, vision of Your greatness andYour sovereignty. And then help me to singand be joyful, to trust and be thankful and,above all, to worship and be prayerful. Amen.”

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his chapter contains a series of studies, which I have shared on anumber of occasions with the students at our European CEF Leader-

CHAPTER 3

Questions And Answers About Worship

Tship Training Institute (when I was Institute Director), and with the work-ers of European CEF (when I was European CEF Director); and Godblessed these studies.

We will look at, and study, the theme of worship by asking andanswering a series of six questions:

What is worship?Why do we worship?Whom do we worship?Where do we worship?When do we worship?How do we worship?

What Is Worship?We need to understand, first of all, what worship is NOT.

On the one hand:It is not just the repetitive singing of choruses.It is not just emotion and feelings, and even tears.It is not just coming to church and singing, even though the servicesmight be called “worship services.”

On the other hand:Worship is not just prayer because, in prayer, we generally think ofwhat we would like God to do for us and others.


Worship is not just thanksgiving because, in thanksgiving, we gener-ally think of what God has done for us and others.Worship is not only praise if we praise God only for what He hasdone for us and others.

When we worship God we are not thinking about ourselves or oth-ers at all. We are thinking about God; and our thoughts, our emotions andour words are concentrated on Him. In worship we are thinking only ofGod, and responding to Him in the way He wants us to.The words used in the Bible

In the Old Testament the word translated “worship” literally means“bowing down or prostrating before”.

In the New Testament the word translated worship means “kissingyour hand towards” or “doing reverence to”.

In both cases the main emphasis is upon “reverence” and “hom-age.”

While the word in the Old Testament has the thought of “prostrationbefore” and “bowing down”, the fact that the New Testament commandsus to worship God “in spirit” shows us that God requires from us, not aprostration or bowing down of the body, but a prostration, or bowing down,of the heart and the spirit.A definition of worship

The Bible does not give a definition of worship in one sentence, buta number of Bible scholars have proposed the following definitions:

“Worship is the declaration by a creature of the greatness of hiscreator.”

“Worship is the divinely prompted response of our hearts to allthat God has made known about Himself.”

“Worship is the adoring contemplation of God.”

“Worship is the occupation of the heart – not with its needs or itsblessings – but with God Himself.”

I especially like that last definition.

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When I pray I am often occupied with my needs.

“Dear Father, I pray that You will blessmymymymymy ministry and save mymymymymy children.”

When I praise, or give thanks, I am often occupied with my bless-ings:

“Dear Father, I praise and thank You forsupplying all mymymymymy finance.”

But when I worship, I am totally occupied with God Himself:

“Dear Father, YouYouYouYouYou are great, and I loveYouYouYouYouYou.”

Of course, prayer and praise may be mingled with worship, and canbe a part of it. But the important truth about worship is that we concen-trate our thoughts, our words and our emotions on God.

Why Do We Worship?The answer to that question is very simple and straightforward. We wor-ship because God wants us to, and because He commands us to.God’s commands

There are a number of commands given to God’s people in theBible that they should worship God:

“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship theLord in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29 v2).“Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering,and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty ofholiness!” (1 Chronicles 16 v29).


“Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him,for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him whomade heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’”(Revelation 14 v7).

God’s desireThe classic passage on the subject of worship can be found in John

chapter 4, and we will refer to it several times in this chapter. The LordJesus made an interesting and challenging statement in verse 23.

“The Father is seeking such to worship Him.”God’s desire is that we should worship Him. God the Father is look-

ing for those who will take time to worship Him, and who will give thatworship first priority in their lives. I want to be one of those – don’t you?The example of God’s people

The Bible gives us many examples of those who did obey God’scommand to worship Him, and who brought joy to God the Father, bygiving worship first priority in their lives.

David worshipped God:“Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly;and David said: ‘Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, ourFather, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, thepower and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for allthat is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the king-dom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Bothriches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. InYour hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to makegreat and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God,we thank You and praise Your glorious name’” (1 Chronicles29 v10-13).

His listeners responded by worshipping God:“Then David said to all the assembly, ‘Now bless the Lordyour God.’ So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of

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their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated them-selves before the Lord and the king” (1 Chronicles 29 v20).

Abraham worshipped God:“And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with thedonkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and wewill come back to you’” (Genesis 22 v35).

(This is the first mention of the word “worship” in the Bible).Moses worshipped God:

“So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward theearth, and worshipped” (Exodus 34 v8).

Paul worshipped God:“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in theSpirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence inthe flesh” (Philippians 3 v3).“But this I confess to you, that according to the way whichthey call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believ-ing all things which are written in the Law and in the Proph-ets” (Acts 24 v14).

The primary activity in HeavenWe learn from the book of Revelation that the saints in glory wor-

ship God, and that this is their first, and most important, activity.“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on thethrone and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and casttheir crowns before the throne, saying: ’You are worthy, OLord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You createdall things, and by Your will they exist and werecreated.’”(Revelation 4 v10, 11).“Saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slainto receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and


honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is inheaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as arein the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessingand honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on thethrone, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the fourliving creatures said, “Amen!” and the twenty-four elders felldown and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever”(Revelation 5 v12-14).

But we do not need to wait until then to engage in this most vitalactivity. We can do so – NOW.

Whom Do We Worship?There would seem to be only one answer to this question. We worshipGod.

But I believe that the Bible gives us three answers:We worship God in His Fulness

We worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirittogether as God.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel beforethe Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the peopleof His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” (Psalm 95 v6, 7).

When we worship God in this way we are thinking of Him in Hisfulness and completeness; and we are thinking of Him and worshippingHim as the blessed Trinity.

And so we worship:

“Dear God, You are my Creator and myGod – and I worship and adore You.”

“Dear God, You are the Holy One, and I bowdown before You.”

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We worship God the FatherThen there are times when we specifically address our worship to

God the Father.The Lord Jesus speaks about worshipping God the Father in Johnchapter 4:

“Worship the Father” (John 4 v21b).“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the trueworshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; forthe Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4 v23).

Paul in his epistles frequently attributed glory (and therefore worship)to God the Father:

“To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.Amen” (Romans 16 v27).“To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all gen-erations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3 v21).“Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.Amen” (Philippians 4 v20).

God the Father is worshipped in Heaven:“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits onthe throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, andcast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy,O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Youcreated all things, and by Your will they exist and werecreated’” (Revelation 4 v10, 11).And so we worship:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I do love You, andI praise You for all that You are and forall that You have done.”

“Dear Heavenly Father, I worship Youand bow before You.”


We worship God the SonThere are also times when we direct our worship towards the Lord

Jesus Christ, and we specifically worship Him:God the Father commanded that His Son be worshipped:

“But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, Hesays: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’” (Hebrews 1v6).

The disciples worshipped the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth.“When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but somedoubted” (Matthew 28 v17).

God the Son is worshipped in heaven.“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living crea-

tures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb,each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense,which are the prayers of the saints. and they sang a newsong, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and toopen its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us toGod by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue andpeople and nation, and have made us kings and priests toour God; and we shall reign on the earth’”(Revelation 5 v8-10).And so we worship:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I love You for all thatYou are and for all that You have donefor me.”

“Dear Lord Jesus, I bow myself before Youand worship You.”

We do not usually pray to God the Son, although there may betimes that we do so. The Bible indicates that this is possible (Acts 7 v59),but it is the exception rather than the rule. The biblical pattern for prayer is

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– to God the Father (Matthew 6 v9; John 16 v23; Ephesians 5 v20), through,and in the name of, God the Son (John 14 v13, 14), and as directed by theHoly Spirit (John 16 v13).

The Bible, however, makes it clear that we should worship God theSon.

We do not worship God the Holy Spirit on His own and there is noindication in the Bible that we should do so. We worship God the HolySpirit when we worship God in His fulness, and when we worship God asthe Trinity. But we don’t worship the Holy Spirit, specifically, and on Hisown. Actually it is He, God the Holy Spirit, Who burdens us to worship andguides us in our worship. This is why Paul refers to worship in Philippians3 v3 as “worship God in the Spirit”; and why the Lord Jesus refers toworship in John chapter 4 as “worship the Father in spirit and in truth”(verse 23).

His primary desire is that we worship God the Father and God theSon and His work is in the background, directing our thoughts, prayers andworship towards God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where Do We Worship?The first and simplest answer to that is – ANYWHERE; and this was theanswer the Lord Jesus gave to the Samaritan woman when she raised thequestion with Him:

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews saythat in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship”(John 4 v20).

The Lord Jesus answered her by explaining that the worship of Godis not confined exclusively to either “this mountain” or “Jerusalem”:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is comingwhen you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem,worship the Father’” (John 4 v21).

Then He emphasized in verse 24 that “God is a Spirit” and there-fore He is not restricted to any one place. He can therefore be worshippedanywhere.


At the same time, we need to realise that there are places which wefind very appropriate and suitable for worship:

In our local church, when we worship God in the regular churchservices. We can worship God along with God’s people, as we sing,pray and listen to God’s Word.In nature, as we contemplate God’s handiwork.In our own special place, where we have our Quiet Time alone withGod.

When Do We Worship?The answer to this question is not given in Scripture but, when this ques-tion is linked with the previous question, the obvious implication is atANYTIME.

There is no one time given in the Bible when we should worshipGod. We can do so on any day of the week and at any time during thosedays.

Of course we can also conclude that there will be times which aremore suitable for, and more adaptable to, worship than others:

On Sunday, the first day of the week, when we have fewer responsi-bilities and activities, and do not need to engage in our profession orwork.In our church services along with other believers. The main purposeof our church services, especially on Sunday morning, is to worshipGod together.In our daily Quiet Time, when we need to ensure that we take part ofthat time to worship God. Our Quiet Time will include Bible study andprayer – but we should also include a time of worship.

How Do We Worship?This is probably the most important question of all. Many Christians do notreally know how to worship and, as a consequence, either don’t do it, or doit in a wrong way.

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I wish I could speak to you as an expert. The more I study thesubject of worship (and the more I write about it), the more I see my ownfailings and shortcomings with regard to it.

But you and I need to know how to worship God, and I want toexplain as simply as possible how to do so, by outlining the four steps weneed to take.

Before considering these four steps, and as an introduction to them,we need to examine briefly the teaching of the Lord Jesus concerningworship in John chapter 4 verses 23 and 24. In these verses He uses twowords to describe worship – and He does so twice:

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshiperswill worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father isseeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those whoworship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4 v23, 24).

We are to worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. What doesthat mean?Worship Him in truth

All worship should be based upon TRUTH.We should worship God on the basis of the truths He has revealed

about Himself in His Word. That means we should worship Him on thebasis of what we learn and know about Him. Worship therefore involvesthe mind - it is not something mystical. We do not worship in a vacuum.Worship is intelligent and is founded upon truth – upon what we know andhave learned about Him.Worship Him in spirit

Worship also involves our SPIRIT.Worship is not a question of using our bodies in a certain way – for

example by prostrating our bodies on the floor. Worship is not a question ofJUST feeling emotional and sentimental, although our emotions will cer-tainly be involved. It is possible to be emotional without being spiritual!Worship is not just the creating of atmosphere through the repetition andsinging of something over and over again.


Worship takes place within us, in our hearts and spirits, as we fel-lowship and commune with God, and as we love and adore Him.

In the light of these two truths taught by the Lord Jesus in Johnchapter 4 verses 23 and 24, we can now examine in detail the four stepswe need to take when we worship:

Worshipping in truth means:Learning something about God. That is step 1.Saying to Him what we have learned. That is step 2.

Worshipping in spirit means:Lifting our hearts to Him and loving Him. That is step 3.Bowing our hearts before Him. That is step 4.

Step 1 – WE NEED TO LEARN (OR SEE)SOMETHING ABOUT GOD

We have already learned the important lesson that the main purpose of theBible is to tell us what God is like. We now see that our worship must bebased upon the truths we have learned about Him from His Word, and thatit must be based upon our knowledge of Him.

So the first and obvious step we need to take in our worship is tofind out from the Bible a truth (or truths) about God, and then we shouldworship Him on the basis of that truth. We don’t want to be like the Sa-maritans of whom the Lord Jesus said, “You worship what you do notknow” (John 4 v22). Instead we want the words in the following verse todescribe us - “we know what we worship”.

I suggested earlier in the book that when we have our daily QuietTime, and are reading the Bible, we should ask ourselves the question –“What does this verse or passage teach me about God?” When we seethe answer to that question we should then worship God on the basis ofwhat we have seen and learned.

We could learn (or see) something about one of God’s attributes:His greatnessHis faithfulnessHis sovereigntyHis wisdom

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We could learn (or see) something about one of God’s activities:In creation.In providence (or circumstances)In redemption.

As we study God’s Word in this way and as we learn truths aboutHim we need, at the same time, to think about what we have learned andmeditate upon it.

Meditation is “an activity of holy thought consciously performedin the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, toenable us to commune with God.” Meditation means “to call to mind,think over, dwell upon and apply to oneself the various things thatone knows and has learned about the ways, works, purposes andpromises of God.” Meditation is, more simply, “the ability to take time tothink about what we have learned.” Unfortunately many of us just don’tmake the time to meditate in this way. Meditation has become a “lost art”for many Christians in today’s busy world.

Comprehension of a truth should therefore lead to contemplation ofthat truth and meditation upon it. This contemplation and meditation shouldlead to communion and worship.

How can we worship God if we know little or nothing about Him?Worship is based upon our knowledge of God – and such knowledge comesprimarily from the study of God’s Word.

So, the first step in our worship of God is to learn or see some truthabout Him from His Word, and we will then worship Him on the basis ofthat truth.

Step 2 – WE NEED TO SAY WHAT WE HAVELEARNED TO GOD

When we learn (or see) a truth about God, from His Word, He wants us toexpress that truth to Him. He already knows it, of course, but He wants tohear it from us; because such expression is essential when we worshipGod in truth. What we SEE we should SAY. Examination should lead toexpression. Contemplation should lead to verbalization.


Such expression and verbalization can be seen in David’s worshipof God in 1 Chronicles 29 verses 10-13. David has learned (or seen) anumber of truths about God, and he verbalizes, or expresses, them to God,as he worships Him.

“Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly;and David said: ‘Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, ourFather, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, thepower and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that isin heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honorcome from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is powerand might; in Your hand it is to make great and to givestrength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You andpraise Your glorious name’ ” (1 Chronicles 29 v10-13).

Can you see the truths about God, in this act of worship, whichDavid has learned, and which he now expresses or verbalizes to God?

He is our Father.He is eternal.He is great.He is powerful.He is glorious.He is victorious.He is majestic.He is sovereign.He is King and Lord over all.He is rich.He makes great.He gives strength.

We should follow this same practice in our worship of God. We maynot learn and express to God, at one time, as many truths as David did. We

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are more likely to concentrate upon the expression of one truth – the onewe have seen in God’s Word as we read it. So, when we have learned atruth about God, we should put that truth into words and express it to God.

For example, if you have been reading the fortieth chapter of Isaiahin your Quiet Time, you should have been asking yourself thisquestion:“What truth(s) can I LEARN about God, His attributes andHis activities from this chapter?”

As you read this chapter you will, for example, see over and overagain, a very important attribute of God - the great truth of God’s power,sovereignty and control.

“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and itsinhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out theheavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent todwell in” (Isaiah 40 v22).“Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and arecounted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up theisles as a very little thing” (Isaiah 40 v15).“All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are countedby Him less than nothing and worthless” (Isaiah 40 v17).

Consequently, as you see and learn this great truth about God, youcould express it to God in your worship.

“Dear God, I praise You and worship Youbecause You are great, and You are incontrol of everyone and everything.”

Or, as you read this chapter you may see a truth about God, and Hisactivities, which you can then express to God in your worship. For exam-ple, you could see several times the great truth that God is the Creator:

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of theearth in a measure? weighed the mountains in scales and thehills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40 v12).


“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created thesethings, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them allby name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of Hispower; not one is missing” (Isaiah 40 v26).“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlastingGod, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neitherfaints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah40 v28).

You could then in your worship express this truth that God is theCreator.

“Dear God, I see from the Bible that Youhave made this beautiful world in whichI live, and also that You have made me;and I worship You and adore You, thegreat Creator.”

Step 3 – WE NEED TO LOVE AND ADOREGOD IN OUR HEARTS AND SPIRITS

The first two steps which we have outlined and which we have studiedshow how we should worship God “IN TRUTH”. We learn truth aboutGod and we then express to Him the truth we have learned.

The next two steps follow on from there and outline how we canthen worship God “IN SPIRIT”.

What does it mean to worship God IN SPIRIT?It means that on the basis of what we have learned and seen about

God, and on the basis of what we have expressed and said to God, weshould in our hearts and in our spirits love and adore Him. Our love andadoration are the inward response of our hearts to what we have learnedabout God. The correct order for worship, then, is MIND – LIPS –HEART. We learn about God, we speak to God, we love and adore God.

There are several ways by which we can love and adore God INSPIRIT:

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Having seen a truth about God, and having said it to Him, we can loveand adore Him in silence, especially when we are on our own. Weshould not be afraid of silence. Modern man wants to make a noise,and sometimes Christians feel that worship requires noise and excite-ment. But very often we worship God, love Him and adore Him inquietness and in silence, as we meditate upon what we have learnedand what we have said.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted amongthe nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46 v10).“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keepsilence before Him” (Habakkuk 2 v20).“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah30 v15).

We can love and adore Him with words – simple words whichexpress the love and adoration which we have in our hearts for Him:

“I love You.”“I worship You.”“I adore You.”“I bow before You.”“How great You are.”“You are worthy.”

We can love and adore Him with singing. But this singing must bebased upon truth, and not just be the continual and emotional repeti-tion of rather banal words. Some of the great hymns of our faith canhelp us in our expression of love and adoration:

The God of Abraham praiseWho reigns enthroned above,Ancient of everlasting daysAnd God of love.


Jehovah! Great I am!By earth and heaven confessed,I bow and bless the sacred nameForever blessed.

The whole triumphant hostGive thanks to God on high.‘Hail Father, Son and Holy Ghost’,They ever cry.

Hail, Abraham’s God and mine!I join the Heavenly lays.All might and majesty are ThineAnd endless praise.

My Jesus I love Thee, I know Thou art mine.

For Thee all the pleasures of sin I resign.

My gracious redeemer My Saviour art Thou.

If ever I loved Thee, Lord Jesus, ‘tis now.

This act and attitude of love and adoration is the climax of our wor-ship, and the first two steps of learning and speaking have led up to it.

Step 4 – WE NEED TO BOW OUR HEARTS INSUBMISSION TO GOD

Those who worshipped God in the Old Testament often prostrated them-selves on the ground as they did so. This physical act was a symbol, orrepresentation, of their desire to be reverent and humble, and to submitthemselves to their God.

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“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel beforethe Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95 v6).

While we do not ordinarily prostrate ourselves physically, we shouldin our hearts reverently and humbly bow down to our God in submissionand obedience.

This submission is the final act of worship and the final outworkingand evidence of the previous three steps. It can take place in silence aswe, in our hearts, have an attitude of quiet obedience. It may be somethingwe want to express in words.

Dear Heavenly Father,You are my Godand my Master. I bow before You inobedience and I am ready to do whateverYou want me to do.

Or we may express our submission and obedience by singing:

All to Jesus I surrenderAll to Thee I freely give.

Worship then consists of four main parts or steps:We learn a truth about God from His Word.We express that truth to God.We love and adore Him in our hearts on the basis of that truth.We submit ourselves to Him.

Three Biblical Examples of WorshipThe Bible does not only give us outlines and directions on how to worshipbut also provides examples of those who engaged in worship, so that wecan learn from them and follow their example. The examples we will lookat in this chapter take place in Heaven – and are therefore perfect exam-ples! And in all three cases we can see the four steps in worship - exami-


nation (learning), verbalization (saying), adoration (loving) and prostration(submitting).Revelation chapter 4

The heavenly worship outlined in this chapter would seem to beworship of God the Father, because God the Son is worshipped separatelyin the next chapter, and because God the Holy Spirit is referred to sepa-rately in verse 5 of this chapter. Or it may be an example of worshippingGod in His fulness - Father, Son and Holy Spirit (see page 34). I believe itis the first of these two alternatives, and that this is worship of God theFather.

In this outline of worship by the twenty-four elders (who representall the people of God) and by the four living creatures (probably the cheru-bim) we can see the four steps in worship which we have already outlined.

They saw the throne of God (verses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10) and theyLEARNED again from that throne the great truths of God’s holiness,God’s power, and God’s majesty.They SAID to God in verse 8:

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty.”They spoke again to God concerning His power in verse 11:

“For You created all things, and by Your will they exist andwere created.”

And they spoke of His majesty in verse 11:“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor andpower.”

They worshipped and ADORED Him in their hearts. In verse 10 weread that they “worshipped Him that lives for ever and ever.” Thisworship and adoration from the heart and spirit is the climax of alltrue biblical worship and it runs through, and is implied in, all theseverses.They FELL DOWN before Him and cast their crowns before Him asevidence of their SUBMISSION, their reverence and their obedi-ence.

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“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits onthe throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, andcast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy,O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Youcreated all things, and by Your will they exist and werecreated’” (Revelation 4 v10, 11).

Revelation chapter 5In this chapter the hosts of Heaven worship God the Son, the Lord

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God; and they follow the same four steps as inchapter 4, and as we have outlined earlier in this chapter.

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures saw the Lamb asit had been slain. They saw the great vision of a slain Lamb, andLEARNED again the great truth that the Lamb of God shed HisBlood for us, died in our place and took our punishment.

“And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and ofthe four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders,stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having sevenhorns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of Godsent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5 v6).

They SAID to the Lamb of God what they had seen and learned:“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; forYou were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Yourblood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,and have made us kings and priests to our God; and weshall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5 v9, 10).

Then these words were echoed by the angels in verse 11 and byevery creature in heaven and earth in the following verses.

“Saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who wasslain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strengthand honor and glory and blessing!’ and every creaturewhich is in heaven and on the earth and under the earthand such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard


saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Himwho sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”(Revelation 5 v12, 13).

They worshipped and ADORED Him in their hearts.After the statements “You are worthy” (verse 9) and “Worthy is theLamb” (verse 12) the twenty-four elders “worshipped Him thatlives for ever and ever.” It would seem that this worship of the souland spirit went beyond words.It is interesting to realise that the word “worship” actually comesfrom the word “worthy” which means “deserving”. The original word“worthship” became “worship” and simply means the ascription ofworth or value to God – and that is what we see in this chapter.They SUBMITTED themselves to the Lamb of God by falling downand prostrating themselves before Him.

“Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And thetwenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who livesforever and ever” (Revelation 5 v14).

Revelation chapter 7 verses 9-17This passage refers to the great multitude of the redeemed in Heaven

with the elders, the living creatures and the angels – worshipping God theFather and God the Son – our God and the Lamb (verse 10):

They stood around the throne of God – and saw and LEARNEDagain the great truth of the sovereignty of God – as represented bythat throne.

“And crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvationbelongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!All the angels stood around the throne and the elders andthe four living creatures, and fell on their faces before thethrone and worshiped God” (Revelation 7 v10, 11).

They SAID to God the Father and God the Son:You provide salvation.

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“And crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvationbelongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to theLamb!” (verse 10).

Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power and might areYours.

“Saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to ourGod forever and ever. Amen’”(verse 12).

They WORSHIPPED God as they expressed these words:“All the angels stood around the throne and the elders andthe four living creatures, and fell on their faces before thethrone and worshiped God” (Revelation 7 v11).

They fell on their faces before the throne in SUBMISSION.They “fell on their faces before the throne” (Revelation 7v11).We should not wait until we get to Heaven to engage in such

worship. We should make this our first priority NOW.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that Youwill help me to SEE and LEARN something about Yourself.

Then help me to SAY to You, withmy LIPS what I have learned about YOU.

Help me to adore YOU SILENTLYand LIFT UP my heart in LOVE to You asI should.

Help me to SUBMIT to You andLOWER myself humbly before You.”


Action StationsAnd now what? What should we do in the light of all that has been writtenin this chapter?

God wants you and me to worship Him.You need to take time to do this in your Quiet Time, today and

tomorrow, and every day.Here are a few practical steps to follow in the light of what we have

already seen in this chapter:Read carefully the Bible passage on which your Quiet Time is based.

Pray and ask God to show you something about Himself in thatpassage. Underline in your Bible, or write down, what you haveseen. Meditate upon it and what it means.Say what you have seen to God.Worship Him, love Him and adore Him on the basis of what youhave said.Submit yourself to God in an act of obedience.

Think about what you have seen, and said, throughout the day.Share it with others as you have the possibility.

A Plan to FollowI would recommend that you read a chapter of the Bible each morning,and as you read that chapter you could, as I have outlined earlier, ask Godto show you some truth about Himself. I would suggest to you that youcould begin your reading plan with the 40th chapter of the book of Isaiah.

Here again are the four steps to take:When you see a truth about God in this chapter underline it in yourBible, or write it down in a little book. Then think about it and mediateupon it.Say the truth you have learned to God, as you worship Him.Love and adore Him on the basis of that truth.Submit to Him in your heart.

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Read Isaiah Chapter 40As you read this chapter, you could make a note of the following

great truths which this chapter contains about God.God is the Creator (verse 12, 22, 26, 28).God is powerful and controls His creation (verse 10, 15, verse 17, 22,23).God is wise and needs no help in understanding (verse 13, 14, 27, 28).God is the only God. There is none like Him (verse 18, 25).God is the Holy One (verse 25).God cares for each of us - like a shepherd (verse ll).

Isn’t it wonderful that God is so great, so powerful and so all- know-ing and yet He cares for you and me? We are His flock, His lambs andHis ewes and He feeds us, gathers us, carries us and leads us. Whatwonderful truths these are about God! And you can surely base your wor-ship on them – probably choosing one of them and concentrating upon it.

There is so much in this chapter about God that you might find itdifficult to cover in one morning. You could concentrate on one truth eachmorning. Consequently, you might need one week, two weeks, or more,for this one chapter.

The closing verses of Isaiah 40 are probably the best known:“He gives power to the faintAnd to those who have no might He increases strength” vs. 29“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.They shall mount up with wings as eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.” vs. 31

But you need to remember that these precious promises are appli-cations of what has preceded them throughout this chapter. These appli-cations depend upon the power and strength of God. It is when you seeGod as He really is, and as you get to know Him, that He will give you thepower and strength you need.


Continue with Isaiah Chapter 41What can you learn about God from this chapter?

God is eternal - He is the first and the last (verse 4).God is sovereign and controls the nations (verses 2 and 3).God is the Holy One of Israel (verse 14, 16, 20).God is the One Who chooses us (verse 8, 9).God is the One Who knows us and Who makes us what He wants usto be (verse 15).God is powerful and able to give us spiritual refreshment and spiritualblessing (verse 17-20).God is personal and holds our hand (verse 13).God hears us when we call to Him (verse 17).God is our Redeemer (verse 14).The goal of all God does is that He might be glorified (verse 20).

These are all truths upon which you can base your worship.It would probably be best to base your time of worship each morn-

ing on just one of these truths – and you will need almost two weeks to getthrough this chapter!

Is it any wonder then that, over and over again, throughout the chap-ter, the application rings out – “Do not be afraid” (verse 10, 13, 14)?How can you and I be afraid when we have a God like this?Continue in Isaiah

My suggestion is that you then continue to do what I have outlinedeach morning. Work your way right through the last 27 chapters of thebook of Isaiah – chapter by chapter. You will need more than one morningfor most of the chapters. Some chapters will, of course, give more treas-ure and more truths than others. But the treasure is there - hidden thoughit might be. The truths about God are just waiting for you to dig them up,to be blessed through them, and to base your worship on them.

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If you come to a verse which you don’t understand, don’t worryabout it. It can wait until later. You will find enough treasure and truthabout God in the verses which you will understand.Move into the book of Psalms

When you finish the book of Isaiah start on the book of Psalms.Read one Psalm each morning (if it is short). The longer ones will need tobe sub-divided and will give enough material for several (or many) morn-ings. But follow the same pattern. Look for truths about God. Note them.Meditate upon them. Express them to God. Love and adore God and thensubmit to Him on the basis of them.

In Psalm 1, for example, which is quite short, you can see severalwonderful truths about God:

God is the One Who imparts blessing to us (verse 1).God has spoken to us in His Word (or Law) (verse 2).God is the One Who gives growth and blessing (verse 3).God is just and judges sin and sinners (verses 4 and 5).God knows His people and watches over us (verse 6).

These are the reasons why you should obey Him and His Word,why you should walk in His way, and why you should be involved in Hiswork (verses 1 and 2).

Although this is one of the shorter Psalms you could well spendseveral mornings using each of the truths contained in it as a basis for yourworship.Then the Gospel of Mark

After going through the book of Psalms, your next step could be toread and study, chapter by chapter, through one of the Gospels – for ex-ample the Gospel of Mark. Remember our basic premise - the main pur-pose of the Bible is to show us what God is like, and then to help us toworship Him.

But you need to remember another equally important truth. JesusChrist, the Son of God, came to this earth to show us what God is like. He


is “the brightness of His Glory and the express image of His Person”(Hebrews 1 v3). He is “the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4 v4), “theimage of the invisible God” (Colossians 1 vl5). He that sees Jesus Christhas seen the Father (John 12 v45 and John 14 v9).

When you see Jesus Christ as portrayed in Scripture you see God,and you learn more and more about what God is like, what you should sayto Him and the basis for your worship of Him.

So as you read Mark’s Gospel, chapter by chapter, you should askyourself the question – “As I look at Jesus Christ in this chapter andlisten to what He says, what do I learn about God? What truth can Isay to Him, and, on the basis of it, worship and love Him?”

For example in Mark chapter 1, which outlines the early days of theministry of the Lord Jesus, you can learn a number of wonderful truthsabout God, by watching the Lord Jesus, and by listening to Him.

God is a Trinity (verses 10 and 11).The grace of God as revealed in His willingness to become man andendure temptation (verses 12 and 13).The wisdom and omniscience of God (verses 21, 22)The power of God:

He controls evil spirits (verses 23-26)He heals sickness (verse 3l)He heals the leper (verses 4l, 42)

The compassion of God displayed towards the leper (verse 4l)The desire of God:

to use people in His service (verse 17-20)to save people (verse 15)How wonderful it is to see, and to study, the Person of the Son of

God in the Scriptures, and through Him to see God the Father (John 14v9). And how especially wonderful it is to be able to express what youhave seen to God the Father, or to the Lord Jesus Christ – and then to love,adore, and worship Him, and submit to Him, on the basis of what you havesaid.

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And now are you ready to start? Today? In your Quiet Time to-morrow morning? Make your decision - your resolution - to start reading,studying and meditating upon Isaiah 40. And then ask God to show yousomething new, or old, about Himself and then, on the basis of that, WOR-SHIP HIM!

Dear Heavenly Father,The Lord Jesusshows us that You are a God of love andcompassion, and that You and He care forpeople who have great needs. And so I wantYou to know that I love You. Amen.

Dear Lord Jesus,You are so powerful and Youshowed Your power by the wonderful mira-cles You did. I bow before You, my great andpowerful Saviour, and I worship You.Amen.


SECTION II

Question: How can I overcomemy worries and how can I avoidstress?

Subject: The worries of achildren’s worker

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CHAPTER 1Introduction:

Worry – The Problem And The Solution

I t might seem strange that I should introduce and deal with the problemof worry, the problem of stress, and the problem of not having peace,

so early in the book. I do so for two reasons:Because I believe that all three constitute together a major problemfor many children’s workers, and that their joy and effectiveness inministry are greatly hindered and restricted because of this problem.Because I feel that this subject can best be dealt with after consider-ing the subject of worship, and the importance of focusing ourthoughts and our worship on God. As we will see later in this section,the more we focus on God the less we will worry, and the less wefocus on God the more we will worry.

We will therefore, in this section, deal in detail with three separatebut closely related subjects:

WorryStressPeace

In this introductory chapter we will outline the Bible teaching on thesubject of worry. We will then deal with the subject of peace in chapter 2and in chapter 3 with the subject of stress.

There are several questions about worry which we need to answer,so that we can better understand the Bible teaching on this subject. Theseare questions and answers which I have had the opportunity of sharingwith others on many occasions – especially with the students at our Euro-pean Leadership Training Institutes:

What is worry?What causes worry?

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What are the results of worry?What is the solution to worry?

What is Worry?The dictionary defines worry as “anxiety, perplexity, upsetting or mentaldistress.”

It is important especially to understand that worry is “upsetting ordistress”. Worry is not just concern. It is normal for us, as believers, to beconcerned from time to time. There are many things we are and should beconcerned about – our ministry, our future, our financial support, our unsavedloved ones. But when that concern leads to mental or physical distress, toupsets, and to trouble of any kind, and we lose our peace completely be-cause of it, such concern becomes unhealthy and can then be called worry,Worry means we have become distressed, troubled, restless, uneasy in ourminds, and not at peace concerning something.

The Greek word used in the New Testament and translated “worry”or “care”, is MERIMNA – and has the thought of being pulled in differentdirections!

Someone has said,“It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Work is healthy; youcan hardly put more upon a man than he can bear. Worry isrust upon the blade. It is not revolution which destroys themachinery – but friction.”

We should also understand that worry is sin. This might seem astrong statement. But in Matthew 6 verses 25, 31, and 34, the Lord Jesuscommanded His disciples (and that includes you and me) not to worry.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what youwill eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what youwill put on. Is not life more than food and the body more thanclothing? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? Thereforedo not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry aboutits own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble”(Matthew 6 verses 25, 31, and 34).


So if we worry, we are disobeying our Lord, and that is SIN.

What Causes Worry?According to the Bible there are three “types” of worry caused by threedifferent factors:

Worries of this world, or of this life:“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he whohears the word, and the cares (or worries) of this world andthe deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomesunfruitful” (Matthew 13 v22).“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weigheddown with carousing, drunkenness, and cares (or worries)of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly” (Luke21 v34).

These worries are common to both saved and unsaved people. Thecontext of Matthew 13 v22 relates these worries to the unsaved; andthe context of Luke 21 v34 to the saved.These are worries which we have because we are human and live inthis world - worries about the present and the future, about sickness,death, politics, war, unemployment, marriage, our children (especiallyour teenage or grown-up children) and old age. The result, accordingto Luke 21 v34 is, in the case of a Christian, a heart which is“weighed down”. Also, these worries can, in the case of an unsavedperson, choke the seed of the Word which has been sown (Matthew13 v22).Which of us, as Christians, can say that we have never worried aboutsuch things?Worries about our welfare, or our needs:These worries apply particularly to Christians, especially those whoare in full-time Christian work, and are trusting God for their salaryand financial support.

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The Lord Jesus refers specifically to these worries in Matthewchapter 6:

Worries about our food (Matthew 6 v25 and 26).Worries about our drink (Matthew 6 v25, 26).Worries about our clothes (Matthew 6 v28-30).Worries about death (Matthew 6 v27 NIV). (In the King Jamestranslation these are described as worries about appearance andlack of height!)Worries about our future (Matthew 6 v34).

I am sure that many of us as Christian workers have experiencedsome, if not all, of these worries – at some time.Worries about our workThese worries are confined to Christians, and especially to Christianworkers.Paul spoke about these worries in 2 Corinthians 11 v28: “Besides theother things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern (orworry) for all the churches.”After listing a number of problems which he had faced, Paul gave theimpression that this problem of worry was the greatest he faced.These were worries about his work, and especially about thechurches he had planted. He could have had worries about thedoctrinal errors in the Galatian church, about the division in thePhilippian church, and about the deeds evident in the Corinthianchurch.We could also be subject, and open, to worries like these: failures andlack of success:

new steps to be taken and decisions to be made;problems with our leaders, our committee and our co-workers;meetings to be conducted and visits to be made;criticisms and lack of appreciation.

All these are worries about our work.


I have met children’s workers, both full-time and voluntary, who arebowed down with worries about their work. And also, as I look backon my many years in the Lord’s work, I know that there have beentimes when problems came which could have resulted, and at timesdid result, in worry, stress, loss of peace and tensions; and I had tolearn how to handle these problems in a biblical way.

What Are the Results of Worry?When we worry the result is always harm or suffering of some kind. Thiscould be mental, physical or spiritual:

Worry hinders us from Christlikeness.Our Lord never worried despite all the pressures He faced.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 2 v5).

He wants us to be like Him.Worry causes us to sin.When we worry we are disobeying Jesus Christ’s command - espe-cially if we persist in that worry.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, whatyou will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body,what you will put on. Is not life more than food and thebody more than clothing?” (Matthew 6 v25).

We should not mince our words – worry is SIN.Worry robs us of today:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow willworry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its owntrouble” (Matthew 6 v34).

We spend so much time regretting and worrying about yesterday, andworrying about tomorrow, that we have no strength or time left tohandle today and its challenges.

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And can we not see in this verse a little humour from the Lord Jesuswhen He asks us to let tomorrow do the worrying? Why should weworry when tomorrow will worry instead of us?

Two Care Free Days“There are two days of the week about which I never worry.

One of these is yesterday. Yesterday with all its cares andfrets, with all its pains and aches, its mistakes and blunders,has passed forever beyond the reach of my recall. I cannotalter any act that I wrought, I cannot unsay a word that I saidyesterday.

And the other day that I do not worry about is tomorrow.Tomorrow with all its possible problems, its burdens, its perils,its promises, its failures and mistakes is as far beyond thereach of my mastery as its dead sister – yesterday.

There is left for myself then, but one day of the week –today. And any man can fight the battles of today. Any womancan carry the burdens of just one day. Anyone of us can resistthe temptations of the few moments we call today. It is when wewillfully add the burden of those two awful eternities –yesterday and tomorrow – to the burdens and cares of todaythat we break down.

God in His infinite wisdom has carefully measured out tous our “each day’s portion” (the pressure we can bear for thatday 1 Corinthians 10 v13) and given the promise “As thy days,so shall thy strength be” (Deuteronomy 33 v25).

W J Jeffers

Worry shows a lack of faith:“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which todayis, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not muchmore clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6 v30).


If we are worrying, we are not really trusting. Conversely, when weare really trusting we are not worrying.Worry is worldly.Worry can be expected in the world, but it is a bad testimony for aChristian:

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For yourheavenly Father knows that you need all these things”(Matthew 6 v32).

How can we convince the unsaved that we believe in Jesus Christand trust God if we keep worrying about the future?Worry accomplishes nothing.

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stat-ure?” (Matthew 6 v27).

Worry is like a rocking chair – plenty of movement and activity, butno progress and no results. It keeps us busy, but gets us nowhere. Weare in the same position afterwards!Worry hinders us from an understanding of God’s Word and God’sWill.

“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he whohears the word, and the cares (worries) of this world and thedeceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomesunfruitful” (Matthew 13 v22).

A worrying and fretful mind finds it difficult to make the right deci-sions.Worry harms us and those with whom we come into contact.

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and sheapproached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that mysister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to helpme.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha,you are worried and troubled about many things’” (Luke 10v40 and 41).

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Worry affects our health, and it has a bad influence on our relation-ships with others. It can cause disharmony in our home and in ourwork.

What Is the Solution to Worry?We should, first of all, understand four introductory, and preliminary, factsconcerning worry:

There is a solution to worry.Paul writes:

“I would have you without carefulness (or worry).” (1Corinthians 7 v32).

God does not want us to be weighed down with worry and care. Hewants us to have peace in all circumstances.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as theworld gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid” (John 14 v27).

It is unlikely that worry can be completely eradicated. This is espe-cially true if you are, by nature, melancholic. We are all different fromone another – and some people by nature are more susceptible toworry than others. God wants our worries to be coped with, andcontrolled – not necessarily removed.Some great men of God, in church history, have been worriers.For example, Charles Spurgeon was very prone to depression. Heoften worried about money, his health, his wife’s illness and hischurch. And he battled with this tendency to worry all his life.There is no easy answer, or simple solution, to worry.We need to be realistic. Simple answers and formulas don’t work.Nor do commands and statements from other people such as.

“Stop worrying”“Pull yourself together.”


“It might never happen.”“Trust God.”“Just pray – and it will disappear.”

These are all true and valid statements; but on their own they do not,and cannot, help.

There are three steps to follow in the process of controlling andeliminating our worries and they can be found in three passages of Scrip-ture each of which deals with the subject of worry, and which you shouldread and study carefully.

Think about God (Matthew 6 v25-34)We have already seen that our very first priority must always be toknow, and understand the nature and attributes of God, and then, onthe basis of that understanding, to get to know Him more and more.We have already explained this in the first section of this book. Weneed to lift our eyes and our thoughts off ourselves and our circum-stances and focus them instead on God.This is exactly what the Lord Jesus tells us to do in Matthew chapter6 when He speaks to His disciples about worry. He commands themnot to worry in verses 25, 31 and 34. But that is not all He does. Hegives them two reasons why they should not worry. He knows that ifthey could see, understand and learn two great truths about God,there is much less likelihood of them worrying.

In verses 26 and 32 the Lord Jesus wants them to see (and thinkabout) the great truth that God is their Heavenly Father:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow norreap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Fatherfeeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”(Matthew 6 v26).“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For yourheavenly Father knows that you need all these things”(Matthew 6 v32).

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Their Heavenly Father knows their needs and cares for them.He will always do what is best for them. Why should theyworry?In verses 26 and 30 the Lord Jesus also wants them to see thepower and sovereignty of God:

•He feeds the birds (verse 26)“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow norreap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Fatherfeeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”(Matthew 6 v26).

•He clothes the grass (verse 30).“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, whichtoday is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will Henot much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”(Matthew 6 v30).

He not only knows and cares – but has the power and ability tolook after them. And this thought of God’s power and control isemphasized in verse 33 by referring to His kingdom.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness, and all these things shall be added toyou” (Matthew 6 v33).

The more you and I think about God – and especially aboutthese two great truths that He is our heavenly Father Who knowsand cares, and that He is the powerful God and King, Who hasunlimited power and is able to give us all we need – the less wewill worry.

Talk to God (Philippians 4 v6 and 7)Paul deals with the subject of worry in his letter to the Philippians:

“Be anxious for (or worried about) nothing, but in everythingby prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let yourrequests be made known to God; the things which youlearned and received and heard and saw in me, these do,and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4 v6 and 7).


In these two verses He first of all tells the Philippians “to be anxiousfor nothing” – in other words, they should not worry. But He thentells them what they need to do, and explains that in doing so they willhave peace and freedom from worry.He tells them to talk to God, He tells them to pray, He tells them “tolet their requests be made known unto God”.Paul outlines in these verses three ways by which we should bringour requests to God:

By prayer.He means prayer here in a general sense, and as an immediateattitude and reaction to whatever the need is. We should comequietly and reverently into His Presence, focus upon Him, andworship and adore Him face to face.By supplication.He means here prayer in a specific sense, when we verbalize ourparticular needs and problems to God and ask for His help andunderstanding.By thanksgiving.He means here that we should, in every situation, look forsomething for which we can thank God.

Is there something in the situation to be thankful for? Then weshould thank Him for that.

Paul then states that if we talk to God in this three-fold way, weshould and will experience the peace of God. This is a peace whichwill guard and protect our hearts and minds, through Jesus Christ andHis power. Talking to God does not necessarily remove the problem,but it gives us peace in the midst of the problem and strength to dealwith it – instead of worrying about it.Throw it onto God (1 Peter 5 v7)These words sound rather strange. But this is exactly what Peterexhorts us to do in the third biblical passage about worry and how todeal with it.

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“Casting all your care (or worry) upon Him, for He cares foryou” (1 Peter 5 v7).

The Greek word translated “cast” here by Peter is only used in oneother place in the New Testament.

“Then they brought him to Jesus. And they cast (threw) theirown clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him” (Luke 19v35).

This word literally means “to throw”, and Peter tells us that we are tothrow all our worries onto the Lord – just as the disciples threw theclothes onto the donkey!We can understand better what Peter is teaching about worry, byasking and answering from the immediate context of the verse fivesimple questions:

Who are invited to cast?This invitation is for every Christian and not just for a select few.

Peter addresses “all of you” in verse 5. In verse 1 he hasalready addressed the elders (with their cares and worries abouttheir leadership) and in verse 5 he addresses the younger believers(with their cares and worries about how to be subject to theirleaders).

And the context shows that this “casting” should be done in aspirit of humility and subjection both to God and others.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand ofGod, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5 v6).

That is the background.What are we invited to cast?Peter emphasizes that we are to cast ALL our cares on Him. Notjust part of them – but all of them.

It is interesting to see that in the verses which follow (1 Peter 5v7), Peter refers to the devil:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devilwalks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he maydevour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that


the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhoodin the world” (1 Peter 5 v8 and 9).

This certainly indicates that the devil uses, or even causes, thesecares and worries to try and defeat and devour us.Where are we invited to cast them?We are to cast (or throw) them “upon Him”; that is upon God, asclearly referred to in the previous verse.

•Only He can carry them.•Only He can change them.•Only He can give strength to bear them.

Why are we invited to cast them?We are to cast our worries upon Him because “He cares foryou”. This care is:

•personal – It is He Who cares.•present – He cares, and cares, and cares – always.•pointed – He cares for you (and you and you and you)In the authorized King James translation of the Bible the word

“cares” is used twice in this verse. “Cast all your cares” for “Hecares for you”. But these are two different Greek words. Thefirst word means “worries” and the second one means “loves orlooks after”. He cares for us and wants us to cast our worries orcares on Him.How are we invited to cast them?The word “cast” or “throw” means what it says. We are literallyto throw them onto the Lord by a definite act of the will – and thenwe are to leave them there. We are not to slip back at a later dateand pick them up again. This is not always easy and we need towork hard at it because these cares and worries tend to comeback again.

You may have heard the story of the Irish farmer walking alongthe road towards market with a bag of potatoes on his shoulder.Another farmer driving a horse and cart stopped and offered him alift to market. He gladly accepted, but as he sat in the cart hecontinued to carry his bag of potatoes on his shoulder. His friend

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suggested that he lay these on the floor of the cart, but he declinedto do so.

“The horse has enough problems carrying me”, he said, “withouthaving to carry the potatoes as well.”

Similarly, we so often persist in carrying our burdens andworries, when all the time our Lord is both willing and able to carrythem for us.

So – throw them onto Him, get rid of them and leave them there.It is interesting that the same command can be found in the Old

Testament in Psalm 55 v22:“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you;He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm55 v22).

Peter may well have had this verse from the Psalms in mindwhen he gave us this exhortation and command in 1 Peter 5 v7.

How then can you deal with, handle and control your worries?THINK and focus about God – especially upon His love and Hispower – and not upon the worry and its source.TALK to God, and tell Him all about whatever is causing you toworry.THROW your worries onto Him – by a conscious and deliberate act– and then leave them there.


CHAPTER 2

Peace – The Gift Of God

F or many years I have been privileged to share some thoughts on thesubject of “peace” with students, co-workers and friends; and God

has been pleased to bless what I have shared in my own life and in thelives of others.

The greatest gift which God has for us is the gift of ETERNALLIFE. We receive that gift the moment we put our trust in Jesus Christ asLord and Saviour:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternallife in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6 v23).

God’s second greatest gift is one which He offers to us as believers,and which we can all receive and enjoy, to a greater or lesser extent. It isthe gift of PEACE.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as theworld gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid” (John 14 v27).

What Is Peace?Peace can be defined in many ways – internal harmony, wholeness, quiet-ness, mental calm, freedom from fear and disturbance, a state of tranquility,a lack of conflict, a lack of stress and a lack of worry.

God’s desire for each of us, when we are faced with difficult andworrying situations – sickness, pressure, work, burdens, relationships, fi-nancial problems, or uncertainties about the future – is to have a deeppeace, and to be at rest, instead of worrying.

It is therefore no surprise that Paul and Peter start all their letters byexpressing a desire that all their readers should have “peace from Godthe Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ”. When Paul outlines thefruit of the Spirit the third in the list is peace (Galatians 5 v22).

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Mari Isaacson, one of our CEF missionaries in Austria, defined peaceas follows:

PEACEPeacethe absence of agitationthe inexpressible calmness

in a crisis situation

Peacethe absence of doubtthe complete trust in God’s

perfect will brought about

Peacethe absence of anxietythe absolute confidence

in the Almighty

Peacethe absence of resentmentthe sure ruler of our heart

in the midst of pain and torment

Peacethe absence of fearthe comforting presence

of our Father very near

The Bible teaches three great truths about peace:God is peace.God made peace.God gives peace.


God Is PeaceWhen we think of God’s attributes we often think of His love (God is love),His holiness (God is holy), His power (God is omnipotent), His faithfulness(God is faithful), and so on.

We do not often think of peace as an attribute of God. But the Biblestates clearly that it is. In a number of places God is called the God ofpeace:

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of goodcomfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of loveand peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13 v11).“The things which you learned and received and heard andsaw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you”(Philippians 4 v9).“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely;and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preservedblameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1Thessalonians 5 v23).

And one of the titles of the Lord Jesus is “the Prince of Peace”:“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and thegovernment will be upon His shoulder. and His name will becalled Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9 v6).

God therefore is peace and He is completely at peace. God in Hisown Person is at perfect peace. He must be if He is to be the source ofpeace to us.

We can come therefore to three conclusions:The three members of the Godhead are at complete peace with eachother. There is no disharmony or division. They enjoy perfect peace.God is completely at peace concerning all circumstances and events(which of course He controls). Although He can be grieved andwrathful, He never loses His peace; He is never frustrated or wor-ried; He is never upset or irritated.

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The Lord Jesus was, and is, completely at peace at all times. That’swhy He could speak in John 14 v27 of “My Peace”.

God Made PeaceWhen sin entered the world there was a break-down in relationships be-tween God and man. Instead of harmony there was now conflict:

There was a barrier on God’s side – His holiness.He wanted to have peace with His creation but this was not possiblebecause of His holiness. He wanted to receive us but He could notbecause of His holiness. His holiness must, first of all, be satisfied.How could this barrier be removed?There was a barrier on man’s side – his sin; and this had two conse-quences:

Firstly, he could not overcome the barrier between God andhimself because of his sin. His sin separated him from a holy God.His sin made it impossible for him to come to Him.Secondly, because of his sinful heart he did not want to come. Hisrebellious heart needed to be overcome and subdued.

Sinful man had therefore neither the ability nor the desire to removethe barrier between God and himself and enter into a relationship withGod.And then 2000 years ago God acted – to make peace. God’s answerto the problem was for His Son Jesus Christ to die, and take thepunishment for the world’s sin, so that peace between Him and mancould be achieved. This peace is called PEACE WITH GOD.God made this peace at one definite moment in history – finally andfor ever:

“And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him,whether things on earth or things in heaven, having madepeace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1 v20).“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peacewith God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5 v1).


Jesus Christ made peace and made it possible for the barriers on bothsides to be removed:The barrier on God’s side was removed for those who trusted Christ.God is reconciled.Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace, had taken God’s punishment for sinand God’s justice was now satisfied. The debt was paid and thepunishment for sin was dealt with. So the way to God was now open.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He wasbruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peacewas upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53v5).

Peace with God is now possible. No problems or barriers now existfor the person who trusts Christ.The barrier on man’s side was also removed for those who trustedChrist.Man can therefore be reconciled:

“Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5 v20).But the sinner must want to be reconciled (and only God can give himthat desire and ability), and then he needs to put his trust in Christ. Ifhe does so, he will be reconciled and enter into the peace which JesusChrist has made. As a consequence the possibility of peace with Godis there for all sinners.

Peace with God is a positional truth. This is not a peace which canbe felt or experienced. This is not a peace which can be increased ordecreased. This is not a peace which can be lost. This is an objectivepeace, not a subjective peace. The sinner who trusts Jesus Christ has, andis, at PEACE WITH GOD – for ever. It is now possible for an enemy ofGod to become a friend of God and to be at peace with Him.

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God Gives PeaceThis truth flows from, and is the result of, the previous two truths. Be-cause God is peace and because He has made peace, He now is able, andindeed wants, to give peace – to fill our hearts with peace at all times andin every situation.

This peace which He wants to give to His children is not peace withGod. Peace with God is already a reality for the believer and it cannot belessened, increased, or taken away. The peace which He gives the be-liever, and which the believer can experience on a day to day and momentto moment basis, is called in the Bible the PEACE OF GOD. And wedesperately need it.

This peace is Jesus Christ’s special gift to you and me and is avail-able to us today:

Listen carefully to the words of the Lord Jesus:“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as theworld gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid” (John 14 v27).He offers His peace to you and me – as a special gift:

“My peace I give to you.”He tells us that His peace is not like any peace the world can give:•His peace is deep. The world’s peace is superficial.•His peace is independent of circumstances – and lasts. The

world’s peace depends upon circumstances and is temporary.•His peace is free. The world’s peace is expensive.He assures us that His peace takes away all trouble and fear.

Listen carefully to the words of the Psalmist:“The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord willbless His people with peace” (Psalm 29 v11).

And you, as a believer, are one of these people.Listen carefully to the words of the apostle Paul:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer andsupplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made


known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses allunderstanding, will guard your hearts and minds throughChrist Jesus” (Philippians 4 v6 and 7).

As you and I come to the God of peace in prayer we receive thepeace of God.

How Can We Experience This Peace?To answer this question I refer you back to the three biblical steps I gavewhen outlining how to handle worry. The steps to receive and enjoy thepeace of God are basically similar and are the steps you and I need totake.

This peace does not come automatically. It has to be sought, longedfor and prayed for. The Psalmist writes, “Seek peace and pursue it”(Psalm 34 v14). A gift is not ours unless we take steps to receive it.

Think about GodWhen we see and focus on God as He really is, when we understandthat He is on the throne, that He is majestic, wise, faithful and om-nipotent, and when we understand that this mighty God is our FatherWho loves and cares for us – we will have PEACE. We especiallyneed to understand and believe that God is sovereign, that He is onthe throne, that He is in control of all circumstances, and that He iswise and knows what He is doing!When a problem arises unfortunately we tend to focus on the prob-lem, on ourselves, on the person or circumstances which caused theproblem – but not on God. But when a problem comes and we learnright away to think about God and focus on Him, He grants us peace.Isaiah writes:

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayedon You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26 v3).

As we focus our thoughts on Him (with a mind that is steadfast) andas we trust in Him, we will enjoy not just peace – but perfect peace;and that perfect peace comes only from God.

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We will be able to say with the Psalmist:“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, OLord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4 v8).

THE MORE WE THINK ABOUT HIM AND THE MORE WEFOCUS ON HIM, THE MORE PEACE WE WILL HAVE.Talk to GodPhilippians 4 v6 and 7 tells us to do this, as we have seen, and theseverses promise us the peace of God as we do so.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer andsupplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be madeknown to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses allunderstanding, will guard your hearts and minds throughChrist Jesus” (Philippians 4 v6, 7).

THE MORE WE TALK TO HIM THE MORE PEACE WE WILLHAVE.Throw whatever is upsetting your peace onto the Lord andleave it there.

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1Peter 5 v7).

THE MORE WORRIES WE THROW ON HIM THE MOREPEACE WE WILL HAVE.

As we follow these steps you and I can look for, pray for, and expect Godto give us real and abiding peace.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always inevery way. The Lord be with you all”(2 Thessalonians 3 v16).“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His faceshine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up Hiscountenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6 v24-26).


An Acrostic on PeacePeace with God is the position of every believer. It is Positional

Peace with God can never be lost. It is Eternal

The peace of God is possible for every believer. It is Available

But there are certain things the believer needs to do.It is Conditional

The believer will then experience the peace of God. It is Experimental

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always inevery way. The Lord be with you all”(2 Thessalonians 3 v16).“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shineupon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up Hiscountenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6 v24-26).

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CHAPTER 3

Stress – And How To Handle It

I n this chapter I will outline a detailed biblical study on the subject ofstress – how to avoid having it, how to deal with it, and how to handle

it if it is present. This is a subject I have often spoken on to our CEF co-workers and students, and I have also written a series of articles on it. Thischapter is based upon my notes in which I answer three basic questions:

What is stress?What are the evidences of stress?How can we deal with stress?

What Is Stress?All, or at least most of us, have pressure and some stress in our work. Weare all busy. The average full-time children’s worker should, under normalcircumstances, be working approximately 50 hours each week (includingtime spent in travelling and preparation). I could not, in good faith, haveasked a person who was working 40 or 42 hours each week, in a secularjob, to give extra hours to teach a Good News Club and attend a teachertraining class if I myself had not been prepared to do the same!

Children’s workers, who are not full-time, also face pressure andstress. Indeed they might be under more pressure and stress than full-timechildren’s workers, because in addition to their ministry to children theyhave a full-time job and also many other responsibilities – both in the fam-ily and in the church. It can be quite difficult to handle all these responsi-bilities and find the correct balance between them.

So every children’s worker is usually fully occupied and busy withhis work. He is therefore bound to be under a certain amount of pressureand stress. Being busy, working hard, and being fully occupied, is quitenormal. This should be no problem and cannot be avoided. The problem iswhen we are subject to over-pressure, and too much stress and strain.


This is what I mean from now on by the word “stress”. A chair ismade to take a certain amount of stress. So are we. But if too much stressor weight is put upon the chair it will collapse. And so will we.

We must face facts. Stress is the main problem of modern secularsociety. But it is also a major problem for many Christian workers, and thatincludes children’s workers. Some children’s workers are under stressand I am very concerned about this. If you are under stress I want to helpyou get out from under it; but if you are not under stress I want to showyou how to avoid it. It is better to avoid problems before they come ratherthan try to solve them afterwards.

There is a real danger that too much stress and too much worrying(if not dealt with) can lead to depression, prostration and inability to work.That is why you need to avoid situations which can lead you in this direc-tion, or if stressful and worrying circumstances do occur you need to knowhow to deal with them properly.

I would like, firstly, to outline and describe some evidences of stress.An understanding of these will help you to know if you are under stress ornot. Then I will try to give you some of the answers to the problem ofstress.

What Are the Evidences of Stress?Stress usually shows itself, and if we are under stress there will be certainevidences of it and results and consequences which can be seen, or felt,by ourselves and others.

There could be a deterioration in our health. This could show itself inseveral ways:

Continued nervous and mental tiredness and exhaustion – evenafter periods of rest.A loss of appetite.Continual sleeplessness.Depression, a loss of joy and a lack of enthusiasm.Physical ailments – such as headaches, stomach disorders, asthmaand allergies.Eating too much.

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Nervousness, or hysterical and high-pitched laughter andconversation.

However, with regard to these evidences, it is necessary to rememberseveral things:

Some of these features develop very slowly and are almostimperceptible. So be alert and watchful.Such features are only evidences of stress when we realise thatwe were not always like this. Some of these evidences outlinedmay be part of our natural make-up – and not induced by stress.We do not need to have all of these evidences to show that we areunder stress. On the other hand, one on its own is not necessarilyenough evidence.If we tend to be hypochondriacs we need to be careful not toimagine evidences and symptoms which are not really there. Theproblem is that often it is the people who need to see the evidencesof stress who don’t see them – and those who don’t need to seethem, somehow, do see them.We also need to watch out for the stress we are causing to others.

There could be a deterioration in our relationships with others. Thiscould show itself in several ways:

Irritability, impatience and edginess;Oversensitivity and a tendency to be easily hurt and imagine thingswhich are not there;Criticism of others – to compensate for a growing lack ofconfidence in ourselves;Lack of humour;Tenseness in the work and in our relationships – making everyonefeel under pressure.Inability to face problems when they come.

However, we need to ask ourselves two questions:Were we always like this?Is this a permanent condition, or is it only temporary?


There could be a deterioration in our relationship with God:Our quiet time may have become mechanical – shorter – or evennon-existent.We may have lost our joy in the work God called us to do.

All of us as children’s workers need to examine ourselves carefully!Are we under stress?

How Can We Deal With Stress?We now want to outline how we as children’s workers can deal with stress(if we have it); or, better still, how we can avoid stress (if we don’t haveit).

There are a number of “rules” which we need to understand andfollow.1. DO NOT OVERWORK

The main reason for stress is OVERWORK. God wants us to bebusy, and work a full day and a full week. But stress comes when wedo more work than God intends, or expects us, to do.Often the stressful pressures which come upon a children’s worker(or any spiritual leader) are the result of his having assumed responsi-bilities not assigned to him by God, and for which he cannot expectGod to give the extra strength required.How can we ensure that we don’t overwork?Before giving a number of positive suggestions which should helpevery children’s worker to avoid overwork, I would like to include bymeans of introduction, a number of quotations from well knownwriters:Charles Shedd in his book “Time for All things” writes –

“Our heavenly Father never gives us too much to do. We will.We assign ourselves an overload, but never the Lord. Heknows what He wants from each of us, and there is plenty oftime in His day for things essential to His plan. We do Him agrave injustice when we fall into the habit of compulsive

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overwork. We sin when we pressure out His wishes forassignments that have not been filtered through divinejudgment.”

In his book “The Tyranny of the Urgent”, Charles Hummel writes:“On the night before He died, Jesus made an astonishing

claim. In the great prayer of John17 He said, ‘I have finishedthe work which Thou gavest Me to do’ (v4).

How could Jesus use the word ‘finished’? His three-yearministry seemed all too short. A prostitute at Simon’s banquethad found forgiveness and a new life, but many others stillwalked the street without forgiveness and a new life. For everyten withered muscles that had flexed into health, a hundredremained impotent. Yet on that last night, with many usefultasks undone and urgent human needs unmet, the Lord hadpeace: He knew He had finished God’s work.”

“The Gospel records show that Jesus worked hard. Afterdescribing a busy day, Mark writes, ‘That evening, atsundown, they brought to Him all who were sick or possessedwith demons. And the whole city was gathered about the door.And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, andcast out many demons” (Mark 1 v32, 34).

On another occasion the demands of the ill and maimedcaused Him to miss supper and to work so late that Hisdisciples thought He was beside Himself (Mark 3 v21). Oneday after a strenuous teaching session, Jesus and His discipleswent out in a boat. Even a storm didn’t awaken Him (Matthew4 v37, 38). What a picture of exhaustion.

Yet His life was never feverish; He had time for people. Hecould spend hours talking to one person, such as theSamaritan woman at the well. His life showed a wonderfulbalance, a sense of timing. When His brothers wanted Him to


go to Judea, He replied, ‘My time has not yet come’ (John 7v6). Jesus did not ruin His gifts by haste.”

A quotation from “Spiritual Leadership” by J. Oswald Sanders:“Our Lord sets the perfect example of the strategic use of

time. He moved through life with measured tread, never in ahurry, though always thronged and often harassed bydemanding crowds. To those who came to Him for help Hegave the impression that He had no more important concernthan their interests. The secret of His serenity lay in Hisassurance that He was working according to His Father’splan for His life – a plan that embraced every hour and madeprovision for every contingency. His calendar had beenarranged, and through communion with His Father Hereceived each day both the words He was to say and the worksHe was to do. ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father, andthe Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do notspeak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Medoes the works’ “(John 14 v10).

John Wesley was able to say: “Though I am always in haste, Iam never in a hurry; because I never undertake more workthan I can get through with calmness of spirit.”

I would now like to give you several positive ways to avoid overwork:Plan your timeYou should plan each day, and each week before they begin; and youshould do it in writing! The same applies to long-term planning. If youdo not plan your time, you will find yourself with too much to do, andunder real pressure and stress. When everything is planned before-

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hand, and approached in an orderly way, you will be much more calmand relaxed!

Dr. Daniel Fuchs writes, “It is not funny. It is absolutely true.Thinking is the greatest time-saving activity. A few minutes atthe start of the day carefully planning my programme is theonly method I know of getting through one day withoutbecoming irritable and without going through a lot of wastemotions. One needs to know what is important, what is trivial,what is convenient, and what is nonsensible.”

Having made a plan, discipline yourself and stick to it as closely asyou can.Try to build definite habits into your life, and keep to them. The lessdisciplined you are, the more stress you will experience.Avoid unnecessary things.Don’t waste time. Don’t spend your time doing things of little impor-tance, and then find yourself under pressure, and without strength ortime, when the important things come.Learn to say NO!Did you know that N and O are the two middle letters of the Englishalphabet? They should also be central in our response to some invita-tions. Only do that which you are sure God wants you to do. Remem-ber every call for help is by no means a call from God – for everysuch call cannot be responded to.Learn to delegate work to others.There are, surely, people in your area who could share in your minis-try, if you would give them the opportunity. If you are a full-timechildren’s worker, how about finding and training at least one teacherof teachers during the next 12 months – who will help you in yourteacher training class? If you could do this each year you would soonhave a body of helpers who could do some of the work which you are


doing at present. What about your committee? Could you use them todo some of the things that you are now doing? Or do you feel thatyou are the only person who can do these things?When you have free time avoid anything which resembles yourwork.To relax, you need to do something completely different from whatyou usually do.Know yourself and live accordingly.Understand your own nervous and physical system, and make sureyou do not take on more than your system can bear. Everyone isdifferent. Each person must know the load which he or she can carry,and be sure not to carry any more than that. Do not model yourselfon someone else, trying to do what they do. They are different fromyou and may be able to do more (or less!). It might be a help if youcould talk with your leader or a close friend about this matter, and getsuggestions from him concerning how much he feels you can do.Very often it is the person who needs to do less (from the point ofview of his health) who keeps on doing more and more – until he hasa nervous breakdown!

May God help us not to overwork ourselves; but may He insteadgive us the wisdom we need to do the work He has called us to do.

The first and main rule, if you want to avoid stress, is, I repeat, –DON’T OVERWORK.

I would like to give you five more rules which will help you avoidstress:

2. DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED AT WHAT YOU HAVE BEENUNABLE TO DOAs children’s workers we can all see the great need which existsamong the children, and we want to do all we can to meet that need.We have a big, busy programme and there are many things that wewant to do in our area. But we often find as we look back over the

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day, over the week, or over the year, that we have not been able to doall that we would have liked to do; and our reports and statistics donot look too spectacular!Let me give you three suggestions:

Be sure that you are doing your best. That is all God expects fromyou. Do you remember what the Lord Jesus said about Mary ofBethany? “She has done what she could” (Mark 14 v8). Goddoes not expect us to do any less than that; but He does not expectus to do any more.Do not allow yourself to worry, or be frustrated, if you have notsucceeded or achieved all that you wanted to. You have done yourbest, and that is all that matters. Remember that God is looking forfaithfulness, rather than results.Make sure you plan your time and work better and this will helpyou accomplish what you need to do. Lack of planning anddiscipline is often the reason why we are not able to do the workwe intended to do.

3. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE ANDTHE DECISIONS WHICH YOU HAVE MADESome children’s workers, after they have made a decision to dosomething, go through agonies of regret and anguish over that deci-sion.Think and pray carefully before you make your decision. Then onceyou have made it and believe it to be the right one in the sight of God,leave it with Him and do not worry about it.

George Mòller wrote: “Through prayer to God, the study of theWord, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgement to thebest of my ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus atpeace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, Iproceed accordingly.”


4. WHEN OPPOSITION AND MISUNDERSTANDING BRINGWORRIES, CAST THEM UPON HIMWe have already seen in a previous chapter that 1 Peter 5 v7 teachesus to “Cast all our worries upon Him for He cares for us.” Oppo-sition and misunderstanding (and the worries and stress which comeas a result of them) are part of the price which you pay for being inchildren’s work – whether in voluntary or full-time work, and espe-cially if you are in a position of leadership. The more responsibilityyou have, the more opposition and misunderstanding you are likely toincur. Leadership can be a lonely position. But praise God, there is aplace to which you can take your worries and stress, and the reac-tions of those who oppose you and misunderstand you.If your conscience is clear, and you have done all you can to clear upsuch opposition and misunderstanding, then do not allow it to get youdown, or cause you to fret or worry or feel under stress. Take it all toHim – and leave it there.

5. BUILD GOOD HABITSMany of the problems which we incur in the area of stress comefrom the neglect of sound principles which are based on commonsense.There are four good habits which you especially need to develop:

Take time to restBoth your mind and your body need rest.

How many hours sleep do you need each night? Make sure that,as far as possible, you get the hours you need. Not everyone hasthe same needs. You need to understand your own physical make-up and ensure that you get the rest you need. Some people needeight hours sleep each night; some find seven adequate; some caneven get by on six. Be sure that you don’t have too little – or toomuch.

This means going to bed at the proper time and not sitting up toolate. Sometimes we read biographies of great men of God who,

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years ago, rose at 4 o-clock or 5 o’clock each morning; and weseek to model ourselves on these men. This is fine, provided we goto bed at the same time they went to bed the previous evening!

Have you thought about the possibility of 10 or 15 minutes restafter lunch each day? A ‘siesta’ like this can be a real help. It issaid of Winston Churchill, who was the British Prime Ministerduring the Second World War that while he only slept about fourhours every night, he rigidly had his nap, or snooze, after lunch.

Do you plan your programme so as to allow yourself some freetime each day? Children’s work sometimes involves a busyevening; but you should take some free time at another part of theday.

If you are a full-time worker do you try to have a completelyfree day each week? You should block out this day in your dairy,and keep completely away from work that day – especially if youhave a family! It may be a Sunday if you have no teaching,speaking or visiting engagements. But, if your free day is Sunday,then you should also ensure that you have another half day free. Achildren’s worker usually has a number of activities on a Sunday(preventing it from being a completely free day). Do you haveyour holiday each year? A full-time children’s worker is expectedto take a three-week holiday in addition to special days such asChristmas Day and New Year’s Day. Do you make sure that youhave this holiday? Remember also that it is best to have the threeweeks holiday together, so that they can be of most benefit.

CH Spurgeon wrote: “Rest time is not waste time. Look atthe mower in the summer’s day with so much to do ere thesun sets. He pauses in his labour – is he a sluggard? Heis sharpening his tool and he will do far more. IN thelong run, we shall do more, by sometimes doing less.”

An explorer who tried to force-march through the jungle with agroup of natives found that, although incredible speed was


registered for two days, on the third morning they would not budge,sitting and looking very solemn. The chief explained: “They arewaiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies”!

One reason we, who are full-time Christian workers, do not restthe way we should is because we are worried what other peoplemight say. What would people think if they saw us sitting in thegarden, or going to the beach with our family?

Do not worry about what others say! Your responsibility is toensure that you rest, and that you keep yourself fit and healthyand, in this way, avoid stress. If you govern yourself by whatothers say and think, you will soon find yourself with problems!Some people say, “But Satan never rests.” My answer would be“Is he our example?”Take time to relax.Relaxation is doing something completely different from yourwork. You do need to learn how to relax. A violin string will breakif it is always under tension. And so will you. If you are a full-timechildren’s worker, you need something to “lift your mind”. It maybe gardening; it may be carpentry. One children’s worker likes torelax by watching fish in his aquarium. Another likes to watchships come and go. Some like to listen to music; some like to read;some like to play volley ball! One has a model train-set in his atticand when he wants to relax he plays with it!

It is good to have some form of relaxation which occupies yourmind in such a way that you have no chance to think about, orplan, your work. Otherwise it is not real relaxation.Take time to read.Every children’s worker must develop reading habits, and if hedoes so these will help him avoid stress.

•You should aim at reading at least one good book a month. Thiscould be a devotional book, or a book connected with yourwork.

• You should also have some ‘light’ reading, but be careful that it isclean.

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• You should keep up with the news, and try to read yournewspaper every day.

It is recorded of John Wesley that he told the youngerministers of the Wesleyan societies either to read, or get out ofthe ministry!

Eat well.Every full-time Christian worker should have at least one good hotcooked meal every day. There is a special temptation for singleworkers (and especially single men) to prepare their meals quickly.But you need to take time to prepare your food properly.Otherwise your health will suffer, and that would then lead to astress situation.

When you have prepared your meal, you need to eat it properly!Mealtime should be a time of peace and rest. Enjoy your food andmake it easy for your stomach to digest it.

6. WATCH YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GODIf our vital relationship with God suffers, we are leaving ourselvesopen to anything, including stress.

Let me give you three special pieces of advice:Do not neglect your daily Quiet Time with God. This can happenwhen you are very busy – or when the work is not going well.Learn to commit things to Him which cannot be changed:• illness• family problems• opposition and misunderstanding• worries about your decisions and your work (remember 1 Peter

5 v7).Make sure that you “take in” as well as “give out”:• Ensure that you have adequate time each day for your Quiet

Time.• Attend a good church where you can be ministered to from the

Word of God.


• Take time to read a good book.• Listen to good cassettes if you drive a car (if it does not distract

you), or when you are making visual aids.

I trust that, as you have read through this chapter, you have learnedsome of the ways by which you can avoid, or deal with, this very realproblem of stress. If you are not careful, you will one day be so overcomeby it that you will no longer be able to do the work to which God has calledyou.

Isaiah 30 v15 reads, “In quietness and confidence shall be yourstrength.”

May this be true of all of us.

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SECTION III

Question: What kind of persondoes God want me to be andhow can I be that kind ofperson?

Subject: The walk of a children’sworker

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Learning To Walk

The Bible uses the word “walk” many, many times to describe the lifeand character of the Christian. Indeed we could insert the word “live”

in the place of “walk” in many Bible verses without, in any way, changingthe meaning.

“Let us walk (live) honestly, as in the day” (Romans 13 v13a).“We walk (live) by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5 v7).“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk(live) worthy of the calling with which you were called”(Ephesians 4 v1).

In this introduction we will examine in detail what it means “to walk”,and answer several questions about it:

How important is our walk?How can we walk?What is the purpose and the goal of our walk?Is there anything which can help us in our walk?

In the next chapter, we will do a Bible study about a man whowalked with God and deduct the lessons we can learn for our own walk.And in the third chapter we will try to learn what it means “to be likeJesus” in our walk.

How Important Is Our Walk?God is interested in the believer’s walk – perhaps more than anythingelse apart from his worship. God’s scale of priorities for all children’sworkers are, in order:

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His worship.His walkHis work.

And always in that order! We are in great spiritual danger if wechange or reverse the order – and if we put our work before either ourworship or walk. What we are, and how we live, are more important inGod’s sight than what we do and how we serve.

It is interesting to read the opening verses of Hebrews 11, thegreat “faith chapter” of the Bible, and to note the first three names on thelist of men of faith:

Abel, we are told in verse 4, “offered a more excellent sacrifice”.This speaks of worship. That is the basis of our walk and work.

Enoch pleased God (verses 5 and 6) because he walked with God(Genesis 5 v22, 24) – a walk which started, continued and, one day,came to a conclusion.Noah worked (verse 7) and built an ark to the saving of his house.

Worship Walk Work

The names are in chronological order, but the activity associatedwith each name illustrates the correct scale of priorities which God wantsus to have.

What Does it Mean to Walk?Our walk is a synonym (another word) for our life. Life is a walk fromthe cradle to the grave. Consequently, the word “walk” describes theconcept of living for God and is used, as we will see later, in many partsof Scripture.Why are our lives compared to a walk?

The use of the word “walk” to describe our “lives” is interestingand can help us to understand more about our Christian lives and whatGod expects from us:


A walk has a start.Our Christian lives start the moment we trust Jesus Christ as ourSaviour.A walk has a conclusion or finish.Our Christian lives, or at least the earthly part of those lives, willcease when we die and go to be with the Lord.A walk is a step-by-step progression from one place to another. In our Christian lives we move, little by little, and step-by- step,from where we were and from where we are, to where God wantsus to be. We do not run; we must not stand still; we must walk.A person can walk alone, or in company with others.Our Christian walk is not a solitary walk. We are not on our own.Our walk is with God and, while we walk, we enjoy fellowshipwith Him – listening to Him through His Word, and talking to Himin prayer.A walk has a purpose, a goal and a destination.Our Christian life has a purpose and goal and it is this goal withwhich we will be dealing especially in the last part of this section.

With whom should we walk?We should walk with God. The Bible tells us of two men who

walked with God – and they should be our examples:In the book of Genesis we learn that Enoch walked with God:

“After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God threehundred years, and had sons and daughters. And Enoch walkedwith God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5 v22,24).

In the next chapter we learn that Noah walked with God:“This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect inhis generations. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6 v9).

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How should we walk?In the New Testament there are many verses exhorting us, and

encouraging us, in our walk and telling us how we should walk:“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walkworthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4v1).“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk intruth”(3 John 4).“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we havefellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ HisSon cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1 v7).“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of theworld. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but havethe light of life” (John 8 v12).“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism intodeath, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the gloryof the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”(Romans 6 v4).“For we walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Corinthians 5 v7).“Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are nolonger walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the onefor whom Christ died” (Romans 14 v15). “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and givenHimself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma”(Ephesians 5 v2).“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming thetime” (Colossians 4 v5).

When we put all these verses together we learn that God wants usto walk worthy of Him, in truth, in the light and not in darkness, innewness of life, in faith, in love and in wisdom.


There is much we can learn about our walk by studying and apply-ing each of these phrases.

What Is the Purpose and Goal of Our Walk?God wants us in our walk to become more and more like Jesus Christ.

The process by which He accomplishes that purpose and goal inus is known as sanctification.

“This is the will of God even your sanctification”(1 Thessalonians 4 v3).

Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit by which He graduallychanges the believer, and makes him more and more righteous in his char-acter, and more and more like Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3 v18; 1Thessalonians 4 v3-7; 1 Thessalonians 5 v22,23; 2 Timothy 2 v21; 1Peter 1 v16). When a believer is justified at conversion he receives fromGod an imputed righteousness (the righteousness of Christ). During hissanctification he receives from the Holy Spirit an imparted righteous-ness - a gradual, step-by-step, change and transformation which incheshis state closer and closer to his standing. God has chosen us to be holy(Ephesians 1 v3-4) and to be conformed to the image of His Son (Ro-mans 8 v28-29).

This process of sanctification commences at regeneration and con-tinues until glorification. It is experimental and gradual in its nature; andit makes us more and more like Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3 v18).

Who Helps Us to Walk?There are three key verses which give us the “secret” of how to walk inthe ways outlined on the previous page and how to be sanctified. Whenwe read the verses on that page, it seems impossible to attain or reachthe standard God expects. But God has given us Someone to help us inour walk:

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lustof the flesh” (Galatians 5 v16).“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians5 v25).

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“That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled inus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to theSpirit” (Romans 8 v4).

We cannot walk, or live for Christ or be like Christ, in our ownstrength. The Holy Spirit, Who indwells us, gives us the power to walkworthy of our God and Saviour.

The Holy Spirit helps us “to walk”, to live for Christ and to be-come like Christ in three ways:

He enables us to see our need of holiness.He helps us to understand God’s standards of holiness, and thencauses us to become aware of specific areas in our lives which aresinful and which fall short of those standards.He creates a desire within us to be holy, to be sanctified, and towalk in a way which is pleasing to God.We will never persevere in the slow and difficult task of becomingholy if we don’t have this desire which He gives. The habits of ourold nature and the attacks of Satan would stop us if it were not forthe Holy Spirit’s working in our heart and His impartation of thisdesire to be holy, to be like Jesus Christ and to persevere in thatpursuit.He gives us the spiritual strength to walk in holiness, to live a holylife, and to be like Jesus:

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill thelust of the flesh” (Galatians 5 v16).

No one can overcome the sinfulness of his heart and the corruptionof his old nature except by the enabling strength of the Holy Spirit.

As we read God’s Word and understand His Will for us, as wepray for the Holy Spirit to help us live and walk in accordance with HisWord, and as we continually depend upon Him and His strength we willbe able to walk in a way which pleases God – and we will be sanctified.

A walk which is pleasing to God and our sanctification are theresult of a partnership and fellowship between God, the Holy Spirit, and


regenerated man. We need to have the desire and make the decision to bewhat God wants us to be. Then He gives the power. It is therefore a co-operation between God the Holy Spirit and us.

What Is Our Responsibility?The Bible teaches that there is no simple and easy way to be sanctifiedand to walk in the Spirit. The believer is a battle field:

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against theflesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do notdo the things that you wish”(Galatians 5 v17).

The believer has two natures - the old and the new – and they arewarring against each other. Every believer is both carnal and spiritual.Sometimes the flesh is in control; sometimes the spirit. Even the apostlePaul had his problems (Romans 7 v14-25).

The process of sanctification does have its high points when weare very close to the Lord, and also its low points when everything seemsdark.

But, while battles with the flesh may be lost, this war has been,and will be, won. And the strength to win it comes as we have seen fromthe indwelling Holy Spirit. “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shallnot fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5 v16).

However, there are no “short-cuts” or “magic formulas”. The Bi-ble teaches that the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. But it also speaks of usstriving (Hebrews 12 v4), wrestling (Ephesians 6 v11,12), fighting (1Timothy 6 v12), engaging in a race (1 Corinthians 9 v24-27; Hebrews12 v1), disciplining ourselves (Romans 12 v1,2; 1 Thessalonians 4 v3),working out (Philippians 2 v12), and putting to death (Romans 8 v13;Colossians 3 v5). All of these are involved in our walk.

The process of sanctification can be compared to the driving of acar. If I want to control the car and I want it to stop, two factors areneeded:

I need to put my foot on the brake. I want the car to stop and I act;but I do not have the power.The power to stop the car comes from the brake.

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So there is a partnership: the use of my foot expresses my desireand decision; the brake gives this power.

And so in sanctification I desire to be sanctified and to be like theLord Jesus, and decide to do what I can; and God the Holy Spirit givesthe power.

We see these two aspects of sanctification in Philippians 2 v12,13:

Our responsibility “Work out your own salvation with fear andtrembling” (v12).God’s power “It is God which works in you to will and to do of Hisgood pleasure” (v13).

First of all, we ourselves have our responsibilities to fulfil. We areasked to work out, show or display the evidences and result of the salva-tion we possess (Philippians 2 v12). Our responsibilities in the processof sanctification could be summarized in four key words from Joshua 5v14 & 15. Joshua sees the Lord Jesus and reacts in four ways:

He worships Him (verse 14)He speaks to Him (verse 14)He listens to Him (verse 15)He obeys Him (verse 15)

Worship pray listen obey

As we fulfill these four responsibilities God will work in us(Philippians 2 v13) and the Holy Spirit will sanctify us (1 Thessalonians5 v23,24), and make us step by step like the Lord Jesus (Romans 8 v29;2 Corinthians 3 v18). In this process He uses the Word of God (John 17v17; Ephesians 5 v26; 2 Thessalonians 2 v13; 1 Peter 2 v2).

The Bible makes it clear that we need to be sanctified and “walkin newness of life” (Romans 6 v4) - and to be “as holy as it is possiblefor a saved sinner to be this side of glory” (Robert Murray McCheyne, agodly pastor in 19th century Scotland). This is the will of God and a


command from Him (Colossians 3 v5; 1 Thessalonians 4 v3). We areexpected to grow and perfect holiness in the sight of the Lord (Philippians3 v10-12). We will then be walking worthy of our Lord and SaviourJesus Christ, and we will become more and more like Him.

Is There Anything Which Can Help Us in OurWalk?

There is something else which we can do to help us in our walk, in ourChristian life and in our sanctification. And this is something we can andshould do every day.

It is essential for you as a teacher to have a regular Quiet Timeevery day when you can be alone with the Lord, and when you can setaside time to listen to God in Bible study, and speak to Him in prayer.You cannot teach and encourage children to do this if you don’t do ityourself!

It is also important that your Quiet Time should be systematic andorganised, and approached each day in a disciplined way.When should you have it?

The best time is generally in the morning before the day’s activi-ties commence and as a preparation for those activities. However, somefind another time, such as the evening, before bed-time, to be more suit-able and to fit in better with their family circumstances.How long should this quiet time be?

This question is impossible to answer. The quality of the QuietTime is more important than the length of it.

On the one hand you should not try to compress your Quiet Timeinto a few minutes. On the other hand you should not aim too high. Ifyou set yourself a longer time and then find that this length of time is notpossible or practical, you can easily feel guilty. Start with a shorter time,and increase it as you feel the need to do so.

Personally, I feel that we should spend at least 30 to 40 minutesalone with God in our Quiet Time each morning.

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Where should you have it?Somewhere that is quiet and away from people.

What should you do?A Quiet Time could consist of three main parts:

A time of Bible reading and Bible studyFollow a patternIt is helpful to follow a system in your Bible reading. There areseveral possibilities:•to read extensively and, for example, to read right through the

Bible in one year•to read intensively and, for example, to work your way verse by

verse through one book of the Bible•to study systematically a theme such as “the Grace of God” or

“the results of salvation” or “the work of the Holy Spirit”. Abook or a series of outlines on this subject can be a help withthis type of study; or you can use a chain reference Bible suchas the Thompson Bible

•to follow a Bible reading plan produced by an organisationwhich produces such plans

Have a purposeWhat do you want to achieve as a result of your Bible study?

The main purpose of the Bible is to show us what God is like.The Bible is the Word of God and reveals God to us. Thereforeas you study, the first, and most important, question you shouldask yourself is:“What does this verse (passage) teach me aboutGod?”

This method of Bible study is a veritable treasure trove. Asyou “dig for this treasure” you will come to know, more andmore, what God is like, and then you will come to know Himbetter. Why not start with Isaiah 40 (as I have suggested earlierin this book)? Read this chapter, asking God to show yousomething about Himself from it. When He does, underline it inyour Bible or write it down in your notebook. Then read Isaiah


41 - and so on, and after you finish Isaiah do the same with all thePsalms. Then read Mark’s Gospel. As you look at and listen to theLord Jesus Who is God (John 1:1) and Who is the image of HisFather (Hebrews 1: 3; John 14: 9) – ask yourself the question“What can I learn about God?”

I have gone into this method of Bible reading and study inmore detail in my book “The Problems of a Children’s Worker -and God’s Solution”.

A time of worshipThis time might be short, but it is very necessary. When you wor-ship God you are not thinking of yourself, of your needs, or even ofyour blessings, but you are thinking of God Himself.The Lord Jesus teaches us that we should worship the Father inspirit and in truth (John 4: 23, 24) – as we have seen in an earlierchapter.

Worship is based upon truth. As you read the Word of God andas you see or learn some truth about God, then you should saythat truth to God, and tell Him how wonderful it is (e.g. 1Chronicles 29: 11, 12 , 13; Psalm 95: 6).Worship is conducted in spirit. Having seen something aboutGod and said something to God about what you have seen, thenyou love, adore and worship Him in your heart and spirit on thebasis of what you have seen and said, and you submit to Him.

God is looking for those who will worship Him in this way (John 4:23). Consequently, worship needs to be part of your Quiet Time.This time of worship will often include, or lead to, both confessionand thanksgiving.A time of prayer and intercessionCharles Spurgeon once said, “If you cannot prevail with men (orchildren) for God at least you can prevail with God for men” (orchildren).

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It is a great help if you can use simple and systematic reminders andoutlines to guide you in your time of intercession, rather than relyingupon your memory.One possibility is to produce and use a small personal “prayer book”,in which you have recorded all those people whom God has laid uponyour heart, and for whom you should pray.I would suggest six prayer lists:

Those for whom you will pray twice each day. This means eachmorning (in your main Quiet Time) and each evening (in yourshorter Quiet Time). These will usually be close familymembers.Those for whom you will pray each morning - that is once eachday.Those for whom you will pray each evening - also once eachday.Those you will pray for once each week. You will therefore needseven more lists of names.Those you will pray for once each month. You will need 31 listshere.An “emergency” prayer list. This will consist of prayer requestswhich have just arisen, and for which you will pray eachmorning and each evening until the prayer is answered. You willthen remove those requests from this list.

These can all be put together in a small portable prayer book.In addition, I would suggest that for each of the above pages (daily,weekly and monthly) you include at the beginning one item for whichyou would praise and worship God. This would not apply to theemergency prayer list.

REMEMBER: The MORE YOU WAIT on God and WORSHIPHim, the more godly will be your WALK.


CHAPTER 2

A Man Who Walked With God

s we read through the Bible, we can see many examples of thosewho walked with God, who lived for God, and who are excellentA

examples of sanctification. We have already mentioned Enoch and Noahabout whom the Bible specifically says that they walked with God. Butmany names could be added – Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David,Daniel, the apostle John, Peter, Paul – and many more.

But in this chapter we want to focus on someone whose life is awonderful example to us, who in many ways resembled the Lord JesusChrist, and from whom we can learn so much to help us in our walk and inour sanctification.

Joseph is one of the very few people in Scripture against whomnothing sinful is recorded. Abraham told lies about his wife; Moses mur-dered a man; David stole another man’s wife and caused him to be killed.But although Joseph was, of course, a sinner, he is an example to us of awonderfully clean and holy life – one of the finest and cleanest ever re-corded. He truly walked with God. I have often had the opportunity topreach on the life of Joseph, and have been blessed so much through whatI have learned and shared.

The Person He WasJoseph’s life can be divided into four sections:

His life at home – when he was IN.His life away from home – when he was OUT.His life in the prison – when he was DOWN.His life in the palace – when he was UP.

And in each of these situations his walk was clean, transparent andholy.

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At homeThis is where his walk started – and this is where our walk starts.

Home is perhaps the most important place for the Christian to walk wor-thy of our Saviour; and in many ways it is also the most difficult.

Joseph faced dangers and problems in his home life:He was misunderstood and rebuked by his father (Genesis 37 v10)when he shared his dream with him.He was envied by his brothers (Genesis 37 v11; Acts 7 v9) becauseof his dreams, and because of the special coat his father gave him.He was hated by his brothers because his father loved him so much(Genesis 37 v4, 5, and 8).His brothers spoke harshly to him (Genesis 37 v4).

Yet, despite all these problems, several qualities are evident inJoseph’s life at home:

He was obedient to his father (Genesis 37 v13 and 14). When askedto go to his brothers he went immediately, even though he knew thathe would not be welcomed.He was busy looking after the sheep (Genesis 37 v2). He did hiswork well.He was transparent, and rather naïve, as he innocently reported to hisfather concerning the evil acts of his brothers (Genesis 37 v2).

We learn from Joseph’s life how important it is for us as children’sworkers to WALK clearly and blamelessly AT HOME before our hus-band or wives, our parents or our children. This is where our walk begins,and it is most important that we build our ministry on a godly life at home.Away from home

Sometimes a Christian will “walk well” when he is at home andopen to family or parental eyes; but when he is away from home where noone knows him, it might be different.

But not with Joseph.


Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and he was taken toEgypt, where he became a slave in the household of Potiphar (Genesis 39v1).

There were two dangers or problems in this situation, and Josephovercame both of them:

He did not allow himself to become bitter because of what his broth-ers had done to him. Instead he seemed to settle down well to hisnew life (Genesis 39 v2).He did not allow himself to yield to the sexual temptations presentedby his master’s wife (Genesis 39 v7-13). Instead he resisted and fled.

In this new situation and, despite the dangers and problems he faced,Joseph displayed at least three sterling and godly qualities:

He worked hard and was faithful in his new position (Genesis 39 v2and 3) – even though he was a slave, who had lost his freedom.He resisted temptation and fled from Potiphar’s wife. He did this,firstly, because he realised that this would be a sin against God(Genesis 39 v9) and secondly, because he was loyal to his master(Genesis 39 v8 and 9). As a result Joseph kept himself morally purein a difficult situation, despite the knowledge that he would suffer fordoing so.He was faithful to his master (Genesis 39 v9) when he could havebeen bitter and felt “This is my chance to get my own back. He tookmy freedom; now I will take his wife.” But he didn’t.

There were three consequences for Joseph – two good and onebad:

The Lord was with him (Genesis 39 v2). What a testimony! There inthat heathen land, on his own, with no spiritual fellowship or help, herealised and experienced the special presence of God.The Lord blessed him when he started to work for Potiphar (Genesis39 v2). As a result he became “a prosperous man”; and Potiphar puthim in charge of all his household.

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However, he was put in prison (Genesis 39 v20). Potiphar believedhis wife, and, as a result of Joseph’s desire to stay pure and resisttemptation, he became a prisoner in the king’s prison.

How wonderful it was that Joseph continued to WALK with Godand to live for God, when he was AWAY FROM HOME, where no oneknew him. And what a challenge this is for our walk with God when weare not with those whom we know. Like Joseph we need to realise thatGod is watching, and that God knows where we are, and what we aredoing. In such circumstances we need to walk in a way that is pure, cleanand holy.In Prison

Ah! But what will happen now? Surely this is a death blow toJoseph’s walk and testimony. Surely he will become really discouragedand bitter – and fall back spiritually.

No! Actually the opposite happened. Joseph’s years in prison wereto be the final stage in his preparation for the work God had been prepar-ing for him all along.

The dangers he faced were obvious:He could easily have become discouraged and even bitter. He couldhave said to himself, “Why do all these things happen to me? Themore closely I follow the Lord and obey Him, the more problems anddifficulties I face; and now, of all things, I am in prison for somethingI never did.”But there were no recriminations, no blaming of others (or of God),and certainly no bitterness.Also, during the long months and years he spent there, and especiallyafter the chief butler’s broken promise to speak to Pharaoh abouthim, he could easily have become impatient and frustrated. But thereis no evidence at all of that.

But what happened instead?:Firstly, and most importantly, we read once again that the Lord waswith Joseph – even in the prison (Genesis 39 v21, 23). That certainlymade all the difference.


And we read again that the Lord blessed Joseph, and he found favourwith the keeper of the prison, and was put in charge of the prison(Genesis 39 v21-23).The keeper of the prison saw in Joseph genuine honesty, integrity anddependability, and he was even put in charge of Pharaoh’s chiefbutler and chief baker, when they were put in prison (Genesis 40v4a).God gave Joseph the ability and insight to interpret the butler’s dreamand the baker’s dream. It is obvious from this, and from the rest ofthe chapter, that Joseph was friendly with them (Genesis 40 v7) andwanted to serve them, help them (Genesis 40 v4) and witness to them(Genesis 40 v8).Joseph learned things in prison through his suffering which would helphim later, and which he could not have learned anywhere else. It hasbeen suggested that verse 18 of Psalm 105, which was writtenconcerning Joseph during his time in prison, could be translated “ironentered into his soul.” In other words his time in prison strengthenedand toughened him, and further prepared him for the work which layahead.

And so Joseph continued to WALK with God even though his cir-cumstances had brought him so far DOWN.

Are you “in prison” just now? Have things gone wrong, and are yousuffering in some way because of something of which you are not guilty?This is your opportunity to be a good witness and testimony.

This is your chance to demonstrate a Christian walk which shineseven in the most difficult of circumstances – and which brings glory toyour Lord and Saviour.In the Palace

Eventually the butler remembered Joseph and spoke to Pharaohabout him and, as a result, Joseph was at last released. Before long, andbecause of his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, and the obvious wis-dom he possessed, he was promoted to be Prime Minister of Egypt, andsecond only to Pharaoh himself. But now the question comes: What will

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happen to Joseph’s walk and godly life when he is rich and powerful? Itcould well be easier and less complicated to walk with God when poor,rather than rich. Money and power bring problems. How will they influ-ence Joseph and his walk?

Joseph faced two main dangers in the palace:He could easily have become self-satisfied and indulgent. He couldhave said, “My trials are over. Now I can really enjoy myself.” Hecould have relaxed, and enjoyed his riches and power.When his brothers came to Egypt for food, he could have got hisrevenge on them for all they had done. He now had the opportunity,and the power, to “get his own back”.

But instead we see that Joseph’s walk, and blameless life, contin-ued as before:

He cared for the people of Egypt, and made sure that, when thefamine came, they would all have enough to eat.He showed a spirit of love and kindness to his brothers, and heforgave them.He showed a sense of responsibility to his family by supplying themwith food – and then by eventually bringing them to live in Egypt withhim.

Joseph continued to WALK with God even when he had moved sofar UP in the world, and was now so rich and powerful. Is it any wonderthat Pharaoh said, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom isthe Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41 v38). What a testimony from a heathenmonarch!

You and I will never reach the heights of wealth and power whichJoseph achieved. But we need to learn the lesson he demonstrates to usand teaches us – that in the good times, and especially when in any posi-tion of leadership, we need to use the resources and power God has givenus to His glory; and these should be accompanied by a clear demonstrationof a godly character and walk.


Joseph maintained his testimony and demonstrated a godly walk inall four circumstances – at home, away from home, in periods of difficultyand hardship and in a position of power and wealth.

May you and I do the same.

The Problems He FacedLiving a life pleasing to God is no guarantee that there will never be anyproblems. Indeed the opposite is generally true. The closer we live to Him,and the cleaner and more holy our walk is, the problems, it seems, becomegreater. This was certainly true of Joseph.

We have already seen the problems he faced at different stages ofhis life:

The pit into which he was cast by his brothers (Genesis 37 v24) andthe life of slavery into which he was sold.This was despite all the evidences of his clean, godly and obedientwalk.The prison into which he was thrown by his master (Genesis 39v20).This was despite all the evidences of his faithful service and morallyclean life.The postponement of his release for two years after the butler hadpromised to intercede for him.This was despite the way he had helped and served the butler, andhad interpreted his dream.

Joseph had every right to ask himself the question, “Why should allthese things happen to me? I just don’t understand.”

But Joseph triumphed over all his problems, and his walk beforeGod and people remained blameless and pure. How was this possible?

The Principles He LearnedJoseph was able to maintain his godly walk, and overcome his problems,by coming to an understanding of two great truths:

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God is sovereignThe Bible does not tell us when Joseph first came to see, and under-stand, the great truth that God is on the throne, and that He is incontrol of every circumstance. But from his position as prime ministerin Egypt, he could look back over his life and testify to the sovereigntyof God in every situation. He had come to realise that he had experi-enced all these problems because God was using them to prepare himfor the work He had for him.Joseph expressed this great lesson which he had learned, and whichenabled him to continue with his unblemished walk and testimony,when he said to his brothers:

“God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45 v5).“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for youin the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance”(Genesis 45 v7).“So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and Hehas made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house,and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45v8).

“I am here”, he said in other words “for one reason and for onereason only. God sent me. God controlled all the circumstances. Iam here because God is sovereign.”The sovereignty of God means that everything that happens to youand me has one of two reasons:

God sent it orGod allowed it.

This was true in Joseph’s life. It is true also in yours and mine. Youand I can be sure that God is in control, and that He has either sent orallowed whatever circumstance we find so difficult.There is no third possibility. God is in complete control.


God is wiseNot only is God sovereign and in control of every circumstance, butHe is wise. He knows what He is doing. He has a plan for each ofour lives, and for our ministries, and is working to achieve that plan.Joseph also came to understand this truth. We have already seen it inthe verses quoted above. The reason why God had sent him to Egyptwas to preserve life, to preserve his family and the Jewish nation, andto supply food to the people of Egypt. This was God’s plan for Josephand everything led up to that plan.That is why Joseph can say to his brothers again:

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant itfor good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to savemany people alive” (Genesis 50 v20).

God knew what was best for Joseph, and for his family, and for theland of Egypt; and He worked in all these situations, and through allthose problems, to achieve and fulfil His plan. What God did was forJoseph’s good, for his family’s good, for Egypt’s good and for Hisown glory.Have you realised that God knows what He is doing in your life, andthat He is going to use all the circumstances and problems you havebeen facing to bring you to the place where He wants you to serveHim, and to make you more and more like Jesus Christ?I trust that you and I have also learned these two truths and that as aresult we can walk before God and men in peace and purity –nomatter what circumstances we find ourselves in. God will accomplishHis purposes, and He will use you and me to do so. Trust Him.As a result of these two great truths which Joseph had learned andunderstood, he was now able to perform the greatest and mostwonderful act of his life. He forgave his brothers fully and completelyfor all they had done, and he built up a new relationship and fellow-ship with them.

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Our attitude to others, and our forgiveness of those who have harmedus and wronged us, could also be that part of our walk, which willbring most glory to God.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving oneanother, just as God in Christ forgave you”(Ephesians 4v32).

The Picture He GivesBefore concluding our study on Joseph we need to see briefly that he wasalso a picture, or type, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can see six features of the life of Joseph which remind us of theLord Jesus:

Joseph was a beloved son of his father (Genesis 37 v3).The Lord Jesus was the beloved Son of God (Matthew 3 v17).Joseph was despised and rejected by his brethren (Genesis 37 v4).The Lord Jesus was despised and rejected by His own (John 1 v11).Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver (Genesis 37 v28).The Lord Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26v15).Joseph was exalted to the right hand of royalty (Genesis 41 v40).The Lord Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God the Father(Ephesians 1 v20).Joseph was ready and willing to forgive those who had wronged him(Genesis 50 v20, 21).The Lord Jesus is ready and willing to forgive us rebels and sinners(Acts 5 v31).Joseph was able to meet the needs of those starving people whocame to him (Genesis 41 v55).The Lord Jesus is able to meet all our needs as we come to Him(Hebrews 4 v16).


CHAPTER 3

To Be Like Jesus

God’s great plan and purpose for an innumerable multitude of men,women, boys and girls is to make every one of them like Jesus Christ.

That is, as we have seen, the goal of sanctification; and He wants us, inour walk, to become more and more like Him.

In this chapter I would like to outline a series of simple Bible mes-sages on this subject, which I have had the opportunity and privilege ofsharing with my co-workers in Child Evangelism Fellowship on a numberof occasions.

Four StagesGod accomplishes His great plan and purpose for our lives in four stages.He starts off with people like you and me, who are sinners by nature andpractice, and who have no relationship with Jesus Christ, and absolutely nosimilarity to Him. Then over a period of time He works until we becomelike Jesus Christ.

These four stages are:PredestinationThe goal of predestination is that we become like Jesus Christ:

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be con-formed to the image of His Son, that He might be thefirstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8 v29).

RegenerationThe goal of regeneration is that we become like Jesus Christ:

“And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowl-edge according to the image of Him who created him”(Colossians 3 v10).

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SanctificationThe goal of sanctification is that we become like Jesus Christ:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror theglory of the Lord, are being transformed into the sameimage from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”(2 Corinthians 3 v18).

GlorificationThe goal of glorification is that we become like Jesus Christ:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yetbeen revealed what we shall be, but we know that when Heis revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him asHe is” (1 John 3 v2).

Predestinated to Be Like Jesus ChristPredestination is a subject which has caused much confusion and contro-versy. And yet the Bible makes it absolutely clear that God does predesti-nate. The word means “to choose beforehand”; and the clear Bible teach-ing is that God chooses people for salvation, before they are saved – in-deed before they were born, and even before the creation of the world.

There are many verses which teach this truth:“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed youthat you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit shouldremain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He maygive you” (John 15 v16).“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wiseaccording to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, arecalled. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world toput to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things ofthe world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and thebase things of the world and the things which are despisedGod has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to


nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in Hispresence” (1 Corinthians 1 v26-29).“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of theworld, that we should be holy and without blame before Him inlove, having predestined us to adoption as sons by JesusChrist to Himself, according to the good pleasure of Hiswill”(Ephesians 1 v4 and 5).“Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God” (1Thessalonians 1 v4).“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you,brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginningchose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spiritand belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2 v13).“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, notaccording to our works, but according to His own purposeand grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before timebegan” (2 Timothy 1 v9).

The truth of predestination does not contradict the truth of man’sresponsibility – although it may seem to. The Bible teaches both truths:

God chooses those who will be saved, and everyone who goes toHeaven will be there only because God has brought them there.Man is responsible to trust Jesus Christ, and everyone who goes toHell is there only because they have brought themselves there.

Don’t try to reconcile these two truths. Our minds are too small andpuny to do so. Just believe them both – because the Bible teaches themboth. God is sovereign; and man is responsible!

The Bible teaches us at least four simple truths about predestinationor election:

There is such a thing as predestination (Ephesians 1 v4, 5 and 11).Predestination is something which God does (John 15 v16).

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Predestination is something which God decides, and which He doesbefore it happens (Ephesians 1 v4), and on the basis of His own will(Ephesians 1 v5).The purpose of predestination is that sinners be made like JesusChrist.“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformedto the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn amongmany brethren” (Romans 8 v29).

God has had a plan from all eternity, and that plan was to choose aninnumerable multitude of sinful men, women, boys and girls and to makethem like His Son Jesus Christ. And God will complete and fulfil that plan.

That is the great truth, and purpose, of predestination.

Regenerated to Be Like Jesus ChristPredestination took place away back in eternity. Now we move into time.

When God created the world He made man in His image:“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according toOur likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earthand over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ SoGod created man in His own image; in the image of God Hecreated him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1 v26,27).

But that image has been defaced by sin. And God’s plan is to re-store sinful man to His image; and even to restore him to a higher levelthan that of the first man – for He wants us to be like Jesus Christ.

Regeneration is the first step, in time, in the bringing back of theimage of God to sinful man. When a sinner believes, at the very momentwhen he trusts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour, God regenerates him.He gives him a new nature:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; oldthings have passed away; behold, all things have becomenew” (2 Corinthians 5 v17).


The old man has been put off (Colossians 3 v9) and the new manhas been put on (Colossians 3 v10). The new man, or new self, is righteousand holy (Ephesians 4 v24) and has been formed, or created in us. It isbeing renewed in us to enable us to become like Jesus Christ:

“And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledgeaccording to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3v10).

This new self, or new man, is the image of Jesus Christ, and it isformed in us, initially, at the moment of regeneration. At regeneration aclear, definite and supernatural change is made in the sinner by God. Anew creation, a new self, a new man is formed after the image of JesusChrist. If a person is not different, if there is no change, he is not saved.The date of that change or regeneration may not be known; the evidencemight be slight – but it must be there.

Regeneration is the commencement of a process whereby we be-come more and more like Jesus Christ. Hindrances and problems remain.The regenerated person is far from perfect. He is not what he should be;he is not what he would like to be; but he is not what he used to be. The oldnature is still there. A war has begun between our old nature and our newnature. But a start has been made in a life-long process!

Regeneration is the first of two major experiences in the life of aChristian and the Bible places much emphasis upon it. One of the changesin my theology down through the years has been to place a much greateremphasis on the experience, or crisis, of regeneration. We need to remem-ber that the Bible places special emphasis on the two great experiences ofa Christian – and regeneration is the first of them.

Sanctified to Be Like Jesus ChristThe crisis experience of regeneration – which takes place at one momentof time when we put our trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour – be-gins, and gives rise to, a process known as sanctification.

One key verse concerning sanctification is 2 Corinthians 3 v18:

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“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror theglory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same imagefrom glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

This verse answers a number of questions concerning sanctifica-tion:

What is sanctification?It is a process. It takes place “from glory to glory”. It is a step-by-step process which lasts right from regeneration to glorification.What does sanctification do?It makes us more and more like Jesus Christ. We “are changed intothe same image”.Who sanctifies?The Holy Spirit is the One Who sanctifies us, changes us and makesus, little by little, like Jesus Christ. We “are changed into the sameimage …. even as by the Spirit of the Lord”.What must we do?We do have our part to play in this process. This verse tells us one ofour responsibilities:

“With unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory ofthe Lord.” We are to behold Him and keep our eyes on Him –as He is revealed to us in the Word of God (which is the glassor mirror).And step by step the Holy Spirit makes us more and more like Jesus

Christ.

Glorified to Be Like Jesus ChristI stated earlier that regeneration was the first of the two greatest experi-ences of the Christian life. The second of these is glorification. Glorifica-tion is that moment when we die, and our souls and spirits are glorified andmade perfect (Hebrews 12 v23). It also includes the later moment whenour bodies are resurrected, glorified and made perfect (1 Corinthians 15v22, 23, 49). However, both these parts of our glorification – the glorifica-


tion of souls and the glorification of bodies – take place together for thoseChristians who are living on the earth, when Jesus Christ returns.

At the moment (or moments) of glorification God will make us –souls, spirits, and bodies – completely like Jesus Christ, and His plan willbe complete and fulfilled. This will be a great change and transformation –and the result will be “full salvation”.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet beenrevealed what we shall be, but we know that when He isrevealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”(1 John 3 v2).“Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformedto His glorious body, according to the working by which He isable even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3 v21).“And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shallalso bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15v49).

All these verses point forward to that moment when we will beperfectly LIKE HIM.

Sanctification is therefore a process between the two great experi-ences of regeneration and glorification – and the purpose of all three is tomake us like Jesus Christ. Our prayer and goal is that we will so progressin our sanctification that the final and complete change at glorification willnot need to be too drastic!

Our Goal – TodayWe used to sing a chorus at many of our Child Evangelism Fellowshipconferences in Ireland which summarized the goal we had in our lives andministries:

To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,All I ask, to be like Him.All through life’s journey, from earth to gloryAll I ask, to be like Him.

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To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,All I ask, to be like Him.So meek and lowly, so pure and holyAll I ask, to be like Him.

With this goal in view, as far as our day-to-day walk is concerned,we need to look at four biblical passages which show us clearly what itmeans to be like the Lord Jesus:

We need to be humble as the Lord Jesus was (Philippians 2 v1-11).We need to be thoughtful as the Lord Jesus was (John 13 v1-17).We need to be quiet as the Lord Jesus was (1 Peter 2 v19-25).We need to bring God’s message to others as the Lord Jesus did(John 17 v18, 20 v21).

In all of these passages the Lord Jesus is set before us as an exam-ple Whom we are to imitate, and Whom we are to be like – in our walk.

Be Humble – Like the Lord Jesus(Read Philippians 2 v1-11)

There was a bad situation in the church at Philippi and this bad situation isreferred to in all four chapters of this epistle – 1 v27, 2 v2, 3 v15, 4 v2-3.What was the bad situation?

The bad situation was one of division and disunity; and Paul, as hewrote his letter to the church, wanted to resolve this situation, and to bringall the members of the church together in unity.

“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love,being of one accord, of one mind”(Philippians 2 v2).

And he did so by setting before them the example of the Lord Jesusand by exhorting and commanding them to be like Him.

He wrote:“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (verse5) or as the NIV translates it: “Your attitude should be the sameas that of Christ Jesus.”


If it was, there would be no division, or disunity in the church atPhilippi, and the same is true today in our families, fellowships, churchesand missionary organizations. Our attitude needs to be like His! If it is, wewill always enjoy unity!

Paul went on in this passage to explain what it meant to have thesame attitude, or mind, as the Lord Jesus. He did so, firstly, by outlining theproblems which were causing the disunity and the bad situation, and then,secondly, by giving the answers to those problems as seen and evidencedin the life of the Lord Jesus:What were the three problems?

The first problem in the church was selfish AMBITION, and a desirefor preeminence.Paul says in chapter 2 verse 3 “Do nothing out of strife”. This lastword means, and is translated in the NIV, as “selfish ambition”.There were those in the church who wanted a higher position. Theywere like Diotrophes in 3 John verse 9 – “who loves to have thepre-eminence among the brethren.” Selfish ambition like this alwaysleads to division.The second problem in the church was PRIDE.Paul says again in verse 3, “Do nothing out of vain glory” (or vainconceit). There were those who had too high an opinion about them-selves, especially in comparison to others, who then became theobjects of their criticism.Their attitude was “I am the greatest, I am the most gifted”. Surelythe most unpleasant type of person is the one who is really gifted,who knows he or she is, and who looks down on others. This alwaysleads to division.The third problem was SELFISHNESS.Paul writes in chapter 2 verse 4, “Let each of you look out not onlyfor his own interests”. It is so easy to become completely involvedwith one’s own interests – “my work, my family, my health, my

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plans”. And this continual selfishness and self-centredness in thinking,speaking and acting, invariably leads to friction and division.All three of these problems (which focus primarily on the “ego” andare completely self-centred) can easily enter our fellowships andcause divisions. We may not see them ourselves – but others will.

What was Paul’s remedy to these three problems?This passage in Philippians 2 v1-11 which gives us such wonderful

teaching about the person and work of Jesus Christ was written primarilyto deal with the division and disunity at Philippi and the three problemswhich caused it – selfish ambition, pride and selfishness. He dealt withthese problems by setting forth Jesus Christ as an example to follow andimitate. If we are like Him there will never be division or disunity.

There are three truths about the Lord Jesus Christ which Paul em-phasizes. Each truth deals with one of the problems mentioned earlier:

Think about WHAT HE LEFTPaul writes in verse 6 that Jesus Christ was “in the form of God,and thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Or as the NIVtranslates it:

“Who, being in the very nature of God, did not considerequality with God something to be grasped”.

This is a clear statement of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Yet Paul goeson to say that:

“He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him theform of a servant” (verse 7).

Or as in the NIV “He made Himself nothing”.He was willing to forfeit His position in Heaven; He was not going tohold onto what was rightfully His.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, thatthough He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,that you through His poverty might become rich” (2Corinthians 8 v9).


He had NO SELFISH AMBITION. Instead of seeking a position ofpreeminence, He left it. He was willing to sacrifice that position so asto take a low place.He is our example. We should be like Him and not have any selfishambition.Think about WHAT HE BECAME

The Lord Jesus, “Took upon Himself, the form of abondservant, was made in the likeness of men” (verse 7).“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbledHimself and became obedient to the point of death, even thedeath of the cross” (verse 8).

And He went far beyond that point – for our sakes and our salvation.He had NO PRIDE.He humbled Himself and stooped from the very highest position inglory to the very lowest position on earth. Everything He did, andespecially the great steps He took in becoming flesh, and then dyingfor our sins, revealed a deep humility.He is our example. We should be like Him and not be proud.Think about WHAT HE DID

“And became obedient to the point of death, even the deathof the cross” (verse 8).

He had NO SELFISHNESS.He died for our sins. He did not think about Himself. He thought onlyof our needs and our interests. He is a true and perfect example ofunselfishness. He always considered others instead of Himself – nomatter what it cost.He is our example. We should be like Him and not be unselfish.

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If you and I have:- no selfish ambitions- no pride- no selfishnesswe will never cause division or friction in our family, our church or ourmission.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help meto be more and more like Your Son, the LordJesus. Help me not to push myself aboveothers; give me true humility of heart;and enable me to think of others ratherthan myself.”

Be Thoughtful – Like the Lord Jesus(Read John 13 v1-17)

The second example and illustration of what it means to be like the LordJesus is found in John chapter 13. In this chapter, as in Philippians chapter2, we are exhorted and commanded to be like Him, and we are againspecifically told what this means and what it involves.The thoughtlessness of the disciples

We notice, first of all, how thoughtless the disciples were. The LordJesus and His disciples had come from Bethany. Their feet, protected onlyby sandals, had become exposed to sand and dust. In such circumstancesthe washing of the feet was customary – and was usually carried out byservants. But there were no servants here, and one or more of the disci-ples should have performed the task. But none was willing:

Perhaps they did not see the need to wash the feet of the others.Perhaps they did see the need, but were not willing to meet it.

They certainly demonstrated a spirit of thoughtlessness – concern-ing both their fellow disciples and their Lord.


The thoughtfulness of the Lord JesusAnd then to their surprise, and even perhaps their horror, the Lord

Jesus got up, laid aside His outer garments, wrapped a towel around Him-self, washed the disciples’ feet and dried them with the towel. Can youimagine Deity with a towel in His Hand?

These were the actions of the Lord of Glory, the Son of God.In the first three verses of this chapter John had drawn attention to

WHAT HE KNEW.He knew His hour had come (verse 1).He knew that Judas would betray Him (verse 2).He knew that His Father had given Him all things (verse 3).

He was the all-knowing One, the omniscient Son of God, the Crea-tor of the universe.

And yet in the following verses “Divinity descends to dirty feet”,and these verses describe WHAT HE DID.

He now showed His disciples the full extent of His love, His careand His thoughtfulness in contrast to their lack of thought. Gently, kindlyand humbly He washed their feet.The teaching of the Lord Jesus

The Lord Jesus then proceeds to give teaching to the disciples, us-ing what He has done as an illustration:

WHAT HE SAID“Do you understand?” He asked them in verse 12, “Do you seewhat I have done?” They certainly did see and understand. Whata wonderful, effective and vivid teaching demonstration He hadgiven them – one which they would never forget.He then reminded then in verse 13 that He was their Master andLord.In verses 14 and 15 He gave a direct application and command.

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I havegiven you an example, that you should do as I have doneto you.”

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WHAT HE MEANTI do not believe that He meant we should literally wash eachother’s feet. If He had meant this, there would have been morereferences to it – especially in the epistles.

This should be understood, I believe, symbolically, and as anillustration of what the Lord Jesus wants us to do.We should be thoughtful of others and their needs. We should becontinually watching for the needs of our fellow believers andfellow workers, and finding how we can best meet their needs.We should serve others in a spirit of submission – because theLord Jesus served His disciples in this way:

“A servant is not greater than his master.” (verse 16).WHAT HE PROMISEDThe Lord Jesus promised a blessing to those who obeyed His com-mand to be thoughtful and to help others.

“If you know these things, blessed (or happy) are you if youdo them” (verse 17).The world thinks that happiness is the result of others serving us;

but real joy and happiness comes when we serve others in the Nameof Christ.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help meto be more and more like Your Son, the LordJesus. Help me to think of others and theirneeds, and then enable me to do what I canto meet those needs.”


Be Quiet – Like the Lord Jesus(Read 1 Peter chapter 2 v20-23)

The third passage in the New Testament which leads to a command to belike the Lord Jesus, in a certain area of life, can be found in 1 Peter 2verses 20-23.The Problem

The problem faced by the readers of Peter’s first epistle was one ofsuffering. This is the main theme of the letter. It seems that these peoplehad been suffering unjustly – especially because of their faith in the LordJesus. This comes out clearly in verses 19 and 20 of 1 Peter chapter 2:

“For this is commendable, if because of conscience towardGod one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what creditis it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take itpatiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take itpatiently, this is commendable before God.”

It was not just the problem of suffering. It was the problem of suf-fering unjustly. This was a much greater problem. They had “done well”;and yet the result was misunderstanding, criticism, persecution and physi-cal suffering.

The question faced by these believers was – “How should we reactto suffering when it is not deserved?”; and the answer is provided by theLord Jesus, and by His example, when He faced unjust suffering.The Example

Peter points out and emphasizes four facts about the Lord Jesusand His suffering – and underlined the fact that He left us “an examplethat we should follow in His steps” (verse 21):

His innocence“Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”(verse 22).

He had done nothing to deserve the suffering He was enduring.Consequently, those who suffer need to be sure that their suffering isunjustified, and that they have done nothing to deserve it.

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His suffering“Christ also suffered for us” (verse 21).“When He was reviled … when He suffered” (verse 23).

The believer who suffers is “in good company”. Don’t forget thewords of John 15 v20:

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is notgreater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they willalso persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keepyours also.”

His quietness“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; whenHe suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2 v23).

The natural tendency of the person who suffers unjustly is to justifyhimself, to defend himself and to retaliate.But the Lord Jesus did none of those. He was quiet – He said noth-ing; He did not justify or defend Himself; and He certainly did not tryto retaliate (although He had the power and ability to do so).We need to learn to react to suffering and criticism in the same way– by being quiet!His commitment to God

“But committed Himself to Him who judges righteously”(verse 23).

But the Lord Jesus did do something. He did react – by committingHimself and all that was involved to His Heavenly Father, and byleaving the whole matter in His hands.This is a difficult lesson for us to learn – but if we are going to followour Lord’s example we must learn it.


The ApplicationThe application to us is obvious. We are to “follow His steps”.

When we suffer unjustly we are not to justify ourselves, or fight back. Weare to be quiet and to commit the situation to God – and leave it with Him.

Down through the years I have been helped and blessed by Isaiah30 v15, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

We need to be QUIET before men – especially when we suffer.We need to be CONFIDENT in God – and leave the situation in Hishands.The result is STRENGTH. Then we will be strong and have peace.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help meto be more and more like Your Son the LordJesus Christ. Please help me to react to suffering, to persecution, to criticism and toridicule as He reacted. Help me to be quiet,and to leave the matter in Your hands.”

Be an Evangelist Like the Lord JesusThe three passages which we have looked at previously have dealt withthe life and character of the believer, who wants to be like the Lord Jesus.

But there are also a number of verses, here and there, in the NewTestament which show us that we should be like the Lord Jesus in ourservice, and in our outreach and ministry to those who are lost.

The ministry of a children’s evangelist should have four character-istics, all of which can be seen in the ministry of the Lord Jesus:

The compassion He feltThe call He obeyedThe crowds He reachedThe cost He experienced

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We are exhorted and expected to model ourselves and our ministryon Him and His ministry:

He saw the need of the lost. So should we.He was sent to meet the need of the lost. So are we.He sought the lost. So should we.He sacrificed and suffered to reach the lost. We should be willing todo the same.

An evangelist has compassion for the lostHe SEES the need of the lostAn evangelist needs to have something of the compassion which

the Lord Jesus had for the lost:His compassion was displayed as He came into contact with peoplein need:

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with com-passion for them, because they were weary and scattered,like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9 v36).

His compassion was illustrated and commanded in the parable Hetold about the Good Samaritan:

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where hewas. And when he saw him, he had compassion…….ThenJesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ ” (Luke 10 v33 and37b).

His compassion was described by the apostle Paul:“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples ofthe weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us pleasehis neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For evenChrist did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘Thereproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.’ ”(Romans 15 v1-3).


His compassion was reproduced in the heart and ministry of theapostle Paul:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel isthat they may be saved”(Romans 10 v1)“That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ formy brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (Ro-mans 9 v2 and 3).Mr J. Irwin Overholtzer was the founder of the Mission in which I

serve, Child Evangelism Fellowship. God laid a burden on his heart for thechildren and their spiritual needs. As a consequence, he had a Christ-givencompassion for boys and girls which caused him not only to weep for thechildren, but also to work for them – and God blessed him and used him tobuild a Mission which today is the largest Mission in the world with aministry to children.

May God enable us to be like the Lord Jesus and to have a compas-sion for the children which will show and demonstrate itself, especially bywhat we do to evangelize them.An evangelist has a commission to reach the lost

He is SENT to meet the need of the lostOne of the most amazing and most wonderful statements ever made

by the Lord Jesus to His disciples (and to us) is recorded in John 20 v21:“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father hassent Me, I also send you.’ ”

He had already made a similar statement when He spoke to HisHeavenly Father in John chapter 17:

“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into theworld”(John 17 v18).

This is an amazing comparison. We are sent in the same way as Hewas sent.

God the Father sent His Son to bring salvation to a lost world.

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God the Son sends us to bring the news of salvation to a lost world.What would have happened if Jesus Christ had said “No” to His

Father, or if He had quit or given up before He had completed the commis-sion He was given?

What would happen if you and I said “No” to the Lord Jesus, or ifwe quit or gave up before we completed the commission we were given?

May God enable us to be like the Lord Jesus and to obey His com-mand and commission to reach the lost children with the Gospel, and neverto quit or give up our ministry.An evangelist reaches the crowds (the children).

He SEEKS the lostOnce again the Lord Jesus sets us an example. His goal was to

reach and save those who were lost:He left Heaven to come to earth to die for the sin of the lost, and toseek them:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, thatthough He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,that you through His poverty might become rich”(2Corinthians 8 v9).“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost”(Matthew 18 v11).“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save thatwhich was lost.” (Luke 19 v10).

Here on earth He sought and reached individuals, groups and crowdswith His teaching and ministry:

Individuals like:• The Samaritan woman (John 4 v7).• Zacchaeus (Luke 19 v5).Groups like:• The publicans in Matthew’s house (Mark 2 v15).Crowds like:• The multitudes on the mountain (Matthew 5 v1).


The apostle Paul followed his Master’s example, and his main aim inlife was to seek the lost, and bring to them the message of salvation.Three times in his letters he exhorted other believers (including us) tobe followers or imitators of him as he was of Jesus Christ.In 1 Corinthians 11 v1 he wrote:

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”And in the previous verse he explained what he meant.

“Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking myown profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved”(1Corinthians 10 v33).

Paul’s goal, like that of his master, was – to seek the lost.May God enable us to seek the lost, as the Lord Jesus Christ did and

as Paul did, to reach the children, and to bring the Gospel to them.An evangelist experiences cost and hardship.

He SACRIFICES and SUFFERS to reach the lostThe Bible helps us to see the sacrifice and suffering of the Lord

Jesus – coming to this earth, living here and especially dying on the cross.Our finite minds could never understand all that this meant, but we dorealise there was an awful cost and price to pay:

The apostle John expresses it in these words:“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us”(1 John 3 v16a).

But he immediately gives us a personal application:“And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1John 3 v16b).

As He sacrificed – so must we:We think of those early missionaries who went to West Africa manyyears ago, knowing that the average life of a missionary in the“white’s man’s grave” was only six months – and still they went.

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We think of the early missionaries in North West China, when, afterthirty years of ministry, they had buried more of their children thanthey had seen conversions.

One Christian leader writes, “Where have all the evangelists gone? Where are the youngmen who are willing to pay the price of being an evangelist?Where are the men and women who are willing to endureseparation from friends and even, at times, family to reach thelost? Today such people would be accused of family neglect,and asked to visit a counsellor! Where are the men and womenwho are willing to follow in the steps of the Master, and paythe price and endure sacrifice and suffering to reach lostsouls for Jesus Christ?”

May God enable us to reach the children and to be willing like theLord Jesus to endure the suffering and sacrifice involved.

“Oh, God, give us something of that greatheart of the Lord Jesus, the greatest evangelist of all. Give us a new compassion forchildren, a new commission to evangelizethem, a new compulsion and commitmentto do all we can to reach them – and awillingness to pay whatever cost isinvolved.”

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help meto be like Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.Give me a burden for lost souls, and send meout to reach them with the Gospel of JesusChrist – no matter what it costs.”


SECTION IV

Question: How can I know whatGod wants me to do?

Subject: God’s will for achildren’s worker

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The Knowledge Of God’s Will

One of the greatest “problems” a children’s worker faces, from timeto time, is how to know the will of God.

What does God want me to do in this situation?In what kind of ministry does God want me to engage?Which church does God want me to join?What Mission does God want me to work with?Where is my place of service?Does God want me in full-time ministry?Should I accept this invitation or should I not?Should I marry or not?

And so on and so on. There are so many questions which needanswers which only God can, and should, give. Our God wants to guideus, and He knows, and has the answer to, every question. Our “prob-lem” is to find out what that answer is.

In this introduction we will try to answer the question “How can Iknow God’s will?” In the second chapter we will study how one man inthe Bible came to know God’s will; and then in the third chapter we willhave a detailed look at how God directs each of His servants. I havepreached these outlines many times and they have been a real help tomyself – and seemingly to others. I trust that you will also find themhelpful.

Two Aspects of God’s WillGod’s will for the believer can be looked at from two points of view:

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His General WillThe general will of God is for all believers and it is exactly the same

for every one of them. This will is clearly revealed to us in the Bible.God’s will for all of us, without exception, is, for example, contained

in the following verses.God’s will for all of us is that we will walk worthy of the Lord, thatwe are fruitful in every good work, and that we grow in our knowl-edge of God:

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do notcease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled withthe knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual under-standing; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleas-ing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing inthe knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, accordingto His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering withjoy” (Colossians 1 v9-11).

God’s will for all of us is that we be joyful, prayerful and thankful:“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything givethanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thessalonians 5 v16-18).

God’s will for all of us is that we present our bodies to Him, thatour minds are transformed, and that we come to know His will:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, thatyou present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable toGod, which is your reasonable service. And do not be con-formed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing ofyour mind, that you may prove what is that good and accept-able and perfect will of God” (Romans 12 v1,2).These expressions of God’s will are for all of us – and we do not

need to question them, or doubt them.God’s general will for every believer is, above all else, that we become

more and more like Jesus Christ, and we have already dealt with this subjectin our previous section.


His Specific WillGod’s special, or specific, will is His guidance to each of us, as

individuals, concerning what He wants each of us to do – especiallyconcerning the place and manner of our service, but also related to ahost of questions about many aspects of our lives.

We sometimes refer to God’s specific will for us as His call. Weoften say, “God has called me to do something” or “God has called meto go somewhere”. That is fine; but personally, I prefer to use the phrase“knowing God’s will” rather than “hearing God’s call” because somebelievers may have a wrong conception of what “a call” is – and arewaiting for something spectacular to happen!

God’s Specific WillThere are five facts about God’s specific will which we, first of all, needto understand:

The knowledge of God’s will is POSSIBLEPaul writes to the Colossians in chapter 1 v9:

“We also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray foryou, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge ofHis will …”

One of the major ministries of the Holy Spirit in, and for, thebeliever is to guide us.

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide youinto all truth” (John 16 v13).

There may be times when God, for some reason, withholds thisguidance from us, and we are not exactly clear about what to do.But His desire is for us to know His will and He will show it to usin His time (if we fulfil the necessary conditions and take thenecessary steps).The knowledge of God’s will is PROVISIONAL (or conditional)The main condition, and requirement, for the knowledge of God’s willis that we must really want to know it. This was what the Lord Jesustaught in John 7 v17.

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“If any man will (or wants to) do His will … he shall know…”

The NIV translation says:“If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he shall find outwhether My teaching comes from God or whether I speakon My own.”

The Lord Jesus is here establishing the principle that the person whowill know God’s will, with regard to any matter, is the person whoreally wants to know it, or who genuinely chooses to know it.Some people come to God and ask Him to show them what to do; butin their minds they have consciously, or unconsciously, already de-cided what they want to do, or are going to do, and they are onlyasking God for confirmation of their decision. God does not revealHis will to such people. We need to come to God in completeopenness and transparency – open to whatever He wants us to do,and willing and ready to do it whenever He shows it to us.

The knowledge of God’s will is PROGRESSIVEWe would like to know everything right now! We would like to seeour whole future life and plans laid out before us. But that is nothow God guides us. He usually only shows us one step at a time;and when we take that step He shows us the next step.We read in Psalm 119 verse 105:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”God’s Word is like a flashlight in the darkness. It shows us the nextplace to put our feet. It does not necessarily show us the whole wayahead – just the part we need to know.The knowledge of God’s will is PERSONALWe are often tempted to tell other Christians what they should do.But, while our advice might be helpful, the knowledge of God’swill is a personal matter between each believer and God.


“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on yourown understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, andHe shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3 v5 and 6).

This is God’s personal promise to each of us as individuals.The knowledge of God’s will is PLAIN and SIMPLE.God does not usually reveal His will in a spectacular or dramaticway and it is important for us to realise this (as we will see later).Some believers are looking for a vision, or listening for a voice, orasking for a sign, not realising that while God did guide in theseways in Bible times, He does not usually do so today. Instead Hegenerally leads and guides today in very simple and undramaticways.

God’s Guidance in Bible TimesAs you read through the Bible you will discover, both in the Old andNew Testaments, how God guided His people. The principles underly-ing that guidance are still the same today. We need to study these princi-ples and learn from them. There is so much we can learn concerningGod’s guidance from, for example, God speaking to Moses in the burn-ing bush, or the vision which He used to guide Paul to Macedonia andEurope. But the methods of guidance God used in Bible times were,for the most part, different from today, primarily because we, unlike themen and women of the Bible, now have in our possession the completewritten Word of God.

God guided His people during Bible times in two main ways:He guided them visuallyFrom time to time God guided individuals, groups or nationsthrough something they could see:

Through objects such as a star (Matthew 2 v2), a pillar of cloud ora pillar of fire (Exodus 13 v21).Through dreams such as those experienced or interpreted byJoseph (Genesis 37 v5), or visions such as those experienced byPaul (Acts 16 v9).

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Through signs like that given to Gideon (Judges 6 v17).Through angels as experienced by Mary (Luke 1 v26) andJoseph (Matthew 1 v20).

There are many more such examples.He guided them audibly

By speaking directly - as to Noah (Genesis 7 v1) and Jonah(Jonah 1 v1).By speaking through prophets like Nathan (2 Samuel 12 v1) orAgabus (Acts 21 v10).By speaking through animals (Numbers 22 v28).God does not usually guide in any of these rather “spectacular”

ways today – and you should not be looking for, or expecting, any suchexperiences. I use the word “usually”. I am not saying that God cannot,or does not, guide in any of these “spectacular” ways today. He is sover-eign and can do what He wants. But He does not usually guide in theseways.

God’s Guidance TodayGod guides His children today in six ways – and these ways can beexpressed by six simple rules which we need to follow if we want toknow God’s will in any situation:

God guides through prayer – use your tongue.God guides through clear thinking – use your mind.God guides through His Word, the Bible – use your eyes.God guides through other people – use your ears.God guides directly through His peace – use your heart.God guides as you move forward – use everything to launch out.GOD GUIDES THROUGH PRAYERUse your tongue to LET God know your need for guidance.God, the Holy Spirit, is ready, willing and able to guide you:


“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He willguide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His ownauthority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He willtell you things to come” (John 16 v13).“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on yourown understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, andHe shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3 v5, 6).

In the pages which follow you will see how He does lead andguide. But you need to be sure from the beginning that it is He Whoguides and directs:

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is theway, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand orwhenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30 v21).Consequently, the very first step in coming to know God’s will

in any situation is to pray to God, to speak to Him, and to ask thatthe Holy Spirit will give guidance and understanding.GOD GUIDES THROUGH CLEAR, LOGICAL AND CONSE-CRATED THINKING.Use your head to LEARN

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformedby the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what isthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans12 v2).

You can see, in this verse, that God expects you to use your re-newed mind in the determination of His will. God does not guideyou in a vacuum. God has not only given you a mind, but Herenewed that mind when you were regenerated, and you are nowable to think spiritually.Consequently, when considering a decision which you need to make,you need to ask yourself a number of questions and, using your mind,

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answer them logically. Your answers will then help you to know God’swill:

If, for example, you are considering a possible ministry, or type ofservice, you should ask yourself:•Am I needed? Look at, and learn, the needs.•Is the door open? Look at, and learn, the opportunities available.•Can I do this? Look at, and learn, the abilities you possess. Do

they fit in with this type of service/ministry?•Do I like to do this? Look at, and learn, the type of ministry

which you feel comfortable with. God does not always guideus into a ministry we like, and feel at home with – but Heoften does.

It can even be a help for you to make two columns on a sheetof paper with ‘Yes’ at the top of one column and ‘No’ at the topof the other. Then answer these questions (and any other relevantquestions) in the respective columns. It could well be that apattern will emerge from what you have written.If, for example, you have a decision to make concerning thepossibility of marriage, you could ask yourself:•Do I love him?•Is he walking with the Lord and serving Him?•Does he share my vision of ministry and service?•Will he help or hinder what God has called me to do?

And you can use the column method again.You will notice that I have not included the question, “Is he

saved?” Why? Because there should be no need to ask thisquestion. The Bible makes it completely clear that a Christianshould not marry a non-believer (2 Corinthians 6 v14).If, for example, you need to make a decision concerning theBible school you should go to, you could ask yourself:•Is this school biblical and fundamental in its beliefs and

teaching?•Does it have the courses and subjects I need to help me in my

future ministry?


•Would my graduation from this school qualify me for my futurework?

•Are the fees within my budget?

The next step therefore in knowing God’s will is to use your head,to think and to learn.

GOD GUIDES THROUGH HIS WORD, THE BIBLE.Use your eyes to LOOK

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”(Psalm 119 v105).

God speaks to us through His Word. So you need to use your eyesto read His Word, and to ask Him to speak to you, and guide you,through His Word.

What should you do?•This does not mean opening your Bible at random, and looking

for “spot verses”, to find guidance and the answers to yourquestions.

•It does mean that you should ask God to guide you through yourregular daily study of His Word in your Quiet Time - as youread it prayerfully, sincerely and systematically.

What should you look for?As you read God’s Word He will guide you in several ways:•You will see and learn general principles, which will help you

to know His will.-These principles never change and are the same for everyone:-You will see that it is never right to lie or deceive (Ephesians 4

v25). Therefore, if what you are praying about involves anykind of deceit or dishonesty, it is not God’s will.

-You will see that it is never right to marry an unsaved person (2Corinthians 6 v14). Therefore, if you are even consideringdoing such a thing, you will now realise it is wrong.

Paul writes, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”(Colossians 3 v16), and a mind which is soaked with the

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Scriptures, and the principles found there, will find it easier tomake the right decisions.

•You will see Bible verses and passages which will give specificpointers – and which will “come alive” for you in a specialway – as you read them.

These verses may encourage and confirm a move, or away of action, which you have already been considering(especially after using your mind to think), or they may closethe door to that way of action.-For example you may have been considering, and praying about,

an invitation to work with children, and in your Quiet Timeyou read Matthew 18 v14:“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is inheaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

And God may speak to you through that verse and confirmthat He wants you to work with children.

-Or you may have been hesitating about a step which you feel isGod’s will for you, and God speaks to you through 1Thessalonians 5 v24:“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

And you are encouraged to go ahead.What dangers should you avoid?There are several warnings I want to share with you:•Don’t keep looking for verses to confirm a decision you have

already made. Come to God’s Word with your mind open,looking for His guidance.

•Don’t ask for signs! Don’t say to God, for example, “Lord, Iwill go to India as a missionary if I receive a letter from Indiaduring this week.” This can be very dangerous and can lead tomany problems.

•Don’t take verses out of their context and interpret them tomean something they were never intended to mean.

But do remember that God guides mainly through His Word,the Bible.


GOD GUIDES THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE.Use your ears to LISTENWe have already seen that we should listen to God as He speaks tous through His Word. But the Bible also makes it clear that inseeking God’s will you should speak to those who can help you,and listen to their advice concerning what you should do:

Paul was guided into his ministry at Antioch through theinvitation of Barnabas (Acts 11 v25).Timothy became part of Paul’s missionary team through thepersonal invitation of Paul (Acts 16 v1-3).Barnabas and Saul became “foreign missionaries” because theleaders of the church in Antioch sent them out into this ministry(Acts 13 v1-3).Others can play a vital role in your guidance provided that they

themselves are filled by the Spirit and are guided by Him, as isapparent in the above three references.Therefore, when you are faced with a decision, you should feel freeto speak with someone you can depend on, someone who is filledwith the Spirit – and especially with the leaders of your church. Theadvice of such people can be a real help to you. They may see giftsand abilities in you which you cannot see, or problems and hin-drances of which you are not aware.You could ask them questions like these:

What do you think I should do?Do you feel that this is the work for me?What gifts and abilities do you feel I have which would be a helpin this ministry?Do you feel I should marry him?What Bible school do you feel I should attend?

And listen carefully to the answers.However, three warnings need to be remembered:

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You need to be sure that you ask the right people.You are responsible before God to make your own decisions.Others cannot make the decision for you.You should not ask for advice after you have made up yourmind. Unfortunately, some Christians make up their mind first,and then ask others for advice which they hope will confirm thedecision they have made!

But while you keep these warnings in mind do not forget that Godcan, and does, use other people to help show you what He wantsyou to do.GOD GUIDES DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PEACE HEGIVES (OR WITHHOLDS)Use your heart to finally LEAD youWhen God wants you to do something He will give you peaceabout it. Paul writes in Colossians 3 v15:

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”The world “rule” could be translated as an “umpire” or “referee”.Let the peace of God decide, or arbitrate, if this is the right thing todo or not. If you don’t have peace about it – don’t do it. If you havepeace about it, this could be an indication that this is the way to go.This is how the Holy Spirit ministers directly to your heart, givingyou the assurance of His will, or helping you to see if it is not Hiswill.This direct ministry of the Holy Spirit plays a major part in theprocess by which God shows you what He wants you to do.GOD GUIDES AS YOU MOVE FORWARDUse everything to LAUNCH outWhen all of these five factors point in the same direction, you canbe sure that this is what God wants you to do:


Have you asked God to guide you? YesDoes it seem logical and reasonable? YesHas God guided and confirmed through His Word? Yes.Have others advised you to do this? YesDo you have peace about it? Yes

Then – go ahead! Do it! Launch out into the deep.However, it is necessary at the same time to be realistic. Some

people have a hard time being absolutely one hundred per cent sureabout a decision. I would suggest that if you are reasonably sure orninety-five per cent sure, then go ahead. LAUNCH OUT! MOVE! Atthe same time, ask God to close the door if, by any chance, you havemade a mistake. You can then (if you have conscientiously adhered toall these principles) trust God to confirm your direction, or change it. Itis easier to steer a moving object, or vehicle, than one which is station-ary!

A Personal ExampleI have worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship for over 50 years andthere have been many times when I have sought, and obtained, God’sguidance.

For example, I felt a special need for this guidance in 1993 when,at the age of 66, I handed over the leadership of European Child Evan-gelism Fellowship to my successor, after 29 years in that position. Iknew that God wanted me to stay in full-time work with CEF, and con-tinue the ministry He had given me many years previously, to HELPothers in their ministry to children. But how could I now do this? Whatdid God want me to do? There were many possibilities and invitations toteach, preach and take on other responsibilities in the Mission. But Iwanted to know, and be sure of, God’s will and guidance.

As I look back upon the months which followed, and as I soughtGod’s will, I can see now that, consciously or unconsciously, I did fol-low the six steps I have just outlined.

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I certainly prayed and asked God to show me what He wanted me todo.I considered carefully and logically a number of different possibilitiesand asked myself questions such as:

Is there some way I could really help children’s workers all overthe world?Is there some way I could put to use the lessons I have tried tolearn over the previous fifty years?Is there a need I can meet?Is there a door which is open?Is there something I can do?Is there something I would like to do?

The answers to these questions did seem to point in one direction –the writing of books to HELP children’s workers in their ministry. Ifelt that I could share the lessons I had learned throughout my yearsin CEF – especially to HELP the younger, and less experienced,workers; and to enable them to avoid the mistakes I had made. Butthose answers, and the logical consideration of the situation, werenot enough. I needed more guidance.As I was reading God’s Word I read two verses in 2 Peter chapter1:

In verse 13 Peter tells his readers that, so long as he is alive, hewill remind them of the great truths which he has been teachingthem.In verse 15 he tells them he will keep reminding them of thesetruths after his death.

I read this again and again – and asked myself the question – howcould Peter remind them of, or teach, these truths after he died?And then I saw it! He would do so through the two letters or epis-tles which he would write. He would help them through his writingministry which would continue after he had gone to be with theLord. Indeed I would suggest that Peter’s writing ministry was toprove his greatest and most fruitful ministry, which has helped and


blessed millions of people during the last 2000 years, and will continueto do so.Through these verses I felt that God was confirming that I should getinvolved in a writing ministry to HELP children’s workers, both nowand for years to come. I don’t want in any way to compare myselfwith Peter, nor to compare my feeble and fallible writings with hisinspired writings. But the principle is the same.I then asked several Christian friends for their advice on this matter,and outlined what I felt God was leading me to do. Their advicewas to go ahead and they felt that this was the right way to go.I had complete peace about this matter and was now sure that thiswas what God wanted me to do.Consequently, I launched out in 1995 and began this new ministry.It was a big step of faith and we needed to trust God for the fi-nances, workers and accommodation needed. But we knew it wasHis will, and that was all that mattered. And God has blessed it in awonderful way. Why? Because it is what He wants me to do andHe has, I believe, committed Himself to supplying everythingwhich is needed for this ministry.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGIN LIFE IS TO KNOW WHAT GODWANTS YOU TO DO – AND THEN

TO DO IT.

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CHAPTER 2

NEHEMIAH: A Man Guided By God

We have already seen that God is ready, willing and able to guide Hisservants, both in their lives and in their ministries.There are many records of God’s guidance of individuals, and of

His call to them, in the Word of God. Many of these calls were quitespectacular:

Noah heard a voice commanding him to build the ark (Genesis 6v14).Abraham heard a voice commanding him to go to the PromisedLand (Genesis 12 v1).Moses saw a burning bush, and heard God’s voice telling him to goto Egypt (Exodus 3 v4).Isaiah saw, and heard, the Lord Jesus telling him to work with hisown people (Isaiah 6 v8-10).Jonah was told by God to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1 v1-2).Philip heard an angel’s voice telling him to go to the Ethiopian(Acts 8 v26).Peter saw a vision directing him to go to the house of Cornelius(Acts 10 v1-17).Paul saw the Lord Jesus and heard His command to go to theGentiles (Acts 26 v14-18).

You and I will, almost certainly, not experience spectacular callsand guidance like any of these, and we should not be waiting for a voiceto hear, or a vision to see. However, the principles involved in theirguidance are the same as for our guidance.


These principles include the following:God wanted to use each of them to meet a need – and He wants touse each of us to meet a need.God knew what each one should do to meet that need – and Heknows what each of us should do to meet that need.God showed each of them what they should do - and He is willingand ready to show us what we should do.Each one knew, and saw clearly, what they should do – and it ispossible for each of us to know clearly what we should do.

We can therefore learn very much from their “calls”. I must con-fess that I have never had a call exactly like any of these. But I amconvinced that these four principles governing God’s call and guidanceare still the same, and are still as valid for us as they were for them.

God’s call to us, or His guidance, is simply God the Holy Spiritshowing us in our hearts primarily through His Word, what He, the Lordof the Harvest, wants us to do. God still calls and guides His childrenaccording to these principles, but, as we saw in the previous chapter, Heoften does so in a different way from what He did in Bible days.

There are, however, several people in the Old Testament whomGod guided and called to His service in a similar way to that by whichHe usually guides you and me. One of these is the subject of this chapterand this study. There are of course others, but we will confine ourselvesto this one.

I find that I can really identify with someone like Nehemiah be-cause, when God called and guided him into His service, he heard novoices and saw no visions, and this is the way God has always guidedme. I have preached on Nehemiah and his call many times and on everyoccasion God has been pleased to bless me personally.

Nehemiah – God’s ServantSomeone has said that the book and story of Nehemiah is “the classic ofthe whole Bible on the subject of personal service for God”. It certainlyis a classic example of God’s guidance.

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Nehemiah was a Jew, but his forefathers had been taken into cap-tivity; and so he was born and grew up in Persia or Iran, many milesfrom Jerusalem and the homeland of his fathers. He worked in the royalpalace there as cup-bearer to the king. He had a good job, with manyprivileges, and was probably in a position of some importance and au-thority. And it was there, while he was serving the king of Persia, thatGod guided him (or, if you like, called him) to leave Persia, and go toJerusalem to rebuild the walls of that city.

As we turn to Nehemiah chapter 1 we see that there were sixsteps in the path along which God guided him to his task of going toJerusalem to rebuild the city walls. We will look at each step, in detail.

There was the first step:His consecration

There was a second step:His curiosity

There were then four main steps:His comprehensionHis compassionHis cryHis conviction

Nehemiah’s ConsecrationWe can see throughout the book of Nehemiah that he was a man whowas close to God. He was not perfect; and we can see some of hisweaknesses here and there in the book. But he was a man who reallywanted to walk with God and serve Him. In other words, he was “withincalling distance”; and this was the first step in his knowledge of God’swill for himself and his service. It would have been difficult for him tohave heard God’s voice, if he had not been reasonably close to Him.

The first and basic step for us in the knowledge of God’s will isalso to be sure that we are in a position where we can hear God’s voicein our hearts. We need to be close to Him and “within calling distance”.This does not mean that we need to be perfect. The closer we are toGod, the more imperfect we see ourselves to be. But there does need to


be a desire to walk with God and be in a right relationship with Him; andthere also needs to be a conscious effort, in the power of the Holy Spirit,to make that desire a reality.

One writer says, “Unless a person’s relationship to God is righthe will never be God’s choice for any situation – nor will he be effec-tive.”

This is a truth which Paul explains in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.At the end of verse 2 he writes, “That you may prove what is that goodand acceptable and perfect will of God”. We all want to have this expe-rience of proving, or knowing, God’s will. But there are conditions! Paulprecedes this possibility of knowing God’s will by outlining three condi-tions:

“present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God”(verse 1).

“be not conformed to this world” (verse 2a).

“be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (verse 2b).The believer who fulfils, or makes it his goal to fulfil these condi-

tions, is certainly consecrated to God and in a position to know whatGod wants him to do.

The first and basic step, then, in knowing God’s will is to be likeNehemiah and to be CONSECRATED to God.

Nehemiah’s CuriositySome men had recently arrived in Persia from Jerusalem, including abrother of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was curious about the situation in Jeru-salem and he asked them two questions:

How are the Jews, my fellow countrymen, who still live there?What is the city of Jerusalem, my city, like?

It is not clear if these were casual and polite questions which some-one might ask out of curiosity, or if they were deliberate, searching ques-tions really looking for, and attempting to get, information.

But whatever the motive was, the answers to these two questionswere to have a far-reaching effect on Nehemiah’s life; and we could

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well conclude that it was God Who laid these questions on Nehemiah’sheart and lips. It is clear that He wanted to use the answers to thesequestions to be the second step in the guidance of Nehemiah to the placewhere He wanted him to be.

It is good for us also to be curious and ask questions. This is oneof the best ways to receive the information which God will use to showus His will. It is necessary to use our minds to think, our eyes to look,and our ears to listen. Consequently, we should ask missionaries andother Christian workers questions such as “What is happening?” “Whatare you doing?” “Is the work going well?” “What needs do you have?”“Could I help?” – and so on. The answer to questions such as thesecould really help and challenge us, and they could be a second and im-portant step in coming to know God’s will concerning our future minis-try and how He is going to guide us.

Nehemiah’s ComprehensionFollowing on, and resulting, from his consecration and curiosity,Nehemiah was now ready for the next step, and the first main step to-wards his awareness and knowledge of God’s will for his future serviceand ministry. This third step was to be based upon the two previoussteps.

Now he was to receive the answers to his questions, and the infor-mation he was looking for. This information really moved him forwardin his knowledge of God’s will:

He was told, firstly, that his people were in great affliction and greattrouble. They were a continual reproach and an object of scorn totheir enemies.He was told, secondly, that the walls of the city had been brokendown and the gates had been burned. He now knew that these wallswhich stood for salvation, security and stability – were gone.Above all, he was told that the people were not only afflicted butthey were being reproached. This meant that the surroundingpeople were ridiculing his people and mocking them. And because


they were recognized as the people of God, the result was that GodHimself (and His name) was being reproached, reviled and scorned.

So now Nehemiah understood and comprehended the need. Andthat is often the next step in knowing God’s will for our lives. “Theneed” we are told “does not constitute the call.” And that is correct. Butit can certainly play a major part in God’s guidance.

You and I must ask ourselves the question – do we really under-stand the spiritual need of the world, or of whatever part of the worldGod has placed upon our heart? There are so many parts of the worldwhere the walls of salvation, security and stability have been brokendown – or, more often, have never existed – and builders are needed.

Nehemiah’s CompassionThe fourth step in Nehemiah’s guidance, and His call from God, was hiscompassion. God touched his heart as he thought about the needs inJerusalem. We read he “sat down and wept and mourned certain daysand fasted” (verse 4). He was so concerned that he stopped what he wasdoing, he wept and he even stopped eating. A compassion like this comesonly from the Lord, and it can be greatly used by God to show us whatHe wants us to do.

In the same way God touches our hearts when we hear about aneed which He wants us to help meet. It is often the case that we don’tneed any more information and comprehension. We have lots of those.But we do need our hearts to be touched and to have compassion onthose whom God wants us to reach. And when we have that compassionwe are ready for the next step.

Nehemiah’s CryWhat did Nehemiah do when God touched his heart about the needs inJerusalem? Did he go to Jerusalem? No! At least not yet.

Did he know that he should go? No, not yet! His next step was topray, and to cry onto God concerning the needs of his people – the needswhich God had placed on his heart. Verse 4 tells us that he “mournedcertain days and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven”; and inthe following verses his prayer is recorded.

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“And I said: ‘I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great andawesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy withthose who love You and observe Your commandments, pleaselet Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You mayhear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now,day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, andconfess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinnedagainst You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. Wehave acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept thecommandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which Youcommanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the wordthat You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you areunfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if youreturn to Me, and keep My commandments and do them,though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of theheavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them tothe place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You haveredeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. OLord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer ofYour servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire tofear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray,and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was theking’s cupbearer’ “ (Nehemiah 1 v5-11).

Matthew Henry, the well known Bible commentator, writes thatNehemiah’s prayer was “the model prayer”.

In this prayer you find the four essential elements of prayer toGod:

Adoration.Nehemiah in verse 5 worshipped God on the basis of His sover-eignty, His love and His faithfulness.

“And I said: ‘I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great andawesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy withthose who love You and observe Your commandments.’”


Confession.In verses 6 and 7 Nehemiah confesses the sin of his people, and, atthe same time, identified himself with them and their sin:

“Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that Youmay hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before Younow, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants,and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we havesinned against You. Both my father’s house and I havesinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and havenot kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinanceswhich You commanded Your servant Moses.”

ThanksgivingWhile he does not specifically use the words “Thank you” it is clearthat he appreciates what God has done for His people by redeemingthem.

“Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom Youhave redeemed by Your great power, and by Your stronghand” (verse 10).

Supplication.In verses 8 to 11 he prays and beseeches God to remember Hispromises to gather His people back to Jerusalem and to bless themthere.

“Remember the word you commanded ….”“I will gather them from there ….”

“I will bring them to the place which I have chosen.”“Please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of yourservant….”“Let your servant prosper this day …..”

“Grant him mercy …..”

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We should notice especially in this prayer his reverent approach toGod (verse 5a), his holy confidence in God (verse 5b), his penitential con-fession before God (verses 6 and 7) and his earnest intercession to God(verses 8-11).

Nehemiah prayed for his people and for their great needs. Hisheart was burdened and he prayed.

And so should we. As God burdens our hearts for those in need,we should see our responsibility, like Nehemiah, to pray for them.

Nehemiah’s ConvictionAt some time during Nehemiah’s prayer something happened in his heart.While he was praying there came into his heart a conviction that Godwanted him to go to Jerusalem, and he now knew that he was to be theanswer to his own prayer. This was a quiet conviction from God. He didnot hear God’s voice, nor did he actually see anything. As he looks backlater in the book upon what happened at that moment he said, “What myGod put in my heart to do at Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2 v12). God hadput this conviction in his heart while he was praying, and had showedhim what he should do.

There was nothing dramatic about his call or guidance, but wecan see in the closing words of his prayer that God had given him theconviction to go to Jerusalem – even while he was praying:

“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer ofYour servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire tofear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray,and grant him mercy in the sight of this man! For I was theking’s cup-bearer”(Nehemiah 1 v11).

In other words, he was saying as he came to the end of his prayer:“Enable me, Oh God, to go and build up the walls.”

And he was saying what you and I often say at a time like this:“Please help me; I know what I should do; but I am sounworthy, and so incapable and I am afraid because of theresponsible position I occupy.”


He didn’t know how he was going to get permission from the kingto go. But he asked God to make this possible. When God wants to takeup a man and use him in His service, the first thing He does is to showhim how inadequate, and unworthy, he is for the task.

Now Nehemiah knew in his heart what he should do and whereGod wanted him to go. Comprehension had become compassion; com-passion had led to a cry to God; and as he cried to God there came thisclear conviction as to what he should do.

That was how God guided and called Nehemiah.Comprehension Compassion Cry Conviction

He understood, first of all, in his head what needed to be done.His heart was then touched with the need of his people.He then cried out to God on his knees in prayer.He finally used his feet to go and do what God had told him to.

Head Heart Knees FeetGod starts at the top and works downwards. Information leads to

inner sorrow. Inner sorrow leads to intercession. Intercession leads toinvolvement.

That is also the way God works with us, as He guides us to theplace where He wants us to be.

Many problems lay ahead of Nehemiah, and we will see theseproblems later in another book which I plan to write; but one problemhad been solved. He now knew what God wanted him to do – and hewas ready to do it.

May you and I pray and ask God to show us His will as Hedid for Nehemiah.

“Oh God, speak to my heart and show meclearly what You want me to do andthen, dear God, I pray that You will helpme to DO IT.” Amen

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CHAPTER 3

God’s Triangle

I n this chapter, as a follow-on from our study of Nehemiah, I would liketo study and outline in more detail the way God calls, or guides – and

the way He sends forth labourers into service in His harvest field.God’s call to service, throughout Scripture, is based upon a triangle!Nehemiah had a triangle; Jonah had a triangle; Moses had a triangle;Philip had a triangle; you have a triangle; I have a triangle!This subject, God’s triangle, is perhaps one on which I have spokenmore than any other, and I have found that it has helped many youngChristians to understand the way God wants to lead them.

Some Basic PrinciplesHowever, before examining this biblical concept of a triangle, I wouldlike to remind you of several basic principles involved in God’s call andguidance:

Our first responsibility in determining and knowing God’s call is toget close to Him, to see Him and to worship Him. Our knowledgeof God’s call, and our obedience to that call, depend upon ourconsecration to Him and the closeness of our walk with Him. Aswe have seen before, we need to be “within calling distance”.God is sovereign. He is the Master Strategist, the One Who knowsand controls all. It is He Himself (and not us) Who determines theplace and the people we should serve, and Who fits us and equipsus for that work.God has a work for every Christian to do. We are not saved just toattend church or to go to Heaven. We are saved to serve Him.One of the first prayers for every Christian to pray should be:“Dear God, please show me what You want me to do, and how andwhere You want me to serve You.”


God then demands and expects us to obey His call – immediately,continually and completely. Nothing should hinder that obedience.We should not be like those who have been kept from obedience toGod’s guidance.

Some have been hindered by other people. A marriage, forexample, to a partner who does not share the call and vision Godhas given will always be a hindrance.Some have been hindered by their own desires and plans to dosomething they want to do.Some have been hindered by the love of comfort.Some have been hindered by the fear of the consequences ofobedience.

God Sees the NeedAnd now we are ready for our study in biblical mathematics, or geom-etry. Geometry is the study of figures and shapes. As we read throughthe Bible we can see how God, over and over again, met the needs ofpeople, and called men and women into His service, on the basis of atriangle.

A triangle has three sides and three corners. Each biblical trianglehas God at its apex or top, and then at the other two corners are, firstly,the need, and, secondly, the one who will meet that need.

We always need to remember that God is at the apexof every triangle. He is the sovereign God Who is in control of everysituation. He is the One Who knows exactly what He wants us to do – aspart of His great overall plan.

First of all, God SEES a need which Hewants to meet and decides to meet. We haveseen this in the previous chapter concerningNehemiah and His call. We can see that thebasis of that call was that God Himself sawthe need of the people in Jerusalem, and theneed for the walls of that city to be rebuilt.

God sees a need – that is the first sideof the triangle.

GOD

SEES

A NEED

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God Speaks to His ServantGod could Himself meet the need which He sees - and He could do sodirectly, and without anyone being involved if He chose to do so. Butthat is not the usual way God works. When God sees a need He selectssomeone to go and meet thatneed, and then He SPEAKS tothat person and tells him/her togo. When God saw the need inJerusalem He spoke, as wehave seen, to a man calledNehemiah who lived manymiles away, and told him thathe was the one who should goand meet that need.

God speaks to His servant – that is the second side of the triangle.

God Sends His ServantHaving shown the need to His servant,and having indicated to him (orher) that he or she is the person to meet that need,God then SENDS himor her to the person, the city or the country in need. He commissions thatperson to go and, at the same time, commits Himself to give that personthe ability, the strength and the resources to meet that need.

Consequently, God not only SAW the need in Jerusalem; He notonly SPOKE to Nehemiah’s heart concerning that need and his respon-sibility to meet it; but HeSENT Nehemiah to Je-rusalem and, in doing so,assured him of all theresources he would re-quire to meet the needsthere.

God sends Hisservant – that is the thirdside of the triangle.

GOD

SEES

A NEED

SPEAKS

HISSERVANT

GOD

A NEED

SPEAKS

HISSERVANT SENDS

SEES


And so, in this way, the triangle is completed, and God meets theneed He has seen through the person He sends.

The Bible teaches us therefore that when God desires and decidesto meet the need of a person, a community, a city or a country, He choosesthe person, or the church, or the Mission, to meet that need, and thensends him or them to meet that need. And sometimes the one God choosesis the most unlikely person. Nehemiah, for example, was a cup-bearer;and he had never built city walls. But God made the call clear to him;and then sent him to “do the impossible”!

It is always important to understand that each of these triangles isreally God’s triangle, not ours. He is at the apex. It is He Who sees, it isHe Who speaks and it is He Who sends. He is the One in control. Weare not to make the decisions about our service. He decides – and wejust do what He tells us.

We can find many examples of God’s triangle throughout Scrip-ture apart from, and in addition to, God’s call of Nehemiah.

And we will look at three of these in this chapter:Jonah’s triangle.Moses’ triangle.Philip’s triangle.

Jonah’s Triangle“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,saying,’Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out againstit; for their wickedness has come up before Me’” (Jonah 1 v1,2)God saw the wickedness and the great need of the city of Nineveh,and He wanted to work in the hearts of its inhabitants. What didGod do? He could have spoken directly to their hearts. God doesnot need anyone to help Him. But it is God’s plan to work throughpeople to meet each particular need in His harvest field.God spoke to Jonah. He was the man God chose to be a harvesterin Nineveh, and to bring His message to the people of that city.

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God sent Jonahto Nineveh. Hisinitial responsewas negative buthe later repentedand went.

When Jonaheventually went toNineveh, the trianglewas complete.

THAT WAS JONAH’S TRIANGLE.

Moses’ Triangle“And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of Mypeople who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because oftheir taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. Come now,therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bringMy people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt’” (Exodus 3 v7,10).

God saw thesuffering andthe needs ofHis people inEgypt.God spoke toMoses in theburning bushbecause this was the man whom He would use to meet thoseneeds.God sent Moses to lead His people out of Egypt.

Moses, after some hesitation and many excuses, did so, and thetriangle was complete.

THAT WAS MOSES’ TRIANGLE.

GOD

NINEVEH

SPOKE

JONAHSENT

SAW

GOD

CHILDRENOF ISRAEL

SPOKE

MOSES

SAW

SENT


Philip’s Triangle“….. a man of Ethiopia ….. had come to Jerusalem to worship,was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiahthe prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near andovertake his chariot.’ So Philip ran to him” (Act 8 v27-30).God saw thespiritual needand hunger ofone man, whowas returningfrom Jerusa-lem, withmany unan-swered ques-tions.God spoke to Philip, who was already experiencing much blessingon his ministry in Samaria.God sent Philip to the right place (verse 26), and to the rightperson (verse 29).

Philip went and the triangle was complete.THAT WAS PHILIP’S TRIANGLE.

Triangles VaryEach of these servants of God was called on the basis of a triangle – aswere many more of His servants throughout Scripture.

But there are obviously differences between triangles. Everyonehas his own unique triangle:

There are differences in those to whom we are sent:Jonah was sent to a city – which was sinful.Moses was sent to a nation – which was oppressed.Philip was sent to a person – who was confused.

Sometimes God burdens a person for a country and sends him tothat country; sometimes God sends a person to a city; and some-

GOD

ETHIOPIAN

SPOKE

PHILIP

SAW

SENT

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times God lays a burden for an individual on a person’s heart, andsends him to meet that individual’s need.There are differences in the distance to be covered.

The base of Jonah’s triangle was a very long one becauseNineveh was far away from where he was.The base of Moses’ triangle (the distance between Midian andEgypt) was not quite as long as Jonah’s.The base of Philip’s triangle was relatively short compared to theother two.Sometimes God sends His servant to a distant corner of the har-

vest field; sometimes to an area not so far away; sometimes to a place orperson close to home.

Reactions VaryThere may also be differences in the reactions of the person to whomGod speaks, and whom He sends to meet a specific need:

Jonah’s reaction was “I WON’T” – although he later changed thatreaction and obeyed God.I am sure that Jonah could have given reasons, which he felt weregood reasons, for his disobedience. We can imagine some of them:

“I’m needed here.”“I don’t like those people.”“Forgiveness is not for them.”“It’s too difficult.”

Perhaps the real reason can be found in chapter 4 verse 2 whenJonah prayed and said to God, “I knew You were a gracious Godand would forgive them.” What did he mean? Either he didn’t wantthem to be forgiven; or he anticipated that his declaration of God’sjudgement would not materialize and he would look foolish.And so he disobeyed.When a servant of God disobeys in this way one of two things willhappen:


God will use someone else to accomplish His will.God will chasten him until he obeys – and that is what God didwith Jonah.

We should not be too critical of Jonah and his initial disobedience.As we look back down through the years I am sure we can all seetimes when we have reacted in exactly the same way.Moses’ reaction was “I CAN’T” – but he obeyed eventually andhe went.Moses had five excuses, and God graciously replied to each excusewith a wonderful promise:

“I feel so inadequate’ (Exodus 3 v11). He had doubts abouthimself.God said “I will be with you.”“I am ignorant” (Exodus 3 v13). He felt he didn’t know enough.God said, “I will teach you.”“I will be ignored” (Exodus 4 v1). He thought he would not besuccessful.God said, “I will do mighty things.”“I am incapable” (Exodus 4 v10). He realised his shortcomings.God said, “I will speak through you.”“I am isolated” (Exodus 4 v13). He believed he could not do iton his own.God said, “I will supply someone.”

And Moses finally obeyed.I am sure that we can see a clear reflection of ourselves, and ourreactions, to God’s guidance, in the reactions of Moses.

How often we have made the same excuses.Philip’s reaction was “I WILL” – and he ran in his eagerness toobey.In Acts chapter 8 the three corners of Philip’s triangle are clearlyindicated:

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• The one who is sent – Philip.• The one to whom he is sent – the Ethiopian• The One at the apex of the triangle who sends Philip to meet

the Ethiopian’s need – the Holy Spirit.The Bible passage gives us much information about all three.The Ethiopian was OPEN TO THE WORD OF GOD.• He was reading that Word (verse 30). He had a spiritual

hunger, and was not satisfied with mere religion.• He was requesting help from Philip (verse 31).”Please show

me” he said.God the Holy Spirit was OVERSEEING THE WORK OFGOD:• He regulated the work:

-He, through the angel of the Lord, told Philip to go south (verse26).

-He told Philip to go to the Ethiopian (verse 29).-He took Philip away (verse 39).

• He regenerated the EthiopianPhilip was OBEDIENT TO THE WILL OF GOD:• We see him responding to that call:

-By rising (verse 27). He left what he was doing although Godhad been blessing his ministry in Samaria (verse 12). Eventhough it seemed unreasonable to do so – he obeyed.

-By running (verse 30). His response was not grudging. Thiswas the joyful act of an obedient servant.

• We see him reaching the Ethiopian (verse 35). He explainedthe Word of God and the Gospel to him – and he had the joyof seeing him come to Christ, and of baptizing him.

That is the kind of obedience God wants us to have.

Our ReactionGod sees God speaks God sends.

God calls His servants on the basis of a triangle. This is the basicpattern and picture of God’s guidance.


This was what He did in the Bible. This is what He has done through-out church history. This was how God called Hudson Taylor to China. Hesaw the need in China, He spoke to Hudson Taylor many miles away inEngland; and He sent him to meet that need. This was how He calledWilliam Carey to India, Jim Eliot to the Auca Indians, and J. Irvin Overholtzerto the children of the world. This is how God calls His servants into Hisservice today, and shows us what He wants us to do.

Everyone of us has his own triangle. Many have several triangles –and God controls and guides every one of them. And it is God, and Godalone, Who decides what your triangle is.

God has a triangle (or perhaps more than one triangle) for you. Heknows where you are needed. He knows the place, the person or thepeople to whom you should go. As you lift your eyes to Him and ask Himfor direction He will guide you, and He will speak to you through His Wordand He will send you to the place of His choice.

Ask God to show you what your triangle is.Every Christian needs to know his or her triangle:

God leads some of His servants to GO, and to leave their homesand native lands.God calls others to PRAY for those in need.God calls many to GIVE to help those in need.

You need to know God’s triangle not only with regard to yourGOING, but also with regard to your PRAYING and your GIV-ING. He will direct you in all of these.You need to realise also that it is possible for God to change yourtriangle. At one stage in your life He might call you to do some-thing, but then later He might lead you in another direction.Obey whatever God says to you. What is your response?

Is it Jonah’s response? No, I won’t.Is it Moses’ response? No, I can’t.Or is it Philip’s response? Yes, I will.“And he arose and went” (Acts 8 v27).“So Philip ran to him” (Acts 8 v30).

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A Prayer to Pray“Dear Heavenly Father, I thank Youthat it is Your will and Your plan to speakto Your children and to send them to wherever they are needed. I pray that You willshow me what You want me to do, whereYou want me to go, and whom You wantme to reach. Help me especially to see the

great needs of the children, and to see my triangle with regard tothem. The boys and girls need to hear the wonderful Gospel whichhas, through the Holy Spirit, the power to save them and tochange them. I pray that You will show me how I can help meettheir needs: And then, Heavenly Father, please give me the graceand strength to be like Philip and to go to wherever You are send-ing me.”

“Lord, use me,

Here am I, use me.

I want to be greatly used by Thee,

Across the street or across the sea

Lord, here am I, use me.”

A Personal TestimonyI have been engaged in God’s service for over 50 years and, as I lookback over those years, I can see a number of triangles in my ministry. Ihave certainly had my share of the “I won’t” experience of Jonah, andthe “I can’t” experience of Moses. But I am thankful for the times whenGod has enabled me to say “I will” like Philip:

My first major triangle came in the early days of my Christian life,when God spoke to me through His Word, and in other ways, and


showed me quite clearly that my ministry was to be to children, andthat He was sending me to them with the wonderful gospel message.My second major triangle came soon afterwards, when God showedme that I was specifically to reach the children of Ireland with theGospel, and that this was to be with Child Evangelism Fellowship.My third major triangle came fourteen years later, when God guidedmy wife and myself to leave Ireland, and devote ourselves to meetthe needs of children in Europe, still with Child Evangelism Fellow-ship. And this was to be our main triangle, and ministry, for the nexttwenty-nine years.During these years there were many other “subsidiary” triangles.One of these was to help reach children in Poland (and otherCommunist countries) with the Gospel, and, in response to thattriangle, I made many visits to Communist Poland.Since 1993, I have had a new major triangle. God has, I believe,spoken to me and showed me that I should write books to helpchildren’s workers around the world in their ministries. Thepurpose of this triangle is the same as the others – to meet theneeds of children. But the way of doing it is different, becauseinstead of travelling, speaking and preaching, I am now writing; andthe area involved has changed, because my present ministry is notrestricted to Ireland or to Europe, but covers the whole world.

I am thankful for the privilege of being part of one (and more) ofGod’s triangles. I am amazed that He deigns to call and use sinful, inca-pable, unworthy people like me. But that is how God works, and that ishow He meets the needs of people, including children. It is a joy andprivilege for us to be “labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3v9) – and that leads us into our next section – the WORK of a children’sworker.

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SECTION V

Question: How can I do a goodwork?

Subject: the work of a children’sworker

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CHAPTER 1AIntroduction, Part I:

Go Work Today In My Vineyard

he Bible teaches us, and the Lord Jesus when He was here on earthcontinually emphasized to us, that we, as believers, are expected toT

be engaged and involved in a work for God.God’s desire for each of His children is three-fold:

He wants us to be holy - He desires our sanctification.He wants us to be happy - He desires our satisfaction.He wants us to be helpful - He desires our service.

We are Saved – to ServeThis section of the book deals with our service and, therefore,

with the work of a children’s worker.This first part of the introduction shows us in a general way that

God commands us to work. The second part of the introduction is morespecific and shows us clearly that we are to preach the Gospel. The nextchapter expounds a Bible passage to encourage us to examine the workwe are doing for God and to ensure it is a good work; and the followingchapter outlines a series of short messages about the apostle Paul andhis work – so that we can learn from him.

I have preached each of these outlines on working for God onnumerous occasions to our students and co-workers.

God’s CommandGod’s command to us, as His children, can be summarized by the wordsused by the Lord Jesus in the parable He told in Matthew 21 verses 28-31:

“Son, go, work today in my vineyard.”There are six significant words in this command (and in the re-

sponse to it), each of which brings before us a vital aspect of truth in

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relation to the work to which we are called, and in which we should beengaged:

“son” – our relationship.“go” – our responsibility.“work” – our requirement.“today” – our restriction.“in my vineyard” – our resources.“and went” – our response.

The first word “son” describes the basis of Christianservice

This word shows the necessary RELATIONSHIP of the Chris-tian worker.

The basis of all true Christian service is relationship with God andthis involves being born into His family. Sonship must precede service.We become God’s sons and daughters, and enter His family the momentwe put our trust personally in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour (John1 v12,13). At that moment we are both regenerated and adopted. Thereis no other way to be in God’s family.

How tragic it is for someone to teach a Sunday School class, orhold office in a church, without having been born again by the HolySpirit through faith in Jesus Christ.The second word “go” describes the authority forChristian service

This word shows the necessary RESPONSIBILITY of the Chris-tian worker.

Why do we evangelize children? What, and from where, is ourauthority for doing this?

Our authority is this little word “go” upon the lips of the LordJesus. It is His command. It is the commission of the Lord Jesus Christthat we do so. And as we will see later, He repeats this command in


other verses such as Matthew 28 v19; Mark 16 v15; Luke 24 v46-48; John20 v21 and Acts 1 v8.

What are we doing in response to this command? Are we obey-ing? Are we going?The third word “work” describes the nature of Chris-tian service

This word shows the REQUIREMENT of the Christian worker.The Christian worker is expected to work!

The word is “work”, not “shirk”. Someone has said that the workof God is progressing so slowly today, because so many Christians arelazy, half-hearted, lukewarm and lacking in holy zeal and in burningenthusiasm. It is wonderful to see the amazing amount and variety ofChristian work going on throughout the world – including children’swork. And yet many Christians are doing so little. They are taking in,but not giving out; they are receiving but not transmitting. As the LordHimself said:

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few”(Matthew 9 v37).

So much work needs to be done. There is no simple or easy way. God islooking for workers – those who will serve Him with energy, vision andhard work. Will you be one of them? We are to be “workers togetherwith God” (1 Corinthians 3 v9).The fourth word “today” describes the time for Chris-tian service

This word gives a RESTRICTION which must be taken into con-sideration in Christian service.

God does want us to remember the past and to plan for the future– but we are to work in the present – TODAY! It is easy to promise whatwe will do to reach the children – tomorrow. But God restricts us to thepresent and what we are doing right now.

God’s work, and the evangelism of children is urgent.

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The Lord Jesus established, and emphasized this urgency when Hesaid:

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; thenight is coming when no one can work” (John 9 v4).

The favourite text of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism,was “The King’s business requireth haste” (1 Samuel 21 v8).

Paul, writing to the church at Corinth said, “Behold now is theday of salvation”(2 Corinthians 6 v2) – and it is equally true, therefore,that now is the day for service.The fifth word “vineyard” describes the sphere ofChristian service

This word guarantees the RESOURCES needed for Christian serv-ice.

The Lord calls us to work in His vineyard, which means in theplace of His choice for us. When He calls us to a particular ministry Heguarantees all the resources we will need for that ministry.

If you and I place ourselves at His disposal, He will soon show uswhere in His vineyard, and in what way, He would have us serve Him.It may be in a ministry of intercession, in a ministry of giving, or in aministry to reach children with the Gospel.

I cannot think of anything more wonderful and more satisfying,than to be able to say during each day, and at the close of each day, “I amworking in God’s vineyard, in that corner which He has appointed forme.”

Can you say that?But the story told by the Lord Jesus is not yet finished. We have

examined the command which He gave and we have seen the relation-ship which is necessary, the responsibility which is involved, the re-quirement which is expected, the restriction which is included, andthe resources which are guaranteed.But this command needs a response.

The verses which follow describe the two possible RESPONSESfor the Christian worker:


One son responded negatively, and said that he would not go, and thathe wouldn’t work in his father’s vineyard. He answered and said, “Iwill not” (Matthew 21 v29a). There are unfortunately times whenwe, like Jonah, respond in the same way to God’s command!But later this son repented; he changed his mind – and he went.

“But afterward he repented and went” (Matthew 21 v29b).It is never too late for us to repent, to change our mind, to go wher-ever God sends us and do what He wants us to do.The other son responded positively. “I go, sir”, he said to his father.It sounded good – but his “obedience” was not to materialize. Hedid not go.

“and went not” (Matthew 21 v30b).How often this happens in Christian circles, and perhaps you and Ihave been guilty of such a response. Perhaps we responded to achallenge, quickly and emotionally, in an emotionally chargedmeeting. But on reflection and consideration we changed our mindand decided not to go.“Which of these responses”, asked the Lord Jesus, “is thebetter?” “Which of these two sons did his father’s will?”

And the answer was – the first one, the son who, even after aperiod of initial disobedience, did what his father asked him to do, andwho went to work in his father’s vineyard.

May your response and my response to God’s command alsobe an obedient one.

“Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15 v22).

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CHAPTER 1BIntroduction, Part 2:

Go ….. And Preach The Gospel

A s a follow-up to our previous chapter you may still be asking thequestion – how can I know what kind of work God wants me to do

– and where? We have already dealt with that question in detail in theprevious section, Section 4.

But while I cannot, obviously, tell you specifically what God wantsyou to do, I can give you an answer from the Word of God, which givesa clear outline of something God expects from you and me, and some-thing He wants us to do.

Jesus Christ’s Last Great CommissionOne of the main principles of teaching is the principle of repetition. Welearn and understand a truth or a command better when it is repeated. Atthe same time, it is helpful if the same command or truth is repeated andexpressed, or taught in a different way, and with a different emphasis,each time it is given – rather than being repeated word for word.

When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, and before He returnedto Heaven, He gave us a command which helps considerably in the an-swering of the question stated in the first paragraph above. This com-mand is generally known as the Great Commission. This Great Com-mission is vitally important because it contains the last words of theLord Jesus while He was here on earth. These are therefore the wordsHe especially wanted us to remember. To help the disciples, and our-selves, to understand this command and remember it, He repeated itfive times. But each time He gave it, He did so in a different way andwith a different emphasis, so that we would more fully, and more com-pletely, understand it.

We will see in a moment what that five-fold command was. Butthere are five specific questions which you could be asking as part of theoverall question mentioned in the first paragraph above:


What does the Lord want me to do – where does He want me to goand to whom does He want me to minister? What is the missionarymandate?What does He want me to say? What is the missionary message?How does He want me to say it, or preach it? What are the mission-ary methods?Why should I do this? What is the missionary motive?How can I possibly do this? What are the missionary means?

Each of these five questions is answered for you in one of thestatements of the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus. As wehave already said, He gave this last Great Commission five times, andon five separate occasions. But while He repeated it each time, He laidemphasis on one particular aspect of that commission each time He gaveit, and in doing so answered each of these questions.

What Does He Want Me to Do?The answer to this question is given in Mark 16 v15:

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach thegospel to every creature’” (Mark 16 v15).

This is the MISSIONARY MANDATE (or command).This command answers three questions:

What should I do?You should “go” and “preach the Gospel”. Your service, yourevangelism, your missionary work must be centred upon thepreaching of the Word of God, and specifically upon the preachingof the Gospel. We are called to evangelize. We are the Child Evan-gelism Fellowship, not the Child Entertainment Fellowship, nor theChild Education Fellowship!

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”(Romans 10 v17).

And God promises to bless His Word:

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“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shallnot return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55v11)

It is therefore your responsibility to preach that Word.And God works through the preaching of the Gospel to save sin-ners:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is thepower of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for theJew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1 v16).

Where should I do this?The command of Jesus Christ is – “into all the world”.To whom should I go?The answer is – “to every creature” (and that includes children).Biblical evangelism is not adult evangelism, or youth evangelism orchild evangelism. It is total evangelism – everyone, everywhere. Noone is excluded.It is, of course, physically impossible for you to go everywhere andevangelize everyone (although you would like to, and that is yourburden). So you need to ask the Lord of the harvest to show you inwhich specific place you should serve Him and evangelize, andwhom you should reach in that place.You need to remember always that included in the “every creature”of Mark 16 v15 are many millions of children. Children need to beevangelized because they are included in this Great Commission –the missionary mandate. Since about one third of the world’spopulation consists of children, is it not reasonable to expect thatone third of the total evangelistic effort be directed towards them?Perhaps God will direct you to evangelize children as part of thisgreat missionary mandate. If He does, be sure to obey Him.


What Does He Want Me to Say?In Mark 16 v15 the Lord Jesus commanded that you should preach theGospel and in Luke 24 v45-47 He repeats the Great Commission, butthis time He gives more detail on what you should say when you arepreaching the Gospel:

“And He opened their understanding, that they mightcomprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it iswritten, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and torise from the dead the third day, and that repentance andremission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations,beginning at Jerusalem.’” (Luke 24 v45-47).

This is the MISSIONARY MESSAGEThese three verses give one of the most concise and compact state-

ments of the Gospel contained in the New Testament. It consists of threeparts:

The FACTS of the GospelThree key facts or truths are given here.

The importance of the Scriptures – “Thus it is written.”The death of Jesus Christ – “it was necessary for the Christ tosuffer”.The resurrection of Jesus Christ – “and to rise from the dead thethird day.”

The COMMAND of the Gospel – “repentance and remission ofsins should be preached”.The disciples (and you and I as their successors) were commandedto preach repentance – that sinners should turn from their sins andtheir sinful ways, and turn to Christ. Repentance is a “turn around”;it is a conversion. Conversion is one turn, but that turn has twosides, parts or aspects - a turning from sin and a turning to Christ.Sinners are saved by faith alone, but true faith includes repentance.

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The PROMISE of the GospelRepenting and trusting Christ result in salvation, and will bringmany blessings. The greatest of these is the one included in thiscommand – “the remission of sins”. The sinner who repents andtrusts Christ has all his sins forgiven – past, present and future.

What a message this is for children to hear! And the Lord Jesusemphasized that it is to “be preached in His name to all nations.”

How Should I Preach it?The Lord Jesus answers this question in the third recording of the GreatCommission as contained in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20:

“Go therefore and make disciples of (or teach) all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and ofthe Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I havecommanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the endof the age. Amen.”

These verses outline the MISSIONARY METHODS. These arethe methods you should use when evangelizing.

The mandate or command is, first of all, repeated “Go thereforeand make disciples (teach)”.

The message is summarized “teaching them to observe all thingsthat I have commanded you.”

But the emphasis here is on the method to be used. Your evange-lism and missionary work are primarily directed towards those who knowvery little about Jesus Christ, and very little about the Gospel. You aretrying to reach the outsiders – the children, with little or no Bible knowl-edge or background. It is not enough just to say something – or even torepeat something. These verses make it clear that when evangelizingyou are to TEACH. That is the key word, and it is used or implied twicein these verses:

You are to make disciples or learners by TEACHING, “Go there-fore and make disciples (TEACH)”.


You are then to TEACH them “to observe all things that I havecommanded you.”

God calls you, and commands you, to TEACH – and to be goodteachers of His Word and of the Gospel. You are called to be “a teachingevangelist”. The Gospel is not to be “thrown at the children”, or justread to the children; it is to be TAUGHT to them. Teaching involvessimplification, explanation, illustration, repetition and application.

Why Should I Do This?It should be obvious, by now, that the Lord is calling you and me andcommanding us to do something which is not easy. It might involveleaving home; it certainly will involve sacrifice, hardship and discipline.So it is possible that your next question will be why should I do this?

The fourth recording of the Great Commission in John 20 v21gives you the answer:

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father hassent Me, I also send you’”.

This verse gives us the MISSIONARY MOTIVEThis verse explains briefly, but succinctly, why you should evan-

gelize children, why you should be involved in His service, and why youshould be busy for Him.

Why? Because He has sent you. He has commissioned you andcommanded you to do so.

The Lord Jesus uses in this verse an amazing and breath-takingcomparison. He compares Himself being sent by the Father to our beingsent by Him.

There are, of course, a number of ways by which these twosendings are dissimilar and yet, in some ways, the Lord Jesus tells usthey are the same, by using the two words “as …..so.”

The sending of the Lord Jesus meant:Separation (John 17 v19)Sacrifice (1 John 2 v2)Suffering (1 Peter 2 v21)A ministry of seeking (Luke 19 v10)

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A ministry of saving (Luke 19 v10)A sense of satisfaction (Isaiah 53 v11)

So the Lord Jesus sends you and me:to sacrifice (2 Timothy 2 v4)to suffer (2 Timothy 2 v3)to seek (Matthew 4 v19)to save (in the sense of leading to Jesus Christ) (1 Corinthians 9v22)to be satisfied (Matthew 19 v29). The rewards are great!Consequently, you and I go and obey His command because He

sends us, because we are commissioned by the pierced hand of the Sav-iour, and because we want to follow His example. He was willing to go,willing to suffer, and willing to help. So must we be.

How Can I Possibly Do This?I am sure that this question was uppermost in the minds of the discipleswhen they first heard the Great Commission, and I am sure it is equallyuppermost in your mind.

So in the fifth recording of the Great Commission in Acts 1 v8 theLord Jesus answers this question and shows you how you can do this:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has comeupon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, andin all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This verse gives the MISSIONARY MEANS – the means bywhich your ministry will be blessed, and children will be saved.

The Holy Spirit is the power. The Holy Spirit gives the power andthe strength. The Holy Spirit does the work. Not you – you can’t do it;but He can. You are only the channel through whom He works. But Godwants you to be a willing channel, an open channel, and a channel whichis ready for Him to work through.

This power, and enablement, of the Holy Spirit are what Paulwrote about concerning his evangelistic ministry in Thessalonians:

“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also inpower, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you


know what kind of men we were among you for your sake” (1Thessalonians 1 v5).

He preached not just with words (although they were needed) – butin the power of the Holy Spirit – and many were saved.

The greatest need in our ministry to children today is not for newprogrammes, new methods, new structures or new literature (importantthough they are). Our greatest need is for the outpouring of the Spirit ofGod upon us in our lives and ministry, and upon the children to whomwe minister:

Oh, for a spiritual awakening among our children:We pray that children will want to turn from sinWe pray that children will put their trust in Jesus ChristWe pray that the lives of children will be changed

The Lord Jesus has given us His last Great Commission. In thatCommission He has outlined, briefly but clearly, the mandate for evan-gelism, the message of evangelism, the methods of evangelism, themotives for evangelism and the means of evangelism.

Now He wants a response from our hearts, as far as His work andHis commission, are concerned:

“Lord, here am I, send meLord, here am I, send meLord, here am I, send meLord, here am I, send meLord, here am I, send me”

(Isaiah 6 v8b).

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CHAPTER 2

A Good Work

I t is clear from God’s Word that God does not only want us to workfor Him – but that He wants us to do a good work for Him.

Our Aim Should Be – A Good WorkYou and I should not be aiming, primarily, at a big work, or a growingwork, or a successful work, or a spectacular work. We should aim, firstand foremost, at a good work, a deep work and a lasting work. If, at thesame time that work is big, or growing or successful – fine! But we doneed to see the dangers involved in always watching for, and being gov-erned by, statistics. And we need to avoid the trap of self-glorificationand self-dependence which such a motivation can create. Some Chris-tian workers feel that if they don’t have big and glowing statistics theyare failures. But this is not necessarily so. Perhaps there are times whenyou and I need to do less work – but do it better!

Our first goal, then, is to do a GOOD WORK.The main passage in the New Testament about the Christian

worker, and his work, is in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 v6-15.In this chapter Paul deals, first of all, with a problem of division in

the church. But then from verses 6-15 Paul speaks about the work, of aChristian worker. These verses do not deal with our character or spiritu-ality – but with our work, as you can see from the words which I haveemphasized.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So thenneither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but Godwho gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who watersare one, and each one will receive his own reward according tohis own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’sfield, you are God’s building. According to the grace of Godwhich was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the


foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heedhow he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone laythan that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyonebuilds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for theDay will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and thefire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s workwhich he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. Ifanyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself willbe saved, yet so as through fire.”

We can learn four lessons from these verses which will help us todo a good work:

It is God Who does the work.We must work.We must be careful how we work.Our work will be judged.

It Is God Who Does the WorkPaul’s first point about our work is that a good work is only possible ifGod does it:

“God gave the increase”(verse 6).“God gives the increase” (verse 7)“You are God’s field, you are God’s building” (verse 9).

The image or illustration Paul uses is that of a gardener or farmer.While the farmer does the planting and watering, growth is only possi-ble if God grants it. This can lead us to several conclusions:

Our work without Him is useless. We, ourselves, working on ourown, may be able to produce results of a kind – but they are onlytemporary.Methods, ability, and personality are, on their own, not enough – nomatter how effective they might seem.

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When God works the results are permanent. When He does some-thing He does it well.Even when we lack ability, and even when we make mistakes, it isstill possible for God to work, not because of us, but in spite of us.We can trust Him to accomplish His purposes – even if we seem tobe failures.Keeping the picture of farming in mind, we can also conclude thatGod often works slowly and gradually. We therefore, like thefarmer, need to be patient and to persevere. We must not keepdigging up the seed to see if it is growing!!!

We Must WorkPaul also, in these verses, emphasizes that you and I must work.This second point in Paul’s presentation concerning our work and

ministry seems to be a contradiction. But it is not. A belief in God’ssovereignty does not rule out our responsibility to work. Paul empha-sizes five times in this passage that the Christian worker is to work andto be busy:

“I planted, Apollos watered” (verse 6).“ he who plants ….. he who waters” (verse 7).“he who plants and he who waters …. receive his own” (verse8).“For we are God’s fellow workers” (verse 9).“As a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, andanother builds on it” (verse 10).

In these verses Paul places our responsibility to work directly along-side the fact that it is God Who does the work. He emphasizes that weare “fellow workers” with God. A belief in the latter does not contradictthe former. Both truths go together. God does the work, but we have ourresponsibilities, and it is God’s plan to use our work, and our ministry,to accomplish His purposes. There is no easy or simple way to “suc-


cess”. Instead there needs to be work, hard work – and, sometimes,“blood, sweat and tears”.

We can draw several helpful conclusions related to our work andministry from these verses.

God is looking for workers, not shirkers; labourers, not loafers;toilers, not talkers; builders, not boasters; constructors, not criticiz-ers. He expects us to be active, not lazy. Paul is our example. Whata hard and busy worker he was.We all have our different jobs. Some plant and some water. Each ofus must do what God wants us to do - no more and no less.We must not try to do God’s work. It is He Who convicts, saves,sanctifies and supplies. We must not trespass into His territory!We must see the importance of a good foundation. Paul in verse 9changes the illustration of a farmer to that of a builder; and heemphasizes in verses 10 and 11 how necessary it is to build on agood foundation. He emphasizes that this good doctrinal foundationis Jesus Christ. Paul, and the other apostles, initially laid this foun-dation of the Christian church through their spoken and writtenministry (Ephesians 2 v20). But it is our responsibility continuallyto stand, and build on, the sound and solid foundation of JesusChrist.

“On Christ the solid rock I standAll other ground is sinking sand.”

We Must Be Careful How We WorkPaul in these verses emphasizes that we must be careful about how weare working.

In verse 10 he writes:“But let each one take heed how he builds on it”.

Then in verse 12 he explains that there are two kinds of work andtwo kinds of building material:

“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver,precious stones, wood, hay, straw……” (1 Corinthians 3 v12).

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There is a work which uses good material – gold, silver and pre-cious stones. That is the work which lasts - it is a good work.There is a work which uses poor materials – wood, hay, straw andthat is the work which disappears. It is a bad work.

You and I want to do a good work, a work which will last. So weneed to examine our work and ask ourselves several questions:

What is the quality of our work?Will it last? The important issue is not so much the number ofdecisions today, but the number of disciples tomorrow. Two chil-dren saved and growing is better, than 22 professions of salvationwhich are not genuine.Are we building with the right materials?

We need to watch how we are building and what we are buildingwith.

Our Work Will Be JudgedPaul tells us in verses 13, 14, and 15 that God is going to judge ourwork. This judgment even happens to some extent today when Godhelps you and me to gauge something of the quality of our work. But itis primarily in the future, when one day our work will be tested andjudged by fire. It is clear that this is not a judgement of our lives andcharacters – but rather of our work and service which will be tested byfire.

God will judge and assess the quality of our work, rather than thequantity or size of it. The size of “the house” is not the most impor-tant factor. A small house built with good material will be betterthan a large house built of poor material. The house built with poormaterial – wood, hay and stubble – is destroyed in that judgment;the house built with good material – gold, silver and preciousstones – will withstand the fire and remain. Of course a large housebuilt with good material is obviously best of all – if God works inthat way.


God will judge and assess the quality of our work, rather than theappearance of it. A wooden house can look very nice and attractive– but when subjected to fire it is quickly destroyed.

You and I don’t want to work for a lifetime with children, andthen find our work going up in smoke. We need at all times to examineour work and ensure it is a GOOD WORK which uses the best material.

Two things should be clear from these verses:The Christian worker whose work withstands the fire of God’sjudgment will be rewarded; the Christian worker whose work doesnot withstand the fire of God’s judgement will not be rewarded(verses 13, 14 and 15a).But Paul emphasizes in verse 15b that even if a Christian’s work isdestroyed, when tested and judged, his personal salvation is notaffected. He is still saved.

ConclusionYou and I, as children’s workers, need to understand and follow at leastfour guidelines which will help us to do A GOOD WORK:

We need to be sure that what we are doing is what God wants us todo. That is the work which God is going to bless.We should spend much time in prayer. We have seen that it is GodWho does the work and Who gives results. He expects us to workand to be “labourers with Him”. But He has ordained, in Hiswisdom, that He works through the prayers of His people. Wecannot expect to do a GOOD WORK if we don’t pray.We should trust God completely. He is able to give us all that weneed for our work:

The strength to keep goingThe supplies which are neededThe salvation of childrenThe sanctification of children

We have learned that the first purpose of the Word of God is toreveal God; and that the first priority in the Will of God is to wor-

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ship God. Now we need to learn that the first principle in the workof God is to trust God totally and completely.We should teach children thoroughly.

We need to be careful about the message we teach, and be sure itis biblical.We must ensure that our evangelism is based upon a completeand well rounded gospel message and on biblical principles.Children need a teaching evangelism.We should be careful in the methods we use.We need to be thorough, wise, urgent – but we should never putpressure upon the children.We must always be patient and wait for the Holy Spirit to do Hiswork.

May God help you and me to do a GOOD WORK.


CHAPTER 3

A Worker To Imitate

e have already seen, earlier in the book, that God wants us to belike His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that likeness to Him isW

the aim and purpose of salvation, in all its aspects – predestination, re-generation, sanctification and glorification.

The Bible also gives us pictures and descriptions of men andwomen from whom we can learn many lessons. And there are a numberof these who are also examples for us to follow – imperfect examples, inmany ways, and far short of that of the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless we canlearn very much from them, and we can also find much in them whichwe can imitate.

As you and I consider our work for God, it is good and helpful tolook for someone in the Bible who worked for God and with God, andenjoyed much blessing and success. Then we can learn from that personhow we can best work for God – and make it our goal to imitate him/her.

Paul – The Model WorkerPerhaps the best example of a worker whom you and I should

imitate is the Apostle Paul. I have preached on the Apostle Paul and hisministry many times and, while others have been challenged, the onewho was always most challenged was myself!

On at least three separate occasions Paul made very striking, andstrong, statements or commands:

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11 v1).“Therefore I urge you, imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4 v16).“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who sowalk, as you have us for a pattern”(Philippians 3 v17).

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Paul encouraged you and me to be like him, to imitate him and tofollow him – just, of course, as he imitated and followed the Lord JesusChrist.

God has, therefore, given us in Paul, a model Christian worker –one who, first of all, modelled himself and his work on Jesus Christ, andwho then offers himself to us as a model and an example to follow.

How then can we imitate Paul in our work? What lessons can welearn from him which are applicable to our ministry?

There are at least three vital lessons which we can learn from thework and ministry of Paul in the cities of Lystra and Derbe, as it isrecorded in Acts 14 v6-23 and Acts 16 v1-10.

These three lessons are:He was occupied with God’s work.He was open to God’s Word.He was obedient to God’s will.

Paul Was Occupied With God’s WorkFirst of all, we see in Acts 16 verses 1-5 (and we can see this also in thepreceding and following chapters) a picture of a man who was alwaysbusy. God’s work came first in his life. Paul was OCCUPIED withGOD’S WORK.

So it should be with us. We are not Pauls, nor do we have exactlythe same kind of work as he had. But God wants us to be busy – to beoccupied with the work He has given us to do. We are saved to serve –not to sit!

The danger is, so often, that other things become more importantthan God’s work and then, because of these other things, you and I canbecome distracted, and we neglect to do the work which God has givento us. Frequently we get caught up in “the rat race” – looking for promo-tion in our job, buying a bigger home, or a bigger car, or making moremoney. The work of God can easily become secondary to ourselves, ourcomfort, our family, our job, or our holiday – and God only gets what isleft.


Someone has said, “There are two kinds of Christians – thosewho work and those who let them.” Someone else said, “The church islike a football game. There are a few busy people on the pitch, andthousands just watching them.”

God wants us to be busy and occupied with His work.Paul worked and ministered in many places. He visited the towns

of Derbe and Lystra on at least two occasions, and worked there. Hisfirst visit to these towns is recorded in Acts chapter 14 and his secondvisit is described in the early verses of Acts chapter 16.

Four aspects of his work can be seen in these two towns and dur-ing these two visits – and these provide an example for us and our work:

He evangelized the lost.He edified the saved.He established churches.He enlisted and encouraged young believers.

We will look at each of these activities in turn, and at the sametime examine our work to see if we are imitating Paul.

He evangelized the lostPaul was, first and foremost, an evangelist; and the first and per-haps most important part of his ministry was to reach lost soulswith the Gospel.Consequently, when Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra in Acts 14v6 their very first activity was – evangelism.

“And they were preaching the Gospel there” (Acts 14 v7).They exhorted the heathen people who thought that Paul andBarnabas were gods (after healing the lame man) that they should“turn from those vanities unto the living God” (verse 15).But the Jews from Antioch and Iconium who had followed them toLystra encouraged the people to stone them and leave them fordead. But his apparent death was not the only result of Paul’sevangelism. The main result was - disciples!

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On recovering, Paul and Barnabas went the next day to Derbe; and itis recorded:

“And when they had preached the Gospel in that city” (Acts14 v21).

Their vision and goal of evangelism was unabated – and every-where they went they preached the Gospel.This should also be the first priority in our work and our ministry toboys and girls. They need to be saved; they need to hear the Gos-pel; and it is our responsibility to bring that gospel message tothem.He edified the savedBut Paul’s work and ministry did not stop at evangelism. That wasonly the beginning. He realised the great need of believers in Lystraand Derbe, and elsewhere, for spiritual food - especially those whohad recently trusted Christ. As a result he saw his responsibility tofeed them and to be their shepherd.Consequently, we read in Acts 14 v21 and 22 that:

“And when they had preached the gospel to that city andmade many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, andAntioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhortingthem to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must throughmany tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

Then again in chapter 16 when Paul returned to Derbe and Lystrawe read:

“And as they went through the cities, they delivered to themthe decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostlesand elders at Jerusalem” (Acts 16 v4).It is essential to remember that, when we have evangelized chil-

dren and led some of them to Christ, it is our God-given responsibility tofollow them up, to edify them, to build them up in their faith and todisciple them.


Paul sets us a wonderful example to follow and imitate.He established churchesPaul saw the establishing of local churches as the ultimate goal of hiswork and ministry. He believed, as you and I do – or should do – thatthe local church is the centre of God’s plan for the world today.Consequently, Paul made it his aim to start a church in every localityhe visited, and to direct those who had trusted Christ into thesechurches. At the same time he sought to set up and organize thesechurches so that they could continue and grow after he had gone.Consequently, we find Paul setting up and organizing churches inLystra and Derbe during his first visit:

“So when they had appointed elders in every church, andprayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord inwhom they had believed”(Acts 14 v23).

And then when he returned to these cities, he visited the churchesand sought to establish and develop them:

“And as they went through the cities, they delivered to themthe decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostlesand elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthenedin the faith, and increased in number daily”(Acts 16 v4, 5).

We should follow Paul’s example by seeing the centrality of thelocal church in God’s plan, and by seeking to direct the children wehave evangelized, and who have trusted Christ, into a good, Bible-believing, evangelical, local church. Our ultimate goal is that theyshould become members of such a church.He encouraged and enlisted young believersPaul, in his work and ministry, always saw the need to recruit andinvolve others to serve with him. He did not try to work by himself,or on his own. He believed in team work and always sought toshare his ministry with others such as Barnabas, Luke, John Markand Silas.

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He also seemed to have a special interest in young Christians, and adesire to see them involved in Christian service.This special interest can be seen in Paul’s desire to encourageyoung Timothy to “join his team” and work full-time with him inthe ministry.So, when Paul returned to Lystra in Acts 16, he heard a good reportfrom the elders of the church concerning this young man. It ishighly probable that Timothy had come to faith in Jesus Christduring Paul’s first visit to Lystra, as recorded in chapter 14. Pauloften referred to him as “his son in the faith”. His mother, and alsopossibly his grandmother, had also become believers – probably atthe same time.We read in chapter 16 verse 3:

“Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took himand circumcised him because of the Jews who were in thatregion, for they all knew that his father was Greek.”

Paul encouraged Timothy to join him and enlisted him as a fellowlabourer. From that time onwards Timothy was to become a be-loved co-worker and close friend of the Apostle Paul. God usedhim greatly as he travelled with Paul, and then as he later servedGod in “his own ministry” – especially in Ephesus. But this allbegan through Paul’s ability to see the potential in this young man,and through his desire to have him come and serve with him.We should also, like Paul, be looking for young people in whom wecan invest and whom we can invite, as God leads us, to become co-workers with us. God could use them in a very special way alongwith ourselves – and later, like Timothy, on their own.

Paul Was Open to God’s WordBut we need to notice something else about Paul – and this played a veryimportant part of his ministry.

Yes, he was very busy and fully occupied with God’s work, buthe was never too busy to listen to what God was saying to him. He was


continually asking God in his heart – Is this what You want me to do? AmI in the right place? What is Your will for me?

Paul was always OPEN to GOD’S WORD, and you and I need toremember that, while it is important to labour, it is also important tolisten!

As Paul asked God to guide him, and as he listened to God, therewere two results:

God said “No” – on two occasions.“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region ofGalatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach theword in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to gointo Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (Acts 16 v6,7).

Paul on these two occasions had the experience of “closed doors”.There was nothing wrong with what Paul wanted to do. He wantedto “preach the Word in Asia” (verse 6) and then he “tried to go intoBithynia” (verse 7) for the same purpose. But God had other plansfor him, and God closed the door to Paul on both of these occa-sions. Paul had felt that he should concentrate his future ministry onAsia and Bithynia (which were parts of what is now Turkey) andstill in the general area of Asia Minor in which he had been work-ing. But that was not God’s plan and He showed Paul that it wasnot.The Bible does not tell us how He showed this to Paul and how Heclosed these two doors. But the important facts are, firstly, that Hedid do so and, secondly, that Paul was listening, and that he learnedthat these two doors were closed.Have you ever had the experience of “closed doors”? Is theresomething which you felt God wanted you to do, something good,something which seemed right and biblical – and God closed thedoor? Perhaps you are right in front of a closed door at the moment.Don’t be discouraged; don’t give up. This is all part of God’s plan.

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And so Paul came to Troas in verse 8 – on the west coast of Turkey.Perhaps he was rather confused. Certainly he must have been askinghimself questions:

Why did God close those two doors?What does God want me to do now?

But the important fact was that he was still OPEN to GOD’SWORD.God said “Go” in verse 9:

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Mac-edonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over toMacedonia and help us.’”

And now God spoke again. He had twice said “No” and now Hesaid “Go”. He had closed two doors, but He had only done so thatHe might open another door.After the experience of “closed doors” had come the experience of“clear direction”. That night in Troas Paul had a vision throughwhich God spoke to him – and he was listening. He was OPEN toGOD’S WORD.This was the new vision. This was what God wanted Paul to do.But what was so new and unusual about this vision? God wasshowing Paul that his ministry was not to be restricted to AsiaMinor. He was to go to Europe! He was to reach out further, andbeyond what he was doing and where he was ministering. God wasdirecting Paul, on the basis of a triangle, as we saw in a previouschapter. God had seen the need in Macedonia; and so He spoke toPaul and sent him to meet that need.In verse 10 Luke records Paul’s reaction to the vision as he sharedit with the other members of the team:

“Assuredly gathering (or concluding) that the Lord hadcalled us to preach the Gospel to them.”The words “assuredly gathering” or “concluding” mean “com-

ing to a conclusion by putting things side by side”. Paul’s response


was careful, logical and well thought through. He listened carefully toGod. He examined the situation prayerfully. He considered the two“nos” and the “go”, and decided this was the way to go.

If you are standing, like Paul, before a closed door it could well bethat God wants to “move you out”. If this is so, there will be other doorswhich God is going to open – and the reason He has closed this door isto move you in a new direction.

However, just be sure that the door before you is closed beforemoving elsewhere. Sometimes a door seems closed, but when you pushit, or even lean against it, you discover that it was, in fact, open all thetime and just needed some initiative on your part. Remember there arealways two possibilities:

God may want you to take a new step, and go through a new dooras Paul was about to do.God may want you to continue to do what you are doing.

He will show you which – if you listen to Him and you are opento His word.

Paul Was Obedient to God’s WillPaul was OCCUPIED with GOD’S WORK and he was OPEN toGOD’S WORD. Now he knew what God wanted him to do. What wouldhis response be?

He could have made excuses for not going to Macedonia, and fornot getting involved in a ministry to that land:

“I am needed here. So many in this land have not heard the Gos-pel; and there is so much to be done here?”

“I am already very busy, and cannot do any more.”

“This is too big a step for me.”

“I don’t want to venture into the unknown.”But he did not respond in any of those ways. Instead we read in

verse 10:

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“Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought togo to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us topreach the Gospel to them.”

Paul was occupied with God’s work; he was open to God’s Word;and now he was OBEDIENT to GOD’S WILL – just as he had beenobedient to his initial call to minister to the Gentiles as recorded in Acts26 v19, and to many other calls since then.

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenlyvision”

Obedience was the key word for Paul as far as his life and minis-try were concerned; and it should be the key word for you and me also.The Bible says that “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15v22). Nothing else should ever take the place of obedience to God’swill, because that is the basis of blessing both in life and service.

We can describe Paul’s obedience in three ways:It was IMMEDIATE

“After he had seen the vision immediately we endeavoured togo into Macedonia” (Acts 16 v10a).

His response was not delayed or postponed. It was immediate andinstantaneous. He did not hesitate or procrastinate. Paul already hadthe experience of “closed doors” and then the experience of “cleardirection”. Now we see in him the experience of “completededication”. He was fully obedient to God’s will. He did not arriveimmediately. But he started immediately. The first step is alwaysthe most important one – and often the most difficult one.This kind of obedience – immediate obedience – is what Godexpects from you and me. It is easy to postpone that step whichGod wants us to take – but He wants and requires that we take itNOW – even if it is just the first step. Other steps will follow.It was IMPARTEDGod spoke only to Paul. It was only he who saw this vision. Butnotice the personal pronouns in verse 10.


“Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought togo to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us topreach the Gospel to them.”

Paul saw the vision, he knew what God wanted, and was able toshare his vision with the rest of the team and impart it to them – sothat they all were willing to move in the same direction.We have already seen that the words “assuredly gathering” or“concluding” mean “coming to a conclusion, by putting things sideby side”. In other words, they did not blindly say “Yes, let’s go”. Itseems that they talked together about it and prayed about it, andtogether came to the same conclusion as Paul, that this was whatGod wanted all of them to do.We will also have the opportunity to share with others the visionand call which God has given to us; and it could well be that Godwill lay this burden on their hearts also.It was IMPORTANTPaul’s decision to obey the call and vision which God had givenhim may have been, for him, just another act of obedience – one ofmany which took place continually in his life. But we now see thatit was more than that. This decision was to prove a turning point inthe history of the world. Because of Paul’s decision and obediencethe Gospel was going to be brought to Europe for the first time.

Through his obedience a number of people in the European cityof Philippi were going to be saved in the very near future:• A rich and religious woman called Lydia and her household.• A restless, uncontrolled girl who was possessed by a demon.• A rough and tough man who was the local jailer together with

his household. And others would also be saved in that same city, and a church would

come into existence, which was to be an example for many otherchurches then and in the 2000 years that followed. But that would beonly the beginning. Many more souls would be saved and many morechurches established in Europe.

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But God also knew that the future establishment and expansion ofthe Gospel would take place in Europe – not in Asia Minor. AndHe knew that Europe would be the continent of the Reformationand of many revivals. He knew that the missionary movementwould find its birth in Europe from where many people would goand take the Gospel to North America. This country would then, inturn, be the basis of the great present-day worldwide gospeloutreach from that continent.Little did Paul know the importance of that one act of obedience

and the eventual results of it. But you and I today, two thousand yearslater, receive the benefits of that decision – and we praise God for Paul’skey act of obedience to His will.

Similarly, if God has spoken to you and shown you something Hewants you to do, in reaching boys and girls in your own country, or insome other part of the world, be obedient to His will. You never knowwhat will happen and what the results will be if you say “Yes” to God.Your obedience will be like a pebble thrown into a lake, and the ripplesfrom that pebble will go on and on.

And always remember that when God sees where you are needed,when He shows you what He wants you to do, and when He sends youto meet that need – and you are obedient to Him – you can be sure thatHe will supply all that you need for the work He has asked you to do.What he did for Paul in his work and ministry He will do for you in yourwork and ministry. Hudson Taylor said, “God’s work done in God’sway will never lack God’s supply.”

Paul is certainly a wonderful example for you and me to followand to imitate in our work:

He was occupied with the work of God. So should we be.He was open to the Word of God. So should we be.He was obedient to the Will of God. So should we be.

I would like, in closing this section concerning our work for God, togive you once again “my life verse”. It is a verse which God has used overand over again to bless and help me in my life and ministry.


“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30v15).

When God calls you to do something He wants you, first of all, tobe quiet and not to worry about problems, people or circumstances. Atthe same time He wants you to put your trust and confidence in Him(and the more you do that the “quieter” you will be). Then when you arequiet and confident – you will be strong and ready for anything.

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SECTION VI

Question: What does God wantto say to me?

Subject: God’s word for achildren’s worker

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Chapter 1INTRODUCTION

The Bible – The Word Of God

I t is absolutely essential that every children’s worker understands, andbelieves, that the Bible is God’s Word and completely true in every

detail; that every children’s worker bases his life and ministry upon theWord of God and its power; and that every children’s worker is a faithfuland consecrated student of that Word.

These are the three subjects we will deal with in this introduction:The nature of the Bible, the Word of God – that it is God’s Wordand absolutely true.The power of the Bible, the Word of God – that God uses it in ourlives and ministries.The study of the Bible, the Word of God – that it is our responsibil-ity to take time not just to read it, but to study it.

Then, in the next chapter, we will outline and examine Paul’s ex-hortations and commands to Timothy concerning the Word of God. Andin the following chapter we will study Paul’s letter to Titus as it relatesto the Word of God.

The Nature of the Word of GodThe Bible is the written revelation of God, consisting of 66 books in twosections (Old and New Testament) and containing everything we needto know, believe and do, so that our souls might be saved, and God bothglorified and served.

We believe that the Bible is verbally inspired. Inspiration is the proc-ess by which God influenced, guided and assisted the writers of the Scrip-tures, so that they were able to record what He had revealed to themwithout error or mistake. These men wrote with their own style and per-sonality. But they were so guided by the Holy Spirit that there is no error

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whatsoever in any word of the original writings. And reverent biblicalscholarship has ensured that the Bible we possess is as close to the origi-nal inerrant writings as it is possible to come.

Consequently, the Bible is without mistake or contradiction in allthat it teaches; and can be completely relied upon. The Lord Jesus said,“Thy Word is truth” (John 17 v17).

Inspiration is complete. Nothing can be nor should be added tothe Scriptures. All the revelation and truth we need is contained in its 66books.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, (or is God-breathed) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3 vl6).“For the prophecy (of the Scripture) came not in old time by thewill of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved bythe Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1 v21).

How do we know that the Scriptures are verbally inspired and arecompletely true?

They claim to be the Word of God:Old Testament claims about itself include Exodus 20 v1; Hosea1 v1.New Testament claims about the Old Testament include Acts 1v16; Acts 28 v25 and 1 Peter 1 v10,11.New Testament claims about itself include 1 Corinthians 2 v13;14 v37; Galatians 1 v11,12; 1 Thessalonians 2 v13; 2 Peter 3v1,2.The Old Testament uses over and over again expressions such as“God said” and “The Lord spoke”. These back up the claims toinspiration. Such expressions can be found about 250 times.Either these claims are true or false. If the latter, the Bible is a

book containing lies, and/or false claims, and cannot be depended uponfor anything. It is either the Word of God (as it claims to be); or it isfalse.


Many prophecies in the Bible have been exactly fulfilled manyyears after they were recorded.Only God can know the future and be able to record what willhappen. Children, and especially teenagers, find this especiallyinteresting and helpful.It is of special value and interest to read all the prophecies in theOld Testament concerning the birth, life, death, resurrection andascension of Jesus Christ and see how every one has been fulfilledexactly e.g. Isaiah 7 v14; 9 v6; Micah 5 v2; Zechariah 9 v9;Zechariah 11 v12,13.Christ repeatedly used and testified to the Old Testament asthe Word of God.He obviously regarded it as the Word of God - and so should we(e.g. Matthew 5 v17, 18;12 v39,40; Matthew 24 v37-39; Mark 12v36; Luke 24 v25-27, 44, 46; John 3 v14). This is a very importantevidence of the inspiration of Scripture, and should be continuallyemphasized.The Word of God has a wonderful harmony and unity.This is quite remarkable when we realise that it was written byapproximately 40 men from different backgrounds and differentcountries over a period of 1600 years.The Bible has shown its power to change lives, homes, commu-nities and even nations.No other book in the world has changed lives, as the Bible has, and“turned sinners into saints”. No other book has had such an influ-ence on millions of homes, many communities and even in anumber of nations.The witness we have in our hearts, from the Holy Spirit.This witness gives us assurance that it is truly the Word of God (1Thessalonians 1 v5, 6; 1 Thessalonians 2 v13; 1 John 2 v20, 27).

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This doctrine is in many ways THE BASIC DOCTRINE. All otherdoctrines are based upon the vital truth that the Bible is God’s Word,and therefore absolutely true. The source of all our doctrines is the Bi-ble. Therefore, if we are not sure about the verbal inspiration of Scrip-ture, we cannot be sure of anything.

I trust that you, my dear reader, are convinced that the Bible isGod’s Word, and therefore absolutely true. This does not mean that youunderstand, or can explain, everything in the Bible. There are verses andeven passages which are very difficult to understand. But you shouldbelieve them even if you don’t understand them.

It is wonderful to be firmly established upon the inspired Word ofGod. Others will criticise you or even laugh at you because you believeall the Bible to be true, and many will see you as very “old fashioned.”But don’t worry about that. God will bless you as you believe, honour,teach and stand up for His Word. Also, it might even be that while suchpeople criticise you or make fun of you, they have in their hearts a re-spect for you because you know what you believe and are willing to takea stand on it.

The Power of the Word of GodThe Bible is not just a book; it is the Word of God and because it is theWord of God it has power. That power is demonstrated, and displayed,both as you read the Bible and as you preach it.

Your life and ministry must therefore be based upon the Word ofGod and its power for at least eight reasons:

Conviction of sin comes through the preaching of the Word of God(Acts 2 v14-37). In Peter’s Pentecost sermon nine verses out of 23are quotations from the Old Testament. And what was the result?

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, andsaid to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren,what shall we do?” (Acts 2 v37).

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word ofGod” (Romans 10 v17).


The new birth comes from the Word of God.“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incor-ruptible, through the word of God which lives and abidesforever” (1 Peter 1 v23).

Spiritual growth comes through the Word of God“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that youmay grow thereby” (1 Peter 2 v2).

Cleansing comes from the Word of God“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanseourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfectingholiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7 v1).

These promises are the words of God.Assurance comes from the Word of God

“These things I have written to you who believe in the nameof the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternallife, and that you may continue to believe in the name of theSon of God” (1 John 5 v13).

Comfort comes from the Word of God“Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1Thessalonians 4 v18).

(The words referred to here are the words recorded in the Bible).Truth comes from the Word of God. God’s Word is truth!

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, inthat they received the word with all readiness, and searchedthe Scriptures daily to find out whether these things wereso”(Acts 17 v11).There should be, for you and me, two main consequences and

results from these eight facts:Firstly, we need to study and immerse ourselves in the Word ofGod. As we do so its power will be manifested in our lives.

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The Word of God should be the basis of our life, our prayers, ourwitness and our ministry:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day”(Psalm 119 v97)“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sinagainst You!” (Psalm 119 v11).

Secondly, we need to teach the Word of God to our children. Goduses His Word to speak to boys and girls and to work in their heartsand lives. Therefore we should never substitute anything else forthat Word in our ministry.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shallnot return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55v11).

The Study of the Word of GodEvery children’s worker should set aside at least 30 minutes each dayfor a careful and detailed study of the Bible, and the main doctrinescontained in it. This should be separate from, and apart from, his dailyQuiet Time of reading God’s Word, worshipping God and praying forothers.

There are seven main themes to study and understand from theBible:

We need to understand what God is like:This should be our first priority in Bible study. All that we are, anddo, is based upon that which we know about God.We need to understand what we are like.We don’t really know ourselves; and the Bible faithfully reveals tous our sinful nature and our sinful practices.We need to understand what Jesus Christ has done.God’s love reaches out to the most sinful; Jesus Christ took God’spunishment for sin and made salvation possible for all.


We need to understand what the sinner needs to do to be saved.God’s command to him is to repent (to turn from his sin) and tobelieve (to trust Jesus Christ as his Saviour).We need to understand what God will then do for the believingsinner:

All his sin will be forgiven.He will have a new nature.

We need to understand that God wants believers to grow spiritually:Through prayer.Through Bible study.Through worship.

We need to understand that God wants believers to get involved inHis service and His work.

As we study the Scriptures we will come to understand all sevenof these themes.How Should We Study the Word of God?

Someone may ask the question “How should I read and study myBible?

I would like to answer that question by quoting chapter 2 of a littlebook entitled “Enjoy your Bible” written many years ago by Rev. G.R.Harding Wood, an English pastor with a special love for children:

How Should We Read Our Bibles?“There must be two ways of reading the Bible, sir,” said a boy to

me once. “We both read the same book. You find it interesting; I find itdull. Can you tell me why this is? … How should I read my Bible?Perhaps I’m reading it the wrong way. How do you read it? Is theresome secret way of reading it that makes it interesting? If so, I’d like toknow.”

The boy who said all that to me was about sixteen years of age,and he was in dead earnest.

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Perhaps you are asking the same questions, and my answer to himwill help you. God certainly does not mean His book to be dull; He wantsit to be not a duty, but a joy to its readers.

* * * * *When you were converted, when you became a real Christian, then youwere born again by faith in Christ. (This all means the same thing. Only,before you read any further, make sure that this wonderful miracle hashappened and you really do belong to Christ). When that happens thenyou enter into various relationships with the Lord Jesus. Here are a fewexamples:

You become:Part of the Bride of Jesus.A Traveller to the Home of Jesus.A Scholar in the School of Jesus.A Soldier in the Army of Jesus.

Each of these people has a writing to read and each is read in adifferent way, and if you will read the Bible in all these four ways youwill find it not only interesting, but fascinating. So here is the four-foldanswer to your question.1. How does a Bride read a love-letter?

She reads every word of it, that is, she reads it COMPLETELY.But this is not what people in general do with the Bible. They read snip-pets, bits and scraps, here and there. That’s no good.

A bride, or a boy or girl in love, getting a love-letter, does morethan read it completely; love-letters are read through again and again.

Here is a girl reading a letter from her boy friend. She reads thefirst page. Then on the second page (there are several pages!) the writ-ing is blurred, or hurried, and difficult to read.

What does she do?Does she pass over that page? Nothing of the kind! Difficult pages

are not passed over; they are puzzled over, until both the message and


the meaning are clear. So you and I must learn to treat the Bible as God’slove-letter to us, as, indeed, it is.

So did those early Christians read St. Paul’s letters, “In which,”as St. Peter says, “are some things hard to be understood” (2 Peter 3v16).

The plain fact is that your Bible-reading is the yardstick whichmeasures and reveals to others your love for its Author.2. How does a Traveller consult a Road Map?

The answer is CONSTANTLY.Not long ago I went on a long motor jaunt with a pastor friend to

plan an outing for his choir boys.He took the wheel while I held the road-map. Before we got home

from that journey, we must have consulted that road-map scores of times.At every cross-road, and at forked roads, and doubtful turnings, outcame that map.

Doctors and psychologists tell us today that every seven years wecome to a fork in the road of life – especially at fourteen and at twenty-one. So the Bible must be consulted constantly. No Christian who wantsto travel through life safely will allow a whole day to pass without con-sulting God’s road-map – the Bible. More likely he will look at it manytimes a day, especially when in doubt concerning which way to go.

In one village in my journey with my pastor friend we were indoubt as to our direction. A man in the road volunteered to guide us.When he had disappeared my friend said to me, “I’m not sure of thatfellow’s directions, let’s consult the road-map.” It was a good thing wedid! Had we followed his instructions we should have been seriouslyside-tracked.

Today there are all sorts of people volunteering to guide us. Theypretend to know the way. They even tell us that their books of guidanceare “all taken from the Bible.” The world is full of such false guides –Christian Scientists, Christadelphians, Spiritists, Universalists and thehigh-sounding “Jehovah’s Witnesses” – beware of such. Take no guid-ance that does not agree with God’s road-map, the Bible. Never was the

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road more difficult. Never was the divine road-map more needed. Neverwas it more neglected. Read the Bible completely; consult it constantly.3. How does a Scholar study a Lesson Book?

The answer is – CAREFULLY.The Bible is not only a love-letter, and a road-map; it is a lesson

book.Perhaps you say: “I don’t like lesson books.”Perhaps not, but the scholar who doesn’t study the lesson book

carefully doesn’t get honours, or a “First”, at the examination.Lesson books can be very difficult, and have a way of demanding hardwork, but they can be uncommonly useful, especially when a boy or girlis looking for a job and awkward questions are asked by an employer asto school records.

It is no use denying the fact that the Bible is not all either milk, orbread, or even bread and milk. One of its writers says: “Strong meatbelongeth to them that are of full age, even those who … use … theirsense” (Hebrews 5 v13,14).

We live in days of hurry, half-measures, headlines in the newspa-pers. We cannot expect to get a grasp of the Bible without hard work,unhurried time, and real application.

Remember, the Bible is in two parts – Old and New Testament.The New Testament is God’s lesson book; the Old Testament is Hispicture book. Take the trouble to learn carefully the lessons taught in theGospels and the Epistles, and then study the illustrations, the pictures,the types that are found in the Old Testament that light up the lessonsand make their meaning clear. In Bible study do not be satisfied with aPass degree; be ambitious, take Honours, and aim for a First and so“please Him who hath chosen” you to be a scholar. And now, lastly:4. How does a Good Soldier obey Army Orders?

The answer is CONSCIENTIOUSLY.Whoever wrote Psalm 119 tells us three things about himself. He

says that he is wiser than his enemies, knows more than his teachers,and is cleverer than his elders. How was that? “Because,” he says, “I


keep Thy precepts,” that is, because he kept God’s commandments (Psalm119 v98-100).

The soldier often grumbles at Army Orders. They seem so stupidand unnecessary. But he knows that promotion comes by obedience.The Bible is the Christian soldier’s army-orders. It must not only beread completely like a love-letter, and consulted constantly like a road-map, and studied carefully like a lesson book; it must be obeyed consci-entiously like army-orders.

Every Commanding Officer reached his exalted place by obedi-ence.

So our great Commanding Officer, the Lord Jesus Christ, said:“As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do”, and then Headded, “Arise, let us go hence”, and “When He had spoken these words”… He went over the Kedron to Calvary, and so to His victorious resur-rection. All victory worth having is the result of obedience, and the Bi-ble is the Christian’s book of rules, his army orders, to be read, con-sulted, studied and OBEYED.

Here is a true story told me by a young despatch rider in the Kai-ser war (1914-18).

One day his Commanding Officer called him into his room. Hespread out the map, and pointing with his pencil, gave the lad instruc-tions to take certain secret papers to a destination which was right acrossthe German lines.

The lad must have betrayed the fact that his heart failed him at theprospect of facing such obvious danger.

“You’re frightened,” said the C.O.“I am, sir,” said the soldier, wondering what would come next.“All right,” added the Colonel, “I’ll come along with you.”The boy was genuinely surprised, and not a little relieved.Proudly, and without delay, he went into danger with his Com-

manding Officer where he dared not go alone.The Bible is the Christian’s Army Orders. In it we are told where to

go and what to do in our Christian warfare against the forces of evil. Often

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there are dangers to face, foes to fight. But we never go alone. Our Com-manding Officer always says: “I’m coming with you.”

The Lord Jesus is not only our Commander and Companion, He isour Conqueror.

On the Cross, and on Resurrection morning, He conquered ourgreat enemy – Satan. So we go into every spiritual encounter side byside with Jesus the Conqueror.

Treat your Bible as a good soldier treats his Army Orders andobey it conscientiously.

Practise, then,Reading the Bible completely like a love-letter.Consulting it constantly like a road-map.Studying it carefully like a lesson book, andObeying it conscientiously like Army Orders

Only then will it become a joy and not a duty; never dull, alwaysdelightful.”


CHAPTER 2

Timothy And The Word Of God

One of my favourite Bible characters is Timothy, and two of myfavourite Bible books are the two letters which Paul wrote to this

young man.I have often preached to my co-workers in Ireland, and in Europe,

on the subject of Timothy and I have always enjoyed, especially, ex-pounding Paul’s second letter to Timothy which was the last letter hewrote. As I write this chapter, I am seriously tempted to expound thiswhole letter, but lack of space does not allow me to do this and I mustlook for another opportunity to do so in the future.

But, because this section of my book deals with the Word of God,and the children’s worker’s relationship to that Word, I will concentratein this chapter only on what Paul wrote to Timothy in his second epistleabout the Word of God.

There are at least four truths, or facts, which Paul shares withTimothy about the Word of God, and he gives him four applications andcommands concerning it. All of these apply equally to you and me:

The Word of God is inspired – believe it and preach it.The Word of God is committed to us – hold it fast, guard it andpass it on.The Word of God is powerful – read it and teach it.The Word of God needs to be studied – understand it and handle itcorrectly.

The Word of God Is InspiredIt is absolutely vital that every teacher and preacher of the Word of Godknows, understands and believes that it is truly the Word of God – andthat it is absolutely true in all that it says.

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The FactWe believe that the Bible is verbally inspired; that God guided the writ-ers in all that they wrote; and that very word (as originally given) is trueand without error. Verbal inspiration (which simply means that everyword is inspired and comes from God) applies to everything in the Bible– its teaching about doctrines, history, geography, science, etc., etc.

Paul in his second letter to Timothy makes this truth very clear.Firstly, in chapter 2 and verse 15 Paul refers to the Word of God

as the “Word of truth”. The Bible is true – absolutely true (and we willreturn to this verse later in the chapter).

Then, secondly, in chapter 3 verse 15 he describes the Word ofGod as the holy Scriptures and he writes in the next verse:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitablefor doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction inrighteousness” (2 Timothy 3 v16).

We learn from this verse the following facts about God’s Word,the Bible, and these facts apply, as Paul emphasizes, to “all Scripture”.

All Scripture is God-breathed. All of it – not just parts of it – are“God-breathed”. That is what the Word “inspired” means. AllScripture owes its origin and its contents to the Divine Breath, theSpirit of God. God breathed the Scriptures in and through thepersonality and gifts of those He chose to write His Word.These human authors were guided and directed by the Holy Spirit;and as a result what they wrote was without error.This is what Peter also taught:

“For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy menof God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter1 v21).

Consequently, all Scripture is profitable. This means that allScripture is useful, or beneficial, in a number of ways and for anumber of purposes.


Firstly, it is useful for instruction in salvation, as mentioned in theprevious verse:

“And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scrip-tures, which are able to make you wise for salvation throughfaith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3 v15).

But the Scriptures are also profitable in a number of other ways:“for doctrine or teaching” - to give understanding“for reproof” - to warn“for correction” - to show the right way“for instruction (or training) in righteousness” - to help peoplebe what God wants them to be.

The inspired Scriptures (with these five functions) must thereforebe the basis of your teaching and training ministry.

The CommandsThe obvious applications of this truth are:

BELIEVE ITWe should believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it isabsolutely true.PREACH ITWe should preach the Word of God to our boys and girls.And so in 2 Timothy chapter 4 v2 Paul says to Timothy, “Preachthe Word”. He is not just to hear it, to believe it and to obey what hehears; nor is he just to guard it from any falsification; nor is he justto suffer for it and continue in it – but he is to preach it to others.The word “preach” used here means to “proclaim it like a herald inthe market place”. He is to lift up his voice, without fear or favourand boldly to make the Word known.Paul then goes on to tell Timothy four features which are to charac-terize his preaching or proclamation:

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“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teach-ing”(2 Timothy 4 v2):His preaching should be urgent – “instant in season and out ofseason”. He is dealing with matters of life, death and eternity.His preaching should be relevant – “reprove, rebuke, exhort”.He should be skilful in how he applies it.He should be patient – “with all long suffering”.He must wait for God to work and not use pressure.He should teach the Word – “with doctrine” or teaching.His ministry should be a teaching ministry.

All of these marks should also be true of our ministry to the chil-dren.

The Word of God Is Committed to UsPaul writes to Timothy in the first chapter of his second epistle:

“Hold fast (or follow) the pattern of sound words which youhave heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the HolySpirit who dwells in us” (2 Timothy 1 v13, 14).

The FactIn verse 14 Paul exhorts Timothy to keep or guard “that good

thing which was committed to you”. A better translation would be “guardthe good (or precious) deposit”. The context shows that this “good de-posit” is the Gospel (verse 10) and “the pattern (or outline) of soundwords” (verse 13).

The Word of God is A DEPOSIT – a “good deposit”.If you go to a bank and put money into your account, that is a

deposit; and it is the bank’s responsibility to guard it.God originally gave that deposit to Paul; and he passed it on to

Timothy. Timothy passed it on to others and so on until it came to us. Wehave been entrusted with it.


God has deposited the Word of God in our bank. He has entrustedit to us. It belongs to Him; but we are His stewards.

But it is not just a deposit; Paul tells us that it is a good or preciousdeposit. It is valuable!The Commands

What then is our responsibility?HOLD IT FASTFirstly we are to “hold fast”, or follow, the form or pattern of soundwords which has been entrusted to us.This means we must ensure that in our own teaching and ministrywe adhere strictly to the Word of God, and the gospel messagewhich has been passed on to us.But Paul also emphasizes how we should do this. He writes that weshould do so in faith (towards God and trusting Him to work) andin love (towards those who disagree with us). And both of thesequalities are “in Christ Jesus” and come from Him.GUARD ITSecondly, we are to guard it – just as a bank guards, protects andlooks after what is deposited there; and the more valuable thedeposit the more protection is needed.Paul has already exhorted Timothy to guard this wonderful depositin 1 Timothy 6 v20:

“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoid-ing the profane and idle babblings and contradictions ofwhat is falsely called knowledge.”

The NIV translates it “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted toyour care.”How can we guard this precious deposit?There are those who want to change it, to enlarge it or condense it.Our task is to preserve it intact, and to use it as God commands;and to protect it against loss, destruction or change.

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This is not something we can do in our own strength. We have thedesire and the goal to guard it; but Paul points out that the powerand ability to do so comes from the Holy Spirit.

“That good thing which was committed to you, keep (orguard) by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (2 Timothy 1v14).

PASS IT ONThen, thirdly, we are to teach it and pass it on. This “good deposit”of the Gospel and the Word of God is not something to be storedaway “in our vaults” and only be taken out from time to time to bedusted and admired. It is to be used and put to work.We can “pass it on” in two ways:

By teaching the contents of the deposit to the boys and girls towhom we minister.

Paul reminds Timothy over and over again of the importanceof preaching and teaching the Word which he has been given tothose who need it.

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering andteaching” (2 Timothy 4 v2).

By training others to teach and preach the Word:“And the things that you have heard from me among manywitnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able toteach others also” (2 Timothy 2 v2).

This process resembles a relay race. The first runner has thebaton which he passes on to the next runner – and so on.

Paul had “passed the baton” to Timothy and he was nowexhorting him to pass it on to someone else, who would be ableto pass it on to someone else. Eventually it came to us.

May we be faithful to hold on to and follow the Word of God andthe Gospel, to guard it, teach it and pass it on by training others.


The Word of God Is PowerfulPaul, and the other writers of Scripture, continually emphasize that thereis power in God’s Word as it is read and as it is preached; and this is atruth you and I always need to remember.The Fact

One of the first lessons every children’s worker and every Chris-tian must learn is that God’s Word is powerful.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2 v8 and 9:“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raisedfrom the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer troubleas an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of Godis not chained (or bound).”

In verse 8 Paul is speaking again about “the deposit” referred toin chapter 1, about the Gospel and the key truths contained in it. He callsit “my Gospel”; and “the Gospel for which I am suffering and in bonds”(or wearing fetters). This Gospel is, as Paul emphasizes, centred uponJesus Christ, - upon His Person (“descended from David”) and uponHis Work (“raised from the dead”).

But, at the end of verse 9 Paul emphasizes that “the Word of Godis not bound (or in fetters)”. He himself is bound and in fetters but theWord of God, the Gospel, is not. Even though men crucify the LordJesus, or imprison and kill the servants of the Gospel, no one can fetterthe Gospel itself. The Word of God according to Hebrews 4 v12 is livingand active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing through allthe normal barriers right to the depths of man’s being, and “discerns thethoughts and intentions of the heart”.

God’s Word has power. The Gospel is “the power of God untosalvation” (Romans 1 v16). God’s Word does “get through” to convictchallenge and change people (including boys and girls).

Martin Luther expressed this truth very clearly in the last twoverses of his well known hymn “Ein feste Burg ist Unser Gott” (“AMighty Fortress Is Our God”):

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Did devils fill the earth and airAll eager to devour usOur steadfast hearts need feel no careLest they should overpower us.The grim prince of hellWith rage though he swellHurts us not a whitBecause his doom is writ.A little word can rout him.

The Word of God will never yieldTo any creature living.He stands with us upon the fieldHis grace and spirit giving.Take this child and wifeGod’s Name, fame and life.Though all this be doneYet have they nothing won.The Kingdom still remaineth.

The Word of God is not chained. It can and will do its own work. Itwill triumph, accomplish its purpose and then return. Release it and let itgo!

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shallnot return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, andit shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”(Isaiah 55 v11).

Charles Spurgeon, the well known Baptist pastor and preacher in19th century England, wrote with reference to the Bible:

“Open the door and let the lion out. He will take care of himself…. The way to meet infidelity is to spread the Bible. The answerto every objection against the Bible is the Bible!”

The CommandsIt is almost unnecessary to make an application of the truth that the

Word of God is powerful:


READ ITAs we read it and study it in our own personal Quiet Time it will bePOWERFUL.TEACH ITAs we teach it to the children it will be POWERFUL:

Powerful to save.Powerful to sanctify.Paul himself gives an application in the very next verse:

“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that theyalso may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus witheternal glory” (2 Timothy 2 v10).

He commences with the word “Therefore”. Because the Word ofGod is not bound, and because it is powerful, he is willing to endure allkinds of suffering, hardship, discipline, trials, opposition and hard workso that he can get that Word to the elect (those in whose hearts God isgoing to work). He believes that God is going to use him as the one whopreaches and teaches that Word, so that many “may also obtain salva-tion which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

The Word of God Needs to Be StudiedWe all know that it is not always easy to understand the Bible, and weneed to realise that work, discipline and study are required.The Fact

Paul reminds Timothy that he has understood the Word of Godprimarily because others have taught him – and because he has listened,studied, and learned it from, and through, them.

“But you must continue in the things which you have learnedand been assured of, knowing from whom you have learnedthem” (2 Timothy 3 v14).

God has given to people like Paul the gift of teaching and the abilityto teach the Word of God – and Timothy had the privilege to sit under hisministry (and also under the ministry of his own mother and grandmotherwhen he was much younger (2 Timothy 1 v5 and 3 v15) ). But he would

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not have learned if he had not listened to what he was taught, if he had notunderstood and learned the great truths of the Bible and if he had notapplied himself to diligent study.

Paul also warns Timothy of those who have not properly under-stood the Word of God, and who have fallen into error.

“And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus andPhiletus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth,saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrowthe faith of some” (2 Timothy 2 v17, 18).“Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge ofthe truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so dothese also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapprovedconcerning the faith” (2 Timothy 3 v7, 8).

The CommandsSTUDY ITYou and I also need to understand and learn the truths of God’sWord – by listening to our God-given teachers, and also by our owncareful and diligent study. If we don’t do this the Bible will be aclosed book to us – or we will wander off into untruths and heresy.It should be obvious, by now, that if the Bible is truly the Word ofGod, if it has been committed to us, if God works through it and ifit can be misunderstood or even twisted, then it is absolutely neces-sary that you and I read it, study it and, above all, understand it.

Consequently, Paul emphasizes to Timothy how important andessential it is for him to be a diligent student of God’s Word so that hewill be able to understand it.

Chapter 2 of Paul’s second letter to Timothy is a fascinating chap-ter. Paul gives seven pictures, or illustrations, of what a Christian workershould be:

A teacher (verses 1 and 2)A soldier (verses 3 and 4)


An athlete (verse 5)A farmer (verse 6-13)A workman (verses 14-19)A vessel (verses 20-23)A servant (verses 24-26)

I plan to study these pictures in a future book which examines 2Timothy in more detail. But just now I would like to draw your attentionto the fifth illustration, which is contained especially in verse 15 – that ofa workman:

“Study (be diligent) to present yourself approved to God, aworker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing theword of truth” (2 Timothy 2 v15).

The word “study” means “to work” and especially “to work dili-gently”. It can also be translated “Do your utmost”. It is not so much thework of a student as of a workman. But the thought behind it and theword “worker” is one of labour and hard work rather than skill – andthat is what is needed when studying the Word of God. The Christianworker must be ready and willing to study, to work diligently and to dohis utmost to understand the Word of God.

J.I. Packer, the English theologian wrote “If I were the devil oneof my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.”

Someone has said that the teacher’s main problem is not one ofteaching but one of understanding. The more we understand the Biblethe better we can teach it, and this understanding and handling of theWord of God can only come from hard work.

The Christian worker who is willing to work hard and do his ut-most to study, understand and teach the Word of truth will be, accordingto Paul, “approved unto God” and “a workman that needeth not to beashamed.” The opposite is also true. The Christian worker who is notwilling to take time for study and put effort into that study, and who islazy in his preparation, has every reason to be “ashamed” and risks God’s“disapproval” of him and his ministry.

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Then, when you and I learn and understand what God is saying to us in HisWord, we are, as Paul exhorted Timothy, to “continue in the things whichyou have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you havelearned them” (2 Timothy 3 v14).

HANDLE IT CORRECTLYPaul then adds the phrase “rightly dividing the word of truth” toexplain what he means by the hard work and study involved inhandling the Word of God correctly.

Several suggestions have been made concerning the phrase“rightly dividing” and what it means:

“ploughing a furrow” “steering through the sea”“apportioning food”“dividing up a sacrifice”“quarrying”“laying out a road”

Any of these illustrations is, I understand, possible, but the underlyingthought in all of them is the hard work needed to study and under-stand the Word of God, so as to be accurate and to have the ability tohandle it aright. Dr. John Stott explains the phrase as meaning “to cutstraight” – implying both accuracy and ability – and that may be thebest explanation.So Paul’s exhortation is not only to work hard at studying the Word ofGod, but that what we learn and teach the children from that studyshould be accurate. We should be careful, therefore, to ensure thatwe understand what the Bible teaches and that we teach what itsays.


CHAPTER 3

Truths From Titus

To better understand our responsibility as Christian workers – espe-cially in relation to the Word of God – I would like, in this chapter to

study Paul’s letter to Titus and its three main themes.I have really enjoyed and appreciated this letter and have had the

privilege of expounding it to children’s workers and students on a numberof occasions.

Background of This LetterThere are four basic and preliminary facts to understand concerning thisletter:

The writer of the letter was the Apostle Paul (Titus 1 v1).The recipient of the letter was Titus (Titus 1 v4).

He was a Greek believer (Galatians 2 v3).He was probably led to Jesus Christ by Paul (Titus 1 v4), and,like Timothy, was a young man – but he was not, it seems, timidlike Timothy.He worked with Paul (2 Corinthians 8 v23)•He had worked with Paul in Corinth (2 Corinthians 8 v6; 16-

23).•He worked with Paul in Crete, and was left there by Paul to

continue the work they had begun, and to lead it (Titus 1 v5).The ministry of Titus:

He was now ministering in Crete (Titus 1 v5).The Cretans were not an easy people to minister to (Titus 1 v12,13), and it would have been easy for him to becomediscouraged.They needed correction (Titus 1 v5):

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•With regard to doctrinal errors, especially concerning theirmixture of law and grace (1 v10, 14).

•With regard to practical errors concerning their need for holylives (1 v11-15).

There was a special need for him to find and train leaders (Titus1 v5).

The purpose of the letterPaul’s main purpose was to help, encourage and instruct a youngman who faced many difficulties. That is why this letter is also sorelevant for us.

Outline of the LetterDr. Warren Wiersbe gives a very good, and yet simple, outline of thisletter in his book “Be Faithful”:

I CHURCH ORGANISATION (chapter 1)Three responsibilities to fulfil:

Preach God’s Word (chapter 1 v1-4).Ordain qualified leaders (chapter 1 v5-9)Silence false teachers (chapter 1 v10-16).

II CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION (chapter 2 and 3) Five areas of ministry:

To the older saints (chapter 2 v1-4a)To the younger saints (chapter 2 v4b-8)To Christian slaves (chapter 2 v9-15)To Christians as citizens (chapter 3 v1-8)Concerning problem people (chapter 3 v9-11)

CONCLUSION (chapter 3 v12-15)

The Main Themes of the LetterWe do not have time or space to go through this wonderful letter wordby word, or even verse by verse.


Instead, I have selected the letter’s three main themes which wewill examine. Each theme is represented by a key word which Paul usesover and over again:

The Importance of DoctrineThe first theme of Paul’s letters is DOCTRINE.

Doctrine is what we believe and teach to the children. All we areand do is based upon what we believe – that is, based upon doctrine.

The word doctrine (or words related or similar to it), appears 13times in this short epistle:

“doctrine” (chapter 1 v9; 2 v1; 2 v7; 2 v10). This word means boththe act of teaching and the subject taught.“the faith” (chapter 1 v1; 1 v4; 1 v13; 2v2). This word describesthe sum or totality of Christian teaching.“the Word” (chapter 1 v3; 1 v9). This expression summarizes allthat God has revealed or spoken.“the truth” (chapter 1 v1; 1 v14). This word means the teachingand doctrines of God’s Word.“sound speech” (chapter 2 v8). This means that what is said shouldbe correct and healthy and in accordance with the Word of God.

The fact that Paul emphasizes this theme so much in just threechapters shows how important doctrine should be to the Christian worker,and especially to those in positions of leadership. This emphasis showswhy some statements made about doctrine are false:

Theme Key word(s)

1.Paul explains the importance of doctrine DOCTRINE

2.Paul outlines the way of salvation SALVATION

3.Paul emphasizes the necessity for good works GOOD WORKS

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“It doesn’t matter what you believe, so long as you have the rightexperience.”“Fellowship is more important than doctrine. Doctrine divides butfellowship unites.”“We must not be narrow or dogmatic in what we believe.”

Doctrine is important and Paul outlines to Titus four responsibili-ties he has concerning doctrine and these responsibilities also apply tous:

Study doctrineTitus is encouraged to hold fast “the faithful Word as he has beentaught” (chapter 1 v9). He had been taught the doctrines or teach-ings of the Word of God, and had learned them and come to under-stand them through study.Timothy, you will remember, was exhorted to be “a worker whodoes not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Timothy 2 v15).And the Berean believers were commended because “they receivedthe Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scripturesdaily whether these things were so” (Acts 17 v11).Similarly you and I need on a daily basis to study the Word of God– not just to find help, guidance and comfort in it, but also to betterunderstand the doctrines which are contained in it, and to be clearconcerning what we believe.Be sure your doctrine is soundThe next logical step which follows on from the study and under-standing of doctrine is to be sure that our doctrine is sound.And so Paul exhorts Titus, and the leaders in the church, to besound in their doctrine:

“Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that hemay be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convictthose who contradict” (Titus 1 v9).


“In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of goodworks; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorrupt-ibility” (Titus 2 v7).

In these verses Paul emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine:“Be sure your doctrine is sound (or healthy) (chapter 1 v9) andincorrupt (or pure)” (chapter 2 v7).

We live in days of unhealthy and corrupt doctrines; and weneed to be sure that what we understand and believe is correctand biblical.“Be sure you hold your doctrine fast and don’t let it go” (chapter1 v9).

There are many influences which would make us lose grip onthe sound doctrines and faithful Word we have always believedand could cause us to doubt them.“Be sure you help others to understand and believe sounddoctrine” (chapter 1 v9).

It is our responsibility, especially, to help our children tounderstand and believe the great doctrines of the Bible (2Timothy 3 v16).

Preach doctrinePaul gives five statements or exhortations to Titus concerning hisministry of preaching doctrine, of proclaiming the truth to, andsharing the faith with, the people in Crete:

Doctrine was committed to Paul by God.“But has in due time manifested His word throughpreaching, which was committed to me according to thecommandment of God our Savior” (Titus 1 v3).

Doctrine was a special treasure which Paul was to guard andto preach, and which he had passed on to Titus for him topreach. It has also been passed onto us and we are to preach it.Jesus Christ commanded Paul that doctrine be preached.

This is “the commandment of God our Saviour” (chapter 1v3). This same command applied to Titus, and applies to us.

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Paul commands Titus to preach doctrine.He writes, “speak the things which become (or are in accord

with) sound doctrine” (chapter 2 v1). You and I are similarlycommanded by Paul to preach and teach doctrine to our children– and not just tell them stories or spend our time entertainingthem.Paul emphasizes that the doctrine we preach should be “sounddoctrine” (chapter 2 v1; chapter 2 v8). The word “sound” means“healthy” – and that is the only type of doctrine which will helpand benefit our hearers.Paul also extends this ministry of teaching doctrine to allbelievers. It was not just for Titus. For example he reminds theelders of their responsibility to do so (chapter 1 v9) and heexhorts the older women to be “teachers of good things”(chapter 2 v3). This is not just a special ministry for pastors orfull-time Christian workers, but the responsibility of all of us tohelp others to understand Bible truths.

Adorn the DoctrinePaul writes in chapter 2 v10 “that they” (the servants whom he wasaddressing) “may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in allthings”.The word “adorn” means “to dress, to make beautiful, to honour”.The same word is used in Revelation 21 v2 “a bride adorned forher husband.”We are therefore “the dress of doctrine”. The world cannot seedoctrine, but it can see us; and we should be for them good visualaids and illustrations of what we believe.

The Way of SalvationPaul, in his letter to Titus, selects for his second theme, one key doctrineout of all the possible doctrines, and gives it special emphasis in all threechapters.


The doctrine he selects is the doctrine of SALVATION – and thisword is the second key word of this epistle. It (or related words) appearseleven times in all three chapters:

“our Saviour” (chapter 1 v3; chapter 1 v4; chapter 2 v10; 2 v13; 3v4; 3 v6).“salvation” (chapter 2 v11)“redeem” (chapter 2 v14)“saved” (chapter 3 v5)“grace” (chapter 2 v11; chapter 3 v7)

There are two main passages in this letter on the theme of salva-tion:

The first passage is chapter 2 v10-14:“Not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they mayadorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For thegrace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, weshould live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of ourgreat God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purifyfor Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

In the first two verses we are introduced to the truth that God is ourSaviour (verse 10), and that it is the grace of God which bringssalvation (verse 11a) and that this grace has appeared to all men(verse 11b). The following verses give us three truths about thisgrace:

This grace redeems us - “that He might redeem us” (verse 14a):•Redemption is needed; because we are all slaves of sin, and in

the slave market.•Redemption has been purchased for us; He “gave Himself for

us” (verse 14a)

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•Redemption results in freedom for us – “from all iniquity” (verse14b).

This grace reforms (or changes) us:•Instead of living in “ungodliness and worldly lusts” we should

live “soberly (disciplined with regard to ourselves),righteously (honestly with regard to others) andgodly”(devotedly with regard to God)” (verse 12).

•We should be pure. Jesus Christ purified “His own people forHimself” (verse 14). While by no means perfect, there shouldbe a change in our attitudes, appetites, ambitions and actions.

This grace rewards us by giving us hope (verse 13).We look forward to the blessed hope and glorious appearance

of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.The second passage on the theme of salvation is chapter 3 verses 4-7:

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviortoward man appeared, not by works of righteousness whichwe have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,through the washing of regeneration and renewing of theHoly Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly throughJesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by Hisgrace we should become heirs according to the hope ofeternal life.”In this section we can see five truths about salvation:

Our need of salvation.The previous verse 3 outlines what we were and what we did,

in a somewhat similar way as Romans chapters 1 and 2. Wewere “foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts andpleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating oneanother.” This picture applies to everyone of us – includingchildren.The source of salvation.•Negatively our salvation is NOT “by works of righteousness

which we have done” (verse 5a).


•Positively our salvation comes from God and God alone. It is“according to His mercy”(verse 5) – we deserved to bepunished.

•Salvation is the result of His grace (verse 7). We are “justifiedby His grace”. We did not deserve to be saved.

The way of salvation.Paul points out, here and in related verses, the four key roles

played in our salvation:•The initiating and controlling work of God the Father. He is

referred to as “God our Saviour”, in verse 4, with specialreference to His kindness and love. He abundantly (or richly)gave His Son (John 3 v16), the Holy Spirit (Titus 3 v5), theScriptures (John 17 v8), and our salvation (Ephesians 2 v8).

•The redeeming work of God the Son.-His death (2 v14). He “gave Himself for us”.-His gift of the Holy Spirit “which He shed on us abundantly

through Jesus Christ” (3 v6).•The regenerating and renewing work of God the Holy Spirit:

“the washing of regeneration and renewing of the HolyGhost”(3 v5b).

His regenerating work takes place at one moment of time, atthe moment of conversion. His renewing work is a processwhich follows regeneration.

•The responsibility of the sinner to believe – “they which havebelieved in God” (verse 8).

The results of salvation:Three results are outlined in these verses:

•Justification (chapter 3 v7a).We are “justified by His grace”. This means forgiveness as faras the past is concerned.

•Heirs of God (verse 7b).We are “made heirs”. This means hope as far as the future isconcerned.

•Good works (verse 8).

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We need to “maintain good works”. This means strength to livefor God as far as the present is concerned.

The application of the doctrine of salvation.In the light of all we have learned about doctrine, and

especially about the doctrine of salvation, there should be threeresults:•We should be trustful.

If you haven’t trusted Christ, trust Him now.•We should be thankful.

As you think of all He has done, thank Him now.•We should be faithful.

The children need to hear the truths about salvation. Tell themnow.

The Necessity for Good WorksThe third theme of Paul’s letter to Titus is that of GOOD WORKS; andthese words appear seven times in these three chapters – mainly in thesecond half of the letter.

One verse refers to good works, negatively, by explaining that somepeople show no evidence of good works:

“….but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedi-ent, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1 v16).

Another reference shows that good works cannot save:“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, butaccording to His mercy He saved us”(Titus 3 v5).

The other five references all show that good works should be afeature and characteristic of the life of every Christian worker:

“In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works”(Titus 2 v7).“ ….purify for Himself His own special people, zealous forgood works” (Titus 2 v14).“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey,to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3 v1).


“….that those who have believed in God should be careful tomaintain good works” (Titus 3 v8).“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meeturgent needs” (Titus 3 v14).In addition, several passages (chapter 1 v6-8; 2 v2-6; 2 v9,10; 3

v1-3) outline what these good works are.This letter confirms the truth taught throughout the Bible that good

works are important. It is interesting to note that the word “faith” occurs240 times in the New Testament, but the word “works” occurs 180times.

The New Testament generally, therefore, gives us much teachingon good works.

An outline of good works in the New TestamentThe New Testament gives at least six explanations and definitionsof what good works are; and a careful study of these verses willoutline the nature of good works.

Helping others in need“Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, readyto give, willing to share” (1 Timothy 6 v18).

Making clothes for others“At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha,which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of goodworks and charitable deeds which she did. Then Peterarose and went with them. When he had come, theybrought him to the upper room. And all the widows stoodby him weeping, showing the tunics and garments whichDorcas had made while she was with them” (Acts 9 v36,39).

Disciplined speech“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, toobey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of noone, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to allmen”(Titus 3 v1,2).

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Meekness“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let himshow by good conduct that his works are done in themeekness of wisdom” (James 3 v13).

Submission to authority“Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, thatwhen they speak against you as evildoers, they may, byyour good works which they observe, glorify God in theday of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to everyordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” (1 Peter 2 v12, 13a).

A life charactized by our Lord’s beatitudes“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see yourgood works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew5 v16).

Three key principles concerning good works in the letter toTitus.Paul outlines three key principles which he wants Titus (and our-selves) to understand:

We are not saved by good works:“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, butaccording to His mercy He saved us, through the washingof regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3v5).

Good works are the result of salvation:“Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us fromevery lawless deed and purify for Himself His own specialpeople, zealous for good works” (Titus 2 v14).

Therefore good works are the proof of salvation. Consequently,the lack of good works proves the lack of salvation:

“They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified forevery good work” (Titus 1 v16).


The principle that good works are the proof of salvation is alsooutlined, in detail, in the second chapter of James. TheChristian’s walk should not contradict his talk; the unsaved seeand believe what he is, rather than what he says.

Three commands concerning good works.Paul exhorts Titus to do three things:

He should see the need for good works and help the believers inCrete to see this need also.

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, toobey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3 v1).

He should teach his people how to do good works.“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, tomeet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus3 v14).

Above all, He and the believers should do good works. It is notenough to see the need, or learn how to do them. They must dothem.

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you toaffirm constantly, that those who have believed in Godshould be careful to maintain good works. These thingsare good and profitable to men” (Titus 3 v8).

An outline of good works in this letter.Paul gives in this epistle a remarkable, and very comprehensive anddetailed, outline of the kind of good works which God wants to seein the life of Titus, and in the lives of the believers in Crete. Thesecover just above every part of our life and behaviour.

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Part of our life Command Referenceand behaviour

Our thinking Be sober 1 v8; 2 v2; 2 v4, 5; 2 v6; 2v12(self-controlled)

Our behaviour Be holy 1 v6; 1 v7; 2 v3;

Our work Be honest 2 v10; 2 v12;

Our habits Be disciplined 1 v7; 1 v8

Our responsibility Be obedient 2 v9; 3 v1

Our relationships Be loving 1 v8; 2 v2

Our difficulties Be gentle 1 v7; 2 v3; 3 v2;

Our homes Be faithful 1 v6; 2 v2; 2 v4; 2 v5

Our doctrines Be sound 1 v9; 2 v1; 2 v2; 2 v7


SECTION VII

Question: How can I handleopposition?

Subject: The warfare of achildren’s worker

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There’s A War On!

The Bible makes it clear that, when we trust Jesus Christ as our Lordand Saviour, we become involved in a war, and that our warfare

consists of one battle after the other!We will, in this introduction, look at this war from different points

of view, and examine especially what it means to be a soldier. In the nextchapter we will consider the armour which our Commander providesfor us, and then in the following chapter include a series of brief studieson warfare from the book of Joshua.

Our WarfareThere are many verses and passages in the New Testament which tell usthat we are engaged in a warfare:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the powerof His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may beable to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do notwrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may beable to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, tostand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and havingshod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will beable to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And takethe helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which isthe word of God; praying always with all prayer andsupplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with allperseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6v10-18).

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“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty inGod for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians10 v4).“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to theprophecies previously made concerning you, that by them youmay wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1 v18).“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to whichyou were also called and have confessed the good confessionin the presence of many witnesses”(1 Timothy 6 v12).“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier ofJesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2 v3).“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I havekept the faith” (2 Timothy 4 v7).“Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the samesufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world”(1 Peter 5 v9).

It is therefore obvious that the Bible teaches that we believers aresoldiers in the army of Jesus Christ and that we are engaged in a war.

Our EnemyOne of the first responsibilities for those engaged in a war is to study andunderstand the enemy we are fighting.

In reality, we as Christians and as children’s workers, have threeenemies:

The world is our enemyWe are engaged in a continual struggle against the world - not thepeople of the world, but against the spirit and the attitudes of theworld. John describes our enemy, the world, in 1 John 2 v16:

“the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride oflife.”

The Lord Jesus also described this enemy in Mark 4 v19:“the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and thedesires for other things come in and choke the Word, mak-ing it unfruitful.”


The world wants to get us in its grasp and we need to fight, andstruggle, to ensure that it is not victorious.The flesh is our enemyPaul writes about this enemy, and our struggle and battle with thisenemy, in Galatians 5 v17:

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit againstthe flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that youdo not do the things that you wish.”

This was a struggle with which Paul was also acquainted in his ownlife.

“But I see another law in my members, warring against thelaw of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law ofsin which is in my members” (Romans 7 v23).

The devil is our enemyHe is our arch-enemy, and he is the commander-in-chief of all theforces, which oppose us and with whom we battle.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of thedarkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness inthe heavenly places” (Ephesians 6 v12).He attacks us openly. He is a destroyer:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devilwalks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he maydevour” (1 Peter 5 v8).

He attacks us deceitfully. He is a deceiver:“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himselfinto an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11 v14).

Our CommanderOur Commander, our supreme Commander, is the Lord Jesus Christ. InIsaiah 55 v4 we are told:

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“Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leaderand commander for the people.”

And Hebrews 2 v10 speaks of Him as “the Captain of their sal-vation.”

Our position is very much like that of Joshua, as he faced thefuture – and as he anticipated the crossing of Jordan, the conquest ofJericho, and the warfare against his enemies in the Promised Land.

At that very moment, he saw the Lord Jesus in one of His pre-incarnation appearances:

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that helifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood oppositehim with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went toHim and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORDI have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earthand worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say toHis servant? Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said toJoshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place whereyou stand is holy.” And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5 v13-15).

And so he met and submitted himself to his Commander.Similarly the Lord Jesus is our Captain and our Commander:

We take our orders from Him.We receive our supplies from Him.We depend completely on Him.

Our ArmourGod provides and supplies us with armour which we are responsible toput on. This armour will protect us from our enemies – and especiallyfrom the devil. We will deal with this armour in detail in chapter 2.

Our PositionWhen we become Christians we become soldiers in the army of the LordJesus Christ.

The Bible refers to us as SOLDIERS.


“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier ofJesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himselfwith the affairs of this life, that he may please him whoenlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2 v3, 4).“Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, mybrother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messengerand the one who ministered to my need” (Philippians 2 v25).“To the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to thechurch in your house” (Philemon v2).

This same picture, or image of us as soldiers, can also be found ina number of the hymns we sing:

“Onward Christian soldiers”“Fight the good fight with all thy might”

And the same concept is contained in some of the choruses whichwe teach our children:

“I’m in the Lord’s army”What can we learn from this term, and from this description of

ourselves as soldiers in the army of the Lord Jesus Christ?I have appreciated the opportunity, on a number of occasions, to

be able to share with our students and co-workers the lessons we canlearn from the fact that we are SOLDIERS.

It is interesting to see that Paul, when he was writing to Timothy,chose this picture to help and encourage him in his life and warfare. Ibelieve that an understanding of this illustration and what it means canbe a help also to you and me. There are five lessons we can learn fromthe verses which Paul writes to Timothy on this subject:

“And the things that you have heard from me among manywitnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teachothers also. You therefore must endure hardship as a goodsoldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangleshimself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him whoenlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2 v2, 3 and 4).

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A Soldier Is SelectedPaul reminds Timothy, and ourselves, that the Lord Jesus Christ

has selected us and chosen us to be soldiers.“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairsof this life, that he may please him who enlisted (has chosen)him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2 v4).

While we may see ourselves as volunteers who have joined thearmy of Jesus Christ (and there is a sense in which that is correct), thisverse especially emphasizes rather that we were conscripted into thisarmy. He chose us, He selected us and at the same time He gave us thedesire and ability to volunteer and “join up”.

The Lord Jesus also made this clear:“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you thatyou should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain,that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you”(John 15 v16).

Paul, in addition, explained this truth as the basis for his ministry:“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’swomb and called me through His grace” (Galatians 1 v15).

What an exalted position we occupy! We are not only soldiers; weare hand-picked soldiers. We are His chosen ones.A Soldier Suffers

Paul explains to Timothy that he needs to “endure hardness as agood soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2 v3). Timothy was by natureshy and sensitive; and Paul wanted to remind him that it is normal andnatural for a soldier to suffer and endure hardship. And so he empha-sizes this same point at least four times, and in every chapter in thisshort letter (chapter 1 v8; 2 v9, 10, 12; 3 v11,12 and 4 v5).

Christian service is a warfare, not a picnic. A soldier suffers, andendures, and sticks it out – he does not flee.

What happens when a nation goes to war? Men join the army todefend their land and their loved ones. They leave home, country andtheir families. They endure indescribable suffering. Life becomes diffi-


cult; there is hardship, risk, danger and suffering. But they endure all ofthis for the sake of the country and the cause, and for their leader - andrightly so. No one criticizes them for doing this. They are heroes whoare willing to suffer for what they believe.

And so it should be with us. We have a higher cause, a heavenlycountry and a holy Captain. We must be willing to suffer, to endure, andnot to flee.

Yet, so often, the opposite happens, and we give up too easily. Weare not willing to ensure hardness, separation and the results of obedi-ence in the way a soldier should.

May God challenge us about this!A Soldier Sacrifices

Paul continues to describe to Timothy what a soldier is, and whathe does:“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of thislife” (2 Timothy 2 v4a).

This is a picture of a soldier called to active service. He gets hisaffairs into order and leaves his business with others so that he can befree to give all his time, thoughts and energy to his military responsibili-ties.

This verse has been translated “No soldier on active duty getshimself entangled with the business pursuits of civilian life since hisaim is to please the officer who enlisted him.”

His whole way of life is changed. He does not live and think asothers do. His heart and mind are on the war and on his responsibility tohis commanding officer.

And so there are many things which, as a soldier, he needs tosacrifice because war needs concentration. These things are not neces-sarily wrong; but because they would hinder him he must abstain fromthem.

The application to ourselves is obvious. Let us beware of becominginvolved with, or worried about things, activities and people which woulddistract us from our responsibility as soldiers. Let us concentrate on the

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war. This is especially necessary today when there is so much materialismand everyone is out for all they can get.

During the Second World War we, who lived during those years(though not in the armed forces), had to do without many things andmake many sacrifices. But we would just shrug our shoulders and say,“There’s a war on.”

And in the Christian life “There is a war on” – and we as Christiansoldiers need to be willing to sacrifice.A Soldier Satisfies

The goal of every soldier should be, as Paul explains it to Timo-thy, to “please the officer who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2 v4b).

The aim of the soldier must be to obey and please his command-ing officer – and him only. No matter what the command is – he mustobey it. An army starts to weaken once the foot soldiers refuse to obeyand start to think, and plan, in opposition to their captain. This is not thework of the soldier.

“Ours not to reason why. Ours is but to do or die.”It is interesting to note that the Greek word translated “soldier”, in

verse 4, is different from that in verse 3. In verse 3 it is the ordinary andusual word for a soldier; but now, as Paul speaks in verse 4, about pleas-ing and satisfying the one who has chosen him, the word he uses heredescribes a soldier on active service and at the front. That is where obe-dience is especially needed. All the great, successful armies of historyhave been built upon the obedience of the “foot soldiers” – the soldierson active service.

He has chosen us to be soldiers – not commanders. He is theCommander; we are the soldiers. So often there are “too many chiefsand not enough indians”. When we were young we all wanted to becaptains and give orders. This is human.

But the Lord reverses this! We are in the Lord’s army. We are notonly soldiers; we are on active service; and our Commander expectsobedience and loyalty – and He expects that we should make it our goalto please and satisfy Him in all we do.


There is an acrostic for the word SOLDIER which is very helpful.A soldier is:

Silent – he doesn’t make comments or criticizeObedient – he does not make the decisionsLoving - he loves and wants to please his captainDisciplined – he leaves unnecessary things asideImmovable – he does not flee or surrenderEducated – he is well trained for his jobReady – for anything

A Soldier Is SuppliedBut there is one more fact we need to remember. Paul does not

include this thought in these two verses, although he clearly expresses itelsewhere.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth …..and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’Amen.” (Matthew 28 v18b and 20b).“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”(Philippians 4 v13).“And my God shall supply all your need according to His richesin glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4 v19).

A soldier’s needs are looked after by those in authority over him.He does not need to worry about where his food and clothes and ammu-nition will come from. His Commander has now the responsibility tolook after him and supply all his needs.

And, in the same way we, as soldiers in the army of the Lord JesusChrist, do not need to worry about our needs and our supplies. He hastaken over this responsibility and we can trust Him for everything.

MAY GOD HELP US NOT JUST TO BE SOLDIERS BUT TO BEGOOD SOLDIERS OF JESUS CHRIST.

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CHAPTER 2

Our Armour

We are all aware of the struggles which take place in our Christianlives, and the spiritual battles which we continually face and fight

– sometimes because of sin in our lives, sometimes because of brokenrelationships, sometimes because of our lack of understanding of Scrip-ture, and sometimes because of the opposition we face as we seek toadvance God’s kingdom.

It is in light of these struggles and spiritual battles that Paul ex-horts us in Ephesians 6 v10 TO BE STRONG:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power ofHis might.”

And then he commands us to STAND in Ephesians 6 v11 and 12:“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to standagainst the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle againstflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritualhosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”

But to help us be strong and to stand Paul outlines two facts weshould know.

We should know where our strength comes from.We should know who our enemy is.

And he outlines two actions we should take:We should put on the whole armour of God.We should stand against, and resist, all that opposes.

What We Should KnowIn these verses Paul helps us to know and understand two importanttruths:


God wants us to know where our strength comes fromPaul writes in Ephesians 6 v10 “ …..be strong in the Lord.”

We do not have the strength to win the battles ourselves. But Hedoes.Paul writes further in Ephesians 6 v10 “ ……. be strong in theLord and in the power of His might.”He only has the power which is needed to help us in our battles.This is a truth which is taught all through the Bible:

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still,and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accom-plish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today,you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight foryou, and you shall hold your peace’ ” (Exodus 14 v13 and14).“If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into thisland and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk andhoney.’ Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear thepeople of the land, for they are our bread; their protectionhas departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do notfear them’ ” (Numbers 14 v8 and 9).Moreover David said, ‘The LORD, who delivered me fromthe paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He willdeliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said toDavid, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’ ” (1 Samuel 17v37).

The power and ability we need in our warfare comes only fromGod Himself.God wants us to know who the real enemy is.There is an enemy who is responsible directly or indirectly, for allthat opposes us and for the spiritual battles that result therefrom.

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Paul identifies this enemy by using several words in Ephesians 6verses 11 and 12:

The devilPrincipalities and powersThe rulers of the darkness of this worldSpiritual wickedness in high places

Satan and all his emissaries are trying to defeat the plans andpurposes of God – either in direct opposition as a roaring lion (1Peter 5 v8), or subtly as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11 v14,15). As a result we continually face spiritual battles, problems andhindrances in our lives and ministries.

What We Should DoIn the light of these facts which we should know and understand, Paulgives us two exhortations to explain what God wants us to do:

God wants us to put on the armour He provides“Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6 v11a).

God wants us to stand“ …..that you may be able to stand against the wiles of thedevil” (Ephesians 6 v11b).Putting together these two statements in Ephesians 6 v11, it is

only as we put on this armour – in its entirety - that we will be able tostand, to resist and to defeat the devil – “in the power of His might”.

We are not to be passive – and just hope for the best, but active, assoldiers in the battle – and we are to achieve victory.

So, first of all, we are to “put on” the armour which God provides.God supplies it, but we are to put it on, and use it. This armour hasseven parts, and we will look at each part in turn.

The Belt of TruthThe first piece of armour, which we are to put on is the belt of truth.

“Having girded your waist with truth … “ (Ephesians 6 v14a).


First of all we note that it is a belt. A belt is a vital part of ourarmour and prepares us for action. The belt of a Roman soldier was veryimportant:

It held together any loose clothing so that it would not hinder him orbe in the way;It also, to some extent, supported his back and legs (like a weightlifter’s belt today).In addition, it helped to hold on the breastplate, and his sword wassuspended from it.

So the belt was in many ways the key to the rest of the armour –and putting it on helped the soldier to be ready for action.

Then we note, secondly, that it was a belt of truth. This can beunderstood in three ways – all of which are valid:

This means, subjectively, that to be ready for action, and as animportant step in our preparation for defence against the enemy, theChristian soldier must be sincere, honest, and truthful. There mustbe no faking, no acting, no hypocrisy – and he needs to be transpar-ent and open in his character.

“Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor”(Ephesians 4 v25b).

At the same time, the Christian soldier also needs, objectively, tohave a good understanding of doctrinal truth. This will helpbuttress him against the evil one.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make youfree” (John 8 v32).

It is interesting that this picture of a Christian soldier, and hisarmour, comes after Paul has spent the first three chapters of theEphesian epistle outlining doctrine.Also, thirdly, the Christian soldier needs a growing intimacy with,and knowledge of, Jesus Christ Who is the living truth. He is “theway, the truth and the life” (John 14 v6) and He is “full of graceand truth” (John 1 v14).

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The Breastplate of Righteousness“ ….. having put on the breastplate of righteousness”(Ephesians 6 v14b).

The breastplate was a vital part of the soldier’s armour and equipment.It was made of metal and leather, it covered his breast, it extended fromthe neck to the thighs and protected his vital organs – especially hisheart.

This breastplate can be understood in two ways and both are true:The Christian soldier’s breastplate of righteousness is primarily theimputed righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been “placed inhis account”. All the accusations of Satan against the believer arerepulsed by the fact that the believer is justified, and is in the sightof God and as far as his position is concerned, is as righteous asJesus Christ Himself:

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God whojustifies” (Romans 8 v33).

But the Christian is also, and to a much lesser extent, protected bythe righteousness which has been, and is being, imparted to him, ashe grows spiritually. This is his own righteousness “the fine linen isthe righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19 v8b). A just, andrighteous life lived before God is a wonderful defense against anyattack, and enables the believer to fight his enemies with a clearconscience.

The Shoes of the Gospel“ …….. and having shod your feet with the preparation of thegospel of peace” (Ephesians 6 v15).

The Gospel of peace is an essential part of the Christian’s armour, andour passage portrays that Gospel as protection for his feet. There aretwo reasons why the soldier’s feet are important, and why they need tobe protected.

The feet are important because, firstly, they enable the soldier tostand when attacked. If a soldier loses his footing he may lose the


battle. So he needs footing which is solid, and in which he hasconfidence – and that solid footing is the Gospel:

The Gospel gives the Christian soldier peace with God, and alsobrings to him the peace of God. And so Paul calls it the Gospelof peace. This Gospel really helps him to stand and also bringsthat same peace to those to whom the believer ministers.The Gospel solves the greatest problem of all – the problem ofsin, and of how to be reconciled to God. This verse speaks aboutthe feet being covered with “the preparation of the gospel ofpeace”. The Christian soldier needs to prepare and work on theGospel so as to understand it better and as he does so Godblesses him. Therefore a better understanding of the Gospel, andhow to use it in his ministry, helps the Christian soldier to stand,and it can also help him to deal with other problems he will face.

Then, secondly, the feet are important because they enable theChristian soldier to move forward, when attacking.

The Gospel challenges us, prepares us and makes us ready forbattle because, through it, we realise that people need to besaved. The believer then sees his need to go to those people andfight spiritual battles for their souls. But he cannot go barefooted.He goes with the Gospel.The Gospel gives us the help and encouragement we need whenmoving over rough territory, the ability to travel long distances,the mobility we need for continual action and the stabilityrequired to hold the ground we have gained.We must not put our gospel shoes on the shelf. We must wear

them!

The Shield of Faith“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be ableto quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6v16).

There are two truths to learn from the inclusion and use of this vitalpiece of a soldier’s armour and equipment:

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First of all it is a shield.There were two kinds of shields in Bible times:

The small shield for hand to hand combat.The large shield of metal and leather which was shaped, andsized, like a door, almost 1½ meters high, and almost 1 meterwide, behind which the soldier could hide and be protected.

The word used here refers to the large shields – shields behindwhich the Christian soldier can hide and be protected.The shield, like most of the other parts named, is therefore defen-sive in nature. Its purpose is not to initiate spiritual conflict but todefend the soldier from attack. Missiles are being fired at us fromdifferent directions – especially from “the wicked one”, and it is thefunction of the shield to neutralize them. Many of these missiles are“fiery darts” – arrows with fire on the end of them which can causefires to erupt in a believer’s life, or in his relationships with others.These can be doubts, fears, worries, and bad thoughts. They mustbe neutralized, stopped or extinguished. And that is the function ofthe shield.Then, secondly, it is a shield of faith. This means that when at-tacked the believer must put his faith and trust in God alone –because He is the only sure shield, and the only sure means ofdefense and protection.Faith is not to be placed in an organisation, a person, a system, or inoneself. It is not faith in faith – as if to say “If I just have enoughfaith.” It is faith in Jesus Christ. If we don’t live and serve by faithin Him, we run the risk of being set ablaze with the “fiery darts” ofsin, problems and conflicts.

The Helmet of Salvation“ … and take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6 v17a).

The control centre of every soldier is the head and brain. Everything hedoes finds its source there. Therefore the soldier’s head must be wellprotected. The Roman soldiers all had metal helmets to protect their


“control centres”; and this practice continues until today with the sol-diers in all modern armies having such helmets.

God has provided the helmet of salvation for us in our fight againstthe world, the flesh and the devil – and what a wonderful helmet salva-tion is.

This helmet can be understood in two ways and both are valid:Paul could well be thinking here of salvation in its fullest sense:

Salvation from the penalty of sin. This took place at the momentof conversion and justification.Salvation from the power of sin. This is taking place in theprocess of sanctification.Salvation from the presence of sin. This will take place at themoment of death, or when Jesus Christ returns – at the momentof glorification.

An understanding of God’s salvation in its fullest sense will nodoubt guard and protect the believer (and especially his head andthoughts) from the doubts and evil thoughts which could cause himto lose the conflict.Paul uses the same phrase in a more specific sense, in 1Thessalonians 5 v8:

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breast-plate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salva-tion”.

This use of the term is in the context of the Second Coming ofJesus Christ which is the hope of the believer; and it could well bethat Paul is thinking of this hope here, and also in Ephesians 6 v17.There is no doubt that a firm belief in the Second Coming willcertainly protect the believer from discouragement and despair.

The Sword of the Spirit“and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God”(Ephesians 6 v17b).

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This is the only offensive, and aggressive, weapon provided in the Chris-tian soldier’s armour.

The Roman soldiers were acquainted with two types of sword:The long sword with two edges, which needed both hands to wieldit.The short sword which also had two edges but it was used with onehand. This was the sword used mostly by Roman soldiers – like adagger. It was said to be one of their greatest military inventions.

The word Paul uses here refers to this second type of sword – theshort dagger - the sword, which the soldiers used skillfully and carefullyto pierce and to kill.

Paul identifies clearly that this sword of the Spirit is a picture ofthe Word of God, as used by the Holy Spirit. There are three lessons tolearn from this.

The Christian soldier needs firstly to understand that the Word ofGod has been given to him to fight temptations and doubts in hisown life. It has also been given to him to win souls.He also needs to understand, secondly, that this sword, the sword ofthe Spirit, has power. The Holy Spirit works through the Word ofGod to help the Christian soldier in his own life and He also uses itto save, sanctify and bless others.And then, thirdly, the Christian soldier needs to know how to usethis sword. Understanding what a sword is for, and what it can do,is not enough. It must be used. The type of sword pictured – a shortdagger used for stabbing – indicates that the soldier should use thissword carefully, and purposefully, to pierce right to the heart ofeach situation, and to deal with specific problems in his own life orin someone else’s life. In this way he can, with his sword, bringcomfort or hope, or encouragement, or reproof, or challenge orconfrontation.For example, the Lord Jesus used the Word of God as a swordwhen Satan came to tempt Him in Matthew 4 v1-11. He quoted a


verse from that Word in response to every attack of Satan and as aresult Satan departed.

Prayer“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,being watchful to this end with all perseverance andsupplication for all the saints; and for me, that utterance maybe given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make knownthe mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6 v18, 19).

This is the soldier’s final weapon. It is not specifically described as apiece of armour. But it follows immediately the six pieces of armouroutlined and the context indicates that the Christian soldier should seeprayer as an essential part of his equipment – because it will help him inhis struggle against sin and Satan.

Paul describes prayer in four ways in these two verses.The “what” of prayer

The believer should pray “with all prayer”. This refers to prayerin a general sense, and this could include praise, adoration,thanksgiving and confession.The believer should pray “with supplication” and again “with allsupplication”. This refers to prayer in a specific sense –interceding for specific needs, and for those in need.

The “when” of prayer“Praying always” makes it clear that the Christian soldier should beready, and available, to pray at any time. This does not mean thatwe should go around saying prayers under our breath all the time;but it does mean that we should be in a constant attitude of prayerand trust – and that we should be ready to pray at any time.The “how” of prayer

“In the Spirit”. It is the Holy Spirit Who prompts us to pray, andWho guides us, as to how we should pray.“Watching”. We should pray intelligently, looking for items andpeople to pray for.

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“With all perseverance”. We should never give up – but keep onpraying.

The “whom” of prayer“For all saints”. We should pray for anyone and everyone whomGod places upon our hearts.“And for me”. We should especially pray for those who haverequested our prayers, and we should pray specifically for theirgreatest needs. It is interesting that Paul did not ask them to praythat he would be released from prison – but that he would bebold in preaching the Gospel.

ConclusionAll that remains now is for you and me to put this armour on – and tokeep it on – so that we can STAND. This armour is no good if it is onlyexamined, admired or understood.

Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God”, and he then explainsthat each piece has to be put on and worn continually. And that is whatwe as Christian soldiers need to do. Let us do it now – and let us to besure to do so on a daily basis, every morning – from now on. This ar-mour needs to be put on every day – and it needs to be put on con-sciously, piece by piece, and it can only be put on by sincere prayer toour Heavenly Father. That is another reason why Paul introduces theresponsibility and privilege of prayer after outlining the different piecesof this wonderful armour.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,Stand in His strength alone.The arm of flesh will fail you.Ye dare not trust your own.Put on the Gospel armourEach piece put on with prayer.Where duty calls or dangerBe never wanting there. (G Duffield)


CHAPTER 3

A Soldier’s Feet

The subject of this section (VII) is “The warfare of a children’sworker”. In the introduction we examined, in detail, the background

to our warfare, and Paul’s picture of a soldier as outlined in 2 Timothychapter 2. In chapter 2 we looked at the armour of a Christian soldier asoutlined and explained by Paul in Ephesians chapter 6.In this chapter we will look at one of the most outstanding soldiers andwarriors in the Bible, and try to find out the lessons we can learn fromhim to help us in our warfare. His name is Joshua. He is one of myfavourite Bible characters, and I have preached and taught about himmany times to my CEF co-workers and Institute students.

I don’t have the space available to deal with the whole life andministry of Joshua. That will have to wait until a later book. But I wouldlike to look at the first six chapters of the book of Joshua, and follow atheme which appears in each chapter, and which will help us in ourwarfare.

The theme, strangely enough, is FEET! And we want to find outwhat kind of feet God wants His soldiers to have! Although this thememight seem strange I should make two introductory comments:

In chapter 2 we saw that one important part of the Christian sol-dier’s armour is “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospelof peace” (Ephesians 6 v15). So we have already seen that feet areimportant for the Christian soldier!In Romans 10 verse 15 Paul writes:

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it iswritten: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach thegospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

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Feet are important for the Christian soldier!What kind of feet does God want His soldiers to have?

We Need to Have Wide Feet(Joshua chapter 1)

Moses is dead. Joshua has been appointed as the new commander-in-chief of the Israeli army. Before him lies the Jordan to cross, Jericho toconquer, and the land to occupy. He was naturally fearful about the fu-ture, and especially about his responsibilities. But at that moment Godgave him a promise.

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I havegiven you, as I said to Moses” (Joshua 1 v3).

In other words, God told Joshua that every step he took, everyplace upon which he would place his foot, would be his. He just had to“put his foot down” here, and here, and here, and here; and as he tookthese steps forward, he would possess the land. Consequently, God wasencouraging Joshua to think big – because the bigger his feet, and themore steps he would take, the more land he would receive. God wantedhim to have big feet – WIDE FEET.

God wants us also to have big and wide feet. He wants us to thinkbig. He wants us to appropriate His promises. He wants us to claim theland, and to claim the children for the Gospel and for Him. He wants usto expand our ministry and to grow – and to be able to say “I claim, andwill have, that, and that, and that.”

I can remember how God spoke to me, through this verse, awayback in 1964, when we became European CEF Directors. Europe wasfor us the “promised land” across the Irish Sea, and God wanted to“give us” that “land”, and the children who lived there. But He wantedus to have big feet, and to move forward and claim it step by step. Wepraise God for the way He worked in the years which followed, for theway He fulfilled His promise – and for the way the work of CEF grewand developed all over Europe, as He enabled us to “put our feet down”.

May God help us to have WIDE FEET – and to claim the childrenfor Him.


We Need to Have Willing Feet(Joshua chapter 2)

In the second chapter of the book of Joshua, the focus moves from Joshuato two men whose names we do not know. Joshua sent these two spiesinto the city of Jericho to “view the land”. They were to do this secretly– in a city which was hostile. Their mission was very difficult and verydangerous. They received no publicity, and we don’t even know whothey were!

But they went. They were obedient. They had WILLING FEET,and their mission was a complete success.

In our warfare and in our campaign to reach the children everyonemust play his part. Everyone must be willing to do what his, or her,Commander-in-chief, the Lord Jesus, asks them to do. It might be diffi-cult and even dangerous. It might be quiet and even secret – and with nopublicity. And it may be that no one will ever know who did it. There aremany who will never be in the front line, who will work quietly behindthe scenes so that others can be successful in their ministry. But it mustbe done.

May God help us to have WILLING FEET – and may we beready to do whatever He asks us to do.

We Need to Have Wet Feet(Joshua chapter 3)

The spies have accomplished their mission. God tells Joshua that thetime has come to move forward – and to cross the river Jordan. But howwas this to be accomplished?

God gave Joshua clear instructions. The priests, who were carry-ing the ark of the covenant, were to walk right into the river Jordan andstand there; and God promised that, as soon as their feet were in thewater, He would open a dry path for the Israelites through the river; andHe promised that, as the priests stood there, all the people could passover.

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What a step of faith this would be! They had to move forward.They had to get their FEET WET. And God promised that He would dosomething, and that He would meet their need – after they moved.

The two most important factors in our ministry and in our warfareare:

To know God’s Will.To obey God’s Will.

This was what happened at the Jordan. God had told them what todo – and they did it; and God kept His promise.

Ask God what He wants you to do – to reach out to the childrenwith the Gospel. Perhaps there is a major step forward He wants you totake. If so – move. Go forward! Get your feet wet! Trust Him. Whenyou move, He will open the waters; He will remove the obstacles; Hewill supply your needs.

May God help us to have WET FEET.

We Need to Have Witnessing Feet(Joshua chapter 4)

The Israelites have crossed the Jordan on dry land. But God wantedthem to remember what He had done, and He also wanted them to sharewhat He had done with future generations of children. He wanted toestablish a visible witness to His power and to His faithfulness.

So He asked Joshua to choose twelve men, one from each tribe,who would go to where the priests’ feet stood, and He requested thateach take a stone from that place. They would then carry these stonesover to the other side of the river and erect them as a monument, and asa witness to God’s power as demonstrated in the miracle which they hadjust seen. This memorial WITNESSED to the fact that their FEET hadstood on dry land in the midst of the river.

It is interesting for us as children’s workers to see that this witnesswas especially directed towards the children and the future generation:

“That this may be a sign among you when your children ask intime to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Thenyou shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off


before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossedover the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. Andthese stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israelforever.” (Joshua 4 v6,7).

It seems from verse 9 that Joshua also set up a second memorialof twelve stones in the midst of the river – in the place where the FEETof the priests had stood.

We need to go to the children and witness to them, the futuregeneration, concerning the power, the care and the faithfulness of God –just as Joshua did. They need to know and see what God has done.

May God help us to have WITNESSING FEET.

We Need to Have Worshipping Feet(Joshua chapter 5)

This brings us back to the first section of this book which we are read-ing. God wants us to worship Him, and we must never become so busyin our ministry that we don’t have time to fulfil that very first God-givenpriority.

In this chapter, as Joshua was looking at and thinking about Jeri-cho, and pondering his future attack on that city, a man appeared withHis sword in His Hand and announced that He was the captain of thehost of the Lord. It is obvious that this was a preincarnate appearance ofthe Lord Jesus Christ in human form. He had come to lead the army andto lead Joshua.

Joshua’s first and immediate reaction was to fall on his face andto WORSHIP the Son of God. The Lord said to Joshua in verse 15:

“Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you standis holy.” His feet were to be uncovered; there was to be nothingbetween him and the holy ground, as he worshipped his Lordand God.

The first step and the main priority for all Christian soldiers is “toremove the shoes from their feet and worship” the Captain of their sal-vation.

May God help us to have WORSHIPPING FEET.

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We Need to Have Walking Feet(Joshua chapter 6)

But feet are, above all else, for WALKING! We walk with our feet.Joshua chapter 6 does not include the word “feet” but you can hear thetramp, tramp, tramp of many thousands of feet throughout the chapter.God’s command to Joshua, his army and his people is to walk aroundthe walls of Jericho once each day for six days, and then to do so seventimes on the seventh day. Then they are to shout – and the walls will falldown.

In previous chapters of Joshua feet were to be put DOWN (chap-ter 1) and claim the land; feet were to be put IN (chapter 3), to cross theJordan, shoes were to be put OFF (chapter 5), to worship. But now feetwere to be put FORWARD – to walk.

This act of walking around the walls of Jericho illustrates a numberof features – from which we, as Christian soldiers, can learn so much forour walk and warfare.

It was a display of UNITYAll the people walked together in order, with the ark and the priestsin front. There were no individual “stunts”. Everyone was united inthis project.Similarly, we as Christian soldiers need at all times to work to-gether, to walk together and to “war” together – in unity and har-mony.It was a display of OBEDIENCETo walk around the walls seemed a ridiculous activity which wouldaccomplish nothing – except the jeers and joking of the enemy. Butit was what God had told them to do. They did not hesitate, butobeyed implicitly. And it must have been especially difficult to obeyGod’s command to be silent!Our responsibility, as Christian soldiers is, as we have seen earlier,to obey our commanding officer – no matter what He tells us to do.


It was a display of PERSEVERENCEThirteen times around those walls! This was a real marathon effort.But they kept going and never gave up. They didn’t run; they didn’tstop. They just kept walking and walking and walking. If they hadquit and had given up after, even, the twelfth circuit, nothing wouldhave happened.How important it is for us to keep walking, to keep plodding on,and never to give up. How tragic it would be to give up – justbefore the victory came.It was a display of FAITHThey believed that God was going to keep His Word and Hispromises; and so they trusted Him, and did exactly what He toldthem to do. And therefore it is recorded of them in the eternalWord of God:

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they wereencircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11 v30).

What a testimony!May we too trust God to do the impossible for us in the warfare inwhich we are engaged, and may He help us to move forward inobedience to His commands, believing and knowing for certain thatHe will do what He has promised to do.It was a display of POWERAnd what was the eventual result? After the walking was finishedthe people shouted and the walls fell down. What a demonstrationof the power of God!And we serve that same God. He is ABLE to deal with and over-come any problem which faces us. And as we trust Him and keepWALKING, we are going to see all those rivers crossed, and allthose walls destroyed.

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As we engage in our warfare as Christian soldiers we need tolearn the lessons taught to, and through, Joshua in the first six chaptersof the book of Joshua.

We need to have wide feet, willing feet, wet feet, witnessing feet,worshipping feet and walking feet.

When we have feet like these, God will bless us and use us andgive us victory – as He did Joshua.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?God specializes in things thought impossible.He can do just what no others can do!Amen!


SECTION VIII

Question: How can I make theright decisions?

Subject: The wisdom of achildren’s worker

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Biblical Wisdom

I feel it is appropriate that this section comes last in my book. As wehave read and studied the other seven sections, I am sure that we

have all asked ourselves the question – “How can I possibly do this?” Andmany of us (indeed, I am sure, all of us) have felt completely inadequatefor the responsibilities which God has committed to us, and which havebeen outlined in this book.

And so, in this last section, we will study the subject of “wisdom”and seek to understand how we can make the right decisions and howwe can know the way God wants us to go and what He wants us to do –especially when we are in difficult situations.

In this first chapter, as an introduction, we want to understandwhat “wisdom” is. In the second chapter we will study wisdom as oneof God’s attributes; and then in the third chapter we will look at our ownneed for wisdom and how to receive it.

A DefinitionFirst of all, there are four simple statements which will help us to under-stand what wisdom is:

Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, and is for us the result oflearning and study.Wisdom is not knowledge. It is the application of knowledge.Wisdom is the use of knowledge. It is the ability to decide the rightthing, and to do the right thing (in the right way) on the basis of theknowledge possessed.It is possible for a person to have a lot of knowledge and very littlewisdom. It is also possible for a person to have comparatively littleknowledge – but much wisdom.

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And now two simple definitions of wisdom:“Wisdom is the ability to discern God’s hand in humancircumstances, and to apply heavenly judgement to earthlysituations.”“Wisdom is the ability to decide the right thing, and to say ordo the right thing (in the right way) on the basis of theknowledge we possess.”

A QuotationI found a quotation from a book by Derek Thomas entitled, “Wisdom –The Key to Living God’s Way” to be very helpful in our understanding ofwhat wisdom is:

“The Bible is full of wisdom. But what is wisdom? Christians are urged tobe wise, but how is it to be gained?

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave a parable inwhich He drew a contrast between the wise and foolish man. The wise manis he who builds his house on solid, rock-like foundations. When the stormcomes, his house stands. The foolish man builds his house on sand, and isunable to withstand the ravages of the wind and rain. His house ‘fell witha great crash’ (Matthew 7 v27). Clearly, as Christians we need to be wise!

‘Conviction of ignorance,’ C H Spurgeon once remarked, ‘is thedoorstep to the temple of wisdom.’ And most of us who are Christians knowjust what he meant. It is only as we come before God acknowledging thatwe know so very little of what wisdom is that we begin to find out what itreally means to be wise. Arrogance will destroy wisdom, and not until webow before God, humble and teachable, standing in awe of His majesty,ready to hear what His Word has to say to us, with eager, anxious hearts torespond to whatever He shows us – even if that means having our mindsand lives turned upside down – will we begin to grow in wisdom.Wisdom in the Bible is a practical word. It certainly has to do with knowl-edge and insight and understanding. But it moves beyond that. It asks:‘Knowing as I do my goal, how can I best achieve it?’ Wisdom is that rarefaculty and quality which enables a man to view a situation and seek tobring about the most desired result. There is a vast difference betweenwisdom and knowledge. Many men have knowledge but they do nothave wisdom. Wisdom is the capacity and the power to make the bestuse of knowledge.”


Wisdom in the ScripturesThe Bible presents the subject of wisdom in two different ways:

Wisdom is one of God’s greatest attributes.We will deal with this subject in the next chapter.Wisdom is one of man’s greatest needs.We will deal with this subject in the third chapter of this section.

But in this chapter we need to see how important the subject ofwisdom is throughout the Bible:

The Old Testament places much emphasis upon man’s need toacquire knowledge and wisdom.We see this especially in the three Bible books which are classifiedas “Wisdom Literature” – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song ofSolomon – all, or most of which, were written by Solomon, the manto whom God had given the gift of wisdom (2 Chronicles 1 v10-12).Wisdom is especially the recurring note and theme of the book ofProverbs. We have only time and space here to spotlight some ofthe teaching of that book concerning wisdom:

The source of wisdom:“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comeknowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2 v6).

The beginning of wisdom:“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, andthe knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”(Proverbs 9 v10).

The results of wisdom:“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man whogains understanding; for her proceeds are better than theprofits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is moreprecious than rubies, and all the things you may desirecannot compare with her. Length of days is in her righthand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are

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ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace”(Proverbs 3 v13-17).

The need for, and search for, wisdom:“Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turnaway from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, andshe will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you.Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. Andin all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and shewill promote you; she will bring you honor, when youembrace her. She will place on your head an ornament ofgrace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you” (Proverbs4 v5-9).

The value of wisdom:“For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things onemay desire cannot be compared with her” (Proverbs 8v11).“How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to getunderstanding is to be chosen rather than silver”(Proverbs16 v16).

In the New Testament there is also much teaching about wisdom,and how necessary it is for us to be wise.

The Lord Jesus shows how important it is to be wise by tellingthe parable about the foolish man, and the wise man, in Matthew7 verses 24-27.

The wise man is the one who hears His sayings and does them.The foolish man is the one who hears His sayings and does notdo them.The apostles directed much of their instruction, towards theacquisition of wisdom, and its application, to holy lives:

“However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature,yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age,who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom ofGod in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordainedbefore the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2 v6,7).


“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside,redeeming the time” (Colossians 4v5).“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but aswise” (Ephesians 5 v15).“And that from childhood you have known the HolyScriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvationthrough faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3 v15).

Paul’s great prayers for the young churches and their memberswere, first and foremost, that they might grow in knowledge andwisdom, discernment and understanding:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofglory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelationin the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1 v17).“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do notcease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filledwith the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritualunderstanding” (Colossians 1 v9).

(Read carefully, and in detail, Paul’s prayers as recorded inEphesians 1 v17-19; Ephesians 3 v14-19; Philippians 1 v9-11;Colossians 1 v9 and 10).James in his epistle lays much emphasis on the subject ofwisdom:• Wisdom is something we all need and which we should ask

God for:“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, whogives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will begiven to him” (James 1 v5).

• Wisdom is something to be desired by all of us and should bedemonstrated by a good and meek life:

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let himshow by good conduct that his works are done in themeekness of wisdom” (James 3 v13).

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• There is an earthly wisdom which has bad results:“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in yourhearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. Thiswisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly,sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seekingexist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3v14-16).

• There is a wisdom from above which has good results:“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, thenpeaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy andgood fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by thosewho make peace” (James 3 v17, 18).

When problems were faced by the apostolic church they chosemen of wisdom to deal with these problems:

“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven menof good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom,whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6 v3).“Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogueof the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those fromCilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they werenot able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which hespoke.” (Acts 6 v9, 10).

Throughout the Bible there are many verses, passages and storieswhich demonstrate the truth that God is wise – and that wisdom isone of His main attributes.

These are outlined in the next chapter.


CHAPTER 2

Wisdom – One Of God’s GreatestAttributes

O ne of the greatest studies that Christians can engage in is a study ofthe attributes of God. As we come more and more to know what

God is like, and as we come to know Him better and better, He willbless us, and enable us to handle all our problems.

One of God’s greatest attributes is His wisdom – and an under-standing of that attribute can be a real source of blessing and help to us.

What Is Meant by the Wisdom of God?God’s wisdom is not His omniscience – but the application of that om-niscience. It is God acting on the basis of what He knows.

God’s wisdom has three aspects, or parts, and involves three steps:He knows what is best for us.God has a plan for our lives, and for our service. His plan is tomake us what He wants us to be; and to bring us to the place wherewe can best serve Him.He knows how to achieve what is best for us.He chooses the steps and circumstances which are necessary tofulfill His plan for our lives and service. The steps He chooses arenot necessarily the ones we would choose – because our knowledgeis slight and our wisdom is limited - but He knows what is best forus. And He has it all carefully planned and thought out.He works to achieve that plan.He therefore works to accomplish that which is best for us, and thatwhich brings most glory to Himself. He will often permit, or evensend, difficulties, problems, disappointments, sickness, lack offinance, unemployment and even death. But at the same time Hesends and gives joys and blessings, encouragement, friends, and a

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sense of His Presence in order to achieve the balance we need.God’s wisdom is active and is linked with His power.

God’s wisdom therefore can be summarized in three short phraseswhich follow logically one after the other:

He knows.He chooses.He works.

Where Is the Wisdom of God Taught?The wisdom of God is declared and EXPOUNDED in the Word ofGod:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowl-edge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and Hisways past finding out!” (Romans 11 v33).“To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.Amen” (Romans 16 v27).“And we know that all things work together for good to thosewho love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose” (Romans 8 v28).“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowl-edge” (Colossians 2 v3).“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for uswisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification andredemption” (1 Corinthians 1 v30).

The wisdom of God is EXPLAINED in the Word of God:God’s wisdom is shown in creation:

“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom Youhave made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions”(Psalm 104 v24).

God’s wisdom is demonstrated by revelation:“Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered


and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,for wisdom and might are His’” (Daniel 2 v19, 20).

God’s wisdom is manifested in salvation:“For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is thedisputer of this age? Has not God made foolish thewisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God,the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleasedGod through the foolishness of the message preached tosave those who believe. For Jews request a sign, andGreeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified,to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeksfoolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews andGreeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God”(1 Corinthians 1 v19-24).“In Him we have redemption through His blood, theforgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His gracewhich He made to abound toward us in all wisdom andprudence” (Ephesians 1 v7, 8).

God’s wisdom is revealed in the church:“To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of Godmight be made known by the church to the principalitiesand powers in the heavenly places, according to theeternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesusour Lord” (Ephesians 3 v10-11).

There are many examples of the wisdom of God in the Word ofGod:There were many people in the Bible whose lives (and sometimestheir deaths) demonstrated the wisdom of God. They faced manyproblems, but God used those very problems to bless them and usethem to His glory, and for the good of others. He knew His plansfor these people. He chose the way to fulfil these plans and then Heworked to ensure that they came to fruition.

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Joseph.He had so many problems – but God was preparing him for

his future ministry.Esther.

God placed her in her position as queen so that she could bethe means of salvation to multitudes.Stephen.

Through his death Saul was converted.The Lord Jesus.

His death on the Cross seemed the greatest of all defeats. Butit was the greatest of all victories.God always knew what He was doing and He was always in com-

plete control of every situation.We can now understand, from the Bible, what God was doing in

each of their lives and in these situations. And one day we will under-stand what God is doing in our lives when we look back.

What Is Our Reaction to the Wisdom of God?An understanding of doctrine should always lead to a practical applica-tion in the life and ministry of the person who studies and understandsthat doctrine. What then is the application of this great truth – that Godis wise – to you and to me?

We must believe it – not just in theory but in practice.God knows what He is doing even though we don’t.He is in complete control in every situation. We may be puzzled bywhat is happening. But He is not.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowl-edge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and Hisways past finding out!” (Romans 11 v33).

He is using these things to help us to be what He wants us to be,and to guide us to do what He wants us to do.


We must trust Him when things happen which we don’t un-derstand.Even though we are puzzled and bewildered we must put our handinto His – and leave it there.

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid;‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also hasbecome my salvation.’” (Isaiah 12 v2).

We must accept whatever comes with joy and peace:“And we know that all things work together for good to thosewho love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose” (Romans 8 v28).

We must not complain, rebel, feel bitter – or give up:“Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be ableto comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort withwhich we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1v4).

He is using these things to change us, to prepare us for the future,and to enable us to help other people in need.We should ask Him what we can learn from what has hap-pened:Paul learned that the thorn in his flesh was allowed by God to makehim more dependent upon God, and to strengthen him.

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for Mystrength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladlyI will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christmay rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, inreproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, forChrist’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Corinthians 12 v9 and 10).

We must confess our sin of not having believed Him, trustedHim, and accepted what has happened with joy and peace.

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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive usour sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John1 v9).

We must ask Him, the all-wise God, to give us wisdom for ourlives and ministries:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives toall liberally and without reproach, and it will be given tohim” (James 1 v5).

We must worship Him – the all wise God: “To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.Amen” (Romans 16 v27).


CHAPTER 3

Wisdom – One Of Our Greatest Needs

ach of us realises clearly our need for wisdom. We also understandthat true wisdom comes alone from God. Therefore we long andE

pray that God Who is completely and perfectly wise will grant us wis-dom.

The Definition of WisdomWe need again to ask the question – what is wisdom?

Wisdom is the ability to decide the right thing, and to say or dothe right thing (in the right way) on the basis of the knowledgewe possess.

I repeat another definition given earlier, “Wisdom is the ability todiscern God’s hand in human circumstances and to apply heavenlyjudgment to earthly situations.”

Wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is easy to obtain. Wisdomis not. But wisdom is based upon what we know and flows from it.

Our wisdom (or our lack of it) will affect:How we walk:

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeemingthe time” (Colossians 4 v5).

How we teach:“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching everyman in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect inChrist Jesus” (Colossians 1 v28).

How we write:“And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdomgiven to him, has written to you” (2 Peter 3 v15).

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The Source of WisdomWhere do we get this wisdom?

The Bible makes it clear that wisdom comes alone from God.There are verses which tell us clearly that wisdom comes fromGod:

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comeknowledge and understanding” Proverbs 2 v6“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for uswisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification andredemption” (Corinthians 1 v30).“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom andknowledge” Colossians 2 v3.

There are many illustrations in the Bible of those who receivedwisdom from God:

Daniel (Daniel 2 v20-33)Solomon (1 Kings 3 v5-9, 12: 3 v16-28)Joshua (Deuteronomy 34 v9).Bezaleel (Exodus 31 v1-5).The first deacons (Acts 6 v3).These illustrations show us that we can also receive wisdom

from God.

The Reception of WisdomHow can we receive the wisdom which we need from our all-wise God?

I believe that there are a number of steps we need to think throughand then follow.

The first step is to realise that we don’t have it, but we need it:“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives toall liberally and without reproach, and it will be given tohim” (James 1 v5).

This is especially true when trials come, as outlined in the preced-ing verses:


“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into varioustrials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces pa-tience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may beperfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1 v2-4).

It is through these trials and difficulties that we understand ourneeds, and come to the One Who can meet those needs and help usto be mature.

“When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humbleis wisdom” (Proverbs 11 v2).

We need to give God first place in our lives – and fear and rever-ence Him:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a goodunderstanding have all those who do His commandments.His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111 v10).

We need to study God’s word – regularly, systematically andthoughtfully:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than myenemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understand-ing than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my medita-tion. I understand more than the ancients, because I keepYour precepts” (Psalm 119 v97-100).“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymnsand spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to theLord” (Colossians 3 v16).

We need to ask God for wisdom:“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives toall liberally and without reproach, and it will be given tohim” (James 1 v5).

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We need to believe that God will give it to us:“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he whodoubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by thewind” (James 1 v6).

We need to do what we can to develop the wisdom which Godgives:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and theknowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me yourdays will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff,you will bear it alone” (Proverbs 9 v10-12).

Charles R. Swindoll writes in his book on Ecclesiastes, entitled“Living on the Ragged Edge” several paragraphs which help us tounderstand what we need to do to develop wisdom:

“But praying is just one part of the process in gaining wisdom.Let’s balance this promise from the New Testament with a fewverses from the Old Testament. Getting wisdom is the result ofmutual effort. It’s a matter of working together with God in pullingoff a wise lifestyle. God doesn’t deliver wisdom at our door like themorning paper. Wisdom doesn’t come in a neat package, like acarton of cool milk that’s sitting there waiting to be opened. It’s theresult of a cooperative effect. To verify this, read the followingvery carefully:

‘My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my com-mands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom,and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry outfor discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, ifyou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hiddentreasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD,and find the knowledge of God’ (Proverbs 2 v1-5).


Each ‘if’ in that paragraph represents another condition – ourpart in the process. These are conditions involved in gainingwisdom. And the “then” statement gives the result of meetingthose conditions. ‘Then you will discern the fear of the Lord,and discover the knowledge of God.’

The result of receiving and treasuring God’s Word, of makingour ears attentive and inclining our hearts is discovering theknowledge of God. It is discerning what it means to fear the Lord.Wisdom provides such perspective.

I’d call it ‘eagle talk’. There’s not a prairie chicken in the worldthat operates from the perspective of God’s knowledge. But we’vebeen digging. We’ve been listening. We’ve been sensitive to Hisbook. We’ve been learning from His truths. We haven’t beensidelined by all the seductions of our times. We haven’t even beendriven by our emotions! We hear that God has spoken in His Wordand we’re attentive to what He has said and we won’t let Him gountil He gives us insight into how to put it into practice and handlea given situation. That’s smart – smart as an eagle. It’s straighttalk from God, with a promise to boot!

‘For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowl-edge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2 v6).Here’s God’s promise. We’ve seen the conditions – ‘if’ …..’

We’ve seen the results – ‘then …..’ Next comes the promise –‘for …..’ The promise is direct: God will give us wisdom.

‘He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shieldto those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice,and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will under-stand righteousness and justice, equity and every goodpath’ (Proverbs 2 v7-9).If we walk in integrity, we will not stumble. What a great

thought! If we decide that we will live honestly – which means, forexample, conducting an honest business – we will not stumble into

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dishonesty. We will model honesty. God promises He will honourthat. He will protect us. That means that ultimately we win overthe ungodly. We gain because we’re living in the realm of honestyand they’re not. He stores up sound wisdom for us. With it, Hegives us a shield of protection as we walk in integrity.

Wisdom doesn’t come easily. It may start with prayer, butthere’s so much more. To get wisdom we must roll up our sleeves.Digging for silver is hard work. It’s like trying to find hiddentreasure; it’s very expensive and it takes rugged labor. God will doHis part if we’ll only do ours. It’s a mutual process.”

We need to pray for others that they will receive it:“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in theknowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1 v17).“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do notcease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled withthe knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual under-standing” (Colossians 1 v9).

Two Kinds of WisdomIt is most important to understand that there are two kinds of wisdom.One of those is good and the other is bad. Both of these kinds of wisdomare possible for a Christian. The first he must seek, and the second hemust, at all costs, avoid.

Both kinds of wisdom make decisions and take action on the basisof the knowledge possessed. However, as we will see, the results of,and the decisions from, one of these wisdoms – the right one – are good,helpful and beneficial, both to the one who has and uses that wisdom,and to others with whom he comes into contact. But the results of, andthe decisions from, the other kind of wisdom – the wrong one – are bad,harmful and even destructive to the one who has and uses it, and to thosewith whom he comes into contact.


It is important to understand, and I feel this needs to be emphasized,that it is possible, therefore, for a Christian to be wise and make decisions,and take action, on the basis of wisdom – which are wrong, because thewisdom was of the wrong kind. This wisdom and its results can sometimesappear to be successful – at least temporarily! For example, a Christiancould make a decision concerning his ministry which, on the basis of whathe has seen in other ministries, is one which will produce “results”. Thisdecision could be based upon pragmatism – “if it works it must be right”.But this could well turn out to be a wrong decision based upon a wrongkind of wisdom because it could well leave out God from the situation andeliminate, or at least lessen, the need for faith.

Earthly WisdomJames writes in his epistle about the first kind of wisdom – the wrong kindand the bad kind. He calls it earthly wisdom. It is wisdom which comes“from below” and from man himself. It is “of the world”, and not fromabove, nor from God.

“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly,sensual, demonic” (James 3 v15).

Its SourceThis wisdom comes from below – from within man himself. Its

source is in the human heart with all its sinfulness and inconsistencies.That is why it is called earthly wisdom.Its Description

James describes this wisdom in three ways:This wisdom is “earthly” or worldly in its origin and is based uponclever worldly principles. He who has it thinks and acts like a manof the world and is pragmatic in all his decisions. It is based onfleshly motives and desires such as ambition and pride.This wisdom is “sensual” or unspiritual in its goals. It is similar inmany ways to the wisdom displayed by the natural or unconvertedperson (Jude 19). Its decisions are selfish and aimed at the advantageand promotion of the one making them.

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This wisdom is “demonic” in its nature. That does not necessarilymean that this wisdom comes from the devil, but it does mean,firstly, that it resembles the kind of wisdom the devil and his de-mons have (and they are wise in many ways – wrongly, wickedlywise, but still wise). And it is also the kind of wisdom which thedevil would like us as Christians to have.

And could I emphasize again that it is possible for a Christian tobe wise in this way – and to have a wisdom which is earthly, fleshly anddemonic. That is why James describes it in his letter to believers – so asto discourage them from having it in their lives and ministries.Its Results

James also points out the results of the wrong kind of wisdom. Ifa Christian wants to know what kind of wisdom he is using as a basis forhis decisions and actions, he should examine the results of those deci-sions and actions. Generally speaking, this kind of wisdom will havebad and harmful results – and James outlines several of these.

“But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, do notboast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descendfrom above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envyand strife exist, confusion and every evil work is there” (James3 v14, 15, 16).

Its results and fruits are as follows:Bitter envying. This includes jealousy of other peoples’ gifts,abilities and position – and of their results. It is based upon selfishambition and often leads to all kinds of manipulation to achieveone’s selfish aims. It has led often to division in Christian homes,churches and organisations.Strife. This includes bad attitudes, disagreement, angry words,hurting, offending and bitter division. What a tragedy to see strifeamong believers!Boasting. Earthly wisdom encourages the person who has it, and usesit, to place himself on a higher level than others, and to look down on


them. It also frequently leads to exaggeration and the distortion offacts.Lies. This type of wisdom often leads to hypocrisy and falsehood –attempts to cover up, or even falsify, what has been said or done.Confusion. A further and certain result of envy, strife and lying isconfusion of some kind – uncertainty, instability, discord andanarchy – all of which lead to a loss of blessing in both life andministry.Evil works. The final result is, eventually, evil or bad works (asopposed to the good works which God wants to see in the life ofevery believer) - anything indeed which causes, or leads to troubleof any kind.

If a decision is based on worldly principles which, for example,aim at the advancement of self, or the concealment of truth, it is wrong –no matter what the results are.

If a decision results in the kinds of problems outlined above (forexample envy, strife, confusion, or evil works) it is wrong – no matterwhat other seemingly good results might come of it.

Wisdom From AboveBut there is another kind of wisdom, a good wisdom, a heavenly wis-dom, a God-given and a God-guided wisdom which we, as believers,are exhorted and expected to have; and James writes a lot about it in hisepistle – both directly and indirectly.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to allliberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Butlet him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like awave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1 v5, 6).“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show bygood conduct that his works are done in the meekness ofwisdom” (James 3 v13).

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“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, thenpeaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and goodfruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3 v17).

Its SourceThe source of this wisdom is completely different from, and op-

posite to, the first kind of wisdom – the earthly wisdom which has beendescribed earlier.

This wisdom is, James says, “from above”. It comes from God. Itis divine in its source and in its nature. That is why James writes in thefirst chapter that if anyone feels his lack of this God-given wisdom heshould ask God for it – and it will be given him.Its Description

James in verse 17 of chapter 3 gives a very thorough descriptionof what this “heavenly wisdom” is like and he describes it very vividly.This is the wisdom we should have, and the wisdom which God wantsto give us. And we can know if our wisdom is God- given wisdom bycomparing it with the words which follow:

This wisdom is “pure”. The actions which come as a result of thiswisdom, and our reactions, will be clean, transparent and honest.Our desire will be to do right and avoid pragmatism.This wisdom is “peaceable”. If we decide and act with the wisdomthat comes from God we will be peacemakers and not peace break-ers (Matthew 5 v9).This wisdom is “gentle”. This wisdom will always show itself ingentleness to others as Paul explains in 2 Timothy 2 v24:

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle toall, able to teach, patient.”

This wisdom is “willing to yield”. If we have God’s wisdom wewill be open to others and their views. We will not be stubborn; wewill not try to force our views or manipulate others, but be willingto take advice and instruction.


This wisdom is “full of mercy and good fruits”. We will always beready to forgive others (as we have been forgiven). We will notharbour grudges; but, instead, we will react to everyone with love,the first fruit of the Spirit.This wisdom will be “without partiality”. We will not indulge infavoritism. We will not curry the favour of the rich and influentialand avoid those who are poor and who, we feel, are inferior (James2 v2-6). We will treat everyone the same way.This wisdom is “without hypocrisy”. The wise person will not weara mask. What others see is what he is. He will not do anythingwhich is underhand or “behind backs”.

None of us is, of course, perfect, and none of us will ever live upto the standards of wisdom outlined by James. Yet, at the same time, wecan use these standards as qualities against which we can measure ourwisdom, and the decisions and actions which result from it. In this waywe can always judge if our wisdom is God-given wisdom from above,or worldly wisdom from below.Its Results

We have already seen a number of the results of God-given wis-dom when we described that wisdom using James 3 v17 as an outline –purity, peace, gentleness, flexibility, mercy, good fruits, impartiality andtransparency.

But James gives us several additional results which we will beable to see as evidences of this wisdom.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show bygood conduct that his works are done in the meekness ofwisdom. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace bythose who make peace” (James 3 v13 and 18).Good conduct – a good, clean life.A wise man, James says, in verse 13, is one whose wisdom will bedemonstrated first of all by the testimony of a good life or goodconduct, and in verse 18 he speaks of the fruit of righteousnessshown in the life of a man who is truly wise.

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Good works.And this life will be evidenced by the good works he does – espe-cially in relation to those in need.Meekness.James speaks here about the meekness of wisdom. The wise mandoes not boast or draw attention to himself. He has a gentle andmeek attitude towards others.PeaceAnd then James comes back again in verse 18 to a quality ofwisdom which he has already mentioned in verse 17. The man whohas wisdom from above will be a person who sows and makespeace in what he decides and what he does. He is, perhaps aboveeverything else, a man of peace.

All of these results of the wisdom from above will be obvious andvisible – if they are there. For example, wisdom does not fight, loseone’s temper, defend oneself or criticise. It sows peace and reaps right-eousness.

All the above qualities are rooted in the wisdom of God. He ispure in His character and His actions. He is the Prince of Peace. He isgentle and does not fight, lose His temper, criticise, withhold forgive-ness, fluctuate – or pretend. As we receive wisdom we will becomemore and more like Him.


To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,

All I ask to be like Him.

All through life’s journey – fromearth to glory


To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,


So pure and holy – so meek andlowly,


“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1 v19).