Author: Elizabeth

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A Return on His Investment

Matthew records for us 5 stories that Jesus told to help us be prepared for the last days and Jesus’ second coming to earth. Set amongst these stories that Jesus tells is what is often called, “The Parable of the Talents.” I’ve taught this in Sunday School to children, but in reality, it is a very scary story.

Jesus says that when he comes again it will be like this: Matthew 25:14–30 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Notice, the king is not giving them gifts but entrusting his servants with his personal property. He is trusting his servants with an investment. All of our talents, our wealth, our spiritual gifts are not ours, they are our master’s property given to us to manage until he returns. What a high amount of trust the Master is placing in us! Never more than we could handle, but just enough. How much am I returning on the investment Christ has blessed me with?

Well, the first thing I want to know, is why did the master trust one servant with 5 talents, one servant with 2 talents, and 1 servant with only 1? Right off the bat, I’m thinking that’s not fair. But interestingly enough, it is said that the master knew the abilities of his subjects. He gave them just what they could handle. In a sense, he gave them the same, the amount they could handle.

I’ve always thought of myself as a 2 talent Christian, surely not a 5 talent Christian like Billy Graham or someone. And not a 1 talent Christian because God has blessed me from top to bottom in so many ways. And so, as a 2 talent Christian, I tend to think that I can invest part time. 5 talent Christians must invest in the kingdom of God full time but us mere 2 talent folks can do a little for God because he’ll only expect a 2 talent return.

But what I missed was that the master is looking for a 100% return from each of his servants. Whether we are 5 or 2 or 1 talent Christians he expects 100 percent return on the talents, the blessings, the spiritual gifts he has given us. And when I consider everything God has blessed me with, maybe I am a 5 talent servant, just a lazy one. How much am I returning on Christ’s investment in me?

That is why this is scary. The older we get the closer we get to a meeting with our maker, the metaphoric return of the master. The more we’re blessed with, the more we are responsible to give back to the master on His return.

Are we to live in fear? I think so. I think we are meant to live with a healthy respect for the return of the master. That is what this parable is calling for. Yes, God’s grace abounds (there is a talent) and our sins are forgiven (another talent) but that grace and that forgiveness simply means we have more responsibility, we’ve been invested with more. Jesus didn’t tell just one story about preparing for the end to his disciples, he told five. None of them are warm and fuzzy but alert us to our accountability. How much am I returning on Christ’s investment in me?

Christ has invested us with spiritual gifts, with talents, with minds, with belongings, with loved ones and friends, with varying degrees of health. What percent return are we ready to present on the investment in us.

How do we know what is a return on the investment? Our percentage return is what is done with eternal significance. Some of the other 4 stories in Matthew 24 and 25 spell it out for us. These ways to build on Christ’s investment begin with being willing to endure persecution for his sake while the master is gone, Mt. 24.13; staying alert and being ready for the return of the master, Mt. 24:42-44, Mt. 25:1-13; and the spiritual care for and feeding of Christ’s other servants, Mt. 24:45-47;

But finally, the most straightforward, clear command of how to build up Christ’s investment is spelled out in “The Parable of the Sheep and Goats” Matthew 25:35-40: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Caring for “the least of these” is not only building on Christ’s investment in us but is caring for Jesus Christ incognito. What we do for Christ , His servants, and those in need will last for eternity.

Jesus’ disciple Peter, one who had heard this story from Jesus’ own lips later wrote this:1 Peter 4:10–11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Some of us have 5 talents, some have 2, some have 1, but no believer has not been invested in by God. I remember my grandmother when she was quite elderly. She could barely get around, she could no longer attend church, she couldn’t even sleep well. So she used her one talent left, the ability to pray for others. In those hours between bedtime and morning, she pray for each of her family members and different ministries. The next day she sent letters of encouragement to us and to radio preachers who had blessed her with their sermons as she lay awake at night listening  to them on her transistor radio. Though her ability was diminished she brought a huge return on Christ’s investment in her life. She took 1 talent and turned it into 10.

When Jesus returns, what will you and I have to show for the investment, the talents, the blessing he has given us? Am I really only a 1 or 2 talent Christian or am I a 5 talent Christian who has some work to do in the kingdom of God? How much will I return on Christ’s investment in me?

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As Iron Sharpens Iron

One of my hobbies is reading biographies of missionaries. I thrill to the tales of travel, commitment, and faith in the face of extreme uncertainty. Recently, I read the biography of and some books by Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee, or Ni Tuosheng (Watchman was a name he gave himself because he felt he was called to raise the warning call in a dark world). I felt a strong connection to Nee, perhaps because for a time we were both connected to the Plymouth Brethren movement and probably as a result of that, we both chafed at a clergy-lay distinction, believing that a plurality of elders brought great wisdom. We both believe that it is through studying the Scriptures and teaching others to do so will build the Kingdom of God. And also, as anyone who knows me can tell you, I’ve had a strong interest in China and Chinese Christians my entire life.

I learned that Watchman Nee focused on building deeply spiritual Christians as a way to build churches. He is credited with starting the church movement in China though he spent the last twenty years of his life in prison for his faith. Watchman Nee wasn’t what we think of as a missionary really, his ministry was to his own people and in his own country. Though his grandfather was the first Chinese pastor among the Congregationalists in northern Fukien province, Watchman was led to the Lord Jesus by a woman, Dora Yu, a prominant Chinese evangelist at the time. While in college, he sought a mentor to teach him about how to be a deep and spiritually alive Christian.

The thing that thrilled me most about Watchman’s story was that the teacher he chose for himself was a British woman, old enough to be his mother. This woman, Margaret Barber, had a Bible school near the college Tuoshung attended. She inspired Watchman with her radical devotion to the cross and her unflagging passion for God’s Word. (Laurent, Bob. Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China. Barbour Publishing, Kindle Edition, 29.) When Watchman first approached Margaret she asked herself, could Tuosheng be an answer to my prayer?…If so, I will sharpen him as iron sharpens iron. (Laurent, Bob. Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China, 30.)

Watchman Nee never attended a theological school, but like A.W. Tozer and Charles Spurgeon he taught himself by studying the Word of God, submitting himself to mentor’s like Margaret Barber, and by reading the works of thousands of other Christian writers.

His personal testimony recorded on October 20, 1936 describes his personal commission: “When the Lord called me to serve Him, the prime object was not for me to hold revival meetings so that people might hear more scriptural doctrines, nor for me to become a great evangelist. The Lord revealed to me that He wanted to build up local churches in other localities to manifest Himself, to bear testimony of unity on the ground of locality so that each saint might perform his duty in the church and live the church life. God wants not merely individual pursuit of victory or spirituality, but a corporate, glorious church presented to Himself.” (for quote see http://www.watchmannee.org/life-ministry and various other sources).

The story of Watchman Nee and Margaret Barber continues to inspire me as a teacher called not only to teach the Word but to teach other how to teach the Word in their local churches and Bible studies. Watchman Nee became a great man of God and church planter by choosing to submit himself to the teaching of a godly woman, by discipling others, and by building up the church of Jesus Christ around the world. This is how the kingdom of God grows; by women and men teaching and sharpening one another, studying the Word of God together, and building the Kingdom of God together.

If you want to know more about women who ministered in China read the heroic stories of Lottie Moon and Gladys Aylward.

Elizabeth Anderson @ThoughtfulProclaimer.com

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Deep or Wide? Small Ministries Can Leave A Big Impact for Eternity

The Israelite’s made piles of stones to remember what God had done for them in a particular place. Not huge towers like Babel but 12 stones piled where they would be seen and where people would pass by and remember what God did in that place. A simple pile of stones, when remembered and rehearsed brought a lasting impact as many people celebrated what God did in that place over the years.

When we teach our classes and congregations, whether of 5, 12, or 100 people, we often worry it is not enough. Just a small pile of stones. We feel that to have a big impact for the Kingdom of God, we need more people, bigger ministries. But we do not know the impact of our small words for eternity. Perhaps one person who hears our Bible message will be transformed and affect 10, 1000, or 10,000 others. On and on it goes, spreading over the years. This is what happens when God is at work in our ministry, when the teaching is Biblical and empowered by the Holy Spirit a 12 words can have a lasting impact. That is what deep ministry looks like, transformational, replicating, growing deeper if not always visibly wider. Deep Bible teaching can grow a still deep ministry wider invisibly. No one but God may ever know on this earth the impact being had.

George Verwer, who founded Operation Mobilization, a mission organization that is worldwide and over 50 years old, likes to tell the story that everything he has done in the ministry started with a neighbor lady who prayed for him when he was a young boy. One lady’s prayers have literally changed the world and spread the gospel to untold numbers of people.

Just because a ministry is small does not mean it has a small impact. Small ministries have the blessing of being able to take people deeper. Deep ministries won’t dry up and in fact can be built little by little over weeks, months, and years. It is difficult to grow very large but shallow ministries deeper. It can be done, but you can expect push back from the members. It is hard to turn a large ship.

This is not an excuse not to grow our ministries but a reminder that the Spirit blows where we cannot see and we don’t know the impact of our work until one Day we hear Christ say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

So grow your ministry, but focus first on growing it deep for greater life transformation and worry about the wide part later.

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It’s Never too Late

It’s Never too Late

Matthew 20:1-16 recounts Jesus’s story of the workers in the vineyard who get paid the same amount whether they started early or came in late. I always thought this story was just meant for those who had been working to tend the kingdom of heaven for many years and who were jealous of those late comers who seemed to reap God’s biggest blessings. You know, the elder brothers who are jealous of the younger brother, the prodigal son’s, big party. This makes sense, of course, and is part of the message. But just prior to telling this story, Jesus says: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” You see, it’s never too late to answer God’s call to work in the vineyard.

In other words this parable has two points, and though one of the messages is for those of us who have worked in the vineyard, the kingdom of heaven, for our whole lives, this story is also for those of us who just started working in the vineyard recently. In the kingdom of heaven, the reward for the one who just stepped inside the garden gate and picked up a rake will be the same as the reward for the long-time faithful worker. I can’t help think that this is because the reward is so magnificent that  it doesn’t come in smaller or larger amounts-it is amazing abundant life and eternal life to come.

For me personally, it means that just because the Thoughtful Proclaimer Ministry is a new direction for me, God can bless it every bit as much as if I’d started working on it in my twenties. And in fact, God has been preparing me for this ministry since I was one of those little children who came to sit on Jesus’ lap in Matthew 19:13-15 (just a few verses earlier). It is never too late to answer God’s call to do something new.

So I will be grateful for the faithful workers in the vineyard who came early and stayed late, as well as for those who just showed up. It is never to late to start, to learn more, to begin again because in God’s vineyard, in the kingdom of heaven it’s never to late to begin. The heavenly and earthly rewards are equally as complete, equally as full and abundant for both.

If you have been called to preach or teach the Bible, it’s never too late to prepare for ministry, to learn, or to improve. It’s never too late to do God’s work. That is why the Thoughtful Proclaimer Method is available too all, not just for those who started early or who went to seminary, but for all those who are called by the Master to work in His vineyard.

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Thoughtful Proclaimer Seminar

Thoughtful Proclaimer Ministries offers retreats, seminars, and individual master-classes based on the dynamic Thoughtful Proclaimer method. These events can be customized to fit you and your ministry leaders. Thoughtful Proclaimer events are for ministry leaders, lay preachers, Bible study teachers, church elders, busy pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, and anyone who wants to learn how to study the Word of God in depth and then to proclaim it in accurate, transformational, redemptive Bible messages; messages based on God’s intention for each passage in His Word.

Thoughtful Proclaimer Bible seminars walk you step-by-step through interpreting, applying, and proclaiming God’s Word. The seminars are accessible not only to experienced Bible proclaimers, but have also proven helpful to those with little experience or no preaching or teaching experience.

 

The seminars teach a spiritually enriching and yet Biblically sound way of discovering the primary purpose of a passage. The seminar then goes on to show you how to take that primary purpose and build it into an organized and transformational message which is suited to your particular audience.

The method is called “thoughtful” because it explicitly focuses on Scripture transforming the Proclaimer while the Proclaimer prepares redemptive messages for both seekers and spiritually mature audiences.

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