Jump Start # 2316

1 Samuel 8:5 “and they said to him, ‘Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”

Israel wanted a king. They wanted to be like all the nations around them. This was a rejection of God’s leadership and an illustration of an interesting thread that connects several key principles together. Being like those around you is conforming. It’s blending in. It’s looking like, thinking like and acting like everyone else. The opposite of this is to stand out. It’s being different. It’s being transformed. That is the idea of being holy. We tend to think that “holy” means to be religious. The word means to be separate or set apart. It’s being different.

Now, when one is different than everyone else he stands out. He’s noticed. That is where letting your light shine comes from. The light shines the brightest in the darkest places. We refer to this as influence. So, there is the conceptual thread—transformation to holiness to light shining or influence. They are all connected together and they all fall apart when one longs to be like everyone around him.

When a person is like those around him, whether in talk, or in dress, or in attitude, he will take his cue from what they are doing. He’ll laugh at what they think is funny. He’ll go along so he can fit in. He wants to be one of them. This is the very pressure that our young people feel. This is at school. This is on the field of sports. This is the pressure that a young graduate feels at his first job. He wants to fit in and he wants to do well. So, he goes along with everyone else.

If a person doesn’t do that, they will be noticed. They are seen as different. And that fact of being different is more than many can handle. It is noticed by others. Being different sometimes leads to being excluded or even made fun of. That right there, is the social death for many. You don’t fit in. You aren’t invited. You aren’t one of them. You are different.

Israel wanted a visible king. They wanted to be like the other nations. The other nations had kings that spoke. The other nations had kings that wore crowns, rode upon white horses and led the troops into battle. The other nations had a sense of identity. “Long live the king,” has a face you can put on that. But up to this point Israel was different. They had a king, but no one could see Him. Israel’s king not only led them into battle, but had been victorious time and time again. Israel’s king was benevolent, kind and expected the nation to be different as He was. Israel had a king. That King was God. But, they wanted something else. They wanted to no longer be different. They wanted to be like the other nations. That process would kill their influence. It would no longer make them holy or different. It would mean that they were no longer transformed, but they would conform. What the other nations did, is what Israel would do.

So, Israel got a king. And, when you look at the long lineage of kings in Israel’s history you see, idolatry, wars, turmoil, assassinations, and trouble. Yes, they were like the other nations. The other nations had those things and now, so did Israel.

The pull to fit in, blend in and be like others comes with a cost. The greatest cost is that we lose our holiness. We are no longer different. We are no longer following Christ. For the young person, it may be swearing, smoking and breaking rules that makes him seem like everyone else. It causes him to cross a barrier of right and wrong. For the young worker it may be doing some things that are not ethical. It may be bending the rules here and there. To fit in, to be like the others, either he’ll go along or else he’ll become so uneasy and uncomfortable that he will look for another job.

One of the toughest lessons that needs to be taught in our homes is how to survive being different. You will be noticed. You may be bullied. You may be the source of jokes. You may not be invited, included or welcome. That pressure is so hard, you feel like blending in.

First, letting the household know that we are different is where it begins. Talk about it. Make sure it’s not the attitude that we are better than others, but rather, we follow Christ and that makes us different. Talk about ways you will be different. You will not wear what everyone else is wearing. You will not go to all the movies that others go to. You will be in the church house on Sunday worshipping God. You will have curfews and must let it be known where you are at all times. It’s tough, but we want to go to Heaven.

Second, let them see that difference in you. How do you act when you are with family members who are not Christians? How do you act at ballgames? It’s easy for school age kids to get the impression that once I get old enough I no longer have to be different. It’s like sitting at the kids table at the holidays. Once you are old enough, you get to move up to the big table. In their minds, they may think that being different is something that only happens when you are in school. Once you are out, you can be like everyone else. They need to see that you are different. In your language, attitude, outlook and habits.

Third, reassure the family that following Christ is the best thing to do. They may be afraid. The may feel bad about not being able to go to some places that their friends are going. Help them through those moments. Find great quality people to put them around. Do things with others who feel and believe the way you do. Make it a priority to assure them that they are on the right path.

Finally, we need to remind ourselves, that following others and being like the world is a dead-end street. Holiness, influence, transformation, begins in our heart and it begins with our faith. Israel failed. The leadership of Israel failed. A few bright spots, such as David, but for the most part, you’d never know that they were the people of God. They got what they wanted—to be like others. And, in the end, they finished up like the other nations—defeated, captured and not making any impact in the generations around them.

Being different leads to transformation which leads to being noticed. Holiness leads to being an influence. These are tough lessons that we all must work through. Don’t leave these to your young people to work out on their own, because they generally won’t. It’s much easier to just follow the crowd. It takes faith, courage and trusting God to be different. That’s where Israel missed it. They traded all of that in so they could look like everyone else.

Time to have some discussions around the kitchen table. We belong to Christ.

Roger

Jump Start # 1782

1 Samuel 8:5 “and they said to him, ‘behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”

Our passage today is the desire of Israel to have a physical king to lead them. God was their king, but He was in Heaven. Other nations had a palace where the king sat on a throne. When they went to war, their king led the troops. These other nations had a visible leader and Israel wanted that. Samuel, the priest was old. His time was about up. His sons were dishonest and not serious about their responsibilities. The nation did not want Samuel’s sons to continue in his role. It was time for a change and it was a good time, they thought to introduce a king. This plea upset Samuel. It upset God. God saw it for what it was. He declared that they have rejected me from being their king.

Biblical history shows us that Israel got what they wanted, a king like all the nations. A few stood out as being loyal to God, but most were concerned about their position and power. The kings were corrupt, idolatrous, and self serving. Israel wasn’t the better because of her kings. Their kings led them away from God.

That expression, “like all the nations,” has been a warning sign for those who want to change and be like others. Parents have taught their kids not to do what everyone else was doing. When it comes to God’s church, we don’t follow the shakers and movers in the religious world. Our eyes are set upon the Lord. That has kept God’s people true to the book and faithful to our purpose.

However, even among us, things can become trendy and we can follow the latest fads within our fellowship. This is not always bad. A good idea ought to be shared and if it works and is true to the book, others ought to take a look at it. But sometimes, we do things because it’s the latest and we copycat each other without a good reason. This is nothing new. For generations this has been going on. For instance, look across the nation and notice that just about every congregation for years has met twice on Sunday, a mid-week on Wednesday and had a spring and fall Gospel meeting. That’s how it’s been for most of us for as long as we can remember. Just about every one did the same thing. Once in a while, you’d find a congregation that had mid-week on Thursday, and people would note how odd that seemed.

Powerpoint became the latest technological revolution and everyone had to get that. Great. I love powerpoint. Use it all the time. But some small rural congregations were getting this that didn’t have the people who could understand it, operate it, nor was it used very much. Why then did they get it? Were they convinced by someone that they had to have it? Was this a move to raise the bar in the teaching or was it simply keeping up with everyone else? And in many places, the protector hangs from the ceiling collecting dust and is never used.

Improving and changing how we do things is not wrong. The alternative is to stay with things long after they are no longer useful nor helpful. I knew a congregation that had a Sunday night singing on the first Sunday that followed a first Monday of the month. It was very confusing. It wasn’t the first Sunday of the month. It was the first Sunday AFTER the first Monday of the month. I never could get it straight. The reason was a long time ago, the first Monday of the month is when they had an evening to do evangelism in the neighborhood. They decided to have a singing on the following Sunday. This sounds good, but they dropped the Monday evangelism long ago but kept the singing. Instead of having the singing on the first Sunday of the month, it was the first Sunday after a first Monday. I told people it had to do something with the full moon.

Many congregations now have two preachers. Gospel meetings have been shortened. Many are meeting just once on Sunday. For some, it’s a longer service than what they used to have. Some incorporate two sermons in that one service. All of these things are helpful and good if there is a reason behind it. Some will change things just because others have changed things. There are congregations that have two preachers and you wonder why? It’s not the size of the congregation, the work load, or they are doing more. It seems that having two preachers is the latest fad and they want that. A church with two preachers ought to be doing more than what they could do with one preacher. If the drive behind getting a second preacher is so the other preacher only has to preach once on Sunday, that seems to be a waste of money and talent. With one preacher in the pulpit, the other preacher ought to go help a small congregation that doesn’t have a preacher. Instead of doing less, they ought to do more.

Every congregation is presented with unique opportunities and challenges. What works for one place may not work for another. Thought needs to be put into what and why we are doing things. Is it wrong to copy what another place is doing? No, not if there is a reason where you are at. Just to copy something because someone else is doing it, or because it’s different, may not make sense nor be necessary where you are at.

The needs of one congregation may not be the same needs as another place. Careful thought must be put into what our people need and what will help them the best. Just wanting to be like another congregation isn’t a good reason to change things. People, relationships, and attitudes are some things that cannot be copied from place to place. What works in one place may never work in another place.

Behind all of this was a discussion I had recently with someone who wanted to know how a two-preacher church works. He was interested. I was shocked. Where he preached could barely afford him. It was a small place. Why, then do you need another preacher, I asked. His response was classic. “Isn’t that the way most churches are going today?” It allowed me to share with him some thoughts about why we do what we do. I think he got it. He changed his tune about needing a second preacher. He also learned, “the way most churches are going today,” isn’t what he ought to be interested in. We then talked about the needs of the congregation where he preached. The community. The demographics of the group. Ideas started flowing. He was now looking within rather than looking at what others were doing. There seemed to be a fire that was lit within his heart. He had ideas and plans and goals and was so excited. He dropped the talk about a second preacher. That was no longer necessary.

Green pastures…quiet waters…a table before our enemies—the shepherd knew. We must know our people and must know what works for them in teaching the Gospel and strengthening souls.

Roger