Viewpoint

Several months ago, my son Andrew and I were reading from the book of Proverbs before he left for school. As we read Chapter 3, there were two verses of scripture that just literally jumped off the page and into my face. And those two verses are 9 and 10. For the writer says, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Honor the Lord, the writer says. It occurred to me that there are a lot of ways that people can honor the Lord, but here the writer says to Honor the Lord with our wealth. What does this mean? I believe that when Christians understand the right use of all of the assets God has entrusted to us, including money, and then uses the money in an honorable way, this wealth can become a means whereby we can in fact honor the Lord.

How does the writer tell his readers to honor the Lord with our wealth? He says to honor the Lord with wealth through the first fruits of all your crops. Back in the book of Exodus, Chapter 23, in verse 19 Moses said: Bring the best (and notice he says best) of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. Now what were the Israelites suppose to do with all of these items once they brought them into the temple? God made it very clear in Numbers 18 that the first fruits were for the Levites, the priestly tribe. The deal was that all the tribes would bring in their first fruits, give them to the Levites, the people who served in the temple, and that's the way the Levites would obtain physical nourishment. Now the Levites needed the first fruits, wouldn't you agree? They had no other means for income. Beyond the Levites needing the first fruits for survival, I believe that the people who gave the first fruits also needed to give them. You see, people need to give. God knew that. And the Israelites who had the farms needed to give a portion to the Lord, less they get the idea that they did it all on their own. It was a way for the Israelites to remind themselves that it all came from God, and they were called to give some of it back to God. People need to give.

In the same spirit as the Israelites, when we bring our offering to church, we are in a sense, giving it to God. I believe it is important that we understand that God has given us wealth, and we have a responsibility to honor God with our wealth. Wealth can either be good for us or bad for us. It can draw us closer to God or it can cause us to fall away from God; it all depends on how we use it. I think John Wesley, who is credited with starting the Methodist church, had an interesting perspective on wealth when he said, "Make all the money you can, save all the money you can, and give all the money you can." I think that's what God would have us to do.

Another way to honor God with your wealth is to share it with people who are really in need. As we read the Old Testament law, we find provision after provision where God was concerned about the poor being taken care of. When we read the New Testament, we find that Jesus was constantly expressing concern and compassion for the poor.

I also believe we honor God with our wealth when we properly manage the money we keep for ourselves. If were going to be good managers of our money there are at least three temptations that we're going to have to deal with everyday, the first being impulsive spending. This is very difficult to do when we live in a society that constantly bombards us with advertisements for things we truly can't afford and, in many cases, truly don't need. The second temptation is the urge to plunge into debt. Proverbs has so much to say about this subject. Today with all of the creative financing solutions, everything looks so easy, yet later the debt reality sets in, the money is short and the tempers get even shorter. Debt is so easy to get into, but so hard to get out of.

There's a third temptation, and that is the temptation to get rich quick. Today in America it is estimated that there are over 55 million people who actively play the lottery. That's 1/5 of all US citizens. Did you realize what the odds are if you play the lottery? The odds are only one in every 13.8 million that you'll win. The fact is for many who start out playing the lottery for fun can end up destroying their lives and their family. As Christians, we cannot condone letting personal indebtedness dominate our culture; it's a by-product of a get rich quick mentality that menaces the American soul.

So you see there are a lot of ways in which we can honor God with our wealth, and I am sure there are many others. But what is truly exciting about Proverbs 3: 9-10 is the promise that it contains. Look at the text again Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of your crops; (then, here's the promise ), then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. What I believe Solomon is saying is that if you honor God with your wealth, you will have made a sound investment. And God will bless you for it.

--Steve Teunis

Perspective

A true story that I recently read about a little girl was told by her best friend. The girl, who was about seven years old, got lost one day. She ran up and down the streets of the big town where she lived, but she could not find a single landmark or anyone she knew. She became very frightened. But soon a policeman saw the panicky little girl and stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, "You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here."

Do you feel that way about our church? I do. I really do. And I hope you can truthfully say that you do too. Church should be a landmark to you and me. It should help us get and keep our bearings in the journey of life. It should aid us in our Christian walk, help us keep our lives in a spiritual perspective, and help us find our way home if and when we get lost. Church should be a place where we can mature and grow as Christians and where we are inspired and challenged toward maximum spiritual growth. Church should be a comfortable place. But it should also be a place where we are made uncomfortable when we are not in the will of God, or when we stagnate as Christians.

We Christians who worship here together in Cicero are especially blessed. As we contemplate the sale of our building here and moving to a new one, we need more than ever to realize that the building is not our church. Church is the people who meet in the building. We are the church. We are the body of Christ (or at least a part of it). A building takes on significance only because of the people who meet together in it, only because of the experiences that are shared there by those who use that building.

You who meet and worship with me here in Cicero make up my primary spiritual community, my true spiritual family, my community of faith. I (almost always) look forward to being with you. I enjoy our fellowship together. When I see your faces and hear your voices, I find my way home. When you tell me your stories and take the time to let me share mine with you , when we share and struggle together, I am helped to find my way home. Our singing together, our praying together, our seeking to know and do God's will together, our desire to overcome even our disagreements and the way we sometimes irritate each other &emdash; all of this helps forge the bond of love that we have in the name of Jesus Christ. Without Him, we are nothing. With and in Him, we are a marvel to behold!

This church means much to me because it helps me find my way home. Like the little girl in the story, I cannot stay lost for long because of my church. You help me focus on what is important. You help me keep my life in a spiritual perspective. You remind me that I am home only in Jesus Christ.

&emdash;Larry Urbaniak

Other Items

At the invitation of the Free Bible Students in various parts of Romania, Joe & Pat Knapp and I made a trip there leaving on Sept. 8 and returning on the 28th. A van from the orphanage took us and Julia Ghenia (who knows some English and whom Faye and Bert Collins are sponsoring for nursing school) to Botosani, arriving after midnight. I was delighted to meet Cecil Pagel for the first time.

The next morning we went to breakfast and met many of the orphans. They are wonderful children who crave affection. Many just touched us and smiled as they passed by. I interpreted this as a sort of welcome from them. The financial situation at the orphanage was not good. I later found out that they owed $20,000 to creditors and it takes $15,000 a month to operate. The children had only bread and jam and watered-down juice for breakfast. Even so, they seemed contented. Later we went to a food co-op and Cecil and Virginia (who runs the orphanage) bought some food staples to give to some of the poor families in the area. How appreciative they were to receive so little. One family lived in a dirt floor one room house that formerly housed seven people. The husband had died, three of the children were taken into the orphanage, and the mother was out in the fields working for food for herself and the two remaining children. We left the food with the two children.

That evening the children assembled in the church on the orphanage property and sang us many songs. They sounded like little angels. Afterwards Joe, Pat and I handed out packages sent there by many brethren in the US to all the children. Most all the contents were school related. How appreciative they all were to get so little. They gave us hugs as they received their package. Marcela, whom Jeannie and I sponsor, had always wanted a flute. Through the generosity of Tracie Elliott of the Berean Bible Student Church of Cicero, IL, we were able to present her with one that evening. She looked down at it, then back to me, then back to it again as if it were a dream. She started to get tears in her eyes. Quite an emotional time for both of us.

The next morning we attended a three hour service in the church. Women sat on the left and men on the right. There were spontaneous prayers from the congregation, hymn singing, and short sermons given by any who wished to share. Joe and I were invited to share which we did with Marius Ghinea interpreting. After lunch we and all the children gathered on the steps of the church for pictures. They also sang to us again.

We stayed with the Vasile Giloan family for a week enjoying their wonderful hospitality. While there we had many Bible discussions with the brethren of that group as well as with two others from another group that showed up. A thirst for a deeper understanding of the Lord's word was ever present.

During the week we studied many things. One was the need to be organized as a church group with responsible leadership as outlined in the Bible. After much discussion this group decided to do this, taking the name of "Adonare Crestin Agape din Cluj" (Fellowship of Christian Love in Cluj). Their first elder was to be Br. Romulus Bondor. During this week Br. Vasile drove us to visit with Br. Loan Pop and his family in Baia Mare. Br. Mirel Venter, a doctor from the village of Bicaz joined us for Bible discussions. These two brothers drove us to see Sr. Lisa Dragos and her family in Sighetul Marmatiei near the Russian border. Joe, Pat, and I had known Lisa when she lived in the US. It was good to see her again and to meet her husband and beautiful little daughter.

The next morning we were picked up by Br. Benjamin Chiorean who took us to his home in Albaiulia. He and their three children spoke English fairly well. We had some Bible discussions and afterward the children sang us some songs. They taught Joe a Romanian hymn and he is turn taught them an English one which had a tricky melody which they loved. He played their guitar while they sung it over and over and over. We enjoyed our visit with them but it was all too short.

The second week we moved over to Gligor Marc's home in Cluj. Immediately we entered into more studies with about six of their brethren. We walked in the nearby woods while the brethren sang hymns accompanied by the accordion. At a high point with a panoramic view of valleys and hills, we sat down and studied some more. Another day we picnicked near a dam and had more studies and sang more hymns again with the accompaniment of the accordion that Br. Gligor played. We had some very intense studies while we were there. Cornelia, Br. Gligor's daughter did much of the interpreting for us. At times Natalia Blaga came and took over. She is a music student at a local university. We discussed the topics of Christian liberty and unity and other topics during the week.

We were invited to dinner at the house of Elena Rus, Br. Gligor and Sr. Lidia's other daughter, and also to Ioan and Marinela Rus' homes. We sang hymns after the meals. Romanians love to sing and they do it with all their hearts. On another day we revisited The Pop's home, studied some more, and had dinner at Br. Mirel's home. The next morning we saw the family sawmill business, had a picnic lunch and headed for Sangeorz-Bai (St. George) where we answered questions in the evening, stayed overnight and had Sunday services the following morning. About 55 brethren were present including many from the Divine Plan group. Joe gave a sermon on living our faith and walking in integrity. I also spoke on the plan of God and centered on the importance of agape (love) being more important than knowledge. Of course many hymns were sung.

The flights home were uneventful and we were all very happy to be home once again with our families. Though tired, we felt that God had richly blessed us and the brethren that we had met.

Other observations:

-The Romanian countryside, hills and mountains are spectacular to behold.

-Encountered cows and sheep driven down the main streets of some villages.

-Pollution in the cities is very bad and went unregulated until just recently.

-Young people in cities are dress quite fashionably on a whole.

-Horse drawn wagons are frequently seen on city streets. Hay is cut by hand with a scythe or sickle.

-Whole families with hoes on their shoulders are seen walking to and from their fields.

-Cows and horses are fed anywhere there is grass, even on the sides of highways. Men and women watch over them.

-The Cluj area was once villages which were destroyed and replaced with huge apartment complexes by the Communists.

-The country's economy is so bad and unemployment so high that many city people wish they were still under Communism for then they had no worries.

-In many cases both the husband and wife work to make ends meet, many work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week.

-It was said that the average wage for workers is $60.00 a month.

-One dollar is about 15,000 Romanian lei. Ex. - A small bottle of water sells for 4500 to 5000 lei. Gasoline price per gallon was around $3.50.

--Elmer Weeks

Roy's Reflections

Arlene and I live next to a lake, and as I sit on our back porch, I sometimes see a mother duck strutting across the lawns toward the lake. Right behind her follows her brood of tiny ducklings. Plunk, plunk, plunk. Into the water they follow, and low and behold, they swim in a little row right behind her. What makes this scene so charming is its rarity. So few other animals do it. Humans don't. Early on, in the very first book in the Bible, we read: "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.... But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." (Gen. 6:5 - 8) Walking with God and His Son is just as rare in our generation. Religion isn't rare.

"Religiousness" is popular these days. But walking with God is uncommon. Yet this walking is precisely what differentiates real Christians from their plastic toy-store counterparts.

Walking along the stony beach of Galilee, Jesus sees some fishermen. "Follow me," he says, "follow me." They leave the fishing nets with their astonished father and follow. He sees a tax collector, sitting in his office. "Follow me," he says, and Matthew pushes back his chair, hangs a "closed" sign in the window, and follows. Walking with Jesus can't wait until a commercial break or a convenient point in our lives. It is now.

"I'd like to follow you," says one, "but I can't until I bury my aged father."

"Let the 'dead' bury their dead," replies Jesus, "but as for you &emdash; you follow me."

Walking with Jesus is marked by its immediacy as well as its costliness. "What must I do to have eternal life?" asks a finely dressed young man.

"Give away your wealth to the poor," says Jesus, "and follow me." The man's pace slows. He drops out of the journey. Jesus asks too much of his walkers. "Whoever would follow me," Jesus says, "must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow."

God's heart breaks at the sight of men and women lost in time, on their own paths spiraling down into the pits of compromise and self-absorption and degradation. He's created them for fellowship with the Father and the Son, and all they can do is offer explanations and excuses for their deaf ears and numbed feet and self-willed hearts. God is grieved.

Then in his heartbreak he turns to someone who "walks" with him &emdash; Noah, a man who is circumspect in the way he lives, in spite of the moral cesspool around him. God finds pleasure in this walker who listens when He speaks, who turns when God's direction changes, who obeys when he hears a new word. God is pleased.

"I want you to build an ark, Noah. I want you to build it longer than a soccer field and as high as a four-story house."

"It'll take a lot of wood, Lord."

"I know. That's why I've prospered you all these years and given you wealth. This is what you are to do with it."

"It'll take lots of workers, Lord."

"You and your sons and your servants can do it."

"It'll take lots of time, Lord."

"I have given you long life for just this purpose."

"Then we'll do it, Lord. Yes, we'll do it."

On our walk with Jesus, he asks of us some big things, too. Things undreamed of. Things impossible. Things uncomfortable. Things which stretch us to the limit. Some drop out at this point. Some don't continue the journey. They ignore the demands of the Father.

"I'll follow you wherever you go," says one.

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," Jesus replies.

Jesus utters a hard saying and many of his band of walkers desert Him. "Will you also go away?" he asks his closest followers. "Will you leave, as well?"

He asks this question of you, too. Will you continue to follow? Will you remain faithful to walk with Him and His Father? Will you be one of those rare individuals who gladden the heart of God? Who brings pleasure to a heartbroken Father? I want to be one of those, and I think you do, too. There's no higher honor we can aspire to than for people to say about us what is recorded about Noah of old: "He walked with God."

Roy R. Boswell