Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Perspective

by Larry Urbaniak

Study

II Timothy 5:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

A speaker who I once heard address a group of teachers claimed that he knew exactly what it took to be an expert on any topic in any field. He said that if you studied a topic for 1000 hours, you would become an expert on it. That means that you would have to devote about one hour a day to study for three years. He went on to further claim that if you devoted 5000 hours (about one hour per day for fifteen years) to studying a topic, you would then know more about that topic than any other living person.

I was impressed. I began to wonder how many experts on the Bible there are. And I wondered who knew more than any other living person about the scriptures. I have always been impressed with II Timothy 2:15, and with the need to study the Bible. And I have never felt that I devoted enough of my time or energy to Bible study.

As important as study is, however, I don't think that becoming a Biblical expert is what Paul had in mind when he wrote this verse to Timothy. Other translations treat the phrase "Study to show thyself approved..." somewhat differently. Listen to some of them: "Earnestly seek to commend yourself to God..." "Try hard to show yourself worthy of God's approval..." "Aim first at winning God's approval..." "Give diligence to present thyself..."

Arthur Costa says, "Intelligent behavior is knowing what to do when you don't know what to do." I think he is quite right. Studying is certainly important (and most of us don't do enough of it), but head knowledge is not what Paul was writing about. Having the truth does not mean just having doctrine correct. I know people who have great difficulty in accomplishing anything because they try to become experts on any situation they face before making any decisions about it. We can never have enough data to make a decision. There is always an element of risk, a certain necessary reliance on intuition.

For the Christian, there is a needed role for the power and comfortable influence of God’s Holy Spirit. To be an effective Christian means, I think, a degree of risk-taking in the Spirit. Paul went on to tell Timothy that he should be "rightly dividing the word of truth." Listen to some other translations of this expression: “handling aright the word of truth." "Correctly analyzing the message of the truth." "Skillfully handling the word." "Declaring the word of truth without distortion." "Driving a straight furrow, in your proclamation of the truth."

Study? Yes. We need to study the scriptures more than we do. We need a firm base for our lives. Becoming experts? Not a bad idea. But the really important thing is that we are straightforward as Christians, that we declare God's word without distortion -- not just in words, but especially in how we live our lives.

Roy's Reflections
by Roy Boswell

Are you a Real Christian or Just Religious?

1. God's Purpose
Christianity is a religion, but people can be religious without being Christians. Christ condemned the religious Pharisees of his day because they hid their real selves behind a facade of religion and external morality.
It may sound odd, but God isn't into religion or external morality. He’s into relationships and reality. That is, He wants us not only to have a right relationship with Him, but also with each other. And He wants us to be real, to see and admit what we truly are, so He can help us. God's goal is to make us whole, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our actions, lifestyle, and relationships be wholesome!
Religion tends to want to fix us from the outside in. God wants to fix us from the inside out. The first can become an impossible burden. The latter is what brings freedom. Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. It is experiencing divine love, divine acceptance and divine forgiveness.
It helps to realize that God isn't out to zap us for the wrongs we've done. In fact, no matter what we have ever done or have failed to do, He loves us with an everlasting love and has a wonderful purpose for our lives – for this life as well as the next! As Jesus said,“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And again, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

2. Man's Problem
On the outside we may look like we are doing very well, but on the inside every one of us has a major issue. Seneca, the ancient Roman philosopher, put it bluntly when he said; “We have all sinned. Some more. Some less.” God's Word, the Bible agrees. It reads,“We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard.” Sin is not only doing harmful acts; it is anything that falls short of the standard of perfection that God envisioned for us. This includes nursing grudges and other negative emotions, pride, jealousy, mixed motives, etc. Most of us are also guilty of sins of omission; that is, not doing what we know we should and could do.
Another misconception about God is that He is out to get us or to punish us for our sins. We bring sin's punishment on ourselves because sin has its own natural consequences. If we try to break the universal law of gravity, for instance, we can’t. It will break us. Neither can we break God’s universal moral law. When we do, it breaks us, and leaves us with its numerous painful effects, such as suffering, sorrows, sickness, depression and ultimately spiritual death.
We are like a burned out or "dead" electric light bulb that cannot respond to its power source. And because we are spiritually dead, we cannot respond to God’s love and power either, without His first“fixing” us. Furthermore, because of our spiritual deadness, it is impossible for anyone to save him or herself. Only God can do this. This is why all the "good works" in the world cannot make us alive to God. Only when we see and admit this, is God able to "fix" us!

3. Christ's Answer
Because our sin has separated or disconnected us from God, we have been left with a God-shaped vacuum, or spiritual emptiness, within. As Augustine put it,“You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” The world’s many religions are all evidence of man’s endless search to find God and fill this vacuum. However, because God loved us so much, He sent His own sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our predicament.
Christ did this by dying on the cross in our place to pay the consequence of and ransom price for our sins – His death. Thus, Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin, and He is the only way back to God. God's Word says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” Had there been any other way to save mankind, Christ wouldn't have had to die for us. Because He was without sin, He was the only one qualified to die for our sins.

4. Your Invitation
If you were found guilty of a serious crime and were condemned to death, if offered, would you accept a free unconditional pardon? Because of Christ’s dying for us, that’s what God offers us, and with it His promise of eternal life. All we need to do is to accept His pardon.
Here’s how to do just that:
First, confess. God’s Word says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.”
Second, repent. That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and His ways. Jesus said: “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe.”
Third, believe. “Believe in the Lord Jesus and be baptized and you will be saved,” declares the Word of God.
Fourth, receive. God's Word also said: “To all who received him [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Fifth, study. Study God’s word daily because it teaches us that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Sixth, Watch and Pray. Pray daily for God’s will in your life because scripture states: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
These are the things that make a real Christian.
Viewpoints

Tumble For Jesus
by David Elliott

On May 18th, the Village of Lombard held their annual Lilac Day Parade. This is a typical parade with a variety of cars, floats, bands, clowns and trucks. They even had a huge grocery cart that was driven down the street. When we moved to Lombard two and a half years ago, we had no idea of the importance of this parade to the Village. People come from surrounding towns to watch this parade
A nice aspect of the parade is that the street in front of our house is a staging area for the parade. There are floats and different groups lined up and down the street getting in the correct order for the parade. There are signs with numbers posted telling each group where they need to be. Everything seems very well organized and the participants in the parade know where they need to go. Our children, Mark and Sarah, really enjoy watching the groups congregate in front of our house. One year we had the Jessie White Tumblers stationed on our block.
The Jessie White Tumblers are a remarkable group of young Chicago inner-city boys who come from some very rough neighborhoods. Jessie White created a tumbling group to help these young men learn to make good decisions. He has very high expectations of them and he seems to have made a tremendous influence on these young men’s lives. The Jessie White Tumblers do a series of tumbling runs consisting of round offs, handsprings, flip flops, etc. Next, they bring out the circular trampoline and the real fun starts. The youngest kids (7-10 years old) come running up and do flips off of the trampoline and then get into line in front of the trampoline. The next tumblers come running up and do flips over the top of the first tumblers. The height and the athletic ability of the tumblers continues to increase as they continue. By the end of the runs, the oldest tumblers (16-18 years old) take their turn. In their red tops and white pants, these amazing athletes sprint at the trampoline as fast as they can. By this time in the performance, there are close to 12 kids standing hands on knees in front of the trampoline. These older tumblers hit the trampoline and go flying up into the air and gracefully flip over one or two times. As they approach the end of the group bent over, they go into a tuck and land on the other side of the group with a roll. The Jessie White Tumblers perform in parades, at professional sporting events and other locations they are invited.
The part of the Jessie White Tumblers that I admire the most is the work of the founder. Jessie White chooses to make a difference in the lives of young, at risk, boys. He took a skill he had, gymnastics, and applied it to them. I do not know what has happened to all of his young men. I am sure some have moved onto success in other areas, others probably have fallen into the at-risk life style they had before Jessie White had come in contact with them. However, he showed these kids an alternative to the life they believed they were destined to live. Jessie White has made a difference in people’s lives because he took the time and used his skills to be an influence.
As Christians, we need to be looking for ways to make a difference in people’s lives for Christ. In Luke 10:1-20, Jesus sends out the 70 with very specific commands. They are going out in front of Jesus. They are warned,“Go! I am sending you our like lambs among wolves.” (Verse 3) because Jesus recognizes that they will be placed into difficult situations. He first tells them to bring the gift of peace to those they visit. He then tells them to heal the sick. And finally, he tells them to preach the Good News that the Kingdom of God is near them. They were to teach, preach and heal, just like Jesus did when he entered a village. These early followers of Jesus did what they were commanded to do in groups of two.
Upon returning from their journeys, the 70 were joyful. They commented in verse 17, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” These 70 recognized the power they had through Jesus. “However,” Jesus warns them in verse 20, “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Jesus wants them to keep the proper perspective on the work they did and the work they will do in the future.
How do the Jessie White Tumblers and the story of the 70 tie together?
1. A single man, Jessie White, through the use of tumbling has made a difference. We can have a much larger impact through the power we have been given through Jesus. Do not underestimate your role in Christ’s work. Start small, by using the skills and the power you have been given to work with one person.
2. At-risk people need others to come into their lives to make a difference. The villages that the 70 entered were worshiping other gods. They would be considered at-risk from God’s perspective and Jesus sends groups of two to these places. He didn’t say you want to avoid this city or that village. He told them you go and you could be in danger, but you need to go. Through the power of Jesus these 70 made a difference for Christ in the cities and villages they entered. We to can have that same impact on those who are at-risk that we come in contact with.
3. Jessie White made his difference with adolescents. We also need to be aware of the teens in our congregations and look to make a difference for them. Christian teens are working to develop their relationship with Jesus. However they are at a moment in their lives where they could question why they believe what they believe. These are the moments that solidify an individual’s faith. These moments make the teenage Christian recognize his/her relationship with Jesus is his/her own. As we approach the summer season I ask that you pray for those that work with the teens. You have Youth Directors in your congregations that need your prayers. There are a number of summer conferences that have teen directors along with teen camps run through Camp Blessing. Please pray that these individuals will make a difference in at least one person’s life this summer.
In Luke 10, verse 2, Jesus tells the 70, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” There as many people who do not know Jesus and who are struggling with who they are. Teenagers are not the only people who question why they believe what they believe. You come in contact with these people at work, in school and even at church. You are being sent out into the harvest field to work. Please pray that God will use you to make a difference for Christ in another person’s life.
 
A Daughter's Heart

Hermie
by Joyce Urbaniak

A few months ago, my granddaughter, Bethany, introduced me to Hermie. Hermie is a common Caterpillar. He desires to be a beautiful butterfly and experience the freedom of flight. In fact, Hermie wants to be anything but common. He even asked God why he was made so plain. Hermie doesn't like God's answer. (Sound familiar?) The video by Max Lucado is about Hermies' quest to be special.

Many of us are not happy with who we are, physically. If we have brown hair, we want to be a blond. If we are short, we want to be tall. If we are a size 16, we want to be a size 10. We want to be thinner and look younger. Our society fuels our dissatisfaction. Advertisements offer us exercise machines and videos that will give us that "six pack", "tight abs", or tight buns". There are many diet programs that promise you will lose twenty pounds in two weeks. Doctors have treatments and procedures that will help you in your quest for a better body or face. We strive to be uncommon. If we look better, does that make us more acceptable or loveable?

God has offered us unconditional love and accepts us just the way we are, wrinkles and all. There are no pre-requisites for God's love. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) God created us in His image and on the sixth day He " saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Gen. 1:31) We are part of God's good creation. As Christians, we are God's temple and He lives in us. (I Cor. 3: 16, 17) That makes us very special indeed.

Hermie went to sleep and emerged from his cocoon a beautiful butterfly, free to fly anywhere. Hermie was overjoyed and excited with his transformation. So we, too, should be excited about our life in Christ and praise God for our transformation. Because in Christ, we have peace. In Christ, we have joy. In Christ, we are free. In Christ, we can do all things.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us." I John 3:1
Guest Author

We Have an Altar
by Michael Burke

The question comes up from time to time about how we come into a covenant relationship with the Lord. Is it through our own sacrifice or the one Jesus has already made? Hebrews 9:12 says; “And not through the blood of goats and calves but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Sacrifice and self-denial on our part is still important though, and in Romans, Paul tells us to present our bodies a living sacrifice as a spiritual service of worship. Matthew also has the thought of self-denial and taking up your cross to follow Jesus.

But as far as the new covenant is concerned, Jesus is the “testator”. In other words, the one through whom the covenant is, in effect, made operational. His sacrifice is the “altar” that is mentioned in Hebrews 13:10, “We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.” We also have to make some movement in the direction toward Him in our lives as brought out in verse 13, “Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.”

It is Jesus’ blood that has the redemptive quality, hence it is called the “blood of redemption,” “blood of sprinkling,” etc, and 1 Peter 1:18,19 says we were redeemed with precious blood, the blood of Christ. Through His once-for-all offering, He has opened the way into the most holy. (Heavenly places) Hebrews calls it a new and living way. What a wonderful thing this is, knowing that he has ransomed us from the power of the grave and downward course which Adam put us into!

He is also mentioned as the anti-typical high priest, a heavenly priest. “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” – Hebrews 7:26 (quotations are from the NASB version)

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