12 FOUNDATION STONES—CLASS 12A WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS? GOING GOD'S WAY, PART 1.1 ------------------ Introduction ------------------ > The Story of Tommy Tommy was a little crippled boy. He lived in poverty with his aunt in a small third-story apartment of a rundown tenement on a busy city street. He was so severely handicapped that all he could do was lie helplessly in bed. One day he asked a newsboy friend of his to bring him the book about "the Man who went about everywhere doing good." The little lad searched and searched for this unnamed book, until one book dealer finally recognized that he must have been talking about the Bible, and the story of Jesus. The newsboy scraped together what little money he had, and the kindly bookseller gave him a copy of the New Testament, which he took back to Tom on his third-floor pallet. They began to read it together, until Tommy was wonderfully converted by the words he read, and he decided that he, too, wanted to do good, like the wonderful Man in the book. But Tommy was crippled and could not even leave the little one-room apartment. So he prayed and asked God to help him, and the Lord gave him an idea. He began to laboriously copy helpful verses from the Bible onto tiny scraps of paper, which he would then drop from his window to flutter to the busy street below. Passers-by would see them drifting down and curiously pick them up to see what they were, only to read the words of the Man who went around everywhere doing good—Jesus Christ! Many were helped, encouraged, comforted, and even saved through the simple ministry of this little lad and his Bible. One day a wealthy businessman was wonderfully converted through reading one of these little verses. He later returned to the spot where he had found the tiny scrap of paper that had led him to the Lord, seeking some key as to how it got there. Suddenly he noticed another little bit of paper floating down to the sidewalk from above. He watched as a poor, tired old woman stooped painfully to pick it up, and noticed her countenance brighten as she read it—and there seemed to be new strength in her step as she journeyed on. The businessman, now transfixed to the spot, kept his eyes glued upward, determined to find the source. He had to wait a long time, for it took poor Tommy many painful minutes to scrawl even one verse on one of those pieces of paper. Suddenly the businessman's eyes were drawn to a certain window, as he saw a scrawny little hand reaching out to drop a tiny piece of paper, like the one that had brought a whole new life to him. He carefully noted the location of the window, dashed up the stairs of the dirty tenement, and finally found the humble dwelling of tiny Tom, the sidewalk missionary. The businessman soon became a close friend of Tom. He brought Tom all the help and medical attention that he could. One day he asked Tom if he would like to come and live with him in his palatial mansion outside the city. Much to his new friend's surprise, Tommy answered, "I'll have to ask my Friend about it"—meaning Jesus! The next day the businessman returned, eagerly seeking Tom's reply. Oddly enough, Tom asked him some strange questions: "Where did you say your home is?" "Oh," said the businessman, "it's in the country, on a luxurious estate. You'll have a beautiful room all your own, servants to care for you, delicious meals, a good bed, every comfort and attention, anything your heart desires. And my wife and I will love you dearly, and care for you as our own son." Hesitantly, Tommy queried again, "Are there any people that would pass under my window?" Surprised and somewhat baffled, the businessman replied, "Why, no, only an occasional servant, and perhaps the gardener. You don't understand, Tommy, this is a gorgeous country estate, far from the tumult of the city. You'll have quiet there and be able to rest and read, and do all you want—away from all this filth and pollution and noise and the busy throngs." After a long and thoughtful silence, Tom's face looked very sad, for he hated to hurt his newfound friend. Finally he said quietly, but firmly, with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry, but you see, I could never live anywhere where people don't pass under my window." Here's the story of someone so simple, so helpless, and so isolated, you might have thought he could never have had any ministry at all. He would seemingly have had every excuse for not helping others, but rather expecting to be helped himself. But love found a way! ------------------------------------ Section 1: God's Ways vs. Man's Ways ------------------------------------ > Lifestyle The purpose of this class is to help you evaluate your lifestyle according to God's standards. Let's start by looking at something that Jesus said on this subject: Matthew 6:19–21—Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:25–34—Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (26) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?(27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?(28) So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; (29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31) Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ------------------------------------ > The ways of the Lord ------------------------------------ God's ways are often different from those of the world. Isaiah 55:8–9—For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. 1 John 2:15–17—Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. > Jesus' message was not conventional! The greatest sermon ever preached, the "Sermon on the Mount," was given to a handful of disciples by Jesus.—The disciples changed the world because they heard the voice of God teaching them things that were completely contrary to what was being said in the "valley" of mainstream society! In society they were saying, "Blessed are the Romans—the proud, and haughty and powerful. Look what they've done! They've conquered the whole world. It pays to be a Roman!" But on the Mount, Jesus was saying just the opposite: Matthew 5:3–9—Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. > The Lord wants us to discern between what is of Him and what is not Romans 12:9b—Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Job 34:4—Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good. Isaiah 7:15—Know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 1 Peter 3:11—Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. The most important thing to gain from this class is the principle of discerning or identifying which are God's ways and which are the world's so that you can make the right choices in your day-to-day life. There are many examples of contrasting values and we're going to look at just a few that illustrate this important principle. ----------------------------------------------- Section 2: Spiritual Riches vs. Material Wealth ----------------------------------------------- > Is money the most important thing? Does having enough money to obtain the latest gadgets, the fastest car, the most fashionable clothes, the biggest house, the most advanced computer, or the widest-screen TV bring happiness? Ecclesiastes 5:10—He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:12—The sleWp of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. What money buys Money will buy: A bed but not sleep. Books but not brains. Food but not appetite. A house but not a home. Medicine but not health. Luxuries but not culture. Amusement but not happiness. * What are you seeking? John 6:27—Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him. Matthew 6:31–32—Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Society at large generally promotes the acquisition of wealth as being most important. Is that really so? The Lord knows we do have physical needs. "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." It's not that there's something wrong with money, riches, or wealth. It is as the Bible says, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). It depends on whether you own things, or the things own you! What matters is your attitude toward them and the priority you allow material things to have in your life. Bigger barns Luke 12:16–21—Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. (17) And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' (18) So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' (20) But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' (21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." The rich man in this parable wanted to build bigger buildings, which was not so bad in itself if he had wanted to do it for the right reasons, but his purpose was to increase his goods for himself, not to share with others. The reason his heart was in the barns was because the barns were in his heart. * Money: Good or evil? 1 Timothy 6:10—For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Money in itself is not intrinsically evil. Having money isn't bad! It is a matter of your attitude towards it and how you use it. For example, someone may use their wealth to help others by opening a business that provides jobs or using the profits that it generates to give generously to worthy causes. Ecclesiastes 5:19—As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. Proverbs 28:16b—He who hates covetousness will prolong his days. 1 Timothy 6:17–19—Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. (18) Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, (19) storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. > Riches can be a gift from the Lord for which we should thank Him Deuteronomy 8:11–18—Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, (12) lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; (13) and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; (14) when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; (15) who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; (16) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end; (17) then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' (18) And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. * Dangers of being overly involved in the pursuit of wealth Mark 4:19—The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. Luke 12:15—Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Mark 8:36—For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? The unsatisfied rich man A rich man sought after Jesus and asked His counsel: Mark 10:21–22—Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." (22) But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. What a sad picture! This man obviously had not found satisfaction in his wealth or he would not have come to Jesus seeking for answers to his life. But even though his riches did not satisfy him, from this brief passage it does not sound like he was willing to give them up for something better when Jesus asked it of him. Having an eye for business! (Humor) An orchard property owned by two brothers was devastated by the worst drought in fifty years. Desperate for funds to tide them over, they went to the nearest provincial city and walked into the largest bank in town. Somehow they found their way unannounced into the bank president's office. He was startled when they fell to their knees in front of him and begged him to grant them a loan to save their farm, which had been in the family for more than a century. When he told them that his bank only lent to commercial clients for very large amounts, they burst into tears and implored him to make an exception. Finally, anxious to get rid of them, he said, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I sometimes have a gamble and I'll take a bet on you both. As a schoolboy I lost an eye in an accident. I was fortunate that I was able to get a glass eye, which is almost the same color as my other eye. If you can tell me without guessing, which is my glass eye, I'll lend you the money." Quick as a flash, one of the brothers replied, "I know, it's your left eye." "You're right, but how could you tell?" asked the president. "Because when I first looked up at you, that was the one which showed the most compassion," was the reply. ----------------------------------------------- * God's economics: The blessings of giving ----------------------------------------------- What is God's law of economics? Luke 6:38—Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. God blesses us when we give, rather than keeping selfishly for ourselves. Proverbs 11:25—The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. Acts 20:35b—It is more blessed to give than to receive. Proverbs 11:24—There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. Proverbs 28:27—He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses. Ecclesiastes 11:1—Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Corinthians 9:6—But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. The Lord repays The old German shoemaker had just sent his boy with a basket of garden vegetables to a poor widow. He worked hard at his trade and cultivated his little garden patch, yet nothing was more common in his life than some such deed as this. "How can you afford to give so much away?" someone asked him. "I give nothing away," he said. "I lend it to the Lord, and He repays me many times. I am ashamed that people think I am generous when I am paid so much. A long time ago, when I was very poor, I saw someone in want, and I wondered if I could give, but I could not see how. I did give, and the Lord helped me. I have had some work, my garden grows well, and never since have I stopped to think twice when I have heard of some needy one. No, if I gave away all, the Lord would not let me starve. It is like money in the bank, only this time the bank never breaks, and the interest comes back every day." * Seek first the kingdom Matthew 6:33—But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Love for God and others should motivate our lives, rather than a purely personal pursuit for our own well-being. This verse puts priorities into perspective. What is the "kingdom of God" that it refers to? Jesus said to His disciples that "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), so it's referring to His people, the saved. How do you "seek first" His kingdom? You're going to be mostly interested in doing God's will and furthering His kingdom which means leading other people into it, by witnessing yourself and/or helping those who are witnessing. The Lord promises that if you do this, if you'll put Him and others first in your life, then "all these things shall be added unto you!"—The material things that you need. * Putting giving into action! We all have responsibilities to pay our bills and take care of the material needs of our household. If our financial resources are limited, how can we then find enough to give to others? Examples of giving Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity help countless thousands of deprived and needy people throughout the globe. Following are some examples as told by Mother Teresa of those who have contributed to her work: The other day, two friends of mine came to see me. They brought a large amount of money to use for feeding the poor. I asked them, "Where did you get all that money?" They answered, "We were married two days ago, but before that we decided not to have a large wedding banquet. As a witness of our love for each other, we wanted to bring this money to Mother Teresa." Not so long ago a very wealthy lady came to see me. She sat down and told me, "I would like to share in your work." I said, "That is fine." The poor woman had a weakness that she confessed to me. "I love elegant saris." (A sari is the usual garment worn by women in India.) Indeed, she had on a very expensive sari that probably cost around eight hundred rupees. Mine cost only eight rupees. Hers cost one hundred times more. It occurred to me to say to her, "I would start with the saris. The next time you go buy one, instead of paying eight hundred rupees, buy one that costs five hundred. Then with the extra three hundred rupees, buy saris for the poor." The woman now wears 100-rupee saris, and she would wear even cheaper ones except I asked her not to buy them. She has confessed to me that this has changed her life. She now knows what it means to share. The other day I received fifteen dollars from a man who has been paralyzed for twenty years. The paralysis only allows him the use of his right hand. The only company he tolerates is tobacco. He told me, "I have stopped smoking for a week. I'm sending you the money I've saved from cigarettes." ----------------------------------------------- * Points to consider What are examples of how money can be used to help others? The Lord promises to bless us when we give to others. Have you seen examples of this in your own life? How do you think God's economic standard ("give and it shall be given to you") compares with the worldly commercial system? Can you think of practical ways to adjust your budgeting so that you can give more to others? ----------------------------------------------- (continued in part 2)