One of the top 3 most influential groups that formed my harmonic tastes was a group called Outreach Quartet. Peter Wright, the arranger and baritone singer for the group joins me on this episode as we “nerd out” a little bit on music, but also touch on some other topics that I think you’ll find interesting. I interspersed this episode with some musical examples of his arranging.
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The book of Esther is a unique book in the canon of Scripture. At no place in the entire book is the name of God mentioned, yet the book is unrivaled in showing the fingerprints of God and His overruling in the affairs of men.
Hadassah is obedient. She is an excellent example of a young lady who finds herself caught up in an ungodly world around her yet remains virtuous. The secrets of the book are unlocked with the key found in chapter 4, verses 13-14:
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews, for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
We can learn two truths about God’s sovereignty from this passage. Firstly, God’s purposes cannot be thwarted. God orchestrated the situations in a national way to cause Esther to become queen. She was put into place for such a time as the Jews needed someone desperately.
No possible human way existed for the Jews to realize they would be put in such danger. For however brilliant or astute men can become, they cannot predict the future. God was already there, and moved Mordecai and Esther into positions, much like a chess player carefully places strategic pieces into their positions on the board, ready for the coming situations.
God would not allow the Jews to be destroyed, and He worked in such a way to put the pieces together so there would be a way of escape. What a wonderful God we have! No matter what situation, what trial we find ourselves in, we can know that God has gone before us. No man can know how God is even now placing him in key positions to have influence on others in His time. Nor can we understand how that God has superintended the situations in our lives to bring us to the points of learning that teach us more about ourselves and about God Himself. We can only step back in amazement and say, “Only God could have accomplished this!”
Doesn’t that give us reason to praise Him? This God that knows when the smallest sparrow falls to the ground, this God Who possesses the heart of the king in His hand, this God Who has already determined the time of Satan’s final punishment, only He can receive the praise for governing in the affairs of men.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you could see how God had worked to bring a certain situation to pass? Some have compared our lives to a giant quilt, with threads running to and fro, interweaved with each other throughout. Our lives are spent viewing this life quilt from the underside, where most everything looks confusing and unorganized. I am convinced that God is working all the time, behind the scenes, using seemingly inconsequential events to work His purpose. Every once in a while, He lovingly pulls back the curtain just a bit to allow us to see a few of these connections He is making. He sometimes lets us see a part of the “right side” of the quilt, where we can see that all those confusing threads do indeed make sense, and that He is crafting an image in us that is a reflection of His own dear Son, our “oldest brother.” I’m so thankful for those little glances that remind us that God is still weaving! He is still working both in us and those around us. God is truly sovereign and nothing can stay His hand or His purposes.
As several have stated in years gone by, “Man may rule, but God overrules.” Praise God for His incredible sovereignty!
The second truth we learn from this passage is equally important, for we possess responsibility for fulfilling God’s purpose for us. Although God had orchestrated the situation in such a way that Esther was in the right place at the right time, she still had the responsibility to act. What a beautiful biblical picture of the harmony between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man! Esther still possessed a choice for action. In fact, Mordecai recognized this so much that he reminded her that should she choose not to act, God would still work His purpose and protect the Jews. “…for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place”. Esther could have opted to stay silent. God would still have delivered the Jews; His purpose would not be thwarted. However, Esther was not a robot. She was not forced to act. She still possessed the responsibility to do what she was brought to this point to do.
I see this as a wonderful picture of the sovereignty of God working at the same time as the responsibility of man. This flies in the face of both extreme Calvinism and Arminianism.
A growing number of believers are longing for today’s church to return to the Bible view of the majesty and power of God. They are right in that regard. Unfortunately for many, this leads them from one extreme of man-only doctrine to the other extreme of man-absent doctrine; namely, extreme forms of Calvinism which teach that God has made every person a virtual robot, unable to make choices.
The truth is found in neither fatalism[1] or open theism[2], but as we see in Esther, God’s sovereignty is in no way diminished by the existence of the responsibility of man to act. Esther acted rightly, and resigned herself to the fact that she might die. Rarely do we get to see an inspired account of what might have happened had she not obeyed. Do you ever wonder that? What if I don’t do what I know God wants me to do? Some say that it is impossible for us to do something that God has not already ordained us to do, so, then, it would have been impossible for Esther not to obey. Others say that God is learning the future right along with us, so that nothing is under His purview.
This passage proves that she could have indeed disobeyed God. She could have run away from her responsibility. Would that have thwarted God’s purpose? Clearly not! As we are reminded, God would have raised up deliverance [literally, “respiration”] from another place. God is so sovereign and powerful that He can allow for the poor choices of man and yet still accomplish His purposes. This exalts the position of God higher, contrary to the opinions of some well-meaning believers who see any allowance of man’s free will as a detriment to the greatness of God.
It takes a greater God to allow, even imbue man with free will and still accomplish His purposes than a God who programmed everything in from the beginning of time down to each sin (aside from the numerous problems with the false doctrine that God is the Author of sin). Friends, God is not bound by our small minds or our theological systems we have devised to help us understand Him! Where our systems help us, then let them help. However, where they force us to decide between either man’s free will or God’s incredible sovereignty then let us embrace both truths and leave our theological systems to fend for themselves.
The higher sovereignty of God is seen in the book of Esther as He moves about in the heart of the king; as he influenced Mordecai’s route in order that he might overhear the plot to assassinate the king; as he enabled Esther to keep her heritage a secret until just the right time; and yet, through it all, taking into account the variableness of men. Had Esther not obeyed, God would still have saved the Jews; she, however, would have paid serious consequences for refusing to play her part in God’s story.
Are there believers today who refuse to obey God? Certainly. Are there men and women who should have surrendered to the mission field long ago? Most definitely. Will God raise up deliverance and opportunity for those unbelievers who would have heard the gospel from those who refused to go? Yes! God is powerful enough to overcome the disobedience of man! Isn’t that more power? Does that not bring even more glory to His name? Praise God for His incredible sovereignty! Let us find in Esther a picture of how God works in life to accomplish His purpose through finite man. Let us also draw courage and confidence in our great God Who is certainly able to overcome our own shortcomings and times of disobedience to work great good in our lives as He weaves a tapestry of glory for His Name.
[1]The practical outflowing of Calvinism taken to its logical extreme.
[2]The extreme teaching that God does not know everything, that He is growing and learning with the passing of time.
There’s nothing like the energy of junior campers. 8-year-olds through 11-year-olds have what seems like unbounded energy. Of course, on Thursday morning they will be like miniature zombies because their energy does, in fact, have a limit. (Sugar Shack Camp Store doesn’t help that!) But overall, their energy is infectious. I find it a bit contagious.
That isn’t to say that junior campers are never deceitful. They can be. But they aren’t very good at it. You can still see through it if you try. The girls learn acting quicker than the boys, so the boys at junior camp pretty much show their thoughts on their faces. This transparency is refreshing after dealing with older teens and especially adults who are regular pros at deception. We all are.
The first few times I preached junior camps, I found myself in the middle of the week having underestimated the mental capacity of the group as a whole. They aren’t 1st graders. They can understand a lot, especially the ones about to go into 6th grade. I liked the move by one camp (Red Cliff Bible Camp in Pinedale, WY) that bumped up the age requirement so that the youngest campers had to be headed into 4th grade. In my limited experience as a speaker, that really helped with the overall comprehension level.
This is a biggie. There is a reason that our Lord said we must come to faith in Him as a child. You can see in their eyes when you just made a leap they didn’t follow. It is a good exercise for me as a visiting preacher to make sure that they are tracking with me as I work through the truths. I find I preach better to older age groups after I’ve been with junior campers because I get reminded of what is most important.
Some of these campers don’t get genuine love at home. Some of them do. But one thing remains the same most of the time: if you demonstrate to them you truly care about them, they will eat it up. Even the most difficult, sullen or loudmouthed camper can change overnight, especially when they realize on Thursday or Friday that they won’t have this genuine person around anymore. It is a wonderful experience. I’m grateful for my times speaking to juniors.
In my first extended length episode, I’m talking with Evangelist Scott Pauley who after nearly 20 years as an assistant to Dr. Clarence Sexton at Crown College has stepped out into itinerant evangelism. We cover a wide range of topics, beginning with his hugely successful podcast and working through vocal care, what’s wrong with America, what’s wrong with Christians, and is it possible to preach series messages in revival meetings.
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I have no doubt that somebody somewhere will label me a compromiser for the simple fact that my title says something “questionable” about the mantra of some fundamentalists. To dare suggest that separation is anything other than the above-all end-all word is anathema in some places. If someone is going to be that shallow, I cannot do much about it.
I can say that I am a fundamentalist, and that I believe the doctrine of separation is clearly taught in Scripture. Anyone can read my article “What about Separation?” where I detail the fact that separation is a big deal because it is God’s truth clearly taught in His Word. Failure to follow the doctrine of separation is failure to obey God Himself.
Neither have I joined the ranks of many young fundamentalists who are patting themselves on their collective backs by criticizing those who have gone before, casting off what they have been taught, and embracing new evangelical ideas, in the process trading pearls of truth for which they have no appreciation for the corn husks of the theologically barren. No, I am a firm fundamentalist.
However, simply because a doctrine in found in Scripture and we apply ourselves to its application does not mean that there are not inherent dangers of veering off course, even with commendable motivation. There are dangers in the practicing of separation against which we must guard if we are to avoid turning to the right hand or to the left.
The first danger is that of becoming Pharisaical in our approach to separation. That is, equating rules with righteousness. Handbooks become our path to holiness, and standards become our sanctification. We become characterized by a suspicious and critical spirit, and we are quick to become the judge, jury, and executioner of someone else or some other ministry because they do not conform to our holy handbook.
We have had notorious fights over the last decade or two concerning who is a “real” fundamentalist. Which university is better? Whose seminary has things right and who is better than everybody else?
The Pharisees were hypocrites. They thought that their external righteousnesses took the place of their inward condition. They defined their holiness by externals. Have we done the same thing?
To have rule books is not necessarily wrong. Institutions of any sort must have organization in order to function well. Christian educational institutions are well served to have high standards in their rule books. [inlinetweet]The problem comes when we begin to equate the rule book with the Bible, and apply the standards of an institution as the litmus test for whether or not a fellow believer is good enough for us or our ministry.[/inlinetweet]
The monks of the Dark Ages thought that by closeting themselves away from society, they would be more holy. They thought that the secret to separation (admittedly their version of it) was complete isolation. One monk even lived for years up on a stone platform, barely big enough for him to stretch out!
Do we do the same thing in the name of separation? Do we cut ourselves off from the world out of fear that we will become contaminated by their presence in our lives? We can isolate ourselves from sinners, spending our lives playing rabbit-hole Christianity.
We get into our Christian car to go to church on Sunday, go out to eat with only other Christian folks on Sunday afternoon, take a Christian nap, return to church on Sunday night, get up on Monday morning to take our kids to Christian school, take them to Christian sports practice in preparation for their Christian tournaments, Christian school plays, Christian homework, and on and on it goes.
[inlinetweet]We isolate ourselves from unbelievers and we therefore cut off the possibility of contact with them. But there is no impact without contact. Jesus said that he came because the sick need a doctor. A doctor who won’t interact with patients is a bad doctor.[/inlinetweet]
We not only isolate ourselves from sinners, but also establish our own monastic orders from other saints. Certain circles of fundamentalists will not associate with other circles. Certain Christian universities’ followers will not have a preacher in to their special event unless he has the right credentials. Politics runs rampant among believers, evidenced by some Christian leaders’ refusal to consider men or ministries who don’t have the right diploma.
It really is unfortunate, because a diploma from a particular university does not guarantee that graduate is going to stay with what he has learned. Nothing can substitute for getting to know an individual for who he is.
I was reminded of politics a number of years ago when a noted leader of a large ministry who had previously demonstrated no interest in our ministry suddenly became interested when he discovered that someone else had brought us in, so I now was “approved.” His motivations were made clear to me when he said, “Now that you are in our circles, you should send me your information so that we can have you in.” Needless to say, I did not pursue that “open door.”
What is the main problem with exclusiveism? It annuls the authority of the local church! The local church is the institution that is supposed to be the final authority on who ministers within its walls or on behalf of it. Church leadership that relies on any institution, university, or “fellowship” to make its decisions on who is “in” or “out” is ignoring the authority of the local church.
[inlinetweet]Why do we wait on an educational institution’s papal edict in order to make decisions? We need to move beyond our ecclesiastical equivalents of teenaged popularity cliques if we are going to make an attempt to stay biblically driven.[/inlinetweet]
One of the most insidious dangers is stagnation. Stagnation is the failure to adapt to societal and cultural changes that are not sinful. We live in the age of technology, and it is bound to affect how information is communicated. While there are certain absolutes, such as preaching as God’s primary method of truth declaration, will we refuse to move from missionary slide presentations to power point because we have stagnated?
Each church will have to make their own decisions as to what technology will be involved in the worship service, but let us at least acknowledge there are decisions to be made. Are electronic instruments inherently wrong? Is the use of an electronic keyboard alongside the piano a sign that a church is compromising? Or is it a legitimate use of technology for a qualified musician to use? We must be cautious before we attach an alleged biblical condemnation to an object or a technology because we are too eager to “take a stand.” Taking stands is a good thing, as long as the ground we’re standing on is Bible.