Being vs. Doing

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’” (rf. Lk. 10:38–42)

            In continuing the train of thought from last month’s entry on legacies, have you ever considered the difference in importance between personal relationships and accomplishments, who we are vs. what we do?

            Often when we view the story here of Martha and Mary, we typically think of it solely in the light of their different personalities or that Mary was more “spiritual” than Martha. It is easy to get caught up in superficialities. However, I believe that there were deeper things at work, things that Jesus was pointing out to these women who were both close to His heart.

            In their culture, it must be understood that hospitality to guests in one’s home was an expectation of the highest order. To be invited in was to be treated with great dignity and respect, not to mention, to be feted with the best that the host and/or hostesses could afford, even to their own economic detriment. This kind of treatment usually required the effort of everyone in the household to participate in order that the comfort of the guest would be guaranteed.

            Thus, we can better understand Martha’s chagrin when she finds Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His teaching, rather than being in the kitchen, helping Martha to prepare the meal for their honored guest! Not only was it a personal offense to Martha (“you are not helping me with this responsibility”), but it was a cultural affront (“you are not doing your part to make our guest feel welcome and honored here!”). Though they knew Jesus and that He loved them dearly, still the cultural dynamics were very much in play. How could Martha get past them and make her Master feel respected in her home—with little or no help from her sister?

            Enter Jesus’ admonition to Martha. It was not so much a chastisement as it was a “wake-up call” to reprioritize. Like so many of us, Martha was so caught up in the moment that she failed to see the blessing literally sitting in front of her. She believed that circumstances required busyness, action and organization to the ultimate end of positive results. Mary, on the other hand, perceived the setting well and made the correct decision to take advantage of the situation. Jesus then brought the difference to everyone’s attention. The conflict had nothing to do with their culture. It had everything to do with the basic priorities of “doing” vs. “being”.

                  If you have read enough of Jesus’ teachings (indeed, all of God’s Word), you will find Him dwelling on the subject of “being”. It is a matter of who we “are” in relationship to Him. The Apostle Paul terms it being “in Christ”: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (rf. II Cor. 5:17 NASB). This form of “being” is founded and expressed in terms of relationships. We are based in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are connected with others who are likewise founded through His Church, His Body, through the ministry of His Holy Spirit. Even as Jesus invited Mary to sit at His feet, so He invites His followers to do the same, to hear from Him and to commune with Him, relishing in His Presence while being blessed in the mutual companionship of those who share in this experience.

            It is not that in pursuing “being” that we do not “do” anything. Jesus has given His followers plenty to do to fulfill His will on earth. However, the concentration of our efforts should be on our relationship with Him and with others, rather than on an ever-growing, never-ceasing checklist of “do’s” that we concoct to keep ourselves busy so as not to be perceived to be lazy or complacent.

            Besides, when this life is over and we look back over the seventy to eighty years plus that we have occupied on this earth, God willing (rf. Ps. 90:10), what will all our “doing” have accomplished for us? Will we look at our kitchen floors, pots and pans, dishes, etc. and say, “You know, I kept my kitchen and all of its implements so clean and shiny.” Will we be proud that we never spared a moment to rest, but made sure that each one was occupied with activity? Or will we, like Mary, have correctly prioritized our lives so that spending time with people meant more to us than spending time doing chores and that “being” was seen as greater than “doing”.

            One final thought. Martha must have gotten the message that Jesus conveyed to her that day. How do we know that there was a change? When Jesus arrived after her brother, Lazarus, had died, it was Martha who ran to meet Jesus. It was to Martha that Jesus gave some of the most important words of Jesus’ life and ministry: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world” (rf. Jn. 11:25–27 NASB). Her response to His question showed that she knew who He was, but also that she was devoted to Him and would follow Him regardless. She had become like her sister, Mary, more centered on “being” than “doing”. Will our relationship with Jesus lead us to do the same?

Not Supporting is a Shame

“For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’” (rf. 1 Tim. 5:18–19 NASB)

“And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—but to wear sandals; and He added, ‘Do not put on two tunics.’ And He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.’ They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.” (rf. Mk. 6:7–13 NASB)

“He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…” (Eph 4:11–12 NASB).

I was very disturbed recently by an article that was forwarded to me regarding the growing trend among both evangelical and mainline Protestant churches and denominations toward bi-vocational, rather than full-time, pastorates. Do not get me wrong! I do not have an aversion toward nor do I think myself above being a bi-vocational minister! Indeed, for over the first half of my ministerial career, I was in bi-vocational ministry, serving as pastor to churches too small to afford a full-time minister while working full-time as a bookstore manager in both college and Christian retail stores. So, I am well-versed in the demands of being a bi-vocational minister. My hat is off to my fellow servants in Christ who have two or more jobs to do to supply the needs of their families!

I knew my calling, in particular, was to eventually be in full-time ministry, wherein I could totally focus my time and energy on the needs of the flock that God had given me to serve. Toward that goal, I strived to get the education that was necessary at the lowest possible financial cost to the family since I had a wife and five children to consider. Had I gone the “normal” route of education, I would have attended one of the larger seminaries, accruing a sizeable debt, and, if my plans had come to fruition, would have exited with the desired Ph.D., ready to seek the place of service that would accommodate both my family’s needs and the ability to pay off the educational liability. The Lord, however, had other plans for me and my family. I am happy to say that I was able to get my education without any residual balance of educational costs to pay. We were very blessed. Unfortunately, this is not the case for so many present and future ministers today. Their prospects are dim, indeed, as this article recounts.

No, my disappointment is found in the fact that medium and large churches are choosing to require their pastors to go into bi-vocational ministry. If this has been done solely for financial reasons, then there is a shame and blight on the Church as a whole, a direct reflection on the fact that we have assuredly lost our way. A very large contingent of the flock of Christ has been so consumed with being “relevant” to the surrounding culture that we have sold our soul “for a mess of pottage”. We have followed hard after the latest fads to attract the crowds, purchased the latest equipment to keep “current”, and polished the presentation to make sure the “optics” are excellent and on par with those of the best the culture has to offer. All the while, we have become Biblically-illiterate, doctrinally-deficient, and totally self-absorbed and preferential in what we blithely perceive to be known as “worship”. As a result, those who come to our churches give little during the offering, know little in terms of Scripture, and portray little in terms of holiness in their personal lives.

If my words appear harsh and a scathing indictment, it is not because I despise any corner of Christ’s Bride, for I do not. Indeed, I love His Church with a great passion and what I see is unachieved potential because of the selling of a birthright for the sake of the acceptance of the world and its ways. The Church of Jesus was NEVER meant to be popular with the culture (rf. Lk. 6:22-23; Jn. 15:18-20). When we do things that make us attractive to the culture, we inevitably compromise the teachings of Scripture (rf. I Jn. 2:15-17). And when we do not follow Scripture, curses, not blessings, will come from Almighty God to get our attention. Guaranteed. Loss of the financial ability to provide for the shepherds of His flock is surely one of those in my opinion.

In the Old Testament, when the Levites who served God in the Tabernacle or Temple were not provided for by God’s people, this was due to the disobedience of the people to God’s commands in the Law. By the same token, God has set up provision for His servants through His Church, that all of their needs be met by His people so that their primary focus should be their calling to serve God and His people (see the above Scripture passages). When the servants of God are lacking, God’s people are sinning by not giving as they are supposed to give to His Church (i.e. tithing, a Biblical truth not taught in many churches today). Their priorities are out of sync with God’s Word. Only when repentance takes place will the situation be corrected and His blessings be restored, both financial and spiritual.

If the Church is failing in the area of finances toward her ministers, it is but one of many areas that needs addressing and correction. May the Lord of Hosts grant us the grace necessary to see clearly our errors as His people, provide the Spirit of repentance required to turn from our self-centered and self-focused ways, and the boldness to make the changes in our lives to begin putting Him first once more in our giving, our lives and our testimonies before the world, understanding that this will mean a sure disconnect from the culture around us and the resulting rejection by many of us and the Savior we serve. But, as Jesus rightly stated, that comes with the package, if we are truly His disciples.

Creating Legacies

“The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance.”

(rf. Ps. 37:18–19)

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” (rf. Prov.13:22)

“A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”

(rf. Prov. 22:1)

            Do you have the goal of leaving behind a legacy?

            Lori and I watch a number of British dramas and murder mysteries. Quite frankly, the quality of their work often is better than what we have in the States. There is also the challenge of having to listen closely to the language and to translate their difference use of words from our own. It becomes an intellectual exercise for the brain.

            One term used by the Brits is “legacy”. Their definition of this term is that which is given after the death of a person, usually in the concrete form of physical property, material items, or financial remuneration. This is one nuance of “inheritance” in the above passage in Prov. 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”, with the implication that one who is not “good” or righteous in God’s sight leaves his descendants nothing after his passing. I bring the latter up because of the pervasive self-centeredness in our own culture which teaches our senior citizens, not to lay up anything for their children and grandchildren, but to spend all of their resources on themselves and their desires. As a bumper sticker I saw once on a very nice expensive vehicle stated, “I am spending my children’s inheritance”. According to the writer of Proverbs, such persons are not “good” persons at all.

Of course, “good” people can come across hard times. What they had laid back for their descendants, they were forced by health issues and negative circumstances just to pay bills and survive. I fear, with the expanding older population, rapidly increasing healthcare costs, declining health insurance options and clueless governmental officials, more and more folks will fall into this dilemma, sacrificing the future for the present.

            God’s people are required to have a very different perspective on life, in general, and legacies, in particular. Not only should we plan to leave behind a sizable portion of our earthly goods to our children and grandchildren after we are gone (even wisely considering giving it to them while we live so that we can see them enjoying it and helping them to use and invest such things prudently themselves), but, more importantly, we should pass on to them a legacy of love, generosity, compassion for others, wisdom and instruction, and, above all, faithfulness and obedience to the Lord and His Word. It is being an abiding example of these things that impresses the coming generations far more than earthly riches and material possessions. Those who seek to provide these “living and holy sacrifices” (rf. Rom. 12:1) will be the ones who provide for themselves “good names” during their lifetimes and in their legacies to follow.

            One final note to those in the younger crowd, just beginning this journey into adulthood. Just as our culture deifies materialism and upholds self-centeredness as the standard of success, so it also supports personal experiences as the measure of one’s life achievements. This, King Solomon would say, is pure “vanity”, (emptiness), but also in relation to the motivation of one’s heart in seeking after such things. Remember this: personal experiences can never replace those important relationships that were sacrificed along the way to achieve those experiences. When we come to our deathbed (and each of us will), photographs of our trips over the years or an IPhone with Facebook posts or Twitter feeds will lie cold in our hands, having little meaning to us when our heart’s desire will be for the comfort and warmth of loved ones that only comes when one has invested in a legacy.

I have been at the foot of dying man’s bed, surrounded by his children and grandchildren who loved him dearly. As he passed from this life to the next, this man knew he was blessed. He was a man of meager means, but died very rich in the relationships that he had cultivated. He left behind a legacy that, as the Scripture above states, “will be forever”.

What will your legacy be that remains behind when you depart this earth? It all depends on where your priorities are while you live. If you follow God’s Word, you will invest your life, faith and resources in the lives of your children, grandchildren, and their offspring, providing them a legacy that will endure for generations immeasurable. These are blessings that pictures cannot effectively capture and personal experiences are in no way comparable. It can only be captured by the loving faces that cherish and are called by your “good name” long after you are gone.