Felix, Festus, and failure to comply

How many times this summer have we heard the phrases “failure to comply,”  “lack of institutional control,” or “failure to monitor”? Through all the headlines that have surrounded Ohio State football this summer, what became evident is that individuals failed to do the right thing. As much as I’d love to break down those issues from the perspective of a college football fan, I won’t bore you with my thoughts on the subject.

I’m sure you have noticed that we sometimes fail to do the right thing also. Those reasons could be fear of retribution. Fear we’ll be judged by others. Fear of not getting a promotion. Fear that doing the right thing could tarnish our reputations. Politicians may seek political gain through means that violate biblical principles. Athletes may take HGH to help them achieve fame and glory faster, even if that alters God’s creation. CEOs may fudge numbers or engage in fraudulent activity for financial gain.

In the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul reminds us just how important it is for a Christian “to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men” (Acts 24:16 NASB). The chapter in which this verse appears, and chapters 25 and 26 of Acts, illustrate how two individuals had the opportunity to do the right thing, but failed to do so.

The Jews brought Paul before Governor Felix based on charges that Paul was being a “pest” (24:5 NASB) and stirring up dissension. After Paul’s eloquent defense, Paul began to speak to Felix and his wife over the course of several days about faith in Christ. Felix became frightened and sent Paul away, saying he would call upon Paul when he found time. But Felix was not sparing Paul’s life by keeping him imprisoned, but rather hoping Paul would bribe Felix with money to obtain his release. He kept Paul at bay for two years hoping for a payoff!

Festus, who succeeded Felix, kept Paul in prison because he wanted to the do the Jews a favor and didn’t want to risk offending them. Once again, the Jews brought up serious charges against Paul.  Festus made the politically expedient choice to ask Paul to go to Jerusalem and be tried there. As a Roman citizen, Paul had the right to appeal to the emperor for a direct judgment, which he did.  According to Roman law, Festus had no choice but to obey the law. However, if Festus had not curried political favor, Paul could have been set free! Even King Agrippa, who arrived in Caesarea to pay his respects to Festus, acknowledged that Paul could have been set free, had he not appealed to Caesar.

As believers in Christ, Paul implores us to have a spotless conscience not only before God, but also before other men. In short, we are to show others that we are not afraid to do the right thing or speak what is right, no matter how unjustly we are treated by others, no matter the risk of losing worldly gain, such as political stature or money.

Men, do what’s right in the sight of the Lord and you will please Him. Christ died for us when He didn’t have to, yet he did so to free us from the bondage of sin in our lives. In other words, failure to comply is not an option.

—Kevin E. Davis

What Christians can learn from rock stars

I have been captivated in the last few days by a post on Mack Collier’s blog. In the post, Collier builds off a recent study undertaken by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The study concludes that people in a group who fervently hold a minority belief will sway the majority if the fervent minority represents 10 percent of the group or higher.

This alone is worthy of our consideration. Yes, the study was strictly scientific and does not take into account the working of the Holy Spirit, which cannot be quantified scientifically. Nonetheless, the study shows that, excluding other factors, even a relatively small number of Christians in a group will exert a powerfully persuasive influence on the group if the Christians are unwavering in their faith and loyalty to Jesus.

What I am even more interested in, though, is Collier’s application of this study. For some time he has suggested that companies should market themselves not like companies do, but like rock stars do. Collier explains that companies tend to focus their marketing efforts on new customers, who are relatively large in number, but low in loyalty. In contrast, he says, rock stars focus their marketing efforts on brand advocates, who are relatively small in number, but high in loyalty. Collier believes the study by Rensselaer demonstrates what rock stars already know: a few passionate fans will “evangelize” and win over the majority (the word “evangelists” actually appears in the post and is a term used in the marketing world).

In other words, reach a few people deeply, and you will ultimately reach the masses. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

Our last Frontier Men’s Bible Study session covered The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman. One of Coleman’s main points in this book was this: Jesus’ strategy of mass evangelism was to concentrate his ministry on relatively few men who would, in turn, reach the masses as they multiplied their own disciples.

The implications for ministry are staggering. As Coleman suggests, our ministry priorities may be way off. It is very tempting to try to evangelize or minister to the masses directly, but this strategy all too often breeds superficiality and tends to be unsustainable. On the other hand, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, Mack Collier, rock stars, Robert Coleman, and Jesus all agree—reach the few deeply, and you will eventually reach the many effectively.

And it was Jesus’ idea first.

—Beau Stanley

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Expect delays ahead

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This post originally appeared on Brian Elder’s blog on September 28, 2010.)

How many times have you been traveling down the highway, cruising right along, when you come across those dreaded “Expect Delays Ahead” signs? How have you responded? If you’re like me, you’ve probably expressed some version of “You have got to be kidding me!”

Why do we respond this way? Well, it could be that we just like to go fast and don’t want to have to slow down. It could be that we are running late (that’s usually my case) and are trying to make up for lost time. Or, it could be that we just do not like being inconvenienced. Maybe it’s because we can’t control the situation.

Whatever the reason, have we ever considered why there is a delay in the first place? Road repairs? Widening of the road? An overpass? Additional lanes? Whatever the reason, ultimately, these delays are for our own good. It most likely means that the improvement(s) being made will enable us to reach our destination in a more safe and efficient manner. Secondary benefits may include less wear and tear on our cars, less miles traveled, less stress, a more scenic trip . . .

As we travel down the highway of life, God will often place “Expect Delays Ahead” signs in our paths. They may come in the form of an illness, a lost job, a broken relationship, the loss of a loved one, etc. Whatever the form, I have learned and am still learning that ultimately these “delays” are for our own good. They are meant to draw us closer to our heavenly Father. They are meant to help us grow in our faith and obedience to Him. They are meant to help us get our priorities right. They are meant to help us make God-honoring decisions. God desires to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. It is His desire that no one should perish but that all should have eternal life (see John 3:16).

Next time we come across an “Expect Delays Ahead” sign, let’s welcome it and embrace it because it ultimately is for our own good.

—Brian Elder

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A hiking rescue

On the second day of our hike on the Continental Divide at 11,000-some feet, it started raining mid-afternoon and continued through most of the night. The third day at 12,000-plus feet, it started again mid-afternoon, stopped to allow supper, and again rained all night. The fourth day we decided the rain and lightning were not going to let up, so we went to an alternate plan to get off the high points of the mountain earlier. We then decided to do the last part of our hike in one day instead of two.

On what turned out to be the last day of our hike, we saw a rescue team charging past us, uphill, to help a woman with a bad back problem. As it turns out, we needed our own Rescuer.

After two previous times of suffering from dehydration, Bob ignored suggestions at a stop to get hydrated. Bob and Lee were to go ahead of the rest of our group and shuttle cars. Halfway to the destination Bob hit the wall. He complained of lack of oxygen and an irregular heartbeat. When the rest of us caught up, we divided his load, and he tried to hike with no backpack. Lee was looking for a spot to set up camp as Bob couldn’t hike downhill at a slow pace without a pack.

Now, Steve and his prayer partner in Columbus had been praying daily for the safety of the group. When Bob was at his end, Steve prayed for him again. Immediately Moe and Cindy Jones from Center, Colorado appeared with four horses. Moe asked if Bob was all right and Steve explained the situation. They took Bob in on a horse.

As we were driving away from the 30-mile campsite we saw an extremely black sky and lightning back where we had considered setting up camp.

Later that day we checked Bob into a hospital where he got 3 liters of saline solution and a blood test. His dehydration caused a blood factor to be out of range, which in turned caused low blood pressure and the heart problem. They kept Bob overnight.

The next day Matt was sick with diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever. If we had spent another night on the trail for Bob, it is doubtful that Matt could have hiked out, and perhaps Bob wouldn’t have improved enough. In this remote part of southern Colorado we found another hospital and got Matt checked out and hydrated. As it turned out he was poisoned by a food-borne bacterium. Because of the incubation period he probably got this before the hike.

Looking back, the Lord rescued us from events which would have been horrible.

—Steve Powell

Campus Cru for who?

Well, at least “campuscrusade.com” still sends you to the right Web site.

This month, Campus Crusade for Christ announced that it will soon change its name to “Cru” (see the Dispatch coverage here). This is a big deal for the well-respected ministry, which was founded in the 1950s. The organization soon-to-be formerly known as Campus Crusade (forgive the Prince reference) justifies the decision by pointing out that its ministry now reaches much wider than the campus setting, and that the term “Crusade” is offensive to some of the people that they most want to reach. You can read more on their helpful FAQ page.

Frankly, I don’t care if they call themselves the T-birds as long as they share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

This incident brings us back to the old form vs. function discussion. We must not compromise the truth of the Scripture (function), but we must communicate that truth in culturally effective ways (form). Evangelicals are probably most familiar with this form vs. function discussion in the realm of worship music. We get into problems when we feel that the genre of a song is as important as the message it communicates. After all, 2 Timothy 3:16 does not say, “All Scripture and Isaac Watts hymns are God-breathed.”

Admittedly it is tricky to share unchanging truth with a changing world, but it is possible. Paul said, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV).  He adapted his presentation for his audience, all the while preaching the unchanging word of God.

While I find the name “Cru” vaguely reminiscent of salad dressing, it seems to me that the organization is trying to do exactly what Paul did. They say it this way on the FAQ page: “We care more about effectively proclaiming the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ than we do about having the word ‘Christ’ in our name.”

Well said, Campus Crusade, er, Cru.

—Beau Stanley

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