[…]heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened” (Acts 5:5). A close reading of Acts 5:1-11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira’s deceit, should lead one to conclude that truth is the essential thing. In this perplexing story–which takes place as the early church was forming–maintaining a standard of truth and honesty proved to be the bedrock for the church and our Christian faith. Those endowed with leadership responsibility needed to set and safeguard ethical standards. Many are shocked at the decisive, harsh response to the couple’s duplicity. Yet neither Peter […]
[…]response come from the foundation of your spiritual life? Jesus said that everyone who hears and acts on His words is wise. That wise one will be the person all eyes turn to in the midst of tragedy and need. When I was a child, we played a game called Follow the Leader. As an adult, it is not a game. The world is watching, and those in our sphere of influence will follow our lead. The strength of our building materials will be revealed by how our life of faith is lived out when the rains fall and the […]
[…]tell us about human government? Prescriptively: (see Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, and Acts 5:29) Government is God ordained. Thus, anarchy is ruled out. Government rightly has a responsibility to reward good and punish evil, using force when necessary. Believers ought to obey the law, render respect to officials, and pay taxes. Government’s rightful authority is always subordinate to the authority of God, and in situations of clear conflict between the two “we must obey God rather than men.” This is about all I find prescriptive or direct in Scripture about the role of government. There are several roles implied by […]
[…]the God who died for them. I think of our work much like the ministry of Phillip in the book of Acts. He was called to leave the comfort zone of fruitful ministry in Samaria. The Angel of the Lord told him, “Take a walk on a deserted dusty road” (my paraphrase). Phillip obeys the angel’s voice and he is vectored to an Ethiopian government official ready to hear the words of salvation. In much the same way, as chaplains walk among the tents, eat in the chow halls, and ride in the convoys, the Lord vectors them to those […]
[…]we mean, mean what we say, and do the right thing even when no one is watching. From verse 13 of chapter 15 of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” That illustrates service before self for all time. We pledge to lay down our lives for our friends, our nation. That’s what we do. In addition, according to Paul in his epistle to the church at Ephesus, chapter 6, verse 7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Yes, excellence in […]
[…]your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Love JOHN 13:34-35 AND 1 PETER 5:1-5. Christ taught that the leader’s conflict between mission accomplishment and the welfare of people is resolved by love and service. Peter learned well and taught others these lessons of godly leadership. Recognition of and submission to institutional authority of the provision of God MATTHEW 17:24-27AND 1 PETER 3:13–25, 4:12-19. A leader with many powerful attributes may tend to think he or she is always right. Even when one is in the right, Christ taught Peter to abide by the […]
[…]letter from Vietnam in which Jon shared what became Jon and Gail’s favorite verse–Romans chapter 8, verse 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (the verse on the plaque at Fort Shine). “I remember as if it were yesterday,” Paul recalled. “I felt the power and significance of what Jon was writing me. 2LT Jonathan Shine, U.S. Army, was saying in what proved to be his last letter to me, ‘no matter what happens in Vietnam, I know it is going to […]
[…]upon the commander’s own personality. The commander must win confidence and loyalty by his own acts. No one can do this for him. While he does certain things with the deliberate intent of gaining optimum control over his unit, and the maximum effort from it, his acts must nevertheless not be a front. They must represent the real man under the rank insignia. Confidence To inspire confidence the commander must be confident. Leaders must firmly believe that they can handle the job, seeing obstacles as challenges rather than a cause for apprehension. The commander must be able to understand and […]
