Jeremy Deweerdt

The parable in Matthew 25, about the three servants entrusted with the Master’s property, has many powerful hidden truths.  However for me, the most impacting when I last read it was the idea of being “owner” or a “hireling.”  (We are going to discuss this tomorrow at Rockford First in depth.)

The Master leaves the property and all it’s responsibility in the hands of the servants.  He even gives them “talents” (money) to invest and thus increase the overall value of the Master’s “kingdom.”  As you know, two of the servants were faithful and one was not.  The unfaithful servant was full of fear and buried the talents – thus getting zero return on the seed money.

My take on this is simple… the two faithful servants acted like owners and the unfaithful one acted like a hireling.  Even though the servants were NOT the owners of the property and money, they acted as if they were; thus producing results.  It was if the land and money were theirs!  

You treat things differently when it is yours.  It’s your lawn so you don’t throw garage on the grass.  It’s your car, so you get the oil changed.  It’s your iPhone so you don’t throw it around like a baseball.  When it is yours and you paid for it – you treat it with respect.  Conversely, if you don’t own something then people tend to treat it less respect and value.  It is the city’s street so the gum wrapper out of the window is not that big of a deal.  Catch my drift?

The two faithful servants saw the Master’s kingdom as if it were their own – shared vision, responsibility, and value.  Therefore they worked HARD to make sure all the bases were covered and there would be return on the Master’s investment.  The parallels are obvious… I don’t need to explain them.

Are you an owner in God’s Kingdom or just a hireling?

About a year ago I was in discussions with my friend, Monty Hipp, about the idea of an accountability group that was more than just a nice figment of our imaginations.  Accountability groups usually end up being like the old saying, “when all is said and done, more is said than done.”

Accountability is only has impacting and powerful as the truth being spoken.  Therefore there is a pain of accountability.  The pain of truth.  The pain of transparency.  The pain of honesty.  Even this week, I am sitting with one of my accountability groups and discussing life, but not like I would over a coffee at Starbucks.  There are life goals being talked about and measured.  Hard push-back questions being asked.  Phone calls made from my cohorts to my wife to make sure I was being a good husband.  Not your everyday, “Hey how’s it going,” which is most of the time just a greeting in our culture.  There is pain.

But there is also gain.  The gain is this:

• A group helps you see what you cannot see.
• You immediately have to come to terms with how your life is measuring up to your goals.
• There is confidentiality and help.
• You leave with focus and passion.

The gain of accountability is greater than the pain.  Who are you accountable to?  It doesn’t hit you like lightening.  You must form accountability with someone you can trust.  Start today.

This weekend we remember the BRAVE men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of our nation.  Memorial Day is more than a great time to hang out with family but also a time to reflect.  Unfortunately, all to many time in America we take for granted the freedoms that God has given us.  Freedom is never free.  Although freedom is a God-given privilege, it is not automatic.  There are billions of people in this world who live daily under the tyranny of wrong leadership or governments; thus limiting their personal and religious freedoms.

This weekend, remember that freedom is never free.  More than a cliche, it is a truth.  Christ PURCHASED our spiritual freedom by dying on a cross.  Someone had to pay.  He did – in full.  As you cookout this weekend and have fun with family, remember that someone paid for that freedom.  Blood was spilled, lives were lost… so that you can live in a free environment.

This morning I was awoken at 5:00 AM to the sound of my cell phone.  Wherever this happens my heart sinks because at that hour of the morning the voice on the other end is only going to be telling me bad news.  Sure enough, I found out that our Rockford Master’s Commission Argentina missions trip leader was in the emergency room… the team is leaving Rockford at 11:00AM.  You do the math.

Got up, scrambled to find contact info and in a matter of one hour had found a replacement team leader.  Even as I write this, the airlines are being called, missionaries contacted, and one really lucky guy just woke up and found out that he is leading a team of 9 young adults to the other side of the world.

My week has been like this.  One “explosion” after another.  I feel like I live more in 48 hour than most in 4.8 weeks.  Ever been in a season like that?  Everything lets loose at the same time.  NOT little things – BIG things… all at once?  It’s like someone has decided to pull out every support in your life at once?

Well, without sounding spooky-goofy, allow me to give my explanation of what happens during times like this.  The enemy is most likely behind it.  I do not believe there is a demon behind every tree and many people give WAY too much attention and credit to the Devil.  However, it is imperative that we remind ourselves that the enemy is PROACTIVELY trying to cause confusion and disruption to our lives.  More than that, he is out to destroy our lives and create chaos.

When everything falls apart at once, look for the enemy’s fingerprints.  You will find that he has been there.  If he can get your life so full of chaos and confusion, he will wear you out, get you discouraged, and ultimately get you distracted and off mission.

What do you do… STOP!

Stop and think.  Stop and pray.  Stop.  Realize it is him behind the chaos and don’t fall into his trap.  God is a God of ORDER.  God is not a God of panic and confusion.  Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow.  Take a deep breath and understand that God saw this coming and He has a plan.  Now discover the plan and follow it.

Many times this tactic of chaos is a last ditch effort that the enemy makes before God is going to do something BIG.  It is like the Devil is desperate and must throw all his efforts in at once.  So when chaos breaks out, realize God is about ready to break loose!

As they say, “Change is the only constant in life.”  Change is inevitable.  Change happens.  Change is rarely predicable (the kind of change that really rocks your world).  Thus, change can be scary and feared.

Years ago I read a book called, “Who Moved My Cheese.”  It is a business book but written like a children’s story.  (I highly suggest everyone read it – it will take you 45 minutes).  The story is about some mice who wake up one day and their cheese is gone.  Now, I’m not going to tell you the whole story, that’s what the book is for.  However, I do want to spotlight a theme in the story.  Nine of out ten times, when significant change rocks our worlds, the default response is, “It’s not fair!”

Change rarely is fair.  Most of the time, change is deemed as unfair because it disturbs our predicable life.  One thing I have noticed in my 39 years is that “life” tends to throw curve balls… a lot.  Rarely do I see them coming because I’m expecting that same pitch (in keeping with our baseball analogy I’ve shifted into) right down the middle of the plate and I will swing like I normally do.  But then the curveball comes.  Yikes!

Though change is not always pleasant, here’s some thoughts about how to embrace change…

1. God saw it coming – therefore stay close to Him because He knows the next step.
2. When you move beyond fear, you are free.
3. Old circumstances do not lead to new opportunities (the change might be the “opposition” that leads to your opportunity).
4. Nothing gets better until you change.
5. Realize that in the middle of change is when God brings out the best in you!

Change may be happening right now in your life.  Find God.  Stay close to Him.  Listen to His voice and He will lead you through.  On the other side, the change IN you will be because of the change AROUND you.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

The human heart tends to figure out ways to “qualify” itself with God.  This striving is in the deepest thoughts of every person… “How can I earn “righteousness” (right standing) with God.”  The answer:  ”You can’t.”

There is not ONE thing that you or I can do to earn God’s love or His righteousness.  Works fall short.  Being “good enough” is subjective and fails.  Trying to live a perfect life is impossible.  Yet we try.  We think that church attendance will qualify us.  Giving money to the poor will get God’s attention.  If we try and have a good attitude with our employer we will get heavenly “brownie points.”  But the end result is works.  And the Bible says very clearly that works don’t impress God in the least when it comes to our righteousness.  (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Jesus paid the ENTIRE price on the cross for you and I to qualify with God.  Nothing more, nothing less.  No amount of man-made rituals or hoops to jump through will get us one step closer to God or forgiveness.  Jesus paid it all.

Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then put energy into living a life that pleases your Savior.  Then we, with the power of the Holy Spirit, align our lifestyle to God Word.  But until Christ is Lord.  Until forgiveness is found ONLY through Jesus… our works get us no where.

Every Sunday we all have a choice to make… whether we will attend church and if we do, will we be a spectator or a participant?  I was humbled one time when attending a large church in South Korea while on a missions trip.  Thousands of people worshipping God with passion.  Then it came time to receive the offering.  I was wearing headphones, listening in, as the pastor gave a brief, but in no way moving, plea to give to God.  The place erupted in cheering and praise!  The people clapped and shouted.

Now being a pastor in America, this came as quite a surprise because usually the offering is a time when everyone hangs on tightly to their wallets and looks down; avoiding eye contact with the pastor at all costs  However there was stark difference that day from the culture I was use to.  The offering plates were passed and the people kept on praise God and worshiping without song or direction. 

Then I heard a bell ringing from the stage and everyone was silent.  Later I found out that if the pastor does not ring the bell, the people will continue to praise God indefinitely.  It was time to move forward in the service and the people had to focus their attention on the preaching of the Word.

Wow – talk about participation.  The truth in this story has very little to do with the offering.  It has everything to do with the attitude in which those believers approached a Sunday morning service.  They were participants and not spectators.  They leaned in and didn’t sit there with crossed arms.  They worshipped and engaged with God.  Let’s be participants today as we engage our Holy God in worship!

Last night I had the privilege of speaking to a young adult group in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  It was an outreach and I was helping lead the Rockford Master’s Commission missions trip.  There were probably 8 to 10 unchurched people in the room, which by European standards is pretty good.  Remember that Europe is less than one (yes one) percent churched (and that includes Catholic).  Any church running over 50 is pretty good.  Churches over 150 are “mega.”

That night five people were saved.  Praise God!  There were probably 70 in attendance.  God was moving and it was a great experience.  My friend, and fellow MC Director, Enzo, who works a full-time job and runs a MC program and youth group on the side, was talking to me about how his goal for the fall is 12 MC students.  A great goal, but God has to do it.  (Again, remember we are talking Europe here).

Before the service I received a brief tour of the infamous Red Light District of Amsterdam.  It was not my first time.  I had helped lead a missions team there to witness back in 1991 and almost had my head taken off by a radical Muslim (but that is another story).  Jen and I walked about two city blocks and saw dozens of prostitutes standing in their windows with the red light turned on above.  It was sickening and heartbreaking all at once.

Then, one of the most depressing things I saw was an old church that was built hundreds of years ago sitting vacant in the middle of the Red Light District.  Vacant.  What happened to the “light?”  Was is overtaken by the red lights?  What was the story behind the vacant church?  Were the congregants ran out of town?  Did the pastor give up against the flood of prostitution and sex surrounding the church?  Was the light of Christ not “powerful” enough?

I don’t know… but the thought that stayed with me is that the light of Christ and the Gospel MUST shine brighter than any other light.  That is all nice verbiage but what that really means is that Jesus’ followers must have a life that shines brighter and distinctively different than their surroundings.  

Don’t hide your light!  Don’t believe that the light of the Gospel is somehow not as powerful as the darkness around us. Remember that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation!  Let your light SHINE!

Years ago I began to journal about the things I learned in ministry and life…  I shared this with the staff of the International Church in Brussels today…. Thought I’d share it with you…

1. It is easy to have a large ministry/profession and a shrunken heart.
2. Next to God, time is the most precious thing we ALL have been given.
3. A person’s success in life is dependent on who they are surrounded by.
4. There is NO substitute for Hard Work.  (In life, there are NO shortcuts.)
5.  I spend most of my life NOT taking myself seriously
6.  Life is full of difficulties, obstacles, and hardships
7. Stay humble and don’t believe your own press.
8. Do not allow your life to be financially driven!
9. The people closest to you will be the ones you tend to take for granted.  So don’t.
10. Failure can make you better, wiser, and more useful to the Kingdom of God.
11. Constantly change methodology without changing theology.
12. “Them that are led by the Spirit shall be called the Sons of God.”  (Not “them that are led by frustration/money/etc.)
13. Anointing will make room for itself.
14. God is not so much of a traffic cop and but a sculptor.
15. Stick to your core mission
16. Simplicity is important
17. Have no time for negativity
18. Make tough decisions early on and the usually negative uproar will disappear in two weeks.
19. God will always fund a soul-winning ministry.

I have sat in a lot of airports lately.  I don’t travel as much as some, so I really have no room to complain, but even as I write this blog, I’m waiting two MORE hours for my flight to leave.  I’ve already been here two hours.  Waiting.

I hate to wait.  Most do.  Rarely do I come across a person who LOVES waiting.  Yet many times in life, we wait.  If you think about it, we probably wait more in our spiritual life than even in our physical life.  This can be very frustrating.  In fact, in my experience with God, He usually makes me wait and rarely makes me hurry…in fact, I cannot think of the last time He made me hurry.  Probably the better word would be that there was an “urgency” about something… but let’s get back to the waiting thing.

Psalms 40: 1  ”I waited patiently for the Lord.  He turned to me and heard my cry.”

I have for years focused on the last part of that verse… He turned and heard my cry… that is amazing.  The God of the universe hears me.  But that nasty word in the beginning of the verse… “patiently!!!”  The Psalmist had to wait patiently.  Ahhhh.  I don’t want to hear that!  I want God to turn and hear my cry and take immediate action.  Can’t God at least Twitter me what He is up to?  That would make the waiting easier!

Yet if we never waited, we would never have to trust God and have faith.  Faith most of the time also requires waiting patiently.  Can something good come out of the waiting period?  Absolutely!  God works in your life while you wait.  God establishes our faithfulness during the waiting period.  Heck, God can even give you something to blog about during the waiting period. :0

What is God teaching you during your waiting period?