Are We Seeking the Favor of Men or of God?
by Pastor Dan Trepanier

Galatians 1:10 states, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” This verse must be understood in its intended context. In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul is giving one of the strongest and clearest presentations found in Scripture of the only good news available to mankind, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In verse 4 he states clearly that it was Jesus Christ, “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” This is a very concise way of showing us that salvation is all of God’s grace, not of man’s efforts. It is only found in Jesus Christ. This Gospel message is supported throughout the Scriptures.

Paul then strongly defends the fact that anyone who preaches any “other” gospel message is accursed of God. False leaders in Paul’s day had added all kinds of provisions to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to make it palatable for man to accept. This included man’s efforts to keep the Law, circumcision, and man-made traditions. These false teachers were more concerned with what men thought of them, than they were about the accuracy of their handling the true message from God and pleasing the true and living God. In contrast, Paul states he is more concerned with being true to God and His message. Then he calls for those who would pervert the message from God to be “accursed”. This warning still needs to be given in the twenty-first century, as man is still watering down the message for God and trying to make it more “relevant” for today’s culture, and the “seeker of God.” Thus, there is very little mention of sin, condemnation, and repentance. Rather than emphasizing man’s need to repent and turn to God, the emphasis becomes “what can God do for me, and how can I be happy, or what will meet my need.” What an abomination and affront to a Sovereign and Holy God.

Yet, let’s turn our attention to the purpose for this article. The purpose for this article is to draw from the principles of “Pleasing God” and applying it to all areas of our lives. As I look at my own life and the world in which I live, I am amazed how quickly mankind is willing to set aside what is right in order to please man or at least attempt to please men. It can be observed in both the Christian and non-Christian alike. Unfortunately many times, the tendency for the believer is to put aside the Word of God if it means looking good in the eyes of others. Whereas for the unbeliever it appears that though he knows right from wrong, he is still willing to set aside what he knows to be right in order to look good to others. Why is this so? I believe it is because we allow the PRESSURES TO PERFORM which comes from the world, unbelievers, and believers who are not tune with the teachings of Scripture, to overtake us. Let me give you a few examples.

Recently, Rafael Palmeiro was suspended by Major League Baseball for taking steroids. Why would a talented professional athlete do such a thing? THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM. There have been many a professional athlete who have fallen to such things as steroids, cheating, gambling, using illegal equipment, etc. simply because of the pressure to perform. The unfortunate thing is that Christianity is saturated with it as well. And you say, where? Missionaries feel the pressure when they are on the field because they have to produce numbers. Local churches feel the pressure because people want to know how “big” is the church, how many services, how many members, how many programs? Women feel the pressure to pursue a career, rather than be keepers at home with their children. Men feel the pressure in their jobs to put in more and more hours, and to produce more and more work with fewer resources available to them.

Everywhere we look there is pressure to perform and to be bigger, better, and successful. And oh yes, to please God too. Pastors have succumbed to the pressures and strayed from preaching the whole council of God, and have gone to catchy titled sermonettes that are shorter, and more “relevant.” Believers have accepted the standards of the world and want to be “cool” so that there is little concern about what the Word of God says.

What we need today is more people who will want to know what God’s Word says, and then who are willing to obey it, so that they will please God, rather than men. We need more people who like Peter and John in Acts 4:19 said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard.”

May God help us not to compromise the truth in our own personal lives, in our families, and in the local church because of PRESSURES TO PERFORM AND PRODUCE. This is by no means an excuse for laziness; we must “always be abounding in the work of the Lord” 1 Cor.15:58. Yet, might we concentrate on simply pleasing God in all that we do. Might we learn the simplicity of 1 Cor. 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Let me leave you with a couple of simple examples to think about. Enoch: In Genesis 5:24 we read, “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” and in Hebrews 11:5 we learn, “… for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God (my emphasis). There is no record of any great accomplishments by this man, only that he pleased God and walked with God. Another, and better, example: The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He never worried about where His food would come from, whether or not people liked His message. All His followers deserted Him. He never had a large local church. But He has this testimony,”… I do always the things that are pleasing to Him”, (The Father) John 8:29, and in Matthew 3:17, “… This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Yes, let us seek the favor of God, and not the favor of men.

Dan Trepanier
Senior Pastor-Teacher
 

The Fire Grant
by Lee Callahan

The spring of 2002 found approximately 30,000 fire departments from around the country applying for a grant offered by FEMA. Over $360,000,000 was available due to the passage of The Fire Act, a legislation that came about as a result of some hard work by congressmen and congresswomen and several fire organizations. Originally, 2002 was scheduled to have $300,000,000 dispersed. That was temporarily reduced by the Administration to $100,000,000, but with the September 11 attacks on our country, the President not only restored the original amount, he also increased it to the originally proposed $360,000,000.

This year’s grant procedure was different than 2001. Last year the process was more of a traditional application with the hard copy sent by mail or some other delivery service to FEMA. This year FEMA apparently thought it would streamline things by only receiving grant applications by electronic mail. The idea sounded great as far as efficiency goes. Unfortunately, it appears that the idea was instituted before the systems were in place to adequately handle all the e-mail questions and applications. As the grant application acceptance time opened up, it quickly became apparent to those applying, and to those administering the grant application process, that the system was inadequate. FEMA was overwhelmed by complaints of applicant fire departments not being able to get onto the appropriate site to start their applications or, once started, not being able to get back into the site to continue the process. As a result, FEMA extended the application deadline for a week thus allowing more time for fire departments from around the country to get their required paperwork via e-mail.

Another difference in the Fire Act rules for this year is that fire departments can only apply for one grant. The previous year’s process had allowed for applying for two grants in differing areas such as personal protective equipment, apparatus, fire prevention, and others. Apparently, the thought for this year was that FEMA expected more grant applications from more fire departments, so it established new rules accepting only one application per fire department, thus spreading the grant money to include the needs of more departments. This seems like a reasonable decision. More money this year will reach more fire services thus impacting more of this great country’s citizens.

Some may wonder what is a grant? Among other uses of the word, the American Heritage Dictionary defines grant as: “To bestow; confer.” The definition is further amplified: “Grant usually implies that the giver is in a favored position of authority, and that he acts out of justice, mercy, or generosity.” In the case of the Fire Act grants, the United States government, at least financially, is in a favored position of authority and is able to grant monetary gifts to various fire departments around this land. A gift of free money! Every fire department can use that. All a fire department has to do is ask for it.

This free gift reminds me of the free gift of eternal life we can have through Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23). You, me, and the guy or gal next door, it doesn’t matter. We have all fallen short of what a Holy, Just God expects of us. According to the Bible, God’s Word, the penalty for our sin is eternal death. However, there is very good news. God has provided a gift, or grant, of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Due to our sin, God demands justice. That justice rightfully condemns us to eternal hell when our earthly life ends. God also provides a way to spend eternity with Him in heaven. He is a merciful God. He sent his Son to die on the cross so that we may live. Can you think of providing one of your family members to die a horrible death by crucifixion? God has generously provided the gift or grant of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. All we must do to receive God’s Grant is to put our trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.

 

“Transplants”
by Pastor Joseph Stringer

People have been transplanted since way back, from house to house, job to job, town to town, church to church. The concept of transplanting is not new. And yet in today’s medical industry the concept of transplanting someone’s organs to another person whose organs have failed, is a common thing. One day, my son-in-law, Doug and I took a trailer and picked up a small organ down in Peabody and I told him this was our first organ transplant. The “patient” lived.

Since this article represents a change in position from past writings, I called Pastor Dan to clear it with him, and as I approached the subject, I said, “How do you feel about organ transplants?” And his answer was, “God did the first one,” to which I responded, “When?” And he said, “God took a rib from Adam and made Eve.”

Seriously, Pastor Stringer has thought in the past not to agree with organ transplants. But maybe it is old age, or wisdom, or something from the Lord, I have changed my mind about the subject. Previously I thought that since one’s organs had become deficient, probably even threatening death, the Lord foreknew these things, and since He did not intervene with them, a transplant should not be called for.

But follow this, we get sick with one thing or another, and the Lord knew about that and provided research and medicine and His own cooperation with the medical industry to heal our bodies. In that process we are interfering with the downward course of things, and the Lord is helping us, and our lives and health are extended accordingly and apparently with the Lord’s blessing and intention to use us for a longer time.

What then is the difference between taking medicine for some dangerous sickness and subsequently reversing the threat of death, as compared to accepting an organ transplant, which equally becomes made available by the Lord? Could not the availability of a needed organ be thought of in the category of available medicine which is similarly intended to stop the deterioration process, even unto death? The person from whom the organ comes has no future in this world, so the organ is “harvested” by permission of the person and/or the family, and some other needy person gets the benefit of an extended life.

We must admit that the entire process is territory in which we do not desire to “walk”, but the territory may be presented to us at some point in the future, and we need to think things through before that happens.

Admittedly, the medical and research industry brings to the fore some very puzzling questions, the ethics of which are extremely difficult to answer, and we should not “shoot from the hip” without thinking things through. It has taken me too long to come to this new position, and I can only hope that no one was done harm by my previous thinking which could have influenced them. I can only attribute that to the “growth” process.

I admit that this brief article is not the answer-all nor the be-all of settling this matter in everyone’s mind, but it may be a simple beginning to help you prepare for the eventuality that you may have to face the possibility of an organ transplant at some time the future, either yourself or a loved one. As you can imagine, necessity can change anyone’s view when death is looming and the needed help is at hand.

The Lord bless you as your thinking develops on this matter.

Joseph Stringer
FBC Pastor Emeritus