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I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15.1, 2, ESV, emphasis mine)

I recently heard a sermon on abiding in Christ from John 15, and the quick, common explanation for “pruning” was that God frequently uses hardship or suffering to prune us. While he was talking, God seemed to remind me of other means for pruning that I’ve written about before: decluttering and digital minimalism.

The more stuff we have, the more time it takes to maintain it, and the less time there is for abiding in Christ. The more time we spend with our technology, the less time there is for abiding in Christ. God wants us to bear fruit, and he prunes for more fruit. We can cooperate with God’s pruning by being more intentional about what we buy and how we spend our time.

Skip Gray of The Navigators used to paraphrase Philippians 3.13 this way:

Paul said, “This one thing I do.” Not, “These 14 things I dabble in.”

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I was just chatting with a ministry colleague in a rural area with not many evangelical churches. He was observing that whenever someone left a church, they did so in a way that left everyone angry! The pastor is angry because he lost a person who might have been helping him in ministry and who was unhappy with the pastor’s way of doing things. The person who left is angry. The people left behind are angry. My friend observed that the net quality of relationships among believers seems to go down every time this happened. What’s the solution?

It might be helpful to revisit some of our “lessons from locusts”!

• They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.Does each of us know our job and do it? Can each of us operate within our own calling?
• They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path. Are we content to let others pursue their calling?

An application of “they do not jostle one another,” content to let others pursue their calling, is to understand that God often moves his people around. A pastor explaining to his congregation of five years why he was accepting a call to a church in another area explained, “A pastor is not married to the church. It’s not a lifetime arrangement; it’s a ministry assignment.”

When I first heard that, I immediately thought, why is that fact limited to pastors? Why aren’t others free to accept different ministry assignments? Then maybe we can stay friends and advance the Kingdom together even from different churches!

When James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2.9, NIV)

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, …and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade… After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. (Acts 18.1 – 3, 18)  (A new ministry assignment for Priscilla and Aquila!)

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I was dismayed when a pastor, writing in an article on an unrelated subject, reported, in an effort to increase his credibility, “Our church is the third fastest growing large [denomination] church in the country.”

My first thoughts were, “How does he know?” and “Why does he care?”

I just wrote on the importance of being effective (February 18, February 19), so why did I react negatively to this claim? We hear boasts like this all the time: “Our church has the largest Sunday School in our denomination!” is a claim I used to hear often from a particular church. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being large or growing:

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (Acts 9.31, NIV)

There is a problem, however, with measuring our effectiveness by comparison. The Apostle Paul was clear:

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. (2 Corinthians 10.12, NIV)

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I really enjoyed writing yesterday’s blog on Jim and his Father’s car business. When I drafted it several days in advance of publication, I sent it to Jim to make sure I had the details right. He responded: “Bob, I’m absolutely amazed! I can’t believe you remembered my exact words.” He’s being kind…it probably wasn’t his exact words (remember, I’m a mathematician!), but it was close. And the reason for that is, I was paying attention.

I used to tell a story illustrating how to learn good interpersonal skills by watching other people, especially if some of those behaviors don’t come naturally. Here’s the story: when I was a young captain, I watched a colonel on the phone with a secretary not slam the phone down as soon as the conversation was over. Rather, he held it out, listened for her to hang up, and then he hung up. I wouldn’t have thought of that in two lifetimes! When I shared the story with a group of missionaries in a training development course I was teaching, one asked, “How did you notice that?” My paying attention made more of an impression on her than the actual story.

Paying attention shouldn’t be that unusual, but I suppose it is. Go through the Gospels and see how many times you see the phrase, “As Jesus passed by he saw…” (Example, John 9.1.) When I wrote about the locusts, I encouraged us to be alert for lessons in all kinds of places. Also, if we’re paying attention, we might have an opportunity to help someone (e.g, Joseph in prison).

When David was hiding from Saul in a cave he wrote:

Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. (Psalm 142.4)

Let’s be among the people who pay attention!

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My friend Jim buys and sells cars as a sideline business. If you were to watch him on a day-to-day basis, you would see him browsing car ads, calling sellers, negotiating to purchase cars, getting them ready for resale, putting them out for sale, negotiating with potential buyers, and closing deals.

Jim, however, describes his business this way:

I’ve worked for two companies in which the son of the owner also worked for the company, and I’ve often thought, “That would be cool. To work for your father in his company.” Then I realized, “Wait a minute, I do work for my Father in the car business! My Father brings me the inventory I need, leading me to the right cars to purchase. Then, my Father brings me the customers I need so I can sell the cars at a profit. All I do is a little grunt work in between!”

Practically, this “arrangement” allows Jim not to stress over whether or not he has inventory. (“I just tell my Father that it would be nice to have some inventory.”) Nor does he stress over lost deals. (“Maybe I should have offered that seller a little more money yesterday. Now he’s holding out for more than I’m willing to pay. Oh well.”)

Work is a good thing, and whether we’re in business for ourselves or working for someone else, we’re all working for our Father:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3.23, 24, NIV)

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When talking about effectiveness, one arena has a literal built-in measure: sports! As a Clemson grad, I’m proud that our football team has done really well the past few years! But basketball? Not so much. So our family tends to follow Duke–a highly successful program which does, to borrow a phrase from yesterday’s Ewellogy, expect to be effective.

But even Duke sometimes has an off night as they did on February 12, 2019, when they found themselves down by 23 points to Louisville with under 10 minutes to play. (My son David keeps me up on such things!) The score was 59 – 36, Louisville’s probability of winning at that point was computed at 99.8%, and Duke won the game.

Part of why they won, in addition to the fact that Duke really is the superior team, is a mindset that they expect to be effective. Coach K called a time out with 9:54 left and told them that he really didn’t like coaching losers. “But you’re not losers; you’re winners–that’s why you’re on this team.” The team went out and outscored Louisville 35 – 10 in the remaining 9:54, winning the game 71 – 69. This despite the fact that the probability chart was against them until the very end!

Surely, “it’s just a game.” I get that. But one application is clear. We are on the winning team:

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4.4, NKJV)

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Revelation 12.11, NKJV)

Another lesson is, as Churchill said, “Never give up!”

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Corinthians 15.58, MSG)

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This is the last of our lessons from locusts as they are described in Joel 2.7, 8:

• Like warriors they charge. Are we on offense, actively trying to make a difference?
• Like soldiers they scale the wall. Are we undeterred by obstacles?
• They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.Does each of us know our job and do it? Can each of us operate within our own calling?
• They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path. Are we content to let others pursue their calling?
  
• They burst through the weapons and are not halted. Do we expect to be effective?

Expect to be effective. The locusts “burst through the weapons and are not halted.” Jesus promised that “the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.” (See Ewellogy, February 15.) Winston Churchill said, “It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”

Expecting to be effective is a little bit counter to the oft-quoted phrase in Christian circles, “We are not called to be successful but faithful.” There is certainly truth in that, too, and often “success” is beyond our control. However, expecting to be effective might put us into a mindset of determining what effectiveness would look like and then assessing our activities, making adjustments when necessary. Again, often in Christian circles, we are content to keep running the same plays whether they are effective or not.

The Apostle Paul measured his effectiveness in the stability of his converts: For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3.8, NKJV)

Nehemiah’s effectiveness was a completed wall. Habitat for Humanity points to millions of completed houses. International Justice Mission liberates people from sexual exploitation. An organization that helps non-profits measure effectiveness advocates “turn-the-curve” thinking. For example, if we can’t eliminate, say, teenage pregnancies, can we at least turn the curve?

We pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. (2 Thessalonians 1.11, MSG

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. (2 Corinthians 10.3 – 6, MSG)

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We’re exploring lessons from locusts as they are described in Joel 2.7, 8:

• Like warriors they charge. Are we on offense, actively trying to make a difference?
• Like soldiers they scale the wall. Are we undeterred by obstacles?
• They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.Does each of us know our job and do it? Can each of us operate within our own calling?
• They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path. Are we content to let others pursue their calling?
  
• They burst through the weapons and are not halted. Do we expect to be effective?

Today I want to explore lessons 3 and 4: they do not swerve from their paths and they do not jostle one another. This one is simple: stay in your lane!

Each knows his job and does it. (Joel 2.8, MSG)

Practically speaking, when we initiate an effort to solve a problem like, say, human trafficking or teen suicide, not everyone that we invite will join us. But that’s OK. God is in charge, and he is free (of course!) to direct his servants where He wants them. Even within a specialized, disciple-making organization like The Navigators, some of us work in churches; others, with the military or on the college campus; some are moving into inner-city neighborhoods. 

And that brings us to the other half of today’s locust lesson: don’t interfere with the other person’s calling! “They do not jostle one another.” Often, when God calls us to specific action, we are so excited about it (rightly so) that we want everyone on board with us (not necessarily a good thing). 

A few years ago, an early-morning men’s bible study I was leading in a downtown church was attended by men from the in-residence program of the nearby rescue mission. These men added a much-needed and sometimes colorful dimension to our table discussions! The point here is that there are many organizations in that city serving the poor: the Rescue Mission was one. There was a soup kitchen run by another church, and all the churches cooperated to create an organization to meet day-to-day needs. My job was to help train the men spiritually—something that is very important— but it would have been silly for any of us to criticize another ministry just because they weren’t doing what we were doing. 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (1 Corinthians 12.4 – 6, ESV)

So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. (Romans 14.12, MSG)

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We’re exploring lessons from locusts as they are described in Joel 2.7, 8:

• Like warriors they charge. Are we on offense, actively trying to make a difference?
• Like soldiers they scale the wall. Are we undeterred by obstacles?
• They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.Does each of us know our job and do it? Can each of us operate within our own calling?
• They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path. Are we content to let others pursue their calling?
  
• They burst through the weapons and are not halted. Do we expect to be effective?

Today, let’s look at Like soldiers they scale the wall: are we undeterred by obstacles?

Whenever we attempt something significant, rest assured, there will be opposition. Nehemiah faced it in chapter 4 after the people got off to a good start building the wall in chapter 3. The Israelites gave up in the face of perceived insurmountable opposition in Numbers 13.

Then they said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there… (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13.27 – 33, NKJV)

When we are engaging in the specific project God has called us to, how shall we respond to the inevitable opposition? Nehemiah responded with prayer and persistence (see Nehemiah 4). The Israelites in Numbers 13 succumbed to a spirit of fear. But…

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1.7)

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Yesterday I wrote about learning lessons from locusts as they are described in Joel 2.7, 8:

• Like warriors they charge. Are we on offense, actively trying to make a difference?
• Like soldiers they scale the wall. Are we undeterred by obstacles?
• They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. Does each of us know our job and do it? Can each of us operate within our own calling?
• They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path. Are we content to let others pursue their calling?
  
• They burst through the weapons and are not halted. Do we expect to be effective?

Today, let’s look at the first one: “like warriors they charge,” which I applied as: are we on offense, trying to make a difference?

I believe that the picture painted in Matthew 16.18 is one of the most misunderstood in scripture:

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Once when leading a Bible study, I asked the men, “What do you see when you read that verse?” One man said, “I see the church as a strong fortress being assaulted by hell, but hell is not successful in destroying the church.” This is a typical understanding, but it’s not what the verse says. It doesn’t say that hell will not prevail against the gates of the church. It says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church! Who is on offense? The church is! God’s people are to be storming the gates of hell!

When Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem was in bad shape, he wept and mourned in chapter 1, but in chapters 2 through 6, he led the effort to rebuild the wall.

When Millard and Linda Fuller observed a lack of decent and affordable housing, they founded Habitat for Humanity, which, since its founding in 1976, has, according to their website, “…helped more than 22 million people build or improve the place they call home.”

When David Wilkerson, a white guy pastoring a small church in western Pennsylvania saw a news article about New York City gang members, he moved to New York and started a ministry to NYC street kids, resulting in the conversion of Nicky Cruz, a Puerto Rican gang member who went on to become a Christian evangelist. Their stories are told in the book and movie The Cross and the Switchblade.

What projects would God have us take on or join? Where would God have us make a difference?

Then the LORD turned to [Gideon] and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6.14, NKJV)

…I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26.18, ESV)