May 26, 2023
Blessed To Be A Blessing
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro,
II Corinthians 9:8-15
The great church reformer Martin Luther of the 16th century had a profound image of the problem of sin. He described sin as the “heart turned in on itself..” This is the ultimate picture of the self-enclosed, self-focused life. Everything about it is contrary to the nature of God. Scripture presents God as three in one. God the Father gives us Jesus the Son. In Jesus the Son, we receive the gift of His sacrifice. God the Father and Jesus the Son give us the person of the Holy Spirit. Through the person of the Holy Spirit, we receive the fruits and gifts of the Spirit. Notice how all three persons of the one supreme God share a unity of self-giving. This isn’t a heart turned in on itself, but a heart turned outward and poured outward in fullness. No fruit of the Spirit or gift of the Spirit produces self-focus or self-enclosure. A life turned inward on itself is evidence not of a Christ-controlled heart but a heart in need of transformation. We live in a culture that endorses spirituality as personal, private, and inward. What a person believes is one’s business. The nature of God isn’t withdrawn or isolated. Preoccupation with self is contrary to the nature of who God is. For Martin Luther, the self-enclosed life is the basis from which all other sins unfold. A self-enclosed heart gives rise to greed, gluttony, and lust. The self-enclosed life is consumed with increasing self-interest at the expense of everyone else.
In the heart of God is the outward reach. When we are at one with God, we open the self-enclosed heart and move in the outward direction. The work of the Spirit is designed to heal us and transform us at the core. Too often, we focus on the symptoms of the problem rather than curing the cause of the problem. Paul’s message to the Corinthians isn’t to offer them a sermon on correcting symptoms such as greed, gluttony, and lust. The heart of the problem is a problem of the heart. Until the self-enclosed heart is delivered from itself and set free to flow outward, no amount of guilt-inducing sermons about what we’re not doing will make a difference. To tell a person, “You should be more generous.” “You should be more giving.” “You should be more charitable with your possessions.” This is equivalent to telling a person, “You should flap your arms and attempt to fly.” The self-enclosed heart is incapable of outward expressions. When the self-enclosed heart attempts generosity, it may go through the motions, but it will feel more like a cold duty. We try to do the right thing, but with gritted teeth, as if we’re rolling giant stones uphill. Jesus poured Himself out “For the joy set before Him.” The giving that proceeds from the heart of the Trinity isn’t an obligation. God was not required to do anything for the sin of humanity. What God provides is a gift of sheer mercy. When we receive the gift of the third person of the Trinity in the form of the Holy Spirit, the heart that beats in God now beats through us. We are made one with Jesus, just as He and the Father are one. Our formerly self=enclosed and turned inward heart is now refocused and oriented outward. Sin has a way of falsely justifying what is wrong and turning it into a virtue. Instead of calling it greed, we make excuses and call our selfishness “preparing for our future.” Instead of calling it gluttony, we make excuses and call our indulgence “the rewards of our hard work.” The self-enclosed heart is also the self-justifying heart. When we live in that condition, we operate as our masters. This is opposed to the heart of God that is abundantly poured out in self-giving love. The simple test of whether we are participating in the heart of God is measured by the degree that our heart is turned outward. If we find ourselves concerned with the needs and interests of others, we can be sure we have identified with the heartbeat of God. No other measure is needed to determine if we know God’s love.
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May 19, 2023
Stand Before Kings
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro,
Acts 24, 25, and 26
Jesus promised His disciples they would stand before kings. What Jesus didn’t tell them is that they were likely to do this when it was most inconvenient. If I’m going to appear before kings, at least let me put on my best suit first. In Acts 24, 25, and 26, Paul appears before three dignitaries: Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. Not only does Paul stand before them when they are at their best, but it is at a moment when Paul is at his worst. Paul stands before them, wearing chains as a prison inmate. How many opportunities do we miss because we wait for what we desire as the perfect moment? The picture of Paul standing before majesty in prison shackles gives new meaning to his words in I Corinthians 2. Paul announces he did not come with eloquence or human testimony, but he came in weakness with fear and trembling. His message was not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power. As Paul stands before important figures, Paul appears without dignity. There is nothing for Paul to rely upon except the promise and power of God. Paul stands in their chambers. The temptation is to squelch the conversation before it starts. They will deny me. They will dismiss me. They will demean me.
Instead, Paul delivers a message as if he is the one speaking from the superior position. At that moment, Paul was inspired with the ability to see through their facade of false appearances. No matter how glamorous the masks they wear, they are still disguises attempting to conceal the truth about themselves. Felix, Festus, and Agrippa surrounded themselves with things that moth and dust corrupt. These earthly rulers couldn’t see the expiration date stamped upon their lives. Spiritual blindness attempts to live as if we are exempt from death and destruction. Sin operates as if we are masters of our well-being and guardians of our future destiny. Paul gave witness that despite their earthly position, God is ultimately Lord. If there was ever a moment Paul would have been tempted to compromise the message, it was then. Paul speaks no differently to the three statesmen than any other audience throughout the letter of Acts. The message is the same. We are sinners who need redemption, which is found in Christ alone. Christ is our Savior and the one through whom all things live, move, and have their being. In the end, it is not earthly powers that will deliver us, nor can earthly powers remove us from the account we must all give to Jesus, our one true King of all kings.
Felix doesn’t accept Paul’s message. One would suspect that the message would have been adapted to appear more attractive by the time Paul arrived to Festus. Paul is rejected by Festus. After going 0-2, Paul would feel pressured to conform to the world to appeal to Agrippa. At the end of the three conversations, Paul went 0-3. Scripture doesn’t reveal what happened to the three beyond what is in these three chapters. What mattered to Paul was that he was faithful to the witness and left the results to God. Paul didn’t wait for ideal conditions before embracing the promise. Jesus assured the disciples not to worry because they would possess the wisdom when the moment arose. If Paul’s life is any indication, we can expect those moments to occur when it is the least desirable on our end. We must learn from the wisdom Paul discovered that standing before kings isn’t about us but God. We are not the ones who end up glorified. In our weakness, God will express heavenly strength. Even though we claim no earthly advantage and seem beset by every earthly disadvantage, this is not a coincidence. The point is not to demonstrate or showcase our human abilities. We will stand before kings and not seek advantage because God intends to show power doesn’t rest on our human ability but upon God’s
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May 12, 2023
The Inner Defender
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro,
Luke 12:11-12
We were gathered for a denominational meeting when a dispute arose over a hot-button issue. A person rose and stated a challenge, calling a Scriptural point into question. Suddenly, the crowd grew quiet at first, and then, a person motions to respond. What followed was a passionate defense of Scripture. All of it was unprepared and delivered at the moment. After the response concluded, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. The person who offered the successful response was congratulated for their stirring presentation after the meeting. I was one of several who gave affirmation for their willingness to capture what needed to be said at precisely the right time. Rather than accept compliments for the outcome, they offered this profound point. “If I had to restate the same thing, I don’t think I could repeat it. I had this sense of words pouring through me.” We were first-hand witnesses of Jesus’ promise in Luke 12:11-12. When the moment comes, we won’t have to worry about what to say because the Holy Spirit will give us inspiration and inspired wisdom. Jesus emphasizes not to worry about defending ourselves but that we will possess an inner defender who will make a stand through us. At the moment, we become vessels of God’s presence and authority. We say and do what Jesus Himself would say and do.
When Jesus gave the promise to the disciples, it was before Peter and John failed to live up to courage. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter and John would desert Jesus. Even after the resurrection, Peter and John are sealed behind locked doors despite seeing Jesus striding forth from death’s grave on multiple occasions. Fast forward to Acts, and we see a different Peter and John. Now they are giving testimony, and the listening crowd of accusers is stunned. Peter and John are untrained and unqualified to speak with compelling boldness. The disciples who once abandoned Jesus and hid behind bolted doors are living into the promise. Jesus assured them they would possess an inner defender who would inspire heavenly wisdom. Such wisdom does not remove from us the responsibility of preparation. Let us not conclude that failing to study God’s word or maintain daily devotions will be compensated with inspiration in the crisis. The Spirit Jesus provides will bring to mind the sacred texts that saturate our thoughts. What Jesus intends is not merely for us to read His word, study His word, or recite His word but to embody His word. Our proclamation ushers forth His living word.
Too often, people will use the excuse that they don’t witness because they never know what to say. Jesus told the disciples not to allow that fear to prevent them from blessing. By the time we arrive in Acts, the disciples are enjoying the fruits of God’s abundance due to their bold witness. Acts 4 shows how their testimony lifted the entire community. All the believers asked God to possess the same courage to stand for the truth. Following these prayers, it says the foundations beneath their feet were shaken, and God’s mighty hand was on display. The willingness to give witness is no small thing. Jesus connects our faithfulness to His word with the miraculous results that happen as a result. For those communities dealing with stagnation and decay, we might evaluate our congregation alongside Acts 4. How faithful are we to Christ’s promise? He has called us to represent His presence. Peter and John had less education and preparation in their day than almost anyone living in modern America. Those who fail to enjoy mighty divine power are not because God withholds blessing. We fail to experience the display of signs and wonders because we lack the faith that positions us for signs and wonders. Unfaithfulness disqualifies us as quickly as outright sin. Until we accept Christ’s promise that His spirit will empower us, we deprive ourselves of what we would have otherwise received. When we honor Him with His word, He will honor us with His wonders.
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May 5, 2023
The Eternal Now
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro,
Luke 10:25-37
When people are asked why they don’t share their faith, one of the highest excuses offered is, “I don’t have the time.” In the parable known as “The Good Samaritan,” Jesus shows how we often fail to do the right thing, not for bad excuses but for what we think are good excuses. Notice in this story how the priest and the Levite aren’t doing anything evil in the story. They are on their way to important, high priority work. There are responsibilities for the church they must meet. Ironically, because of these church-related responsibilities, they overlooked their higher calling. Somehow they miss the forest for the trees. How do we end up following responsibilities in such a way that make us ultimately irresponsible? At least one way these two characters were misguided is that they made a mistake in how they approached life. Too often, our perspective is toward the moment by moment. We count the seconds on the clock. Our daily planner is packed to the hilt. Scheduling becomes the dominant way we evaluate whether we use our day productively. No one can fault the priest or the Levite for treating time apathetically. These two honored their appointments and kept their schedules to the second. Punctuality for them was not an option but was mandatory.
Jesus taught His followers that even though we live in the moment-by-moment world with clocks and calendars, there’s another realm we occupy simultaneously. This second realm is eternity. From God’s perspective, time doesn’t apply to God. We make our decisions within the confines of seconds, minutes, and hours. For God, everything, past, present, and future, exists as an eternal now. God is beyond time, so we don’t speak of God as past, present, or future. To live in the eternal now means we adjust our decisions to what will endure. Sometimes people say it’s possible to be so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good. In the case of the priest and Levite, they were too earthly-minded to be of any heavenly good. They were so consumed with their moment-by-moment responsibilities that they forgot what these responsibilities were meant to establish in our lives. It is to train us to think about eternity, not to confine us to earthly clocks and calendars. The priest had books to read and papers to write. The Levite had worship services to plan and sanctuaries to decorate. These aren’t bad things. Unfortunately, the parable demonstrates that what stands in our way of the best things aren’t bad things but good things that are less than the best. When we forget that we exist moment by moment within the shadow of eternity, we live entrapped by the immediate here and now, and lose sight of the permanent heavenly kingdom.
If our lives are too busy to witness, we must ask ourselves if we’ve become so earthly-minded that we’re of no heavenly good. The priest and the Levite operated under the mindset that since they didn’t cause the problem that put the man in the ditch, this is where their responsibility started and ended. They broke no laws, and they dishonored no command. However, for Jesus, we are to live by something higher and greater than refraining from causing harm. The question is, in what way are our lives giving witness to the eternal kingdom Jesus came to build? We are commissioned as His partners. Jesus promises to enable His followers to become the hands and feet of what Jesus would do if He were still on earth. Jesus is at work on earth in the form of His Holy Spirit, which empowers His followers to reflect the character of Jesus. The man in the ditch was praying for God to help. As the priest and Levite walked by, the man in the ditch had the impression God ignored the prayers. By failing to live as if they occupied eternity, they failed to express the eternal kingdom. Responsibility is meant to build relationships, not replace them. When it does, we’ve made it an idol.
April 28, 2023
Gifted For His Glory
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, NC
Matthew 28:16-20
When most people hear the word “commandment” referred to in Scripture, they immediately associate the word with the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments represent guidelines for navigating through the sins of “commission.” This refers to things we do that we shouldn’t have done. We told a lie, and we shouldn’t have lied. We stole, and we shouldn’t have stolen. However, Scripture also includes other commands, and one of the most famous is “The Great Commission.” Matthew 28:16-20 is not only a Great Commission but also a Great Commandment. Commands such as this help us to navigate through sins of “omission.” This refers to things we didn’t do that we should have done. Notice in Jesus’ words that there is no qualification to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Often, when people are asked why they do not give witness to the faith, they respond with what sounds like a good excuse. “Witnessing isn’t my gift.” “I don’t have a talent for sharing my beliefs.” While that may sound like a good excuse, no excuse is a legitimate excuse. Jesus offered a command, but the command didn’t come before the promise. “All authority on heaven and earth is given to Jesus.” We are not required to give witness based on our abilities. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified but qualifies the called. Jesus provides access to His authority precisely so that we can give witness to Him.
In Acts 1, Jesus will build on the Great Commission and go one step further. For anyone who feels insecure having to witness from their inadequate skills, Jesus promises power. The Greek word for power is “Dunamis,” our root word for “Dynamite.” Do most people associate heavenly power with witness? How frequently do we hear sermons or teaching about receiving the power of God? We don’t hear as frequently that the power Jesus enables is given for a specific calling and purpose. All disciples are promised access to explosive ability. Just like dynamite, His people will have the ability to power through obstacles. Whatever obstructions we confront will prove ineffective against the heavenly-ignited capacities Jesus assures His followers will possess. Sins of commission do things that we shouldn’t have done. Sins of omission fail to do things we should have done. By failing to accept Jesus’ promise, we show distrust that He will follow through on His guarantee. We give more credit to the obstructions and less to the Words Jesus offers that He says will not return void. Failing to give witness is not a statement that we lack ability, but it is a statement that we believe Jesus lacks ability. Those who needed to see His explosive power are deprived of the presence Jesus would have shown had His followers embraced faithful obedience. The chance to showcase glory is lost, and Jesus’ presence is hidden. We put our light under a bushel.
Not only are God’s people promised dynamite power, but more specifically, we are assured inspired gifts. These gifts aren’t given for one’s self-centered benefit. The gift only thrives when it is expressed through witness. The gifts of inspiration aren’t intended to remain in isolation. Could it be that we see so little of the spiritual gifts concerning gifts of prophecy and healing because there is unwillingness to express faithful obedience in witness, which prevents these gifts from flourishing? The spiritual gifts can only thrive through the response of faithful obedience to the Great Commission, the Great Commandment. Jesus laid the discovery of His identity in the hands of Disciples, who would express the presence of Jesus. We are assured no one ever needs to worry about what they will say. Inspiration will come at the moment it is required. No disciple is left to rely on human qualifications. We will possess not only dynamite power but inspired abilities. If we desire the gifts from God, we must first desire the faithful obedience to God for His glory.
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April 21, 2023
Appointed To Bear Fruit
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, John 15:16
“All we are called to do is be faithful.” Here is a saying which has the sound of Scriptural correctness. Unfortunately, it is a saying contrary to Scripture and makes excuses for low-impact living. Faithfulness and fruitfulness are not opposites but two sides of the same coin. Those who are faithful will produce fruit. Jesus doesn’t call disciples to remain faithful but turn out lives that are barren and empty. In John 15:16, Jesus assures the disciples that they have been “appointed to bear fruit.” On the front end of their calling, Jesus promises if they remain faithful to Him, their lives will yield enrichment. Read through Acts, and there is no case of faithfulness that produces only barrenness. Had the early church relied on faithfulness without fruitfulness, the new community of Christ would have never gotten off the ground. Fruitfulness is evidence of faithfulness. The words of Jesus in John 15 are meant to serve as the visible confirmation of faithfulness. This is good news because Jesus intends to supply tangible evidence of faithfulness. There is no groping in the dark with Jesus. He doesn’t intend for His people to follow Him faithfully and have nothing in our lives to show the difference. If there is low-impact living, it motivates us to examine our lives and consider if we are faithful in the way Christ intends. Too often, we think of faithfulness as private and invisible. For Jesus, it is both public and visible.
One of the popular positions of the modern world is “spiritual but not religious.” This refers to personally held beliefs that are held deep by the person who follows them, but they don’t have to reveal anything to the world. Keep your views to yourself to avoid undesirable conversations. Don’t bring up spiritual things in mixed company. The entire letter of Acts showcases the disciples as they engage a highly secular society in the Roman Empire. Nothing about their behavior is private and invisible. It’s impossible not to show our deepest cares and attachments. What we love will show in all of our actions. If we are devoted to Jesus, then the joy, peace, love, and goodness of serving Him will display itself in every detail of life. The most convincing witness to the reality of Jesus is when we allow our lives to do the talking. We hold firm to our convictions. There is no compromise or accommodation when it comes to moral decisions. Demonstrating love to others isn’t a burden because followers of Jesus are convinced that He first loved us even though we were sinners. Therefore, we can show love to others we first received from Jesus. What we give is only an overflow from Jesus.
The best supervisor in ministry I ever had gave a speech to all the ministers in his district at the start of a new year. He proclaimed in the presentation that our temptation at the end of the year would be to excuse fruitless ministry by turning vices into a virtue. “Well, at least we were faithful even if we weren’t fruitful.” I produced no disciples. No one is spiritually motivated in my congregation. There is no sign of life. Worship and service are scarce, but at least I was faithful. He exclaimed, “Let no one mistake such claims for Scriptural truth. Let no one convince themselves this is what Jesus teaches.” For Jesus, He doesn’t leave His followers a faith with no confirmation. The power of Christ’s work is uncontainable. Despite contrary conditions, the Word of God is unchained. It will never return void. Easter broke forth under conditions when there was every reason to fail, yet success happened anyway. If I only had a better church property. If I only had a newer building. If I only had younger people. If I only had a better location. Our superintendent reminded us not to use faithfulness but no fruitfulness as an excuse. That is turning a vice into a virtue. We may not have the best property, location, or congregational age, but if we take Jesus at His word, our faithfulness to Him will show through bountiful results.
April 14, 2023
A Life Worthy Of The Gospel
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, NC
A story appeared in the news about a student who received a $200,000 scholarship from the United States Navy. It was the top award given to the best and brightest students with the highest potential. Imagine this student and another student working three jobs to attend college. When each student has failing grades at the end of the semester, which of the two would most people find astonishing and disappointing? Of course, the one who received the privilege. How could the person who possessed so much advantage squander it all away? When Paul writes to the Philippians, he reminds them in the letter’s first chapter to “lead a life worthy of the Gospel.” Not long ago, a prominent Christian magazine produced a report comparing Christians and non-Christians concerning areas of addictions and unhealthy habits. What the survey revealed was a striking similarity between the two groups. Those who profess Christianity had the same compulsions and were driven by similar behaviors that were contrary to their well-being. Paul stresses how the Gospel promises elevating privileges which equip us with potential we wouldn’t have otherwise. We often hear people claim that they are spiritual but not religious. They mean that they can maintain their spiritual beliefs personally and privately. They insist it’s possible to practice their beliefs without attracting any publicity to themselves.
Paul reminds the Philippians that everyone leads a public life. Everything about our daily choices and decisions reveals to the watching world not only what we say we believe but, more importantly, to what degree those beliefs make any difference in our everyday lives. After the first Easter, Jesus promised the disciples they would be His “witnesses.” In the time that followed, those who became followers of “The Way” did so not because they saw the resurrected Jesus in the flesh. But, because they saw His followers who displayed the character of Jesus no differently than if they had seen Jesus in the flesh. This was the extravagant assurance Jesus offered the disciples when He promised they would do “Greater things than these.” All of the privileges Jesus possessed He would make available. The same miracle which brought Jesus forth from a tomb is offered to anyone who receives Jesus by faith. Now, all of the enrichment expressed in Jesus is expressed through those who submit to Jesus in trust. Those who bear the name “Christian” are called to display Christ’s identity. Whoever we are and wherever we are becomes, for the people around us, an empty tomb experience. By leading lives worthy of the Gospel, all of the riches that make the Gospel “Good News” flow from our character with uncontainable fullness. This is how we are His representatives of the heavenly kingdom.
To show Christ to the world doesn’t depend on what we do in our strength. Instead, it depends on what we allow Christ to do through us in His strength. It’s not a matter of whether we will give witness to something. Everyone, by virtue of living, gives witness to something. Our choices and decisions demonstrate what we love, what we care about, what we believe matters, and what we believe will ultimately count. To profess we are Christian and lead un-Christian lives is like receiving an extravagant scholarship and flunking. When Jesus calls His people to be His witnesses, He is staking the demonstration of Easter on our testimony. Worrying over it assumes we have more on the line than Jesus does. We are assured everything we need to succeed is provided. Nothing is withheld from those Jesus loves. From the moment of the first Easter, Jesus showed His followers that God’s plan all along was for us to become living miracles. Now it’s our high calling to show the reality of Easter just as Jesus showed it then, right here and now.
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March 31, 2023
“Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground” was a command spoken to Moses at the burning bush. Stephen repeats it in his sermon preached in Acts 7. Throughout Scripture, there were specific places God ordained as sacred territory. What immediately comes to mind is the inner sanctum of the temple. Only the priest was appointed to enter into this designated dimension. Even then, the priest wore bells on their feet so those standing outside could hear whether the priest was still alive. If the bells stopped ringing, it was confirmed the priest had done something unholy in the most sacred place. Attendants had a long crook with which they reached behind the curtain and then pulled the deceased priest from the room. The stunning turn throughout the New Testament is that God’s people are now embodied temples. We are the desired place God intends to dwell. Our hearts become the inner sanctum where glory resides. The temptation is to make too much division between law and grace. Some will say, now that Christ has come, we no longer need to worry about the sacred. Jesus fulfills it, and we stand before God on Christ’s merit rather than our own. While Jesus fulfills our redemption, this does not exempt us from the call to live in Christ’s power and become holy just as He is.
Paul had a unique task placed upon him by God to minister to Roman pagans. If Jews found the message of holiness radical, imagine thoroughly secular people who had no exposure to the moral expectations of Leviticus. Paul proclaims to the Thessalonians God calls us to nothing less than “Entire Sanctification.” Observe the word sanctification is the expanded version of “sanctity.” Something sacred is set apart for God’s pleasure and purpose. Things set apart as sacred were treated with the highest respect. Imprinted upon the devout Jewish mind was a keen awareness of sacred space. The temple was viewed as set apart. Paul’s message is that God’s ultimate intention wasn’t to dwell in houses built with stone. Now, we are the embodied temples God intends to make a residence. Our hearts will be His established dominion. Therefore, we will align our lives with the same level of sensitive awareness to conduct ourselves according to God’s expectations. The completed work of the cross does not exempt us from the sacred. Instead, it empowers us for the sacred. The temptation is to approach life as a balance sheet. On one side, we have debits, and on the other, we have credits. We hope that when the calculation is complete, we have more good things in our favor than bad things. Like a weighted scale, we envision our lives tilted toward the side, which counts for reward. As long as 51% counts for good, we can call it success.
Paul is clear our lives are not defined by a scale but by the cross. Jesus’ gift of self-giving does not remove us from the sacred but it inspires and equips us to align our lives with sanctity. Ultimately, we don’t calculate our actions and draw the line at 99.99%. We are to aim for nothing less than total sanctity, complete sacredness. Much of the secular world is all about seeking loopholes wherever they are found. When tax season rolls around, we seek the expert who will enable us to scour the law for the ways we can exploit the advantage. Help us follow the letter of the law, but bend it as far as we can without breaking. The call of entire sanctity demonstrates the extent of God’s love. There is no area of life overlooked, minimized, or underappreciated. God desires the totality for His pleasure and purpose. When Jews read through the expectations of Leviticus, God showed concern over the most meticulous details. As Paul proclaims to thoroughly secular mindsets, his message lifts high the privilege of living as a kingdom of witnesses. Our sanctity testifies to the amazing love of God. We are promised heaven as our eternal home, but God makes His home the sacred human heart.
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March 24, 2023
Nothing Less Than Everything
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, stevewellman09@gmail.com
I Peter 1:13-25
When people hear the word “holy,” they associate it with purity. While it is partly correct, it is not entirely descriptive. In both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek, the word holy is better understood in our language with the holiness we spell with a “w,” “whole-li-ness.” In this instance, we’d know it is referring to something whole, complete, and lacking nothing. For something holy in the Scriptural sense means to possess fullness, not 99.99%, but nothing less than completion. We have a saying, “Don’t be halfhearted!” To call some halfhearted might be an overestimate. When we’re honest, do we confess we get life even 50% close to God’s calling to excellence? I Peter proclaims how God’s expectation defines our ultimate identity: “Be holy as I am holy.” Aim for a fullness that lacks nothing and possess the completion of all good things. How does God model holiness, whole-li-ness? It is presented to us in the example of Christ, who spared nothing to give Himself for our redemption. In His gift of self-sacrifice, He demonstrates the willingness to go to the uttermost on our behalf. The things of this world are the very definition of incomplete. Like grass, even the most extreme pleasures of this world are destined to wither and disappear. Only the fullness of God is guaranteed to endure. If we desire to prevail with the God who endures, we must pursue a life nothing less than complete.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was famous for proclaiming the excellence of God’s “holy love.” Wesley said humans tend to gravitate to extremes. Some will try and express holiness without love. Unfortunately, the result is cold, rigid, and unappealing dogmatism. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum are those who attempt to show affection without holiness. This extreme leads to license and moral chaos. Only in God do we find the perfect unity held inseparably together. God is holy because He is loving, and God loves because He is holy. Those who attempt to show affection without holiness aren’t asking for more but settling for too little. We think if people let us do whatever we want, we can call that love. Often in my daughter’s formative years, it wasn’t uncommon for her to say to me, “If you don’t let me, you don’t love me.” In her protest of immaturity, she lacked the experience and maturity to understand that what she wanted the parent to let her do was reckless, self-destructive, and contrary to her well-being. True love intervenes and prevents such defiant behavior. True love is big enough to take the criticism of immature accusations, “You don’t love me.” God calls people to holiness, but the reaction on our side is that God must not love, or we’d be allowed to do whatever we desire. God, in His complete love, sees things from the eternal view. True satisfaction isn’t based on vapor.
The holy love of God revealed through Jesus demonstrates what will endure. Jesus described Himself as the Living Word of God. We must not conform to things that are passing away. In this world, we live as aliens only passing through. This is not our true home. We are pilgrims bound for places of permanence. Because perishable things did not redeem us, we can’t stake our lives upon perishable things. We are to be complete just as God is complete. The model of completion is demonstrated for us in the Holy Love of Jesus. Anyone can gravitate to human extremes. We can try to be dogmatic without affection. We can try to show affection without morality. Only God can enable us to possess holy love. When we devote ourselves to His unblemished, enduring truth, our life advances by degrees. Will we reach perfection in this world? No human will achieve perfection in this world, but we catch excellence by chasing perfection. With minds alert and fully sober, we will set our hopes only on that which endures forever by God’s holy love.
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March 17, 2023
Proclaiming His Excellence
Pastor Steve Wellman,
New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, stevewellman09@gmail.com, I Peter 2:9
Outside Christianity, the word “Consecration” is rarely, if ever, used. What does the word mean? When something is consecrated, it means “set aside for sacred use.” Throughout the history of God’s people, things are set aside for sacred use. Take, for instance, “The Ark of the Covenant.” Remember the story of King David transferring the ark from the Philistines to its rightful home in Jerusalem? When the cart tilted, Uzzah tried to steady the ark with his hand in direct violation of divine law, and he immediately fell dead. The ark was consecrated as sacred to the Lord. It was set apart and distinguished. In the ark was a visible sign of an invisible presence. One’s highest respect was due. There is the command in Joshua, “Consecrate yourselves, and I will do wonders among you.” From the beginning, God’s people were trained to recognize a distinction in what was set apart for God’s pleasure. Anything consecrated represented excellence at the highest level. When someone disregarded the consecrated possessions of God, it was an act of irreverence. King Belshazzar in Daniel 5 held a great feast and decided to drink from the sacred objects taken from the Jerusalem temple. At that moment, the king saw the handwriting on the wall informing of divine judgment for the king’s irreverence and disregard for the sacred things of God. Was there anything valuable in the cups themselves? No, they were valuable in so far that God declared them a special possession set apart for God’s pleasure and to serve as a sign of God’s excellence.
In the first letter of Peter, the audience receiving this letter is dealing with persecution and facing resistance. What is the remedy people most need who are in dire circumstances? Their lives are under assault and even physically threatened. For Peter, their source of comfort is found through embracing their identity as a consecrated people. They are set apart for God’s pleasure and to bring God glory. Just as Belshazzar abused the things of God and eventually reaped what he sowed, Peter promises the people justice will come in due time. Meanwhile, God’s people will remain faithful and courageous, knowing that everything in their life belongs to God. They are God’s prized possession. Once they were not a people, but now they are a people called to “proclaim the excellence of God.” How can they hold firm even in the face of opposition? We assume courage is found when we avoid hazardous conditions and seek to protect ourselves as the highest priority. If this is our mentality, we will not find courage but fear. Jesus commanded His followers to find one’s life; one must be willing to surrender it to a higher calling. The opposite of living a consecrated, set apart life is a mentality that seeks to cling tightly, as if God is not the rightful possessor; we are. Instead of living as if we are God’s possession, set apart for His pleasure, we treat our life as if we are the supreme owners.
Once God consecrates a possession, it is under the authority and declaration of God. What becomes of that possession is entirely dependent on God’s established purposes. The promise Peter upholds is that only consecrated people can live with the assurance their future is in God’s hands. Their well-being and ultimate destiny are established by God and not one’s limited human abilities. Living for God’s pleasure releases all the fear and anxiety that occur when people live as if self-possessed. The modern world would like us to believe we are self-possessed. Conduct your affairs as if everything depended only upon your demands for your rights. This is a false narrative that doesn’t produce the well-being it promises. In a world where everything is frail, security is found through an unexpected remedy. Our lasting peace is found living as people set apart for God’s glory as we proclaim His excellence.
Friday, March 3, 2023
The Seriousness Of Surrender
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, stevewellman09@gmail.com Matthew 7:21-23
When we hear the word “evil,” what comes to mind are terrorists and serial killers. It should give us pause that Jesus refers to evil in Matthew 7 as the description of those who do not surrender to God. Toward the conclusion of the Sermon On the Mount, Jesus proclaims even a person who performs miracles; such a person is evil if they fail to surrender to the will of the Father in heaven. Clarifying how we understand the definitions of good and evil is a vital priority for the disciple. Culture has its assumptions about the meaning of what represents a “good” person. The assumed definition begins with essential qualities that have little or nothing to do with God. Jesus shows we can avoid doing people harm, and we can accomplish noble deeds. However, this isn’t the ultimate standard by which good and evil are determined. If God created us, redeemed us, and has eternal plans for us, then it’s also true the primary purpose of life is to acknowledge this Being with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The story of redemption presents a God who not only endured a broken heart over sin but entered into our world to bring reversal and transformation. To arrange our lives as if God is irrelevant isn’t merely disappointing; Jesus describes it with the word we reserve for the profoundly wicked.
Why would Jesus place the lack of surrender in the same group as monstrous things? The opposite of surrender is self-sufficiency. When a person is self-sufficient, there is no need for God. For the self-sufficient, we live as if we are gods unto ourselves. Jesus shows a person refusing to acknowledge God might still be capable of accomplishing impressive noble deeds. Such a person might even contribute things to society that are beneficial. In the Sermon On the Mount, Jesus is correcting common misunderstandings that were held then and are still today. How frequently the question arises, “Isn’t it enough for a person to be decent? Why is it necessary to tell people about God if they are already well behaved?” Jesus proclaims that our ultimate purpose in this world is to acknowledge why we exist in the first place. None of us would have lived if God wasn’t the designer. Every breath we take is a gift of grace. Someone might ask, “If God is so loving, why would He send a decent person to eternal judgment?” CS Lewis noted hell is a door locked from the inside. The decisions and choices we make in this life establish whether we prefer a life abiding with God or being alienated from God. The standard of goodness is measured by God’s character and how we align our lives with the one who has created us for His pleasure. To disregard that is more than a mild offense. It strikes at the heart of life itself. To reject God loudly or quietly is incidental. Rejection, in the end, is still a rejection. There are no “good” reasons for living as if God is irrelevant to our joy.
True goodness recognizes that what we often call decency is just another name for pride. There is no good that does not begin with God as the reference point. Too often, we start with the human reference point and then define what God is based on our position. God is the supreme position from which any standard of goodness flows. The origin of sin began with, “You shall be as gods unto yourselves.” We must confess that our natural tendency, without God’s help, is to start with ourselves as the standard. There is no common decency that treats surrender to God as irrelevant. Jesus takes surrender seriously because understanding the order of life is essential. The Sermon On The Mount concludes with how there are only two kinds of people. Either we build on false foundations, or we build on fortified foundations. Truth is determined by the one in whom there is no darkness at all. To miss out on the greatest love the universe will ever know is more than a minor error or a slight mistake. For Jesus, it’s nothing less than the worst of possible evils.
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Friday, February 24, 2023
In Search Of Desire
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, Matthew 6:19-21
Dave Ramsey is known for his superb instruction series, “Financial Peace.” One of the most unique pieces of advice he offers is for people to carry cash rather than pay for everything with cards. He emphasizes how paying with cash makes us more aware of our spending. When we operate with a budget and carry only a particular amount of money, we are more cautious as we process the difference between wants and needs. A great danger to financial peace is compulsive shopping. This occurs when we buy seeking peace but find the opposite. What we acquire doesn’t lead to contentment or lasting joy. We fulfill only a quick fix, but the craving arises for something new, and the cycle begins again. Jesus knew one of the fastest ways to lose our sense of spiritual security is to allow ourselves to become distracted by material possessions. It’s easy to mistake wants for needs, and we justify excess because we live in a culture immersed in shopping. We have more possessions than we could ever hope to use. Our closets aren’t large enough to store the things we already have. The things we seek for fulfillment express our search for satisfaction. Jesus teaches in Matthew 6 how our desires can be misplaced and misdirected. We search desperately for wrong things.
In Jesus’ day, there weren’t many options for people who wanted to amass things. These days we have basements, attics, garages, and backyard sheds. If that wasn’t enough, we can rent storage space to collect even more. There is a vast market in the modern world for security systems. All this is designed to amass more than we need, build larger storage to house it, and security systems to protect it. A popular reality show, “Hoarders,” captures the psychological drive of amassing things. Before this show explored the behavior, Jesus taught how our tendency to seek satisfaction through shopping reveals a misguided desire of the heart. It is tragically ironic how much of our pursuit of happiness is the greatest hindrance to discovering true happiness. How we seek determines what we ultimately find. The desperate quest for things to bring peace results in the opposite of peace. To cure the anxiety, we acquire greater storage space and security systems. Notice how the cure becomes another part of the problem. Rather than positioning ourselves only to reinforce misguided desires, Jesus provides a remedy for purifying our desires. Only He can empower the heart so that we can turn our energy toward pursuing what will bring lasting peace. We don’t need to keep doing things that are counter productive to our joy.
Finding fulfillment in finite things is impossible when we are made for eternity. Our hearts are not designed for attachment to this world. The relentless cycle of acquiring reveals the impossibility of ever reaching a point of contentment. Spending our money, time, and energy on frivolous things never leads to the satisfaction we seek. All we can expect from these pursuits is chronic compulsion. Free time becomes a ritual of shopping. Now that we have the convenience of doing it online, it is much easier to fall into the trap of misguided chasing. The drive is equivalent to running after the vapor. Once we have it in our grasp, it disappears. Jesus urges us to look beneath our desires. What goal are we attempting to secure? By looking beneath the surface, we discover a deeper need whereby material things serve as an inferior substitute. Rather than seeking a cheap substitute, the heart’s true treasure is within reach. It is futile to continue the drive after inferior substitutes once we are aware of the real things that truly satisfy us. Our healing is found by uncovering the surface desire to reveal what lies deeper. The drive isn’t for an endless supply of material things that leave us discontent. For those who are made for more than the world offers, we aren’t content with anything less than what never passes away.
February 10, 2023
The Heights of Humility
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, Matthew 20:24-28
Someone wise has noted that envy is a sign you are being overtaken. This is a vivid way of putting it, but Jesus diagnosed the problem 2000 years before. In Matthew 20, the mother of James and John comes to Jesus and requests that her sons sit on the right and left of Jesus’ throne. The other ten disciples were filled with resentment over the request. Here’s a case of ten disciples who weren’t angry that James and John might get declined. Their disgust was over the possibility the two might receive the request and outrank the other ten. Most people don’t think they have any difficulty identifying with someone’s disappointments. You lose your job, and I’ll let you cry on my shoulder. However, you win the lottery and come to my door sharing your joy, and I may have to fake excitement as I grit my teeth. This problem is compounded if we have experienced setbacks while someone else experiences good fortune. It’s bad enough that our lives are in decline, but we’re expected to show excitement when someone receives good fortune to an even greater degree than our bad fortune? I lose $10,000 and you win $1,000,000! Envy over another’s success can divide relationships and can sour friendships. Depending on how severe the envy takes hold, it can erode the health of an entire community.
Jesus had called the 12 disciples and appointed them to become His witnesses. Even at the end, as Jesus is assigning Peter a critical task, the first question Peter asks Jesus while pointing at John is, “What about him?” I can serve you and devote myself to your purpose until I suspect someone like John has better privileges. Jesus knew how fatal the sin of envy could be. The problem of envy slips into our lives and is excused because it doesn’t seem as threatening as other vices. Nevertheless, Jesus knew how envy could distract from our purpose and reduce our energy for service. It’s impossible to focus on the task before us when we are gazing to the left and right, sizing up the privileges someone else enjoys that we lack. Jesus provides the cure, which is not an easy medicine to accept. His remedy is humility. This is a virtue impossible to fake. We might pretend we’re many things in life but pretending we’re humble isn’t within reach. Only the indwelling Spirit of Jesus can empower authentic humility. How do we know we possess humility? We’ll know the humble presence of Jesus is at work in our life when we’re able to view the success of others with genuine concern. If we resent the success of others, then it says more about us than it does about the person who is resented. It reveals a mindset that decides God has treated us as inferior. Humility is the power to realize that we’re not as important as we often think we are, but we’re also not as unappreciated in God’s eyes as we feel we are. God has limitless care and love for our ultimate well-being.
Philippians 2 declares Jesus laid aside heavenly privilege and took on the identity of lowliness. We are to let the mind of Jesus take root in our lives. In doing so, we view ourselves through the lens of heaven. Comparisons are laid aside as we embrace the divine favor at work in our circumstances with honor. Rather than dwelling on the things we think we lack, our focus is turned toward the abundance which surrounds us that we tend to ignore and overlook. None of the disciples could ever live into the fullness Jesus designed for them if they were preoccupied with comparisons. We might think we can grieve with others, but if we can’t also celebrate the success of others, then we aren’t genuinely grieving with others either. Most of us might not think humility is a healing remedy, but this is precisely how Jesus viewed this virtue. No different than the words, “Take up your mat and walk,” the gift of humility empowers us to rise above the envy that paralyzes our spirit. With humility, we can now rise and walk with a newfound joy.
Friday, January 27, 2023
Pastor Steve Wellman, New Hope Church, 200 E. New Hope Road, Goldsboro, Acts 1:6-8
There’s a mentality that it’s not enough to get rich. We need to get rich and quick. The mindset carries over to the spiritual life as the temptation to get rich quick was an assumption when Jesus spoke of His kingdom. His disciples continued to ask the question during the three years of Jesus’ ministry. Acts 1 captures the last conversation before Jesus ascended. Once again, for good measure, the disciples asked the question with urgency. “Is this the time you will establish your kingdom?” Like the child in the back seat who continually asks, “Are we there yet?” the disciples were often unaware of the present moment and were blind with impatience. It was CS Lewis who offered a beautiful image of our spiritual journey. “What saves a person is to take a step and then another step.” With Jesus, the journey is the destination. There are no get-rich-quick schemes in His kingdom. While Jesus did not promise a get-rich-quick scheme, He did offer something better. “You will receive power to become My witnesses all over the world.” The enrichment Jesus provides makes us one with His mission of salvation in the world. We are partners in His purpose. True wealth is to live for something bigger than ourselves. Rather than demand a quick arrival, we celebrate the daily steps of traveling with Him. What saves a person is to take one step and then another. There is joy in the journey. There is delight in who travels with us each step of the way.
Like, the disciples, I’m tempted to wonder, “Who will sit on your left and your right?” “Who is most important?” “Do I get the best seat at the table?” We often hear of “The American Dream.” Unfortunately, we often associate the dream of instant arrival with Jesus’ call to discipleship. Wasn’t this the entire point of the parable of the workers in the vineyard? A master calls workers early in the morning, some other workers in the afternoon, some other workers later in the afternoon, and then some workers right before the close of the day. At the conclusion, all the workers were paid an identical reward. The reaction to the parable reveals our get-rich mentality. We take exception that the earlier workers weren’t paid more. There is grumbling by the early workers that they didn’t receive a better reward for their contribution. Instead of the early workers looking at the later workers with envy, what if they looked at them with a sense of empathy? How we wished you had the opportunity to work as long beside the Master as we did. You missed out on the privilege for which there is no measure. It’s impossible to put a decimal point on a reward beyond our wildest calculation.
The disciples were looking for get rich quick opportunities. Jesus was looking for people who saw the reward for working alongside the Master in the vineyard and accomplishing purposes together. In this sense, the journey is the destination. What brings honor to Jesus is when we embrace the part we play in traveling along life’s road with Him. Becoming kingdom people isn’t accomplished in an instant. What transforms us is to take a step and then another step. Sadly, a repeated phrase through the Gospels is, “And many followed Him no more.” Jesus had no trouble attracting curious seekers. The challenge was in sustaining their fellowship. Many started the journey, but they lost interest when the reward wasn’t instant. What if it was possible for those early partners in the parable to not merely toil away in the noonday sun living with one eye on the clock? Are we there yet? What if there was a power working inside our lives that would enable us to live by a compass rather than a clock? Rather than preoccupy ourselves with arrival, we find amazement in the voyage. The wonder of sharing in the journey with the master is our reward beyond calculation. The kingdom isn’t primarily a place but a person. Wherever we are, the kingdom has arrived as long as Jesus is present.