The Nice: “No”

I ask a lot. My income is mainly derived from getting affirmative responses from people.

Consequently, my ears are also very accustomed to hearing words which indicate: “No.”

Recently I had a meeting with a very pleasant man, with the intent of developing a business relationship. He responded positively to my product. Not a hint of “No” in the course of several conversations.

Soon though it became apparent, he was not following through as he told me he would. Always offering hope in his words, while his actions proclaimed, “No.”

The Bible says, “Simply, let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’” Easy to understand, yet challenging to do. It conflicts with our nice-person image.

Also recently, I was attempting to make business inroads at a gigantic Christian company. This is a reputable, Jesus-honoring business. Yet after being allowed to talk with someone, not a shred of Luke 6:31 was encountered: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

I hung up feeling beat-up and defeated.

Just the day before, I was talking to Cynthia. I desperately wanted to hear “yes” from her. She works for an industry leading company. Not a Christian organization. Most likely, you have encountered their products.

While I was being very persistent in my sales pitch, Cynthia was just as staunch in her resistance. Essentially, she told me “No” ten times and ten different ways before I was ready to retreat. Yet the whole time she listened intently. Responded informatively. She allowed me time to fully explain my ideas.

And these were Cynthia’s last words to me: “Good luck. Don’t give up.”

The Bible says: “Gracious speech is like clover honey—good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.”

Words have this kind of power. Even a properly sweetened, “No.”

The Fear Letter

“Pray for me,” Aaron’s email letter said, “I have a lot of fear about the future.”

Most of us could join Aaron in acknowledging this feeling.

Aaron, a gifted journalism student, sees his career as a calling from God. The Editor-in-Chief of his college’s newspaper, he also interned this past summer at a small daily paper. He has the marks of someone destined for success.

Moses, one of the Bible’s all-time-greats, could have used Aaron’s exact words: “I have a lot of fear about the future.”

The Bible says, “God called to Moses from within the bush.” They ensued in a conversation regarding God’s assignment for Moses—getting the Jewish people out of Egypt. Fear of failure peppers nearly every sentence Moses spoke. He then, in essence, gave God a bottom-line: “What if they do not believe me or listen to me?” If this happened, failure would be certain.

So God offered a sign to alleviate his fear. He told Moses to throw a staff he was carrying to the ground.

Bam! It turned into a snake.

Moses, who probably had seen hundreds of snakes during forty-years in the dessert: “Ran from it.” He ran from the very sign God gave him to show success was to be expected; fear was unwarranted.

Aaron has had many signs. He’s sensed a Holy Spirit-communicated calling from God. He’s experiencing success in whatever he does career-wise. He has even acknowledged God’s Divine opening of doors.

All signs from God.

Moses, my friend Aaron, you, or I all need to heed them. Take courage from them to face our fears. And Moses ultimately did this.

His greatest fear seemed to be Pharaoh. Yet this exalted leader eventually tumbled.

Pharaoh made a parting request to Moses: “Also bless me.” Through this humble request, even Pharaoh acknowledged God’s signs.

When Jesus Died Again

I wanted to scream,“What are you saying?”

Michael, who I love dearly, had just let me know, he thought I attended a “dead church.”

He was wondering why God had sent me to this church. He made an observation: “Maybe God called you out there to wake them out of their deadness.”

I despise calling any church, which follows Jesus Christ: “A dead church.” I will even go further; using these kinds of words is borderline heresy.

But I admit, these same words have come from my mouth.

1 Corinthians 12:27 says: “Now you are the Body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” This is just one of many, many references to the church being the body of Jesus Christ. Each one of us and every church, who truly follow Jesus, are part of His Body. The church I attend qualifies.

Would a person say to Jesus, “Jesus, I noticed part of Your body died. That dead-church part.” Careful Jesus, if enough of You dies, You’ll die again.

No.

Those kind of words mock Jesus. And in essence, claim He is not powerful enough to keep all His parts alive and functioning.

Not one part of Jesus’ body is dead. And no church is functioning optimally.

Consider this: the biggest problem with the church is that the body keeps attacking itself.

From 1 Corinthians, these words need to guide us. “Now the body (of Christ Jesus) is not made up of one part, but of many…but in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

And every part is alive.