Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Sin of Procrastination

By Pastor Jed Raquintan

As Filipino Baptists we lack the heritage of devoted giving to the work of the church. We do not have generations of great giving legacy of our forebears. Children are scarcely taught to be generous in giving their tithes and offerings which belong to the local church. Hence, expecting children to give beyond the regular tithes and offerings is not usual. When these kids become adult members in the church it would take a divine miracle or a chastisement for them to become great givers.

As a family man I always desire my children to have a legacy of giving beyond the regular tithes and missions offerings. By this they will develop the habit and hopefully a godly culture of generous giving for the temple needs. The same desire runs in my blood as your pastor. I realize that most of us never had such godly culture prior to salvation in Christ. If we believe in the culture of generosity of giving beyond the tithes and offerings then we must start it in ourselves, in our family and our relatives.

Practically, ministers and churches resort to external sources to sustain the work. Indigenous ministry is defeated. Servants wanting the church to be strengthened through the biblical indigenous method are disheartened. However, before we fully accept ministerial discouragement, we must first exhaust the word of the Lord in providing solutions to such lack. The passage provides prevention of a repeat of similar want in our local church if we diligently heed its truth. The passage teaches that God wants His people to prioritize and not to delay the needs of His temple. If we fail on it then He will surely show it in our economic life.

Prophet Haggai was God’s man of the hour. He was divinely tasked to preach the word of the Lord. He was chosen to encourage the disheartened workers of the temple who longed to see the temple rebuilt. He was assigned to rebuke the insensitive and indifferent Israelites towards finishing the temple building. I think his work must have been quite difficult. For 15 years the temple work ceased as ordered by law through the influence of oppositionists. The indifferent ones found justification in the cessation order for their sin of procrastination.

God judged the people’s neglect of the temple building work as untimely. While the temple building was unfinished they prioritized their houses. They returned from exile to rebuild the temple. God provided their needs through the trip from Babylon to Jerusalem. But, soon, they succumbed to the hardship of opposition and settled themselves in finished houses. What a great irony! The divine provisions were used on their residences instead of the construction of the temple. They used the permission to return for self enrichment.

God permitted them to have economic insufficiency. They invested so much time and resources for their agricultural businesses expecting to get good harvest. But the actual yield was almost nothing! They spared much for their basic necessities, i.e., food, clothing, and retirement yet after some time they did not get what they expected. How did these things happen? Probably, God influenced the harvest yield. Perhaps, He allowed natural causes to affect their life that the overall yield was meager! They did not notice that their resources were placed in unsafe and unyielding investments. In their human minds the efforts and investments were sound and certain. But by procrastination of the temple building work God caused their investments to fail.

God strongly urged His people to actively finish the temple building work. They needed to exert hard labor by going up the mountains to get the necessary materials. They needed to stop procrastination. They needed to finish the temple building work. They must stop the work in their houses and continue rebuilding the house of the Lord. This task would earn the pleasure of God. It was glorifying to Him. In the same manner, when God’s people prioritize the work of the Lord in the local church, He is honored. When we work to finish the church building where we assemble for the ministry, He is pleased. The beauty of the meeting place reflects the glory of the Lord. The degree of involvement and size of generosity of God’s people will always cause His name to be extolled.

Finally, God sent chastisement upon the people. This divine action was prompted by their indifference to finish the temple building work. The indifferent justified their inaction and procrastination with the hardship of the times. However, their economic hardship was a result of divine hindrance. God closed the windows of heaven to keep the blessings from them.

Some implication of this sin of procrastination is evident. First, as church people we are to prioritize the church building work and its ministries than our residences. For a Christian to get busy building his house while neglecting the needs of the local church to build its edifices for the ministry is grossly sinful. It is the plain relevant message of the prophet. If you find home at Haggai’s rebuke then you are exhorted to stop and start building up the church. Second, did Haggai build his house too? That would be unlikely as he would be found hypocritical. Imagine the great love and sacrifice of this servant of the Lord who found joy only in seeing the temple building rebuilt even if he had no permanent residence!

Third, we must realize that our livelihood now and in the future will always be affected by our attitude towards the priority of church needs. God greatly rewards faithful labor focused not on selfish interest but on the interest of the local church. May I forewarn you people of God to cease from the sin of procrastination! Stop delaying what you are prompted to bring into the local church building needs.

Finally, we must learn that as the church building is being built we need to get involved in generously providing for its materials. Our tithes and offerings, as another prophet spoke about it, are for the temple workers’ provisions. It is the Lord’s temple maintenance provisions. Since God has moved the heathen kings to provide for the temple building then God‘s people are highly expected to do greater than them.

As New Testament people of God, let us seriously consider the needs of the church building to finish it that God’s glory may be displayed. I believe, according to facts and history of Cornerstone’s giving attitude, we can finish this unfinished worship place if every member and partner will heed God’s call to Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified…. Only the sin of procrastination will keep us from finishing this church building.

As your pastor, at the parsonage I daily see the unfinished tasks. My heart trembles and longs to see the glory of God be displayed in our worship place! Not having much funds, I have asked Him to use me, like the prophet, to finish the church building of the Lord. I thanked God that He enabled us to help the missions work. But must we allow such noble task to keep the glory and the pleasure of God displayed among the people, the worshippers, and the observers? Would you join me in prayer, in partnership, and in prompting one another in this renewed zeal to finish the temple of the Lord? Amen!

The Time of Salvation

Humanity recognizes that life is short. Life is the most important resource that people possess. So everything is being done to secure life. Lawmakers enact laws that protect human life. Judges give premium to the security of life. Governments are expected to secure citizens’ welfare. But something is lacking in all these pursuits. The salvation of human soul seems to be overlooked. It is dumped into the realm of the spiritual. A need that is attended to when time permits; when all the basic needs are successfully met. We have forgotten that the completeness of man rests in his soul’s condition. We think of our spirit only when we are sick, troubled by life’s intricacies and nearing the end of life. Good if you would have the privilege of feeling the end of life. What if this would not be your case?

Apostle Paul affirms the urgency of salvation. He realized it was significant in life. One can not live life to the fullest by neglecting salvation. For one to leave earthly life without receiving eternal life is terribly shocking. It is a terrorizing experience as you are going to a place beyond human comprehension for the terrors it brings. I think to enter eternity without eternal life is such a great illogical procrastination. Why did the apostle sound that way? The text gives some reasons for such view.

Paul realized the shortness of life on earth. James acknowledged it too in 4:14. An unwise and unprepared person may spend life as if life is long only to discover quite late that he would soon be in eternity and yet still without salvation.

Then, he declared that NOW, that is upon understanding it, is the proper time to be saved. The text clearly says now is the accepted time…, now is the day of salvation. As you hear the need to be saved you ought to positively respond. Such response needs repentance from sin and believing in Christ to save you. When the soul winner pleads before you to receive Jesus then you must immediately follow him. Upon listening to the preacher who asks you to come to Christ and ask Him to save your soul then you should positively agree even if it is in public. What is at stake is your soul, which will soon enter to eternity!

The apostle indirectly assumes that whenever and wherever you come to Christ for salvation He is most ready to receive you. Note what he said …have I succoured thee… Jesus declared this truth in Matthew 11:28 as well as in John 6:37b. What an assurance that anyone in whatever condition can come to Him now! Friends, delay no more as your soul is at stake here! Come to Christ as soon as you have turned away from sins. You may not have another time that you expect!

The apostle spoke from his experience when he met the Savior on the road to Damascus. There he never delayed upon the impression of Christ on him. He swiftly responded to the convicting work of the Savior. There was no indication of vacillation due to possible reprisal from the religious authority. He never thought of his colleagues who might criticize him. He was childlike in responding to the call of Christ. You too need to be responding to the call of salvation. You must do it now!

The text also calls every soul winning church member to realize the urgency of salvation. We need to zealously get people into the body of Christ! We can not be indifferent now. Souls are at stake including our relatives and the people deceived by various errors. No matter how hard life is and the work of witnessing the urgent call of salvation is paramount. All existing CBC ministries must be geared towards reaping souls for the Savior! Our time is short! Our life is short. Our resources are meager. We must use each resource in a timely manner.

By Pastor Jed Raquintan

Let us eagerly raise every peso and wisely spend it to win souls for the Savior. Let us devote our energies as Christian servants towards the work of winning more souls and establishing more local churches. As I consider my days, not many are left, perhaps. Even Moses did the same in Psalm 90. So, much time and labor must now be invested. Having less in life will not disqualify me from the wise investment of time to get more souls for Him!

Since God said that man needs to be saved NOW and must respond NOW to the call of salvation, then we must likewise give our lives into the task of winning more souls. We need to give more time into the task of building up and reproducing disciples. We need to invest more funds in the task of providing more Sunday School rooms that will accommodate more attendees. We need to provoke the youth to give up their lives into the full time ministry now. We need to train more teachers and missionaries and send them into the mission fields. We all need to remain faithful in the faith until death. Amen!

We are made for Eternity

By Bing Villa

“Rise up before your bedroom gets light from the rising sun! Breakfast must be ready before the noise of animals outside! It’s lunchtime when you don’t see any length of shadow of the roof because the sun stands in the middle. All in the house before sunset! Prepare for each day the night before!’ Phrases we often hear from our fathers when we were young. Yes, even without watches or clocks, the sun, moon, stars are witnesses to remind us of the valuable resources God has given—TIME. “ And God said, let there be light in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and for years” (Gen. 1:14). How do you invest and use your time as a young person?
Set your priorities.

Know your Biblical goals and be committed to fulfill them because pressures to violate will be continual from various sources. If you don’t plan your time, someone else will. So plan according to priorities such as relationship with God- personal devotion, ministry to others, family, developing your character and talents. The rest you may put on the next category of priorities.
Be single-minded for the permanent one.

In my early college days, I have tried one of the different time management that goes like this; 6:00 to 6:45 am get up and prepare for the part time job nearby, 7:00-12:00 at part time work, 12:15- 1:00 pm lunch and prepare for school, 2:00-7:00 pm at school, 7:00-8:00 travel home, 8:00-9:00 rest and dinner, 9:00-11:00 home works. In case home works require more time, I would either stay late or get up earlier than my usual schedule the next day. Sacrifices I made were for a purpose – to finish college and get a job. But you see, I was single-minded for a temporary one. One day, my persistent friend Linda who stayed next door invited me to attend their youth fellowship. In her zealousness to win souls, I became a Christian. Apostle Paul was single-minded for the Lord in Phil. 3:13-14, his life priority was to know Christ and serve Him. It is part of the permanent that can not be lost.
Invest your time for eternity.

When I was already working in the office, I tried the time management I had in college but it didn’t work. Even as a Christian, I saw as if time itself was a burden because my strength, responsibilities, dreams and demands of other people all conflicted with one another. The tyranny of clocks robbed me of life’s enjoyment; my body began to react in pneumonia, hyperacidity, pimple outbreaks. But during these experiences I learned of God’s divine nature- His timelessness. God has His own sense of timelessness even when we labor under time bondage. The blessing of God’s timelessness does not mean various activities without rest, which did not answer my quest for the abundant life.

Young people, there are needs around which cry for your involvement, attention or re-thinking. Your younger siblings or a child next your door would insist to be taught about Jesus even in your busy time, classmates or fellow youth in the church will unexpectedly need help. Such investments even in small ways are investments for eternity. You should also respect other’s time by coming on time for an appointment (Philippians 2:4). God’s children need to maintain godly flexibility. We need to look continually to God for possible re-direction. Let us be wise in our use of time (Eph 5:15-16).