Many are called, but few HAVE chosen: How the kingdom of God relates to us.

Matthew 22 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all thingsare ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

I love the KJV. Unlike the modern mistranslations of scripture, it is an exact word for word translation of the scriptures. However, not all the words in the KJV are from the original manuscripts. These words are all in Italics. These were added by the translators in an attempt to aid our understanding of the scriptures. Many times, these italicized words are fine- meaning they go along with the scriptural words just fine.
However, in this case, they got it wrong.
In the parable here, we find a king about to have a wedding party for his son. He sends forth for all the “somebody's” of the kingdom to come and share in his celebration. Unfortunately, all the “somebody's” had very little respect for the king and his son. So, they found other things to do, rather than answer the kings bidding. Because of this, the king was angry and destroyed them.
Still wanting to celebrate, the king throws open the doors of the castle and sends his servants to invite “whosoever will” to come. When the wedding feast was in full swing, the king noticed a man who wasn't wearing a wedding garment. This meant he had come in a different way (he snuck in) and either had not been invited, or had chosen to not follow the instructions of the king in order to enter in. When asked, the man had no answer and was summarily thrown out- bound hand and foot.
Given the context of the verse, the italicized word in verse 14, “are”, is the wrong choice. It should read, “Many are called but few HAVE chosen.” The nobles lost their lives and positions because they made the wrong choice. The man in the party that had no wedding garment, entered a different way, and therefore didn't receive the proper covering for the party. He made the wrong choice. (He wasn't born again-Acts 2:38 and given the garment of holiness to cover him) The king did choose every person mentioned in this parable. It was they who chose wrong. Therefore, “Many are called, but few (have) chosen,” is the correct way to verbalize this.

Now, notice something else about this parable in 22: 1-14.
When the king destroyed the nobility, he was destroying the whole governmental structure (as far as personnel goes). All of his dukes and earls. All of his judges. All of his generals and high ranking officers. All of his advisers. All of his leaders in industry. Everyone of any importance in his kingdom was now gone.
So, what's a king to do? You don't go on the street corner and find a general, do you? You don't go to the market and find a judge, do you? You don't go to the fish market and find a duke, right?
Or do you?
He hadn't changed his kingdom's organization. So, he had a whole kingdom full of empty positions that needed to be filled. Yet, all he had to fill it with were the ones that society called “the rabble.” Yet, the king brought them all into the feast, anyway.
The people coming into the feast were surprised enough to be invited and given new clothes worthy of attending the prince's wedding. They were awestruck at being able to eat and drink in the same room and out of the same fine china as the royal family. They were amazed at being seated for their meal and being able to see the fine linen table cloth's and the rich tapestry's and paintings on the walls.
But, the king had another surprise for them: They had all just been promoted! A lowly stable hand was now the keeper of the kings livestock. A lowly farm hand was now the chief gardener. A deck hand, who just yesterday was swabbing the decks of a warship, was now the captain of the vessel! And on and on it went. Some were appointed as generals, some dukes, some earls, and some judges. Yet, most of them new little to nothing about their new jobs.
They were now an important part of the kingdom, but understood little about how to carry out their commission. But, the king wasn't looking for more educated advisers and leaders who may or may not obey his wishes. No, he was raising up a people who would be loyal to him. He was lifting up a grateful populace that would willingly do their jobs the way the king commanded them to do it.
There were no longer any career politicians, whose families were associated with the court for generations (and who looked at the king as temporary in the grand scheme of things). No, the new court would serve him out of genuine love and devotion.
But, their new positions (callings), that they were totally unqualified for, would require that they spend many hours studying the kings proclamations and laws. It would also require they spend much time with the king himself. After all, words on a page do not fully capture the true intention of the king. Only by spending that time with him, could they truly understand the depths of the kings proclamations.
In this way, through study and spending time with the king, they could become qualified for the position that the king had called them into.
My friend, may I tell you that this situation is a perfect example of who we are. The “qualified” people of the world (by and large) aren't really interested in God's invitation. The ones with the pedigrees have been “in the way” for so long that they are (many times) getting “in the way.” The folks with the perfect pasts, spend most of their time glorying in their own perfection.
So God is turning to folks like me and you. He's invited us to enter into his feast. He's cleansed us and washed us in his blood- giving us holy robes so that we can be qualified to stand in his presence. But, he's called us here to do more than eat and drink at his table.
He has a job for us to do. A job that we are unqualified to do. But, if we will spend the time in his word, we can learn. If we will take the time to linger in his presence through prayer, he will teach us the heights and depths of his proclamations.
No, God no longer calls the qualified. He qualifies the called.
If he's called you into “the ministry,” he's given you an awesome responsibility. Study his word. Spend time in prayer. Allow him to change your attitudes, redeem your past, and lead you into the future.
It will be hard. It will be challenging. It will require everything you have and more.
You will endure much criticism from people who kno

w how you used to be. You will be mocked and jeered. You may be beaten, arrested, or beheaded. But, keep your eyes on the prize of the high calling of God- the call home, where you will hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant...” Then, it will be worth every tear shed and every burden borne.

Make up your mind and heart that he's not just your savior, he's your Lord (supreme controller) over every part of your life. Follow him. It will be worth it all.    

Do You need a mentor?

If you follow my blog, you will notice that I haven't posted in about a month. Simple reason: My internet has been down. Sorry for not being there for you. However, I have been writing while I've been absent.

Below, you will find an excerpt from a book for prospective preachers I'm working on. It's titled, "So you think you're called." This section is on the subject of the lost art of mentoring. Is it Biblical? Do we need a mentor? Should we be a mentor?

I pray it's a blessing to you. I would also love to have your feedback on it. Feel free to comment. God bless!

First of all, let's clear something up: EVERYONE needs a mentor. Jesus mentored the disciples (who became the apostles). The Apostles mentored new converts. Paul was mentored by Barnabus. Paul, in turn, mentored many, including Timothy, Titus, Silas, etc.
I realize that our western culture speaks much about being independent. From Sanatra's “I did it my way” to modern songs that say things like, “I'm just doing me,” our culture is obsessed with doing things our own way. However, our culture and God's culture are not the same thing.
Jesus came preaching the “gospel of the kingdom.” A kingdom has a king. Jesus is that king. Our culture says we have a choice as to what laws we pick and choose to follow. In God's kingdom, we don't have that freedom. Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?” Lord, in the Greek, means “supreme controller.” Jesus is supposed to be both our savior AND our Lord. If he is not our Lord, then he cannot be our savior. This means we must follow and obey him in every area of our lives.
This is a huge departure from our western culture's mindset. That's why we are commanded to “make disciples of every man.” ( ) Since we are not raised in a kingdom, we need to be taught how to change our thinking from a democracy to a kingdom. This means, before we can make disciples, we must become a disciple. We must learn how the kingdom of God works. We must learn it's rules and functions. We must change our own culture to match the culture of God's kingdom. Then, we are qualified to make disciples.
The teacher/disciple relationship in the culture of Jesus' day was not the same as a teacher student relationship in today's society. Today's students go to a class and learn strictly information from a teacher. The focus of the class is the subject being taught- not the teachers themselves. Other than the information being shared, there's very little personal teaching going on. Teachers are interchangeable as long as the subject is being taught.
In the ancient Israeli culture, however- indeed, in the ancient world in general- it was not that way at all. The subject was definitely important, but what was more important was the teacher himself. He gained students because of who he was, his standing in the community, his area of expertise, and the knowledge and success he had in that particular life discipline. If he were successful, he didn't have to go looking for students. In fact, they came looking for him. He could only teach so many at a time, so he was very picky about who he taught. They had to be bright, attentive, of a good family, of good reputation, and willing to submit their lives to the “Rabbi” (teacher) for whatever he ordered them to do.
The accepted students were called his “disciples.” Why? It took discipline to follow a teacher. It took a total life commitment to follow a teacher. It wasn't a few hours a day, broken up into small classrooms and given in small doses. It was all day long, many hours a day, on the one subject at hand- six days a week (The Jewish culture took the Sabbath day off). A disciple could spend years learning from their master/teacher. Many times, the disciples were young men (usually unmarried) who were trying to learn a trade to prepare them for their future. Their training was a total and complete lifestyle change for them. They had to be completely dedicated to the task of learning their trade, or they would be thrown out of the training, ostracized, and risk becoming a beggar (or worse).
It was to this time period that the disciples (who were about to become apostles) belonged. It was to this mindset that Jesus spoke when he told them to “make disciples of all men.” Jesus had discipled them for 3 ½ years. He had spent nearly every day and night with them. He had totally changed their mindsets about life and religion. Now, right before they were to receive his spirit to empower them for the work he had been preparing them for, he tells them to go and do the same thing he did: disciple people.
For those people who made it through their training, a strong bond would remain between teacher and student, Rabbi and disciple. A bond that would last for the rest of their lives. It was purposely designed this way because the teacher was older, wiser, and more experienced. When the disciple finally branched out on their own, they carried the same practices of their teacher into their own lives. People familiar with their teacher could see the evidence of his teaching in their work and lives. They also knew that they still could go to their teacher with questions and find answers.
When Jesus told the Apostles to make disciples of men, he was saying, “ I have poured my life and heart into your lives for 3 ½ years. I have been with you in good times and bad. I have taught you day and night and helped you change your whole way of thinking. Now, you go and do the same in the lives of others.”
Jesus preached to and fed multitudes. He taught thousands. Yet, he only discipled twelve. These men (except for the one who betrayed him) would form the basis for his church. Even though they preached to thousands and performed miracles, there is evidence in the scriptures that they only mentored a few- so that they could mentor others.
Wait, brother Winskie. I thought we were talking about teachers and students. Now, you say mentor? That's what a biblical teacher truly is. A mentor. One of the biggest areas of lack in today's Churchianity is the lack of true teacher/mentors. There is no lack of people who like to be heard speaking to show others what they think they know. But, there is a decided lack of men who are willing to get involved in the lives of men (and women for women- see Titus 2), get their proverbial hands dirty, and raise up true disciples who will help mentor the next generation.
If you don't have a mentor, pray and ask God to lead you to one. If you can't find one, God will definitely be your mentor. But, make it up in your mind and heart that you are going to become a mentor for some other men. If you do, this will begin to heal part of the breach in the churches walls.
Become a disciple. Then, become a mentor. Some others out there need the wisdom, knowledge, and experience you will gain in the process.
Anybody can work and draw a paycheck. Anyone can teach a class, if they can learn the subject matter and learn how to speak understandably. But, it's a special man that will pour his life and knowledge into the lives of others. He may not make a lot of money, but the rewards are ever lasting and he will affect generations to come. The man who's in it for the paycheck will be forgotten. The man who truly mentors will be remembered for years to come.
Which one do you want to be?

More fruit: Lessons about the growth of the body, from the Apostles.

Matthew 13:18-23

King James Version (KJV)

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Ever wonder why we pray and speak the truth to folks and it seems to fall on deaf ears? It seems to me that there are two sides to this answer. 

First of all, I'd like to point out that there are four distinct types of hearers here in this passage.

Of those, 3 of the 4 (75%) do not reject the word of God outright. Indeed, they do receive it- happily. 

Of the 3 that receive it, 2 fall away (66%). One because of the trials of life (they get hurt). The other because of the cares of this life and the pursuit of success (they get sidetracked).

So preachers and teachers- indeed, saints of God- keep on telling it like it is. But, understand, that of the 4 you talk to, only one is going to stick around long term. 2/3 of those you reach will backslide. 

By all means do pray for and go after them. There will be some prodigals among them who will come to their senses and return to Jesus. Don't give up on them. You never know which one will respond.

Secondly, another reason for our lack of response is our own dedication to Jesus. This lack of dedication is shown in Jesus' words when he says that some will bear fruit a hundredfold, sixty fold, and thirty fold. If we all put forth the same effort with the same dedication, then we'd all bear fruit a hundred fold. 

In his opening remarks to his New Testament translation, J.B. Phillips made this statement: "Perhaps if we believed what they (the Apostles and early church) believed, then we could achieve what they achieved." 

I agree, but I would alter his statement for our modern audience: "Perhaps if we believed and practiced what they believed and practiced, then we could achieve what they achieved."

With that in mind, what did they practice, generally, that many of us no longer practice?

Luke 24:49

King James Version (KJV)

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Here Jesus gave them a direct command. And they obeyed. 

How many times does Jesus give us a direct command and we either disobey, or analyze it to death- trying to figure it out.

The early church was unquestioningly obedient to the Lord. Shouldn't we be the same?

Acts 2

King James Version (KJV)

2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

First, they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost. This was not guesswork. This was not an empty "just believe it." This was a fact. Jesus had promised them power from on high, and he fulfilled it in the lives of all 120 people in that upper room. So powerful was the experience that it got the whole cities attention. Before that day was out, there were another 3000 souls born again through the same truth and experience of the original 120.

Acts 4:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

Next, they spoke only when filled with his spirit. They didn't rest on the first experience with God. They pursued him all the more! So much so that three times in the first four chapters of Acts, they were filled with the spirit. We should not rest on our initial salvation. We should seek him for more of him. More truth. More love. More of his spirit. 

Acts 4:31

King James Version (KJV)

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

They stayed in a state of prayer. They had set times for prayer. They also prayed whenever they needed or wanted to in addition to those set prayer times. As such, they stayed in right relationship with God and he was able to do great and mighty things through them. 

Acts 6:4-6

King James Version (KJV)

4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

They allowed others to handle needs. It wasn't a one man (or twelve man) show. It was about the whole body of Christ responding as God moves. Too many of our churches today believe it's all about "the ministry." Only the pastor (or staff) can do things. Everything must go through the "man of God." Sounds good to many, but in fact, it stifles the free flow of the Holy Ghost. 

The pastoral calling is not the whole five fold ministry. There are four other offices listed. Also, there are other offices (Bishop, deacon) listed as well in the scripture. The word pastor is only used ONCE in the whole New Testament. Where do we get the idea that they are the end all and be all of everything?

Look at the purpose of the five fold ministry: 

Ephesians 4:10-13

King James Version (KJV)

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Notice the progression. Jesus gives the five fold ministry. Why? For the PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS. Ok. We seem to have that much right these days. 

But, why do the saints need to be perfected? To go to heaven? (Yes, but that's not what is listed here.) Notice, the saints need to be perfected, "for the work of the ministry."

Wait, I thought the five fold ministry did the work of the ministry. I challenge you to look up that word "ministry" in the Greek. It's not just about the preachers. It's about helping others. When we give food to the hungry, we are in ministry. When we visit the sick and shut ins, we are in ministry. When we give a testimony, we are in ministry. When we pray for others, we are in ministry. 

But, brother Mike, what if they mess up. Shouldn't they have to go through their pastor for permission first? NO! The pastor is not their Lord, Jesus is!
The pastor is to lead them and teach them the truth. He is to help them grow and pray for them. But, he is NOT in control of what they do when they leave the doors of the church building. Jesus IS!

Besides, what preacher is perfect? Which one of us has never made a mistake since we've been called into his glorious light? Why do pastors and leaders burn out? Because they try to do it all!

Pastors, help your people to grow in God. Teach them to rely on Jesus and his word. Stop trying to control people. It's not your job to control. It's your job to help them to walk in the calling God has laid on them. Let God be God!

If they make a mistake, help them to prayerfully fix it. When a baby falls down or breaks something, we don't lock the child in a corner and not allow them to do anything. We clean them up and teach them. We keep feeding them so they can grow.

So, the saints need to be perfected so that THEY can minister to others. Why? "For the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ."

A) People will get excited when they are used by God to minister to others. This builds up the church- in strength and power. B) When others are won to the Lord through the saints ministering, THIS also builds up the church- in numbers.

We get so caught up in numbers, that we stifle the ministry of the body. This begins to stagnate and kill the body. We have it backwards. 

"Till we all come into the unity of the faith..." We always like to hammer about being on one mind and one accord like the early church was. How do we achieve this? Through creeds? Through control? Through religious education? No! 

We do it through the steps we just covered. When the saints see that God can use them, they will jump at the chance to pray, study, and fast. Why? Because they will be excited about seeing others come to Jesus! They will know that God can use them. We will all be on one page- in unity. 

Unity is not achieved through our programs. It is achieved through our walk with God. It is achieved through the ministry that he gives each one of us. 

Yes. The preacher is important. But, so is the Sunday School teacher. So are the ones who are reaching out to addicts. So are the ones that feed the hungry. It all works together. We are all different parts of the same body of Christ.

The mouth can't grab someone and stop them from falling. It takes eyes to see the danger, a brain to process the danger, and a mouth to warn of the danger. It takes an arm and hand to reach out and grab the person. It takes feet and legs to anchor, so that the back and arms can pull backwards and stop them from going over the cliff. 

See, it all works together. That's how God's church: the body of Christ is supposed to be. 

If we try and do it differently, then we stunt the growth of the church. 

Finally, some people are naturally going to work harder for God than others. That's why some folks produce a hundred fold, while others produce thirty fold. But, they still produce! 

Let the body be the body. Let the vines be the vines. As long as we stay anchored in the branch (Jesus), we will be alright. Let's all do our own part. Let's all work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. 

It worked in the early church. When persecution scattered the church abroad, did it die? NO! It grew wherever it landed. 

If we let God be God, when persecution hits us, we will be fruitful wherever we land. When we let his spirit guide us and his love compel us, we can't help but grow wherever he plants us.