PASSION or passion?

Dear Fellow Travelers,

The following is an article that my mother, Naia Goddard, wrote about me; unfortunately, the date is unknown:

Mac’s Childhood

Born: February 15, 1942.

First grandson—everyone delighted.

I was saved before you were 4. I realized the awesome responsibility of where you would spend eternity—I knew I couldn’t do what I needed to do, so I spent a lot of time on my knees—seeking the Lord. He knew the desire of my heart and somehow used my mistakes for your good and His glory. When you wanted to do something I felt like Jesus did not want us to do, I always tried to give you an alternative and let you decide—usually, you decided the right way—(The movie episode; I was taught it was sinful to go to the movie). I took you and Kikky to all day prayer meetings and Bible study—you cut your teeth on the old altars—I guess you learned more than I realized. You accepted Jesus when you were five—you didn’t know anything else—it was our way of life. I guess you were tuned to Jesus as we never had any problems with you; you always wanted to please us. You worked hard at the store; Daddy kept you busy where you had very little free time to get into trouble, if you had wanted to. Ray and I taught the children in Sunday school and Bible school. As you all grew, I worked with the youth—I felt called to do youth work as surely as you have been called to preach. Then all those years we went to camp meeting at Indian Springs. As teenagers, the peer pressure was “if you aren’t a Christian, you aren’t anything.” But we had many decisions for Jesus during those years. So you all just fell in love with Jesus, and as you sang choruses and witnessed for Him, you just grew up and suddenly you’d missed all the “junk” and were rooted and grounded in Him.

As I read this brief bio, several thoughts came to my mind, not the least of which was this: from the moment of my Mother’s justification, she was very, very serious about knowing truth—her desire for it was insatiable. She read and studied the Bible, as if it would be taken away from her without a moment’s notice; she attended Bible studies and prayer meetings several times per week; and she never missed a church service—regardless of which church in the area might have been holding it. As you can probably tell from what she wrote, her early teachers were all dyed-in-the-wool Wesleyan-Arminian regarding their theological persuasion. Because she desperately wanted to know truth, she became easy prey for her “teachers.” Whatever these men (and women) said, she accepted as truth—no questions asked! Unfortunately, men like Calvin and Luther were in their opinions heretics, so she assumed the same posture. As you might imagine, before long, her list of “dos” and “don’ts” was well-formed and seen as the “one-and-only-correct-list.” (As you can see, one of the “don’ts” on her list was “Don’t go to movies because doing so is sin!”) Just for the record: she was very committed and just as determined to obey the list of rules given to her by her teachers, and compared to some, she did it quite well (at least in her mind).

My point is this: I know many people who have embraced the Gospel of Grace just as fervently as my mother embraced the Wesleyan-Arminian “gospel”; however, from what I have been able to see, their continued passion for what they believe doesn’t even come close to the on-going passion my Mother had for what she believed. One would think it would be the other way around! Why is there so much complacency within the lives of those who embrace the true gospel? Why is there such a lack of commitment? Why is there such a lack of participation? We should be the people who are most committed to what we believe but—

Thankfully, several years before her death, my mother saw the error of what she had been taught and she became even more passionate about the Gospel of Grace than she had ever been about the Wesleyan-Arminian heresy. She even burned her “beloved” list of “dos’ and “don’ts” and began to attend movies—even dance! Go figure—

I really pray that you can hear my heart in this—I really do!

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED MY SERVANT?

There is a part of Christianity that is, indeed, warm, fuzzy, exciting and incredibly wonderful! For example, have you ever been present when someone was being born into the Kingdom of God? Have you ever seen the power of prayer bring healing to someone you knew and loved? Have you ever been overcome with the excitement and warmth of The Presence of the Holy Spirit? Have you ever attended the ordination of one called by God into the ministry?
I could go on and on; but, suffice it to say that there is that part of Christianity that is warm, fuzzy, incredibly exciting, and outrageously wonderful! However, Christianity has another side that most of us do not like to face—one that is far removed from warm, fuzzy, excitement. Although, I realize that in all probability Job did not know Jesus by name, I think you can see this side of Christianity in God’s dialogue with Satan when He asked him this question: Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth? “And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8).
Had you not read the rest of the story, you might think that God was recommending Job for a job promotion with Satan; however, that was not the case because Job was not an employee of Satan! No! God’s question for Job has a way of bringing into focus the truth that most of us don’t want to face, namely, this: Christianity is not what we think it is! It is a far cry from the whitewashed, prosperity-if-you-believe, apple-pie-in-the-sky, no-problems-religion that most of us have been taught that it is!
Just prior to our text verse, we read this: “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it’” (vs. 7). Let me ask you this: Why does Satan roam around on the earth? He does so because He is seeking someone to devour. Remember 1 Peter 5:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
With that in mind, it is not too difficult to see what Satan was about in his dialogue with God. Interestingly, however, God apparently assisted him in his search! His words were unmistakably these: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth!” In other words, God was saying, “If you can get him you to come over to your side, you will have accomplished something huge—really huge!”
Now, let’s be honest: This doesn’t sound like the God we know! Let me say it this way: we hope this isn’t the God we know! The last thing we want to think that God might do is to invite Satan, in his search for someone to devour, to consider one of us. However, it is God (the Father of our Lord, Jesus!) and He did speak these words to Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth” (1:8) and He spoke them knowing full well what Satan was about!
He also knew something else! He knew what He was about in Job, and He knew that Satan was under His control! He had a very clear purpose in mind and He was in complete charge!
Now, having said all of that, there are several truths that must come into focus or none of us will be able to handle this text! Without them, I cannot imagine anyone even approaching this text without so much fear and anxiety that they would run from it! Yes! There is a piece of it that sounds exciting: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth!” That might well be the highest compliment God ever paid anyone; however, when you realize what Job is being considered for, without the following truths firmly implanted, this passage is very, very hard! (Even then, it is no “walk in the park!”)
First – The sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us! Listen to the words of Paul: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
The question seems to be this: Are the blessings of heaven really going to be worth the sufferings on earth that being a Christian brings? At least for Paul, the answer is a resounding – YES! No comparison! The glory that is to be revealed to us when we get home will be so incredibly wonderful that we won’t even have the thought, much less, raise the question.
Now, look with me at 1 Peter 1:6: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” Greatly rejoice in what? The blessings of heaven, of course! Look at verses 3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
What is our living hope; rather, who is our living hope? Jesus and all that He has prepared for His elect! Unless you really believe that the “sufferings of this present time” are nothing in comparison to the glory that is to be revealed in us, you will approach this text with so much anxiety and fear that you will run from it. Let me say it this way: You will never personalize it, as you do so many other passages!
Allow me to bring this home: today Satan is roaming about seeking someone to devour! He has not changed, neither has God! Are you prepared for God to assist Satan in his search, and this time to pick YOU out of the crowd for Satan to consider?
Second – It is much better to die and be with Christ than to continue on in this earthsuit, but it is to the advantage of others that we continue here! I know that that sounds a bit morbid; however, it is true because Paul said it: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake” (Philippians 1:21-24).
There can be no mistaking what he said: It would be much better to physically die and be with Christ than to continue on in this earthsuit. We have a hope that does not and will not disappoint us! In my opinion, this is why Paul could say some of the other things he said. For example: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11). Unless this is firmly planted in you, our text will leave you filled with so much anxiety and fear that you will run from it!
Third – Suffering because you are a Christian, is a privilege and a blessing—a thing of grace—not an act of divine punishment! Paul also said this: “For you have been granted the privilege for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him but also to suffer in His behalf” (Philippians 1:29; Amp).
Look with me at 2 Timothy 1:8-12: “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know in whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
We simply cannot get around the fact that for Paul suffering was a privilege and a blessing—a thing of grace—and so it is for you and me! Why? It is because when we suffer because we are His, we are being identified with Him.
Maybe this will help you see it: “And they took his advice, and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Again, unless this truth is firmly rooted in your life and mind, our text will leave you so filled with anxiety and fear that you will run from it!
Fourth – Suffering is not without divine purpose! Again, Paul probably said it best in Romans 5:3-5: “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
In Philippians 1:6-7 Paul said this: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you all are partakers of grace with me.”
Suffering because we are His is never without divine purpose! God never finds Himself surprised in our suffering – never! No Christian ever suffers outside the parameters of God’s prescribed purpose!
If you cannot see this in the life of Paul, then certainly you can see it in the life of Jesus: His suffering was not without divine purpose. Neither is yours! Unless this is firmly planted in your heart and mind, our text will arouse such anxiety and fear that you will certainly run from it!
Fifth – It is through suffering that we learn obedience! This, too, might be a bit frightening; however, it is true! Believe it or not, it was also true for Jesus. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews said this: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).
The problem with this is that most Christians believe that suffering is the result of their disobedience; however, Jesus was NOT disobedient—even so, He learned obedience from the things He suffered, and, I might add, so do we!
Let’s look at the next verse (9): “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. This is even more frightening! He became to those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation!” What is it that we have been asked to obey? The Ten Commandments? Yes! But we have all miserably failed! What then? Job was a righteous man who feared God and hated evil, yet he suffered!
Look at Hebrews 4:9-11: “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.”
What is the obedience? It is this: Believing that Jesus is enough! Unless this is fixed in your mind, our text will leave you with such anxiety and fear that you will certainly run from it!
Finally – suffering exacerbates our weaknesses and allows His strength to be made perfect in us! From what I have been able to see, we do everything possible to keep from exposing our weaknesses because we do not want others to think we cannot handle life. However, it seems obvious to me that God is determined to expose our weaknesses—whether we like it or not, but He does so with purpose—to show Himself strong!
Listen to the words of Jesus to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Again, unless this is fixed in your mind, our text will leave you with such anxiety and fear that you will run from it!

MYTEXT

“And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8).

MY QUESTION

Are you praying that God will do for you what He did for Job and invite Satan to consider you? If not, don’t worry because if He decides to do so, He will do it without your permission. Do remember this: God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose!!

I just thought I would give you something to think about in your spare time!

Blessings with grace lavished,

Mac

Friendship

Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about friendship, and I think I know why—at my age true friends are few and far between. It seems to me that most people, especially those of the Christian variety, treat friendships more like trash than treasures. In my opinion, it is not difficult to recognize that university fraternities and sororities have, historically, done a much better job at developing long-lasting friendships than the church has ever done. Come to think of it, I wonder if anyone has ever done a legitimate study to discover why this is true.
As most of you know from personal experience, the friendships that are born out of university fraternities and sororities are pretty well doused with virtually every variety of immorality; whereas, the friendships that are born out of church interactions are (supposedly) pretty well doused with virtually every variety of morality. Why, then, is the church known for its inability to produce long-lasting relationships, but the university fraternities and sororities are known for their ability to produce long-lasting, even enduring, faithful friendships?
There is a part of me that wishes I had kept a record of the various friendships that I have seen permanently destroyed during my ministry; although, it is probably best that I do not have it because it would serve only to exacerbate the negative feelings I already have. What is so heartbreaking about this is the fact that most of them dissolved over simple misunderstanding—believing something that was not true, not having all the facts, and listening to gossip—as well as things as foolish as taking on another’s offense, attending to another’s business, and of course the lack of nurturing; not to mention, hasty generalizations.
I have personally experienced enough of this to last me for at least one lifetime, if not two. I really would like to know just how many people have chosen to abandon friendship with me for this single reason—they took up another’s offense. Believe it or not but this dual role of pastor/counselor has made me very vulnerable to such relationship losses, and in my opinion, I have suffered this loss far-too-often. I think we can call it “strangulation by triangulation.”
Anyway, the picture at the top was taken in 1960 (maybe 1961) when we were much younger—46 years younger—and much better looking. The suave, young man on the left is Bobby Ray Martin, the nerd in the center is Mac Goddard, and the debonair, young man on the right is Phil Bumpus. I have no idea how it happened but the three of us found ourselves attending Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky—at the same time, which we know now was very hard on the college. Now listen: we did not belong to a fraternity, mainly because fraternities were a definite “no-no” at Asbury (and certainly not to a sorority; heck, we couldn’t even hold hands with a girl, much less “sororitize” with her!) but we did attend church, mainly because we were required to do so, the other option being castration; YET, amazingly, I have managed to hold on to these two friends throughout all these years!! No fraternity, much church; yet, still friends! A triangle without strangulation! Is that amazing or what?
Night before last, Phil called me from his retirement home in Missouri, having just returned from a fishing trip in Minnesota, where he caught a boatload of fish and wanted to brag (being the humble soul that I am, I let him do so), and we laughed like two 19 year old boys talking about having just “sororitized” a 18 year old blonde! Can you believe it? This is 46 years after our first meeting (when he really was trying to figure out how to, well, just forget that I said that)!
Today, I had lunch with Bobby Ray at the Old Time Buffet! We picked up right where we left off the last time we met, as if it had been only a few minutes before. We laughed and ate and talked and, well, we did what we have always done—we nurtured our relationship and loved every minute of it!
Based upon “looks” one of these old codgers will die long before me but however it works out, I will always love them, and I will always call them—TRUE FRIENDS!
MY POINT: When you get my age, I hope you have some folk you can call true friend, and I hope you make it to my age!

What IS Today Can Suddenly Change!

October 9, 2006

This past April, my son, Michael, and I played a round of golf at one of the beautiful courses on Hilton Head Island. As you avid golfers know, because we were only a twosome, another twosome was assigned to play with us, but for reasons unbeknown to me, only one of the twosome showed up to play—obviously, a complete stranger. Dick, I soon learned, was a bit older than I and, I might add, a minister, as well. For those of you who know me, you know that I enjoyed that 18 hole journey with him. It didn’t take long for us to become involved in a “round the course” theological discussion, nor did it take long for me to know that we held very similar views, which made it even more interesting! To tell you the truth, somewhere around the 7th or 8th hole, I began to feel as if Dick and I had grown up together in the same small town and had been lifetime friends.

To be honest, I have no idea what my score was for that round but I do remember finishing the 18th hole, realizing that Dick and I would probably never see each other again, and that made the finish of a wonderful round of golf a rather sad time for me. That probably sounds strange to you but for some reason we “clicked” and I hated to think that our paths would probably never again cross. I did ask him for his email address, which he gladly gave to me (of course, I gave him mine, as well). When I returned home, I did not wait for Dick to email me; instead, I emailed him—immediately—and he responded just as quickly. Since then, we have emailed several times and in doing so, we have managed to continue, albeit on a limited basis, what I believe the Holy Spirit began in us last April.

Today, I received another email from Dick and I am going to take the liberty of sharing it with you; I have special reason for doing so: “Mac, Just a quick note to let you know our 43-year old son was killed while riding an ATV late Friday night. We are on our way to Pennsylvania for the funeral. I will be conducting the service and delivering the eulogy with the help of a wonderful minister friend - who was my minister for 30 years. I would appreciate your prayers. Blessings, Dick”

My special reason? I would appreciate your prayers for my friend and for his wife, as they make this painful journey to and through their son’s funeral. Dick is a precious man who truly loves Jesus and who sincerely desires to fulfill his calling, as a minister to the local congregation that has been entrusted to his care. His son’s death will leave a huge void in his heart, one that I don’t even want to attempt to imagine. This mother’s heart will never be the same! Yet, I am certain that the Holy Spirit will use this tragic event to strengthen the message that burns passionately within Dick’s heart; to inspire Dick and his lovely wife to encourage others to live, as if today is their last day; and to motivate Dick to faithfully remind others that what is today can suddenly change and life never again be the same.

Dick, if you ever happen to read this, I want to remind you that I thank God for that special day last spring at Hilton Head, when He brought our paths together and you became my friend. I am honored that you asked me to pray for you! My heart grieves with you and for you, and because it does, I am asking believers from Los Angeles to Boston; from Vancouver to Miami; from Seattle to Cincinnati to pray for you and for you wife, as you process your thoughts and feelings in the coming days, weeks, months, and, even years.

I love you, dear brother! Hopefully, our paths will cross again—soon!

Because of Jesus!!

Mac

The Waving of Chickens

Most of you are very aware that I am a strong proponent of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone and, consequently, I am very strongly opposed to justification by works—legalism, in any form. I have often tried to warn you and others of the dangers of legalism, and for the most part, I think I have been heard; however, I do know that each of us continues to struggle from time to time with some of the left over remnants of it.

Anyway, I received the magazine, “Israel My Glory” this week and the article that contained this picture captured my attention and for obvious reasons—an ultra-orthodox Jewish father is waving a live chicken over the head of his son, while saying these words: “You are my sacrifice, by whom my sins will be forgiven.” After this ritual is carried out, the chicken is then slaughtered and given to charity!

I can only imagine how things were carried out in Biblical days with the sacrificing of lambs, goats, bulls, even pigeons, but this in my opinion is a very clear example (it takes no imagination) of one of the more significant dangers of legalism—it soon takes us so far away from dependence upon Jesus, that we find ourselves doing what amounts to “swinging live chickens” over our own heads and the heads of others, in our futile attempts to gain Jesus’ love and acceptance. This ultra-orthodox Jewish father is waving a live chicken over the head of his son in preparation for Yom Kippur, which, I am certain, was probably very important for him, but, unfortunately, it was no more effective at having his son’s sins forgiven, than my waving a perfect attendance pin over the head of my grandma would be.

My point is this: I am very thankful that I do not have to depend upon a chicken (dead or alive) for the forgiveness of my sins, nor a goat for that matter. Thankfully, Jesus is my redeemer and He has perfectly and permanently dealt with my sin problem. He has done for me what the blood of bulls, goats, and even chickens could never do—He took my sins away, so far away that God will never remember them again!

Can you see what is so sad in this picture? These Jews are the folk that God calls the “apple of His eye.” These are the folk that Jesus came to redeem; He is their Messiah! Unfortunately, they rejected him and, obviously, they continue to do so, as they wave live chickens in His face!

Careful now! Before you are too hard on them, remember this: in all probability, each of us has “waved our own live chicken” in His face, probably even today, in an attempt to get our sins forgiven; if not, we probably will before the day ends. For some reason, we seem to prefer doing things our own way, rather than submitting to His way. Fortunately, however, His way is the only way that works!

LISTEN! There is but one way to righteousness—JESUS! Neither chickens, ducks, goats, lambs, or perfect attendance pins, even correct doctrine, can take away our sins! Do we sometimes look as foolish as the Jewish father in the above picture?
LET US STOP “WAVING CHICKENS” IN JESUS’ FACE AND, INSTEAD, PLACE OUR TRUST IN HIM!!
Just a reminder—