|
|
||
01/12/07 |
        |
|
It’s Okay Not to be Okay If … By William E. Berg Copyright 2002
|
||
|
|
In my book, Show Me the Way to Go Home, I have written in dome detail of my thirty-year journey with E. Stanley Jones.
For readers not acquainted with him, the following information will make this dedication more meaningful to them.
Dr. Jones served as a missionary to India for over sixty years. During these years he also conducted evangelism missions across the United States, in Europe, South America, Africa, Japan (ten evangelistic tours there) and other places. He was indeed a world missionary and evangelist. And more. He was a pioneer in the struggles for racial justice and integration. Sixty years ago, his Christian Ashrams, south or north, were always inter-racial and inter-denominational. He worked tirelessly for peace and freedom in the world. For many years he worked with Mahatma Gandhi for the liberation of India. In the fall of 1941, he worked with President Franklin Roosevelt and his staff in a desperate effort to avert World War II. He wanted to get a message through to the Emperor of Japan who was worshipped as god. He believed that the emperor alone could control the powerful military force. He called it an adventure in failure. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
He founded the International Christian Ashram movement. From Gandhi and the Hindu Ashram, he saw the value of a “time exposure to God” through silence, meditation and reflection. The name “Ashram” comes from the Sanskrit. Its root is “a,” from, and “shram,” hard work, meaning a retreat or time apart from the pressures and distractions of everyday life for physical and spiritual renewal. In the Hindu Ashrams, Gandhi was the center around which all teaching revolved. In bringing the Ashram to the USA in 1940, Stanley Jones said, “No man is wise enough or good enough to be the center of a religious movement – only divine shoulders can bear that responsibility.” Jesus Christ is the center of the Christian Ashram. In the early morning quiet time, we sit in corporate silence in His presence. Then we share with the group what He has given us. In the Bible study sessions, we meet Jesus, our teacher. In the prayer and share groups, we do not spend time in dialogue or unfocused conversation. We are there for prayer and praise, together bringing our burdens, blessings, deep needs and answered prayers to Him who is able to supply every need. In the 24 hour prayer vigil, each person is alone in the presence of the Lord of Glory. In the healing services, we meet the healer and are anointed, not into what we want, but into His perfect plan for body, mind and spirit. In the church-at-work hours, we tell of specific and practical ministries that our Lord has used in local parishes to fulfill our high calling there. The high point in the schedule of worship services comes in the Holy Communion service. There, we receive the visible word, His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins, for life and salvation.
I started reading Dr. Jones’ books in 1953 while still in the seminary. I heard his message for the first time in person in 1943. His magnificent obsession with the Kingdom of God, with the Lordship of Jesus Christ and with the Word made Flesh, reflected for me the eternal Word of our God and made a deep impression on my ministries. His 28 books have provided invaluable resource material for me and for many.
In 1972, I served as Chairman of the first International Christian Ashram held in Jerusalem. Dr. Jones, confined in a wheelchair following a severe paralytic stroke six months earlier, was present. He gave a memorable keynote message, long to be remembered by the 325 members in attendance.
I also served as Chairman of the International Christian Ashram in India in 1974 and in Japan in 1978. In these Ashrams, the spiritual impact of Dr. Jones’ ministry was impressive indeed. Other high points for me were to serve on his Ashram teams in Sweden, Washington, DC and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Following his death, I recall a scene in a Baltimore cemetery in 1973. In a processional from Dr. Jones’ home church, we walked to the cemetery carrying part of the ashes of his earthly body. (Some were taken to Sat Tal in India.) We sang his favorite hymns as we marched. We shared great passages of life and hope from the scriptures. I thought, as I was taking my turn in carrying the precious urn, “Brother Stanley, you helped carry me so many times in my pilgrimage. Our Lord used you to lift and carry countless multitudes closer to Him. Rest in peace until the Resurrection morning and the beginning of your new career of service in the Father’s House.”
In this dedication message, I thank our Lord for
countless Christian Ashram partners across the whole world, friends who have
blessed and lifted me. I close by quoting the Christian Ashram prayer that
is used before each meal: For all thy blessings ‘round us spread. We bless Thee for thy love and care, For guidance in the hour of prayer. For Ashram comrades eager, true, For love’s unfinished work to do. In all we think and do and sy, Thy Kingdom come in us today.” Amen.
FOR LOVE’S UNFINISHED WORK TO DO. I pray that the writing of this book may be part of my unfinished work.
Just as the earthly ministry of Stanley Jones was finished in 1973, your work and mine will come to an end in our Lord’s time. May we remember to praise Him for LOVE’S UNFINISHED WORK TO DO in this world. May we look forward with great expectation to the continuing ministries He will have for us in Paradise Regained.
There we shall join with the angels and all the redeemed, including loved ones gone before, in His nearer Presence in a celestial celebration of praise.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor an glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12
I praise my Lord for “Brother Stanley” who helped me see more clearly the Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person.
E. Stanley Jones: My Spiritual Mentor for thirty years Seventy years in the ministry of the Methodist Church: Author Apostle Missionary Evangelist Founder of Christian Ashrams Ecumenical Leader Bishop-elect Statesman Witness for Christ Spokesman for peace, racial brotherhood and social justice Born: January 3, 1884, Clarkesville, Maryland, USA Died: January 25, 1973, Bareilly, UP, India
“Jesus is Lord – Lord of the past, Lord of the present, Lord of the future. Jesus is Lord of everything. Jesus is Lord, unqualified. What a conclusion! A conclusion which is a beginning.” - A testimony of faith by Stanley Jones
Dedication Preface Chapter 1: What Do You Mean By Okay Chapter 2: It’s Okay Not To Be Okay IF Chapter 3: I’m Okay Because I’m So Loved Chapter 4: I’m Okay In Christ Chapter 5: I’m Okay By Faith Chapter 6: Because God Is, I Can Be Okay Chapter 7: Okayed For Service In Church and World Chapter 8: How To Be Okay In A World At War Thank You Acknowledgements
Several years ago, I visited the Vasa Ship Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. There I heard and saw the story of the famous ship which was equipped with cannons designed to make the Swedish Navy master of the seas.
Completed in 1628, it was dedicated with great fanfare, led by King Gustav V. Just seven hours after the launching, the top-heavy ship sank. Three hundred years later, with brilliant technology, the ship was raised from the bottom of the sea and completely restored.
Upon hearing this story, a friend said to me, “Those Swedes must be very stupid to build a ship like that.” I replied, “Perhaps so, and yet they were smart in raising the large ship, now seen and admired by throngs of tourists.
Applying this story to my life, I need to ask, “Am I smart or stupid to be writing another book at my age of 92?” Perhaps I can give the same answer as I gave to the tourist.
Maybe I am smart, or at least intellectually and spiritually aware, because of this writing ministry, I believe, comes out of an irrevocable call of my Lord.
Now the word “stupid” is a strong word. Some of the dictionary synonyms are: “foolish, irrational, lacking a sense of intelligent perception or awareness.” Hopefully, I am not in this category.
I want to assure my readers that I do not feel “smart” or wise enough or qualified enough to write a book on the Divine IFS. I must admit that in the writing of this book, disturbing questions have come to my mind. Will the title bring support to those who believe that they are okay just as they are, without any need of a divine Creator and Saviour? Will some readers be turned off by negative thoughts such as, “You’re okay if you do this and do not do that?” I have come through this intellectual and spiritual crisis in my study of the Divine IFS. Let me explain.
Each morning I sing sixteen stanzas set to the tune, “This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made.” I sing in the midst of inevitable impairments that I wish were not there. I praise our Lord for sixteen gifts that make it exciting and hopeful for me to begin the day. These gifts are Day, Place, World, Body, Family, Church, Nation, Person, Promise, Way, Feet, Hands, Mind, Friends, Song and Love. On several of these gifts I have to stop and meditate. One of the stopping places every morning is, “This is the mind that the Lord has made.” The Bible verse that goes with this gift is Luke 24:45: Then He [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
It is not enough to pray for open-mindedness. I pray for a mind opened by our Lord and His Spirit for the purpose of understanding what He is saying to us in His Word. Of course, in this fallen world we “see in a mirror darkly,” and our spiritual and intellectual understanding is partial and incomplete. In writing this book, I pray daily for divine grace to write, speak, teach and read with a mind open to the scriptures. If this prayer is fulfilled, this book will be worth writing and reading.
Another incentive for writing this book is the fact that I cannot recall having read or heard of a book specifically on the Divine IFS. I have long believed that our Lord’s Divine IFS are His very special gift to us. They help keep us honest, rational, positive and realistic in our Christian faith. If we omit the Divine IFS, we are in danger of becoming false prophets who misquote the Bible. For example, on the program of Columbia University’s anniversary celebration were quoted these words of Jesus, “The Truth Shall Make You Free.” A friend of mine wrote to the Dean of the University, “You are misquoting the Biblical passage in John 8:31 and 32. You left out the all important word if. “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
We need to remember that the death sentence of Jesus was based on misquotations of false witnesses. This is a deadly sin with severe consequences, both for the one who misquotes the Bible and the one who hears it.
Someone may be asking, “Is not God’s love unconditional?” Indeed it is. But I believe that the Divine IF magnifies Divine Love. God’s love honors us with the gifts of responsibility and accountability. He treats us as persons capable of making choices.
Would you like to see the wonder and glory and majesty and might of our God and Creator? We are indeed saved by faith, but it is faith that becomes sight by the grace of God. This faith is a free gift which our Lord offers to us with His Divine IF. “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40
I hope that the title of this book reveals to us the fact that any person born into this fallen world is a “not okay” person. This is in accordance with the Word of our Lord in Romans 3:10-12: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.”
And in Romans 3:23, we read these words: “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This sounds like depressing news. Are we not called to give good news? To me, in light of the title, the message of this book is good news, namely, that I am a sinner in need of being saved. We cannot talk about anything or anyone being found unless something or someone is lost. Good news! My Lord makes me, a lost and condemned creature, eligible for His Amazing Grace!
I am grateful that our Lord does not use coercion to get us into His Kingdom. He honors us as the highest in all of His creation by giving us freedom of will.
Each morning in my devotions I sing a confession of faith. It was written many years ago by Dr. Conrad Hoyer. One of the stanzas goes like this: “I believe with all my reason, I believe with all my will, I believe with all my feelings, my whole self I yield Him still.” Indeed, volition and will are vital in the Christian faith.
Many years ago I heard of a marriage service held on a very warm evening. The bridegroom was perspiring. When the pastor asked this question, “John, wilt thou have Mary to be your lawful, wedded wife?” John responded, “I wilt!” This answer had negative connotations. We can say with the lost son in the far country, as we read in Luke 15:18, “I will arise and go to my father,” or we can see our hopes and dreams wilt into despair. The Divine IFS can haunt us or help us. And if someone should say, “How can I possibly accept the unconditional love with a Divine IF?” there is an answer in Philippians 2:13: “For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
I felt deeply constrained to write this book also because of the “cheap grace” that has become so popular in our day. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, gives a much-needed reminder:
Hopefully, the thoughts I have shared thus far will give you, the readers, a clue as to the rationale for this book.
As in my other books, I have included many quotations from other writers. I have always believed that my thoughts need to be supplemented by the wisdom of others. In fact, one of the purposes of my books is to acquaint readers with great writers like E. Stanley Jones, Max Lucado, Oswald Chambers, CS Lewis and others. In using quotations, we are exceedingly careful to obtain credit and to seek permission from writers and publishers.
I should add that one of the brightest features of this book is the poetry by my life partner, Marta. She was a talented writer of narrative verse. Her two books, Seen and Unseen and From Grey to Gold, tell of her brilliant mind, her spiritual discernment and her heavenly thoughts given in down-to-earth terms. One of my treasured possessions is a book of eloquent comments from countless friends who tell what her poems and insights have meant to them. So I predict that you, the readers, will not only be grateful but deeply moved by Marta’s inspired writing. She left for her Heavenly Home on Thanksgiving Day, 1996.
Surely the Bible passages interspersed throughout this book are indispensable in making it worth writing and reading. Hopefully, I have been led by the Holy Spirit into His fountain of truth. During the writing of this book, I have been reassured and strengthened by these promises: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight,’ says the Lord.” - Jeremiah 9: 23, 24
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” - Psalm 32:8
Thos Divine IFS! Will they be stumbling blocks or stepping stones, helping us grow towards spiritual maturity?
How can we be sure that all of us “not okay” persons can be made okay? Amazing Grace is the answer. Those two-letter words are part of the answer: so loved, in Christ, by faith, God is and of course the key word if.
The Addendum was written after the terrorist attack on our country on September 11, 2001. Hopefully, it will give a divine perspective of the tragedies and triumphs of our day.
Coming back to the opening illustration, I repeat the question, “Is it smart or stupid for me to be writing on this subject at my age?” Let me share that I get much inspiration from a good friend, Dr. Theodore E. Conrad. At the age of 96 years and confined to his wheelchair and “scooter,” this theologian, scholar, college and seminary professor keeps very busy. He writes letters for Amnesty International, keeps in touch with his 20 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren, participates in study groups and is a tower of spiritual strength wherever he goes. In September of 2001, he spoke to a church group on the theme, “Behold, the Lowly Ice Cube.” This was a brilliant message filled with scientific knowledge and the miracle of God’s creation. It ended in a way we shall never forget, closing with the WATERS OF BAPTISM.
Following this message, I signed him up to speak to the same group in September, 2002. He has already announced his topic, “Behold, the Lowly Hard Boiled Egg.” I am sure that when the egg cracks, it will reveal eternal truth. Of course, both of us are aware of the fact that neither of us may be on this earth in September, 2002. The other day in his room in the Augustana Health Care Center, we were listening to a recording of a Christian hymn that we seldom hear anymore, “There’s a Land That is Fairer Than Day.” Both of us were thinking of our beautiful life partners who are in the nearer presence of the Lord on that farther shore. And it goes without saying that we long to join them there and to see our Saviour face-to-face. However, until our time of departure comes, our Lord has continuing ministry for us.
I would like to think that this book is part of His continuing ministry for me. May it be so. ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
In this book, the author highlights the unconditional-conditional love of God for all people. This sounds like a very strange and confusing theology. Hopefully, the “Divine IFS” of the Bible will add some clarity. The study of the Biblical ifs, as related to divine love, can be a safeguard against a theology of cheap grace.
Our God honors us with the priceless gifts of accountability and personal responsibility. He treats us, not as automatons, but as persons capable of making choices. Inevitably, some will ask, “Is not the love of God unconditional? Also, does the word if create a paradox?” The author believes that the Biblical ifs will answer these questions. He also believes that God offers both incentive and power to respond to His conditions.
As in his other books, he uses the principle of “first-handedness.” He gives personal illustrations of what it means to be “not okay.” He believes that persons who know they are “not okay,” sinners in need, are prime prospects for being made new and “all okay” in Christ. He writes, “A long look at the cross tells me that I am far from being okay. My sins helped crucify the Son of God. But at the cross, I also see the grace that is greater than my sin, grace that redeems me and makes me completely okay.”
Hopefully, the stained glass window will bring light on the title and message of this book. This window, together with the Good Shepherd and Ascension windows, is located in the beautiful sanctuary of the Augustana Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The author served as Senior Pastor there for fifteen years. Among many cherished memories are the “stained glass window tours” he conducted for hundreds of persons during those years.
In the sanctuary we saw the Son of God on His cross of torture and sham. We saw the price He paid to rescue us and our fallen race. We saw the Good Shepherd, whose arms protect us. We saw the ascending Christ going back to His Father’s House. There He is preparing a place for us in Paradise.
Many persons in need of food, counseling and financial help came to the church, and we tried to fulfill their physical needs. Recognizing their deeper spiritual needs, we invited many to the sanctuary to see and hear the story of the windows. The most exciting part of the tour was when the Lord stepped out of the windows and met many who remained at the altar to pray.
In his sixty-five years of ordained ministry, the author has tried to keep the crucified Saviour sharply in focus in his preaching and teaching. For it is at the cross that we find the transforming power of sef-giving love. At the cross we find the divine incentive for proclaiming the “greatest story ever told.” This is the cross that “towers o’er the wrecks of time.”
|
|||
This site was last updated 09/21/04