TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
1991 Annual Council Keynote Address
By R. S Folkenberg
Demetrius was angry. Business was falling. He had planned a Mediterranean cruise for the summer and contracted to build a new house and he knew he would have to cancel both if business didn't improve soon. He just couldn't afford them if sales continued to go down. His business, that of selling statues, was in a free-fall. They were in a statue slump. Demetrius was angry. His pocketbook was hurting and he was going to do something about it! And so he called together all the city's statue-making craftsmen and their suppliers and said,..
(NIV-Acts 19:25) "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus...He says that man-made gods are not gods at all."
You can imagine the meeting. It was like a labor union meeting preparing to strike to keep their jobs. Demetrius was not the only one who had to cancel plans for a Mediterranean cruise or a new home. So, what Demetrius had to say hit a responsive cord. Not only was their livelihood being threatened but their god was being maligned.
(Acts 19:27) "There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
I think their concern for Artemis was secondary to their concern for their business but it always sounds better if your personal agenda can be sanctified by religious concerns. This meeting started a riot.
(Acts 19:28-29) "...they were furious and began shouting: 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' Soon the whole city was in an uproar. They people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater."
A large crowd gathered at the theater. A fascinating part of the story is in verse 32..
"Most of the people did not even know why there were there."
The excitement in the air was so great that people got caught up in it and joined the crowd in shouting and without knowing why.
Reminds me of the time at the campmeeting when the ministers were out directing traffic. They were on the main road waving cars into the parking lot. One driver became rather distressed. It seems he was just passing by and obediently followed the directions until he found himself in the camp meeting parking lot! The problem was that he was just going to the store. That is a creative approach to evangelism.
"Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in," (Luke 14:23)
It took the city clerk of Ephesus to get the mob quiet enough to talk to them. He was worried that the city would be charged with rioting and he managed to get everybody to go home. Paul wisely decided to move on to Macedonia and Greece. But, he was there only three months before the Jews plotted to kill him. (Acts 20:2)
Our scripture comes from Paul's visit to Thessalonica.
(Acts 17:5,6 KJV) "(5)But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. (6)And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;"
They were saying, "Look out! Paul is in town!" When Paul preached somewhere, people knew it. When Paul was in town, people knew it.
You may have heard the story of the great preacher who sent his interns out to preach and when they came back he asked, "Well, what happened?" "Not much" was the reply. "What! was there no riot?--Were there no conversions? -- Weren't you thrown in jail?" "No" they said. "Well," the preacher replied, "Then you have failed for where Jesus Christ is preached you either have riots or conversions." I am not sure we would consider our evangelism successful if it caused riots but people would know we were in town.
When Paul was in town, people said, things like, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;" To get rid of him they rioted, they stoned him, they flogged him with 39 lashes, they imprisoned him, they beat him with rods (2 Cor. 11:23-25). Once he escaped by going over the wall in a basket (Acts 9:25). You knew something would be different when Paul came to town. Paul was a catalyst for change. When he was around there was no status quo. He turned the world upside down.
Have you ever been upside down? Maybe you stood on your head or hung from the monkey bars in elementary school. You can't do it for long. It is very uncomfortable. You have to move, change your position. Being upside down requires some action, unless, as the post cards say here in Perth, you happen to be "Down Under" in Australia.
Paul turned people's comfortable, status quo lives upside down. His presence forced people to change positions, forced people to action for him or against him, but there was action. Isn't it time for our church to turn the world upside down. Isn't it time that people notice when we come to town. Isn't it time that some action is required when we show up ... action for us or against us ... but at least some action?
In many places the world doesn't even know that the SDA church is in town. In other parts of the world they know about our institutions, but may not know these are connected with the church.What will it take for us to have a transforming presence in the world? What will it take to turn the world upside down? I tell you one thing, it will involve some change. We won't be transforming the world until we are ourselves transformed.
If we want to change our world our lives must change. If we want to see change in others we must see change in ourselves. If we want to turn their world upside down we must turn our world upside down. But I am afraid too much of our attention is focused on the wrong things.
Have you ever seen a dog chase a rabbit through a small hole under a fence. The rabbit is gone, I mean long gone, but the dog is still there, barking at the hole under the fence. I am afraid that in too many places in the world we are barking at the hole. The rabbits are gone. They aren't there anymore.
Somehow the trumpet has been muted. Our proclamation has been reduced to a pitiful echo. Our enunciation of truth seems to be stuttering and stammering at best. We must get back to a clear, complete, unwavering witness of the fundamentals of our faith.
As a church, we've got closets that look like mausoleums, filled with dead memories of wonderful, decaying, dust-covered programs...each a witness to the failure of trying to substitute mere human creativity, organizational genius, Madison-Ave. marketing, and masterful planning for the powerful but simple messages of scripture. Let's look at some key areas.
RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH
We urgently need to preach the balanced message of assurance in Christ as well as victory over sin.
The glorious message of Assurance in Christ, "You In Christ" on the cross is Justification by Faith. This is balanced by the Victorious message of "Christ in You," which is Sanctification.
Emphasizing one to the exclusion of the other creates either permissive or legalistic members, neither of which is a credit to the name "Christian." Programs and promotion are poor substitutes for the motivation and power that comes from an individual who, filled with joy in Christ, is compelled to share the Good News.
SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY
Some scholars today use "Historical or Form Critical" methods in their study of scripture. They use these legitimate tools to better understand the circumstances into which God inspired the writing of His Word.
Other scholars, tragically including a scattered few with questionable ethics in some of our own institutions, abuse these methods to speculatively attempt to recreate the circumstances in which persons or communities unknown and unnamed, of their own initiative and without divine intervention, authored the scriptures. These abuses result in making us the ultimate arbiters of what portion of scripture is inspired and thereby undermines the clear authority of God's Holy Word.
SPIRIT OF PROPHECY
"The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the spirit of God" [SM 1, p. 48]
In the past attacks have come against the Spirit of Prophecy from outside the church. Now the sad, sobering fact is men and women within the church, perhaps under the guise of scholarship or progress, create doubts in the minds of members regarding Spirit of Prophecy.
Less overt but equally destructive is the simple ignoring of the spiritual feast that God placed in the hands of His church to prepare us for the end of time.
A third problem is the misuse of the Spirit of Prophecy by those who take half a loaf. They ignore the other half which puts things in perspective and perhaps even counsels against the excess being promoted.
Leadership must play a critical role, conveying without compromise unwavering commitment to the role of the Spirit of Prophecy in the remnant church.
CHRIST'S JUDGMENT-HOUR MINISTRY IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY
I received a tape of a recent radio interview here in Australia of a former minister, now a well-known critic who largely rejects the sanctuary message, who stated on the air that the intellectual leaders of our church were coming around to his way of thinking. This is not, cannot, and must not be true! Let's preach this distinctive end-time truth which God gave to prepare the world for His coming.
The "gospel trumpet" must be sounded clearly, and courageously. During this council we will consider a declaration reaffirming:
To help communicate and implement this declaration, we urge each Division and church organization to plan Bible Conferences, councils, and workers' meetings focusing on "This We Believe." Let's not presume that these truths will remain current and fresh without constant review and emphasis.
The first car I owned was a black, state of the art, 1955 Mercury. Just after we were married, we drove it from San Francisco to Berrien Springs, Michigan. It had a smooth, three-speed transmission and overdrive but its power steering was provided by an extra large steering wheel and the driver provided the power to the steering and the brakes. Yes, it was up to date... for 1955, but that car would be a museum piece today. It didn't have airconditioning, seat belts, air bags, radial tires, cassette or CD player, cruise control, electronic ignition, or computer controlled fuel injection. It was a great car for 1955, but not for the 90s.
It is time for some change in the church. That doesn't mean changing fundamentals beliefs, but it does mean we must have the courage to change our way of doing things! We need to stand firm on the fundamentals so we will have a stable foundation to work on. But the church we preside over, the church that we want to see change the world, the church that we love must be designed for the 90s and beyond. Some of you may be thinking, "Get specific, Elder!" OK, I will ...
Governance Commission:
I am very pleased with the quality of the work done by the Governance Commission. There is plenty of discussion about some portions of their report, and I am not opposed to some fine tuning, but Brothers and Sisters, we can't run the 7 million member world church of this decade the same way we ran a half-million member church during the 1940s.
We can't expect the structure of the past to meet the needs of the future. If we can't change ourselves to be more efficient for the 90s, no one will know when we come to town! Change comes with growth. Our church is growing. It is an international, multi-ethnic organization that must be managed differently today than yesterday.
That which unifies our church is far more than the staff at GC headquarters or even financial support from Washington. We are held together by a theological commitment to the authoritative Word of God and the changeless values that are found there. But, the urgency of the end of time demands changing methods to proclaim those changeless values.
During this council we will be considering the first phase of the Commission's report. After acting on this report, I will ask the Council to appoint an expanded Commission, with world representation, to continue to pursue the goal of organizing our church to meet the challenges of the future.
The objective of developing an efficient church should not stop with the General Conference. Every organization and institution around the world must ask itself some difficult questions. "What staffing do we really need at this conference, union, division or college to do this job?" "Are we satisfied with our current rate of growth?" "Are our members effectively involved in the soul-winning mission of the church? If not, why not?"
In some places where the district size is between 30 to 50 churches, membership is growing. In others, where we have created a dependence on professional ministry, the growth is not what it should be. Clearly there are many more issues than staffing that determine growth, but we need to break out of our historic molds and look to new creative ways to achieve the mission of the church.
Denominational Accreditation:
Our educational system has been one of our best forms of evangelism. A Seventh-day Adventist school, joining forces with a Spirit-filled family, is heaven's best fortress against the onslaughts of the evil one.
Laboring under tremendous pressures and with extremely limited resources, our colleges and universities provide an education of the highest academic quality.
We must strengthen the hands of our educators and give them the support necessary to achieve the spiritual objectives which must remain our highest priorities. During this council we will be considering an action that will provide the Board of Regents, our denominational accrediting system, the authority necessary to assure that the spiritual and the academic are confronted with the same high level of commitment.
Every student, whether a biology, business, or theology major, must be led to confront Jesus as his or her personal Savior, and must learn to share with others that which is of eternal consequence.
State of the Church Survey:
In the same way we review educational institutions we need to survey the work of our conferences and churches. We need to know with clarity where we stand spiritually, theologically, evangelistically, educationally, and from every other vital perspective.
In several parts of the world a pattern emerges. Evangelism and church growth is quite weak in the area which provides the current financial base while membership is growing and evangelism prospering in areas where finances are weaker. Why? There are other marked differences between these areas in members' attitudes toward faith, mission, and church leadership.
Is the power of the Holy Spirit unequally distributed or are we the problem? What would God have us do?
We can't chart a course for the future if we don't know where we are at the present. Any plan may sound like a good plan if you don't know where you are.
Imagine being on your long flight to Australia and hearing your pilot's voice reassuring you that you had departed Los Angeles and were on your way to Australia, but that he wasn't sure if the city below the aircraft was Adelaide or Buenos Aires!
In order to arrive at your objective you not only need to know where you want to go but know where you are. During this Council we will consider the establishing of a world-wide, state of the church survey commission, so we will know where we are and can develop a clear strategy for the future.
Stewardship:
Another area of change is financial. Our 1992 budget reduces division appropriations by about 5%. That will have a major effect around the world. But, a shrinking budget MUST NOT indicate a shrinking vision. A smaller budget must not mean smaller goals, or reduced emphasis on or funding for soul-winning, the primary mission of the church. A smaller budget calls rather for an expanded dependence on God and creative approaches to fulfilling our calling.
God is well able to provide means through his faithful members in all parts of the globe. Stewardship education is not an optional part of church life. It is essential not only for personal spiritual growth but for the world wide mission of the church.
I would like to challenge each of you as leaders to find out how many of the families in your territories are in fact supporting the cause of God with their tithes and offerings. I know of one mission-field territory where a survey revealed less than 12% of the families returned ANY tithe during an entire year. I also know of one homeland area where during the past 10 years total tithe gradually increased, but a more careful analysis revealed that, during the same period of time the number of families returning tithe decreased from 54% to 27%!
Stewardship education must be expanded not only among those who have traditionally supported the foreign mission fields but also among those who have received the benefits of other's sacrifice. God is just as able to pour out His blessings out on the members in Abidjan as in Adelaide, in Bulawayo as Boston, in Lima as London. All must learn the blessings of dependence...on God.
Problems that move us to re-evaluate our priorities and trouble that stimulates us to refocus on our mission, may not be all bad. When you have $10 worth of needs and $10 to spend, you don't prioritize those needs. When you have $10 worth of needs and $5 to spend, it is time to evaluate and decide what accomplishes mission. Let us be certain that our efforts, including those of this council, are not be seen by God and by history as re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but rather reveal a transforming change in our church. Every problem needs to be looked at as a challenge, or an opportunity in disguise.
Loyalty and Authority:
In societies whose primary commitment is to unlimited individual rights, loyalty and authority are two words which are distasteful. Authority is a diminishing commodity for it seems equally distasteful to those applying or receiving its benefit. True unity is impossible without a loyalty that binds and the authority which results. However, both are invisible and seem unnecessary until there is conflict and disagreement. Loyalty and authority interact with each other. Without loyalty, authority seems capricious -- without authority, loyalty seems irrelevant. Valid authority is derived only from loyalty to God, His Word, His truth, and His church. Paul recognized the need for authority even in the area of theological disputes when, as recounted in Acts 15, he submitted his convictions regarding the necessity of circumcision to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. Jesus recognized the authority of the church in Matthew 18:15-18.
The inspired servant of the Lord clearly described the role of the church.
"On the church has been conferred the power to act in Christ's stead. It is God's instrumentality for the preservation of order and discipline among His people. To it the Lord has delegated the power to settle all questions respecting its prosperity, purity, and order. Upon it rests the responsibility of excluding from its fellowship those who are unworthy, who by their unchristlike conduct would bring dishonor on the truth. Whatever the church does that is in accordance with the directions given in God's word, will be ratified in heaven." (Gospel Workers, p 501, 502)
The matter of loyalty to the church as well as its authority is critical to leaders and members alike - even for local congregations.
I recently learned of one church which, for the past six years, has not taken up one mission offering during Sabbath School. Instead, they have used the mission offering for Sabbath School Expense. Yet if asked, most of the members think they are giving to World Missions.
It is our responsibility as leaders to assure that the authority of the church is not trampled upon or ignored and that loyalty to God's church prospers.
The other day I met a church leader in the hallway of the General Conference. At the time we were going through a major reduction. He said, "If only you guys would cut all the extra people you have here at the General Conference. You just have too many people."
Rather than debate the merits or demerits of certain cuts I asked him the following question: "Would you describe for me the circumstances under which you would become our most vocal evangelist, telling the world that the General Conference is the right size and doing a good job." "Well," he said, "I never thought of myself in those terms." I suggested that attitude and level of loyalty might well be a major part of the problem.
Too many are looking for a scapegoat somewhere other than where they are responsible. They are looking for a button for someone else to push to solve their problems. I submit to you that the solution to what we feel ails the church is not found anywhere else but within our reach. It is found in our own hearts.
It is easier to criticize the church because:
DIVISION IN THE CHURCH:
Another significant threat to the church today is groups or charismatic leaders who, with psychological finesse and often with words of humility and loyalty, plant their views of theology, mission, and finance on their unsuspecting hearers or readers. Increasing division, distrust, disunity, and collective selfishness as well as a diminishing world-wide vision of the mission of the church are the unavoidable consequences.
How tragic it is that some of the deepest divisions that are weakening the church occur as some who are perceived as undercutting the faith and others who see themselves as defending the faith, engage in bitter, vitriolic, and unchristlike attacks.
"And the very ones who claim sanctification, have in their hearts insubordination, pride, envy, jealousy, and evil surmising of their brethren. They sit as judges upon the life and character of their brethren...... These self deceived men are drawing away souls from the body, scattering from Christ and bringing in dissension and division. Individual experience is set above the authority of the church, and their example leads others whom they deceive to regard lightly the voice of counsel and admonition of the church." [SIGNS OF TIMES, 10/23/79 PAR 8]
Let's remember, "the best defense is a good offense." It is time we went on the offense.
Oh, there are many problems, finances, institutions, personnel but there is one solution. It is in my heart and your heart. A renewal of our spiritual dedication will carry a message to every person in this church.
Have you ever had a personal tragedy that turned your world upside down?
An accident? A friend die? A life-threatening illness?
It suddenly changes your priorities. Things that were important are no longer important. The agenda that you had to accomplish no longer needs to be done. The meeting that was crucial is not longer crucial.
When there is an emergency, you drop everything else. The really important things take precedence. It is time that we consider that we have an emergency. We can't have business as usual. We must put aside our personal agendas and get down to the basics.
Things are opening up.
They knew when Paul was in town, things had changed. Do they know when you are in town? Does the world know that your institution is in town? Do they know that our church is in town? Are we turning the world upside down?
William Jennings Bryan said, "Destiny is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved." Let us not wait any longer. The time is now. Let us rise to the challenge.
The nation of Israel was in a rapidly changing time. There was civil war as those loyal to Saul followed him and others joined David. During that time of change, the Bible said certain men joined David at Hebron and among them were the (1 Chron. 12:32) "men of Issachar, who understood the times and know what Israel should do." That is our need today. Church leaders who understand the times and know what we should do. ... May we be those leaders who will prepare our church to turn the world upside down!
Copyright © 1991 by R S Folkenberg