Value Investing

Few topics have drawn as much attention recently as investing. Record amounts of money have been lost in the stock market. Millions of people are fretting over retirement resources or the lack of them. Multitudes are looking for new investment strategies. I am part of that group, and since I believe the Scriptures are our best guide, I have been looking to them for instructions.

Jesus tells a parable in Luke 16:1-9 that has some insight for investment strategies. In the story, a master hears that his manager is wasting money and notifies the manager that he is going to be fired. The manager then gets creative. He gives discounts to his master’s debtors in hopes that they will give him a place to stay when he loses his job. He is commended for his shrewdness (though not vindicated for his wastefulness or disloyalty). Jesus concludes the story with these instructions to his disciples: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

If Jesus was, in fact, referring to our life beyond the one on this earth, he was saying that management here and now affects life then and there. We are all going to lose our management jobs here relatively soon. The average lifespan still hovers around 70-plus years. It is not a matter of if but when we will no longer be in charge of the stewardship of things here. We should be as shrewd as the money-manager in the story and use what we have now for eternal benefits. It is the epitome of foolishness for older men and women to continue to collect and hoard those things they will soon lose. Younger people who think they need to accumulate for their envisioned long life, are also being deceived by the temporal nature of monetary wealth.

Notice the way the manager in the story focused on establishing relationships. He used money to build relationships that would benefit him later. He knew he would soon lose the money and the job, but the relationships would last. Any sound investment should ultimately be about strengthening relationships. Exchanging money for the sake of gaining more money is missing the point. Knowing God and his people is the greatest wealth there is, and it will last forever. Investments that enable others to become all that God designed them to be are the investments that get recorded in heaven.

So what should we buy into during these days of uncertainty? Listen to a very wise and wealthy sage: “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23).

In a day of “spin,” truth is valuable if you can find it at all. We are being told that truth is all relative to what one chooses to believe. Don’t buy that! Truth is ultimately found in relationship with Jesus Christ (who said he was THE TRUTH). Don’t buy the religious pitch that truth is simply information or propositions. Get the real thing! Set your life’s goal to know him. Any investment of time and money in reaching that goal is very good. Only the truth will guarantee real freedom.

Buy wisdom! The wealthiest among us are the wise. Money without wisdom is first dangerous, then fleeting. If you can find people of wisdom and understanding, use your resources to establish close relationships with them. Don’t buy the celebrity bit. The unwise think they are significant if they associate with celebrities. The humble look for the sage.

What is wisdom? It is divine perspective. None of us can see as broadly and clearly as God himself, but some have greater perspective than we do. Wisdom is both a gift and the result of living with God’s guidance. Wisdom produces God’s order in each situation. It cuts through the fog of confusing information and turns on the light. It counsels the mind, while comforting the soul.

It is sad to watch young pastors and ministry leaders ignore the wisdom of those around them as they build teams of young and energetic but inexperienced visionaries. They want to appeal to the younger mindset of the culture and seem afraid to access the wisdom of the older patriarchs. There are many older men and women who have walked with God through many exploits, yet now they sit alone watching their replacements struggle for lack of wisdom. We have bought marketing but sold wisdom. There is room in the budget for children, youth, men, women, missions, and marketing, but none for consulting with the wise.

Like in the parable, the people of this generation are wiser than the sons of light. Those in the business community have increasingly seen the value of consulting. They want someone from another perspective to evaluate them. They are willing to pay big money for wisdom. It is a good investment. It is interesting that when churches decide to enter a building project that will require lots of money, they will hire financial consultants to help raise the money. Or, if they want to increase the numbers of people coming to their programs, they will hire church growth experts. However, in theology, philosophy of ministry, personal holiness and disciple-making, they think they can do it alone. So, most churches end up housing large numbers of hungry people who never get the benefits of true discipleship, while those who have paid with pain for the experiences that lead to wisdom sit alone and watch.

It isn’t the corporate church alone that has neglected to buy wisdom. We as individuals are guilty as well. We spend for training in our vocation. We spend for our kid’s education. We spend for our retirement. We help fund church programs. We chip-in on mission ventures. However, a relatively small amount is spent buying the wisdom available if we only knew better how to communicate with God through his Spirit and the Scriptures. Make a list of the wise people you know. Set your goal to know and bless them. Listen to what you hear and you will be miles ahead.

Buy time! It is a terrible commodity to waste. We only have so much of it and then it is gone. We watch the terminally ill body fighting for just one more breath, and we see how precious time is. I plan to get ruthless toward those activities and habits that rob me of my time. Since each moment has the opportunity to see God, I want to be unencumbered in embracing that moment. It is time to stop whining about being busy. We have the privilege of being intentional with the most valuable asset we have— our time. It should be spent with joy and expectation. Being busy does not give us a badge of significance, but being intentional with your time will yield a rare satisfaction. No one is buying that your busy-ness means you are important. Stop it! Redeem the time. Use it for the most important purposes and let the rest go.

Buy into the gospel! It alone can change people. When you invest here you are joining the purpose of history. God has always been about magnifying his Son. He has guaranteed the success of this project, and he will supply the resources for getting this done. You can’t make a more certain investment than promoting the supremacy of Christ Jesus. The dividends come now and forever. It is the ultimate relationship investment. Only through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ can mankind be reconciled to God. Only those reconciled to God will ever be reconciled to each other. Those who really care about world peace should invest heavily in the gospel.

“But there are so many ministries who ask for my help. How can I know which ones to help?” First, we must know what the gospel is. Lots of ministries claim to be proclaiming the gospel. It is our privilege and responsibility to know for ourselves what the New Testament teaches as its gospel. It is a large issue, but vital. Those who promise you pleasure, plenty, and painless living are suspect. Those who manipulate you with guilt should be avoided. Those who use the plight of the poor to fill their coffers should be despised. Those who suggest you can stimulate God by your actions are wrong. Though the gospel is too grand to fully explain, it includes these foundational aspects: (1.) It centers on Jesus who fulfills the promises and hopes of the Old Testament. (2.) It includes the forgiveness of sins because of the perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of Christ. (3.) It excludes any other way to the Father. (4.) It offers the life of the Spirit who produces an ethic of love in those who believe. The life in the Spirit is primary, and the structures that grow up around it are secondary. The Bible is interpreted in light of Jesus and is the authoritative word of God for believers.

Don’t buy methods. Buy into message. Our society has conformed us into consummate consumers. We like that which caters to our comforts and conveniences. We like to be left alone, yet we want the benefits of the body of Christ, which demands interdependence. We too easily depend on media (which allows detachment) to define and declare the message. We tend toward large congregations where we can be informed and sometimes inspired without involvement in other’s lives. We appeal for contributions on the basis that we are successful in getting people to attend. The message is often massaged in order not to offend those who would attend and increase our numbers.

Have we forgotten that the natural man is not capable of knowing what only God can reveal by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-3:8)? If we dumb the message down to where the natural get it without faith, then it is not the gospel.

Buy into people but not personalities. Of course men and women lead ministries. We don’t just throw our investments into the air and expect God to keep what he wants. We invest in the message that is proclaimed by a particular ministry lead by physical people. Trust and respect are vital. They are imperfect and incomplete, but they must be knowable, believable, and approachable. Remember it is the message that will endure. All the people will pass away. But God processes his message through the lives of the people who proclaim it. Get to know them.

Buy into the kingdom of God and refuse to invest in the kingdom-building of men. God is invested in the whole creation, not just the church structures. He is more interested in the transformation of the marketplace than in the demands of those who turn his church into clubs with benefits. Even if no “church” sponsors the project, God likes for his people to get involved with blessing the community. Invest where Christian men and women are seeking to bring the order of God to the segments of society that need it.

There are plenty of opportunities to invest. Let’s get busy and refuse to whine. It is our time to reveal our distinctives. We are stewards of treasures more valuable than money, but money is one tool we must manage aggressively and accurately. If we ignore its power, it will rule us. How tragic to be set free by the death of Jesus only to become slaves of mammon. We are investors.

We will not be distracted or dismayed. We live in this earth while being people of heaven. It is time to stand up and make a difference.

Response to Dual Covenant Theology

It is clear from the New Testament record that those assigned to be leaders of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ are accountable to confront and correct teachings that do not align with the words of Jesus and with doctrine that leads to godly living (1 Timothy 6:2-4). Recently, a dangerous teaching referred to as “Dual Covenant Theology” has been exposed. I would like to address it with the hope that believers will be better equipped to discern truth from error in their journey with Christ, and that correction and restoration will happen with those who are now espousing this unorthodox doctrine.

I was recently privileged to participate in a roundtable discussion sponsored by Morningstar Ministries led by Rick Joyner. In our discussions, a serious concern was voiced by all present regarding John Hagee’s latest book, In Defense of Israel. In this book, Hagee puts forth his belief that Jesus was not Israel’s Messiah and that the Jews have their own covenant with God apart from the way Gentiles come to God through Jesus Christ. Hagee is an avowed Zionist. He is an influential voice among evangelical Christians through his church, TV programs and his work with Jewish leaders. His has organized Christians United for Friendship to Israel through which he promotes special events to support the nation of Israel and its agenda. Although there is evidence that this has been his position for at least 20 years, it has not been widely accepted that Hagee held to dual covenants.

Rick Joyner, in his response to Hagee’s position, is very strong in seeking to protect the Body of Christ as well as offering Hagee an opportunity to repent. In his Morningstar Strategic Team newsletter, Joyner lists three objections with the Dual Covenant theology as presented by Hagee:

1. It undermines the very mission of Jesus as the Messiah.
2. It so butchers the Scriptures and their intended meanings that it opens the door wide for almost any interpretation or misinterpretation of them.
3. This doctrine is promoted in a way that challenges basic logic…

I agree with Rick Joyner’s objectives of protecting the Body of Christ and offering Hagee an opportunity to repent. In addition, I would like to further explore his second objection: that Hagee is promoting an improper approach to interpreting the Scriptures. I believe the revealing of this Dual Covenant error can have a positive end-result in the church, if we can learn something about a proper approach to sacred Scripture.

Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, and he is the final exegesis of truth. As such, he has the right to interpret Scripture to us. After his death and resurrection he gave priority to teaching his disciples how to interpret the Old Testament. On the Emmaus road and in the subsequent upper room experience, he explained to them all the Scripture from a Christ-centered perspective (Luke 24:13-49). Matthew’s Gospel account is about the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, types and prophecies in Christ. Luke shows how Jesus is the answer to the dilemma created by Adam and is the full sacrifice for the sins of mankind. John shows through signs and teachings how Jesus is the last and best of all God’s acts and words of revelation. And so the New Testament goes on to reveal the rest of the story that the Old Testament began. Without the explanation of the New Testament, the story ends with a mild thud. Paul was severely persecuted by Jews who accused him of being against the Jewish people, the Law and the temple. He was just preaching Jesus as the center of God’s program and the subject of history. They were demanding then, as many Zionists are now, the restoration of the temple, the law, and the land. I think we can all see through the pages of the New Testament that Jesus fulfills the purpose of each of these. His people, including believing Jews and Gentiles, become the temple. They are filled with the Spirit, thus fulfilling the Law. They inherit the land of the whole earth in which to witness to the new covenant made through Jesus the Messiah.

Why is all this important? Because the approach to Scripture that has allowed John Hagee to move into a heretical belief consists of an ultra-literal interpretation that concludes there are two peoples of God with two distinct purposes.

Rick Joyner, in the same newsletter mentioned above says, “There is some obvious truth to what is considered Replacement Theology, the teaching that the church replaces Israel in the prophecies of Scripture. However, those grafted in by their faith are the ‘true Israel of God’, which is clearly taught in the New Testament, but the problem comes with many of the prophecies that were very obviously meant for ‘natural Israel’, or those who are Jews according to the flesh.”

I am wondering how Rick or anyone else knows which prophecies are just about “natural Israel” and which ones are about Jesus? Are there covenant promises in Scripture that are not related to Christ? Are there some that are not fulfilled in him? What part of the inheritance does not transfer through Jesus? If Jesus is the Seed of Abraham and the promise God made to Abraham is fulfilled in Christ, where is there room for another program featuring another people? And who has the inspirational authority to declare that a prophecy of the Old Testament is fulfilled in some contemporary event?

The New Testament writers being moved by God’s inspiration could say “This is that” referring to some Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled in their day (Peter does this at Pentecost interpreting Joel), but since the close of the cannon does anyone know for sure when it happens? Some of the reformers thought for sure they had identified the Antichrist in the papacy. Today, others are finding him in other figures. History has not been kind to those who have professed to identify fulfillment of prophecy in their days. Much is made by Zionists confidently declaring that the establishment of Israel as nation in 1948 is a fulfillment of prophecy. Who says? Maybe. It is remarkable and historically significant, but who has the inspirational authority to declare that it is the fulfillment of specific prophecy? Has someone with the same level of authority as Paul or Peter explained that to us?

Among those who espouse a premillennial view of Israelites being restored to the land, it is interesting to see the gradual evolution of emphasis throughout history. In the early days, there were great men who held a premillennial view but not dispensational premillennialism. They believed there would be huge a repentance toward Christ among Jewish people, and then a restoration to the land. Evangelism was a priority among those who held such a view. When the Jews began to return to the land without faith in the Messiah—and especially after the recognition of Israel’s statehood—the emphasis and theology changed. Eventually, among a large contingent of Zionists, the evangelistic purpose was abandoned for the purpose of simply getting the Jewish people back in the land. Evangelism is often not only neglected but forbidden. For them, the purpose of the church as it relates to Israel is only physical relocation and political restoration. Trying to convert them is unnecessary and foolish according to Hagee. Obviously, not all who call themselves Zionists would abandon the zeal to see Jewish people brought to Jesus. But most would give Israel a preferred nation status with God based on their interpretation of Old Testament Scripture.

In Defense of Israel is praised by some for the overall purpose of refuting anti-Semitism, exposing the error of replacement theology, and confronting the tragic evil of persecution of Jews by Christians. I have a few comments regarding this as it relates to our focus on the centrality of Christ. No one in his or her right mind is in favor of prejudice toward the Jews—or anyone else for that matter. We are all ashamed of the cowardice at best and complicity at worst that segments of the church displayed when Hitler was mobilizing against the Jews. Nothing can justify that. But guilt and shame over that does not warrant a biased view of Biblical revelation regarding the singular purpose of God revealed in Jesus and his Church. I grieve sometimes when we continually focus on the horrors of the holocaust, while ignoring the past and current persecution of thousands of Christ-followers in many nations including Israel. What about those who are now suffering because they have received the Messiah? Shouldn’t they get some measure of concern from Christians who mourn the unjust treatment of Jews? The new nation (of believers) created by the Christ-event is the focus of God’s purpose. I realize to speak like this is to run the risk of being called anti-Semitic. I stand before God alone in regards to my conscience towards any ethnic group including Jews. I long for their inclusion into the people of God. I can’t help agreeing with Peter’s admonition to Jewish people in his message at Solomon’s Portico:

“And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.” (Acts 3:23)

Those who reject God’s Messiah are cut off from his people. They can be included when they confess that the suffering Messiah is theirs and join the believing non-Jews in making up the family tree (Romans 11: 13-36). Until then, they are not blessed in Abraham’s blessing. They have chosen a course of unbelief that has brought blindness upon them. The veil will be lifted when they turn to the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:14-18).

For us to wait until some future date (when their time comes) to evangelize them, is to condemn many to a Christ-less eternity. That is true anti-Semitism. It seems that today it is easy to accuse someone of being anti-Semitic when they are just anti-Zionist. They might be more genuinely concerned for the whole welfare of Jewish people than those who are so passionate about supporting an ethnic entity that has no place for the Christ who died to truly restore them.
(Note: Zionism is defined by A Definition of Zionism, Jewish Virtual Library as: “the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.” Christian Zionism is defined by Colin Chapman in Whose Promised Land, Israel or Palestine as: “Christian support for Zionism.” Actually, Zionism has many facets and sadly too often supports Israel regardless of its attitude toward God or justice among nations.)

A friend told me recently about his experience at a Jr. High School basketball game. He was complimenting one of the players for playing such good defense. “I was so afraid of guarding him, Mr. ------. You know he is Jewish. I was afraid of touching him. He is one of God’s chosen.” Now we know that is an immature young man trying to assimilate what he has probably heard in church. But what are we saying to our congregations that could even be close to that kind of misunderstanding?

I am grieved to hear respected men and women threaten with the admonition that those who bless Israel (and they are referring to national Israel) are blessed and those who don’t are cursed. This seems to me to be misusing Scripture to support an already determined agenda. God said those words to Abraham, and if it had further ramifications it was fulfilled in Abraham’s true Seed, Jesus. Jesus is the issue of judgment. He took curses so we could have blessings. Those who trust him get all the blessings he deserves. Those who reject him get the curses sin deserves. To place any nation in that place is reckless, especially a nation of people living outside God’s covenant.

Blessings and curses are part of ancient covenants. When one party failed to live up to their part of the stipulations, the witnesses were accountable to bring the agreed upon curses on them. In Israel’s case, God had called heaven and earth to witness the covenant he made with them. So when they broke covenant, the earth, as well as the heavens, punished them. But we live in the days of the completed covenant. Jesus is our new covenant. He took the curses and gives the blessings. Again, it is Jesus who is the center of God’s purpose; not national Israel. It is manipulative to suggest that the decline of the British Empire or events such as hurricanes in the U.S. are the result of political decisions regarding national Israel. It is time we started being witnesses of the new covenant, knowing the old has passed away (Hebrews 8:13).

Dual Covenant Theology is wrong. Not all who hold to a dispensational approach to Scripture are guilty of this error. But it is time to look as honestly as we can at our hermeneutics. If the presuppositions we hold as we approach Scripture lead us to diminish—even a little—the centrality of Christ, we need to re-evaluate. I can’t find those Old Testament prophecies that “clearly refer to Jews according to the flesh” apart from Christ. Just because the fulfillment of a promise looks different than we expected doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened yet. It could mean that history is not self-evident and that to get the final and intended meaning we must rely on the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament is replete with instances of reinterpretation based on the place of Christ in the Old Testament prophecies. They needed their eyes opened to really understand the Scriptures and so do we.

There are, however, clear texts referring to the Christ-centered identity of the nation of God’s favor. He makes it clear that unbelieving Jews have no part of that company. Luke 3:8-9; John 5:39-40; John 8:39-44; John 14:6-7; Galatians 4:21-28 (In this passage, we have a New Testament authority interpreting the story of Abraham’s descendents. He equates the son of Hagar with fleshly Israel. The sons of Sarah are those who have expressed faith in Jesus as the Messiah—in this case Gentiles). “Chosen-ness” in the New Testament is not associated with natural Israel, but with people who have faith in Christ as Messiah (Ephesians 1:11, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 2:9-10). I think we can see clearly that God reinterpreted “Chosen-ness” to Peter in the encounter with the vision of unclean animals:

…and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common. (Acts 10:11-15)

Replacement theology seems to be a catch-all category for all beliefs that aren’t in favor of granting special status to Israel just because it is Israel. Actually, I believe the focus of Scripture is the fulfillment of Israel’s purpose in Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. He alone completed what Israel was assigned to do. In his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, he opened the way to the Father for all children of Abraham. (Those who believe the same way Abraham did.) Israel was identified in him. True Israel was revealed. The ones who recognized him revealed they were of Abraham’s faith. So we could call this view “Reinterpreted Theology” or “Fulfilled Theology” or “Identification Theology”. To call it Replacement Theology is to presuppose that Israel is the primary purpose of God in history and that something (the church) has replaced that original purpose. Of course, that is the teaching of dispensational premillennialism. The church is simply a parenthesis in the overall plan. When the church is taken out then Israel replaces the church as God’s program. Oh, maybe that is the real replacement theology! It seems to me that as long as Israel, as an identifiable ethnic or political entity, is given equal or even partial spotlight with Jesus, the door is open for all kinds of misinterpretations. Israel doesn’t need to be replaced. It can’t be. It has been the instrument of bringing to earth the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Now her only hope is the same as all other people: trust the already crucified, resurrected, and ascended Messiah. Come to him humbly as the Gentiles had to do. They have no covenant, no rights, and no heritage. They must trust a Jewish Messiah. Now Jews must come to a crucified Lord. Their ancestors can’t help. Their past is of no value in recommending them to God. They must admit their own kind rejected the author of Life. Humility for all is the way of the cross. Ethnicity does not affect the favor of God either negatively or positively. There is no “favored nation” status with God except his nation of believers. He has created a nation that represents his present covenant in the world. It is the church.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

It seems that the purposes of God are centered in Jesus Christ and his church throughout all generations.

Dan Juster, in a recent newsletter, has accused non-Zionists of reinterpreting Scripture. He contends that the reason the New Testament doesn’t mention the restoration of national Israel to the land is that it was already a foregone conclusion and obvious to all the original readers of New Testament Scripture. He would have us accept the Old Testament’s true but partial revelation of God’s word (Hebrews 1:1-5) as the template of interpretation. According to Dan, the New Testament is primarily about showing people how to live in light of the life and teachings of Jesus and the events surrounding him. All the previous paradigms are left in place. With all due respect to Dan, I think Jesus was seriously involved in “reinterpreting” for his generation the original intent of prophetic promises as well as Old Testament types and shadows that needed his interpretation if they were to ever be understood. He reinterpreted the temple as his body and later the corporate body of Christ. He reinterpreted the Law as a God-type love. He reinterpreted truth as a living person. He said the prophets were speaking of him. The partial is always interpreted by the full. Old Testament expectations of “the day of the Lord”, “the kingdom of God”, “the new creation”, “the judgment”, etc were all reinterpreted by the surprising revelation of Jesus, the suffering servant-Lord of Israel and ultimate blessing of the world.

Let me reference Rick Joyner’s newsletter once more: “I personally feel that there is one basic ‘gate of hell’ or entry point, for the doctrines of demons to gain entry into the church and that is letting anything eclipse the centrality of Christ in our devotion.” I totally agree and would ask for the centrality of Jesus in our approach to interpreting Scripture. If he is not the center of history, nor the center of God’s purposes on earth, thus the center of Biblical revelation, then how can he be central to our devotion?

Let us pray that the controversy over the Dual Covenant Theology will lead us to a better understanding of the gospel and its ramifications. Let us be courageous in confronting error with truth. Let us be compassionate as we relate to each other in forbearing love.

Dudley Hall