John 14:15 - Freedom and Responsibility
I went for coffee this week with a friend who made the point that all truth is God’s. He was rightly arguing that we can be a big tent and get along with Hindus and Muslims and others who come from a different worldview than us. He wasn’t arguing that we need to agree with everything they are saying, but that there is a lot of common ground. We can strive for common ground while promoting trading policies only with those who uphold our values. More on foreign trade policy later.
In this passage, God tells us the world is not looking for the Holy Spirit. The next few chapters are crazy powerful (hearing that we must produce as followers of Christ and actually that people cannot produce good fruit without God). John says anyone who does not trust in Jesus does not have the Advocate. However, it is also true that all men are made in the image of God and can recognize common sense and wisdom with their God-given innate abilities. God offers all people salvation. The Christian accepts and obeys Jesus, showing his love for Jesus (14:21). The proof is in the pudding. Either we bring glory to God and flourish (by God's standards, not worldy standards), or we don't.
This is just a blog by a Saskatchewanian in Virginia and I don’t pretend to have it all together. I fail God daily. But I do want to make a difference. I do want to encourage other men to walk with integrity, for only then will we walk with the shield of Christ. More precisely, I know that I have a responsibility to lead others to righteousness (all of us do) ((Daniel 12:2-3). God gives each of us freedom and responsibility.
What perplexes and challenges me is when the world gets biblical wisdom and puts it into action instead of the church doing so. I think God is challenging us to produce more. He's using many examples to show us that we must remain in the Vine and produce much more good wine! Jesus says we will do even greater works than He did with the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe that but I also see, practically, many churchmen and church organizations struggling to do greater things. Here's my thesis: we must stop copying the world and instead fully seek and exercise biblical Wisdom to produce more for Jesus. It matters because Jesus says that when we produce much fruit we are His true disciples (15:8). Are we drifting or focused on producing?
My prayer is that we truly hear God’s voice and that we are prepared to obey Jesus as we build for Him. I pray we truly have a breakthrough year of repentance and a high-yield harvest of souls for the Kingdom of Christ. In that, we ought to have rich growth in the church, church organizations, and in every endeavor of the churchman. I suspect it is as much about what we stop doing as what we start doing.
Let me give you an example of what’s gnawing at me and you can then straighten me out on how I’m misguided. A few years back I had a look at Netflix stock and the company culture. It was spring 2020 and their stock was about $400 if I recall (it’s over $1,000 now and I never did buy it!). When I was investigating the company I was shocked at their incredible corporate culture. I actually wrote a little paper on it as I thought it could be transformational for any organization. Then, just recently, I bought a book by Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix called ‘No Rules Rules - Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention.’ In the book Hastings and his co-author explain Netflix’s secret sauce. It’s a culture of high-density talent (weeding out the jerks and sloths) and where the focus is on people over process - freedom and responsibility to thrive and build and grow. A culture of freedom and responsibility. Biblical concepts, nay, biblical Wisdom!
And yet conversely I see in many organizations a culture of process over people, a culture of fear where people put the position, power, and personality of elites over empowering others to build, grow, and thrive. We know our organizations ought to be godly and good and full of genuine empowering leaders where the inept and corrupt are quickly sent packing and legalism is heavily frowned upon for the damage it does. And yet as though paralyzed with fear we don't act. It needs to change. And God willing it will.
Like Enron (who had its values of integrity and honesty plastered all over the place before it went bankrupt for corruption and deceit), oftentimes we say one thing and do another. Young people are telling the old guys that they hate fake church cultures. The younger generations are hungry for God; they are thirsting for authenticity. They want Jesus and the Spirit of Christ, but they reject the prosperity preachers, the legalists, and those who pretend to be godly yet seek to build empires for themselves. Good! Great! Those young people are the future of the church.
Speaking just for myself. I know I need to do better. For we are to bring glory (not shame) to God. Our generation is called to shine. We know that the Father “gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars” (Daniel 2:21) and that He expects us to use it well. So like our President DJT leading from DC for brighter bigger and more challenging visions for our nation, we too need to strive much broader for our King and our Father in Heaven. We can and must do greater works for Christ. Plan and take risks to produce for Jesus this year.
Let’s listen to God’s wisdom this week and obey. Jesus says, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (14:15). Okay, love each other, but how and where and on what? I need help from God to have a loving mindset, of forgiving and putting others ahead of myself. We know that churchmen ought to lead to create a culture of freedom of responsibility. What is holding us back from doing so? Our sin and entanglements. Thank God, they can be thrown down and overcome.
We must be willing to risk, plan, and adventure. And as we do our focus is on our Bright Morning Star, Jesus. In all of our corporate dealings we, like Josiah and King David, must seek to do what is right in Jesus’ sight. For He promised us we would do even greater works (14:12). It’s not for our glory or to "arrive" as we plan to buy a big shack in the ritziest neighborhood. And God forbid that we profit off the church - like USAID fraud, profiting off the church is as ancient as the serpent and as wicked. No, it’s so that we, like the ancient apostles, can eagerly expect to go to the Father through the Son. We produce and work for Jesus because we know and love Him.
We need good guidelines. Of course we do for we are prone to drift. And the Advocate gives them to us. So much so that He writes them on our hearts. We don't build companies for selfish ambition and vain conceit, but rather, in obedience to God; we build to put others ahead of ourselves, to empower others to grow what will last for eternity.
Yes, of course we look out for our own interests and lead our families well. But we must constantly think of others and how we can love each other and help them with their interests to be all that God wants them to be.
I’ll end this blog with an encouragement to be humble yet obediently courageous. Jesus men know His power. They're fearless. That is how we oppose evil and expose wickedness. Our Christian-led companies ought to be the most fun places to work, filled with joy. God calls His men to freedom and great responsibility. Build companies with a culture of candor and excellence. Companies where people thrive and innovation flourishes. Places where we can’t wait to go to work because of the camaraderie of excellence and the excitement of a shared vision with fearless action.
I pray that across the globe Jesus empowers Christians to lead with His wisdom, fearlessly and authentically. May we create cultures of freedom and responsibility and may people say of us that they can see that we are Christians by how we love God, love each other, and produce for Jesus. We give thanks to God in all things. Amen.
Comments