You can find the original post here and my answers in Part 1 and Part 2. I encourage you to share your own thoughts in the comments.

6. How does God use failed plans?

An even better question might be: When taking God’s sovereignty into consideration, is there such a thing as a failed plan? It is better to say, “How is God glorified when a plan works differently than I had anticipated?”

Romans 15:22-29 and Acts 16:6-10 (see #4 in Part 2) are great examples of God causing Paul’s plans to change in order that he could do something greater. The simple reason is that God knows far beyond we do and does not want us limited to our own planning.

“The LORD frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of the peoples. The LORD’s decisions stand forever; his plans abide throughout the ages.” Psalm 33:10-11

“A person plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD which will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

“For even if I made you sad by my letter, I do not regret having written it (even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad, though only for a short time). Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God.” 2 Corinthians 7:8-12

7. Does planning involve faith? Or does planning hint at a lack of faith?

Planning, by its very definition, involves faith. This is true for both biblical and “non-biblical” planning. For instance, if I am planning a date for my wife and me, I have to have faith that the restaurant is good, that the car will start, and that it won’t rain. Planning is always about the future that is not seen.

Biblical planning absolutely involves and requires faith. Faith is “being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). When we make plans for our churches, for our families, for our small groups, for our businesses, etc., we are counting on the fact that certain things will happen in a certain way, with the result that our plans will work out the way we imagined.

However, we also have to remember that we are ultimately not in control. As we have already pointed out multiple times, we must keep our plans in an open hand, humbling our plans to God’s Plan. This is why James warns:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin. James 4:13-17

“Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God, teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this is what we intend to do, if God permits.” Hebrews 6:1-3

Even with reference to teaching a fellow believer the truth and helping them grow, it still must be done at God’s direction and will.

How has this brief study in biblical planning changed your perspective on planning? Let me know in the comments.

You can find the original post here and my answers in Part 1 here. I encourage you to share your own thoughts in the comments.

3. Is planning the work of one person or many people?

Depending on what is being planned, it could be either. Some plans are very simple and don’t require anyone else, while others certainly do. A good principle to follow is: the wider the influence of the thing being planned, the more necessary the planning (and probably people).

“Plans are established by counsel, so make war with guidance.” Proverbs 20:18

“With regard to our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was simply not his intention to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.” 1 Corinthians 16:12

4. Do plans change?

Yes, absolutely. Plans can change for many reasons. Even when we seek wisdom from God, since we are finite, and God does not give direct revelation outside the Scriptures, we are bound to make plans that do not happen the way we thought they should. It could be as simple as the ticket booth running out of tickets for our show, or a major event having to be cancelled at the last minute.

The important thing in light of changed plans is to evaluate if there was something we could have done differently that would have either warned us to the potential for change or made the change not happen at all.

The life of the apostle Paul is full of plans that changed for one reason or another.

“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.” Romans 1:13

“This is the reason I was often hindered from coming to you. But now there is nothing more to keep me in these regions, and I have for many years desired to come to you when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you will help me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things. Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set out for Spain by way of you, and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing.” Romans 15:22-29

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this, so they passed through Mysia and went down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there urging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” After Paul saw the vision, we attempted immediately to go over to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. Acts 16:6-10

5. How do we distinguish a plan from God from a plan developed outside of God’s wisdom and inspiration?

This can be difficult, but not impossible. A plan that is not from God would naturally go against what we have already pointed out as a description of a healthy plan in question #2. There are at least a couple of keys to watch for:

Does it contradict Scripture? Obviously, if our plan or the intention of our plan goes against God’s clearly revealed will in Scripture, then it doesn’t matter how good it looks, it’s not from God. He cannot contradict himself.

Is it changed by God? Sometimes God will change our plans or details in our plans before and during the planning and the event itself. Watching these changes with prayer is a must to stay in line with his will. I have seen this happen many times, where things ended up “working out” in ways that we never could have foreseen, planned, or forced. Had we stayed on track with our plan, we would have missed God’s.

“Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” Isaiah 55:9

In Part 3, I will answer the last two questions:

How does God use failed plans?

Does planning involve faith? Or does planning hint at a lack of faith?

Introduction and Philosophy

By its very definition, theology must have God as its center; otherwise, it is something other than theology. “A theology of planning” then is really more accurately titled “A study of how God uses or discards human plans to accomplish his own sovereign plan.” But that’s a little long.

When most people think of “God’s plan”, they immediately head toward verses like Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

But is that God’s plan for everyone? Is that even God’s plan for every Christian? And should our planning be based on that?

With that in mind, here are my answers to the questions I was asked about planning. This is not an exhaustive study, so much more could be added. I encourage you to share your own thoughts in the comments.

Does God want us to plan for the future?

The Scriptures are full of people making plans, good and bad. It seems that only the plans of the wicked or faithless are condemned. I cannot find God condemning a righteous person’s plan, only sometimes changing or tweaking it for his own purpose.

Proverbs 13:22 seems to encourage financial planning – “A benevolent person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

In fact, there are many places in Proverbs that planning is spoken of in a good light:

“[The purpose of Proverbs] To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, and a discerning plan to the young person.” Proverbs 1:4

“The plans of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” Proverbs 12:5

“Do not those who devise evil go astray? But those who plan good exhibit faithful covenant love.” Proverbs 14:22

“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with abundant advisers they are established.” Proverbs 15:22

“The LORD abhors the plans of the wicked, but pleasant words are pure.” Proverbs 15:26

Here are a few other places where good planning is mentioned (at least not condemned) or encouraged:

“May he grant your heart’s desire; may he bring all your plans to pass! Then we will shout for joy over your victory; we will rejoice in the name of our God! May the LORD grant all your requests!” Psalm 20:4-5

“Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.” Ecclesiastes 9:10

“On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul began to speak to the people, and because he intended to leave the next day, he extended his message until midnight.” Acts 20:7

And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us, and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human standards so that I would be saying both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 2 Corinthians 1:15-17

If so, what does a healthy plan look like?

A healthy plan is one that 1) does not contradict God’s revealed will as given in the Scriptures; 2) does not hurt a fellow Christian or cause them to falter in their faith; but instead 3) produces the maximum growth possible in fellow believers.

“The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

“So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.” Romans 14:19

Even though this verse doesn’t have future planning as its primary meaning, the context of looking out for fellow believers is applicable to both short-term (i.e., which restaurant tonight?) and long-term (i.e., how can we help others grow?) planning.

“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.” Romans 1:13

In Part 2, I will answer the questions:

Is planning the work of one person or many people?

Do plans change?

How do we distinguish a plan from God from a plan developed outside of God’s wisdom and inspiration?

So, I thought I’d kick them out to you here. Think about these questions, do a little study, and comment here or on Facebook (where I’ll post this as a note, too).

In a few days, I’ll post my answers. When the eBook is finally released, I’ll post the link for you.

1. Does God want us to plan for the future?
2. If so, what does a healthy plan look like?
3. Is planning the work of one person or many people?
4. Do plans change?
5. How do we distinguish a plan from God from a plan developed outside of God’s wisdom and inspiration?
6. How does God use failed plans?
7. Does planning involve faith? Or does planning hint at a lack of faith?

How would you respond to these questions if someone asked you?

Why Church Matters:
Discovering Your Place in the Family of God

Joshua Harris

(Note: This book was provided free for review by the publisher. This did not affect the review in any way.)

I’ve had the conversation so many times. “Why should I join the church? I attend. I give. I help out when I can. The Bible doesn’t say anything about church membership, so it must not really matter.”

And, honestly, sometimes that seems to make a lot of sense. The only problem?

It’s not true.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Originally published as Stop Dating the Church, Josh Harris goes with what he is best known for: relationships.

Starting with the concept that “church = community” and “community = commitment”, Harris comes out strong with the simple truth that a Christian who is not committed to the church is simply “dating” the church. And lack of commitment in a relationship looks a lot like cheating.

Consider what is lost when church dating becomes a way of life. When we resist passion and commitment in our relationship with the church, everyone gets cheated out of God’s best.

• You cheat yourself.
• You cheat a church community.
• You cheat your world. (page 8)

Get a copy and read it for yourself. Then read it again. Then make sure you are serving Christ and your church with everything you have.

You can find out more about Why Church Matters at Waterbrook-Multnomah or Amazon.com.

Sports, law, medicine, writing, building, teaching, the arts, technology…and those just are the obvious ones. If you were to start your own business, the opportunities are endless!

“But,” you might say, “I could never be a specialist. I don’t have the right credentials. I’m just a regular person. Specialists are, well, special.”

The sad truth is that many people — possibly including you — have bought into that lie. In fact, you are a specialist already, and there is a niche market that desperately needs you to open your practice.

How do I know this about you? It’s actually very simple. First, God created you uniquely. Psalm 139:13 says, “Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb.” Your personality, your passions, your talents, and your life experiences are a unique mix that no one else has ever or will ever have.

Second, if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin and spiritual death, then God has also assigned you a unique mission in his Church and uniquely enabled you to fulfill that mission. He has chosen you to help other Christians develop their spiritual lives in a way that only you can do. In Romans 12:4-6, Paul said, “For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us.” 

You bring something to the table that no one else can offer, and that makes you extremely valuable. It also means that, if you’re not practicing, a lot of people are missing out.

The world doesn’t need more “regular people.” We need more specialists.

You’re a specialist. How are you helping your church impact the world in your area of expertise?

Can you imagine the emotions of Jesus’ followers on Saturday that year? Just a few days previous he had come into Jerusalem on a donkey, welcomed by praises and palms.

He had shown no mercy to the merchants who had commercialized the Jews’ holiest feast day, Passover, that would take place on Saturday – the greatest possible Sabbath of all.

He had sparred verbally with the religious leaders again, and had put them in their place — again.

They had sat down together on Thursday evening to eat a meal. He had said some weird things that night

…about his body

…about his blood

…about the New Covenant

That’s OK. In just a few hours they would go to the Temple to kill their Passover lamb, and on Saturday they would eat it together, remembering God’s great deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt.

But then it happened (Thursday evening and all day Friday)…

After supper, it was sort of a blur. Something about vines and branches. The Holy Spirit would make us remember…what was it?

 

He was praying. We couldn’t stay awake. And then…Judas! What…?

 

What’s happening? Midnight trials? Pilate…Herod… Pilate again?

 

No, not the scourge! And a cross?!

But we were supposed to kill the lamb today! Tomorrow is the Passover!

He’s…gone. Buried.

[Saturday morning]

We were supposed to celebrate the Passover together today.

I don’t feel like celebrating anything today. We didn’t even get to bury him properly. The girls will do that in the morning.

But…what do we do now?

Photo by ohad

Recently at Oak Tree Church I taught on Ephesians 1:7-12, emphasizing the freedom we gain through Christ’s salvation. (You can listen to the message on our church website.)

However, in this passage there is an important phrase that I did not have time to address. Paul wrote:

In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ– the things in heaven and the things on earth. In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:7-12

What in the world does “toward the administration of the fullness of the times” mean in verse 10?

If we were to take the whole thought by itself, this is what we get:

He did this [redeemed us, forgave us, and lavished his grace upon us] when he revealed to us the secret of his will…toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ.

In verses 3-6, we find that God’s will in salvation is to make us holy (vs. 4) and to make us family (vs. 5). God’s will is not secret, and it has been his will since Adam sinned. God wants people to be separate from all sin and to be part of his eternal family. No secret there.

But that’s not the end of the story. Often, we hear people say something to the effect that “salvation is the main theme of the Bible.” But that’s not true. Sure, it’s very important, and we can see that as one common thread throughout the Bible, but it’s not the main theme.

When it comes right down to it, the main theme of the Bible is that God is going to bring glory to himself in all things, and primarily by fulfilling the promises he has made over the years.

So, back to “the administration.” Paul used the word oikonomia, translated here as “administration.” It’s a compound word of oikos (“house”) + nomos (“law”), and essentially means “the rule of the house.” In other places it’s translated “dispensation” and “economy.” (Do you hear “economy” in oikonomia? Pretty cool, huh?)

Each of these “administrations” or “dispensations” is distinguished from the others by new information (or “revelation”) that God provided to show people how to live during that time, the “rule of the house” that they would be accountable for. It sees God as an administrator of a great “house,” where his government is the rule the people of the house are to follow.

In Ephesians, Paul points out that there are at least three of these dispensations. In Ephesians 3:5, Paul spoke of the time of “former generations” that did not know the information about the Church that God had revealed to Paul, who was now passing it along to them.

Of course, that means that the Church, which has this new information from God, is set apart as a second dispensation. Paul clarifies that just a few verses later in 3:10.

 The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 3:10

So there are two – at least one before the Church began, and the time of the Church. But in our Ephesians 1 passage, Paul mentions one more: “the administration of the fullness of times.” After the Church, there will be at least one more dispensation, or period of God’s rule which will come with even more revelation than we have now. It is during this rule that God will bring to fulfillment everything that has come before it – “the fullness of times.”

I believe that this is the promised Kingdom period during which Jesus will physically rule on Earth for 1,000 years (see Revelation 20:1-7). During this time, the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David – and the ones made through the prophets – will all come to pass:

• Israel will finally own their land in peace and prosperity (Genesis 15:18-21)
• Israel will finally be ruled by her long-awaited Messiah-King (2 Samuel 7:8-16; Isaiah 9:2-7)
• Israel will finally be completely forgiven of sin and know God (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Of course, many Gentiles will participate in these blessings, too, because God told Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3).

So how does this fit in Ephesians 1? God’s plan of salvation “that he set forth in Christ…to head up all things in Christ– the things in heaven and the things on earth” will finally come to fruition during his kingdom rule, “the administration of the fullness of times.”

“People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the LORD. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.” Jeremiah 31:34

What a day that will be!

Keep reading to find out how to get your free copy!

Over the last year, I have worked on summarizing the “big story” of the Old Testament. I just finished teaching a nine-week class on “Old Testament Survey” for Oak Tree Community Church‘s Learning Center.

Based on Dr. Paul Benware’s book, Survey of the Old Testament, during this class I showed that only 11 out of the 39 books of the Old Testament actually carry the “big story” forward. The rest add details, but do not really drive the story.

As a part of my preparation for the class, I wrote “The Story of the Old Testament.” In about 20 pages, I give a summary of those 11 books plus a few charts to help put them into perspective. I also included three articles I wrote:

• “The Abrahamic Covenant” – why God’s promises to Abraham are central to understanding the Old Testament correctly
• “The Mosaic Covenant” – why God does not expect us to obey the Old Testament Law
• “Is God a Genocidal Murderer?” – how we are to respond to God’s command for Israel to annihilate various nations and tribes in ancient Canaan

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Question: If you have read my e-book, what did you think? You can leave your questions and comments below.

In this case, the adage could say, “Those who ignore history are doomed to revise it.” Consider the Old Testament story of Esther as told in Persia today.

IsraelToday writer, Ryan Jones, offers this insight into the Iranian revision of Esther’s heroic story.

Iran revises story of Esther, labels Purim a day of mourning

[On March 7 at sundown], Israelis and Jews around the world will celebrate Purim, marking the deliverance of the Jews of the Persian Empire from extinction 2,300 years ago. In Iran, the center of the ancient Persian Empire, the date will be marked with mourning and anger.

 

For years already, Iran has been teaching schoolchildren that Purim marks the massacre of 75,000 Persians by the Jews under the command of Queen Esther. It is presented today as an ancient Iranian holocaust perpetrated by the Jews.

 

The Iranian version leaves out the part where Haman, the royal advisor, convinces the Persian king to sign a decree permitting the wholesale slaughter the Jews of the empire. When Esther reveals her Jewish background to the king and reveals that Haman was tricking him, the king issues a second decree, allowing the Jews to defend themselves. By God’s grace, the Jews are largely spared, while their enemies are slaughtered.

 

This year, Iran may go further than simply revising the biblical account. Iranian authorities have decided to downgrade the status of the “Tomb of Esther and Mordechai the Jews” in the city of Hamadan in central Iran. The tomb had previously enjoyed that status of an official pilgrimage site.

Following the downgrading, the Iranian news agency Fars began pushing the idea that Esther and her uncle Mordechai were responsible for a massacre of Iranians, and that their burial place had merely been tolerated until now.

 

The Iranian news agency MEHR reported that a couple of weeks ago, a group of 250 militant Iranian students gathered at the tomb and threatened to tear it down.

Could you tell the real story if someone showed you Iran’s “news” article? How do you keep from revising Biblical truth when others around you change it so freely?