Author: Warren Berkley

Comments on Fair Fighting

We have all heard familiar slogans about conflict: “Fight fire with fire,” “Whatever it takes,” and, more recently, “Get your hands on their karma and turn it on them early.”

At first hearing, such expressions may sound like loyalty, courage, perseverance, and commitment to a cause. Yet they may also reveal attitudes that are poorly formed — attitudes that can lead us into reactions that fall short of what is right, just, and Christlike.

Friedrich W. Nietzsche warned, “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster … for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

Richard Rohr made a similar observation: “We all become well-disguised mirror images of anything that we fight too long or too directly. That which we oppose determines the energy and frames the questions after a while. Most ill-advised frontal attacks on evil just produce another kind of evil in yourself, along with a very inflated self-image to boot.”

This is a warning Christians should take seriously. We must carefully and prayerfully guard our militance. In resisting evil, opposing humanism, and exposing sin or error—whether in personal conduct, institutional doctrine, or the culture—we can become so consumed with fighting the enemy that we begin to adopt his methods.

Isn’t there a danger that we can become so emotional and so fixed on defeating what is wrong that maturity, discipline, and balance begin to slip away? Over time, we may find ourselves using the very methods we condemn in the enemy’s camp.

A subtle form of situation ethics can interfere with righteous zeal. For example, while we oppose lying, we may be tempted to distort the truth when we are under pressure or engaged in intense debate. We may accuse our opponents of ignoring context, omitting important facts, or abandoning objectivity. But shouldn’t we examine ourselves by the same standard?

Our cause may be righteous while our methods are unrighteous. Our beliefs may be biblical, yet expressed with such anger that we undermine them. Our purposes may be holy, but our tactics unholy.

We must resist the devil without using his tactics. We must stand for truth without compromising the way we present it. We should debate in order to inform and persuade—not merely to win at any cost. Above all, the glory of God must remain our highest aim.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” And, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3–4; Eph. 4:15).

-Warren E. Berkley, previously published in Pressing On Magazine.

Character Development Prepares You For Crisis

The Bible is God’s textbook for character development. But you can’t wait till a crisis, quickly pull the book off the shelf, turn to a few pages, do a quick read and suddenly be equipped with strength to travel through the crisis bravely.

Life on earth brings to us a variety of difficulties, challenges and hardships. Generally, men and women here on earth do not accept suffering and disappointment graciously. When we are in trouble, we want out. When adversity knocks at the door, we want to hide. When things happen we don’t understand, we may latch on to denial. We may agree with Solomon about the futility of earthly life, but without reading his conclusion (Ecclesiastes 1:14,15 and 12:13,14).

When difficulties intrude into our lives, our reaction is driven by the character we have developed before the difficulty arrived. If we react to problems with resentment, grumbling and bitterness – that says something about who we were before the problem came up! If something bad happens and we speak against God and back away from obeying Christ, that tells the sad story of our neglect of character development before that event.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” (Jas. 1:2). James does not specify just one kind of trial. It is likely his readers were undergoing persecution. That is included in “various,” but so is cancer, serious injury, loss of loved ones, financial disaster, conflict or any other upheaval that becomes your personal trial.

One reason Christians are able to have this “joy” is – we know something. We know that the testing of our faith is good for us, producing steadfastness (see also Rom. 5:1-5 and 1 Pet. 1:6,7). We know that faith and character pursued before trials prepares us for trials. We know that the reading and studying we have been committed to in the past, serves us well now and in the future when difficulties intrude. We also know what is ahead. We know how everything will turn out eventually and eternally. We have a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, “a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone…,” (Heb. 6:19,20a).

“Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” (Jas. 1:2-4).

Brother L.A. Stauffer said it well: “Christians are not oblivious to troubles and burdens. They know problems are there, but they have gained the spiritual insight to look beyond them. When they face manifold trials, they ‘count it all joy … knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience’ (James 1:2–3). Spiritual wisdom sees the steadfastness, the spiritual wholeness and approvedness that suffering produces (Romans 5:3–4; James 1:4). It is a matter of perspective—seeing beauty rather than ugliness in life. Christians cannot complain about what they have learned to overlook. Paul saw his trial at Rome as a ‘defense of the gospel’ rather than a ‘tribunal of death’.”^[1]

^[1] Stauffer, L. A. (1984). Murmuring—A Spiritual Tantrum. (B. Lewis, Ed.)Christianity Magazine, 1(7), 19.

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A Modern Parable

In a modern parable, the story is told of a community of people who lived on a stretch of dangerous sea­coast where shipwrecks often oc­curred. Eventually, some of the towns­people decided to put some time and effort and money into a rescue opera­tion. A small life-saving station was built and the devoted members of the rescue team kept an ongoing watch over the sea, ready to use their little boat to search for survivors in case of a shipwreck. As the result of this vol­unteer operation, the town became famous because of the many lives that were saved.

More and more people joined and became part of the team. Soon a new building was erected. It was much larger than the first little building and it was beautifully furnished and deco­rated. And as more and more ameni­ties were added for the members’ pleasure and comfort, the new build­ing was slowly transformed into a kind of clubhouse. As a result, some of the members began to lose interest in the rescue operation.

But then a shipwreck occurred and many survivors were rescued and brought into the clubhouse for first aid. During the period of the opera­tion which lasted for several days, the frenzied activity caused the attractive “clubhouse” to be considerably marred by such things as bloodstains on the lush carpeting. At the next meeting there was a split in the mem­bership. Most members felt that the life-saving operation was a hindrance to the social life of the organization. Those who disagreed were told that they could build another little station further down the coast. And, as the years went by, history continued to repeat itself. Today, so the story goes, that seacoast has a number of exclu­sive clubhouses dotting the shore —but no one in the area seems to be con­cerned with rescue operations.

(From HOMILETICS, July-Sept., 1991, Page #22)

Godliness Makes The Difference

Warren E. Berkley

Samuel Johnson prepared a monumental work first published in 1755, Dictionary Of The English Language. He read the great works of English literature, devoured text books, catalogued massive libraries, organized a staff of writers and research people, and lived in pursuit of the task for almost ten years.

Johnson was an enigma in person. A brilliant master of words and syntax, but a miserable man who was often broke, alienated from family, struggling with failed relationships and never with full commitment of heart to be a godly man.

Reading about Johnson’s struggles has reminded me that intelligence and eloquence never reach their fullest potential without godliness. A gifted writer or speaker can express almost any idea persuasively, regardless of character or conduct.

Samuel Johnson, for example, wrote against the use of alcohol: “these liquors, my Lords, liquors of which the strength is heightened by distillation, have a natural tendency to inflame the blood, to consume the vital juices, destroy the force of the vessels, contract the nerves, and weaken the sinews . . . they not only disorder the mind for a time, but by a frequent use precipitate old age, exasperate diseases, and multiply and increase all the infirmities to which the body of man is liable.”  {See Prov. 20:1}

Johnson, however, wrote with equal eloquence in favor of alcohol: “The Cyder, Sir, which I am now rescuing from contemptuous Comparisons, has often exhilarated my social hours, enlivened the Freedom of Conversation, and improved the Tenderness of Friendship, and shall not therefore now want a Panegyrist. It is one of those few Subjects on which an Encomiast may expatiate without deviating from the Truth.”

Give a good writer almost any subject of controversy, and he can write well on either side. We recognize this as duplicity.

Godliness enables us to use our talents with integrity and reverence to God. Godly people serve God and others in high quality because they have given their talents to God, to be used under His instruction and for His glory.

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Heb. 13:15

Johnson Quotations from the book Samuel Johnson: The Struggle, by Jeffrey Meyers.

The Devil Hates Deliberation

When I got out of the army, for a few months, I worked as a salesman selling what was called Hi-Fi equipment (not WIFI; stereo components).

The easiest sale was when a customer would listen to some music being played on the equipment, like the sound of it and buy it on the spot. We called those THE QUICK SALES.

The hard sale was the man who, while listening to the music, asked about the electronic board, technical specifications of the equipment, warranty, etc.

“How long will this amplifier last? Will it work with my pre-amp? Will it push to my set of speakers which are 15 feet away? What is the maintenance record for this turntable? What about access to parts?”

These customers were not impulse shoppers. They would not buy just because the system sounded good in the store. They took their time. They applied thought and discipline in their purchases.

The devil is annoyed when we stop to think about all that is packed into a given temptation. When we start thinking of long-term consequences; when we study; consult with good spiritual advisors; pray and pause – the devil may just move on.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” (James 4:7)

Full Peripheral Vision

(Eph. 5:15)

Warren E. Berkley

“See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,” Eph. 5:15.

Paul gives instruction for our good in this verse. And this is about the sound combination of mobility (walk) and full peripheral vision (circumspectly). God’s people are to be mobile and that mobility must be accompanied by circumspection, which simply means looking all around; full peripheral vision! Webster says of “circumspect” – Attentive to all the circumstances of a case or the probable consequences of an action; cautious; prudent; wary. The Greek word centers on diligence; taking care to guard against temptations and to live as one should through them.

When Jesus made His “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem, and in Mark’s report of this arrival, it is said of Jesus, He looked around at all things (Mark 11:11). We do not believe this was the casual observation of a tourist, nor any limited focus. This was the serious perspective of One who was attentive to all circumstances. He had full peripheral vision of all that was happening in the behavior of Jerusalem’s people.

Like Jesus, we must look around at all things, being watchful with prayer; alert to the varied and subtle approaches of the enemy, and ready to abide in the Word of God through whatever temptations or trials may come. Let us not wander through life as fools, but “as wise.” To this I should add, be watchful of opportunities to serve others, reach out to them, listen to them and be equipped to help in the best way possible.