R.T. Kendall's Blog, page 21

The Power of Humility 1

One of the most embarrassing things I have done is to write a book on Humility. But there is a story behind this. My book on Jealousy – the Sin No One Talks About was to be followed by a sequel: Pride – the Sin No One Admits To. But my publisher said, “That title won’t sell”. (We are living in a time more than ever that publishers don’t merely take books because they are good or worthy; they must sell or the publisher loses money). I replied: I refuse to write a book on Humility.

But it was my very pride that caused me to say that. My friend Lyndon Bowring said to me, “Don’t worry RT, those who know you best will ever accuse you of being humble”. So I agreed to the book. Not a word was changed, only the title. I actually wanted the original book to be on self-righteousness, but the publisher said that was an even worse title! It seems I come up with non-selling titles these days!

I wrote the book with the hope of surveying the human heart. The heart – so deceitful and wicked said Jeremiah (17:9) – is like peeling the layers of an onion. We are so filled with self-pity, self-righteousness and pride. I could write a book like this because I am so filled with self-pity, self-righteousness and pride. But God has been gracious to this 77 year old and shown me some ways to deal with these weaknesses. I want this book to be a blessing to many people; to take us down off our thrones and bring us to the place we will stop pointing the finger and accuse ourselves – to admit our malady, confess it that we might be cleansed and changed.

Family Talk – Totally Forgiving God

RT will be speaking on Dr Dobson’s Family Talk show on Monday-Tuesday, September 24th and 25th.

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Forgiving God A review

Forgiving God

A review of some reviews

There are two reasons why a certain kind of ‘orthodox’ Christian might not like RT’s Forgiving God’.  One is that the very notion of ‘forgiving God’ sounds somewhat heretical.   (Some reviews seem to denounced the phrase without reading the book to see what the phrase means!  That seems to require some forgiveness too!)  It might be said, ‘Forgive’ means ‘to pardon wrongdoing’ and God is not guilty of anything.  Yes, of course, it is true!  RT himself says as much again and again (Read the book!).  It is clear (surely!) that RT is using the word somewhat differently to make the (very obvious!) point that God’s tough and largely inexplicable ways in this world often cause us a lot of pain.  So we have to consider within ourselves what we are going to do about this ‘suffering’ that God causes (or ‘permits’, or whatever).  We have to get through to the point where we let God do whatever he wants, where we allow him to be totally sovereign, where we break away from resentment, where we let him ‘explain himself’ in his time (maybe on judgement day) and not right now as we would like.  This ‘getting through’ to the point where we let God be God RT calls ‘Forgiving God’.  It is of course a metaphor.  We do not literally forgive God and RT says again and again that nothing he says should be taken as blaming God.  The hyper-orthodox critic tends to jump too quickly (even before they read the book) into criticism.  The phrase ‘Forgiving God’ is provocative and untraditional.  The hyper-orthodox – like the Pharisees who did not like healing on the Sabbath – jump in too quickly to criticize.  Forgiving God is going to be widely read.  I guarantee it!  The provocative language will offend some but thousands will identify with it and say immediately, ‘I know what he means’.

The other reason why a certain kind of ‘orthodox’ Christian might not like RT’s Forgiving God’ is that it deals a lot with subjective feelings.  It is therapeutic, one might say.  Now this person I have in mind – a type not any particular person – is the exact opposite.  I call him a certain kind of ‘orthodox’ Christian.  He is very ‘objective’.  He points – quite rightly – to the sheer ‘objective’ facts of God’s sovereignty, God’s right to do as he wishes, and so on.  He does not like anything which gives a hint of tender feelings, of emotional comfort.  He is nervous about ‘comforting’ people.  He does not want to be ‘therapeutic’.  He wants sin to be denounced, Jesus’ atonement to be declared, justification to be proclaimed.  One would like to add ‘… and eternal security to be assured’ – but actually this certain kind of ‘orthodox’ Christian tends to add so many conditions to eternal security that it becomes eternal insecurity!  He likes old-fashioned traditional language and is critical of anything being said in a new way.  A glance at a title will bring down the spirit of denunciation!

The great question is: does the bible stress the objective or the ‘comforting’?  Clearly it does both.  Jesus could talk about his being a ransom for sins (Mark 10:45 and so on).  Very objective!  But look at the thirty-five miracle-stories of the gospels.  It is surely obvious that as well as ‘telling the truth the way it is’ Jesus could also be incredibly ‘comforting’ and incredibly unorthodox.  Imagine making hundreds of litres of wine for a wedding!  Imagine stopping, while on an important journey, to talk to an old lady and give her comfort the way Jesus did   What should we think of his touching lepers, his chatting to a scandalously immoral lady with no one else around, his inviting himself to dinner with a notoriously corrupt tax-official, his totally ignoring Peter’s confession of his wickedness (Luke 5:8).  How can he just say to someone ‘Your sins are forgiven’, without first denouncing them?  How can he heal someone who does not even know who Jesus is (John 9).  ‘I did not come to call the righteous…’ – what would the hyper-orthodox say to that; the language is provocative!

I am so glad of the ‘objective’ gospel that tells me that being justified by faith I have peace in relation to God – no matter how I feel.  I am glad amidst suffering to be reminded that God ‘does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” ‘ (Daniel 4:35).  But I am also glad when Jesus is my great high priest who comes to meet me after every battle in order to say ‘Fear not, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great’.  Our Lord Jesus Christ can be so therapeutic!  I like Jerry Bridges’s Trusting God….. It’s great!  I also like RT’s Forgiving God.  It does not contain RT’s entire theology!  It deals with one point: trusting God when life hurts.  His name for it – ‘Forgiving God’ – is provocative.  My hope for you is that you have some good solid objective doctrine to hold you when you are in trouble.  But you might need something to press the ointment of the gospel into your heart.  ‘Is there no healing ointment in Gilead?’ Preachers have different gifts.  Some are accurate exegetes expounding the text with objectivity and care.  We need them.  I would like to be one of them.  But others are more subjective, more therapeutic.  RT Kendall has gifts of originality; he comes up with striking phrases.  He is also a ‘holiness teacher’, one who gets to the bottom line and presses the application of Scripture upon us in considerable detail point-by-point.  He writes books on the details of holiness: jealousy, ambition, forgiveness, the use of the tongue, gratitude.  It’s all very subjective!  The hyper-orthodox never get down to details of holiness, although they love the general idea of holiness!  But we need this material from RT.  The bible itself has magnificent objectivity.  Yes, indeed!  But it also comes down to minute details.  It is practical, therapeutic, subjective, applicatory.  There is a strand of biblical teaching which is good psychology, good therapeutics!  Keep up the good work, RT!  We need you.

Dr Michael Eaton

 

Total Forgiveness part 3

In my 57 years of ministry the most talked about sermon I have had the privilege to come up with has been TOTAL FORGIVENESS.

Whenever I preach Total Forgiveness I get the greatest response of people coming forward to forgive. What is more, I suspect I could go back to the very same congregations two or three weeks later, then preach the same sermon again and get the same response!

Why? Because totally forgiving people that have hurt us is the hardest thing in the world to maintain. People do it instantly. But later forget. Fall back into the same old trap of “telling what they did”, pointing the finger, throwing up the wrongs. This is why I preach that total forgiveness is a “life sentence”: you have to keep doing it – on and on and on. A good way to maintain this is sincerely to pray for these people – every day. Every day. Just to remind you, we know we have totally forgiven when (1) we don’t tell “what they did”; (2) don’t let them be afraid of us; (3) don’t let them feel guilty – or wait for them to be sorry; (4) let them save face; (5) protect them from their darkest secret; (6) remember it is a life sentence – that is, you do it as long as you live; and (7) you pray for them – that God will bless them.

 

 

Total Forgiveness part 2

People ask me how I have managed to write so many books. Approximately 60 to date. They think it is my brain, IQ or education. Wrong. None of these. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And what exactly is the anointing? It is the power of the Holy Spirit that makes things easy. The anointing is what comes easily. Once I struggle I have gone outside my anointing, but when I live within my anointing I find that my mind flows, thoughts come and the way to express rolls out like a gushing stream.

The question follows: where did you get this anointing? By fasting? A lot of prayer? By having people with power lay hands on you? I reply: I believe in praying and fasting and in the laying on of hands. I have had dozens and dozens and dozens of high profile people lay hands on me. Name them and I have probably been prayed for by them! And I do NOT underestimate what happened when these godly, loving and anointed people prayed for me.

But I will tell my secret (if there is a secret): it is literally practicing what I preach regarding total forgiveness – and not grieving the Holy Spirit by bitterness. These twin teachings – (1) totally forgiving every single person in the world who has not been very nice plus  (2) the teaching of not grieving the Holy Spirit by anger and bitterness – are the secret to my writing books. Total forgiveness enables the Holy Spirit to flow freely and unhindered in me. The result: thoughts come, words flow and God opens the doors.

He will do this for you. Total forgiveness is the secret to the anointing and is available to all who will let people off the hook who have been hurtful or injurious. A forty-day fast will not do it, neither will a thousand people laying hands on you. The secret is totally setting your enemy free and praying for them – sincerely – that God will bless them.

 

Total Forgiveness

My most successful book was born in what was (at the time) the greatest trial that Louise and I ever went through. I was angry, bitter, depressed. But an old friend – Josif Tson of Rumania (who as it happens now lives in America) – happened to be in London. Because I knew he wouldn’t tell anybody I told Josif. If I am totally honest I only told Josif so he would put his arm around me and said, ‘R T you have a right to be angry; get it out of your system’. I don’t always tell what immediately happened; he asked for 15 minutes to take a nap as I made a cup of tea for him. He was back in 15 minutes and the tea was very strong. ‘That’s what I call a cup of tea’, he said to me.

Then Josif looked at me and said, ‘R T, you must totally forgive them; unless you totally forgive them you will be in chains. Release them and you will be released’. Nobody had ever talked to me like that in my life. I think of the words ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend’ (Prov.27:6). If I could narrow 25 years in London down to 15 minutes those 15 minutes turned out to be my finest hour. I would never be the same again; my ministry would never be the same again. The last thing I dreamed was that I would preach a sermon on this, much less a book! First came God Meant it for God – the most important chapter being called ‘Total Forgiveness’, then (a few years later) the book Total Forgiveness. I have received countless letters from people whose lives have been changed – from marriages to children forgiving parents and all kinds of others situations. The book is now in 20 languages and has been accepted in China!

What God did for me he will do for you. All of us have a story to tell. Chances are you have a story, if told, far outweighs mine in terms of unfairness and hurt. I reply: the greater the suffering the greater the anointing and blessing – if you truly totally forgive them. Your life will change and make you a great blessing – and, most of all; you will be blessed with extraordinary grace and freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally Forgiving God – God’s Perspective

God’s perspective


Possibly my greatest insight in 25 years in London came when I saw the meaning of John 11:15; it is the reason Jesus didn’t heal Lazarus.


Part of the answer to the question ‘Why does God allow evil?’ is the answer Jesus gave to his disciples: ‘That you may believe’ (John 11:15).


Faith is an inestimable privilege; we will not always have the privilege of believing without seeing. Take full advantage of this moment.


When God does things for us he pleases us; but when he (apparently) does not do things for us it is our opportunity to please him.


When Jesus comes in the clouds and every eye sees him all will say, ‘NOW I believe’, but, sadly, this won’t be faith at work – only sight.


Mary and Martha blamed Jesus for his not healing Lazarus, but Jesus did not rebuke them or moralize them; he merely wept with them (John 11:35).


Jesus might have said to Mary and Martha, ‘Quit crying so I can raise Lazarus from the dead’; no, he simply wept with them (John 11:35).


God knows that we don’t know what he is about to do; he therefore weeps with us in our sorrow and disappointment.


When God does not answer our prayer – as he did not do what Mary and Martha wanted, it is because he has a better idea than ours.


Jesus shows that raising Lazarus from the dead was a better idea than keeping him from dying.


God wants us to know his ‘ways’; we soon learn that his ways are different and higher than our ways (Isa.55:8).


Moses asked, ‘Teach me your ways’ (Exod.33:13); it is possibly the most noble request we can put to God.


Setting God free (that is forgiving him) comes to the degree we get to know – and accept – his ways.


God lets unpleasant things happen to us partly to teach us his ‘ways’ – and to see if we will love him for being just like he is.


“Totally Forgiving God“

 

 

 

 

 

Totally Forgiving God

I have just completed the trilogy – three books: Total Forgiveness, Totally Forgiving Ourselves, Totally Forgiving God. I think Total Forgiveness is in three languages. It was my friend Rob Parsons (after reading Totally Forgiving Ourselves) phoned me and said, ‘R T, I know what your next book should be – if you have the courage: Totally Forgiving God. I swallowed. I am ashamed to admit, I only thought of my critics at that moment (I do have them), that they would see the title but not read the book. But I got over that and decided to write the book. Both of my publishers (UK and USA) think this is my most important book. (Mind you, all authors think their most  recent book is the best and most important!) But this may well be.

Does God need to be forgiven? What has he done that is wrong? Nothing. Then why forgive him? Because he allows things which he could stop but sometimes doesn’t. He lets things happen to us – bad things, horrible things. He has his reasons for letting them happen. Our responsibility (this pleases him): to let him off the hook, not holding anything against him for what he allows.

An illustration of what I mean: I have a very good friend (renowned theologian) who would not endorse my book The Anointing. I was devastated. But my friend did no wrong; he was being true to himself. I had to forgive him – which I did. This is a drop in the bucket compared to the way we must let God off the hook – set him free and wait for him to clear his Name on the Last Day. He will. Let’s not wait until then to see how he does it; let’s clear his Name now. By faith. Habakkuk did. So can we.

There are two kinds of faith: biblical faith (believing without seeing, as in Hebrews 11:1) and secular faith (seeing is believing, as in Mark 15:32). The only faith that pleases God is believing without seeing. Habakkuk wanted an immediate answer as to why God allows evil. God replied: I will tell you in the ‘end’ (Hab.2:3). Habakkuk might have argued back, ‘That’s not good enough, I want an answer now’. But Habakkuk accepted God’s verdict to wait till the end, and said: ‘Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior’ (Hab.3:17-18).

That was Habakkuk’s way of forgiving God. You and I cannot do better than that.

“Totally Forgiving God“

R.T. Kendall

Tragedy in Denver

Everybody in America and many in the world are shocked over the unprecedented tragedy in Denver in recent hours. There is no way we can calculate the hurt that the survivors and family members are experiencing at this moment. What can we do? Pray for them. Intercede for them. Although one of the emphases of my ministry is total forgiveness and totally forgiving God, this teaching must be put forward in a most sensitive manner. To those immediately involved in this crisis, the worst thing one can do is to be ‘in your face’ with such a teaching. An ill-timed word regarding forgiving evil people or forgiving God (for what he allows to happen) would almost certainly be counter-productive. I suggest this prayer: Heavenly Father, we bring to you those who are in shock and grief owing to what happened a few hours ago in Denver. I think of those who mourn the deaths of loved ones, of children and close friends. I pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit to rest on these people. I pray for the healing of those who are recuperating in hospitals. Have mercy on them and all of us that we will truly bear one another’s burdens in this unspeakably sad hour. Grant us grace to be Jesus to hurting people. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

New Year’s Letter 2012

New Year’s Letter 2012

‘For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice’  — Zechariah 4:10a (ESV).

When a new year approaches I often attempt to choose a verse that might be particularly relevant for the coming year. This year I am drawn to Zechariah 4:10 – a verse that is often translated with a question: ‘Who has despised the day of small things?’ But the English Standard Version puts it as a  positive promise to those who have seen mostly  small things but not great things. It is a very encouraging word.

Almost wherever I travel in the world people ask me, ‘What is God doing in the church today?’ It is not a question I welcome because my honest answer does not please many people: ‘Not a lot’. I wish it weren’t so, that I could  instead say: ‘God is mightily at work all over the world today’. And perhaps He is  in certain places. I would not question that. All I know is, there does not seem to be much evidence of His manifest presence and extraordinary  blessing in the places I myself have visited: in the USA  from Maine to Washington; in Canada; Great Britain, the Middle East, South Africa and Australia. This is not to say I have not been thrilled many times in various places. But I still long to see not merely a revived church but the community outside the church  shaken – truly shaken and stirred, as in the days of Jonathan Edwards that saw the New England Awakening  (1735-1750), the Cane Ridge Revival (1802) or the Welsh Revival (1904). I  live for this phenomenon, what I have often called the ‘coming of Isaac’.

I would like to claim Zechariah 4:10 – that ‘whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice’. Despising the day of small things partly means not being content with so little happening but with hearts aching to see God do extraordinary things. Surely all are agreed we are in desperate days – spiritually, morally, politically and financially. One would hope these times should create such an outrage that the church will be driven to its knees to plead with God to step in. All I can say is, if we are not outraged and driven to tears soon, it will mean far worse things to take place that will at long last get our attention.

Louise and I have much to thank God for as we reflect upon the preceding year – the hardest we have known in 53 years of marriage insofar as physical health goes. Louise broke her back last January 13 and was in unceasing pain until her successful operation in April. I myself have had three operations in 2011: skin cancer on my right ear; rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and cataract surgery. These things said, all is much brighter as we enter into 2012 – to the praise of God.

God continues to open doors for me – both in traveling and in writing. 2011 was by far the busiest year I have ever known. How  grateful I am that at the age of 76 I receive invitations from all over the world. We had four books published in 2011: Sermon on the Mount (Baker); Why Jesus Died (Monarch UK; my exposition of Isaiah 53) and The Power of Humility (Charisma; please read the Preface before you think I feel qualified to write on this!) and The Scandal of Being a Christian  (Hodder UK), which comes out by Baker in the USA this year called Unashamed to Bear His Name. I have just finished writing Totally Forgiving God, due out in Britain and USA this year, and am now writing a book on Elijah that will come out this year or next. Please pray that God will bless these books by changing lives and giving them ready acceptance and wide distribution.

The highlight of the year was the marriage of our daughter Melissa to Rex Tabb, a lovely man who has grown up here in Hendersonville, Tennessee. It was a quiet ceremony in our back garden overlooking Hickory Lake. Rex has not only been accepted by all the Kendall family but our two year old grandson Toby shouted out in the ceremony, ‘Hi Rex’.

God bless you all. Thank you for reading this letter and thank you most of all for your prayers.

Warmest greetings and best wishes for 2012.

R. T. Kendall – Romans 8:28.