From the Editor
“Stop Your Whining!”
By Andrea Johnson
“Stop your whining or I’ll give you something to whine about!”
I’m sure you’ve heard those words before. My dad used them a lot when my siblings and I were young, usually when we were complaining about the latest injustice we were suffering; you know, such unfair issues like who had to sit in the middle of the backseat of the car.
Don’t you wish sometimes that you could repeat my dad’s words to certain adults? You know the type – no matter their situation in life they can find something to complain about. They can’t find a spouse. When they finally find a spouse (gasp!), that person is too unorganized (or too rigid), or they talk too much (or not enough). Their home is too cramped and small. But when they move to a larger home, they learn it’s too much to keep up with. They don’t have children. They finally have children, only to discover that children are a lot of work and parents are often left with NO time to themselves! Between family and work, life gets busy and they just want a break, but then they retire and feel as if no one values them anymore.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve been that person. I find myself complaining about the smallest of things, things that most people around the world would love to have. I clearly remember as a single parent hearing a group of women at work gripe incessantly about their husbands. After my experiences from a failed marriage, I would think, “I’d be happy just to have a husband who was faithful and didn’t do drugs.” But then when God gave me a wonderful husband, it didn’t take long for me to start finding fault. I had to repent!
God got so tired of hearing the Israelites whine that He threatened on several occasions to wipe them off the face of the earth. They complained about everything. They complained about the deplorable conditions they faced in Egypt. But after God delivered them, they complained about how He did it. They complained about Moses’ leadership style. They complained about the quality and quantity of their food. They didn’t exhibit joy very often; they were too focused on the negative. One passage really struck me:
Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that we wanted” (Numbers 11: 4-5, NLT).
Really? All the fish they ate “for free”? Did they not remember they were SLAVES?! Nothing was “free.” They paid with their lives.
We can easily dismiss complaining as not a big deal. It sure seems to be trending. Some see it as a sign of their “exquisite” taste. Nothing can measure up to their heightened standards. But complaining is sin. The Israelites paid a huge price for grumbling.
But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the LORD’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it (Numbers 14:21-23).
Have you considered that when you complain, you are treating God with contempt? And as with the Israelites, it’s quite possible our ungrateful attitudes have held us back. Maybe they’ve kept us from the fruitfulness with which God wants to bless us. Here is my challenge to you (and to myself):
- First, repent! Then try to go one day focusing on all the good things you have. Take time to verbally thank the Lord for them.
- Let the first words you speak in the morning be words of gratitude. Let your last thoughts at night be grateful thoughts.
- When you have a good idea, thank the Lord. When things go right, thank the Lord.
- When you are presented with a challenge, remind yourself that God is well able to lead you through it and thank Him in advance. When you focus on Him and His goodness, it’s a lot harder to complain.
One of the most profound thoughts comes from a simple children’s prayer: “God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food.” He is great enough to meet all our needs, and He is good enough to meet all our needs, so let’s be sure to thank Him!
Caleb, along with Joshua, was one of the men sent to spy out the Promised Land and report back to Moses. He focused on the goodness in Canaan rather than complaining like the other ten spies. I love Caleb, about whom it is frequently said, “He wholly followed the Lord.” Not only was he blessed with health and a long, productive life, he also left an inheritance to his loved ones. About him the Lord said, “But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land” (verse 24).
A different attitude, that’s the kind of inheritance I would like to leave my children.
About the Author
Andrea Johnson, a credentialed Open Bible minister, is the managing editor of the Message of the Open Bible. A graduate of Open Bible College with a major in theology/missions, she has edited and co-edited several books, including Servants of the Spirit: Portraits of Pentecostal Pioneers, We Believe: Core Truths for Christian Living, and We Believe for Kids! Her goal is to reveal Christ to those who are searching for Him. In her spare time you will most likely find Andrea enjoying time with family and friends or hiking. She and her husband, Dennis, are blessed with four children, three of whom are married, and eight grandchildren.
When I was in first grade, I attended William Carey Academy, a small private school in Pasadena, California, that primarily served the children of missionaries who were on home assignment. The school was on the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, a collaborative mission base, which meant that I got to learn alongside students and be taught by teachers who had traveled the world. One specific perk of this season was learning Spanish. My teacher was a missionary to Guatemala who had a passion for the language and the Guatemalan people.
While most of my Spanish has left me, my love for Hispanic nations, culture, and people has not. One of the most fun parts of my job as Message editor has been working with teammates like Mindy Khanthavixay (Mexican-American), Areli Estrada (originally from Mexico), and Ximena Urra (originally from Chile) all of whom are fluent in Spanish. Without these women, it would have not been possible to launch our fully translated Spanish issues of Message of the Open Bible. As our current issue of the magazine is being released in tandem with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), we would be remiss not to honor our many Hispanic coworkers, pastors, and ministry partners within Open Bible. We would not be who we are without you!
Open Bible is currently active in eighteen Spanish-speaking countries and has 556 churches within these countries. Our Hispanic Ministries within the states is also flourishing with twenty-eight churches across the nation, many of which are leading the charge in church multiplication. I am so excited for you to read the story of Melissa Alvarez, who is a second-generation Mexican American and a second-generation church planter. You will also love reading the testimony of Mary Lou Wolfe, who grew up in a Hispanic Open Bible church (Templo Santo in Antioch, California) and whose parents come from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mary Lou’s miraculous kidney transplant has made it possible for her to continue a vibrant ministry where she currently serves at Life Church in Concord, California.
In addition to these articles by Hispanic authors, don’t miss out on our other great articles, including a thoughtful reflection on modern discipleship by Gary Khan and
an important global missions update from Vince McCarty. And if you didn’t catch our special edition President’s Perspective article, you’ll want to read “The Power of We” by President Michael Nortune.
I am proud to be part of a movement that has honored and advocated for ministries in many languages, cultures, and nations. Let’s continue to celebrate every part of our Open Bible family as we fulfill the Great Commission together.
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
My life was forever changed a few years ago when I read a book called The Insanity of God. Written by Nik Ripken, a missionary who has given his life to take Jesus to some of the darkest, most dangerous corners of the world, this book calls Western Christians out of the casual faith many of us enjoy. Ripken asks irritating, important questions like:
I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him.
“Does God really ask us to sacrifice everything?”
“Is God at work in the hard places, and does He expect us to join Him in those hard places?”
“Isn’t it possible to love God and to pretty much keep living the life I already have?”
Ripken freely admits that he doesn’t have answers to all these questions, but he challenges his readers to remember that following Jesus means saying “yes” even when it hurts.
“We have the high privilege of answering Jesus’ call to go,” Ripken says. “But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours.”
Reading this book felt like being shaken awake after a long sleep. I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him. (How ironic that is, when He became incredibly uncomfortable for me.) I began offering up a new kind of desperate prayer, begging God to make my life matter. To make me willing to go anywhere, do anything.
Lord, let my life be a sacrifice.
That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s a prayer that has led to my saying “yes” to assignments and callings that scare me: serving as a staff pastor at my previous church, becoming the new editor of Message of the Open Bible, and most recently, uprooting my family from our home of twelve years and moving to another state to plant a church.
The comforting thing is, I’m not alone in trying to live this kind of radically obedient life. I stumblingly follow in the footsteps of the Hebrews 11 heroes of faith, who “obeyed and went” even when they didn’t know where they were going (vs 8, NIV). Heroes who “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised” but also “faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (vs 33-36). I walk alongside others in the Church and within Open Bible who are saying “yes” to difficult and daunting things. You’ll read about many of them in this issue, and I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by their stories.
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus.
In truth, none of us is alone when we say “yes” to a God-given assignment. Let’s not forget that directly after the biggest, scariest assignment was given to Jesus’ disciples, the one that would take them to the ends of the earth and would include hardship and suffering for many of them, they were also given this promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus. That’s a reward worth even our most frightening “yes.”
About the Author
Hannah Bemis
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the Editor and Director of Message of the Open Bible. She’s always wanted to do too many things when she grows up and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate, in equal measure.
