Great Commission Churches

June 2010 

Dear Sisters,

This month, Thelma Clark writes on "teaching what is good." She reminds us that whatever phase of spiritual growth or phase of life we are in, we are going to influence others. Therefore we need to spend time in His Word with a heart ready to believe and obey God. The woman who loves God's word is in a position to train younger women.

When I go to God's Word with a heart of faith, He can use me in a positive way in the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Occasionally a woman will say to me, "I'll never forget that time when you said to me...(fill in the blank)"--and I won't remember at all what I had said or when I had said it. But at that time, I was led by the Spirit and He used me somehow in that sister's life.

So, let's learn from Thelma's encouragement to abide in the Word of God. As we do, God will use us wherever we are to be a blessing to the people in our lives.

In His grace,

Sandy Hopler

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Teaching What is Good

by Thelma Clark Prairie View Community Church, Parker, CO

During high school, a man who had not personally played the sport our son loved, coached him in it. And while this man brought leadership and some good character qualities to the team, the players didn't benefit the way they would have had he personally gone through years of practice and games to acquire the skills necessary to win actual games. What a contrast to the plan God has for training women.

"Teach the older women to...be examples of the good life so that the younger women may learn to..." (Phillips) to be models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to..." (The Message).

When the Lord was taking hold of my heart and giving me a desire to influence others, I was taught that the emphasis of these verses was to teach by example. I realized that I needed to grow and become the person God wanted me to be by spending time in His Word with a heart to believe it and to obey. "THEN they can train/coach the younger women."

It helps me to think of this passage in outline form: "be...don't be...but be examples ...THEN you can train...." You can fill in the blanks with the text.

Being shown how to do something always makes something easier to learn than just being told how to do it. It's good for me to ask myself: Am I an example of living before Him everyday; of not gossiping; of loving my husband the way the Lord would want; of loving and training my children the way He intends; of...? It's definitely a life-long, on-going work.

Charles Swindoll tells of a group of men who were discussing their favorite translations of the Bible. Eventually the oldest man among them spoke up, "I liked my mother's translation best." When the other men asked if she really did write a translation, he answered, "Yes, she translated it into her everyday life. That's what brought me to faith." Example influences.

It's encouraging, though, that no matter how "old" we are in the Lord, He will use us as we walk with Him and let His Word impact our hearts. When we helped start the church in Ohio, I wasn't much older in any way except that I was one of the few who were married, and then later I had one, then two, then three of our children. Those were fun, but challenging days. I remember feeling pretty consumed with just learning how to train my children and manage a home, while staying involved with church activities and having people over. Yet sisters have said that God used me in their lives during that time. I can think, "Now what was I doing...juggling strollers and three little ones in and out of places, trying to talk with at least a few people?"

I didn't have a lot to teach, but as we spent time together I would just tell them what God was doing for me and how His Word was so living that it would speak right to my need: a neat promise that helped us endure a trial, or of some verses on anger that were affecting the way I spoke. It reminds me of Deuteronomy 6 where parents are told to imprint their children by telling them what God has put on their own hearts, and to do it continually as they live life together.

Morgan Thatcher spoke to our ladies group last week, and it was so encouraging for them to hear from someone going through the same things they are. The gals were challenged as Morgan gave examples of practical things she has recently struggled with as a wife and mother, and how the Lord has spoken to her through several verses that helped her make right choices.

As for passing on "what is good," there is nothing better than this desperateness to stay attached to God every day, hanging onto His Word for dear life. No matter what we go through, "God is GOOD" and He longs to strengthen us and to show us another aspect of His goodness that we've never known before. Every day there are reasons for women to be anxious; every day there is a need to freshly put hope in God. The result? Women whose inner selves are transformed into what He says have great worth: more gentled and quieted spirits (I Peter 3).

This past year, my daughter, who has five young children, discovered that she had melanoma. She went through weeks of tests, waiting, surgery, and dealing with fears. It was difficult to watch her endure the inner struggles known only to one's own heart, but when all was said and done (she's now cancer free-praise Him!), she had experienced a sweetness of the reality of God and His precious Word that she'd never experienced to that degree before. She would say that the Lord truly does walk through the fire WITH us, that "The nearness of God is my good."

The other "good thing" that I'd like to mention is the need to be an example of valuing what God values, calling "good" what He says is good-which includes the role He planned for us as wives and mothers. I need to be an example of wholeheartedly embracing this work as the highest calling I could have. God designed it as the most privileged, safe, happy place He could have put us, and like the Israelites, we can "despise the 'pleasant' land." Instead of feeling "less than," I should be so very thankful for the privilege of being a wife who's primary purpose is to help her husband, bringing him good every day of my life, enabling him to be "in the city gates."

What joy it must bring God when we believe that whatever His Word says is right and good, so we simply obey-knowing that this is what gives anything eternal value.

Much of God's instruction to us concerns physical things: "Being busy at home, managing the home, all kinds of good deeds, handling food/clothing, raising children, washing the feet of others, helping those in trouble, etc." Because these aren't valued by many around us, at times I can feel like I'm not accomplishing anything very significant. At those times it helps me to read again what God said specifically for women, clearing my head with what He says is important (I Timothy 2, I Timothy 5, I Peter 3, Titus 2, Ephesians 5, Colossians 3, Proverbs 31).

How encouraging to see that these really line up with much of what I do, and to remember:

1) If these were His instructions for wives, and

2) If He's the one who gave the Great Commission to all of us, then these "commissions" must fit together perfectly in His master plan. Also, it is these very things that put us with people (our families and others) so that we can influence them for Him. They open the door to our "stage" for influence. They are very good indeed.

Even though I haven't always had the privilege of being around literal "older women," many of you have greatly impacted me, not only with your lives, but also with your words. "Faithful instruction is on her lips, and kindness is the rule for everything she says" (Proverbs 31). I'm so thankful for the many conversations that have adjusted my perspective, raised my bar, given me good ideas, or increased or challenged my faith. I still read through notes that I've jotted down during these last 40 years after spending time with a sister-things I knew God wanted to use in my life-and things that He's still using.

He has also used many of you who have given teachings or written articles, books, or Bible studies to make huge impacts. We're blessed to be recipients of the myriad of ways He has gifted women, and each stage of life will probably look different for all of us. As the years add up for me, and I only have one child at home, there are a few hours some days where it's quiet and my mind isn't engaged in schoolwork or training children; but because the "mother's heart" is still there, I'm finding that God is using those hours to be able to place others on my heart more often so that I can pray for them, enabling Him to give me promptings concerning them.

If this is a little glimpse of what it will mean to be an older woman, I can see what a resource they can be: their genuine motherly interest, their experiences in life from which to draw, their walk with God and the Word, their humility from going through times of failure and weakness, their seeing God's faithfulness over and over again, and their availability to pray for and counsel younger ones.

It reminds me of something Joan Stockdale in Poland recently wrote: "I just got back from helping a new mom with a breast infection. The young mom said, 'I am just so calm when you are here.' God taught us so many wonderful lessons in those hectic years as moms of all of those little ones. It is an honor to pass it on." What a blessing Joan was to that young woman!

Matthew Henry wrote: "...which is a positive duty of aged patrons, namely to be teachers of good things! Not public preachers, that is forbidden (I Corinthians 14:34...in the church), but otherwise teach they may and should, that is by example and good life. Hence observe, those whose actions and behavior become holiness ARE thereby teachers of good things...."

As Neva said in her March letter about Jan Gordon: "Jan and I hardly talked that whole weekend, but her service and life spoke volumes to me and to many others."

Thelma Clark

If you would like to respond to Thelma, email info@gccweb.org.