"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase"
1 Corinthians 3:6
A Message From the Horne of Africa
Christian Arithmetic 101
9/06/2009
A little farm boy was quizzed by his arithmetic teacher, “Johnny, if there were ten sheep in a field and six jumped over the fence, how many would be left? The wily pupil shot back an answer, “None!” The exasperated teacher exclaimed, “Johnny, you don’t know your arithmetic!” To which, he replied, “Teacher, you may know arithmetic, but you don’t know sheep.” The prophet of old said, “All we like sheep have gone astray,” Isaiah 53:6. Sheep don’t know arithmetic, so they have a crazy habit of all following the leader no matter where he chooses to go.
But the big question is, “Have we taken the course Christian Arithmetic 101?” We learn it from the text book (the Bible) and the University of Hard Knocks (most commonly called experience).
The first step in coming to grips with arithmetic is learning to count. The renowned preacher, John Gipson, once quoted Eric Hoffer, a migrant farm worker who became a superb philosopher, who said, “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
Paul informed the people of Lystra how grateful people should be to their wonderful God. He said, “He [God] has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy,” Acts 14:17. He also said, “Always giving thanks to God the father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 5:20. When we conscientiously count our blessings, we make our lives count!
The second step involves “addition and subtraction.” An addition to the church, Acts 2:47, means a subtraction from the world, 2 Corinthians 6:17; Romans 6:1-2. When Jesus gains one, the devil loses one—that’s the way “the books are balanced.” Colossians 3 lists the things that we need to “get rid of” and 2 Peter 1:5-11 itemizes the virtues we need to add to our faith. Those things will make our calling and election sure and will keep us from falling. We have to learn to add virtues and to subtract vices. We can’t succeed in Christian Arithmetic 101 unless we learn this lesson well.
The third lesson has to do with multiplication. The early church knew how to multiply, Acts 6:1. They went from 3,000 on Pentecost, Acts 2:41, to 5,000 men, Acts 4:4. “A church that does not reach out, fades out.” Multiplication is the name of the game. Lack of conscious multiplication has often been the cause of negative division. It has been said, “When we don’t knock on doors, we knock on each other.” The saving of souls is a world wide assignment, Acts 1:8. It keeps us focused. If we would capture the vision of evangelism and practice the concept of “each one reach one,” we could turn the world upside down in no time, Acts 17:6. It doesn’t happen without effort. Just as we had to master the multiplication tables, so we have to exert ourselves to master the multiplication of disciples.
The fourth lesson is division—no, not dividing the church, but dividing our blessings with the less fortunate; in a word—sharing. We start by dividing a portion of our resources and dedicating it to the Lord, 2 Corinthians 9:6- 9. In former times, the Jews offered a tithe (10%) of their resources. Do you remember learning about percentages? We share our resources so that the gospel might be preached around the world by missionaries. We share our worldly goods to bless those who are in desperate need, Matthew 25:34-40. God blesses us that we might not only enjoy life but also to bless those who struggle to get on their feet, 1 Timothy 6:17-19. Folks must work in order to eat, 2 Thessalonians 3:10; but sometimes their circumstances leave them destitute. Our mission is to help them get on their feet again.
Well, I hope that everyone who reads this message, will pass this arithmetic test! Now, let me leave you on a light note. The teacher wanted to explain the intricacies of subtraction. She postulated, “You have ten fingers—now, suppose you had three less, then what would you have?”
Tommy promptly replied, “No music lessons!” In Christian Arithmetic 101, you count on your fingers and your toes to do deeds of goodness.” Let’s make our lives count.
Love you all,
Al—“the Horne of Africa.”