Make the Bible YOUR BOOK!

You have to make the Bible your book...

You have to take it in, think it up, and speak it out. Meditate on God's word, and then utter it from your mouth. Seek how to speak into and over every single issue of life.

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4 ESV)

Get into Psalm 119. Read Romans. Study the Gospel of John. Read Proverbs.

The philosophy of those ancient Hebrews is older than Greek, Arab, or Latin philosophies, and more sensible than those philosophies too.

The Judeo-Christian ethic is brilliant. It demands much from Christian adherents, and allows for much from non-adherents, and makes provision for a just, verdant society.

Most importantly, the God who reveals His person and character in that holy book is really dialogical, desiring conversation and communication with the mankind He has made. And that in an abiding relationship.

Our country has truly lost her way. We have to make the Bible our book. My hope is in God, my country is His Kingdom, and my home is His many mansions. That I may be salt, and have any hope of being light, the Spirit has to be filling me, and the Bible has to be my book. In Him and this is the only way I see to have hope.

Pressing what?

What are you pressing? What will it yield?

"For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife." (Proverbs 30:33, ESV) 

Some of us understand what to squeeze; when we ought to apply pressure to what. You see from today's proverb, there are somethings that are not wise to press. The English Standard Version Bible study notes say, "Those given to obnoxious and conniving behavior would do well to become quiet and still, or they will soon be embroiled in conflict."

It's just true. Sometimes we push people and situations at times when it is just not going to obtain the result we desire. In 1 Samuel 24, David refused to kill King Saul. David understood three things that only God-given discernment could reveal to him: (1) King Saul was not a person he was allowed to press; (2) it was not time to press; (3) though PEOPLE pressed him to press Saul, he would not listen to unwise counsel.

Proverbs 15:1 is wise counsel in this case: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1, ESV) Sometimes, instead of pressing or stirring, we need to calm and act as peacemakers. 

May God give us discernment to see the way we ought to go...what to press (as in milk for curds) and what not to press, too.

We long for more!

To be more than we are...

As I enjoyed spiritual conversation with some believers recently, we spoke about how we all long to be something else and something more than what we are. I could tell the ideas I put forward provoked a response, and one of those types of provocations that needs space to breathe. As I parted company with those believers after that time of fellowship, I didn't part ways with the idea that was swirling around in my mind and spirit. We very much do long to be something else and something more!

I opened the Bible to 1 Peter 1 and began to read: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV)

We long for a more actual realization of the self we see through faith's eye. We in Christ know we have been "...born again..." and that is the burgeoning of new life and truer life. We also know that the "...living hope..." that Jesus is coming back and will grant deliverance from the temporal constraints that currently hold and limit us makes our hearts soar to the grand possibilities of heaven. We see glimpses of the good people can be and do. We know there is (or can be) more to us than currently meets the eye. More so, there is much "...ready to be revealed..." MORE! Far MORE!

Secondly, we also see the possibility of a better world, both because salt and light in the NOW increases goodness in the NOW, AND because heaven is a coming. Yes, and absolutely, we who believe surely do long for something else and to be something more.

There are a lot of people out here who long to be something more and something else. Do not look within and think the answers of eternity will be discovered in the recesses of your own heart or on the topography of your own body.

Do not look around and think emulating some person will answer the deep longing of the heart whose yearnings are born in heaven. God lovingly gives us all the desire to be something else and something more, but those somethings aren't found within our heart, within our head, upon our body, or in being like someone else.

The yearning in us to be more is the desire for new birth through Jesus. The yearning in us to be something else is to discover and become the spiritual men and women God created us to be.

Let the one who has ears hear what the Spirit is speaking through 1 Peter 1:3-9.

The Natural Man Does Not Receive the Things of God

Some thoughts on natural man versus spiritual man...

The apostle Paul said, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

Three quick things about a natural man from this verse, and one big result:

(1) A natural man only operates in human knowledge and insight, and that's extremely limited, even across the entire scope of humanity combined. The natural man "does not accept..." The natural person will not open their mind or heart or spirit up to God's comfort, help, or power.

(2) The natural man does not understand the Word of God, because (a) "they are folly" to a natural man, and (b) "they are spiritually discerned" having refused the help of God. Without the Word of God, they are again only operating in human knowledge and considerations.

(3) The natural man is "not able," meaning, they are ill-equipped for understanding a created world and order. It could be said they have limited tools with which to work. They don't accept things of the Spirit, so they are limited in what they have to work with.

The result of these things is simple: EVEN IF a natural person recognizes the historical activity of the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and EVEN IF they say He is a good example or a good teacher or a significant personality, BECAUSE they are natural, they miss the whole point of who Jesus is and what He came to do.

Conversely, the spiritual man is led of the Spirit: "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:15-16 ESV)

Though much could be said here, let this be my sole point; the "spiritual person judges all things" because the spiritual person has opened themselves up to be possessed of and submitted to the divine power and insight of the Holy Spirit. By His power, then, the spiritual person can expect the help of God in discerning and discovering, deciding and determining what God is saying and doing in situations and circumstances.

To sum it up, the natural man has refused the help of God and the spiritual man welcomes the help of God.

The natural person will not submit to God.

The spiritual person is happily submitted to God.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Never forget; what has happened is possible, and likely...

When any person or group are denuded of their humanity, the lesser natures of mankind are more liable to continue the stripping till not only is personhood wiped away, but so is the person.

Let us look around us today and see the places we are stripping away the humanity of others. It happens many times in the "isms" of our culture. It happens where people are weak, and especially to the weakest among us.

It happens when fear or desire make us think more OF and ABOUT ourselves than is healthy, right, or just. When fear rules, we find ways to fight fear, and it usually starts with blaming people and denuding them of equality among us. When we are afraid our comfort will be disrupted, we'll do the same.

In NAZI Germany, many were looking to blame others for the problems in their culture. They blamed Jews, Gypsies, people with disabilities, academic and cultural asocials, homosexuals, and various religious groups, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, for the breakdown of German culture and economy and for the losses of WWI.

Fear led to lies, lies to inculcation of lies, inculcation led to culture shift, culture shift to majority consent, majority consent to alteration of law, alteration of law to right of force, right of force to  mass injustice, mass injustice to abrogation of law, abrogation of law to lawlessness, and lawlessness to utter corruption and destruction of their own society and the societies of those they felt emboldened to attack. Pretty soon, the nation killed itself and murdered other nations, and, along with other powers, threw the world into spastic turmoil.

What do I blame today? What do I see at the root of the ills in my world? How do I "combat" those ills?

I blame sin and Satan. Thank God for Jesus. I can totally disagree with my neighbor and be given both command and power to love them. My calling is the share and show the gospel. The true ills of mankind WILL be dealt a final blow, and they are even now in their own spastic fits of dying. In Christ, we see the old dragon wiggling, swinging its ugly tail, even as the Lion of Judah pulls its teeth, yanks its claws, and plucks off its spiny horns.

Our Champion will win!

And as our final foes writhe in their death throes we serve in Him who wars well for His beloved Church.

And where God's people forsake our call to love others and proclaim Jesus, something besides salt will fill the vacuum.

Each life is valuable to God. We'd do well to remember that. EVEN those people in direct opposition to Him are His. We'd do well to remember that.

Today reminds me to remember to value every life. Today reminds me to be in the right war, and to war the right way. Today reminds me...

A converted fear…

We often fear the wrong thing. For example, in Matthew 8:23-28, the disciples started out fearing the storm. However, by the end of the passage, their fear was converted.

“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (Matthew 8:23–27 ESV)

See it? The disciples started out fearing the storm and they converted to fearing Jesus.

Fact is, that’s what happens when we really see Jesus for who He is. 

It’s what happens when God moves and works. 

It’s what happens when the power of the Holy Ghost comes on us. 

We stop fearing finances and people and failure and _____________. We start fearing God more than we fear the obstacles and challenges in front of us.

Take death for example; it IS a fearful thing. However, when we really see Him who kills death – when we really do understand Jesus IS the resurrection and the life – we start fearing Him MORE than the fear death. We get converted to a greater, more righteous, more productive, more fruitful fear.

It would be healthy for us to take honest stock of our fears, and ask God to do something about them. What would be more healthy would be converting our fears to fearing God more than any one fear or the combination of them all.

Changed people change the world!

Changed people change the world.

But... changed by what to what toward what end?

People changed by hard experiences to bitterness make the world darker.

People changed by abuse to fear make the world reticent.

People changed by greed to self-centeredness make the world less generous.

People changed by Jesus to His likeness are Kingdom-oriented world changers!

Now, to be clear, I'm not talking about the only-religious crowd; I'm talking about the religious AND transformed crowd. The Scriptures teach us that a believer --a true, reborn believer-- is changed: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Changed by who? By the Father, in the Son, as the Spirit works. "All this is from God..." (2 Corinthians 5:18 ESV)

Changed for what? To be "...the righteousness of God" (5:21c)

Toward what end? That we might be His agents on this earth. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV)

Changed people DO change the world!
What / who has changed you?

A Word About Church.

Straight talk about church...

Part of the responsibility of a Christian is to love and serve the church.

Part of the risk of a Christian is to love and serve the church.

Part of the right of a Christian is to love and serve the church.

Part of the relief of a Christian is to be loved and served by the church.

There are no lone ranger Christians; the only Christians walking alone are the disobedient.

Wounded by people we may be, but commanded by God we remain.

Some believe themselves too mature for the church; such is pride.

Some believe themselves too busy for the church; such is misplaced priority.

Some believe themselves too hurt to return; such is lack of faith.

Some believe the church is full of hypocrites; it is; join them, for such thinking is being one.

Listening to the radio or watching television or getting your "preaching" online is NOT fulfilling God's call for us to meet together, serve together and bring Him glory together.

It is the church, His elect, the Body He calls into being, for whom Jesus died.

Consider Ephesians 2:20-22: "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." (ESV)

Also, consider Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (ESV)

And, we cannot do this unless we are together: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16, ESV)

Sure, we can sing alone, but it sounds better together! It's not that, though... we must both give and receive teaching and admonishment.

I am by no means ignoring the difficulty of walking in community. It's hard.
Still, in spite of that difficulty, the command to walk in community is lessened by zero percent.

We're designed to be together. Shame the devil, beat the odds, let God work in and through us and let's BE the church.

I'm headed to the gathering of the called out ones today. I'll see you there... right?

Gather. Pray. Don't just talk about it. Do it.

In Corporate Places, with Desperate People...

"...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

A few years ago, I was at a large gathering of believers from all over the United States. For three hours, we heard from speakers who told us the importance, nay, necessity of prayer. I could not argue against any of their points. I would not argue against their points! Each person was faithful in their handling the Scriptures, reasonable and logical in their conclusions and compelling in their challenges. Before I attended the conference, I was convinced of the need to pray; the conference simply served to remind me of that conviction and swell up in me a fresh desire to pray.

At the end of one of the sessions, I talked with some friends who I often see at these meetings. We discussed how right it would be to devote an entire conference to prayer. It seems strange to me to be constantly told of the need of prayer without practicing that need in a corporate way.

So, here I am today asking you all to pray.

Do you want to see revival? 

Do you want to see awakening? 

Do you want to see our community transformed by the power of God? 

Would you like to see the trajectory of our nation turned onto a God-honoring path? 

Would you like to see family members, co-workers and friends experiencing dynamic, powerful relationship with God? 

Would you like to see a decrease in crime, an increase in kindness and homes filled with holiness? 

Do you want to see families reconciled? 

Do you want to see marriages righted? 

Would you like to see children's hearts turned back to honoring their moms and dads?

Pray.

Gather in public places with desperate people and seek the face of God.

In 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 we find King Solomon has finished building the Temple. God appears to Solomon and tells him whenever the people are facing God's chastisement the people are to “... humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways...” At that response to chastisement, God promises He will “...will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

We do not have the Temple. We do have holy gathering places. We are in need of prayer. We can talk about it ad infinitum. We can extol its virtues. We can exposit passage after passage from the Scriptures. We can be inspired, encouraged, rebuked and instructed in the matter of prayer. None of these things will replace simply doing it.

Organize a like-meeting at your holy gathering place on the same day at the same time. Ask believers to join you and pray. Pick a

day. Just pray!

All of us want to see change. Few of us want to be changed.

Friend, I want to see change and be changed! I want to see a grand work of God in my day!

Listen, I'm not asking the world to buy my stew; I'm asking the people called by God's name to pray!

Read the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles; read the New Testament. You'll unmistakeably find the call to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says it most succinctly: “pray without ceasing.” In Luke 18:1, the Lord Jesus told a parable to teach His disciples they “...ought always to pray and not lose heart.” To the church at Ephesus, Paul said “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication...” (Ephesians 6:18). Even as the disciples waited on the coming Spirit, they got it: they “...were devoting themselves to prayer...” (Acts 1:14)

We could go on and on. Do you see the point, beloved friends? Let us pray. Let us simply get after it; let us gather in public places as desperate people and seek the face of God.

Please, let us indeed humble ourselves, seek God's face, turn from our wicked ways; and, let's pray.

Loose lips sink souls.

Watch what you say and don't say anything...

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." (Proverbs 21:23 ESV)

In Matthew Poole's Commentary concerning this verse, he wrote, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue from offensive and provoking speeches, keepeth his soul, his person, from troubles; which a licentious and abusive tongue frequently brings upon a man."

John Gill said, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue

... Guards the one and bridles the other; is careful of what he says, that it is truth, and without dissimulation and guile; and is not injurious to the characters of men, and is not offensive and provoking; who abstains from ill and wrathful language, and which tends to stir up wrath and contention."

It seems wise to be extremely careful what we say, and then even to not say much at all. Sure, we should speak, and speak often for those without a voice. Sure, we should speak truth, and speak it always with gentleness, and fear and trembling. Sure, we should speak of the excellencies of Christ, His great gospel, and His magnificent nature, and do so in all humility. However, in those things, and especially outside those things, we ought to be careful of our speech (even through social media!).

This is wisdom, lest we love quarrels and contentiousness. It is wisdom to be careful in our speech, lest we love troubles in our souls.

We ought not give our tongues much liberty. Just because we can say what we want does not mean we should say it. Just because we have "free speech" according to man's law does not mean we will not be held accountable for EVERY idle word spoken when we stand before the Lord. Think about that for a bit...

Surely a previous Proverb from the same chapter is helpful: "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor." (Proverbs 21:21 ESV)

Lord, in all our ways, might we pursue righteousness and kindness, and especially in our speech. Help us, Lord, guard our mouths and bridle our tongues today.

A short word on parenting.

What I'm telling the man in the mirror about parenting!

YOU start obeying God and watch your children change...

I am blessed with two fantastic daughters;
Rachel (L) and Katie (R).
They are both fairly close to being grown, independent
women, yet I don't ever plan to stop parenting them.
Different seasons of life mean my role shape-shifts, but
util the Lord calls us to our heavenly home, I am their dad.
I don't ever want to stop growing as a parent. God called me
to this honorable position when He gave me these
darling young ladies, and I don't plan on abdicating
my calling. 

Too many of us parents want our children to "be good" when we have no intention of it ourselves.

YOU be the model: Titus 2:7 says, "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity..."

YOU have to have it in YOUR heart before you teach it to theirs; YOUR example will be your strongest teaching tool: Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

YOU have to train up your child, and know them uniquely: Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (NOTE: in the way HE/SHE should specifically go! God makes EACH CHILD unique!)

YOU must discipline YOUR child (not the school or the church): Proverbs 13:24 says, "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him."

YOU must be balanced; it's not just the rod, but the gentle heart, too: Proverbs 19:18 says, "Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death."

Before any of us expect to have great children, we ought to expect ourselves to be great children of the Lord. 

Knowing God is humbling.

We are offended when someone thinks they are too good for us...

Do you understand that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Someone who has great talent, or might be wealthy, or who may think of themselves as being great because of their race or supposed class, or someone who might think themselves exceptionally smart or cool or popular, or someone who may disdain others because they are "weak" or this or that is in a terrible position to mistreat others. They are liable to do that very thing, mistreat others. We must remember that God is no respecter of persons. All have sinned. Rich people have sinned. Poor people have sinned. Caucasians have sinned; every race has sinned. So-called cool people have sinned; uncool people have sinned. ALL have sinned.

Now, when any person who comes to God through Jesus Christ, they understand they have no merit to come to God; it is on the merit of Jesus they are allowed access, given forgiveness and are shown mercy* and grace**. That person understands that ALL have sinned and they understand THEY have sinned. Receiving acceptance and access to God, to the one who really has experienced it, is truly humbling. That person no longer looks at their human weaknesses because they are experiencing God's strength. That person no longer prides themselves in human strength because they are realizing how worthless the things we are proud of are in comparison to how good God has been to us, in spite of what we deserve.

Friend, do you know Jesus? If you do, are you losing any airs of superiority you've held in life? Are the walls of classicism and racism breaking away in your heart? Are you beginning to see people in a different light? Do you see yourself in a different light? Do you think you are "too good" for someone else?

It's hard to be proud when you realize every merit you've counted important in your own life has absolutely no importance in eternity when it comes to gaining access to God. It's hard to be proud when you finally confess "I am a sinner and I offend God's holiness and I need help, for I finally see that I cannot buy it, earn it and do not deserve it." When we finally see we NEED grace, we see any thoughts of us being "better" than anyone else on any level are disintegrated before our very eyes.

"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory." (James 2:1 ESV)

Love - as an action of sacrifice, service and good deeds -- EVERYONE today. Show no partiality. ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL need God. NONE are worthy of Him. But, thanks be to God, Jesus makes us worthy. NOT our merit; the Savior gives us access. Let us, then, not be proud, but remember God loves the whole world and whosoever can come to Him and be His blessed ambassadors of loving ALL people for His glory.

*Mercy = not getting what we do deserve. I.E. "The wages of sin is death..."

** Grace = getting what we don't deserve. I.E. "...but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus."

Trouble is coming, AND God is good.

Following Jesus does not exclude you from difficulties.

If anything, it leads you into them. Go look at the story in Matthew 8. The disciples followed Jesus onto a boat that was destined to be rocked by a storm. No "LOL"... it really happened. ;)

Consider these verses: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ... I have said these things to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 15:18 and 16:33 ESV)

See that? Whew.

We have this mistaken expectation that, as Christians, nothing should ever go wrong for us. Jesus actually tells us to expect the opposite.

Here's a sobering reality: before Christ, you had one enemy, and that was God.

Now that you’ve accepted Christ, you have 3 enemies: the world, your flesh, & the devil (though God is greater).

But now, in Christ, you are not only reconciled to God, but you are adopted into His family. He has broken down the wall of division and brought you near.

We have enemies, but, in Christ, God is no longer one of them. Still, we do have enemies!

Also, we need to face the fact that we live in a broken, sin-fallen world, where things simply don’t work as they’re designed to.

We need to hear and heed the counsel of the Apostle Peter: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV, emphasis mine)

The world is big, bad, mean, and broken. It's true.

God is good.

Both are true. God is the realer reality that never stops being real and realer. The world will end, but the Lord will not. His goodness trumps and outlasts this world.

Face it; life is tough. Face it in Him; this won't be the end of the story.

Have you considered fasting?

Are you concerned about this country?
Your family?
Your church?
The Church?

Do you need a spiritual breakthrough in your life?

Do what will work in response...

All issues have a spiritual root, so they need to be addressed in spiritual ways.

"Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3 ESV)

Talk to God.
Wait before Him in prayer.
Seek HIS presence.And, fast.

Fasting breaks spiritual strongholds: "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6 ESV)

Those seeking direction from God fast: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" (Acts 13:2 ESV)

Fasting seeks God's face and is an appropriate expression of worship and repentance and also shapes one's prayer life: "'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster." (Joel 2:12-13 ESV)

Those asking for God's help fast: "So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty." (Ezra 8:23 ESV)

Those who are seeking affirmation about something they have heard from God fast: "Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:3 ESV)

Fasting is the appropriate response to believing God: "And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them." (Jonah 3:5 ESV) (NOTE: In this case, when Nineveh believed God, they repented and fasted in response to being humbled before God's righteous judgment. God, in turn, did not destroy them, but blessed them.)

(A) Fasting is a wise tool for spiritual people seeking God's favor in their dealings with secular people; (B) fasting prepares a saint to endure God's will: "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16 ESV)

The Bible says even more about fasting; much more. I believe, should we truly desire spiritual solutions to life's issues, that complaining to people will not do nearly the good that seeking the Lord will do.

A Personal Testimony

This is just a little bit long, but hang with me… today, a couple years ago, I was at my desk and felt a piece of paper sticking out from under the bottom of the desk, hung in the crease where the desk comes together, side to top. I pulled it out and it was that note pictured here. 

I don't know if it was for a deacons meeting, or a business meeting, but I knew the hand writing to be Rev. Johnny Smith. Do you see that second item on the list? "License Tim Bowes to Gospel Ministry." 

When I saw it back in 2018, I got chills. I immediately looked over at the wall and took note of my Certificate of License. As you see from the second picture, this affirmation became official on January 19, 2000. 

Wow... Johnny gave me some books several years ago, and I remember finding this little note stuck in a book as a bookmark, but I had lost track of it since originally finding it. Now, January 19, 2020, just like I did on the same date in 2019, i pulled it out and did some praying. 

Looking back to 2000...

Wow… Just wow. 

I remember having discussions with Johnny that I wasn't sure that I was called to vocational ministry, but it was pretty clear in those days that God was calling me to do some preaching and a lot of teaching. I remember the discussion to affirm that ministry sort of scared me. 

I wondered whether my home church would affirm that gifting, and I wondered if other local churches would respect their affirmation. I knew I had to trust God and it was His calling that mattered most, but I cared about the affirmation of my church family. It was like putting a thermometer in my calling and finding out if it was real and healthy.
I was wrestling pretty regularly and pretty fiercely with trying to understand whether I was being called in the vocational ministry or not during those days. 

It was sometime after initially talking with Johnny about being licensed and actually being licensed that I surrendered to a call to vocational ministry. That was January 4, 2000. I didn't know then where that would lead me, and I didn't know that less than a year later I would be a dad, I would've left my wonderful job at the power plant, I would've become a college student, and I would have begun my time as the associate pastor of Berry's Grove Baptist Church. I didn't know that I would go to work for Youth For Christ / My Life Matters, and I didn't know that I would fill pulpits in dozens of churches, be an interim pastor in more than one church, nor did I have a clue that God would allow me to plant a church and pastor it for over 12 years now.

When Johnny wrote that note, I didn't know any of those things were going to happen in the next few months. When Johnny wrote that note, I didn't even know my wife was going to be pregnant in a few short weeks. Wow... God is good. 

Absolutely, God is good! Saying "yes" to God in the moment mattered. I didn't need to understand all the nexts that were to follow. I just needed to say "yes," and to trust and obey.
Proverbs 3:5–6
[5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
[6] In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)

Praise God. Amen. 

Learn to sing what matters so that we will be singing when it matters.

In the day of difficulty, you will only lean on what you have...

I love the New Testament command to make God-music the constant melody of our hearts: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father..." (Ephesians 5:18-20, ESV).

In our hearts...
Speaking to one another...
Always giving thanks...

Listen to this Old Testament counsel: "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts." (Psalm 119:49-50, 52, 54-56, ESV)

Maybe Paul and Silas knew this stuff in their spirits and minds and hearts when they faced difficulty. Consider: "The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them..." (Acts 16:22-25, ESV)

See that? People were listening! That's what happens when we delight in God in the face of our circumstances.

Pardon me, I've got some tunes to sing, both in my heart and from my tongue.

A word to my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

This is for my Christian brothers and sisters...
I'm talking exclusively to those who claim saving faith through the name of Jesus...

Do you know how we say, "You can't judge me!"? Yes. I hear it all the time from young people (actually, they say, "Only God can judge me" but they are really meaning "YOU can't judge me!").

I agree. God is Judge. Amen. Praise Him who is love and whose justice is perfect!
Praise Him, THE Judge who is full of mercy, but also perfect in judgment. Thank You, Father!

So, we agree, right? God is judge. Amen.

This is yet another sunset photo I snapped while driving
home on Highway 49 South.
I am always taken by how the light through leafless trees
reminds me of lungs. Isn't it ironic that they are breathing
what we are releasing and we are releasing what
they are breathing. We are connected to all things God
has made. How can we not take it all very seriously?
How can we not steward well those things and
relationships around us?

Check out what Jesus says: "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4 ESV)

We are called to live in community with one another, and we are called to take care of each other. Part of taking care of each other is NOT looking over sin, pretending it's not an issue, glossing it over or ignoring it all together. We are called to care for each other by rebuking.

What? Rebuking? Yes.

Now...LISTEN CAREFULLY [READ CAREFULLY]: "If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back." (Matthew 18:15 NLT)

See that?

• The New Living Translation says "...go privately..." 
• The English Standard Version says "...between you and him alone..." 
• The New American Standard Bible says, "...show him his fault in private..." 
• The New International Version says, "...just between the two of you..." 
• The Holman Christian Standard Bible says, "...rebuke Him in private.."

We don't ignore sin.

But, we don't call people out in public; not on social media.
We don't need keyboard warriors; we need loving brothers and sisters.
C'mon, now. Let's get with Jesus on both sides of this deal!

Let's not ignore sin. But, let's handle it the right way! There is a time and a place to bring some individual's sin out in a group, but there's a couple steps to cover BEFORE calling them out in a group. AND, the GROUP you call them out in front -- AFTER the other stuff has been tried -- IS THEIR LOCAL CHURCH where they can receive loving discipline AND have hope of being restored. (Check out Matthew 18:15-20)

And, it's not just an issue of not ignoring sin, nor does it only involve who we rebuke in front of whom. There's more...

Who should rebuke someone? What is the goal of rebuking someone's sin?

Galatians 6:1 answers it most succinctly: "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself." (NLT)

Who should rebuke? "...you who are godly..."

Well, who's godly? Back up into Galatians 5:16-26; that'll answer that.

What is the goal? ''...help that person back onto the right path..." Or, as the ESV says, the goal is to "...restore..."

We are called to live in community! "Pay attention to yourselves..."

This stuff matters!

Don't ignore sin.
Obey Jesus.
Obey Jesus.
Do it the right way.

Distractions that hinder.

The enemy does not care what distracts you, just that SOMETHING does...

Jesus is THE way. Jesus is THE truth. Jesus is THE life. There aren't any other paths to peace with God. Satan does not care what distracts us from this exclusive truth, as long as something does. We can be distracted by all sorts of sin, all of them separate. We can be distracted by our own good works. We can be distracted by other religions (or religion itself). We can be distracted by both legalism and liberalism. I could make an extremely long list, but you get the point.

We need helpful people in our lives, and we need to be helpful people.

What is a helpful person? It's someone who leads us in the way of righteousness, AND does NOT lead us in the way of destruction. "One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (Proverbs 12:26, ESV)

A solid set of questions:
1. Who are we following?
2. Where are they leading?
3. Who are we leading?
4. Where are we going?

If the path and goal is not peace with God, we're being led astray...worse still, if we're not walking faithfully with Jesus, we're leading someone else astray.

Heavy and good words.

I took this picture from a hymnal at Beth
Carr Church in Halifax, VA. It had been
a long time since I'd sang this hymn. I
nearly wept as we sang these beautiful
words. Thanks be to God for those
who are listening when He grants His
people songs to sing. Thank God He gifts
people with the ability to put the words
and the notes together for us. 

"...entrusted with the gospel..."

Wow, those four words floor me.

I delivered a $247,000.00 check once. I couldn't cash it, and, even if I was robbed, they couldn't cash it. Nonetheless, carrying a check for nearly 1/4 million dollars was daunting.

Bigger and weightier than that, saying "I do" and driving away from church with those vows in my mind, leading my home in my heart, and my new bride by my side were heavy with a capital everything.

Then, that first child being born, and a second, and with each and both, holding them in my arms, staring in their faces, thinking about their futures, and hearing them breathe, and thinking about the awesome responsibilities that lay before me as a father was weighty.

Being entrusted with the gospel weighs even more.

"For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." (1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 ESV)

Being entrusted with the gospel is a solemn trust. It is a solemn trust because those who are entrusted with the gospel are called to live worthy of the gospel. They are called to preserve the gospel in their hearts, homes, houses of worship, and communities. Being entrusted with the gospel comes with the solemn expectation to carry the gospel to others.

Living it.

Keeping the salt salty.
Sharing the gospel.

Whew. What a blessing to be entrusted with the gospel. What a weight! 

Thank God, it's better than gold and silver, and worth even more.

If you are going to brag, brag on Jesus.

Bragging on Jesus...

Of 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, the ESV study bible says, "Not yeast (which was uncommon in the ancient world) but fermented dough, a little of which would be left from the previous week to be added to a new lump of dough. By analogy, when publicly known sin in the church is not subjected to church discipline, it will silently spread its destructive consequences throughout the whole fellowship."

Do you see it? Don't pass the leavened lump on to the new dough.

"Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV)

See, here's the thing, when God makes us spiritually alive, He makes us into new creatures. He doesn't need any of our old stuff ruining the new stuff.

Likewise, in a congregation, when old sin is left lumped into what God is doing to make the peoples new (individually and corporately), the same remains true. Don't bring old sin into new life. In addition, because the saved aren't perfect, don't bring new sin into new life. It only takes a little wrong to infect a lot of right.

Worse still is the individual or congregation that brags on sin. Being wrong is bad, but being wrong while also thinking you are right to the degree that one might boast about it is way, way wrong! Right?

"....Christ is our Passover lamb...therefore celebrate..." JESUS! Brag on Jesus! Brag on what He is bringing to life in you / us. Brag on what He is putting to death in you / us. Brag on how He has delivered us from sin and Satan in the same way Israel was delivered of slavery and Pharaoh in days of old. Brag on Jesus!

BRAG ON JESUS!

The Spirit searches. God sees.

The Spirit searches...

When it comes to things that happen in the realm of man, a person has to see a person do something wrong for that person to be held accountable. Or, a person has to reveal their actions.

In the realm of the Spirit's operation, God sees everything. Everything. God even searches the motives and intentions of people. God understands things about us that we fail to understand about ourselves.

We often only concern ourselves with what people "catch" us doing. That's a dangerous attitude. We're already caught.

That being said, God does use human beings to hold us accountable. These people --be they social forces, such as police, or church family, such as leaders and each other-- do not know everything, but God knows. Even if we do get over on people, we don't get over on God.

When the Apostle Paul was dealing with the tumultuous Corinthians church, he said, "For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:3-5 ESV)

Paul wanted to address what was (1) plainly known --the sins of that congregation; they were no secret to Paul or the the church or to the public-- and he depended on his (2) apostolic calling / authority for them to respect his desire to hold them accountable and believed in (3) the Spirit's searching of men's hearts to bring them conviction.

When I read this, I ask myself if I am always ready for God to lead me --whether by chastisement or by edification-- no matter who the messenger is? I read this passage and evaluate if I am ready to be held accountable.

Whew...that's tough! However, when I think of how tough that is, I also remember how good God is.

Default settings.

From our despair to His delight...

Sometimes it feels like all of life is a mule that has kicked me in the chest. Do you know that feeling?

Do you know the feeling of being at the place where you'd just as soon give up and go live in a cave?

I know that feeling. But, when I am tempted to despair, or sliding into despair, I hit some default settings and move back up to the Lord. 

The following is one of those passages that gives me focus and encouragement in those times.

"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:5-11 ESV)

First, I need to remember to submit my will to God. Many times my frustration and pain is stemming from the desire to run my life my way for my own reasons and for my own conclusions. Many times I am trying to write a script to my life that the Produce and Director doesn't have in His plans. So, I need fresh surrender. I need to be submitted to God and and seek counsel from those He has appointed to tend the flock.

Also, I need humility. Point blank and period, humility is necessary for joy in the Lord! We are to place ourselves in the right position before God and others, which is the position of servant.

Next, I lay my case and my cares out before the Lord. God's plan is to "exalt you" -- that is, lift you up --and that begins with us "casting all your anxieties upon Him..." Fast, pray, gather trusted friends to pray with you, but lay your case and your cares out before the Lord. However we each process, it's important that we do it. Do you journal? Do you get down at the altar? Do you take a quiet walk? Put your situation in God's hand and cease striving what we trust Him to work.

Added to that, it's wise to make sure we are "sober-minded and watchful." We need a clear head, a clear heart, and spiritual vision that is fixed on the Lord. The stakes are high in this area because "our adversary" is out to get us! It's important to remember, especially in times of despair, that PEOPLE are not my enemies, even when they are acting as such. My "adversary" is the devil.

Part of being sober-minded and watchful is being careful to serve the Lord. Many of our issues stem from spending so much time thinking about self and serving self. When we spend too much time on self, and what self wants and desires, self will consume us! So, be sober about self, and be watchful in serving the Lord. Likewise to your work, also be watchful in your worship. Worship when you're alone, establish worship in our home, and be careful to faithfully gather with the people of God. So many believers are out of sorts because they only serve self and are failing to worship God!

I need to remember that I am not suffering alone! The Bible says, "... knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." My situation is not so unique!

Lastly, I wait and watch God work! This passage reminds me that Christ Himself will "...himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." I am being sanctified! I am growing! I am being prepared for glory! All these things are working together for my good that I might be conformed into the image of Christ!

When I take into hand those things in my control (worship, serving, etc.), and when I get some perspective (people are not my enemies and I am not going through this alone), and when I remember God's great plans for me (restore, confirm, strengthen, establish), I begin to move out of despair and into delighting in the Lord.

Be blessed, today, my friends. I pray God meet with us as we consider these things.