Several years ago, a wise pastor and missionary set me straight on something. He was asking me where I was and what church I served in as pastor, and I answered that the church was an Independent Baptist Church. . .and I believe that all truly Biblical Baptist churches must maintain their local autonomy as a congregation. Yet, this dear brother's answer gripped me. He said, now remember he had been pastoring for longer than I had been living, that his church was "DEPENDENT".
We are living in a day when people want to be religious, want to "serve God", but they want to do it on their own terms. I cannot find that anywhere in the Bible! I mean folks will come, smile, give, and all of these things while they are the ones who hold the reigns. Woe to the pastor who truly pastors! Woe to the preacher who preaches the truth of the Word of God without favoritism! Woe to the church membership that simply follows and seeks to serve the Lord on His terms! A confrontation is coming. Dr. W.A. Criswell confessed that he believed that from 70 percent to as many as 90 percent of his congregation was not even born again. He admitted to pastoring a group of folks who wanted to serve God, but on their own terms. This is where most church problems come from. May the Lord help us to return to the concept of unconditional surrender, and of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
What are His terms? John the Baptist may have summarized it best when he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Those who would grow closer to the Lord and be used of Him must experience the Gethsemane Factor: "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine. . .". Let us come willingly and not kickin' and screaming. God's blessings begin where our will ends.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
We Serve a Great Master
As a Christian, it is our privilege to serve the greatest Master. Everybody serves either the Lord Jesus Christ or the enemy of our souls, Satan. Some serve money, things, power, or self, but these are simply other names for serving the devil. As a believer we can serve the King of kings.
Jesus said to call no man Master, or Father since there is only One Lord, Father, and Master. . .God Himself.
We are instructed to simply be LIKE OUR MASTER. The old hymn says, "O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer; this is my constant longing and prayer. . ." A modern chorus breathes this prayer, "Make me more like You, make me more like You, I want Your image to be seen in me. Make me more like You." If Christians lived like the Master, what a difference we would see! Attitudes would be different. Activities would change. Bars would lose some customers. Cigarette companies would lose sales. Families would function as families. . .maybe for the very first time. What a difference, if Christians behaved like the Master. Churches would certainly be different. No more pageantry, pomp, and false piety would be found. No more favoritism towards those who have money or powerful influence would be shown. Maybe the world could be turned right-side-up if Christians once again began to act like the Master.
Our Master knows the estate of His flocks and herds. He knows His sheep and cares for every need. He leads beside still waters and into green pastures. He protects and delivers from danger and from evil. He goes before the flock and fights the battles providing security and safety. All this and Heaven, too! What a wonderful Master! His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Do you know Him? Will you tell someone about Him today?
Jesus said to call no man Master, or Father since there is only One Lord, Father, and Master. . .God Himself.
We are instructed to simply be LIKE OUR MASTER. The old hymn says, "O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer; this is my constant longing and prayer. . ." A modern chorus breathes this prayer, "Make me more like You, make me more like You, I want Your image to be seen in me. Make me more like You." If Christians lived like the Master, what a difference we would see! Attitudes would be different. Activities would change. Bars would lose some customers. Cigarette companies would lose sales. Families would function as families. . .maybe for the very first time. What a difference, if Christians behaved like the Master. Churches would certainly be different. No more pageantry, pomp, and false piety would be found. No more favoritism towards those who have money or powerful influence would be shown. Maybe the world could be turned right-side-up if Christians once again began to act like the Master.
Our Master knows the estate of His flocks and herds. He knows His sheep and cares for every need. He leads beside still waters and into green pastures. He protects and delivers from danger and from evil. He goes before the flock and fights the battles providing security and safety. All this and Heaven, too! What a wonderful Master! His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Do you know Him? Will you tell someone about Him today?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Exceeding Great and Precious Promises
How is it that we partake of the likeness of Jesus Christ? How do we grow more and more into His character and take on more of His attitudes? Peter gives us the answer: through His exceeding great and precious promises.
Let us look at a scenario. A person simply lives his life without a thought of eternity, judgment, or sin (except for the occasional conscience twinge), but then she picks up a tract left on her door. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit moves upon her heart and she is miserable. It gets worse! When it seems like there is no hope for her, a shaft of light comes! "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Quietly, she simply trusts what Jesus has done on the cross for her. She is changed instantly! Peace fills her heart. Joy floods her soul! All through the power of a promise from God.
Those who are believers will identify with this lady, but do you realize that the same process goes on in our lives day by day in the formation of the image of Christ in us? We are living our Christian lives, and doing what we know is right, and then the Lord allows a test to come. Problems arise. People do us wrongly. Financial hard times engulf us. It could be a lot of different things. Our prayers get more earnest as the test intensifies until we come across a verse of Scripture with a precious promise. Our heart's feel the warmth of God's embrace and our joy comes again even though the trial still surrounds us. Praise bursts from our lips! Others now see Jesus more in our lives than they ever have before, and the truth that Peter speaks of is confirmed. "That by these. . .," precious promises, we are made partakers of the divine nature.
If you find yourself in the testing time, or perhaps under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, look to the Word of God for one powerful, precious promise.
Let us look at a scenario. A person simply lives his life without a thought of eternity, judgment, or sin (except for the occasional conscience twinge), but then she picks up a tract left on her door. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit moves upon her heart and she is miserable. It gets worse! When it seems like there is no hope for her, a shaft of light comes! "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Quietly, she simply trusts what Jesus has done on the cross for her. She is changed instantly! Peace fills her heart. Joy floods her soul! All through the power of a promise from God.
Those who are believers will identify with this lady, but do you realize that the same process goes on in our lives day by day in the formation of the image of Christ in us? We are living our Christian lives, and doing what we know is right, and then the Lord allows a test to come. Problems arise. People do us wrongly. Financial hard times engulf us. It could be a lot of different things. Our prayers get more earnest as the test intensifies until we come across a verse of Scripture with a precious promise. Our heart's feel the warmth of God's embrace and our joy comes again even though the trial still surrounds us. Praise bursts from our lips! Others now see Jesus more in our lives than they ever have before, and the truth that Peter speaks of is confirmed. "That by these. . .," precious promises, we are made partakers of the divine nature.
If you find yourself in the testing time, or perhaps under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, look to the Word of God for one powerful, precious promise.
Monday, November 10, 2008
What to do in Transitional Times
There is no doubt we are living in times of transition. Change - perhaps more than we would like to consider - is upon us. What will happen? How will our freedoms be affected? Uncertainty seems the certainly. Friends are losing their jobs. The economy reals and old "fixes" don't help. What can help us?
Take a fresh look at the Lord. Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter six. What he saw provided strength to go forward into the times of change. He saw One Who is unaffected by changes on earth. He saw the One Who rules and overrules in the affairs of mankind. He saw ultimate holiness incarnate. The angels chorused around His throne, and the temple shook and filled with smoke. It is still an awesome sight. Ask God for a fresh vision of who He is. Read again the passages in the Bible that describe the glory of God. Read Moses' meeting with God in the desert in Exodus. Review Ezekiel's visions in Ezekiel chapter one. Walk the dusty paths with the disciples through the Gospel accounts of the life of the Lamb Who appears again in Revelation chapters 1, 4, 5, and 19. You will experience several things.
First, as you look again at the Lord, you will be convicted. Peter recognized that Jesus was more than a human teacher and cried, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord!" Isaiah said, "Woe is me!" When the glory of God overwhlems you, and you again see the sin in your heart in stark relief to His holiness, He can cleanse you. He will when you ask Him to.
Next, you cannot help but be encouraged. God, Whose throne is above all thrones, wins. The old king had died, the new king was a question mark, but God changes not. There is a deep settling effect from this truth. Strength, peace, and hope cannot fail in this revelation.
When the cleansing is accomplished and the encouragement floods our hearts, we can also hear something else. A voice is calling to us right now at the time of transition. This voice can only be heard by those who have come clean before God and taken strength from His appearance. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" Do you hear this calling? Jesus told His disciples to lift up their eyes and look for the fields were ready to harvest. It remains true today. Hear the call and say, "Here am I!" Next door and around the world people are dying without having heard of the love of God and Christ's atoning sacrifice. Who will go but those who have once again seen the King of kings? Will you look into the pages of the Scriptures, meditate on the Person of the Savior, hear the call, and respond?
Take a fresh look at the Lord. Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter six. What he saw provided strength to go forward into the times of change. He saw One Who is unaffected by changes on earth. He saw the One Who rules and overrules in the affairs of mankind. He saw ultimate holiness incarnate. The angels chorused around His throne, and the temple shook and filled with smoke. It is still an awesome sight. Ask God for a fresh vision of who He is. Read again the passages in the Bible that describe the glory of God. Read Moses' meeting with God in the desert in Exodus. Review Ezekiel's visions in Ezekiel chapter one. Walk the dusty paths with the disciples through the Gospel accounts of the life of the Lamb Who appears again in Revelation chapters 1, 4, 5, and 19. You will experience several things.
First, as you look again at the Lord, you will be convicted. Peter recognized that Jesus was more than a human teacher and cried, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord!" Isaiah said, "Woe is me!" When the glory of God overwhlems you, and you again see the sin in your heart in stark relief to His holiness, He can cleanse you. He will when you ask Him to.
Next, you cannot help but be encouraged. God, Whose throne is above all thrones, wins. The old king had died, the new king was a question mark, but God changes not. There is a deep settling effect from this truth. Strength, peace, and hope cannot fail in this revelation.
When the cleansing is accomplished and the encouragement floods our hearts, we can also hear something else. A voice is calling to us right now at the time of transition. This voice can only be heard by those who have come clean before God and taken strength from His appearance. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" Do you hear this calling? Jesus told His disciples to lift up their eyes and look for the fields were ready to harvest. It remains true today. Hear the call and say, "Here am I!" Next door and around the world people are dying without having heard of the love of God and Christ's atoning sacrifice. Who will go but those who have once again seen the King of kings? Will you look into the pages of the Scriptures, meditate on the Person of the Savior, hear the call, and respond?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Covering Your Tracks
King David loved the Lord, but fell into sin and then tried to cover his tracks. Achan loved stuff, took things that belonged to the Lord, and then tried to cover his tracks. Ananias and his cooperative wife kept back part of the money received from the sale of their property. Then they tried to cover their tracks and continue to appear spiritual before other church folk. "Be sure your sin will find you out," cannot be avoided no matter how hard we work to "cover our tracks".
I am just glad that the opposite is also true. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He has made a covering for sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from ALL sin. So instead of covering up, take your sin to the Lord, tell Him all about it. Repent. He will forgive. Jesus has already made the payment for all of our sins. He will cover you, if you will ask Him.
I am just glad that the opposite is also true. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He has made a covering for sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from ALL sin. So instead of covering up, take your sin to the Lord, tell Him all about it. Repent. He will forgive. Jesus has already made the payment for all of our sins. He will cover you, if you will ask Him.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Something Better
Knowledge can be a wonderful thing! You would expect to hear this from a teacher. You might not expect to hear that knowledge can also be a dangerous thing, or that there is something better than knowledge.
Of course knowledge can be a good thing and we need it in order to operate from day to day. Sometimes knowledge simply creates a better criminal. At other times knowledge makes a humble Christian into a puffed up unusable servant. There is something that must accompany our knowledge in order for it to be a benefit. You realize that there are many well-educated people who have been greatly and are being greatly used by God. At the same time, there are others who have not had educational opportunities, but these are still being greatly used by God. The knowledge levels can vary, but the charity level cannot.
Knowledge can make us proud, but charity builds us up. Let's focus a little more on building people up. Let's take some time to send a card or letter, make a phone call, mail a check to a missionary or preacher in need, or spend time helping a needy child. May the character of God's love fill and flow through our lives. Our homes sure need this atmosphere. Churches are cold, dead, and dry because there is selfishness instead of true Bible love abounding. We are at a low level of real agape love.
"Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not. . .." Read those familiar verses from 1 Corinthians 13 again. Ask God to enable you to be a builder again, to touch others' lives with God's love.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Have a blessed week!
Of course knowledge can be a good thing and we need it in order to operate from day to day. Sometimes knowledge simply creates a better criminal. At other times knowledge makes a humble Christian into a puffed up unusable servant. There is something that must accompany our knowledge in order for it to be a benefit. You realize that there are many well-educated people who have been greatly and are being greatly used by God. At the same time, there are others who have not had educational opportunities, but these are still being greatly used by God. The knowledge levels can vary, but the charity level cannot.
Knowledge can make us proud, but charity builds us up. Let's focus a little more on building people up. Let's take some time to send a card or letter, make a phone call, mail a check to a missionary or preacher in need, or spend time helping a needy child. May the character of God's love fill and flow through our lives. Our homes sure need this atmosphere. Churches are cold, dead, and dry because there is selfishness instead of true Bible love abounding. We are at a low level of real agape love.
"Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not. . .." Read those familiar verses from 1 Corinthians 13 again. Ask God to enable you to be a builder again, to touch others' lives with God's love.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Have a blessed week!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Satan Always Lying on God
This past weekend we enjoyed a great youth rally with Brother Donald Scully and his church and in Corinth. His speaker, Brother Glaceau, brought out some great truths concerning how the old devil tries to work us over and destroy us. His purpose is to destroy us, and his plan is to deceive us. He lies in order to bring about our destruction. What kinds of lies has he been using since the Garden of Eden?
He wants us to have wrong thoughts about the God we serve. He want sus to believe that God is holding out on us, and that there is something more we could have, if God were a good God. So he pointed out the forbidden fruit to Eve. When he does this to us, and he does, we must be reminding ourselves of the blessings of God. All Eve had to do was to point out the many good things God had for her and Adam. Like her somtimes we fail to appreciate the things God has given us. I am convinced that one of the major reasons why we are led into sin is ingratitude towards God for what we have. Read Romans 1 and you will find this truth, "Neither were thankful."
The devil wants to discredit the goodness of God. Would you stop and think: God knows all about you and me, yet He loves us more than we could ever earn or deserve. Does that not sound like a good, good God? Would you stop for a moment and give Him some praise? Read Psalm 103 once again. Let's stop buying the devil's lies and begin to exalt our God for His wondrous goodness. God is not holding out on you. He has already given Heaven's best so that you and I could be His children. We serve an awesome God!
He wants us to have wrong thoughts about the God we serve. He want sus to believe that God is holding out on us, and that there is something more we could have, if God were a good God. So he pointed out the forbidden fruit to Eve. When he does this to us, and he does, we must be reminding ourselves of the blessings of God. All Eve had to do was to point out the many good things God had for her and Adam. Like her somtimes we fail to appreciate the things God has given us. I am convinced that one of the major reasons why we are led into sin is ingratitude towards God for what we have. Read Romans 1 and you will find this truth, "Neither were thankful."
The devil wants to discredit the goodness of God. Would you stop and think: God knows all about you and me, yet He loves us more than we could ever earn or deserve. Does that not sound like a good, good God? Would you stop for a moment and give Him some praise? Read Psalm 103 once again. Let's stop buying the devil's lies and begin to exalt our God for His wondrous goodness. God is not holding out on you. He has already given Heaven's best so that you and I could be His children. We serve an awesome God!
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