October, 2019 - The Text Messages

October 20, 2019

The Assembling

After the statement made by democratic presidential hopeful “Beto” O’Rourke to take away the tax-exempt status from churches which refuse to accept same sex marriage, a wave of fear driven panic erupted on social media and in the public square; the fear, in my mind stems from an unhealthy understanding of what the church is and is not.

What is the church?

Is it four walls and a roof? No, the church is more than an at-risk piece of real-estate which may be taken or forcibly closed by forces, political or activist which are opposed to or offended by that which is taught there. Jesus said in (Matthew 16:18) “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell (Hades) shall not prevail against it.” Before there were incentives for Christian pastors and churches to hold their tongues about various national and controversial issues the church has stood. Why? Because the church is not something dead made of wood or steel– the church is alive and it draws its power to live and survive from Jesus Christ!

The church is people – people who met underground and, in some places, still do to worship the King of kings and it was people who met from house to house and in some places still do to worship the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The church is people who meet under highway bridges, in city parks, on street corners, under tents, in business offices and break-rooms, in youth camps and in front of flag poles – sometimes just two or three believers and the Lord (Matthew 18:20), sometimes 10’s and hundreds, even thousands of us; but it is people, not brick and mortar neither wood or steel and within each one of those people is the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6-19).

The church is not a man – it isn’t a little known or even a well-known pastor even though sometimes the church has taken a beating because of the person speaking for the Lord. Look again at (Matt. 16:18), Jesus did not say that He was building His church on Peter’s back but on the message which Peter had received from Almighty God concerning Jesus in (v.16-17):

“Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

The gates of hell may prevail against a man BUT Jesus declared that the gates of hell would NEVER prevail against His Word or His church. He did not say that hell and all that is in it would not try to prevail against the church He established on His name, reputation and work for the redemption of ALL mankind; He just said that IT WOULD NOT SUCCEED!!!

Concerning the church, the writer of Hebrews wrote in (Hebrews 10:24-25) “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Some have used this verse to beat people into being in the four walls every Sunday but I think that the verse addresses something far more important than church attendance.

It addresses a need.

Listen, I never found the kind of love, acceptance, kindness and grace which I have known as a part of the body of Christ in the world around me. That is what the church is – the body of Christ; and from it, not the brick and steel but from Spirit filled people you should be discipled, challenged, encouraged, lifted up and sometimes even disciplined and corrected. Wherever and whenever we come together as believers, it is to “stir up love and good works” in each other and as the days we live in grow bleaker and more chaotic we need to come together as often as we can to support and encourage one another in the “fight”’ to liberate those still walking in spiritual darkness.

As the day fast approaches and the world around us continues to call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20) don’t panic, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:25–26) and don’t forsake the assembling of believers together wherever that gathering may be; “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

October 14, 2019

Redeem the Time

I am one of approximately 7.7 billion people on planet earth and I spend a lot of time ~~telling others~~ suggesting how other people should live their lives. I do not make these suggestions because I personally feel as if I’ve risen to a level above others but because I believe that there is a better way to live and that way, for me and frankly I believe for all people is informed by the Bible.

I often feel as if people are turned off by my posting because it’s either too detailed, too dull (come on) or too personal and their impression that I think too much of myself. My co-workers see these posts…they KNOW that I’m not perfect; some of the members of my previous church see these posts and they KNOW that I’m not perfect and some people from the church I presently attend also see these posts and KNOW that I’m not perfect what many who see these posts don’t seem to know is that I’m not writing from a position of perfection or attainment – I’m still en-route to spiritual maturity as well. Like the Apostle Paul said in (Philippians 3:13-14) I can say, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

In honesty, sometimes I struggle to “forget those things which are behind” – those few successes and many failures which dot my past and hinder my present. But dwelling on them other than to learn from them and move on is not a very good use of the time God has given me.

Speaking of time, we all know the value of it, don’t we? That it is, as James said like “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” – that is, its like an exhaled breath on a winters day in Buffalo.

We understand that time is fleeting; we understand that it is passing in a irretrievable way and that once it is past there is no getting it back. But there is a way to make the most out of it and Paul encouraged believers to do just that; he wrote (Col. 4:5-6):

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Given Paul’s instructions here, how many of us after an honest evaluation of the way we spend our time would discover that we have not put it to the best use?

While we have a view that redeeming the time is to make the most of the moments we have many also have the idea that it is to buy back or reward or reclaim the time we have spent back from the daily grind which consumes so much of it. I take vacations; I like time off but sometimes we take that time to reward ourselves for our hard work – in doing so we declare that the time we have on earth is OURS to use as we wish.

Don’t get me wrong, a day, a week, a month even to unwind, recenter and refocus is great – nothing wrong with it at all! But Our life, our time is not ours to OWN but it has been given to us to USE as the Giver of life sees fit.

Does that mean no more days off, no more recreation, no more vacations and no more fun?! Not really. What redeeming the time does mean is that every moment we have been given, whether spent with our kids on vacation or on the job with our co-workers their need to know the Lord Jesus Christ should drive our words, attitudes and actions towards them. In his sermon yesterday, Russel at Parkway reminded us to “breath life into every conversation” – that is what it means to redeem the time!

The best example of course is not mine, not even the apostle Paul’s but Christ’s – He used the time He had to do His Father’s will and redeem us, as the redeemed we are called to follow His lead.

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019

An Outburst of Mercy

You may have heard about what happened during the sentencing phase of a trial involving ex-Dallas police officer Amber Guyger found guilty of murdering a man named Botham Jean in his own apartment. Some people say that this was a racial issue between black and white, some say that the sentence is an overdue condemnation of racial profiling and the use of force by law enforcement but the brother of the victim, Brandt Jean in his heartfelt words to the convicted ex police officer made it about something more. (Please watch the video below)

That kind of mercy is UNCOMMON not only to the world at large but even among the followers of Christ.

WHY?

Revisiting the Old Testament book of the prophet Jonah, I think we find an answer to the question. Jonah, you might remember was not asked but commanded to go to Nineveh (see Jonah 1:2) but instead of obeying the Lord, the prophet in essence went in the exact opposite direction (see 1:3) toward Tarshish. The reason for his disobedient refusal to go to Nineveh may be understood by the words we read in (Jonah 4:2):

“So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”

Jonah was a faithful Israelite, he saw the Ninevites as brutal enemies of his people worthy of God’s judgement but his disobedience was proof that he was willing to allow his patriotism to supersede his duty to God. As (Jonah 3:10) indicates, the prophet knew that the purpose in God’s declaring his impending judgment on those people carried with it the ulterior motive of mercy:

“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”

Jonah fled and disobeyed the command of God because he could not hold out mercy to a people as detestable to him as the Ninevites.

How about you and me?

We live in a nation so divided today. Hate – some real, some imagined and some invented keeps people partitioned, separated and segregated from one another and unwilling to extend the two things every one of us needs – mercy and grace.

Is there a group of people, a political leader or party or a type of person that you could not be merciful toward – someone for whom you hope the worst or at the very least don’t care about at all? Warren Wiersbe reminds us that “it is good for God’s people to remember what it is like to be lost and without hope.” He said, “How easy it is for us to grow hardened toward sinners and lose our compassion for the lost.”

Brandt Jean lost his brother and instead of condemning his brothers killer, he hugged her, wished the best for her and extended Christ to her – in one act he incensed those driving the narrative of hate with his expression of Christ like love while inspiring the rest of us by his example.

One thing I know, whether you are a merciful or a merciless person, each of us will one day be in need of some grace or some mercy at the hands of someone we harmed or offended and it is this reality towards which I would like to offer some food for thought from the word of God.

(Matt. 5:7) “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”

(Luke 6:31) “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

(Mark 11:25) ““And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

(James 2:13) “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

In the comments about the video of Brendt Jean’s outburst of mercy on his brothers killer one man said, “you’re a better man than me.” Maybe we wouldn’t do what Brandt Jean did but that wouldn’t be because we couldn’t – John wrote in (John 1:16): “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” Join me in taking a lesson from our Lord, taught through the brokenness of a violently bereaved young man – try to fill your world with grace and mercy instead of hate and division.