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Category: Christian Life

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Wake up, Church! (Pt. 2) Remember Why You Are Here

In (Romans 13:11) the apostle Paul appeals urgently to believers to wake up – to snap out of our stupor; those words were meant to shock his audience who like many of us were preoccupied more with the here and now than with the eternal. If the final salvation of believers was perceived to be nearer them then than when at first they believed, how much closer is it today- and how much further from being prepared for it are we than they were? I don’t mean to say that a believer can be MORE prepared to meet Jesus than to believe in Him rather, what I do mean is that believers have grown slack in the thing that we are to be MOST about today! Did not Jesus Christ Himself give a command to His followers to “occupy,” literally to “do business till (He) comes“? That is not a reference to the retail business but to HIS business! Today, many of us seem much more preoccupied with the world around us than with the kingdom of God today.

What one eternal concern ARE WE to be preoccupied with in these days?

Paul identified it in (v.8 of Romans 13) “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  There is no caveat here. No – love them only if they agree with you or only if they love you back. Jesus said “love your neighbors” (Matt. 22:39), “love your enemies and those who spitefully use you” (Matt. 5:44) and “do good to those who hate you.” Today, division in our land is thicker than a 50oz T-bone steak; and love seems to be in short supply. In his prophetic warning concerning the last days, Jesus said, (Matthew 24:12) “And because lawlessness (or iniquity) will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” That is more than just a prophetic remark and indicator about the future, I believe its a warning to believers in every age and ESPECIALLY today! If we let our passions and zeal for what we love to get in front of our passion and zeal for God our love will not only grow cold toward our neighbor but by extension it will also grow cold toward God. Tell me that when God’s word clashes with your inclinations and passions that you DON’T shut out His words…

Right now, you may be thinking, “but, I DO love my neighbor!” And I would reply, “how do they know?”

Who have you been Christ to this week? Do they know that you love them from your attitude and words about current events or your angry posts on social media? My friends, the church is majoring on the temporal and frankly minoring or failing in the thing we were actually called to be passionate about – the souls of men! One hymn shouts, “Rescue the perishing!” In the process of doing that, Jude says, “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (Jude 22–23) Jesus said, (Matt. 28:18-20) “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Believer, why are you here? To enjoy the freedom and rights you own as a citizen of the greatest country on earth or to share with others the only hope of freedom from bondage to sin and forgiveness with God through His Son Jesus Christ?! Even Paul said, that it was for the sake of the sinful man or woman that we remain here to reach (1 Cor. 5:9-10); otherwise there would be no reason for us as believers to continue in this life.

Many of us are so CONSUMED with temporal passions and zeal that we have forgotten the need of the souls among whom we live. Understanding that we live in a fallen world which will ALWAYS be HOSTILE towards God and recognizing that perhaps we have allowed passion for what we love to cloud our minds from the reason for our being here, we will go on in the last segment to address the question – what can we do about it?

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Wake up, Church! (Pt. 1) Recognize Where You Are

Driving through Hondo Texas you will see a sign declaring the area to be God’s country with a sign saying “This is God’s country, don’t drive through it like hell!” Did the author of the sign mean that just the Hondo area is God’s country? Did he have in mind the larger hill country area? Was he speaking of all Texas…of all America?

Many believers live as if this world is just that – God’s country, and while the Bible does say in (Psalm 24:1) “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” the world is hostile towards God.  We sing a hymn in which we proclaim, “this is my Father’s world” and that all nature is singing His praise. At the same time, we read the words of Paul in (Romans 8:22) stating that “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” The Lord Jesus, while being interviewed by Pilate (John 18:36) hours before He died in our place declared: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” If this was God’s country would it groan – literally suffer and mourn? If this was God’s country, wouldn’t the Lord have been welcomed rather than rejected by the people of it?

God did not give up His ownership of the world He created. He still nourishes and cares for it and through a general grace still cares for every one of us, Christian or not. For now, this world is a land CREATED by God but occupied by the enemy of God and corrupted by mankind and his sinfulness. Why does it surprise and shock us to hear that the world is hostile to God? Why are we surprised at what we see daily happening in this world when we are told in God’s word to EXPECT it? Hear the words of Paul to young Timothy in (2 Tim. 3:1-5):

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

We are living in a fallen world occupied by Satan, “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). Paul called him “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4); and everything God made and called good has been corrupted by him as well as mankind’s sin and willingness to yield to sinful desires. We live in the temporary territory of the enemy of God – it is his territory for now and that isn’t going to change no matter what we as believers do. In fact, this world will remain occupied by the enemy until Jesus returns at the end of the great tribulation to set up His millennial reign (Rev. 20:1-6) and finally as God the Father makes His abode among us (see Rev.21:3), Satan’s occupation of God’s creation then will be FOREVER ended!

Part of our problem today lies in what we love; the apostle John points that out in (1 John 2:15-17):

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

We love our rights. We love our freedom. We love our country. We love to have it our way. We love what we love and our passion and zeal is stirred when these things are threatened. All of these things are temporal (temporary, earthly) – they are not everlasting but we allow our love, passion and zeal for things like our rights, freedoms and affiliations to cloud our minds from eternal things. Is it wrong to love our country? No. But even as the Lord reminded His followers that a disciple is marked by loving family less than he or she loves God (Luke 14:26); likewise, the Christian – the citizen of heaven MUST prioritize God before everything else he or she may love.

To accomplish the will of God for us we need to redirect our zeal…the most important thing cannot be OUR anything – it must be the needs of others and in a territory occupied by the enemy of God and man, the need of the hour is rescue.

More on that in (Pt. 2)…

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Wake Up, Church! (Introduction)

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:11–14)

Just when you didn’t think that things could get much worse than they had been for nearly all of 2020, a new level of craziness surfaces only a few days after we welcomed the New Year. To be fair, everything is a matter of perspective. While Covid and the draconian way that leaders of cities, states and even our nation worked to take advantage and manipulate the situation to advance their own agendas we saw opportunities to develop new ways to minister, opportunities to work on relationships with our children and spouses and opportunities to serve those in need among us.

One of the “slogans” that came from the church as we developed a “stay home, stay safe” approach to continuing worship services on-line instead of in person was this one – “the church has left the building.” That statement really bothered me because I deeply believe that the church, that is, the living organism called the ecclesia, the fellowship of the saints and the body of Christ was NEVER meant to be constrained by four walls! In saying that, I am NOT saying that we SHOULD forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrew 10:25) but I AM saying that nowhere in the scriptures are we called to stay within the four walls of our church building and wait for those outside to come to us. Nevertheless, many believers are and have been content for a long time to limit the activities that they associate with church to what happens on the INSIDE of a building. That should not be and I say along with Paul that it is “high time to awake out of [our] sleep!”

To be fair to the context of (Romans 13), (v.11) concludes Paul’s exhortation that believers obey the governing authorities but to me, the the notion that Christians need to “wake-up” is a general statement applicable to every aspect of Christian life. Time is short – the Lord’s return is much closer today that ever has been before and we need to be about His work with more intensity and a greater sense of urgency than ever before as well.

As it happens, these words were laid on my heart the day after the craziness in the capitol took place. Again, and to be fair, craziness seems to be an ongoing problem in our nation and among our leaders but what I saw that day blew me away.  Let me first say to you that I am a patriot! I love my country! My mind and my heart have been full of emotion over the last year as I have seen freedom, the flag, our rights as Americans, our shared faith etc., trampled upon. As I, like many of you watching from our living room TV sets saw the riots, fires and looting taking place in many cities around our county in the name of social justice over the previous year in addition to the mayhem in DC last week, my anger stirred and zeal for my nation was driving it. However, a few months back, after expressing some of my own frustrations on such things on social media and noting that bitterness was filling my heart, the Lord began to remind me of a few things that I feel we all need to remember today – one, we live in a fallen world and two, we need to redirect our zeal.

Over the next few days I hope you’ll bear with me as I unpack what the Lord laid on my heart concerning a godly approach to the days in which we live…

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Stuck in The Impossible?

The month of December is marked by the celebration of Christmas; a time given to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into our world as a baby born to a virgin. I could spend time telling you that while Jesus Christ was most definitely born as the Bible declares – to a virgin (Luke 1:26-27) and at a time of God’s choosing (Galatians 4:4-5), He was not born on December the 25th.  I would point out to you the fact that we are in no place in the scriptures instructed to remember His birth but rather His death and promised return (1 Corinthians 11:26). But there is something in the story of His birth that I WOULD like to focus on instead and it is found in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel.

After the angel Gabriel had announced to Mary the plans which God the Father had for her in the accomplishing of His will and Mary questioned the impossibility that she, a woman who had never slept with a man, could conceive a child, the angel made a statement concerning God in (v. 37):

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”” (Luke 1:37)

I want to ask you, does this mean that in that one instance only, nothing would be impossible with God?  Today, as we struggle against the effects of a pandemic, and suffer the consequences of addictions we can not seem to free ourselves from – why do we live as if the fact that nothing is impossible for God only applies to the other guy and not to us? Or to another time and not to our own?

I truly feel as if the NIV especially does a disservice to the intent of the words spoken here when it renders (v.37) this way: “For no word from God will ever fail.” Is it true that God keeps His promises? Yes. Is it true that God does what He says He will do? Of course! But this rendering ignores the fact that the things you and I deem to be impossible do not slow God down in the least. With that in mind consider a few other passages which stress the FACT that with God NOTHING will be, or is impossible:

For a couple for whom the term “up in age” would be an understatement God promised a child.  Sarah, then in her 90’s, well past her child bearing years laughed at the impossible thought of intimacy with her 100 year old husband let alone becoming pregnant (to relate put yourself in either ones place). “And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:13–14)

 “‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17) Jeremiah and all Israel and Judah were about to be taken away captive to another land; for them the possibility of ever seeing home again was hopeless. Yet God instructed Jeremiah to purchase land in Israel (Benjamin Jer. 32:6-8) before they were taken away ultimately indicating what even Jeremiah still had to learn – nothing, including returning the people to their homeland was impossible for Him.

“And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (Matthew 19:24–26) The greatest impossibility of all (for men) is to gain eternal life or to please God by any human effort; yet the message continues to be proclaimed and people continue to be saved today because salvation is of God and only possible through faith in His Son.

Each of these verses shows that nothing is EVER impossible with the God who formed the heavens and the earth along with everything that dwells upon it. But beyond the mundane and everyday things, there remain many things which are absolutely impossible for those who attempt anything without God. That is what Jesus later declares in (John 15:5):

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Paul declared in (Philippians 4:13): “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We cannot do anything – we cannot overcome addictions and be set free from their curse on our own. Not only that but, though many people try, we cannot be saved on our own or by our works and good deeds. Doing more good than bad will not tip the scales in your favor when God judges men in the last day. We struggle against so many things and cry out “why can’t I stop!” If that describes you today, the answer is simple – stop trying to do in your own power what God wants to do for you (and has already made available to you through His Son Jesus Christ!)!

Put first things first – believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! (Acts 16:31)

Some of you may be thinking, “wait a minute Pastor, I do believe; I am already saved!” Alright, but are you trusting Him to set you free from your addiction or whatever it may be with which you struggle? If you are a believer today, the Bible declares that God’s Holy Spirit now lives in you (1 Cor. 3:16). He not only confirms the fact that you are a child of God to your spirit (Romans 8:16) but He convicts you of sin (John 16:8) and He enables you to overcome it (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit supplies everything we need to live a life that pleases God. In that effort, we do have a part; we can either fight against Him and risk quenching or grieving Him as we willingly disobey or return to things that we KNOW are harmful to us and our life in Christ; or we can cooperate with Him and day by day have victory over those same things.

But the reason God does the impossible may surprise you – He does it to get glory for Himself. (John 15:7-8):

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

God is glorified when through Him we are victorious; this is what Jesus was pointing at in (Matthew 5:16) when He said to believers:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When God does the impossible in us people notice. When we live for Jesus, people notice; especially when they feel the effects of the change.

What is your impossible?

Throughout the scriptures, God did the impossible through the most unlikely people, through David He killed a giant, through a virgin He brought forth His Son, the Savior of the world, and through some fishermen, a zealot and a tax collector He sent a message that 2000 years later is still being heard. What is the impossible in your life that you are praying to Him about? He has not changed and He still hears both His children when they pray and a sinner crying out to be saved. He will hear you….

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Devotion to Jesus can Thaw Out Ice Cold Hearts

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 begin with a question from His disciples, “When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) With all the things that have happened in the last year, many people think that we are living in those last days which Jesus made mention of in this chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Tucked away in almost the middle of the Lord’s words on the subject is a statement which identifies the biggest issue of our day. I don’t believe that Covid, Antifa, or who will be the next president is the biggest problem facing people and especially Christians today; Jesus identifies it right here in (Matthew 24:12):

“Because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

We live in a day of woe. A day made mention of by the prophet Isaiah through whom God said, “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil...” (Isaiah 5:20). I have heard this verse many times and have seen times when people reversed the polarity between good and evil but in our day it has become commonplace. God’s will, word and way have been turned upside down by men who would throw off all authority be it God’s or mans. Thus, because of hate, because of wickedness in the streets, because of violence, because of evil in all its various forms and because everything has been turned upside down the love of many not only will grow cold but is doing so even now.

Are the words of Christ in (v.12) directed towards the hater, the wicked or the violent? Who’s love was Jesus referring to when He said that it would grow cold? He was referring to the love of the one professing faith in Jesus Christ and there are many people today professing to know Jesus who do not possess a relationship with Him. You see, I believe that the Christian man or woman will bear witness to their faith and that there will be evidence in their life that he or she is in fact a true believer, and of these evidences, love stands out. Jesus associated love for Him with obedience to His commands (John 14:15) and one of those commands is “Love one another. As I have loved you so you love one another.” (John 13:34) Jesus was not talking about sentimental, emotional or erotic love as the kinds of love which would grow cold in the days leading up to His return; He was speaking of something much less common – He was speaking of condition-less love. He was not speaking of the love expressed to someone who loves you or does good to you; He was not talking about the kind of love expressed to people who treat you right – He was talking about the kind of love that just loves. The reality is that we are known not so much by what we say as what we do; Jesus makes that clear in (John 13:35) where He says:

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Is it possible for a Christians love to grow cold? What I can say is that with the increase in lawlessness in all its forms today, a great tension has grown up in me. I am constantly needing to yield to the push back of the Holy Spirit when in my flesh I want to lash out against the evil I see with my eyes. Circumstances beyond our control can, if we let them, turn us from loving like Jesus.

What can we do?

The answer comes in remembering Who is in control and turning our eyes back onto Him. Jesus said in (John 16:33): “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” To keep Christian love from growing cold we need to turn our eyes away from one thing and onto something else. Jesus did not say that the world around us MIGHT give us trouble – He said that it WOULD and in the same breath He said, “but I have overcome the world.” What was He telling us? Was He bragging? No, He was telling every believer to focus on Him in order to overcome the troubles around them. He was telling us how we can have peace in days like these – peace within our hearts rather than around our lives. The only way a Christians love will not grow cold is if the Christian’s heart is constantly focused on Jesus.

We focus on Him when we pray. We focus on Him when we study His word. We focus on Him when we see the needs of others before we see our own needs and when we focus on Him, we trust that because He is in control and we are His, come what may to our world or to us, everything is going to be alright.

Let me circle back to something I said a little while ago; I said that the are many professing Christians who are not possessing Christians. There are may people who sentimentally and emotionally refer to themselves as Christians but who do not know Jesus, worse still, Jesus does not know them either. You cannot love like Jesus if you do not know the love of Jesus towards you. Jesus said that a day is coming when such people (those who base eternity on the wrong things), people who falsely call Him Lord will say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’” To which He will respond, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’” (Luke 13:26-27) Did Jesus mean that He was not aware of these people? No. He knows everything and is aware of everyone; when He tells those who falsely call Him their Lord that He does not know them He is saying that He has nothing to do with them and that He has no relationship with them.

The fact is that there is a day coming when all wrongs will be made right and when hate, evil, lawlessness and violence will be done away with, of that day, the Bible says:

“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)

Are you ready for that day?

God so loved the world that He sent His son (John 3:16) and Jesus so loved His Father and us that He gave His life willingly (John 10:18) – He was killed in our place for our sin, our crimes, our iniquity and our lawless deeds so that we may believe in Him and through Him gain eternal life. Do you believe? In that day which is to come, will you bow from love and loyalty to the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world or will you bow by force?

“Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

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Jesus Christ – Our Refuge in Strange and Uncharted Waters

At the start of the year, as Covid-19 began to wrap itself around our lives, realities and futures; choking the life out of life for some of us, I read a book by Oswald Chambers titled, Our Ultimate Refuge. Five months later, as I re- read the book of Job, I am also revisiting the book written in a time not so different than our own. The nightly talks given to the men at the Imperial School of Instruction in the spring of 1917 which later became the source material of the book were given approximately 9 months before another global pandemic – the Spanish Flu, would sweep the globe on the heels of the end of the first world war.

The following is a quote from the publishers forward in the book:

“Chambers presents God as not only our ultimate refuge, but our only refuge. With characteristic insight he discusses our myths of self-sufficiency and eternal optimism, revealing their inadequacy when faced with the destruction of all that human-kind values. Only with that sense of ultimate and utter loss do we come to admit that all we have is God.”

First, let me say that this article is NOT a book report; the reason I am sharing a few snippets with you is that once again mankind (not just Americans) is buffeted by circumstances mostly outside of our control. The current pandemic and the sense that the whole world has jumped upon the crazy train has shaken OUR own sense (or myth) of self-sufficiency and eternal optimism to its very core.

My question to you is, how are YOU handling this situation?

What are you doing in these uncharted waters? How are you responding to something you’ve never experienced before? Human beings only seem to have two gears for putting power into motion in their lives when under stress of any kind – fight or flight; run head first into the fray and do your level best to overcome what is trying to overcome you or, recognize that the fray is too much for you and attempt to flee from it. My usual response to things I don’t understand or feel ill equipped to handle is procrastination but, in this case, delaying how you’ll respond or trying to avoid the issue all together is NOT going to help at all. Fighting won’t help either, when it comes to something we know NOTHING about, and fleeing is equally futile. The problem with both is that fight or flight draws on OUR power, ability and determination to overcome a situation rather than on God.

I understand that most people want their pastor, preacher or spiritual leader to be perfect; some would say that if they are not perfect, they have no right to speak on spiritual matters. First let me be clear, the ONLY perfect spiritual leader was and is Jesus Christ, no pastor that ever served in ANY capacity anywhere has ever been “perfect!” We have flaws. We fail. I will tell you that as these last several month have unfolded, what with Covid19, the ineptitude of both the “experts” and our political leaders as to how to combat the virus and the upside-downness (I know it’s not a word) of a society which is now happy to “call (every) good evil and (every) evil good;” (Isaiah 5:20) I have allowed bitterness to creep up in me.  I have allowed anger and despair to overcome (at times) my peace and hope. You see, human beings by nature only look to themselves in times like these and when they do, they fall disastrously short of victory; not so for the son or daughter of God but sometimes we fail. Chambers wrote:

“There are people today who are going through an onslaught of destruction that paralyzes all our platitudes and preaching; the ONLY thing that will bring relief is the consolation of Christ. It is a good thing to feel our own powerlessness in the face of destruction; it makes us KNOW how much we (do or do not) depend on God.”

The spiritual human and carnal Christian may declare, “God is my co-pilot” as if to say that “I got this until I don’t and then Jesus can take the wheel;” but the believer for whom God is their ONLY REFUGE sees God as their pilot, captain and driver – to him or her, He is the Lord seated on the throne of their life. But sometimes, when the storm is especially dreadful, some followers of Christ, like the disciples before them (Mark 4:35-41) may find themselves doing whatever THEY can to stay afloat, only crying out to God in prayer when their best efforts fail, but victory is available to all who believe on and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Speaking of victory, what would victory look like for you in times like these? A rebounded and robust economy? A vaccine to end the Corona virus? An end to the upheaval and violence of anarchists which is ruining our cities, disturbing the peace and weakening our nation? An end to “social injustice?”   I’m sorry, but if the economy, the virus, the violence or the “injustice” is all that’s on your mind – YOU are MISSING the big picture.

I’m going to leave this here:

“…it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

There is more to the passage from which the above quote is taken, but the point is clear – death will come to each of us one day and in that day, your 401k, your health, your wealth, the unrest of this world and EVERY form of injustice will no longer matter AT ALL! The Apostle Paul wrote, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (1 Timothy 6:7); we fear death, disruption of peace, health and safety, we fear poverty but there are SO many people who do not “fear Him who has power to cast into hell” (Luke 12:5).  Now is the time to address the one elephant in the room which if not addressed now you may never be able to address again – the eternal destination of your soul and what to do about Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Jesus said that life is NOT about what you eat or what you put on (Luke 12:22-23) its about MORE than that, and while the meaning or purpose of life has as many definitions as it does definers, life in my mind has one purpose – it is the time we are given to make the decision of a lifetime: to believe in Jesus Christ and then to live accordingly. My friends, we can get wound up by all that is happening around us or we can see ourselves as God sees us (as sinners) and then call on Him who died in our place, for our sins and receive the gracious gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10).

If you’re reading this and sense the Lord drawing you to trust in Him, consider, “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Don’t let this time pass you by…

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Empathetic Church

Some people wont get this, but when we can ignore the tears of our brothers and sisters in Christ we have ignored a part of the body of Christ.

I have seen it over the years; Christians railing against the poor and homeless on the street. Encountering the homeless, these professing believers say things like, ” if they can hold a sign, they can work;” or quote their favorite biblical text on the subject: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat!” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Compassionless Christianity is as unbiblical as the professing body of Christ when it fails to empathize with the separate parts of that body.

What I’m writing about isn’t social justice or a social gospel, this is Christianity 101! Consider this text from Paul to the believers at Corinth:

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

To be honest, regarding the outcry concerning racism and inequality in our nation today, I could not see and perhaps still don’t see racism in the church as much as I see a total lack of empathy for Christian brothers and sisters who are hurting. In my time, I have seen black people, white people and Hispanic people who were only willing to worship “with their own kind.”

In the past, Southern Baptists attempted to bridge the gap with something like a racial reconciliation day, where whole churches would close on a given Sunday to worship with another culturally different congregation. But such efforts are often seen as pandering and offensive by the “other” race; this is NOT the body of Christ as He intended it to be!

The body of Christ is not black, white, yellow, or brown! It IS diverse but it is NOT to be racially divided it shares one essence, one lifes blood, one purpose and it has one head – Jesus Christ! Paul continues:

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:20–26

I don’t know about yours, but if the various parts of my body refuse to work together I feel sick and am unable to function as I should – that is the condition of the body of Christ today. I dont pretend to understand what different races experience on the street today but I do understand that EVERY member of the body of Christ is needed and valued and that no part of that same body can ever hurt without the rest of it feeling the effects. Paul said, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it...” put another way, he wrote in (Romans 12:15):

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another.”

We have brothers and sisters who are hurting. It DOES NOT MATTER if you understand anything else. Weep with them, listen to them, care for them and pray for them as you would have people to do for you – the world needs to see it, our brethren need to feel it and the body needs the wellness that will come of it.

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Spiritual Motherhood

Must a woman have children in order to be a mother?

Some people, reading my question might respond with a “Duh, Rich”; but you might be surprised to learn what the Bible says about the question. The Apostle Paul, writing to a young apprentice in the ministry named Titus gave instruction concerning the older men and women of the church, these were not necessarily parents or even couples in the church but just the elder (both physically and spiritually); concerning the women he wrote:

“But as for you (Titus), speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine…to the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Titus 2 : 1, 3–5)

Obviously, a certain kind of motherhood involves childbirth and child rearing and it is that understanding which keeps some women (who have never had children) from church on a day set aside in many places to honor mothers via a message on one of a handful of mothers mentioned in the scriptures. Mothers like Hannah, Samuel’s mother (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11), Mary, the mother of Jesus and Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) – mentioned for their exceptional heroism, self-sacrifice and devotion to both their children and their God. But there is another type of mothering to which every spiritually mature woman of faith is called:

Spiritual motherhood is that calling.

Such a woman lives a consecrated life, a life set apart for God and His plan. Their consecration is evident in their behavior – a tongue which is under control, a life free from bondage to worldly things and integrity which is evident to all as she practices what she preaches. Her life is characterized by a real conviction concerning God’s word and a genuine trust in the Lord’s will; a genuine and godly love for others and a patient confidence in the Lord. Her lifestyle naturally draws other women to her (women younger in life or in the faith) and makes it possible to pour into them her experience on a number of women’s issues and especially on family and marital issues, bringing spiritual wisdom derived from the Bible to bear on their lives. In this way, a woman who may never have raised up a family herself may raise up spiritual children to the Lord.

The 97 year old Holocaust survivor, Alice Von Hildebrand herself outspoken on the subject, made the following statement concerning Spiritual Motherhood to women who desired to be natural mothers but for whatever reason, had not or could not have children:

“It may very well be that in your beautiful desire to be a biological mother you have missed, ignored or overlooked the opportunity from God to be a spiritual mother.”

For years, some of the women reading this may have wished for children – wished to be a mother – wished to have someone into whom you could pour your heart of love for God, someone you could nurture and grow in the faith. God has called the elder women of the faith to be such a mother to the younger women in the church. A generation of women is in need of your experience – could you be a mentor , will you be a spiritual mother to them?

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

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God’s Word is a Mirror

When you look into a mirror and see something out of place, what do you do about it? Assuming that you drag the comb or brush out to fix your hair, or you grab a washcloth to clean your face, or (if you’re a man) a razor to shave your whiskers or (if you’re a woman) you dab some makeup on your cheeks – why? Why, when you see something in the mirror that is out of place do you do whatever you do to correct it?

If we’re honest we might say something like “So I don’t look bad in public.” Or, “So I don’t embarrass myself.” Or, “In order to look good to my girl, my guy, my husband or my wife;” you get the point. It is that last statement which I suspect drives our desire to respond to the reflection in the mirror of God’s word. My daughter had a friend years ago in our churches youth group who gave the following answer in response to a question about why she dressed up for church, she said: “I dress like this because when I come here, I’m out on a date with God.” She valued the relationship that she had with the Lord and dressed like it. I bring that up because as I said last time, I believe that God’s word is a mirror revealing not so much what is on our faces but rather what is in our hearts and, as a Christian, it is my desire to respond to the reflection of myself that I see when I read the word of God not only in order to please and honor Him but also to represent Him well in this world.

The reality is however, that every believer will enter into eternity still working on the man or the woman in the mirror.

When we are “born again” (John 3:3), we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17):

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Even so, the New Testament is full of instruction like that found in (Colossians 3:8-10):

 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…”

My point is this: in Christ we are made righteous in a moment: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) That exchange is called justification and it happens the moment we believe in Jesus Christ – we are freely forgiven through God’s grace in Jesus Christ; the burden of our sin having been carried and borne on Christ’s cross and paid for with His blood thousands of years before you were born and applied to your life the moment you believe.

But the process of our ongoing transformation to be like Christ, will take a life time. Think about it, the habits and lifestyles which took a lifetime until we met Jesus to develop will take time to change but one thing WILL change immediately along with our standing before God. As T. W. Hunt wrote in a study called The Mind of Christ – “your want to will change.” You will have seen yourself in the mirror of God’s word and you will want to do something to improve your “appearance” as a child of God.

Such ongoing transformation is called sanctification: an ongoing purification of our souls requiring that rather than being “conformed” to the ways of the world around us (Romans 12:2), we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.”  Such a process requires both the mirror of God’s word and the enabling power of God’s Holy Spirit who lives within every believer (Romans 8:9) along with a daily submission to both.

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My Journey – Gazing Into The Mirror Of My Soul

People consult me every day; sometimes many times a day – I always tell them the truth. What am I?

A look into the mirror may lead you to think about your younger days – good or bad; it may also lead to wonder about who you are becoming but it only reveals to your eyes who you really are today.

A mirror may take the form of reflective glass in a bathroom or hall, or a photograph or a glimpse into a placid pool of water but God has provided us a different kind of mirror, one which when honestly observed reveals more than meets the eyes in those other types – it is a mirror to your soul. That is what James, the half-brother of our Lord considered the word of God to be:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” (James 1:23–24)

I too have always considered the word of God to be a mirror which reveals not the outward appearance of a person but rather the inward appearance of that person and not as they wish they appeared but as they do actually appear. The problem, as James saw it, was that after people have seen themselves in God’s mirror – if they are a hearer of the word and not a doer – they just walk away and disregard what had been revealed to them. Naturally speaking, have you ever done that? As a man I have disregarded my reflection in the bathroom mirror and forgotten to shave but I dare say that a scant few women have EVER looked into the mirror after having just woken up and done nothing to alter the appearance they first saw with their waking eyes. But spiritually speaking, how often have we gazed into God’s mirror and been struck with the fact that something is spiritually out of place with us and done nothing about it?

In (Romans 7:7) Paul declared that he “would not have know sin except through the Law.” The Law of which he spoke was the law of Moses and the Levitical law given to men by God; the words of those laws revealed certain expectations of God; but Paul says that the law also revealed sin to him. The law brought his personal rebellion against God to Paul’s attention – it revealed something of his own heart to Paul.

When the Pharisees and Scribes came to the Jordan to see or else to be baptized by John the Baptist, he said to them:

“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7)

These people did not see themselves as God did and were under wrath as is every person today who either has not looked into God’s mirror at all or has looked into it and disregarded what they saw.

When I first believed, it was from a place of conviction that I came. I knew that God had expectations of those He created and I knew that I had not lived up to them – I did not yet know that living up to God’s expectation was impossible apart from a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and the residency of His Holy Spirit within me; I learned that the day I was born again and continue to learn it today.

I say this to you today because I believe that two things are necessary or required for the salvation of a soul. First, a warning from God which produces godly sorrow and second, belief or faith in Him whom God has provided to deal with our sins as a ransom and a refuge for our souls. That warning from God will come by God’s Spirit (John 16:8–11):

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

and through God’s word (Acts 2:36-37):

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?””

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Truly, I think it is as Oswald Chambers wrote in his book “Our Ultimate Refuge”: “Until a person is hit with sorrow, the last thing they seek God to be is their refuge.” A refuge isn’t a place a person seeks when all is well with them; refuge is sought from danger: from storms, from rain and from terror. But as soon as a person sees him or herself as God does – as a sinner and a rebel possessing no way of justifying or saving themselves, that person won’t glibly walk to Jesus – they will run to Him and by faith in Him they will be born again (John 3:3)

It starts with an honest look in the mirror and frankly, spiritual life is driven in part by returning to the mirror of God daily.

More on this later this week….

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