Getting Ready for Sunday

Every week believers begin by being in the Lord’s House, or at least we should be.  We get up Sunday morning, have our breakfast, get our clothes ready then get dressed, and then head off to be with the Lord’s people in seeking to worship the Lord.  But should we begin getting ready for Sunday before Sunday?

I guess the answer depends on what you are getting ready.  I think we can say that there are three things we need to get ready for church this coming Sunday; our body, our mind, and our spirit.

First our body.  Several years ago I heard a preacher say that half of our spiritual battles can be won by a good night’s sleep.  Now I know that our spiritual battles are not always based upon our physical condition, but it is true that getting a good night’s rest helps just about every area of our lives.  Being rested helps us focus and helps us respond from a positive physical condition, thus a good night’s sleep supports so many important things.  Maybe this Saturday night we should consider going to bed early instead of staying up late to watch TV or some other thing.  Maybe we should consider that going to bed early and getting a good night’s rest is part of preparing for Sunday?  Also a good breakfast on Sunday morning that invigorates the body so that we stay awake and alert in Sunday School and morning service may also be something we should consider important too.  Getting the body ready to be in the Lord’s House is not something that just happens, but it comes from planning and preparation BEFORE Sunday.

Second our mind.  The Bible makes it clear that as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he…”(Proverbs 23:7).  I am convinced that so often we prepare ourselves to worship God in basically every other area before we ever consider prepping our minds for worship.  But our mind is the beginning of who we are as Proverbs 23 tells us.   If we are going to prepare our minds to worship effectively we must begin by thinking about those things which are positive and please the Lord such as the list in Philippians 4:8.  I am convinced that too often we mentally carry ALL the burdens of our week into the church service instead of trying to get our mind to leave them behind somewhat by moving them to the back of our thinking for the service so that we can focus on that which is positive and helpful from the Lord’s Word.  I know that our burdens need to be lifted and many times they are lifted in the church service, but if we continually carry them in our minds in every thought during services then our minds are already full and the truths of God’s Word have nowhere to spring forth with life.  Remember that Jesus warned that the cares of the world can choke the truths of His Word (Mark 4:19) and that can happen if we do not prepare our minds to worship on Sunday.

Third our spirit.  This is one area that I think most believe they are preparing in advance.  I say this because most of us are looking forward to being in the Lord’s House of the Lord’s Day to hear from the Lord’s Word, and so we are preparing our spirits for that event.  We have made being in church our normal routine and in that we are preparing spiritually for church.  I know in my own life, that I have been attending church every Sunday since before I could even remember it.  I say this because I was in service early as my parents took me to church just days after I was born and I have been there every since.  Going to the Lord’s House each Sunday has become such a routine to me that on those very few occasions where due to sickness I was unable to attend I felt completely out of sync the entire week as I felt I had missed something I always do.  This is because my spirit was prepared to be in the Lord’s House on the Lord’s Day.  But let me hasten to add that if our bodies and minds are not fully ready to worship, then, the spirit’s readiness is going to be somewhat stifled in its response to the Lord’s Word as well.  If you fall asleep in church how can the Spirt of God move in your heart?  If your mind is still thinking about the problems at work the how can God’s Word motivate your spirit toward Him?

So my question is - are we truly getting ready for Sunday?  Just something to think about as the Lord’s Day approaches.

Sin is Sin

One of the most grievous things that I see in some of Christianity today is the seeming disregard for sin.  Now mind you we are quick to jump all over sexual perversions but we seem to struggle to understand that in God’s sight there is no categorization to sins.  God is holy in every area and we must seek to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). There are no BIG sins or LITTLE sins!

For instance here are some of the things that God calls abomination:

1. Proverbs 6:17-19 lists seven abominations to God: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
2. Not being fair in ALL your business dealings is also an abomination according to Proverbs 11:1.  This means you should pay the price for the goods and services you receive and ask fairly for the same in kind when you do the work.
3. Ezekiel 18:12 says that not caring for the poor is an abomination on the same level as idolatry.  The poor are so precious in God’s sight that Jesus taught more about caring for the poor than He did about Heaven!  How many times have you given to help the poor or just think that welfare will do it for you?
4. The only time that Jesus called a sin abomination was Luke 16:15 and He was speaking of self-righteous judging hypocrites!  This one is an article within itself for another time!
5. According to Revelation 21:27 lying receives the same judgment from God as every other “abomination.”

Now I want to be clear up front that sexual perversions are wrong in God’s sight and we must preach and stand against them.  But I am also convinced that often we are pointing at the sins of others around us and not dealing with our own “abominations.”

Let me give an example that raised its head this week on several occasions.  There is an article being floated by Christians all over social media and through emails that state as fact that in a 2012 NBC’s Matt Lauer interviewed a widow from the Libya terrorist attack on the embassy there that killed four Americans.  Here is what is being spread around:

“‘On the "Today Show’, Matt Lauer interviewed a wife of one of the Navy Seals killed along with the US ambassador in Libya. He asked what she would say to her children about their dad and how she would want them to remember him. Her answer, and I quote, "His love for Christ", and then continued on with a few other things. Throughout the day and on MSN homepage, replaying the story, they have edited the ‘Love of Christ’ part out. Why? Because using the word Christ might offend someone! Well, I am a Christian and I am offended! I'm offended that they would edit it out.”

The problem?  THIS IS A LIE!!!!  Christ was NOT EDITED OUT of the interview and you can find copies of the interview showing the wife and the rest of the family speaking of this warrior’s “love for Christ.”  It was proven untrue by several sites such as truthorfiction.com. Yet Christians continue to spread the LIE because of their disdain for the media.  Now mind you the media is clearly anti-holiness for sure and at times seemingly anti-Christian, but to LIE about them does not only hurt the cause of Christ’s reputation of honesty, but it is an ABOMINATION according to Proverbs 6:17 & 19 (Notice lying is covered twice under this abomination list) and Revelation 21:27.

Some might say, “I didn’t know it wasn’t true and it seemed plausible.”  But isn’t it biblical to determine whether something is true or false BEFORE we spread it around?  I thought that spreading unsubstantiated things was gossip?  And isn’t “gossip” also an abomination (Proverbs 6:19)?  And to add to this discussion, what was the reason these folks posted this LIE about the media?  Because in their minds they either distrust the media so much that they want to discredit it or they hate the media for its openly anti-holiness stance.  But didn’t Paul say “judge nothing before the time” (1 Corinthians 4:5)?

I don’t trust the media to share all the truth and can believe that they would edit out things that show Christ in a positive light.  We know that the only truth we can have full confidence in is the Word of God!  

But the point of this article is that it isn’t just sexual perversions that hinder the Holy Spirit from moving in our midst…it’s the other abominations too, because SIN IS SIN!

Staying on the Right Spiritual Path

If you have ever been driving and gotten lost you know that you usually do not recognize that you are on the wrong road until you have driven far down that path.  You usually all of sudden think “This isn’t right.  How did I get here?”  

So too it is with walking the spiritual path.  So many of us do not realize that we are walking where we shouldn't until we were either so far away from God or at the very least not sure how to get back onto the right path.

We could spend our time here today thinking about getting back onto the right spiritual path when we get off of it, but I think there is a better plan for the moment - HOW TO STAY ON THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL PATH.

In Zephaniah 3:1-7, Judah was under assault by the Syrians and Ephraim but instead of seeking God’s face, they called for the Assyrians to send an army and drive off invaders.  This “agreement” would ultimately lead to Judah’s downfall both practically and spiritually.  They had gone down the wrong road but could it have been prevented?  

God had put “roadsigns” along the road for Judah and they had ignored them and so let’s take just a few moments to consider these signs that if obeyed will keep us on the right spiritual path.

1. Obey - In verse 2 God said of Judah “she obeyed not the voice.”  Obedience is for every believer not just those in positions of leadership. It is the central theme of all the Word of God, both New and Old Testaments.  In Judah, God had sent many prophets which had told Judah to listen to the Lord and they chose to ignore that voice.  Today, we have the Word of God and there are more opportunities to listen for His voice than ever before as we have access 24/7 to radio, television, internet, and printed materials like never before. (Now mind you not everything you have access to is sound doctrine, but is a study for another time.)  But in simple terms are we obeying the voice of God?
2. Honor - Also in verse 2 Judah “received not correction.”  God had been trying to get their attention through judgment and they were ignoring it. They refused to repent when their sin was pointed out to them and they refused to return to God when hardships, clearly sent as judgment from God.  Jeremiah 5:3 describes it this way, “O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.”  The chastening hand of God is not pleasant but it is necessary.  Do you get angry when trials come or do you seek to allow God to strength you through them?  Do you draw closer to God when things are tough or do you withdraw?  John 15 says that God purges EVERY branch that brings forth fruit so it can bring forth more fruit.  Honor God and His correction.
3. Believe - Faith was not what Judah was looking for according to verse 2 in Zephaniah 3.  God said “she (Judah) trusted not in the Lord.”  The nation that had seen God’s blessing down through the centuries had gotten to the place that they would rather trust a pagan nation (Assyria) then God Himself.  How sad that anyone would reject faith in God but instead put their confidence in men (Psalm 118:8).  Faith is believing in that which we cannot see and God is pleased in that kind of faith.  The world in which we dwell says “I will not believe unless I see.”  But our God says “Believe and then I will show you.”  Have confidence in God and you will stay on the right spiritual path.
4. Worship - “She drew not near her God.”  These are really the saddest words in Zephaniah 3:1-17 as they show the real heart of Judah’s journey down the wrong path.  Instead of growing closer to God (James 4:8a), they walked further down the path away from God.  The further away from God you get, the harder it is to retrace your steps.  Draw near to God in worship and let Him keep you on the right spiritual path.

In closing let me direct you to Genesis 45:24, where Joseph says to his brothers who are going to get their father and the rest of the family members. His brothers had sold him into slavery, but he knew that God had a higher plan and accepted that was to save much people alive.  Jospeh then wants to protect his entire family by bringing to where the blessing of God was and so he sends them away with this admonition, “See that ye fall not out by the way.”  In other words, Joseph said, “Don’t get sidetracked. Stay on the path there and then on the way back.”  God is saying the same to you and me today…”Stay in the right path.” 

Why Have Daily Devotions?

There have always been those who tell us that serving the Lord out of duty alone is normal.  Now,  I suppose there are times that serving the Lord is a task in certain areas, such as tithing or some area of serving others.  But when it comes to spending time alone with God, there is nothing that should be a chore about that.  We should enjoy the time getting together alone with God at some point each day.  However, if we are honest, for most of us there are times when devotions are challenging and we need to know why we should continue to do them.  What is our motivation when it seems we are getting nothing from the Word of God and our prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling?   

Today, I would like to give you several reasons why we should daily read God’s Word and daily pray, and, not one of those reasons is going to be “because we are commanded to do it.”  I pray that this practical list will give you a better direction and purpose in your daily time with God.

1. Devotions are meant to be a precious time alone with God.  Psalm 29:2 says “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  God, as we ourselves, want to spend time with those whom He loves and that includes His children.  Devotions can be a wonderful way of getting to know the Lord and be personally in His presence.  They are intended to be a time with the Lord not just reading alone in our room.  Let your heart soak in that though for a moment or two.
2. Devotions are also a way to verify what we have been taught by others.  In Acts 17:11 the Bereans were described as being “noble” because they daily searched the scriptures to see if what they were being taught was actually the Word of God.  Do you ever search the Scriptures to validate what others are saying?  Make that a part of your devotional time as well.  Now this does not mean you should critique every message your pastor preaches, but it does mean to see if what you are being taught from every source fits the Bible’s truths.
3. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray as they had asked Him.  In the midst of the well known “Lord’s Prayer,”  Jesus says “give us this day our daily bread.”  Our daily devotions are the opportunity to share our unique every changing daily needs with our Heavenly Father.  Our needs are going to change daily and thus a daily time allows us to bring these specific needs to Him.
4. Daily devotions also force us to stand still even for a few minutes and that is clearly a good thing on so many levels.  In 1 Samuel 12:16, Samuel stood before the people in an attempt to encourage them during a difficult moment and his admonition was to “stand and see” what the Lord would do.  Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life?  Then being still for a few moments in devotions may be just what you need.
5. God is pleased when we seek to spend time with Him.  Both Psalms 34:8 and Philippians 3:10 make it clear that God wants us to know Him and His power.  That knowledge will be greatly enhanced when we set aside a time each day to just be with Him and please Him in that time as well.  Psalm 46:10 adds “Be still, and know that I am God…”  In our current world state, there is always something to do that distracts us from getting alone with God.  Let your devotions be a moment of “being still” as that pleases the Father so much.
6. When we spend time with God, we will begin to more like Him.  You can not be like someone you do not know and you cannot know them unless you spend time with them.  I may know the governor of our state, but I do not KNOW him at all.  I know about him but would never be able to talk to him as a friend since I never get to spend any time with him.  However John 17:17 and Romans 12:2 want us to be changed into the image of God, and His Son, Jesus.  That is only possible when we daily spend time with Him.

If you have trouble having effective devotions then let me suggest a few basic things:

1. Have a plan.  1 Corinthians 9:24 shows that having a plan is necessary for success.  Don’t just wonder around the Bible, have a plan.  If need be get a devotional book or daily reading plan.
2. Have a place.  Psalm 46:10 is a good verse to consider, but know that a quiet place is crucial for good devotional life.  You cannot have good devotional times at the kitchen table while everyone is milling about the room.  Make a space, and you will have to make that space for sure as it will not just happen.  Satan will do everything to distract you and you must make a devotional space somewhere or at sometime when you can be alone with Him.
3. Have prayer and praise time.  Don’t just read and leave.  Read and then seek God’s face in prayer, and don’t forget to praise Him.  1 Peter 2:9 and 1 Kings 19:2 (Listen for the still small voice.)  Prayer is not just telling God your needs and wants, but listening for the still small voice of the Spirit in your prayer time.
4. Be practical.  This means don’t try to understanding everything all at once nor should you try to have a devotional time beyond your abilities.  Be practical in what you read, where you have devotions, and in how you seek to apply what you are experiencing in your devotional time.  Don’d make them the so long and difficult that you cannot wait to finish them.  They then become a task and not a joy.

Daily devotions are not meant to be a chore but a blessing.  If you are always having to make yourself do devotions and if your devotions are not a pleasure most of the time, then maybe take a step back and see if there is a better way to have that time, because those kind of devotions are not what God intended.

Battling People’s Perceptions

Have you ever had someone say something like this, “From what I heard your church is really a cult” or “I thought that all Baptists had to wear certain types of clothes” and so on?  It is amazing how often we have come against the preconceived ideas of people.  They heard something and so they developed a perception that was not based in reality at all.  They believed a half-truth or even a lie and thus judged us according to their perception.  But we can not just simply ignore their perception as we must understand that their misconception still will drive their actions toward us and toward our God.  

There are people who have never darkened the doorway of our church, but they think they know enough about our church to say that they will never attend any services.  We cannot ignore that we must do something.

There are people who will “never" trust a pastor because they knew a pastor once that was ungodly or misrepresented the ministry.  We cannot just attack them for this conception because it may be true or at the very least it may be what they perceive to the truth and that needs to change.

So what are we to do when people’s perception are wrong?  As always, God’s Word has an answer.

In Joshua 22, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manessah were verbally honored by Joshua for faithfully fighting for the other nine and a half tribes against the pagan people of Canaan.  You see these two and half tribes had already conquered their land on the east side of Jordan, but they continued on fight for the other nine and half tribes fight so that they might get their land too.  These faithful “eastern tribes” fought on in spite of the fact that their land was secure because their land was conquered early in the conquest.  This was very different from some of the tribes, as many of the other nine and half tribes immediately stopped frighting and settled their land as soon as they conquered it.  Some had stopped helping the others, but Reuben, Gad, and half of Manessah did not.  So in Joshua 22:1-6 Joshua blesses these two and half tribes for being faithful to the end of the conquering time and then releases them to go back to their previously conquered land on the east of Jordan to settle and enjoy it.

In Joshua 22:7-9 these two and half tribes receive a reward and then return to their land to live in peace and safety.

But then in Joshua 22:10-20 the nine and half tribes  hear something that cause them to rise up verbally attacking and militarily preparing to attack Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of  Manessah.  Their reason for such an act?  They had heard that these eastern tribes were building an altar on their side of the Jordan river for less than godly purposes.  These two and half faithful tribes were being accused of idolatry and unfaithfulness to God and are even compared to Achan for taking the accursed thing (Joshua 22:20). 

These western tribes had a perception of the other two and half tribes and were prepared to destroy them for what was a perceived as rebellion against God.  Now mind you the altar being built was not for pagan worship at all, but was to be an altar to worship Jehovah since the tabernacle was on the west side of Jordan and to cross the Jordan not always possible.  So these eastern tribes were trying to establish a faithful place to worship where they lived - not an attempt to serve idols, as was the perception.

The western tribes armed themselves and confronted the others because of the perception.  The reaction of these two and half tribes is a wonderful lesson for us today as we battle the perception of people toward our God and our church ministries.

First, the eastern tribes recognized that God knew their hearts and that He would be their ultimate Judge (Joshua 22:22-23).  They did not get angry, but understood that people will act upon what they know/believe to be true.  As an example in our world, a previous pastor or church member may have been a poor testimony and thus you are perceived to be in that same vein.  Be patient and let the Lord be your judge.

Second, the eastern tribes saw their duty to live for God on a personal level was more important that trying to undue the perceptions of others (Joshua 22:24-26).  These two and half tribes knew that their children needed a place to worship and did not want to keep them from the sacrifices that the Law of God demanded, thus they built the altar on their side of Jordan.  For us today, we must know that doing right toward our God and our family is above all the misconceptions of those around us.

Third, the two and half tribes changed their plans when confronted because they admitted that setting up an altar away from the Tabernacle was not in God’s design.  In other words  they admitted that though the perception was wrong of idolatry, there was not a complete faithfulness in their plans (Joshua 22:27-29).  They admitted that the altar on their side of Jordan should not offer their sacrifices but that they MUST be offered before the Tabernacle alone.  In our world today, we must accept that all Christians make mistakes and that Satan will gladly use that against anyone he can to destroy the testimony of others.  If someone made a mistake in the past, including you, then there is no shame or harm in admitting that mistake.  You can do such without assaulting the cause of Christ or gossiping.  You can say something like, “I’m sorry that happened, but every person is a sinner and being a Christian/pastor/teacher/deacon does not make you perfect.”

Last, the eastern tribes left the altar standing as memorial for everyone to realize that misconceptions happen but that faithfulness should be the end goal not worry about perceptions (Joshua 22:27-34).  The western tribes admitted they were wrong in their perception, but that came as a result of their concern for holiness which most people do not have today.  So don’t expect people today to accept that truth is different from perception because they are spiritually blind.  Also we that seek to be faithful must realize that only the truth can set anyone free not the correction of every misconception (John 8:32).

Misconceptions are going to taker place and we must follow Bible examples to clarify them.  But even if the truth is clear, we must also accept that some are struggling with spiritual battles and truth is not really their main concern.  Remember that Jesus preached the truth and they crucified Him for it.

Claiming God’s Promises

Lately I have been reading Deuteronomy and Joshua in morning devotions.  To be honest, there have been some rather methodical almost monotonous passages as the children of Israel were dividing up the land of Canaan amongst the tribes.  They were naming place after place that I had seldom heard of and if asked to point them out on a map, I probably would have pointed to southern Georgia if I didn’t know they were biblical locations.  

But then this morning it dawned on me, no pun intended, God was giving them what He had promised many years before and to the children of Israel these names were the claiming of the promises of God.  Each name was a precious promise of God being claimed.  The names such as Jarmuth, Engannim, Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, Rehob, and Kartan were actually the promises of God to those whom they were given.  To me they were unknown names, but to the children of Gershon the Levite family, these places were precious as precious could be, as they were the inheritance of faith be given by God Almighty!!!

But for us today, what does it mean to claim the promises of God?  

First there are some promises that God has given to every person on the face of the earth.  Such as Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  And Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  And then Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  These are promises from God Almighty to every person on the face of the earth.  I know that a Calvinist would disagree with this statement, but I encourage these folks to take that up with the Author of the Bible not with me as I am not going to debate you on it here.

Second there are promises that are directed to just the saved born again children of God.  Such as Jesus saying in Mark 16:17-18 that believers only will see the mighty acts of God in their witnessing.  John 14:14 and John 16:23 gave the precious promise of answered prayer to only those who belong to the Heavenly Father and ask in faith.  To be honest, this list could fill volumes but I hope these two get the point across.  There are promises that are given ONLY to those who believe, but they are given to ALL that believe.

Third there are promises that are given to unique groups of people and that is really the heart of this post today.  You see when the children of Israel were given the land of Canaan they were given unique promises that were for no other nation.  The names of the places I started the post with are some of those promises being fleshed out.  But another such promise is 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  Though this verse is a wonderful encourager to any nation to repent, the unique promise of the verse is distinctive to Israel alone as they are truly the only nation that is “called by His name.”  Can our nation see revival?  I believe so!  But will that revival automatically get the promise of national healing based on 2 Chronicles 7:14?  That is not as certain.  Why?  Because that was a unique promise of God to Israel alone.  Here in America we have seen many great sweeping revivals take place, but even those revivals did not completely heal the nation as the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 commits.  Each promise has a distinctive group, IE, believer, unbeliever, Jew, Gentile and so on.

When you read the Word of God and see the promises contained therein, you must first look to see to whom the promises was given and see if you are within that group which is covered by the promise.  You cannot expect God to give you something He has promised to someone else nor should you fail to realize that God wants to give you EVERYTHING He had promised to you!  

As an example, Israel may have been promised eternal national status (Genesis 12:7)  but they did not receive the promise of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as believers today have been promised (John 14:6).  The Jewish nation was promised an earthly inheritance (Hebrews 11:8-9) but born again Christians have been promised a Heavenly kingdom (John 18:36).  Israel does not get my promises and I do not get their’s, and, that is completely just and right!  

Claim the promises of God, but be sure they are God’s promises for you!

What Being a Pastor Means to Me

I am so grateful for God’s call into the ministry.  After just over 28 years of full time ministry and the previous 21 under my father’s ministry, I am still excited about serving the Lord!

As I sat this morning doing my devotions I began to think of all the things that as a pastor I get to do that I am grateful for.  Please let me list some of them.

1. I get to be one of the first at church just about every service!  I know that some would see this as a burden, but there is something special about entering into the empty Lord’s House with anticipation knowing that it’s about to have people come to hear the Word of God taught and preached and that they might fellowship together too.  To be honest, there is always a bit of anxiousness to see who actually will make it on any given service too. (Hebrews 10:25)
2. I get to help people that no one else gets to help at that moment of time!  People will often come to church services or call the church looking for help in some area of their life.  It may be, like the call this week, a fellow laborer from out of the area who called to just talk about their hurts and struggles.  They were not looking to me for answers but just an ear to their hurts.  And out of the over 7.5 billion people in the world I am blessed to share their burden and heart.  This is a joy not a burden because I get to point them to their Savior over and over again. (Galatians 6:2)
3. I get to share in some of the most important moments in people’s lives!  I have watched people bow their head and trust Christ as Savior, like the woman who did so just a few weeks ago on Wednesday evening after service.  There is no greater privilege than that!   I have been the first non family member to see new born babies because “I am their pastor.”  I have watched as young men and women unite in marriage because they wanted their church and pastor to bless their union.  I get to watch young people go off the college to prepare for their lifetime for service for the Lord Jesus Christ after years of watching them grow from children to young men and women.  And I also have the solemn duty of honoring a saint of God who has graduated to Glory.  It is a privilege to share in these watershed moments in people’s lives.  These are moments I treasure from being a pastor.
4. I get to preach the Word of God regularly!  I love God’s Word and though I fail to do it justice, I love to share it to those hearts which want to learn His truths.  I will once again be honest enough to say that I grieve when hearts are cold and shut off to the truths I am trying to share, but I must leave that in God’s hands and simply do my part.  Knowing that God’s Word will not return void is a joy I can not always describe. (2 Timothy 4:2)
5. I get to stand for right and stand against wrong.  Because I am not a politician and do not have to be politically correct, I can stand against what the world says I should stand for and vice versa.  That ought never be a point of pride, but it gives freedom to do what I know is right regardless of what the world system around says.  I should NEVER stand for just what I believe but should ALWAYS stand for what God says. (2 Peter 2)
6. Even though many pastors have marred the testimony of the position of the man in the pulpit, I get to represent positively the pastor’s position to an unsaved world.  I get the privilege of proving to them that not all preachers are crooks or liars.  I get to show them that men of God CAN be trusted and honored, not because of me, but because of my God Who is faithful. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

I guess it is a matter of perspective, but that’s how I see it.  It is a joy to be a pastor and joy to pastor the people I am called to pastor here at Valley…even if they are human and do human things from time to time like I do.

Keep Going - As Opposed to Don’t Quit

Don’t quit!  How many times have we heard or spoken those words?  As a child I grew up in a brand of fundamentalism that truly preached that mantra on a regular basis - DON’T QUIT!  I remember thinking at that time, “I will never quit because I don’t want to be a quitter.”  I also mistakenly thought “I don’t want to be an illustration of some preacher one day saying, ‘Well I knew a Christian (me) who used to serve the Lord but then they QUIT!’”

Now mind you I don’t want to quit, but there is something bigger and more important that not quitting - that is TO KEEP GOING!  

Some might ask is there a difference?  Well let’s look at scripture and see.

For starters the Bible actually says that to “quit” is positive as in 1 Samuel 4:9 and 1 Corinthians 16:13.  Both verses say to “quit like men.”  The idea here is not just to keep from stopping but but to keep from fainting and finish your task.  In these verses, God says that men (humankind) are not supposed to give up easily but stay the course.  In 1 Samuel 4:9 the Philistines were told to “quit yourselves like men” - the Hebrew word is “haya" or to be committed to something and stay with it.  In 1 Corinthians 16:13 Paul write to the believers in Corinth and tells them to “quit you like men, be strong.”  Here the word “quit” is “andrizomai” which means to show yourself as brave and keep going, thus the added phrase “be strong.”  God is not just saying don’t stop, He means to KEEP GOING!  We have come to think of “quit” as a negative thing because now a days its means to completely stop doing something, but God’s definition of the word is completely different.

Secondly, we must realize that God understands the need for rest.  Remember God made the world in six days and then did what on the seventh day?  He rested (Genesis 2:2).  Was it because He was tired?  Of course not!  God is all powerful and nothing tires or wearies the Lord (Matthew 28:18).  He “rested” as an example for us to know that we will sometimes need to take a breather.  Look at Mark 6:31 where Jesus says to His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”  Unfortunately there are those who think that when a Christian servant steps back from a ministry for a short period of time that they are “quitting” and in some cases that is sadly true.  But there are also times when a pastor, missionary, or even a laymen must step back…not to quit…but to strength themselves to keep going.  

Lastly, God knows we get discouraged and disheartened but He wants to enable us to keep going, not just stop serving Him and others.  One of the saddest verses in all scripture is John 6:66 which says “…his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”  It wasn’t that they stopped but they went back!  They gave up on what they were supposed to be doing.  They did not keep going.  A fiend of mine in the ministry years ago said that he tried to do more for the Lord each day than the day before.  It sounds like a wonderful goal and should be the motivation of our heart to serve the Lord better each day, but in his case it caused a physical breakdown and was laid up in bed for nearly four weeks because was working for the Lord over 20 hours a day and his body and emotions couldn’t take it.  He shut down and therefore could literally do nothing for the Lord.  Now mind you, I am not saying to be a lazy bum and use “burn out” as an excuse as the Lord clearly says we are to renew through His strength so as not to “quit” (Isaiah 40:31).

We have been given a course by God (2 Timothy 4:7) and we must not “quit” until we are done.  However we are to “quit like men” and stay the course even if it means taking a break to recover.  But whatever we do…KEEP GOING!

What Do You Do When Your Pastor Fails You

Over the past several years the prefix “mis” has grown in its regular usage as an attachment to just about every word imaginable to give a license for some to cover their failures, such as misremember, mistaken, and misspoke. 

Baseball great Roger Clemens said under oath that his trainer, Andy Pettitte, “misremembered” giving him steroid injections which of course was later proven to be true.  President George Bush said he “misremembered” some of the details of his military service in the Texas Air National Guard and was excoriated for it.  What “misremember” has come to mean in many people’s minds is an excuse for an embellishment to cover a lie.

I was “mistaken.”  This a phrase that is seldom used in our society today as it is an admission of failure, which no one wants to do anymore.  That “mistake” may have been intentional or it may have been accidental, but, either way no one wants to follow the leadership of a failure, and so it is seldom used in the public forum.  In February of 2017 Kellyanne Conway, a Trump advisor, admitted she was mistaken when she made some comments about the Bowling Greene Massacre, but, after she admitted that, she was brutally criticized for not getting her facts straight before she opened her mouth and her admission was used against her.  The accusation may have been true but the reaction was overinflated to say the least.

Then there’s the dreaded “misspoke.”  You have to look no further than the headlines to see politicians making drastic statements and then retracting them because they “misspoke.”  Hillary Clinton for example said she “misspoke” about being under sniper fire in a 1996 Bosnian visit, when she actually landed in safety and never had to “run for cover.”  Unfortunately for many people the word “misspoken” has come to mean an excuse for an embellishment that is really a lie.  But the truth is that “misspeaking” can can happen to anyone who does a lot of public speaking.

And now we come to the role of pastor.

Let’s start this by saying that ANY pastor who clearly disqualifies himself morally or doctrinally from the ministry should be confronted and removed quickly.  This would include any sexual deviance, ignoring of sexual behavior in other leadership, or doctrinal heresy.  The ministry is about living out 1 Timothy 3 and God expects that to be obeyed.

However, a pastor must also be allowed to be human too. He is going to make the same type of “mis” type events in his life and ministry.  For instance, a pastor will from time to time “misspeak” as he preaches multiple times in a week and will make verbal mistakes.  However, if the heart of the listener is to fault find, then every misspeak will become that more glaring.  

For instance, I did a study last night in mid-week service and referenced the “natural man” from Corinthians.  I mistakenly said the “natural man” is the unregenerate flesh of both believer and unbeliever, which is not correct.  It is the “carnal man” that is the flesh that drags both saved and unsaved into sin whereas the “natural man” is the unsaved man alone.  It was an honest mistake and not an error of doctrine.  During the service, I did not realize exactly what I had said wrong, but I knew I must have said something amiss because one attendee immediately began to feverishly leaf through their Bible in an unmistakable manner, as they do that every time I misspeak and will gladly come and tell me about it at some point.  They are the kind of person who never says “Good message, Pastor” but instead ask “Pastor, did you mean this instead of what you said?”  However, another person came and said, “Pastor, I thought ‘natural man’ was an unsaved person?  Did I misunderstand?”  The person were right,I misspoke, I corrected what I meant, and will try to correct it publicly soon.  The first person over a period of time seems to have a critical heart whereas the second is a curious heart, for which I am thankful.  I regretfully “misspeak” from time to time.

Pastors also make mistakes.  A pastoral “mistake” is not born of a moral wrong or sinful intent, but in human frailty.  It is the kind of thing that numerous verses speak in describing weakness - Matthew 26:41 and Romans 14:21.   The flesh is weak and sometimes a pastor gets angry when he shouldn’t or forgets a promise he made to meet you.  Pastors make mistakes too.

How about “misremembering?”   Have you ever forgotten anything?  How about something important, like a birthday or anniversary?  When a pastor says he doesn’t remember something, he probably is not lying to cover something up, but admitting to something true - his mind doesn’t always work perfectly.  My favorite verse about this subject is Hebrews 13:16 as the author says “…to do good and to communicate forget not…”  In other words, he was saying we might forget if he doesn’t remind.  Thus “misremembering” is human, right? 

Your pastor is going to misremember, misspeak, and make mistakes.  Why?  Because he is human.  I know that some pastors act like they are God’s gift to mankind and though that attitude is wrong to think of oneself, truly pastors are a gift.  But everyone must remember that pastors are a frail human gift and not a perfect sinless one - that is God alone.  

Just some practical tips for dealing with a pastor’s mistakes:

1. Did he disqualify himself biblically from the ministry by his actions or is this just a human error?
2. Have I gone to him directly in love and asked about the mistake or did I just “stew” over his mistake?
3. Do I regularly pray for my pastor to be clear and clean in his ministry and preaching?
4. Am I looking for my pastor to be something he cannot be - perfect?
5. Would I want someone to forgive me for the same failure that I am struggling to forgive that he committed?
6. Are my expectations for my pastor realistic?
7. Can I listen to what he meant to say or only focus on the “misspeak” he said?

This article is not to excuse sin in pastor’s life, but to show the fragility of ministry and our view of fallible pastors.  Please pray for your pastor more than ever before as the day in which we live seems to grow more wicked by the moment.

Should Christians be Nationalistic?

President Trump was elected partially because of his slogan “Making America Great Again.”  Millions upon millions of Christians rallied around him, some because of their desire to not have Hillary Clinton as president and many because of Trump’s “America First” mentality.

But should Christians be nationalistic?

Let’s answer that question with scripture as that is the best place to answer any question.

First, there should be no nationality requirement within the church family as all nations can be born again.  Paul wrote in three separate letters that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek - Romans 10:12, Galatians 3:28, and Colossians 3:11.  Obviously he was speaking of salvation’s work being the same no matter the ethnicity or cultural background, but does this truth not go even further?

Second, basing our treatment of people based upon their nationality causes division and strife.  One of the greatest problems in the early churches was the division between the Jewish people and Gentile world.  Even the early church in Acts 11 had a major contention over the fact that Gentiles had been saved and wanted to be included in all that the church at Jerusalem was doing but the Jewish believers refused to include them as equals.  The strife was so severe that even Paul and Peter had a major disagreement over this issue and Paul was forced to confront Peter over his actions of not treating the Gentile believers as equals in Galatians 2:11-21.

Third, we are commanded to preach the Gospel at every group of people regardless of our feelings about their ethnicity.  Just remember what happened to Jonah when he decided to let his prejudice of Nineveh alter his journey.  And in Revelation 14:6-7 we are told that every nation, every kindred, and every tongue and people are to have the everlasting Gospel.  The world is coming to America and let’s reach them with the Gospel as commissioned by God Almighty.  We send missionaries around the world to reach the very same groups that are coming to our shores today.

Fourth, the real issue for most Christians is not because of the issues I have mentioned above, but because these people groups have come to America ILLEGALLY.  They then are treated as equals and are very often the recipients of the exact same benefits as American citizens without the perceived responsibilities.  Again we go to Scripture for answers about the individual issues such as food, healthcare, and housing.  2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 states that food is in direct connection to working and is not a “free” benefit EVER, thus it has nothing to do with citizenship but willingness to labor.  Healthcare is not even directly mentioned in scripture thus we cannot speak to its source of payment and nationalism.  Housing has various verses describing it but nothing detailing if it is a privilege solely based on citizenship.  So truthfully, the issues that upset most Christians must be seen as a personal view of privilege and not a biblical based one.  This does not mean that allowing illegal entry into a nation is acceptable, just that it has no solid basis in exact Bible commands but more in biblical principles.

Here are some questions that every Christian must ask themselves:

1. Is there ever a situation where I would encourage a person to entry my country without going through proper channels first? 
2. If my government refused entry of a person based solely upon their Christian faith what would I do?
3. If a missionary believed that God called them to a country that forbids Christians would I encourage them to break man’s law to obey God’s call?
4. In the light of eternity what should I be more concerned about, the souls of men or my nation’s well being?
5. Should I just ignore people coming into my country illegally just for the potential that they might receive the Gospel of Christ?
6. If the laws of our land are ignored in the area of immigration, where do we ignore other laws that affect our daily lives because it benefits a group in need?

There is clearly no easy answer to this complex issue.  But it is very clear that God wants every Christian to preach the Gospel and that is where we must start the discussion of nationalism.

Six Sundays to Easter

Today is March 11, 2017 and we are just six Sundays away from Resurrection Sunday.  

If we were one of Jesus’ disciples walking with him in that day we would have no idea what is just over a month away.  We would be walking with the Lord looking for His kingdom to appear before our eyes but not aware of His coming crucifixion.  Our hearts would have been pulled by the Spirit of God but our eyes would have been somewhat blind to the entire truth of Jesus’ purpose here on earth (Mark 10:23-27.

Yet, the pinnacle of Jesus’ earthly ministry would be taking place in the next six weeks, if we were walking with Jesus in His day.  We need to remember that His earthly miracles were not the pinnacle nor his teachings, though both of these had significant merit and they impact us to this day.  But the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming is found in John 10:10 “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  His earthly life and ministry were about His death and resurrection giving us eternal life.

Over the next six weeks I will be preaching in our church on the subject of “Jesus’ Earthly Ministry” culminating in the Resurrection Sunday sermon “Celebrate the Savior” regarding the passion of Jesus being made known to the world.  We will be posting these sermons on our youtube channel, within a week after they are preached. The link is here for those interested:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVrTnWPArVXC44rsVFxvL9Q

I encourage you over the next six weeks to read through the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. These six weeks would have begun around John 11.  Here is a basic breakdown of Jesus’ last six weeks, but remember that the last six months of Jesus’ ministry were focused around Jerusalem, and, there was a lot of time spent alone with the disciples.  I am only putting major events in this timeline, but the "in between time" was filled with teaching, especially about the coming kingdom:

Six weeks from Resurrection Sunday: 

Jesus visits Mary and Martha and raises Lazarus from the dead - Luke 10:38-42 & John 11:1-44

Five weeks from Resurrection Sunday: 

Jesus begins his last trip to Jerusalem and blesses the children - Matthew 19:13-30 & Mark 10:13-16

Four weeks from Resurrection Sunday: 

Jesus talks with the rich young ruler - Luke 18:31-34

Three weeks from Resurrection Sunday: 

Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus - Mark 10:46-52

Two weeks from Resurrection Sunday: 

Jesus talks with Zacchaeus and returns to Bethany to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - Luke 19:1-10 & John 11:55-12:1

One week from Resurrection Sunday: 

Triumphant Entry - Matthew 21:1-11 & John 12:12-19

The most crucial season of the year to celebrate our Christian faith is the next six weeks as they are the weeks that lead to where our salvation becomes fulfilled in Jesus.  May you focus your heart and mind on these events and Jesus’ preparation for His death, burial, and Resurrection.