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.

Should Christians be Known for Calling Names?

When I was in college in the late 1980s there was a preacher, who has now since gone into eternity, that was going about the country using “name calling” terms to describe those who opposed his views and teachings.  He used terms that I will not even repeat here as an example, because in some cases they were so absolutely vile words that they have no place in any Christian vocabulary.  His preaching was called by may to be “red hot” and often he was quoted by the secular media as being a “hateful bigoted fundamentalist preacher,” a badge which he chose to wear with honor.  He called names and some excoriated him for it while others exalted him because of it.

But this is not a new or isolated activity.  One only need to do a basic search of Facebook or Google to openly see Christians using every name you can think of to describe political leaders and well known religious speakers. 

But is this right?

One of the things that the world constantly is rebuking Christians for is the fact that many Christians will “call names” and then in return we are “called names” because of our beliefs.  For instance, when I say that I stand against same sex marriage or homosexuality, then I am a “homophobe.”  If I believe that a person should come to my country through legal means, then I am called “racist.”  Yet if I call sin what it is - abomination, then I am labeled intolerant.   

So what are we to do about name calling?  Is it biblical and where do we draw the lines?  Should I back down from name calling?  What should I do when the world in which I live says that "name calling" is a form of bullying and I MUST stop it?

In Matthew 23 we find a partial answer to these questions.  In verses 1 to 10 Jesus preaches TO His disciples and the multitude gathered.  His topic for the message was the religious leaders of the day and their teachings.  He warned the people in these verses that religion will try to weigh down true faith with un-doctrinal philosophy and teachings, but, when He preached ABOUT the scribes and Pharisees, he does not call them negative names.

But, in verses 11 to 33, His message and tone changed.  Jesus began to direct His preaching directly AT the scribes and Pharisees and His message became very pointed.  He used terms to describe these groups such as “hypocrites” and “vipers.”  In other words, Jesus did not pull any punches and “called names” when it came to preaching directly AT these unbiblical people.  He used terms to describe what they were, but He did it to their faces and not just about them.   He shows this again in John 8:44 when He says, “Ye are of your father the devil” and “Thou hypocrite” in Matthew 7:5.  Those that were in front of Jesus could readily expect to be called by name to their face.  Jesus had no issues “calling names” to be sure the truth of the situation was fully seen.  He even did this in implying that Peter was influenced directly by the Devil himself in Matthew 16:23.

Now, I have tried my best to study the usage of “name calling” in scripture and have found the following to be true, as best I can tell.

1. Name calling was never directed at a specific person or group of people unless that specific person or group of people were present or their influence was directly impacting the group being spoken to.  Such is the case of Jesus calling Herod “a fox” in Luke 13:32 with Herod’s minions in front of Him or when Paul practiced this concept of name calling confrontation when he confronted Peter “to the face” in Galatians 2:11, saying “he was to blame.”  It seems that the strongest type of “name calling” was always TO someone right there and not to just stoke an “Amen” out of a group of believers.
2. Name calling in scripture was always born of doctrinal error not personal or political differences alone.  When John, “the Apostle of Love,”  wrote to his children in 1 John 2:18-19, he warned them of antichrists that would seek to lead them astray.  Notice he did not give the names of these “antichrists,” just that their teaching of falsehood is what made them “antichrists.”  I could not find anywhere where political ideology was ever used to give license to name call.  Also, I tried to find anywhere in Scripture that a political leader, even a horrible one, was even called a negative name by Jesus or one of the Apostles and I found nothing!  On the contrary, Romans 13 gives a clear view of how to deal with political leaders and its not name calling them.
3. Name calling in a general way was done when a false doctrine had caused a person to be lead into that error.  For instance in 1 Timothy 4:2, Paul says that those who reject the Spirit of God’s leading are “speaking hypocrisies” because their conscience has “been seared.”  Once again notice there is not one single person’s name attached to this, but, the fact that anyone who does this horrific act is labelled as “speaking hypocrisy.”  As an antithesis of this, I just read a Facebook article where a person used the term “whore” to describe President Trump.  I really would like to know where that person got their permission in Scripture to completely reject 1 Peter 2:17’s command to “honor the king?”  As a word of caution, if you walked up to President Trump and called him a “whore” to his face, as it appears biblical admonition encourages, you might get more than you bargained for.
4. Biblical “name calling” was NEVER to just vent frustration or find common dissent among a group, but to warn directly and admonish directly.  Can that be said of the name calling that goes on in the name of Christianity today?  Those who post things would probably never walk up to the person they are posting about and call them the same name to their face, yet they feel licensed to do so outside of their presence and may even use Scripture to defend their words.  Is that not in direct opposition to both the examples mentioned above and the principles of God’s Word in Proverbs 27:19 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9?  Remember that Jesus loved the world (John 3:16), including the “vipers” and “hypocrites” and so His words were not born of anger but correcting firm love (Ephesians 4:15).

Please do not go away from this post saying that the author is opposed to saying what needs to be said, because that would be untrue.  But I am very concerned about the fact that so many Christians are justifying their language choices by taking Scripture out of contextual usage.  Did Jesus call names? Yes!  Did Paul call names? Yes!  Did John call names? Yes!  But did they just arbitrarily call names? NO!  

Just a couple final verse to consider before the next time you name call:

James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalm 141:6 “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.”

Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

Ephesians 4:15 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”