"Take Care"

  The Hebrew writer warns: "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." (Heb. 3:12) The words "fall away" literally mean "to stand off from". In warning about our hearts turning to evil and unbelieving, that individual "stands off" from God. The good and believing heart is explained in this way: "Therefore, putting aside all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." (I Pet. 2:1-3)

  An evil and unbelieving heart backs off and the things of God are no longer a priority in life. In fact, an evil and unbelieving heart is tied directly to the preaching/teaching of God's word (Heb. 4:2). There has to be within each of us the coming together of faith in God's word when His word is spoken. That's what drives one forward. God speaks and how your respond reveals much about yourself. When the church is disrupted by disputes, what is taking hold in the hearts? When homes are in disarray, what is taking hold in the hearts? A good and believing heart takes in the things of God, longs for the things of God and we are willing to let go of anything that would promote decay and indifference.

 God wants our faith to grow. God wants us with Him. It is up to us to make certain, to take care of our hearts that we don't become dull and insensitive toward the things of God. We must make certain that we aren't allowing things to crowd out the Lord by making choices of pleasures or our wants over His. What responses are you making daily? Are they God-driven with a heart of trusting faith or do we make choices that take us away into other things resulting in indifference and apathy ? We are partakers of Christ and that will continue unless we forget and stop holding fast from the beginning to the end. 

"Home Again"

  I just returned from New York preaching/teaching for a week. What a wonderful week it was along with some heart-wrenching times. A wonderful, dedicated Christian lady who for years has been concerned for her son and spiritual well-being got a phone call while we were having lunch together. It was her daughter telling her that her son was just taken to the hospital. Within a short period of time he passed from this world. I can only imagine what this lovely lady must have gone through. Life has no guarantees but eternal life does!

  As I reflect on all this, yesterday millions around this world met to remember and proclaim the death of the Lord Jesus in His Supper. In each congregation, together as ONE, they eat the bread and drink of the fruit of the vine. With Jesus in their (our) presence as the Holy Spirit indwells the church we are reminded of His death in our place and in His death it is announced that our sins, our iniquities have been judged and sentenced carried out in His death and He is coming again! What a joy! What a fellowship! What a Savior! Let's rejoice and be glad in the Lord.

"The Treasures In the Heart"

  He called himself a "pastor". I had spoken with him in the past and called me "pastor." I reminded him by asking if he even knew what a "pastor" was according to Scripture? As he thought he said, "We've had this discussion before, haven't we?" I gave no response except a smile.

  As he spoke, once in a while he would throw out a word used in a profane slang way. After doing this three or four times, I asked him why he used such words in such a profane way and calling himself as one who preaches. He had no clue what I was talking about. That told me a lot! He seemed to use this slang, profane word so often in his daily life that he didn't realize what he was saying it. It was habit. I pointed out the word. He quickly apologized for such telling me he doesn't know why he does that. I do!

  "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his own tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless." (Jam. 1:26) 

  He is a member of Christ's body that I was listening to. In conversation with another, he would let a word out that was very profane and kept on talking like it was nothing. He was completely unaware of what he was saying because he used such words in his personal daily life, it was part of his normal speech. In the course of the conversation he was completely unaware how often he used such words.

  "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills the heart."  (Luke 6:45) 

  God's word speaks clearly. Listen to someone's talk. When the tongue cannot be bridled, their religion, no matter what they say, is worthless. When the tongue uses words that are demeaning, crude, off color and profane, their mouth speaks what is in their heart. There needs to be some serious personal examination for such as the heart is evil! What kind of words do you use?

"Dying For Somebody Like That"

  I was facing the possibility of being drafted into the Vietnam war. I'm grateful I wasn't but many of my friends were and some lost their lives. I can't imagine what families went through. Then I heard this come across my desk. He was a graduate of West Point Academy and was sent to Vietnam to lead a group of new recruits into battle. This young man was very well trained and kept his men from ambush and death. After some time, one night he and his men were overtaken by a group of Viet Cong. The West Point graduate was able to get all but one man to safety. The one soldier had been severely wounded and from their trenches, the young lieutenant could hear the wounded comrade moaning, crying out for help. He knew there would be great risks to leave the trench but the lieutenant had to help as he felt responsible for all. 

  The young lieutenant crawled out of the place of safety toward the cries of the dying man. He safely got to him and was able to drag him back. Upon pushing the wounded man into the safety of the trench, the young lieutenant caught a bullet in the back and was killed instantly.

  Months later the rescued man returned to the United States and when the parents of the dead hero heard that he was in their vicinity, they planned a dinner for him. They wanted to know this young man whose life was spared at such a great cost to them. On the night of the dinner party, their guest for whom they had waited so long to meet, arrived...drunk! He was loud and boisterous. He told jokes that were unfitting and showed no concern for the family of the young lieutenant that rescued him. The parents of this dead hero did their best to make it all worthwhile but their efforts were unrewarded. Finally, at the end of the torturous visit, their obscene, drunken guest left. The mother collapsed in tears weeping loudly and said, "To think that our precious son had to die for somebody like that!"

  Listen carefully and bring God into view in your heart. From man's perspective: "For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die."  From God's perspective: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinner, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:7-8)

  We were yet sinners! We were the vile and embarrassing! We were the drunk, the profane, the horrible and yet God demonstrated His love and Jesus died for us. What are we going to do with that?

"Unpack the Gospel"

  Maybe it's just me but I stand firmly on the ground that the gospel is where we need to be focusing and using in all our preaching and teaching. Just take some time and look through the letters of the NT and there you will find over and over some mention of the gospel in one way or another. There is too much talking and pursuing secular textbooks on family therapy, someone's book as a life source for all to heed or ideas of being married and the amount of time spent on this subject. I'm not saying we can't teach things or approach things differently but what I am saying is it's the gospel that changes a person, that confronts people in sin to offer them a way out and is God's only source of salvation. If we are going to be transformed it will come from the power of the word of the gospel. You want to get hold of the life of God? Get hold of the gospel and not just a defining meaning of what the word means. I'm talking the heart of God! Give people a steady diet of the significance of God Himself, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and speak of the life, death and resurrection, the glorification and the coming again of this wonderful Savior and Lord and speak of His purpose and our destiny and mission. All of this is found in the gospel! 

  That brings me to my purpose as a 'preacher'. It's not the business as a preacher to fix everybody's life (and some think they can) or to try to micro-manage the lives of believers (which some try to do) which he knows little about. The business of the preacher is to proclaim and 'unpack' the gospel and help the sincere brethren to announce that gospel on which their very existence as Christ's body of faith depends. Too many nod at texts which allude to the gospel and assume everyone knows what those texts mean. The assuming is what gets us in trouble.

  There is becoming increasingly an attitude of "how to win friends and influence" people type of material being heralded out there. Meet people in parking lot, be super friendly, set up games and such to get people interested. Sounds so much like people in the business world offer to increase their flow. When will we accept with all our heart that the gospel is and will always be God's power to influence, direct and save people? It's God's calling, not the business world's calling card. Unpack the gospel! Get looking into it intently and then you will see where your faith has been directed. Ask your preacher, your elders and others where you assemble as Christ's body,  to unpack the gospel!!!

"Grace and Church"

  We want to get people to the water. They are told they must be baptized or they won't go to heaven. While there is truth in that statement, too many are scared into baptism (especially children) rather than being faced with their sin and its consequences so faith in Jesus is never taught much less sought. We need to tell people what God did before we tell them what to do! The real, true motivation of faith is the grace of God. When we speak of Christianity, we are speaking of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. When we speak of His church, you cannot separate Christ, grace and the Church. Paul expressed this thought when speaking with the elders from Ephesus (Acts 20:28) and Paul teaching the church at Ephesus (Eph. 3:21/5:25-27).

  Today, I want you to think and realize to believe in the grace of God is to love His Church! It was Jesus Himself that told Peter He would build His church and Hades gates would never prevail against His Church. (Matt. 16:18) This is one of the more familiar Scripture but we need to read it carefully and think. Jesus didn't say He would build 'a' church or 'your' church. Jesus built His Church and it was based on Him being who He is and He is the grace provider. Too many are making the Church their own private property or ownership. I know of congregations where certain families dominate and if things are done according to their way, the one or ones not following are removed. That is not the Church Jesus built. That is a man built church by man's ideas. Jesus did not build 'our' church!! Grace from God through Jesus Christ built the Church of Jesus.

  What do we learn? The Church is about God's grace to us. Jesus built His Church without man's involvement. That means it has nothing to do with man's efforts but Christ's efforts and God's grace. The Church Jesus built is not self-reliant. It is completely dependent upon the grace of the Lord Jesus. The Church is where God's grace-works are done! (Eph. 2) Grace is through faith. Think about how you feel about the Church, not a denomination because the Church Jesus built is not a denomination. That's man's doings! Grace teaches us to love His Church and to love His Church is God's grace toward you at work. That should give us each something to think about!   

"Alter Your Course!"

    He was a young naval officer. His first assignment at sea was given and he was determined that nobody would push him around or abuse his authority! One stormy night he saw a bright light coming toward his ship so he sent a message to the ship, "Alter your course by ten degrees!" Immediately a message came back to him, "Alter your course ten degrees!" The young officer was put out with such a message. He spoke out about the disrespect for his authority and the defiance! He sent a second message, "Alter YOUR course by ten degrees...this is the captain!" Almost immediately came the message back, "Altar YOUR course by ten degrees...this is the lighthouse!"

  Too many in Christ are like that young naval officer. Too many want to guide their own 'ships' without any anyone telling them what to do. We want independence and prove that no one will tell us what we can or cannot do. We act as if we are completely capable of doing things for ourselves, without instruction.

  A friend of mine was sharing with me about a congregation he worked with. Every time he spoke or wrote an article about dress, he had one family that became upset at him and they would let him know. "No one is going to tell me how to dress my daughters!" is what the woman would tell him. It didn't matter if God's sacred word asked for the women to dress for God rather than for the world (I Tim. 2:9-10). It was nothing than pure rebellion. As this family took on difficulties later in their lives, it became apparent that none in that family had a real firm grip spiritually while fear and anxiety seem to bury them. They never recovered.

  That is sad to hear but yet there are many living in arrogance, self-maintained brethren not taking any instruction thinking that someone would dare tell them how to live. Jeremiah spoke plainly, "I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps." (Jer. 10:23) The Psalmist wrote: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psa. 119:105) God's word is our lighthouse and if we do not take action as He asks, we too are headed from a course in life that will crash us into the rocks. What's worse is you can see it coming while they can't.

  How many difficulties could be avoided if we would only heed and make certain we are taking proper instruction? How many congregations would resolve matters if only we would accept what the Lord asks when we want to strike out on our own? Let's not defy or fight God's authority. It's always better to alter our lives according to His word. How do you receive the authority of God's word?