Running on Ahead!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
As you know, when we think about our being disciples of Jesus, we think more about our following Him, than we think about His following us. This probably stems from His words to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, when He said to them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19 NASB). Ever since, most of us have been “following hard” after Him, or so we say.
This morning, however, I noticed something a bit different, something that really caught my eye (I already told you that I sit up close to the front, when He is teaching!) and it is this: “ . . . behold there came a synagogue official, and bowed down before Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus rose and began to follow him, and so did His disciples” (Matthew 9:18-19 NASB; emphasis added). Truthfully, this is difficult for me to picture; yes, I know that Jairus was in a hurry to get Jesus to his house, and was in all probably keeping up quite a gait, but this notion of Jesus bringing up the rear is, well it is strange. Yes, I know all about the first being last and the last being first, but that doesn’t make this any easier.
Now that I have had a few minutes to think about it, I am wondering just how often we do the very same thing that Jairus did. I am wondering just how often we find ourselves running on ahead in our intense desire to get Jesus to follow us to some destination, so He can do something that He has already done. I can see most of us now, as we run out in front, looking back at Jesus, urging Him to hurry. There it is again, the “Looking Back Syndrome!” Don’t you remember that song: “I was looking back to see, if you were looking back to see, if I was looking back to see, if you were looking back at me, and your were cute as you could be, standing, looking back to see, if I was looking back to see, if you were looking back at me.”
There must have been “method” in this “madness,” as I am certain that Jesus chose to follow Jairus, rather than to lead the way, or merely walk beside him, for good reason. In my opinion, Jesus does this far more frequently than we realize. He simply allows us to run on ahead, to get way out in front of Him.
You think about this, and as you do—REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE, LOUISE!

Pillars of Salt

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is one of the many cautions Jesus made to His disciples: “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32 NASB). Then He went on to say, “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it” (vs. 33). I can only imagine that Lot’s wife, Virginia, had many faults, but she, obviously, had one that caused her significant problems; I call it the “The Looking Back” syndrome (I was kidding about Lot’s wife being Virginia, actually, it was Louise!). As you remember, Louise and Lot had been given clear instructions, not to look back, as they were leaving Sodom (see Genesis 19:17); Lot managed to keep his focus out front, but Louise’s Looking Back Syndrome kicked in, and she turned around to take a look at the past. Whammo, and she became a pillar of salt, the kind that rusts one’s shovel, not the kind that makes one thirsty for Jesus! Well, now that I think about it, I could be wrong about that, as this “pillar of salt” has probably made many thirsty for Him!
Anyway, from what Jesus said to His disciples (“Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it”), I can only assume that Louise was having a hard time leaving her past, even though everything in it was being burned to the ground, as in eliminated, because God was just a tad angry with the entire mess. Can you imagine anyone wanting to hold on to something that God detests? Anyway, as God said, in trying to hold on to her life (as she knew it), she lost it!
Well, dear friends, I am afraid that there is a pandemic of the “Looking Back Syndrome” among my Christian brothers and sisters, not to mention, the entire populace. Over the years of my being a pastor/counselor, I have encountered many people, who insist on spending more time focused on the past, than I have those, who are willing to put the past behind them and move on to higher ground. For reasons that I won’t take the time to explain here, they have, sadly, grown comfortable in their misery, and are fearful of moving forward, outside their comfort zone.
I have known some incredible people, incredibly talented people, who have lived for years in the misery that is the product of foolish choices and fear, and, sadly, they refuse even to entertain the possibility that there is a better future for them. They have for years lived out of the paradigm of their past, where rejection, insecurity, and fear rule their lives, and consequently, they live far beneath their God-given potential. In other words, as I look over the landscape of life, I see hundreds, yea thousands, of “pillars of salt” that litter its beauty.
I think Paul’s words are very fitting and appropriate: “. . . one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal . . .” (Philippians 3:13-13 NASB).
In other words, stop making excuses for your misery, stop living in your past, and reach forward to what lies ahead—press on toward the goal! Stop blaming others (those in your past) for your own misery and take responsibility for your own life!! We have enough salt pillars!
You have the God of the Universe on your side!

New Wine into Old Wineskins?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is one of the things Jesus had to say about wine: “Nor do men put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17 NASB). I am so very thankful that Jesus loved wine, not because I want to get drunk, but because His love for it brings such clarity to things that would, otherwise, never be understood.
In this passage, the point is very clear, at least from where I am sitting (Admittedly, I usually sit down close to the blackboard when He is teaching!): If anyone should be so foolish, as to put new wine into old wineskins, well, the result would be even more foolish—he would lose all of his wine. Why? The old wineskin has already been stretched from previous fermentation, and, consequently, as the new wine continues to ferment, creating alcohol and CO2, the old wineskin will burst and, thus, the wine will spill out and be wasted. A tragedy, indeed, for some like Jesus and me, who happens to love the stuff.
I love the story of Jesus changing the water into the best-ever wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee! As you remember, it was His Mother, who involved Him in this, when she said to Him, “Son, the wine has run out; they have no wine.” His response to her is quite interesting and noteworthy: Mama, what am I going to do with you? Please don’t do this to me just now, as I am not ready to let people know everything about me (my paraphrase of “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.”). Well, as you know, Jesus, like the rest of us boys, had a hard time saying “No” to His Mother, so, well you know the rest of the story. The party was not lost after all—120 gallons of the finest vintage wine ever produced (I think His mother was thinking more along the lines of a few bottles of wine, not 120-180 gallons, but, then, I must assume that the Jews loved to drink wine at wedding parties, and I know for sure that Jesus always does things in a superabundant way!).
Anyway, the headwaiter tasted the wine and said to the groom, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now (I think the reason is obvious, but if you don’t get it, let me know and I will explain it in tomorrow’s perspective! Well, on second thought, I will go ahead and tell you now: To give drunks the best wine last, amounts to the same thing as putting new wine into an old wineskin—the wine is wasted. Drunks think Mogen David is “good” wine!).” Let the festivities begin! I really like it when Jesus throws a party, mainly because He runs off all the religious bigots before the real party begins.
Then of course there is the wine of the Eucharist; HOW HE MUST HAVE LOVED IT! I find it so sad that so many pastors attempt to water-down the wine of the Eucharist, taking it in a completely reverse direction. Jesus turned water into wine, but they have turned wine into water (grape juice).
Didn’t I tell you that it is foolish, not to mention, wasteful, to put new wine into old wineskins? If I didn’t, I meant to!

Salt & Light

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This morning, two passages are “front and center” in my mind: “You are the salt of the earth”; You are the light of the world.” As you know, both of these are from that familiar sermon Jesus preached, the one we call “The Sermon on the Mount” (see Matthew 5).
As you know, salt can accomplish many things. It can melt the ice on one’s driveway, morph a “fresh” ham into a “country” ham, make food “tasty,” rust your shovel, and make water much less than potable. There is one thing that it can do, with which we are all most familiar: it can make us thirsty!
When I was much younger, my Mother would soak kit fish (mackerel infused with brine) overnight and fry them early the next morning, for a group of men who were going on a quail hunt or a dove shoot. My were they good, especially with grits, hoe cakes, and hot coffee!! Wish I had a mess of them RIGHT now!! There was one catch, however, and it was this: Unless you wanted to be miserably thirsty all day long, you had better take along a big container of water. Why? Salt makes us thirsty!!
I must believe that a part of what Jesus had in mind, when He said, “You are the salt of the earth” was this: Our lives will make others thirsty for truth (note that I said “will make,” and I did so because He said we ARE, not should be, the salt of the earth). Am I missing something? Is this book we call the Bible really true? Had Jesus had too much wine? Do you get my drift?
Again, as you know, light can also accomplish many things, many more things than salt! It can cut through solid steel, travel faster than a speeding bullet (much faster!), excise a tumor, cook food, burn your bohinney, and separate into red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. There is one thing it does, however, with which all of us (well almost all of us) are very familiar: It dispels darkness!
Since Jesus said that “we” are the light of the world, I must assume that at least a part of what He meant was this: Our lives will dispel the darkness that is the enemy of love. Again, am I missing something? Am I living on another planet? Had the sun “gotten to” Jesus and caused Him to hallucinate? Is this sermon like the sermons I preach—foolishness? Do you get my drift?
Now, instead of becoming religious and attempting to “rust someone’s shovel” or trying to “shine for Jesus,” remember this: Salt does nothing to be salty, it simply “rusts shovels” and make people thirsty; light does nothing to dispel darkness, it simply cannot coexist with it.
You ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the world—period!

An Important Matter

Friday, March 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Sometimes life throws curve balls at us—one after another—and hitting them can be virtually impossible, especially when the most precious people in our lives are being snatched away, without any warning whatsoever. One of my “flock” knows what I am talking about—FIRST HAND.
Several years ago, her husband was killed in a tragic automobile accident, but that was, merely, the first curve ball that came flying across her “plate.” Not too many years lat-er, one of her teen-aged sons was killed in tragic automobile accident, the second of the curve balls that came flying across her plate.
Unbelievably, there was to be a third curve ball thrown across her plate; I can only pray that the “three strikes and you are out” rule applies to her life! This morning she told me that she received a phone call about 4:30 AM, telling her that her brother’s 28 year old son, her nephew, was killed in a tragic automobile accident. He left a wife, a 6 year old son, and, of course, his extended family. I can only imagine the pain this precipitated, and I really cannot do that.
Debbie is one of the most precious people I know, but that does not mean that she is any less human. Her feelings are real—very real! Her confusion is legitimate—very legiti-mate! Her desire to run and hide under a rock are normal—very normal! I hope she has all the freedom in the world to kick and scream and spit!
The people in our part of the Body of Christ love her without condition, and it is so very easy to do so because she first loves us, without condition. I have no problem under-standing why Jesus chose her to be His bride, none whatsoever, but my gosh, He has al-lowed her to go through some pretty tough stuff!
Of course, she called me this morning because she knew that I, being so old and wise and experienced, would have all the answers for her! If you believe that, you need to have your oil changed! She called me because she KNEW that I would not have a clue, not the first one. What in the heck could I possible say to someone, who has been through the fire and come out on the other side like pure gold?
When she first learned of her late husband’s death, she found herself sitting in a parking lot (literally) somewhere in Alabama or Arkansas (I cannot remember which), completely distraught, with her Daddy leaning over her. This is what she asked him in that agonizing moment: “Daddy, what are we going to do now?” His reply was, well, this was his reply: “We will keep on trusting Jesus!” In that moment her Daddy empowered her, as never before!
Now listen up, after three terrifying curve balls, Debbie is still trusting Jesus, not be-cause she is so spiritually astute, but because He has given her His faith, the kind of faith that brings peace in the storms of life, AND, I might add, because her Daddy spoke the power of Jesus into her life.
Needless to say, I hold Debbie in a place of high esteem, very high esteem, and I love her—no conditions attached.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love . . . Love NEVER fails! Not ever!
Please pray for Debbie and for this 6 year old child and his mother, as well as the entire extended family. You will be glad you did!
By the way, the Lord has given her a new husband, Dudley, and they really love each other and bless the rest of us beyond measure! I am sure that she is leaning on his broad shoulders, even as I write this.

Missing the Point

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yesterday, I ended my perspective with this: I am wondering if they did not miss His point; after all, it was their fear and amazement that evidenced the location of their faith—IN HIM. As you remember, Jesus had just asked the disciples this very probing question: “Where is your faith?”
The truth is, I am wondering, if all of us haven’t missed the point, especially when it comes to faith. Notice that Jesus’ question was not, “Why don’t you (of all people) have faith?”; instead, it was “Where IS your faith?” In my mind, there is a difference. It would have been one thing for Jesus to have asked them, “Why don’t you have faith?” but it was quite another for Him to ask, “Where is your faith?” The former implying that they had no faith; however, the latter implying that they did have faith, but it wasn’t working properly.
He could have been asking, “Is your faith in your ability to survive this storm, or is it in My ability to calm the sea?” The truth is, however, I don’t think He was really asking them anything (yes, I know that it appears that He was); instead, I think He was teaching them a profound truth, making an incredible point, but I have reason to believe that they missed it, and I have even stronger reason to believe, that most who read the story today, miss it. HINT: I do not think He asked the question from an angry, frustrated heart, but with tongue in cheek.
I think He was simply demonstrating for them (and us!) this profound truth: there cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, be a crisis when He is in the “boat” with us, and He is—always! Even when the “storm” is so great that surviving seems impossible, He can calm it, with less than a whisper. Yes, it might seem that we are in a crisis, a major crisis, but a crisis cannot exist in His presence! Our perception of reality is not always equated with reality, and this is a prime example.
The truth is, the location of my faith is really not important, and I will give you three guesses, as to why. It is, however, HIS faith, working in and through my life, that matters! Why? He has perfect faith!
Yes, I think we have missed the point! Faith (not mine, but His) comes by hearing the Word of Christ, not by doing religious gymnastics, such as calming storms, healing the sick and raising the dead. Rest assured that I, for example, could never even believe the gospel; it is just too bizarre for me to believe; however, He believes it for me, i.e. He gives me what I do not have, the kind of faith that brings peace, even in the midst of the storms of life.

Where is Your Faith?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
“Now it came about on one of those days, that He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ And they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended upon the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. And they came to Him and woke Him up, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him’” (Luke 8:23-25 NASB; emphasis added)?
On one of those days! If you are like me, then you can empathize with that phrase, because such days come all-too-often, or so it seems. How many times have you said (or thought), “That was one of those days!”, after having spent it dealing with everything—including the proverbial “kitchen sink.” For the disciples, this was going to be just a routine trip across the lake, but it turned out to be anything but routine, and for several reasons, not the least of which was a terrible storm, one with fierce winds and surging waves, so much so, that these seasoned sailors were fearful of dying—then and there.
As you know, it did not take them long to wake Jesus and inform Him of heir dilemma, hoping against hope that He could save them (I say that because they had never seen Him calm a raging storm). His response is, even to this day, quite amazing: He rebuked the fierce winds and the surging waves and, immediately, the sea became perfectly calm. I can only imagine that it took a few minutes for their emotions to catch up with what their minds had just witnessed. Before that “few minutes” could transpire, however, Jesus hit them with this soul-searching question: “Where is your faith?”
If you look at the text, you will see that their response was much like ours would have been (still is, for that matter!): “They were fearful and amazed . . .”
Fearful and amazed in the Presence of the I Am, trying to answer the most important of questions—Where is your faith?
I am wondering if they did not miss His point; after all, it was their fear and amaze-ment that evidenced the location of their faith—IN HIM. You think about that--

What an Incredible Shepherd!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His hears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
And righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.
And the wolf will dwell with the Lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them.
Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
And the nursing child will pay by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Then it will come about in that day that the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:1-10 NASB).

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SHEPHERD!

Enough said!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
It snowed in Macon, GA today—more snow than I have seen in Macon in a long time. No, I didn’t make a snowman, but my grandchildren did! Today is my son’s (Michael) 36th birthday, which means that I am old, especially when you factor in that my daughter will be 41 on June 3! Now, on to what I am about, at least for the moment—
Today in our service at Grace Christian Fellowship, I asked the Lord to give me a passage for His people today and, immediately, He took me to Isaiah 9. Listen to these words: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NASB; emphasis added). Wow! Talk about timely and fitting!
My message had to do with the fact that the politicians in our government are rapidly and deliberately taking away our freedom, and in doing so, they are taking control of our lives. If I did not know that He is everything He has ever promised to be, I would be scared out of my wits! Even with that, I must admit that I am a tad (well, probably more than a tad) nervous (I am still very much human!).
Although I have read Isaiah 9 many times over the years, and have read it to others, especially at Christmas, today I saw something that I had never seen before, certainly not within the context of what is happening today in our good ole USA—THE GOVERNMENT WILL REST ON HIS SHOULDERS!
Enough said!

Have a blessed night!
Mac

Freedom or Tyranny?

Friday, February 27, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
These are Paul’s words: “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:38 NASB). In my opinion, this is a pretty good deal—forgiveness AND freedom!
By the time Paul preached this sermon, the Jews were thoroughly imprisoned to the Law of Moses, and not just to the Law of Moses, but (and especially) to all of the Pharisaical interpretations of that Law. Long before he preached this sermon, the Ten Commandments, which no one could obey in the first place, had been increased to some 79 very large volumes of laws. Sadly, the Jews were convinced that, in order to please God, they had to obey these laws, not to mention, that the penalty for disobedience was rather severe—death by stoning [If you happen to see the woman who was caught in adultery, ask her, as she will vouch for me!]. In the wildest stretches of my imagination, I cannot imagine that anyone really enjoyed this kind of lifestyle, with the exception of the narcissistic Pharisees, who enjoyed “lording it over” their subjects and, thus, controlling and destroying their lives.
The response to this portion of Paul’s sermon is quite remarkable: “ . . . the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath . . . and the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God” (Acts 13:42, 44 NASB). Of course, the Pharisees were not too happy about what they were seeing and hearing, so they began to contradict what Paul was saying (see vs. 45). Interestingly, it was at this point that Paul & Barnabas left the Jews and took this good news to the Gentiles.
As I write these words, I am keenly aware that we (you and I) are watching, as the US Government takes more and more control over our lives. Oh, the politicians always have some lame answer, but the truth is, we are losing our freedom—fast! We already have more laws than the Jews ever thought about having (the tax code far exceeds all of the Jewish laws!) and, ironically, we have more people incarcerated than we have prisons to house them. In other words, the laws are giving disobedience power. Imagine that!
As I see it, we are well on way to socialized medicine. The doctors will all be from India or Iran, but at least everyone will have affordable health care. Yea, right! It will be affordable because those of us who pay taxes will be paying the bill, and this means that there will be fewer and fewer of us, who pay taxes, because there will be no reward for working. Not to worry, however, because Uncle Sam will figure out a way to transfer wealth from the rich to the poor; you can count on that! The one thing our Uncle will not figure out, however, is this: how to maintain quality health care! I seriously doubt that many are going to want to go through the rigors of medical school, internship, and residency, in order to have some half-witted government appointed jerk telling him/her how to practice, on whom to practice, and how much they will be paid to practice. To be sure, not many will be willing to take this on for a meager $60,000 or $70,000 per year.
I might add, that although our educational system has gone down the tubes, there is a “fix” for it—let’s socialize it, too! Let us give the US Government, and the State government, for that matter, the power to control education, and all will be well. Yea, right! Virtually every decision any local school board makes is already tied to whether or not making it will decrease or increase funds from either or both levels of government. I wonder if ANY decision is ever made based upon what is best for the children in the classrooms. Oh, I forgot: No Child Left Behind solved all of our educational problems!! (my tongue is in my cheek!).
As some of you know, I am old enough (and then some) to be drawing my Social Security benefits, and I am doing just that. But do you know what I did before I was paid the first penny of those benefits? I paid into the system for almost 50 years, and for all of those 50 years, with few exceptions, I paid both the employee’s and the employer’s portion. Do you know what the US Government did? Without my permission, it decided to use most of the monies in this fund for OTHER things, and in my opinion the people who made those decisions are guilty of a much worse crime than Bernard Madoff, and should be jailed and made to pay every penny back into the fund, with proper interest. But don’t worry about it because the US Government will fix this problem, too, with, well I think you know how it will fix it! The sad truth is this: many of you will never see one dime of the money you have so graciously put into this system, because I am drawing out what you are putting in! By the way—THANKS!
By the way (again), I am 67 years old, which means that, as of February 15, 2009, I had lived a mere 2,115,244,890 (two billion, one hundred fifteen million, two hundred forty-four thousand, eight hundred and ninety) seconds. It takes 31,688 YEARS to use 1 trillion seconds! How long will it take to retire a 2 trillion dollar debt, at the rate of $1 per second? Go figure! But hurry because time is of the essence!
Let me stop this and, simply, say, “I choose freedom over tyranny!” Let it go on the record!
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 NASB). Please do not be deceived! We are relinquishing our freedom, one step at a time, and from my vantage point, we don’t have many steps left. I am really glad I know Who is in charge!

Sick, as in Ill

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Since this past Friday night, I have been sick. Yes, I am a weenie, so my sick might not be as sick as your sick; however, I have been sick, nonetheless. I hate being sick. There is nothing about being sick that I enjoy—nothing. I am still sick, not as sick as I was, but sick, even so. No, I am not the throwing-up kind of sick that you are probably thinking; I am sick with a cold, a sinus infection, laryngitis, a cough, the general upper-respiratory cozzutics. I have tried to give it away, but no one will take it. I am having a difficult time not looking at life through the lenses of this malady.
My get up and go, got up and went; my appetite is suppressed; my focus is out of focus; my smeller is confused; my taste buds don’t; sleeping sounds like the best idea; noise is irritating; Bible study doesn’t come easily; this cold weather is driving me nuts; and I am ready to be well.
Tomorrow night, my church is meeting for our monthly “Bible Study & Wine Fest” and I don’t feel very festive (I have already told you that Bible study isn’t coming easily!). Not to mention, that most of the people, who will gather for this incredible time, would probably rather not have this bug passed on to them. Not to worry, however, as I will wear a surgical mask, before I miss this event.
Actually, I am much better now and have every reason to believe that I will be nigh 100% by tomorrow evening. The power of positive thinking! But I really am better! The evidence? I am alive! One of these days, someone is going to discover a cure for these kinds of viral illnesses, and, believe me, I will be more than happy to take the shot because I do not like being controlled by a runny nose and a cough!
This is what bugs me, however: No Christian enjoys being controlled by sin; however, most are, even though God has provided us with the means to break sin’s power. He has provided THE CURE but most reject it! What is it? He released us from the Law! “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:56 NASB); “. . . for apart from the Law, sin is dead” (Romans 7:8b NASB).
What shall we say then?

A Divine Appointment!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
The following is one of the responses I received from yesterday’s perspective. I received permission to share it with you, so read it and “shout for joy”:

Mac, About the scriptures below, this will take some meditation to answer your question, because when I first read them, I took each one separately. However, after reading several times, there is a flow here...like a scriptural Map-Quest taking me where I want to go....

For example, separately, I have agreed with #4 many times, seeing it as condemning our present condition—yet, maybe that is not what it meant—maybe it was not us it was condemning...maybe the dirty dress that represents sin in my mind, is no longer MY dress...Also, previously, I have been confused by #6 and #7. I will try to explain. (yep, pour yourself some tea and pull up a chair)

Please know that no matter how I come off, Jesus and His precious blood have saved me, and I know He alone has done it, and yes, He gave me the faith to believe in Him, so absolutely nothing is of me. It is only because of the blood of the Lamb that I will go to heaven, and this was true before I read these verses today. The hymn is true, I love Jesus, because He first loved me—and I have been grateful for that for a long time.

However, as I sat in church yesterday, at one point (and only one point - don't remember which point), I was wondering, "is this simply semantics"? Yet, after church, as we talked with Kitty and Josh, and I shared the old analogy about the chicken who had its feet tied together, so that when they were untied, he did not attempt to fly, even though it could... (or some type of bird - can chickens even fly? sorry, not a country girl - oh well, you get what I am trying to say.) Kitty added the one about the fish in a tank, where they put a piece of glass in the middle of the tank, cutting the tank in half, for so long, and then they take it out. However, the fish does not attempt to swim to the other end of the tank, although there is no longer a barrier, because it just doesn't know it can...

So, does salvation mean more than I knew? Do I have a position, an identity....that I did not know I had? Can I fly or swim further than I knew? Did I think my Father left me a $1000, when He actually left me a BA-ZILLION DOLLARS??? Something is brewing here....

Anyway, today, there was something different as I read the verses, so I must think and pray about this further. Something happened in my spirit while reading, meaning, while I was reading #7, I realized I was smiling. That was the verse - the one that had caused such confusion before, and all of a sudden, it was like a, "Yes, that's it. This IS the truth," was resounding in me!

So, for now, things I have not been able to explain are starting to focus. I feel like the man who was blind, who Jesus touched, and then this man saw "men as trees". Consequently, Jesus touched the man again, so that He could see clearly. I am in the "seeing men as trees" stage,...but PTL, I now know the men look like trees, and I know there is more to see. And, I WANT to see clearly! - So, I am no longer blind, and I am convinced He will touch me again, so that I will see clearly before this journey is over...

So, Mac, I think you're on to something...coming to your church was and is a divine appointment....Some type of anticipation is brewing, like Christmas Eve for a child...
I think He has given us a much greater gift than I ever realized...just not sure what it is...
(You remember the old trick of starting out with a big gift box, and burying a smaller one in it, so the recipient does not know what you are giving them....Well, the Lord has refined this one, and put the big box inside a small one...not possible? He already did...when the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Savior of all mankind was placed in a baby in Bethlehem....but somehow, this gift is also meant to get inside our package...I think it's tied in with the "new wine in old wineskin" thing...

You know what this feels like? Helen Keller discovering that words were symbols that identified actual objects and weren't just words...that w-a-t-e-r represented water that you could feel...the light bulb is coming on...

As you might imagine, THIS is why I love teaching the gospel!!

A Few Good Verses!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
And a good Monday morning to each of you! Today, I want to offer you several “interesting” passages of Scripture for your consideration, so hang on for the ride:
1. “ . . . and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18 NASB ).
2. “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God . . .” (Romans 6:22a NASB).
3. “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6 NASB).
4. “But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me” (Romans 7:20 NASB).
5. “. . . knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6 NASB).
6. “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him” (1 John 3:6 NASB).
7. “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9 NASB).
Now, after having carefully read these passages, would you please write in your own words what you believe is their central truth and how that truth affects your life, and, then, please email your response to me?
Thank you so much!!

Beer, Pizza, and Bible Study

Friday, February 20, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yesterday’s perspective, the one in which I said, “Gosh, I think I’ll have a beer!”, must have been right on, as the response has been utterly astonishing! You made it very obvious that you are tired (and then some) of the hypocrisy of the church, especially its leaders. The next time I make that comment, I am going to say this: All of you, who want to join me for a beer, meet me at Joe’s Bar tonight at 7:00. Based on your response, I will have quite a lot of company! Now that I think about it, Joe’s Bar is probably not large enough!
Interestingly, I have for years now, wanted to have a Bible study in a bar, with free beer and pizza for everyone (I am pretty sure that Anheuser Bush would sponsor it!). Yes, I know that some would over-indulge, but they would over-indulge, even if they had to pay for the beer and pizza, and there was no Bible study. And, yes, (for those of you, who are worried about it) I would want to be sure that those, who did over-indulge, were provided with a ride home, even if they lived under a bridge. Just for the record, I am fully aware that drinking and driving is not only dangerous, but also foolish and irresponsible; trust me on this one, I have picked up more victims, both dead and alive, than probably all of you put together!
You might be wondering why I would want to do such an “out of the box” thing, so I will tell you: (1) I am convinced that Jesus did much of His ministry this way; otherwise, why would they have called Him a glutton and a winebibber?; (2) I am convinced that Jesus came for those who could not help themselves; otherwise, why would the gospel be a thing of grace?; (3) I love to irritate the religious, those who are quick to point a finger at those who drink alcohol, but never mention the thoughts of their own hearts (Jesus called these folks, hypocrites!); and finally (4) If I were ever stopped on the side of the road and needed help and I had only two choices, the bar on the north bound lane or the church on the south bound lane, I would choose the bar, not the church, and the reason should be obvious—the folk in the bar would be happy to help, expecting nothing in return; whereas, by the time the church finished evaluating my need and sharing their version of the “gospel” with me, as a stipulation for their help, the group at the bar, would have had me merrily on my way.
Listen to this: “And it came about on another Sabbath, that He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely, to see if He healed on the Sabbath, in order that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Rise and come forward!’ And he arose and came forward. And Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm, to save a life, or to destroy it?’ And after looking around at them all, He said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand!’ And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:6-11 NASB). I LOVE IT!
I really like this: “And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spend the whole night in prayer to God” (vs. 12). Believe me, I can surely empathize with Him, at least in this.
Anyone for beer, pizza and a Bible study?

Gosh! I Think I'll Have a Beer!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
I read with interest the article in this morning’s “Macon Telegraph” entitled, “Senate Panel Takes up Sunday Sales Bill.” For those of you who do not live in Georgia, we are one of three states that do not allow alcohol sales on Sunday, and as you might imagine, this creates quite a controversy. On the one hand, the owners of grocery stores, liquor stores, gas stations, and those who are addicted to alcohol are much in favor of allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday (and every other day, for that matter); whereas, Mothers Against Drunk Driving are passionately against it. The governor of Georgia, Sonny Purdue, who identifies himself as a “conservative” Christian, is also against it, primarily for two rea-sons: (1) it will increase injuries and fatalities on our highways; and (2) Sunday is the Lord’s Day and it should be respected as such. Of course, most of the rest of those who lay claim to being “conservative” Christians are also against it, as doing so would surely desecrate the Sabbath Day, the Lord’s Day.
Ironically, these buy their “Sunday stash” of alcohol on Friday or Saturday, which tells me it is the “purchasing” of alcohol on Sunday, that is their problem, not the drinking of it! Of course, that begs this question: What is the difference between purchasing alcohol on Sun-day and purchasing milk on Sunday, IF the purchasing, not the drinking, is the issue?
Actually, my mission today has nothing to do with my being “for” or “against” the sale of alcohol on Sunday; instead, it has to do with one of the reasons many “conservative Christians,” (including the Governor of Georgia) use to justify their being against selling alcohol on Sunday—“Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy.” I have no problem with anyone being against selling alcohol on any day, especially those whose lives have been torn asunder by the abuse of alcohol. I have no problem with anyone using legitimate statistics, as their reason for being against selling alcohol on Sunday, or Tuesday, for that matter. I have no problem with anyone being against selling alcohol on Sunday simply because the wind is blowing out of the North. I do, however, have a problem with anyone using the misuse of the Scriptures to legitimize their being against (or for) anything!
If you want to continue living, as an Old Covenant Christian, help yourself—be my guest! If you want to continue trying to keep the Ten Commandments in an effort to please God, to get His blessings, help yourself—be my guest! But for those of you, who are a bit weary in the effort, a bit tired of trying, more-than-tired of wearing a facade, I have some good news for you—you have been released from the Law, you are no longer under the Law’s jurisdiction, because you are under grace (see Romans 6:14!), and there is a significant difference.
Now, listen up! In the New Covenant the Sabbath is NOT a day in the week, but a Person, namely, the person of Jesus Christ, and I seriously doubt that we need to be concerned about “keeping Him Holy!” We live in The Sabbath, every day of every week! Jesus is our Sabbath Rest, not Sunday! When He finished His work, He sat down, not because He was tired, but because He was finished doing whatever needed to be done to deliver us from Old Covenant living and transfer us to New Covenant living!
Please, let us stop this nonsensical misuse of the Scriptures to legitimize our own preferences. Gosh, I think I will have a beer!

To Serve or to Be Served?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Sometimes, Biblical passages are so familiar to us, that it is hard for us to see anything, other than what we have already seen, and the following is no exception: “But Jesus called them [the disciples, especially James & John] unto Himself, and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whosoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’” (Matthew 20:25-28 NASB; brackets added).
In case you have forgotten, Jesus made this statement because the mother of James and John came to Him, asking (really, demanding!) that her two sons have places of honor in His kingdom—one to sit on His right hand and the other on His left hand. His immediate response was very forthright: “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink” (vs. 22a)? Their response, however, was a bit telling, if you know what I mean: “We are able” (vs. 22b). This reminds me of Israel’s response to Moses, when he relayed the Ten Commandments to them, telling them that should they keep them, God would bless them: “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do” (Exodus 19:8a)! Yea, right!
Because I know you are such an astute Bible student, I know that you can see the obvious in this: Be careful what you ask for because it might be more than you can handle! To say that another way: Be sure you brain is in gear before you put your mouth in motion! Great theological truths!
With that, Jesus proceeded on with the statement I gave you in the first paragraph, telling them some things they probably did not want to hear, certainly not in the moment. This is my paraphrase of what He said: The Gentile rulers got it all wrong in “lording it over” their subjects, in exercising such authority over them, because they believed that greatness came from having the best seats in the house, from controlling others, rather than serving them. This is not the way things work in My Kingdom. The fact is, in my kingdom, if you desire to become great, you must become a servant, a slave. In case you have forgotten, I came not to be served by you, but to serve you, and to give My life a ransom for yours.
Did you see it? Can you think outside the “box” and see what most never see? Go ahead and give it a try! It might be like the old Polaroid picture—slow to develop—but it will come. Be patient!
OK, I will help you. When you attend “church” this Sunday morning, to hear the Word of God preached, and to eat the bread and drink the wine of the Eucharist, remember this: He is there to serve you His Word, His Body, and His Blood; it is NOT the other way around. You should not attend church to serve Him; instead, you should attend to allow Him to serve you. When He has completed serving you, THEN you go out into your part of His world and serve others. He really does not need your help, BUT your neighbor does!

Another Milestone

Monday, February 16, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Wow! I made it past another milestone—my 67th birthday! For some reason, 67 sounds much older than 66; it has the “get your stuff in order because you are using up your years” ring to it, the ring that 66 did not have. Now, don’t misunderstand me, as I am not packing my bags for the trip Home; instead, I am, merely, telling you that I am older than I have ever been and younger than I will ever be. I might add that I am trying to focus on being “younger than I will ever be,” rather than being “older than I have ever been,” which is quite a challenge. My friend, Phil, who lives in the “show me” state of Missouri, reminded me of this last night, and I have been thinking about it ever since (I pay attention to his comments because he is much older than I).
Anyway, I thought I would share a few things with you that seem to be important to me, at this juncture in my journey:
1. After all of these years, I still believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, not the antics of man.
2. Without understanding “why,” I am fully convinced that God really did call me to preach the aforementioned gospel.
3. It took my getting over the religious teachings of my formative years before I could see it, but today I am confident (beyond question), that the gospel is not God’s unveiling of what we are to do for Him, but His announcement of what He has done for us.
4. After a life-time of attending organized church, not to mention 30 years as a pas-tor, I am fully-persuaded that it has become the enemy of the True Church, and that grieves me.
5. Even so, “I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that Day.”
6. In my opinion, God has given the preaching of His word and the celebration of the Eucharist a place of priority within His Church, that is much higher than most realize.
7. Although there have been times when it seemed otherwise, I know that God is in control—every time and all the time—and that is a source of great comfort to me.
8. Absolutely nothing can separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
9. True friendship is of far more value than great riches.
10. The older I become, the more I realize just how little I know about Him.
11. One of the most grievous mistakes a Bible teacher can make is to cease being a student.
12. Rather than evidencing little, or no faith, my doubting that evidences the genuineness of faith.
13. God descended to me, I did not ascend to Him—of this I am certain.
14. My sin debt has been canceled and nailed to the cross—I no longer bear it!
15. When I am deceived, I do not know that I am.
16. God chose me; I did not choose Him, and that is for certain.
17. Jesus rescued me from sin and death.
18. God’s prescience did not determine His choice in election.
19. My will is free to do righteousness because I am a slave to righteousness.
20. Keeping the Ten Commandments is a “piece of cake,” when compared to Jesus’ commandment for me to love others, even as He loves me!
I could go on-and-on, but suffice it to say that I am still enjoying the journey (for the most part), being fully persuaded that His grace is sufficient for me.

Two Crashes; One God

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
As most of you know, somewhere around 10:00 PM Thursday night, as Continental Airlines Flight 3407 approached the airstrip in Buffalo, NY., it fell from the sky, killing all 49 people on board in a fiery crash. In our high-tech society, the news of this tragic “accident” spread very quickly, and soon family members, friends, and most of the rest of us were not only grieving but also wondering how a good, God could allow such a terrible thing to happen.
On January 15, at 3:31 PM, almost one month earlier, US Airways Flight 1549 with 155 people on board “ditched” into the Hudson River in New York and everyone survived. In our high-tech society, the news spread very quickly, and soon survivors, family member, friends, and most of the rest of us were talking about how good, our Good God really is!
Notice that in paragraph one, I placed the word “accident” in quotes, and I did so for good reason: From God’s perspective, there are no accidents. God never scratches His head, wondering, “How did that happen?” He never says, “Gosh, if I had been paying attention, I could have prevented that tragedy from happening!” He certainly never says, “Oh, I am so sorry, but accidents do happen, you know.” No! God is in control every time and all the time! Obviously, I cannot speak for you, but for me that is good news—very good news!
It really is true: God is in control every time and all the time, and in much the same way, God is good every time and all the time. However, it oftentimes appears that God is not in control every time and all the time, and it also oftentimes appears that God is not good every time and all the time, the aforementioned airplane crash being a prime example of both. In the crash, where so many people died, our hearts want to say that God was either not paying attention and, therefore, not in control, or that He is, simply, not good, at least not all the time and every time.
To be sure, from our perspective, the outcome of the crash into the Hudson was, in-deed, good, really good—everyone survived; whereas, the outcome of the crash into a house in Buffalo was bad, really bad—no one survived. But, then, our perspectives are determined by our limited and twisted concepts of good and evil.
To be sure, God is good, every time and all the time; consequently, nothing happens, absolutely nothing, unless He deems it for His glory and for our good.

Jesus Learned Obedience from Suffering!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
The more I contemplate the passage I shared with you yesterday from Luke’s gospel, the one where an angel from Heaven was sent to strengthen Jesus in the moment of His own intense struggle with His Father’s plan for His life, the more it encourages me. Read these words again: “’Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:41-45 NASB; emphasis added). I really do believe that most of us find it difficult to accept the fact that Jesus really struggled when He encountered adversity. For some reason, we have a difficult time accepting His humanity, when the truth is, doing so would give us so much hope and encouragement. The author of Hebrews has this to say about Jesus’ humanity: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8 NASB; emphasis added).
Jesus learned obedience? What a novel idea. Not only that, He learned obedience from the things He suffered! This just blows my mind (No, this is not the first time I have read this passage, but it still blows my mind.)! We all know that He suffered, but His learning obedience from the things He suffered, is a bit much, especially for those of us who believe that obedience was not a problem for Him. In other words, contrary to popular opinion, Jesus came to live among us in perfect obedience to His Father, without an “ace in the hole!” He actually struggled, just as we struggle, so much so that God dispatched an angel to strengthen Him, to gently nudge Him across the line—“ . . . yet, not My will but Thine be done!” Hallelujah!
Listen up! God has a predetermined plan for your life (and mine!) and quite a bit of that plan involves our learning obedience from the things we suffer (if this was necessary for Jesus, it is, certainly, necessary for us!), but keep these words of Paul in mind: His strength is made perfect in our weakness, just as His strength was made perfect in Jesus’ weakness! “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). When I am suffering, I do not think “well content” is the correct descriptor for me, but remember, I am old and I am doing the best I can! (=:

Anyone Believe in Angels?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
In yesterday’s perspective, I said this: Coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. To be sure, it is one thing for me to say that I trust God; however, it is quite another for me to truly trust Him. Oh, I can talk-the-talk, but walking-this-walk, well, it is too difficult for me.
Because I know the mentality of many of the “religious” church-goers of our day, I am certain that there are those who would say that they are so “sold-out-to-Jesus,” that they live in this place of “compliant surrender” twenty-four-seven. Well, I do, too, when things are going my way, but when they are not going my way, it is a different story; rest assured that one would be hard-pressed to describe my response to adversity as “compliant surrender.” In other words, I am very familiar with Paul’s “kicking against the goads” (Acts 26:14)!”
Were it not for what I know about Jesus’ own struggle with “compliant surrender,” mine would probably do me in, as there have been many times in my life, when I was bombarded by adversity, the present being no exception, and without exception, I have proved to be a weenie. Jesus’ experience in the Garden of Gethsemane has been a source of genuine encouragement for me: “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:41-45 NASB; emphasis added).
Have you ever wondered why He needed the help of an angel to get Him through this struggle? He did because He was STRUGGLING, in the same way that we struggle, almost to the point of trying to find a way to avoid God’s predetermined plan for His life!
Anyone believe in angels?

Does God Really Have a Plan?

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is a portion of what Peter had to say about God’s foreknowledge and His predetermined plan: “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:22-24 NASB; emphasis added). You can rest assured of this: If Jesus’ life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating was the result of God’s foreknowledge and predetermined plan, THEN the details of your life are, certainly, no surprise to Him! Count on this: You are living precisely what God foreknew and predetermined for your life and, I might add, this is NOT subject to change.
Based, however, upon the way most of us react to adversity, it is obvious that we think we have the ability to change, avoid, even eliminate God’s predetermined plan for our lives, and, thus, modify what He foreknew.
Not only that, but most of us honestly think it is in our best interest to do so! For some reason, we seem to believe that we know better that God what is best for our lives; consequently, when adversity comes, we immediately begin the futile attempt at getting God to change His mind and do what we think is best, rather than what He thinks is best.
Furthermore, many honestly believe it would not have been fair for God to have preplanned our lives, as His doing so would have reduced us to mere puppets, which would rob us of our “free will,” and this would certainly not be fair; after all, we are “free moral agents” (or so we think!). All I can say in response is this: the last thing we want from God is for Him to be fair! We had better trust that He continues to be merciful, rather than fair!
What I am saying is this: For many (most), it is fine for God to have foreknowledge, even perfect foreknowledge, but it is NOT fine for Him to have a predetermined plan for our lives! As one of my friends recently said, “In my opinion, God’s predetermined plan determined His foreknowledge, not the other way around,” which in my opinion is probably correct, and if it is, we should hurry and get used to it. I will say this: I had much rather know that God has a predetermined plan for my life, than to think that I am wandering aimlessly, trying to exercise my “free will” in an effort to have my own way.
Let us look at an example: God planned and, therefore, obviously, foreknew that John Doe would break his leg by stumbling over his lawn mower on July 10, 2008. Obviously, if God planned in advance (before the foundation of the world!) that this event would take place, then it took place, just as He and planned, thus, foreknew.
From what I can see, most people have no problem with God having foreknowledge of this event; the problem comes, however, when someone even hints that He caused this event, that His predetermined plan and foreknowledge determined this event, and it comes because we do not want anyone, even God, to exercise this kind of control over our lives. It makes us feel trapped, and we detest that feeling.
To say that God allowed something, is one thing; to say that He caused it, is quite another, and it is because it eliminates any control we might think we have over our lives! As I said earlier, it robs us of our perceived “free will”.
To be sure, when we begin to realize that His plan for us is contrary to what we de-sire for our lives, many (if not, most) of us begin doing whatever we can to avoid, change, even eliminate His plan! Of course, the way to accomplish this is simple—“have enough faith!” After all, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains! Reminder: He has instructed us to ASK, but He has never instructed us to DEMAND anything from Him—faith or no faith.
Even so, I do have this question: If it is true that God allows ONLY that which He (He, not we!) deems best to come into our lives, that which is for His glory and for our good, why, pray tell me, would we want to do anything to avoid or change or eliminate it? Why would we want to remove a “mountain” that He has placed, or allowed to be placed, into our lives for His glory and for our good?
Even if you cannot accept that God actually brought an adverse event into your life, surely you have to accept that He allowed it to come into your life (He is God, you know!), and surely you believe that everything that happens in your life must first filter through His loving, compassionate, just hands—everything! If this is true, then why are we so quick to try to escape the adversity?
As I said in an earlier perspective, coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. To be sure, it is one thing for me to say that I trust God; however, it is quite another for me to truly trust Him. Oh, I can talk-the-talk, but walking-this-walk, well, it is too difficult for me. I really am a weenie but don’t be too hard on me because you probably aren’t much different! If you think you are, just hang around a while and He will change your mind!
As you journey, remember these words of Paul: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NASB). You might want to keep this in mind, as well: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NASB).

How 'bout Them Apples?

Monday, February 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
I had a brief exchange with my Calvinist friend yesterday afternoon, following this email he sent me earlier in the day: Now my good brother Mac, Joseph Arminius would certainly be proud of you! You know full well that God is not manipulated by what we choose. In other words, God is not subject unto us, moreover, we are subject unto Him. When He calls, we must come! You know I am a "died in the wool" Calvinist-as are you! Prior to my diligent study of the Scriptures, I was Arminian. Any good student of the Scriptures must embrace the intertwined doctrines of Election, Foreknowledge, and Predestination. God has predetermined the boundary, which is defined by the person of Christ. To be in Christ is to be one of the elect, according to the foreknowledge of God. Ephesians 1 is good proof text for this discussion. In my opinion, God's election determined His foreknowledge and not the other way around. The elect are foreordained of God with a destiny of full and final salvation realized in Glorification (Romans 8). In short, God has chosen in His sovereignty to lavish upon me the riches of His grace, realized in the conformity to the very likeness of His precious Son. I am not there yet, however, He is able to complete that good work which HE has begun in me. How 'bout them apples?
You can rest assured that Mr. Arminius would NOT have been proud of this Calvinist, aka, Mac Goddard, not even one bit; in fact, he wouldn’t even have allowed me to attend his church (not that I would have wanted to!). Of course, my Calvinist friend knows this and knows it well; the truth is Mr. Arminius wouldn’t have allowed him to attend his church, either! Well, he might have allowed him to put some money in his offering plate, but that would have been about the extent of it.
To tell you the truth, I really love my Calvinist friend, and I am continuing to pray for him, as he listens to that still small voice. Presently, he is having to drive almost 6 hours (one way) to work, to do something he really does not want to do, but both he and his family like eating, so he does what he has to do. He has a calling on his life, along with the God-given passion that would naturally accompany it. I am looking forward to seeing just what the Holy Spirit has in store for him. Rest assured (to use my friend’s own words!), nothing ever occurs to God! In other words, my friend does not have to wait for it to “occur” to God that he is, as a “fish out of water!” Much to the contrary, He has perfect foreknowledge and a predetermined plan for his life and, I might add, this predetermined plan is for God’s glory and for my friend’s good! Eye has not seen, neither has in entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him! How ‘bout them apples?

Did God's Foreknowledge Determine His Choice in Election?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
I received the following email from someone, who is obviously encouraged by these recent perspectives; I think you will appreciate it: That God would have the foreknowledge to know what this old woman would be and do and become; what she has been and is and will be, and, yet, still loves me so much that he would not only choose even me, but also accomplish what He did on that cross to cancel out all those sins that would have kept me separated from Him forever, is so totally amazing to me. These truths give me the awareness of humility I wish I had known, or at least wanted to know , before it all began. Tell us more— CC
The “tell us more” part is the challenge, so let me be on with it. I realize that most Christians believe, strongly believe!, that God’s foreknowledge DID determine His choice in election. In other words, God looked down the corridors of time and saw something “good” in some of us, namely, that we exercised our “free will” and accepted His offer of salvation, and, thus, He chose us, i.e. He chose those He foreknew would choose Him. Sometimes (most of the time), it is not a good idea to accept something as truth simply because most people believe it is truth. I might add, from what I have been able to see, many of those, who accept this position, do so based on some inner feeling, rather than on objective truth.
Contrary to popular opinion, I am persuaded that God’s foreknowledge did NOT determine His choice in election, and the reasons are many, not the least of which is that by virtue of the fact that God is God, His choices are not contingent upon anything, certainly not our decisions. To say that God’s decision to choose me was contingent upon my decision to choose Him, forever excludes me from salvation, because I would never have chosen Him, apart from His having first chosen me and given me His life. In other words, my choosing Him can come ONLY after regeneration, not before. I am born again, so I can believe, not the other way around! Yes, I am familiar with the answer Paul and Silas gave to the Philippian jailer in response to his question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”. This is a direct quote: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, and your household” (Acts 16:31; NASB). Admittedly, this seems to contradict what I just said; however, it does not. Obviously, one must believe on the Lord Jesus in order to be saved [“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)], but do NOT put the cart before the horse. One cannot believe on his own; in fact, he doesn’t even want to believe, until “by grace through faith” He is given the life of Christ. You see, salvation has to do with what God has done, NOT what we have done. We really do need to get over ourselves! You think about this, and I will continue on the morrow—

A Half Century Ago

On June 6, 1960 three of us in this picture graduated from Reynolds High School, home of the Tigers! The oldest looking (second from left) graduated in June of 1959--50 years ago. Although, our lives have gone in different directions, we have remained close friends through the years. Last night (2/6/209), some 13 of us gathered at the Grits Cafe in Forsyth to eat and fellowship. Afterward, we moved to the home of Brer, aka Lamar and Carey Russell for desert. We had a blast! You should have been with us! It would have made your study of theology much more interesting![l-r: Hollis Goodroe, Brer Russell, Gene Brunson, Mac Goddard]

God's Choice in Election

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? In my opinion, it is impossible to read the Scriptures without realizing that God chose His elect. Yes, I know that there are many, who will disagree with me; nevertheless, “Here I stand; I can do no other,” to use the words of Martin Luther. There is simply too much evidence for me to believe otherwise: (1) “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days” [Mark 13:20; NASB; emphasis added]; (2) “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; . . .” [John 13:18a; NASB; emphasis added]; (3) “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” [John 15:16a; NASB; emphasis added]; (4) “. . . and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” [Acts 13:48b; NASB; emphasis added]; (5) “. . . just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . .” [Ephesians 1:4a; NASB; emphasis added]; (6) “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation . . .” [2 Thessalonians 2:13b; NASB; emphasis added]; (7) “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved . . .” [Colossians 3:12; NASB; emphasis added]; (8) “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those . . . who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . .” [1 Peter 1:1-2a: NASB; emphasis added]; (9) “. . . to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son . . . and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” [Romans 8:28-30; NASB; emphasis added]. Indeed, there is simply too much evidence for me to believe anything less than God’s sovereign choice in election.
The question before us, however, is this: Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? In other words, from our vantage point, it would seem that God had some reason for choosing His elect, and my question is, did He simply choose those that He foreknew would choose Him? Did God take a long look down the corridors of time and see every person who would comprise the human race, and in seeing them, know (foreknow) who would choose Him and who would not, and simply choose those that He knew would eventually choose Him? Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election?
You think about this and I will continue on the morrow—

God Causes . . .?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5; NASB).

Friday, February 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
We live, as if we can somehow avoid, change, even eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of God’s foreknowledge, of His predetermined plan for our lives—we really do. Not only that, it appears that we honestly think it is in our best interest to do so! Furthermore, many honestly believe it would not have been fair for God to have preplanned our lives, as His doing so would have reduced us to mere puppets. In other words, for many it is fine for God to have foreknowledge, even perfect foreknowledge, but it is NOT fine for His prescience to have any influence over the events that happen in our lives. After all, He has given us “free will,” or so we are taught (and it feels so good to believe that, that we do!).
Take this for example: In His foreknowledge, God knew that John Doe would break his leg by stumbling over his lawn mower on July 10, 2008. Obviously, if God knew in advance (even before the foundation of the world!) that this event would take place, then it took place, just as He foreknew it would. Surely, no one would have a problem with this! The problem comes, however, when someone even hints that God’s foreknowledge determined this event, and it comes because we do not want even to think that anyone, even God, has this kind of control over our lives. To say that He allowed it, is one thing; to say that He caused it, is quite another, and it is because it eliminates any control we might think we have over our lives! To be sure, when we realize that His plan for us is contrary to what we desire for our lives, many (if not, most) of us begin doing whatever we can to avoid, change, even, sometimes, eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of His foreknowledge! Of course, the way to accomplish this is simple—have enough faith! After all, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains!
Even so, I do have this question: If it is true that God allows ONLY that which He (He, not we!) deems best, His ultimate good, to come into our lives, why, pray tell, would we want to do anything to avoid it? Why would we want to remove a “mountain” that He has placed, or allowed to be placed, into our lives for His glory and for our good?
As I said yesterday, coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. To be sure, it is one thing for me to say that I trust God; however, it is quite another for me to truly trust Him. Oh, I can talk-the-talk, but walking-this-walk, well, it is too difficult for me. I’m a weenie!
Having said all of that, I leave you with this question: Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? You think about this and I will continue on the morrow-

Trust in the Lord?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5; NASB).

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Continuing on from yesterday. I think it is safe for me to assume that most of you will agree that nothing happens in this universe unless God permits it—the good, the bad, and the indifferent (if there is such thing). Furthermore, I think it is safe for me to assume that most of you also believe that God has perfect foreknowledge, i.e. He knows exactly what He will permit to happen, when He will permit it to happen, how it will happen, where it will happen, and who will be affected by its happening. Moreover, I think you will agree that He permits nothing to happen unless He considers it “good” that it happen, not necessarily the act itself, but the events that surround the act. In other words, I think you will agree that He permits nothing to happen that would fall outside the parameters of Paul’s declaration that “ . . . God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28; NASB; emphasis added). Even so, it seems to me that most Christians sincerely believe that they somehow have the power to avoid, prolong, change, or eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of God’s foreknowledge.
I will be the first to admit that there are times when avoiding or prolonging or changing, even eliminating what is obviously God’s plan for my life, seems like the only sane thing to do, especially for someone, such as I, whose pain threshold is rather low, who doesn’t even like to be inconvenienced. However, when I step back a bit and take another look, I always have to ask myself this: Why am I attempting to skirt around what is, obviously, God’s plan for me? Why do I want to avoid what He desires for me? Whatever my selfish reason might be, I must hasten to tell you that the most foolish thing a Christian can do is to attempt to avoid that which God has predetermined for his life. My attempting to do so can mean ONLY one thing: I really do not trust God. Well, let me adjust that just a bit: I do trust Him, but I trust Him to do what He deems best for me, not what I deem best for me.
The truth is this: Coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. Even after 60+ years as a Christian, there are still many occasions in my life, when I catch myself futilely trying to manipulate around what I know is His best for me. Thankfully, He keeps on loving me, nonetheless!
Be patient with me, though, because I am old, and I am doing the best I can! Under-stand? I thought you would. (=:

Clarity or Trust (part III)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Hopefully, you gave yesterday’s perspective some thought, and are now ready for this one. Before I begin, however, I do want to make this comment: Some of you indicated in your responses that you thought Jesus “bizarre behavior” was due to the fact that He did not know what His Father was doing, that He did not know the what, when, how, where, and why of His Father’s plan for His life. In other words, His humanity trumped His deity, and, consequently, He was doing what any reasonable person would do; He was trying to dodge the unexpected and terrifying “bullets” that were so often fired at Him. In my opinion, this is far from the truth; admittedly, however, His behavior certainly prompts us to think this way. In my mind, the answer is simple: Jesus was very careful, very selective, in choosing the collateral battles He fought and for good reason—He would not be, nor did He want His followers to be, distracted from the significance of His reaching the cross at the “right time.” Everything else about His life was secondary to that mission—everything.
Sadly, the church has chosen to make the cross secondary, even tertiary, even qua-ternary to everything else, especially its theology. The truth is, the cross has become nothing more than a shiny, gold or silver (even wooden) symbol that some folk wear around their necks. What these crosses symbolize is far-removed from the true significance of the cross, which, now that I think about it, is probably why people wear them. To be sure, there is nothing about the cross, the one upon which Jesus died, that is appealing to man’s flesh—absolutely nothing.
Regardless of how it might appear, Jesus came not only to do His Father’s will, but also to do it at the “right” time—nothing more, nothing less—and He would not be distracted from that mission. Tempted? Absolutely! Distracted? Never!
Now, to move on. Actually, I raised this question, not because I am so concerned about Jesus’ “bizarre” behavior, but because I am so concerned about our bizarre behavior, our doing everything we possibly can, in order to avoid God’s sovereign, predetermined plan for our lives. If we cannot avoid it, altogether, then let us at least be late for the show! To be sure, we do NOT always know the what, when, how, where, and why of His plan for our lives, but we are very good at anticipating the very worst scenario (worst, according to our desires!) and when we do, we are just as quick to begin to attempt to manipulate around what we do not want to face, especially if it involves a cross. Interestingly, Jesus carried out His “bizarre” behavior, in order (steadfastly) to make His way to the worst of the worst—the cross; we, however, carry out our bizarre behavior in order to avoid what we perceive to be the worst of the worst (of course, for us this changes daily, even more often), which, interestingly, always proves to be His very best for us. His predetermined plan for our lives is nothing short of His very best for us—every time and always.
Not to worry, as He will keep us on His schedule, just as He kept His Son on His schedule! I appreciate what the songwriter had to say: “He makes all things beautiful in His time!”

Clarity or Trust (part II)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen” (He-brews 11:1; NASB; emphasis added).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
In following up on yesterday’s perspective, my question is this: In light of the fact that Jesus trusted His Father, even His predetermined plan for His life—absolutely, unequivocally—how do we explain His bizarre behavior? On the one hand, we know that Jesus was fully God and, consequently, He knew what God was going to do, when He was going to do it, how He was going to do it, where He was going to do it, and why He was going to do it; this cannot be denied. On the other hand, Jesus was fully man; albeit, a man, who unlike every other man, perfectly trusted His Father. Even so, His will was often in opposition to His Father’s will (“For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38; NASB; emphasis added); “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet, not My will but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42; NASB; emphasis added). To say that another way, Jesus did not allow His being God, to strengthen in any way His being a man. In fact, He was tempted, just as we are, yet, and thankfully, He never sinned (“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15; NASB; emphasis added).
Before I go any further with this, I do want to make this disclaimer: Although Jesus was fully man, He did NOT bear the seed of Adam; otherwise, in our new birth experience, He would have simply passed those sinful seed on to us, and, consequently, He could not have been our Redeemer, He could not have rescued us from sin and death because He would have been a sinner Himself.
In my opinion, we sometimes place so much emphasis on Jesus’ Deity, that we forget His humanity. Somehow, we do not seem to be able to enough make room in our belief systems for Jesus to have been a real, honest-to-goodness man; One who struggled to overcome temptation, just as we struggle; One who did not always easily submit to God’s will. In the end, then, we have a very difficult time explaining His aforementioned “bizarre behavior”!
You think about this and I will continue on the morrow-

Clarity or Trust (part I)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen” (He-brews 11:1; NASB; emphasis added).
Monday, February 2, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Although the Scriptures make it very clear that God is sovereign—in charge and in control all the time and every time—there are several passages that depict Jesus behaving as if He believes otherwise. Take a look at the following examples:
“But the Pharisees went out, and counseled together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to make Him known” (Matthew 12:14-15; NASB). Is Jesus attempting to run away from His enemies? Does He really believe that God is sovereign?
“And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed: . . .” (Mark 3:6-7; NASB; emphasis added). Again, has Jesus somehow forgotten that His Father is in charge and in control, every time and all the time? Does He believe that His enemies can somehow thwart God’s plan for His life?
“And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him” (John 7:1; NASB; emphasis add-ed). What is going on? Is Jesus afraid that those who were seeking to kill Him could somehow overpower His Father? Has He forgotten that His father is omnipotent?
I must hasten to say, that in all of my reading, I have never read any Biblical scholar who even acknowledged, much less attempted to address, the significant issue of these passages—Jesus’ apparent lack of trust in His Father and in His sovereignty. In these passages (and others), it is very difficult not to conclude that Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God, the man to whom all authority had been given is making every effort to avoid those who would try to kill Him before His appointed time. It is as if He believed they had some kind of power over Him, a power that could override the predetermined plan of the Sovereign God, a power that could somehow alter God’s predetermined time for His crucifixion.
This is, to say the least, intriguing because I know-for-certain that He knew that nothing, nor anyone could alter His appointed time to die—“at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6b; NASB). YOU THINK ABOUT THIS AND I WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW.

Attracting the Masses or God's Elect?

Thursday, January 30, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The Scriptures are rather clear regarding God’s calling for Paul (the apostle): “ . . . he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Having read that, I am assuming that this means that his assignment was to spread the good news of Jesus (the Gospel!) throughout a major part of the world and to quite a diverse group of people.
After a careful reading Paul’s writings, it is obvious that my assumption is correct, as he traveled miles and miles and miles, over land and sea, doing just that he was born to do. However, he had a very strange way of doing it. To say the very least, he would have failed “Evangelism 101” in anyone’s modern-day seminary. It appears that he did everything possible to discourage people from buying-in” to his cause, rather than doing what he could to encourage people to join his cause! It seems to me that, at the very least, he could have told them what a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous life they could have, if only they would invite Jesus into their hearts. This was not to be; in fact, he did just the opposite.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of god, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:16-18; NASB; emphasis added). Yes, indeed, if God had called me to “win the world for Jesus,” to bear His name to the multitudes, this is precisely the approach I would use. Yea, right!! I can hear the invitation now: If you will just invite Jesus into your heart, I can promise you a lifetime of incredible, gut-wrenching suffering, but, not to worry, because the suffering you will be called upon to endure cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed to you in the sweet by-and-by! Come on down—confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being con-formed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11; NASB; emphasis, added). This one should really get the job of evangelism done; why, I cannot imagine a more effective invitation. I can hear it now: If you will just give your heart to Jesus, I can promise you that you will not only suffer the loss of all the things you have gained, you will suffer the loss of everything, and count all of the loss as dung! I can also promise you that you will be blessed to join in the fellowship of HIS sufferings, even be conformed to HIS death! Come on down! Walk the aisle! Confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
I could go on and on, but I will stop here, however, before I do, let me remind you that Jesus’ modus operandi was worse than Paul’s ever thought about being—much worse!
My question: Why does the church think it must turn the offensive gospel into some-thing less offensive? Why does the church think it is acceptable to present the gospel to the masses in a way that will attract them? Why does the church think it must remove the stumbling stone, the rock of offense, from the gospel? Does it not know that that stone, that rock, is Jesus? A better question: Where did the church get permission to turn the offensive gospel into some fairy tale that guarantees health, wealth, happiness, prosperity, and suffering-free living? It does NOT have that permission!
Yesterday, one of my church members, responding to one of my perspectives, said this: You always bring us back to the cross. I responded to him with this: You just handed me the highest compliment I have ever received, as a preacher. I meant that be-cause I sincerely believe the church needs to bring her people back to the cross—the offensive, rugged cross—sermon after sermon after sermon.
The church has never been called to tell people how to live a better life; instead, it has been called to preach the offensive gospel! It has never been commissioned to “do whatever it can to attract the masses”; instead, it has been commissioned to offend the masses with the glorious truth of the Gospel.
Religion attracts the masses and offends God’s elect; the Gospel offends the masses and attracts God’s elect. Go figure-

Instructions or The Good News?

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
To be sure, the Pharisees were zealously committed to the Scriptures (the part they had!) but they missed the point: THE BIBLE IS NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR HOLY LIVING! Regardless, the Jewish leaders were fully persuaded that the Bible was their “Handbook to Happiness!” They had (in their opinions!) correctly interpreted the Law (of Moses, aka The Ten Commandments); consequently, all their followers had to do in order to please God, to be happy, to live a “blessed” life, to avoid the penalty for sin, to have eternal life was to read and, then, obey the instruction manual. How simple could it get? As a test, try obeying the 210 Rules for Keeping the Sabbath Holy, that they had to obey. On second thought, go back and read the book of Leviticus and just try to understand the rules, forget about trying to obey them! Let me know how you do.
So much for the Pharisees. What about the typical, modern-day Christian? Oh, to be sure, we are zealously committed to the Scriptures, and like the Pharisees, we (for the most part) sincerely believe that we will find not only eternal life in them, but also happiness, blessings, prosperity, health, et al. Interestingly, this is the very thing that Jesus was at-tempting to correct for the Pharisees, so maybe we, too, should pay attention. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life” (John 5:39-40; NASB).
Folks, when we reduce the Bible to life’s instruction manual, we trivialize it into nothing more than “good ideas for better living,” making man the central character, rather than Jesus. Yes, the Scriptures contain many good instructions for our lives, instructions that, when followed, can make an incredibly positive difference in our lives. Consider these as examples: “Pray for your enemies”; “Owe no man anything but to love one another”; “Judge not, that you be not judged”; “Be kind to one another”; and “Do all things without grumbling”.
Now be honest: Of all the sermons you have heard, how many were crafted in such a manner, as to present the Bible as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living? How many times have you heard something similar to this, as you listened to a sermon: Obey these three principles and your marriage will improve; or obey these five principles and you will be financially free; or obey these seven (perfect number) principles and your children will make you proud. I am betting that most of what you have heard (with the possible exception of “revival week”) falls into this framework. Of course, you have to find out the “hard way” that following the principles does NOT always produce the promised result.
Until the Holy Spirit allowed me to see the Scriptures as the revelation of Jesus, the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I saw them as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living; consequently, I read them, studied them, and preached them to that end. How often I have wished I could somehow “undo” the damage I did, especially to those who were on the receiving end of my study and preaching.
When, however, He allowed me to see that to which I was blinded, the Scriptures came alive to me; for the first time in my life, they were making sense to me. I realized that I had had the “cart before the horse”! I realized that what people needed to hear was not how to live a better life; instead, they (we!) needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, IT is the power of God for salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification)—to the Jew first but also to the Greek (Gentile)!
For some reason, the church today seems to think that once the Gospel is preached and believed, it is then time to give instructions on how to live the Christian life. Sadly, even the “gospel” is often preached in terms that communicate this tragic and false message: Becoming a Christian and, then, living a life that is pleasing to God will guarantee a better, happier life, in the here and now. In my opinion, this is tragic! Why? Because it is NOT true! Ask Paul!
In my opinion, The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be preached often, as in very often, not only to the lost, but also (and especially) to believers! Why? Because it is so easy to be manipulated into using the Bible, merely as an instruction manual, and losing sight of this fundamental truth: God has a much higher dream for my life (and yours) than mere happiness in the here and now. His dream for me is that I find ultimate fulfillment in the Person of Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Scriptures, even the Gospel. I must be reminded that Jesus is the main character in the Scriptures, the One who came, not to give me a book of instructions, but to rescue me from sin and death!