The Call to Quit

September 29, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
No, the hourly “ejaculations” to which Whitefield referred meant to “exclaim something suddenly,” not what some of you apparently thought. Now that I have that cleared up, let us move on to things a bit more theological, as opposed to illogical (I actually had someone ask me to remove her name from my perspective list!).
This past Sunday, as I was having lunch with some folk, one of them (right out of the clear blue sky) asked me if God hadn’t released me from preaching. No, this person is not one of my flock; in fact, I don’t think she has ever heard me preach, other than at a funeral service, so I am not sure what prompted her question. No one has ever asked me that question before! I must admit, however, that since then, I have done quite a bit of thinking about her question.
I guess I could be paranoid and believe that some of my flock found out that we were having lunch and put her up to asking me the question, hoping that I would come to my senses and retire, but I ain’t paranoid. Who is that following me, anyway?
Yes, I am rather old, especially for a man of my age, but I do still have a pulse and most of the time, I can read and write. Admittedly, I probably don’t, put all the, commas in the, correct, places, but I do, try. I will be the first to admit that the passive voice is some-times used by me, when the active voice should have been used, but who cares? John was hit by the ball—regardless. You can accuse me of doing so, if you so choose, but I never use split infinitives, to so do would be humiliating. And I never begin a sentence with “and,” and furthermore a preposition is something I never end a sentence with!
The fact that I lost my voice immediately after lunch is probably significant, but that just occurred to me, so I haven’t had time to process it. If it doesn’t return by Sunday, I will probably begin to think that this woman was a messenger from God, trying to tell me that I need to throw in the towel.
Admittedly, my congregation is small, consequently, I don’t preach to a very large crowd, which should probably tell me something, as well; you know, something like, “If your preaching days weren’t over, you would have a crowd of people standing in a long line waiting with eager anticipation to hear you preach.”
On the positive side, I can remember John 3:16, not to mention, Hebrews 10. That should count for something! If my memory serves me correctly, I can still quote most of Romans 5, 6, 7, & 8, as well as John 14 & 15, but my memory might not be serving me correctly. I think I can even name from memory the books of the Bible—all 26 of them, or was it 46?
Praise God! Hallelujah! Justification by faith! And God bless Abraham! That woman is not going to talk me out of preaching, and that is that! I might finally wind up with a room full of empty pews, but I will preach to them. Heck, a few of those who attend now, sleep through the entire sermon (but they do tell me how much they enjoyed it; go figure!), so what is new!?
I remember when God called me to preach the gospel but I do NOT remember Him calling me to quit, so I ain’t!

Keeping a List

September 28, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

For reasons that would probably seem strange to most people, I am reading Arnold Dallimore’s book, “George Whitefield: The life and times of the great evangelist of the 18th century revival” and I am loving every page of it (all 600 of them!).
As you may (or may not) know, he was a contemporary with John & Charles Wesley and they were all the better for it. Although it took some time for God to reveal the truth to Whitefield, when he finally saw it, his life was forever changed. The following is a quote from this book (p. 80) that he entered into his diary after his conversion but before the Lord revealed the doctrines of grace to him. It is a list of criteria which he used each night as a basis of judging himself on his actions during the day. Sadly, he faithfully carried out this exercise primarily out of his fear of having to face the judgment seat of God without suffi-cient assets in his account to satisfactorily please God.
Have I,
1. been fervent in private prayer?
2. used stated hours of prayer?
3. used ejaculation every hour?
4. after or before every deliberate conversation or action, considered how it might tend to God’s glory?
5. after any pleasure, immediately given thanks?
6. planned business for the day?
7. been simple and recollected in everything?
8. been zealous in undertaking and active in doing what good I could?
9. meek, cheerful, affable in everything I said or did?
10. been proud, vain, unchaste, or enviable of others?
11. been recollected in eating and drinking? Thankful? Temperate in sleep?
12. taken time for giving thanks according to Law’s rules?
13. been diligent in studies?
14. thought or spoken unkindly of anyone?
15. confessed all sins?
This is what Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-29).
Of this I am certain: the only people who ever experience what Jesus said in this passage are those who are blessed to have been given eyes to see the doctrines of grace. The rest simply continue adding to Whitefield’s list.

On Missing the Point and Purpose

Mac's Perspective on the Intricacies of God’s Amazing Grace

September 17, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is what the apostle, Paul, said in that infamous, albeit often misunderstood, third chapter of his second letter to the church at Corinth, where he so aptly contrasts the Old and New Covenants: “But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:14-17 NASB).
In other words, their minds hardened and their hearts veiled, they missed the point and purpose of the Law. Their only hope for understanding and for freedom—for having the veil removed—was in their turning to Jesus and they weren’t about to make that turn.
Because their minds were hardened and their hearts veiled, they completely missed these life-changing truths: (1) In verse 7 the Law of Moses is called “the ministry of death” and, therefore, contrasted (in vs. 8) with “the ministry of the Spirit; (2) In verse 9 the Law of Moses is called “the ministry of condemnation” and, therefore, contrasted (in the same verse) with “the ministry of righteousness”; (3) In Romans 8:2 “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is contrasted with “the law of sin and death.”
In other words, because their minds were hardened and their hearts veiled, they could not and would not accept the truths that would set them free and allow them with unveiled face to behold, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, and to be transformed into the same image from glory to glory. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 2”17-18 NASB).
In their minds, Paul, in calling the Law of Moses the ministry of death, the ministry of condemnation, and the law of sin and death, qualified as a heretic. There is no wonder he was on their “hit” list!
From what I have been able to observe, “they” are not the only people who have missed the point and purpose of the Law. Have you missed it? Are you using it as your means to justification and righteousness and freedom? If you are, you, too, have missed its point and purpose.

On Being a Good Samaritan

September 16, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
As you have probably figured out by now, I am an avid fan of Robert Capon’s writings, so without apology, I offer this as another example of his ability [Kingdom, Grace, Judgment” p. 213-214]: “For if the world could have been saved by providing good examples to which we could respond with appropriately good works, it would have been saved an hour and twenty minutes after Moses came down from Mr. Sinai. ‘For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe’ (Galatians 3:21-22 KJV). Do you see the problem? Salvation is not some felicitous state to which we can lift ourselves by our own bootstraps after the contemplation of sufficiently good examples. It is an utterly new creation into which we are brought by our death in Jesus’ death and our resurrection in His. It comes not out of our own efforts, however well-inspired or successfully pursued, but out of the shipwreck of all human effort whatsoever.”
Capon wrote this in reference to his treatment of the passage we know as the story of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37). Among other things, he is attempting to show that the main character in this story (parable) is not the good Samaritan, but the man who found himself in the ditch and half-dead. In other words, the example we need to follow is not the one of the Good Samaritan, but the one of the half-dead man in the ditch, who was helpless to help himself.
You see, if we are not careful (and most of us are not, when it comes to theology), we will find ourselves placing the Samaritan on a pedestal, and believing, much like the Galatians, that Jesus is essential, but our good deeds are also necessary for our salvation. The fact is this: Our good deeds are like filthy rags! “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; . . .” (Isaiah 64:6a NASB).
Just as a reminder, both the priest and the Levite saw the man in the ditch as being unclean—spiritually and physically—which is why they conveniently pass on by him. It never dawned upon them that the man they saw in the ditch was really themselves.
It is also noteworthy that Jesus offered this parable in response to the Lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?”, and He ended it with this question: “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands”? In other words, Jesus placed the lawyer in the ditch, in an effort to help him understand his desperate need for Someone, namely the One who was speaking to him, to do for him what he could never do for himself!
Unfortunately, I don’t think he ever got the message.
Sadly, from what I can see, even today, most never get the message.
For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law, but. . .

What Are We to Believe?

September 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Bible study, to say the least, is quite challenging, especially in light of the fact that there are so many varied translations—NIV, NASB, KJ, NKJ, AMP, RSV, NRSV, ASV, to mention a few. In spite of all the good intentions of the various translators, it is virtually impossible for any of them to translate without theological bias; consequently, not every passage is translated in accordance with the original manuscripts. If you do not believe me, read, Ro-mans 5, 6, 7, & 8 in both the NIV and the NASB. I think the proof is in the tasting of the pudding, as someone much wiser than I has already indicated.
Since most of us are neither Hebrew nor Greek scholars, about all we can do is de-pend on those who are scholars for some understanding of the original manuscripts. Unfortunately, those who are scholars are biased—every last one of them—so we must be careful about jumping to theological conclusion and, then, casting the conclusion into cement.
Now, I do not want to be misunderstood, so listen up: I preach and teach from the Scriptures, and I do so because I am absolutely convinced that they are the inspired, inerrant, Word of God; however, I am not so naive, as to believe that each of the various translations from which I read are all without error, as in accurate. The fact is this: they differ in many places. Allow me to give you this example:
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3 NASB).
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man” (Romans 8:3 NIV).
In the first place, the NASB capitalizes “Law”; whereas, the NIV does not, which in my opinion is very significant. In the second place, the NASB references “sinful flesh”; whereas, the NIV references the “sinful nature,” which is positively significant. In the third place, the NASB indicates that God condemned sin in “sinful flesh”; whereas, the NIV indicates that He condemned sin in “sinful man,” which is surely worth noting.
Surely, it is fair to raise this question: Why these differences? Is it because it is so difficult to translate New Testament Greek into English, or is it because it is so difficult to abandon one’s theological biases, when doing the translation? In my opinion, it is some of both, with most of the weight on the latter.
Anyway, this is what concerns me: Many people, who have virtually no knowledge of either Hebrew or Greek, think they can solve the translation issues by going to a concordance or lexicon and discerning for themselves what is accurate. BEWARE!
I well-remember the TV ad where the patient was talking on the telephone with his surgeon, who was telling him where and how to make an incision into his abdomen, so he could remove his own appendix. BAD IDEA! I also well-remember the TV ad that depicted an English speaking man sitting on his French speaking shrink’s couch, trying to understand his counsel. BAD IDEA!
It might be a good idea to be careful about casting your interpretation of the Scriptures into cement, especially in light of the fact that using a sledge hammer is very difficult work, not to mention, that your well-being just might be affected in a very negative way, if your interpretation happens to be incorrect.
On this you can rest assured: God will not change His mind to accommodate our ideas of truth, regardless of how convinced we might be of their truthfulness.

Salvation by Bookkeeping

September 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Since your response to my excerpt from Capon’s book, “Kingdom, Grace, & Judgment” was rather positive, I think I will offer another for your consideration (p. 204): “It is not just the Samaritans, though, whose bookkeeping leads them to miss the point of Jesus’ determination to go to Jerusalem and death. In Luke 9:54, his disciples James and John turn out to be no better. Even though they have heard everything Jesus has said about lostness—even though they have been the butt of his irony about Gentiles, tax collectors, and other outcasts, and even though they have heard His words to Peter about unlimited forgiveness—they still instinctively resort to salvation by bookkeeping. Confronted with the Samaritan village’s rejection of the Jesus they have accepted as the Messiah, the only thing they can think to do is even the score. ‘Lord,’ they ask Him, ‘do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?’ They say in effect, ‘We are the ones who are winners when it comes to Messiah-watching; let’s just get this villageful of losers out of the game with one good, hot blast.’ Yet, they were not winners; they themselves consistently failed to understand Jesus’ plain words about His coming death. It would only be much later, after they had seen Jesus Himself dead and risen, and after they came to see themselves as dead and risen in Him, that they would really be winners. And even at that, most of them would win only by martyrs’ death—by the very loss, ironically, that they were in such a hurry to inflict on the Samaritans.”
Whether or not you believe everything Capon said and/or implied in that excerpt is really not important to me; however, there are several implications that are undeniably true, not the least of which is this one: Salvation by bookkeeping always causes its adherents to miss the point of the gospel—always. Sadly, “salvation by bookkeeping” is the preferred method for most, and, consequently, they have missed the point of the gospel.
The truth is this: Jesus did not come to rank us according to our goodness; instead, He came to rescue us from the pit of sin and death. Yesterday, I read this line is a book (I do not remember the name of it): God does not reward us according to our goodness; goodness is our reward. I am not sure that reward is the best choice of words, but I think you get the point. Whatever you do, do NOT miss the point of the gospel!

In the Black!

eptember 8, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

The following is an excerpt from Robert Capon’s book, “Kingdom, Grace, Judgment” (p. 203): “Jesus came to save a lost and losing world by His own lostness and defeat; but in this wide world of losers, everyone except Jesus remains firmly, if hopelessly, committed to salvation by winning. It hardly matters to us that the victories we fake for ourselves are two-bit victories, or that the losses (and losers) we avoid like the plague are the only vessels in which saving grace comes; we will do anything rather than face either the bankruptcy of our wealth or the richness of our poverty. And what then is it that we do when we thus disregard our true wealth? We delude ourselves into thinking that our own salvation can be achieved by keeping books on others. The Samaritans wrote Jesus’ name down in red ink because He fell short in their religious audit; the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable looked down at the publican and thanked God that he himself was not a crook. And we do the same: ‘I know I’m no prize, but at least I’m better than that lecher, Harry’—as if putting ourselves at the head of a whole column marching in the wrong direction somehow made us less lost than the rest of the troops. It would be funny if it were not fatal; but fatal it is, because grace works only in those who accept their lostness. Jesus came to call sinners, not the pseudo-righteous; He came to raise the dead, not to buy drinks for the marginally alive.”
If you should be honest, you would have to admit that the church, even the one you attend, is very involved in the “religious auditing” business, and it has written the names of most of its members in red ink. I’m betting that it even has YOUR name written in red ink! If that is not true, then you are in the minority—a very small minority.
You can, however, count on this: Contrary to the way your church has entered your name, every name that is written in the Lamb’s book of Life is written in black ink, thanks to the shed, RED blood of Jesus. The certificate of debt that was against you and hostile to you, has been cancelled and nailed to the cross. “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14 NASB ).
Maybe it is time for the church to get out of the “religious auditing” business and get back to the preaching of the one, true Gospel, the one that proclaims this glorious truth: He did for us, what we could never do for ourselves; namely, satisfy God’s requirement for righteousness.
As Capon implied, it makes no sense at all to put ourselves at the head of a whole column marching in the wrong direction, thinking that, somehow, that makes us “less lost” than the rest of the troops.

That His Works Might be Displayed in our LIves

September 7, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

There is a passage in John’s gospel that has long-intrigued me: “And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:1-3 NASB).
Now, take a minute to think this through: this man was born blind SO THAT the works of God might be displayed in him. In other words, God chose for this particular man to be born without eyesight—blind as a bat—and for this good reason: that His works might be evidenced (displayed) in his life. Sadly, when Jesus’ disciples saw him, they reacted out of their Jewish roots—“Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?”—apparently completely oblivious to the true reason for the man’s blindness. Religious people still think this way!
Admittedly, this passage is a bit difficult, especially in light of Jesus’ answer to their question: “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In other words, this man’s blindness had no connection to anyone’s sin, not even the blind man’s; instead, it was the direct result of God’s own hedonistic choice (If you can read anything other than that into this, I would like to hear about it.).
In my opinion, most of us have the tendency to forget that God does, as God pleases [“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3 NASB)]. without regard for our feelings, nor consideration of our opinions. Whether we like it or not, this is the fact: God is not only free to cause a baby to be born blind, He is also free to do so for whatever reason that pleases Him. In this case, it was that His works might me put on dis-play in this man’s life. God caused this man to be born blind, so that He, in His time, could heal him, and, thereby, display His works.
But was that really the works He wanted to display? I think not. That was merely His attention-getter. The works that He wanted to display were these: His ability to forgive sins and to give sight to the spiritually blind. “Jesus heard that they (the Pharisees) had put him out; and finding him, He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.’ And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped Him’ (John 9:35-38 NASB; parenthesis, mine).
Looking back, I feel sure that this man was incredibly thankful for God’s hedonistic choice, but I wonder how he would have voted, if he had been given the opportunity in advance, knowing only that through his blindness, God would display His works in his life.
By the way, God will demonstrate His works in your life and mine, even if it means that He makes another hedonistic choice.

Pleasing the Masses

September 1, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
The following is a portion of an article from Ligonier Ministries (author unknown); please read it carefully:
We believe that God has ordained the preaching of His Word, prayer, and the sacraments as the means by which He sanctifies people’s lives. There is no substitute for the Scriptures if we want to know and please God, and this is especially true in our worship. Unfortunately, the church today is dethroning God and the power of His Gospel for alternatives and counterfeits. Instead of transcending cultural preferences and uniting the church on truths of His Word, contemporary worship seeks to please people by catering to particular groups and their tastes, thereby dividing the people of God. The result of using man-pleasing tactics rather than simply focusing on the preaching, reading, singing, and praying of God’s Word is that the knowledge of God’s glory is diminished, His people become spiritually malnourished, and the church becomes weak and susceptible to false teachers and their doctrines [a portion on an article from Ligonier Ministries; author unknown].
Deep within my heart, I know that this article is true. I am more-than convinced, that doing anything for the sake of catering to people and their preferences, serves only to create a man-centered environment, one that reproduces itself over and over, with each new generation being more self-serving that the previous ones.
In my opinion, when the church decided to abandon the Scriptures it also decided to abandon the gospel. When it abandoned the gospel, it abandoned its God-given mission and purpose—to glorify God—and took on a completely different one—to glorify man. The fruit is obvious: churches everywhere are working diligently, albeit futilely, to find ways to please man.
In my opinion, it is time (past time!) for you to take a stand against these self-serving, man-centered, religious shenanigans. Insist that the church you attend stop, as in cease and desist, trying to cater to the preferences and whims of the masses, and, instead, to simply preach the unvarnished, offensive Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you will notice, Jesus never wasted His time trying to please anyone, especially the masses. His mission and passion was single-minded—to please His Father.

As To Unfinished Business

August 31, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

If you have any unfinished business for August, you had better hurry and finish it, as today is your last chance. Speaking of unfinished business, have you noticed how most of us never seem to be able to finish anything. For the most part, we seem to be under such pressure to get to the next piece of “pressing business,” that we most always leave some unfinished business on our plates; there always seems to be something “we should have done” hanging over our heads. There is no wonder that GERD (reflux disease, aka as indigestion) is so prevalent among believers.
I well-remember that part of my life when I NEVER seemed to finish anything—literally. About the time I got the grocery store opened for the day, one of the several refrigerators would have a compressor go bad. As soon as the repairman arrived, someone would call needing the ambulance. As soon as I put the ambulance in motion, someone would call telling me that their roast was too-tough-to-eat. After “patiently” listening to that story, I would arrive at the accident scene, to learn that someone I knew very well had just been killed in a head-on collision. Obviously, that meant a trip to our funeral home, to begin the sometimes long process of directing a funeral. In the meantime, the repairman would call wanting to know where the circuit breaker was for the refrigerator. In the midst of all of this, the state health inspector would arrive at the grocery story to do his inspection, which meant that I had to leave everything, return to the grocery store, to accommodate his wishes. I know this is difficult for you to believe, but it is true, nevertheless: as I would walk into the grocery story to meet the health inspector, more times than not, someone would meet me at the front door, wanting to know, if I was interested in buying a couple of bushels of peas, to sell in our produce department.
There is more! As I would stop to consider the peas, one of my employees would come to me, telling me that Mrs. Smith (Jones, Andrews, whoever) was on the phone, wondering why I wasn’t at her house, installing her carpet. My response was quick: Tell her that I am late because John (Frank, Sam, Edith, someone) was killed in the auto accident, but I am on the way; should be there in less than thirty minutes. I purchase the peas, only to hear the phone ring again, hoping that someone else would answer it, but in my business, waiting was not an option, so, “Hello, this is Mac.” On the other end would be the raspy, demanding voice of one of Reynolds’ senior citizens, telling me that she needed me to deliver six coca colas—three cold and three at room temperature—and for Hanson (the delivery man) to put the three cold ones in her refrigerator and the other three in her pantry. She always needed them, immediately. Exactly three minutes later, she would call wanting to know why the Cokes were not at her house! I am serious!
As I looked over my shoulder, I could see the H.V. Kell (grocery company) delivery truck backing up to the door, which meant that Virginia could not be sick—not today—but of all days, she is sick and not at work. So, I say to the driver, “I have to go to the funeral home for a few minutes, so please stack everything in this hallway, and I will be right back to check the order.” (In my world, “right back” could mean anything from five minutes to 24 hours.)
With more loose ends, than a room full of people with severe diarrhea, I would finally make it home, somewhere around midnight, for a few hours of sleep. You guessed it! More times than not, about the time my head hit my pillow, the phone would ring, and the tone of the voice on the other end would tell me that I wasn’t finished, not by a long-shot.
I could go on-and-on, but thank God, He removed me from that world into the slow-paced world of the pastorate. Yea, right! That first part of my life was, merely, a boot camp that prepared me for the second part of my life—the pastorate. Trust me on this: that first part of my life was a piece of cake, compared to the second part. This past Saturday morning, I was listening to a Jewish Rabbi preach, and somewhere in his message he said (pointing to his thick brown hair), “See these gray hairs! This is what being a Rabbi will do to you.” I wanted to stand up and say, “See my altogether white hair? This is what being a pastor will do for you” but I kept quiet.
When I reached the ripe old age of 65, something significant happened: These words of Jesus (John 19:30) jumped off the page at me (though completely out of context): IT IS FINISHED! As I read those words in their context, this became very clear to me: The man who had the most important, demanding task ever given to anyone, the man, whose task it was to carry out, precisely, every detail of His Father’s plan of redemption, and to do so at the exactly the right time, had uttered the most astonishing words I had ever heard—IT IS FINISHED. No loose ends, no unfinished business, nothing left to do; His work was finished—perfectly and completely.
The Scriptures tell us that He, then, sat down at His Father’s right hand (after the resurrection, of course). I want to tell you that He did so, not because He was tired, or be-hind in His business, or running late, but because His work was finished. “. . . but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
At that ripe old age of 65 (I am now 67), I decided it was time for me to take Him at His Word, to learn from Him, and never again to live my life, as if He needed me to help Him finish His work, to never again live my life, as if He somehow needed me to wrap us His loose ends. In other words, it dawned upon me, that only a few things are important, really only one (words that Jesus spoke to Martha), so I chose to SLOW DOWN, to cast off most of what I thought was important, especially, the “living according to the expectations of others” part, and to spend huge amounts of time doing what most consider a waste—sitting at His feet, listening to His Word, and resting in His finished work.
At first, this was very difficult because I had been programmed for a different modus operandi (sometimes, it is still difficult because of what I perceive to be the expectations of others, and my desire to please them!); however, I am getting much better at it, and, to be sure, I highly recommend it to you.
Listen up: YOU are not the world’s savior, not even close. If you should drop dead in the next ten minutes, life would not skip even one beat. God really does NOT need either of us to help Him finish His plan, or to get everyone saved. Get off the treadmill! I have never known a treadmill to take anyone, anywhere, except to exhaustion.
The fact is this: God does not need you or me! He can get along quite nicely without either of us. It is our neighbor that needs us, but most of us are too exhausted to be of any benefit to him; consequently, most of what we do for him is done with an attitude that probably doesn’t pass muster. You think about that—

On the Death of Ted Kennedy

August 29, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Over the past couple of days, I have watched portions of Ted Kennedy’s various memorial services, along with a portion the funeral mass this morning. As I write these words, the hearse, that is transporting his remains to his gravesite near his brothers in Arlington National Cemetery, is about to reach its destination.
Let me cut to the chase: Ted did not “pass,” he died, as in graveyard dead. He will not show up for work in the US Senate on Monday morning, or Tuesday, for that matter. Contrary to popular opinion, we did not lose him, as we know where he is—standing before The Holy God of the Universe. He might have been known as the Lion of the Senate, but The One before whom he now stands is known as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Again, contrary to popular, Roman Catholic opinion, the Virgin Mary will prove inadequate for his entrance into the Kingdom of God; contrary to popular, political opinion, having served 47 years in the US Senate, will prove to be 3 years short of enough to get him a pass (just kidding, just kidding; it really takes 51 years!); contrary to popular liberal opinion, his being an “excellent” legislator, will count for nothing; and contrary to popular, military opinion, his having reached the rank of PFC in the US Army won’t help him, even one iota. The fact that thousands of people (mostly liberals) lined the streets today in his honor, did not impress the Lion of the Tribe of Judah one whit. The fact that all the TV networks, from ABC to XYZ, including Fox News, not to mention CNN, preempted virtually every other news item to showcase this historical event, did not impress the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, not at all.
You see, Ted’s days of running for political office are over; never again will his fate be determined by the number of votes he receives. Majorities make no difference for him now. The opinions of others are meaningless. Only one opinion matters, and it is the opinion of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
What matters, is not if Ted knows Him, but if He knows Ted. What matters, is not if Ted was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, but if Jesus has included him in the Body of Christ (and there is a difference!). It matters not how “good” his friends deemed him to be; what matters is that God is The Good God.
This is what really matters: When Jesus died on the cross, did He include Ted in that death? I have no idea, but I do know that THAT is what matters; otherwise, Ted has no hope, none whatsoever.
Oh, I know what some of you are thinking: “Mac, you know that Jesus included Ted in His death on the cross; you know that He died for Ted’s sins! All Ted had to do was raise his hand when the priest gave the invitation, and, thereby, receive the gift of eternal life!” JUST FOR THE RECORD: No, I do NOT know that!
Again, and JUST FOR THE RECORD: If Ted Kennedy is in the Kingdom of God, he is because of what Jesus has done, NOT because of what Ted has done (or not done, for that matter), and, certainly, not because of all the “good” things that have been said about him, and for sure not because of the Virgin Mary.
As a reminder: funerals are for the living, not the dead, so they don’t even help.

PS: You and I are in the same “boat.” Our only hope is in Jesus—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—and that is a good thing, a very good thing, because He is full of grace and mercy; albeit, very just.

On Practicing Righteousness

August 27, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is what Jesus said: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 NASB). In other words, self-righteousness, the kind we typically practice before men to be seen by them, the kind the scribes and Pharisees practiced in an effort to please God, regardless of how “self-righteous” it might be, is nothing but puffed-up flesh, whose end is death—eternal death.
As you remember, this passage immediately follows that portion of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” where he dealt with the practice of righteousness. Listen to what He said in that sermon: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NASB). If you had been among the crowd of people who heard that sermon, you would have immediately concluded that no one, not even the scribes and Pharisees, would ever enter the kingdom of heaven. You would have also missed Jesus’ point—completely.
They knew that they could not best the scribes and Pharisees, when it came to righteousness, which, certainly, precluded them as candidates for the kingdom of heaven, and they also heard that, even the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was not good enough [unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees], which, also, eliminated them as candidates. We know that the scribes and Pharisees worked very hard to keep the Law, and for good reason—doing so was (in their minds) their “ticket to ride.” Paul even made this claim about himself, as a Pharisee: “. . . as to the righteousness which is in the Law, [I was] found blameless” (Philippians 3:6b NASB). As you can see, according to Jesus, the entire lot of them flunked His test! I wonder, though, how many of them caught His drift, and realized their need for a Redeemer, a Savior, One who could do for them, what they could never do for themselves? When your goal is to reach the wrong standard, you are in deep trouble!
In my opinion, Jesus made it very clear that self-righteousness, the righteousness which is found in the Law, is, simply, unrighteousness. To be sure, the scribes and Pharisees had a very different opinion (which is why the wanted to kill Him!), as they sincerely believed that this “righteousness” was, indeed, ultimate righteousness. They truly believed that, when the Messiah returned, they would meet Him and pass the test of righteousness with flying (pun intended, well maybe not!) colors.
Unfortunately (to use the words of Jesus, from this same sermon), the light that was in them was darkness and, consequently, the darkness was great. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:23b NASB). Hmmmm-
From what I have been able to see, attempts at self-righteousness still prevail, even today. Sadly, the church continues today to preach the message of the scribes and Pharisee, of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ message, however, is the same: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NASB).
SUGGESTION: RUN TO JESUS, AS FAST AS YOU CAN! TAKE HIS YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF HIM, FOR HIS YOKE IS EASY AND HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT! [Compare that to the message of the scribes and Pharisees!]
By the way, please “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven”

What is Normal About Following Jesus?

August 25, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
To be sure, I cannot define “normal” for anything, but I do know this: the definition that most would give for the normal life of a believer is a far-cry from the truth. In the vast majority of instances, the message of the gospel is distorted in such a way, as to make it attractive to the masses, in much the same way, as the Ford Motor Company presents its line of vehicles—a far-cry from the way Paul presented the gospel. His mission was to preach the gospel—the real, unvarnished, gospel, and to leave the rest to God.
In my opinion, you will not find Paul tailoring the gospel in such a way as to popularize it, to make it appealing to the masses. You will not find him offering one thing for one group and another for a different group. It was very simple for him: one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism.
Furthermore, he knew quite well that God’s elect are attracted to the truth and re-pulsed by the crowd-attracting antics of the church. The fact is God designed it this way. We either embrace the one, true gospel, or we do not, and that is that.
The following passage gives us a bird’s eye view of Paul’s opinion of what is “normal,” of what can normally be expected by those who are followers of Christ: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11; NASB; emphasis added).
If that doesn’t provide you with sufficient evidence, then listen to this: “. . . in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27 NASB; emphasis added).
There is simply nothing about the passages that remind me of the “If you will just come to Jesus, everything will be fine” notion of what is normal for those of us, whose faith is in Jesus for eternal life. There is absolutely nothing in these passages that entice me to want to join Paul’s “club”; in fact, had I known this in the beginning, I would have probably tried to run the other way!
If we should be honest, we would have to admit that we cannot get beyond the first few lines of the first passage [“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the sur-passing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves . . .”]. The fact is we want the power to be from ourselves, not from God; we want to be the one who is in charge; we want to have the power within ourselves.
Listen, now, to these words: “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to buffet me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NASB; emphasis added).
Whoopee! Bring on the crowds! Give the invitation! Throw out the net!! Sing “Just As I Am”! The masses are running to the cross! Yea, right!
Yes, I realize that most want to hear a different story, the one that says, “Come to Jesus and everything will be A-OK, but the fact is this: God never intended the gospel for the masses; He never intended for salvation to be marketed as a product for everyone; He never intended for the preaching of the gospel to be done in such a way, as to imply that it can be accommodated to everyone’s pleasure and belief. He intended the gospel for every-one who believes (namely, His elect), to the Jew first, and then the Greek (Gentile).
Please allow me to tell you what will be true, if you should trust Jesus, as your Redeemer, Messiah, Savior:
1. God will have acted first because He will have had to raise the dead.
2. God will have already punished your sins, in Jesus, to the full requirement of the Law.
3. They will have forgiven you—forever forgiven you.
4. He will place you in perfect and permanent right-standing with the Triune Godhead.
5. Jesus will be your eternal guarantee of the New Covenant.
6. God will seat you at His right hand in the Most Holy Place, in Jesus.
7. He will give you the privilege and honor of trusting you life to Him—absolutely and completely.
8. He will provide you with enough adversity to demonstrate to you that His grace is sufficient for you, that His strength is make perfect in your weakness.
9. He will make you lie down in green pastures, lead you beside still waters, relentlessly restore your soul, securely lead you in paths of righteousness, and He will safely journey with you through the many valleys that are overcast with the shadow of death.
10. He will require that you walk by faith, which will scare the wits out of you—guaranteed!

Things to Ponder

August 24, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Some things to keep in mind from 2 Timothy 1 & 2, as we journey through these perilous times:
1. The significance of retaining the standard of sound words [See 2 Timothy 1:13]. What is the standard for sound words? Truth spoken in love.
2. The power of guarding the treasure which has been entrusted to you [see 2 Timothy 1:14]. What is this treasure? The one, true gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. The benefit of being strong in the grace that is in Jesus [see 2 Timothy 2:1]. What is this benefit? You cease striving and rest in the glorious truth that Jesus alone deter-mines your destiny.
4. The blessing of suffering hardship, as a good soldier[see 2 Timothy 2:3]. What is this blessing? You don’t waste precious time being entangled in the hardships of life and, thereby, allowing them to distract you from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.
5. The humility of remembering Jesus [see 2 Timothy 2:8]. What is this humility? It is the humility that come from realizing that life is about Him, not me; the ultimate humility, indeed.
6. The freedom of accepting the trustworthy statement [see 2 Timothy 2:11-13]. What is this freedom? It is the freedom to accept the truth that you no longer have to strive to become who you already are, who God has declared you to be.
7. The wisdom of not wrangling about words [see 2 Timothy 2:14]. What is this wisdom? It is the wisdom that allows you to keep the main thing, the main thing, thereby, preventing you from playing into the hands of the enemy.
8. The advantage of diligence, especially in studying God’s Word [see 2 Timothy 2:15]. What is this advantage? You are equipped to divide the Word of Truth, without the fear of being shamed, as the result of inaccurately dividing it—leading others into er-ror.
9. The common sense of avoiding worldly and empty chatter [see 2 Timothy 2:16-17]. What is this common sense? It is being astute enough not to get caught-up in criticizing and judging others, especially your leaders.
10. The joy of standing firm on this firm foundation—the Lord knows who are His [see 2 Timothy 2:19]. What is this joy? It is the inner ecstasy that comes from knowing that I will be able to recognize His voice, even in the clamor of life, knowing that He will never lose me, knowing that I will always find myself in the hollow of His hand, and knowing that I will never perish.

“The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18 NASB).

PS: I grew up on the small town of Reynolds, GA. Hollis and I were best friends, and continue to be best of friends today. Today, he turned 67 and caught up with me! Let’s everyone wish my dear friend a Happy and Wonderful Birthday!!

Offended? Probably a Good Thing!

Mac's Perspective on the Intricacies of God’s Amazing Grace

August 21, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
It continues to amaze me that after so many years of reading and studying the Bible, I still come upon lines that for some reason have escaped my notice. This is one of them: “And after He called the multitude to Him, He said to them, ‘Hear, and understand. Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.’ Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were of-fended when they heard this statement’” (Matthew 15:10-12)?
This is the part of that passage that has escaped my notice: “Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement.’” You might be thinking, “So what?” but in my mind, this is worthy of note for several reasons.
In the first place, did the disciples really think that this had escaped Jesus’ notice? Surely, they knew better, but, apparently, they did not; otherwise, why did they ask Him about it? At any rate this presents me with a “golden” opportunity to remind us of something we should already know—NOTHING ESCAPES HIS NOTICE—nothing, that is, except our sins. Oh, He did notice them—BIG TIME NOTICE THEM—but that was then and this is now. Listen to these words: “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” (Hebrews 10:16-17 NASB). Do you realize that, ever since the cross, neither God, nor Jesus, have noticed your sins (if, of course, you are one of God’s children)? Now you know not only why the gospel is called GOOD NEWS, but also why Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED!”
In the second place, did the disciples really think that Jesus gave a “flying hoot” about His having offended the Pharisees with His statement of truth? Just to set the record straight: He did not give even one “flying hoot” about it, nor did He lose a wink’s worth of sleep over it. You can rest assured that He did not apologize for speaking the truth; not then, not ever! And this gives me a “golden opportunity” to remind us of something else we al-ready know: If you are teaching the gospel, the one true gospel, people will be offended, and they will ultimately crucify you, if given half a chance; however, if you are teaching some man-centered heresy, they will honor you, praise you, flock to you, and kiss your feet. Now you know why so few teach the one, true gospel; if not, I will tell you—crucifixion ain’t no fun; very few are attracted to it—very few, indeed. Now you also know why Peter called Jesus a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (see 1 Peter 2:8).
By the way, stop apologizing for speaking the truth, just be sure you are speaking it love (per His opinion, not the opinion of your listeners).

Impossible-to-follow-instructions!

August 20, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus gave people specific instructions, obviously intending for them to be obeyed, even though He knew they could not possibly comply? Take this, as an example: “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘Be it done to you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, ‘See here, let no one know about this’” (Matthew 9:27-31)!
Could someone please tell me how Jesus expected these two blind me not to let any-one know what had happened to them? I can see it now: one of them went home, walked into the den and started watching TV, pointing at the characters, laughing his head off, and his mother walks in and never even notices. The other man returned to his job at the local nursery, and began admiring all the flowers, “oo-ing” and “ah-ing,” but his boss is completely oblivious. Yea, right! Or better yet, the wife of one of them meets him for lunch, and he tells her how pretty her new shoes are, but it never dawns upon her that he can see. Sure! You can rest assured that these two men, in obedience to Jesus’ instructions, continued walking along the streets, tapping their canes, and begging for money. [You really don’t believe that, do you?]
Actually, the next verse gives credibility to my thesis: “But they went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land” (vs. 31; italics added). There was no way these men were going to follow Jesus’ instructions; in fact, they could not. Doing so, would be about like a woman, 8 ½ months into a pregnancy, hiding the fact that she is expecting a child. I mean, there are some things we, simply, cannot hide, regardless of Jesus’ instructions, and He knows it. So, why does He give such impossible-to-follow instructions?
There are many other examples; actually, too many to list in this brief article, but here are a few of them:
1. “Love you enemies . . .” (Matthew 5:44a NASB). Oh, I am certain that you are doing a fine job of this, but before you admit it, wait until you meet a real enemy.
2. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; . . .” (Matthew 6:1a NASB). I feel sure that you would never be guilty of doing this; you are much too humble, even to consider doing anything to be noticed by anyone, but, then, you might (I say might) attend a funeral visitation so the family won’t think ill of you.
3. “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe” (Mark 5:36b NASB). Just to remind you: Jairus, the synagogue official, had just learned that his little daughter had died, when Jesus spoke these instructions to him. He twisted his right ear, punched his nose, grunted three times, and his fear left on the morning train! Yea, right! I am betting that Jairus’ fear didn’t leave until his daughter sat up in the bed and smiled. You can tell me all day long that nothing ever happens that scares the wits out of you, but I am going to tell you that I do not believe you, nor do I think you have mastered these instructions. Why would Jesus tell anyone not to be afraid, only believe, when it is apparent that the earth is about to fall into a black hole?
4. “And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, ‘The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:15-16 NASB)! My wife would shoot me, if I should call her at suppertime, telling her that I was on the way home with two guests, not to mention ten; only God knows what she would do, if that number were 5,000! One only needs to read the next verse, to learn of the disciple’s frustration: “And they said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish” (vs.17)! The passage doesn’t say this, but I am sure they thought, “How do you expect us to feed this crowd, when we have no McDonalds, no grocery store, no any-thing but these few fish and this soggy bread?”

If you want more examples, look them up for yourself, but in the process, accept the fact, that most of what you think you know about Jesus is evidence that you really know very little—very little indeed. This just might be the best thing I have ever learned; to be sure, it removed the pressure of my having to make Him fit into my ideas of truth, into my ideas of how He should live His life.
Now, why did Jesus give us so many impossible-to-follow instructions? Isn’t it obvious? Apart from Him we can do nothing—absolutely, positively nothing—and He wants to be sure that we realize it. We can’t heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, encourage the downhearted, give sight to the blind, love our enemies, treat others as we want to be treated, pray, teach, fast, preach the gospel, cast out demons, or even inhale our next breath—we simply cannot do these things. If they get done, it will be His doing, not ours—not in any way, shape, form, or fashion. We just need to get over our-selves and accept the fact most of what Jesus told us to do, He never expected us to do; instead, He wanted to teach us our desperate need for Him, not to mention our desperate need for Him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
What kind of student have you been?

What Pap Smears, The Quadratic Equation, and The Greek Alphabet Have in Common

August 19, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Many years ago, actually one year shy of a half-century ago, at the close of the first day of what was a rather intimidating class at Asbury College, New Testament Greek, my professor, Miss Ruth Fess, said, “Boys, I will expect you to be able to write and speak the Greek alphabet by this time tomorrow morning.” I immediately looked at my watch and the second hand was moving faster than I had ever seen it move, and so was my pulse. Well, heck, I was from a small town in middle Georgia, where to my knowledge not one person had even heard of Greek, or Greece for that matter, so she might as well have asked me to be able to explain the difference between a pap smear and the quadratic equation.
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be gifted at expecting more out of us, than we think we can possibly give (italics on purpose and with purpose)? Jesus was no exception—still isn’t—in fact, He is probably chief among those so gifted. The Sermon on the Mount is a good example. Listen to these words from that sermon: “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for you heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31 NASB; italics added). In other words, Jesus is telling us not to be anxious about what we shall eat, drink, or wear BECAUSE our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. Well, that’s easy, IF you have food on your table, water in your faucet, and clothes in your closet; otherwise, it is asking much more than any of us think we can give.
The truth is I am not anxious about what I will eat for lunch or supper today, or tomorrow, for that matter; neither am I anxious about what I shall drink in the foreseeable future; and I am certainly not anxious about what I am going to wear, even to church on Sunday. However, let me be perfectly clear: that would NOT be the case, if I had no food on my table, water in my cup, or clothes in my closet, AND, I might add, I seriously doubt that your telling me that I am more important to God than a bird or a lily would help reduce my anxiety, by any measurable amount. [I might be telling you more about this preacher than I should, but you already know that I am old and just a bit “touched” in the head.]
The next time you have the opportunity, spend a few minutes with the single mom, a Christian, who has lost her job and sees no hope for finding one in the near future, and tell her not to be anxious about what she and her children will eat, drink, or wear tomorrow (or the next day for that matter) because her heavenly Father already knows that she needs these things, and He will, therefore, provide them for her [just don’t put your promise on a calendar!] When you finish, please let me know her response.
Of this I am certain, her anxiety will decrease much more quickly, if you should tell her not to be anxious about what they will eat, drink, or wear, because your heavenly Father already knows that she has need of these things and He has instructed YOU to provide for them, until such time as He tells you to stop. Hmmm . . .
Now back to my point: What was Jesus thinking when He told us not to be anxious about these things? Was He really expecting us to meet this standard, other than when we are rather certain we have on hand enough food, drink, and clothing for the immediate future?
This is the truth: When our resources are depleted, even knowing that our heavenly Father is well-aware, doesn’t eliminate our anxiety, especially, if we are of the mindset that He spends more time angry with us, than He does in being pleased with us (actually, that mindset increases our anxiety). Sadly, this is the mindset of most of God’s children!
For clarity, this mindset looks something like this: Had I been living a better life, I would not have lost my job and, therefore, I would not be in this mess. I know God is angry with me and I cannot really blame Him. The reason He is not meeting my needs is two-fold: (1) I have sinned; and (2) I don’t have enough faith. In a nutshell, (per vs. 33) I am in this mess because, obviously, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness has not the priority of my life. I have really tried to do my best, but, obviously, I have failed. Now, I am so consumed with trying to figure out how to feed and clothe my children, that I cannot even focus on my relationship with Him. Anxious? You bet I am, and it is getting worse by the minute!
For even greater clarity, the mindset often looks like this: “I have been obedient to God; I tithe, I pray, I give to the poor, I visit those in prison, I wear my hair in a bun, I drive a black car, I do not smoke, drink, or cuss (well, maybe occasionally!), I never commit adultery, and I attend church every time the doors open (except in the case of an emergency), SO will someone please tell me what I did to deserve losing my job. Why me, Lord? Surely, You do not expect me to be free of anxiety; after all, I deserve the privilege!
Hmmm. Need I remind you of what He said BEFORE He warned us not to be anxious? Well, listen up: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they” (vs. 26); “Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they toil not nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these” (vs.28b). Surely, these incredible words calm your anxiety! No? Gosh, what will it take? Oh, I know what you are thinking: I am neither a bird, nor a lily, and I am certainly not Solomon.
I learned today that a friend, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 6 months ago, learned about a week ago that she also has breast cancer. To add insult to injury, both her daughter and her mother have had to deal with the very same illness. I called her to let her know not to be anxious because her heavenly Father knows what she needs and He will provide for her, according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. I told her that she was much more important to God than any bird I have ever seen, and, certainly, more important than all the lilies of the field, put together. [I didn’t really tell her any of that, but had I done so, I would have been telling her the truth!]
By the end of our conversation, she was dancing with joy and anxiety free; in fact, she threw all of her Xanax into the toilet, flushed them down the drain, and called her oncologist to tell him to forget the upcoming surgery.
If you believe that, then you will probably also believe that I slept like a baby the night before I was to write and speak the Greek alphabet in front of Miss Ruth Fess [She spoke and wrote 13 languages—fluently!], who was so gracious, that she gave us a “zero,” if we failed to perform perfectly!
By the way, I can still write and speak the Greek alphabet--perfectly!

Metastatic, Esophageal Cancer and Faith

August 17, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Several weeks ago, the father of one the members of the church I pastor was told by his physician that he had metastatic, esophageal cancer [not good by the stretch of any-one’s imagination!]. Yesterday, he visited our congregation.
Presently, I am preaching through Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia, aka Galatians. As you might imagine, I am pressing, rather hard, Paul’s thesis that justification is through faith, not by works of the Law. In my “pressing,” I have made it very clear (I trust) that “living by faith” scares the wits out of me, and it does because all-too-often it doesn’t seem to work for me (I italicized “seem” because I know that things are not always as they seem). In some areas, I do rather well; for example, I went to sleep last night, having complete faith, that the sun would rise this morning, and lo and behold, it did! In fact, I am trusting that it will set this afternoon—no problem. When it comes, however, to things like being healed from metastatic, esophageal cancer, faith scares the wits out of me, especially if it means, like some contend, that all I need is enough faith—forget modern medicine. Truthfully, when it comes to someone being healed from metastatic, esophageal cancer, even modern medicine doesn’t do much to increase my faith.
Have you ever noticed that God seems to enjoy humbling “cocky” preachers? If you haven’t, I have. It is one thing to boldly preach “if you just have enough faith,” God will heal your illness, raise the dead, feed the hungry, and free the imprisoned, but it something else to do that, when someone is sitting, not fifteen feet in front of you, having just been diagnosed with cancer, and really wanting to be healed. You can rest assured that my comments to him were far-removed from my telling him, if he only has enough faith, God will heal him (I did not want God to have to humble me; still do not!). Actually, I told him (and the rest of my congregation), that living by faith scares the wits out of me. I didn’t say this but I will now: if you would admit the truth, living by faith scares the wits out of you, too; well, maybe not yet, but keep on hanging around and it will.
Anyway, I asked our visitor if he wanted to say anything, and by golly, he did! This is what he said: “When my doctor gave me my diagnosis, I went to Jesus and said, ‘Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you.”
This is what most of us would have said (especially, yours truly), “Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you, but . . .”
This is what genuine faith would say: “Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you.” In other words, I am so confident in your desire and ability to do what is best for me, that I offer no suggestions; instead, I choose to rest in who you are, and to walk where you lead me, knowing that You are the most practical person ever to live. (Yes, that scares the wits out of me!)
This is what fear would say: “Jesus, I have so much faith in you, that I will skip modern medicine (not see the doctor) and ask everyone to pray for my healing” (that really does scare the WITS out of me!). God did give us a mind, not to mention modern medicine, for some reason!
Now, having laid that groundwork, surely you know that your physical life will end (it is appointed once for man to die . . .) sometimes in the near (relative to eternity) future, and surely you believe that where you spend eternity is significantly important, as in very significantly important. BUT, do you realize that your spending eternity with Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven is determined, not by anything you do or do not do, but in what Jesus has done for you? Do you realize that you are being asked to place your confidence for eternal life in One you cannot see or touch? Do you realize that faith is the substance of what you are hoping for and the evidence of what you cannot see? Scary, huh?
The story goes something like this: God so loved the world, that He chose to leave Heaven and become a man by being born of a virgin womb; to live as the son of a Jewish carpenter for some 30+ years; to begin an iterate preaching ministry, that was very antagonistic to the leaders of Israel—both the religious and political leaders; to spend His time with sinners of all varieties, giving sight to the blind, health to the sick, and giving life to the dead; to willingly die the horrendous death of crucifixion; to be placed in a borrowed tomb; to rise from the dead on the third; and finally, after some 50 days, to ascend back to Heaven—all to redeem sinners, such as you and I, and, thereby, to give us eternal life.
If you believe that story, then, believing that God will heal metastatic, esophageal cancer is a piece of cake! On the surface, one would think that anyone who believes either, is nuts, as in “mental hospital nuts,” but, for some reason, we tend to forget, that one can believe neither, UNLESS God gives him the faith to do so, and when He does, that one can believe nothing else, regardless of the opinions of others.
“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NASB; italics added).
Somehow, I think this is the mindset of the man who visit GCF this Sunday.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Dragnet

August 15, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is what Jesus said: “. . . the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood these things” (Matthew 13:49-51a NASB).
Please take a minute to reread these words of Jesus, as they contain this very important and timely message: not everyone, who is caught in the dragnet of evangelism, is among the righteous—far from it. Notice that the dragnet gathers fish of every kind—both good fish and bad fish—but there will be a day of reckoning, even of weeping and gnashing of teeth, when the “good fish” will be eternally separated from the “bad fish.”
Notice, too, that there is no indication that the righteous and unrighteous should somehow live separately; in fact, the indication is that we will remain together until the end of the age, until the “day of reckoning.” Obviously, Jesus practiced what He preached, as he was labeled a glutton and a winebibber, as one who socialized with sinners.
It is also important to note that angels will do the separating, not the good fish! In other words, it is not the job of the “good fish” to judge who is and who is not among the righteous. Thankfully, God left in more capable hands! If you are already in this business, I suggest that you hang a “closed” sign on the front door, and get out of the business-sooner, rather than later.
As you can see (though most want to ignore it!), the penalty for being a “bad fish” is rather severe, albeit, very just (which you will not see, unless you are one of the “good fish” who has eyes to see). Even the thought of being cast into the furnace of fire should be motivation enough, but God’s elect are not motivated into His Kingdom by fear, or anything else for that matter; instead, they are “caught” in His dragnet.
Now, listen up: Paul in Galatians, chapter one, made it very, very clear that there is but one gospel—the gospel he preached—and he made it just as clear that, if anyone (including Paul, even angels) should preach a gospel (which is really no gospel) contrary to the one he preached, he should be accursed (eternally separated from God!). From what I can see, this means that it is very important, life and death important, that each of us be certain that we believe the very same gospel Paul preached.
With that I am going out on a limb and make this prediction: At the end of the age, on the “day of reckoning,” when the “good fish” are separated from the “bad fish,” when the righteous are separated from the unrighteous, two things will be obvious: (1) everyone of the righteous will believe the very same gospel that Paul preached; (2) the unrighteous, regardless of what they believe, will be cast into THE furnace of fire.
Now I have two questions:
1. Do you understand these things (His disciples said they did, but I doubt it!)?
2. Do you believe the gospel that Paul preached, the very same gospel that he preached (if you aren’t sure, I highly recommend that you take the time to be sure, as it is a life and death matter—no fooling!)?

“Take My yoke (teaching) upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

Love's Extravagance

August 14, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Most of you are very familiar with the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42), the one where Martha was busy preparing supper, while Mary was sitting at His feet, doing (according to Jesus) the one thing that was necessary (sitting at His feet is really does rank that high on the list of things that are necessary!). As you re-member, Martha got a bit “testy.”
The characters in the following story are the same, with the addition of Lazarus, the brother of Mary & Martha, and, for some reason, Judas Iscariot. Listen carefully: “Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?’ (John 12:1-5 NASB).
It seems that Mary was much like John, in that she preferred to be as physically close to Jesus, as she possibly could; obviously, Lazarus was one of Jesus’ strongest supporters, as not too many people could lay claim to having been raised from the dead; Martha loved Him dearly, but she, for some reason, thought He was impressed with her serving abilities; Judas, although Jesus had chosen him as one of His disciples, was a crook, who loved money much more than he loved Jesus.
Enter Mary with a pound of very costly perfume, nard to be precise, that was worth an amount equal to roughly a year’s wages. By anyone’s stretch of imagination, it was valuable, and Judas had his “snake eyes” riveted on it, already trying to figure out a way to confiscate it, when the unthinkable happened—Mary broke it open and gently, lovingly poured it over Jesus’ feet, and then wiped His feet with her hair.
Judas was hyperventilating, barely able to constrain himself at the thought of this lost opportunity, as the stench of his hypocrisy tried, futilely, to overcome the fragrance of the perfume that immediately filled the house. The Sacred and the profane met toe-to-toe, and the Sacred won, as the powerful, healing, redeeming, fragrance of extravagant love saturated the air. What followed, however, is beyond the pale of evil.
These revealing words fell like hot, acrid vomitus from Judas’ lips before he even had time to form them in his mouth: “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people” (vs. 5)? In other words, “Why this terrible waste?”
It is heartbreaking, indeed, to think that Judas never knew the extravagance of love.
It is even more heartbreaking to think that he saw love’s extravagance as a waste.
Is your love extravagant?
His is, and then some!

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 NASB). Extravagant love, indeed, and, thankfully, nothing wasted!