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Dec 13 2024
Love0

APPROACH THIS CHRISTMAS WITH A CHILDLIKE HEART

By Christian Writing No Comments

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”(John 1:10-13)

“Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:16b-17)

Today I bring you “good tidings of great joy”. (Luke 2:10) You do not have to approach this Christmas season cynically preoccupied with the stark contrast between the spirit of Christmas and the present spirit of our world.

You do not have to approach this Christmas with the debilitating stress of “too much to do” and “too much to buy”.

You do not have to approach this Christmas with an attitude jaded by incessant commercialism, the intrusiveness of cute but semi-pagan myths like elves and flying reindeer, or even the awareness we do not really know the day of the year when Jesus Christ was born.

You can, if you choose, approach this Christmas with a childlike heart.

Read the scriptures that begin this column. We were given a child by God so we can become children of God, but we will not truly receive the blessings of the child God gave to us until we begin to think, feel, and behave like the children of God we have become. (Say what?)

It is not enough for me to simply say I am a child of God. To think, feel, and behave like a child of God requires that I have a childlike attitude about my new and everlasting identity. I become, like every healthy child, someone who delights in my new life, eager to learn and do all the things I was previously unable to learn and do, and trustingly dependent on the ones who watch over me and love me beyond measure: my heavenly Father God; my eldest brother, Jesus Christ, the Savior King; and the Holy Spirit of the Lord, who conceived Jesus within Mary and now lives within me. 

When I approach Christmas with a childlike heart, Christmas becomes my personal celebration of my Savior King’s birthday. I take joy in my salvation! (Psalm 51:12)  

When I approach Christmas with a childlike heart, I take joy in the fact Jesus’ birthday is so special it is even celebrated by people who are not yet Christians. I take joy in seeing the preparations for His birthday stretch through the whole month of December. I take joy in hearing over and over again that God loves the world and that His desire is peace on earth. 

I take joy in the fact so many families come together for Christmas, despite being scattered the rest of the year, and in seeing how much love can flow as they share traditions, memories, and the new things happening in their lives.

I take joy in watching the happiness that comes from the thoughtful giving and receiving of gifts. I take joy in singing and listening to beautiful songs. I take joy in the lights and greenery that brighten up an otherwise cold and barren winter. I particularly take joy in watching children laugh and play because it reminds me how much my heavenly Father wants me to laugh and play. 

When I approach Christmas with a childlike heart, the blinders come off and I no longer tune out or take for granted the things I have “become used to.” I look at the Christ child in the manger, surrounded by the poor and the rich and the angelic, and I see the billions of children in there with Him. We will follow the Christ child from those most humble surroundings into a spectacular place of eternal glory. (Philippians 2:5-11; John 14:1-3)

My dear friends, “set your minds” to approach this Christmas with a childlike heart, and you will truly have a Merry Christmas! (Colossians 3:2) 

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Dec 01 2024
Love0

LET’S TALK TRUTH IN LOVE

By Christian Writing No Comments

… [S]peaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head,vinto Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it isvequipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up invlove. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. (2 John 1:3)

I have engaged in pastoral “prayer & counsel” ministry for over twenty-five years. The people I meet in this capacity primarily struggle with a combination of anxiety, depression, frustration, negativity, and/or poor self-image. For most, the origin of their struggles was a childhood spent in a home where anger, fear, and distrust were the daily norm.

What is true for a homelife can also be true for a culture or nation. Our television and social media screens have, for longer than we care to admit, incessantly poured out one-sided messages that provoke anger at what “the other side” is doing, fear at what will happen if “the other side” gains power, and distrust of anyone who does not agree with the person on the screen who is speaking. Since the average American spends seven hours per day looking at a screen, these messages of anger, fear, and distrust are our daily norm.

Polls suggest 70-75% of Americans believe our nation has been on the wrong track.
While most people relate this to issues of the economy, immigration, and abortion, we must also remember how our general mood toward life impacts how we look at every issue. Life in an atmosphere of anger, fear, and distrust will hardly ever produce happiness, peace, or optimism.

As is always the case, God offers a better way – the way of Jesus – that combines truth and agape love. (John 14:6; 1 John 4:10) Our Father and Jesus send us grace, mercy, and peace in a package of truth and agape love. (2 John 1:3) Paul tells us that we grow up from childishness into knowledge of and intimacy with Jesus as we speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

The Bible will not allow us to separate these life-essential ingredients of truth and love. God is love. (1 John 4:8, 16) He is also the God of truth. (Isaiah 65:16) God so loved us that He sent Jesus to save us. (John 3:16) Jesus is the truth. (14:6) Our faith in Jesus allows us to know the truth that sets us free. (John 8:30-32) Our faith works through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Jesus declares the Father and He are one. (John 10:30) Since Father God is love and Jesus is the truth, we can even argue that God’s love and God’s truth are “one”. And while that may seem a stretch, the Bible very clearly states that you cannot have one without the other.

1 Corinthians 13:2 says we can have incredible amounts of truth, but if we do not have agape love, we are nothing. Four verses later, 1 Corinthians 13:6 says agape love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Truth without God’s love is not God’s truth, and love without God’s truth is not God’s love.

We are emerging from an election campaign where a little more than half of our nation wanted former President Trump to be President again, and a little less than half did not. Both God’s Word and our nation’s Constitution tell us to honor our election outcomes, and God urges all Christians on both “sides” to pray for all our elected governmental leaders. (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17) I hope all of us will do so.

My greater concern, however, is whether we can do anything to change this national
atmosphere of anger, fear, and distrust. Jeremiah asked whether a leopard could change its spots. (Jeremiah 13:23) But Christians are not leopards. We are new creations in Christ, and scripture tells us repeatedly to change and live as who we really are, not as who we once were. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:20-32; Colossians 3:1-17; Galatians 5:13-25; 2 Peter 1:2-11) All of these wonderful scriptures describe humble lives of truth and love: treating other people the way we wish to be treated. (Matthew 7:12) If enough of us do that, the atmosphere can change.

As a small part of this effort, my daughter Jes Williams and I launched a new podcast on November 1 called Let’s Talk: Truth in Love. It is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and through a link on our ministry website (Please pardon the plug). Our goal, just like my goal with these columns, is that we can encourage a better way to live and live together.

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Nov 11 2024
Love0

WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM, YOU DO FOR HIM

By Christian Writing No Comments

For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me …. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers [or sisters], you did it to me. (Matthew 25:35-36a, 40)

We expect hurricanes to impact Florida, or even Georgia and South Carolina, but who could ever believe a hurricane would bring devastation to Western North Carolina and East Tennessee?

Helene has done more damage than I can describe here: lost lives; people missing and families aching to know whether they are still alive; destroyed and severely damaged homes and businesses, many without flood insurance to help them rebuild; community infrastructures that may take months to repair; some communities like Chimney Rock Village simply gone; and thousands of people faced with “starting over” and not knowing where to begin.

When you look for hope amidst this tragedy, I encourage you to see, despite the horrible discord of this election year, Democrats helping Republicans and Republicans helping Democrats. See Republicans and Democrats working side by side to aid anyone around them who is in need. See compassion at work. See Americans of varied ages and ethnicities the way they can be and often used to be.

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats is a vivid picture of the Day of Judgment painted by Jesus Himself. (Matthew 25:31-46) The King will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, one into eternal reward and the other into eternal punishment; and the standard He will use is not confession of faith, baptism, or church membership. His standard will be compassion for others.

I am not suggesting here that baptism and confession of faith are not important, but we must remember confession with your mouth is worthless without faith in your heart. (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 10:9) Faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26) The fundamental work of faith is unconditional, selfless agape love. (Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 13:2) And compassion is a vital component of agape love. (1 John 3:17)

Compassion is love in action for someone in need. Jesus showed compassion for the sick by healing them, for the shepherd-less sheep by teaching them, for the hungry by feeding them, and for the grieving mother by raising her son back to life. (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34, 8:2; Luke 7:13-15) Paul explains that God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we can then comfort others in their affliction. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) 

My desire, based on my limited wisdom, would have been for Helene to never happen. But my heart soars when I see people removing garments of hostility, jealousy, distrust, and divisiveness so they can cloth themselves in compassion, kindness, humility, and love. (Colossians 3:1-14; Galatians 5:14-25) I feel like I am living in a community of “good Samaritans”, who earnestly desire to treat others in the same way they want others to treat them. (Luke 10:33; Matthew 7:12)

I also delight in knowing some of these good Samaritans are, like some of these hurricane victims, not yet Christians. Scripture tells us those who know love, know God. (1 John 4:7-8) As these people interact with those who love them back and already know Jesus, they can come to know Jesus as well. (1 John 3:18; Matthew 5:16; John 13:35) 

Finally, and regrettably, we have all seen a few people who have not chosen the path of compassion in this time of misfortune. They seek, instead, to feather their own nest with political lies or financial scams. Please remember scripture’s warning: those who do not know love, do not know God. (1 John 4:8, 20-21) These people are either goats or wolves, or both. (Matthew 7:15)

Our call to compassion in the wake of Helene will be long-term, but I am confident the love I see will persevere. (1 Corinthians 13:7-8) It will increase, rather than diminish, the compassion I witnessed in our region prior to Helene: ministries like Of One Accord, Shades of Grace, Coalition for Kids, Oasis, and Kingsport Homeless Ministry’s Grace House, just to name a few, along with local and international missions in many of our churches. And I am excited to tell you a local group of Christian leaders is working to develop a church communication network that gathers information about the ministries of compassion and missions in our region so we all can get involved where God wants us involved.

To the thousands of wonderful people participating in these acts of compassion, I say, “Jesus sees you and is pleased with you!” Whenever you get tired or discouraged, remember that what you do for them, you do for Him.

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Oct 01 2024
Love0

JESUS SAYS, “COME AND SEE”

By Christian Writing No Comments

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  He said to them, “Come and see.” (John 1:35-39 NRS)

No biblical story better describes the present need of too much of the Church.

Andrew and John were hungry for a move of God. Their nation was birthed as a nation under God. Their history included times when they conquered their enemies and were known for their wealth and wisdom. But those days were gone.

The nation had moved further and further from God. Now the people were in bondage, and there had not been a prophet in Israel for four hundred years. 

Then came John the Baptist, the greatest preacher anyone had ever heard, with a potent two-part message.  

The first part was, “Repent!”  Turn away from your sin and back to God. Stop the greed, deceit, and sexual immorality.  If you are a nation under God, start acting godly.
It was a word desperately needed to deal with how far the culture had fallen. Ring a bell?

The second part was “The Kingdom of God is near”, a word also desperately needed to deal with how far the people’s hope had fallen.  The Lord was coming to restore God’s rule in the land. Finally, righteousness could prevail.

Strong words of both conviction and hope! Thousands came to the Jordan River to be baptized, including Andrew and John, who became two of the Baptist’s disciples.

Then another man showed up at the river – Jesus from Nazareth. He came to be baptized by John, and after Jesus left, John declared to the people who this Jesus was.

“I’m not fit to tie His shoes.  When He was baptized, heaven opened. God called Him His beloved Son. The Holy Spirit landed on Him like a dove.  This is the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He will baptize not with water, but with Holy Spirit and fire.” 

The next day, when John the Baptist directed the attention of Andrew and John toward Jesus, the two young men left the Baptist and became the first two people to follow Jesus. When He saw them, Jesus asked them a simple but profound question: “What are you looking for?”

This is a question all of us need to ask ourselves. What are we looking for in our lives, our relationship with God, and our communities of faith? 

Remember what Andrew and John already had with the Baptist: a great preacher who spoke of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who preached the need to repent, be baptized and live a moral, honest life; who taught there would be a Judgment Day, but that Jesus is the Savior who can cleanse us from our sins. 

Doesn’t that sound exactly like what most people embrace in our bible-believing churches today? Yet Andrew and John left that because they wanted and needed more.  Do you want more? Isn’t it clear our nation needs more?  

Andrew and John responded to Jesus with their own question: “Where are you staying?”  This question was also profound. The Greek word for “staying” is “meno”, which means “stay”, “abide” or “remain”.  When Jesus responded, “Come and see”, He wasn’t just talking about where He slept. 

Jesus always remained in the presence and rule of His heavenly Father. He therefore “stayed” in the Kingdom of God wherever He went. He was going to show them the Kingdom moving on the earth: loving people unconditionally, healing the sick, delivering the demonized, raising the dead, stopping the storm, walking on water, and humbly revealing both the heart of the Father and who people made in the image of God can become. (1 John 2:3-6)

Andrew and John would “come and see” all of that. Then three years later, soon after the Lamb of God paid the price for our sins, they would, along with 118 other disciples, “come and see” what John the Baptist had promised in the very beginning.  In an upper room on Pentecost, they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit – immersed in the abiding presence, power, and love of God. Now it was their turn to be the Kingdom of God lovingly and powerfully moving on the earth, revealing to the world who God really is and who we all are designed to become.

My fellow Christians, we must follow Jesus, not John the Baptist. It is time to come into the baptism of Holy Spirit and, filled with God’s love, see the Kingdom move on this earth again. (Romans 5:5, 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20)   

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Sep 01 2024
Love0

THE LORD COMMANDS US TO MAKE DISCIPLES

By Christian Writing No Comments

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

We call this closing passage of the Gospel of Matthew the “Great Commission” because here, the resurrected and ascending Christ gives His Church her core mission statement. The Greek word translated as “nations” is ethnos and refers to all people groups: ethnic groups and cultures as well as tribes and nations. (Revelation 5:9, 14:6) God loves all people and wants to make disciples of all people.

Disciples of Jesus are trusting, obedient pupils and followers of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (Matthew 4:19, 23:8-10; John 14:6). You make disciples through a two-step process of evangelism and discipleship.

Evangelism begins with our Lord’s declaration that we will be His Spirit-indwelled witnesses in our hometowns and throughout the world. (Acts 1:8). As Peter later explains:

“…You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 AMP)

When our life witness and words quicken the hearts of others to believe, we invite them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins so they too can receive the Holy Spirit and be born of God. (Acts 2:38; John 1:12-13, 3:3-6) Their spiritual rebirth initiates the second step in the two-step process: discipleship, which involves teaching them to obey all that our Lord Jesus has commanded, including the foundational command of unconditional love. (1 John 4:7-12) As more disciples make more disciples, the kingdom of heaven grows from the smallest seed to the largest plant in the garden. (Matthew 13:31-32)

The early Church successfully embraced the Great Commission in Jerusalem and, thereafter, spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. (Acts 2:31, 42-47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:7) So, how is the Church in America doing today?

Credible polls reveal that as recently as the early 1990’s, 90% of U.S. adults identified as Christian while only 5% were religiously unaffiliated. Today about 63% identify as Christian and 29% profess no religious affiliation. Among young adults (20-29), less than 50% profess Christianity. Over 30% of people raised Christian leave the faith by age 30.

Weekly mass attendance for Catholic Christians has dropped from 43% to 30% in the last twenty years. Southern Baptist church membership has dropped for seventeen consecutive years, and the evangelical percentage of our population has dropped from over 25% to 15%. The dramatic decline of membership and attendance in our mainline Protestant denominations is described as “plummeting”. 

While analysts often blame social media and other worldly changes for these tragic developments, I believe we must explore at least three factors within the Church to find out why everything is going backwards. 

First, nothing has impacted our Catholic siblings more than the ongoing child sexual abuse and cover-up scandal exposed to the public in the 1990’s. They relied upon their hierarchal priesthood for discipleship and justifiably feel betrayed. You must be disciples to make disciples.

Second, mainline denominations began, in the name of love, to accept homosexual practice in the 1990’s, but the real issue was the authority of scripture, not homosexuality. If you do not accept all scripture as divinely inspired authority for what the Lord declares to be right and wrong, you are deciding those issues on your own and cannot fully make disciples for Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:17-19) Love without God’s truth is not God’s love. 

Third, the evangelical church began to assert themselves in the 1980’s and 90’s as a “moral majority” voting bloc and political action group, much like the black church had done during the civil rights movement in the 1960’s.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting godly government or having a voice in how our government makes laws, but when you begin to treat those who disagree with you as your adversaries, or even worse, as those “bad”, “evil”, and/or “stupid” people, you push them away and are no longer treating them as the harvest. You forget that Jesus came for the tax collectors and sinners, and now sends you to do the same. (Matthew 9:10-13) Laws are unable, on their own, to bring anyone to salvation or discipleship. (John 1:17; Romans 8:3-4) Truth without love is not God’s truth. (Ephesians 4:15)

Jesus is with us always. Fully embrace His Great Commission as a few wonderful congregations in our region are already doing, and things will turn around.  

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Aug 05 2024
Love0

THEY’LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE

By Christian Writing No Comments

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

The apostle Peter dictated his “first letter” from Rome near the end of his ministry, reaching out to fellow Christians of diverse backgrounds and cultures throughout the nations of Asia Minor. His primary purpose was to encourage and instruct them on how to stand together in difficult times.

1 Peter is, therefore, a perfect letter of encouragement and instruction for Christians of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and opinions in America today.

First, Peter tells us to focus not on our worldly identity but on our born-again identity as children of God destined to everlasting life. (1 Peter 1:3-5, 13, 23-25, 4:13, 5:10; Philippians 3:7-11). We are temporary residents of this broken world (2:11). Our value system – what we deem important – must be based on our permanent home. (Matthew 6:19-34)

This eternal perspective helps us endure and redeem times of struggle and suffering. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) It also impresses upon us the everlasting importance of leading others to Christ by the witness of our lives. (Acts 1:8)

Peter’s second instruction is that we live out our new identity by being “holy” in all our conduct. (1:13-16) Our daily behavior matters. (James 1:22-25)

“Holy” is in both Hebrew (qadash) and Greek (hagios) a word of consecration: separation from the world and its evil so we draw closer to God and His goodness. Peter calls on us to refrain from easily identified sins like lust, malice, deceit, and envy (2:1, 11). He then adds affirmative obligations to be courteous and tenderhearted to everyone, blessing those who hurt or insult us and showing honor to those who disagree with our beliefs. (2:12, 17, 3:8-9; Matthew 5:38-48) Our lives become the witness Christ deserves.

Peter’s third instruction explains what happens when “holy” applies to us collectively. We become “a holy nation”, “a chosen race”, and “a people for God’s own possession”. (2:9)    

In our worldly identities, Christians are not a people. (2:10) We are divided by our races, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, generation gaps, and gender, just like the people in Peter’s day – Bithynian or Cappadocian, “Jew or Greek”, “slave or free”, “male and female”. (1:1; Galatians 3:28) Even within the community of faith, we seek to divide ourselves by denomination or doctrine. (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

But Peter explains that we are God’s “living stones” – not bricks that all look alike, but stones wonderfully diverse in size, color, and shape. (2:4) And God wants to fit us together, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, so we can be God’s spiritual home on earth. (2:5-7) As one spiritual house, one royal priesthood, and one brother-and-sisterhood, we give the rest of the world an opportunity to clearly see God’s goodness and glory. (2:9, 12, 15, 17)

Peter’s fourth and most important instruction describes the mortar that holds the living stones together. God commands Christians to continually and earnestly love one another. (4:8) God is love, so that is what His children must do. (1 John 4:7-21). The essence of holy conduct is love. (Matthew 22:35-40)

No one said it better than Jesus: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

We all fall short, both by sinning and being victims of the sins of others. (Romans 3:23) We all have character flaws, daily life struggles, and broken theology. But God’s love for us and our love for each other are more important and powerful than those shortcomings and will “cover” them so unbelievers can look at us and see God’s love, including His love for all of them. (John 17:22-23; Acts 2:42-47)

Please note this, fellow church leaders – Peter particularly directs us to model what he has instructed, and never the opposite. (5:1-4) He also reminds us all that our real enemy is the devil who seeks to devour us all, not the Nero of Peter’s time or any political figures of today. (2:13-17, 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:10-20)

A familiar song rose up in my heart as I prayerfully studied 1 Peter. Imagine with me a 2024 parade of Black, white, Hispanic, and other ethnically diverse Christians, male and female, young and old, and, dare I say it, Democrats and Republicans and Independents, marching together arm in arm down Mainstreet USA while singing loudly from their depths of their hearts:

“We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord”.  “We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand.”  “We will work with each other; we will work side by side.”  “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.”

Vote the way you are led to vote, my brothers and sisters in Christ, but remember that “they’ll know we are Christians by our love”.

God bless you, and God bless our community

Jul 22 2024
Love0

INCREASE YOUR FAITH IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

By Christian Writing No Comments

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:21)

In my column two months ago, we discussed the biblical revelation that the Holy Spirit is God – the third person in the triune Godhead we call the Trinity.

For me, this is part of the most incredible truth disclosed in scripture. I was made in the image and likeness of God, loved by God, but separated from God by sin. When I placed my faith in Jesus as the Son of God who died for my sins, God forgave me, and I was reconciled to God in the most amazing way possible. My eternal, all-powerful, all-loving God came to live within me in the person of the Holy Spirit and made me His child forever. Wow!

My “wow” is, unfortunately, not yet a “wow” for most Christians. What the great pastor A.W. Tozer wrote over sixty years ago is still true:

“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everyone would know the difference.”

Recent Barna Group polls report how most American Christians, including 62 percent of people who identify as “born again”, believe the Holy Spirit is just a symbol for the presence or power of God, and not even a living person. They are not reading their bibles, and it also seems clear they are not hearing biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit from the pulpit.

All I can do here is briefly summarize the many ministries of the Holy Spirit and hope we will embrace all of them as part of this monumental gift from our Father. (Luke 11:13)

First, the Father uses the Holy Spirit to draw us to Jesus and salvation (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit will, by the written or preached Word of God, pierce our hearts with conviction of sin so we repent and believe. (John 16:8; Acts 2:37-38; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 10:14; Hebrews 4:12)

Second, the gift of the Holy Spirit brings about our spiritual rebirth. It is in receiving the Holy Spirit that we are “born again”, “born of the spirit”, and “born of God”. (John 1:12-13, 3:3-8) The Spirit is life, and you do not belong to Jesus or have eternal life until you receive the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9-11, 16-17) As our theme verse of Galatians 5:21 states, … we live by the Spirit ….

Third, the gift of the Holy Spirit anoints and empowers us for life and ministry. (Acts 1:4-8; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 2:20, 27-29, 3:24; Zechariah 4:6) This empowerment includes the wonderful spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, but we must also honor the greater gifts of faith, hope, and agape love described in 1 Corinthians 13. The Holy Spirit pours agape love into our hearts. (Romans 5:5) It is the Holy Spirit within us who is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Many relate this divine empowerment to the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4; Ephesians 5:18) And while some debate this topic, I would point you to the differences between what the disciples received in John 20:22 and what they received in Acts 2:1-4. (See also Acts 8:5-13 versus Acts 8:14-19 and Acts 19:1-7) Rebirth and empowerment are both essential. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

The fourth ministry of the Holy Spirit is sanctification – the transformation of our reborn lives so we become more like Jesus. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) This happens in two ways. We are transformed by the renewal of our minds as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. (Romans 12:2; John 16:13-15) And our character is transformed into the character of Christ by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-24)

The fifth ministry of the Holy Spirit is daily intimacy with Jesus. Through Holy Spirit, our human spirit becomes one spirit with Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:17) Christ abides in us and we can learn to abide in Him. (John 15:1-11)

Finally, the sixth ministry of the Holy Spirit is divine leadership. Creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the sons (huios) of God – mature sons and daughters who follow Jesus and embrace their Kingdom responsibilities. (Luke 9:23; Romans 8:19; Ephesians 4:11-16) And Romans 8:14 says this: All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

God is seeking those who … walk by the Spirit… and abide in Christ because they are Spirit-born, Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered, Spirit-taught, Spirit-transformed, and Spirit-led. (John 4:23-24)

God bless you, and God bless our community.

May 30 2024
Love0

EVERY CHURCH SHOULD BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER

By Christian Writing No Comments

And He was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17; see Isaiah 56:7)

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven… deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-10, 13)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me …. (Ephesians 6:12, 16-19)

… If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

… Pray without ceasing …. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Sometimes you need to group multiple scriptures together to really hear what God is saying. Every church within reach of this newspaper should be a house of prayer. But few are.

Start by asking yourself how much time you personally spend in prayer each day. How much time in your church’s Sunday morning worship service is dedicated to prayer? Does your church have an active and organized prayer ministry?

National surveys indicate that Christians average five minutes of prayer per day. Average daily use of social media is over two hours for adults and even more for youth, and average daily television use is over three hours.

The average daily prayer time for pastors – our spiritual leaders – is under seven minutes. They spend less than 1% of their waking hours talking with the Lord they serve and represent.

Even the historic mainstay of church prayer, Wednesday night prayer meeting, has in most churches become a smorgasbord of fellowship meals, music practice, youth activities, bible studies, and committee meetings, with a prayer gathering nowhere in sight. All of these have their place, but they were never supposed to displace and replace prayer.

My friends, we are giving lip service to the power of prayer, but it is clear we do not really believe in it because we do not practice what we preach, and we are suffering the consequences of our failure.

A prayerless church operates in its own human strength rather than the divine power of the Lord. You can help people, but you cannot overcome the evil that is our real enemy. Just as the Amalekites prevailed against the Hebrew army whenever Moses lowered his staff, the gates of hell will prevail against a prayerless church. (Exodus 17:8-13) It has already happened in Europe, and it is gradually happening in America, where both participation in Christian faith and the impact of Christianity on society are shrinking with ever-accelerating speed.

To change the direction we are heading, we must change how we operate. Changing your music style and embracing social media outreach may draw more people to your church. Changing your individual and congregational prayer life will draw the presence, power, and purposes of God, which is what we need most. (James 4:8)

While most churches in our Kingsport region do not even mention prayer on their websites, there are wonderful exceptions. Christ Fellowship has prayer room services every Monday and Wednesday night. Preaching Christ Church has Tuesday night prayer meeting, with a true focus on prayer, and a social media prayer ministry that even reaches people in other nations. Celebration Church has a Sunday night prayer meeting, as well as small gatherings that meet to pray before their worship services. There are other examples as well, and all these churches are thriving.

Please share this column with your pastor. Volunteer to help. The early Church devoted themselves to prayer, and the results were amazing. (Acts 2:42-47, 4:24-31, 12:1-17) Our Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Become His house of prayer and see what happens!

God bless you, and God bless our community.

May 03 2024
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LET’S SOLVE TWO CASES OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

By Christian Writing No Comments

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)

 

Matthew 16 describes the most significant case of mistaken identity in history. God sent His only begotten Son to earth as the Savior of the world, but most people believed He was just a man. (John 1:1-14, 3:16; Philippians 2:5-11) They crucified Him.

Although there are people today professing Christianity while making the same mistake about who Jesus is, biblically grounded Christians know Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of the living God. Unfortunately, there are two other cases of mistaken identity that wreak havoc among us. The first case concerns the Holy Spirit. The second concerns how we view other people.

Every Christian knows you receive the Holy Spirit when you embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. (Acts 2:38-39) Amidst the debates on what that means in terms of supernatural power and spiritual gifts, we have failed to answer the even more important question: Who is the Holy Spirit we have received?

The Holy Spirit is God! The marvelous, mysterious truth of the Trinity is that while we know God as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit, we also know there is only one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Galatians 3:20; James 2:19) The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune Godhead. He proceeds from the Father through the Son to us but always remains eternally and perfectly one with the Father and the Son. (John 15:26, 16:7-15; Galatians 4:6)

For this reason, the Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of your Father. (Luke 4:18; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 8:9; Matthew 10:20) Through the Holy Spirit, our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, and both our Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father can make their home in us. (John 14:23, 15:4; 1 John 1:3)

Nowhere is it said more clearly than this: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him (or her), and he in God.” (1 John 4:15) I repeat, the Holy Spirit within you is God.

Our second case of mistaken identity involves everyone you know and everyone you don’t know: Christians and non-Christians, Americans and every other nationality, people you like and people you don’t like, people who agree with your theology and politics and people who don’t. These truths about their identity apply to all of them:

  1. They are loved by God.
  2. They are created by God in His image and likeness.
  3. They are sinners who fall short of the glory of God, just like you and me. (Romans 3:23)
  4. They are people Jesus died for when He paid the price for all sins of all people for all time. (1 John 2:2; Hebrews 9:26, 8:12)
  5. If not yet Christians, they are people the Lord desires to see repent and come into everlasting life. (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) God does not live within them yet, but He wants to, and your assignment is to witness Jesus and His Kingdom to them so that can happen. (Acts 1:8; Romans 10:14-15)
  6. If not yet Christians, the enemy has blinded them in one way or another to keep them from grasping the truth and love of the Gospel. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Jesus came to give them sight and set them free. (Luke 4:17-21)
  7. If they are born-again Christians, even though they may disagree with your theology or politics, then they are people indwelled by the same God who lives in you (John 1:12-13, 3:3-6)
  8. They are all people God commands you to love in truth and in deed. (Matthew 5:43-48; 1 John 3:18) 1 Corinthians 13 describes the type of love you are to have for them.

 

Imagine with me for a moment what it would be like if all Christians remembered every moment of every day that the Holy Spirit is God living within us. Imagine how Christians could treat each other if we lived with the awareness that the same God who lives in me lives in you.

Now imagine what it would be like if while indwelled by God, we also chose to identify and treat all other people in a manner consistent with His perspective and the biblical truths set forth in this column.

Everything would change. (Romans 12:2)

God bless you, and God bless our community.

Apr 05 2024
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THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO LIVE

By Christian Writing No Comments

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

Have you even wondered why so many Christians live defeated or, at minimum, partially dissatisfied lives?

For far too many believers, the biblical concept of “abundant life” is something you read about in the book, not something you experience. (John 10:10) New believers tend to fall back into their old problems, and a sizable percentage of long-term believers struggle with stress, frustration, depression, and family problems as much as non-believers.

In short, a great many Christians are not very happy, not very peaceful, not very fulfilled, and not very hopeful things will improve this side of heaven. Why?

Our fundamental problem may be our failure to get past the theology of salvation by grace as “a free gift of God” and understand Jesus calls for those He saves to take on His yoke and learn from Him.

To “take on His yoke” means we submit to Jesus as Lord. We live each day the way He wants, not the way we think we want. (John 14:6)

To learn from Jesus means we continually let Him teach us about this new way of life so we can live it better and better. As we mature as Christians, we see our lives gradually transformed from glory to glory. (Ephesians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 5:11-14)

Our ticket to heaven may be a gift we receive by faith and not by works, but “rest for our souls” on earth comes through this process of submitting and learning. The blessings that come from living life God’s way is a principle proclaimed throughout scripture. (Exodus 33:13; Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Psalm 119; Isaiah 30:18-21; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:21-23)

Please, therefore, let me suggest a brief list for living the way Jesus wants:

  1. Start each day with at least 15-30 minutes of prayer. Submit your day to the Lord. Tell Him you love and trust Him, remembering you are a child of your heavenly Father indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit. Pray for your loved ones, your community, your workplace, your nation, the Church, and whatever God puts on your heart.
  2. Seek to remain attentive to God’s Presence throughout your day. Bless places you go in the name of Jesus because every blessing you speak pours out living water onto this world. Refrain from harsh and judgmental words because they pour out curses on people who God loves. (James 3:3-10)
  3. End each day in prayer. Review the day. Repent and receive forgiveness where necessary. Submit your sleep and dreams to Him.
  4. Own a study bible in a translation you can understand. Read it often. Read it cover to cover so you know the whole of it, not just parts.
  5. Commit to living a life of unconditional love. (1 John 4:7-21) Focus on humbly serving others, not yourself. (Philippians 2:3-11) Consistently forgive those who hurt or disappoint you, including yourself. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
  6. Spouses – pray together every day. If you do this one simple thing, less than 1% of you will divorce.
  7. Parents – pray with your children every morning, including prayers for blessing and protection. Spend one half hour with them every day sharing prayer and bible stories. You will grow closer to God and each other – something much more important than sports or academics.
  8. Do not neglect gathering for corporate worship. Expect to encounter God. (Hebrews 10:19-25)
  9. Actively share your faith – what Jesus has meant in your life – with family, friends, and the struggling people God puts in your path. Invite others to know Jesus and encourage fellow Christians to know Him better.
  10. Stay involved in a ministry that trains you in Christian discipleship. Be involved as well in a team ministry to others: food pantry, prison ministry, hospital visitation, intercessory prayer, etc.
  11. Have at least one or two friends in Christ with whom you can be transparent, and who can encourage you and hold you accountable.

Your first reaction to this list may be, “That’s too hard,” or “I don’t have time.”  But Jesus calls this yoke easy and light. It is just radically different because it is His way, not the world’s way we have always known.

And as to time, do not let the devil deceive and distract you with your busy-ness, TV, and social media. Simply reprioritize your time and energy according to what God says is important.

There is a better way to live. In truth, He is the only “Way” to go. (John 14:6; Matthew 7:13-14)

God bless you, and God bless our community.

   

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