Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Posted on October 14, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

It’s amazing to me the number of people – many who profess Christ as Savior – who think it acceptable to lie. When the Bible speaks of Heaven it says:

Revelation 21:27 (KJV)  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or MAKETH A LIE: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

and

Revelation 22:14-15 (KJV)  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and MAKETH A LIE.

No liars will be in Heaven. The Bible is very clear on this. God does not condone lying. It was with a lie that Satan twisted the words of God, leading Adam and Eve from Paradise. God is not the father of lies, but Satan is. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:44 (KJV)   Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF IT.

The Bible testifies that “the Law was given by Moses, but grace AND TRUTH came by Jesus Christ”. Though Pilate asked “What is truth?” Jesus declared “everyone that is of the TRUTH heareth My voice” (John 18:37). The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is supposed to be “the pillar and ground of the TRUTH”. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to withdraw himself from “perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the TRUTH” (1 Timothy 6:5). He also prophesied of the latter days when “men would be lovers of their own selves”, who would “creep into houses, lead captive silly women laden with sins … ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH” (2 Timothy 3:6-7). 

Are there times when a lie might be justified? Yes, but in a very narrow area. When Joshua sent spies into Jericho the King of Jericho sent men out to catch those spies. The Bible tells us that Rahab – a prostitute – hid those men. When asked if she had seen the men Rahab said “There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were” (Joshua 2:4), which is a fancy way of saying “I don’t know where they are right now”. She knew where they were, for she had hidden the men under stalks of flax on the roof of her house. She told the soldiers “when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.” (Joshua 2:5). On her advice the soldiers went on a wild goose chase while – all along – Joshua’s spies rested on the roof. Did Rahab lie? Yes, several times. Why did Rahab lie? She said:

Joshua 2:11-13  … the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 12  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: 13  And that YE WILL SAVE ALIVE my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and DELIVER OUR LIVES FROM DEATH.

She lied to save lives. She saved the lives of Joshua’s spies, who surely would have been put to death. She also lied to protect her family’s lives. The spies agreed to save Rahab and her family, then returned to Joshua with the good news:

Joshua 2:24 (KJV) …  Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

Rahab lied to protect life, much like many good people lied to Nazi authorities when they hid the Jews from the death camps. The Bible notes that Rahab was “justified” in her action of hiding the spies. We read …

James 2:25-26 (KJV)  Likewise also was not RAHAB THE HARLOT JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Hebrews 11:30-31 (KJV)  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Rahab actually ended up in the earthly lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5) for her deed. Her lie saved life – many lives. Yet no where in Scripture does God say “Rahab, I approve of that lie”. The fact that she believed on God and saved lives – even at the risk of her own – is what God honored. Her lie was, in this slim case, the lesser of two evils, and God used it for good.

Lying should not be endorsed nor exalted by those who claim Christ as Savior and Lord. We are called to TRUTH. Christ is TRUTH. His way is TRUTH. He never uttered a lie. When questioned and He did not want to answer, Christ spoke not a word. He considered His words before He spoke them, and cherished the truth. We as Christians are called to SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE (Ephesians 4:14-15). We are not to be abrasive in our truth (and I confess – sadly – that many times I have been so) but to speak motivated by love.  Most of the evil that the world points out in the Church we bring on ourselves by violating the Law of Truth. The ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, has been too freely handled by those who profess Christ. 

When we as Christians become like the world in our handling of truth, then there is no light for there is no difference. God told Israel:

Leviticus 6:1-4, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and LIE UNTO HIS NEIGHBOR…or hath deceived his neighbour…and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is GUILTY,”

When I was a kid when someone was caught in a lie we’d chant, “Liar, Liar, pants on fire!” If you make lying a habit, and spread lies through gossip rather than going to the source and finding out the truth, you may have more than pants on fire. Heaven is not for liars.

 

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Wanted: Parents To Be Parents

Posted on September 23, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

When people ask me what is the heart of the problems in our society my first reply is always “Parents Need To Be Parents”. Those who are adults today were once children. The habits and actions – the character they display – can be traced back to how they were raised. Take a tree when it is but a twig and twist it, turn it into a knot. As the twig grows, so grows the tree. The twisted twig will be the twisted tree. The twisted child will be the twisted adult. Children need parents.

Children need parents who love the Lord and model Him to the child. Children must be taught the things of God by their parents. Parents need to be parents, not buddies. Your children have all the “besties” they need – they need a parent who will tell them what is right and wrong, and who will punish them when they do the wrong. Parents must be parents. The school will not substitute for the parent. If the child is not taught to sit still at home, it will not sit still at school. In my day when children misbehaved in school we were taken out of the classroom, sent to the Principals office, and paddled in the sight of two witnesses. The Bible says:

Proverbs 22:15 (KJV)  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Following the paddling the parent was called, and when the child came home it was punished further by the parents. Not today. Today we drug our children, we excuse our children, and we expect others to parent our children. 12% of boys and 4.7% of girls ages 3-17 were diagnosed with “Attention Deficit Disorder” in 2011 in the United States.  (see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_254.pdf)  Children are given drugs to combat this terrible disease. One article that I read stated:

“Unlike other medical conditions, like diabetes or a brain tumor, there are no simple tests that can tell that your child does indeed have ADHD. Instead, we usually have to rely on questionaires and observations from parents and teachers to see if a child has the symptoms of ADHD, which might include having a short attention span, being easily distracted, and/or being impulsive and hyperactive.” (keepkidshealthy.com)

ADHD is diagnosed when the child has “a short attention span, being easily distracted, being impulsive or hyperactive”. In my day this was called being a child. Again, foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. Children will be children. They do not understand the need to sit still, to concentrate, to pay attention. Though I am sure there are actually children that do have genuine problems that may need drug therapy, most often what children need is not drugs but PARENTS. They need the people who bore them to take time with them, to correct them, to love them. They need PARENTS who will teach them the things of God, to love the Lord Who made them.

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:7

Parents need to be parents. The Church cannot be the parent, nor can the Pastor raise your kids. If your child will not sit still at the dinner table without throwing food, the child will not sit still in a Church pew while listening to a sermon. If the child runs without restrain around the house, ignoring the parent’s plea to be still, the child will run unrestrained through the Church and scream loudly if hindered from its play. If the parent will not teach the child to respect God at home, neither Pastor nor Church can teach the child the same thing in just an hour or two once a week. As a Parent you have your child  166 hours each week, and perhaps bring your child to Church for 2 hours. If you will not teach the child in 166 hours, how can you possibly believe that the Church or the Pastor can correct the child in 2 hours?

Proverbs 13:24 (KJV)   He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Proverbs 23:13-14 (KJV) 13  Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) 6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Is it possible to train a child, to discipline that child, and to have that child go astray? Absolutely. God has created us with free will. Adam was created perfect and placed in a perfect environment and yet he still disobeyed his Parent. What did God do to Adam? He put him outside of the Garden. He punished him with thorns and thistles. But He loved Adam anyway. Parents need to parent. They need to realize that the responsibility given them is a God given and weighty responsibility. If you keep abdicating your parenting to the government or the Church the child will grow up bent. One day that child will do something that a good citizen ought not to do, and will stand before a just Judge who will hand out a verdict. I have seen in many years of ministry many parents stand before such a Judge crying “But he’s a good boy” or “but she’s such a sweet girl” only to hear “guilty” decreed. Our prisons are filled with children in adult bodies who needed Godly parents. I have buried children who have made bad decisions because their parents set no boundaries. Those children stood before another Just Judge, the Creator of Life. If they stood before Him without Christ then they rest not in His palm but in eternity’s flame.

Oh that God would touch the hearts of the parents everywhere.

Proverbs 29:15 (KJV)  The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

I would love to write further, but duty calls. A great article on parenting can be found at 

http://www.bible.ca/f-child-discipline.htm 

May God touch your hearts with His Word. I do not want, as Pastor, to go to one more jail cell or do one more funeral because a parent will not parent. Amen!

 

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Spiritual Growth Only By Perserverance

Posted on September 16, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

A Christian is made by God. Salvation is not something that you can work your way into – you must be “born again” if you want to enter into and see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3, 7). You are “born again” by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (John 1:12-13), by putting yourself in His hands, surrendering to Him, giving Him your life. At that point of surrender – and it is unconditional surrender – God acts. The Bible says:

Titus 3:4-7 (KJV)   But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are not saved by our works, but by His Work. Christ died for us, and rose again for us, so that He could bring us into harmony with God. When we realize that we are sinners and surrender to the Savior God Himself brings the “washing of regeneration” – making us born again. God gives us of Himself “the renewing of the Holy Ghost”. A Christian is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides us in all truth, and enables the believer to understand the things of God (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). The Bible declares:

Romans 8:5-9 (KJV)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Every believer is indwelt by the Spirit of God. The Spirit is given to guide us into truth. The Truth the Spirit guides us in is the Word of God. God’s Word, His Bible, is His directive to us who are His children. The Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:13-17 (KJV)   But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

There is no Christian growth where the Word of God is not heeded. Jesus told His followers “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). He said “Why do you call Me Lord and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). God’s Word is life. Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). The Christian is to follow the Christ. The Great Commission is to teach others to “do all things whatsoever Christ has commanded us” (Matthew 28:20). We as Christians are to do His Word, to obey our Lord, and to follow Christ.

What else has God given the Christian? He has given us each other. He has given us the Church. The Church is a body of believers gathered together, each using their own gifts and talents to further the cause of Christianity. The Spirit of God is given to each believer with the intent that we work together (1 Corinthians 12:7). Like the human body, each member in the Body of Christ the Church has a unique purpose and a unique function. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 12:8-12 (KJV) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9   To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10   To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

When the Church works together every member is blessed. When the Church doesn’t work together, not only is harmony disrupted – but every Christian in the Body suffers.

What hurts a Church? The same thing that hurts the Christian.

Christians do not grow when they will not read and DO what the Scripture says. Christians do not grow when they will not listen to the preaching of the Word and apply that Word to their lives. Some believers refuse to do so because they are attracted to power. They want to be in charge. They want to be the center of the universe. The truth is, God is in charge. He is the center of the universe. His Word is Light, and His Word is right. I’ve heard Christians justify disobedience to the preached and taught Word by saying “Oh, anybody can twist the Scripture to say whatever they want it to say”. I suppose that is true. However, you who are Christians are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. If you hear His Word and let Him guide you, He cannot be deceived. There is no justification for a Christian grabbing power and rejecting God given authority in the Church. We are reminded in the Scripture:

Hebrews 13:7 (KJV)   Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

and 

Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)   Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

It is not beneficial as a Christian to reject your God given pastors and teachers. “They watch for your souls, as they that must give account”. If they err, go to them and tell them where you think they have erred. I myself am careful in the handling of God’s Word, taking the warning:

Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

very seriously. If I am wrong, I want to be shown where I am wrong. Every Godly Pastor and Teacher feels the same way. Do not reject the Word because you feel it is wrong. Reject it if it is my word and not God’s Word, and show me the same.

Salvation is by Grace, but growth in salvation is be perseverance. 

Those who reject God’s Word will not grow as Christians. Those who reject Godly authority – hopping from Church to Church – will not grow as Christians. 

It is so sad that – with all the freedom and all the access that Christians in America have to the Bible and the Church – that so many will not use the blessing. Some join a Church like they go to a store. They look for a “good deal” and, quickly using the resources at hand, move on to another “bargain”. There are Christians – professing Christians anyway – who if they were to die tomorrow no one would know who to call to perform their funeral. There are Christians who have hopped from Church to Church so much that they are on three or four Church “rolls”. When you get sick, who will visit you? When your child gets ready to marry, who will perform the ceremony? When you die, who will comfort your relatives? 

Listen, dear ones. Christ gave His all for you and for me. He died and rose again for our blessing. We bless Him when we do what He says. We bless ourselves when we do what He says.

If you are a Church Hopper – stop it! Settle down, and follow Christ where you are. There will never be a perfect Church while you’re a member of it. If that hurts, it should. We are all sinners, saved by Grace. Quit hopping, quit shopping, and start serving Jesus where you are – IF you are a Christian.

If you are a Power Monger – stop it! Christ is in control. It is His Word that brings life. We follow Him, not our whims. Anything with more than one head is a freak, and there are too many freaky Churches out there. Follow Christ. Support your Pastor. Listen to your teachers. Stop trying to be in charge, and let God be God.

If you are a Christian – persevere! Keep going. Keep going to Church. Keep listening to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Keep reading your Bible. Keep doing the right thing. I thank my God daily for the Philippian  Christian who strives to serve the Lord. You are a blessing. The Corinthian Christian makes my head hurt and my hands shake, but the Philippian Christian is the greatest blessing. You will never grow unless you persevere. Bloom where you are planted. Serve as Christ has commanded. Help yourself – your Church – and your Pastor. Persevere!

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Faddism, Consumerism, and Christianity

Posted on September 9, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

What do Nokia (the Phone company), Blockbuster (the Video Rental store), Kodak (the film company), and Pan Am (the airline) have in common? They are all out of business. They have all been replaced by better companies that offered better things. This happened because they forgot to watch their customers and change with the times. Nokia was the only phone to have in 1999, and was even in the movie The Matrix. A Finnish company, Nokia employed 100,000 people in 120 companies and annually made $30 billion. What happened? Something better came along – the iPhone. When Apple presented its phone Nokia did nothing – and lost everything. They ignored their customers.

 

Too many Christians look at the Gospel as if it is a phone, a rental store, a film company, or an airline. Over the years I’ve seen fads in Christianity come and go. I remember when “The Purpose Driven Church” came out, and pastors that I knew told me how they were going to do “Forty Days of Purpose” drives to build their Church. They expected their small Churches to suddenly mega-Church because of this magic formula. The truth is, the pastors I know actually shrunk their flocks by scaring them to death, by introducing odd and non-traditional methods into the assembly. Many Christians just went somewhere else.

 

God created the Gospel. There is no substitute or better way to save someone but by presenting God’s Gospel. There is no magic pill nor strange formula. There are no competitors to the Gospel. Want to grow the Church? Are you ready? Get and pencil and write this down.

 

Go and tell someone what Jesus did for you.

 

Got it? That’s it. That’s the Gospel. If God has saved you, if God has been good to you, go tell someone. Tell them how you were saved. Tell them about Grace. Tell them. Tell your family. Tell your friends. Just tell them. And live like you love Jesus. Do what He says, and tell others. This never goes out of style. Steve Jobs and Apple will not put the Gospel out of business. The only thing that puts the Gospel out of business is Christians not doing what Jesus said do. Tell them.

 

Do it today.

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Memorial Lessons From My Military Carrer

Posted on May 16, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

I was asked to write about my most memorial moments from my Air Force career. There are quite a few “memorial moments” but these, I think, stand out the most in my mind.

When I entered “Boot Camp” I was in an environment that is hard to describe. Compared to the politically correct Training Camps of today, Boot Camp in 1976 was tough. The Drill Instructors were allowed to curse or even strike an airman. That was never publicized, but it was a fact. The Drill Instructors knew that they were taking raw – sometimes soft – recruits and were required to harden us up. The thing I remember most about Boot Camp was the camaraderie of the men in my unit. We worked together in everything we did, whether cleaning the barracks, marching, running the obstacle courses, or firing our rifles. I learned the value of unity in Boot Camp, and I learned to overlook small differences in people, such as skin color, traditions, or speech patterns. People are created by God “of one blood” (Acts 17:26). It’s what’s in the heart that matters most.

When I was assigned to the Republic of Korea, Kunsan, I learned that hate can be taught. The older Koreans would often invite American soldiers home to eat supper with their families. These people had experienced the violence and mayhem of the Korean War and appreciated our presence in their country. Contrasted to this the local University students were taught to hate Americans, as many of the failed Communists found places of refuge in the Universities and Colleges. I was awakened one night when a group of students decided to try and overthrow our base. Armed with Molotov Cocktails and clubs they charged the locked gates. Our military police easily held them off, and the lit gasoline caused little damage to the wire fence and asphalt  No one was hurt, and this was never reported on any of the mainline American news channels. When Airmen went downtown we afterward went in groups of three or four, and all carried weapons “just in case”. I never had to hurt anyone, and was always treated well by shop keepers and the older Koreans. I stayed away from the brainwashed students.

The day that I was due to retire from the Air Force the Wing Commander and Chief Officers took a B-52 bomber up for in flight maneuvers. As we were loading our moving van I heard a terrible thump, and a large pillar of smoke billowed up from the flight line. As the aircrew were making a tight turn above the air field, the left wing of the bomber touched a high tension power line. The plane cartwheeled, and all aboard were killed. The saddest part of the story was that the Wing Commander was retiring from active duty that very day, and his wife, children, and grandchildren were waiting on the runway for him to land. Instead, they saw him die along with his crew. I learned that day that life is very fleeting, and we can leave this earth without a moment’s notice.

The thing I remember most as I think back over my military career is that people really aren’t that different: everyone wants and needs love. I learned that love and unity are of paramount importance – from the family to the unit to the Church. I’ve served my country and my Lord in Korea, Germany, Egypt, England, and in the United States. At the end of the day I and other airmen stood at attention and, with tears in our eyes, held a salute as retreat was played and the flag was lowered. The United States is the greatest nation in the world, but it is slowly losing its greatness as we slowly drift farther and farther away from God. Lord, help us repent and return to that which made us strong – one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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Discipling or Distorting?

Posted on May 6, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

As I looked at the “Great Commission” that our Lord Jesus Christ left us as His Church I began to ponder …. are we making disciples as Jesus commanded, or are we distorting the truth? You remember the Great Commission, don’t you? If you’re a Southern Baptist most of you have heard it when a local missionary wants to increase “Cooperative Program” giving. The Commission states:

Matthew 28:18-20 ….  All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Note first of all that the Great Commission starts and ends with Christ. He begins “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth”. Jesus Christ alone has the power. I have no ability to save anyone, nor should I ever seek to save anyone. The power of salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His Holy Spirit that convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). It is the Gospel of salvation that is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes – to the Jew as well as the Gentile (Romans 1:16). A person is not saved by “getting their life straight”, but by recognizing they need Jesus like a sick man needs a doctor. A person is saved not by works of righteousness, but according to God’s mercy, which He abundantly sheds on everyone who will through Christ Jesus (Titus 3:5-8). The power to save is not invested in mere mortals, but in the Person and work of Christ. We who are His merely present His person to the lost. God does the rest. 

The Great Commission tells us to understand that the works is Christ’s – then to GO. “Go ye there”. We go to work. Go to our homes. Go to our neighbors and our friends. We go to those we are around daily. We start in our families, then move outward to our communities. What do we do? We save no one – Jesus didn’t ask that of us. We “teach all nations”. We teach what we know. We teach people of all colors. We are not prejudice in our teaching, but share what we know with all people. What do we teach? Do we teach Deepak Copra and the New Age “There are many ways to God” nonsense of Oprah Winfrey? No. We teach them to OBSERVE – to DO – all things that Jesus taught us. We do not compromise – we teach. We do not teach our opinions, but the message of Christ. We teach the truths of the Holy Scripture without shame. Those who hear and make a sincere choice to be saved become followers of Christ. Those we baptize in water and continue to teach them. Soon they, too, GO and TEACH.

In our world today I believe the Church in most instances has dropped the ball. In some Churches the Christians give so that others GO, but never do they tell others the things of Christ. This is not what Jesus commanded. In some Churches the Christians GO – taking people to Christian Concerts, Festivals, Feeds – entertaining goats but never TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE as sheep should do. This is not what Jesus commanded. In some Churches that which Christ commanded and taught has been so watered down that there is little difference between a Christian Church and a Secular Clubhouse. This is not what Jesus commanded.

When people are baptized in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit in many Churches today this is little more than a public bath. “In the Name” doesn’t mean just to say “Jesus”. The phrase “In The Name” speaks of authority. It is like the policeman who shouts, “Stop in the name of the Law”. This is authority, and water baptism a willing surrender to authority. Whose authority? The Pastor? No! The Church? No! To Jesus. Until we as Christ’s Church understand that the Great Commission begins, continues, and ends with Jesus, we will not see America restored. Until the average Christian in America understands that all power is given unto Jesus, our nation will continue to rot from within like a bruised banana.

Christ is Lord, and to Him  every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to Him (Romans 14:11). He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:14-15). We as Christians need to start Discipling and stop Distorting.

For America’s sake.

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The Old Paths

Posted on April 25, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

I was visiting with someone the other day when we got to talking about technology and how fast it has grown just in my lifetime.

When I married Sherry 34 years ago the Piggly Wiggly store near our house had a vacuum tube tester. Many of you don’t know what that is. Our first TV set had vacuum tubes, not transistors. When the set stopped working you could look in the back and the tube that wasn’t glowing was probably bad. You’d pop that tube out, take it to the test center at Piggly Wiggly, and check the tube. If it tested bad you bought another, took it home, and put it in your set. When I entered the Air Force a lot of our equipment used tubes, not transistors. Transistors came later, replacing tubes. Semi-conductors and microprocessors replaced transistors. No longer can you look at a broke TV and look for the missing glow. In fact, we no longer fix electronic stuff, but we carry it off to landfills and contribute to pollution.

When I was a child we had record players and records. Records were replaced with compact disks, compact disks are being replaced with digital video disks, and all are being replaced with smart phones. My first computer was a TRS 80 Model 3, which had a green screen with greenish words on it. The thing weighed 80 pounds, and had a 100 million byte hard drive on it. Today’s smart phones have more storage – but we throw away 150 million of them every year because they cannot be repaired.

We can’t repair the miniaturized, flat screen, portable made in China technology stuff that is filling our landfills. But we need to repair what all this stuff is doing to our society. We need to return to the old paths.

I walked in a restaurant the other day and saw a family of five sitting at a table ignoring one another. There was mom and dad, an older brother and sister, and a baby at the table. Everyone at the table except the baby was texting somebody else. They stopped long enough to order something to eat, then went back to ignoring one another. They are interacting with machines while ignoring what matters most.

A machine cannot take the place of relationships and community. We need to return to the old paths. We need to spend quality time with God and with other humans, face to face, touch to touch. Our nation is not dying because of the economy. Our nation is dying because of a lack of civility, a lack of old timey decency toward one another. We are forgetting that God made us relational.

When I was a child I remember going to granddaddy’s house on Saturday. I’d play with my cousins and brother all day then, at night, we’d get in the tub and wash off the black soil from our skin. We’d gather around the supper table and as we ate we talked to one another. The next day we went to Church as a family. We believed what the preacher said, because what he preached was out of the Book. After Church we sat down again at the table, ate, and loved one another. If visitors came by at the dinner hour they were made to sit at the table and eat with the family. Afterward we went out to the front porch and, as we kids played quietly, the adults shared the news of the community with one another. We loved. We shared. We communicated. We cared for God and for one another.

In our country today the Republicans blame the Democrats, the Democrats the Republicans, and the Libertarians blame them both. Yet neither party will talk to the other. We’re so busy being right that we don’t care that the country is burning down. We need to go back to the old paths in our families, in our churches, in our communities, and especially in our nation. It’s time we stopped the blame game.

Every person has value, and every person should be at least listened to and considered in the light of God’s love. We must move back to community. Love is the answer. We must move back to family. Love is the solution to our problems. We must turn off the technology and turn to the old paths of Church and Family and Community, sharing and loving one another and our God.

Christ has shown us the way.

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Running With Jesus or Running For Nothing?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

Hebrews 12:1-3 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, {2} Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

When I was growing up I had a favorite Aunt that was – for lack of a better description – a “Health Food Enthusiast”. She was a great woman and she was a Christian. My dad has her Bible, and a note in it in her handwriting that she was saved on a certain date. But Aunt Dot wasn’t defined so much by her faith as she was by being a “Health Food Enthusiast”. When I went to her house to eat one time she had something sprinkled on top of the green beans. I asked “Aunt Dot, what is that?” and she said “Wheat Germ”. Wheat Germ? What is that? “It’s the husk that comes off the grain of wheat before you can use the grain”. Oh, wheat germ is like the shell on a pecan or a peanut. It has no calories, no taste – but I’m told it’s good for you. Aunt Dot learned about wheat germ while reading Prevention magazine, the Health Food Enthusiast’s Bible. Every year for my birthday Aunt Dot gave me a subscription to Prevention magazine.

On June 8, 1971 the founder and publisher of Prevention magazine Jerome Rodale was being interviewed on the Dick Cavett Television Show. Rodale stated “I’ve never felt better in my life. I’ve decided to live to be a hundred years old!” When the next guest came in, Rodale moved to the end of the couch so that person could be interviewed. Rodale’s head leaned forward like he was asleep. A good host, Cavett ignored the “sleeping man” and kept on track with his interview. It was discovered during a commercial break, however, that Rodale had passed away from what would later be determined to be a heart attack. The professed healthiest man on the planet went to meet his maker.

In 1977 a man named Jim Fixx wrote the bestselling book The Complete Book of Running and, with it, started a fitness revolution. He popularized the sport of running. When Fixx was interviewed on television he promoted how running had changed his life, and how he believed that physical exercise would increase everyone’s life expectancy. On July 20, 1984 Fixx died from a heart attack brought on by hardening of the arteries. He went to meet his maker at 52 years of age.

Now I’m not trying to say that we shouldn’t eat healthy and that we shouldn’t exercise. These things are very important. If you eat poorly your health will be poor. If you never exercise or work at all you get sluggish and lazy. Exercise is important – but exercise should not define you. Healthy eating is important, but healthy eating should not define you. The Bible says:

1 Timothy 4:7-8  But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (8) For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

It’s good to exercise – but most important to exercise your faith. If you are alive you are in a race toward a goal. Each day you get closer toward that goal. What is it? Some people run their race for money, scraps of paper that will not go with you past this life. Others run for power, preeminence, prestige. Once they have it, what then?

Once Alexander the Great conquered the world it is said that he wept, for he had no other worlds to conquer. The beauty queen, Miss America, will in 40 years be a wrinkled old lady, her crown gathering dust. The Superbowl Champion will one day be fat and slow or thin and wobbly, a few ounces of gold on his hand to remind him of the glory days. The Medal of Honor winner or Bronze Star hero will one day be abandoned. The ticker tape parade is past – no one remembers. The proud Marine or Air Force medal winner now has a folded flag on a wall, forgotten commendations gathering dust from a time long forgotten.

Is that what you’re running for? Is that what you’re struggling for? Why waste your life?

The life lived for God is never wasted. He never forgets your work and labor of love. The life that invests itself in lifting up others is remembered forever. One day your earthly life will end, and your body will be placed under a rock on some lonely plot of land. Will Christ receive your soul in eternity? Will those who look at your rock, your tombstone, remember you fondly, or spit when they read it?

Not too long ago a man I know passed into eternity. While he lived, he lived for himself. He treated his wife badly. He was selfish. When he came to Church, let’s just say he didn’t play well with others. It’s sad to say, when he died I was relieved I was no longer his Pastor. When I heard he died, I called his wife to console her. She was actually happy, freed from the bondage of years of living with a selfish man. Is he in Heaven or hell? I can’t and won’t say – that is up to God. But I do know this …

I don’t want anyone remembering my life that way. I won’t trust a salvation to carry me into Heaven that doesn’t at least motivate me to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you?

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Getting Used To The Dark

Posted on March 12, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

When I was a little boy I remember being afraid of the dark. I remember the fear of the monster under the bed, and the bogey man in the closet. Though today I know these monsters to be but an overactive imagination, to a child these were very real fears. Many children go to bed with a night light burning to keep back the imagined monsters. As we get older we realize the creaks we hear in the night are the house settling. There is no gremlin under the bed waiting to “get” us once the lights go out.

As an adult I’m not afraid of the monster under the bed, but I am afraid of the dark. Dr. Vance Havner, an evangelist who is now with the Lord, preached a sermon called Getting Used to the Dark. In it he talked about how he walked into a dark dining room at a famous restaurant. He said he nearly killed himself as he stumbled over a chair. Muttering “I’ll need a flashlight to read the menu”, he ordered his food, and then ate it “by faith and not by sight”. As he sat there his eyes slowly got used to the darkness. As he remarked, “Funny, isn’t it, how we can get used to the dark”?

America has gradually become like that dimly lit restaurant that Vance talked about. Like Las Vegas, we have the technical knowledge to light a desert city at night so brightly that the sun is not needed. Spiritually, however, we live in the deepest of caves. Our nation – once called “Christian” – proudly promotes sexual sin, drugs, alcohol, and every form of degradation imaginable in print, in video, and on the Internet. What we used to do in the dark now seems normal. Just the other day a “conservative” running for office sent me a letter saying that she has changed her mind on Biblical marriage. Well known preachers go on television and endorse everything but Jesus Christ and His Bible. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are welcome everywhere, but Jesus Christ, His birth, death, and resurrection are mocked and legislated against. Why is this?

1. Christians don’t complain. When you burn a Koran accidentally half of the Muslim population charges your military base and kills people. When you draw a cartoon mocking Mohammed the Muslim leadership puts out a hit on you. When you as an artist urinate in a glass, drop a Crucifix in it and call the “artwork” – I’m not making this up – “Piss Christ” – that artist gets $75,000.00 from the National Endowment for the arts and no one of note in Christianity says a thing.  Now I’m not saying that Christians should riot and kill – we don’t do that. But we can speak up. We can write our local papers. We can hand our flyers at stop lights. We can tell our friends we were offended when Saturday Night Live made a sketch called “Jesus Uncrossed” where they mocked Christ. And when our friends say “toughen up, get over it” we could remind them if we were Muslims our complaint would be much harsher. Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, and to expect hatred. But He never said we didn’t have the right to speak up. If I remember correctly, when the early Church was told to sit down and shut up the disciples replied “We had better obey God than man”. Get over it, sissy – I’m speaking up.

2. Christians don’t shine. Rappers and gangsta music thugs wear gold crosses around their necks while dancing in droopy drawers and holding parts of their bodies they ought not to hold. Muslims have a call to prayer, and if it’s time to pray will drop down in the middle of the street, holding up traffic till they are done. Christian ministers are told “You can pray at this event, but don’t mention the name Jesus Christ – that is, unless you’re a comedian and that name is being mocked or used as a curse.” And these ministers comply. Are you kidding me? I pray out loud in restaurants over my food, just as I do at home, and pray the name of Jesus. We’ve got to quit compromising, Christians, or we’re going to lose all of our freedom. You need more than a fish symbol on your the bumper of your car. You need to shine for Jesus. Let others seem Him in you and through you. Do good, and glow for God.

3. Christians only shine in the light. There are believers who don’t mind being in the choir at Church or behind the pulpit on Sunday – but go undercover when they leave the Church.  You can tell a Muslim by how he dresses and lives his life. Be true to your faith when you walk outside the door of the Church. Stand up for Jesus! Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24-26 “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

If you are saved by faith in Him, you are called to live for Him. Find a good Church and get active in it. Find a Pastor that will teach you God’s Word. Grow in your faith. If it’s wrong according to God’s Word, believe it and back it with your words. Refuse to go along with the dark ….

or you’ll fall down like the rest of those in it.

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Keep Your Word and Keep Your Heart

Posted on February 26, 2013 by bibleteacherorg

Matthew 5:34-37 KJV But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: (35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. (36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. (37) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

I’m sure everyone has heard the story of the little boy who cried “Wolf”. He did that several times until he was no longer believed. His reputation was that he told untruths, and as such when it mattered most and he cried “Wolf” no one would listen. I saw the same thing on an old “I Love Lucy” episode. She wasn’t convinced that Ricky loved her, so she made up a story that some man broke in the apartment. Of course, Ricky came home in a panic. When he found out Lucy was lying – and she refused to admit the lie – he was furious. Later on that night Ricky, Ethel, and Fred were playing cards with Lucy when she got mad and stepped outside of the apartment. This time two men grabbed her and gagged her, tying her up. But as Ricky and the gang heard the sounds inside the apartment they thought Lucy was crying wolf and, as such, just ignored the sounds. When she later hopped back into the apartment all tied up no one would believe her. She had ruined her reputation and her integrity! She had a heart problem.

Nothing bothers me more than to have someone tell me they want to meet with me – then stand me up without calling! That is the sign of immaturity, and sure sign of a heart problem. There was one deacon I know at a past Church who promised me he was going to prepare the ground of the Church for a new sign we had coming. I waited and waited, then when nothing materialized about 4 days before the expected delivery I asked another man to do the work. When the first man heard this he got upset, brought a witness into my office, and even charged me with meanness. I explained to him that this sign was very heavy and needed the ground prepared and the concrete poured and cured now so we could put the sign up when it arrived. Having worked in the sign industry I know that a sign not properly mounted is quickly damaged and destroyed – and this was a $13,000.00 sign! I apologized for hurting his feelings. He then promised that he and several of his employees would be at Church the day of the sign delivery to help unload and install the sign.

On the day the truck pulled up I was at Church by myself. Where were the promised workers? Neither the deacon nor his employees were anywhere to be seen! The agrrement with the sign company was that we would unload the truck ourselves – and the driver was under no obligation to help. I called the deacon’s secretary who said “He’s in a meeting and can’t be reached”. I called around frantically and finally got up enough men to offload the 600 pound church sign. Once the final bolt was tightened my heart went from a rapid rat-a-tat-tat to a more normal beat. It was only by the Grace of God that we got the sign installed.

I asked the deacon later where he was. He thought he had done nothing wrong. “Well, I’m a busy man”. His action not only showed a polluted heart – but it hurt my heart as well – for I no longer trusted him to do anything from that day forward. I forgave him but could not use him. He was untrustworthy. That he was untrustworthy proved out later when he did dishonorable  things in the Church, and was instrumental in destroying the progress and health of that precious group of people.

We all struggle with keeping our word at times. I have made promises in the past that I could not keep, and have regretted it in the long run. Everyone has missed appointments. I have, too, and I feel bad when I do. More than this, though, when I fail to keep an appointment I apologize to the one I offended – then do my best to not do it again. I strive to do everything I say that I am going to do. And one thing I’ve learned as I get older – I’ve learned to say NO.  I can’t be everywhere and do everything. Sometimes my calendar is just too full. I am only human – though a Son of God.

Lord, help me to be honorable and to do all that honors You.

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