Category Archives: Walk with Jesus

God's Standard, God's people, Maturity, Promise, Scripture, Struggles, Truth, Walk with Jesus

The Anchor

Posted by admin on August 4, 2010 at 2:22 pm.

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (Rev 1:3).

Theologians and Bible teachers have debated for centuries what “this prophecy” refers to. Does John promise blessing for reading the twenty-two chapters of the Book of Revelation or is the blessing for those who read the whole of the Scripture? We won’t resolve this debate in this blog, but we will testify to the blessing that reading either this book or the whole of the Scripture brings.

For more than 30 years I have been committed to reading the Bible, cover to cover, each year. It started with merely reading five minutes a day. My reasoning went something like this, “If God created me and has a purpose for my life, should I not set apart – at a minimum – five minutes each day to listen to Him?” Certainly He deserves much more than a mere five minutes, but since I could not predict how my life would go and what demands would be placed upon it over the course of time, I vowed only to this small amount. Still, that vow has kept me in the Scripture daily – usually for more than five minutes. On the rare occasion when I have failed, I have been conscious that the Holy Spirit has awakened me – sometimes from a very deep sleep – and has prompted me to fulfill my vow.

This vow to read the Word has created stability in my life like nothing else could. It has comforted me in trying times; it has reminded me of the Source of every blessing when times have been good, keeping me from thinking too highly of myself. When the world around me has been uncertain, whether due to politics, economics or personal loss, the Word has brought assurance that it will remain and that He is my refuge.

This vow has also brought real direction to me over the years. It has been – in the words of David – “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). There have been many times when my daily reading schedule has brought me to a passage of Scripture that was clear direction for that moment, if not that day. Most of these have not been profound, out-of-body experiences, but the quiet confidence that I had heard from God.

Whether you regularly read all sixty-six books or just the last one, John’s promise is true – you will be blessed. Nothing can be an anchor to our lives like reading this Book.

Suffering, Walk with Jesus, preachers

Authentic Preachers

Posted by admin on May 31, 2010 at 9:57 am.

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit (2 Cor 2:17).

                It’s hard to imagine that the early church had their version of the TV preacher, but apparently it was so. Every age has its share of charlatans and hucksters.

                I Timothy 5:17, Paul tells us that a good teacher is worth “double honor” (meaning salary), yet here he claims that he is not “peddling” the Word. Clearly he is making reference to his motive as a preacher.

                To the outside world, the job of a preacher appears pretty easy. We “only work one day a week.” It’s not a physically demanding job. The surroundings are pretty clean (except my office!). Those who have good entertainment and organizational skills can draw a sizable crowd and appear “successful.” But the preachers that I know recognize that there is an internal pressure that the outside world cannot understand. It is the pressure of leading people to engage the Word of Truth for themselves, a pressure to help others remain true in the face of extraordinary societal influences to deny the existence and authority of Christ – all the while remaining authentic themselves. In a world that is increasingly superficial and that justifies its shallowness, it is a frustrating and heavy responsibility – and not getting any easier.

                Another of the pressures that afflict the preacher is referred to just a few verses later (4:2) in this letter: the pressure to compromise, “distort” (NIV) or “adulterate” (NASB) the Word of God. Since the general knowledge of Scripture is at such a low point in our society, this can go undetected (and does) for many years. Some people really do think that “you can make Scripture say whatever you want it to say,” but not without compromising the plain sense of the text. But many false preachers in our day bank on the fact that the average attendee has never opened the Bible, so the preacher will never be challenged. He can say what he wants and manipulate their opinions as he chooses. Not so for those who properly feel that internal pressure of authenticity.

                It is really amazing that Paul would have to make the statement that he didn’t “peddle the Word of God.” It should have been obvious to anyone who looked at his life that he didn’t endure multiple stonings, shipwreck, beatings, etc. (see II Cor 11:24f) just to make a few shekels. Yet apparently there was the accusation that he had to refute by this letter.

                As in Paul’s day, there will always be those who look upon ministry as an easy way to separate the naïve from their money, but, in the words of Jesus, “they have their reward.”

Church Today, Faith, Repentance, Scripture, Walk with Jesus

Nominalism

Posted by admin on April 19, 2010 at 9:44 pm.

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Acts 20:30-31

                In the third chapter of John’s Revelation, a letter is recorded that was written to the church at Laodicea in which Jesus described His opinion of nominal Christians (Christians in name only). They are so disgusting that Jesus would vomit them from His mouth. The passage above tells us why.

                Nominal Christianity is a distortion of the Truth. Many people today are merely inoculated with the Gospel – they have just enough of the Gospel to keep from getting the real thing.

                God intended that His people should know Him, that is, have a person-to-Person relationship with Him. He has revealed Himself to us in Scripture and expects us to communicate back to Him through prayer. He, being the Creator and Redeemer and ultimately the Judge of mankind, should be the single most important entity in the universe. That’s His rightful place, but it has been usurped by much of the materialism of our day.

Yet there is a brand of theology extant today that suggests that we can secure a place in heaven without really needing to develop a relationship with Him. I can be assured of salvation as long as I follow someone’s prescribed formula. Prayer and Bible reading are for the super-Christians, and not necessary for those who desire to keep themselves tied to this world. This theology doesn’t come from outside the Church, but from inside – just as Paul predicted. The previous verse called those who preach a gospel of “easy-believism,” “savage wolves.”

This brand of theology is understandable given the human penchant for doing only what it takes to “get by,” but this is a deadly attitude. In Ephesians 5 Paul makes the case that we in the Church are comparable to the Bride in a marriage, and no marriage will ever last where either spouse merely does the minimum. Marriage, like the Christian faith, takes a 100% commitment. Our Lord has demonstrated that commitment on His part; we need to reciprocate. Any preaching or teaching that suggests otherwise is the distortion that Paul had in mind.

While we call Satan, “the enemy of our souls,” the real danger to our souls in this day is the lukewarm spirit that is so prevalent in the American Church. May God give us grace to follow Him fully.

Children, Discipleship, Faith, Maturity, Messiah, Scripture, Training, Walk with Jesus

God Has No Grandchildren

Posted by admin on March 22, 2010 at 11:03 pm.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:42

                It is the experience of every believer in Christ that at some point he comes to the same decision as the Samaritans who heard about Jesus from the woman at the well. Many – especially those who grew up in believing homes – trust in Him initially because of the influence of those they respect, such as parents. But there always comes a time when they have to face the decision on their own, a time when they have to decide for themselves whether Jesus is THEIR Savior or just their parents’.

                Whoever coined the phrase, “God has no grandchildren,” was exactly right. I have done my children a disservice if I have not shown them by my words and my example how to establish a relationship with Christ personally. Of course, that relationship changes as they change in their maturity, but at some point I believe that they need to be reading the Scripture for their own direction from God. Time will tell whether my training of my own children was successful.

                One of the better things we did in our family was to memorize parts of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. This is a wonderful summary of Evangelical doctrine that properly emphasizes the nature of God, the Scripture and salvation. It is thoroughly Trinitarian, and though it is often associated with the Presbyterian Church, its teaching does not violate the cardinal doctrines of any Christian denomination, as far as I can tell. I should emphasize that it shouldn’t replace the reading of the Scripture itself, but rather it wonderfully summarizes the Scripture in these key areas.

                If we are going to properly prepare our kids to walk with Christ on their own, it is imperative that they see themselves within the larger context of the Church. This is where good Christian biography comes in to play. We especially found missionary biographies to captivate the attention of the kids, but our family time of devotion was a great opportunity to read aloud some of the classics. C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia are wonderful stories that captivate the attention of kids in elementary school and up (I read them for the first time in college, and have read them several times since). And, while the stories are thoroughly engaging, they contain many tremendous allegories of the Christian life.

                But none of this is profitable if our kids don’t see in us a vital walk with Christ ourselves. Just as we don’t want them believing solely because we tell them it’s the Truth, so we should not simply believe because someone has told US that Christianity is the Truth.

Bread of Life, Christ, Church Today, Resurrection, Scripture, Walk with Jesus

Their Hearts Burned

Posted by admin on March 9, 2010 at 11:31 am.

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32

                On the evening of the Resurrection of Jesus, as the word was beginning to circulate that something had happened to the body of Jesus, two men were walking along a road toward the town of Emmaus when they were joined by a stranger. It was Jesus, but they couldn’t recognize Him.

                They were amazed that this Man seemed to not know the news that Jesus had been crucified, much less that He was reported to have been seen alive again. So Jesus explained to the men all that the Scriptures had to say about Himself “beginning with Moses and the Prophets” (Luke 24:27). Later, after He became known to them, they realized how His discourse had affected them.

                The hearts of these men “burned” within them because they were searching for the Truth, and the Truth was being revealed to them. They didn’t have a flippant, fatalistic attitude that found expression in a phrase like “Oh well, it must not have been God’s will!” They were earnestly trying to make sense of the things that had happened and to see these events within the grander scheme of God’s redemptive plan. They were looking to know Truth. They would find it within the revelation of Scripture, explained by the One who embodied the Truth. What a privilege was theirs that makes many of us envious!

Having known Christ in this culture for the past 35 years, I confess that I am cynical about how many people today are really searching for Truth. Many SAY they are, but the cares and comforts of this life are usually more important. It is unusual – but supremely joyful – these days to find a brother or sister whose greatest concern is simply to know Jesus and His Truth.

                But though I tend to be cynical today, I am confident that this tribe will increase in the next few years (if Jesus tarries). As the prosperity of our Western culture wanes, as people become disillusioned with the emptiness of materialism, there will be a hunger for the Word again in the hearts of men, because, as Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Solomon’s statement in Ecclesiastes that God has placed “eternity in our hearts” implies that the things of this world will never truly satisfy. It may take some time for us to try “everything,” but once we do, the hunger in us for eternal Truth will burn. The junk food spiritual diet many today live on just won’t satisfy.

Christ's afflictions, Christian, Daily Struggles of Life, Jesus, Missionary Alliance Church, Oak Ridge, Promise, Psalms, Restoration, Struggles, Tennessee, Walk with Jesus

Struggles of Christian Life

Posted by admin on February 6, 2010 at 2:57 am.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hos 6:1-3)

                This passage speaks first of God’s sovereign control over the events of our lives. Others don’t injure us or reproach us or revile us – He allows it. Certainly we experience struggles at the hands of other people (usually) but – as with Job – only with the divine permission of the Father.

But the promise is for restoration. It could be that Hosea is conditioning our restoration upon our “return” (i.e., repentance). Or it could be that he is saying that in view of the certainty of His restoration, we should return to Him. The interpretation here doesn’t really matter to me. As one who wants to know the fullness of a relationship with Him, I seek to maintain a repentant spirit, holding to the promise that “nothing can separate me from the love of Christ” (Rom 8 ) – not even tribulation.

The challenge of this passage is in the phrase, “let us press on to acknowledge Him.” The call to disciplined and diligent effort is clearer in some other translations, notably the NAS, but it is still in this translation. So, in the midst of my torn and injured spirit, it is my duty to press on to know Him. I am to count the pain as insignificant to my service for Him, as best I can, and move forward in my knowledge of Him. Admittedly, that is easier said than done.

Paul recognized that to a certain extent, we who are in Christ “fill up that which was lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col 1) – although not in a redemptive sense. This experience allows us to know “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:10-11) and “face death all day long” (Rom 8:36).

I have found that the struggle of the Christian life (which, although I am in ministry, is not confined to professional ministry) is often best met by reading the Psalms. Often my human desire is to lash out at those whom Satan uses to criticize me and impugn my motives, but I am checked in my spirit by the words of Jesus to turn the other cheek and to forgive as I have been forgiven. But despite these commands, my anger remains. Yet there is something encouraging about David’s writings where he calls down judgment on his enemies. If he, as a “man after God’s own heart,” can hold these thoughts, then I imagine that I can too. (However, this is a far cry from acting upon them!) Reading these thoughts from David (or the other psalmists) gives my spirit time to heal from whatever wound I am feeling.

If you are going thru struggles in your Christian life and need a place to fellowship with believers that can understand and encourage you in your walk with Jesus, we at the Oak Ridge Alliance Church in Oak Ridge Tennessee would love to walk beside you and encourage you in your journey. Please feel free to call us at 865-483-0606.