JUST SPEAK UP!

Saturday, November 3, 2018

JUST SPEAK UP!

Ezek 3:18

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Acts 4:18-20

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

           At a restaurant one night, I felt strongly that I should share my faith with our young, single and perky waitress. In spite of her friendliness and aura of happiness, I sensed a deep longing in this young lady. All I had with me was a business card with a few Bible verses written on the back. I offered it to her and she asked if she could keep it.

           Because she seemed interested, I pressed ahead and simply asked her if she were saved; if she were a believer. She shook her head no and there was a look of sadness in her young face. She explained that she had been raised in a mainline denomination but had not been to church in years. I wondered what pain might be discovered if we had the time to talk. My wife had a larger and more exhaustive piece of gospel literature and so I offered that to her. She put it in her apron pocket and promised to read it.

           Why do we find it so hard to simply share our faith? Are we afraid to be thought of as a “Bible thumper” or worse? Are we really so afraid to be rebuffed? I expect many people would not reject a simple offer of gospel literature even if they plan to toss it away later. It’s all in the manner in which it is offered.

               At age twelve, Robert Louis Stevenson was looking out into the dark from his upstairs window watching a man light the streetlamps. Stevenson's governess came into the room and asked what he was doing. He replied, "I am watching a man cut holes in the darkness." I see this as a marvelous picture of what our task should be as sharers of God's light--people who are busy cutting holes in the spiritual darkness of our world.

   --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 178-179.

Dear Lord, give us the courage to share our faith simply and in a friendly manner. Give power to our words and our invitations. AMEN

PURSUE HOLINESS!

Friday, November 2, 2018

PURSUE HOLINESS!

Heb 12:14-17

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

           The word holiness is from two Greek words, ho hagiosmos. The first little word is a definite article and is equivalent to our word “the.” The other word is literally “purifier.” Once we learn the meaning of the words we can read it this way: follow the purifier. Now I see that I am not being commanded to produce holiness but to follow the one who is able to make me holy.

           A holy life is no accident. We do not carelessly or casually stumble upon holiness. We pursue it as a goal! Following peace with all men, and holiness, is intentional. This means that we make the pursuit of holiness a conscious aspiration. It requires diligence to run the race successfully lest we "fail of the grace of God" (Heb 12:15). God's grace does not fail, but we can fail to take advantage of His grace.

Esau certainly failed to act on God's grace. The account is given in Gen 25:27-34; 27:30-45. Esau was "a profane person," which means "a common person, one who lives for the world and not God." (Our English word literally means "outside the temple," or not belonging to God.) Esau despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob, and he missed the blessing because it was given to Jacob. Afterward, Esau tried to get Isaac to change his mind, but it was too late. Even Esau's tears availed nothing. (Warren Wiersbe)

The lives of individual Christians; even the worship of modern churches; have become more common than holy. Common pursuits give rise to common themes and produce only common results. Because personal holiness is a product of gradual development, the Bible is always encouraging us to be holy.

Eph 4:22-24

22 … put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

I Lay My Sins On Jesus

I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all, and frees us from the accursed load;
I bring my guilt to Jesus, to wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious, till not a stain remains.

Holy God, I am not holy! Please make me so by Thy grace. AMEN

WHY SO SERIOUS?

WHY SO SERIOUS?

Titus 1:7-9

7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

           Wow! That is quite a job description! I’m surprised I landed this job. I’m not always sure what the “boss” thinks of my performance but He is always patient with me. Since the word “bishop” would be the same as “pastor” today, I try to take all these things seriously and that is not easy for a man with a well developed sense of humor.

           I am a bit of a kid at heart and often would prefer to play with the kids. I understand how easily they can turn most anything into a toy. I once broke my glasses chasing through the house with my nephew. We both had new, battery powered, space guns and I was pursuing my prey with abandon. I saw the door frame. It came at me very fast and with great violence. All the adults told us kids to settle down and I personally heard “I told you so.” Ah, well, back to reality!

           The word “sober” means to be “serious or grave in mood or disposition.” I am often sober. I see the results of sin in the lives of my church members and marvel that they so easily get themselves into terrible situations. I often wonder if I have failed to warn them adequately. I can get totally lost in these dark spiraling thoughts and perhaps that’s why I prefer to romp with the children.

           Please understand that life is short, eternity is long and death always comes as a surprise. Please understand that heaven is sweet and hell is hot. Please understand that Satan hates you, Jesus loves you and that you really decide your destiny by your choices. I guess this is what it means to be sober.

Dear Lord, let me travel through life with a smile on my face and an ache in my heart. Please make both of those things to bear fruit for you. AMEN