Sheep Food

  To those of you who are confident that you are ‘saved’, or got ‘saved’ at some point in your life because you made a ‘profession of faith’ and/or ‘accepted Christ as your personal Savior’, can you clearly explain what it is that you are actually ‘saved’ from? And please know- I’m not here questioning whether anyone is ‘saved’ or not...rather just wanting to clarify if we know what it is we are ‘saved’ from. We know that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him we might be ‘saved’ (John 3:17). Would you like to hear/read the short answer to ‘saved from what’? It is the ‘wrath of God’ we are ‘saved’ from. (Rom. 5:9). Jesus came to save us from God’s wrath that was, and continues to be on the earth today. (John 3:36) When the flood of God’s wrath was unleashed back in the days of Noah, how was Noah and his family ‘saved’? They entered the ark. Care to guess just ‘who’ is that ‘ark’ today? Yep, Jesus is the ark and one must enter in, or ‘be...

  It’s normal for a two-year old to poop in their diaper, and to stumble and fall while learning to walk...and to throw tantrums and ‘act out’ like little babies. They do that because they are indeed…babies. But can we all agree that if they continue to do this when they are 15 or 16, or older… then something is terribly wrong as we can see serious problems exist? How many sincere ‘converts’ today in our churches have been falsely led to believe that this is perfectly normal for ‘Christians’ to carry on this way, exhibiting carnal traits like envy and strife and division, you know…like those ‘carnal babes in Christ’ that Paul rebuked in 1 Cor. 3:1-4? Oh, but not to worry…they are still ‘saved’, we remind ourselves. Really now? “Saved” from what? (I’ll come back to that question later). Hopefully, you read yesterday’s post. Were you aware that Paul points out that people who continue to exhibit those fleshly traits, like strife and envy, to mention just a few, are not only worth...

  Age has nothing to do with becoming a mature adult. Yes, I said what I said. And be honest, many of you at some point in your ‘adult’ life have been in a room with other people your same age and you have that moment of realization that age is just a number of how long a person has been around on this earth and has nothing to do with whether they are mature or not. Am I right, or am I right? We see it all the time around us - grown ‘adults’…acting like children and you just want to ‘slap them’ and tell them to “Grow Up, for crying out loud!”. There is a funny understanding among school teachers how oftentimes, when you schedule a parent-teacher conference with a parent of a student who has been causing problems in the classroom…that upon the first few minutes of meeting them in person…you no longer have any questions as everything becomes clear. IYKYK :- ) I would humbly submit to you that if we could sum up in four words what God has been trying to communicate to the church fo...

  It’s no secret that many a young person first learned to drive in a relative’s vehicle, maybe out on the farm or some open pasture. Now days, many kids first learn how to maneuver a motorized vehicle with all the various options they have like golf carts and ‘mules’ and ATV’s. And while letting an 8-year old putter around in a golf cart in an open field is one thing, I doubt anyone would be comfortable letting them drive the family van through narrow mountain passes where there are no guard rails. Am I right, or am I right? We’ve been talking about the similarities between what it means to abide in Jesus and driving a car. So if you read yesterday’s post, then perhaps those verses I left you with exhorting us to pay close attention and be alert, etc... were not just put in there for us to analyze...but rather to do; and for good reason. Take a look at how Jesus described this roadway that leads to ‘life’- He described it as being ‘narrow’. (Mat. 7:13-14). And He also described...

  The older we get and the longer we drive our vehicles, the more we discover over time that driving can present many unseen challenges that can pose great dangers. If it’s not having to quickly swerve to avoid just about any form of debris that has ended up in your lane, then it is overly aggressive drivers and ‘wannabe-NASCAR-drivers’ you have to watch out for. And then there is the ever-increasing hazards of distracted drivers who become pre-occupied with their phones...while driving down the road at 70 mph! Hence, the reason I am drawing parallels with why driving safely and responsibly is similar to what it means to ‘abide in Jesus’. The first time you ever watch your 16-year old drive off in the car...by themselves...can be sobering. You are just aware of all the things that can happen out there and if there was ever a time you wanted to ‘instill some fear’ into your kids, it was then, trusting, hoping, and praying that they would ‘pay attention’ and drive safe. For the ...

  It’s one thing to get drowsy and nod off in a meeting at work or in a classroom. I’ve seen people nod off in sermons I used to preach on more than one occasion; it happens. But it’s another thing altogether to get sleepy and nod off while driving your car down a stretch of highway at 70 mph; and I probably don’t need to explain why. Jesus shared a parable in Matt. 25 that centered around 10 virgins. We understand that in the Bible, a virgin is oftentimes a picture or a ‘type’ used to represent the church, or the ‘bride of Christ’. In this story, we are told that five were wise and five were foolish, and while anticipating the return of the bridegroom (Jesus) who had delayed his coming, they ALL... grew drowsy and fell asleep. As I said, it can happen to the best of them. You can refer to the story when you get a minute in those first 13 verses for a sobering narrative. The direction I am going in today has to do with this false pretense or assumption that one can mistakenly ...

  If you just joined us here, we are taking time to draw some interesting comparisons between driving a car...and how it relates to ‘abiding in Jesus’. I at least hope you find it interesting because there really is nothing more important for any believer to be doing outside of abiding in the One who laid down His life for us, that we might experience true life. (John 10:10; 5:39-40). As stated previously, one can be a very sincere, active, and ‘faithful church member’ for years on end and yet never really experienced what it means to abide in Jesus. I would submit John 15:1-8, 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6 as scripture to meditate on. Over the past three years, traffic fatalities in the U.S. have averaged over 42,000 deaths annually. In the previous ten years, that average ranged around the mid-30k’s. There is plenty of data out there to study for those who are so inclined, but the majority of those deaths could have been ‘preventable’ ...if people had just taken their driving more seriou...

  ‘Keep both hands on the wheel’. That is how most of us were taught to drive a car, and not just have those hands anywhere, but in the ‘ 10-o’clock and 2-o’clock position’. There was a specific reason for keeping your hands in that particular position too. I may have a faint memory as to why that was important...something about having better control of the car, but it just never stuck with me. When I look back over the years as to how I normally drove and where my hands usually were, I shake my head in amazement to think I’m still alive. But there really is a good reason for having your hands firmly held to that wheel and in that specific location. The light finally ‘came on’ for me the last time I took a Defensive Driving Class after getting a speeding ticket. It’s been a few years now but I actually benefited in watching the demonstration on that video. When you are driving and have to make a fast and unexpected turn of the wheel to avoid hitting something in the road, you...

  If you can’t be an effective witness in your own home amongst your own people, then don’t expect God to ‘send you out’ to be a witness for Him to the world. And yes, you might want to read that one more time...or two. You are probably familiar with the story found in Mark 5 where Jesus came to the country of the Gadarenes where He had a divine appointment with a man whose life had been destroyed by demonic influence. Day and night, this tormented soul was ‘always in the mountains and in the tombs crying out and cutting himself with stones’. (1-5). Then he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. And when I say he ‘had an encounter’ with Jesus, I don’t mean he ‘walked an aisle’ or ‘prayed a prayer and accepted Christ’, and then even ‘joined a church’. This man ran...to Jesus with everything he had and ‘worshipped’ Him. (6). I’m not going to take the liberty to ‘add words’ here, but my hunch... is this man’s coming to Jesus involved coming with ‘all’ his heart; and before you ...

  How many of you out there today were led to believe that when you ‘gave your heart’ to Jesus that you would most likely continue to ‘sin’, but you were now exempt from any penalty of sin because Jesus took our punishment for all ‘past, present, and future sins’ on the cross? I only ask that because I have heard well known preachers state that very claim from their pulpits. Do you know what that reminds me of? Something a serpent whispered to Eve way back in the garden. “Eve...you can eat off this tree that God said not to eat off of...and you surely will not die...like God said you would.” (Gen. 3:1-5; 2:17). Paul would even express concerns of this very lie being spread amongst the church, deceiving many. (2 Cor. 11:3-4) He actually warned the Ephesians to be weary of such deception. (5:5-6). So did Jesus, for that matter. (Matt. 24:11-12; John 5:14) Friends...when did the ‘wages of sin’ cease from leading to death? (Rom. 6:23). When did Paul change his mind in regards to wha...

  You are probably familiar by now with that story of the young, rich ruler who came to Jesus expressing a desire for ‘eternal life’. (Matt. 19). Jesus was willing to offer it to him, as He is for all who turn and come to Him with all their heart. (John 5:39-40). But make no mistake about it, He will test your heart as He already knows what’s in it, just as He did with that young wealthy man. The problem with him was he was not prepared to ‘surrender all’, as we like to sing so passionately in our ‘worship’ services. So the young man turned and walked away and missed out on the abundant life Jesus came to offer. (Matt. 19:20-22; John 10:10). You might conclude that while he ‘said with his lips’ that he wanted this eternal life, there was something else his heart wanted more. The same could be said about many in the ‘church’ today. They ‘honor God with their lips’, but their hearts are elsewhere. (Mark 7 :6-8). They have a ‘form of godliness... but deny the power’. (2 Tim. 3:5). H...

  Were you aware that God is not overly interested in our resumés nor our list of spiritual accomplishments? Paul, who had an impressive one himself, considered his to be as worthless as ‘dung’. (Phil. 3:8 KJV). And those folks in Matt. 7:21-23 who according to Jesus, had been busy doing a lot of impressive things for His Kingdom...yeah...God was not ‘wowed’ by them either. In fact, they were ‘denied’ entrance into the kingdom for one reason alone: They continued to practice sin. And then there were those Pharisees I mentioned yesterday, the ones Jesus had a run in with in John 8. It sounds as if they were leaning heavily on their ‘lineage’, boasting how ‘of course they were children of God’ given they were descendants of Abraham (8:33-39). You know the type...overly smug and confident, bordering on self-righteousness because they are a ‘fifth-generation- (insert denomination of your choice)’. They are so steeped in their ‘church’s’ doctrines and traditions that they actually ge...

  You realize, I hope, that a person can be a very faithful ‘church’ member, active in giving and serving, and yet...still not be abiding in Jesus. How can this be? I’m sure the folks in Matt. 7:22 might be asking the same question. “But Lord...we did all these things in your name...” Abiding in Christ basically boils down to your ‘want-to factor’. What do you really ‘want’ to do...and what do you really ‘want’ in this life. As I have always heard, and seen lived out - people are going to do pretty much what the ‘want’ to do. The very word itself means: ‘to have a desire to possess or do something; to wish for. Jesus approached a man who had been afflicted for 38 years and was absolutely miserable. He flat out asked this man: “Do you want to ... be made well?” (John 5:6). It was a fair question, in my opinion. We have all seen people who may have given indication of ‘wanting’ ...to improve upon their lives, but in the end, there was something else they were wanting more- maybe...

  We believers can be pretty quick on the draw to quote Phil. 4:13 when it comes to needing to pass a test, nail a job interview, or commit to losing those extra pounds. I’ve seen where many high school athletes have that verse embroidered on their letterman jackets, presumably embracing that promise so they can maybe excel in their respective sport, or life in general. It’s a great scripture; you know it by heart: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Greek word for ‘all’ there, literally means...’all’. So that promise is encouraging...when it comes to applying it to things we want to do...unless of course when it comes to overcoming all sin. For some reason, that really does not mean what it says, given the belief most of us have professed to holding on to. You know which one - “Nobody can be free of sin!”, as we so righteously declare to others, if not ourselves in order justify our ongoing sins. So why is that? Why does Phil. 4:13 not apply here? ...

  “Beware...brethren...lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:12-13) I realize for the most part, all of us professing ‘believers’ were taught from an early age that not only were we all a bunch of wretched sinners in need of a Savior, but after we met this Savior, we would continue to be ...wretched sinners...’saved by grace’. In other words, you will always continue to ‘sin’; maybe not at the same level and frequency that you did prior to ‘coming to Jesus’, but still...’nobody is perfect’. And besides...”now your spirit is saved’ so you going to heaven should not even come in to question’ (as the line goes). It’s just that old, human-flesh nature that you have to contend with before Jesus comes back and sweeps you away to heaven. And we all know how that ‘old man’ gets the best of us at times, right? That’s the part where we all join in and chuckle sheepishly as we hang our heads and join in for another resounding verse of ‘Amazing Grace’. Why...

  Contrary to popular belief, ignorance is NOT ...’bliss’. It may be a temporary salve to do things we want to do versus what we ought to do, but in the end, there is a ‘payday’ and it usually will cost you. I hope you read my post yesterday. When Jesus arrived on the scene some two thousand years ago, He had great compassion for the multitudes of people who were suffering. In fact we read in Matt. 9:35-36 that He went about ‘healing every sickness and disease among the people’, a people He described as sheep having no shepherd. But if you read carefully there, what did He do before...He healed all their sickness and diseases? He went about teaching and preaching in their synagogues. His people were suffering for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6) and He wanted to enlighten them to truth so He could heal them and set them free. (Luke 4:18; John 8:32-36). We also know, for the most part, that many folks are not interested in coming to the light with all their hearts. (John 3:19-21...

  Last month, my wife and I took our first-ever cruise and toured the SE coast of Alaska. Not having ever had much of a desire to take an ocean cruise, I will admit the trip exceeded my wildest expectations and it was an incredible blessing to experience. We set sail out of Vancouver, and two days in to the voyage, I received some kind of text ‘warning’ from AT&T that messaging and calls from the cruise ship were not covered in our plan. Don’t ask me why, but I really did not give it much thought. I do remember getting a follow up text encouraging us to reach out to AT&T and on the third day, I got a message saying our service had been suspended until they heard from us. In hindsight, I was thankful for that action because they were trying to keep us from incurring added and unwanted extra charges. We were able to use the ship’s wi-fi and resolve the problem by paying some extra fee to cover us for the week. Had I continued to ignore such warnings, and our service had no...

  Am I aware that my writings of late have taken on a more sobering, serious, and even chilling tone? You bet I am, and for good reason. Many in the ‘church’ at large have been asleep and God is sending out a warning cry that we better wake up, just as He did with those ten virgins in the parable Jesus shared in Matt. 25. Consider this, if you would: for all the talk and chatter that many who claim to be in the body of Christ have shared with eager anticipation concerning the return of Christ... have we forgotten the comparison Jesus made when He Himself spoke of His imminent return in Matt. 24? Of all the recorded stories we have in the Bible, He chose one particular one to draw from in describing what the coming of the Son of Man would be like. He actually used a story that some believe has to be more symbolic that an actual event given it seems so far-fetched to believe it literally happened – the story of Noah, his ark, and the flood that came upon the whole world. You can ...

  Were you aware that God actually is known to ‘chasten’ those whom He loves? (Hebrews 12:5-6). We are even admonished there to not ‘despise these chastening’s’. The writer goes on to explain that if we resist or refuse these chastening’s, or are not even receiving them, then we are ‘illegitimate and not sons’. {8} The KJV uses a bolder term there. Oh, one other thing I should point out which in a way is not really surprising, but this ‘chastening will not be joyful and actually painful’. (11) And yet, there is a reason for it: it leads to our sanctification/holiness and...’without this holiness, no one will see the Lord’. (14). So there is that. If you have been reading here of late, you may recall the warning Paul wrote in Acts 13:40, citing an OT prophet by the name of Habakkuk. We learned in his first chapter that God actually raises up, or uses the ‘enemy’ to ‘judge and chasten/correct’ His people. (Hab. 1:12). In other words, God takes us out to the proverbial ‘wood shed’ wh...

  Have you ever made, or ‘created’ a meal or dish where you really were not sure what you set out to make, but just started throwing in a little bit of this and a little bit of that, adding various ingredients along the way until you settled upon something that tasted reasonably good to you and you found filling? Yeah, we ‘Christians’ tend to do that with our church doctrines as well. No, really...I’m serious. Take this topic we have been studying of late pertaining to serpents and devils and demons and such. We can be all over the place when it comes to explaining our personal views and beliefs on such an important subject matter. I’m sure you’ve heard and maybe even espoused some of them yourself. Things like: ...”Christians can’t have demons!”; or ...”the devil has really been after me which means I must be doing something right and he’s just mad!”. Or when we unknowingly ‘give place to the devil’ (yesterday’s message), instead of running to God in repentance seeking mercy,...

  “Give. No. Place. To. The. Devil.” (Eph. 4:27) Another way of saying that would be: “Beware of Venomous Snakes!” We need to talk about this today. Like many verses we skim over in our daily Bible readings, it’s easy to nod in agreement when we see passages like this, maybe whisper a quick ‘amen’, and if we are really serious about our time in the word, we may even highlight or underline such verses before moving on. And yet, James reminds us that if we are just ‘hearers of the word and not doers’...what do we end up doing to ourselves? (James 1:22) As I heard a Bible teacher ask one time, ‘Did God put that in there for us to analyze or to do?” Do you know why God had Paul write that word of admonition to the church at Ephesus? I bet it had something to do with the fact that we ‘believers’ can actually ‘give place’ or give ground or a ‘foothold’ to this spiritual entity that we know as the ‘devil’. Would you take a moment with that and consider the implications here? Another w...