How To Save Somebody

 "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” - Matthew 13:3-9 

I was just talking to a friend about his concern for people he knows and cares about that are far from God and apparently not interested in knowing any more about God, heaven or hell. He was distressed because he wanted to know what to say to them that might spark a spiritual interest in them.  I reminded him of the parable of the seed. The disciples needed Jesus to explain the parable to them, which he did.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” - Matthew 13:19-23

The last one - the good soils - is the one who is saved. If you were a numbers guy - that would mean that, given that there are 4 types of people, there is 25% chance that the person you are speaking to will respond to the Gospel by placing their faith in Jesus. But that is probably a liberal estimate. And of course we want it to be much greater chance than that. Worse, we might feel responsible if they continue to reject Jesus - as if their salvation was somehow up to mere mortals.

" But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:8-17

We are responsible for telling others but salvation is between each person and God.  They must choose to confess and believe, but most will not - to God's and our dismay. What was it that Paul said?

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-7

We have a role - we are part of the process. We are casting the seed, but we are not the ones who bring the increase. That would be God. And don't think that because you share the Gospel and someone doesn't fall to their knees saying, "I believe" means that they will not be saved.  I first heard the Gospel in 1969 from my parents. It was not until 1976 did Martie and I yield our hearts in faith to Jesus. Don't give up on them - let them see Jesus in you. Then you be you and let God be God.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Doubting God When Your Plans Fall Apart

"Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters…, so our eyes look to the Lord our God…" —Psalm 123:2

“This verse is a description of total reliance on God. Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is gained and how God reveals Himself to us (see Isaiah 53:1). Our spiritual strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. […] For example, you came to a crisis in your life, took a stand for God, and even had the witness of the Spirit as a confirmation that what you did was right. But now, maybe weeks or years have gone by, and you are slowly coming to the conclusion— “Well, maybe what I did showed too much pride or was superficial. Was I taking a stand a bit too high for me?” Your “rational” friends come and say, “Don’t be silly. We knew when you first talked about this spiritual awakening that it was a passing impulse, that you couldn’t hold up under the strain. And anyway, God doesn’t expect you to endure.” You respond by saying, “Well, I suppose I was expecting too much.” That sounds humble to say, but it means that your reliance on God is gone, and you are now relying on worldly opinion. The danger comes when, no longer relying on God, you neglect to focus your eyes on Him. […] Whenever there is a spiritual drain in your life, correct it immediately. Realize that something has been coming between you and God, and change or remove it at once.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

The seed for doubtful thinking was first planted in the Garden when Satan asked Eve, “Did God really say …. ?”  When we came to Texas, we thought that it would be an instant replay of Mississippi – NOT!  So then you ask yourself .. are we in the right place? Did God really say …. ? Dr. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, wrote that knowing it’s God’s voice is not the problem .. obeying His voice is the problem. (paraphrased).  Like Peter, once you are out of the boat and on the water .. the temptation is to look around you, placing trust in your own abilities and take your eyes off of the One who called you out of the boat!  

What is the circumstance that is testing your faith?  Before you come to any conclusions, you should first test your spiritual condition.  If you don’t have a clean heart … are right before God .. how can you expect to be in step with God?  Second .. you must be connected to God through His Word, prayer and submission to the Spirit.  It is an easy pit to find yourself in when you come to expect God to do what you imagine will be done and not seek His will and His alone.  God asks you to join Him - you don't ask for Him to join you. He is God - you are not! If you get a sense of satisfaction from what you are doing more than from knowing you are living in the will of God, you are on the wrong path.  Paul said that his “job” was to plant, Apollos watered .. but God brought the increase.  If God’s in it, He always brings the increase … whatever that looks like.  It’s all too easy to use man’s measures of effectiveness in making a determination as to whether the work is worthy of your effort. 

Are you willing to serve with no evidence of fruit for your entire lifetime?  We do not get to dictate what the increase will look like or when it will occur.  Our obligation is go where He says go and to do what He says to do.  To live faithfully.  To focus on His will not our own. To trust Him and not ourselves.  

"Men make plans in their hearts, but God orders their steps" - Proverbs 16:9

Do we know Texas is where God wants us? Yes, for now.  Do we know what is going to happen tomorrow? No.  Men Bondye Konnen!  [Haitian Creole] But God knows! That should be good enough for us if we have indeed laid our lives down at the foot of the Cross.  The question is ... Is it? And have we. The same can be asked of you my friend. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Troubled With A Divided Heart And A Double Mind

"Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…" - Romans 5:12

“The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).

Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

“This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light…” - John 3:19

 Normally I try to find a few nuggets of spiritual truth in the Chamber’s devotion as a segue into an elaboration on those spiritual truths.  And then there are times when the devotion is so rich with truth, I quote the entire devotion.  Today is such a day. The essence is this.  Man chose to go his own way in the Garden in response to Satan’s question “Did God really say you will surely die?”  In other words, “What does God know?”  After all, you know what is best for you, you don’t need God telling you what to do. “You can be your own god.”  Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan and sin entered in.  The eating the fruit was not the evil thing, it was disobedience that was evil.  Humans are capable of doing much good and much evil.  Many would like to think that the good people have a shot of getting into heaven. But ... the only way to Heaven is to be born again (John 3) by faith in Jesus (John 14) and not by trying harder (Ephesians 2).  Your desire to be your own god will haunt you until the day you see Jesus face to face. (Romans 7) You can only be successful in this new life by trusting in Jesus and keeping yours eyes on Him and your heart devoted to God.  That, my friend, doesn’t just happen, it requires a determined effort on your part.  It is important to understand your old nature and understand your new nature.  They are incompatible.  Your can’t do both.  

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” - James 1:8

It’s up to you what you do with it. In your new life, you are called to be single minded and to love God with your whole heart.

 Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Hearing Voices

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!" - Isaiah 5:20-21

It is so difficult to discern what is true and what is not. Martie and I have nearly given up watching the news. Fair and balanced is nowhere to be found. It seems everything is polarized based upon political preferences. One side is good and the other is evil, or is that the side that is good and the other side is evil? Is it possible that both sides are good? Or perhaps both are evil. It is a conundrum. (I love to use seldom used words - A conundrum, for those who are not certain, is a confusing and difficult problem or question.)

So how do we know what the truth is? With respect to life, facts fall into three categories. First are those where God has said "do these things". Second where God said, "Don't do these things." Third, God has remained silent. To not do what God says do - is sin. To do what God says not to do - is also sin. To do or not do what God has remained silent on - is not sin. Does that seem to simplistic? (Simplistic means - excessively simple or simplified : treating a problem or subject with false simplicity by omitting or ignoring complicating factors or details)

I don't think so. Now the world will disagree. Or it might say that we have misunderstood what God has said is right and wrong or upon which He has remained silent. You know that thinking and where it comes from.

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” - Genesis 3:1

We live in a secular society which is not bound by God's laws but by man's. The vast majority of the population is not motivated by the leading of the Spirit of God, but by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Not everything done by people whose hearts do not belong to God is evil. They are capable of doing "good" things. Do you remember Jesus and the rich young man?

"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.'" - Mark 10:17-18

Jesus was speaking from a spiritual - eternal view of what it meant to be good. The young man was speaking from a natural - worldly view of what it meant to be good. The young man thought he was deserving of eternal life because of what he had done. Jesus told him essentially that his heart was not right. That he has busy trying to fulfill the "second greatest commandment" through self effort when he was ignoring the first, upon which the second is dependent, which is to Love God. The young man loved money more than God.

So how do we Christians live successfully and unstained in a culture that is far from God. We must exercise spiritual discernment. We only have that when our hearts are right - fully devoted to God and His precepts. We must embrace God's Word as the source of eternal truth. Truth that spans across the generations. Truth that was truth before Adam drew his first breath and will remain the Truth when the last breath is breathed.  When this planet is no more. We must embrace that truth without apology and without compromise. And trust me, we all will be challenged to apologize for our faith and compromise our beliefs for the sake of inclusion in the culture we live in. Don't do it! 

 Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Following Jesus

"And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." - Luke 9:23-24

As I have prepared to lead the Experiencing God lessons, I have been reminded of what it means to follow Jesus. Salvation is the beginning. It is a spiritual awakening. Certainly eternal life and escaping eternal damnation is significant, but there is that "taking up the cross daily". What exactly is that all about?

A Hellfire missile is what is known as "fire and forget". Once the missile is launched from the aircraft, it tracks to the target using laser energy not a pilot looking through optics until impact.  Once fired, the pilot can focus on another target or task. We can be tempted to live out our Christian lives in the same same. We get "saved" and then we can move on to something else. But that is not exactly correct - not if your intent is to follow Jesus. 

God, the Father, gave Jesus a mission. Go to earth and save the people from their sins and sin's eternal consequences. He did not say, "Let me know when you get it done." I am not being flippant here. My point is that at no point was Jesus ever acting independently from the Father. 

"Abide in me [Jesus], and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." - John 15:4-11

As Jesus looks to the Father, we look to Jesus who is a reflection of the Father.

"Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.'" - John 14:8-10

In the process of our sanctification, we are being conformed into the image of the Son (Romans 8:29) who is the image of the Father. But sanctification is not like getting a haircut. You make an appointment, sit in the chair, the barber or hair stylist does their thing, and your "do" is done. Instead we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, daily - even moment by moment. We are to be a reflection of the Father through the Son to the glory of the Father and the good of mankind. It requires our daily attention, intention and devotion. Unlike "fire and forget" we must keep our eyes on the target all the way to Heaven.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

One Way - Really?

"Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' John 14:5-6

There is a phenomenon in Houston, Texas that I have found to be amazing actually. There are frequent vehicle accidents, deadly ones, where someone was driving on the wrong side of the expressway - a divided highway - limited access - in the wrong direction when they were involved in a head-on collision.  My thought is, how did they mistake an exit ramp for an on ramp? Intoxicated - under the influence? Perhaps. Confused? Obviously. Convinced they were going in the right direction? Most likely. A fatal decision? Absolutely.

One estimate says that there are over 4200 religions in the world that are practiced by well-intentioned people. The exact number is not that important. The point is that there are millions of people "driving on the wrong side of the road in one-way traffic - headed to their doom - thinking that they are doing and believing rightly. So off they go. It proves to be a fatal decision.

If you are reading this, I would imagine that you are familiar with John 14:6 and the fact that Jesus is the only way to the Father and the only source of salvation.

"For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, 'The man who does those things shall live by them.' But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, 'Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” - Romans 10:5-11

I most often quote just verse 8 and 9, but thought I would add some context this time. In the United States, as in many other countries, people are free to believe in and practice any of those 4200 religions. In some countries, people are not. Christians who are part of the "Way", Jesus followers, are a minority in the world. Always have been and always will be. That includes you and me. It is we Christians driving against the flow of traffic. The people practicing other religions believe there is some sort of life after death but don't believe that Jesus is the only Way to eternal life with God. 

To believe that requires a spiritual revelation. Without that revelation John14:6 is foolishness to people.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18

We are to be living testimonies of the truth of the Way - that Jesus is the only way. Salt and light in a world that is speeding toward its eternal destruction. The temptation is to go with the flow of traffic. resist it.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Who Do You Pray To And Why?

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:5-10 

When I was a young boy, my uncle would tease me because I was always asking "why". I wanted to understand. After reading scripture about praying, one that I have read many times in the past - the question of "why" raised its head once again. So please indulge me.

I am certain that you are familiar with the Lord's prayer. I am certain that you have noticed that the exact words are not the same in Matthew and Luke. In Luke 11 the disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John [the Baptist] taught his disciples." Jesus did not say, "Ok when you pray to Me", so you would think that would be a clear indication that we should pray to the Father. 

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'" - Luke 11:2-4

But, have you ever heard someone pray to Jesus? Did you think that odd? So why did Jesus say, in John 14, that if we "ask Him anything in His name, He will do it?"

"And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask Me for anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:13-14 

Think about this. In it's essence praying is merely asking - having a spiritual conversation, isn't it? Have you ever heard or read the phrase, "Pray, tell me."? In other words, I am asking you to tell me. So the question, who are we to pray to, the Father, the Son, or both? As you just read, Jesus seems to tell the disciples, which includes us, to do both. Do you find that a little confusing? Frankly, I have never heard this addressed from the pulpit - have you? I would be interested to hear your thoughts. For many years, I thought that I was to pray to the Father and finish the prayer "In Jesus Name" as a way to establish my right to address God the Father - because the "blood of Jesus" and my adoption. I have been trying to sort it out. 

"In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." - John 1:1-4

Jesus is part of the God-head. We tend to think of Him in terms of His earthly ministry and not the fact that before that He was in heaven with the Father and was sent to save us, then returned to sit at the right hand of the Father and making eternal intercession for us as our high priest. (Hebrews 4:14-15)

And what about the Spirit? How does the Spirit fit in all of this?

Well, we know that the Spirit was sent to be a Helper by the Father when Jesus ascended. We know that the Spirit plays a vital role in our new nature when we are born again.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26

We also know that the Spirit helps us pray those things that are too hard for us to pray.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27

So the Father, Son and Spirit are involved in the act of praying. I had to walk this out in my mind - I think I have and have concluded that we should do both pray to the Father and pray to Jesus. After all prayer is simply spiritual communication with the Father and Jesus. To say that we are not to pray to Jesus is to say that we can have no communication with Him. Let me hear from you.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone