Give Me The Bible!

Give me the Bible, star of gladness gleaming,
To cheer the wand’rer lone and tempest tossed;
No storm can hide that radiance peaceful beaming,
Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Give me the Bible, holy message shining;
Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way;
Precept and promise, law and love combining,
Till night shall vanish in eternal day.

That’s an old hymn we haven’t sung much of lately. I’m afraid we haven’t sung it much in ways other than musically either.

It is shocking to see how many of us don’t bring our Bibles to worship and Bible study. To some of you this probably comes across like a broken record repeating itself endlessly–so forgive me for making the leap to the next thought/ question: if we don’t read our Bibles then, do we ever?

There are many ways to describe or explain why we should be students of God’s Word. And that’s the first one– it is God’s Word! I know life is busy, chaotic, and overwhelming–but God’s Word provides an anchor, a stability, a path through the minefield of an ever changing culture.

Indeed. The psalmist says Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Ps 119:105)

There’s also an old cliché: if we don’t learn our history, we’re doomed to repeat it. The Bible is God’s Story, but it is also a story of humanity–full of characters who made horrific mistakes–people who stumbled and fell–and we can learn from their blunders. Not only do we see what they did or what they shouldn’t have done, we see how they might have been punished, we see how they were redeemed.

The Bible is a book of hope. It is a repository of knowledge. It is a source of great comfort and peace.

Find some time everyday to crack its cover and discover its power. Bring it with you to Bible study and worship. Get a bible program on your phone–sign up for a daily reading plan. Absorb and grow! Read it. Learn it. Live it.

Like our children sometimes sing: The B-I-B-L-E, yeah that’s the book for me
I stand alone on the word of God, The B-I-B-L-E!

Les, Jr.

Generous »« Enemies of the Cross

Enemies of the Cross

If you live long enough and study God’s word often enough you will eventually come face-to-face with a passage of scripture in which you realize an earlier understanding was completely wrong.

Here’s one for me:

Philippians 3:17-21, Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

In days gone by I had a pretty vivid image of what it meant to be an enemy of the cross. I imagined the Crusaders fighting against the Muslim hordes. Or people who deliberately sought out, persecuted, and killed those who claimed the name of Jesus.

And no doubt those folks are enemies of the cross of Jesus.

But today, I am not so sure my earlier understanding came anywhere close to being what the Apostle Paul was talking about. To the contrary, I now believe with much conviction that the enemies of the cross of Christ are Christians…

Christians whose appetites and earthly desires pull them away from Jesus–and while/ when living with those priorities, their attitudes, actions, and lifestyles are an active deterrent to the message of Jesus.

Here’s a scary thought: Could I be living as an enemy of the cross?

Think about it!

Les, Jr.

Give Me The Bible! »« Bang! Pow! Bam!

Bang! Pow! Bam!

Ka-Pow! KER-PLOP! Cr-r-a-a-ck!

If you ever watched the original Batman TV series or batman movies from the 1960′s, you might recognize those weird words as sound effects splashed across the screen… Zzzzzwap! Thwacke!
Thwapp!

I can remember other kids wanting to be Superman–but not me. No sir, kryptonite was too easy to come by. I wanted to be Batman because when you hit the bad guys, it made the coolest sounds.

Today I am feeling a bit like the bad guys. I am reading Radical, a book by David Platt. The subtitle is Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream.

In chapter one, Platt writes, somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.

Powie! Zowie! Spla-a-t!
And for good measure, Ouch-eth!

Yes, ouch.

Take a quick measure of the words of Jesus in Luke 9: 57-62, As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Platt says the essence of Jesus’ words are: Become homeless; Let someone else bury your dad; & Don’t even say good-bye to your family.

And then, concerning what Jesus commands/ demands of those who would follow Him, Platt writes:

But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. “Jesus wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was…”

And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.

Did I say ouch?

Yes, ouch!

Be thinking about what it means to be a radical child of God–that’s a conversation we will be having!

Les, Jr.

Enemies of the Cross »« Luke 14: The Attitude/Prejudice of Self

Luke 14: The Attitude/Prejudice of Self

First sermon in a series from Luke 14… I am finishing the 4 part series this Sunday and will post the rest in a timely fashion…

In the eyes of God, sin is sin. There is no such thing as a little white lie–a lie is a lie is a lie–and it is sin. Sin separates us from God and in the process it warps and destroys relationships.

When I think about sin, I can normally manufacture a measure of comfort: I am not a mass murderer or serial adulterer–I have never been a bank robber or a slum lord preying on the disadvantaged. While we are patting ourselves on the back, we are forgetting or ignoring the truth of sin as a condition/attitude of the heart!

Consider what some call the seven deadly sins.

• Pride–unrestrained appreciation of our own self
  
• Greed–unrestrained desire for material things/ power/ position, etc.
  
• Gluttony–unrestrained indulgence/ appetite distorting even good things.
  
• Lust–unrestrained desire twisting good into the perverted.
  
• Sloth–unrestrained laziness particularly of the spiritual nature making us lazy about living out our faith. (ouch!!!)
  
• Envy–unjustified sorrow/ distress over what someone else might have.
  
• Anger–unrestrained rage stemming from impure motives/ revenge.
  

Here’s where it gets a bit uncomfortable. My reality, our reality is a constant struggle in some fashion with the seven deadly sins.

• Look around this room and it’s not hard to see the results of pride, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and anger in us.
  
• Looking in the mirror only means personally acknowledging those same failures.
  

With that in mind, please follow along as we read Luke 14:1-11…

In this dinner party, Jesus might just be confronting all seven deadly sins.

• One chapter earlier, Jesus had a similar altercation over healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath.
  
• When the Pharisees objected, Jesus called them hypocrites because they were perfectly comfortable leading their ox or donkey to water while denying this woman the opportunity to be healed.
  
• In fact, the synagogue ruler was indignant and said to the people… (Luke 13:14b)
  

So here in our text, the same issue arises and again Jesus challenges their motives and thinking. He knows each of them would not hesitate to rescue his own son or valuable ox.

• Talk about hypocrisy, this is it!
  
• They had no trouble seeing the need to save their own–but seeing somebody else in need? Not a chance.
  

This is the attitude/prejudice of self–they saw themselves as above their own rules–they were worthy of being saved but not anybody else.

It was ok for them to play God, but not Jesus. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

• Worse, when you dissect this attitude of self, it opened them and it opens us to every one of the seven deadly sins.
  
• This attitudes says “I am most and important and what I want matters” and it leads to pride, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and anger.
  

The sub plot to this story is how the guests seated themselves around the table–dinner parties/ banquets were extremely important social events in which the pecking order was well established.

• Some came and knew exactly where they were supposed to sit.
  
• Others came with an opportunistic bent to snag a place that might have elevated them in social status.
  
• And still others came knowing it was all a game: how they were honored would determine how the host would be honored when the tables were turned–it was a scratch-my-back-I’ll scratch-yours kind of deal.
  
• Even when the occasion was about honoring one whom might really be due honor, it became an opportunity to play to self.
  

Even becoming Christians didn’t change the temptation to do just what had always been done. Consider Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian church and their abuses of the Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 11:17-22…

Did I mention earlier that this might get painful or uncomfortable?

Think about your relationships. Think about this church.

• Could it be said our interactions with those whom we profess to love are characterized by a selfish attitude?
  
• And how has that attitude progressed to the sins of pride, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and anger?
  

Jesus had an answer then. Jesus has an answer that still works today.

Luke 14:11, For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

The answer to self, the answer to the seven deadly sins is obviously Jesus.

• He came, He lived, He died, He was buried, and He rose again–all to defeat the power of sin in our lives.
  
• Philippians 2 tells us this whole process was Jesus humbling himself for us. He became nothing so we could become something. He became nothing and God lifted Him up. Philippians 2:9-11…
  

Pride, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and anger are all the results of seeking after the desires and needs of self. A humble heart is protected from the seven deadly sins.

This morning we invite you to give your heart/life to Jesus–to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. Today we invite you to consider a life of humility–humbling yourself–placing God and the needs of others above and beyond your own!

Bang! Pow! Bam! »« Devoted or Lukewarm? Stagnant or Growing Closer?

Devoted or Lukewarm? Stagnant or Growing Closer?

In the musical/ movie Grease, Olivia Newton-John sang hopelessly devoted to you. Of course in the movie, the song was directed at the other major character played by John Travolta.

But what if we took those lyrics and applied them to our relationship with Jesus?

If we sang them, would they ring true or would they prove by our actions to be an empty lie?

This past Wednesday night, while using the video series and book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, we took the time to consider Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:14-18. Those verses are a part of a larger passage in which Jesus confronts the church in Laodicea and urges them to repent. After telling them that he knows their deeds and they are neither hot not cold, he says because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

The question raised is this: do you naturally conclude that to be “spit” out of Jesus’ mouth means you’re a part of His kingdom? (Chan, 84.)

If Jesus spits you out, what’s next?

Continuing on, Francis says, My conclusion? Jesus’ call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a “Christian” without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd. (Chan, 85.)

How about you?

Are you devoted to Jesus or lukewarm?

Are you stagnant in your faith or are you growing ever closer to Him?

Those are serious questions we are wrestling with on Wednesday nights.

Those are serious questions to consider at any time!

Les, Jr.

Luke 14: The Attitude/Prejudice of Self »« Patience

Patience

Someone once said “never pray for patience.”

I get that. Asking for patience means you might get tested in order to develop it.

Sometime ago, Axl Rose sang all we need is just a little patience.

I get that too.

Dictionary.com defines patience as the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

Truth is, I am not always a patient person–and worse, my impatience is often arrogantly directed to the ones I love the most. My lack of patience indicates a lack of wisdom as well for often what I am impatient about stems from things I cannot control.

How silly is that?

Consider some scripture regarding patience:

• Ecclesiastes 7:8, The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
  
• Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
  
• Colossians 3:12-14, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
  

The last passage declares that love binds all the virtues together in perfect unity.

Could it be that my lack of patience, or yours, means an absence of love?

Something to think about…

Les, Jr.

Devoted or Lukewarm? Stagnant or Growing Closer? »« tired…

tired…

As I sit at my desk today, I am tired.

Working out and lifting weights is good for me but I have reached an age where my recovery time is not as quick as in years past.

I’m not whining.

I’m just tired.

And even in my weariness, I know something good is happening.

I am getting stronger.

My resilience is improved.

My self-esteem is better.

And yet, the truth is I am tired and sometimes my fatigue is more than that of not enough sleep and too much activity.

Sometimes my exhaustion is a mental and spiritual affliction.

Weariness because I try to depend on myself instead of God… Zapped of all energy because I am not taking the time to commune with God… Waning endurance because I am not recharging my spiritual batteries… Depleted of joy because I am not spending time with my family…

Thankfully, Jesus says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

Yes, Jesus offers a life that is not weary but uplifting–a faith that is not burdensome but liberating.

Being spiritually and emotionally tired isn’t the way you have to live life!

I choose Jesus.

You can, too!

Les, Jr.

Patience »« A Thing Called Love

A Thing Called Love

Little Butch could sing. Yep. No doubt about it. This bad boy had some pipes.

Most of the time I am pretty far removed from folks who would still use my childhood nickname. Excepting of course my parents and siblings. Some things you can never escape.

One of my earliest memories is not of one occasion but multiple times when little Butch had to perform for company.

Yeah. It’s a sad picture. (What were my parents thinking?)

Most of the times these performances were of one song made popular by Dean Martin. (Can I really be old enough to have sung a Dean Martin song when it was currently popular? Dean Martin? Really?)

Yeah. And when you know the song, it only gets worse.

Let me tell you about the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees, and the moon up above, and a thing called love…

Yeah. Do people really want to see and hear a kid singing about looking into your big brown eyes?

In many ways this is funny stuff. And yet, when you stop and think about it, when you look at it from a vastly different perspective, all of us should have a song, a story, a narrative of love.

John 3:16-17, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

That’s God’s narrative in a nutshell.

What’s yours?

If you know God’s love, then shouldn’t your song, your story, your narrative be about this thing called love?

Les, Jr.

tired… »« Giving Credit: An Opportunity for Praise!

Giving Credit: An Opportunity for Praise!

I have been contemplating the following passage this week:

 The heavens declare the glory of God;
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
       night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
       where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
       their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4b)

 We serve an amazing God–so great even the physical universe shouts His praise.

God is powerfully at work in this community of believers. I see his handiwork in our lives! Amen?

But before we start getting satisfied and self-complacent–before we start congratulating ourselves–before we start trying to take credit for the good things God has done, let’s remember…

Let’s remember this is God’s church!
Let’s remember this is God’s work!
Let’s remember to give Him all the glory, honor, and praise!

I can’t wait to see what God does next in our lives. But before that happens or while that happens I want to remember Jesus’ words in Luke 19:40 when the Pharisees wanted him to silence the praise of his disciples: if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

Like the old song says, Ain’t no rock gonna cry in my place–As long as I’m alive I’ll glorify His holy name!

Ain’t no rock!

Les, Jr.

A Thing Called Love »« Fear

Fear

I have been contemplating a passage of scripture for a while now…

In 1 timothy 2:6-10, Paul says, ⁶For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  ⁸So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ⁹who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

This passage has been resonating with me because I have a weakness. Way back in my first days of college in the early 1980′s we were taught that a preacher never shows or reveals or speaks publicly about his struggles, weaknesses, or sin issues. At some point in time, I began to reject that advice. My thinking has been you need to see me struggle–you need to know my weaknesses–you need to be aware of my wrestling with sin issues. I believe this for several of reasons: one, because knowing my struggles puts us on the same level, and two, we grow by watching and helping each other fight our battles, and finally, being forthright keeps us honest in front of God and each other. None of us will ever confront our problems if we are not being honest with God, ourselves, and others.

I have been thinking about that passage because I have a problem with fear. I am often afraid.

• I struggle with fear about my abilities and self-perceived inadequacies to grow with a growing church.
  
• I wrestle with being afraid of making some unhappy to the extent that I sometimes fail to lead for fear of alienating.
  
• Even more bluntly, I am simply afraid of leading and often do so with a sick and heavy heart.

Fear is contagious, but so is courage.

I am determined to be a man of courage–I am determined to live not by fear, but by faith. That’s what God wants in me. That’s what God wants in you.

Will you pray for me this week? Will you pray that I be a man of faith and courage?

Like Mordecai said to Esther, who knows but that God has put each of us here for such a time as this?

Thankful to God, and thankful for you!

Les, Jr.

Giving Credit: An Opportunity for Praise! »« Braun Marshall Powell