Tag Archives: Hebrews

Are you afraid of being a fan of Jesus in public?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by | Comments Off on Are you afraid of being a fan of Jesus in public?

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[This was originally published on June 29th in my home church’s monthly newsletter.  Although I am the author of the article, because of copyright laws, it must be acknowledged that it has been previously published and is available online by visiting the Gospel Light Baptist Church website.]

As Christians, it has either happened or will happen to all of us.  For some reason, we become concerned with how we appear to not only our church family, but we become concerned with how the lost we daily encounter see us.  While this can be good if it serves to remind us to watch our conduct as to not be an impediment to a lost person that needs the Lord or a younger or weaker brother or sister in the faith so that they do not stumble, often it is not the case.  We have become worried to how the world views our devotion to our faith in and love of the Lord  Jesus Christ.

Anyone that watches sports knows the depths of being a fan of a favorite team. If you watch the games on television, you will always see these fans dressed in outrageous garb, maybe they have their face or body painted with team colors and logos, and they never miss the opportunity to cheer at the top of their lungs as another score appears on the scoreboard as a result of their team’s abilities and skills.  We see the sports apparel everywhere—some wear it while others will adorn their homes, cars, Facebook pages, or blogs with the icons of their favorite team.  Some go a step further and will memorize the statistics of the players of the team!  Not once does the world consider their devotion to their favorite team as fanatical or even radical.

Yet when it comes to Christianity—a matter of spiritual life and death—there are many who claim to love the Lord yet for some reason, become too afraid of the ridicule and criticism of the world should their devotion to the faith be visibly demonstrated for all to see.  Isaiah, a prophet who was lead by the Lord, wrote, Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their reviling (Isaiah 51:7).  As Christians, we know righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ and in this passage, he is reminding us through Isaiah that we should not fear what others think when it comes to us following after God. Don’t worry about the ridicule, the teasing, or other things they will do in an effort to discredit your faith.

During his earthly ministry on Earth, the Lord Jesus Christ also spoke of the importance of not allowing the world to dissuade us of following after him in public.  He told all who would listen, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:27-28). Even the Book of Revelation warns Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

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Prayer: the need for intercession for ourselves and others

Posted on May 16, 2013 by | Comments Off on Prayer: the need for intercession for ourselves and others

HPIM0326 (Medium)As Christians, we never know who is watching us or the circumstances that will occur to bring someone into our daily routine that needs to hear the reassurance that there is a God who cares and loves them.  It may seem a strange fit for this lesson to be connected with the picture taken at the Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky – the picture of the bridge over a small gully, but for what happened this morning, it will make perfect sense once I share what happened this morning and how I was able to be a “bridge” to someone involved in a spiritual battle.

But first, a little background about that bridge picture.  At the Audubon State Park there are several hiking trails that offer spectacular opportunities for those who enjoy photography the way that I do.  A few years ago during one of our Saturday outings, we walked along this one trail that rings a small pond within the center of the wildlife area.  As we were making the last of the trail’s bends and heading back to the road, we came to this old wooden footbridge that spanned a small little gully at the southeastern end of nature area.  It was a small bridge, but underneath it was a small little creek that flowed into the pond.  The area around the creek was not only marshy, but was in a bit of a gully – an area that had most of the topsoil washed away that exposed the large rocks in the creek.  Had it not been for the bridge, we would have had to get our feet wet, risk injury by walking on wet rocks, or would have had to go off the beaten path in search of a better area to cross.  Not only was the bridge convenient, but it was just what we needed at that time to cross that obstacle.

Now, back to the events of this morning.  I had an 8:30 a.m. appointment at the VA Clinic in Evansville and had arrived a few minutes early.  already knowing that I was going to be there for a while, I opened up the KJV Bible application on my phone to do some reading when I was called back.  I was shocked that I had actually been called back into the lab by 8:35 and was out by 8:45, but while I was in there, I had the first opportunity to minister to a fellow laborer in Christ.  The nurse that normally draws my blood when I get lab work done asked me if I would pray for her and her husband.  She told me that she didn’t want to go into specifics, but that there was a need that they needed to have met.  Taking the advice of my pastor, Alan Ramsey, instead of waiting to pray later and running the risk of forgetting, I asked her could we pray about it right then, so she reached out her hand, and we both began to pray about her and her husband’s needs.  In a few seconds, I felt another hand on my shoulder as one of the other nurses had heard us praying and she felt led to come in and join us in our prayer.  As we said our amens, I quoted Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The third lady that had joined us looked at me and the other nurse and said she had forgotten about that scripture but knew when she heard us praying that she needed to be a part of it.  As I was having the various blood samples taken, we had a miniature Bible study on the importance of prayer, how Christians should be ready at any time to pray for one another, and the importance of keeping a clear conscious when it comes to our daily walk with Christ. I had never imagined that this morning I would be given the opportunity to serve as a “bridge” between God’s reassuring love and a fellow Christian struggling with a need.  I had no idea that I would be given the opportunity to serve as a “bridge” between two nurses that only a few minutes before had no idea that the other one was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The second nurse commented that in their work environment at the VA, they are openly told by management not to discuss or share their religious views openly with co-workers or patients.  When she heard us praying, she said she knew she would be safe joining us.

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What map are you using on your life’s journey?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by | Comments Off on What map are you using on your life’s journey?

00000149Maps are useful tools that can help us understand the importance of geography in shaping human history, they can help us to make travel and vacation plans, or even help us find our way in unfamiliar places.  We have access to maps on our smartphones, on our computers, or we can buy a map or book of maps at our favorite gas station.  Mankind has gone so far that many of us have navigation devices that allow us to program our destination and it will give us step by step directions until we arrive.  Maps come in all shapes and sizes, contain a range of details, but the basic purpose remains the same – to provide information on the area we are travelling though. Maps can also show us where we have been and can even remind us of the obstacles we have overcome.

For Christians, we have such a map that not only shows us where we were before we accepted Christ as our Savior, but it also provides us direction in our everyday activities and even tells us about our final destination. David, the author of the psalms, wrote Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).  While none of us seek to start the day by planning to sin and yield to our temptations, we can easily slip at any moment.  The apostle Paul also wrote about this very thing: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).  These two verses together illustrate that as Christians, we must be willing to allow God not only to guide our  paths, but we must yield to his instruction and direction.

The older I have grown and the closer I have come to the Lord, I have come to realize that if there was ever a piece of information I could pass on to a new believer in the Lord Jesus Christ that could help them in their journey, it would be to read the Bible and pray daily, and seek the wisdom and guidance of God. Many Christians have squandered gifts, blessings, and opportunities because they were not familiar with the journey nor were they familiar with the pitfalls that they would encounter.  Solomon wrote Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil (Proverbs 4:25-27).  Too many times in life we take our eyes off our path, we become fixated on what someone else is doing, what someone else has, or maybe we think their pathway is easier than ours.  It is at those moments we lose sight of what is important, it is at those times we choose to yield to temptation and fall into sin.  God’s warning to Cain should resonate with us all:  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door… (Genesis 4:7a).

The apostle Paul wrote a lot on discipleship and instruction to Christians of any age.  In a letter to the church at Thessaloniki, Paul urged Christians to adopt as second nature some things that can improve and maintain our walk with Christ if we will do them on a continuing basis: Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.  See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:14-22). Imagine if every Christian would adopt these things that Paul wrote – warn the lost, provide comfort and assistance to those who are mentally disabled or have physical illnesses or injury, have patience with each other, rejoice in what God has done, pray for everything – all these are things that we can do that God will find acceptable in our lives and we can do each of these every day!

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