Month: July 2014

Little Sponges

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Parenting

This week we have the privilege of hosting a Vacation Bible Club at our home.  These children are precious to watch as they sing, listen to the Bible lesson and missionary story, make crafts, play games and enjoy a snack.  They may be wiggly at times, but they hear and retain more than you think.  Most of them sit with their eyes locked in on their adult leader.  They are like little sponges taking it all in!

You see, children are like sponges.  Parents, Sunday School teachers, VBS leaders, grandparents, they watch what you do; listen to what you say; mimic your actions; and follow you around.  Just like a sponge they soak it all in.  As they get older, the sponge is squeezed and  . . . out comes YOU!  They talk like you, act like you, think like you, respond like you, use the same words you do, get excited like you, are sad like you, etc.

So, what are the children soaking up from you today?  When they are “squeezed” will they be excited about reading the Bible because you are?  Will they be singing in church with great enthusiasm because you do?  Will they share the gospel with others because you do?  Will they memorize the Word because you do?  Will they be friendly and hospitable because you are?  Will they be compassionate to others because you are?

How my heart is grieved when I see parents place greater importance on the temporal over the eternal. As their children grow up, they have no passion Christ and the eternal things because of their parent’s example.

What would come out of your sponge (child) if he/she was wrung out right now?

2 Chronicles 33:22  And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them.

Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:12  Be an example of the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I’m Glad I Did!

by Dale, posted in Christian Living

One of the joys of moving to our new neighborhood is getting to know all the folks who live around us!  Yesterday, we met a neighbor in a special way.

We are blessed this week to be hosting a Vacation Bible Club at our home.  The children are meeting in our garage and playing their games in the front yard.  As I was standing nearby, I noticed a vehicle slowly drive by.  I thought they were going to stop but moved on.  Shortly thereafter, I noticed them coming back this way, so I walked out toward our road.  The truck stopped and a well-dressed gentlemen got out and asked about the kids meeting at our home.  I explained what was happening, and he said, “Well, I have a gift for each of them.”  With that, he reached in the back seat of his truck and counted out insulated lunch bags for the kids.  Then he carried a box of insulated cups to the garage for every child.   The kids, of course, were so excited to receive this man’s generosity!

I followed my neighbor back to his truck and he said, “I have wanted to stop here several times and have always made an excuse.  Today, I said, I am going to do what I believe the Lord is prompting me to do, and I’m glad I did!”

To hear God’s voice we must belong to God. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him—those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice, because they know Him as their Shepherd. If we are to recognize God’s voice, we must belong to Him.

We hear His voice when we spend time in Bible study and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and His leading in our lives. Employees at a bank are trained to recognize counterfeits by studying genuine money so closely that it is easy to spot a fake. We should be so familiar with God’s Word that when someone speaks error to us, it is clear that it is not of God.

While God could speak audibly to people today, He speaks primarily through His written Word. Sometimes God’s leading can come through the Holy Spirit, through our consciences, through circumstances, and through the exhortations of other people. By comparing what we hear to the truth of Scripture, we can learn to recognize God’s voice.  (gotquestions.org)

How often have you been prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something, and you have turned away with an excuse which left you knowing you were disobedient and lacked faith in God?  How often have you been prompted by the Holy Spirit and you responded in obedience and your heart was refreshed, renewed, and blessed?  I saw the latter today.

Just a simple encouragement for all of us today.  When the Spirit of God speaks to us through His Word or that still small voice that matches up with God’s Word, obey.  You  will then say just like my neighbor, “I’m glad I did!”

Gospel Risk-Takers

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism

When I think of someone being a risk taker, immediately my mind goes to Extreme Sports adventures such as BASE jumping, whitewater canoeing, ice climbing, wing suit skydiving,  free running, slacklining, cliff diving, and a many others.  Folks involved in such escapades are risking injury or loss as they seek for the next extreme rush of excitement.

In recent days, I’ve been reading 1 Corinthians and have been stirred by the words of a genuine risk-taker, the Apostle Paul.  He was a gospel risk-taker!  His life, motivated by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14), was lived for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:23).

For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! . . . For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:16, 19-23).

Then we read in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 the dangers he endured in his risk-taking adventures of advancing the gospel. With far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food ,in cold and exposure.  Now that’s extreme adventure, or dare I say, extreme sports?

You want an exciting quest?  You want an emotional rush?  Be a risk-taker for the gospel!  Be willing to really put your life on the line! Forget about what men think of you and consider your character before God and share the gospel with family, workers, strangers and friends.  Join up with a team and go on a mission’s trip to some remote area of the world. Get involved in the lives of those who are forsaken, hurting, abused, trashed, and shackled by the grip of sin.

Jumping off a cliff only gives you a chance to expand your ego.  Being a gospel risk-taker gives you the opportunity for reward in Heaven with eternal ramifications.  Ice climbing may result in a few clapping for you when you reach the summit, but when you have the opportunity to see a lost soul come to Christ, you are privileged to join the saints and angels in the heavenly chorus of rejoicing that once again has eternal significance.

So, what kind of risks will you take today for the gospel’s sake?

Check Your Cell Bible

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, God's Word, Trials

As we drove to church last night, I made a comment to my wife about the ominous weather system hanging over us.  The sky looked eerie and was accompanied with an interesting calm.  We had already been alerted to the potential of tornadic activity in our area which became a reality as our cell phones’ severe weather alerts sounded off.  As we heard the thunder and rain, many of us went into “checking our phone” mode.  Probably not too much is remembered about the missionary DVD presentation because of us watching the weather radar.  Eventually, to be safe, we moved everyone downstairs to a secure location.  The storm passed to the east of us, we continued our service there and then enjoyed a time of fellowship in the gym eating sandwiches, chips and ice cream.

Our reaction to yesterday’s severe weather reminds me of how we should live in the storms of life.  Think about all the “storms” brewing in the world today:

  • Israeli – Hamas conflict
  • The Russian – Ukraine conflict
  • Persecution of believers in Iraq and Syria
  • Strange weather situations like in the Los Angeles area on Sunday afternoon

So, what is the correlation? In the same way our cell phones had our attention, and in the same way we kept checking it for new alerts/messages, we should be looking at all the “storms” in the world as well as our own life constantly checking our Bibles. Scan  what God has to say about wars, sin, strife, conflict, sorrow, the weather, upheavals, death, etc.  You want to know how to respond in all the storms of life, search the Scriptures. You want to know the latest, check your Bible.  God’s Word is always relevant, fresh, and true.

By the way, your “Cell Bible” just vibrated!  You have a storm alert sent from Heaven!

The Nature of Neglect

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

The title of our new Sunday School study is Out of Commission:  Getting Every Christian Back to the Great Commission.  As you have seen in a previous post, the picture of an old truck graces the front cover of the book.  The author says, “The old, out-of-commission truck is an example of the cost of neglect.  What had once been a useable truck was put out of commission simply through neglect.  It is also an example of the possibility of repair.  The neglect can be reversed.” (p. 5)

This week, Wayne “put his thoughts to paper” like he did last week Have Ya Got the Time and has written  a home-spun piece about this subject of neglect.  With joy and the hopes you will take it heart, I share what the Lord gave him early in the morning on his back porch.

Neglect does not usually take place over-night. Take the old country store in the photo. It is located in Washington County Tennessee, but could be in any part of the United States.

Please, indulge me as I exercise some “literary liberties.” Think back 100 years. It is the year 1914.… This is the country store. The nearest town is 18 miles away, the road is dirt and the transportation of choice is a team and wagon or the mule. The store is the center of the community. In one corner is the beloved Post Office. A 4’by4’ squared dedicated to the United States mail. The shelves are lined with items that cannot be growed or made on the farm. You can also buy farm tools, shot-gun shells and sewing notions. Everything from Anvils to Zippers.

It had a front porch at one time, its gone now. Neglect. The roof is saggin’ and the walls are cavin’ in. Neglect. It is not safe to go inside now. Neglect. What we see is a visible application of neglect. …

Our Sunday School classes at our church are beginning a study on neglect. The neglect of God’s command in Matthew. The command we call the Great Commission….Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matt 28:19).

Can you see what happens when we neglect?

This, neglect, can also take place in the life of a believer. Our lives become un-useful as a testimony of God’s grace. When we don’t spend time with God in his word, the front porch, where we can talk and fellowship with Him, begins to rot away and disappear. When we don’t spend time with Gods people,… Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Heb 10:25).…we allow the “vines” of the world to take over and eventually consume us. Very soon, we come to the place as the old country store, out of place.

So, remember the words of Jesus……..The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly…(John 10:10).

If we continue to do the things we’ve always done, we’ll continue to get the results we’ve always got.

Ponder on that, and don’t NEGLECT!

Scripture For Today:  Amos 6:1-7; Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:35-48; 1 Timothy 4:14 (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)  Be sure to have your study questions answered and be ready to give your whole heart to class discussion and the Great Commission!!

Reaching Your Own People

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Uncategorized

Last night in Prayer Meeting, we watched a portion of Dispatches from the Front, Episode 3, I Once Was Blind.  “The third episode . . . goes deep into the lands of West Africa, lands broken and bloodied by years of horrific civil war, desperate poverty, and dark religion. For centuries Islam and demon worship have held millions in the grip of fear, violence, and blood-guilt. However, the Gospel is changing all of that!”  What a powerful testimony to the power of the Gospel as demon worshipers are being converted to Christ and are making a difference for Him!  We even have one of church members headed to West Africa on a medical mission’s trip very soon to reach people in darkness with the light of the transforming Gospel!!

As I watched along with the rest of our congregation, a statement caught my attention as never before.  As Tim Keesee, Director of Frontline Missions, narrated, he made a statement about how these Liberian believers “were reaching their own people with the Gospel.”  How often when a native missionary comes to our church and we think, “Wow!  That is the best way; a native going to reach his own people.  He doesn’t have to spend time learning the language or the customs.  He can start preaching the gospel as soon as he returns to his native land!”  Then it struck me; I need to see myself in the same vein.  I can “reach my own people with the Gospel.”  They live across the street from me.  They speak my language.  They have many of the same customs.  They are in my family. Now, I’m not very good at reaching the Hispanics or Bosnian or Chinese in our area, but I can reach the East Tennesseans!  They are my own kind!!  J

How about you?  Are you reaching your own people with the Gospel whether they be Hispanics or East Tennesseans? What would it take for you to be fully engaged in the Great Commission?  You speak their language fluently!  Go tell them about Jesus!!

Scripture For Today:  Luke 9:6; Acts 8:4  (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)  Are you going everywhere?  Be sure to keep reading and answering your study questions for our first Sunday in the study of Out of Commission.  Looking for God to touch down in each class!!

 

Out of Commission

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Renewal

“We are not called to hold the fort, but to conquer the world.  We are not called to merely preserve the faith, but to advance it.” (Paul Washer)

What a compelling charge to the saints of God!  This reminds me of the following recorded words of Jesus Christ:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature  (Mark 16:15).

For the truck pictured above, there’s no conquering, no advancing, no going!  Now, there was day when that truck was new, shiny, functional and the engine was revved up ready to go!  It was on the move!  Remember the day you were born again and the successive weeks thereafter?  You told everyone about your salvation.  You were exciting to share the great work of the Gospel in your life!  You were on the move!  Question—When it comes to sharing the gospel today, July 23, are you parked, rusting, and out of gas or conquering, advancing, and going?

For the next eight weeks, the teen and adult small group SS classes of our church will be using this book as a resource guide along with Scripture to help us be greatly involved in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ, the Great Commission!  In other words, we are  moving from theology to “legology;” from fleshly response to Gospel work to heart-change about Gospel work; from talking about the Gospel to talking to someone about the Gospel; from doing nothing to doing the good works because love works; from rusting to relaying the Words of Life; from being parked to pursuing; from being out of commission to being engaged in the Great Commission!  These will be exciting days as we “look under the hood” and see the Lord exchange “the broken, worn out parts” for functional ones and “tune up” the others by His grace for the special supernatural work of “conquering, advancing and going”!

Scripture For Today:  Romans 1:14-16  (Read it, meditate on it, pray it back to God, put yourself in the passage, and obey it.)

16.8 Christians

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, God's Word, Prayer, Renewal

Here are some common numbers often thought about in reference to time each week:

  • 7
  • 24
  • 8-5
  • 168

168?  What does that number represent?  This is the total number of hours in a seven day week.  We know that all 168 hours are a gift from the Lord. Since every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:18), we are to be good stewards of those hours.  When we think of stewardship, we most likely think of money which is a gift from the Lord as well.  Since we are exhorted to tithe, what about our time?  If you were to give a tithe to the Lord for His gift of time, how much should be given each week?  That would be 16.8 hours-a-week.

Now let’s consider that 16.8 hours in your week.  It comes out to be 2.4 hours-a-day.  In your week, how much time do you give to the Lord in absolute concentrated devotion of study, prayer, communication, meditation, singing, memorization, and listening?  If you really gave Him your undivided attention in Sunday School and the church services as well as on Wednesday night, that would leave you approximately 12.3 hours.  Divide that by six and you have 2.05 hours-a-day.  Now, I’m not suggesting that we literally clock our time with the Lord, but shouldn’t we give the Lord each week an offering of our very best time?  Mary got it right as recorded in Luke 10:38-42.  She chose what was necessary, the best part (10:42).

We tithe on God’s money; shouldn’t we tithe on God’s time? Since God is sovereign over all, we can trust Him with our finances and our future.  He rescued you from hell to enjoy fellowship with you.  He knows what your day holds; He made it.  Give Him the gift of your best time in fellowship and see how throughout the day He orchestrates your life.  You might find that you will be singing in 16/8 time. 🙂  How about joining forces, and let’s be 16.8 Believers?

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce (Prov. 3:9).

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord (Psalm 4:5).

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6-7).

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Malachi 3:10).

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:31-33).

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name (Psalm 63:1-4).

Thanks to Missionary Milo Tomas (Philippines) for his example and leadership to be a 16.8 Christian!  He is definitely a man who treasures “Christ in the midst” of his life (John 20:19-22).

Laugh Your Way to Health

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Joy

Invariably, it’s going to happen!  Whenever our daughters are visiting in our home at the same time, laughter will be a major player.  Usually it is at my expense at least once or twice during their stay.  And that’s okay.  I have seen my wife and our daughters laugh so hard that tears stream down their faces.  They will then gain some semblance of composure, and “there she blows!” One of them will burst out into another round of laughter as whatever it was that caused the first round of laughter comes back to mind.  My heart is often lifted by just watching and listening to them go on in their joy and subsequent tears.  Simply put, they are good medicine!  Proverbs 17:22 says, A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

What causes us to have a merry heart that produces healthy laughter and joy?

1.  Being truly born again; knowing that my eternal home is Heaven, not hell; that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:18).

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

I will rejoice in thy salvation (Psalm 9:14).

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

2.  Knowing that God has given us laughter.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

3.  Having a glad heart that affects our countenance.

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed (Proverbs 15:13).

4.  The daily presence of God in our lives.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

5.  The promises of God for time and eternity.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

6.  Keeping sin confessed and having a clear conscience

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.(Hebrews 10:22).

F.B. Meyer has said it well.  “A happy and cheerful heart is a matter of cultivation. We cannot afford to abandon ourselves entirely to our moods. There are times when we feel depressed and sad, for no special reason, except that a mood is on us! It is at such times that we need to anoint our heads, and wash our faces, that we may not be consumed by our fretfulness, or impose our depression upon others, for nothing is worse than to be a wet blanket” (Matt. 6:16-18)!

“We may alter our dispositions and moods by a resolute action of the will. We can refuse to look miserable, to speak mournfully, to be pessimistic, to pass on depression. In a spirit of unselfishness we can put on a cheerful courage, array ourselves in the garments of joy, anoint ourselves with the spirit of praise and thankfulness, and go forth into the world to shed sunbeams rather than shadows on the path of life. Do not nurse your sorrow of heart, lest your spirit and the spirits of others be broken.”

“We can promote a cheerful heart by dwelling on the bright things of our lot; by counting up the mercies which are left, rather than dwelling on what we have lost. When the heart is full of the light and love of God, can it be other than cheerful? How can this be obtained except by a living union with Jesus Christ. In Him there is an infinitude of supply of peace and joy, sunshine and light. Let us open our hearts to him, and put on these things as we array ourselves each morning in our garments” (Isa. 61:3-10).

Thanks, girls, for the laughter!  By the way, reader, how healthy are you today?