Author: Dale

This week, I’ve been reading through the Gospels and following Christ as He made His way to the cruel cross and victoriously out of the tomb.  Yesterday, a statement from the following passage rang a chord in my heart.

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,  and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’  And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”  And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it JUST AS HE HAD TOLD THEM, and they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:12-16)

Note the words in all CAPS. It’s always that way with Christ . . . just as He had told them.

When raising your children, there are many times after giving them loving instruction, exhortation or warning, you may have said, “See, I told you.”  With Jesus, it was always true.  Everything He ever said came to pass.

For example:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:34)

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:5-6)

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” (John 21:18)

You can believe the lies of the devil and/or your own erroneous thoughts, or you can believe the Truth that stands yesterday, today and forever. You can trust Jesus; His words fail not!  He is the Living Word!  He told you so.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1, 14)

Some 30 years ago I heard Pastor Jack Hudson preach a message in Knoxville, TN, entitled, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming!”  Obviously, the message was about the Friday painful, sin-bearing crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the anticipation and awesome confirmational, promise-producing Sunday resurrection. As Pastor Hudson spoke, he appeared to be completely under the control of the Holy Spirit as his preaching was filled with picturesque eloquence.  I still remember how he described different “Fridays” of trial and sufferings of which my wife and I indeed experienced in the years to come. One of which was the stillbirth of our daughter. But, oh how marvelous as Pastor Hudson practically applied the “Sunday” of promise and life to the “Fridays” of death and difficulties.

Now move forward to late last night.  I’m driving home from our deacon’s meeting on our country roads.  The radio is on and a preacher’s voice I did not recognize said the following:

To get through the worst days of your life, you are going to have to do three things.

1. Reach out to the presence of Jesus.
2. Remember the promises of Jesus.
3. Rely on the power of Jesus.

When you do those three things, it’s a game-changer.  Anything is possible now.

Wow!  Such simple truths, all based on the events of the cross and the empty tomb (Matthew 26-28). My heart was arrested as I pondered those three statements as I’m driving through the darkness.  Is the Lord preparing me for something?  What “Friday” is coming that will cause me to anticipate “Sunday”? What do those truths say to a world torn by sin, living in fear of the next bombing, and struggling to survive?  I believe this preacher settled it all when he said, “The answer is not a principle, but a Person.”

I did not hear the rest of the message, but what I did receive I believe was God-ordained. Jesus Christ is the only One Who can take your “Friday” and assure you of a coming “Sunday.”

Matthew 28:1-10

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

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Advance means to “move forward, typically in a purposeful way.”  This is a great descriptive term for the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul put it this way under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

One area of greatly needed advancement in believer’s lives today is in the blessed privilege of prayer.  R.A. Torrey said, “Oh, how easily most of us take our praying, how little heart we put into it, and how little it takes out of us, and how little it counts with God.”  The older I get in age and in the faith, I see the necessity of prayer, and not the kind of prayer mentioned by Torrey, but passionate, believing, faith-filled, scripture-saturated, God-sized (BIG-requests), transparent, honest, pleading, crying out, intentional, with all your heart prayer.

That’s one of the many reasons I love these prayer events called Prayer Advance because it helps you do exactly what it is called.  You are so challenged to move forward in a purposeful way in what should come before any decision, action, or plan in all of your daily walk with Christ in every area of your life.  You are taught how to pray; how to spend an hour in prayer; how to deal with issues of the heart that hinder prayer; how to pray corporately; how to bear other’s burdens in prayer; how to be engaged in that which Satan hates—-a believer living in Matthew 6:5-7 and Hebrews 4:14-16.

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a Scottish preacher passionate about prayer said, “I ought to spend the best hours of the day in communion with God.  It is my noblest and most fruitful employment, and it is not to be thrust into any corner.”

Before Christ advanced to the cross, He prayed (Matthew 26:36-46).  Before you advance, pray . . . really pray.

Yes, I confess.  I attended a . . . ladies event.  But, it was not just any event.  It was the annual Ladies Prayer Advance.  Now, I had no plans to attend, but was asked by the ladies from our church if I would drive the van.  Let me say up front before I move into the purpose of this blog post, what an honor to serve anyone who wants to advance in their spiritual growth with Christ!  I’ll be at the front of the line anytime to help accomplish that goal!  But, when it is a Prayer Advance, it’s a no brainer!

Prayer Advance (Men, Ladies, Couples or Teen) can be described in the following words:  prayer, freedom to worship, passionate prayer, convicting preaching & teaching, heart-filled worship, confessional prayer, practical preaching & teaching, praise-filled prayer, stirring music, request-filled prayer, challenging preaching & teaching, changed lives, corporate prayer, Christ-exalting music, believing prayer, get-to-the-heart preaching & teaching, lifting up holy hands worship, Sweet Hour of Prayer, giving God praise and glory worship, grace-enabled preaching & teaching, BIG prayers, and . . . a break for meals.  And what is discussed at meals?  You can’t help it . . . . you talk about what God has been up to in your heart and how awesome He is!!

For three days, you gather around preaching, prayer, praise, and fellowship.  This is not a retreat; this is an ADVANCE.  This is an intense, moving-forward meeting with God.  Lives are changed.  Sin is exposed, victory is claimed, and God is glorified!  Hearts are humbled, marriages are restored, homes are put back together, sins such as bitterness is exposed, confessed, forgiven and abandoned.

As is always the case, the Advance begins at 1:30 on Thursday with preaching and then a breakout session.  After the evening service comes the powerful group prayer meetings.  These small group prayer sessions have been known to last all night.  What an awesome time to kneel, get honest before God, and watch hearts be changed at the Throne of Grace.  I saw it happen at Men’s Prayer Advance in January, and heard about it happening this past Thursday night with the ladies.  I will tell you without reservation, the ladies I transported to Prayer Advance on Thursday were not the same ladies I saw on Friday morning!  On Friday morning I asked, “And how are you ladies this morning?” Immediately and in one chorus they said, “It’s a beautiful morning because our hearts are free!  Our consciences are clear!”  Oh, how awesome it is to watch the Holy Spirit convict and change, and then to see the countenances of souls set free from the bondage of sin!

My heart is full as I’ve watched God answer prayer and do some awesome works since Thursday.  Let me ask, are you advancing with Christ in prayer or retreating?  Get on your knees and “attend” your own personal Prayer Advance.  But do more than “attend,” get honest and fervent with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.  You, too, can be set free!

Hebrews 4:14-16              Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Psalm 42:1, 8      As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. . . . The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.

Yesterday I saw many smiles, but there’s a wonderful connection with three of them.

The first one was found on my wife’s face as she entered the door of our home.  She had just returned from Panera Bread.  Over breakfast and coffee, Denise was able to answer questions and give biblical solutions to a mom crying out for help.  How awesome to be able to share truth and practical wisdom from the Word of God!  How blessed to see a dear mom ready and willing to learn and apply what she had been taught!  My wife was beaming because discipleship, although hard at times, is so rewarding!!

The second smile was found on the faces of many pictured on a post card we received from Spain.  There, gathered for their “Pastor & Youth Meeting,” were eighteen precious souls learning how to address difficult ethical issues in their daily lives.  The biggest smile is found on the face of our missionary friend and pastor.  Knowing his passion for discipleship, no wonder he is smiling from ear-to-ear!  What a delight to train hungry young people how to make biblical decisions in this humanistic, unethical world!!  Wow!!

The third smile was on my face as I left the church foyer in the late afternoon.  What a blessing to meet with a young man wanting to be the spiritual leader of his home.  How awesome to watch the Lord direct our conversation, to give hope, and to see fear and worry confronted with Truth!  The Word works, and discipleship is a rich blessing!!

Have you been smiling this week?  Is it due to the power of God’s Word being transferred into the life of someone?  Don’t misunderstand, mentoring is hard work, but it is rewarding work because the Word of God is always profitable (2 Timothy 3:16).

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-19)

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Ouch!!  And it’s still throbbing!  Yesterday morning I proceeded to do something really stupid . . . I shut the car door on my thumb.  So much so that I had to release the door handle to remove my hand.  I erred!

Immediately, a passage of Scripture from my morning reading came to mind.  In response to the Sadducees question (Mark 12:19-23), “Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” (12:24).  Prior to my mishap, I had been pondering about the times in my life I had erred because I did not know or apply the Word of God nor did I trust in His power.  When that happens, . . . ouch!  I err.

How foolish of me to not spend time in the Word through reading, meditation, memorization, prayer, and instruction.  How foolish of me to not put my faith, based upon what I have read and learn about my God, in my omnipotent Heavenly Father.  It’s as foolish as and more so than slamming my thumb in the car door.  My blunder today only hurts physically, and it continues to do so.  When I err because of a lack of knowledge and trust, it hurts spiritually today and possibly for days to come.  Furthermore, it could even have physical consequences.

Today, do not err because you do not know the Word or trust in the power of God. And while you’re at it, do not err by slamming the car door on your thumb!

Psalm 119:1-3

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.

Ministry needs took me to Cleveland, Ohio, last week to be with a dear husband and wife from our church who was to go through major surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Praise the Lord, she is doing well. On my Thursday journey home to East Tennessee, I exited the interstate for an overdue visit in my hometown of Marietta, Ohio.

The first stop was to see my cousin at her workplace and enjoy a too-short time of catching up.  Since I have no siblings, she has been more like a sister to me over the years, and we always have a great time together.  From there I drove a few blocks toward downtown, over the brick streets that are, and found the school where I attended five year old kindergarten as well as the library next door. Would you believe I walked five blocks to school by myself each day?  That was a different day for sure.  I circled the school twice reliving those early days.

From there I drove around the famous Mound Cemetery and then a half block down Sixth Street.  Here is where my reminiscing trip reached its summit.  I parked my car in front of 318 Sixth Street and stood for a while remembering some special days at this house.  Mrs. Fox lived in the downstairs, and we rented the upstairs.  The double front doors of the house opened into a foyer with the stairs directly in front of you as you walked through the doors. I can still hear the racket my red wagon made as I rode down the sidewalk wearing out my shoes as I used them for brakes. The best memory of this house was the day I walked home, I believe from school, through the front doors, up those stairs into one of the front rooms which was our living room, and there I knelt down at the couch and trusted Christ as my Savior at the age of five.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  That big house is not a sacred dwelling, but as I stood outside looking up at that window with tears streaming down my cheeks, I could confidently say that this was the place I met the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and forever I belong to Him!  How wonderful to have a godly mom and dad who loved the Lord, spoke often of Him, shared the Word with me, and always pointed me to Christ.  That day, kneeling at that couch, I took God at His Word, believed on Him (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-13), received Him as my Savior (John 1:12), and was born again (Titus 3:5)!

After standing there a bit longer, I journeyed on downtown where Mom and I would walk to shop at the old Five & Dime Woolworth’s store (hardwood flooring and a soda fountain).  Then I drove over the Muskingum River to the Anchorage where Dad labored as a carpenter since he was not pastoring a church during those days.  This old structure was then being remodeled to be used as a nursing home.  I remember walking across the bridge over to the Anchorage to see Dad, still relishing the taste of that good ice cream cone from the Five & Dime!

There were so many other places that I wanted to visit and people to see, but I’ll have to save that for another trip.  I did stop in Charlestown, West Virginia, to visit another cousin who is very dear to me.  We shared, wept, prayed, and rejoiced together.

The point of this reflective story is to simply say, “Thank You, Lord! I have been blessed!  God’s been so very good to me!”  Listen: I Have Been Blessed

Grateful for the gift of marriage as well as the blessing of being married for almost 35 years to my best friend, I share this video to be a source of encouragement for your marriage.

Ronald Reagan Surprises Nancy Reagan

Also, having immense admiration for President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, this video is in honor of her passing as well as the passing of an era.

Nancy Reagan Tribute

Gatherings at church whether on Sundays, Wednesdays, or others times are more than an event to attend, they are a time to be engaged.  When you consider the call of Matthew 28:18-20, the exhortations of Colossians 3:16 and Hebrews 10:19-25, and the example of Acts 2:42-48, you see believers engaged in ministry.  I watched it happened in full view this past Sunday at Boones Creek Bible Church.

A visitor in his early 20’s, I’ll call Steve, entered the building and was promptly received by our greeters, led to our Welcome Center, and then directed to a Sunday School class.  After class was dismissed, the small group class leader engaged Steve in a gospel conversation.  This lasted through the 30 minute fellowship time into the beginning of the morning service.  At the conclusion of the service. I saw our assistant pastor engage Steve in a gospel conversation.  Later, as he mingled in the foyer, one of our deacons began a conversation with him which ended as they walked to Steve’s car.  What a blessing to see folks engaging this young in conversation because they cared for his lost soul.  How wonderful to hear that he will be meeting with someone from church later on this week.  How glad to see that these men did not just attend church, they were engaged as being the church!

Also, while the congregation was greeting one another in the morning service, I watched one of our dear older saints of God holding the hands of another lady as they bowed their heads engaged in prayer.  In the midst of all the hand-shaking and sharing what God had taught them so far in the service as well as in SS, here were two ladies meeting at the Throne of Grace!  They were engaged and not just attending, going through the motions.

Finally, two ladies entered our foyer near the end of the service. They were out-of-town guests of a family in our church and had chosen to attend Mass at the local Catholic Church.  While waiting on their hosts, one of our deacons greeted them and engaged them in a gospel conversation.  Sensing the need to summons a lady to talk to them, he introduced them to my wife.  She, too, got to know them, and then inquired about their spiritual condition.  Once again, people engaged being the church and not just attending church.

These examples are shared for God’s glory and to encourage the folks in our congregation to continue to always be engaged, soul-conscious and looking for ways to fulfill the aforementioned scriptures.

When I look back over Sunday, I am reminded of Jesus and His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4).  Read it, study it, and when you gather at church the next time, be engaged . . . don’t just attend.