Out of Exile

In 586 B.C., God’s people were carried off into Babylon to spend the next 70 years as exiles. This captivity was an act of discipline by God upon his people to wake them up out of their sin…and it worked. Seventy years later, when they came out of exile and returned to their homeland, they were a changed people and had learned at least the following three points:

The Importance of the Assembly. When Solomon’s temple was destroyed, and they no longer had a place to assemble and worship together, they apparently missed these assemblies. The synagogue that we read so much about in the New Testament was born during the exile. These people realized that they needed to assemble, study together, encourage each other, and be a community, thus they built synagogues. The command to assemble isn’t an arbitrary hoop to jump through, but something that has genuine value, and that value was more greatly appreciated when it was taken away from them.

The Importance of God’s Word. Imagine what it must have been like for up to three generations of people who had never worshiped as God commanded. Many being ignorant of what his commandments were. So, when they came out of exile, notice what they did.  1) They asked for the Book of the Law to be read; 2) They stood in respect when the book was opened; 3) They listened from the morning light till mid-day as the book was read; 4) They listened attentively (Nehemiah 8:1-5). Their hunger for God’s word is apparent by what they did.

The Importance of Discipline. The Bible informs us that this captivity was the work of God. He was disciplining his children, and they seemed to have learned their lesson. When they came out of exile, the first thing they did was erect an altar to the Lord and worshiped day and night (Ezra 3). Troubles and hardships seem to reprioritize our life’s focus.

When I consider these three lessons learned during Judah’s exile, I can’t help but think of our momentary “exile” due to this pandemic. Have we been discomforted enough to realize the importance of the assembly, and that meeting together is not just an arbitrary hoop to jump through, but a vital part of our walk with God? Have we realized how important God’s word is and sought out ways to hear it?  And while none can authoritatively say that this pandemic is a discipline from God, can we not still learn from it?  Have the hardships driven you to reprioritize your life?

If so, good! As bad as this time has been, maybe the end result will make us better people. Give it some thought.

– Steve Higginbotham

It takes me by surprise every time I think about Jesus making a whip out of cords to drive people, sheep and cattle out of the temple, turning over the tables of the money changers scattering coins everywhere. I visualize fire in his eyes and passion in his voice as he said, “Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2.13-16). It surprises me because this is not the usual image of Jesus I see. Usually I think of Jesus more as a mild, unassuming teacher moving through the countryside helping those in need and telling them about the love of God. But that may be because that’s the image of Jesus I prefer to see and imitate. That requires less of me than the prophecy the disciples remembered when they stood back and watched as Jesus cleared the temple: “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 1.17). It’s much easier to be indifferent.

As it was in the 1st century so it is in the 21st century. Consuming zeal and passion for the Lord surprises us. It’s not something we see very often in the church, much less experience personally. That’s not to say we are lacking passion, for we all have something we get excited about: baseball … family … camping … cooking … working … money … video games, etc. Jon Bloom wrote, “Passion and zeal are gauges that display what our heart treasures, and therefore what fuels our lives”. The things we treasure are the things we are passionate about. Zeal for the things of God consumed Jesus. Bloom also wrote “Few things expose us more than comparing what God is passionate about with what we are passionate about.”

This is where we begin to get uncomfortable. When it comes to the things of the Lord, most of us lean more toward indifference than we do zeal. Perhaps we have let the command to be zealous for the Lord slip past us. “Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12.11). This means being passionate for the things of the Lord is not an option for Christians any more than are the other commands in that passage (Romans 12.9-21). Indifference is not acceptable to the Lord … indifference is a sin! The whole church at Laodicea was in spiritual danger because of their indifference (Revelation 3.16). Interestingly, the message Jesus sent to that church was to “be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3.19). Like them, perhaps the zeal we need most is the zeal to repent!

It is the consuming zeal of the Lord of hosts that offers redemption to lost sinners. God inspired Isaiah to tell of the coming of Christ to rule over God’s kingdom, and explained that the “zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9.6-7). Because of this, God is expecting those who accept his salvation to also be “zealous for good works” (Titus 2.14 NKJV). We can’t be indifferent about God and at the same time be like Jesus.

Drawing from the zeal of Jesus when he cleared the temple, “How dare we be indifferent!” Our prayer: whatever it takes, Lord, increase my zeal to do your will!!

– Joe Chesser

The truth about truth

“This is the absolute truth,” someone says, “there is no absolute truth.”

By the way, look at the above statement and see if you can discern the in-built contradiction.

It is well to acknowledge the fact that truth is a very rare commodity in our day or any day. Watch the news on television and observe how very different the world looks to an outlet that is liberal or conservative. Observe a couple who have recently broken up: If you listen to her account of events and his, you might wonder if they were talking about the same thing.

Sin, too, blurs our view of things. It’s hard to acknowledge our mistakes, to confess our sins. Some wit has said that the three hardest words to pronounce in the English language are “I was wrong.”

But just because we have different perspectives does not mean that there is not an objective truth out there!

“You shall know the truth,” Jesus declared, “and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). To hear the truth spoken is very rare. But you can count on it when God says it, it is true. Again Jesus says, “sanctify them through the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17).

“Hell,” Os Guiness declares correctly,” is the truth, known too late.”

In religion, you can hear a plethora of statements about salvation being made. On the radio and television, social media and inside church buildings this Sunday, you will hear all manner of ideas, many of which are not true.

Please note this: The Bible never divides, it clarifies; our vision is blurred only when human ideas are added to the mixture. Dear reader, please find the truth before it is too late!

Stan Mitchell

Are we eagerly awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ? Does our life and our life’s choices reflect that eagerness for Jesus to come?

In Philippians 3:20-21, Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

In the context, Paul says we should “follow his example” (3:17). When we look back over the letter of Philippians, we see some activities Paul did while he was eagerly waiting for Christ to return:

1. Pray – 1:3-4, 19; 4:6
2. Live righteously – 1:10, 27; 2:3-5, 14 (cf. Luke 12:36)
3. Evangelize – 1:5, 7, 14; 2:16 (cf. Acts 17:16)
4. Abound in love – 1:9
5. Exalt / worship Christ – 1:20; 4:1
6. Encourage others – 1:25
7. Suffer for the Truth – 1:29; 2:17; 3:8-10 (Consider what he says of his enemies: 1:15, 17; 3:2, 3).
8. Be content – 4:11-14

Paul writes similar words in a few other passages. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, he says we are: “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” To Titus in 2:13, Paul writes Christians are: “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

In 1 Corinthians 1:7, he says: “you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Finally, the Hebrew writer reminds us in 9:28: “Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

In 2 Peter 3:12-14, Peter writes, just as Paul has written, that we are “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.”

We belong to a different country, a heavenly country. Let’s keep our eyes focused on that goal and live in peace, spotless and blameless to be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. It will be glorious!

Paul Holland

JOB’S “LIFE-LINE” – 23:11-12, 10

Job knew that he was obeying God to the very best of his ability. You know, we can’t understand a lot of the “why” of events in life. We just don’t know and we are not able to change anything much in life. But what we can know and what we can change or control is our response to God! Listen to Job’s thoughts in verses 10-12.

How is it that Job could survive with this tension in his life and heart? On one hand, he says God is absent from his life. He says that God is causing him to suffer more than he deserves. But at the same time, he is able to maintain his integrity and believes that if he ever has a chance to answer God face to face, he would be justified, acquitted of the accusations of the friends. How? How can Job maintain that tension in his heart?

Because he knows one thing – he is obedient to God’s commands! That’s the one thing we can know and its the one thing we can control! Our response to God’s commands!

Job’s “foot” walked the paths God had marked out. Job had “kept” God’s way without turning aside neither to the right nor the left. Job had not strayed from the commands coming from the lips of God. In fact, the words of God’s mouth, Job says, were “treasured” more than physical food that is necessary for life.

That is Job’s lifeline. Job’s lifeline was that he knew he had obeyed God and was living a life as God had directed. Job will get more explicit in a speech in chapter 31 where he gives us a list of those behaviors that God had commanded and Job had obeyed:

1. He had not lusted after virgins (vs 1).
2. He had not lied to or deceived other people (vs 5).
3. He had not committed adultery (vs 9).
4. He had not exploited his slaves (vs 13).
5. He had not abused the poor and widow (vs 16).
6. He had not coveted gold (vs 24).
7. He had not boasted of his wealth (vs 25).
8. He had not committed idol worship (vs 26).
9. He did not even rejoice when bad things happened to his enemies (vs 29).

What Job did know was that God commanded him to live a certain way, including worshiping through burnt offerings, which he did in 1:5. Job obeyed what God had commanded him. That was what was stable in Job’s life: God’s commandments and Job’s obedience. That was the safety net that caught Job when he fell from his rock-solid-faith in God’s operation of the world.

Of course even when Job felt that God was gone, in reality, He was not. Where is God when you are hurting? The same place He was when His own Son was hurting: ruling this world from heaven with all the wisdom and love that are the very essence of God’s nature. We have to trust Him. Let’s go back to 23:10 quickly and notice what Job says there. Job did not know why he was suffering the way he was. But he did know that eventually, things would be better. He would be a better servant of God after everything was settled. What a tremendous amount of faith in the middle of a tremendous amount of suffering.

It goes without saying that I do not understand this world and why different things happen. I do know that evil things happen because of Satan and good things happen because of God (James 1:17). I also know one thing – I know whether I am obeying God’s commandments or not. I can be saved without having all the answers. I cannot be saved without living an obedient life.

When you feel that God is gone from your life, trust His word and follow His commands as best you can. One day, perhaps, God will give answers to your questions.

Paul Holland

CAN THIS MESS BE FIXED?

Customer: “I got this problem. You people sent me this install
disk, and now my A: drive won’t work.”

Tech Support: “Your A: drive won’t work?”

Customer: “That’s what I said. You sent me a bad disk, it got stuck
in my drive, now it won’t work at all.”

Tech Support: “Did it not install properly? What kind of error
messages did you get?”

Customer: “I didn’t get any error message. The disk got stuck in
the drive and wouldn’t come out. So I got these pliers and tried
to get it out. That didn’t work either.”

Tech Support: “You did what, sir?”

Customer: “I got these pliers, and tried to get the disk out, but it
wouldn’t budge. I just ended up cracking the plastic stuff a
bit.”

Tech Support: “I don’t understand sir, did you push the eject
button?”

Customer: “No, so then I got a stick of butter and melted it and
used a turkey baster and put the butter in the drive, around the
disk, and that got it loose. I can’t believe you would send me a
disk that was broken and defective.”

Tech Support: “Let me get this clear. You put melted butter in
your A: drive and used pliers to pull the disk out?”

At this point, he put the call on the speaker phone and motioned at the other techs to listen in.

Tech Support: “Just so I am absolutely clear on this, can you repeat
what you just said?”

Customer: “I said I put butter in my A: drive to get your disk out,
then I had to use pliers to pull it out.”

Tech Support: “Did you push that little button that was sticking
out when the disk was in the drive, you know, the thing called the
disk eject button?”

– Silence –

Tech Support: “Sir?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Tech Support: “Sir, did you push the eject button?”

Customer: “No, but you people are going to fix my computer, or I am
going to sue you for breaking my computer.”

Tech Support: “Let me get this straight. You are going to sue our
company because you put the disk in the A: drive, didn’t follow
the instructions we sent you, didn’t actually seek professional
advice, didn’t consult your user’s manual on how to use your
computer properly, instead proceeding to pour butter into the
drive and physically rip the disk out?”

Customer: “Ummmm.”

Tech Support: “Do you really think you stand a chance, since we do
record every call and have it on tape?”

Customer: (now rather humbled) “But you’re supposed to help!”

Tech Support: “I am sorry sir, but there is nothing we can do for
you. Have a nice day.”

Sounds like the mess we sometimes make of our lives. We don’t consult God’s “instruction manual” (the Bible), we don’t call for assistance (pray), we just try to “fix” the problems in our lives by ourselves and in the process do some pretty stupid things.

But there’s one big difference. When we finally reach the point where we realize we’ve made a mess and we humble ourselves in the presence of God, He doesn’t say, “There’s nothing I can do for you.”
Rather, He stands ready to help.

“….Be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:5b-7).

Made a mess of something lately? The “tech support” line is open and ready to take your call.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

“While she was enjoying a transatlantic ocean trip, Billie Burke, a famous actress at the time, noticed that a gentleman at the next table was suffering from a bad cold. ‘Are you uncomfortable?’ she asked sympathetically. The man nodded. ‘I’ll tell you just what to do for it,” she offered. ‘Go back to your room and drink lots of orange juice. Take two aspirin. Cover yourself with all the blankets you can find. Sweat the cold out. I know just what I’m talking about. I’m Billie Burke from Hollywood.’ The man smiled warmly and introduced himself in return. ‘Thanks,’ he said, ‘I’m Dr. Mayo from the Mayo clinic’” (Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, p. 24).

They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice and experience before a person becomes an expert.  Of course, getting advice from someone who has hardly spent even a fraction of this time in study is comical, to say the least.  Although, even the most novice of people giving advice to the most knowledgeable expert in the history of the earth would pale in comparison to the gap between our knowledge and God’s.

God’s words are practically dripping with irony when He speaks to Job out of a whirlwind and says, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” (Job 38:1-3).  From here God goes on to ask about Job’s knowledge in laying the foundation of the earth, its measurements, and foundation (4-7).  He asks Job for his knowledge about the sea and its boundaries (8-11).  He asks Job what his experience is with causing morning and dawn to come (12), walking in the midst of the sea (16), and even about his knowledge on dwelling place of light (19).

The message is beyond clear.  Whatever knowledge humanity thinks it has, God is the one and only true expert in all things (Isaiah 55:8-9).  For thousands of years, people have been seeking expert advice on just about every conceivable situation.  Sadly, one place they rarely looked was to the Lord.

There is nothing wrong with seeing an expert when we are in need.  However, this should never come at the neglect of the Almighty One.  Amazingly, even though He is the Creator, and despite the unfathomable gap in our knowledge, He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  Whether it’s mental or emotional, medical or psychological, physical or spiritual, let’s not forget to first take our situation before the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Brett Petrillo

1.  I desire to learn more about God’s Word (John 6:44-45).

2.  I love my brethren and desire their company (1 Peter 2:17).

3.  I want to set the right example for my family and others(1 Corinthians 11:1). I believe that attending mid-week meetings is essential to have the best influence.

4.  I desire to encourage the workers in the church; everyone knows that the workers will be present on Wednesday nights (Romans 14:19).

5.  I attend because I want to have the attitude, “What more can I do?”, rather than, “Do I have to do it?” (Romans 12:11).

6.  I believe the first and greatest commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37)

7.  The Bible teaches that Jesus may come at any moment (Matthew 25:13). If He should come on Wednesday night, I want to be assembled with the brethren.

–Selected

“There is no speech or are there words, whose voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:3, ESV).

Sometimes I like to joke that I intend to teach “English as a Second Language” here in western Tennessee. Then we can work on such features as the “Tennessee Double Negative” (“I ain’t got none”), which, if two negatives make a positive, means “I have some!” We could also deal with that great Tennessee denial: “I ain’t neither!” which, with the two negatives must mean, “I am too!”

More seriously, there are those whose grammar is theologically incorrect. The term “committed Christian”, for instance, is redundant. What other kind of Christian is there? Christ calls us all to serve him with all of our hearts. The Lord calls us to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). There are no halfhearted sacrifices. You either give your all, unreservedly, or you are withholding something. You can’t hold back, and still be sacrificial. To serve him half-heartedly is not to be an undedicated Christian, but to not be a Christian at all.

The term “Born Again Christian” is also redundant. If he is “born again,” he is a Christian. If he is a “Christian,” then he has been born again, of “water and the Spirit” (John 3:3-5).

So when Satan seeks the leftovers from what you gave God, tell him, “I ain’t got none.” What you would mean is, “there is nothing left over.” When worldly friends ask if you’re still a party animal who will join in their folly and sin, tell them, “I ain’t neither.” What you would mean is, “I’m not a party animal any more.” Being in denial this way is a “good thing.”

You might not be grammatically correct, but you certainly would be theologically correct! And being right with your God is far more important than being right with your grammar!

by Stan Mitchell

Because we lived close to Pittsburgh while growing up, my dad took me to a lot of Pirates baseball games when I was a boy. With the passing of time, most of the events that transpired at those games have been forgotten, but one game we attended has been etched deeply into my memory.

I would imagine I was about 10-12 years of age when about 10 men from church attended a Pirates game with my dad and me.  We were all seated in the same row, taking up the first 12 seats from the aisle. My dad and I were sitting the farthest from the aisle. As you know, during the game, venders walk up and down the aisles trying to sell, hotdogs, popcorn, soft-drinks, and beer as well.

At some point during the game, a man to my right hollered at the vender, wanting a beer. So the vender handed a beer to our friend sitting in the aisle seat and asked him to pass it down. He did, to our friend in the second seat, the second passed it to the third, and so on until it got to my dad.  My dad crossed his arms and refused to pass it on.  At this point, the vender began yelling at my dad, and the guy sitting on the other side of me who wanted his beer began yelling at my dad, but dad didn’t budge. Finally, dad said, “I didn’t come here to bartend, I came to watch a ballgame.”  At that point, our friend to the left of my dad, passed it back, and the next guy passed it back, and so on until it was returned to the vender. The vender was incredulous at what just happened, and continued to yell at the whole row of us, telling us to pass it on to the guy who wanted a beer. Finally, when he saw he wasn’t going to make any progress with us, he went down to the row in front of us and had them pass the beer over to the guy in our row.

I’ll have to admit that as a kid, I was embarrassed that day.  People were yelling at my dad, and I just wanted to sink down in my seat. But looking back on this memory as an adult, I couldn’t be more proud of my dad for taking a stand a living in harmony with his convictions.

I don’t remember who won the game that day. In fact, I don’t even remember who the Pirates were playing. But I do remember my dad’s resolve and his refusal to compromise his convictions. Now that’s a father/son memory at the ballpark I’ll never forget!

by Steve Higginbotham

What’s next

Every now and then a young person calls me aside and says something like this: “Thank you for being patient with me when I was a young preacher/ a student/ a teenager in your congregation. You inspired me to ministry.”

When they do this, I think of the elderly apostle’s declaration: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

It seems I am now the older preacher in the transaction, more Paul than Timothy.

It makes me thing of two truths:

• First, let’s not view “older” preachers as irrelevant or redundant. You know that the Bible’s view is that God’s way is to utilize the wisdom of those who are older. Paul, the older and wiser preacher saw it as his task to mentor younger men, who would in turn mentor others (2 Timothy 2:2). Some seemingly think the church would be better served when run by a gaggle of William Golding-like kids (remember the tragedy of Lord of the Flies)? That’s not the biblical view. Elders (not “youngers”) shepherd the flock, older women teach younger women, Paul mentors Timothy, Titus, and so on.
• Second, those of us who are older need to be conscious of the need to develop the next generation of leaders. Just like school, one does not advance from a student to a graduate merely by chronology; one studies for classes, completes assignments, prepares for the next stage of development.

Allow young men the opportunity to develop their abilities; be patient with their failures; give them both direction and support.

Make no mistake, the next generation’s arrival is as certain as a Trump tweet, but their readiness for actual leadership is uncertain.

Young people, watch, listen and learn; Older people, guide and encourage.

Stan Mitchell

The day after God has acted

We have all heard someone say something like, “Faith was easier for people in the Bible because of the miracles. Why then did they struggle with unfaithfulness?”

Imagine the thrill of standing on the shore watching God’s power split open the sea. Yet, when you wake up the next morning what kind of a day is it? The miraculous is a memory. What confronts you are tangible problems. The stomach becomes hungry. We would call it an ordinary day.

Standing in the shadow of the miraculous, each person is faced with determining how will I handle my challenges today? The day after the amazing is a completely new day where faith must be born anew. Certainly, a person has good reason to trust God, but this is still an ordinary day with real problems.

Truth be told, our faith is probably in a better position. We know what God did in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and how he overthrew the Canaanites. We understand how Jesus fulfilled Messianic prophecies made hundreds of years earlier. We know about Jesus’ miracles and that with his resurrection he was declared with power to be the Son of God.

And yet, do we engage our faith when facing life’s difficulties? We can, like Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, excel in faith. God has given us good reason to trust him.

Barry Newton

He started out as a practicing Catholic. He made pilgrimages to Aparecida, Brazil’s religious center for the veneration of Mary. He hated “believers,” as fundamental evangelicals are called here. Once, he even threw a pail of water on two Protestants who were doing door-to-door evangelism.

Elijah, as we’ll call him, later converted to Protestantism. He became a Pentecostal pastor. As a dedicated man, he received in return that pail of water from someone who also hated believers.

But then he began to observe dishonest and unethical practices in his denomination. He saw they were part and parcel of the religion he was a part of. Money was what moved the leadership. Disillusioned, he gave up his position, and he and his wife abandoned organized religion altogether. He took a job as a security guard.

Not far from their home, Christians advertised a Bible course open to the public. Elijah’s wife and 12-year-old son attended the course, held at the Christian’s meeting place. His son kept returning home telling him what he was learning from the course. He showed Elijah the truth with an open Bible, but the former pastor was recalcitrant to accept the truth.

Finally, disturbed by what his wife and son were learning, Elijah went to see for himself. He attended meetings of the congregation. He talked with Christians about what the Bible taught. He consistently received Bible answers to his questions.

Today, Elijah and his family meet with the congregation of Christians near their home. Their son has been baptized into Christ. They know they have found true faith and the certainty of the gospel.

Not a few people in the world are like Elijah and his family. They believe in God, but feel disgusted with the division, dishonesty, and traditions of the denominations. They have no idea there is an alternative to the organized religions of man.

Then there are others, like one man I taught last year, who are, as he called himself, a blank slate. He received a moral upbringing from his grandmother, but never went to church and never read the Bible. When it came time to study Scripture, he had few issues except for personal struggles. Today, he is a man of God.

Opportunities abound, all around us. The fields are already white for harvest, John 4.35. The harvest is plentiful, Luke 10.2.

The problem is not in the harvest, but in the number of workers available to go and reap. “The workers are few” Luke 10.2.

We need to “look up and see” the harvest, John 4.35. We must pray for more workers and “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” Luke 10.2. Then we ourselves must hear the Lord as he tells us, “Go!” Luke 10.3.

Elijah and his kin are waiting to discover the true gospel.

J. Randal Matheny

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27 NKJV).

One persistent tendency of human beings is to mix cultures or traditions. This is often seen in religion.

A new faith enters an area rich in religious heritage. Many converts are quickly made. However, there are elements of their previous practices that continue to have great appeal. Almost invariably these become assimilated into the new religion.

This process is called syncretism, which simply means to bring two things into harmony. The effect is to blend or merge elements of two different items (in this case religions) into one unit.

One need only to study the history of exploration and conquest to see examples. Europeans who conquered lands in the Americas or Africa or Asia and remained to administer their colonies soon took on characteristics of the local culture.

In the same way, a religion may have distinctly different forms and rituals in separate areas of the world, or even in distinctly different regions of the same country.

A wedding I witnessed in South Asia provides an illustration. Both bride and groom are devoutly practicing followers of Jesus. They are serious about their Christian beliefs, reading the Bible daily, talking to others about Christianity, and promoting it in their workplace.

But their wedding celebration, including a reception on the second day, included dress and ornamentation with traditional meaning to other religions. The complete ceremony was an interesting blend of East and West, of Christianity and Hinduism.

It is common to see people converted from Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism continue to use traditional jewelry and clothing, including symbols with some lingering religious meaning. One common sight is a young child with a dark round spot on its forehead or face. This is a good luck charm, believed by many to ward off demons.

Many converted Hindus will continue to abstain from beef. In Islamic Bangladesh many Christians still refuse pork, like their Muslim neighbors.

Some relics of one’s former faith are much more sinister. They may include attempts to continue to practice the former religion along with the new, reliance upon symbols or icons believed to have supernatural effects, and the desire to bring former rituals and practices over into the new faith.

James’ definition of true religion includes staying unspotted by the world. His immediate purpose was probably to warn against immorality. But the world manifests itself often in false religion. Those practices are equally ungodly and defiling.

It was James who authored the letter to the Gentiles (converts from pagan idolatry) in Acts 15:23-29. In that letter the apostles and elders commanded, “That you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well” (Verse 29).

Almost all the things in that list could be found, among other places, in the various religions of the Roman world. Christians were not to assimilate pagan practices into the worship of the true God. Idolatry has no place in the church. Immorality and all things that defile must be avoided and denied.

The world will always seek compromise. It will always try to dilute true faith and defile the righteous. We must ever be on guard against it. Wearing traditional clothing for special occasions may be harmless. Other types of syncretism are certainly not.

by Michael E. Brooks

Did You Know?

In Ephesians 6:11, God inspired Paul to alert us to the “wiles” of the devil.  Some translations render it “schemes” of the devil.  It is because of the wiles or schemes of the devil that we are to wear the whole armor of God.  But why exactly is the word “wiles” or “schemes” used to describe the attacks of the devil?

Well, first off, we need to remember that as God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), Satan is the opposite—a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).  Because his very nature is sin, everything he does is opposed to God and God’s people.  The word translated “wiles” or “schemes” in Ephesians 6:11 is the Greek word methodeia—methods.  All of Satan’s methods are evil, they are parts of his attempts to devour the followers of God.  And since all of his methods are evil, we need to be constantly on guard.  NOTHING that Satan says or does will help us or do us anything but harm.

Satan, by nature, is wiley, a schemer, a creature with only evil methods designed to harm us.  Praise God that He has provided us with His armor to protect us!

-Bradley S. Cobb

We have heard her story. It does not take much imagination to fill in the blanks. However, have we allowed Jesus’ words to profoundly shape our thinking?

As Jesus reclined at a dining table following the first century custom, she entered Simon’s house. Simon recognized her as a sinful woman. How had she gained this reputation? Does it really matter what her sin or sins were? The results of being aware of one’s sin are the same: shame, guilt, brokenness and a sense of being out of control.

After entering the house she approached Jesus and stood behind him as he reclined at the table. At the very least she had heard of Jesus and knew stories about him. Perhaps she had listened to him teach how God loves the lost and had witnessed his merciful kindness. What is clear is that she regarded him as a man of God, whom she intended to honor.

Standing behind him her eyes welled with water as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. How many tears does it take to wet someone’s feet? How deeply does your heart have to ache and how profoundly do you have to sob for someone’s feet to become wet? She bent down and dried his feet with her hair and then anointed them with an expensive perfume.

Because Jesus knew that Simon had negative thoughts about him for allowing her to touch him, he told a story about a banker who loaned two men some money. In Jesus’ story one man borrowed about a year and a half salary while the other borrowed about a month and a half salary. When neither could repay, the banker canceled both of their debts. Then Jesus asked, “Who do you suppose loved him more?”

Simon answered, “I suppose that one who owed more money.” Jesus responded that he had judged rightly. Jesus proceeded to say, “He who has been forgiven much loves much.”

I know how much God has forgiven me. My question for you is, how much has God forgiven you? Did you almost make it to heaven and just needed a little forgiveness? Or do you have an awareness of sin, the horrible and ugly nature of sin, requiring you to depend upon help from ground zero?

I suspect that self-righteous people do not realize the weight of their sin.  If we view ourselves as barely falling short of God’s glory, I suspect our love for God might be quite shallow.

However, if we accurately perceive the reality of our sin, any and all sin, then as those who have been forgiven we are more likely to love God more. We are more likely to be grateful and gladly obey because of the grace that has been poured out upon us who are so unworthy.

Hence, we have good reason to reflect upon our brokenness. For in facing the truth of what we have done, we become truly prepared to love God for having released us.

Want to worship profoundly? We won’t find it in the thrill of lights and technology. It is found in the story. When we encounter a holy God whose very presence makes us aware of our own sinfulness, and when we remember how God has released us from such an incredible burden, our love for God pours forth. Worship is the natural result.

Barry Newton

Recently, while preaching near the Ghanaian border in West Africa, a member of a small congregation asked me, “How can we promote and advertise the church?”  Not sure exactly what the gentleman had in mind:  free clothing give-a-ways?  free suppers?  free music concerts?  or some other cotton candy events.  It seems that many are trying to appeal to worldly people by enticing them with worldly things.  That is not the nature or the purpose of the church.  The main purpose of the church is to “glorify God throughout all generations forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:21).  We do this by “glorifying His Word” (Acts 13:48;  2Thessalonians 3:1).

The truth is you ARE advertising the church every day.  The things you do, or don’t do; the courtesy you show or don’t show; your demonstration of love and concern for one another and the lost; the depth of your sincerity toward spiritual things in your conversations with your friends and family.  All these things either promote, or de-mote the church, as well as the genuineness of your commitment and conviction to Jesus Christ and the Cross on which He was slain for your sins.

We can run ads in the newspaper about what the true church is, but that has a negative effect when  people realize it’s a conviction written only on paper and not in our lives.  As God said to Jeremiah, “I have seen a horrible thing in Jerusalem. They commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns away from his wickedness.  All of them are like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah to Me!” (Jeremiah 23:14).

Stop and consider what your daily life is teaching about the Lord’s church.  What is it advertising?  Does it advertise that the church does not need to be financially supported?  Does it teach that mission work is unimportant?  Does it advertise that a brother who has been over-taken in a fault should be thrown to the wolves?  Does it teach that assembling for Bible study and worship are unimportant?

Jesus said, “a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 7:16 & 20).  Paul writes, “You are our epistle, known and read by all men…clearly you are an epistle of Christ, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is of the heart” (2Corinthians 3:2-3).

Don’t ask how to promote and advertise the church.  It is impossible NOT to promote and advertise it. You do it every day.

Toby Miller

Luke 2:41– 51

“….and when they found him not they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him.”  (Luke 2:45).

Jesus’ parents, as was their custom, went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of Passover.  This was one of the three major feasts for the Jews each year.  Most could not come to Jerusalem for all, but as many as could, came to the Feast of the Passover.  (Exodus 12).

Some might question “how did they lose Jesus”?  We must remember that travel was long and hard at that time.  Usually people traveled in groups, family and others for companion and for security. The parents of Jesus were traveling in a sizeable group.  So there was nothing really unusual that they thought Jesus to be among relatives within the group.  And it was not until evening that Jesus was missed.

Let’s consider some of the reasons that Jesus becomes “lost” in our life.  Jesus is lost when people go where Jesus will not go.  The obvious places of wickedness.  You can’t go where sin is loved and practiced and expect Jesus to be a part of your company.  We need to ask: “If I go there, or do this, will Jesus go with me?”

     Jesus is “Lost” when we go our own way.  Jesus invites us to “come and follow me.”  When we go our own way, we lose Jesus.  Many otherwise good people lost Jesus, simply because they do not follow the path that Jesus has taken.

Jesus is “lost” when we do not follow his teachings.  “This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.  But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.”  (Matthew 15:8-9)

A sad and serious thought:  Jesus was missing for a time (day) before it was noticed.  Isn’t that the way it is in the lives of many people today?  Jesus is not in their lives, but they haven’t missed Him.  As long as it is “day” in life – no problems….people don’t bother to look for Jesus.  But when darkness comes – problems, sickness, or death, then they look for Jesus, and find Him Missing from Their Life!

Where Was /Is Jesus?  “And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me; knew you not that I must be in my Father’s House?”   Luke 2:49).  Many times Jesus told His disciple, and us, that He came to do the will of Him that sent him.  Jesus could always be found in the father’s House, doing the will of God.  Can we always be found “in our Father’s house”?  Are we busy doing the Will of God.  If we are not in the service of God – then Jesus is lost to us.

Consider the results of losing   Jesus from our lives.  Imagine how miserable His Parents were when they realized that Jesus was missing.  When Jesus is lost, left out of our life, we are the ones that will be most miserable.

Jesus’ invitation to us : Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (Matt. 22:28-29)  In the end those that are separated from Jesus are the ones that are “lost”!

By Frank Briscoe

The two men had been fishing for several hours. They were trolling off the coast and at times could see the rocks and hear the surf.

When it was time to go, they shut down the 25-horse power trolling motor and started, well tried to start, the 300-horse power inboard for the trip home.

The big motor just wouldn’t start, and they were getting closer and closer to the rocks along the coastline. They were checking everything, doing everything they could think of to get the big motor started.

Finally, it was too late they were forced up on the rocks and washed back off several times. Now after several minutes of this action the boat began to break apart and the two men found themselves stranded on the shore. They were fortunate however; other fishermen saw what was happening and came to their rescued very quickly.

The rescuers immediately took them aboard, called ahead, and headed for shore. When they landed the families of the two men were waiting to take them home.

As they were driving home they were telling the story of what had happened, and as Bill told how the big motor just wouldn’t start and before they knew it they were being ripped apart, Bill’s nine-year-old son said, “Pop why didn’t you just start-up the trolling motor again you just shut it off”.

Bill’s answer was simple and to the point, “Son, I was so busy trying to start the big one, I didn’t think of it”.

(Adapted from an article in the Sport Fishing Magazine)

Life can be like that, we become so focused on our problem, we forget that help is as close as a phone call, a text, or an email away.

That is the beauty of our church family, a family around the world.

Note in Mark 10:29-30 —-“But will he will receive a hundred times as much now in this present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecution: and in the age to come eternal life”.

In living the Christian life, you are never alone.

Make the call, we are family!!!

Dick Brant

It has been a while since I have seen this commercial and I imagine it has been a while for you too. Still, the line sticks in my head, “What would you do for a Klondike Bar”? The thought, of course, is the KB is sooooo good that a person will do anything to get their hands on one. Now make no mistake, they are good! But would you really do any thing to get one? Of course not.

Our everyday life can be like that, as we must make decisions regarding what we will and will not do to reach our goals. Some are easy decisions. Personally, I don’t know anyone, that would rob a bank or kill someone to reach their goal, but there are those that would. Some are in the news almost every day.

As we live the Christian life, there are decisions to be made. Of course, sometime in the past, you made a decision to be a follower of Christ. It became your choice to spend eternity in heaven with other like-minded people.

Now as we move along toward that goal, there are decisions to be made, and it must be considered if the decision will lead me closer to my goal, of heaven, or lead me away from my goal.

We must consider, too, what effect our actions will have. Will our actions help or hinder those around me? Such as, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Again, you never know what effect your actions will have on them. Our actions could lead them closer to a decision to follow God or lead them away.

I still remember years ago when my daughter was in High School and a member of the church said, “Dick if you are not careful Autumn will grow up to me just like you”. I said, “I hope so”! Yes, “Just like me same values, same attitude toward the church, with her same goal being heaven”. Really, if people can’t live, act, and have our same attitude and values that I have and expect to go to heaven who needs to change? That’s, right I do. Remember the words of Jesus, “Take the speck out of your own eye first”.

Here is an example of people knowing things about you though you never told them. Few weeks ago, Deanna was getting into the car to go to the store when one of our neighbors stopped her and said, “I know you go to church a lot, will you pray for me”? She went on to say, “I am being forced out of the place where I work, and I need this job”. You never know who is watching.

Let me give you another example from my own life. During the time I worked with the school I served as the campaign coordinator. Of the 12 or so campaigns we conducted each year several would be in California. Now as a cost saving measure we would stop at one of the casinos in Las Vegas. At the time you could get an all you can eat dinner for $1.99. Yes, it has been many years ago.

Now, other than having dinner, I learned this lesson. When I returned to Bear Valley a couple of weeks later one of the members said, “I saw you in Vegas”. I said, “Why didn’t you say something, we could have had dinner together”. He then said, “I could have but I just wanted to see what you guys were going to do”. Again, you never know who is watching, other than God. That was the last time I have been in a casino. Example! Example! Example!

Make no mistake there are many things to lead us away from our goal, which is heaven and we influence many day by day.

So, again let us be true to our goal, eternity with our Father.

Dick Brant