Sun, Jun 27 2004 Why Sit There Until You Die? (2 Kings 7:3-4 NASB) "Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why do we sit here until we die? {4} "If we say, 'We will enter the city,' then the famine is in the city and we shall die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die."" Four men sat at a gate of a certain city. They had a decision to make, one that needed to be made pretty quick. For some time these men, victims of a terrible disease, waited for someone to come by and offer them a hand. Days passed, and no one came. To wait any longer was to invite death by starvation. They could no longer afford to be apathetic about their situation, waiting for someone to come along and toss a few coins in their cups. Another day or so of fruitless inactivity would bring death. These men didn't know exactly when death was coming, but they knew its dark arrival was due any time. "Why sit here until we die? Let's move to change our lives while we can still move". The plight of these men is almost perfectly reflected in your life today. America is not only a place of affluence, it's a place of entertainment. If you sit still in front of the television long enough someone will offer you a solution for all your problems. Out of money and deep in debt? Don't worry about it - get another credit card. Overweight? Oprah's trainer will come to you if you sit there long enough. Problems with your marriage? Watch Jerry or Maury, and they'll tell you how to fix it. Poor health? There are several shows you can watch that will toss a few coins in your cup. Just keep waiting and not doing. You have all the time in the world, just keep sitting and waiting. Prior to his death a friend, a dear man, looked up at his wife. He quietly told her that the Lord had called him into ministry many years before, but because he was afraid to step out on faith he let that part of his life die. He sat idly at the gate of life knowing his calling, sitting there till death came. "Why do we sit here until we die?" The preacher gives an invitation to come forward, to give your life to Jesus. He invites you to join the Church and the Christ, to rise from the gate of life and to enter that great City of God. The message you heard touched your heart, and you know that God is surely in this place. You decide to wait. You wait till tomorrow, till next week, till a more convenient time. Someone may pass by and put a few coins in your cup. You may get a better offer from a bigger church. You have a roast in the oven, and the kids are hungry. You're going to visit a relative today. So you go home and the moment passes. Will you sit there until you die? After than, what then? The Bible is very clear that following your death you will be judged (Hebrews 9:27). You don't believe this, but whether you believe or not makes no difference. Certain things are true whether we believe them or not. If you try to breath water, you will choke. If you try skydiving without a parachute, you will be hurt. If you are bitten by a rattlesnake, you will be hurt. If you are sprayed by a skunk, you will smell. If you leave this life without knowing Jesus Christ as Savior you will not enter Heaven (John 3:16-18) but Hell. You can believe or disbelieve these things, but your failure to act on faith will not change the outcome. Why do you sit there until you die? These diseased men did something with their lives. They got up from where they were and stopped waiting for pennies to fall from Heaven. They went into the city and found that God had already blessed them beyond measure. The city was empty, the enemy already gone. The men feasted, enjoyed, and left that place wealthy beyond their wildest imagination. So it is with the life surrendered to God. If you give yourself to Jesus you will find peace in the midst of chaos, satisfaction beyond your wildest dreams. One day you will enter a City whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Why sit there until you die? Get up and give yourself to Jesus, for it is written: Romans 10:11 (KJV) "Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." Sat, Jun 26 2004 Honk If You Love Jesus (1 Corinthians 16:22 KJV) "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." "Honk if you love Jesus". This was the message of the nearly faded bumper sticker on the car in front of me. "Why not?," I thought. "I love Jesus. Why not honk?" So I honked my horn, and the person in front of me waved. Loving Jesus - it's so easy. For those of you acquainted with the Internet, you know all about electronic mail (e-mail). I personally think that e-mail is as neat as sliced bread. With e-mail you can contact many people around the world in just a matter of minutes, say what you want to say, and it costs next to nothing. Periodically I get e-mail from Christians that have nice pictures inside. These electronic letters always start out, "If you love Jesus, send this letter to ten of your friends". Click a button. Neat! Loving Jesus - it's never been so easy. But IS loving Jesus this easy? Not really. Loving Jesus really requires more than a toot of the horn or the click of a button. Loving Jesus requires at least as much effort as loving your children, your parents, or your spouse. Our love for Jesus BEGINS when we accept that He is who He said He is - the Savior of all who believe. We confess with our mouth He died and rose again for us, and believe in our hearts that He is the Messiah, the Savior - this brings a person into the family of God (Romans 10:9-10). Believing in Jesus is not the end of the road in Christianity - it is just the beginning. I ask God, "How do I love Jesus?", and God says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, just as I told you in John 14:15. If you love Me, you will hear My precious Word (John 8:42-44). If you love Me, you will love other Christians (John 15:12-14). Listen David, you will live your life knowing that I watch you at all times (John 14:23-24). If you love Me, you will feed My Church spiritual nourishment from the Word of God (John 21:15-17). Remember David, you are not called to preach from the Reader's Digest, but from My Word. Pray for, but don't compete with the other shepherds I have called. You must keep on telling others about Me, telling them that I died for them (Romans 15:30). If you love Me, you will take care of my children, believers who are elderly, poor, sick, imprisoned, or orphaned, and encourage others to do the same. (Matthew 25:35-40; Galatians 2:10). If you love Me, you will rejoice when the world persecutes you because you have demonstrated your love for Me (Matthew 5:11-12)." Many people go to Church Sunday morning, throw money in the collection plate, and consider this "loving Jesus". We should all go to Church. We should all put something in the collection plate besides good wishes. These things are required by God. But one hour a week isn't loving Jesus. Jesus laid down His life for us, and we must lay down our lives for Him. You wouldn't commit only one hour a week to your spouse or to your family - why expect Jesus to be happy with the crumbs of your life? The final words of 1 Corinthians chapter sixteen tell us that anyone who does not love Jesus is "Anathema Maranatha". If you read these two words in the King James you would be tempted to consider them similar in meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth. One word blesses, while the other curses. The word "anathema" means "to be cursed". Anathema is one of the strongest words for "curse" in Scripture. Unbelievers who die without accepting Jesus Christ as Savior are under anathema, because they leave this life for a place of eternal punishment (John 3:18; Matthew 25:46). If I love Jesus I must warn you about that reality, whether you like it or not. Professing Christians bring a curse on themselves and on their families when they refuse to love Jesus. Beloved, it is a Biblical principle that "what you sow, you will reap". Your children are watching you. If Jesus is not at the center of your life, He will never be at the center of their lives. Children must be taught that loving Jesus is more than a toot or a click - loving Jesus is a way of life, a rewarding way of life. Teach your children to love Jesus by loving Him yourself. One day Jesus will return for His Church - that's what that second word "Maranatha" means - our Lord returns or is coming. Jesus is coming soon, and He will gather all those who love Him to Himself. I pray that when Jesus returns He will find His believers faithfully loving Him, doing what He has asked. Nowadays we all want to be served, and seldom consider the example that Jesus left us. In John 13:12-15 our Lord came to His disciples, knelt on the floor, and washed their feet. A few hours later these same hands would be stretched out, and nails would be pounded through them, holding them to the Cross. Jesus loved us by showing us what true love is. True love surrenders self in favor of others. True love demands we do as Jesus did, surrendering our lives to Him. Loving Jesus - it's not so easy, but it is the only way for a true Christian to be. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Fri, Jun 25 2004 Response To Lonnie Wilkie and Baptist Reflector In your recent editorial, "Despite loss of BWA, annual meeting had some pluses", you stated: "What saddens me more, however, is the apathy I saw about BWA and an unwillingness to allow BWA to give their “side” to messengers at the convention." Messengers were neither apathetic to the BWA, nor unwilling to hear the BWAs "side". We've been hearing their side for some time, and quite frankly it's time to put our money somewhere else. Why the split between the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist World Alliance (BWA)? Though I could tell by your editorial that you found this split to be grievous - and I respect your opinion - I do not understand why anyone who is a member of the SBC - and on staff for the Tennessee Baptist Convention - would continue to promote the BWA. If you go to the BWA site you will find that the organization exists to, in their words, "unite[s] Baptists worldwide, leads in evangelism, responds to people in need and defends human rights." This is a worthy and wonderful goal. But look for their doctrinal position and you will come up short. As you know "doctrine" is very important for the Christian because Jesus emphasizes it (Matthew 7:28; 22:33; Mark 1:27; 4:2). We are to avoid false doctrine (Matthew 16:12; Mark 12:38; Luke 4:32), even if it is pretty. The doctrine that Christ teaches is to be put in action, not just words (John 7:16-17). The early Church grew by following the Apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42) and by filling Jerusalem with Christ's Word (Acts 5:28; 13:12; 17:19). Christian doctrine is a doctrine of obedience (Romans 6:17), and those who do not follow Biblical doctrine are to be separated from (Romans 16:17; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:3, 10; 4:13). The Scripture is quite harsh on those who walk not in Biblical doctrine: we are to neither bond with them, nor even to invite them into our houses (Titus 2:1; 2 John 1:9-11). So what of the BWA's "Doctrinal position"? There is a "Mission Statement" that lists many wonderful things, many things in which the BWA seeks to help Baptists and others. There is no doctrinal position advanced whatsoever on the BWA site. Does the president and officers of the BWA hold Scripture to be without error, wholly inerrant, and "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness?" (2 Timothy 3:16). You cannot tell, for they do not say. Does the BWA organizationally function following the dictates of the Holy Scripture? By their own statement they function "under the guidance of the Holy Spirit". This is well and good, but people have committed many atrocities following what they thought was the "Holy Spirit" apart from the doctrines of Scripture. The Spanish Inquisition saw many people tortured and killed because the religious structure of that day followed an organization steeped in everything but Biblical doctrine. Hitler's henchmen wore swasticas on their uniforms, a religious symbol, as they served what they considered was "God" while exterminating 9 million people. Any religion, mystic or not, that departs from God's Holy Bible - our doctrine - can quickly fall into the most grievous of errors. When I consider funding an organization that does not function following the doctrines of Scripture I shudder. Our Savior considers His Word to be all important, and repeatedly teaches us this in the Scriptures. "Holy Spirit" without "Holy Word" is not Christianity, but a travesty. Even Jesus Christ fought the devil in the wilderness by repeating Scripture (Matthew 4). How dare we divorce our faith and practice from God's Word? Was the SBCs withdrawal from the BWA a "hasty decision"? No, absolutely not. The SBC has long been the MAJOR contributor to the BWA. We were supplying 20% of the BWA operating budget. In our annual SBC meeting (June 17-18, 2003) we cut our offering to the BWA from $425,000 to $300,000 - a 30% drop! What this drastic cut? Because the BWA decided - despite SBC protests - to allow the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) to join its ranks. Our Executive Board protested. Our messengers protested, and backed that protest with a $125,000.00 cut in budget. Did the BWA listen? No, they didn't. So this year we decided to sever all ties with the BWA. Is this sad? Yes, it is, but we cannot be in one accord with a group that clearly rejects the inerrancy of the Scripture. Here's a quote from the CBF publication "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Southern Baptist Convention Differences" (by Daniel Vestal): "Are there differences between SBC and CBF other than just organizational? Yes. The organizational differences are great, but the theological and philosophical differences are even more profound. The SBC has stated specifically in its revised statement of faith (2000 Baptist Faith and Message) that women should not serve as pastors. We respectfully disagree, believing that God calls both men and women into ministry and uses them in many ways including in the role and function of pastor. The SBC recently revised its statement of faith removing the crucial statement that Scriptures should be interpreted in the light of Jesus Christ. We believe that makes the Bible more important than Jesus. We believe in the Bible, but we believe that Jesus Christ is the criterion by which all scriptures should be interpreted. The SBC has taken a number of actions in the past years which have embarrassed Baptists and which have given Baptists the reputation of being a narrow-minded people. We believe that Baptists should be known because of what they are for rather than what they are against. Instead of being known for mandating a hierarchal approach to marriage, targeting Jews for evangelism, and boycotting Disney, Baptists ought to be known for ministering to the poor, caring for the needy, and loving one another. "[end quote] I agree, there are differences - profound differences - between the SBC and the CBF. "The Bible more important than Jesus?" How can the two be separated? All we truly know of Jesus we know from the Holy Scripture. If Jesus Christ is to be interpreted OUTSIDE of His Biblical persona, then who can say that Buddha or Joseph Smith or Mohammed are not representations or modes of Christ? If these other "prophets" are modes of Christ, then why evangelize anyone? If all roads are not paved with Scripture, the Holy Bible, then would not all roads logically lead to God? If this is true, where does John 14:6 and John 3:16-18 fit into our perception of salvation? Unless you recognize the absolute truth and inerrancy of Scripture, and unless you preach and believe on the BIBLICAL Christ, your every preaching and believing is at once suspect. A speck of dung in a cookie renders the whole inedible. A departure from Scripture, no matter how lightly, renders our faith to something no different from Buddhism, Bahaism, Islam, Taoism, or any number of world religions including religious cannibalism. God established a "hierarchal approach to marriage" in the Garden of Eden, and has never Biblically removed that structure. The Apostle Paul, like the SBC, was guilty of "targeting Jews for evangelism" (Romans 9:2-3). Was Paul in error? The Scripture warns us to separate from those who engage in illicit sexual activity (2 Corinthians 6:17). Should we smile when Disney, an organization that was pro-family when Walt Disney was alive, has a "Gay Pride" day? Should we not have boycotted wrong? Southern Baptists are indeed supposed to be "ministering to the poor, caring for the needy, and loving one another". However this is not our Great Commission. We are to, in the words of Jesus (found, by the way, in the BIBLE): Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." We are to GO, to TEACH, and to BAPTIZE. We GO everywhere, to all nations. We TEACH what Jesus taught, found ONLY in the SCRIPTURE. We BAPTIZE those who convert to the only true way unto God (John 14:6) - Biblical Christianity. When the BWA decided to join forces with the CBF, then the SBC had to withdraw from that organization. To have done less would have been to put our wallets where their heresy is - and that we cannot afford. Wed, Jun 16 2004 Hating All But Jesus Luke 14:26 (KJV) "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." "Hate my father and mother, my family - even hate my own life? How is such a thing humanly possible?" Our Lord Jesus often made requests that are humanly impossible to follow. He said, "Cut off your hand, or pluck out your eye if either member will cause you to go to hell" (Matthew 5:29-30). He preached, "Unless you are more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). It was easy to avoid breaking the seventh commandment of God, "Thou shalt not commit adultery", until Jesus came along and extended the commandment in Matthew 5:28. Jesus told us to "turn the other cheek" to our enemies (Matthew 5:39), doing good to those who do evil to us. He demanded that His followers be perfect, just as perfect as our Heavenly Father is (Matthew 5:48). I rarely have a perfect hour, much less a perfect life. Now Jesus wants me to hate my family and even my own life. What Jesus was saying in our focal text is clearly defined in Matthew 10:37 - we must love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. If you are a Christian then Christ must be FIRST in your life, at every level, in every instance. Is this humanly possible? No, absolutely not. As humans peer pressure is a terrible driving force. No person wants to stand out in the crowd, to go against popular opinion, to turn away from everything you once loved, yet Christ commands this of the believer. The disciple of Christ is not a product of human effort. True disciples of Christ are made this way by God. A Christian is someone who is "born again", a person who has accepted Christ as Savior (John 3:3, 7). The Christian has met God at the foot of the Old Rugged Cross, and God entered that life bringing with Him a supernatural change. When Jesus asked the Pharisees "What think ye of Christ?" (Matthew 22:42), their response was "a son of David". To them Jesus was just a man, no more and no less. When Jesus asked Peter the same question he answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16). God was at work in Peter's life, revealing the true nature of Jesus. A Christian is both a worker FOR God, as well as a work OF God. The Christian does not work for Jesus to BE saved, but because the Christian IS saved he must work for Jesus. A professing Christian who does not follow the commands of Christ, who is not fully surrendered to Jesus in all that he does - well, that person needs to sit down and seriously evaluate his or her life. Christians should not need to be told to go to Church and find a place of service, to tithe, to pray, to read the Bible, or to love one another. If we were planets, Jesus Christ would be the Son that we orbit. Our lives are patterned after His example. Our worldviews are based on His Word. We do not compromise with the demands of a lost and dying world, but we preach salvation through Christ alone (John 14:6). Obedience to Christ is the acid test - if you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments (John 14:15). If you love Jesus, your life will produce good fruit that honors our Savior (Matthew 7:20). E. Stanley Jones said, "Grace binds you with far stronger cords than the cords of duty or obligation can bind you. Grace is free, but once you take it you are bound forever to the Giver, and bound to catch the spirit of the Giver. Like produces like, Grace makes you gracious, the Giver makes you give." Praise God for His unspeakable gift! Tue, Jun 15 2004 A Father's Day Present (Psalms 51:15-17 KJV) "O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. {16} For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." On Father's Day children all across our land will buy their dads, granddads, step dads, or papaws gifts and thank them for being their dads. At least, many children will do this. Some won't think of it until I mention it in this sermon. Some, like my dad, will receive their presents late because their sons were busy tending to others. Many times both mom and dad get their presents - and well wishes - late. It's sad, but true. Though many will have a “Happy Father's Day’, and some a not so happy Father's Day - for your parents may be with Jesus - in the bustle of this Father's Day I want to stop and talk about giving Another Father a present. This Father is not hard to buy for. He doesn't wear a tie, so there's no need to buy Him one. He doesn't drive a car, so He doesn't need seat covers or wax. He has His own cologne - you smell it each time you step outside and smell flowers in the breeze. This Father, the Father of All Creation, our Eternal God, has a short list of things He wants for Father's Day. Since God made everything, He wants something that only we can make. He wants our praise, our obedience, and our love. He wants us to remember what He has done for us. To draw breath, and praise Him for that gift of oxygen. To look at our hands, and realize He designed our bodies to worship Him. As the Psalmist wrote: Psalms 150:6 (KJV) "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." God could have removed the children of Adam from this earth long ago. Instead He decided to offer fallen creation salvation through the Cross of Christ. We did not earn nor deserve such a great gift, but God our Father offered it to any who will believe (John 3:16). Our Father purposely sent His Son to die for us. Our Father desired a relationship with us, so He sent His Only Begotten Son to suffer in our place. Such Love demands praise and thanksgiving. Such Love demands obedience. I recently watched several people sitting and "meditating", saying "ohmmm" over and over again. You will find no instance in the Holy Scripture where a Christian - or a Hebrew, for that matter - was told by God to meditate over an empty word. Believers are called to meditate, to focus our thoughts on a relationship with God through His Holy Word. If you know Christ as Savior then you are encouraged to look back on those blessings your Father has given you, meditating on God's goodness (Psalm 77:12; 143:5). We not only meditate, but we obediently ACT ON His Word, doing as He has commanded (Psalm 119:15-16). We need to understand that God is not found in emptiness nor in useless words, but He is found in the Scripture and in the heart of every person who has ever accepted - and followed - Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. You see, Christianity is not about ritual, but it is about a relationship with the Heavenly Father. You either have a relationship with the Father by faith in Jesus, or you have nothing - "ohmmm" in place of substance. Don't bring Father a useless tie, a cheap cologne, or an "ohmmm" this Father's Day. Bring Him your heart. Turn your eyes upon Jesus! Mon, Jun 14 2004 Miracles John 9:5-7 (KJV) "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When [Jesus] had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." The article read, "Moses' Red Sea Miracle Proven True?", so, silly me, I just had to read it. It seems that a couple of scientists sat down and figured out how God could have gotten the children of Israel across the Red Sea. Pardon my sarcasm, but haven't these men missed the point? God is God, and He can do what He wants to do. That's why we call Him "The Almighty". God has absolute control over all things, be it water, land, or even you and I. You may not like it - and most people who reject Christ as Savior do not like it - but God is God. Period. In our current "modern" society we feel as if we must justify or prove God to this generation of people. We need not prove God, we only need do what Jesus says - this will open our eyes so we can see Him. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.". Do what God says and you will see. How can spit mixed with clay return sight to a blind man? If Jesus had pulled a vial of liquid out of His pocket, pouring a drop of that into the clay, the scientific community would have wanted to know what was in that bottle. Perhaps He found an ancient formula, a miracle cure, something that we need to reproduce today. All attention would have been on the bottle, not on the Savior. Spit? How gross! How can spit and clay bring sight? The blind man could have stood there and debated Jesus all day and in so doing remained blind. The crowd around the blind man could have given him a hundred reasons why spit and clay from a Carpenter would do more harm than good. Away with You, Jesus! Foolish medicine indeed! Yet the blind man did as faith required. He believed, and he did as Jesus ordered. His sight was restored. The Light of the world brought light to one who was in hopeless darkness. Refuse to believe, refuse to do as the Savior asks, and remain in your blindness. God is God. To our modern educated man this is foolish. So be it - remain in your blindness. Charles Spurgeon said "The command was exceedingly specific: 'Go - wash in the pool of Siloam'. So is the Gospel exceedingly specific - 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved'. It is not 'Do this or that work', but 'believe'! It is not 'Believe in a priest, or in any human being', but in Jesus. If this man had said, 'I will wash in Jordan; for it had been there that Naaman lost his leprosy', his washing would have been useless. It was a little, insignificant affair, that pool of Siloam, whose waters flowed softly; why must he go there? He did not ask for reasons, but he at once obeyed, and in obeying he found the blessing." Many people walked with Jesus when He walked this earth. In fact, as Jesus was led away to be crucified many people spat on Him (Mark 10:34; 14:65; 15:19). They did not spit on Jesus to give Him sight, but to mock Him, to shame Him. When humans spat on Jesus, they followed this humiliation with unimaginable cruelty and mockery. They nailed Him to a tree and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. Three days later He rose from the grave. Those who believe in Him receive spiritual sight, because "to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). So you have a choice. You can believe that Jesus died for your sins, and rose again on the third day - and in so believing have your eyes opened (Romans 10:9-11) ... or you can debate the Lord and remain blind. The blind man at Siloam regained his sight when he obeyed God. When you obey God, He'll open your eyes, too. How do I know? Because, like the blind man, I can say "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. (John 9:25)" That's all the proof I need. Sun, Jun 13 2004 Kudzu of Sin John 5:14 (KJV) "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." If you're from the south you know what kudzu is. Every spring the kudzu, like Lazarus, seems to rise from the grave to quickly cover everything in its path. Kudzu climbs telephone poles, and often stretches out onto power lines. Kudzu cloaks trees, robbing them of light and life if left to its purpose. In junkyards kudzu climbs over old cars. If it comes near your house it will climb walls, windows, and roofs. I saw an abandoned house covered with kudzu. Where children once ran and played kudzu now choked. Kudzu does its job well! Kudzu is a plant that really shouldn't be in the United States. Originally from Japan and China, the plant was brought to Florida in 1910 for erosion control. Kudzu, also called porch vine, wonder vine, miracle vine, mile a minute vine, or foot a night vine, quickly began to spread. By the 1950s the Department of Agriculture began to look for ways to destroy the wonder vine. What initially looked like a good thing proved to be a problem. So it is with sin. If you watch television very long you get the idea that there's no such thing as "sin". Sex outside of the boundaries of Biblical marriage is not considered "sin" but a "lifestyle choice". If disease is introduced into our lives because of our choice, we can find a medical solution. If life is inadvertently created because of our choice, we can abort it. Our speech has become coarser lately, for we no longer recognize foul language. On television "language" is no more than a tool of expression. We ignore God our Father and Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, so why not use their names as curses? Television teaches us to treat one another like animals for, after all, doesn't the Discover channel teach that we descended from apes? As the saying goes, "you only live once", so go for the gusto. We're so covered with gusto now that the light of God can barely reach us. Sin, like kudzu, is out of control, covering all that it touches until it kills its host. The Bible tells us in Psalms 62:7-8 that humans were designed by a loving Creator to serve Him. When we follow Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we are blessed with magnificent lives. Our lives cannot be victorious, honorable, or stable apart from following the One Who made us (John 1:1-3). Humans did NOT descend from apes, but were formed by God's hand (Genesis 2:7). While we serve our Lord we experience something akin to Heaven on earth. When we walk away from our God given design to follow that awful lifestyle television promotes, then confusion and suffering are our rewards. There is, indeed, such a thing as "sin", and sin cannot be toyed with. As Jesus said, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin"(John 8:34-36). If you lay in the kudzu patch long enough that stuff will cover you up and become your master. D. L. Moody, that great evangelist, said "Oh, prodigal, you may be wandering on the dark mountains of sin, but God wants you to come home. The devil has been telling you lies about God; you think he will not receive you back. I tell you, He will welcome you this minute if you will come. Say, “I will arise and go to my Father.” May God incline you to take this step. There is not one whom Jesus has not sought far longer than that father. There has not been a day since you left Him but he has followed you. I do not care what the past has been, or how black your life, He will receive you back. Arise then, O backslider, and come home once more to your Father’s house." Turn your eyes, and your heart, upon Jesus. Get out of the kudzu patch, dear friend, while there's still time. Sat, Jun 12 2004 Called as Carpenters, not Critics Luke 6:26-28 (NASB) ""Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. {27} "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, {28} bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." We all love to be well thought of. Christine Stuart in her book, 'Effective Speaking' cites a survey in the USA where 3,000 adults were asked to list their ten worst fears. Speaking in public came out as the number one fear - above even fears of financial ruin and death! Many have pondered the "Why" of this. Why would someone fear speaking in public MORE than they fear death? The answer is quite simple. We all want to be thought well of, whether we admit it or not. We all hate looking foolish, looking fallable, looking stupid. We all have that little child inside that wants to be accepted and liked, even loved by others. The fallable times come quite frequently for all of us, and there always seems to be a critic handy when those moments come. You can be having a great day and the critic comes to direct your parade to the nearest storm cloud. Jesus said, "I must go to the Cross for you". The critic said, "You'll not go to the Cross - that's foolish talk! (Matthew 16:22-23). Jesus went to the lost to win them to God. The critic said, "That Jesus - He spends too much time with those prostitutes and tavern owners!" (Matthew 11:19). Jesus and His disciples ate a hasty meal while busily doing God's work. The critic said, "How dare you shuck corn on the Sabbath?" (Matthew 12:1-2). Prior to His death a "woman of ill repute" anointed Jesus' feet with costly perfume. The critics condemned Him for allowing such a waste of precious ointment (Matthew 26:8), and the head of the house condemned Jesus for allowing "a woman like this" to even touch Him. Jesus had His critics. The difference between Jesus Christ and the critics is clear. Jesus Christ is a builder, The Carpenter, whereas the critics were destroyers. When our Lord corrected He offered solutions from God. The critic merely criticized, tore down, demolished. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well He was critical of her life, yet offered her better life by faith in Him (John 4:24). The critics just went around the woman. After all, this was the "other side of the tracks", and no self respecting person would be here. That's the difference between the Carpenter and the critic. One corrected and pointed to salvation - the other merely tore down out of the joy of destruction. God calls His disciples to be Carpenters - not critics. We are to build the Kingdom of God in love just as our Savior built the Kingdom of God in love. It's easy to be a critic, to hate, to nit pick. It's much harder to be a Carpenter like Jesus. The Christian is not called to follow the crowd, but to follow the Carpenter, to follow Jesus in all that we do. Love the unlovable, and in so doing win them to Christ. Lift one another up, and encourage one another to a closer walk with God through Jesus Christ. Be a Carpenter in your local church. Stop nit picking the fabric of the assembly, and look for places where you can serve and make things better. Stop hopping from church to church everytime you find fault. Be part of the Body - find a job and do it. Beloved, consider - at least briefly - that the fault MAY be in YOU! Instead of fault finding, why not PRAY about the problem in love, and ask God to correct it in the name of Jesus. Study your Bible WITH your church. Support your local church by faithful and loyal attendance. Love is the mortar that built the early church, and love is the mortar that will build our local churches today. There will be critics - Jesus had His critics. Love them anyway, because God has ordained that love will ultimately win out. God is love, and He showed us how to love on a garbage dump called Calvary many years ago. When He who was without sin was nailed to a tree between two criminals, He did not once protest His innocence. Love looked down on mocking sinners - the fault finders - and said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Love prayed for us, and died for us, bearing our sins in His own body on that tree (1 Peter 2:24). What Love did that day brought salvation to all who will accept it (John 3:16). If we but call on the name of Jesus, believing, we shall be saved. As it is written: Romans 10:9-11 (NASB) "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; {10} for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. {11} For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."" Have you believed in Jesus Christ? Is He your Savior? Then love one another, as He has loved you. That's not popular, but it is proper. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."(John 13:35). If you are in Jesus you are commanded to love (John 14:15). Get busy and love - get busy and build - in Jesus' name. Fri, Jun 11 2004 Fireflies and Stars 1 John 3:23 (KJV) "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment." I sat in the dark of the west Tennessee night and watched the beauty of the fireflies flickering in the field behind my house. My eyes were automatically drawn upward to see the stars, bright and twinkling like little bugs themselves. God is surely in this place: God is love, for only Love could make such beauty! One becomes a Christian by "believing on the name" of Jesus - by believing that He died for your sins, and rose again on the third day. Many think that this is all there is to Christianity, but is it really? Does mere profession alone satisfy our Lord? Profession brings salvation, but it is clear that every Christian MUST walk Love's pathway once they are saved. 1 John 3:14 says: "We KNOW that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." If I have believed on Jesus, and God has come to live in my heart, then I will seek to love as my Jesus loves. I will pray for my enemies (Matthew 5:44), and operate in love toward my brothers (1 John 3:14). The mark of the saved, the redeemed, the blood bought Christian is the love of God ACTED OUT in his or her life (James 1:27). If you are not walking in love, you'd better check your beliefs. Belief in God that produces hatred and evil in one's EARTHLY life has no power to bring ETERNAL life. If you want to enter Heaven one day, you'd better have a relationship with Heaven's Creator, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 1:3). I along with most Americans were shocked when we heard of the death of Nick Berg at the hands of militant religionists. The group that beheaded this poor man posted a video of his death on the Internet. As Nick's captors killed him they shouted out "Allahu Akbar!'' - ''god is great!". In their sin deranged minds they were doing something honorable, something of great value for their god. What these men proved to the world is that any way of life divorced from Jesus will eventually show itself to be coarse, degrading, and devilish ... as well as self defeating. You will not see crowds flocking to join these people as a result of their perverse actions. As William Shakespeare wrote in the play 'Henry V', "... when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner (III.vi.107-113)”. They have done more harm to their cause than good by this terribly evil act. How are we who are Christians to respond? Shall we leave the road that Christ put us on for a worldly response of retaliation? No, dear friends, no. That is what the god of the deluded would have us do, but this is not the path that the great God and Savior Jesus Christ would have us walk (Titus 2:14). Please join with me and pray for Nick's family and friends. Pray that God will manifest Himself to them in a very real way in this time of suffering. Pray that the eyes of the unbeliever will be opened, and that all will see Jesus Christ as the only way to true peace with God (John 14:6). Pray for those who have such little regard for human life, and pray that God will lead them out of this way of life. You may have trouble praying this last prayer, as you consider the cruelty of these men. If so, I recommend that you take your prayers outside on a clear west Tennessee night. Look at the stars and the fireflies. Look at the beautiful things God, in love, gave us. And remember that Jesus died a cruel death for us long before we ever cared about Him. We love Him, because He FIRST loved us (1 John 4:19) - pray that others will feel that love, and turn to Him while there is yet time.