Job and His Children

That good and godly man, Job, had seven grown sons and three daughters. We are told “…he rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all.” The reason for this is that he feared that they might have sinned and cursed God “…in their hearts.”

I wonder—what part of our children’s lives are we the most concerned with? Is it that “outward form” that appears to man, or the “inward part” that only God sees?  That part that determines who and what a person really is.

My mentor, Dr. Joe Henry Hankins used to say to me, “Sonny boy, remember, get their hearts. When you get a man’s heart, you’ve got the whole man.” The wise old man knew, as Jesus taught, that the heart is where the real issues of life lie.

If the kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, and He turns it whithersoever He will. He can surely do it with our grown children!

A Mountain Really Real

“…say unto this mountain, Be thou removed.” I previously wrote of the danger of being a strict literalist when reading the Bible. In this article, I want to caution against the spiritualization of a vast number of its texts. We cannot, whenever we feel the whim to do so, spiritualize scriptures, disregarding the context. Interestingly, at times we find both the literal and spiritual within one text. The above is a good example.

I personally believe Jesus wanted His disciples to take what He said about moving a mountain in a spiritual sense. The reason I lean this way is because of the fact, you do not find the disciples going around moving literal mountains or even attempting to. But we do see them moving a great many obstacles that were mountainous in their and others lives.

But, as I said, the text can still be taken literally, for literal mountains are moved in scripture. For example, we are told “…every mountain and island were moved out of there places.” And Zachariah tells us of a mountain cleaving in the middle. Paul certainly believed in literally removing mountains. And David says, “…and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”

And what does all this teach us—the literal and the spiritual? Simply that if God can move physical mountains, it’s a very little chore to take care of the spiritual ones facing us today!

“If the plain text makes sense, seek no other sense.”

A Really Real Mountain?

“…this mountain.” We have a generation of Bible believers who pride themselves in taking the entire Bible literally. But one must be careful he or she does not go too far pursuing this ideal. The Jews of the Old Testament, and those of Jesus’ day, were strict literalists. Subsequently, they missed the truth God was trying to teach them on many occasions.

When discussing the New Birth with Nicodemus, this Jewish rabbi thought Jesus was referring to the physical, when it is plain He was speaking spiritually. And when Christ spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, His hearers took it literally, when the context shows He was presenting a spiritual truth. Again, speaking to the disciples, He warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and so they, being literalists, took it that way. They did not understand He spoke of their doctrine.

It is important to remember at all times that God is a Spirit, and that the Bible is a Spiritual Book. It is to be interpreted by a spiritual man or woman, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual. What a challenge to be Spirit-filled when coming to God’s Spiritual Book. If not, we are in danger of making certain scriptures literal and physical, when God is speaking in the spiritual sense. The carnal Christian, along with self-appointed scholars will invariably follow Jewish tradition of old. That is, taking literal many important passages of Scripture God intended to be understood as spiritual.

Disbelief and the Mountain

“…and shall not doubt in his heart.” It is clear from this scripture that anyone who has a doubtful heart need not think the mount of difficulties facing them is going anywhere. It will remain unmovable. If you have been saved any amount of time, you know once you step out by faith in any seemingly impossible situation, the temptation to doubt arises.

A dear, departed preacher friend, Dr. Tom Malone, used to tell an amusing story that illustrates my point. As a boy, he was challenged by his big brother to jump across an exceptionally wide creek bed. He said it was a good jump for a little fella with short legs. Beneath were jagged rocks with prickly bushes. Finally, he got up enough faith to jump. He took a long run and leaped. He said, right in midair, he heard a voice within him say, “Tom, you know you can’t jump across this creek.” “And,” said he, “I didn’t.”

Let us be leery of those thoughts that would invade our faith. They will always come as soon as we take a leap of faith. But pay no attention to them. Abraham is to be the example in our life of faith. You will remember he was placed in an impossible situation by the Lord. And having every reason, humanly speaking, to doubt, it is written, “...he consider not.” 

Do not allow anything or anyone to invade your faith today. When doubt sticks up its ugly head, ignore it!

*The Will of God

In Colossians chapter one Paul prayed for those early believers that they would have, “…the knowledge of [God’s] will.” In chapter four, Epaphras prayed, “…that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” We are told we can “prove” the will of God, and that we should do it from the heart.

There is nothing so important in the Christian life as knowing and doing the will of God! We are told in Romans that it is “good…acceptable…and perfect.”

It is GOOD—therefore we can’t complain about it; we would be ingrates.

It is ACCEPTABLE—therefore we should not reject it; we’d be fools.

It is PERFECT—therefore we cannot improve on it; we would be ridiculous.

Let each of us this day embrace the will of God to our bosom, and say to our Maker above, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.”  Even if it means bearing a cross.  

Empty Churches

“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.”

In this story, Jesus lays down a principle, He wants the house full. Now, you can read anything you want into this narrative, but it will not change this one outstanding objective. We are not speaking of the “numbers racket,” but simply declaring, if the Gospel is good for ten, then it’s good for twenty, and so on.

In Nehemiah we find the question, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” No doubt one can find many reasons, but one is for sure, they must be brought, says Jesus. I pastored twenty years, and in that time we had very few walk-ins. They were brought-ins. Like a good restaurant, it is word of mouth that gets people in.

We have a Calvinistic teaching today of sitting on your hands and doing nothing. Neither Calvin nor those who understand his teaching correctly, adhere to such nonsense. They believed, like the wise woman of Tekoah told David, “[God] deviseth means, that his banished be not expelled from him.” Paul used “all” means.

My dear departed evangelist friend, Dr. John R. Rice used to say, “Have you ever noticed there seems to be more of God’s elect in those areas where there is a soul winner.” Now whether you like the term “soul winner” or not, that is not the issue. The fact is more attend church where the people are aggressively attempting to bring them in.

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

HAPPY YEAR OF JUBILEE

The “Year of Jubilee” was a special year for Israel. It occurred only once every fifty years. This coming week, August 9^th, will also be a very special time for someone I love dearly, my firstborn son, Andrew. On the date mentioned he will celebrate his 50^th Birthday.

I still remember the unspeakable happiness that filled my soul when the nurse told me I had a son. Or putting it scripturally, “[She] who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. And again it says, “For joy that a man is born into the world.”

And what a man he has become! He is everything that a Christian father desires in his son. To start with, just to list a few of the  qualities he possesses: He is manly; a wonderful father and husband; a delightful grandfather; a true friend; a loving, compassionate pastor; a man of character and great integrity; and most important of all, he is godly to the core, loving his God with all his being.

The one thing for which I am most thankful to God is that which the Lord said to David, I believe it’s true of my son also.  “…for I have chosen him [to be] my son, and I will be his father.” Is it any wonder  Andrew’s life verse is, “But thou [art] he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou [art] my God from my mother's belly.”

This Lord’s Day, my wife and I will travel from our home in San Andreas, CA to Scotts Valley. We will attend Cornerstone Bible Church and listen to one of the greatest preachers of this generation. And then, after the service, along with his faithful flock and family, celebrate his 50^th year on God’s good earth.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I am so thankful you know what it is like to be a Father and have a Son you love so much!

Poor Paul

I think most have heard the term, “Robbing Peter to pay Paul.” But in reality it is Paul who is being robbed. Modern theologians have made Paul a pauper. They have followed the ways of the world. As someone wrote my son: “We love Jesus; Paul? Not so much.” Paul never slighted our Lord’s teachings (1 Tim.6:3), but simply took them a step further. Nevertheless, you will not hear Paul quoted by the worldlings as authoritative on any of today’s issues.

This is in spite of the fact that Paul’s writings are specifically to this Church Age. All the Bible is for us, but not all of it is to or about us. Jesus and the twelve ministered to the Jews; Paul, to the Gentiles. Lift Paul’s Epistles from the Bible and you would be in complete darkness as to most of the great doctrines (Resurrection, Atonement, Justification, etc.), as well as how Christians should live today.

Someone has said, “Christianity is the only religion that teaches by letters.”  This being the case, every saint should be familiar with Paul’s Letters. You should not be long out of them.

The following is from my own personal Bible study. Notice the progression in Paul’s life and teachings (Prov. 4:18). Here are three examples of it: 1) Early in his ministry he seemed to believe in the immediate return of the Lord, while toward the end, the imminent return. 2) He cast out devils at the offset of his ministry, but at the last, I believe, taught individual saints how to instruct others to do it in their own personal lives (2 Tim. 2:24-26, notice v 26. 3) He healed at the commencement of his ministry, but toward the end, left sick saints unaided by him (2 Tim.4:20). He also travelled with Doctor Luke in many of his journeys.

Who Said What?

He said, she said, they said; but what do you say? Quoting others on a subject is commendable, but no more authoritative than your two cents worth; unless, of course, it is God who said it. We have some babbling bullies today that are so busy telling you what they think, that they’re deaf to other’s ideas.

Each time I read my Bible through, before beginning a new, I read the dedicatory in the 1611 A.V. There is a phrase in it that the translators use which illustrates the type of person I’m speaking of, even way back then. They wrote, “…we shall be maligned by selfconceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themselves, and hammered on their anvil…”

Some of us need to start listening better; while others among us need to cease being wooden Indians, and speak up. It should be a mutual admiration society. One of the philosophers said, “Every man knows something I do not, therefore every man is my teacher.” Now that’s a quote worth quoting!