Paul, Faith, and Mountains

"Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains..."

(1 Cor. 13:2)

It is plain Paul believed and took literally Jesus's statement in the Gospels concerning faith removing mountains. Just as clear is the fact that he did not believe he possessed such a faith. But studying his long and eventful life we see he used what faith he had.

And that faith got him through a lifetime of severe suffering; brought in needed supplies for both him and his; sustained him during lonely hours; comforted him when grief stricken at his friends' misunderstanding of him; kept him going when seemingly there was no human reason to keep going; and was sufficient at his end to get him through the valley of the shadows.

“The molehill you removed, by faith, may have been your mountain!”

(rds)

IT TAKES US ALL

I pray each of my readers will cease reading this article until they’ve first read the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians. It is imperative if you’re to understand this writing.

If this portion of Scripture teaches anything, it teaches it takes us all as members of the Body of Christ to get the job done. There is not one person that is not necessary to the whole. In fact, the most insignificant is the most needful at times.

There is no such thing as “one size fits all” when it relates to gifts, personalities, and callings. As my younger daughter used to say when two things were identical, “They're same-a-likes.” Well, God doesn’t have any such creatures! The much used idiom, “Why can’t you be like them?”, is answered with, "Simply because God did not make us like anyone else." In fact there is no such thing as identical twins.

I cannot tell you the frustration I have caused among family members, friends, and fellow preachers because I refused to fit into their mold. The Bible is filled with misfits. They were as they say, “Round pegs who wouldn’t fit into square holes.” These saints are too voluminous to list. Just pick anyone greatly used of God and you’ll come up with one.

“Two things about carbon copies: 1. There is no originality. 2. They leave you with stains hard to wash off.”

(rds)

COMING UP SHORT

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

(Rom. 6:23)

Years ago I was watching the popular TV show Beverly Hillbillies, for you who can remember that far back. Granny had just paid her bill at the grocery store and was leaving, when the the young checkout clerk yelled, “Mam, you’re a little short.” To which the elderly responded, while rolling up her sleeves, “I may be a little short but I can take you on, sonny.”

In man’s case, it is God who has said we all have come up short. I don’t advise you to challenge Him on this issue. If you do, you’re sure to come up short! I find most all Christians would agree with this truth, concerning the unregenerate. But when you apply it to the saved, many are slow to accept being put into the same category as the non-Christian.

But the wise man tells us, “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecc. 7:20) . We may have a godly new tenant who moved in, but it is still the same old dilapidated house. You can whitewash it if you want, but underneath it is still rotting away. The Pharisees tried a new coat of paint, but the old showed through.

Our humanity limits us in many areas where we would desire to be and do differently. Paul’s statement in Romans chapter seven articulates what all godly saints experience: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” Like it or not, we’ll drag that old dead corpse with us everywhere we go, til death or His glorious coming!

“God knows what we would do, if we could do it;  if not for our human frailties.”

(rds)

A GOOD MAN

“ For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.”

(Acts 11:24)

As a novice in the Lord, the young man Saul (Paul) followed this good and godly man, and Paul was the better for it all his life. The same is true of all who follow in  the steps of good men. We have a lot of emphasis today on great men, but little is heard of good men. You can be a great man without being a good man, but you can’t be a good man without being a great man, in the Lord’s sight. We also have the same thing said of Joseph as was said of Barnabas, “There was a man named Joseph...

and he was a good man, and a just, (Lk. 23:50).

The wise man tells us we should “walk in the way of good men,” (Prov. 2:20); and Paul exhorts young Titus to be “a lover of good men,” (Titus 1:8). The Bible has nothing but good to say about good men: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. (Psa. 37:23);  A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD. (Prov. 12:2); A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children. (Prov. 13:22); A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good, (Lk. 6:45).

At times, when I observe the culture that surrounds us I feel like Micah of old, “The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men, (Mic. 7:2). But thank God at such times I am reminded of what God told Elijah, when he thought he was the only one left, “But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal, (Rom. 11:4). There is— and always will be— a few good men left!

The old adage says, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Why not each of us, starting today, flock to “good men.”

THE BEST ROBE

“But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him.”

(Lk.15:22)

It was an outer garment for all to see, the father’s acceptance of his wayward son. The “best” one— not just any robe but a particular one— one they all knew and were familiar with; it was possibly the Father’s very own garment. It was not the worst, which the son deserved, but rather one that proved his Father’s personal acceptance.

Paul tells us the two great requisites for life, that is for the body, are food and raiment (1 Tim. 4:6). This is what the father provided his prodigal son upon his return home: a fatted calf and a robe (Lk.15:22-23). Interestingly, in his return home there was a death and a clothing. Hmmm, now where did I read that before? (Gen.3:21).

To the spiritual mind, the application is plain. Christ is made unto us both food, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever,” (Jn. 6:51) and raiment, “He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, (Is. 61:10). From rags to riches!

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

The Lord Is My Keeper

It has always baffled me how I can trust the Lord to keep my eternal soul, but not my life from day to day. O, how much of Jacob I have in me! Always planning, covering myself, and making sure there is a back door for my safe escape, just in case. I know it is not a pretty sight, but it’s the way we, Jacob’s seed, live.

But praise His name, we’re told, He is the “...mighty God of Jacob.” Jacobs, “Almighty God,” can still turn his kind into princes, but it will take some long hours of wrestling with God for it to happen. But when the morning comes, it will be apparent to all, something happened to this seemingly impossible creature. He has a distinctive walk now that he didn’t have before! He now limps for the Lord!

“I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest [any] hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”

(Isa. 27:3)

He Made This As Well As That

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other...”

(Ecc. 7:14)

As I have often written, life can be so simple yet at the same time so perplexing; truly it is paradoxical. This is one reason  the carnal mind has such a problem with the Bible. They try to reconcile one extreme truth from the other at the far end of the spectrum. But friends need not be reconciled. They sit across from one another at the same table, smiling at each other.

God has ordained that both sadness and gladness should make up life. The blessings to make us happy, the burdens to make us humble. Just when we experts think we have the answers to these two seemingly contradictions, the Lord changes the situation; and out goes our formula. As another has said, “You can’t use an outdated road map for a new journey.”

Don’t try to understand the good days and bad days separately;  deal with them together. That is what Romans 8:28 is all about. Whether God gives us a sweet cup or a bitter cup we’re to ”Drink ye all of it.” Don’t attempt to make the bitter sweet; take life as it comes. When joyful, be joyful; when sad, be sad. Don’t try to pretend things aren’t the way they are.

James tells us Job is to be our example in this. You’ll remember Job told his wife they were not only to take the good from God’s hand but the unpleasant things. God has intermingled them. Like day and night and summer and winter, each offsets the other. I like the way Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661) put it, “O, what owe I to the file, to the hammer, to the furnace of my Lord Jesus.”

Those "Little Flocks"

Those “Little Flocks”

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

(Lk. 12:32)

In case some of my readers are not aware, early in my ministry I pastored two separate churches over a twenty year period. A good sized one during the so called Big Church age, followed by a smaller assembly. My wife likened the change it brought in my life to going from an assembly-line worker to a craftsman.

I’m not opposed to large churches, just as long as they are not considered superior to smaller ones; and that they didn’t cut corners to achieve their size. It is important that one realize the Pentecostal Church in Acts was not the norm. In fact it appears they broke off into small companies, (Acts 4:23;15:22). Most, if not all the churches Paul founded, were on a much smaller scale. Also, he never referred to their growth in numbers, but their growth in grace. To ask some Mega- Church pastors the latter question would bring great embarrassment.

Our Lord pastored a “Little Flock,” and He was never ashamed of that fact or apologized for it. Pastor, whether your small flock of sheep meet in a store front, the front room of your home, or a little brick building, don’t you ever let the Nicolaitan “Doctors” and “Reverends,” intimidate you. Noah only had eight in his fold, and they were all family members.

When a young preacher complained to Spurgeon he only had fifty members in his church, Spurgeon replied, “That’s fifty more than you’ll want to give account of at judgment!”

“For who hath despised the day of small things...they shall rejoice...”

(Zec. 4:10)

Prying Into God's Secrets

In this information age, I believe many Christians are sticking their noses into business not belonging to them, and neglecting those things belonging to us. I'm referring to the secret things belonging to the Lord, and to those things God has revealed to us and our children, to do them (Deut. 29:29). No one appreciates someone delving into every little detail of his or her life, nor does our God. Apparently some are not satisfied letting God be God!

We'll never know all the answers, not even in heaven with perfect bodies and intelligence. To have that kind of knowledge you'd be God, and only one creature ever desired that (Isa. 14:13-14). I'm not against theology (the study of God), but we need to be content with what's revealed, and not attempt to open a door God has locked. A place where He keeps all his secrets for Himself. One of the medieval theological arguments was over how many angels could stand on the point of a pin. Ridiculous? Foolish? Stupid? No more than some of our modern day queries. We need to follow darling David's example on things above our pay-grade, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it."

God will not judge us for not knowing the intricacies of His self-imposed responsibilities, but He will for not knowing and doing ours. You know your part. Do it! You can always trust God to keep His end of the bargain. I think sometimes we put the emphasis on God's part to draw attention away from miserably failing to fulfill ours. We need to be careful our inquisitiveness not become iniquity.  

“ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

They Just Can't Get It

They Just Can’t Get It

When will we ever learn that the Natural/Carnal man or woman just doesn’t get it. And what makes it worse; they never will as long as they remain in their state of stupor. The former (natural) refers to the unregenerate still in their sins; the latter (carnal), to a Christian still living in the flesh.

Both of the above mentioned may be learned in their particular fields of expertise, but as to Spiritual truths, as they say in Kentucky, “They’re dumber than a sack of coal.” For a hog to know and understand a human, it would have to have their spirit. And for mankind to relate to God, they must first have His Spirit.

Unaided by supernatural assistance, he or she will never understand or comprehend the “deep things of God.” With their natural facilities, they may grasp historical truths, and even the “letter,” but never can they know the intimacies of the Lord, or the intricacies of the Word. There must be Spiritual illumination.

What all the world’s intellects, philosophers, and scientific minds can’t decipher, an unlearned, humble, Spirit-filled child of God can! This is why not only God cannot be known or understood by worldlings, but for the same reason, a Spiritual man or woman can’t. Therefore let us try to understand them, since they can’t us. Remember, we’ve been where they’re at, but they’ve never been where we are.

Who Then Is It All About?

This is one of those articles that if you don’t read it to the end, because you’re offended by the beginning, you could be deemed, “willingly ignorant.”

There are many little sayings that have Bible principles hidden within them, while others are as far from the Holy Scriptures as you can get. One such aphorism that falls into the latter category, that make the speaker come off as “spiritual” is, “It’s not all about you.”

Generally, when you hear the above statement, the reference has to do with the poor, suffering, misfortunate, etc. Whenever it is all about us, all agree, we’re dealing with a narcissist. On the other hand, few realize, when one makes it all about others, you’re listening to a humanist.

Neither is it all about us or about others! IT IS ALL ABOUT CHRIST, GOD’S BELOVED SON. His interest is to be our one and only interest. Everything and everyone else will fall into its rightful place when this is initiated. To put others first is to put Christ second.

In the story of Mary anointing Jesus feet both Judas and the disciples wanted to put the poor first. Mary put Him above all others! And what did Jesus think of her act of devotion? He said her act will never be forgotten.

IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM!

"HIM" and the Hymns

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives”

(Matt. 26:30)

“...teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

(Col. 3:16)

One of the last things Christ did before His sufferings and death was to lead His followers in a spiritual hymn. I guarantee it was not one that caused their foot to pat, but was one that caused the heart to pant. Ditties about “me, my, and I” can never take the place place of Deity! The book of Psalms was Israel’s “HIM” book.

Sad indeed so little is heard in Evangelical and Fundamental churches of the old hymns, in many cases little or nothing. Especially in the former’s case, where worship teams have taken precedence over congregational singing. In such assemblies we no longer hear congregations singing,“Lustily,”  as John Wesley put it.

Whenever a man my age speaks of old times as an example, the newer generation accuses him of being outdated, out of touch, if you will. But I would remind my young friends to read 1 Pet. 3:5, “For after this manner in the old time….”  When Peter wanted his present generation to see a truth he used the “old timers,” to do it.

The Bible speaks of both old and new songs. The new songs of the scriptures, I assure you, had as much spiritual meat as the old ones. We’re told we’ll sing both in Heaven (Rev. 5:9; cp. 15:3). Until then Paul admonishes the Church on earth to sing Psalms, hymns,and spiritual songs.

How about this coming Lord’s Day we lift those, slightly used, hymn books in the pew in front of us, and sing some old hymns, “LUSTILY!

Our Real Enemy

"The enemy…is the devil.”

(Matt. 13:39)

“…the devil, [the] enemy of all righteousness.”

(Acts 13:10)

For the last few years, I have spent many of my days in “Lion Country,” as A.W. Tozer liked to call it. As with many of you, I have not only heard his roar, but felt his breath on the back of my neck. It seems at every turn I bump into him. Since we’re going opposite ways.  

Far too many Christians are living in a fantasy world. They think Christianity is no more than waiting around for some imaginary “Tinker Bell” to scatter pixie dust on them. Some of us need to wake up to the fact that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. Satan is not chained as yet, as some mistakenly suppose. If he is, it’s an awfully long chain, for it reaches to me! And for any duped soul that does not believe in a personal devil, I quote the old evangelist Billy Sunday, “Don’t tell me there is no devil, I’ve done business with him.”

True, much is blamed on the devil that he has had no hand in. But on the other hand, and just as true, he is not recognized as the perpetrator of many other things that transpire in our lives. Once we have discerned a thing to be of his making, by faith we need to say to him, “NO!” God never intended for us to be kicked around like a football, like cowards cowering in a corner. With a humble spirit, using our God-given authority, we are to defy the devil.  The question each of us needs to ask ourselves is, “Why go I mourning all the day?”   

Someone has said, “Satan hates God, and the only way he has of attacking Him is by attacking the objects of His love.”                                                      

The Bitterness of Betrayal

“And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.”

(Lk. 21 16)

Is there any greater hurt than the deep hurt that comes from the betrayal of family or friends? This hurt above all others is the hardest to withstand. It is said of darling David, and prophetically of our blessed Lord concerning His betrayal by His friend Judas, “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company” (Psa. 55:12-14). Betrayal is the last of all hurts to heal, and it lasts long after all the others have healed.

Let me list just a few in the scripture who knew this horrible hurt of heart, resulting from betrayal. It was Joseph’s brothers who turned on him; both David and Job experienced the bitterness of family and friends’ disloyalty; the blind man’s parents didn’t stand by him when they were needed most; and of Jesus we’re told, “... He was wounded in the house of His friends” (Zach. 13:6). But in each case God stood with His misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated child. My wife, Salle Jo, used to sing a song at the ordination of young preachers I would ordain in our church. It applies to any and all saints. The following is one of the verses out of the five from that blessed song.

“In the midst of faults and failures,

Stand by me (stand by me);

In the midst of faults and failures,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When I do the best I can,

And my friends misunderstand,

Thou Who knowest all about me,

Stand by me (stand by me).”

So I'm Not Perfect

“Barnabas and Paul [said]...We also are men of like passions with you”

(Acts 14:14,15)

“Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are”

(Ja.5:17)

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

(Eccl. 20)

One of my readers once wrote, “Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the Bible. I just don't seem to be able to come up to its teachings.” If you have ever felt this way, there’s no need to be overly concerned. All of us “wart-infested” saints have this sense of falling short from time to time, that is, with the exception of those associated with the pseudo perfectionist movement or some of the self-deceived “Deeper-Lifers.”

We see the above truth embodied in both the Old and New Testament saints. They, both men and women, show us the unvarnished lives in these human personages. As I’ve quoted my son Andrew so often, “You can’t run from your humanity.” The Bible is careful to paint its characters as they actually were, without re-touching their photographs. In other words, they lived on our street, and we can all easily identify with them.

In the Man Christ Jesus we find inspiration from one who never failed; in the saints, we find encouragement from those who failed, but by His grace and help are able to rise up again, to face life's difficulties. We need the perfect Man, Christ Jesus, on the one side of us, and and the weak, faltering saints on the other. Jesus is the ideal Man, and the fallible saints show what we can become, with His enabling power.

“I ain’t what I outta be, I ain’t what I wanta be, I ain’t what I’m gonna be, but thank God, but by His grace I’m more than I was.”

(Heard first from Harold Coldiron, my preacher brother-in-law. Sixty years ago).

Those Blessed Feet of Jesus

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

(Isa. 52:7)

“ How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

(Rom. 10:15)

Looking at the context I think, possibly, Isaiah is speaking of the Lord Jesus; but Paul is applying the text to those preachers who follow in His train. Interestingly, people do not generally speak of feet as being beautiful. Other parts of the anatomy yes, but not feet. But I say without hesitation or apology, the most beautiful feet that ever graced this sin-cursed world were those of my Lord, Jesus Christ!

His were tired feet, and it’s estimated that during His three-year ministry on earth He walked over 2,500 miles, without ever going further than 200 miles from His home. Is it any wonder then that we are told, “Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well.” John tells us, “...His feet [were] like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.”  The three Hebrew children can explain this for you. Darling David said, speaking prophetically, “They pierced my …  feet.” He still bears these marks in His glorified body in Heaven. Lest I forget!

It is no surprise, then, that we read of people falling at His feet in worship; of Mary washing and kissing them and of sitting at His feet and hearing His Word; of the maniac sitting at His feet in his right mind; and of many others simply falling at His feet, pouring out their hearts for His help.

For those who are dismayed at the present Satanic world conditions, take heart! The first prophecy in the Bible has to do with Jesus’ blessed feet, and it is found in Gen. 3:15, “And it [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan] head.” Our beloved Paul makes reference to this text, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly,” Rom. 16:20. O, blessed thought, God is going to let us in on it.