A QUESTION BEFORE ANSWERING THE QUESTION

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you..."[your question].

(Mk. 11:29)

When Jesus was asked a question, He replied to his inquirers that there was a more important question to be answered first; after that He would give them His answer. With world conditions as they are at present, also directly affecting the Church, there are many questions being asked by pastors and people. 

I am not a "Monday Morning Quarterback," nor do I fit into the chair of, "The Armchair Scholar." For I have been in the trenches. Out of a 60-plus year ministry, I pastored 20 of those years. In other words, to quote Ezekiel, "I sat where they sat." I would like to think I understand some of what's going on.

The Bible generally gives us the choices in each dire situation, then asks us to choose. I say generally because as in life there are exceptions: when it tells you what to choose, Deut. 30:19. In my writings I try to follow this rule of generalization and exceptions. It is important a person be fully convinced  in his or her own heart.

To rephrase Shakespeare's, "To Be Or Not To Be," I want to discuss, "To Do Or Not To Do." Not only is our precious nation divided, but also the Church of Christ! Jesus tells us the seriousness of such a schism. "And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."

And now, the question before answering the question. In that excellent movie, The Untouchables, starring Kevin Costner and Sean Connery, there is a great quote that applies to what we're discussing. Costner plays Elliot Ness, and Connery the cop on the beat, named Malone. Ness has come to the end of himself attempting to bring down Al Capone. They are both kneeling in church and Ness asks Malone what he was to do. Malone asks him the question that we too must answer in our situation, "What are you prepared to do?" He repeats this question to Ness when he lay dying from gunshot wounds.

No question we may ask concerning our present condition in the church is more important than this one, I ask both pastor and people, "​ ​WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO?"

​By An Old Disciple

NOT "WHAT'S" IT ALL ABOUT, BUT "WHO" IT'S ALL ABOUT

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore...That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

(Psa. 86:12; Rom. 15:16)

When will we ever learn it is not about world conditions, wars, plagues, our trials, finances, sickness, persecutions, family problems, etc.; it is all about the Glory of God. Not me, you, or them, BUT HIM AND HIS GLORY! To be entangled in the aforementioned things is to be distracted from the only real thing that counts — GOD'S GLORY.

We spend our days looking through the wrong end of the telescope; we need to turn it around and see the big picture. When you do, you'll find God dwarfs all our worries and anxieties. I used to have a sermon I preached entitled, "Put God In It." Whenever we do, we will find our mountains turn into molehills. For many of us I fear, OUR GOD IS TOO SMALL!

"MAGNIFY GOD, NOT YOUR PROBLEMS."

(rds)

By An Old Disciple

The Sometimes of Life

"The disciples were called Christians first..."

(Acts 11:26)

“Christians first…” I have a little saying: “I’m some things some of the time; but I’m a Christian all the time.” A Christian is a person with many hats but only one head. No matter what head-gear adorns me, under it is always a Christian.

It is important we realize we can only wear one hat at a time. A personal illustration may help here. I used to wear my “preacher’s hat” when I was playing with my children, but what they really wanted was for me to wear the hat that says “Dad” on it. As a result of this, they suffered, getting only a part of me because of my divided mind.

Let’s make sure that the hat we wear for each occasion is appropriate. A football star’s wife doesn’t want him to wear his helmet when he’s taking her for a walk through the park. When we are with a person, we need to be with that person. Make sure you wear the right hat for the right person and occasion.

My mentor, Dr. Joe Henry Hankins, after being introduced would always say the same thing, before he preached. Looking out over the crowd he would say, "Isn't it great being a Christian!"

By An Old Disciple

PRAYER REQUEST — WHAT IT REVEALS

"Brethren, pray for us...Wherefore also we pray always for you..."

(1Thess. 5:25; 2Thess. 1:11)

I AWOKE TODAY WITH THIS THOUGHT ON MY HEART

Paul asked his new converts at Thessalonica to pray for him and in return, assured them he would be praying for them. Prayer is to be mutual! Personally, I can find no "unspoken request," in scripture. Believers in the Bible not only made their requests known to God, but one another. Interestingly Paul requested prayer from those whom we'd consider inferior to him spiritually, though he would have never thought a hideous thing. Prayer requests tell us a lot about both parties, the requestor and the recipient of the request.

THE MAN OR WOMAN SOLICITING OTHERS’ HELP IN PRAYER

Have you ever thought the confidence the one asking our aid in prayer has shone in us? They are telling us they believe such things about us as: we, like Daniel, believe there's a God in heaven; that we know this God on a personal basis; that we believe God hears and answers prayer; and that He answers our prayers; how humbling when people put their complete dependence in our prayers. 

THE SUBJECT WHO RECEIVES SUCH A HEARTFELT PLEA

A great Bible illustration of how serious we’re to consider such prayer pleas is found in the life of Samuel, the intercessor. "And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God...Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you..." He refused to so sin against, not just his brethren but most importantly, AGAINST HIS GOD!! 

By An Old Disciple

The Adjustable Apostle

“I am made all things to all men.” 

(1Cor.9:19-23) 

Paul was not speaking of spiritual compromise or being a chameleon. The text is not speaking of inward convictions, but rather, outward conditions. He’s discussing adapting to various situations. A haughty spirit will reject this humble approach. This giant of a man, both in intellect and spirituality, could fit in, no matter what the culture or custom. To do this, one must know people. He must be familiar with a variety of backgrounds. This takes reading, observance, and knowing a little bit about a lot of things. Anyone can do this.

A Christian should be able to sit with paupers or walk with kings and be comfortable with both. Such a person will be misunderstood and maligned, many times from his own ranks. If you condescend to the ignorant, you’re patronizing them; if, on the other hand, you ascend to sit with the elite, you’re proud. Therefore, if you’re going to attempt to help all men, as in Paul’s example, you will do it at your own expense, and at the risk of being criticized for your seeming inconsistencies.

Adjustment necessitates change, but that requires courage.

A Bark With No Bite

"​And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah​."

(2 Chron. 18:7)​

I’m a preacher and have been for over ​sixty-plus years.​ Jesus told the people of His day that He was a preacher (Lk4:18). Paul in writing to the young preacher, Timothy, mentions being a preacher before stating he was an apostle or teacher (1Tim.2:7). Paul’s admonition to the preachers of his day, as well as our own, was to “Preach the Word.” This generation suffers from a famine of good, old fashioned, Bible preaching. I’m not speaking of a particular style, but of substance.

I had the privilege of being in on the afterglow of the revival of the forties. I have personally known or sat under the ministries of some of the great revivalists, to list just a few: Joe Henry Hankins, Bob Jones Sr., John R. Rice, B.R. Lakin, and the Jewish evangelist, Hyman Appleman. One characteristic each of these men had was that they preached on hell, judgment, sin, and worldliness. And they never gave syrupy apologies to a congregation before doing so. Today’s preachers, before preaching on sin, ask “Who’s out there”; whereas, the above mentioned men asked, after the fact, “Who’d I hit?” As one has said, “The pulpit can be a coward’s fort.”

I describe most of today’s preaching as, “toothless, having no bite to it.” After all, who is afraid of a barking dog that has no teeth? God’s people are leaving their churches on Sundays with no teeth-marks on them. These panty-waist preachers would never fit in with those rugged prophets of old. Well, let me remind any toothless preacher who may be reading this article, you’re going to have to face men such as Micaiah, John the Baptist and Stephen, in Heaven. And you’ll not be able to hide behind skirt tails then. “There was a man sent from God”; He didn’t send sissies to deliver His message!

The test of any church is how hard of preaching they can take. One good sermon like Jesus brought in Matthew twenty-three would empty out most churches. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”; in other words, if you’re not willing to hurt them, you can’t help them. A preacher is no friend to those he will not declare the whole counsel of God to. Teaching doesn't get people right with God; preaching does. Preaching gets you right, teaching keeps you right! Many back-sliders love Bible teaching (2 Tim.4:12,3).

We need some red-hot preaching, if we’re going to see any change in our churches or our beloved country. Billy Sunday said, “Don’t pluck the chicken till the water boils.” Believe me, it works. I've preached three nights on sin without any invitation to let conviction build. And on the fourth evening, altars were filled and overflowing. People we’re so faint that they were helped forward by friends holding them up. That was forty-five years ago, and people from that meeting are still serving the Lord as missionaries, pastors, and church workers.

Preaching is “foolishness”; and most preachers are not willing to play the fool for God!

​By An Old Disciple​

SUPERSTITIOUS SAINTS

"Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious."

(Acts 17:22)

Some of the corrupt translations tell us the A.V. 1611 rendering of "superstitious" of should be, "religious." But the context itself refutes this asinine notion. They were worshiping a multiplicity of gods and were so superstitious they made one for "THE UNKNOWN GOD: fearful they offend by leaving one absentee out, one they were not aware existed. But just in case.  

It is not just the ignorant Voodoo pagans who are superstitious, but is rabid among highly intellectual religionists. These may not be troubled by black cats crossing their paths or have a problem walking under a ladder, but to break with religious rites is taboo! Custom, habits, and tradition can often be a good thing, in their place, but not when they bind one spiritually. Not when they're a self-imposed law.

Those who are truly filled with the Spirit, who walk in, are led by, and live in the realm of the Spirit are not under a yoke of bondage; we're told in Acts such a life is, "Unbearable."  You don't have to pray a certain way, or read your Bible a set way, nor do you need fear in divine interruptions of these things, Acts 10:44. It is more important you be obedient than spiritual. If you're the first you'll be the latter.

YOU CAN'T ENJOY YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE LIVING IT IN A STRAITJACKET! 

(rds)

By An OLd Disciple

A Change of Scenery

“And he [God] said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid...” 

(Gen.16:8)

Running from her mistress’ harsh treatment did not change who or what Hagar was. She still remained, “Sarai’s maid” in the sight of God. Only by returning and submitting could she find her freedom and be blessed. “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman.”

A change in geography does not bring a change in character. If we cannot change in the place where we are, it’s doubtful we can someplace else. True, we cannot change circumstances around us, but we can change the character within us. Demas thought he could run from himself by going to Thessalonica, but he found, to his dismay, when he entered the city limits, he was there to greet himself. He only ran from himself to himself

We do not need a change of scenery but a change of heart.

STAND YOUR GROUND

And after him [was] Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.

Both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles record the heroic deeds of valiant men who followed David. Shammah is listed third among the first “three mighty men” who stood with their king during his exile. But why defend a field of lentiles? Because the land belonged to the Lord and Shammah was not going to let the Philistines have control of what belonged to Jehovah. Therefore, Shammah stood his ground!

Throughout Scriptures we are told to “stand.” This is Paul’s main thought when discussing the whole armour of God in Ephesians chapter six. Four times he admonishes the Christian to “Stand.” We are not to fight to get the victory, but to keep it. God “hath” (past tense) already given it us (Eph.1:3). Every major war ever fought was over real-estate. It is no different with the devil; he wants the Holy Ground we inherited in Christ. Is it any wonder then that Paul tells us, “…neither give place to the devil.” NO! NOT AN INCH.

But it is well for the brave souls who stand their ground to consider the wise words of Matthew Henry concerning this text. “The Lord wrought a great victory.” Note, "How great soever the bravery of the instruments is, the praise of the achievements must be given to God. These fought the battles, but God wrought the victory. Let not the strong man glory in his strength, but let him that glories glory in the Lord."

GOD BLESS AMERICA! MY HOME SWEET HOME>

https://youtu.be/TmfeNq5x5aQ

A Present Reality

"...ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged...God...hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

(Eph. 2:6)

I’ve had little difficulty in my life remembering the hole of the pit I was dug from; my problem is the reality of the heavenly places where I am presently seated. Our text is not a prophecy of something that is going to happen, but an actual event that has already taken place. We are distinctly a heavenly people. Some are concerned about becoming too heavenly minded. Believe me when I say I don’t think today’s Christians need to worry their pretty, little, worldly heads about this happening.

The song says, “This world is not my home, I’m only passing through.” The Scriptures speak of us as sojourners, strangers, and pilgrims. We are a tent people; we have no permanent dwelling place here. Our citizenship and home is in heaven. Therefore, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Once in a while, the reality of this breaks through the outward shell and penetrates to the soul. It is then that the overwhelming sensation of it all leaves us with unspeakable joy. It is what I like to call the firstfruits, a foretaste of what’s coming.


We are now seated there, says the inspired writer. This word denotes rest, as well as completion. May God help each of us to rest in Christ’s finished work. Let us heed the old timers’ invitation to, “Sit down and rest awhile.”

By An Old Disciple