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!  

Slandering Paul

There seems to be three types of preaching and teaching on Grace today: Grace-less, grace-full, or a grace that is a disgrace. I’d like to believe I belong in the second category. As to the first group, it appears that all their sermons are prepared from Mount Sinai. Possibly, they’ve never heard of Mount Calvary.

But it’s the third in the above list that I’m concerned with in this writing. It’s because of these “perverts,” Paul’s words, not mine, that true Grace advocates get a “bad rap.” Jude speaks of these as “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness” (that is, lustful, licentious, or lewd living).

Paul said of his own grace teaching and preaching: “(we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come.” His answer to this slur was “God forbid how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Mr. Law was my tutor; Miss Grace is my teacher; her moral standards are no less than his (Tit.2:11-12).

I Love You

I won my father to Christ and baptized him several years before his death. I also held his funeral. But for most of his life he was a heavy drinker, and as such, did all the things that go along with that life-style. As a boy I remember how he brought untold sorrow to my mother. I do not know the times he said to her, “I love you honey.” After a while, in cases such as this, such words become like “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.”

I like syrup, but I like some substance under it. You know, like waffles, pancakes or French toast. I do not order syrup on a plate by itself. Like syrup, love is never solitary; some other item is involved with it. And that component is the element that proves its worth.

God says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Bible love always has actions connected with it (1John 4:19). It is not just some passive attitude. When we say “I love you” to God or anyone else, proof must precede, accompany, or follow close after such a statement. You have to earn the right to use such hollowed words. Love will work itself to the bone to prove itself. Ask Jacob!

Going for the Gold

Paul likens the Christian life to running in a race. One of his admonitions for those who would win is to not look back. Or as the old black relief pitcher Satch Paige used to say, “Don’t look back, deh might be a-gainin’ on yuh!”

You can’t win a race looking backward. For this reason the Apostle tells us to forget those things which are behind. Two things will cause us to lose in life’s race: gloating over previous successes, or resurrecting former sins. The first will puff us up, bringing about a fall; and the latter will discourage us, and be the reason for our quitting. No one ever won the gold laying with his or her face in the dirt, nor was the prize presented to anyone who walked off the track in the middle of the race.

Advancement comes from keeping your eye on the goal. And our goal is God! And that, my dear Christian friend, is the joy that is set before us. Go for it!

A Spot on the Paper

What did these men and women have in common: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Naomi, Sarah, Jeremiah, John Mark, Peter, Paul, John the Baptist? They all had their moments of shame and embarrassment. Experiences they wished had never happened. Events they would change, if they could go back and do them again. Yet, as tragic as some of these were, God worked them out for their good, His glory, and our example.

Never mistake the moment for the man. It is not the one spot on the paper t we are to concern ourselves with, but the vast unsoiled portion that surrounds it. Many of us are too tough on ourselves, and that causes us to transfer this to others when they come up short. The Scriptures are not half as hard on our shortcomings and failings as we are. It’s not the exceptions we are to interest ourselves with, but, rather when they become the rule.

A minute is only a small part of twenty-four hours; don’t stop the clock because you’ve lost one.

(R.D.S)

Heaven Can Wait

Paul tells us he had “…a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.” No amount of theological juggling can make this text mean anything other than what it says. Being with Christ was preferred over being on earth by the apostle. Not because of his suffering, or that he was disappointed with life, or that he’d given up on sinful humanity; nor was it because of the fact that the old warrior was worn out. His motive was pure and higher than these. The aged saint had such a love for the Lover of his soul that it dwarfed everything else in life.

In a ministry that spans some fifty-four years now, I’ve only met one person who I believed truly wanted what Paul did. He was my best friend, and the Lord called him home at fifty-two years old. Upon hearing of his death, the first thing my wife said was, “Well, he finally got what he always wanted.” On his tombstone are the words, “With Christ…far better.”

I’m afraid most of us are like the little fellow down South, who, when asked if he wanted to go to Heaven, replied, “No, Sir!” But when the amazed witness added, “You mean, you don’t want to go to Heaven when you die?” the answer was, “Oh, you mean when I die. I thought you were getting a load up to go now!” We laugh, but the tragedy is, most of us fall into this category.

We are never as dedicated as we’d like to think we are.

Honey and Vinegar

There are some things, whether in business, work, school, family, or church, etc., that aren’t worth arguing or fighting over. A bull dog can whip a skunk, but it’s not worth the fight! We need to choose our battles, making sure they are over principles, not personalities or preferences. Nonessentials are not essential to life.

We can neutralize potent and explosive situations with a fair amount of understanding. When an issue is concentrated it is always good to add this additive. It can many times change a potentially bitter situation. When things are not clear in Scripture, let’s learn to neutralize by compromise. As my son Andrew once advised me, “Don’t use vinegar until you have first tried the honey.

*Mind Your Mending

“Mending their nets...he called them.” Peter and Andrew were “casting [their] net,” while their brethren, James and John, were “mending their nets.” The former were using their nets, while the latter were fixing theirs. Mending is as necessary as fishing, but we hear little, if anything, about the maintenance of mending.

Years ago, while learning to throw a cast net, my teacher, a deacon by the name of George Kendrick, told me, “Preacher, inspect your net often, and keep it mended, for if there is but one tiny hole in it, the fish will find it and escape.” We need to constantly check our lives and mend those areas where we are most vulnerable, lest we toil all night and catch nothing.

When we sit down to mend our nets, we are as occupied and busy as those who are casting theirs. The wise man tells us there is “...a time to sew (mend).” Notice Jesus calls the ones who are mending as well as those who are fishing.

It’s not a new net we need but a mending of our old one; God makes due with what we have.

                                                                                    

Knowing Christ

"[F]or I know whom I have believed…" "That I may know him…" Paul was willing to lose everything "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." Unlike so many Christians today, the apostle was not content with his initial knowledge of Christ, but, years later, was seeking a more intimate knowledge of Him. No true saint should be satisfied knowing about him, but knowing Him.

The lack of devotion to Jesus Christ in our day is the result of not really knowing Him; for to know Him is to love Him. Intellectual knowledge of Him is necessary, but far from complete. An intellectual head knowledge must sink into an emotional heart if our relationship to him is to be personal. A man's knowledge can be wide without being deep. Certainly, Jonathan Edwards knew theology better than John Bunyan, but he didn’t know God any better.

Jesus admonished, "Search the scriptures…they are they which testify of me." Peter tells us, if we are to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we need to be Bible beavers. The Lover's letter to His beloved should be well worn from reading it over and again, with tear stains on every page.

Make sure the God you know is not the god of this world, but rather, the God of the Word.

                                                                                     

Accepting Ageing

“I have been young, and [now] am old.” Apparently David did not have the problem many have today, that of accepting his age. The old man had come to realize that with age comes limitations. He could no longer kill his giants as he once did (2 Sam.21:15-17). He needed brave younger men to help him. But this did not stop the old war horse from “pawing in the valley” (Job 39:21), at the sound of the battle.

David knew his age was not an issue with the “Ancient of Days.” This is clear in his statement to God, “Mine age [is] as nothing before thee” (Psl.39:5). He, like “Paul the aged” (Phi. 9-10), knew he would still bring forth fruit in his old age (Psl.92:14). He was confident God would not forsake him when he old and grayheaded (Psl.71:18).

O, aged saints, let us lay hold of His promise left us in Isaiah 46:4."Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."

TOGETHER

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus.”

Oswald Chambers states, “Christianity is in its essence social.” He goes on to say, “The main characteristic of Christianity is the “together” aspect. The Bible teaches most emphatically, no man is an island. If you try to make it alone you will end up with an Elijah complex.

Paul tells us God has “knit together” those who are His, as Jonathan and David’s souls were knit together. And as Israel, “Knit together as one man,” so it is with the Body of Christ. Like Joseph’s coat of many colours, we are God’s fabric woven with multi-shades. We are to blend together for God’s glory.

Jesus said to the people of His day, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! But this was not true of His elect, that small remnant, in comparison, who came “together” to hear the preaching, pray, and break bread.

O, dear saints of God, until that day when we “shall be caught up together…in the clouds, to meet the Lord,” let us come together in our local assemblies to meet Him each Lord’s Day.

Grace and Thorns

“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh…For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me…And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee."

God gave Paul a gift; it was a thorn in the flesh. Its purpose was to deflate his ego during those times he was tempted to become over-inflated. During a period of fourteen years he had prayed on three specific occasions that God would remove it. To which the Lord answered, in essence, that if He took away the thorn there would no longer be a need for his daily Grace in his life and ministry.

I’m afraid many of us, if the truth were known, would sacrifice God’s moment by moment sustaining grace for the eliminating of any and all means used by Deity to keep us humble and useable. We need to take warning from King Uzziah in the Old Testament. We’re told, “He was marvellously helped, till he was strong. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to [his] destruction.” Or as Paul so aptly puts it, “being lifted up with pride he [fell] into the condemnation of the devil.

We say to our children, “Remember your place.” Those of us used of God need to also constantly remind ourselves of ours. We should follow King David’s example. When entering his house, he sat before the Lord and said, “Who [am] I, O Lord GOD? and what [is] my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? Don’t you think David would have liked the little wall plaque which reads, “Lest I forget”?

Unacceptable Sacrifice

“Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not… (neither hadst pleasure [therein])…but a body hast thou prepared me…I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.”

The issue with God is not yours but you. If He has the latter, He most certainly will get the former. It’s a package deal, you see. But, it’s possible to give Him the first without you being in the bargain. And this is unacceptable with God. Paul alludes to this truth when writing of the Macedonian Christians. They had sacrificed what they had unto the Lord but had first given themselves.

A life is the only acceptable sacrifice God will take. Inanimate things are bloodless. And Cain found out, “you can’t get blood out a turnip.” Also, God has no respect for such things on His altar, unless, of course, they are connected with a life already on it.  For example, God doesn’t want your wallet in the offering plate; He wants you in it. If He gets that, He’ll have what’s in your pockets.

Innocent By-Standers

“Come…and see my zeal for the Lord.” Looks can be deceiving. This man was not what he passed himself off to be. If anyone thinks this man’s zeal was for the Lord, then their thinking is not “according to knowledge.” When we put this man under the microscope of God’s Word, we find him to be ambitious, calculating, ruthless, stern, and passionless. Great leaders are not always great men. True, he was commissioned to exterminate all of Ahab’s bloodline, but, in his misguided zeal, he killed forty-two innocent men who were the descendants of David, and only because they were associated with Ahab— guilty by association, you know. And what’s worse, he made it look like it was all for the Lord.

His zeal originated more from Jehu than Jehovah. God was only a means to an end for him. We see this today in many, so-called, soul winners. Another convert simply means another notch on their Bibles. This is the type who leaves the dust on the knees of their trousers for all to see they are men of prayer.

The pitiful thing about Jehu’s is that good people are taken in by them. Jehonadab was a Rechabite, a respected and spiritual people among the Jews. Jehu persuaded him to join his endeavor, because he needed such a person to add respectability and credence to his ambitions and to help him sell his policies and practices to the public. Let’s make sure we are not one of those sincere puppets.

A man’s motive is God’s primary concern.

                                                                  

*Just Passing Through

“When thou passest through the waters...when thou walkest through the fire...”

God’s people at the Red Sea and the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace are proof-texts of this wonderful promise. The watermark may get high, but not high enough that we’ll drown. And the fires may get seven times hotter than they are known to get, yet it will not consume us. God has provided for us “life-jackets” for the storms, and fire-proof garments for the furnace. They are found in Jesus Christ.

Notice both of these dreaded experiences are something we go through, not stay in. If the devil can get us to believe that it will always be like this, then he has won. For we most certainly will ultimately give up and give in, if we think there is no deliverance. But, thank God, the darkness passes and light shines again! “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

The Bible says, “And it came to pass”; it does not say, “It came to stay”

Wondering Out Loud

Out of Paul’s thirteen Epistles (fourteen, if you count Hebrews), seven were addressed to a particular church in a specific place. Interestingly, Jesus also wrote an equal amount of assemblies in the book of Revelation. In each case, you will find, for the most part, each body had its own shortcomings and sins. In other words, there were no perfect churches. If there had been, you would think we’d find them closer to the time of their inception, rather than two- thousand years later. Time generally has a way of corroding things that originally were clear.

Though I come miserably short, I try to read my Bible through the eyes of 1st Century believers. I endeavor to see things the way they were then. I wonder, for example, if, say, a Christian coming from Corinth to Philippi would have been received into their assembly upon his or her profession of faith. After all, you do realize one of the great stigmas of the Corinthian church was “tongues.” Would a believer, then, have to make another profession of faith and be re-baptized? And what if they came from Galatia, where a strong works element was taught? What about the church at Rome that had those teaching antinomianism? And, of course, there was the church at Colosse with its mysticism. And how were missionaries treated from these churches?

If it be argued the Epistles are corrective, and these assemblies would have ceased to be churches had they not heeded the correction, is that also true of me, as a Christian? Do I cease to be a Christian if I do not heed all that is written? With all their faults, both Jesus and Paul called them churches.

I personally believe, in the end, we balance out each other. In church history, it seems each group was raised up to emphasize an important element that had been lying dormant; for example, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God, justification by faith, holiness, etc. Each doctrine was resurrected because of its needed emphasis. Can we not thank God for this and them?

You're Not Alone

“Scripture saith of Elias… Lord…I am left alone… But what saith the answer of God unto him… I have reserved to myself seven thousand…”

Many years ago, a young business man and his wife approached me at a camp meeting. I had just finished preaching, and as he walked up, he put forth his hand to shake mine. The first words out of his mouth were, “I thought I was the only one until I heard you. I felt like I was going crazy at times.” As a result, he became one of my dearest friends, as well as a faithful supporter.

Since then, others have echoed his sentiment. One man suggested it would be nice if this small remnant of rag-tags were all in one place. But this, of course, would necessitate removing the lone candle from the dark place in which God placed each of us. Elijah, like you and me, forgot there are others in this war, although we may not always be able to see them in the dense jungle in which we battle.

O dear friend, never let the devil get you to think you’re the only one. Like you, there are others who are in the same fight, with like temptations, and sufferings in their flesh. They have kindred fears, problems, and anxieties. This little band of misfits, like you, are misunderstood and misrepresented by their contemporaries also. But remember, though they be far off and cannot share your grief, there is One who was also put “outside the camp,” who can and will.

“Are you weary, are you heavy hearted? Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.”

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

I’m so grateful that early in my Christian life, I was shown that courage is not necessarily the absence of fear—that they can run side by side, and generally do. Courage is simply going on by faith in spite of fear. We are told in the Scriptures “by faith they feared not.” I have been plagued by a fearful spirit since I was a small boy. Learning the above truth, after my conversion, has helped me tremendously. Also, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

How often we fear the intangible—a nameless dread grips and numbs our spirits. We seem to be afraid of anything and everything. We fear people, the past, and the future. We are fearful of the unknown, of undertaking responsibilities, and making decisions. If not careful, we can live a lifetime of fear. The writer of Hebrews describes such people. He says, “...through fear...were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Fear paralyzes. John tells us “fear hath torments.” But, thank God, we no longer have to be held in this vice of fearfulness. “He hath said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE. So that we may boldly say...I WILL NOT FEAR.” During those fearful times, like Elijah’s, “great and strong wind…earthquake…and fire,” listen for that “still small voice,” “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway.  (John Wayne)

Why No Scripture

“Search the scriptures.” The Bible was not written to, or for, a lazy person. Only those who “…search…as for hid treasure,” will discover its true riches. As far as I can tell, only one book in the sixty-six was written for the unbeliever, that being John’s gospel.

I am asked from time to time why I do not give chapter and verse when making most of my scriptural statements. Basically, it’s for two reasons: First, the “Journal” is primarily written for those who mean business with God and are willing to dig for the treasure. And, secondly, to follow the Bible pattern its writers left us. Apart from Paul referring to the “…second Psalm,” you’ll not find any other such reference, only to the book where the Scripture is found. And even this method is not overdone.

The readers of the book of Hebrews didn’t even get the luxury of the book where the writer’s proof-text was found. You’ll find him making such statements as, “…in a certain place…and again…and again…in a certain place…and in this place again…as it is said…he saith in another place…Him that hath said…etc.”

By this we can surmise the importance of being personally familiar with the Scriptures. And, to accomplish this, we must read and reread them. As one old Divine put it, “Wallow in the Word, wallow in the Word!”

*Loaded Down

"[M]y burden is light."  Christ's burden is not burdensome. It is our manufactured, self-imposed ones that weigh us down and cause us to stoop. We are to cast our heavy burden upon Him and take His light burden in exchange. God never intended for us to carry the worries, frustrations, and cares of this world. To do so is to end up like Martha.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee..." When we are so burdened we cannot go on, to be sure, this is not the burden of the Lord. When God places His burden upon us, it is never more than we can carry. "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." Therefore He will not put upon us anything "above that ye are able...to bear."

A little boy, on Christmas Eve, was standing outside a store loaded down with packages. A passerby asked if he could help, to which the lad replied, “No, thank you, sir; my father gave them to me, and he never puts more on me than I can carry.”

Which Way?

"He shall direct thy paths.” Most certainly, Bible study and prayer should have top priority in seeking God’s direction in our lives, but these are foundational. Other ingredients go into the mix that does not seem to be as “spiritual.” Therefore, many neglect them leaving them confused.

I’m speaking of old-fashioned common sense. You’re not to throw away your head when you get saved. A sanctified mind can take you a long way in ascertaining God’s royal route. The importance of thinking something through cannot be exaggerated. Some are so worried they will take a wrong step; they take no step at all. God can and will correct a wrong decision (if the motive is right), but He can’t do anything if there is no decision at all.

A good illustration of this is found in Acts chapter sixteen. Paul knew you couldn’t take the gospel to the wrong door, so he attempted on two different occasions to go to places he felt were in need. Both times, God stopped him. Then the Lord spoke directly to him, showing the place of His choice.

We’re told in Matthew’s gospel on more than one occasion that when Joseph thought on certain things pertaining to God’s will, the Lord gave him direction. Beloved, let us put on our thinking caps!

Watch Your Step

“Though all men shall…yet will I never…” How little we know of ourselves, not realizing we are capable of anything and everything others do. Spiritual pride is a cancerous condition, to be guarded against continually. It caused Lucifer’s fall and is one of the main marks of a Pharisee. “I thank thee, that I am not as other men are.” Is it any wonder we are warned, “…let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” We are least safe when we are most secure.

We need to be cautious of sudden resolutions. We can become over confident in our ability and stability. Peter found talk was easy at a distance, but was more difficult “up close and personal.” I have found over the years that they who are shallowest fall soonest.

Those who think themselves better than others oft time find themselves worse.

(R.D.S)

The Devil Deals to David

“And Satan...provoked David.” David’s sin with Bathsheba was a sin of the flesh, but in numbering the people, a sin of the spirit. By this proud act (consciously or unconsciously), David was ascribing to himself might, power, strength and greatness. Attributes that belong to God alone. God promised Abraham the people would be so great they could not be numbered. So why bother?

Numbering the people was not the real issue; doing it without orders from God was. It was an independent act that caused Lucifer’s fall, and this is what he successfully tempted Eve to do. But when he came to the Lord Jesus, he failed miserably. For this blessed One refused to take a breath without God’s permission.

When we attempt to flex our spiritual muscle before those around us by showing our spiritual superiority, you can be sure Satan is in the shadows egging us on. When the devil deals the cards, it’s always from the bottom.

The Simple Life

When I speak of the “Simple Life,” I am not advocating being a simpleton. As Oswald Chambers puts it, “Don’t mistake simplicity for stupidity.” It is not simplemindedness, but “simple- mindfulness.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book, Letters and Papers from Prison” tells us, “Simplicity is an intellectual achievement, one of the greatest.” The simple life requires a lot of thought.

Our Lord’s life was a very simple one in the midst of a complicated world. You might say His was a simple life on a higher plane. The reason for this was that God controlled it. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. used to say, “Simplicity is life’s most becoming garb.” Is this not why His life is so becoming to each of us who name His name?

Many of us have created our own clutter. We have a spiritual “junk yard,” where we have amassed so much litter that we can’t perform those few necessary things for all the unnecessary piled up. Many of us need a good housecleaning. Good minor things become bad the second they keep us from the major things.

Paul warned the “spiritual” and “intellectual” church at Corinth to beware lest their minds be corrupted from the “simplicity that is in Christ.” Our lives are to be lived childlike. Need I explain that?

God grant that I may live upon this earth

And face the tasks that every morning brings

And never lose the glory and the worth

Of humble service and the simple things.

(Edgar A. Guest)

Scarecrows

I have found that those who would intimidate others have an insecure spirit that hides behind a superior attitude. You need not ever be afraid of them. They are no more than scarecrows. You know, dressed in clothes like you and me, but who are full of straw. These empty vessels have always been around. Sanballat tried to spook Nehemiah; Rabshakeh tried it on Hezekiah; Jezebel attempted the same on Elijah, and the interrogating counsel on the disciples.

It is this crowd that was constantly after Jesus, snipping, as it were, at His heels. Everything concerning His Person, they attacked—His speech, lack of formal education, His trade as a carpenter, His birth, etc. But Jesus had the one thing that all intimidators fear to see in their would-be prey; He knew who He was. He was, as the saying goes, “comfortable in His own skin.” It did not bother Him to get down and wash the disciples feet, for He knew no matter what the position, whether in exaltation or humiliation, He was the same Person within. Intimidators have no clue as to their personal identity.

Therefore, we should never fear man. Why should clay be afraid of clay?

HIS PLACE

The story’s told that during the days of that great English preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, Londoners who wanted to hear this orator would say, “Let’s go over to Charlie’s place.” Of course they were not referring so much to the Metropolitan Tabernacle where he ministered, but rather to the fact that is where they’d find him.

Just before our Lord went away, twice He mentioned “a place” He was going to prepare, and that He would be in that place, and that His people would be with Him in that place. There is much talk and speculation about what Heaven is like, almost to the extent that Jesus becomes a non-entity. It’s not the place, it’s the Person!

We hear talk of soul-sleep for a Christian, that is, the intermediate state between death and resurrection. But Paul tells us our soul can only be in one of two places: in the body or with the Lord. And the second necessitates a consciousness as much as the first. When Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him that very day in Paradise, he had to be conscious to realize the fact.

If all of this were not so, our Lord declares, “I would have told you so,” Someday, possibly in the near future, I’ll be going to “His Place.” And I can guarantee you, I for one will not be “looking the place over.” It is not the gates of pearl, the streets of gold, the river of life, or even the face of my blessed mother that I’ll be looking for, but the Altogether Lovely One, the Lover of my Soul, the “One” who gave His all for me!

In closing, I’d remind those who are prone to spiritualize such truths that the reality is always greater than the picture. So, whatever way you slice it, it’s going to be wonderful!

  

Money Talks

"The labourer is worthy of his hire." Being cheap is not Christ-like. Many churches and Christians need to realize this. Each laborer is to get what he or she is due, and sometimes double.

James tells us of those who kept back part of the hire of the laborers and how it "entered into the ears of the Lord." We are told that stones cry out, and that Abel's blood cried out from the ground. Well, in this case, money talks! Stolen salaries will not remain silent, for, in the courtroom of God, wages kept back will be a witness.

I've seen many churches and Christian institutions "rob Peter to pay Paul." For instance, some boast of how much they give to missions, while there are those on their staff who seriously lack. I have known cases where the missionary lived in luxury and the staff member in poverty. Charity begins at home. How many will have to someday sadly confess before God that they kept other's vineyards while neglecting their own (Song of Sol. 1:6).

Don't give a Believer crumbs when you have steaks in your freezer.

(R.D.S)

The Medicine for Misery

One of the reasons for the misery in the lives of many of today’s saints stems from the simple fact of not discerning between a healthy self-judgment and a morbid introspection. The former is when we agree with God’s estimation of something in our lives that displeases Him. At such times, we are to confess, repent, and then, as a transit, move on. In the latter, we take up lodging and dwell in a spiritual mortuary, daily inspecting a putrefying corpse.

Introspection is putting self on a plate and dissecting it, always analyzing oneself. We worry about everything we say or do and what affect each word or action may have. We’re always looking back—always regretting. We can’t let go of it. It is the chief theme of our lives. Everything centers upon us. We are forever telling others about our sins and shortcomings, while they patiently listen with a frown on their faces and disgust in their hearts.

Through the years, I have become more and more leery of those who habitually talk of wanting to be holy and godly. If I read my Bible right, we are to be spending our time speaking and thinking of Him and His attributes (Mal.3:16) not on imaginary fantasies of our own creation. To glorify God is to make Him look good, not ourselves.

If man at his best state is altogether vanity, then let’s call attention to the Altogether Lovely One.

(RDS)

A Personal Note To My Blog Readers

Dear Reader,

Just recently I discovered the Stats section on my blog. To my overwhelming surprise I found that in the month I checked it, I had over one thousand hits. What a blessing this was to me. I send out the Journal to a mailing list of a few hundred, but never dreamed we had this kind of audience.

The following is a list of the places where the T.J. is read: Canada, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Australia, France, U.K., Indonesia, Romania, Poland, New Zealand, Philippines, Ukraine, Netherlands, Tonga, Malaysia, and of course, the U.S.A.

My request is that many of you might drop me a brief line or two telling of the Journal’s blessing in your life, if it be so. As I jokingly say to some of my strong local church brethren at times, “I minister to the “Invisible Church.” Seriously, though, I miss seeing people grow in the Lord and their lives blessed, as I did when pastoring. So a note from you would be a great encouragement to this aged man. My e-mail: (click on) todaysjournal@sbcglobal.net

Thanks For Taking The Time,

An Old Disciple,

Brother Richard Sandlin

The Sure Word

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” There is a type of mysticism that has moved into mainstream Christendom that concerns me greatly. Basically, it teaches that one can go from infancy to maturity without any growth in between, thereby negating the Bible as the means God uses to get from one place to the other. Those with mystical tendencies never speak of the necessity of the Word of God, but, rather, glory in their personal experiences. In other words, they short cut the God-ordained means for their individual experiences.

These types have a God of their own making. Their created Deity is characteristically known by feeling, not faith. Because of this, there is a necessity of constantly scraping their “innards” by morbid introspection. There is a habitual examining of every motive and action, leaving them very little time to live the Christian life.

The infallible Word of God is the only safeguard against one’s fallible feelings. It is the one and only source that the prophets, apostles, Jesus, and New Testament writers depended on. Peter had an experience on the Mt. of Transfiguration, where he heard a voice from Heaven. Yet when recounting this event in his second epistle, he says we have “a more sure word…” (The Word of God). And so do we!                                                           

The Backsliding Heifer

Note to readers: I feel the following article is of upmost importance, especially today. As a dear pastor friend (James Barnes) said to me many years ago, “Brother Sandlin, what passes for my best members today would be considered backsliders twenty-five years ago.”

“For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer.” Some believe this to mean withdrawing the neck from the yoke of service; still others that it is a regressing when being offered up for sacrifice. To be sure, the heifer is not submitting to what her master has planned for her. God is simply telling us that His people were unruly and ungovernable.

The word “backsliding” (in one form or another), is found seventeen times in the Old Testament. It is not used in the New, though the principle is. Oswald Chambers gives us a good definition of the word: “Backsliding is turning away from what we know to be best to what we know is second-best.” Or as another prolific writer says, “Good can be the enemy of the best."

Whenever we go from God we go to something or someone else. The backslider deliberately forsakes God. There is no nice way of putting it. It is a hideous sin! And the depth to which the backslider falls will be in proportion to the height he or she has gained. Lucifer’s original lofty height is a good example of the depth one can fall to spiritually.

An old preacher once said, “Never paint a picture of a forest without painting a way out.” And so I close with God’s promise to all those in this dire condition who are longing to return to the Lover of their souls, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”

The Great Things of the Lord

“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness”...“Tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.”

Rosalind Goforth was the wife of that remarkable missionary to China, Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936). In her book entitled, How I Know God Answers Prayer, The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time, the above two scriptures are found in the forward.

Upon reading them I was immediately struck by the fact that this is what we are to busy ourselves with. Telling hopeless individuals, “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” To which they can echo, “The Lord hath done great things for them.”

Some, said Mrs. Goforth, after reading her book asked, “How could you tell such personal and sacred incidents in your life?’ Her answer was simple and direct, “I had to or disobey God.” She writes that for some time she wouldn’t tell these things, but got to the place she could no longer keep them in.

Jeremiah had a similar experience I think many of us can relate to also. “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But [his word] was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not [stay].”

Our Great God, who does such “Great Things,” ought not to be kept a secret by us.

(R.D.S.)

It's Been Before

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us."

The new truths ministers and writers are coming up with are, in reality, no more than unsubstantiated, unchallenged statements.  These pseudo-philosophers, who camp on Mars Hill, "spend their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing." But Paul's testimony was that he said no other things than those truths of old spoken by the prophets.

Something may sound profound, but is it of the prophets? It may appear learned, but is it of the Law? It may be a new thought, but is it New Testament? Paul was not against dressing old truths in new clothes, but there was no attire in his wardrobe to clothe what some call "new truths."

If it's new, it's not true; and if it's true, it's not new.

(H.A. Ironside)

A Delightful Day

It was June 8, 1958. They were singing a song of invitation. Mark Andrews, my Air Force buddy from Korea, who had gotten saved, and then been instrumental in my conversion (as well as my mother’s), was visiting, and standing next to me. I knew from the day of my salvation, God wanted me to preach, but was always fearful to make it known. We were standing in the back row of the church. Some 800 people were there that day. As they sang, I whispered to Mark, “I believe God has called me to preach, but I can’t speak well before people.” My dear friend said nothing. He simply put down his songbook, took up his Bible, and turned to Exodus 4:10-12. Then he handed it to me, saying, “Read this.”

“And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not

 eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken

 unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow

tongue. And the Lord said unto him,Who hath made man’s

mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing,

 or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I

will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”

Needless to say, that was all it took. I went forward, took my pastor’s hand, and told him God had called me to preach. It has now been fifty-four years since that memorable day, and I’ve never regretted my decision once. There have been dark, dark times; but the good ones have shone so brightly, they made me forget most of bad ones. Multiplied hundreds have been saved, countless Christians have had their lives turned around, and scores of young people have entered the ministry.

Dear Lord, thank you for Your call upon my life, and thank you for bringing Mark into it at the two most important times—at my conversion and my call. Wherever he is, whatever he may be doing, give him an extra blessing today, just for me. Thank you. Amen.

 

Living Among Lepers

“And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him...And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” I fear some of us have gotten too refined for this life on earth. True, a saint is a mixture of the Divine and human, but the human is never anything but human. God chose to reach humanity by indwelling the human. This is seen in the Incarnation.

You can always spot the “holier than thou” crowd. You’ll hear such statements as “How could anyone do something like that?” or, “I could never do that.” Not realizing that in the right situation, we all are susceptible to the same depravities of others. Peter never thought himself capable of what he did, but believed others were. Such an attitude always leads to a fall.

These high and holy seraphic types are powerless in helping lepers. O, they have compassion, but only at a distance. They will never come to where they are; they fear it may rub off.

Jesus was no worse off for touching the leper, but the leper was much better off because He did.”

RDS)

Square One

There are different opinions as to where and when this little idiom in our title originated, but all agree to its meaning. It’s simply defined as “going back to the beginning, to start again.” This is necessitated by our proneness to wander; to go our own way, if you please. As someone has said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

Because of this disposition to stray, God is constantly calling us back (dragging some) to His original intent for us. And this is true, not just in one area of our Christian life, but in all quarters. I believe most of the reason for this roaming is our not being objective enough in our reading, listening to teachers and our conversations in general.

Don’t you think much of this stems from our discontentment with God’s will for us? Many routinely want to be someone else, somewhere else, and doing something else. Thus, we are so easily influenced away from God’s design for our lives. The proverbial saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side,” must have originated with a Christian, one of His sheep.

It says of the prodigal, “When he came to himself,” he returned to the starting place. He, “Himself.” Not someone else!” Don’t try to return in someone else’s garb!

Foundational Truths

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” When things begin to get hazy, and all around you is uncertainty; when the atmosphere is filled with questionable arguments, it is always wise to come back to your foundation. To major on minors will only bring frustration and cause unnecessary divisions between two good people or groups.

A casual reading of Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians proves this to be so. Secondary things were elevated to top priority. And when we put two in the place of one, it will always cause greater confusion, as any math student knows. There are basic, fundamental doctrines that are foundational to the Christian Faith. And when we leave these tenets, terrible things happen.

There are cardinal Christian doctrines that have been held to throughout the ages, which have never moved or been shaken. It is these we are to dearly hold to and defend. To make questionable things the issue will only rob the saints of their assurance, reliance, and enjoyment of the sure things.

Happy is the person who realizes non-essentials are not essential.

(R.D.S)

Imperfection's Perfection

Immediately after the resurrection Thomas saw the open wounds in our Lord’s body. John was transported to the present and described Him now in heaven as a freshly slain Lamb. And Zechariah tells us at His Second Coming, yet future, He will be asked, “What are these wounds in thy hands?” At the cost of being misunderstood as sacrilegious, I believe Jesus will be the only one in heaven with an imperfect body. That is, from our viewpoint, not God’s. For in God’s sight, those wounds are the epitome of perfection.

You see, this Blessed One’s seemingly imperfect body made it possible for us to have a perfect one. Is it any wonder then that the heavenly choir sings, “Worthy is the Lamb”? Apart from God’s glory, everything He ever did, and does, was and is, for our benefit, and ours alone. I like how Paul puts it: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Hallelujah, what a wonderful Saviour!