As we close out 2010 there are many thoughts that caress our minds. Some have lost loved ones; others have had major medical problems. Some have changed jobs and others have seen relationships die. Some have made it through the year without any crisis. Others have fared well in spite of crisis. Some have succumbed to drifting and slipping away from truths taught and practiced for so long.

What is the key to longevity? In physical life it is clean living, good genes, healthy habits and care taken. At the relational level it is clean living, good partners, healthy habits and careful living. In the emotional life it is care taken, proper self-control, kindness given and received, emotional outlets that don’t scar and Spirit controlled actions. In our spiritual lives it is all the above plus the following:

Being intentional rather than drifting. God has built us so that we follow the way we set our minds to. Half-hearted commitment will not last beyond ill-advised New Year’s resolutions. Make them January 1 and forget them January 15. The choice must be made with all the heart, soul, mind and strength. Anything less will fade as the year goes by.

Being committed no-matter-what, rather than committed-as-long-as. What does it take to finish the year as faithful servants to Jesus? When the first temptation comes and we fall, it means that we have not really stepped into this new life for Christ. When we choose to miss being with our church family once, it makes it so easy the next time. Many have made a resolution to service but found it easier to make than to keep.

Being in community rather than lone rangers. A branch disconnected from the root will wither and dry. Branches joined together on regular bases will encourage faithfulness and will help us complete the year as faithful to the one who was faithful to us.

No law of science can explain the birth of the Christ Child. It can only be explained by an act of the Almighty God. Mary couldn’t explain it herself, much less explain it to her friends and family. Neither could Joseph. The unusual visitor caused Joseph to change his prospective. 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Mary and Joseph decided to remain in Bethlehem after Jesus was born. Faithful to the Law of Moses they had Jesus circumcised when he was eight days old. Jesus was presented in the temple at Jerusalem when he was forty days old.

It was at this occasion that Mary and Joseph were met by two senior saints: Simeon and Anna. The shepherds had already told their story. Now it was time for Simeon and Anna to tell theirs. What a story they told!

Later the Magi will arrive from the East. The “East” could be Parthia, Babylon, Persia or Egypt. Older scholars pick Persia; the scholars of today seem to favor Babylon. Either way they would have taken several months to travel to Bethlehem. That would explain the statement in Matthew 2:11 “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary.

It is a time of special intervention from heaven. God will now keep his promise to Abraham that “In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed”. Is was a giant step for God and a giant step for mankind.

We rejoice with the shepherds, the magi, the angels, Simeon and Anna, Joseph and Mary. We bow the knee to Jesus who was born in Bethlehem and we bring gifts to him: our very souls!

Most of us are aware that we don’t tell the old, old story as much and as enticingly as we would like. If we are honest we probably are a bit uncomfortable with the whole idea of evangelism.

Most people associate evangelism with hard-sell methods and fire scares.  There are many approaches to this tactic.

1. The scalp hunter – This person tries to save souls to add to his collection of trophies.
2. The shoehorn approach – This person uses any opening to slip in the gospel.
3. The con-man approach – The gospel is introduced under false pretenses.
4. The 2×4 approach – Pressure it put on the lost as he seeks to blast him with a blessing and clobber him into the kingdom.

Scripture gives three approaches to reaching the lost:

1. Proclamation – Peter used this in Acts 2 and 3,000 people were baptized.
2. The confrontational approach – Philip used this method when he met the Ethiopian in Acts 8. “Do you understand what you are reading?”
3. The relational approach – Paul’s approach to the people in Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 2:8) We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

It is this last approach that can make a difference for us.  Daily we make relationships at work and play.  Every day we can use these relationships to influence others for good.  Our example and our love for Jesus should be the armor we wear and others can take note.  In our families and among our friends there are many who could be influenced to come to Jesus.  Let’s do what we can to help people to come to know Christ.

Forgiveness is one of those areas where we look at scripture and frown. We sometimes winch as we read the Bible and see how much God forgives and how much He requires us to forgive.

Many have suffered the atrocities of others and have either become embittered or developed a spirit of forgiveness. Our ladies book club has recently read and discussed Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place. This book chronicles the atrocities in the wake of the German invasion of Holland. (1942 family very active in Dutch underground hiding refugees. 1944 arrested with entire family, sent first to Dutch prisons, finally to notorious Ravensbruck in Germany.)

Desmund Tutu wrote a book in 2000 about the need to forgive and move on. He called his book, No Future Without Forgiveness. He describes the liberating power of confession in paving the way to freedom. Dietrich Bonhoffer suffered great inhumanities from the prison guards and the system that was so diabolical. Yet, he was able to move on within this suffering and write some of the greatest literature known to us today.

Terrible things have happened to people of our world and the call for forgiveness seems out of place. Most of us will not suffer such terrible atrocities. The little offences that have so upset us are trifling compared to the inhumanities of prison camps and deaths of loved ones.

Back to Luke 17: If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” Little wonder that the disciples ask for an increase of faith. I sometimes do the same. Do You?

Israel government officials and environmentalists are clashing over one of the holiest spots in the Holy Land. In July, Israel’s health ministry discussed closing access to the spot on the lower Jordan River that Christians traditionally link with Jesus’ baptism. The environmental group calls attention to the sewage, pollutants, and heavy diversion of water. Israel’s Ministry of Tourism insisted the water was fine.

One of my friends from high school who married into the Spere Gospel Singing family took his children to the Jordan to have them baptized when they reached the age of accountability. He thought that it would have greater meaning if done there. When I was in Israel in the late 80s we took a man down to the Sea of Galilee and baptized him into Christ.

Did it take on greater significance than the recent baptisms in our local baptistery? The place of baptism has little significance. The person doing the baptism has little to do with the result of baptism. What is important is what is going on in the heart of the person being baptized.

Jesus set the example for baptism when John baptized him in the Jordan. Since then millions have given their lives to him and have been buried with him in baptism. If he delays his coming we hope that many others will take advantage of his blood and receive the forgiveness of sins. Heaven awaits our entrance when we are wearing Jesus as our clothing.

I’m sorry about the pollution of any river and certainly hope the Jordan can be cared for properly. I hope even more that many in our community will study the Bible and come to Jesus for their eternal destiny.

Paul had a prayer and a goal. He wanted to know Christ and he wanted others to know him. Knowing here is more than knowing facts. It has to do with a personal relationship with Jesus our Lord.

One of the most common stumbling stones to real knowledge of Christ is to think we know him and identify with one part. Some are like the blind men who felt different parts of an elephant. One assumes that spiritual life is like a trunk, another thinks that the spiritual life is like a tail, yet another feels the part and concludes that the spiritual life is like a leg.

Even the great apostle Paul knew that there is more to Christ than is humanly possible to fully comprehend. Everything in the spiritual life resists neat categorization. As we read and reread the gospel stories, we find new gems and new riches. We never fail to learn new truths. We can study the Bible for years and know that there are new truths awaiting us as we eagerly await our next reading.

To some who seem to know the scriptures well, the knowledge can become a conceit and a way to control. The humility of wisdom always whispers that there is more.

As we approach the study of the Holy Scriptures with open minds, this teachable spirit will allow us to gain new insights from the Word of God. Our prayer is as Paul prayed: I want to know Christ!

Did you know that the Bible was once a technological wonder? In its time we witness the progress from writing on tablets of stone, to the use of scrolls, and eventually to the binding of individual leafs into a book known as a codex. Christianity, according to many historians, was a driving force behind the spread of books. Gutenburg’s printing press is famous for its production of the Holy Bible.
Whether it is books or boats or telegraphs or emails, Christians have always used the tools available to them to proclaim the message of the gospel. It’s a message worth sharing in any sort of media.

Our website is one technology we use to spread the message of Jesus. Since 2006, we have had 3,475 different visitors to the site who viewed more than 17,300 pages. These visitors represent 63 countries on 6 continents, and every state except for Wyoming, Alaska, and Vermont. Our sermons have been listened to at least an additional 4,500 times—try adding that figure to our weekly attendance board! With this tool, we have literally “gone into all the world” without ever leaving our desks.

If you haven’t visited lately, check out the site’s redesigned look. We’ve added a few features to help you use it to communicate the gospel. At the bottom of every entry on our site, there is now a button that will send a copy of it to a friend via email. Just click and type an address, and the site does the rest. There’s a “print” button if you want to print a bulletin article for a friend. Leighann Jack has begun work to help us catalog our library, and you can see some of the books in the church library (as well as mine and James’) but looking in the “Our Library” section. You can view our most up-to-date membership directory under the “Members” menu, using the password available in the church office. (And when you find incorrect information, you can tell me, Lori, or Keith about it, too!)

Whether our tools are computers or wrenches, pens or hands to hold, it doesn’t matter. Whatever tools we have, we want to use them to the glory of God!

I was in New Zealand when the terrorists struck. It was interesting to see the different angles that broadcasters from New Zealand, Australia and Asia gave to the death of their own citizens. We need to remember that there were deaths from nearly every major country in the world.

Investigators learned quickly that the cruel murderers were of the Muslim faith. They were radicals who hate people and care little for lives. It is properly noted that there were 60 Muslims in the dead at Ground Zero (+19 of the terrorists). These radicals have no respect for life even of their own religion.

I think that many religions breed radical off springs. I also think that the Islamic religion tends to be one of the worst religions for breeding terrorists. It might be good to examine where the religion began and its history. (We did a lesson comparing Jesus and Mohammed last Christmas.)

On this anniversary of 9/11/2001 we can feel a sense of safety as we live in a secure country. Yet, nothing is absolutely secure except our hope in Jesus. We need to be reminded that this world is not our final home.

Let us pray that there will never be a repeat of 9/11. I Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

What the world needs now is a good example. We find few in our world who live the life they proclaim with their words. We become accustom to men and women in the political world speaking with forked tongue. We see businesses caught up in one scandal after another. The press likes to find leaders in the Christian movement caught in a sin. They can gloat over the sins of Christians but can’t see their own.

It is no easy task to live a daily life of humility, faith, purity and love. There are many examples around us that seem to beckon us to a life of compromise. Giving in to the desi9res of the flesh is not looked on as a weakness unless you get caught. Getting caught is the greatest of sins.

Not so for us who try to live a life of dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to please him in every way. Our lives are to bring honor to him and not dishonor to his love.

I like what Francis of Assisi said about preaching. “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.” Examples either make or break the presentation of the good news of Jesus.

Others have made similar statements about the effectiveness of good examples. “I’d rather see a sermon that hear one any day.” “An ounce of examples is worth a pound of words.” “Empty words may be flattering but examples are more likely to last”

It is healthy for us to look into our own hearts to see what is there. What is there will always make its way to the surface. The mouth usually will speak what is in the heart. We can work on being more kind and gentle as we live our lives before others. Let your light shine with a good example this week.

My wife recently was reading a book called The Know It All. As I understand the theme of the book it is about a fellow who read through the Encyclopedia Britannica. For most this is boring reading and most of us would only do it in research for some school project.

This man was a “Know it all” on almost any subject. I have heard people referred to as “having just enough knowledge to be dangerous”. Maybe this is what Paul is referencing in Romans 14. There have always been people who make up their minds what others should do and how they should do it and attempt to get them to get on with it.

The Message is pretty forceful when this verse is translated, “Forget about deciding what’s right for each other”. I have the annoying habit of deciding what is right for others and attempting to get them to fall in line. It may even be what is right but God never commissioned me to decide for others. If a person wanted to celebrate a certain day, that’s between him and God. We are not to make these judgments for others. Back off brother James! Verse 6 says, “He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

Trusting others to make good decision about questionable things is part of maturing in Christ. Some have never reached this maturity but need to move off the plateau on which they have parked. God is the judge and we are never to broach His domain. Let God be the one who leads and guides. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

It is easy for men to live inconsistently. We can say one thing and do the opposite as easy as eating melting ice cream in our hot summer temperature. Inconsistency is the one thing that will remain consistent in our lives.

There is a contrast in the verses surrounding the verse above between the humanity of the messengers – Paul, Silvanus and Timothy – and the divinity of the person who is the essence of the message. 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”

Those who believe the message are the ones who find the “Yes” for their lives. It is never that we know everything and we are sure of all things. It is never that we are assured because we know from a human standpoint that Jesus is God’s son. We do not find security because we have understood all about the incarnation, propitiation and glorification. (Some have a hard time even saying those words must less in understanding them)

Our faith is not in our complete understanding of the gospel. Our faith is in the giver of the gospel. Our faith is in who Jesus is and what he has done. We can know the truth and the truth can set us free. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

In and through Him the divine “Yes” has become a permanent reality because of God’s character and promises. We are sure of who we are because we know who He is. All promises of God are fulfilled in him. In him we live and move and have our very being. Because of him we walk with the Lord and find hope fulfilled in his live, death and resurrection.

We are confident in him – never in what we are or what we do. 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”

Language is a strange thing. We can carry old ideas in language for generations after they have lost their meaning. The way we use words can affect the way we perceive others.

The words “male” and “female” are words that have sometimes come under scrutiny. Trying to make male and female genderless has been attempted with little success. Some have even attempted to make God genderless but that has also gone the way of the hula hoop.

Aileen Hernandez, once president of the National Organization of Women, has noted:

There’s a “housewife” but no “househusband”; there’s a “housemother” but no “housefather”; there’s a” kitchenmaid” but no “kitchenman”; unmarried women cross the threshold from “bachelor girl” to “spinster” to “old maid”, but unmarried men are “bachelors” forever.

Much has changed in the last few years and most of all confusion has reigned.  We become confused as adults and our children follow to the extreme.  What we often joke about becomes a reality in our young minds.

The language we use not only represents our reality but helps shape our reality.  Confusion in today’s words has produced many a mixed up thinking.  Thinking becomes reality and we dive off the deep end of sexism into painful tangles.  In the barb wire of confusion we writhe in bleeding relationships.

Our God was never confused.  He made man male and female from the beginning.  Those who confuse this issue will never find the real meaning to life as God designed it.

It was always Paul’s custom to appoint elders as soon as he founded a church (Acts 14:23). He understood that leadership was the key to the stability and faithfulness of any church. He did not found any super organization that would control all the churches.  There is little organization in the New Testament other than the local church.

Paul left Titus in Crete to get the organization of the church on stable ground. This was to be done by selecting leaders who could give this stability.  Titus was to take the lead in getting this done as evangelist for the churches on Crete. Homer spoke of “Crete of the hundred cities.” Paul was concerned that the churches on Crete stand as autonomous as possible.

The Burns church is at the door of appointing new elders to lead this church for the next generation.  We need to set in order the things that are lacking and ordain elders for this church.  It is a sacred undertaking and one we approach with greatest pray and care.

On July 11 at 4:30 in the afternoon we will have a special meeting of interested members of this church to discuss the process that we want to use to bring this church up to par for leaders. We are asking that all members who have special interest in this process to meet in the technology room for this meeting.

We hope to move back in the direction of having elders to lead this church and you are important to this goal.  Please make yourself available for this meeting today at 4:30

Freedom! It’s one of those words that has become sacred to us in this country.  It is a word that takes on special meaning at this time of the year.  July 4th is not just about firecrackers and barbeque. It is about freedom and sacrifice and balanced thinking that guards our freedoms and makes them special to us and examples to the world.

Our hearts are heavy because other countries do not have the freedoms that we have.  They do not have the freedom to worship as they believe.  Others in our world cannot speak their minds without being killed or imprisoned. There is no freedom of the press that allows the actual news to get out to the people.

Many have fought and many have died to preserve this freedom.  We must never take this freedom for granted.  Our country was established on the principles laid out in Holy Scripture and we can continue in freedom as long as we abide under this shield.  Freedom is what our Lord gives to us as we partake of His grace.  Freedom is what the Lord gives as we abide under His guidance.

It is a good time for us to pause and thank God for the freedoms we have and pray fervently that we can act responsibly and guard this freedom.

Many search for freedom and often miss out on receiving it.  Some search in all the wrong places. Others simply won’t do the right things to receive it.  Still others just refuse to recognize how it is acquired.

On this 4th of July, 2010 let us rejoice in our freedom in the good old USA and thank God for the freedom He gives us in His Son Jesus Christ.

The Gores have split after 40 year. Yep! Tipper and Al are going their separate ways. One daughter had already divorced and the other decided to call it quits as well. It seems that more and more people are splitting their marriage and giving up on the vows they have made. It is a sad state of affairs.

At our recent couples’ retreat I shared the following rules for a lasting marriage. Read them carefully and make your marriage “until death do us part.”

Lessons for couples:

Eight rules for a lasting marriage by James Hinkle

1. Always acknowledge the presence of the other spouse.
2. Listen before you answer.
3. Elevate your spouse above all others.
4. Watch for opportunities to complement the other spouse.
5. Never entertain thoughts that your marriage is bad.
6. Never think that others’ marriage is better than yours.
7. Pray for your spouse every day.
8. Always be ready do things for your spouse as much as you would do things for others.

This verse has always fascinated me. I have often heard the expression, “He is impossible.” It doesn’t take long to run into some of those impossible people in our daily walk. We pray “Lord! Give me patience and please hurry.”

I suppose that Paul understood the problem as well or better than most. He met people all over who would not listen to any form of reason. “Don’t confuse me with facts, my mind is made up.”

At Lystra (Acts 14) Paul and Barnabas were about to be worshiped as gods when they stopped the sacrifice. It took only a few verses later before the people stoned Paul, dragged him outside the city thinking that he was dead. What a fiasco!

The Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius once pinned the following lines:

I am going to be meeting people today who talk too much –
People who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful.
But I won’t be surprised or disturbed
For I can’t imagine a world without such people.

Maybe Paul was telling the Romans just to be patient with people. Try to see the good in others. Overlook the bad. Suit your actions to what is inside of you not on what is external to you.

Our world could be a much better place. The church could be a happier place. “As it depends on you”.

Have you spent much thought about your personal integrity? We don’t want to become obsessed with showcasing our character but it might be good to give it some consideration.

Here are some questions to ponder:

* Am I the person others believe me to be?
* When others are not observing, am I still a person of integrity?
* Am I perceived to be an honest person?
* Am I someone who can be trusted?
* If my books were opened how would they read?
* Does my character exude love, grace and humility?

Some are heard to say about certain people, “He’s a character.” What they mean is that he is a bit strange in thinking and habits. He might have certain antisocial habits that isolate him from normal activity.

The same word that is translated “Character” in Romans 5:4 is translated “stand the test” in II Corinthians 2:9. (“severe trial” – II Corinthians 8:2, “demanding proof” II Corinthians 13:3) Paul uses the same word with his appraisal of Timothy in Philippians 2:22. “You know that Timothy has proved himself”.

Some people seem unconcerned about their reputation. Shepherds are to have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. (I Timothy 3:7) Maybe we should all be a bit concerned about our character.

Patience and perseverance can produce character and character will not disappoint us because it brings hope.

I love to sing the song “The Kingdoms of earth pass away one by one but the Kingdom of heaven remains.” It points to an everlasting truth that God is the only guarantee of permanency in our ever-changing world.

If I go back to where I grew up the changes are enormous. The high school where I went to school is still there but the changes are many. The place where I lived as a child is still there but there are houses now standing where I spent many a hot day picking cotton. The old barn is long gone where I milked the cows in the early morning and late evening.

People that I once knew have grown old and many are no longer on this side of eternity. The cars that I thought were so cool are now in the junk yard or made into classics. They now are reserved for parades and old car museums.

Jesus laid a great burden on all His people when he talked about the kingdom that is not of this earth. He is talking about the way the kingdom begins and grows. It is a matter of what is going on inside our hearts. The seed of the kingdom is the word of God. The soil of the kingdom is the good and honest hearts that will open for the master to come in.

When the word is planted in our hearts and grows we become part of the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even death is conquered by those who become part of King Jesus’ worldwide and everlasting rule.

The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one but the kingdom of heaven will never end!

There is an apocryphal story about a village warrior in a cannibal village in a remote South Pacific Island. He came down with a stomach ailment and went to the local witch doctor for help. After the good doctor had given him a careful check-up he diagnosed the malady: “You are just fed up with people.”

People that are different from us are sometimes rejected. Peter was an apostle of Jesus, specially chosen to be the chief spokesman on the beginning day of the church. He had spent 3 ½ years with our Lord and could have been a learner at His feet.

Yet, there was one important truth that Peter had failed to learn: God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34, 35) It took a series of miracles to convince this beloved apostle to look at people through the eyes of Jesus.

Don’t be surprised that after 2,000 years we still have an “eye problem”. Seeing others as God sees them is no easy task. We see what they wear, drive and do. We see where they live and with whom they chum. We make our judgment on the bases of outward appearances.

It is difficult to look deeper into the hearts of people we see each day. It is no easy task to look at people through the eyes of God. But we must do it. We may not do it as well as God but we can move in His direction. After all, only God can look down on people. James

There is something that makes God laugh. It is not that it’s so funny but that it’s so sad. God laughs in derision at those who think they can accomplish things without him. Those who think they can breathe without His oxygen. Those who want to live without His food and water. Those who forget God and the world HE has made.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21) Why plan without God. Why makes any move without saying If God is willing. (James 4:14) Without divine support and help, no human effort can really be successful.

I should be in Tauranga, New Zealand when you get this bulletin. The time there is 17 hours ahead of Tennessee time. That means that it is already Monday here. Many of you have expressed to me that you will be praying for the work there. I received a call from Miriam Masters Tuesday night and she wanted me to know that she is praying for the work in NZ. Please keep praying!

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

I should return, Lord willing, on March 18 and will be back in the Burns pulpit on March 21. Matthew will bring good lessons and you have the opportunity to hear Jeff Kuhns once again.

I try to live by this verse: Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)

If we have oozed out of some slime millions of years ago and have reached the present state of being a humanoid, who are we and of what value? How do we place a value on us humans? Is it because of the chemical makeup of our physical natures? Do we arrive at great value because we can think about things and plan ahead? Are we valuable because we are ahead of others animals in our evolutionary process?

Any evolutionary theory of how man came to be winds up being degrading to humans. If all we are is more advanced animals, where is the super value we put on humans. Why not just bury the death and shoot the wounded in Haiti and let other animals take their place?

You must understand that humans are of immense value. Not because they have evolved more than other animals but because there is a God in heaven who has put his mark on his creation and man is the climax of his creation. He who created Adam from the dust and Eve from his rib breathed into them the breath of life and man became living beings in his image.

Man has fallen – oh how he has fallen – but he remains in the image of God. He is valued because he is created by God. We don’t just ignore the suffering in Haiti because they are men and women, boys and girls created in the image of God. Being special creatures of God makes them valuable.

Man has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, But no matter how far man falls he still retains the glory of God. God thought so much of His creation that he sent his son to make us right again. How valuable is that?

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius once wrote:

I am going to meet people today who talk too much –
People who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful.
But I won’t be surprised or disturbed
For I can’t imagine a world without such people.

As people living in a fallen world we are battered by outward circumstances that seem bent on our destruction. It is easy to fall victim to the old diabolical adage that we have no control over what happens to us. So we spend our lives blaming others or basting in self-pity.

God is never happy when we fail to take personal responsibility for our thinking, attitudes and actions. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)  Through right thinking we can move to godly faith.  When we move to godly faith we can begin to squeeze out of life hidden good that life has to offer.

What do you expect to se in your life?  Most of us are aware that we get out of life more than we expect when we walk withy God. When we walk against God or treat Him with indifference, what could we expect?

What kind of people are you going to meet today?  Will they all be kind and accepting of you? Will they offend you by their rejection?  Will you be angered by others actions and reactions?

Maybe we could learn to listen more and talk less.  We might be able to control our thoughts better and feel less rejected when people don’t do what we expect. What kind of people do you expect to meet today?  Since we don’t always have a choice of what people we might meet in a given day a better question is “How will we respond?”

Knowing and learning are the tools of the preacher.  He must always be reading and studying to be sure that he speaks from the overflow and not drain the brain before he completes a lesson. The ministry of study is a choice that preachers must make early in their ministry or they will not last long in the pulpit.

The problem that I have is that the more I study the more I realize my ignorance. The wider my knowledge becomes the more I know I don’t know.  It is only the ignorant who know everything and can be positive. It is only the ignorant who become fanatics. The more I learn, the more I know I need to learn.

Many years ago I heard a prominent preacher say that he had not changed his mind on a subject since he was very young.  That seems to be a rash statement to me.  I am ever learning as I study my Bible.  I learn new truths and desire to share them with others.  I did that last Sunday and I will have another go at it this Lord’s Day.

The Bible is an ocean of God’s truth and none can swim the Atlantic.  We study and learn and grow and prepare.  We open the books and wade into the ocean of truth and put into action the things we learn.  It is a wonderful day when we give up on perfect understanding of the Word and just do the parts we understand.

It is a happy day when we realize that it is because of the death of Jesus that we can be right with God. Christians are not perfect people but people who have been perfected by the grace of God found in Christ Jesus.

Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1      James

There are few of us who have not had a share in some conflict that has arisen among us.  Churches and communities are alive with external and internal fighting. We have been fortunate to have avoided any bad fights for the last seven years.  Praise God!

The verse above is in the context of wise leaders who are peacemakers and not peace destroyers. 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.18  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Strife is never initiated by wise leaders who are peacemakers.  It is not something that is necessary in a local body.  It is of the devil and fits with his desire to make people miserable.  Strife that is destructive is when men allow the devil to get inside.  It is internal “among you”.

Human nature is in the grip of an internal invasion.  Satan’s army of occupation is on the prowl eagerly ready to devour. Satan’s natural aim is to cause as much confusion and conflict as possible.  His diabolical mind knows that one way to discourage the work of the Lord is to get disciples discouraged.

God’s Spirit is in control in the Christian’s life.  The evil desires of Satan cannot be allowed to invade and make a home base. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (4:7).

If an angel suddenly appeared to you what would be your first reaction? I would look for the trick and at what is going on that could cause this trick. Maybe you would just accept it as real and go with the instructions the angel gives.

An angel appeared to Zechariah as he ministered in the temple. His reaction was expected. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. (Luke 1:12)

Next on Gabriel’s agenda was a visit to a young virgin of Nazareth. Her reaction is also expected. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:29)

When Joseph had learned of Mary’s pregnancy he considered his options. Then the angel came and helped him make the right decision. Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Imagine how the sleepy shepherds must have felt as they were recipients of a visit from and angel. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (Luke 2:9)

After Jesus had resigned his flesh to suffer his fate on the cross, An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. (Luke 22:43)

The Bible ends with the testimony of an angel. (Revelation 22:16) We remember the angel and we rejoice!

Change doesn’t come easy. Some have given in to the devilish idea that a person cannot change. What one is is destined and there is no power to change.

People in Jeremiah’s day felt the same way. We have little or no power to change the direction of our lives and we should just accept the way we are and make the best of it. What a defeatist attitude. Human beings become like a dog with instincts or a lemming that cannot help but rush into the nearest ocean and drown.

“Choose you this day whom you will serve” says Joshua to his people. He understood that men were created with the freedom to choose. What we choose, we are accountable for the choices we make. Accountability makes no sense when there is no choice.

We often complain of living powerless, of living by the expectations of others and being prevented by external circumstances from making real change. “Since I was a child I have felt” (You fill in the rest). I was born with Ethiopian skin and I cannot change. I have the spots of a leopard and I have no hope of change. Look again at the verse from Jeremiah. Can Ethiopians change their skin or leopards their spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. (NRSV)

We are not passive victims of life. We do make choices. We do have the power to change the major directions of our lives. We struggle and we fight and we make better choices then the outcome will be better.

“Pride is the root of all evil,” so some have declared. Pride led Adam and Eve to make bad decisions. Pride led the people of Babel to choose the wrong direction. Pride has been the detrimental cause of many a fall.

Pride puffs up the chest. Pride seeks to be the center of attraction. Pride wants to be the focus of every gathering and the source of all attention. In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. (Psalm 10:4) When pride comes, then comes disgrace. (Proverbs 11:2)

This verse leads to another problem with pride. There is a kindred emotion to pride that can so devastate you that recovery can become impossible. Once you have flexed your muscle of pride you can fall into the emotion of shame. When pride begins its destruction, shame follows closely behind.

Shame will cause you to hide from God. Adam and Eve felt the need to hide in the Garden and could have lived in shame for the rest of their lives. God was not willing to let them live in their shame and he came to them with a new way for living that included moving from the Garden.

When the fall occurs because of pride you have the tendency to avoid. The erring husband avoids going home. The worker avoids going to work. The offender avoids facing the questions from his constituents. The Christian might even avoid the only help that is available to him. He will avoid the church.

I have found that church people are the most forgiving of all the people in our world. We are taught to say “But there for the grace of God, go I.” We understand that we are forgiven to forgive.

When pride seeks to destroy don’t let shame keep you down. When a haughty spirit causes you to fall, let Jesus help you up.

Boaz has checked it out; Ruth is a woman of character.  Her character is known in the town.  He does not realize that he and Ruth are destined to become the ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He only knows that she is a woman of character.

“Character Counts” is a program that caught on a few years ago in the nation’s schools. Our nation was being buried in the manure of character failures.  We had reached the epitome of degradation and character failures.  It was time for us to regain the old ways that brought the character of individuals to the forefront.

We had moved from the character ethic to the personality ethic.  Stephen Covey is his book The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People notes this change in emphasis in our nation.  He found that the literature in early American focused on qualities of honesty, integrity, virtue, and faithfulness.

Today the literature shows a dramatic shift toward a personality ethic that focuses on learning to manipulate, look good, personal satisfaction and a move people toward goals. There is a growing awareness that somewhere we have taken a wrong turn.  Our jails are full of young and old who attempt short cuts to happiness and find the road is full of potholes and pain and disappointment.

God has always shared with us that Character Counts:  3 we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5)  Without character there is little room for hope.  We need to get our nation back to attending church, studying the Bible and living the way we were designed to live.  Only then can we become a great nation. People who have no knowledge of God and His word have a hard time with character. Let’s get with God’s program because Character Counts.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, James Allen, an English clergyman, wrote a remarkable book he titled As a Man Thinketh. He based his book on the verse above.  Through the intervening years the book has inspired countless numbers of people. The central message of the book is “good thoughts can never produce bad results; bad thoughts can never produce good results.” It is a very simple formula.

The brain is a marvelous and vital part of our wonderful human machine.  No amount of time for any amount of evolution can explain the brain.  It is God made and God infused. No matter what action one takes it is anticipated and followed by thought. The Bible has told us that we are what we think.  Think about such things (Philippians 4:8) is a given in the Bible.

How can I be a kind person? Think kind thoughts. How can I become a contented person? Think contented thoughts. You can live out what you think. Healthy living is a product of healthy minds.  Thinking can determine the direction of your life.

John Chapman wrote, “Our goodness comes solely from thinking on goodness; our wickedness from thinking on wickedness.” You want to live a good life and avoid the pitfalls of the modern transgressor? Avoid the thinking that can lead you to bad choices and diabolical action.  Want to get out of the ruts you have found so debilitating? Change the way you think. Troubled people have troubled minds.

If you find that your life is crazy, work on your thinking patterns.  Bad patterns of thinking can destroy our lives just as cancer can destroy our bodies. Paul is clear about our thinking. Fix your thoughts on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things (Philippians 4:8)

James is a practical man as he writes his book. If you want to get some practical advice for your daily living, read this little book. In the paragraph that contains the above verse, James has talked about making plans for the future. Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.

Most of us will make plans for the future and will expect to accomplish what we plan. Planning is certainly a legitimate activity. But why does James seem to downgrade it. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

There is more to the statement than meets the eye at first look. How true it is that we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We are not even sure what will happen today. Tomorrow may never come for us. You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

It is not that James doesn’t want us to plan for tomorrow. It is not that he forbids advanced planning. What he really wants is for us to realize that tomorrow is the Lord’s and we must never make plans without Him in mind. You ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Making plans for tomorrow or next week or next year is only as secure as our plans for including God in them. Any success that we might have tomorrow will depend on whether the Lord gives us tomorrow. If tomorrow never comes then what? Will we be in relationship with Jesus that will sustain us if tomorrow never comes. Planning with God in mind just makes sense in our world of insecurity and uncertainness. It is good and right to say we will do this and that tomorrow IF THE LORD WILL.

Our understanding of God governs everything else about our lives. What we do on Sunday. What we do on Monday-Saturday. How we work at our job. How we treat our neighbor. Where we spend our money. What activities we choose to participate in.

Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem in 445 B.C for the express purpose of rebuilding the fallen walls of the city. He was a man of one mind. He was able to get the people focused on the task at hand. Along with Ezra the scribe, he was successful in getting the people to acknowledge their sin and bring praise to God.

The rest of the verse above has the focus of all our praise to the God of creation. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. The God who created this world and sustains it is worthy of all praise.

Perhaps in this 21st century of skepticism and doubt, it would be good to go back and reflect on the creation of the world. We are met on every hand with what the scientist had found out about the earth. We are led further into a world of nothing to a world of nothing. Matter created all life and matter is easier to deal with than a God of all power.

Our world is floundering on the brink of total disaster. There is no fear of God in the heart of today’s citizens. While our world collapses men are moving away from the one who can bring stability to society. We must stand in the gap and proclaim the God of the Bible and be sure that we have our ducks in order in our own faith.

It is not enough to out argue the world we must out live the world. Grow in our understanding of God and grow closer to Him. That is where the hope of the world lies.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. Ephesians 6:7

If you want to study one of the great characters of the Bible you only have to go to a man by the name of Caleb. He was that other spy that came back from the first trip to Canaan and with Joshua stood with God and said that the land could be conquered with God’s help. The other ten said it couldn’t be done and preferred to go back into the wilderness for forty years.

I punched in the word “wholeheartedly” into my computer and five times the word applies to Caleb. He is said to have followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ (Num. 32:12; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:8, 9, 14). One translation gives the phrase as “He stuck to his guns, heart and soul.”

What does it mean to wholeheartedly serve the Lord? It may be defined with what it is not. It certainly is not half-hearted commitment to the Lord. It is not a take-it-or-leave form of service. It is more than one hour each week dedicated to serve Him. Most of us could tell others what it is not.

“Whole” and “heartedly” seem to go together. When one’s heart is wholly committed to something the whole mind and strength and soul are in harmony with the direction of one’s life. There is no question where your heart lies and your allegiance is focused.

The passage above is in the context of slaves serving their masters. Paul enlightens us and confirms what it means to serve wholeheartedly. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

Not just when you think others are looking. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. (I Thess. 2:4) Be wholly doing the will of God from your heart.

Champions learn to play hurt. We know that our favorite football player must play sometimes hurting.  He can’t just stop when he is hurt.  I once read a story about a man who played a half of the game with a broken arm.  That may be a bit beyond the call of duty.

“Amateurs can produce when they feel like it. Pros can produce when they don’t feel like it.” There is a local advertiser whose slogan seems to be “Life dose not have to hurt.”  I’m not sure about that. Life has its hurts.  Pain is a way of life for many this side of eternity.

Perhaps the character of a man is more evident when he has his back to the wall.  What we are really comes out when the pressure rises.  It is at this point that our faith really comes out.  If there is no testing of faith there is no certainty that we are really true believers.  James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Paul was a man familiar with pain.  He faced it with strength and fortitude.  It was a daily battle with difficulty.  When Paul pleaded with the Father to remove the thorn in his flesh, He answered: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

We don’t always equate power and weakness, but Paul did.  When we think of our walk with Jesus, we often can quit because of some pain in our physical of emotional make-up.  It is at this time that our faith is being tested and we need to endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ (II Timothy 2:3)

Some concepts in the Bible and the words used today to describe them need to be rescued from man-made distortions.  These distortions have accumulated through the years and have reversed the original meaning that we find in the Holy Scriptures.  We believe that we should go back to the Bible, not just to the current use of Bible concepts.

The word deacon is one of those words that we have a lot of baggage attached to and it is difficult for us to go back to the Bible for our understanding.  What pops into our minds when a word is used is conditioned by our own experiences and background.  Pastor is one of those words. When the word is used a certain idea, based on past experiences, pops into our minds.  Depending on our background the word deacon is likewise fraught with imbedded ideas.

Jesus has forever changed the use of the word deacon.  He has placed the responsibility on all his disciples that they be deacons.  Deacons in the text above is somewhat akin to a household servant.  A deacon is one who cares for the needs of others.  He is one who leads in a particular ministry, ministering out love to meet the needs of the local body.

If translators had translated the word rather than make an English word out of the Greek word, it would have simply been servant or minister.  Then we could get on with what Jesus said in Matthew 20: find a need and meet it by serving others.  That way we could all be ministers in the Kingdom and obey the orders of our beloved King.

Long-standing traditional boundaries very often restrict our freedom to think under the direction of the Holy Spirit in the Word. What could this church be like if all of us would show the attitude of Jesus in serving others?

What would it take to get people to wake up and be zealous/earnest about what is right and repent?  Would it take a natural disaster the size of Noah’s flood? Would a tsunami make us aware that this world is not our home? Would an invasion of our country so shock us that we would get involved in our spiritual nature and repent and turn our live over to a higher power?

The verse above calls for immediate repentance and a constant and continuous zeal for the Lord. The purpose of the Lord is to save. Jesus died to bring it about. God is concerned that we turn away from sin and turn to him. Paul describes it this way in I Thessalonians 1:9 how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

As a church we could add a lot of zeal to our lives and begin making more of a difference in our community.  It is a little like the church that caught fire on Sunday night and the little community came out to observe.  One old fellow who had never darkened the door of the church was there watching.  One friend said to him, “Well, Bill, I never thought that you would come to church” His reply was cutting: “I never saw the church on fire before.”

We believe that we should light a candle and not just curse the darkness.  Many are living in this community and have no knowledge of God.  They can’t tell you the different between Abraham and George Washington. Our world is like Nineveh of old who cannot tell their right hand from their left (Jonah 4:11)

We need zeal for Jesus to tell our family, our friends and our neighbors that in the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

When you look at the life of Jesus from a human standpoint, you might conclude that his life was a failure. From a purely human standpoint he didn’t do much.

He never traveled more than a few miles from his hometown. He never wrote any books. He never painted any pictures in giant cathedrals. He might have built a good yoke for oxen that fit well, but they are long gone and almost forgotten.

He never ran for public office. He never owned large portions of land. He never had thousands working for him in a business. He never invented something that made medical or aviation history.

He was a simple Galilean peasant who changed the world. More books have been written about him than any other in history. More cathedrals have been erected in his honor. More political systems have been affected by his followers and his teaching. More travelers have carried the word of this man to more places on the earth than any other. More pictures and sculptures have honored him than any man in history.

At the end of his life he uttered the simple phrase “It is finished.” That phrase speaks volumes. He accomplished what he came to do. He died that man might have a chance to live. His life was the greatest success of all time. His life and death is still making a difference in this world and is making a huge difference in my life and yours

It looked as if his ministry was a failure but he lives and that is all we need to know. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. (John 17:4)

“I’m afraid to die”, says Bobby. “I wish I didn’t have that fear but it is real and I have it deep in my soul.”  Bobby has read the scriptures time and time again about the assurance that we have in Christ.  His religion is not totally performance based but there is a little bit left in him.

Bobby goes on to say, “I can’t imagine what God will do with a skunk like me.” It is easy to argue from scripture that salvation is by grace. The death of Jesus secured our forgiveness and his resurrection assures us of victory over death.  Our own baptism placed us in his family and the same power that raised Jesus from the death worked in us as we were buried with him and raised with him from the grave of water. 12 Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12)

But all arguments fail because this is not a logical decision but an emotional one.  All arguments fail to convince one when the decision was reached emotionally rather than logically. Logical argument cannot change the emotional mind.

Sometimes there is some emotional event in the past that still controls one’s thinking in the present.  Until this is overcome one will continue to act on that buried emotion.

When one is saved by the grace of God all sins are gone and forgiveness is ever occurring. Whether we think clearly about the subject does not change the fact.  We are saved and God will today welcome us into His heavenly home.

Jesus brings salvation down to us and when we are covered by his blood, there is no fear in death.  “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” It’s good to believe it and to feel it.  Whether we feel it completely or not it is still real.  I Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The road back to the Father’s house is long and hard.  It is filled with doubt and despair.  It depresses and decomposes.  It works on every part of the human creation.

Physical, spiritual and emotional reconditioning requires one to address each area.  When one leaves the Father’s house and goes into a far country. He is “aching for a breaking”.  He may not end up feeding hogs but the pigpen will await.  Living away from the Father’s house is not that easy.  Some can drift for years and not reach the bottom. The time will come when all must face the ordeal of the Father’s house.  What will is be then?

Rejuvenating one’s spiritual life involves at least these two things: 1) returning to God’s primary desire for my life, 2) listening for God.  The prodigal remembered the father and listened for him.  He followed that still small voice all the way from the pigpen to the Father’s house.

Sin can black out the Fathers’ will in our lives. Many can live with little or no attention to their true spiritual nature.  The soul can be starving to death and the rest of the human creation seems to work okay.  However, nothing will totally satisfy until we find our connection with the Father.

The man who knows his sins is greater than one who raises a dead man by his prayer. He who sighs and grieves within himself for an hour is greater than the one who teaches the entire universe.  He who follows Christ, alone and contrite, is greater than one who enjoys the favor of crowds in churches. - St. Isaac the Syrian

It is impossible to believe something you have never heard.  Faith comes by hearing. When something is presented we can decide then whether to believe or reject what we have heard.

The Christian religion is a taught religion.  “Go and teach!” is the way of Christ.  It is the way to get the message of hope to a hopeless world.  It is the way of salvation to a lost world.  It is the way to heaven for a world that is headed in the other direction.

Christians are not to be soil inspectors; they are to be seed sowers. The seed is the word of God.  Jesus wants everyone to hear the message of his love.

How can they hear without someone preaching to them?

We are presently engaged in a massive outreach activity.  This involves many of our members who will work alongside of our visiting campaigners.  This will also involve many in cooking and serving in the Name of Jesus.  The effort is intended to let the Burns community know that we care.

When the week is finished we will have done what Jesus commanded.  The seed will have been sowed.  The soil will either bring forth good crops or bad.  The response is dependent on the hearts of the people that we contact.

We thank all who are having a part in this outreach.  We continue to pray for our community.  We believe that the Burns community is one of the best places to live in Tennessee.  We believe that the Burns church is one of the positive influences in this community.  May God be glorified!

      It has been my privilege to spend about a month in New Zealand teaching students the Bible and training them to be church leaders.  This has been a special ministry for me for about twenty years.

      The training school where I teach is in Tauranga, New Zealand.  There are students from all over the South Pacific, Australia and Asia. This year we had students from New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Pakistan and Fiji.  These students will go back to their homeland and culture and be lights for Christ in their own neighborhoods and communities.  We believe that this is the best way to do world evangelism.

      While in New Zealand I get to work with several former students and I was able to preach every Sunday I was there. The Lord’s Church has struggled in the South Pacific but is beginning to make progress.  There as several church plants and more will become a reality as our students get going in their communities. Most of the churches in Fiji and New Zealand are now led by our students.

      On another topic we are about ready to knock every door in Burns.  Our campaign begins June 10^th. Campaigners will begin arriving on Wednesday night and the door knocking will begin on Thursday. Glen Buffington is in charge of all organizational matters.  He has worked to get ready and many of you are on his team.  This effort will require that all of us “give of our best to the Master”.  From food to washing baptismal garments to cleaning the building to greeting new members, much is to be done.  See Glen if you have not already volunteered.

      Thanks to Matthew who preached in my absence. There was not a beat missed when I was gone.  We are much blessed by having Matthew and Leslie on our team.

      This weekend is our “couples’ retreat” at Joe Wheeler State Park in North Alabama. Jeff and Pam have planned a great retreat and all who attend will be blessed.  We will be down in our attendance with so many gone.  Sit close and sing as loud as you can. 

He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Hebrews 1:3

      Several years ago Ed Fudge wrote a commentary on the Book of Hebrews and called it Our Man In Heaven.   Sounds like an appropriate title for the work of the risen Lord as he completed his work on earth and went back to heaven and finished offering his blood before the real mercy seat in heaven. Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

      As Jesus left the disciples on the earth and ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11), He goes back to the Father and completes the offering of his blood for the remission of our sins.  His journey to earth and his journey back to the Father are now complete and he always lives to intercede for us.  He is truly our man in heaven.  He sent forth the Holy Spirit and he now is our advocate in heaven and will one day return to take us home with him.  What a day that will be?!!!

      By sitting down on the right hand of the Father he has. now finished his work of bringing salvation to men.  He will bring about full redemption of our bodies when he returns for us. By the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, (he) will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Phil. 3:21)

      The resurrection of Jesus from the tomb is our assurance that we can also be raised.  As we arise from the waters of baptism through faith in the power of God who raised him from the death we can know that as children of God we have eternal hope.

      When Jesus took his seat at the right hand of the Father, Things were ready for the world to be redeemed.  Now is the time for all of us to be on board the good ship to heaven. 

             The words above were spoken to a group of women who had come to the tomb of Jesus to give the body of dead Jesus a special anointing.  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. (Mark 16:1) They wanted to show their love and devotion to Jesus.

             The body was not there!  Where was it?  What had happened to the dead Jesus? Why was the tomb where Jesus had been buried now empty?  It had been only three days and the grave was guarded by trained solders who would watch carefully that nothing happened to that body.

The chief priests and Pharisees were afraid that his disciples may come and steal the body. After the body went missing, they paid the soldiers large sums of money to say His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.

Now when I am asleep it is difficult to identify people who come and go during the night.  These soldiers can identify the disciples, and testify that they stole the body of Jesus while they are asleep.  Quiet a testimony for the day.  Certainly answers all the questions about why the tomb is empty.

If he is not in the tomb, where is he?  If the disciples have not stolen the body maybe his enemies did?  When Jesus was proclaimed as risen from the dead would not his enemies bring the body and say “you believe a lie”.

If he is not in the tomb, where is he?  Maybe the angel was right when he declared, “He is risen from the dead.” But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.

If Jesus is no longer in the tomb, he is alive and working to get us to the place where he is now.  He is not here, he is alive and working all things out for His people to come and be with him forever in our new resurrection body.

Before Jesus was killed on the cross he had several times predicted that he would rise from the dead. Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. (John 2:19)  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)  He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31)

Those who were responsible for the death of Jesus knew about his claims that he would rise the third day. They go to Pilate and say, “Sir, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ (Matthew 27:63)

They wanted to be sure that the tomb of Jesus was secure enough that the body could not disappear.  Trying to out fox God is always a disaster.

We know the rest of the story.  The “secured” tomb was found empty on the first day of the week.  Imagine that.  To detractors it is still the nemesis of the unbelieving world. To us who believe it is the power of the Living God.  When you believe in an almighty God, Resurrection is a piece of cake for Him.

Little minds think in little ways and do little things that accomplish little good.  It is tough for little minds to get a grip of big ideas like the resurrection. Little people try hard to negate the power of God but all attempts still fail miserably. Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (II Timothy 3:13)

They made it as secure as they could but Jesus came forth as he had said, Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:26)

      Decisions are sometimes hard to come by.  There are some decisions that are easily made because there are clear distinctions that make up our minds quickly.  Other decisions are agonizing because there is a close run for both sides.

      Decisions about our religious welfare are often put on the back burner and will be made at a later date.  The decision about where my family and I will attend church is sometimes tough.  There are lots of competing facts that need to be considered.  Is it a Bible church? Will my family fit in with the people? Will I be fed good solid food instead of rehashed traditions from the past?  Is there a balance in the teaching and worshiping in this church?  Others could be added to this list.

      Why are there not more people attending church?  I think that most people who don’t attend worship have not really made an outward decision not to attend. I think they have just not made a decision toattend. It is likely that they have just remained in the “valley of indecision” and may end up dying there. 

      They may not realize that not to make a decision to follow Jesus aggressively and faithfully is to make a decision not to give Him our live and devotion.  In this “Valley of indecision” one lingers to his own detriment.  Children grow up and are lost.  Families allow things to get out of balance and some break up. Precious time for growing a caring faith is lost.  Growing old without an active faith is a downer that could last for an eternity. Make the positive decision to faithfulness to God today. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9:4)

      Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

A person with a small faith may act on that smallness and lack any real commitment to God.  It may be that one with little faith will not exercise any of that faith and be living in a state of denial of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It could be that one is exercising that little faith and developing and growing.

Whatever is happening in our life, there are times when we feel a bit like the father in Mark 9: I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. I need more trust in the Savior. I need more faith to move me to greater service.  I need help with dealing with unbelief that creeps back into the recesses of my soul on too numerous occasions.

I wonder what could happen if we could increase our faith a degree or two?  Would that make a big difference in our churches and our world? If 100 people increased their faith just a degree would it mean that those 100 people have increased their faith by 100 degrees?

The intention of preaching and teaching is to increase faith.  There are times when we see our faith grow and our actions show it. There are other times when we struggle and our faith seems to wane.

Enter opportunity for March-May at the Burns Church of Christ.  Each Sunday night at 6:00 for three months we are providing a grand opportunity for us as a church, and for the community we serve, to increase our faith.  What can happen is we can raise the level of faith in our community.  Maybe there will not be a need for a bigger jail.  We know that only good can come when we are get help for our unbelief.

As I drive by the Discovery School, where four of my grandchildren go, I always pray for each of them as they spend their day in learning and interaction.  My prayer is simple.  “Father, will you bless each child in the school?  Will you make this day a good day for my four grandchildren? Will you help them to be safe, have a love for learning and make their school a better place because they are there?”

It is easy to buy into the diabolical lie that the world is coming to no good and Christians must hide their lights in little cubby holes and talk about how bad the people in the  world are.  “Look what the world is coming to?  Our country and all other countries are going to the Devil and we can’t do anything so let’s hide our salt and light so we won’t become contaminated. “‘The Sky is falling’ and we can’t do anything about it.”

The first century church met a world as bad as any that’s has ever existed. (Read again the Book of Revelation.)  They went everywhere saying “Look what has come to the world.”  They believed that God was in charge of our world and that we need to infect the world with the virus of Christian teaching. (Per Matthew’s class Sunday night,)

Who rubs shoulders with men and women of the world every day?  Who works and plays with men and women of the world every day?  Whose kids interact with boys and girls of the world every day?

Why is our light not shining?  Why is our salt not working?  Why are we backing away from telling the story of a Crucified and risen LORD?  Why sit back and curse the darkness when we have the light?

We have the opportunity to bring light into the lives of men and women, boys and girls of Dickson County. Sunday nights – March- May – The Case for Faith. Be here and bring a car load.