STRENGTH WE NEED MOST

"... when I am weak, then am I strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:10

Since I began writing blog messages, I have been rather faithful in posting something new each week.  However, in 2019, I have gone several weeks without posting a new blog message.  This has been due, in part, to health issues and computer woes.  Even as I write this, I am not feeling very well.  As far as I know, my health issues are not life threatening, but they do hinder me a great deal. 

I must confess that when I am sick, I tend to be impatient and even a little grouchy.  Illness tends to slow me down greatly.  I don't like being sick.

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be hindered.  In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul wrote that he suffered from "a thorn in the flesh."  The Bible does not clearly identify what this "thorn" is.  We just know it made Paul feel miserable.  Although he prayed for the removal of the "thorn," it did not leave.  In fact, God refused to remove the thorn. 

There are times God permits pain, sorrow and problems to come in our lives.  They may reside for years.  In spite of our humble prayers, God may refuse to remove them. 

Paul was given some spiritual insight concerning his difficult situation.  Although the thorn was inflicted by the devil, God permitted it.  Through the painful situation he was in, God promised that His power would rest upon Paul.  Furthermore, Paul learned that God's grace would sustain him through the ordeal.  Ultimately, Paul stated, "... when I am weak, then am I strong."

I can't speak on your behalf, but I tend to depend upon my own strength too much.  The Bible teaches us, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding."  I believe it is also true that we should seek God and His power, and lean not on our own strength.

When I trust in my own strength, I am like a man who tries to support himself by leaning on a corn stalk.  A corn stalk cannot support the weight of a man.  In a similar way, my own strength is very limited and waning.

As I get older, I find myself with more aches and pains than ever before.  I have more than one health issue that bothers me.  I am walking slower.  My strength is dwindling.  In spite of this, there is mighty power available.  This strength is not found in the medicine or vitamins I take and it's not available through some kind of injection a doctor may prescribe.  Instead, this strength is found in the Lord. 

A mature believer realizes that God purifies His children in the furnace of affliction.  Rather than getting angry with God for our trials, we should be grateful for them.  I must confess that I pray much better during adversity than I ever do when things are going well.  I find myself relying on God and trusting His Word much more during my valley experiences.  Like Paul, we should say, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

It is a blessed thing to be weak, if Christ is your strength.

TROUBLING TRADITIONS, PART 2

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” - Colossians 2:8

Last week's blog message certainly caused a stir about the subject of baby dedications. For the record, I am not denouncing preachers or churches as being sinful if they practice this tradition. Instead, I wanted to point out how easy it is to have a tradition become second-nature to us and treat it like a Biblical mandate. I believe children should loved, nurtured, taught and prayed for by believers.

Today, I want to finish dealing with the issue of traditions. Not all traditions are bad, but some are. I find that “worship” at church can often be tainted with tradition. The activity of a church can be geared more by tradition than truth. Over time, we fail to see this as a problem. But I want us to consider two things that have become tradition. Each needs to change.

1.  MAJORING ON MINOR THINGS

First of all, we are easily led to major on minor things. It is amazing how many sermons, and even bylaws, are delivered on minor things. We can spend an enormous amount of time and energy on some of these minor issues. Let's consider a few of them.

Denominationalism is a major issue among some churches. The politics, programs and traditions of a denomination can, in certain circumstances, hinder a church from accomplishing God's will. Our main allegiance should be to the Lord and His Word, not a denomination. More and more, we are seeing denominations compromise the truth and conform to the world.

Politics is another issue that is hindering our spiritual progress. While I think it is important for Christians to vote and be part of the political process, the issue of politics has become a focal point in churches. While it isn't wrong for a sermon to address political issues that have a spiritual significance, it is wrong for politics to replace the preaching of the Gospel. Look at the book of Acts. Political issues did not prompt the church to picket politicians or conduct rallies. Instead, believers remained focused to the spreading of the Gospel. We should do the same.

While Protestants harshly condemn the way Roman Catholics worship their pope, personality worship exists among evangelical, and even Fundamental churches. While it is proper to respect pastoral leadership, it is wrong to put your pastor upon a pedestal. Furthermore, we have made celebrities out of TV ministers. Sadly, we've seen some of these notable ministers fall morally and devastate their followers. A TV minister is not your pastor. While you should respect your pastor's leadership, your primarily goal is to follow Jesus.

I could go on about the minor things that we tend to major on, such as music preferences, worship styles, Bible versions, programs, a person's length of hair, dress codes and other similar topics. I think you get the idea. These things aren't as important as we make them out to be.

2.  MINORING ON MAJOR THINGS

While churches tend to major on minor things, we also tend to minor on the major things. We have reduced our emphasis on several major issues. 

First of all, Biblical teaching and preaching has been replaced with motivational and politically-correct speeches. God's people need to be fed from the Word, not taught from a philosophy book. What ever happened to powerful preaching? We have allowed our pulpits to get weak, our membership to get cold and God's Word to be diluted with worldly concepts. We need bold, Spirit-filled Biblical preaching once more!

Secondly, our churches need to return to prayer. God's house is to be a house of prayer. Prayer shouldn't be just another item in the order of a church service, but a corporate approach to the throne of grace. Our churches need to be praying churches once again.

Third, we need to emphasize evangelism once more. Our world needs the Gospel like never before. Souls are perishing all around us. While we play church, our friends and family members are going to hell. Like Fanny Crosby's song states, we need to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. We need to train believers to be evangelistic every day, not just on Sundays.

There's much more that could be said about these issues, but my main concern is that we quit majoring on minor things and get back to majoring on the main things once more.

Time is running out. Let's get busy doing God's will and finish strong!

TROUBLING TRADITIONS

“For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.” - Mark 7:8

The American Church is vastly different from the Church we read about in the New Testament. Over the years, certain traditions and rituals have become second nature to us. We don't really think about them even though they are not found in the Bible. Some may be very innocent, but others are not. While believers have embraced these traditions, they have often done so to the neglect of more pertinent matters.

I realize that those who will read this will object to one or more of the complaints I have. My challenge is for you to take your Bible and prove me wrong.

Let's look at a couple of common church traditions that are not found in Scripture.

1. THE SINNER'S PRAYER

I have written on this before, but it is worth repeating. Most evangelical church end their worship service with an evangelistic invitation for sinners to come to Christ. Through the years, ministers have learned that the quickest way to get a visible response to a Gospel invitation is to use the sinner's prayer. Typically, the invitation goes like this: “Bow your head and close your eyes,” followed by an invitation, “If you want Jesus as your Savior, then repeat these words.” The minister then leads people in a response prayer. Afterwards, the pastor tells the congregation, “If you prayed that prayer with sincerity, then you are saved.”

There are numerous problems with the “sinner's prayer.” First of all, neither Jesus or His disciples used this kind of method when giving an invitation. Search the Scriptures and see if you find a strong message followed by, “Bow your heads, close your eyes and repeat this prayer after me.” Secondly, the Bible never uses the phrase, “Sinner's Prayer.” Not only is the method never used, believers are never instructed to use this method. Third, the Bible never teaches us that a person who repeats a prayer “shall be saved.” The Bible does say, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” but this is not an encouragement for responsive prayer. Fourth, a person may repeat a prayer without ever repenting of sin. Normally this is omitted from a Gospel message. Fifth, it isn't the place of the minister to declare someone saved because they repeated his prayer. It is the Spirit that witnesses to us that we are children of God. Many have a false sense of security because they repeated a prayer with a TV minister. In spite of all these issues, this is a common tradition among evangelical pastors. It needs to stop. We need to instruct sinners to repent and believe the Gospel. Furthermore, we need to quit worrying about baptism statistics and concentrate on seeing sinners become disciples. Superficial means produces superficial results.

2. DEDICATING BABIES

This is a popular tradition among evangelicals. Most Protestant denominations do not practice infant baptism. Instead, this tradition was instituted. Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” Jesus took children and blessed them. That is a fact. However, the tradition of dedicating babies is usually treated as a “coming out party,” to celebrate the baby and the parents. Most churches excuse this tradition by saying that the ceremony is for parents to promise to raise the child in church and pray for the child's earliest conversion. I am certainly not opposed to praying for children. However, a parent does not need a ceremony to raise the child in church. Just go ahead and do it. Furthermore, the ceremony is not found in the book of Acts, neither were believers told to do this anywhere in the New Testament. We have allowed a Roman Catholic tradition (infant baptism) to filter into our churches. We've just altered their tradition and relabeled it as a baby dedication. I know I am among the few to see this as a flaw, but I doubt anyone can find Scripture to prove me wrong. Furthermore, some parents (and later the child) may incorrectly think the child is a Christian because of the baby dedication.  Rather than having a “coming out party,” for the parents and child, I think parents should seriously invest in the child's spiritual formation.  A ceremony is not necessary to raise your child in church. There are two things a parent should do --- without ceremony. First of all, raise the child in a Christian home. A baby dedication cannot replace this. Secondly, raise the child in church by BRINGING the child to church each Sunday. Both parents need to participate in this activity. Rather than having a baby dedication in church, the parents need to dedicate themselves to raising the child according to the Scriptures. This is not a ceremony, but a continual investment in the child's life.

You may think I am nit-picking, but shouldn't our churches be more conformed to the Scriptures than man-made traditions? If we want God to bless our churches, it would be a good idea if we return to His design for the church rather than our own plan.

Not all traditions are wrong. But we need to recognize when traditions are unhealthy and unproductive. At best traditions never trump the Scriptures. If we aren't careful, church members can make a golden calf from our traditions. We can easily worship our traditions and neglect the truth.

THE REVIVAL WE NEED

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.” - Psalm 138:7

Things are a mess here in America. Politically, there is turmoil and corruption in our land. Socially, we are a selfish nation, filled with self-seeking, self-serving citizens. Morally, our nation has embraced and promoted sinful lifestyles and practices. Financially, our country has serious debts that will never be repaid in my lifetime. Worst of all, we are spiritually bankrupt with no shortage of religion, but severely lacking in righteousness.

The American church is not much better. Rather than impacting our society with the truth, the Church is being impacted by sinful society. The American church is apathetic toward sin, lacking in holiness, and anemic in its evangelistic zeal. These days, churches seek to be “cool” and “relevant” --- which are really goals that lead to compromise. Many pastors refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, seeking instead to bring messages that impress and please a crowd. Instead of pleasing God, most churches are working hard to please the world. In many cases, church attendance is dwindling and the influence of the Church is either dying or dead.

To their credit, there are churches, denominations and pastors that realize that everything is out of alignment. Many are trying to bring fresh life into their churches with new programs. While new programs may be good, they are not the main answer to the problem.

We need a turnaround. We need a spiritual breakthrough. We need a mighty move of God. We need revival in our churches. We need the kind of revival that honors God, changes lives and impacts the culture.

I am not an expert, but I feel that there are some basic things we need to do.

1. RETURN TO THE BIBLE

First of all, let's return to the Bible. I am not putting down all Christian books, but the Book we need most is God's Word. Our problem isn't a lack of information, but a lack of application. God has given us all we need to life and godliness --- and it is found in the pages of God's Word. We need to get back to reading the Word, believing the Word and obeying the Word.

2. RETURN TO PRAYER

The American Church needs to emphasize prayer meetings again. As individual Christians, we need to get back in the prayer closet. For some foolish reason, we think American will be improved at the voting booth. No!!! America can be changed when God's people return to the prayer closet and get serious about the Lord and His will.

3. RETURN TO SPIRIT-FILLED LIVING

Rather than living by the flesh, we need to live and walk in the Spirit. We need to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-led believers. It is hard to minister to others out of the overflow of your life if the well is empty. We need to obey the Bible's command to be filled with the Spirit. The Christians in the book of Acts didn't wait on the political climate to improve before they obeyed the Lord. They were filled with the Spirit and were used of God to impact the world.

4. RETURN TO EVANGELISM

The devil and the world has deceived believers into believing that evangelism is wrong and evil. We should share the Gospel because God COMMANDS it, not because it is popular. Jesus has never been popular with the world. The world has always resisted and hated the evangelistic effort of believers. Yet souls are dying without Christ daily. In the book of Ezekiel, God compared his servants to watchmen of a city. A watchman was responsible to stand guard and watch for an approaching enemy. If the watchman refused to warn the residents of impending danger, their blood was on his hands. I can't help but think that the American church has blood on its hands. We've been playing church while souls are perishing. God have mercy on us.

Jesus is coming soon. When He returns, will He find us faithfully doing His will or foolishly living out our own goals and dreams?

SUPERFICIAL SAINTS

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” - Hebrews 5:11

We are living in a superficial age. The mental, emotional and spiritual depth of most Christians is very alarming. We are busy being busy, but few are actually maturing in the faith. Even at church, members can be kept active without experiencing much growth.

When the epistle to the Hebrews was written, the writer had a great concern about the lack of spiritual depth among his readers. As I see American Christianity today, I feel a similar concern.

These days, people want a light and fluffy message at church. Rather than being edified, they prefer to be entertained. Instead of being fed from the Word, they'd rather be given a quick motivational speech. Even worse, they'd rather be given small doses of Scripture rather than digging deep into the Word. Jesus is no longer the heart-felt desire of the church-goer. Instead, they want someone to pat them on the head and tell them that everything is going to be alright. That is superficial spirituality. Many churches have a large percentage of their congregation who fall into that category. They are superficial saints.

God is not satisfied with such immaturity and we shouldn't be either. I find that many pastors are eager to engage people on such a low level with the intent of keeping them in attendance and contributing to the budget. Those in leadership can be very superficial when they spend their time studying the numerical data of their church and neglecting the actual spiritual growth of the people.

How can we tell if we are becoming spiritual mature … or remaining spiritually superficial? I think here are a few signs:

1. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE DESIRE GOD

The superficial tend to be very self-centered. Spiritually mature people seek the face of God. Are you more impressed by the technology and programs of your church more than you are overwhelmed by the greatness and glory of God? If so, you need to grown up … now.

2. SPIRITUALITY MATURE PEOPLE VALUE DOCTRINE

Superficial saints will actually brag about a church that “doesn't preach much doctrine.” A spiritually mature person desires sound doctrine, because it teaches him more about his Lord. A spiritually mature person seeks truth, not just a humorous motivational talk.

3. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE DESIRE INNER CHANGE

The superficial seek success, worldly achievement and the obtainment of personal desires & goals. Spiritually mature people seek to be more like Jesus. A spiritually mature person is serious about personal repentance, spiritual obedience and daily gratitude. The superficial seek outward improvements while the spiritually mature seek inner growth.

4. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE FIND THEIR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

Superficial saints have a need to be recognized and praised. Their identity is often wrapped up in their job title, position or acceptance among peers. Spiritually mature people find their identity in Christ. They feel no need to impress others. Their desire is to please the Lord.

5. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE SEEK CONTINUAL GROWTH

Superficial saints seek to fulfill their own goals. Spiritually mature people seek continual growth. Spiritually mature people will never reach perfection in this life, but they seek to be holy. They seek to know more about God, which keeps them in the Bible.

6. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE PRAY MATURE PRAYERS

Superficial people pray superficial prayers. Their prayers are typically self-centered prayers. Spiritually mature saints do pray about themselves, but with a different goal --- the goal of pleasing God. Furthermore, spiritually mature saints tend to pray for others. Their prayer for others goes beyond the typical, “bless them, Lord,” prayers and focuses on specific needs and spiritual issues.

7. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE HAVE AN ETERNAL FOCUS

Superficial saints are focused on the here-and-now. They tend to only focus on their daily lives. Spiritually mature people see today's events with an eternal focus. Spiritually mature people live with eternity in mind, investing in eternal matters.

Are you a superficial saint? If so, today is a great day to seek spiritual maturity. Maturity involves some growing pains. Maturity doesn't come easy. Just as a parent desires to see the maturity of his children, our heavenly Father wants to see spiritual maturity in the lives of His children.

It is time for Christians and churches to quit wading around in the shallow waters and launch out into the deep. While the basics of Christianity should always be remembered, let us seek a deep, satisfying walk with God.

PRAYER REQUESTS

“Brethren, pray for us.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:25

It is not uncommon to see people make prayer requests on social media. Our church, like many others, make prayer requests public to the congregation at each service. Prayer requests are often fueled by desperate need. We should treat them seriously.

When I was a young Christian, I rarely asked for prayer. As I have grown older, I am not ashamed to ask other Christians to pray for me. I think there are several reasons for this. First, I value prayer more than I did when I was younger. Secondly, I see my need for prayer in a great dimension than I did in my younger years. Finally, I appreciate the prayers of my brothers and sisters more than ever. James D. Vaughan, a pioneer in Southern Gospel Music, put it best in a song title: “I Need The Prayers Of Those I Love.”

Prayer requests can be abused. For instance, some may ask for prayer requests simply to get attention. Others may ask for prayer requests so others will perceive them as being “spiritual.” I once heard of a woman who asked for prayer for a soap opera character that was nearing death.

I believe that most prayer requests come from those with great concern about a genuine need. Sometimes the need is dire.

We cannot always know the degree of problems behind a prayer request. We must simply take the request to God who knows the need better than anyone. We do not pray in order to inform God. Instead, we pray to invite God to intervene in the situation, whether we understand it or not.

Speaking of prayer requests, have you ever offered to pray for someone … then forgot about it? I must shamefully confess that I have been guilty. I have found that the best solution to this problem is to pray immediately for the request. If possible, offer a brief prayer verbally before departing from the person.

These days, so many people claim to be Christians but never go to church. It is amazing how many people use lame excuses for their absence from church. While there is much that could be said about this, I wish to simply point out that when you need people to pray for you or a family member, you'll want a church family who will gather and pray in unity for the need.

I find it refreshing that Paul asked for prayer. He wrote, “Brethren, pray for us.” Paul was unashamed to ask for prayer --- and we shouldn't be either.

It really does help to have prayer warriors mentioning your name to the Father in prayer. Think about all the people who've prayed for you in the past. Now it is your turn to pray for others.

Let me close with a simple appeal. If you can't think of anyone to pray for, please pray for me.

THE GOD OF THE VALLEYS

“And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

- 1 Kings 20:28

Life is filled with mountain-top experiences and low valleys. We are tempted to think that we are close to God on the mountains but far from Him in the valleys. Furthermore, we tend to think we are in the will of God when we celebrate on the mountains but we must be out of God's will if we roam the valleys. Such thinking rivals the thoughts of the Syrians. They believed that the God of Israel was only God of the hills, but not God of the valleys.

The fact is that God is the God of the mountains AND the God of the valleys. He is just as much God when we struggle through the valleys as when we shout from the mountain tops. We may not like it, but we need the valleys. If we only stayed on the mountains, we'd get soon take it for granted and get further from God. Our fleshly nature tends to be independent and self-serving. As we dwell in sinful flesh, too much time on the mountain can be bad for us.

Here are three reasons why we need to walk with God through the valleys:

1. VALLEYS EMPOWER OUR FAITH

First of all, valleys tend to strengthen our faith. It has been said that a faith that has not be tested cannot be trusted. Just as a muscle grows when it is stretched, our faith must be stretched before it can grow. Do you know a person of faith that you look up to? More than likely you'll find that their faith is strong because they have been in valleys. Valleys keep us close to God. We pray more effectively in the valleys. We draw strength from God's Word while we are in the valleys. The valleys keep us depending on the promises of God. Yes, valleys strengthen our faith.

2. VALLEYS ENCOURAGE OUR FELLOWSHIP

Secondly, when we walk in the valleys, we find out who our real friends are. When we walk through valleys, we depend upon our Christian friends for support, help, encouragement and prayer. We find that God uses people around us to minister to us. Fellowship with God's people becomes a powerful resource when we need it most.

3. VALLEYS ENABLE OUR FRUITFULNESS

God wants us to be fruitful Christians. Fruit tends to grow more in the valleys than on the mountains. Mountains tend to be more rocky and barren. When it rains, the water tends to flow from the hills into the valleys. Water is needed if fruit is to grow. We'd like to see sunshine every day, but rain is needed if we wish to see precious fruit. Valleys tend to be fruitful areas. More than likely, your spiritual fruit has come because of your valley experiences, not the time on the mountains.

Valleys are special because our God is the God of the valleys. We need to learn two facts about valleys. The first fact we learn is that valleys are temporary. God does not simply take us to a valley. Neither does He bring us into a valley. Instead, He leads us THROUGH the valley. The second lesson we learn is that we never go through valleys alone. God is always there with us. The final valley we will cross will be the valley of death. David wrote about this valley: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” Notice we will walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death. We may walk through this valley with confidence, “... for thou art with me.” God walks with us through the valleys. He leads us through the valleys to the other side.

The God of the mountains is also God of the valleys. When we cross the final valley, we will reach our home in heaven. Here's the best news of all: in heaven, there will be no valleys.