WOW!

Have you ever spent a hour praying with a group of people? Have you
ever been involved in a prayer meeting that after a hour you were
not ready to stop praying because the presence of Jesus was so real?

Many believers have never experienced prayer in this way. Once you do, you will never be the same. I encourage you to join me and the eight others who meet in room 100 in the Ed. Building on Wednesday nights at 6:00 pm.

We will also be having our first church-wide Fresh Encounter on March
28th at 6:00 pm. Come and taste the Lord in a fresh way through
corporate prayer.

Looking Past the Rubbish

One of the great tragedies in church work is the inability of some to look past the rubbish. They complain about every thing that is wrong with the church. It takes a great deal of prayer and focus to keep your eyes on the prize, which is Jesus Christ. If only God’s people could see things the way the Russian man did in this story by Michael Blakely:

“While I was attending graduate school in the early 1980s, I stopped for coffee in a Malibu, California, restaurant. Coming from a nonpolitical family, I knew nothing of political activists--but I met one that day in that restaurant.
He told everyone what a mess the United States had become. He ridiculed our government and our educational, industrial, and banking systems. He was on such a roll that he had everyone on his side except for two people: an old man and me. The activist shied away from me, seeing my Pepperdine hat, Ronald Reagan T-shirt, and Wall Street Journal. So he went after the old man.
As he approached, the old man continued slurping his soup and turned his back. The activist sat down at the old man's table and offered, "Mister, if you can tell me just one thing the United States has ever done for you, just one measly thing, I will leave you alone."
Finally, the old man looked up. He licked his spoon clean and set it down on the table. His red face indicated years of laboring in the sun. With a heavy Russian accent, he replied, "Ve hold zees truz to be self-evident, dat all men created equal, life, liberty, perzuit of happiness." Then he went back to the soup. The activist, defeated, could not argue against what the old man had experienced on both sides of Communism.”

We can all find something that is wrong, but it takes maturity to look for the things that are good and use them to build the kingdom of God.


Turn your eyes upon Jesus and the rubbish that you see all around will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

Spiritual Leadership Lessons from Exodus

Spiritual leadership

1. Our availability and willingness to follow the Lord's leadership
and depend on the Lord's empowerment makes us spiritual leaders. Moses
learned that leading is about what God can do in and through us.

2. God may allow us short-term failure in leadership to build
character and dependence, and to reveal his power and glory. Moses did
exactly what the Lord told him and it made the situation worse for the
Israelites.

3. The key to leading people who are discouraged and won't follow is
to keep focused on the Lord and follow his leadership. Moses would
have to learn that following the Lord is the only way to be a
succesful spiritual leader.

4. God allows adversity so that he can multiply his miracles and
reveal his power and glory. God wants people to realize that he is Lord.

5. What may seem like aimless wondering in the wilderness could very
well be a part of God's plan. (Ex.14)

6. People will question leadership when the direction seems
detrimental to the cause. Don't give in to the naysayers, but allow
God to prove Himself. (Ex.14)

Naked and Righteous

When you read about the priest in the Old Testament, you will notice they made sacrifices wearing a special robe or garment. The word in the Hebrew that described the coat-like garment literally meant “to cover” or “to hide.” The same root word is used in Genesis chapter three where God covered Adam and Eve with the skin of an animal.

The garment that the priest put on was solid white representing the holiness and purity of God. The symbolism suggested that the priest was able to approach God on account that he was clothed in God’s character. Judgment would come upon any priest who did not approach God with the covering of the pure white robe.

There was one time in the Bible where a sacrifice was made without this garment. In fact, the priest who made the sacrifice did so without any covering. He made the sacrifice naked and it was accepted by God.

On Calvary Jesus was stripped of his clothing. Why didn’t Jesus need a robe as he made the sacrifice of his life? As Robert Coleman puts it, “This was the first time in our history that one had lived among us who was worthy in his own Righteousness.”

Our Lord Jesus needed no robe because he was the perfect Son of God. He didn’t need to cover up his shame for he had no shame. His perfect sacrifice provides for us the covering of righteousness that we need to stand before God.

2 Cor. 5:21 (NASB-U)
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”


Adapted from the book Written in Blood by Robert Coleman.

CSI: Christians Seriously Investigated

If they investigated your life could they find credible evidence of your Christian faith?

Julins Palmer lived in England in the 1500s. He graduated from Oxford in 1550. He was a devout Roman Catholic who would teach at Oxford under the reign of King Edward VI. King Edward was a staunch protestant supporter. This did not make life easy for Palmer on account that he was pretty outspoken about his Catholicism. Because of his Roman Catholic beliefs, Palmer would loose his teaching position at Oxford.

But this changed after the death of King Edward VI. After his death, the new queen, Mary Tudor took the throne. She was an ardent Roman Catholic. She is better known as “Bloody Mary” because of her burning of Protestants on the stake.

Julins Palmer believed that Protestants would never choose to die for their faith, but they did. So he decided to investigate how they died. He learned in his investigation that Protestants were brutally tortured and murdered, yet they kept their faith to the very end.

As he investigated the faith of the martyrs God began to change Palmer’s heart. He started to earnestly study the Scriptures, which eventually led him to Christ and to become a protestant himself.

He was condemned to death for his faith in 1556. When he was brought to the place of execution he prayed Psalm 31. The last verse of Psalm 31 says, “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.” When the flames began to engulf his body, Palmer cried out, “Lord Jesus, strengthen me, Lord Jesus, receive my soul.”

Julins Palmer’s life was changed because he investigated the lives of devoted Christians and the evidence led him to Christ.

Christians should leave plenty of evidence in their daily living that can lead others to Christ!

Preach the Word!

A couple of years ago, I received an interesting comment on my blog. It came from an unknown source. I did some investigating and it led be to a man named Samuel Brown. On his website Brown was advertising his new book Son of a Bishop. He tells the story of how he had to come to terms with his sexual orientation growing up in a traditional religious family. Here is an excerpt from the book:

Samuel Marcus Brown was raised in a very traditional religious family, and his parents are leaders in the Church of God In Christ organization. Samuel has always loved the Lord and the church, and he has always had a heart to worship and please the Lord. After years of feeling personally bashed by the traditional organized church, he still continues to fellowship with the “saints.” He was finally forced to rely on his strong convictions that his mentor Jesus Christ loved and accepted him just the way he was made by God. Although he really tried, he could never receive the message from the traditional organized church that he would be “damned to hell” that he was “not in the Lord’s will” due to the authenticity of his innermost reality.

There are a couple of observations that I want to make concerning this statement, and then I want to make a general application to the church. First, I want to point out Brown’s understanding of the person of Jesus Christ. He calls Him “mentor.” In one sense Jesus is our teacher for we follow his teachings, but the reason that we follow these teachings is because he is Lord and Savior. He has authority over our lives as believers in Jesus Christ.

Second, Brown states, “he could never receive the message from the traditional organized church that he would be “damned to hell” that he was “not in the Lord’s will” due to the authenticity of his innermost reality.” He could not accept the authority of the Scriptures on account of the “authenticity of his innermost reality.” This statement is clear that Brown’s understanding of truth is not absolute. Truth is found in one’s reality, therefore, what is true for me, may not be true for you. The authority of the Bible and the truth of the Bible are not believed.

I see this same sort of belief in the pews of “traditional” churches today. People don’t want to submit to the word of God because their ultimate authority is found in their innermost reality. Thus, they don’t get involved with sharing the gospel because it doesn’t fit into their innermost reality. They don’t pursue holiness, or tithe, or do the work of the kingdom because they don’t fit into their “innermost reality.” They can actually say that their doing what God wants them to do even though God’s word says what they are doing is outside the will of God.

The only solution is healthy Biblical preaching from the pulpit. We need pulpits to preach the “whole counsel of God” and preachers who believe in the power of God’s Word. We need preachers who will say, “I will not compromise the Word of God.” We need preachers like the late Adrian Rogers who said, “I’m willing to compromise about many things, but not the Word of God. So far as getting together is concerned, we don’t have to get together…I don’t have to be the pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church. I don’t have to be loved; I don’t even have to live. But I will not compromise the Word of God.”

Preach the Word!

First Southern: A Loving Church!

It is amazing what kind and encouraging words can do for one's morale. I have received many notes of encouragement from the people of First Southern. The one that I am sharing below came at a time of desperation for my family.  

The words of encouragement have made it all worth while. Glad to be a part of a loving church, and I thank God for people like the Simpsons who take time to pray and encourage their pastor.

Thank you so much for:

following God's direction in your decision to come to our church…

for the dedication you have to the Lord

for the love for our church you display in wanting us to be what God wants us to be

for the wonderful sermons you have preached lately

for the inconvenience you and your family have to encountered since leaving your home and coming to Arkansas

but most of all for loving the people at First Southern.

 

Eulan and I just wanted you to know that we love and appreciate you so very much and pray for you often.

Have a great day in the Lord