An Appropriate Memorial Day Meditation by Joe Stowall

Monday, May 25, 2009

Today's Text: Ephesians 6:12
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the powers of this dark world.” Ephesians 6:12

As the war in Iraq drags on, we are all a little war weary from the complex battle that continues to wage over there. The tired troops want to come home, but with courage and dedication to the cause, they remain on the frontlines. Those of us watching from a distance do what we can to support them, driving around with our “Support the Troops” stickers on our cars and praying fervently for their safety and success.

While no one can accurately predict the resolution, the war carries a poignant lesson for all those who care about the cause of Jesus Christ. As God’s people, we are engaged in a war of far greater proportions—warfare against the hierarchies and unseen powers of the satanic hosts (Ephesians 6:10-12). This battle concerns the liberation of the eternally lost, the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, and the glory of His name.

What strikes me is the surprising lack of support for the frontline men and women who are in the trenches waging this war against the gates of hell. Some of our spiritual troops are dug in on battlefields far away. From massive urban centers like Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, among executives and shopkeepers and natives, these soldiers are penetrating enemy territory with the life-changing claims of Christ.

I am frequently brought face-to-face with the everyday struggles of missionaries who serve as soldiers in the work of the kingdom. Some spend an inordinate amount of time getting to the frontlines because the funds they need are not available. Others often feel forgotten and neglected during their stint on the field. When they finally come home, they feel that somehow they don’t fit.

I also have the privilege of talking heart-to-heart with pastors who labor in their homelands. While some feel loved and supported, others speak of the difficulty they face in trying to focus their church’s attention on the advancement of the gospel. Often a pastor is the target of bickering and petty agendas that turn the congregation inward and end up dividing and sapping its strength.

Laymen fight it out in the trenches of the marketplace, where they see their careers as an opportunity to show Jesus to their world by working with integrity and ethical purity, and some of them do this against great odds. Yet many find little enthusiasm or support for what they are doing in the tough arena of secular society.

So, as Americans commemorate Memorial Day, I think it’s fitting to stop and consider how we are doing in terms of spiritual warfare. Let’s take seriously Paul’s advice to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). If each of us were to make a personal commitment to put away what is petty and temporary and instead concentrate on what will advance the cause of Christ, think of the ground we could claim for His kingdom! If we pledge to pray consistently and specifically for those involved on the frontlines, we will provide a vital aspect of support. And if we put our money where we say our hearts are, we will keep the battle lines supplied.

The big difference, of course, between earth-side battles and spiritual battles, is that we already know the outcome. Jesus already claimed eternal victory, and in the meantime He gives us the power for victory in the skirmishes we face along the way. So enlist yourself today, and don’t forget to support the troops!

He Knows Where I Dwell

It has been a while since I posted on this blog due to moving to the Steele Creek area of Charlotte. Sorry. I hope some have not given up on me as a blogger. Let me know if you still read these things!
Today, the “Cross Happening” is that God reminded me that “He Knows.” I have been living mostly in Steele Creek. Lynn and the kids are still at REVILO until school is out. I have been busy getting the house ready for them (many visits to Lowe’s and many visits from workmen from Peidmont Natural Gas, Time Warner, Invisible Fence, …) and trying to reach out to my neighbors and lay the ground work for a new church.
It has been lonely when I stop to rest. Solitude is good, but I am not use to it.
Here is the passage God used to encourage me today. Rev. 2:12-13
“And to the angel of the church in Pergammum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword, I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.’”
There is much here but what ministered to me was – even though I am new to the city and very few people know or care that I am here to start a church from scratch – God knows where I dwell.
How is this for honesty: Even though there are over 200 people praying for this church plant and for me, even though I heard a great sermon on not worrying from Lee Shellnutt last Sunday from the Sermon on the Mount, even though I know that God must build his church – I get anxious that this church plant will not go well. That I will not see the new conversions that I am praying for, that no one will want to gather together to reach out to the lost, that I will mess it up.
God told me today – I KNOW WHERE YOU DWELL. God knows. God knows where Satan is at work. He knows that a 52 year old sinner is now is Steele Creek. I can rest, breathe and simply be faithful to His calling on my life.
Another honesty statement: It is really easy to know He knows and still get anxious. Pray that my focus will be more and more on God and less and less of what I think other people will think of me. He is the one with the two-edged sword – it is best to please Him first – don’t you think?

Things are not as they seem!

Easter was yesterday - and it was great. We had worship that was very meaningful for me. I spoke on John 21 about Jesus fixing b'fast for Peter and disciples. I will not relay the whole thing here - but I was thinking. Easter points us to remember that things are not as they seem.

Peter, having already witness the crucifixion and then twice saw Jesus after he rose from the dead, still got depressed and thought he would do something that he know he could do well. He didn't know what the future would hold without Jesus. So he went fishing - he grew up fishing. He knew the spots. But - no fish. Until a voice from shore tells them to put the nets on the right side of the boat. 

Now that is humorous to me. All night fishing - no fish and will throwing the nets on the other side of the boat make a difference? ABSOLUTELY - when Jesus tells you to do it!

Fishing is not what is seems with Jesus. Neither is marriage, gall bladder surgery (a friend is having it done today - pray), church planting or house hunting.

Not what it see

ms with Jesus! IT is always more!

(The picture is a chalk drawing on concrete!)

Children and Parents read this!

An old friend and my brother's former pastor is now a church planter in the Northeast. He writes these devotions on a regular basis. You can contact him and sign up to get them via e-mail. I thought this one was especially good for my children to read!


FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 8, number 3, January 15, 2009
Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right, Ephesians 6:1


Obedience and Honor

Ricky was a phenomenal basketball player in Middle School through his sophomore year of High School. He was on his way to a Division I basketball scholarship for sure. Ricky, however, had a hard time obeying his high school coach. He skipped practice from time to time and failed to do his homework. His coach always disciplined him by making him sit out a game or two. Finally, after his sophomore year he had had enough and wanted to transfer to a city school where he could be with his friends. The last I heard Ricky was in jail for selling drugs. I could see it coming. Sadly, it happens far too often.

Statistics for 2003 show that over 2 million Americans are behind bars, and 10.4% of African American men between the ages of 25 and 29 are in jail while 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of white men in the same age group are in prison. More black men are in jail than in college (791,600 in prison, 603,032 in college). In 1980 143,000 black men were in prison and 463,700 were in college. The number one cause of death among young black men is murder and in 2005 49% of murder victims were black men between the ages of 17 and 29. Ninety-three percent of these were killed by other black people. While the numbers are not as high in the white community they are increasing. In 2006 over 300 young white men were murdered in the U.S. in gang and drug related crimes.

Why so much crime, violence, and death among our young people? It begins with their failure to heed God’s command to obey and honor one’s parents. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you, that you may live long on the earth.” This command from the Apostle Paul, taken from the Ten Commandments, applies to all of us; for this refers not simply to children obeying and honoring their parents, but to all of us. We all are to obey those in authority over us, and this begins with obeying and honoring our parents.

The word Paul uses literally means to listen under, to hearken to one’s command, to obey. Proverbs 23:22 catches the meaning of Paul when it says, “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” And Paul’s motivation to obey is simple. He says, “This is right.” By this he does not merely mean that this is the appropriate thing to do, but rather that it is according to God’s word. It is His mind and will on the matter. To honor one’s parents literally means to treat them with respect, dignity, courtesy, deference, and reverence. He promises that honoring one’s parents will mean a long life. The contrary is found in Proverbs 30:17 where disobedient children are warned, “The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.”

Granted, this is not an absolute promise, for we all know godly children, teens, young men and women who die early. However the general principle holds true. A young man who obeys his parents by staying away from godless peers, will stay out of drugs and gang wars. A young man who decides to work a real job instead of selling drugs, who comes home after work and does not frequent iniquitous dens will stay out of trouble. A teen who obeys the speed limit will have time to stop when a deer runs in front of his car late at night. You get the picture.

So, if you are still living under the authority of your parents, in their house, then do yourself a huge favor and obey them, honor them. I did not say this is always easy because sometimes parents can be insensitive, manipulative, and cruel. Your job, however, is to obey them, to respect them, to be courteous to them, regardless of how they treat you. Where do you get the grace to obey them in difficult circumstances? You must run to Christ for refuge. The Psalmist says, “My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up,” Psalms 27:10. Not only will the Lord take you up and sustain you, but the Lord Jesus Himself was forsaken by His Father. Jesus said on the cross, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross and experienced hell, separation from His Father. He endured hell that you would not need to yourself. If you are in Christ then you have His life, and thus you have the ability to obey your parents, even in the hard times. Look in faith to Jesus for the grace to obey and stay away from evil doers. Run for your life from godless people at school and in your neighborhood. Don’t go there. You may severely regret it.

And parents, demand obedience and respect from your children. You are not their buddy, their best friend. As they get older, as they go out on their own, then your relationship with them will change, especially if they have honored you and the Lord by becoming productive members of society. However you are the parent and they will always be your children and you should expect respect from them. While your children are under your roof you should constantly remind them that slow obedience, half-hearted obedience, inconsistent obedience, outward only obedience, peace at any price obedience is no obedience at all. You must make clear your expectations of them as they grow older; and as they prove their responsiveness to you, then you can prudently “loosen the reigns” on them. However, you must be quick to use God’s ordained means of child discipline. The verbal rebuke, steeped in the words of Scripture (see Proverbs for countless examples and I have a paper entitled Verbal Admonitions to Our Children from Proverbs which you may use to help you in this regard) is foundational but you must also use the rod of correction. “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently,” Proverbs 13:24. “Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death,” Proverbs 19:18. “Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you beat him with the rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell,” Proverbs 23:13, 14. Never in anger are you to use the rod of correction. Cool off before using it, but use it indeed. Verbal rebuke, founded upon Scripture, and the rod of correction; not time out or grounding are God’s appointed means of rearing godly children who will live long on the earth.


FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.

If you would like to add your, or someone else’s, name to the list to receive this weekly devotional (or be removed from it), please contact us at admin@christcpc.org. This and archived back-issues may also be found on our website, www.ChristCPC.org

Scripture that meant a lot to me today

Lynn & I have been off line for over a week due to a broken something that they fixed today. So check out her blog too! I have had many things to blog about but this is what is on my mind today.
I was in a meeting and a long time friend shared this passage with me. (Thanks Bill if you read this) Let me share it with you!

Isaiah 29:17-27 (New International Version)

17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.

19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down-
21 those who with a word make a man out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

22 Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob:
"No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.

23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction."

9th Commandment

I have been on the hurting end of the 9th commandment abuse and believe me it hurts. And when it continues - it hurts worse. The following is from a researcher/leader in the Southern Baptist Convention that I like to read. I really like his observations.

Why is the tendency so strong to defend your position by tearing others down?

May his words - as the reflect God's Word - call us all to repentance.

EdStetzer.com
Bearing False Witness
Posted: 30 Dec 2008 11:33 AM CST
I must confess that I find many things perplexing in the Christian life-- why does God not always heal?, why are there so many without Christ?, and many other questions. But one question has been really troubling me lately: why do Christians lie about each other so much?

I first noticed this several years ago. I found that speakers came where I served and misquoted and mischaracterized those they did not like (in this case and at that time, it was primarily contemporary churches). So, rather than criticize or challenge (which I think is fine) they build their case up with falsehood, or as the 9th commandment puts it, they "bear false witness," or as I will put it, they lie.

"Do not give false testimony against your neighbor."
Ex. 20:16 (HCSB)

John Wesley said bearing false witness is "speaking falsely in any matter" including "lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive our neighbour," or to speak "unjustly against our neighbour, to the prejudice of his reputation." Of course it's not always that men are out to ruin another's reputation, but they care nothing of ruining another's reputation in the pursuit of making their point.

This malady seems to be everywhere, but it is surprising to me how common it is among the most conservative of Christians-- those who speak often of their belief in the authority of Bible. People like me. We are quick to defend the authority of God's word, but are not always as quick to apply what it say about lying to our own words.

It struck me most forcefully when I saw one well-known polemic pastor bear false witness against some friends of mine, be confronted on it, admit he was wrong, and then not publicly address, retract, or apologize for what he said. My guess is, even if he had corrected himself publicly few would have noticed, and fewer would have thought it a big deal. The truth is that "all is fair" in some wars.

We often give one another a pass when someone bears false witness because they were being passionate for truth; or at least for a truth that they believe is being attacked. John Calvin said, "slander is often praised under the pretext of zeal and conscientiousness. Hence it happens that this vice insinuates itself even among the saints, creeping in under the name of virtue."

And, to my own shame, I think I began to notice it more when I saw the lying directed at churches like mine. It is funny how I did not care as much about all the 9th commandment issues until some of those 9th commandment issues were directed at me. That shows my own carnality. And, it left me wondering how many times I had carelessly provided a false witness before I was sensitive to it.

The benefit of experiencing some of these false allegations is it sensitized me-- and convicted me that I had not been careful in my own speech.

But it's important to note that if we are going to take the 9th commandment seriously we have to do more than not lie-- we must tell the truth, and even defend those who are being lied about. So, occasionally, I have defended the victims of false witness. In some quarters of my denomination and other conservative evangelical expressions, those lied about are often church planters and contemporary or emerging church pastors. (One of the reasons so many contemporary pastors have left my denomination is that they were tired of being misrepresented and caricatured from the platform of the denomination they supported-- something I believe is changing.)

Even people with whom we have differences need to be spoken of truthfully. Although I am not where Bill Hybels is on some issues, this past summer I wrote about the need to be truthful about Willowcreek and their Reveal study in my monthly Outreach Magazine column and here at the blog.

The same goes for people as diverse as Joel Osteen, Brian McLaren, and Jeremiah Wright. Regardless of how much we disagree and how passionate we feel, in all cases, people should be spoken of truthfully, even when we are disagreeing with them.

We cannot not let a passion for the truth make it OK to not speak truthfully. God is never honored when we defend His truth by speaking falsely.

Because God does not lie and is always trustworthy we value the truth. As followers of Jesus, who called himself "the truth," we must be a people of truth. This demands that we not bear false witness, but speak honestly and plainly of ourselves and others.

Smoke in the Eyes or Healing with our Lives?

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, 

so is a sluggard to those who send him.

This is from Proverbs 10:26. I was reading the Bible this morning and it stuck out to me. Let me share with you some of what it says to me.
"Teeth" - in the ancient Near East it can be assumed that there was no modern dental hygiene or medicine and thus many adults had broken teeth - ouch all the time. So when the original reader read this they knew exactly the pain that was being described! So do I! When I played football I broke my front tooth after a hard hit - whenever the air hit that nerve it was horrible! I was ready to see that dentist!
"Eyes" - on a mission trip to the Philippines a couple of years ago we had a one day medical clinic for some of our medical people to use their skills as nurses and doctors .... Two ladies (with no medical skill whatsoever) were given the task to check people's eyesight by looking at the chart, first with one eye then the other and so on. On that trip we had brought no glasses with us. (We remedied that on the next trip but I digress.) It was very clear that the folks that took this eye test had terrible sight, even to our unskilled ladies. Upon returning to the states and talking to a eye doctor friend of mine, it was mentioned that many people cook over an open fire and or use an open fire for heat. The smoke in your eyes over a long period of time doesn't only sting but it has a lasting effect!So bad teeth that hurt and eyes that are stinging are terrible, right?

Yes, it is terrible. This terrible pain and discomfort is like a messenger that is not reliable according to our passage.

From the notes in the "Spirit of the Reformation" Bible: "Royal messengers in the ancient Near East held very high, even courtly, social status. Often they were entrusted with a high degree of authority that transcended mere transmission of instructions. The information gathered and communicated by the messenger was diligently sought out and communicated to assure its accuracy and therefore the expeditious and successful conclusion of a matter. If the messenger turned out to be a sluggard (lazy person), the effect would have been unexpectedly bitter."

This got me thinking about my role as an evangelist, new church planter, an ambassador of the gospel of Christ. I will soon (hopefully after the school year is over) ], be moving to Charlotte. Commissioned by the Presbytery of Central Carolina .... But so are you commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. The MESSAGE paraphrase puts it this way: "Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

May I/we not bring pain to those who need the message God has given us. May we bring healing, peace, freedom and a SMILE! And may we not be a sluggard with this commission!

Spiders are Strong in more ways than one!

I read this article today - captivating and it made me think. Read this and look at the picture then read the scripture.

Spider eats bird

Thursday, October 23, 2008

© The Cairns Post

THESE amazing images of a mammoth spider devouring a bird were taken in the backyard of an Atherton property, west of Cairns.

The photos, believed to have been taken earlier this week, show the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web.
Joel Shakespeare, the head spider keeper at NSW's Australian Reptile Park, told ninemsn that the spider was a Golden Orb Weaver.
"Normally they prey on large insects, it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he said.
Mr Shakespeare said the bird, a Chestnut-breasted Mannikin which appears frozen in an angel-like pose in the pictures, is likely to have flown into the web and got caught. (Ya think - dah)
"It wouldn`t eat the whole bird," he told ninemsn.
"It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel," he said.
"It builds a very strong web," he told ninemsn.
But he said the spider would not have attacked until the bird weakened due to its struggle to free its wings.
"The more they struggle, the more tangled up and exhausted they get and they go into stress."
"If a spider gets a bird, it`s a very lucky spider," Mr Czechura said.

Isaiah 59 in the Message Paraphrase says,
Look! Listen! God's arm is not amputated—he can still save. God's ears are not stopped up—he can still hear. There's nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn't hear. Your hands are drenched in blood, your fingers dripping with guilt, Your lips smeared with lies, your tongue swollen from muttering obscenities. No one speaks up for the right, no one deals fairly. They trust in illusion, they tell lies, they get pregnant with mischief and have sin-babies. They hatch snake eggs and weave spider webs. Eat an egg and die; break an egg and get a snake! The spider webs are no good for shirts or shawls. No one can wear these weavings! They weave wickedness, they hatch violence. They compete in the race to do evil and run to be the first to murder. They plan and plot evil, think and breathe evil, and leave a trail of wrecked lives behind them. They know nothing about peace and less than nothing about justice. They make tortuously twisted roads. No peace for the wretch who walks down those roads!

This is a vivid reminder that our sins weave a trap for us, when, like the bird, we realize we are caught - it has terrible consequences. Yet, we are not birds, we have a Heavenly Father with a strong arm and listening ears - are we talking to Him? Are we calling on His strong arm? Let's not make spiders "lucky!"

There can still be peace for you - but it will not be found in more struggling in the web.

He has not Hidden His Face!

Check out Psalm 22 here - you will be glad you did! It made my day!

Jesus preached this to Pharisees because He loved them, I preached it to myself and New Hope PCA for the same reason.

http://sermon.net/sermons-New_Hope_PCA_of_Clemmons_NC-11416.html

Today's sermon was on Luke 11:36-52.