How Far Are You Willing to Go?

When considering this assignment I knew almost immediately the “Hero” I most related to, was Jonathan. Jonathan was a curious young man, who was loyal to a fault at times. According to some of today’s standards Jonathan would be a fool. Primarily because he became best of friends with the man who would take the throne from his father, ending his families reign. He chose not care about being king, instead he chose to care more about his friend “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.” [1] This was a young man who allowed God to lead him knowing that the will of God was for David to be the next king. He willing gave up everything from his chance to rule all the way down to the clothes on his back. Another great thing about Jonathan was that he was willing to put his life on the line against his own father, knowing that Saul was out to kill David. He never turned his back on his friend, nor did he leave his home and his allegiance to his father. To some his loyalty may have been a weakness in my opinion it was a great strength.

In many ways I feel like I have been a Jonathan with two David’s in my life. I have called both of them my brothers and have given each of them the shirt off of my back literally. They each hold a special place in my life, one I have known since before my conversion to Christianity and the other helped lead me to Christ. Wendall and I go back to our teenage years; we did all most all of our dirt together. It is hard for either one of us to start a story from that era without mentioning the others name. I can recall a time when he and his girlfriend were having some issues with his ex and her family. We hoped in the car, while keeping an eye on his girlfriend while she was trying to leave her house. We were spotted by a family member and chased through one of the worst neighborhoods in the area. We would have gotten away except we got pinned in on a one way street, and the family members came up on us with weapons making threats. Now “B” and I were business partners. He helped lead me to the Lord. I was around for him when he needed someone on several occasions. I gave material possessions, a place to live when he moved back here from Atlanta. After awhile I began to surpass him spiritually and became an advisor to him. That was until he chose to reject my influence and walk a path I knew all too well, of alcohol dependence and self reliance. He ended our friendship on a sour note, but has since repented of his sins and recommitted to the Lord. After he turned his life back around he told me he can now see all I ever tried to do was love him according to Scripture.

In Courageous Faith, Dr. Hindson says “People need people. That’s what life is all about. God created us with a desire for personal relationships. Instead of avoiding people, we all need to learn how to reach out to people. Our words of encouragement, acts of kindness, and attitudes of acceptance communicate to people that we care about them.”(pg 175) I think we all have at least a little bit of Jonathan in us all. We can allow that to grow and become a stronger characteristic in our lives by stepping out of our comfort zones and living in someone else’s life. So how far are you willing to go to love someone else? Are you willing to deny what could or should be rightly yours to allow someone else the chance to live according to God’s will or are you going to fight it tooth and nail? Jonathan gave in and allowed God’s will to prevail which allowed us to have prophecy fulfilled that Messiah would come from the house of David, and sit on the throne forever.

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Sa 18:1-4). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Living According to the Spirit

This entry is based on a paper i did for my NT survey class and the section of Scripture referenced was Galatians 5:16-18.

The book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia, but we are not exactly which part of the country. Now most of the commentaries I have read lean more toward the southern portions of the country because he spoke to them in such a direct manner, as though he had spent generous amounts of time with them, which could have taken place while he was on his mission trips.

Since accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ you are free from the bondage of the Law. Do not abuse your freedom as a chance to sin more, but as a reason to love all the more accordingly to the great commandment. If we live in a manner according to the Spirit we will not gratify our fleshly desires. Keep in mind that the desires of the flesh and of the Spirit have no room for one another. So in being led by the Spirit we are no longer under the Law. Make sure to pay close attention to those around you because the works of their flesh are evident. You will also know those in whom the Spirit dwells because you will see their fruit. So live in the Spirit and you will not give into sin, remember that the Spirit and the flesh cannot occupy the same space, knowing that being led by the Spirit frees you from the Law.

Now the audience that Paul was writing to was a church that he had planted. While he was away however another group of preachers came around preaching another gospel. The gospel these men were preaching was a gospel of Jesus plus circumcision. These men were often called Judaizers. This same sect was also trying to challenge the authority of Paul’s Apostleship. Hopefully for all of us we do not rely on works to grant us salvation or have someone preaching it to us. We can also trust that Scripture is true and that Paul was an Apostle.

We should walk according to the Spirit and in doing so we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And we are no longer bound by the Law but free in the Spirit.

Now to bring this all home let’s see what this will look like in our lives. I will use myself as an example, when I was younger I was an addict. I was addicted to alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and pornography. Since my conversion I have not had major struggles with all of these things but there have been some more than others. I have been able to combat these struggles not of my own accord but in trusting the Lord and spending time in His word and with Him. The closer I get to Him the further I get from my sinful desires. One of my favorite groups is Pillar and they have a song called “Further from Myself” which falls in line with what we are talking about.

A way we can look at being free from the Law is to look at the food customs when Peter was told that what God declares clean is clean.(Acts 10:11-15) So Jews today still hold to Kosher products refusing to eat pork and certain kinds of meat, seafood, and etc. By us being set free from the Law we are no longer accountable to the Law. So go have a some good food and thank the Lord he has set you free to eat it.

You Want Me To Do What ?!?

The Lord in his good and perfect grace saved me in August 2002. It was around six months after my conversion that I felt the Lord put a call on my life to minister his word. Just like Moses I felt like “God you have got the wrong man.” Remember God met Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 & 4 informing Moses of the task at hand. All Moses wanted to do was come up with reasons why he could not do them. Moses got to speak with Jehovah through a bush, as for me He actually showed me in dreams what I was supposed to do. Due to the circumstances surrounding my life I constantly feel like a failure, or feel like I am inadequate to accomplish any goal. In my life whether at work or at church I am the outsider and very rarely listened to because I feel they think I lack authority. Just as Moses felt like an outsider while in Egypt, he was a Jew raised in the palace. He was never treated like any other Jew, by either side.

I think I get looked at like a child especially in my church because my education is not up to par with others in my community or life stage. However Moses did not have that problem because he was raised in the palace of the Pharaoh, and he was highly educated. I have offered before to lead a small group or to help assist or even teach a Sunday school class, but I have never received a second look from my leadership. So this makes me feel extremely insecure, like” Okay Lord did I hear you correctly.” The only thing that keeps me going to pursue my dream and goal in spite of everything is trusting that the Lord is in control. “And I am the God who made you with your limitation. I want to use you despite your limitation so that you will bring glory to Me.” (CF pg 67) My hearts cry is to bring glory to Jesus with all that I do in my life! In starting these classes I pray that he will be glorified in my work .My biggest fear is that I will screw up. I have been saying for so long how I feel called to His work, and here is my chance to show people that this is what I was made to do. I pray I don’t screw up and ruin the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Right now at this stage of my life I am travelling in the wilderness. I have been out of work for close to two months now, just started attending school, while living in my mothers’ house with my family. On top of everything I live my life day to day feeling like I have few friends, no money, and unfit to be alive some days. But there is comfort in knowing that the Lord has made the promise “For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.” (Deut 4:31 ESV) So trusting that the word of the Lord is true I know that where I am right now is not where he is going to leave me. Because “Despite all the difficulties, it was there in the wilderness that God’s greatest blessings came” (CF pg 72) And holding fast to the words of Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”[1] So just like Moses I hope to lead God’s people well, remain in his presence and always pursue His will. May we all be like Christ in the garden in praying “And he said “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”[2]

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ro 8:28). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

^[2]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Mk 14:36). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Courageous Faith : Dr Ed Hindson

Street Light Along the Way

Life brings its own far share of challenges, for some it may be dealing with the loss of a loved one, another an addiction. For me it is my tendency to be prideful and want to think of myself more highly than I ought. Tonight I was with a group of men who on most accounts are completely different then me. These men are older with kids that are older and they are outdoors men, meaning in their spare time they hunt or fish. As I sat in the living room with these men we watched videos of deer hunting, then we shared in a brief message> As the host lead us in our study I was going in my mind that is nowhere near how I would go about this. What I mean by that is some of the references this man chose I did not see where he was tying everything together, but it doesn’t mean he was wrong.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped  for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV)

The Lord showed me not to long ago that he speaks to us all in different ways. And maybe just maybe the way he spoke to these men this evening was through that simple discussion. Those of you who know me know that I am a theology junky, so this conversation was a little on the light side. I have decided however to continue with this group of men for a while, so that I may expand my horizons and be more effective in my own ministry one day. 

Another way to look at life is to think about walking even through your own house in the middle of the night while its pitch black. If you have no way of seeing what could hurt you how do you avoid it? In the life of a Christian we have his word.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.” (PS 119:105 ESV)

”Jesus answered,  “Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” (Jn 11:9 ESV)

So if you are walking around feeling as though you are in a fog, out of place, or don’t belong. Look closer there may be more than what you see. In this group I was in the greatest common factor was we all are Christian men. So for me I know my life was a huge unclear, dazed and confused mess. After accepting Jesus for who he is not for what I wanted him to be my life came into focus. Because I left my world of darkness behind and started walking in light. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying,  “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12 ESV)

I am not making any claims or promises that life will be easy, easier yes because you can live with a confidence in something bigger than yourself. You may still stumble and fall but not because you couldn’t see, but because your human and will make mistakes. (Rom 3:23) Please know that it is so much more comfortable knowing how to walk and what to avoid then running into everything that gets in the way.

The first step is to chose the Light. Jesus Christ.

Live Long, Pray Hard, Die Well !
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Joy & Pain

This I must say has been one of the most trying times of my life. I would say that for at least the last three weeks my body has been attacking itself. I am unable to keep hardly any food down, headaches, nose bleeds and excessive stomach cramping. One of the only things that keeps me going is knowing that my Lord and Savior went through and suffered so much more.

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. ³ In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. ⁵ One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ⁷ The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” ⁹ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” (Jn 5:2-9 ESV)

Now I don’t know about you but me in reading this it is very easy to miss. Let’s take a look back this section of scripture tells  us in verse three that in these colonnades lay a multitude of invalids. And one of those was a man who had been there for 38 years. So as Jesus and his disciples were walking through he saw this one man and already knew he had been there a long time. But look at this now Jesus asked this man “DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?”  (capitalization and italics added for emphasis). Any normal person would look up at Jesus and go what do you think stupid. I have been sitting here for 38 years. Check out this guys response “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while i am going another steps down before me.” So he kind of says what i said without being as rude. Then the most beautiful thing of all happens Jesus gives him a command. “GET UP, TAKE UP your bed, and WALK.”

How many of us would know how to react if Jesus gives us that kind of specific command. What have you been sitting around waiting on? Has it been something at home? Going back to school? Whatever it maybe when your spirit finally lines up with what HE has in store for you don’t sit back on the sidelines because he may, no he will pass you by.

Think about it He being Jesus went to a place full of sick people looking to get healed, and only chose one. So please if you have been feeling him knocking at the door of your heart, open the door and let him in.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Re 3:20 ESV).

Let’s take a look at another example of Jesus’ power to change a life.

“And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.”  (Mt 9:20-22 ESV).

In using this passage i am not saying that if you have faith in being healed you will automatically be healed. What i would like to point out however is this woman suffered for 12 years with bleeding, in some versions it says she spent everything on Drs who only made her worse or did not solve her issue. Even though she had nothing to give this man, she put all of her trust and more importantly her faith in the fact that if she could touch his garment that she would be healed. Another question for you to ponder when was the last time you actively put faith into something knowing it was out of you control and only Jesus could accomplish it?

Last but not least let us not for get that the Lord allowed Paul to live for an extended period of time with a thorn in his side.

^“7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”   (2 Co 12:7-10 ESV)

So all in all we are no better than Paul or Jesus Christ himself. We must look at our lives and remember that we can go through pain in give glory to Jesus and receive the joy that comes from it. Or we can live in pain and merely have to deal with it. The choice is yours.

Live Long, Pray Hard, Die Well!
Preach