The Gift That Keeps On Giving

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
(2 Corinthians 9:15)

A few years ago I was out delivering gifts, my first stop took me up into a very rough part of town, not a good place for me to get lost, but I did. I drove around for about 30 minutes, I was going to ask the cop that I saw, but he had his hands full as he slammed this upstanding young, wanna be “gangst” to the ground, so I just decided to call the homeowner who guided me to her home. She met me at the door; I had an arm full of Angel Tree presents for her two grandchildren. She was a small elderly black lady in her late 80’s (but looked like she was less than 60), with a heart for the Lord. I had a great visit with her & left there spiritually pumped. My next stop was to the county jail to make a request visit for a friend of mine.

When I arrived they set me in a small room at a table, then brought the friend of mine in that I was there to see & locked the door. He sat & talked about why he was there & how foolish it was that he did what he did to return back to jail. We also talked about life growing up in our hometown & how simple life was when we were young. We talked about growing up in church & even then both ending up living sinful lives, falling into some of the same sins. But there is where our lives started to differ, so we started talking about what at that time made us different. What was it, we went to the same school, lived in the same town, grew up in about the same type of family…so what made it to where he was sitting in orange & white stripped PJ’s & I was there as a minister? It was only one thing…Jesus. 

He said that he wanted the confidence that I had in where I would spend eternity. So I told him about 1 John 5:13, where we are told that we can know that we have eternal life & then we discussed the gospel & how he could be without a doubt of his salvation. Long story short, he accepted Christ…I also left there spiritually pumped.

That night God allowed me to deliver Christmas gifts again,  some that would last about as long as a toy could in the hands & care of a 9 & 1 year old. But He also allowed me to deliver a Christmas gift that would last forever, because of whose hands & care that it was left in…Jesus Christ. As cousin Eddy would say, “Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving”.

When you’re giving out gifts this Christmas, don’t forget the gift of all gifts, the King of kings & Lord of lords, the gift that no one will want to return & everyone deeply needs.

Vern

Bird or Rat?

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
(John 3:19)

It has been reported that Thomas Alvin Edison failed over 6,000 times before perfecting the way to make me cringe & scream in the morning. Nothing is more fingernails on the chalkboard irritating, than when you are dead asleep with your head on a drool drenched pillow & someone flips on one of  Tom's little inventions. 

My dad was the worlds worst about this. He would also throw in the “RISE & SHINE” as he maliciously brought me from the land of slumber to the mind numbing highly illuminated morning…but I do now find that to be fun as I do the same to my sons.

In John, whom I like to call the brightest of the four gospels…seeing how he utilizes the word “light” more than the others, he says that Jesus was the light that came into the world, but instead of men embracing the light, they embraced the darkness. Why? It says because their deeds were evil. They were up to no good. People love light, a sunny day, a well lit room, ect… but when we want to do something that we don’t want anyone to see, we often slither back into the dark. Darkness hides our evil ways to the public, but it doesn’t to God.

I got to thinking, the only time I’ve ever really hated the light was when I was doing wrong or…when I was asleep. I truly believe that the majority of the church is asleep. I believe that we need a “RISE & SHINE” great awakening. We need to quit cringing because of the light & embrace it. Let Him light our path & illuminate our hearts. What will help with this is if the pastors shine the light of the word of God evry time they preach. A pastor should always shine the light of God’s word onto the congregation when he stands in the pulpit. But what if people get mad? What if people don’t like what is said? If it’s from the word of God & God has told him to say it, then it should be said…no matter who doesn’t like it.

J. Vernon McGee tells the story of when he was young & would have to go out at night to the old barn to feed their horse or the cow, he would take along a lantern. When he opened up the barn door & walked in with that lantern the rats on the floor would run for cover as the lantern illuminated the barn, but the birds that roosted on the rafters would start singing. When your pastor speaks the word of God from your pulpit Sunday morning, will you be a rat that loves the darkness…or a bird that can’t help but sing when they see the glorious light of their Father? Think about it.

Vern

God Is Snow Good

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
(Psalm 51:7)

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” These were the words that we were singing when it really hit me hard, that Jesus made my sins white as snow, a sight that I was fortunate enough to see Saturday morning when I walked out of my cabin in Mentone while on a youth retreat prior to that nights worship service.

The snow had covered the roof tops, the cars, dusted the ground, but what I noticed most was the old treated lumber benches that were right in the middle of the camp around the campfire. They were covered in about a half inch of snow. They looked like they were brand new, beautifully white with not one blemish, like they had been refinished with a solid white covering. The night before they were dirty, weathered & obviously used, but that morning they look brand spanking new. I thought of that as I sang “Jesus Paid It All” & man it brought me to my knees, because so often I forget what God really did for me when He saved me.

There were two friends of mine on this trip as counselors who had attended youth trips with me when we were in the youth together at this same church we attend today; I really started to think about what & who I was as a youth. I wasn’t saved; I was a punk, with a bad attitude. I went on youth trips & could have cared less about God or the price He paid for my soul. But even then Jesus died for me, He changed my life completely, He made me new, He washed me white as snow…or as the scripture states…“Whiter than snow”…God is good. Hopefully this will remind you of how good He has been to you, the way He reminded me with a song & a little frozen precipitation.

Vern

49ers for Jesus

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.”

(Proverbs 3:13-14)

The New York Herald Printed news of the discovery of gold in August 1848 & the rush for gold accelerated into a stampede. When the news of the discovery spread, it resulted in some 300,000 men, women, & children coming to California from the rest of the United States & abroad. Gold seekers traveled overland across the mountains to California, some took the round-about sea routes, either to Panama or around Cape Horn & then up the Pacific coast to San Francisco. In their quest for unguaranteed fortune, the 49ers as they came to be known, risked life limb & sometimes family, as they traveled through often unsettled lands to quench their thirst for gold.

How great it would be if men & women would crave wisdom today as much as the 49ers did gold back in the 1800’s. Proverbs says that the man who finds wisdom is gaining something way more precious than Gold & Silver. But often we ask what true wisdom really is. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we are told that Jesus Christ “…became to us wisdom from God…” Jesus is true wisdom, & in James we are told “…if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” The search for true wisdom, (Jesus Christ), is more profitable than anything anyone on earth could ever gain & it can be gained when we seek Him, but unlike the Gold Rush of 1849 finding this fortune is 100% guaranteed.

Vern

The Gospel from a Sicko

“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

(Matthew 9:12)

As I sat in a packed waiting room at a local doctor’s office with my head felling like someone stuffed a bag of cotton balls up my nose, I couldn’t help but think about the time when Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees while at Matthew’s house, about why He was eating with tax collectors & sinners. Now my first question to them would have been, “Why are you guys here? Aren’t you hanging out with the same people?” I mean they were at Matthew’s house. But Jesus didn’t say that, He is much deeper than me…thank goodness. Jesus said "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” This became I guess really evident to me as I sat in that waiting room. I started to notice that there wasn’t a well person there...except for this one guy, but he was there to bring his sick son to the doctor.

Some that were there, looked very sick, some didn’t. Some came at the first sign of their sickness, others like me, tried to take care of it themselves first & when it didn’t work then they came. The little boy that was there was swearing that he wasn’t sick at all. Never the less we were all there seeking the doctor for a cure no matter how we got there.

When we look at it we all need the Great Physician, we all need to be cured. Some understand that & have already come. Others are trying to handle it themselves & still some are denying that they have a problem at all. We all have to come to Jesus for the cure & when we are cured, we can bring others who are sick, so that they too can receive the purifying cure that Jesus, the Great Physician has for us all. Jesus is the only one that has ever been able to & will ever be able to truly furnish “universal healthcare”.

Vern

Dark Sanctuary

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1)

A few days ago during the storm “Ida” created, I was on my way home from work & had a real urge to drop by the church to just sit in the sanctuary & read my Bible & pray, it has to be the most calming place, I really enjoy just sitting there in the quiet.

When I got there it was dark out & just a few people were at the church, none were in the sanctuary which was very dark. As I entered I flipped on a light switch right outside the sanctuary in the hallway just before you go through the door. The light is for our baptistery & it only aluminates the sanctuary slightly, just enough to read by & still hang on to that cozy, quiet, calming feeling. I sat down on the steps of the stage & just talked to God for a little while, when all of a sudden someone turned off the light. I could hear a few people in the hallway, they were headed out & turning off the lights as they went. I thought about turning it back on but there was a little light coming through the stained-glass windows, not enough to read by, but I felt that God wanted me just to “be still”, so I just decided to sit & be quiet…plus I didn’t want to give those ladies who were leaving a heart attack when they didn’t know I was there in the first place.

As I was sitting there I could hear the wind whipping around outside & the heavy rain being blown up against the building, it made me realize God’s true power & how secure I felt inside that sanctuary, even though there was a rough storm going on all around me. I started to find it hard to pray…I didn’t know why, just couldn’t focus on it. But then Psalm 46:10 came to mind…now I didn’t remember that it was Psalm 46 at the time, but I did remember the verse, “Cease striving and know that I am God” or as most of us have heard it, “Be still & know that I am God”. For the next 20 minutes, I just sat there, listening to the storm & God. At that time I understood why God decided that I needed to come to the sanctuary…I needed to seek His protection…to understand that in all the storms of life, He is my sanctuary. That no matter what happens in this world, no matter where I go or what happens to me, if I am in Him, He is my “refuge & strength, a very present help in trouble.” I really needed that time in God’s sanctuary & didn’t even know it…good thing He did.

Vern

Satisfied Saint

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"

Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him stay. Everyone was very happy at the farmer’s good luck. “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

In Philippians 4 Paul speaks of being content in whatever situation comes your way. At the time Paul was in prison. Paul was often in bad situations, hard work, frequently in prison, been severely flogged, been exposed to death again and again, five times he received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one…thanks for that “minus one”, three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked & spent a night and a day in the open sea. He was constantly on the move, he has been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from his own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. He labored and toiled and often went without sleep, he has known hunger and thirst and has often gone without food, (I’m writing this while eating a yeast roll & I’m not even hungry), he has been cold and naked, (now I do have clothes on), besides all else, he faced daily the pressure of his deep concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). In short…well not really in short…Paul knew a bad situation when he saw one. But in all that he went through, he was content & truly lived Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. In our days to come, we need to remember those words, no matter what comes our way.

Vern

Power

“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…”
(Ephesians 3:16)

Dreaming that I was a big movie star with the paparazzi flashing photos of me as I ran out of my favorite restaurant quickly went away when a loud boom of thunder along with more flashes of lightning woke me up awhile back. I woke up just in time to notice the ceiling fan slowly coming to a stop…yep, my power was out. I got up & stumbled through the darkness looking for the flashlight that I keep somewhere in the house for just these type of emergencies. I finally found it, then found my cell phone, called the power company, then set the alarm on my phone & went back to bed.


As I was lying there I started thinking about how dark & quiet it was, everything was almost lifeless, well all except for the nervous Shitzu that had nudged right up against me shaking like she was swallowing razor blades, but other than that the house seemed dead. The only life it seemed was outside. The booming thunder, the flashing lightning, the pouring rain & gusts of wind made me realize that God is so unbelievably powerful.


In Ephesians 3:16, Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit who dwells inside all believers…is God & His power. Lying in bed I thought of what an unsaved person must feel like: No God, no power, just dark & lifeless inside, only seeing the power of God…but never experiencing it.


The next thing I knew I was waking up to my phone alarm, I got up flipped on the light & oh yea…power! Not just outside, but inside as well. That’s what happens when we wake up & accept Jesus; we are filled with His power & illuminated with his wonderful light.
Is your power on? If not, come to Christ for salvation, (Romans 10:9)

Vern

When Pigs Fly

“Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.”
(Mark 5:16-17)

I was asked a question the other day, “What is the significance of `swine` being the animal the demons were cast into?” I believe Biblically there is no actual reason or hidden meaning behind the swine being the recipients of the demons, or at least the Bible does not tell us of one. But it does show us that Jesus was more concerned with the welfare of the man than with the welfare of the pigs. Now the people of the surrounding town that came back with the pig herders didn’t give a rip about the man or his soul, they only cared about what happened to their pigs. The man that had been a longtime tormented with these evil spirits was now free, they all saw & noticed that he was clothed & in his right mind, a man that they had tried to tie up & contain but couldn’t. But even with that, all they cared about was their pigs…yea their pigs. 

They even wanted Jesus gone from their area. They wanted to trade the security, comfort, peace, love, and joy… everything that they would ever need for an abundant life…for nasty, smelly swine. They loved those pigs more than Jesus, they were scared of Him…so were the demons. But notice that the man who was freed from his torment wasn’t afraid; he wanted to be around Jesus more.

Maybe that is the meaning of this ordeal…so often we would rather have our nasty, smelly, rotten sin in place of Jesus. We see Jesus as restrictive, as no fun…we see our sin as freeing & fun, when in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. Sin is always what binds us, what holds us captive. Just like the demon possessed man was held captive by the demons within him, Jesus was the only one who could totally free him & when Jesus truly frees you…you want to be with Him, the closer the better, the closer the more free you are.

I also have often thought that when these people couldn’t control this man or cure him, they just gave up on him…left him to live naked among the dead in the graveyard. I can see one guy who lived in the town saying to another as they watched this wild man off in the distance screaming & cutting himself with stones, “That crazy nut will get better…when pigs fly!” Now that’s not Biblical, that’s just a little “Vernology”. But that day pigs flew and he was free.

Vern

Jesus Is In the Jelly?

“For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds.”

(Psalm 57:10)

J. Vernon McGee once told the story of a teacher who asked her young Sunday school class, what the difference was between “kindness” & “lovingkindness”. A six year old little girl raised her hand & said, “Kindness, is when I ask my mommy for a piece of toast & she gives it to me. Lovingkindness, is when I ask my mommy for a piece of toast & she adds jelly without me even asking”. 

Now that’s a great description of what lovingkindness truly is, it may even be the best description, next to Romans 5:8-9.  See, we didn’t have to ask God to make a way for us…He just did it.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” 

(Romans 5:8-9).

Because of His great love for us, not just us as in church people, or just white people or just Black people, or just the Jewish people or any other group, but the whole world…“For God so loved the world”. 

Have you ever really sat & thought about that, “…the world”? Could God have meant the whole human race? Yes, while we were sinners, he died for us, not because we were good folk, but while we were rotten & filthy, with our backs turned to Him. God’s love was given to us, while we were sinners, without us even having to ask. Now that’s lovingkindness. 

Vern

Stop Hitting the Bottle

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
(Hebrews 6:1)

A group of tourists were traveling through Europe visiting historical sites. They were impressed that so many small villages were the birthplaces of great artiest, poets, composers & political leaders. While the group was walking through a particularly beautiful village, one of the tourists approached an old man who was sitting in front of a building & asked, “Excuse me, but…were any great men or women born in this village?”
The old man thought for a moment & replied, “No, only great babies!”

When we accept Christ we are “born again” as “babes in Christ”. Paul said,

“I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able…” (1 Corinthians 3:2)

Paul was talking to adults…like they were infants.

Hebrews tells us that though we are infants in Christ when we first accept Him…we can’t stay babies forever, no more than we can physically.

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity…” (Hebrews 6:1)

We have to grow up spiritually & mature. Imagine a church full of physical babies, crying for their needs to be met, crying for attention…or just crying to cry. Now imagine one man, the pastor, trying to take care of a whole church full of physical babies. It would be almost impossible & even if he was to satisfied them all, nothing would ever get done…the babies can’t do anything but worry about themselves & the pastor can’t do anything for trying to comfort them. I honestly believe that the major problem with the majority of churches today, is that they are filled with milk drinking, bottle babies. God wants us to mature, to move on from the “elementary teachings” & on to solid food, digging deeper in His word & becoming someone who is more worried about reaching this world for Christ, than pacifying their own desires. Get off the bottle & onto the Bread of Life. Get into the meat of the word. 

Vern

My

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
(Psalm 23:1)

I Goggled Psalm 23, seven hundred & eighty seven results, everything from posters to a cute video of some little kid quoting the Psalm to some play called “Bat Boy”…don’t know how that got in the mix, but it seems that everyone loves to use this chapter or some of the verses in it. They love to put it on Jewelry, bumper stickers, tattoos, signs at a sporting event, on a Facebook page, ect...

Psalm 23 is full of awesome verses that would help people through out there life, like: 

"I shall not want.”

“He restores my soul”

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil”

“My cup overflows”

“Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life”

Theses verses look great on the posters & tattoos, but they are not for everyone. 

What???? They're not for everyone? That’s ridicules, they're not for everyone?!

Well they're not. See you have to get by the first part of the first verse of Psalm 23, before the rest will apply to you.

“The LORD is my shepherd…” catch that, “The Lord is MY shepherd…” see by the capital “M” & “Y”, that I’m emphasizing the word “My”. If He, being Jesus, is not your shepherd, then He is none of the other to you. That sounds mean, but it’s not meant to be, it’s just truth.

Jesus in John 10:14 says “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me…” Jesus says that His sheep, His people will know Him & He knows them. He knows & you know whether or not you are His own. I can look at your fruit, but only you & Jesus know for sure if you are saved or not. But people can look at your life & see what you believe. 

On down in verse 27, Jesus goes on to say, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…” Jesus’ true sheep follow Him. Are you following Jesus today? Is He your shepherd? When He becomes your shepherd, Psalm 23 becomes so simple & so sweet…it will be a chapter of pure comfort. I heard a pastor once say that this chapter was short & to the point, it was “Sublimely simple & simply sublime”. It means so much when Jesus is truly your good shepherd. Make Him yours today.

Vern

Paul's Rags

“…but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 3:13-14)

Once there was a beggar who lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

"You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags. One day as he lay dying, the king visited him.

The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him. (Unknown Author)

Imagine Paul who once was called “Saul” of Tarsus a man who had held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen. The Bible describes Stephen as “…a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 6:5, “…full of grace and power” in verse 8, Paul helped & gave his approval of the stoning of this man of God (Acts 22:20). As I said, imagine when Paul looked back into his past while writing this letter to the Philippians, imagine what he saw. He saw a man who had tried to destroy the church, a man who had put to death men & women for being Christians…he saw an evil man, one he was ashamed of I’m sure...he saw himself. But it was a memory that he would have to leave behind to move forward. He would have to leave behind his filthy rags. Paul also saw a man who also at that time was a Jewish religious leader who thought that his works & religious rituals would earn him a way into Heaven. Paul knew filthy rags & he knew that you had to leave them behind to move forward.

We too have to leave behind our filthy rags, whether it is the filthy rags of living a bad life or trying to live a good one to get into Heaven…we have to understand that not only are we not good enough, nor can we ever be to enter heaven, we must also remember that only Christ is & when He saved us, He made us new…no more worrying about the past, but looking & living for the future. Don’t apologize for who you were, if you are in Christ, you are no longer that person. Let go of the past & reach forward to what lies ahead, “…press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Vern

Worldwide Tug-of-War

An old man was sitting & watching a little boy play in a vacant lot. The little boy was pulling on a large weed growing right up in the middle of the lot. The little boy would pull on one side, then on the other, pulling as hard as he could. This show went on for about 15 minutes or so, when all of a sudden with a might hard pull & a loud grunt the weed gave way root & all, the man watched the little boy do a back flip & then said to him, “Son that sure was a mighty big pull” The little boy replied, “Well, the whole world was pullin’ against me!”

Do you ever fell like this little boy? Do you ever feel like the whole world is pulling against you? Sometimes I do. But when I do I think about what Jesus said to His disciples. Jesus told them that they may believe now, but later on they would run into to some troubles, truly worse troubles than we can even imagine, but listen to what Jesus told them (in John 16:33), He said…“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” I’m not a big fan of the NIV, but I do like the way that it Phrases this verse…“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus said that we are going to have troubles…be prepared for that, but don’t worry about it…He’s already got it handled. Let Him handle your weeds.


Vern

A Circus Elephant's Zero Ego

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
(2 Peter 1:4)

I once heard that the reason that an adult circus elephant can be held in place by a small stake & piece of rope tied around his leg, without worry of him escaping, is because they defeated his will when he was young. They take a baby elephant place a chain around his leg & fasten it to a very sturdy post, one that the baby elephant could not possibly escape from. As the young elephant grows weary of trying to free himself from his bondage, he loses all hope & just flat out gives up. Before long as he grows older, they can tie a small rope around his leg & attach it to a wooden stake that is driven into the ground. At any time this monster of an animal could easily rip the weak restraints & escape, but in his heart…he does not believe that he can.

When we first accept Christ, God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us. That Holy Spirit is our new nature, a divine nature. He will help us to live the life that God has set out for us. But so often new Christians get in this rut, believing that they can’t live the way God wants, so they live defeated lives. 

Ever wondered why we see so many people who claim to be Christians, struggling with sin?  I understand that there are many who are simply not saved, they are just Christians by mouth, but there are those who have truly accepted Christ that struggle. They think that they are not as good as someone else, that they can’t live up to God’s standards. But truth be known, they are not “partaking of the divine nature” that God has given them. They are not taking part in that new nature, they are still thinking of themselves as cursed. But we, when we come to Christ are no longer cursed…but we have been crowned…crowned with His righteousness, made new, with a new nature. 

The Bible tells us that a dog will return to his vomit & that a pig, after being cleaned up, will return to the mud…that’s their nature. When we accept Christ, we are no dog or pig. We have a new nature…so take hold of it, let God lead you by His word & prayer time…set aside a time daily to get with him & see that you are new & useful to God. Break Satan’s rope & stake.


Vern

Sow Corn...Get Corn

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
(Galatians 6:7)

Jezebel who was queen of Israel, the “classy” wife picked by King Ahab & a woman who holds the most unpopular baby name for centuries is a great example of this very verse…at least the bad side of it. She was a queen who was the one truly in charge…her husband allowed her to do as she pleased. She was from an idolatrous family & was a very outspoken woman. She lorded over her husband & Ahab coward down to her desires. 1 Kings 16 tells us that Ahab, “…did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” & Jezebel helped in that. They put God’s prophets to death & worshipped & served the false god Baal, so much so that verse 33 states that “Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.” These were two bad farmers sowing their seeds. But just like an old farmer once simply said…“If you sow corn…you’re gonna get corn”.

Theses two did a lot of sick, pathetic things but one finally brought on the total judgment of God. There was a man named Naboth, who lived beside the palace who had a very nice vineyard. The Bible says that Ahab coveted the vineyard & went over to the guy & asked for him to sell it to him but the man told him that he couldn’t sell it; it had been passed down from his forefathers. Ahab went home & pouting like a 5 year old, the Bible says that he “lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food”. This is a grown man; acting like a spoiled brat…makes me want to punch him…I know that sounds un-Christian, but I’m just being honest. His manly wife Jezzy sees that he is upset & asks why, he tells her that the mean ol’ guy next door won’t give him his land…wawawawaw!!!!! So she goes & has this man falsely accused, condemned & then stoned to death. Then she goes in & tells Ahab to go over & take the land. This woman is evil.

Now when Ahab goes to take the land, God sends Elijah to tell Ahab what his & Jezzy’s end result will be. God spoke through Elijah & said, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.” He also said about Jezzy, “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, 'The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.” Now that shocked Ahab & he became repentant & humble before God & God decided that He would not bring evil against his house until after his death, but in 1 Kings 22:34-38 it tells of Ahab’s death & how, as they washed the blood out of his chariot, the dogs were licking it up in the same place that Naboth’s blood was spilt. In 2 Kings 9:33 we hear about how Jezzy died, she was thrown out a window & then stomped on. The dude who killed her then went into the palace & started eating their food. While eating he told his servants to go bury her & when they went out, all that was left of her was her skull, feet & palms of her hands…the dogs had gnawed down on Jezzy.

God will not be mocked…sow corn…reap corn.

But that verse also holds true for those who sow to the spirit & not the flesh. Abraham believed & followed God & through him came the savior of the world. People Like Daniel, Joseph, David, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, James, John, Paul, ect… the list goes on, these people though not perfect sowed seeds that reaped eternal life, they did not loose heart (Galatians 6:8-9). They followed God & abided by His will, by faith they trusted in Him & received eternal salvation.

How are you today, are you reaping what you sow? Remember, “Sow corn…get corn”.

Vern

Believe It or Not

“So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
(Galatians 3:9)

What actually saves us? The first step to true salvation, is understanding what true salvation is.
In Galatians 3 Paul gives us an accurate explanation of what truly saves. He uses Abraham as his example.

Back in Genesis 15, God informs Abram that He was going to make a great nation out of him. He took Abram outside & said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them’ And He said to him, ‘so shall your descendants be."
The next verse is the key, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” God “reckoned” him or believed him to be righteous or justified before God. In other words, he was okay with God…God gave him a stamp of approval. But why does it say that God called him righteous? It says, because he “believed in the LORD.” His belief in what God told him was what saved him. Hebrews 11:1-2 says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval”. Paul tells us that God saves us the same way.

In Galatians 3:8 it says, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." God knew that this promise to Abram would be the way that Gentiles & Jews, would be saved. God made a promise to all of us, just as He did to Abram, & like Abram…we are found righteous when we believe.

Wait! That’s too simple…that’s dangerously too simple…what if people think that all they have to do to be saved is…believe? Well, true salvation will make you free…free from the law & if someone teaches anything other than salvation through faith alone…they are not teaching true salvation. But with that said, I guess Calvin said it best, “Faith alone saves…but saving faith is never alone”. This is what James was speaking of when he said, “Faith without works is dead”. Now isn’t that in conflict with what Paul is talking about here? Not at all, Paul is speaking about the root of salvation…James is speaking about the fruit of salvation. Paul is speaking on how to be saved…James is speaking on the evidence of true salvation.

When a person truly believes that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, realizing that they are sinners & repent, turning to God for salvation is the only way to be saved…then that person is indwelled with the Holy Spirit & that person’s life will be changed. If there is no evidence of salvation…there is no salvation. We worry so much about whether someone truly accepted Christ, so much so that we try to put restrictions on them accepting Christ in the first place. We sometimes turn it into a works process; you have to do these certain things to be saved. But we need to remember that to truly be saved we need to purely believe, believe the promise that God gave us in His Son Jesus Christ, that He is our only hope & salvation, there is no other way.

I use to love this show called “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” They would show all kinds of bizarre things & most were very hard to believe…at the end of each clip & Jack Palance was the best at this, in his tough, raspy voice, he would look into the camera & say “Believe it or not”. God made us a promise…one that seems a little bizzare…one that seems too good to be true…one that is very hard to believe…that He would give His one & only Son to pay the debt for those who contually turn from Him & mock His name…for those He knows will outright reject His more than generouse offer. But still He holds out His gift to you & me & says…“Believe it or not”.


Vern

Street Reach

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
(Isaiah 58:12-Street Reach mission verse)

Last week I was able to return to Tennessee with our church youth group for our annual mission trip. We work with a small church in the middle of some of the worst streets in Memphis. This church, Brinkley Heights, has been one that started with a church building that was, for the most part falling in. The small congregation some of whom were homeless themselves, wanted nothing more than to reach out to their community by feeding & clothing those in need...but they didn’t have any money themselves…how would they help? They did have one thing…their strong, childlike faith in God. This church had crack houses around it that have now been shut down & they were able to purchase them, repair them & use them to serve the community with the love of God.

Our youth have been serving with this ministry for the last four years; I have been with them for the last three. The first year that I went with them, the thing that stuck in my mind the most was that when they decided to build a new church building, they didn’t build a church…they built a community center…& as strange as it sounds…they built it for the surrounding community to use daily. When you walk up to this modest building, you don’t see a gaudy, overpriced facility, with stained glass & a huge sanctuary with a “family life center” & gym…no, you see, as I said before, a small community center. Inside there is a gym, nothing fancy, but the people in the community love to be there & it doubles as there sanctuary. Down the halls they have a few classrooms where they have a few classes, mostly elementary if I’m right. Everything they do is to show the love of God & to serve & better educate their community.

Last year they started on a new school on their lot that will run from kindergarten through 12th grade. When we were there last year the “Carpenters for Christ” crew was there building it. They are waiting on financing now so that they can finish it. Another cool thing is that they aren’t going into debt to pay for this stuff, they wait until they have the money & then they build…weird concept huh?

The program that they us to reach the community & children, is called “Street Reach”, during the mornings our youth would work sites where they conducted Backyard Bible clubs & in the evening they would either visit a nursing home, clean up streets, cut grass or go to a local community center & play with the children…some even helped with a block party for another church. It was really cool how all those churches in that area worked together to reach Memphis.

During some of the backyard Bible clubs there were many children saved, by hearing & accepting the gospel that was brought to them by some of our very own youth. Something else I enjoyed was seeing how much love the youth showed those children. The majority of these kids…sorry Mrs. Villia…I meant children, Mrs. Villia was a black lady from the nursing home that while I was speaking with her quickly corrected me when I asked her if she have any “kids”…she looked dead at me through her 80 plus year old eyes & said, “No…but I do have several children…I ain’t no goat.” So let me rephrase that before I get in trouble…the majority of those children, come from homes where love is by no means readily shown, if at all. But when they received it from the youth, they soaked it up like a “Sham wow”…they just couldn’t get enough. Our whole trip was basically built on showing the children & the community, true unconditional love. We wanted the people of that community to associate love with the name of Jesus. Those children at least on our site, looked daily across the street at closed businesses & a liquor store, which seemed to be the hub of that area. There were all kinds of adults sitting around all day long most drunk, yelling across the street to each other, drug deals here & there, people bumming a few bucks for more alcohol.
This little park area in front of this run down trailer park, smack dab in the middle of a run down neighborhood, that seemed as though the hope had been just sucked out of it… this small park…will be a place where Jesus will be throughout the summer, showing true Agape, unconditional love. The children can look around them & see what the world has to offer, then look at the “Street Reach” team & see the love & hope that only Jesus can provide.

I walked over one morning to where some of the men sat everyday under & drank in the shade of a large oak tree. I sat down on one of their milk crates before they arrived, kicked some of the beer cans & liquor bottles out of my way & just imagined what they were feeling & think while looking out into that community…my heart sank. It was depressing, hopeless & it seemed there was no way out. But then I heard a child's laughter, I turned & watched as the children of Leahy’s Trailer Park arrived with smiles on there faces, looking for another big dose of the love of Jesus & I saw hope, I saw a way out…through the hearts & minds of those children…not “kids”, but children. This is the vision of “Street Reach” & a little church called Brinkley Heights…keep them in your prayers.

Vern

Free Bird

A pastor by the name of S.T. Gordon from Boston had placed an empty birdcage next to his pulpit. Everyone became very curious…what’s an empty birdcage doing in a church? One man finally spoke up & asked Pastor Gordon about the empty cage. Pastor Gordon explained, “Well, I was out walking yesterday & came across some young boys playing with these wild birds in the alley, they were kind of torturing them, they were plucking at their feathers. So I went up to them & said, what are you doing? ‘We’re just playing with these birds’ they said. I asked them, what are you going to do with those birds when you’re done playing with them? The boys said, ‘probably just feed em’ to the cats…their no good’.

I said, ‘How much do you want for those birds?’ ‘You don’t want these birds,’ the boys said, ‘They’ll bite you, ignore you…you don’t want these birds, their useless!’
‘How much do you want?’ I said. ‘Two dollars.’ Said the one.
I paid them two dollars, took the cage & went on my way…then I released the birds.”

S.T. Gordon went on to say that once upon a time there was a similar exchange between the Devil & Jesus. Jesus said, “How much do you want for my people?” & Satan said, “You don’t want these people. They’ll spit on you, ignore you…you don’t want these people…they’re no good…they’re worthless.” Jesus said, “How much do you want for them?” Satan replied, “All of your blood & all of your tears…that’s the price.” So Jesus took the cage, paid the price & opened the door.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

Vern

Nick At Night

“Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night…”
(John 19:39a)

It’s pretty cool that the verse above is stated the way it is, seeing how I honestly believe that Nicodemus truly came to Jesus that night. This man, who was a member of the Pharisees & a leader of the Jews, came to Jesus at night to speak to him about maybe joining with them to overthrow the Roman government. He came to Jesus in the name of the Pharisees, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God…” we? Where did he get we, wasn’t he alone? He was speaking to Jesus as if he was there as an ambassador for the Pharisees. See the Pharisees were waiting on a messiah that would as I said above, lead them in over-throwing the government that had long suppressed them & the Jewish people. They saw Jesus as a leader that the people were drawn to & thought that he didn’t know how to handle the politicians like they did, but if He would only join up with them…then what they had been long waiting for could be soon to come. But you know…I don’t think that Nick was prepared for what Jesus was about to say.

Jesus sort of said, lets cut to the chase, lets stop messing around or as some of our older Alabama paw paws would say, stop Hee Hawin’ around & let’s get to what you really need…Nick…“you must be born again”. Nick was shocked, he had no idea what Jesus meant by this statement, he thought that he meant physical birth…but he soon was to find out that Jesus meant spiritual. Jesus went own to tell Nick that He had come to save the world, not to condemn it. He also shared with Nick what has become the most known Bible verse in the world…John 3:16…“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” I would imagine that at this time the light went on in Nick’s head & heart. He had just had the gospel shared with him by the one the gospel was all about. He heard the good news of Jesus Christ…straight from the lips of Jesus himself.

It isn’t until later in John that we see why I believe that Nick’s life was changed forever. In John 7:50-51, Nick takes a stand for Jesus, a stand that would bring him persecution & reticule from his Pharisee peers. Jesus is speaking in Galilee during the Feast of the Jews, crowds were split, some believed Him & debated whether or not He was from God, while others wanted to arrest Him. The Pharisees were highly outraged & sent officers to arrest Jesus, but even the officers were overtaken with the words Jesus spoke & they returned to the Pharisees without making an arrest. The Pharisees then started talking about all the people & the officers being lead astray & they said “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? ‘But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” Then Nick spoke up, “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” Then the Pharisees turned on him, mocked him & I would think that he wasn’t welcome with them any longer. Nick took a stand for Jesus against the very men who would soon put Jesus to death. But this isn’t the only place that Nick is mentioned.

In John 19 we see Nick again. Jesus is pronounced dead on the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea a rich man who had a tomb & was a secret follower of Jesus came & asked for the body of Jesus so that he could properly bury Him. Along with Joseph came Nick who brought a mixture of Myrrh & aloes about a hundred pounds it says to help prepare the body. A real cool thing here is that when the Jews prepared a body for burial they used half the body weight in spices to do it. They used one hundred pounds, meaning that Jesus probably weighed at or around two hundred pounds…that’s just a note for those trivia folks. The important thing here is that Nick evidently had a change the night he met with Jesus, he stood up for him when no one else would & he came out very publicly at his death, when all of Jesus disciples were hiding in fear.
When I read all of this I thought that we just don’t give Nick enough credit for his transformation, a man in a very difficult situation & still willing to stand for Jesus…I pray I can be as bold.

Ask yourself this question: Are you a secret follower… at work, school, around your friends? Heck we at this time don’t have to worry about being stoned to death or being nailed to a cross…but we often stay silent. Why? Have you really met Jesus, as Nick did?

Vern

American Democracy or Not

I usually try to stay away from the political side of things when I’m writing for my blog…but there is really something that is bothering me.

The last two times that I went over my son’s history study sheets with him I noticed something…it doesn’t seem as though the school system is teaching our children that America is a republic. The questions all refer to our country as a democracy. I know right now that many of you are saying, who cares…what does that matter. Well to our Founding Fathers, it meant a great deal & should to us.

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths." James Madison

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

"The experience of all former ages had shown that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating and short-lived." John Quincy Adams

"Pure democracy cannot subsist long nor be carried far into the departments of state, it is very subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage." John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration

“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson

Our founding fathers called a democracy a “mobocracy”. Why? In a democracy style of government the mob rules. A pure democracy operates by direct majority vote of the people, whether those people are good or bad, they still rule, & as Karl Marx the father of communism, once stated “Democracy is the road to socialism” any government that follows a democracy style government will end up sooner or later a socialist or even worse a communist government.

In America we have gone from this…

“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson

to this…

“I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics.” Barack Obama

But, what’s so amazing is that it’s not only Obama that believes that we are a democracy, but so did Bush Jr., Clinton & many other men who have held the office of President. They must not have known their history, this coming from a guy who would rather have watched grass grow or gouged out my own eyeballs with a spork than have sit through a history or social studies class. But I have learned the importance of knowing our history…it will be key to America’s survival.

Now, lets look at a republic. A republic is ruled by law, not a majority. A republic differs in that the general population elects representatives who then pass laws to govern the nation. So if the source of law for a democracy is the popular feeling of the people, then what is the source of law for the American republic? According to Founder Noah Webster:

“Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.”

Are you starting to see why we are having this drift from the use of the word “republic”? The inspirational values of Biblical natural law were the foundation of the American republic. Think about the stability this provides: in our republic, murder will always be a crime, for it is always a crime according to the Word of God. But, in a democracy, if majority of the people decide that murder is no longer a crime, murder will no longer be a crime.

America's absolute principles of right and wrong were not based on the ever changing feelings and emotions of the people but rather on what Baron de Montesquieu identified as the "principles that do not change." Benjamin Rush stated that “Where there is no law, there is no liberty; and nothing deserves the name of law but that which is certain and universal in its operation upon all the members of the community.” The Founders understood that Biblical values formed the basis of the republic and that the republic would be destroyed if the people's knowledge of those values should ever be lost. Now the question is… Are we loosing our Biblical values? Look around, if you can’t see it your blind. We have not only lost our values, but those who are still holding on to them of the most part are not teaching them to their children, hence my frustration about my sons study sheet.
I have included a video that will more clearly explain this blog, check it out below & remember, we can either do something about our decline or just try & enjoy the short ride to the hard rocky bottom of the end of our republic & freedom as we know it.

Vern

Is He Safe?

In “The Lion Witch & the Wardrobe”, Susan & Lucy ask Mr. & Mrs. Beaver to describe Aslan. They ask if Aslan is a man. Mrs. Beaver replies.

“Aslan a man? Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood & the song of the great Emperor-beyond-the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion…the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he…quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, & make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?” Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

In C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan represents Jesus Christ. He is described as the great lion, the king of wild beasts, who is anything but “safe.” But, it’s added that he is good.

What do you think about Jesus? Is He safe & non-threatening to you & the way you want to live your life? If your vision of Jesus is the meek & mild Jesus that makes no demands on you…I want to tell you that you’ve got the wrong Jesus. Nothing makes me sicker, than to see the pictures of Jesus, the ones with the pasty white skin, the big puppy dog eyes & pouty lips…you know the one that looks like a sissy. Christianity is not a religion of sissies, nor was or is Jesus one. I believe that we need to mentally do away with this “sissy” Jesus view, He was anything but a sissy anything but weak, anything but safe & we should tremble at His presents…He is the Creator of everything, the Law Giver & Judge…He is the Great I Am. But when we are living in His will, we have no need to fear His wrath…He is good.

"A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3:8)

Vern

Fashion Faux Pas

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
(Galatians 3:27)

I was invited to a friend’s wedding party…my first question to them was “what is the dress for that night?” They said that it was shorts & a nice “polo” type shirt. The party was being held at a Doctor’s home & I knew that my friend’s family & a lot of their friends would be dressed up; most of them are very well off. Now me, you say shorts & I’m in, but in back of my mind, I couldn’t help but see everyone there in khakis & a nice shirt, & myself all goofy strutting around in shorts, looking like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation.

I know this situation shouldn’t have bothered me… but it did. I was thinking the whole way there, that I would probably be the only one wearing shorts & that I was going to look stupid & sure enough as soon as we pulled up to the end of the drive, everyone was outside dressed up & waiting on ol' Cousin Eddie. 

Again, it shouldn’t have bothered me…but…it did. I got out slowly, feeling everyone looking at me (even though, I don’t think they were) I strolled over toward the sitting area where our friends were. Man did I feel like a real goof…but what I saw next made everything that I felt go away…walking out of the house was my friends dad, who at that time I referred to a savior…yes, you guessed it, he was in shorts…Hallelujah!!!! I felt so much better, I was no longer worried about my clothes.

This sounds so stupid, but I felt like I fit in…see, told yea it sounded stupid…but that’s the way I felt. I felt like I fit in, no longer an outcast, no longer the shorts wearing leper shunned to the outermost parts of the doc’s yard. In the immortal words of William Wallace was pure “FREEDOM”! I belonged.

That night as we all stood around talking, a thought came to my mind “What does a person, who doesn’t have nice clothes like suits, ties & such, feel like when they come & visit a church?” I thought about that for a while, do they feel like they fit in? Do they want to come back? Did they get starred at or receive a snotty look?

The more I though about it the more I realized that dressing up at church isn’t always good. Now don’t get me wrong, if someone wants to were a suit & tie there is nothing at all wrong with that…but in the same instance, I don’t believe it is at all wrong for someone to wear shorts & flip flops. As most know I’m a minister at the county jail & have been for about eight years. I thought about some of those men or women who may be released from jail & maybe they don’t have a lot, but they want to come to church & when they walk in they feel very uncomfortable, everyone they see is all dressed up, so they feel like they don’t belong…but wait, there’s a guy over there in a t-shirt & blue jeans…they think to themselves…I do fit in. Some would say, “They should come to worship God, not worry about how everyone is dressed!” But usually the one that would make that statement would be the first to look down their noses at someone who came in, in ragged clothes.

In James 2, we are told not to show favoritism to people because they seem to be well off. It talks about a well-dressed man entering your church & you walk with him up to the front & show him the best seat. Then the man who comes in wearing ragged clothing or maybe underdressed, well you just tell him to find a seat in the back or sit at your feet, or in our day you just look at him funny, like you don’t approve of his meager attire.

So the question is “Should you dress up for church?” Well, that I can’t answer for you, that’s between you & God. I don’t believe that God is as concerned about the clothes we were to church as He is about whom we clothe ourselves with.

“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.”
(James 2:1)

Vern

Dr Christian

Growing up, nothing would get me off our red leather couch & send me dancing around the room in my favorite pair of Rustler, bellbottom jeans, like the greatest jingle in commercial history “Be a Pepper”, You know “I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, we're a Pepper, Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper ~ Drink Dr Pepper” COME ON!! BE A PEPPER, DRINK___ DR PEPPER…uh sorry, got a little over excited there.

When I remember this commercial, it makes me think of how most Christians look at sharing the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. You know like… “I’m a Christian, he’s a Christian, she’s a Christian, we’re Christians. Wouldn’t you like to be a Christian, too?” Some look at it as more of inviting friends to join a club kind of deal. 

Do you realize that 70 to 80% of Americans claim to be Christian, when we share the gospel in this way, heck anybody can be a Christian. "Be a Christian, because I’m a Christian"…this isn’t Biblical witnessing.

There’s also another commercial that reminds me of how some go about witnessing. “Billy Mays here for…” is usually how they start. This dude sold everything from Oxi-Clean to health insurance…& did it all screaming. I often wonder if when he would go home, if he talks like that, “HONEY, I’M HOME…DINNER WAS GREAT TONIGHT…SURE I’LL SING THE BABY TO SLEEP, ROCKABY BABY ON THE TREE TOPS…

WAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

SORRY HONEY, BUT I DON’T THINK THE BABY IS SLEEPY!”

Sometimes we can be very harsh & very pushy, when sharing the good news, often offending people & embarrassing them. “BILLY MAYS HERE FOR, HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN!!!!” This kind of witnessing is also not Biblical.

When we come to others in a harsh, “better than thou” way, they are usually turned off quickly. If we go at it in a “come on, join my club” way, we haven’t truly lead them to Christ.

Witnessing isn’t just something that you practice doing, it’s what overflows from the Holy Spirit living in you. When Peter in Acts 2, spoke to the “Men of Israel” what he was saying was flowing from the Holy Spirit. He didn’t save those people, God did, and Peter was just an instrument by which God spoke to them. He didn’t belittle them or raise himself up to be something great. He even called them “brothers”. Did he step on some toes? Yes, pretty much stomped them with words like this, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” He told them that they killed Jesus, but he did it in a caring way, he was sincere. When he was speaking, they could see & hear the love he had for them & the need they had. See we first need to realize that everyone has that need of salvation, that hunger to be made new…we have what they need.

It breaks my heart to walk out of the jail on Thursdays, knowing that there are those who haven’t accepted Christ, those who are still lonely, hurting & carrying the heavy load of their sins. But when I leave there, I always want to know that I shared with them out of my love for them & their need of Christ. I stand in the middle of convicted drug dealers, drug addicts, child molesters, rapists, con-men & often times murders, I can’t love them…humanly I can’t…but through the Holy Spirit I can & I do. I want those guys to see & hear the love that God has for them, as well as the broken heart he has for their sin. They also need to know that my love for them is through Christ & that I love them unconditionally…I don’t okay their sin, or think or say that they should not be in jail, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them & caring for them.

I also need to be that way daily, with everyone I meet. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t live a life daily the way I should. Actually there shouldn’t be a day that goes by that I don’t share the gospel with at least one person…but I often don’t...& I find myself missing out on sharing Jesus daily, as I should. But that is something that every believer needs to do daily. Imagine for a moment, if all believers shared Jesus every day…it would change this world in an instant.

We also need not look at those who are not Christians & expect them to live like Christians. So often we would rather whine & complain about the actions of others than share Christ with them, which would change their lives & morals.


“Dr. Christian” or “Billy Mays Christian” which are you, or do you just not share at all? Let’s make it a point today, to start building relationships with those who need Christ & look for a way to share the greatest news in the history of the world with all those that we come in contact with & do it through the strength of the Holy Spirit, with a heart of love & compassion.


Vern

Josephcoaster

“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:8)

I’m not a big fan of Six Flags…I could live the rest of my life, never darkening the gates of Six Flags again & on my death bed say that I’ve lived a wonderful & fulfilled life…but I work with youth who love that place. most of them love the roller coasters…me, I have a problem with them, as I do with planes, a problem of trusting a man made machine with my life. But there is one roller coaster that I love to ride…the “Mindbender” or now I think it’s “the Joker”. I like this roller coaster because it is attached to the rails, it has a rap around wheel system that seems more secure, and more like it can’t come off the tracks than lets say the “Scream Machine” where with every hill you come out of your seat.

Joseph, back in Genesis knew a lot about roller coasters, he lived on one. Joseph’s life was anything but normal & talking about a dysfunctional family…Joseph’s family was messed up. His dad Jacob had several wives (all at one time) & by those wives had several sons, next to the youngest was Joseph, his father’s favorite & his father showed that, which made Joseph’s brothers hate him. His brother’s hated him so bad that when he came out to check on them where they were watching the sheep, they decided to throw him in a pit & kill him. Now I had an older brother & he may have at times wished he could throw me in a pit, but I know he never wanted to kill me.

Joseph’s brothers were stopped from killing him by the convicted heart of his brother Reuben, instead they sold him to some slave traders…now I know without a doubt that if my brother could have sold me he would have. May be at trade day or somewhere. But what they were meaning to be bad for Joseph, God meant for his good & the good of many others.

After Joseph’s brothers put him on their version of “e-bay”, he wound up in Egypt in the house of a man named Potiphar, who was head of all of Pharaoh’s bodyguards. Now Potiphar saw something in Joseph that he didn’t in the other servants, so he put him in charge of his other servants & when he decided to go on a trip, he put him in charge of his whole house hold while he was gone.
Long story short, & I will probably write a blog on this later, Joseph was propositioned & almost raped by Potiphar’s wife. But he ran away from her (very smart move), she yelled rape & Joseph was now in prison.

While in prison, Joseph has the opportunity to interpret a dream for two cellmates & later Pharaoh had a dream that he wanted to know the meaning of & hears that Joseph is the man to see. Joseph seeks God for the answer & he sees that there will be a great famine in the land & God shows him how to handle it so that the people of the land will survive. Pharaoh just like Potiphar, sees something in Joseph, & is so pleased with him that he places Joseph second in command of all of Egypt.

The famine that came to that land also helped to bring Joseph’s brothers, to have to stand before him in search of food. Now of course they had no idea that the man that would hold their life in his hand would be the very brother that they sold, but Joseph didn’t seek revenge, but reconciliation. This brought his father Jacob & little brother Benjamin who he had longed to see & even wondered if they were still alive to Egypt to live with him, where the Israelites would grow into a great nation & the place that Moses would be born. Later to return to the land of Canaan to posses it as their own, but during their time in Egypt, the idolatrous people of Canaan would be given 400 plus years to turn to God.

The roller coaster ride of the life of Joseph had plenty of ups & downs, as well as many sharp curves & upside down situations, but just like “The Joker”, it was right on track. He was in the will of God, because he stayed devoted to God through it all & through his life many were saved.
Going through some tough times, ups, downs, curves & loops? Stay close to God & count it as an adventure in His will…& you will be right on track.


Vern

Caught Cheating and Almost Stoned

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
(John 8:7)

I’ve always said that you could stop a lot of the violence over in the Middle East, if someone would just pick up all the rocks…you always see the news clips where some guys are snatching up rocks & giving them a whirl…those guys will sail a stone in a heartbeat.

In John 8, we are told of a group of scribes & Pharisees who dragged a young lady into the temple, claiming to have caught her in the act of adultery. They wanted to see if Jesus would condemn her or forgive her. They were more than shock at what he did do…instead of condemning her to death by stoning, as the Law commanded, Jesus turned the tables on the accusers…why?

Jesus knew that they were trying to trick Him, they were using the life of this woman to do it. They also were not honestly seeking justice, these men didn’t care anything about this broken women before them or the law…they just wanted a reason to discredit Jesus. See the “Law” that they were speaking of, Jesus knew very well, it was the Law of God given to Moses. But the actual Law reads a little different than these foolish men were quoting. They said, I quote, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women…” Now, the actual Law in Leviticus 20:10 reads, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Let’s see…they only brought in the woman…Hmmm? These guys weren’t looking to uphold the perfect, pure law of God…& Jesus knew that. So He stooped down & started writing…what was he writing? No one truly knows, but Jeremiah 17:13 say something interesting, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame those who turn away on earth will be written down...” I often wonder if Jesus may have written the name of a woman that the oldest Pharisee, (seeing how he left first) was having an affair with or maybe the number of the Commandment that the Pharisees were breaking like the number “9”.Who knows, but we do know without the a doubt the words that Jesus spoke to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”. Maybe the oldest Pharisee caught a glimpse of what Jesus wrote in the dirt, heard His words, dropped the stone & went home, followed by the others.

The Pharisees…what a legalistic bunch, huh! How about you? I know there are times when I find myself as legalistic as theses guys…we all do at times as Christians. It usually comes when we are away from God & in sin. We feel better when we can bring someone else down, lower than we are. See, sin can steal our assurance, our “joy of His salvation” (Psalms 5:12). In other words, we fall into sin & we start feeling that we may not be saved & instead of coming to God in repentance, we try to fix it ourselves by making someone else look worse off than we are. Though this was not the true agenda of the Pharisees in this verse, we do tend to do this in our lives when we start casting stones.

We are not called by God to overlook wrong in the world, or stay silent about evil, we are called by God to deal in mercy, grace & love…the world needs to know the God of justice & grace…we need to live a life that leads others to that God.

You notice that Jesus didn’t condemn her, but He didn’t approve of what she did either. He called her actions, sin & told her not to live that way any longer. When we come to Christ, He tells us the same “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When we come to Christ, He forgives our sins & no longer condemns us, we are free from the penalty & bondage of sin, & free to live…yep, you guessed it…free.


Vern