Source of Trouble

Good morning,

Daniel was one of perhaps the three greatest men in our Old Testament. In Daniel 9:23, he was called “greatly beloved.” In Daniel 10:11&18, there are many other statements made about Daniel and things he did that set him apart from others.

In Daniel 9, we see a lengthy prayer with much time devoted to confession. Although Daniel left Israel as a child and probably had little to do with any of the great sins of Israel, in his prayers, he took the blame: “neither have we hearkened” (9:6). Daniel includes himself in these prayers by often using the words we or us.

Daniel 9:13 “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.”

vs. 14 “Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.”

As Daniel confesses the sins of Israel, he gives us a clear prescription of judgment or mercy in this chapter. Notice in verse 13, they did not pray, they did not turn from their equities, and therefore, they did not understand God’s truth. 

In this passage, I think we can see much of America’s folly.  Honestly, how much prayer happens in the average home or the average Christians life? We must examine ourselves and ask how much time we spend in prayer.

Prayer brings us into God’s presence, and when we see how clean and holy God is, our natural response is to turn from our iniquities. The end result of much praying and turning from our sin is that God gives us understanding. The mess our country is in is because people are thoroughly confused, blind in identifying right and wrong, and have no moral compass to guide their decisions.  

The passage does not stop there; notice verse 14: “Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us…”

When we choose to ignore prayer and fail to turn from our iniquities, the result is a tragic lack of understanding about truth and error. As such, being our own decision to ignore prayer and to refuse to turn from our sin, verse fourteen tells us that the Lord watches the evil that is brought upon us. We have no grounds on which to blame God or some political party; it is we who drifted from God, failed to clean up our lives, or lost the ability to understand truth, and when evil comes, God simply watches.

My desire is that God will see evil coming my way and that He will shield me from it or push it away. If that is my desire, then there is a mandate to pray, clean up my life, and beg God for help to understand truth.

The book of Daniel has a great deal of practical instruction and amazing prophetic truth, but this basic principle is brought before us by the man who opened his windows three times a day and prayed toward Jerusalem. (Daniel 6:10 & 13) 

Pastor 

Subverting Your Soul

Good Morning,

Acts 15:24 “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”

The church in Antioch had some religious visitors from Jerusalem. These teachers were trying to convince those new converts that they needed to keep the law in order to be saved. Paul and a group of men from the church traveled from Antioch to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles.

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” 

The discussion was very simple; they determined that they were saved by faith through the grace of God. Keeping the law has nothing to do with salvation. The apostles wanted it to be very clear that Jews and Gentiles only get saved one way - by grace and without any works of the law.

Even today, plenty of these religious “Pharisees” still try to convince people that if they do not keep the law one cannot be truly saved.  

For years, Catholics and many Protestants have taught that performing religious deeds is necessary for salvation. Sadly, many religious people are still including the works with salvation. If circumcision had nothing to do with salvation in the days of apostles, then none of the commandments have anything to do with salvation today. We are only saved by the grace of God.

Acts 15:5 “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” 

These people were Christians, but they were saved out of the life of a Pharisee - an original life of strict obedience to the law. They were completely convinced that the law was a necessary part of salvation. We will not debate whether these men were saved or not; God said they believed, and we will leave it at that. For us, it is important to realize that when people come from a strict religious life, they face the difficulty of simply walking away and trusting God by faith.

The Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, and others intimately tie their infant baptism to “the work of grace.“ Just as circumcision had nothing to do with the work of grace in the life of the New Testament believer, so the free gift of grace is all that is necessary to redeem a soul from sin - no matter which century.

I have heard people give all kinds of reasons for tying works to salvation. The question of how someone could be saved and not have a changed life has been asked repeatedly, but no one is willing to say how much of a change life. I have heard people also say that in order to be saved, one must turn from his sin; but then the question must be asked, “How much of their sin did they have to turn from?” How much sin can someone commit and still be saved? The answer is really not difficult to answer.  John 3:16, Romans 10:13, 9-10, Act 16:3, and many others tell us that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and the work that He accomplished on Calvary. That is it!  There is no personal work required.

Paul made it very clear, salvation is by grace alone - no works of the law are a part of salvation.

Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." 

We started in Acts 15:24: “…subverting your souls…” When someone adds works to salvation, he is “subverting your soul.” To paraphrase in our common language, it means, “Quit messing with the gift of eternal life! Jesus paid it all!”

Pastor

Split-Second Event: Death & Departing

Good Morning,

2 Corinthians 5:6 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:”

vs. 7 "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

vs. 8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

We will become absent from the body and present with the Lord - in an instant, a split second.  There will not be time to change your mind or to make new decisions.  The rich man in Hell was very sorry and thought of his loved ones ending up in Hell with him. 

Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”

vs. 23 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

He died, and then found himself in Hell - it was an instant. 

Some churches teach the silly idea of “soul sleep.” This philosophy teaches that your soul stays in the grave until the Judgement Day. Sorry, but in the story of Rachel, the Bible says she was dying: Genesis 35:18 “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing…” This took place at the birth of Benjamin. The Bible refers to her death as her soul departing.  Her soul left immediately; her body was laid in a grave long after her death.

Jesus told the thief, “Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”  Did they share the same grave?  No, of course not, but their souls were together - THAT VERY SECOND!  It was a split-second event.  

The moment you cease to breathe, your soul leaves and goes somewhere.  I cannot say I know how it all works when someone is resuscitated, but there are many similar stories of people who experienced some event, and were brought back seconds later. The fact is, when we die, we will go somewhere, and it is instant. There will not be any time to change your mind or to make a decision. Decide, today, what you will do with Christ.

- Pastor

Making Money A Priority

Good Morning,

Many of us know people whom we admire for their financial sense. We notice various decisions that financially solvent people make or have made, and we often seek to emulate them.

There are many verses in the Bible that teach about money. Being careful with finances is a godly characteristic, but there are other truths to remember regarding finances. 

Rarely do the families of wealthy people achieve what we desire.  Our president has made money, but I do not want to end my life with my third wife.  Elon Musk is, no doubt, smart and rich, but his family values are far from what we would want or what pleases God.  

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

1 Timothy 6:9 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

vs. 10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

I have a friend who, in his later years, was as balanced a man as you could find, but in his money-making younger days, things seemed to be far different.  His family was not what I would have wished for. 

Many wealthy men have served God in their later years, but did not in their youth.  The idea of teaching a Sunday school class or running a bus route was not a part of their world.  We simply cannot focus on too many things at the same time.   Consider the major areas of life: marriage, children, business, a walk with God, service in the church, care of a car and home, and some may even have a hobby or add recreation.  Life is short, hours are fleeting, and rare is the man who can focus on all of these areas of responsibility (perhaps no one ever has). 

Most famous preachers are well-known for one or, perhaps, two things.  John Rice was known for revival and teaching on the home.  Jack Hyles and Curtis Hutson focused on church building and soul winning.  Tom Williams’ main focus was prayer. Exceptions of people who did well in several areas exist, but the truth is that excelling takes focused attention, and resources are limited. David had a heart for God, but failed in his home.  Solomon was a great leader with much wisdom, but also failed in his home and walk with God.

Let us refocus on our subject of money; be careful not to model your lifestyle around the rich, for even if you succeed, it may not be what truly matters in life. 

Work hard, spend wisely, live frugally, and give generously, but do not allow finances to rule your waking hours. 

Proverbs 23:4 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” 

Pastor

Spiritual Renewal

Good Morning,

Most of us have had a moment or two when too many items were plugged in and popped the little circuit breaker button on the electric outlet. In some cases, we may have overloaded something in the breaker in the electrical box outside. Circuit breakers are made to carry only a certain amount of electricity. Plugging in one or more items accumulate and eventually come to a point at which it becomes dangerous, or could perhaps cause a fire, so the circuit breaker simply switches off.

In 1 Kings 19, we find Elijah with his “circuit breaker about to pop.” The weight of working in the ministry, surviving famine and drought, living from a little brook and some meat brought by ravens, and being fed some bread and water by a widow and her son, had accumulated. In chapter 18, Elijah faced the prophets of Baal.  The story is not only dramatic and high stress, but ends with killing hundreds of false profits. Elijah then retreated to a mountain top and prayed until God gave rain.

Of course, God was in charge, and Elijah was certainly safe in the hands of his Heavenly Father, but sometimes the weight feels like the electric current when the breaker is about to pop. Notice Elijah‘s prayer: 

1 Kings 19:4 “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

No matter how good of a Christian you are, you are human, you are flesh, and the weight can become overwhelming.

Our mistake may be that we try to simply work hard harder and longer to conquer our problems in the flesh – which does not work!  

Here are a few suggestions, some biological and some spiritual, for when you have reached the amperage limit of your breaker.

1. Spend more time with God. 

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

2. Eat more carefully. In the story of Elijah, the angel of the Lord brought food that sustained him for forty days.  (1 Kings 19:8) 

3.  Go outside, get in the sun and the fresh air, and get some exercise.

4. Don’t quit!   This is simply my opinion on the story of Elijah, he was so worn out that he went to God and God gave him direction to find a replacement. I think he quit too soon. I could be wrong, but I do know that I have watched Christians quit church, quit on their spouse, quit on their job, and quit on their ministry. Quitting and running to hide seems to be an easy way out. Even if I am wrong about the story of Elijah, I am not wrong in what I have seen in the lives of Christians. Grit your teeth, stay close to God, diligently practice one through three above, and you will find refreshment and renewal.  

Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 

Don’t Quit!  

Pastor 

Things You Never See In The Bible

Good Morning,

I was thinking of the “religious” activities that seem to be accepted around the world, yet they never appear in the Bible.

In many third-world nations, you can find people tied to a cross and paraded around town. In some situations, they are actually nailed to the cross; this is done for some religious purpose, maybe to find favor with God or to atone for their sins.  This ritual is one of many things we will find in churches yet never find in the Bible (some thing are even common in Baptist churches). 

Paul calls some rituals “doctrines of devils.”  That sounds serious, yet Paul defines these “doctrines of devils” as forbidding to marry and forbidding to eat meat (1 Timothy 4:3). Those two alone include half the world’s religions! 

Most Baptist churches use voting for various situations: voting in a budget, voting for a new pastor, and (my ridiculous favorite) voting in new members.  Sorry, but voting cannot be found in the New Testament.  Perhaps in the selecting of men to care for widows in Acts 6, some might consider that voting in deacons. (It may be correct, but that seems to be a bit of a stretch.)  Paul told Timothy and Titus to “appoint” deacons and pastors.

Calling a religious leader “father” is common around the world, yet it is not only never done in the Bible, but it was forbidden by the Lord.

Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” 

There are many such things practiced in religion that we never see in the Bible.  Seriously, if something was important, do we think it would not have been taught and practiced by the first century church? Do you think that maybe God would have recorded instruction about certain practices if He wanted them to be a part of the church? 

Consider the practice of confession of sins to a man - this is certainly never taught in the Scripture.  The baptism of babies is also never mentioned in the Bible.  How about a church budget? (Gasp! This is a Baptist practice.) A church budget is not a matter of religion; countless Baptists around the world do not have a budget; it is simply a practice in America.  We must be careful to not allow this tradition to turn it into a mandatory doctrine. 

In religion, Mary is adored and worshipped and held in the highest esteem, yet in the New Testament, no one ever prayed to Mary or offered her any respect at all; in fact, Jesus simply called her “woman.” 

The practice of women preachers is accepted in most denominations, yet it is clearly forbidden in the Bible.  In addition, we should include women in leadership over men (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Paul tells Timothy that a woman is not to have authority over a man, but to be subject.  Similarly, long hair on men and short hair on women is taught against in Paul’s writings (1 Corinthians 11), yet that topic is certainly avoided in many churches.

Air conditioning, church buses, and church nurseries are not in our New Testament either, but we do not call those things important to religion, just comfort.  Many great churches around the world do not even have seating or walls; these are not religious mandates, but cultural conveniences.  

It is vital that we guard our faith and protect it from corruption. The devil will be constantly searching for ways to destroy the church and its impact on the world.  

May we be Bible believers and build our religious practices upon what the Bible teaches, not on the religious traditions of men. 

Pastor

O Lord Thou Knowest

Good Morning,

“O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”

In Ezekiel, chapter 37, the prophet finds himself in a very unusual situation. He looked across a great valley full of bones. The bones were dried and scattered by wild animals. A great battle had taken place there, and the dead were left lying. Now, perhaps years later, the prophet looked upon those bones, and God asked him a question: “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?”

The wise prophet replied:

 “And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”

If you are familiar with the story, you know that those bones did live and that God commanded the prophet to preach to those bones. As he preached, God put the skin and muscles back together, and a great army stood before the Ezekiel.

Many situations in life cause us to think we know the answer to the questions we are asked. Arrogantly, we act as if we know what is best or that we understand the end result of a given action. In reality, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”  

Often, young people will ask me about their dating life or their consideration of marriage. Most of us have had to make a judgement call relating to our children, their school, or their friends. We may or may not have the confidence that we are sure of what should or should not be done. We should keep in mind the simple statement from the prophet: “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” 

We can do our best to behave properly, place our energy into the training and guiding our children, or labor to do right regarding our marriage, career, or finances. However, at the end of the day, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” 

Spending time in our Bible daily is imperative because only God knows for sure what decisions lie ahead. It is a matter of urgency (truly, a life or death matter) to take time to pray and to humbly seek God’s help, while admitting our weakness and lack of understanding, and to beg Him to intervene.

As we begin 2026, may we begin the year reminding ourselves that only God knows. The closer we are to Him, the more likely we are to make good choices. When things go “wrong” in our eyes, may we commit those circumstances to the One Who knows tomorrow. 

 “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” 

Pastor

Merciful God

Good Morning,

I am sure there are days when we wonder if God will hear our prayer because we have been foolish, chased after sinful things, or made very selfish choices. We may doubt that God hears our prayers or will help us out of our problem, again.

Judges 10:15-18

The book of Judges is a sad story of what happens when everybody does what they think is right, and they turn to their own religious ideas. When we choose our thoughts over those of God, trouble is on the way.

Multiple times, Israel had forsaken God and gone their own way. 

Judges 10:10 “And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.”

vs. 13 “Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.” 

“Let them deliver you”  was God’s response to their cry.

In their time of trouble, they knew God was their only hope. They admitted their sin and told God to do what He thought was best, but they would serve Him only.

(vs.15-16)

The key phrase is found in Judges 10:16; God is touched when we hurt. 

vs.16 “…and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

Even when we have done wrong, the heart of God is touched by our suffering. Though you have turned toward Him and away from Him repeatedly, turn one more time to God and from sin. Beg for mercy from God.

God did deliver Israel. He sent them a judge to deliver them and to encourage them to stand for right.  We have a merciful God, He is patient beyond words; and for some reason, He loves us.

Pastor

Leadership

Good Morning,

In the news, I have seen the wife of Charlie Kirk pushed into the open often, perhaps some would like her to take over the movement he began.  If you look back on the great popularity of Charlie Kirk, you will notice that his wife was, just that, his wife.  She was not the ministry leader; she was not the great outspoken guide of a movement.  She, at least appeared to be, the loving and encouraging helpmate God designed her to be. 

If President Trump died, we would be very unwise to look to Mrs. Trump for direction about our nation’s future.  She is the first lady, she has not been the leader of the free world. In my opinion, it would be a great mistake to push her into any kind of leadership position because she was the wife, the one who encouraged, helped, and strengthened her husband.  Let her be who she has been and who God allowed her to be. 

In 1 Kings chapter 1, David was old and unable to lead his country anymore. An insurrection was taking place. Bathsheba was not pushed into leadership, nor did she try to do so. 

Notice the event that took place.

1 Kings 1:11 “Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?”

vs. 12 “Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel…”

The old preacher that stood by David’s side throughout the years came to the king’s wife and gave her instruction. She wisely listened.  Her life and the ministry of her son Solomon were both saved because she listened to the old preacher.  Stick with the old men of God when guidance is needed.  

If I die, I hope our church has enough sense to not allow my wife to determine the future of our church. She should not be the next pastor, nor should she be the counselor to the next pastor. She was my wife. She has done her job well. That job ends with her being a wife, mother, and grandmother. My wife has an adult lady’s Sunday school class, and she goes soul winning like any good Christian lady should, but she is not the advisor, counselor, or guide of the future ministries of Faith Baptist Church.  

As the Bible instructs, our church has men who are deacons or on our church staff, and we have a church Constitution that was voted in by the church members. These men and documents will guide the future of the church if it is needed.  The pastor’s wife is not in the decision-making role. Hopefully, ministry leaders and political leaders have guidelines in place so that in the event that they are no longer able to lead, a plan has already been prepared and guidance has been put in place to keep the direction and leadership moving the right way. 

Mrs. Kirk, the wife of Charlie Kirk,  should be mom and the grieving widow of her beloved husband.  Leave her alone!  For people to push her into leadership is folly, just as it would be for Jill Biden to think she could direct the affairs of America when her husband was incapable of doing so.  Unelected staff under the president has no business guiding the nation.  Our Constitution has protocols in place to take care of situations like this.  No one should usurp authority, and no one should be pushed into authority. God, the Constitution, and in the case of the church, the Bible will guide.

In 2 Kings 11, Athaliah, tried pushing herself into leadership.   You can read about her sometime - her decision did not end well.  

Pastor

Life Is Not Easy

Good Morning,

Most of us know the story of Joseph, the young man who was hated by his brothers and eventually sold into slavery.  While Joseph tried to do the right thing in a very difficult situation, he was lied about and jailed.  Years passed from the day that his brothers betrayed him, and we find that he became a lord of Egypt.  

Joseph’s life was not easy! 

While starting the church, Mrs. Goddard and I did everything together.  We knocked on doors, ran youth activities, and set up for each church service, but then a baby came along and she needed much more time to be mom.  That event changed everything, and honestly, it was difficult. 

Biblical priorities tell us that marriage and the husband are more important than children, and managing the right priority is not easy. 

In marriage, the wife needs understanding and patience from the husband, and that is difficult. Young men have little understanding of what a wife feels and needs – understanding and filling that need is difficult.  A young husband and wife are inexperienced and will make poor choices with time, money, and child discipline. Dealing with the results of wrong choices is not easy.

After being married for nearly half a century, we find ourselves far from that young family and early marriage, but I can assure you that age, decades, and all that comes with it is not easy. 

Daniel lost his home, he was taken away as a slave, and unknown hardships were his lot in life. It was difficult. 

No man understand a woman, and few women understand a man; that is difficult on both of you. When we add the reality that some days we are simply carnal Christians and bitter people, it does not make it any easier.

In a world with so many difficult situations and circumstances, we must allow our children to face things that are not easy.  Homework late into the night, sports training, and countless kinds of work need to be integrated into the lives of our children because LIFE IS NOT EASY and we need to train them to deal with it. A hovering, controlling mom is not a help in this training for hardship. God placed the mom in the home for a reason, but men think differently and children need the outlook of the dad. 

Handicapped children, layoffs, and medical trouble can all be a part of the future of our children, and IT IS DIFFICULT. 

Do you remember the story of the bread God asked Ezekiel to make and eat? That was not easy. Jail for Jeremiah was in the will of God, but it was very discouraging.   Hosea's wife sold herself as a harlot on the streets where Hosea preached, obviously that was difficult.

The ministry is difficult, yet we need preachers.  The mission field is not easy, yet we are commanded to go to the whole world with the Gospel.  

Do not try to shield your children from the difficult, unfair, or uncomfortable situations - these are necessary.  Beg God for wisdom about what to do and what not to do.  

My daughter and her three little ones were at our house one day when their dad was working.  The four-year-old was riding a little push bike and carrying two foot-long shish kebab skewers in his hand. She felt like that was probably less than safe, but she asked me what I thought. I agreed, but then I added, “but I’m a grandpa.” She said out loud. “What would Matt say?” I found myself thanking God for the right spirit in that young mother.  She did choose to tell her son that he had to divide the activities; either play with the shish kebab sticks or ride the bike, but he could not do both.  The important lesson to learn in this situation was that she understood that her motherly instinct might not be right, and she had to at least consider options and ask herself what her husband might think.

Life is not easy - train for it, and help your children prepare for it.

Pastor

Keep Your Heart

Good Morning,

No end of heartache is caused by humanity. It may be economic, immoral, violent, or the result of a lust for power, but evil runs rampant throughout humanity.

The thought of hurting someone ought to bother us, and we should do everything in our power to keep ourselves from hurting others. There is also the simple, selfish motive to not hurt ourselves. We do not want to do anything that may harm us or our future. Proverbs talks about the “issues of life.” Issues are the outspreading, the influence, or the impact of the spreading out on the world around us.

One crucial action must be done: “keep your heart.”

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” 

When a married person meditates on the things that their spouse does to frustrate them, they are planting seeds in their own heart that will blossom into corrupt behavior. When one begins to notice the cash flow at a place of employment and to consider what that money might do for him, he is allowing his heart to cultivate desires and ambitions that cannot be legitimately fulfilled.

Achan allowed himself to look at the riches of Jericho, and in the end, it cost him his life and the lives of his wife and children.  David looked across the darkness and planted the seeds of adultery in his heart as he saw Bathsheba.  

Turning away from temptation immediately is of the greatest importance. We cannot allow ourselves to entertain or enjoy the thoughts of that which is not ours. When God says not to be bitter toward my wife, then I must not even meditate for a moment on circumstances that may frustrate me and give discontentment a place to flourish.  

“Keep your heart” means to intentionally love what you have: to look at your car with gratitude, to look at your house with a thankful spirit, to look at the one you married and be grateful. Consider a caged lion: if the beast is within the cage, it is beautiful and to be admired, but if the door is left open, it can destroy much.

The single person cannot afford to look at the married person with a covetous heart or wish they had a spouse – especially not that spouse. The married person cannot allow themselves to meditate, even for a moment, on another person who might be available, whether they are married or single.

Keep your heart! It is a command! That command comes with great warning. If we do not keep our hearts, the issues of our future will be miserable, frustrating, and deadly to all the things that matter to us.

As a teenager, my brother and I had a motorcycle that would occasionally have the throttle stick wide open. That motorcycle was safe and easy to control, and we might, at some point, need to open the throttle completely and accelerate up a hill or down a long straightaway. However, when that throttle would stick open without our planning on it happening, it did not matter whether we were going up or down; we were in grave danger.  So it is with a heart that is allowed to run wild without control or direction. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 

Compassion and tenderness flow from a carefully nurtured heart, but if that same heart is allowed to entertain godless dreams and ideas, it may bring forth a fountain flowing with hatred, murder, deceit, corruption, and evil of all kinds.

Keep your heart WITH ALL DILIGENCE. 

Pastor

Eternal View

Good Morning,

I often refer people to the subject of eternal rewards and coming judgment.  It is one of the most frequent subjects mentioned in the Scripture.  Paul mentioned it when he was jailed and standing before those who might be able to free him from prison. 

Acts 24:25 “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

That is an outline worthy of much pulpit time, “righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.”

In Daniel 12:3 God speaks of this; “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Consider these examples:

Matthew 13:43 “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Matthew 19:28 “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

John 4:36 “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” 

1 Corinthians 1:8 “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Philippians 1:10 “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; “

Philippians 2:16 “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” 

1 Thessalonians 2:19 “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” 

I have no idea how often the Lord refers to rewards, judgment, and our eternal state, but it is mentioned frequently throughout the Scripture.  Now, if the subject of eternity, rewards, and judgment is all through the Bible, and if by chance, your pastor does not deal with the matter regularly, then I suggest you start praying for your pastor or find another church. 

Regardless of what pastors are doing, let me make some suggestions that are all based on one simple statement out of the book of Amos, “prepare to meet thy God.”

Amos 4:12 “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.”

In preparing, I suggest:

1. Make sure of your salvation.

2. Find the basic principles of Christian living in the Scriptures and apply yourself diligently to obedient living.

3. Develop a faithful prayer life and a consistent time of Bible reading each day in order to equip yourself to serve God and represent Him well.

4. Join a faithful, Bible-believing, Baptist church and get involved to the greatest extent possible.

5. Remind yourself regularly that this life on earth is brief, but that your service here will influence your eternity in Heaven; rewards will come.

This silly idea that everyone is going to Heaven, that we will all enjoy the same benefits and opportunities, and that there will be no differences between us when we walk the golden streets is not just silly, it is unscriptural and a deadly lie that will destroy the future hopes of countless Christians. 

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” 

Live with eternity in view.

Pastor

Eternal Priorities/Flesh Over Spirit

Good Morning,

At one point, priorities included elbow pads and helmets as kids rode skateboards. Now, priorities are set on a proper diet, gluten-free this, sugar-free that, protein for breakfast, and carbs later in the day. Yet, many of the concerned parents who prioritize these things would order Sunday school low on the list. Bible reading is rarely done and sitting in church with little children is very rare.

The book of Daniel tells of a battle between heaven and earth. Daniel 10:13 introduces the “prince of the king of Persia.” While reading the story, it becomes obvious that this is not referring to the man sitting on the earthly throne. This is referring to him who is in the heavens and not a good power. Most Bible-believers see every community in every country overseen by angelic or demonic hosts.

While we are busy worrying about hypoallergenic pillows, and lactose-free milk, we are ignoring the real battle – the spiritual battle in the heavens. Daniel’s story tells us about wrestling against principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness.

Just a summary of my thinking, I would rather my child honor and glorify God with their life and die young than live long having ignored God and His Book. This life is short; it will be gone in an instant.  It is foolish for us to build every hour of every day around earthly things while ignoring eternal things.

Placing our children in godless, government schools while failing to pray for them and placing them under the leadership of God-fearing teachers is simply crazy (unless you are not saved, and you do not understand eternal things).  

I am not against trying to have a healthy diet, but I am against keeping our children so safe that they never learn to do difficult things, face hurt, or learn to control their emotions when things go wrong. That is life; that is the life that will honor God and bring eternal rewards.

I am not sure how much time Jesus spent playing ball, but I do know that He learned to work and that he was a carpenter. As his family traveled back from Jerusalem, as a twelve-year-old boy, Jesus was not found for three days. The young man, Jesus, definitely had liberty and was not brought up by a hovering mother who saw Him every moment of every day. He was a young man who knew the Scripture and could sit in the temple asking questions and answering questions regarding the Scriptures.

Ask yourself regularly, “Will this affect eternity?”  or “Is this just something earthly that is important to me as a parent?”

Pastor

Standards & Legalism

Good Morning,

Please allow me be a bit controversial today, as I scribble a few notes. First of all, let me address standards, especially standards in regards to our appearance.

Everyone has standards. Our church places no requirements on a person’s appearance, except what everyone in town would expect – because everyone has standards. Even people at the grocery store have certain guidelines to what people must wear. One cannot go into any store naked. There are no public schools that I know of that do not require clothing. Where people draw the line varies, but, everybody has a standard.

I will teach and preach what I believe matches God’s directives for appropriate apparel, but I certainly do not require it (nor does our church). A standard of conduct or a standard of appearance is an outward sign of an inward relationship to God. There are things I do and do not do because I love my wife. There are things I do and do not do because I would not want to hurt my wife. If I did those things, I would hurt the one that I love dearly. The same is true with God. If I love Him dearly, then I would never want to offend Him with the way I act or how I appear.

The people who might attack our church for teaching what the Bible says about appearance have to decide on their own what they think is appropriate to wear. It is none of my business (although, they have made it their business to criticize what we believe). The Bible says every man will give an account of himself to God. With that in mind, I would defend each individual’s right to determine their behavior and their appearance. God gives that freedom to people; why would I not also defend that freedom.

If we were to talk about standards of behavior, everyone has them. Recently, it has been made obvious (again) that tying athletics and gambling together violates some standard of conduct. Again, I say, “We all have standards of conduct.” In the political world, standards of conduct in regards to campaign finance in the political world is expected to be upheld. We all understand that a standard should exist.

The second word I would like to address is legalism. I would like to identify the absolute semantic ignorance of the people who use that word. The vast majority who say that someone is legalistic are simply parroting what they have heard someone else say. They cannot define the word, nor can they elaborate on how a church like ours would be defined as legalistic. 

We have already established that everybody has some standard of conduct and some standard of appearance. The only difference between us is where we draw the line. In having a standard, we are not legalistic, we are simply trying to abide by our basic beliefs. The true use of the word legalism or legalistic is when we add works to salvation. Some dictionaries would define the word as, “A strict set of rules or standards that is more important than Grace.”  I do not know any Christian group that believes any set of standards is more important than grace. I cannot even imagine anyone so foolish to believe that, let alone for one to accuse another of it.

Not only that, but I do not believe there is anyone that teaches and preachers grace more than a Bible-believing Baptist.  When knocking on doors and witnessing all over the community, we find an endless stream of church goers who believe that their good works have something to do with their salvation. Some believe their good works help them get saved. Others believe they get saved by faith, but their good works keep them saved. Each of these approaches is legalism and biblical nonsense.

Of all the religious groups I know, we are absolutely the LEAST legalistic. I do not believe that anything one does could possibly help them get saved or keep them saved. I do not believe there is one shred of good works needed to be converted. I will go so far as to believe that if we add one percent of good works to 99% faith, we are condemning ourselves to hell. 

Romans 11:6 makes this very clear.

“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

In a very brief summary, I would say that everyone has standards, and that of all the religious people I know, we are the least likely to ever be  legalistic; while almost everyone who accuses us of being legalistic actually IS.

Pastor

Discipleship

Good Morning,

Discipleship - the word is not in the Bible.   



As a verb, the word disciple is never used in the Bible. It is a noun that refers to a person who is a disciplined follower. 



Today, many churches use the word discipleship as a verb—something one does or an activity in which someone is involved: often used in place of the words training or instruction. The word discipleship is often used to describe a program in which one enrolls in to become a "disciple." 



Any leader wants new converts to learn, but historically (and biblically), this term was not used among great church builders. The idea of DISCIPLESHIP is a more recent addition to church programs. 

A good family moved into our area, and within a few weeks, the father was out soul winning with me. He said that in his last church, they attended a multi-week class on how to witness to various cults or religions. When the class ended, no one went out witnessing; they had received their information, but putting the instruction into practice was not part of the program. Then, he said, “Here, you don't do any instruction—you just take us out to talk with people.”



He was new and did not understand that the "do" came before the "know." 



John 7:17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine…"



Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Following is the first step. Sitting in a classroom like a college student is not wrong, but it is not a biblical method. 



We must be careful to not judge our ministry's success solely by the amount of time we spend in a restaurant or classroom teaching the Bible one-on-one. Thank God it happens, and it is wonderful when a young Christian begins to learn, but maybe we should put extra effort into following the Bible's method. 



Titus 1:3 “But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching…”



God manifests His Word through preaching. Get your converts to church and under the preaching of God's Word, and God will open His Word to them. I believe that both new and seasoned Christians will learn more from sitting under strong preaching than they ever will in one-on-one "discipleship classes."  



The Bible method is to go soul winning, get new converts to church, and take new converts out soul winning.  

 Pastor

Departing

Good Morning,

1 Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

vs. 53 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

There is a moment in time, a moment without any notice, when a trumpet will sound, and we will be gone. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

vs. 17 “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Do not think you will sort it out later; do not think God will give you a warning and say, “In fifteen minutes, I am calling my own out of this world.”   No, the moment will only consist of a “twinkling of an eye.” There will not be any time to do anything. We will be caught up to meet the Lord, and if you are not ready, you will be forever sorry.  

Many decisions in life allow for time to consider the choice before making a decision – salvation is one of them, but what happens when we die or when the trumpet sounds is not one of those choices. You will not have time to think about it; it may be now or never.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” 

I suggest that you take time NOW to seriously think about your eternal world.  You will live forever somewhere, and you may not have time to think about it when the car accident takes place, or when the heart attack happens.  Now is a good time to settle the decision that will instantly determine your eternity.

Pastor

Beauty

Good Morning,

Of the daughters of Job, God said, “No women found so fair as the daughters of Job.” In Job 42:15, of Sara, Abraham said, “Thou art a fair woman to look upon,”  and of Rebekah, “The damsel was very fair to look upon,” and of Vashti, “she was fair to look on.”  Clearly, we can see that beauty stands out in the eyes of men and God. If you read your Bible, you will find that many times, God points out the beauty of a lady. When it comes down to making a statement on the value of that beauty, God is very clear.

Proverbs 31:30 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

There is certainly nothing wrong with beauty or with a woman doing a few things to look better. Paul wrote that a woman’s hair is her “glory.”  The issue that arises in our culture, and probably often in history, is the priority of beauty. How much time does the lady spend on beauty and how much time does she spend developing godliness in virtue?

Proverbs 31:30 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

A woman that fears the Lord is a woman who is willing to fulfill all that God desires her to be. She will be a better mother, and she will be a better wife. In our culture, a woman’s beauty is a tool to get a job, to get fame, to get attention, and sadly, to get a man to be immorally involved with her.

I have no problem with a woman caring for her hair, her skin, her weight and her appearance in general. I think a lady that does not seek some care of outward attractiveness is more at risk than others. Young men are foolish enough to follow beauty first and virtue later. Married men are constantly bombarded with sensuous bodies.  To come home to a lady who has no care about her body might perhaps put him in a position of more temptation.  A little work on weight, hair, dress, and a smile does have value.

Sadly, many ladies have bought into this culture we have created: medical procedures to take some off or to add some, to rearrange general physical appearance, or to fix lips, nose, cheeks, and more.  Some ladies will cover things up with massive amounts of make up, eyelashes, or a stream of other beauty tricks. Then, as ladies age, they begin cutting, trimming, and fixing, trying to keep a youthful look.  Wrong priorities might be the big issue.

Here are just a few thoughts in regard to this issue:

1. Why are women on the earth? I would say ladies are on earth for the same reason men are, to glorify God. So to ignore Sunday school, church, Bible, and prayer will certainly cause a lady to fail at her most basic purpose.

2.  What is the woman’s main work on earth? From Genesis, we see that God put the woman on the earth “for the man.” If this girl is beautiful and dressed great but nags her husband, fails at affection, and ignores the children and the home, I would say she’s failing at her main work.

3.  Paul said to do what we do for the glory of God.  I have noticed that the unusually attractive ladies are very focused on themselves.  They seem to constantly be concerned about their hair, clothing, skin, eyes, and lips; it seems they are concerned very little about seeking God, glorifying God, and living for others. My observation is that unusual beauty goes with extreme self-centeredness.  I am sure that a self-centered person is  guaranteed to fail at their personal relationships with God, spouse, children, and the world around them.

I am not against beauty, whether natural or with the aid of a little outside help. I am against self-centeredness. I am against focusing on beauty over others. I am against someone thinking so much of themself that they forget to walk with God.  I am against a lady thinking so much of her appearance that she cannot enjoy her husband, happy family, activities, and the service of God through a church. Keeping a balance is not easy in this culture.

Proverbs 31:30 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Pastor

The Solution

Good Morning,

If you read your Bible, you know people often become angry with others, and trouble follows.  Cain killed Abel for little or no logical reason.  In Genesis 4:3, the admission of another killing is also stated.  The story of Noah and the Ark provides an account of a land filled with violence. Not long after Noah got off the ark, we find him drunk.  Achan stole possessions from Jericho, and his family was killed.

Long before the Ten Commandments were given, mankind continually broke the laws. We can jump ahead in time to when Judas betrayed Jesus or to the early church era when God killed two deceitful members in Acts 5.

Do not be surprised by sinful deeds.  Jeremiah 17 tells us “the heart is deceitful above all things.”  Consider the phrase: “above all things.”  There is nothing on earth more deceitful than our hearts.  

Rather than being shocked that humanity is flawed, perhaps we should work on the problem – the heart.  

Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”

Perhaps we should focus on what is getting into our hearts.  The book of Proverbs suggests that we control our thoughts:  Proverbs 23:7 “…as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." 

It might be wise to seriously consider our music, entertainment, social media, and all the information that emerges on the digital devices our young people carry with them 24/7.   If we expect our young people to have good thoughts, and we want those thoughts to produce a good heart, we would be wise to reconsider which schools our young people attend.

It is easier to complain about a bad product than it is to work on a solution. The solution is a preventative measure, but the fact is, prevention is the only thing that will work when it comes to a sinful heart. We must labor to wash it clean with the Word of God and do our best to protect that heart from all of the garbage in the world.

Pastor

Refrences

Good Morning,

Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1 “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.”

A reference letter tells of the past behavior of an individual. 

It gives a suggestion of potential future activities.

References reveal who a person truly is when they are not trying to impress or gain something. It shows the inner person at a moment of relaxation when their true nature is visible.

A NAME... that is the opinion of others. What people think of someone when they have watched them in various circumstances   

A criminal record has bearing on what people think of you.

      • Yes you can be forgiven.

      • Yes, you can start over.

      • Yes, your past is a part of you. 

      • Your past IS YOU... at one time.

When I am looking for a carpenter, and multiple references say a person repeatedly was slow or did not complete a job, that will make me assume the same will happen in the future.

Evil people in the past should be scattered in the future. Someone who was a critic yesterday is likely to be one tomorrow.  Someone who was a talebearer yesterday will almost surely be one tomorrow.  They have proven themselves; they have a "reputation."

Proverbs 20:8 "A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.”

vs. 26 “A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.” 

Someone who was once scornful and critical is likely to remain the same in the future. God advises you to keep them away from you.

Proverbs 22:10 “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.”

Removing yourself from the scorner will stop contention and reproach. Over the years, I have met several pastors who seemed to always be ready to tell me some critical news, repeat a story, or speak evil of people I know to be "good."  

I avoid these people! 

Talebearers, according to the Lord, keep strife alive.  God is not impressed with that behavior.  Their critical comments can be read online as they slander people who have been dead for decades.

Proverbs 26:20 “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no, the strife ceaseth.”

vs. 21 “As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.”

I will not spend time with critics, scorners, talebearers, or anyone who stirs up contention and strife.  If you point me to someone who seeks to hurt others or has often said critical or slanderous things, I will show you someone I will avoid at all cost.

We should all seek to develop good references.  As people watch us over the years, we should live in the way which describes our references as good. 

What are your references?   


Pastor 

Proper Order

Good Morning,

I would assume that most of us have put something together, whether a toy for a child or something we bought to use for the family, and rather than following the instructions, we simply started putting things together ourselves. On most occasions, we found that if we skip a step in the proper order, it is almost impossible to complete the project. Then we find ourselves disassembling, going to the directions, and reassembling in order. Doing things in the proper order is how to get the desired result.

I was preaching out of town, and prior to my arrival, the pastor mentioned that the theme for the year was something about love (I cannot remember the exact phrase):a renewal of love, or a goal of love, but basically it was a good, warm, and fuzzy annual theme.  He was probably hoping I would preach something nice, which, to honor the pastor, I did, but I probably will not preach there again.

Obviously, love is important. Scriptures that mention God so loves the world, and that they will know we are Christians by our love are many, but a proper order is tragically missing in our modern religious movement. Without a lengthy Bible study, I would like to mention 2 Peter 1:5–9.

Peter offers a list of things to us, but the interesting phrase he uses is “add to.” He mentions the first item and then says to add the second, the third, the fourth, and so on. There was a reason for the order.  If the order is mixed, the desired product will not be produced.

In case you are not near a Bible to look at it, this is the order: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.

You will notice that brotherly kindness and charity are on the list, but you will also notice they are last on the list. Kindness and charity are built upon a foundation of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and godliness. Summarizing brotherly kindness and charity with the word love cannot be biblical love unless it is built on a proper biblical foundation. If you love roses, you cannot love weeds, gophers, or aphids. If you love holiness, you cannot love sin or sinful things. In order to have biblical love, first, you need to build a foundation of all of those other items mentioned so that you only use “approved things that are excellent.“ (Philippians 1:10)

I like to teach this list of character traits as a pyramid: faith is the broad base, and each item becomes more narrow to create a pyramid look crowned with charity. This formula builds a stable family, a stable relationship, and a stable church.

Across America, we find churches built on love. Flipping the pyramid upside down will cause it to topple over. When the foundation becomes the last building block rather than the first, disaster will follow.

I have heard people say that doctrine divides and that we should focus on love. That formula creates a very unstable product. Notice in verses eight and nine the result of proper or improper order. The subject entails much more than I have time to address now, but allow me to point out one simple thing – assurance of salvation.

While we are knocking on doors and meeting people, it is common for us to encounter people who attend large, contemporary churches that focus on love. The people are warm and friendly, and we may chitchat a while before coming to the question, “If you die today, do you know for sure you would go to Heaven?” Almost always, they answer with a vague or unsure answer which is exactly the byproduct of a church with love being most important.

2 Peter 1:9  “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

When foundations are out of order, no assurance of salvation or eternal security is found. Often, we see this scenario as we go into the community to win souls. These people are often very open to receiving Christ and placing their faith in Him, but if they remain in a church that makes love more important than faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and godliness, they will still have no assurance of salvation.

When God put things in order, we should not change that order. There are ramifications for our actions. If we hope to enjoy the stability and security that God wishes for us to have, we must follow the directions and do things in the proper order.

Pastor