Worth Repeating - Thoughts On the Coming of the Lord

Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

There are two ways of looking at the Lord's Coming. There is a looking for, and there is a looking at it. It is possible to look at it with a keen intellect and profound interest, and yet have it mean nothing to us personally.

It is possible to know but little of the theology and exegesis of the subject, and yet have a deep and holy longing for our Lord to appear. When a wedding is about to occur, the public are looking at it, but the bride is looking for it. Oh, that this great theme may not only be our study, but also our personal hope; for "unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28).   -- Dr. A. B. Simpson

My thoughts:

This reminds me of a poem by Annie Johnson Flint.

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - I Stand In His Righteousness

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Tired of the Abuse and the Cover-ups

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

In December 2018 I posted the article "Warn, Report, Resist" on the subject of sexual abuse and cover ups in the church. If you haven't read it, please do.

I referenced Pastor Stacey Shiflett's video in that article as he dealt with the Cameron Giovanelli situation (see update on that case here). This more recent video by Brother Shiflett deals with the way too many have responded to this situation - justifying the wicked; covering for Giovanelli; attacking the victim and Calvary Baptist Church of Dundalk, Maryland; and denying the truth even when it was confirmed. [The video link will ask you to go to YouTube to view the video. This is because Brother Shiftlett has set up his account to prevent people from embedding his videos on their pages. I'm not sure why, but judging by the way he has been attacked, I can't blame him. Please click the "Watch this video on YouTube" link to see the video. Or click here.]

Please know that there are people in churches who are tired of the evil and are standing for the truth, and be willing to stand with them. This wickedness cannot be covered and denied if the Lord's church wants to maintain a good testimony, regardless of "denomination," but it starts by dealing with it on the local level in individual churches. As long as people esteem the approval of men and acceptance into certain circles more than they desire to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, this wickedness will increase and destroy lives and testimonies. People talk a good deal sometimes about being a voice for the voiceless in relationship to abortion. There is another area where we need to be doing this, and that is in regard to sexual abuse of minors within the church and spiritual or sexual abuse of adults by their leaders.

Matthew 18:6-7 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 

Hard Questions – Have You Done What You Could?

This was first posted here six years ago. As I was thinking about what to post for the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 I wondered about something new or reposting something from the past. Among the old posts that I considered for revisiting, this one eventually stood out as a good one for the turning of the year. I needed the reminder as much as anyone!

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Dec. 8, 2012
[edited]


I was going through some of my photos when I came across  a couple pictures that made me think – again.




My husband and I were walking on a riverside walkway in North Carolina with some of his family the day we found these notes. I was touched and blessed to see that some child with a zeal for lost souls had put these notes (at least one had a tract with it also) on benches along the walk. The printing was not perfect, the syntax was not perfect, but the spirit of the thing – how precious it must be in God’s sight! Whoever this young boy or girl was, they were using what skill they had to do what they could for the Lord Jesus.

Do you remember this story from the Bible? Mark 14:3-9  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

I sometimes get frustrated about the energy and concern that I see Christians put into things like rescuing dogs and cats, fighting genetically modified foods, “saving” America, supporting “our” troops, and righting numerous great wrongs in the world. It isn’t because there isn’t a point to some of these needs, because there is. For example, we are reminded to “remember the poor” in Galatians 2:10.  And, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast…,” Proverbs 12:10. But, sometimes all these earthly good deeds are pursued at the expense of the heavenly good deeds – glorifying the Lord Jesus and rescuing precious souls from eternal damnation.

What good does it do to rescue a child from abortion or a girl from a slave brothel and then not give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ? (That one qualifies as a hard question!) What good is it if we give to the poor and take care of hurt animals but don’t spend time worshiping the Lord Jesus Himself? (And, I don’t mean just “going to church.” Too many people think that warming a pew for a couple hours a week qualifies as doing what they “should” for God.)

1 Corinthians 13:3 says,  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. This is another consideration. Charity is an ability all believers can and should cultivate.

I know some of us sometimes we feel like we don’t have a lot to work with. Maybe you are “stuck” at home for days on end. Maybe you struggle with some physical or emotional disability that makes it hard for you to do what others do. Maybe you feel like your skills are small. Maybe you are financially limited for one reason or another. But, what are you doing with what you have that you can use?

Look at this video of these people who live on a landfill - a garbage dump. [I have no control over advertisements or recommended videos shown.]



Most of us are not in this position I’d dare say! Yet, see what amazing musical instruments these people have created from other people’s garbage! Think about how they are turning the off cast rubbish of others into beautiful music which is in itself a form of giving back.

Do you really and truly have nothing to work with for the Lord? I don’t think any of us could honestly say that. I know I fail often to use the tools that I could as efficiently as I could or as wisely as I could. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

Martha Snell Nickolson who was bed ridden and wracked with pain for years wrote this:

Handicapped?

How handicapped, how bound are we
When Christ was bound on Calvary?
He could not move a hand nor foot,
And He was wracked with anguish, but
He gave Himself to earnest prayer
For those whose weight of sins He bare.
"Father, forgive, they know not what they do."
O child of God, say not,
"I am too handicapped, too bound,
Too busy, and I have not found
A service I can do for Him."
O Shame! Let us, with eyes grown dim,
Look back to Calvary.
Bound helpless there,
The suffering Saviour gave himself to prayer!

At the very least, we can pray. Or is that “the least”? James 5:16  …The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

It is easy to imagine that our small contribution in the work of the Lord is not much and not worth a lot in the big picture. But, one of the great things about our God is that nothing is too small with Him. Consider the attention He gave to the construction of snowflakes, of DNA, of atoms, and more. We should not think that what we have to offer in His service is too small or useless. He has a purpose and use for every life that He sustains!

When the Lord appeared unto Moses in the burning bush to call Moses to go to the Hebrew people, Moses did not believe that the people would listen to him. 

Exodus 4:1-4  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Moses’ rod was the tool of his occupation as a shepherd. It was not some special thing nor talent, it was a common everyday thing that he used to work. Yet, under the miraculous touch of the Lord God Almighty, it became something by which he could prove that the Lord had appeared unto him.

Now, I’m not anticipating having any of our common tools turn into snakes. :-) It’s the Jews that require a sign anyway, 1 Cor. 1:22.  But, what are the tools that we have – the common, everyday things that we use in our daily work – that could be used to the glory of God? With His enabling power not just the common things, but even the things humanly considered to be “trash” can be transformed into something for His glory.

One young lady I had the privilege to meet had almost nothing to use but her stunning smile, and yet she used that for the glory of God. (See Violet’s Story.)

Think of that child who used his/her “poor” writing skills, some paper, a pencil, a stick, and a rock for Jesus. Think of those folks who literally used the garbage and cast-off junk of others to make beautiful music. Perhaps it is a bed of anguish as with Martha Nicholson. Perhaps it is “just” a smile as with “Violet”. What are you using for the Lord? What are you overlooking as “too insignificant” to be any good? This is something that we all need to consider. One of the greatest things that ever could be said of us is that we did what we could!

1 Peter 4:10-11  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Sexual Abuse in the Church - Warn, Report, Resist

Luke 22:25-26 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

On Sunday, Dec. 9 (2018) the Star-Telegram of Ft. Worth, Texas published a long overdue article on the cover-up of sexual abuse in Independent Fundamental Baptist churches. 

I say overdue because I've heard rumors and undocumented reports of such goings on for years, and things have repeatedly been swept under the rug, ignored, or denied. A few notable cases have been dragged out to the light of day and been prosecuted, such as Bob Gray (of Jacksonville, Florida) and Jack Schaap (son-in-law of Jack Hyles) There have been others as well.

In July this year, Pastor Stacey Shiflett of Calvary Baptist Church in Dundalk, Maryland called out a former pastor of that church after reportedly doing a considerable amount of research and investigation with the leaders of his church into an allegation of sexual abuse against the said former pastor. This former pastor happened to be Cameron Giovanneli who was then president of Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, California, a Bible college noted among IFB churches. The college is part of the campus and ministry of one of the few well known IFB mega churches, North Valley Baptist Church which is the kingdom of Pastor Jack Trieber (that wasn't a mistake, it is his kingdom, not Christ's). Sadly, although Giovanneli resigned from his position at Golden State, he was warmly received in a church in Florida and is now working with youth again. The monstrosity of this defies all sound reasoning - Christian or secular. [Also see Brother Shiflett's update statement here.]

The reporters at the Star-Telegram did an extensive research and exposed the massive cover-up and how it is accomplished within various IFB churches. The threats, the shuffling of men from one church to another, the vile abusers' ability to continue on in ministries simply because they belong to "the club," the pastors' fear of having their reputation "ruined" by exposing the guilty to their just punishment - it is all very enlightening, but sadly not surprising.

Continue Reading Here.

A Better Country - A message from the past

From the archive.

Here is an article that I wrote before I got married. It was written in an election year, but at this moment it seemed appropriated to post it again. A lot of Americans seem to believe that they voted in “the right” person who will restore the U.S. and make it a better country. Many seem to think if we could just “restore it” to it’s “foundations” it would solve all our problems; if this or that could be destroyed or outlawed all would be well. There is only one “better country” and it isn’t on this earth and doesn’t come through voting, or politics at all.
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A Better Country

Hebrew 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

The Trouble with Patriotism

There are a lot of people who are very caught up in patriotism. Here in the United States it is often equated with being a "good Christian." That is to say, if you are a "good Christian" you will also be patriotic, you will also "love your country", and your allegiance will be to the "good, ol' USA". "God and country" is a common theme, though I'd say that "country and God" was a better word order judging by people's speech and actions.

This is an election year in the U.S. and emotions will be running high in many churches. Politics is a BIG subject and many pastors will be openly or covertly plugging for the candidate they want all "their members" to vote for. (Too bad more of them don't think of the people as God's heritage, as it really is, and let Him lead the people to vote or not vote as HE sees fit.  1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. )

Another common thing we see in American churches is the "need", even urgency, to "rescue America" and "restore it to it's Christian foundation”…
Continue reading here.

Thoughts from the Past – A Sad Truth

 

July 25, 2006 [edited]
Sad Truth

Someone will probably think I'm really "unspiritual" when I say that Bible reading is not always a blessing. Let me explain what I mean by that.

The other night in my evening Bible reading I came across this verse:

Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Of course, I'd read that many times before, but for some reason on this particular evening it made me think of something I had not thought of before. Perhaps I should say something I had been unwittingly trying to avoid.

Some years ago I had a friend whom I liked a lot. She and I were agreed in a number of areas where I often can't find agreement with other women. She was often a fun person to be around and also loved the Lord. I could talk to her about a lot of things that many women did not understand - Christian women.

Accustom your children constantly to this; if a thing happened at one window and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from truth will end. - Samuel Johnson

But, (it's always "but", isn't it?) ...but, she was a horrible exaggerator. At first, I didn't realize this, but after quoting her and listening to her talking to different people I came to realize that she "stretched" things - sometimes considerably - to make them more impressive and that she changed details to make people think what she wanted them to think. I was sorely embarrassed at least once after having quoted her when the factual account was given by someone else.

Now, my inclination was to overlook this to some degree. It bothered me, but I just dealt with it by not quoting her or by emphasizing, "I was told...". In general I still considered her a pretty decent person.  However, there were later events that were “highly irregular” and which left me wondering just how much she did deviate from the truth.  The situation may have been instrumental in ending our friendship at least for the time.

Getting back to the verse: Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

No one tells the truth 100% of the time, not even the most honest person. Only God is capable of that. Rom. 3:4

Had I taken God at His word I would have realized my friend's problem a lot sooner, for this lady did willingly "lend" her ears to people who had false lips and naughty tongues. She eagerly listened to certain more "spiritual" gossips in her church family, especially in certain situations.

The really sad part of the verse came in for me when I realized what this lady really is.  Finally I had to face what God thinks of her. She is not just misguided.  She is not just careless.  She is wicked.  She is a liar.  That really hurts, but God forbid that I would argue with Him!

As for my own part, I also should have learned much sooner to not listen to her, as I was falling into the very same thing.  I needed to discern her false lips and not give heed!

Now, lest ye judge her unsaved based on this, let me say that I really think she is saved. She is very different from the rest of her family, who are godless by and large. She also really seems to have been chastened. While this is not for me to judge, it is my hope for her! (How sad when we have to cling to someone's chastening as our hope of their salvation!)

Dear reader, is this lady you? Are you listening to false lips and naughty tongues? Perhaps you are like I was and are "overlooking" this behavior in a close friend. Please consider the verse above and also these other verses in Proverbs:

Prv. 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

Prv. 14:7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

Prv. 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Do you just "stretch" things a little here and there (or perhaps a lot) to give the impressions you want people to have? Do you use your tone of voice to suggest things that the facts do not always support? I brought this up here partly because I have seen that we womenfolk have a tendency to interpret, stretch, and imply things to "encourage" people to think the way we want them to think. God's standard of truth is much higher!

Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

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Note to the overly sensitive: Please don't run to excess with this. As one man said, "You can tell 10 people something and they will take it 25 different ways." We don't all see or hear things the same. Also, it is common for a person to tell the same story differently every time he or she tells it, but the gist of the thing is the same. People often don't remember exact details. I'm talking here about intentional or obvious exaggerations, slanting stories to achieve an agenda, lying, slander and the like. In some cases these must be identified over a period of time. I'm also talking about people who seldom apologize when caught misrepresenting the truth. Be wise in applying this.

The thousand word project: His righteousness is like the great mountains