But Christ

Hebrew 9:11-14

¹¹ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

¹² Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

¹³ For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

¹⁴ How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Back in my late teen and early twenties, I didn’t have a care in the world./Life was just a party. I had a great job that I could do drunk, stoned, tired, whatever condition I was in. I had friends who liked to party around me, and even one who was a dealer and got me free pot. Life was good, or so I thought.

In 1975 I want to my high school 5th reunion, and there ran into me best friend from younger years. He had been in Vietnam and we lost contact. He told me he had gone from Vietnam to Germany for a bit and there had some kind of religious experience with Jesus Christ. He said he had been saved and wanted me to know about it. I wanted nothing to do with that. I was having too much fun. He was heading to Florida from here to the beach, and I wished him safe passage as we committed to keeping in touch. I heard his words of faith, but ignored them.

But Christ had planted a seed, and my friend watered it over the next year. My friend kept watering that seed in letters we exchanged over the next 12 months or so. He would put a scripture address in those letters forcing me to look them up to see what he was referencing. A year later, I decided to visit him in Iowa, and there I met Jesus myself. I got saved sitting on his couch, in his living room. Christ knew my need, and he met it. I thought I was happy, But Christ gave me a new joy I had never known.

Two years went by, and my friend and I stayed in touch. I decided to go visit him again in 1978, not knowing what God had in store. I came to visit my friend and had no intention of meeting anyone else, But Christ knew better. He always does I shared this whole story a few weeks ago, and you can read it HERE. When I thought life was going one direction, God had other plans, better plans. He had plans to keep me blessed for a lifetime, and for 44 years, His plan has been wonderful. I thought life was good But Christ knew how to make it better.

In 2008 I was wallowing in a sea of pride. M wife tried to tell me about it, but I didn’t listen. I was taking advantage of my position at work to do things I knew were a serious violation of company protocol. I was steeped in sexual sin, but kept leading worship, being a deacon and showing everyone I was someone special. My wife even tried to tell me I was full of pride, and I didn’t listen. Instead, I told her I was humble, very humble. But my pride got the best of me, and I got fired from my job. I had to tell my wife and my pastor what had happened, and they were so mad at me. I had betrayed my Pastor’s trust, and he had helped me pay through this sin once before, 5 years earlier. But I hid it from everyone, and he was ready to kick me out of his church. He found out about a place called Pure Life Ministries, and told me I needed to go there if I ever wanted to set foot in his church again. I said I would.

I had been sent there to deal with what I thought were sexual sin problems. But Christ had other plans. Instead, they dealt with my pride, which was enormous, At one point I remember being proud of the pride I had! I came to realize that my wife was right all along, and that I had a serious pride problem. They dealt with it by revealing it to me, and showing a way out. I had been sent there to deal with this blatant pride and arrogance and that’s exactly what God did, He dealt with it!

But God had other plan as well. When I left there, my counselor told me not to do any type of ministry for two years, so I did not. I watched over my grandkids at church while my wife played the piano. I told my wife that it was her decision when I would start top enter back into ministry. hen, through a series of events I will share at some other time, God started to give me songs – lots of them. I heard His voice, and I heard the melody. I wrote them down and recorded them on my phone. I thought God had done all He planned to do after Pure Life, But Christ had better plans that I was just entering into.

In 2016, after two bouts with pneumonia, my doctor did a CT scan, and they found Multiple Myeloma lesions. This type of leukemia was pretty rare and I was sitting there in stage two out of three, facing two stem cell transplants and 2-1/2 years of chemo treatments. his meant over 40 days in a hospital bed and a long recovery/. This was an attack of the enemy that would put me on my back and out of ministry for many months. But Christ had other plans. In that hospital bed I started this Bible Study blog. I also wrote poem after poem after poem, with songs mixed in. Through a little advertising, my poetry Facebook page grew to over 3,000 page likes, and I had hundreds, sometimes thousands, reading these poems sent from God every day. I was laying in a hospital bed, But Christ used that time to teach me to listen even closer. He had a better plan.

The nation of Israel was looking for a Messiah. They longed for Him to come, but when He came they did not recognize Him. They thought He would come to free them from the Roman and had no idea He came to set up an eternal Kingdom. They thought he would win battles with weapons of warfare, and had no idea He would win souls by the power of His words. They thought eh sacrificial system was there way top find peace with God. But Christ had other plans. He sent Jesus, who was a priest after the order of Melchizedek, to offer Himself as a sacrifice for their sin. He became that perfect lamb whose blood was spilled to give the people remission from their sins. And not only for the Jews, but for all mankind. For you and for me.

This world thinks they have it all figured out But Christ knows better. he is our creator. He knows what we need. Our biggest need is for a Savior because we all have sin within us. It is in our souls from our very birth. It is in the seed passed down from generation to generation since the time of Adam. Only one person in all of history has ben born without that seed of sin, and that is Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin, through the Holy Spirit. There was no sin in Him – ever. Only He can save us from our sinful ways to serve a holy God. Only He can turn us from wretched sinners to righteous saints. Only Jesus!

Do you have But Christ moments in your life? I could share many more, but want to leave room for yours. Please put them in the comments, and invite your friends to do the same by sharing this post.

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Meeting Janeen

Janeen and I met when I traveled to Iowa to visit my best friend Jason in May of 1978. I was living in Massachusetts at the time working in a large computer center for a big company.  Jason and I had reunited at our 5^th High School  reunion, having graduated from West Boylston Jr-Sr High School in 1970.  We had gone our separate ways after high school, him to the army and Vietnam and me into a full blown long-haired hippie.  We were excited when we ran into each other that night. 

We spent some time together while he was in town and he kept telling me I needed to get saved.  He had met Jesus when over in Germany. 

“What do you mean “I need to get saved?”  Saved from what” I chided him

“From hell!” Jason always was a very direct and driven person.  I remember him taking on an Amway business in his junior year in high school and making good money.  Sure beat the caddying we did at the country club, or my paper route, or washing dishes at Franklin Manor, which was my high school job.

“Did you become a Jesus freak” over there?”  This was the time when Jesus freak was a popular name for someone who went around saying Jesus saves, Jesus saves.  These were the years of “Day by Day” and “Put your Hand in the Hand” being popular songs on AM radio.

Jason replied “You’re my best friend and this is the best thing that ever happened to me.  I have to share it with you.”

“Well. I appreciate that, friend, but I want no part of it.”

He didn’t give up and I didn’t give in.  We kept in touch after that and I traveled to Iowa to visit him for the first time in 1976.  It was a spur of the moment thing.  I had some vacation time coming up and Labor Day weekend was right around the corner.  Thursday afternoon I gave him a call.

He picked up the phone.  “This is Jason.”  Short and sweet.  Hard as nails.

“Hey Jason, I’m coming out for a visit!”   He recognized my voice and got all excited.

“That’s great! When are you coming?”

“I’ll be there Saturday morning!”  It was a 22-hour, 1,500 mile drive straight through, so I figured a couple stops along the highway to sleep and I’d be good.  No hotels for me.

“Wow, that fast?” He asked.  “That would be great.”

“Yup, I’m heading out first thing tomorrow morning.  Me and Sophie will be just fine.”  Sophie was my burnt orange Dodge Opal.  She was a great car.  A nice little four passenger sports coupe that god great gas mileage (not that we thought much about that In those days).  I have no idea where I got the name from, but she had travelled with my many miles.  This was just one more jaunt.  I arrived just when I had promised and we embraced at seeing one another again.

The first night I was there we went to a southern Baptist church in Fairfield, Iowa.  There was a missionary preaching that night, and all I can remember about it was that it was a hell-fire and brimstone message.  The preacher had told me that it was a place I would burn forever, but never die.  That I would thirst forever, but never get a drink.  Hat worms would gnaw at my skin and crawl on my body and  I’d feel everyone.  He told me that unless I confessed my sins and asked Jesus to be my Lord, that I was headed there.  He said there was no other way. 

After that message I knew I was headed for hell, and I knew I did not want to go there.   They gave the altar call and raised my hand to accept Jesus.  When they asked if all who raised their hands would come down to the altar, I could not move.  I was frozen in my seat.  My body would just not get up and go there.  I prayed the prayer in my seat and we left.

The night before I left Iowa, Jason’s pastor came to his trailer home and talked to me about that service.  I told him why I raised my hand and he said I could receive Jesus right there in my friends living room.  He asked if he should lead me in prayer and I said no, I knew what I had to say.  I prayed for forgiveness, repented of my sins and asked Jesus to be Lord of my life.  I got saved that night.

The next year I went out to Jason’s wedding – he married that Iowa girl.  I decided to travel again to visit him in 1978, not knowing how that trip was going to change my life forever.  After the long trip I walked into his house and he was on the piano playing a song.

“Do you recognize this song” he said

“Why yes, I do.  It’s “You Light Up My Life”. I said.  He played the chorus and we sang it together.  We sang together as kids in church quite often so this was no weird thing.  Then he started playing another song and asked me if I knew that one.  I did not.

“It’s called Blessed Assurance.  Come on over and sit down,  I’ll teach it to you.”  I sat down on the bench beside him.

After getting saved back in 1976, I started attending the church I grew up in, the First Congregational Church in West Boylston, Mass.  My mom was the church secretary, so we were always there,  Jason went to that church too.  But I had never heard this song.  I had been out of church since my mid-teens, so it was odd being back in that church.  But I was well accepted as a lost sheep who came back to Jesus.

I was always one that was quick to pick up a tune, and this was a pretty easy one.  I fell in love with the chorus right away.  “This is my story, this is my song.  Praising my Savior all the day long.  This is my story, this is my song.  Praising my Savior all the day long.”  We sang together for a while then he said he would take the first verse and I should take the second.  I said OK.  We stopped practicing to have some lunch, and then he asked me

“Will you sing this with me in church?”

“Sure” It was Saturday so I had time to catch on.

“Well, we have to memorize it”  No problem I thought.  I had two verses to memorize and the chorus was a breeze.  We practiced some more when he turned to me.

“We have to have it down for tonight”

Tonight?  Why tonight” I asked

“Because we go to the television studio and record the service tonight” He said very matter-of-factly.

“Did you say television?”

“Yup, sure did.  Don’t worry, you’ve got this” He said very calmly/

I said OK and we continued to practice.  We were leaving in two hours and he wanted to have it down real good,  He picked up his guitar and we practiced some more because he would be playing guitar that night.  We got ready to go and headed to the church to meet the others who were heading down.  When we got there I met the pastor, organist, a couple of church members, and few other people who were coming along for support.  It was about an hour and a half drive to Kirksville, Mo where the recording studio was.  We got there and the service went just fine.   On the way back we stopped at a diner that was open to have a bite to eat.  I sat next to the organist and her younger sister sat on the other side of her.  I ordered a hamburger and fries and turned to talk to her

“Hi Joyce.  Loved your piano playing tonight.”  I had met her earlier so knew her name.  I had not been introduced to her sister.

“Oh, thanks Peter.  It is Peter, right?” She asked

Yes, but I go by Pete.  What’s your sisters name? I asked, looking over at the young girl.  I was guessing she was about 15.

“Her name is Jana”

“How old are you, Jana?”  For the life of me, I don’t know why I asked that question,  I did have a girlfriend back home and was only staying for a few days.  It was not something I really needed to know.  I was 26 at the time, so this girl was way too young by any standards.

“She’s 15.” Joyce said.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a sister that is a little older, would you?” Again, I didn’t know where that question came from.  I just blurted it out like I had thought this whole thing out.  But I had not.

“As a matter of fact, I do” Joyce said with a ring in her voice.

“Well, could you have her in church tomorrow morning?” I asked.  There’s another question that came out of nowhere.  It was like something had taken control of my words that night.  I didn’t need a girl out here in Iowa.  I was just visiting!  I’d be leaving in three days.  What was I thinking?

“I sure will try!” said Joyce with a smile and a clear joy in her voice.  I had no idea what would happen the next morning.  We all finished eating, got in our separate cars and headed home, arriving back at Jason’s at around 11.

The next morning I arrived at church and sat a few rows back from the front. It was a small country church in the heart of the small town of Batavia, Iowa.  I recognized Joyce when she came in.  She took her place at the organ and the young lady with her sat behind me.  She had on a pretty dress on with pastel flowers in the pattern.  I knew who she was, but did not turn around or say anything to her during the service.  After the service I went back to sign the guest book at the back of the church.  As I signed my name and wrote West Boylston, Mass, the young lady walked up beside me.

“You came a long way to go to church today” she said.

“Yes I did!” I said and I walked out of the church.

Joyce told me later her sister Janeen was furious that I had asked she come to church and yet I didn’t even acknowledge her.  But Joyce was very persistent and she convinced Janeen to come back to the evening service.  Jason convinced me to help him lead worship for the evening service,.  He taught me a few simple choruses as we practiced nearly all afternoon.  I thought I was ready for what was to come.

Jason liked to be fashionably late, so we walked in just a minute or two before the service started.  When I walked in the door, Janeen turned to look at me and our eyes met.  For me it was like love at second sight.  Something just jumped in my heart.  I had never sensed anything like that before in my life.  I smiled at her and nodded my head in greeting.  We went through the worship service and sat down. 

After the service Jason had a get together at his house for Mother’s Day.  Janeen’s Mom and Dad and sister were all there with her.  Janeen and I chatted for a little while and I got buzzed with questions.  Before they left it was mentioned that the next night there was a fellowship meeting with other churches the next night.  Janeen and I went back and forth for a bit with the old “I’ll go if you go” routine until we finally decided we would go.

Jason convinced me to sing a solo at the meeting so we practiced Monday afternoon.   I rode to the fellowship meeting with Jason while Janeen and her sister rode up separate.  Jason stayed for my song but had to leave early to go to work. On the way home, I rode with Janeen, her sister and her little nephew.  The nephew was so funny on the way home that Janeen and I just laughed and laughed.  I hadn’t had a real laugh like that for years.  When we got back to Batavia, I wanted to go over to where Jason was working.  My head was spinning.  So much had happened in so short a time that I really didn’t understand what was going on.  I wanted to talk to my friend tonight because I had to leave the next morning to get back to work.

Janeen volunteered to drive me over there, about a 15 minute drive.  She had a sweet 1965 Ford Mustang.  On the way over to Fairfield, right out of the blue, she started singing “You Light Up My Life.”  It was almost surreal.  The same song my friend had been playing when I got there was coming out of her sweet lips.  She sang beautifully and my confusion grew.  We got to my friends place and I got out of the car.  I walked around to her side of the car and pinched her elbow.

”She you later” I said.

She said “Okay.”  She tells me she was mad for a long time I didn’t kiss her goodnight that night.

I went into that gas station and sat down on a chair.

“Jason, I’m lost” I said, almost weeping.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t know where I belong right now.” A few tears started to form as I spoke these words.  “I have a great job and a great future, but I feel like I am supposed to be here in Iowa.”

“What are you going to do?” He asked me.

“I have to leave tomorrow.  There’s not a choice in that.  I guess I’ll just have to figure it out.”

Jason piped up.  “I’m sure God will help you.”tesst

“Yes, I sure hope so!”  I stayed with him at the gas station until he closed up and we went home.  I went to bed and awoke the next morning to get an early start.  It was a 22 hour drive.  Usually I drove straight through, stopping along the way to sleep for a little while in my car.  But this time I got halfway across Pennsylvania and decided to stop at a Red Roof Inn for the night.  I got into my room and was still feeling dazed.  Looking for any answers, I reached into the nightstand and pulled out the Gideons Bible.  In the front it had some helps, and there was one reference of scriptures to read in times of decision.  I tuned the Bible to Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  I all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths.”

I immediately picked up some of the hotel stationary and wrote Janeen a letter.  I  told her if she would be my girl, I would move to Iowa.  I drove back to Massachusetts and went to work the next morning.  That day, before she had even received the letter, I gave my letter of resignation, giving them 2 months warning.  I knew it would take that long to train someone.  They offered me more money, a different position, and pother incentives to stay.  They just could not figure out why I would want to leave when my career was just starting to gel.  One guy asked me “So are you going to go out there and get married and have babies?”  I told him I wasn’t sure – but I just might!

Janeen and I traded letters and telephone calls for the next two months before I moved out to Iowa in August.  She was still in High school and worked a night waitressing job in Fairfield, so often those calls came at one or two in the morning.  I loved it when she called because it was not work calling – I was on 24 hour a day call.   We would talk for an hour or two whenever she called.

Janeen, Jason and Jason’s wife all came out to get me in August of 1978.  Janeen and I spent some time alone when they were in Massachusetts.  I remember our first kiss coming at Pinecroft Dairy, a local ice cream place.   We had ordered homemade ice cream cones, Janeen had chocolate chip and I had peppermint stick.  We sat out at a picnic table and ate them and after we were done I leaned over and gave her a kiss.  It was wonderful to feel her soft lips.  There were many more kisses after that!

With just enough stuff to fill a station wagon I left my family, home and job to start new.  Everyone thought I was crazy.  My mom was very supportive, as she always was, but she sure did not understand.  She was the one that hired me for the job I was leaving after being there 7 years.  My brother had just arrived back from college the year before and we had started to hang out together again, especially on the tennis courts.  He was really sad to see me go.  But I just had to leave. 

At first when I moved back to Iowa, I lived with Jason.  I started a job at the local Pamida store as a stock clerk.  Pamida was a Midwest department store at the time.  It was quite a step back from my computer programming job and it came about on a whim.  I had applied for another job at Rockwell that was the exact same job description I had left in Massachusetts.  They called me for an interview and were amazed that someone showed up at their door out of nowhere and applied.  The church thought God had put that job there just for me.   

On the way home from that job, I stopped by the Pamida store and saw they were hiring, so just for kicks I put in an application there as well.  I went back to Jason’s and that night the assistant manager from the store called me.  He said if I would promise to give them 6 months he would hire me.  I told him I would, fully intending to leave if Rockwell played.  It was then I found out God wants me to honor my word.  The Rockwell job was filled internally/

After about a month I moved into Joyce’s house where Janeen was also living.  We dated and got to know each other over the next couple months.  In early October I asked her to go out to dinner with me.  I had purchased a small diamond ring and hid it in the glovebox of the car.  This was the night!  We went in the restaurant and the waiter sat us down at a nice window table with a candle in the middle.  The décor was a bit dark with red table cloths and curtains.  It was beautiful.  The waiter brought us dinner and we each enjoyed the meal.  After the meal, I looked over at her, took her hand and pulled out the ring.

“Janeen, I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I love you.  Will you marry me?”  I opened the ring box to show her the ring.  Her eyes lit up as she held out her hand.

“Yes, I sure will!” she said as I slipped the ring on her finger.  We kissed and left the Pizza Hut after a great date! 

“I knew you were going to ask me tonight” Janeen said.

“How did you know that?”  I thought I had done a good job keeping it a secret.

“I saw the ring in the glovebox before you got in the car” she giggled. “ I was so excited”

“I/m excited too!”

We were married on November 25, 1978. We now have three daughters and five grandchildren.  Like all couples we have been through good times and bad.  There were times we were not sure the marriage would survive but our faith in God and belief in His word kept us together through the toughest of times. 

We Are His House

Hebrews 3:1-6

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

² Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

³ For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

⁴ For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

⁵ And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

⁶ But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

What things do you consider when making decisions about your readings in the Bible? 

Some consider the Greek and Hebrew original words and how they are used, or what the inside of the meaning is.  I always find this fascinating.  They are such colorful languages, and so intricate.  One word can have a very specific meaning, and it can be quite different than we think it would be.  A word that comes to mind as I type is comely.  Looking at that word makes me think not much to look at.  But in reality, it means lovely, and is often translated that way.  Word studies are good for in depth knowledge.

Others look at the times and settings of the things that are taking place.  What was lkife like back then?  How were woman treated?  What did the lay of the land teach about the subject matter being shared in the parables of Jesus?  How as society different then than it is today?  These are all questions that can be asked, and there are plenty of resources that can teach us the answer, adding to our knowledge of the intent of the scripture in certain places.

Others delve into prophecy.  They go through the Bible with a fine-tooth comb, trying to figure out what it’s going to be like in the last days, and what heaven will be like.  What prophecies are coming true today?  What are they leading up to?  How can we know these are the last days?  The books of Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelations are woven like a fabric by these studiers of eschatology.  An interesting tapestry it is, too!

I imagine people were caught up with these things in the days this passage was written.  The writer directs them to one place, to one thing to consider, and that I Jesus.  The important thing for us, if we venture off into any of these studies to gain knowledge, is to keep our eyes set on Jesus.  After all, it is through Him we became partakers of this heavenly calling.  Without His sacrifice, we would be lost and bound for the devil’s hell.  Without His mercy and grave, our lives would be a total mess and we would lose the salvation we gained.

The writer points out that Jesus was more important the Moses.  The Jews revered Moses.  He led them out of Egypt and slavery, help them endure the wilderness and all it’s struggles, became the spokesman for God to the people and gave them the law.  He was a leader like to other throughout the history of the nation.  It is right that they held him in high regard.  For the writer to say Jesus was more important than Moses was a statement that was hard for them to understand!  If not for Moses, they would still be in Egypt’s strong grasp.

But Jesus had a higher calling.  He does not lead us out of a country, but out of our former lives as slaves to sin.  He does not write the words of the law in tables of stone, but writes them in our hearts with parables and sermons bringing God’s love into our lives.  He does not lead them through a physical wilderness, but through the trials and tests of our lives.  He does not take us to a physical promised land, but he opened the doors of heaven for us.  Jesus was so similar to Moses in so many ways.  He is the one we should look to at all times!

Moses’ house was on this earth.  The house he built was the nation of Israel, free and in their own land.  He brought them out of a house of bondage and brought them into a house flowing with milk and honey.  He stood up to the enemy and proclaimed curses that eventually made the enemy release them.  He took Abraham’s children and made them Israel’s nation!  The house he built was on this earth.  Their welling place was of the flesh.

Jesus builds a spiritual house within us.  He crafts it with his own hands, because he made all things to begin with.  He is the master potter and we are his clay.  He molds us and shapes us into the vessel he desires us to be, if we allow Him to.  He uses every trial, every test, every lesson to help us see our path and walk in it.  He defeats the enemy at every turn, and works in the quiet of the day to bring us closer to Him.

We must gold on to the promises of God and Jesus.  We must hold on to the teachings that give us hope and help us to see what righteousness really looks like.  Moses was a great example, and built a strong nation, but what Jesus is building is far greater.  He is building me.  I am His abode.  He abides in me and I in Him.  Every day He will furnish this house with love, joy, peace, and all those other fruits of the Spirit. He will give me the words to say and the direction to walk.  Because He lives in me, in this house, I must honor this house and keep it holy.  When I do that, He will always keep me, pick me up when I fall, and show me the way to get back on the path.  I am so glad He loves me!

Make Full Proof of Your Ministry

2 Timothy 4:5

 

⁵ But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry

What good is our ministry if there is no evidence, no proof, that other people see in us? Everything we do and say should reflect the ministry that God has placed within us.  And all of us have a ministry! Don’t for one minute think that you are exempt.  If God has saved you. He has called you.  And if he calls you, He places within you talents to reach other people.  Paul puts in this way in Romans 8:30:

³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Whom he calls he justifies and glorifies.  What that means to me is that God will place within us a form of glory that can’t help but touch other people.  The glory of the Lord can be seen by the unbeliever as much as the believer.  When we walk in this glory, it reaches beyond our human flesh to minister to others.  There is a caution I want to give, though.  We must be very careful not to raise up in pride because we carry this little bit of glory within us.  It would be easy to give in to that pride, but we must not. That will destroy the ministry He has given us.

Let’s take a closer look at the four things Paul tells Timothy to do in this powerful verse.

• Watch in all things.  This word watch is an interesting one.  The Greek word is nepho, which in most cases is translated “Be sober,” meaning not intoxicated.  But the deeper meaning is to have presence of mind, to always keep your mind clear of things that would distract one form the ministry.  The enemy of our souls can use anything to distract us and keep us from being the light we are supposed to be.  In my opinion, 2020 was a year he used science and politics to distract many Christians from the ministry of saving souls.  The Coronavirus brought fear to the hearts of billions of people and caused many a preacher to change their message from salvation to end times theology.  There were more people preaching about the last days than I have ever seen in my 69 years on this earth.  We do not, nor never will, know the time or day when Jesus will return.  We can look at the signs, and warn people He is coming, but that is not the important thing.  The important thing is that people get saved.  That they trust their lives to Jesus. But instead of preaching the love of God, many preached the wrath of God.  It is by His love that people get saved.                                                                       The political arena was also quite disturbing.  So many jumped on the bandwagon of a rigged election and fake news that it was confusing.  But God is not the author of confusion.  Our job, our mission, in times of uncertainty is simple.  Be a tree beside still waters that will not be moved.  Stay in the word and out of the jungle of political rhetoric.  God needs us to stay sober minded, cautious of the ways of the world, but temperate in what we say and do. The church in many ways lost it’s bearing in 2020, and we need to get back to the place where we are watchful and wise.  Adding emphasis, Paul says in ALL things.  I could preach for a long time on all, but let’s just say there should be nothing we are confused or conflicted about.
•  Endure afflictions – This is actually one word in the Greek and it means exactly what it says.  It is translated this way and also endure sufferings.   The Greek seems to point not only to those things that come against us to set back our ministry, but also things of malicious intent that may never harm us personally, but will have a negative affect on our ministry.  Things like gossip and backbiting people would fall into this category.  We must not let our anger rise up, or try to get revenge or engage in any activity to get back at those who would commit such acts.  The Gospel is all about Christ’s love.  We must always show that love, even if a storm is raging against us.  This dedication to endure to the end will show others we live in real faith and that will bring people to Christ.  The fruit of longsuffering as aptly worded in the KJV.  Suffering long with wrong is a hallmark of the best of saints. On to of that, nothing, and I mean nothing, should offend us.  It is only pride that can get offended.  Only pride can get steamed up over something someone says or does against us.  When I was at Pure Life Ministries back in 2008, there was a saying on the wall that I wall always remember.  It said “If I get offended, what miserable piece of flesh is still in me that I can get offended.”  We must guard against allowing people to get under our skin and make our love not as effective.  Endure. or work through, and type of affliction without getting offended.  Your testimony will be greatly enhanced when you do this effectively.
• Do the work of an evangelist. – This word means exactly what we think it means.  Timothy had a calling to be a bearer of Good News to all he met.  That is what an evangelist does.  We are all called to bring the Good News to those we come in contact with and we can do that in many ways.  The first way is to actually preach the Gospel, to vocally proclaim the Good News that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life.  But there are more ways to actually preach the good news, and the most important one is by our conduct and character.  In the Bible it is often called our conversation.
  • Philippians 1:27 says “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”
  • Hebrews 13:15 “ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
  •  James 3:13 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”  
  • And 1 Peter 1:15 “ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;” 
  • All of these verses point to a lifestyle that is above contempt and that visibly shows to other people  the work that Christ has done in us.  We can have all the flowery words we want, but if we do not have the conversation to go along with it, they are vain words and will lead people astray.  Make sure your lifestyle is where your mouth is!

Make full proof of your ministry – carry out completely what God ahs called you to do!  What a strong challenge Paul gives to Timothy and to all of us.  Do you know what God ahs called you to do?  Does God every stop calling us deeper, or to do more?  Our ministry is always evolving, always changing.  He has great things for every one of us to do, and if we listen closely, He will tell us what the next step is.  We have to be careful not to get off track, but to follow the path he has laid out for us.  This world is dying to hear the Good News.  How is God calling you to share it?  What is your ministry?  Whatever it is, whether washing the walls, preaching the gospel, teaching Sunday School, being a greeter or maybe a prayer warrior, do it with all your might and God just might call you deeper.  Be ready!

Sparrow Song Ministries Interview

Below is a video I taped with a dear friend of mine, Karla Akins. She has an online ministry called Sparrow Song Ministries and she wanted to interview me about my book, The A.S.K. Principle. Many of you may remember the post series I did on this book back in the early part of 2018. We got together after several tries and this is the result. It was posted on her web site just last week. Enjoy!