Feigning, Swerving and Jangling

1 Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

The commandment, referred to in verse 5, is the command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. Jesus told us that the commandment next to that is to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, the first command ends up causing us to obey the second and that takes place due to charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience.

However, a wrench gets thrown into the works when our faith is faked, or when we swerve away from the commandments to empty jangling, or babbling.

So let's knock off the fakery and and getting off track with talking about nothing and get back to loving God whole-heartedly and loving our neighbors enough to give them the gospel.

My God, I love Thee; not because
I hope for heaven thereby,
Nor yet because who love Thee not
Are lost eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails, and spear,
And manifold disgrace,
And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony;
Yea, death itself; and all for me
Who was thine enemy.
Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love Thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heaven,
Nor of escaping hell;
Not from the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord.
So would I love Thee, dearest Lord,
And in Thy praise will sing;
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my most loving King.

Francis Xavier, 1506-1552

Stay Focused

Timothy learning at the lap of his grandmother - Rembrandt

1 Tim 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Paul is admonishing his son in the ministry concerning his pastoral duties. He had been installed as the pastor of the church in Ephesus, where he would later be dragged through the streets by the locals for preaching the gospel and then stoned to death.

Paul was adamant that Timothy and his parishioners stay true to the gospel message and not be sidetracked by nefarious doctrines, urban legends and genealogical interests. It is so easy, even today, to get knocked off track by these very same types of things. It happens to churches all the time.

As I was getting ready to preach a revival in Mexico recently, I was given this same type of encouragement by one of our modern day Pauls. Warren Wiersbe admonished me, "Just preach the simple gospel, stay close to the Word and don't get sidetracked."

What happens is, to illustrate a point, preachers are tempted to use contrived stories that are probably nothing more than fables.

If a preacher is going to use a story for illustrative purposes, which he should, he must employ one that is credible. For example, I read just yesterday about a 61 year old sheep farmer in Australia who showed up to enter Australia's ultra-marathon, a 500+ mile foot race across the continent. He was wearing a coat and had goulashes over his boots. To make a long story short, he won the race with his shuffling, unorthodox style! In our age of information and our day of instant internet verification, it was easy to find this man's story to be true. Here is a usable story to illustrate how that "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong..."

On the other hand, do you remember hearing preachers tell about how Jacques Cousteau heard the screams of hell while diving in the Devil's Triangle? Or what about the strange proliferation of buzzards in the Valley of Megiddo preparing for the feast of flesh that would be provided by the battle of Armageddon? I could write a book about the fables I have heard from pulpits across America. Add to that endless genealogies and false doctrine (hyper-Calvinism, glossolalia, works for salvation, etc.) and you will find a pastor and church which has gotten the gospel train derailed.

Paul's warning to Timothy, and to us is, stay on track, stay focused on the message.

What Made the Difference?

Ronnie Milsap and Amy Grant both made a song famous, it was written by Archie Jordan, here’s what it says:

What a difference you’ve made in my life.
What a difference you’ve made in my life.
You’re my sunshine day and night.
Oh, what a difference you’ve made in my life.

Which of us, during the course of a week, doesn't think "I need a change!"?
It may be we are thinking of a new job, new scenery, or just some type of a positive shake up in our lives, our families, even in our church!. Most of us have begged God for things to change in our lives.

Perhaps you have come to a point where you are hoping against hope that something might change your situation. That you might find relief, hope, something positive in your life.

I’d like to share with you some stories of people whose lives were changed forever in just a few moments or hours. I’d like us to think about what it was that changed them, what impacted them to the point that things were never the same?

1. Jacob - Jacob had an all-night smack down with an angel that changed him forever. Gen 32:24-31.
a. He saw God face to face –when you meet God, you will never be the same! If you meet Him on His terms, it will be the best change you could ever have.
b. His life was preserved – he was facing death the next morning as he met Esau whom he had wronged. But God turned a hopeless situation around. If He could do that for a low down wretch like Jacob had been, don’t you think He could do it for you?
c. God touched him and he never walked the same again. “Let me go” “I will not let you go until you bless me” and He did!
d. His name was changed from Jacob (Trickster) to Israel (Prince with God)
So what do we see happened with Jacob? A change was needed. When he was all alone, everything was lost, things looked absolutely hopeless, then God showed up in the middle of the night and changed everything for him.
2. Moses - Consider the difference in Moses before the burning bush and after. Exodus 3:1-14
Moses had been a fugitive for 40 years. He lived as a shepherd on the back side of the desert. Let me bring you up to speed. Moses grew up in the household of Pharaoh. But he saw an Egyptian beating an Israeli. He let his anger get the better of Him and killed the Egyptian. So now, he’s hiding out in the Sinai for 40 years. 40 years!!! Imagine, 40 years with no convenience stores, no air conditioning, no state fair, no mall, no pizza.
He went from living the life of Reilly for his first 40 year to the life of Ahab the Arab the next 40. Do you suppose he was hoping for, needing a change?
So, one day he’s following his sheep and goats through the desert and he sees something that gets his attention. He sees a bush on fire. I am sure in his 40 year desert experience, this isn’t the first time he’s seen that. I am sure he wondered if it was lightening that started the fire, or a campfire, maybe spontaneous combustion. But what was different was that the bush kept on burning and never burned up. So he walked over to try to figure this one out. Then a bass voice comes out of the bush. It wasn’t speaking Arabic or Egyptian, but Hebrew. And it said, “Take your shoes off, you are standing on holy ground.”

Well, he didn’t need any shoes after that because he was on his face!

With that exchange, Moses went from a “Who am I?” (vs 11) to a miracle worker who parted the Red Sea and became one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world?

What was the difference for Moses? He was a stutterer, a murderer, he had anger control issues, he was the meekest man on earth. Now, he would be mighty Moses! The difference? A face to face meeting with God!

If after 40 years of needing some serious change, God could do something unimaginable with a nobody like Moses, what could He do for your situation.
3. The Disciples - There was a huge change in these men from before the resurrection and after the resurrection.
At the arrest of the Lord in Gethsemane, the disciples fled to the 4 winds. They reconvened in the upper room to hide out. They had been faithless, they failed often and when the chips were down, they had fled. That was before the resurrection. But let me tell you about the Apostles post-resurrection.
*Peter preached and 3,000 were saved and baptized in one day. He ended up giving his life for the Lord, crucified up-side-down because he felt he was unworthy to die like the Savior.
*After pastoring in Ephesus, at the age of 90, John was boiled in oil as a martyr for Christ, but he survived and was exiled to the island of Patmos where he received the Revelation.
*Thomas took the gospel to India and was run through with a lance in the East Indies.
*Andrew preached to the Scythians [modern day Georgia] and Thracians [modern day Bulgaria], and was crucified, suspended on an olive tree, at Patrae, a town of Achaia [Greece]; and there too he was buried.
*Bartholomew preached in India, where he gave the Indians the Gospel according to Matthew, and was crucified with his head downward, and was buried in Armenia [modern day southern Georgia].
*James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem, was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the temple.
*James, the brother of John, According to the Book of Acts, James was killed by Herod, beheaded with a sword
*Philip preached and was executed in what today is eastern Turkey, crucified with his head downward in the time of Domitian, and was buried there.
*Paul was beheaded in Rome for preaching the Gospel.

Acts tells us that these men turned the world up side down!!!

What was the difference? They had known Jesus intimately, but when they saw Him alive after He had spent 6 hours on the cross, His side run through with a spear. Now, He walks through the wall of the upper room and says to them, Peace, be not afraid. These disciples needed a change and they got it!

What made the difference? The power of the resurrection! If He can change these men from wimps to warriors, he can put some steel in your backbone.

If he can roll away a stone and come out alive, He can roll every burden off your shoulders.

If He can walk through a wall assure them everything is more than alright, then I don’t think what you are going through is a big challenge for Him.

4. The Early Church - There was the church before Pentecost, with its 120 members and the church a couple of years after Pentecost with 100,000 members. The difference was the coming of the Holy Ghost upon them.
5. Saul/Paul - There was a marked change from Saul the persecutor and murderer of Christians to Paul, the Apostle who left the greatest footprint on earth of any man in history. The difference was the Damascus road experience where he was struck down to the ground and blinded by the light of Jesus. And then there was the time when he was stoned to death and went to heaven and saw such glorious things that he refuse to elaborate lest someone would have him arrested. He came back to life and was never the same. Talk about a great change!!!
6. Isaiah - There was a change in Isaiah before Isaiah 6, where he saw the Lord high and lifted up and his train (the hem of His robe) filled the temple. And he saw seraphim with 6 wings hovering around the throne of God, And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And Isaiah went from being a sinful man of unclean lips, dwelling in the midst of an unclean people to being a holy prophet, a man of conviction and holy boldness carrying the Lord’s message to the entire nation.

What made the difference for Isaiah, a man needing a change? He saw God and would never be the same, he would never go back to the old ways. The things of this world no longer held any power or influence or control over him. There was no longer any earthly charm for this man who had seen heaven.

What was the difference for all of these people?

Being an eye witness to the glory of God!

*It changes your perspective from temporal to eternal
*It makes you realize the problems of this world are no match to the power of God
*It helps put things in perspective.
*It helps us in daily outlook and attitude. We don't know what the future holds but we know who holds the future
*It changes things from being worrisome to being confident.
*We go from being defeated to being conquerors
So how do we go about seeing the glory of God? Is that just for Bible people? What do you think?

I suggest four ways of seeing the glory of God:
1) You can see Him in the pages of the Bible
2) You can see his hand at work in your life
3) You can experience the presence of the Holy Spirit
4) You can witness Him in the testimony of other who have seen a great change personally.

But you have to open your eyes. Are you ready for a change? Are you ready to live confidently? Are we ready for a heavenly vision for a Damascus road, for a Pentecost, for some Resurrection power, for a backside of the desert, burning bush?
God wants to reveal Himself to you. He wants you to see His glory. But you’ve got to lift up your eyes above the hood ornament on your car. Above the petty problems you face. Above the things of this life that have no meaning. Look to God for a change that makes a difference, that is eternal, that will impact your life and your eternity!

What a difference you’ve made in my life.
What a difference you’ve made in my life.
You’re my sunshine day and night.
Oh, what a difference you’ve made in my life.

Beware of Unfair Comparisons

2 Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

We are what we are because of the grace of God and our cooperation (or lack of) with that grace.

Because of that, we mustn't compare ourselves with each other. It will cause hard feelings. It will cause us to think that God is unfair, or a respecter of persons.

Instead, we ought to accept our limitations, recognize our assets, trust in God's strength and work as a team to do the work of the Lord.

We shouldn't be comparing our numbers, our talents or results. The Lord is in charge of all that. Ours is to obey completely and serve Him unreservedly.

Paul's Treatise on Missions Giving

Because of the Great Commission, the final instructions of the Lord to His church before His ascension, missions is the paramount assignment of the church. We are commanded to take the gospel to the regions beyond. We cannot all pack up and head overseas to live in a grass hut and eat bugs (some people’s idea of missions), but we can send those who have a special calling and equipping of God to do so.

When it comes to giving to missions, which every Christian should do, Paul gives us the following considerations in II Cor 8:1-11
1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the
churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the
abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of
their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their
power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty
that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first
gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. 6
Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also
finish in you the same grace also. 7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing,
in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love
to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by
commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove
the sincerity of your love. 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through
his poverty might be rich. 10 And herein I give my advice: for this is
expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be
forward a year ago. 11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there
was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that
which ye have.


1. We need to understand God's grace in the matter of giving, 1
a. He equips us to give
b. He blesses us as we give
2. Understand a mathematical formula, (Abundance of joy + deep poverty) x God's grace = riches of liberality, 2
3. Giving extends from beyond our power (can only mean according to His power), 3
4. There exists an insistence on helping others, 4
5. There must first be an offering of self, 5
6. Godly giving is all of grace, from start to finish, 6
7. We should abound in giving as we would in the other Christian graces (faith, utterance, knowledge, diligence, love), 7
8. Let your love (which is expressed by giving) be sincere, 8
9. As Christ poured Himself out for our enrichment, we should do the same for others, 9
10. Give consistently, with incremental increases according to your faith, 10
11. Missions commitment, set your mind to it, then do it! 11

I hope and pray that you feel the compulsion to get behind the missionaries and the missions program of your church.

God is Faithful (33 years of ministry)

33 years ago, I was sitting at a table in the Field House of Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College, San Dimas, CA. I was busy nervously signing up for my freshman classes. A friend, Rhonda Shook (of the Singing Shooks) introduced me to Bro. Tom McCrary, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Riverside, CA. She knew he needed a music pastor and that I was a music guy, so she would be the head hunting service which brought us together.

On the spot, Bro. McCrary hired me to be his minister of music for the whopping sum of $50 a week, which basically paid for the gas to get back and forth each day from San Dimas to Riverside and to haul PCBBC students to church on Wednesdays and Sundays. I think it also was enough to buy me a couple of grease burgers and fries per week down at the local Greek dive. That place had little TVs on the tables that you fed dimes into. Bible college students were pretty much TV deprived, so it was a popular spot.

For the past 33 years, I have been on this fantastic roller coaster called full time ministry, and what a fun ride it has been! I have to say, I am enjoying it now more than ever, thanks to two wonderful families, mine and the church God has blessed me with.

San Dimas, CA; El Centro, CA; Montrose, CO; East Peoria, IL; Cortez, CO; Ellicott, CO; Mooresville, IN and Lincoln, NE. These have been my places of service over these past 3.3 decades. God has been so faithful to this unworthy, but very grateful servant.

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 1 Tim 1:12

One Good Turn Deserves Another

2 Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Jesus said:
"As my Father hath sent me, so send I you" Jn 20:21
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matt 10:8
"Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with:" Matt 20:23
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matt 28:18-20

Obviously, this Christianity thing has everything to do with being imitators of Christ. In His physical absence, we are His replacements. We are ambassadors for Him in this foreign country. Everything He was while on earth, we are to carry on.

Here, we find that, as Christ came to this world to do the work of reconciliation, we also have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

Interesting, the Greek word for reconciliation is katallagē, pronounced, kat-al-lag-ay', sort of like “catalogue.” It means restore, adjustment, atonement. Therefore, it is our duty to restore people into a right relationship through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Simply stated, our job is to win souls.

Question: you have been assigned a ministry from heaven, how are you coming along on your assignment?