Warning to Pay Attention

Hebrews 2:1

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

As General Conference has concluded – one thing has resonated in my mind – in my spirit. Some are trying to say they know more than the Apostles – more than those who walked with Jesus – and heard straight from Him. The historic truths of Scripture have not changed. For instance – the Biblical truth – without doubt – is that marriage is between one man and one woman. This was God’s design from the beginning and – although humanity strayed from this truth as revealed in Scripture – God continued to call them to this truth. Here’s one example – from the very words of Jesus.

Matthew 19:4–6 – ⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’  ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

The seventh fruit of the Spirit – found in Galatians 5 – is faithfulness. I believe the church is not being faithful to the truth of the Scriptures in regards to marriage (among other things) – instead – as we were warned – they are seeking what their itching ears wish to hear and believe. Here is that warning – as Paul – led by the Holy Spirit – warned a young pastor – Timothy – about the days when truth will be challenged.

Where Do We Turn In Troubled Times?

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Where do we turn in troubled times – when things are difficult or even unbearable? On a show my wife and I binge watched a few years ago – Longmire – there was a character – Hector – who often came to the aid of those in trouble. Now that Hector is dead (he was killed in the show) – Henry Standing Bear – Walt Longmire’s best friend – is taking up the cause of the troubled. Watch the show on Netflix. It is well worth your time.

Do we have a close friend to turn to in troubled times? Are we close enough with our spouse – if we are married – to turn to them in troubled times?  How about our parents? How about a sibling? How about a co-worker? How about a close friend? Who do we turn to when times are difficult? The pandemic and even this year – 2024 – has given us all some very difficult times.

If we’ve turned to any of the above – we probably have had mixed results. At times – we have gotten what we needed from them I imagine. At times we have gotten what we needed and it wasn’t what we were seeking.  At times we probably didn’t get a listening ear – if that was what we were after – but rather we got someone trying to fix our trouble (men – a lot of times our wives merely need a listening ear – just saying). At times the person is so close to us that they automatically side with us and maybe we don’t hear what we need to hear. I’m sure there are other experiences as well.

The Church’s Marching Orders

Matthew 28:19

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Those who know me well – know that above most everything else – I would label myself an evangelical. As a Christian pastor – I believe that Jesus is Lord and that there is no other way to salvation except through Him. You could call me a John 14:6 kind of guy. In this passage Jesus tells us what is required to go to heaven. John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Having said that – the passage for today has a lot of meaning. Today’s passage is part of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28 – Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A number of pastors and church leaders as well as church members read my blog page each day. Our marching orders as pastors – as Christians – is The Great Commission. Because of the way some go about evangelism and the way that some have turned away from evangelism – in some circles – evangelism has become a dirty word. It is anything but!

Your Word Is In My Heart

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

I’ve said before – that living for Jesus is enhanced – even made possible – through our being open to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came to teach us all things and to remind us of the things that Jesus taught. We’ve also said that we cannot understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. As we search the truths in the Bible – inspired and urged on by the Holy Spirit – we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Jesus.

A deep knowledge and understanding of the Word of God is only possible through a deepening of our walk with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The more we know – the deeper we search the Word of God – the more useful a tool it will be for us in our spiritual journey. I once said – the more we use our Sword (our Bible) the more useful that tool becomes to us – so we would encourage people to bring their Bibles to church and to follow along during the sermons. Today – we can read our Bible on our smart phones and even follow along on them by following sermon notes by using the URL found in the bulletin each week. There are so many tools available to us as we read the Bible. But – none of them has worth to us without the Holy Spirit.

Reading and storing up the Word of God in our heart – in our mind – is so important. Jesus resisted the Devil when he tempted Him by quoting the Word of God. Jesus was such a student of the Word of God – that He knew when Satan was using it wrongly! Matthew 4:1–11 – ¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Witnessing Our Faith

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.  NKJV

Today’s devotional thought is short and sweet. I would like to address a concern that I hear – far too often. It usually comes from a parent or from a spouse who loves Jesus and has a child or a spouse who doesn’t love Jesus. I know this is real for some in our church. It comes from others as well – friend to friend – co-worker to co-worker – and more. Those with a concern talk about praying for their lost family members or friends and feeling helpless at times to touch their hearts. Please don’t give up or stop trying.

Today’s passage gives us hope in these and other circumstances. So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. When we witness and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ before others – God will not allow our efforts to spread His word to go out and come back void. That doesn’t mean that everyone we witness to will be saved – but something good will come out of our witness for Jesus – so keep it up!

A member of our Monday Bible Study recently talked about witnessing to his daughter-in-law. He almost came to tears – when someone said – she may not come to believe because of your words – but – she will never forget your words to her. Keep witnessing your faith and sharing about Jesus. God’s Word will not go out and come back void! Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you in your opportunities to witness your faith.

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way.