The Astounding Turnaround!

Posted by David on January 6, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

In one of the most remarkable “turnarounds” in Jesus’ ministry, Peter went from the disciple to whom God revealed Jesus’ true identity (Matthew 16:18, 19) to the disciple used by Satan to tempt Jesus. Astounding! One moment he was a recipient of God’s special revelation declaring Jesus was the Christ. The next moment he was used by Satan as a means of tempting Jesus. In back-to-back incidents, he was used by God in a special way and then by Satan in a special way. That alarms us! The fact that God made use of him did not mean that it was impossible for Satan to use him!

One special insight is provided by the Greek word translated “stumbling block.” It literally means “a bait stick in a trap.” The common form of traps for animals in ancient times was a snare. For the snare to be effective, the animal must be lured inside the snare. Thus a stick was scented with a smell that either appealed to the animal or incited the animal’s curiosity. When the bait stick deceived an animal and lured it by smell into the snare, the animal was trapped and eventually lost its life.

It is fascinating that the person deemed fit for God’s special revelation was also deemed fit to be the “bait stick” (the lure) into a snare Satan set for Jesus! After Peter declared Jesus was the Christ, Jesus began to explain to the twelve that he would suffer, be killed, and be resurrected in Jerusalem. To Peter it was unthinkable that God’s promised Christ would suffer and be killed! He responded to Jesus’ information with, “This shall never happen to you.” At that moment, Satan used Peter as a “bait stick in a trap.” Satan through Peter said, “There is a route to being Lord that does not include suffering and crucifixion.” To Jesus, that possibility had appeal. Though Peter did not comprehend the significance of what he said, what he said was a deadly temptation to Jesus.

This world, temporarily under the control of evil, is filled with snares set for the righteous. It is easy for God’s man or woman to be deceptively lured into those snares-by materialism, by consumerism, by pleasure, by security, by fear, by ignorance, by arrogance, by pain, by jealousy, etc. We need each other’s help and encouragement as we walk through a life filled with snares.

Just as with Peter, the fact that God uses you for His purposes does not mean that Satan cannot use you for his purposes. We need each other! It is so easy to be deceived by evil! It is so easy to think evil is good! It is so easy for curiosity to destroy us! It is so easy for the “present moment” to blind us! It is so easy for us to substitute our expectations for God’s priorities!

We need each other’s spiritual encouragement. We need each other’s spiritual eyes and spiritual values. We need to help each other see the snares and avoid the “bait sticks.”

Please do not let Satan use you as his “bait stick”! Dare to be God’s encouragement!

From David’s Heart To Your Heart

Posted by David on January 2, 2005 under Sermons

Sunday Nights 2005

Posted by David on December 30, 2004 under Bulletin Articles

Each of us lives in a world that considers devotion to God a low priority; that pursues pleasure, or materialism, or security, or success, or escapism as life’s purpose; that defines integrity differently from the man or woman serving Jesus Christ; and that subscribes to standards and values in genuine contrast to Christian standards and values.

Living daily among people and influences that do not regard God as life’s priority is hard! It always has been hard! In some societies it is hard because God is opposed with open hostility and physical danger. In our society, most Christians do not face open hostility and physical danger. Here the opposition is real but often subtle.

The fact that it is hard to follow God in a world that denies God as Creator, the Source of life, and the Eternal Destiny is not new. Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to Christians living in Thessalonica, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). He wrote to Christians in Ephesus, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). To the Christians in the province of Galatia he wrote, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

How do we as Christians react to our godless pressures and influences? Some react by creating an artificial division between “real life” and “religious life.” Some create a “going-to-church” habit. Some define personal faithfulness on the basis of physical presence at a place. Some wrestle with temptations and fail. Some struggle with guilt. Some seek to exist in isolation.

Regardless of personal reaction, we all need encouragement. Sunday evening in the auditorium will be devoted to supplying the encouragement to live. It will not be a duplication of Sunday morning. Sunday morning is primarily devoted to praising God. Sunday evening will primarily be devoted to challenging us to live for God. It will be devoted to providing us strength to live for Christ in our real worlds.

We will seek to make it uplifting. We will seek to make it helpful in a daily walk with God as we follow Christ. We will seek to make it “times of refreshing” coming “from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Come Sunday evenings to be encouraged and challenged!

[This is not an attempt to attract those who attend classes, life groups, Kids for Christ, etc., to the auditorium. We are not in competition with each other!]

Leave Sincere Christians Alone!

Posted by David on December 19, 2004 under Sermons

(Open the assembly with reading of Romans 14:1-12.)

Please remember tonight’s lesson is a continuation of the thought in last Sunday evening’s lesson.

As a movement, we have deep roots in protest and confrontation. Our first layer of historical roots sink deep into the Protestant Reformation. In what I realize is an oversimplified observation, the Protestant Reformation was a religious movement that ultimately protested against the Roman Catholic practices in the late middle ages by rebelling against Roman Catholic control in Europe.

As a historical movement, the roots of the Church of Christ in America began just before 1800 as a number of people in a number of different places were distressed by the forms of control that were expressed in different Protestant churches. In different places, back-to-the-Bible movements began as a means of seeking unity. In time, most of these movements merged into a single outcry.

However, from early in the American back-to-the-Bible movement, there was strong disagreement. In time it became a part of the nature of the movement to be critical. In time the movement divided in three primary directions. One group became the Disciples of Christ. One group became the Christian Church. One group became the Church of Christ.

I say this to make a single point: it is in the nature of our back-to-the-Bible movement to be critical. There are some who believe being critical even among ourselves to be an evidence of faithfulness. Being critical is so ingrained in the basic character of our movement that we even form a concept of unity that recognizes and sometimes encourages confrontation among ourselves. It is literally impossible for some of us to realize that God gave much indication that He is not as critical as we often are. We expect every follower of Christ to be exactly like us. God does not expect every person in Christ to be identical.

Let me use a humorous illustration from this week in this congregation. Each morning this week our campus ministry has offered a free pancake breakfast to any student taking his or her finals at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith. John Priester and Patti Anderson were the cooks and greeters. Every morning this week the whole office complex was filled with the pleasant aroma of cooking pancakes! Every morning when I walked through I had to resist the temptation to eat free pancakes!

Each time I passed by, there was the hot griddle, the pancake batter, several breakfast beverages to go with the pancakes, and a line of toppings to place on your hot pancakes: syrup (okay), jelly (okay but questionable), and peanut butter (yuck!). You see, I am from “the old school”–where I grew up, you just did not eat peanut butter on pancakes. In fact, the first time I ever saw peanut butter offered as a topping for pancakes was this week!

Then I learned that people have been eating peanut butter on pancakes for generations! I may even be in the minority! It is possible that “the right way to eat pancakes” is not with syrup! The fact that I cannot imagine eating peanut butter on pancakes (and I love peanut butter!) does not exclude combining peanut butter and pancakes for breakfast!

Allow me to focus your attention on something far more serious.

1. I am convinced that we have failed to realize the enormous conflict between first century Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians over the “right way” to approach and serve God.
   1. There were major differences in the ways Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians did things as children of God.
      1. Jewish Christians often looked upon the ways of Gentile Christians with disgust.
      2. In numerous ways Jewish Christians often tried to intimidate Gentile Christians.
   2. To illustrate how deep and serious this conflict was, consider Galatians 2:11-14.
      [I am quite aware that the illustration involves a confrontation between two mature Christians. I direct your attention to three things: (1) the conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians was significant and prominent; (2) Cephas [Peter] who knew God’s intent to save Gentiles let himself be ruled by fear instead of faith in God’s objectives. Romans 14 does not involve God’s objectives in Christianity. (3) Cephas [Peter] did the thing Romans 14 declares must not occur.]
      But when Cephas [Peter, the same Peter we discussed last Sunday night] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
      1. Paul publicly said, “Peter your are wrong in your behavior.”
      2. When Peter first came to Antioch, he ate with [had total fellowship including table fellowship] Gentile Christians.
      3. But, when a group of Jewish Christians came to Antioch from Jerusalem, Peter stopped eating with Gentile Christians–and he encouraged other Jewish Christians [including Barnabas!] not to eat with Gentile Christians.
      4. Paul declared this attitude to be hypocrisy!
      5. Why did Peter act that way in those circumstances? Because he was afraid of the Jewish Christians!
   3. This conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christ was the major reason that Paul sent the letter we call Galatians and an important reason for Paul writing the letter we call Romans.
      1. In the mostly Gentile congregations of Galatia, this confusion created a major problem.
      2. In the congregations in Rome, this confusion was an important problem.

2. For a moment, allow me to focus your attention on Romans.
   1. The book falls into three obvious parts.
      1. The first part is contained in chapters 1-11.
         1. It focuses on God’s part in human salvation.
         2. In that part Paul definitely includes in that focus the fact that God always intended Gentiles to be saved in Christ–without converting to Judaism!
      2. Listen to two statements from Romans 11.
         1. First, to Jews including Jewish Christians: Romans 11:1-6–I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
            1. The fact that God extends salvation to Gentiles through grace does not mean that God rejected Israel.
            2. This is not the first time God opposed Israel!
            3. Do not interpret God’s love for Gentiles as abandoning love for Israel!
         2. Second, to Gentile Christians: Romans 11:17-24–But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
            1. If God grafted you Gentile Christians in the tree, He can surely graft Israelites who believe in Jesus back into the tree.
            2. Do not be conceited! Do not believe God loves you more than He loves them!
         3. I called Romans 11 to your attention for this reason: I wanted you to see this conflict between Jewish believers in God and Gentile Christians was a real, prominent problem.
      3. The second part of the book runs from chapter 12 into chapter 15.
         1. This section discussed how a person lived or behaved because he understood God’s actions in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
         2. It is in this section that we encounter Romans 14, the first part of which you heard read as we began.
      4. The third section is the ending contained mostly in Romans 16.

3. For a few moments, I want to focus your attention on Romans 14.
   1. I want to begin by calling your attention to the fact that Rome had very different groups of Christians. Some Jewish Christians:
      Religiously, complete vegetarians
      Religiously, observed special
      holy days: Sabbaths, Passovers,
      Pentecosts, etc.
      1. They were so fearful of idolatry and eating a meat that was used in a sacrifice to an idol, they ate only vegetables to be safe religiously.
      2. They were so conscientious in not wishing to offend God that they observed Jewish holy days as was Israel’s practice for generations. Some Gentile Christians:
         They ate anything (God sanctified it all–1 Timothy 4:4,5)
         To them, there were no holy days.
      3. A sacrifice to an idol was a sacrifice to nothing (1 Corinthians 8:4).
      4. Observance of holy days does not bring a Christian closer to God.
   2. It should be obvious that these two groups were fundamentally different.
      1. They expressed faith in God differently.
      2. It was because of their faith in God they behaved differently.
      3. One group literally did things the other group did not do–and for religious reasons!
   3. Today, who would we say were the most conscientious, the most committed?
      1. Those who were vegetarians, who refuse to buy meat from the market.
      2. Those who observed holy days to be certain they did not offend God.
      3. But Paul classified them as the weak!
   4. Today, who would we say were the least conscientious, the least committed?
      1. Those who ate anything.
      2. Those who said there were no holy days.
      3. But Paul classified them as the strong! Why? Because of the faith they had!

4. Listen to Paul’s instructions:
   1. God did not save you to pass judgment on Christians who disagree with your position.
   2. God knows your motives, why you do what you do.
   3. God in Christ can and will make each of you stand–He can and He will!
   4. Your responsibility is to see that you do not discourage each other by judging each other!
   5. When a Christian is doing something to honor God, encourage him, do not find fault with what he is doing! He or she will answer to God, not to you.

As I said last week, this is a difficult time of the year for some. Honor your conscience in what you do, but do not pass judgment on your fellow Christian. God can and will make stand those who honor Him. You do not prove the superiority of your faith by confronting those in Christ who disagree with you.

Let the Reflections Begin!

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

Right about now daily life becomes so hectic that our focus is on surviving until December 25th, not on reflecting. Maybe that is a significant, contributing reason for the depression this time of the year. All the advertisements show smiling faces at smiling gatherings of families or friends or both. Yet, those advertisements do not depict many people’s reality. Too often this important commercial time of the year tries to remind people of what they do not have, not what they do have.

The same commercials deliberately (for commercial purposes) send a false message. The false message: (1) “Give people what they want and they will be happy,” or (2) “If you give this for a gift you can be sure the person will be happy.” The annual reminder arrives: happiness is not found in possessions. We often think “possessions” are a substitute for caring, loving “relationships.” How quickly “things” bore us. “Things” are a distraction with an extremely short life of effective distraction. Caring, loving “relationships” grow in meaning and often endure a life time.

Perspective is the engine of reflection. In recent days, a conversation, an e-mail, and a letter fueled my reflection. The conversation came from a missionary forced home because of a medical necessity. His comment: “For the first time, I am experiencing reverse culture shock.” Reverse culture shock occurs when you re-enter the home culture and feel like you do not fit. Why is he experiencing reverse culture shock? “Here this season is so commercial!” Its focus is on business, not on remembering!

The e-mail came from a Christian in another part of our world. In this region Christianity is looked upon with great suspicion. Powerful people regard Christians as evil people who are a dangerous threat to society. In simple eloquence, the person spoke of the hopelessness of many. They had only the here-and-now perspective. They struggled daily in a sense of personal desperation as existence became increasingly futile.

The letter came from a Christian friend working hard in an area so poverty stricken that the simplest medicines are unavailable. The average person cannot even obtain a Bible. In the past, he has written me often of the difficulty of helping people find hope in Jesus Christ when they do not even have a Bible to read.

This is a wonderful time of the year to show love. Please, never rely on “things” to declare your love. Show your love through your kindness and caring. Show your love through a living, continuing “relationship.” Because you are who you are in Jesus Christ, touch lives of others by allowing God to teach you how to love in every relationship. May it be evident in the way you treat others that God living in you through Jesus Christ makes the difference that cannot be ignored. May an accurate, grateful perspective on your countless blessings enlarge your perspective! May your perspective drive your relationships! Your memories and awareness are the fuel for your love!

Do We Understand What We “Know”?

Posted by David on December 12, 2004 under Sermons

How many times have your been terribly mistaken when you were absolutely certain you were correct? You were so sure you were correct, that you defended your position. The more you defended the position, the more certain you became that you were correct. The more certain you became that you were correct, the more emotional you became about the matter. The more you argued about the matter, the more your face changed colors (until it was a truly red color!). To you it mattered more and more and more! It got to mattering so much it became a finger shaking confrontation. It mattered so much that it became a voice raising confrontation. It mattered so much that you concentrated on listening for and hearing weakness and mistakes. While you rarely listened to what the other person actually said, you were deeply frustrated that the other person was not listening to what you said.

[Pause] Then it happened suddenly, instantly, “a flash of lightening” realization hit you, hit you hard. Suddenly you realized that you made were not correct! It was like someone hit you in the stomach hard when you totally were unprepared for the blow.

I suspect every single one of us has been there! I certainly have! When that happened to you, what did you do? (1) Did you keep on arguing like you were right when you knew you were mistaken? (2) Did you start listening to the other person, or did you close your ears even tighter? (3) Did you admit you made a mistake? (4) Did you feel stupid? (5) What impact did it have on your view of yourself? (When I do that, I feel so dumb! I will not stop telling myself how stupid that was!)

May I ask you if you have noticed something? At some point, the confrontation becomes more about you than about the matter being discussed. With you, when does that point come? When do your realize that it is more about who you are than the matter being discussed?

No one likes to be mistaken. Too often, we do not like what being mistaken says about us. Personal observation and confession: in God matters and Bible matters, learning involves admitting our mistakes. Many times one correct understanding results in a whole system of “knowledge” tumbling down. That is why it is so critical that each of us places his or her faith in God rather than a system of “knowledge.”

This evening I want us to focus on the apostle Peter. I ask you to think as we study, and think as we make a specific application.

1. First, lets remind ourselves of who Peter was.
   1. Peter was one of Jesus’ prominent disciples.
      1. Mark 1:16. 17 and Luke 5:1-11 indicate that Peter was on of the first men of the 12 that Jesus called to the discipleship–a fisherman whom Jesus taught to catch me.
      2. As one of the 12, Peter was one of the inner core–he was a leader of leaders, a man who had the confidence to lead .
         1. He was with James and John when Jesus raised the synagogue official’s daughter, and only those three witnessed that event (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51).
         2. He was present with James and John at Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1).
         3. He was present with James and John near Jesus as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37).
      3. It was to Peter that Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19).
      4. It was Peter who felt so bold as to rebuke Jesus (Matthew 16:22).
      5. It was Peter who was so confident of his loyalty to Jesus that he made a special effort to declare that he would die with Jesus before he would deny Jesus (Matthew 26:33)–“the other disciples might stumble away from you, but not me!”
      6. It was Peter who denied knowing Jesus, and in grief and disappointment went out into the night weeping bitterly (Matthew 26:75).
      7. It was to Peter and the disciples (Peter was specifically mentioned) that an angel sent notification of Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:7).
      8. It was Peter who preached the good news of Jesus’ resurrection in Acts 2 (Acts 2:14-36).
      9. It is Peter who at the beginning of the Jerusalem church is the leader (Acts 5:3, 9, 15).
   2. This is the same man, an apostle, who did not understand that Christ came to save people who were not Israelites.
      1. Peter had to be prepared to go to Cornelius and tell him about Jesus (Acts 10:9-23).
         1. He had a vision through which the Lord told him three times was not to call something God cleansed a unholy and unclean.
         2. That vision profoundly confused Peter! (verses 17, 19)
         3. The Holy Spirit told Peter to accompany the men Cornelius sent without asking any questions.
      2. Yet, the next day when Peter went to Cornelius’ home, he did not understand why he was there.
         Acts 10:28,29 And he (Peter) said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”
         1. “I came even though I knew I was not to do this–the only reason I came was because I understand God wanted me to come.”
         2. “Please explain to me why I am here.”
      3. What Peter did was so unacceptable, so taboo, among Israelites, that he took six Jewish Christian witnesses with him (Acts 10:23, 45; 11:12).
      4. When Peter got back to Jerusalem, he found out quickly his action of visiting a Gentile home and eating with Gentiles stirred up a real hornets nest of angry Jewish Christian protest.
         Acts 11:2,3 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
   3. What Peter did was always God’s intent.
      1. Before Israel was a nation, God said to Abraham, Genesis 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
      2. Again to Abraham: Genesis 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
      3. God said to Isaac: Genesis 26:4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
      4. God said to Israel (Judah): Isaiah 42:5,6 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations.
      5. God said to Israel (Judah): Isaiah 49:6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
      6. Simeon, when seeing the baby Jesus at the temple presentation: Luke 2:29-32 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
      7. Paul, to the Jews in Iconium: Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.'”
      8. Paul before King Agrippa, Acts 26:22,23 So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
   4. Though God has not veiled his objective, Israel did not understand God’s interest in non-Jewish people; they did not understand that God intended Israel to be light to people who were not Jews.
      1. They were absolutely certain they had God figured out, and they were certain that God was not interested in non-Jewish people.
      2. They had been so certain of this that not even the apostle Peter could imagine why God could send him to a gentile!
      3. Finally Peter understood:
         Acts 10:34,35 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

2. Christians are often certain that they have God and God’s concerns all figured out, and they can tell you quickly and certainly in no uncertain terms exactly what God wants in every consideration.
   1. This is a very difficult time of the year for some Christians.
      1. For them it is filled with conflict.
      2. It seems that they move from one conscience crisis to another conscience crisis.
      3. As they are caught in this journey, they become frustrated with many of their Christian brothers and sisters. [“I cannot believe you do that!”]
   2. Let me share with you a couple of stories about things I know happened.
      1. The first is personal–the situation occurred when I was a child in the 5th or 6th grade.
         1. I went to public grade school when the public school planned and presented numerous religious programs.
         2. My parents [at that time] opposed the singing of Christmas songs in December.
         3. One day not long before Christmas our principal called a general assembly.
            1. He wanted the school to practice Christmas carols before the school’s Christmas program.
            2. He was upset because the singing was so poor, so he sternly threatened anyone he saw who was not singing.
            3. I was not singing, so he was publicly upset with me.
            4. I did not handle the situation well; yet, I still remember the tension I felt.
      2. The second illustration is about someone I knew years ago, and actually I am talking about a couple, not an individual.
         1. I want to make it clear that these two people are very compassionate people and very constructively involved in congregational leadership today.
         2. When this couple was young years ago, they were convinced having a Christmas tree was a spiritual concern that definitely involved right and wrong.
         3. They had sincere objections to the Christmas season, Christians using Christmas trees, and in any way calling attention to the Christmas season.
         4. Their sincere views created a definite sense of crisis in the congregation.
   3. I want to make just one point: too often when we personally conclude exactly how God feels, we are concerned about matters that are of little or no concern to God.
      1. Peter was certain that he understood what God wanted and what God would stress, but Peter was mistaken.
         1. When Peter had the vision in which the Lord told him to kill and eat unclean things (Leviticus 11), Peter told the Lord, “I have never done that! I cannot do that! It is wrong! I do not care what you ask, I can’t do something wrong!” The Lord asked Peter to do something wrong?
         2. Even after the Lord clearly sent Peter to Cornelius, Peter had no idea of why he was there! Teaching the gospel to people who were not Jews was unthinkable!
      2. I challenge all of us to do three things.
         1. Learn! Never stop letting God teach you.
         2. As you learn, be true to your conscience. The Lord understands why you do what you do.
         3. As you are true to your conscience, do not impose your conclusion in a conscience matter on someone else.

We invite you to Jesus Christ. We invite you to learn from God. We invite you to be yourself as you follow God. We invite you to pursue God’s peace among those who belong to Jesus Christ. We invite you to put your faith in God, not what you “know.”

Life Is Transition!

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

One of the songs sung in my childhood congregation contained the statement, “Time is filled with swift transition.” Many times this past year I was reminded the song is filled with truth! From driver’s license to high school graduation, to college, to marriage, to first full-time work, to beginning a family, to graduate school, to three children, to mission work, to stateside work, to age 64 and counting, my life is change! As people in every generation, I look back wondering how it passed so quickly. As I lived, it did not seem to be flying by — but now it seems to have streaked by.

Let me share with you two things now occurring in my life. Sunday night I talked about the shipment of medical supplies, Bible study aids, and Bibles we plan to send to Eugene Elangwe in Cameroon, West Africa, in January, 2005. We have almost $7500 of the needed $10,000 shipping costs. We no longer seek funds for medicines [though much needed, they are too expensive]. C.U.R.E. donated over a ton of medical supplies you boxed for shipment. C.U.R.E. will utilize their network for shipping the supplies. Seven different Wum clinics will use those supplies. We will meet urgent physical needs and present Christians as compassionate people. Some there are suspicious of Christians.

I asked you to look at home and contribute Bible study aids (concordances, Bible dictionaries, reference books, commentaries, etc.), and Bibles (English is one of the basic languages there). Bible House book store in Searcy, AR, is making a significant contribution to that collection. The objective is to supply the preacher training school with some materials and to provide Bibles to congregations. There is plenty of room to ship books regardless of size or weight. Thanks for all your help, time, and generosity!

In the past month, with MUCH technical help from Debbie and Ron Belote, I opened a personal web site, www.davidchadwell.com . On that site, free, are bulletin articles, adult Bible class materials with guides for teachers, and sermons. (In time this will include sermons from Oxford, MS, and West-Ark.) I also hope to have all of my out-of-print books on the site as well as writing new material for the site. If you know of anyone who can make use of any of these materials, please let them know they are available for use free of charge. Right now I need a few people to scan some out-of-print books to become part of this site. If you have interest, time, and access to a scanner, please let me know.

I hope the site will be useful in numerous ways. It is a mission outreach — people around the world have access to the material. It can supply help to small congregations experiencing difficulty having a regular minister. Hopefully, it will stimulate the thinking of preachers who read the materials. Hopefully, it will stimulate Christian individuals in their personal studies. Hopefully, it will be something God can use in His great and wonderful purposes.

Help for the Work of Eugene Elangwe

Posted by David on December 5, 2004 under Sermons

In 1970-1974 Joyce and I did mission work in West Africa in the country of Cameroon. That country is about the size of the state of California, and at that time had a population of around five million people.

For about three of the four years I lived there, part of my work was teaching in a preacher training school. One of the students was Eugene Elangwe. Eugene also worked for Deborah Brown (now Wilson) and Nancy O’Brian. Since none of us had the machines and conveniences of this country, everything was done by “man power.” Eugene helped Deborah and Nancy by supplying some of that “man power” (manual labor).

1. At the time Eugene was in the preacher training school, he was an unmarried teenager.
   1. Now Eugene is almost 50 years old.
      1. He has a wife and seven children.
      2. Years ago he moved to one of the northern regions of that country.
      3. He is just a little over 200 miles from the nearest American missionary–which in that area is a considerable distance.
      4. He has no vehicle, so everything he does is still dependent on “man power” (manual labor).
      5. Let me use the year 2000 as an example:
         1. His income for supporting his family was $400 a month.
         2. He was spending 75% of that income on educating his children.
         3. He had a work fund of $200 a month, which was insufficient to cover the expenses of his work.
         4. He was gardening to provide the basic food needs of his family.
         5. He spent 4 days a week traveling to villages for evangelism, and that included about 50 miles of walking (per month).
         6. There were 6 additional villages asking him to come to them and teach.
   2. Given his circumstances, I find the work incredible.
      1. He has begun 13 congregations in the area, and he has to visit several of them by walking.
      2. He realized the need to train church leaders, so he started a Bible training school.
         1. The school meets twice a year, two months in the spring and two months in the fall.
         2. The primary purpose of the school is to train leaders for the congregations.
         3. There are not enough Bibles to supply everyone in existing congregations with a Bible.
         4. There are no Bible study aids to provide the students in the school.
         5. Yet, with almost no supplies, the school graduated its first 5 students in September of 2003, after the students completed 42 courses of study.
   3. When Eugene completed our course work in his first Bible Training school, he did not stop his education.
      1. He has completed a 50-course curriculum from the International School of Biblical Studies in South Africa (by correspondence).
      2. His hope is to continue with a degree program.

   Eugene is doing things no American missionary could do as he shares the gospel with the people in Wum.

2. Dr. Bob Fisher and Kevin Vaught report on the work of C.U.R.E. (Compassionate Utilization of Resources)

3. One of the things that I most dislike in life is raising money–that was the aspect of mission work I least liked.
   1. The plans to help Eugene in his work have been developing for five years.
      1. I had two objectives in helping him.
         1. I wanted to increase his credibility and opportunity among the people.
         2. I wanted to send him some Bibles and Bible study aids to use in the preacher training school and in the congregations.
      2. C.U.R.E. is an extremely important part of helping me reach those objectives.
         1. It has contributed hundreds of pounds of medical supplies for the clinics in Eugene’s areas.
         2. It has arranged for the shipping of the supplies (hopefully in January 2005) to the area (permission for the shipment to enter Cameroon already has been received).
         3. The hundreds of pounds of medical supplies will be shared by 6 clinics in the area.
            1. The medical supplies are greatly needed.
            2. We hope this will allow Christians to be appreciated and respected as compassionate people.
         4. Enclosed in the shipment, with permission, will be Bibles and Bible study aids for the school and congregations.
            1. We hope this will supply Eugene with some much needed tools in his work.

4. Originally we has hoped to send several requested medicines.
   1. That is not possible–it required much too much money.
      1. Everything we ship is a gift.
      2. Hopefully, we have raised the money for the cost of shipping. (As of 5 December 2004, we now have almost $6500 to ship the Gaylord container; it will take about $10,000).
   2. I cannot begin to describe to you the need for medical supplies in this area.
   3. I do need your help in collecting Bibles and Bible study aids in English.
      1. I ask you to look around your homes and collect Bibles or Bible study books to ship.
      2. The Bibles primarily will be used in the congregations, and the aids primarily in the preacher training school.
      3. The language they use in their studies and school is English.
      4. If you can drop these off at our offices, I will take them to the warehouse to be included in the shipment.

It is so simple to hear about Jesus and become a Christian in our society in America. It is so difficult to hear about Jesus and become Christians in so many other societies.

May we not only know our blessings, but may we respond to our blessings.

God’s Rule

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

Prior to Jesus’ ministry, John declared, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

After Jesus’ encounter with Satan in the wilderness, Matthew generalizes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with this statement: “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). The good news (gospel) Jesus declared was that the kingdom was coming soon.

As Jesus continued his ministry, this was a basic message: “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

Near the close of his ministry, Jesus emphasized God’s kingdom in this manner: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

To equate “the kingdom” as a simple substitute for “the church” (in our concept of “church”) is an oversimplification. In the context of Matthew, Jesus being on earth, Jesus’ mission in Israel, and Jesus’ message cannot be separated from “the good news of the coming of the kingdom.”

A kingdom is ruled by a monarch. All in the kingdom serve the monarch. Their reason for existing is to serve, advance, and champion the purposes of the monarch.

The concept was not based on an organization or membership in an institution. The concept was based on serving a king. Most Americans do not consider being a part of a monarchy as “good news.” How can serving a king to advance and champion his purposes be good news? We view a monarchy as restrictive and freedom-destroying. We consider democracy as liberating and “freedom-giving” — to us democracy is good news!

Jesus’ basic message for Israel and the world was strange. The “good news” is that people can make God their ruler? The “good news” is that anyone anywhere can make God his or her ruler? The “good news” is that God ruling a person is not a matter of ancestry, or functions based on traditions or rules, or the cultural religious rites of a specific people? The “good news” is that a person can come to God and make Him ruler by allowing Jesus to be the way, truth, and life as he guides us to God (John 14:6)?

The ultimate question when we give an account of how we used physical life on earth will not be, “Where did you go to church?” Or, “How often did you go to church?” Or, “What did you do to support the church?” Or, “Did you do worship correctly?” As essential as worship is, it will not be the foundation of the ultimate question. The foundation of the ultimate question: “Who ruled your daily life as you lived on earth?”

How Do We Address Evangelistic Concern?

Posted by David on November 21, 2004 under Sermons

We want to make disciples for Jesus Christ who are eager to do good works. Most of us are disciples of Jesus Christ who are not ashamed to serve him. We want other people to be disciples of Jesus Christ because we want them to have the blessings in Jesus Christ that God has given us. The greatest blessing anyone can receive is the blessing of discipleship in Jesus Christ.

A common concern weighs heavily on most of our hearts. This concern is growing bigger, not smaller, and the concern is getting heavier, not lighter. What is this common concern? It is our concern for the salvation of other people.

Let me acknowledge two focal points of concern from the start. #1–We want our children to be saved (become disciples) very quickly. In fact, we would prefer that our children be saved before they are lost. The route we desire is from safe to saved, not from safe to lost to saved. It is very simple to want our own children to be forgiven before they have ever committed any sin. We feel that way because we love them very deeply.

# 2–We want people that we love and care about to be in a saved relationship with God whether they want to be or not. So it becomes imperative that we convince them to be baptized. Believing is not an urgent matter if they are baptized. Repenting is not an urgent matter if they are baptized. For us the key is to convince them that they needed to be baptized. If we convince them to be baptized, we can assume they believe. If we convince them to be baptized, we can assume they repent [if we are not careful, repentance becomes an attitude of sorrowfulness rather than a redirection of life].

Therefore, the key question to us is not “do you believe?” or, “Have you repented?” The key question is, “Have you been baptized?”

May I make an observation: there are no “faithless” paths to salvation in Jesus Christ. I cannot receive forgiveness from the one who died for me if I do not believe in the result of his death. I cannot receive atonement from the one who was resurrected to assure my resurrection if I do not believe in his resurrection. I cannot receive redemption and be freed from evil by God and Christ’s forgiveness unless I believe in the one who redeemed me. If Jesus Christ is to provide me the blessings of salvation, I must believe in God’s work in Jesus’ death. I must believe in Jesus’ resurrection. If my baptism is not based on faith in the crucified, resurrected Jesus, my baptism has no meaning.

The power is not found in what I do in baptism. The power is found in what God does in my baptism. God can and will act in my baptism because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But for God to act in any person’s baptism, he or she must have faith in Jesus Christ.

That brings us to an important problem. The problem: how are we going to encourage people to be disciples of Jesus Christ? I am going to share a reading with you. You can follow the reading on the overhead screen, and that is fine. But I also would like for you to take a Bible and mark Galatians chapter 5. I want you to see something for yourselves in Galatians chapter 5.

First, the reading from Galatians 5:16-21. Read with me.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1. Let’s begin by admitting the obvious: we are scared.
   1. We are afraid for a lot of reasons.
      1. We are afraid for our children.
         1. Will they have the courage to be a source of godly influence, or will they be influenced by ungodly forces?
         2. Will faith in God be the primary force in their adult lives, or will they as adults abandon faith?
      2. We are afraid for our marriages, and the marriages of our children, and the marriages of our friends.
         1. We seemed surrounded by a sea of failed marriages.
         2. Today people as casually commit adultery, fornication, or have affairs as people a few decades ago had a meal.
         3. It seems increasingly true that people do not know how to be people of integrity, how to be responsible, how to commit.
         4. Couples successfully married have been a minority for a long time.
      3. We are afraid of the future.
         1. We have no idea what yet lies ahead.
         2. We have no idea where the American society is headed.
         3. We have no idea about the kind of society or the kind of world our children and grandchildren will be in as adults.
         4. For a long time we have watched “ways of life” die in this country.
      4. We are afraid because it is becoming increasingly obvious we are not in control of anything.
         1. The world does not seem to like Americans, or Christians, or us.
         2. Too often we as a church are regarded a curse instead of a blessing.
         3. We just do not like the feeling and awareness that we are not in control.
   2. So, what shall we do? How shall we react to all these fears? Is there a solution?
      1. Solution # 1: “Let’s get people to turn to God.”
      2. Reaction # 1: “Let’s make it happen fast!”
         1. It took 25 years for God to give Abraham the son He promised–“that is too slow!”
         2. It took almost 1500 years for God to send Jesus into this world–“that is way too slow!”
         3. It took approximately 30 years for God to offer Jesus for our salvation–“that is much too slow!”
         4. “We want a quick fix!”
      3. Two questions:
         1. How will we produce a quick fix? What route do we need to take?
         2. How will we know when it happens–is getting everyone to “think and do like we think and do” the gauge?

2. Suggestion # 1: we need to scare people to God to fill our church buildings, and make people afraid to do evil things!
   1. I realize I run a considerable risk in being misunderstood.
      1. I know fear often is a constructive, helpful emotion when we repent.
      2. I am not talking about the fearful awakening to the need to redirect life and accepting responsibility for our mistakes.
      3. I am talking about replacing faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the fear of eternal consequences.
      4. You cannot scare people to a godly existence and a heavenly destination.
   2. May I anticipate a response: “But you just read how that people who practice any of that list of ungodly things will not inherit God’s kingdom!”
      1. “Just look at that list! Paul condemned sexual immorality, all forms of idolatry, all forms of division, ungodly attitudes, and ungodly forms of indulgence in pleasures!”
      2. “He made it quite clear if those things were practiced, the person would not inherit God’s kingdom!”
      3. “Those verses look like an attempt to scare people away from ungodly things!”

3. Earlier I asked you to take a Bible and mark Galatians 5; now I ask you to turn there and let me call some obvious things to your attention.
   1. First, I ask, “To whom did Paul make the statement in verses 19-21?”
      1. Paul made the statement to Christians, specifically to Gentile Christians.
      2. These were not presented as a text for an evangelistic gospel meeting.
      3. It is very important to note and to understand that Paul was talking to Gentiles (like us) who already converted to Jesus Christ.
      4. The problem was that those Christians were not living like people who belong to Jesus Christ.
      5. That is our problem right now in this society–Christians are not behaving like Christians.
   2. Second, I ask, “Why did Paul make this statement to these Christians?”
      1. For a full answer we need to go back to the basic reason Paul wrote the letter of Galatians to the churches in the area of Galatia.
         1. Jewish Christians visited them and convinced them they were not saved unless they adopted Jewish teaching and ways.
         2. Many of these Gentile Christians were convinced and turned to Jewish indoctrination.
         3. Basically Paul said, “I cannot believe you abandoned the gospel that saved you in Jesus Christ for another teaching that is seeking to take advantage of you.”
      2. In keeping with that emphasis, let’s focus on chapter five.
         1. Note verse one: Christ gave you freedom (we don’t discuss that freedom much).
         2. Note verses 2-12: if you Gentile Christians adopt Jewish teachings and ways, you destroy the freedom Christ gave you.
         3. Note verses 13-15: if you Gentile Christians act like Christians, Christian behavior will fulfill God’s emphasis in Jewish law: you will learn to love your neighbor as yourself.
         4. Note verses 16-18: You must understand a basic truth: there is a war going on inside you (Paul was concerned about the war inside these Gentile Christians)
            1. You cannot live like the pagans you once were!
            2. Pagan lifestyle and behavior is not Christian lifestyle and behavior!
            3. If you revert to a pagan lifestyle in the name of Christian freedom, God does not rule you and your abandon God’s inheritance!
      3. Now I please ask you to notice something that should be very obvious.
         1. The war going on inside Christians is the conflict between the physical and the spiritual.
         2. Verses 19-21 focus on the physical lifestyle these people had lived before they became Christians.
         3. Immediately following in verses 22-24 is an emphasis on the fruit of the Spirit which must characterize the lives of people who belong to God through Christ.
   3. It should be obvious that there is a basic contrast.
      1. There was a pagan then and a Christian now.
      2. There was a pagan way to live, and a Christian way to live.
      3. Paul said Christians cannot claim the freedom in Christ to revert to living a pagan lifestyle.
         1. The answer was not the traditions, practices, and lifestyle of the Jews.
         2. The answer was not the traditions, practices, and lifestyle of paganism.
         3. The answer was living like a Christian, guided by God’s Spirit, and behaving like a person who belongs to Christ.
      4. Christians kill their old way of life–deliberately–so they can live by the Spirit.

We will not succeed in scaring people to a godly lifestyle of faith in Jesus Christ. If that approach worked, this society would have become a godly society a long time ago. It does not work with us–never mind the people who are not Christians! I have preached a long time. There has never been a time or a place I have worked in the church that there were not incest, affairs, adultery, failed marriages, pleasurable indulgence, hate, jealousy, division, and ungodly attitudes among Christians.

The problem has not changed! It has just continued to grow and become increasingly open. The greatest single problem in attracting people to Jesus’ cross and Jesus’ resurrection is found in the fact that too many Christians live and behave like people who do not belong to God!

If God is to work through us as His people, we must live and act like His people. If we do not, there is no contrast to see! If there is no contrast to see, there is no power to attract people to godly living!