“Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel… Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose the third day according to the Scriptures.” -1 Corinthians 15:1-4

I can still remember pacing back and forth down the long dirt pathway behind Scottsville Road Baptist Church the night I preached my first sermon before the small crowd of family and friends. My hands were sweating, my voice quivering, and I ran through my notes in less than fifteen minutes (oh for those days again, huh?). Out of that humiliating moment which all new preachers must endure came three enormous blessings.

One, a lady responded by coming to the altar for prayer. Two, my uncle Glenn commended me for preaching the simple gospel of the cross and admonished me to keep doing that, expecting that God would always bless me. Three, God gave me a passion for the gospel of Scripture and I’ve yearned to preach it over and over since that night. I thank God for saving me, for calling me to ministry, and for assigning me to be His undershepherd at Bethel Baptist Church. But I’m thankful most of all for the gospel, His good news, as told us “according to the Scriptures.” May His gospel reach our world today through our lips and through our lives!

“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” -1 Timothy 6:20-21

Have you noticed how often the world throws curveballs at conservative Christianity? In the “search for the historical Jesus,” the late Peter Jennings sought to dig up evidence that Jesus’ personal claims were misunderstood and the beliefs of the disciples were sorely mistaken. More recently, Dan Brown’s bestselling book The Da Vinci Code has ruffled feathers among Christian leaders. Within the last week, The National Geographic Society has released news of its research on a recently discovered ancient text known as “The Gospel of Judas.” But none of these things move me. Why? Because there have been challenges to the Christian faith for nearly two millennia now and not one has toppled the church.

Let me warn you, there will be many more challenges. Though we must be on guard, we must not allow the enemy to stage the battle. Our ultimate battle is not with flesh and blood, be they reporters, authors, or professors. Our grand war is with Satan and the resurrection of Jesus has secured our victory. The church will triumph as Jesus promised! Just as Jesus has risen, so our faith will stand.

After a decade and more of increased intensity in natural disasters, rising temperatures in the oceans, chunks of ice the size of states breaking off of the Arctic and Antarctic, we’ve come to realize that something about planet earth is changing. Well… at least some of us realize it. Let me say first of all that I am not a scientist and I do not wish to argue either side of the global warming debate. Rather, I’m interested in discovering a Christian response to the reality of massive global changes.

Christians today are divided on the issue of global warming. Many conservative leaders wish to deny the reality of global warming, perhaps so as to avoide too close a kinship with the typical liberal environmentalist. Others on the religious right hope to spur believers to action on behalf of the environment in the name of being “good stewards” of the planet. Denial is next to being absurdly naive. Downplaying global warming smacks of religious ignorance. We must face the reality that things are changing in creation. The big question is, what does it matter and what do we do in response?

Before offering a suggested response to the current significant global changes taking place, let me throw out one angle on global warming that does not receive much attention in the debate. Perhaps we are experiencing global warming, and perhaps it is having drastically negative effects upon our environment and weather patterns. Has it been considered, however, that these changes are not a sign of the end of all things, nor are they caused merely by human interaction with nature, but rather global warming is a sign of the earth’s cyclical environmental existence? In other words, are we entering another “age” of the earth over which man has had little to do with, either in the cause or the solution?

My complaint about the argument that pollution is the cause and environmentalism is the solution has to do with our feeling that mankind is somehow big enough, somehow significant enough to have a dramatic impact upon what happens on the huge stage of the cosmosphere. Do we really have the power to destroy what (1) God created and what (2) God promised to destroy Himself? (By fire, nonetheless, see 2 Peter 3.) And do we really assume that using less hairspray and driving fewer miles will stop the earth’s “groaning” under the anticipation of Christ’s return?

As believers, we must take a balanced viewpoint concerning our home planet, temporary as it may be. Let me offer some thoughts for biblical-thinking Christians to ponder…

1.) Our sovereign God, who was quite capable of the creation of this wonderful planet and all of the accompanying universe, is also quite capable of controlling weather pattersn all on His own, of preserving or destroying the planet at His will, and of bringing to an end “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” the world as we currently know it. In other words, let’s not forget that though we can dirty the place up, God is still ultimately in control.

2.) Adam and Eve were clearly given dominion, or leadership, over the Garden of Eden and that responsibility may have been hindered by the fall of man into depravity, but was never fully revoked. As God’s crowning creation, mankind still has the responsibility to care for and to be a good steward of the temporary home provided to us. So it is not “liberal” for a believer to want to do their part for the environment. We must get away from writing off all environmentally-conscious people as leaning to the left politically.

3.) Ultimately, this world is not the permanent and eternal home of believers. As one contemporary Christian group put it, it’s a “waiting room.” Don’t get too attached. Leave the planet as clean as possible for your grandkids but look for a brighter hope beyond the grave. As Peter said, “We look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
No matter where you fall on the environmentalist spectrum, you can see yourself as a steward, entrusted with a planet that you’ll eventually pass on to another generation. Why not do your part to keep it clean, and prepare to leave this waiting room someday for an eternity with Christ in a “new heaven and earth.”

This past Sunday was Open House Sunday at Bethel, and what a blessing it was to greet half a dozen new families and share a wonderful fellowship meal with our church family. My pride factor was increased as Bethel’s members paid special attention to quality and friendliness. Much preparation went into the day and it was well worth it! But Sunday evening was far more of a blessing to my own heart. In fact, most Sundays are just that way.

On Sunday mornings, we rush in to tie up loose ends and make sure that all details are in order for the morning worship service. After all, if the lighting, the temperature, or the sound volume isn’t perfect, God might not be able to work in the hearts of attendees, right? I fear that sometimes when we are focused too much on having an ideal public service, we miss the absolutely awe-inspiring nature of the centerpiece of our service - God’s perfect Word. By the time we open our Bibles, we’re a bit drained from the tension of striving for perfection.

That’s why I love Sunday evening services. It seems, for some reason, that the tension is over. We’ve been relieved from the pressure to impress the visiting crowd and we tend to focus our attention more on the Word of God in study. Rather than double-checking the sound and making sure the bulletins aren’t printed upside down on the inside, we simply stroll in, take our seats, and seek the face of Jesus.

My conclusion is that we probably have a lot to learn about Sunday mornings from all of this. Perhaps it’s time to “get spiritual” and realize that we aren’t gathering for a show, we’re gathering in Jesus’ classroom, sitting at the feet of our Lord, waiting for those drippings from the altar. Our worship will be more precious when it is “simply God’s Word.”

Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha wasn’t wrong in serving, but she was wrong in missing Jesus in her attention to the details of preparing dinner. Every Sunday, we prepare the table for special guests, but let’s not miss the sweet fellowship time with Jesus by our attention to the details. As you approach God’s Word this weekend with your church family, seek the face of Jesus in the simplicity of God’s wonderful Word.

”And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” –Genesis 32:26

In the story of Jacob’s wrestling with a “man” (possibly an Old Testament appearance of Christ), we learn what it is to hold on to God until we receive the blessing. Don’t you know this mighty angelic being could have crushed the weak, frail Jacob in an instant? Instead they wrestle through the night.

We often wonder why God allows us to wait so long on an answer to prayer, but He has His purposes. He often tests our tenacity and our faith. Real faith hangs on to God. We can never bully God into answering our prayers, but we can certainly seek Him with importunate persistence. This persistent praying gives glory to God by proclaiming our believe that He is able!

What do you need to hang on to God for today? Keep on praying until He answers or until He adjusts what you need to be praying for.

”For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7

A certain amount of fear is natural and is built into who we are physically speaking. This fear is quite helpful in the presence of danger, when our intuition kicks in and protects us from harm. But there is another kind of fear that the Bible warns us against. It is a spiritual fear in which we are limited in living bodly for God. The source of this fear is never God.

We don’t have to be timid when it comes to proclaiming Jesus Christ to our neighbors and our world, and we don’t have to be timid when it comes to living the Christian life with boldness either. God is on our side and He is the soverign God and the victorious Savior. He simply never causes or desires us to show fear in our lives, but rather to demonstrate the power of God.

Are there fears in our life based on an incorrect view of God or a lack of trust in Him? Lay them at the foot of the cross and seek His power and boldness to overcome and live with divine courage.

”Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” –Titus 2:14

When I was young, I received an allowance which I quickly wasted on “stuff.” The money I received became mine and I exchanged it for toys or baseball cards. Jesus took His life and exchanged it for ours. He purchased our salvation with His own blood that He might enlarge the family of God.

The Bible says He redeemed us (purchased us) from all of our sin and is purifying for Himself a people who will belong exclusively to Him. Our response to His purchase is to live our lives with a zeal for good works. I am now exclusively His and the rest of my life is to be given over to serving His cause.

Has it occurred to you yet that God desires for you to be exclusively His?

”And (God) said unto (Lot), See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.” –Genesis 19:21

Lot is what we might call a lukewarm believer. Though Peter calls him “righteous” (2 Pet. 2:7-8) he obviously had made some serious compromises of his faith. He had spent many years living in Sodom and yet had won no one to Christ. His sons-in-law laughed at his message of judgment and his wife looked back toward the city of sin and was turned into a salt statue. Nevertheless, Lot was an intercessor.

When God’s anger was aroused against the cities of the plain, Lot prayed for a small town called Zoar. We know that Zoar wasn’t a nice neighborhood not only because of God’s intention to destroy it but because Lot fled the city later on for fear of his life. But Lot prayed that God would spare this city and God responded.

We live in times of great moral testing and wickedness. We live in a nation that often values the wrong things and excuses sin, even laughing at that which is vile and rebellious. But God desires to show mercy to America and He’s looking for prayer warriors who will stand in the gap for the land and cry out for God to spare the nation so that others might hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why not pray for your nation, for your city, your neighborhood and even your household today?

”But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” –Matthew 6:33

What is your first priority in life? The answer may seem obvious but we really cannot give mere verbal affirmation to having God’s Kingdom as our highest priority. The truth is that our priorities are spelled out more by our actions and by our investments than by our words. How do you spend your time? How are you investing your talents and your treasure? The answer to questions such as these determine what our priorities truly are.

Many years ago I determined to set my own priorities as God, wife and family, church, and then social life. For years I’ve lived in the struggle of trying to keep those priorities straight. Having made a conscious decision to put God first has made a tremendous difference, and I’m grateful that Angie has decided that I don’t come before God in her life either. What ranks at the top for your life? Have you decided that God’s Kingdom will be your top priority?

”I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” –Psalm 4:8

It seems that bedtime is the toughest time for us to cope with the reality of life. It is then that we begin to feel the anxiety of all that we must face the next morning. It is then that our losses are felt most deeply, in a dark and quiet place. It is there that loneliness sets in most heavy and where our fears are most striking.

David proclaimed that he could sleep comfortably because of the peace given him by God. More than a weapon of protection or a house full of family, God’s presence gives us real rest from all of the world’s burdens. When you go to bed tonight, think godly thoughts and pray godly prayers. You’ll be surprised at the difference in how you rest as well as in how you face the world tomorrow.