Category Archives: Relationship

Passions Are High

11 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in America, Behavior, Bulletin Article, Communication, Ethics, Leadership, Relationship

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Not long ago, I had a brief email conversation with a brother in New York regarding the recent situation in Ferguson, Missouri. A brother in Alabama shared his thoughts on the situation in Missouri with an email post that contained nothing but Scripture. Evidently, it hit the brother in New York hard, and negatively. He sent me an email expressing himself with pointed (but not unchristian) words disapproving of the post. If an email can have “passionate” written all over it this one did. I thought about engaging him in a debate, but I restrained myself from doing so, and only sent him a note:

“No fear, brother. What is important is dialogue, the Lord’s teaching, and the application of His higher will to our lives. From a distance, I am in no position to judge, so I don’t. Isn’t it a good thing the Lord looks past our individual failings as we live in the midst of collective failings? But for the grace of God there go I. I did a quick reading of your email. Tomorrow I will read again. Have a great evening, brother.  You are an asset to the saints in your service to the Lord.”

Passions can run high when from a distance a person judges something with incomplete information. When such occurs misunderstanding perpetuates. In my estimation, this is what happened here. The next morning he wrote me and was very pleased with what I said and wished me nothing but the best.

It may never be easy to know just how to respond to human situations like that which occurred in Missouri; but, on the other hand, if Romans 12:9-21 is applied, we know exactly how to respond.

 

Doctrine: PRAYER

10 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by in Doctrine, Prayer, Relationship

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A Patient Response And Yearning towards Eternity’s Rewards. Prayer is the avenue the Lord gave His children that enhances one’s relation with the Father in heaven. It is a lot like one’s earthly dad who has a loving, firm, and nurturing connection with his child. A patient response is not asking the Lord for help/strength and then, in a weaken state, engage in that which one prayed to the Lord about to avoid. Eternity’s reward is more than eternal bliss, as we look at it from this “underneath” side, but it is rest for our weary souls. Speaking of reward, the reward for such a relationship is priceless. Well…almost. It did cost Jesus His life (Acts 20:28).

GOING TO CHURCH

07 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Faithfulness, Relationship, Salvation, Teaching

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“Going to church” is not a matter of going to the building as some sort of check off list. It is not a matter of “works religion.” Gathering together with the saints is much more than that. The saints in the first century did so (Acts 20:7), and Paul exhorted the saints in Corinth to do the same (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 4:17). Those who love the Lord won’t be any place but where the Lord desires, and for the reasons the Lord desires.

Here are some points for your consideration: 1) Matthew 16:13-19—Jesus “built” (established) His church. 2) Ephesians 1:22-23—Jesus is the head of His church, His body. 3) Ephesians 4:4—There is one body (church). 4) Ephesians 5:23-32—The church is the saved. Paul wrote to the local body (in Ephesus); he did not delineate between the local, visible, invisible, and/or universal church. 5) Hebrews 10:19-31—After a lengthy discussion on the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit gives a number of exhortations in this section: a) the saints are to draw near with a true heart (10:22), b) the saints are to hold fast their confession (10:23; cf. Romans 10:9-10), c) the saints are to consider one another (10:24), d) the saints are not to forsake (abandon) the assembling together (10:25); this is your “go to church.” e) to sin willfully is to crucify the Son of God afresh (10:26), f) it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (10:31).

What’s hard to understand? For one who doesn’t want to understand, maybe it’s the heart that is hard.

The Jealous One

17 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Behavior, Relationship

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With much confidence and certainty a Christian will say to you and me: “I don’t care what he thinks. I serve the Lord, not him!” Yet, the same Christian will not like the idea of some other Christian getting attention more than him (or her). Somehow this is unfair. Is that what Peter thought when he asked the Lord concerning John in John 21:21? “Lord, what about him?” (NET) The Lord told Peter in plain language not to be concerned about him, but only tend to his responsibilities. “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?” (21:23, NET) It is true that some Christians receive more attention than others. Whatever reason may be for this occurrence, it is the challenge of all Christians to hear the Lord and do that which He said to Peter. Let us be determined to serve the Lord and hold the arms up of all those who are devoted to the Lord. Is the jealous one devoted to the Lord, or to what another thinks and does?

 

Words, Defeat, Victory

10 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by in Communication, Relationship

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Communication is both a wonderful things and an occasion for much heartache. Jesus, the very logos (word) of God knew well how to communicate in all areas of life. There was never a time, in my view, wherein He did communicate exactly the Father’s will and in the perfect way demanded by the occasion. That does not mean, however, that His words were always understood as He intended them.

On one occasion, a woman from outside the area of Israel came appealing to Jesus for her daughter, asking Him to heal her. Jesus replied that it was proper for the children to get the food, not the little dogs (Mark 7:24-30). Those who read the New Testament might wonder if Jesus was ascribing to her some inferior status; many of the Jews did as they considered those outside Israel to be dogs (“Jews used the word for Gentiles who were considered to be ceremonially impure” p. 150, note in The Majority Text Greek New Testament Interlinear).

How easy it would have been for this woman on that particular occasion to take exception to Jesus because the implication of the words can’t be missed by any who hear them. It might be an easy response, but the woman appealing to Jesus took the words much differently. Rather than finding fault, she clearly understood the figurative significance of the words and “[s]he turned the word of seeming approach, house dogs, into a reason for optimism, thereby transforming and impending defeat into a brilliant victory” (Hendriksen, p. 299).

We can be defeated by the words of another, whether one intends to defeat us with those words or not; or we can take the words used and turn them into an opportunity to teach, bringing glory to the Lord. Taking advantage like this brings victory.

Isn’t that what love does?

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Leadership, Relationship

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Each time I read the historical story associated with Samson I can’t help but reflect on his stupidity! Whatever is to be said about Delilah, or any other person in Judges 13-16, it’s Samson who plays with fires and gets burned. As much as I marvel at Samson, I learn that what plagued a people then plagues us as well: a failure to understand what love is and does. Delilah sold her dignity and defined her actions as “love” toward Samson, but Samson didn’t have the wisdom to see that she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He didn’t see it because he evidently thought that “love” would not betray him. When example after example presented itself he dismissed it because God, he thought, loved him and would not leave him. A misunderstanding of love results in a misapplication of the same. Love does not manipulate, does not betray, and will not suffer fools. Love will, however, instruct, persuade, hold in confidence, and correct the foolish. God did.

The Meaning of Life

20 Friday Jul 2012

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Can one find the meaning of life in the Scriptures? As we read Genesis we note that God gave man meaning when he gave him life and one single prohibition. What was that meaning that God gave man in the Garden?

Man was created perfect and innocent of wrong; he was charged with the task of tending to the Garden’s needs, and when the Lord gave him his help-meet (a female), he was able to do the Lord’s bidding, not being alone. He had, therefore, a relationship with his creator, his wife, and the land he was charged with working.

Sin was introduced to man, and as a punishment for disobeying (this is another term, in this context, for rebellion) man was cast from the Garden and life was extinguished. Was it his physical life? Since he continued to live physically, it could not have been that. Connected with his physical life is his spiritual, and that too continued to live. Connected to the spiritual life, however, was that relationship he had with his Creator; that relationship was severed (cf. Isaiah 59:1-2).

Man’s “meaning in life” was now no longer existing, which was relationship. Man could explain the reason for his existence, and he could even have meaning in life with regard to the relationship he had with his wife and the ground which he was to work. His meaning, however, was not as it once was; the relationship with the creator was gone; no matter what he tried to do to reconnect he failed.

But for the mercy and grace of God his meaning in life would never be the same.