Let Go. Let God. Live. Love. The Way to Go!

     Hello, from up in the country.  Yesterday I washed my truck and worked outside because the temperature was a spring-like beautiful 71 degrees with those clear blue Arkansas skies.  Today, the temperature is a brisk 35.  Earlier this morning the temperature was 26, a 45 degrees drop in less than 24 hours.  Someone told me that if you don’t like the weather in Arkansas, just wait a few minutes.  No problem.  We’ll just bundle up and keep on keeping on.

     Remember our thoughts from last week?  If we are ever to live on the pathway to peace we must let go of some things:  sin, fear, regret, and worry.  If we will let these things go from our lives, God will take them and wash them away by grace through faith.  We can do this.  Of course letting go is only part of the battle.  What do we do now?  Well, now that we have let go, we must LET GOD.

     When we let go of sin, we must let God fill us with His Son.  When we let go of fear, we must let God fill us with faith.  When we let go of regret, we must let God fill us with hope.  When we let go of worry, we must let God fill us with His love and His blessings.  In Matthew 12:38 the religious leaders of Jesus’ day asked Him for a sign that He was who He said He was, the Christ.  He told them that the people of Ninevah and the queen of Sheba would rise up in the judgment to condemn them and their generation because they refused to believe the truth.  In verses 43-45 Jesus tells about a man with an unclean or evil spirit inside him.  This text will help us to see more clearly what I would like for us to see in this series of lessons.  Read these verses below or take your Bible and read.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

     Another example of my point in this lesson can be established by reading a passage in Luke, chapter 6, verses 47-48a.  Jesus tells us that in order to build a house, we must first DIG DEEP and find the FOUNDATION, which is Christ.

“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like; He is like a man building a house, WHO DUG DEEP and LAID THE FOUNDATION on the Rock.”

     In both these texts we find the same principle, that of letting go or getting those unclean spirits out of us or digging deep.  The next step toward the pathway to peace is to LET GOD FILL US with His Son, that is salvation, faith, hope, and love.  We need to find the foundation and build.

     Take a look again at Jesus’ words about the man who had the unclean or evil spirit go out of him.  Jesus didn’t tell us how this took place.  Can you think of anything more unclean or evil than sin, fear, regret, or worry?  It could be that the man who had the unclean spirit just got tired of dealing with him and told him to get out.  It could be that the man possessed had help from Jesus Himself to get this unclean spirit out.  It could be that the man’s friends helped him.  It might have been a natural event or a supernatural event.  Jesus didn’t tell us.  The most important point in Jesus’ teaching is this:  After the unclean spirit left the man, he made a grave mistake.  He didn’t fill his mind, his heart, his conscience, his life with THE CLEAN SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit of God. 

     What about you?  Are you ready to let go?  Are you tired of dealing with the unclean evil spirits of sin, fear, regret, and worry?  If you are, you can be free.  Put your faith and your life in Jesus Christ.  His invitation is found in Matthew 11:28-30 and boy, is it beautiful.  Repentance is a qualifying decision for salvation.  Peter and the apostles preached repentance in Acts 2:37-38.  Confess Jesus.  He is the Son of God and Savior of all who are saved (Acts 8:34-39 – This is the account of Philip, a preacher and a nobleman from Africa).  Be baptized by the authority of Jesus Christ.  When I baptize a person, I always follow the example in Matthew 28:18-20.  Upon our baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The unclean is gone.  The clean fills our minds, our hearts, our consciences, and ourselves, our lives.  Let go and let God fill you with His Son in salvation.  Let God fill you with faith, hope, and love.

     Know that if you let go and then fail to let God, those unclean spirits of sin, fear, regret, and worry will return too soon to check to see if they can come back home to you.  If they find your mind, your heart, your conscience, your life empty, look out.  Look back and see what Jesus said about the last state and the beginning.

     I’m still preaching this series.  This Sunday morning we will focus on LIVING.  Let go.  Let God. Live.  You know, when we let go and let God, we need to live like we have let go and let God.  More next week.  Have a good week, my friends.

The Pathway to Peace Series - God bless us in 2014

     Well, it’s been a little while since I have posted on my blog.  No problem.  Just took at break for a few weeks to close out the old year and get a fresh start on 2014.  I love new beginnings.  When you think about, new beginnings are all around us.  Every year, every month, every week, every day, every hour, every minute, even this very second can be a new beginning for you and for me.  I began a series of lessons this week entitled “The Pathway to Peace – The Pathway of Peace.”  I will present two lessons to help us get on the pathway and then a final lesson to help us stay on the pathway. 

Lesson One – Let Go

Lesson Two – Let God

Lesson Three – Live and Love

     Consider this first lesson.  There are things that we must let go of if we are to have the peace, joy, and happiness that can be ours. 

     We must LET GO OF SIN in our mind.  We do this when we repent and are baptized into Christ.  Take a look at Acts 2:37-38, a few verses before and after.  When those who crucified Jesus finally realized what they had done, they were certainly sorrowful and asked Peter and the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  Peter commanded them to repent of their sin and be baptized so that their sin would be remitted.  Saul had his sins washed away in Acts 22:16 in baptism. 

     We must LET GO OF FEAR in our heart.  Fear can certainly rob us of our peace.  Fear of God, fear of the devil, fear of death, fear of sickness, fear of losing a job, fear of disappointing someone, fear of not being the person I need to be, fear of the unknown…we could go on and on.  We must let go of fear if we are to get on the pathway of peace.  After we repent of the sin dominates our mind, we must realize God’s grace and mercy in our lives day in and day out and allow Him to restore us.  1 John 1:7 tells us that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have the confidence that our sins are washed away.  What are we afraid of?  God promises to provide for our needs according to His will.  We need to trust and obey and rely on Him.  He has never let me down and never will.  In Psalm 51:10-12, David asked God to create a new heart clean heart and a steadfast spirit within him.  He asked God to restore in him the joy of salvation.  God can and will do this for us too when we decide to let go of our fear.

     We must LET GO OF REGRET in our conscience.  The conscience is a good thing, given to us by our Creator.  Of course, a conscience must be trained to know what is right and what is wrong.  Some people have not properly trained their conscience as is evidenced by so many in the world today living lives that are so very frustrating, exhausting, hurtful, and sinful.  Regret can certainly rob us of our peace.  Thinking about what I should have done, could have done, or would have done can certainly drive any of us mad.  We let go of regret when we decide to live only today.  Yesterday is past.  Tomorrow may never be.  We all (Jesus excepted) have made mistakes.  We cannot remake the past.  We can however, learn and live today better and thus make peace with ourselves and with God in His great grace and power.  Think about Simon Peter in John 6:68 when he said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Now move forward a few days to Matthew 26:75 when the rooster crowed and this same man had denied Jesus not once, not twice, but three times.  Oh, the regret.  He went out and wept bitterly.  Now move forward a few more days to Acts 2.  Who was it that lifted up his voice to preach Jesus and Him crucified on the Day of Pentecost?  Peter.  He let go of regret.  You can too.  So can I.

     We must also LET GO OF WORRY in our bodies.  Worry can actually cause sickness, disease, and even death.  When we let go of sin, let go of fear, let go of regret, then letting go of worry automatically follows.  If we have our sins forgiven, our fears vanquished, and our regrets put behind us, what do we have to worry about?  Nothing.  Not too long ago, I friend of mine stopped by my office to talk about an issue he was having at night.  He couldn’t get to sleep.  And when we did finally sleep, he was restless and worried.  I asked him about the last thing he did before retiring to bed.  His answer:  He watched the late night news.  No wonder he couldn’t get to sleep.  I suggested he watch the news earlier then maybe try some Bible reading and prayer just before retiring to bed.  Later on, he came back by my office and told me “Thank you.”  My recipe for a peaceful night’s sleep for him was successful.  Oh that we could let go of what it is that is robbing us of our peace.

     I’ll share lesson two with you next week about this time.  Sorry about taking a few days of from blogging.  I hope to be more faithful in sharing from now on.  I love the Lord, His word, and His people.  May God bless you and yours in this new year with all that you need.

You are a Shining Christian Light!

     Hope everyone had a good week this past week.  It’s Saturday evening and I’m just now writing by blog for the week.  The Razorbacks just blew a big league against a team in New Jersey.  Well, it’s football.  There’s a winner and a loser in every game.  I do like winning.  The Enola Church of Christ is doing well.  We have had a busy week with several of our members participating in the Faulkner County Fair in Conway.  I enjoyed watching them with present their animals for the competition.  There were plenty of ribbons, buckles, and congratulations to be handed out.  Hard work and dedication always pay off.  Sometimes the payoff is a ribbon, a buckle, an award, and even a college scholarship.  At other times the payoff is simply the feeling of accomplishment you have when you know you did your very best.  To every Christian who let their light shine this week at home, at school, at work, or in the community where you live; thank you and God bless you.

     Our lesson in the morning (Sunday, 22^nd) is entitled “The Facts of Life – Hell is Real and How I know.”  I know this is not a topic that any of us are particularly interested in, but hell is a real place and will one day be the eternal home for those who do not know God and to those who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You can read this in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.  Either the Bible is right or wrong.  I believe that the Bible is truth.  Was Jesus mistaken?  Was Jesus wrong?  Was Jesus deceiving us?  Was Jesus lying when He spoke of hell?  Well, if hell is not real, what can we conclude about Jesus?  No.  Jesus was not mistaken.  He is not wrong.  He isn’t deceiving us.  He is not lying.  He is the Way.  He is the Truth.  He is the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  You can read this in John 14:6.

     Jesus asks every Christian to love others as He loves us.  You can read about this in John 13:34-35.  Just how did Jesus show and share His love.  How does He love?  On Sunday evening we are thinking about how Jesus loved and then asking ourselves if we are loving the way He loves.  I want to love like He does.  He is our Shepherd.  We are following Him.

     I love Wednesday evenings at the Enola Church of Christ.  After Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at work, don’t you need a boost to your faith, hope, and love?  I certainly do.  And Wednesdays at Enola is just what I need.  We meet at 7:00 p.m. for only an hour.  We sing a few songs together.  We mention those who are need and pray for them.  We read the Bible and study it together.  On the last Wednesday in the month we have a “singing.”   I know how it is.  After a long day of work, it is sometimes hard to find the energy to get home just in time to head out for Bible study.  Believe me, when you do, you’ll find that your decision will be rewarded with a stronger faith in God, a deeper love for Jesus and your fellow Christian brothers and sister, and a happy heart.  Come out and see.  You’ll be so very glad you did.

     Hey!  How about a trivia question for you to research and answer every blog?  We have a Bible trivia question every week at Enola.  I’ll include it in my blog.  Here it is.  I hope enjoy it.  I’ll include the answer in next week’s blog.

A certain man ran for his life.  He slept under a tree. He prayed.  He ate two super nutritious meals.

Who was he?

Why was he running? 

What kind of tree? 

What did he pray for? 

When was the next time he ate?

Are you sleeping well at night?

     The days are flying by.  September 10^th and still almost 100 degrees up in the country.  I hear that cooler weather is coming our way.  I’m ready.  Aren’t you?  We had another great day this past Sunday (8^th) meeting with fellow Christians and guests (139) studying the Bible, remembering Jesus in communion, honoring God, and having our faith strengthened in worship.  I hope you are putting first things first.  God should always be first in life and living.  Life is simple.  We are the ones who complicate things.  We want too much.  We try too hard.  We make mountains out of molehills and molehills out of mountains.  We often say “Yes” when we should say “No.”  Then we say “No” when we should say “Yes.”  We speak when silence would have been so much better.  We are silent when a word fitly spoken would have been so right.  Now be honest.  Just how much of our precious time do we spend “surfing?”  You know what I’m talking about.  It could be “channel surfing” or “internet surfing.”  What about Facebook, Twitter, or Ebay?  Note that I wrote the word “we” rather than “you.”  It could be that couples forget how to communicate with each other because…really…how can two people communicate with her on one computer or Nook or IPad or IPhone and him on another all while the TV is noisily booming in the room.  What would happen at your house if you turned everything off, the TV, the computer, the cell phone (at least silenced it), the videogames, and any other electronic device.  When was the last time you heard silence.  What would you do?  Would you think to pray?  Would you look, actually look at your husband or wife, or at your children to love them and appreciate the beauty of the people around you, the people who love you and whom you love?  Would you think about God?  How blessed you are?  It could be that this is exactly what you and I need to do to clear our minds and our lives of all the clutter that makes life so complicated.  Try it.  Don’t be afraid.  Not too long ago I was in my office and had one of our Christian brothers stop in for a little advice.  He told me that he wasn’t sleeping very well at night.  He said that it took him several hours to get his mind settled so he could sleep and even then his sleep was often restless.  I asked him what he did just before he retired to bed.  His answer was his problem.  The last thing he did before he retired to bed was watch the evening news.  Now don’t get me wrong.  We need to stay informed about the world around us.  I suggested that he watch the morning news or maybe the early evening news and then before retiring to bed that he rest his thoughts on what is most important in life.  To me I often think of my grandchildren.  I think of Saturday’s soccer game when my seven year old grandson scored five (That is right) five goals.  I was there and enjoyed every moment of the game, even though it was 99 degrees in the shade.  I think of my eight year old granddaughter who just lost her second front tooth.  The image of her big smile will forever be etched in my mind.  I think of my 3 years old granddaughter has she rushes into my arms all the while yelling “PopPop, PopPop, you love me so much.”  Now that is the way to retire to bed at night, thinking of the precious, priceless, most important things in life.  As you can see, I sleep very well every night.  Sin always stands in the way of our peace and happiness.  This coming Sunday morning our sermon series will continue on “The Facts of Life.”  We have already looked at two facts of life; Life is Short and Eternity is Long.  This week we will look at Fact #3 – Sin is Terrible.  Sin IS terrible.  Sin will take you further than you wanted to go.  Sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay.  Sin will cost you more than you were willing to spend.  When you are ready to let go of sin, sin is not ready to let go of you.  When you or I look at sin, we see power, prestige, position, or pleasure.  When God looks at sin, he sees His Son hanging, dying on the Old Rugged Cross.  Oh, that we would realize just how terrible sin really is.

Enough for tonight.  Know that Jesus Christ is the answer to sin.  John 3:16-17 is so simple and so wonderful.  I am a Christian.  Please think about becoming a Christian too.  It’s not complicated.  People complicate the plan of salvation.  God simplified it.  Believe in Jesus Christ.  Repent of your sins that have caused you so much trouble.  Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Son of God.  Be baptized into Christ, immersed in water so that sin will be washed away. 

Singing or Playing?

     Hello from up in the country, Enola, Arkansas and the Enola Church of Christ.  We had another great day this past Sunday (1^st) with 137 assembled together for Bible study, fellowship, and worship.  Everyone seemed to be excited to be back into the “old school” routine.  After all, it’s September!  Gary Beeson did an outstanding job directing the service as we sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with melody in our hearts to God.  We always sing this way; in spirit and in truth, without a piano or an organ, without guitars, percussion, or any other mechanical instrument of music.  We specifically choose to worship God this way.  Why?  Well, when I read the Bible I find that Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn (Matthew 26:30).  You will not find a place in the Bible where Jesus ever played an instrument or was in a service where instruments were played or commanded or even inferred that mechanical instruments of music could be used in worship.  When Paul wrote to the Christians in 1 Corinthians 14:15, he mentioned singing.  He wrote, “What is the conclusion then?  I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding.  I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding.”  Very simple.  Paul once again writes about singing in Ephesians 5.  In verse 8-10 he writes; “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”  Did you see that?  “Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord…”  Now read chapter 5, verse 17. “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Read that again.  Is anyone interested in this modern day of ours what the will of the Lord is, or what is acceptable to the Lord?  In verse 19 we can read about singing, not playing instruments.  In his letter to the church of Christ at Colosse we see that Paul once again wrote about singing.  In chapter 3, verse 15 he writes, “And let the peace of God rule your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”  One body!  Of course we know that the “one body” is the church that Jesus built (Ephesians 1:22-23).  The very next verse (16) Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”  Once again, let me ask:  Did you read about any instrument of music?

     I realize that King David in the Old Testament loved instruments of music and included various mechanical instruments of music in temple worship.  We no longer live under the authority of the law, the prophets, the psalms, or the proverbs.  We live under the authority of Jesus Christ.  He has all authority (Matthew 28:18).  God has spoken to us today not through the law or the prophets, but through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).  When Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John in Matthew 17, Peter said to Jesus, “If You wish, let us make three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Note what happened next.  God spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him.”  Did you catch that?  Who is it we are to hear today?  Moses?  No.  Elijah?  No.  Jesus.  Absolutely.  James wrote about singing in such simple terms.  In James 5:13 we read, “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone among you cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.”

     Believe me.  I understand that mechanical instruments of music can create much excitement and can be played in such a way or in such combinations that our emotions can be moved to tears or to great joy.   Just think about it though.  When it comes to what we do when we meet together for worship, who are we trying to please or impress:  People?  Ourselves?  Or God?  I also understand that some people are very talented when it comes to playing the piano, the guitar, the drums, or other instruments.  Play these instruments at home, at school, at work, or for your pleasure, but when the church comes together to worship God, let us put aside these things and our own desire to be seen and heard and applauded in order to worship Him in the way that pleases Him.

     This coming Sunday (9^th) we will continue in our series “The Facts of Life” and think about how long eternity is.  Yes.  Life is short.  And eternity is mighty long.  Our suffering in this short life cannot be compared to the peace and joy we will experience in heaven forever.  On Sunday evening we will have a very special guest preacher; Brother Bill Cline with Truth for Today.  May God bless us as we put Him first in life and living every day.