Baptist City Blog

The Proper Focus of the Christian

Acts 1:8

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Keeping a proper focus in any pursuit of life is important to your success in that area. When your focus is wrong, your results will be wrong. However, when your focus is right, you will get the desired and proper results.

Up to the time of Christ's ascension into Heaven, the disciples seemed to have a wrong focus. The disciples were more interested in staying focused on the future kingdom. They were focused upon trying to know the "...times or the seasons,..." However, in the verse above, Jesus told the disciples where He wanted them to stay focused. Jesus wanted them to be focused upon being filled with the Holy Ghost and fulfilling the Great Commission. This is where they were to keep their focus, for in this focus they would accomplish the purpose of why Christ came to Earth.

Christian, it is very important that you stay focused upon being filled with the Holy Ghost. You will never fully accomplish the works of Christ without being filled with the Holy Ghost. In our present day, it seems as if we are more interested in learning methods and systems. It seems as if we think these methods and systems can replace the power of the Holy Ghost upon the life of a Christian. However, nothing can replace God's power upon a Christian's life. There is nothing wrong with learning methods and systems on how to do the work of Christ in a better way, but don't ever let them replace the power of God upon your life. You should daily yield yourself to the power of the Holy Ghost and ask Him to empower you to do these great works of God. The influence of your Christian life will only be to the same degree that you are filled with the Holy Ghost.

Furthermore, the purpose of being filled with the Holy Ghost is so that you can accomplish the Great Commission. Not only do you need to keep your focus upon being filled with God's power, but you need to stay focused upon leading people to Christ, getting them baptized, and discipling them so that you can send them out to do the same. Notice that the Great Commission is not just leading people to Christ. This is one part of the Great Commission. You need to work on getting every person that you lead to Christ into church so they can get baptized and start receiving the training so that they can go out and do the same.

I truly believe that one of the reasons Christianity seems to be floundering in our present day is because we have lost our proper focus. We have become more focused upon building mega churches than we have in fulfilling the Great Commission. We have become more focused on building entertainment ministries than we have on fulfilling the Great Commission. We have become more focused upon building our legacies than we have on fulfilling the Great Commission. The proper focus of the Christian is to be filled with the Holy Ghost so that we can fulfill the Great Commission.

Is there anything wrong with knowing the times and the seasons like the disciples wanted to know? Not at all. However, knowing the times and the seasons will not keep one person out of Hell. It will not baptize one convert. It will not disciple one Christian. It will not send out one soul winner. It will not start one church. Be careful to stay focused on that which Christ commands to be our focus. If we keep a proper focus, then we too can turn our world upside down for Christ as these disciples did when their focus was right.

The Purpose of God's Word

John 16:33

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Several times in the Book of John God makes the statement, "these things." He makes this statement so that He can teach us six lessons about the purpose of the Word of God. God's Word is the answer for every need in your life. When you understand the purpose of God's Word, then you will have a better understanding of It's words.

First, God gave us the Scriptures so that people can get saved. Nobody can get saved without the Word of God. It is God's Word that shows us that we are sinners. In Galatians 3:24, God calls His Word "...our schoolmaster to us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Without the Word of God we would never know that we have sinned because His Word is a law to show us what is sin. Moreover, God's Word also shows us God's plan for salvation. The primary purpose of God giving us His Word is so that we can get saved.

Second, in John 15:11 we see that God gave us the Scriptures so that we can have joy. You will never have true joy in life without following the Word of God. I often say that God's Word is the instruction manual for people, therefore, you will never find joy in life until you follow the manual of God's Word. When God's Word is heeded, then It gives a person joy.

Third, in John 15:17 we see that God gave us the Scriptures to teach us how to love one another. One of the biggest reasons Christians do not get along is because they don't read and obey the Word of God. You will only be successful at getting along with people by following God's Word. God's Word is filled with advice on how to improve your people skills. You will never be successful at getting along with all the different personalities without daily reading and obey the Scriptures.

Fourth, in John 16:1 we see that God gave us the Scriptures to keep us from scandalous actions. God's Word helps you to have a good reputation and testimony. Every time a person hurts their reputation or testimony it is when they disobey the Word of God. If you are concerned with what others think of you, and you should be, then you need to be sure to follow God's Word.

Fifth, in the verse above we see that God gave us the Scriptures to give us peace in life. Peace is not a possession, but it is a result of proper actions. God's Word shows us how to properly live so that we can find the peace in life that we desperately want. If you find your heart is in constant turmoil, then it is only because you are not following the Scriptures. Does that mean trials won't come? Not at all! However, God's Word will give you peace of mind and heart as you go through your trials.

Sixth, in the verse above we see that God gave us the Scriptures to show us how to overcome the world. You will never overcome the power of the world without using God's Word. God's Word is the weapon of choice that God gave the Christian to fight the world and it's influences. Your only chance of being victorious over the world is by using God's Word.

Christian, these six reasons of why God gave us His Word are to help you be victorious in life. Don't let God's Word simply be a decoration in your home. Let It be the very tool you daily use to help you acquire these six things.

Some music from the services of FBC Hammond on 6/03/12 is now available at www.baptist-city.com.

Loving Unto the End

John 13:1

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

The song writer was correct when he wrote in the song, The Love of God, "Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky." You could never exhaust writing of God's love, for whatever has been written still does not properly describe His love for you and me.

God made the statement about Christ's love for His disciples by saying that "...he loved them unto the end." This is an amazing statement when you consider all that the disciples had done. Jesus loved his disciples before they were born, but He also loved them "...unto the end." He loved them when He first met them, but He also "...loved them unto the end." He loved them when they were doing right, but He also "...loved them unto the end."

Jesus' love was not conditioned upon how good His disciples were, but His love was conditioned by His choice to love them "...unto the end."Jesus loved Peter in spite of his ways of speaking before thinking. Jesus loved Judas Iscariot in spite of knowing that he would betray Him. Jesus loved Thomas in spite of his doubting mind. Jesus loved Peter in spite of his betrayal. Jesus loved His disciples in spite of their faithless life. Jesus loved His disciples in spite of all their weaknesses. Yes, Jesus "...loved them unto the end." His love for them was unconditional.

Let me also remind you that Jesus loves you "...unto the end." It does not matter how bad you are, Jesus loves you. It does not matter how much you may have caused Him grief, for He loves you "...unto the end." He loved you before you were born, and He will love you "...unto the end." Sure, you may have done some things that would cause others to stop loving you, but there is nothing you can do that would ever cause Jesus to stop loving you. Jesus says that He will love you all the way to Heaven. What a comforting thought that no matter what you may do, Jesus will always love you.

However, if Jesus is willing to love you "...unto the end" then don't you think you ought to love people to the end as well? It is sad that no matter what we do Jesus will love us, but when others do something to us we tend to stop loving them. True Christianity will love people in spite of what they have done. True Christianity doesn't just love people when they are good, but it loves them at their worst. The greatness of someone's love is not how much they love someone when everything is going well, but how much do they love someone when they are at their worst. If there is ever a need for a revival, it is in the area of loving people at their worst. Christianity needs a revival of loving people "...unto the end."

Are you at all like Christ in the area of His love for people? Do you love people "...unto the end." Don't allow your love for people to be a conditional love, but let your love for people be a true love that loves them even at their worst. Who is it that comes to your mind that you have pushed aside? Who have you pushed aside because they didn't treat you the way you thought they should. It is time that you love people all the way to the end, not because they do things for you, but because you choose to have a love like Christ. You need to work at being that rare Christian who loves everyone, in spite of what they have done in life or against you, "...unto the end."

"Well Done My Child" is the song of the week now at www.baptist-city.com.

Four outstanding sermons for the week of 5/20/12 are now up for your enjoyment at www.baptist-city.com.

NOTE: We inadvertently did not send out the update info to our mailing list for the sermons of 5/13/12. Those sermons remain available on the Bro. Hyles and Bro Schaap pages under the "Listen" link. We maintain an entire year of sermons by each of them for your convenience.  Enjoy

Prodigal Financing

Luke 15:14

"And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want."

When you think of the story of the prodigal son, rarely would you think of financial lessons. Though there are many lessons we can learn from the prodigal, I believe some of the lessons that are often overlooked are the financial lessons. This young man left his father's house with quite a bit of money; yet, when he came back home it was all gone. Let me show you some lessons you can learn from the financial mistakes of this young man so you won't be guilty of prodigal financing.

First, don't be wasteful with your money. In verse 13, the Scriptures say that the prodigal "...wasted his substance..." This is a tragic mistake of many people. Wasting your money is so easy. Purchasing a candy bar here and there is very wasteful. Buying sodas here and there is very wasteful. Very few people understand that they can waste a lot of money simply by spending a dollar here and there on items that are not really needed. If you don't want to be guilty of prodigal financing, then you need to curb your spending on unnecessary items. I am not saying that you cannot have these things every once in awhile, but you need to keep track of what you spend on them.

Second, be sure to live within your means. Verse 13 says that the prodigal "...wasted his substance with riotous living." This young man tried to live a lifestyle that he could not afford. First, there are some lifestyles that will waste your money. Living the world's lifestyle will cause you to waste money. You cannot party your life away and think that money will continue to be a part of your life. We often hear stories about sports figures who live extravagant lifestyles in the party world only to find themselves broke after their sports career is over. You can criticize them for this, but you are no different than they are if you live in the party world. Second, don't live above your lifestyle. Don't try to be something that you are not. Be careful about trying to "stay up with the Jones'." If you will live within your means, you will always have money to spend.

Third, don't spend everything that you have. The verse above says that the prodigal "...spent all,..." I am amazed how many people run their bank account on a zero balance. This is very unwise! I know there are times when finances are very tight, but you must be careful about running your accounts to zero. Whether it is personal, business or church finances, running your accounts to zero is prodigal financing. Always keep a balance in your bank accounts.

Fourth, always lay aside for a famine. The mistake the prodigal made was that he always thought times would be good. Everybody will have a financial famine at some time in their life. This is why you need to have a good balance in a savings account that you don't touch or consider part of your daily balance. This money needs to be set aside for those times when a financial famine hits you. If you don't have money set aside for a financial famine, then you are guilty of prodigal financing.

Last, get counsel when you are in financial trouble. The one area where I will commend the prodigal is in the area of humbling himself and going home to get help from his father. When you are in a financial mess, you need to get wise financial counseling. Don't be afraid to go and get counseling from someone when your finances are a mess. Yes, it will be humbling, but you will be thankful for the guidance in the long run. Prodigal financing will always lead you to the same result of no money. So, learn from the prodigal's financing so that you don't end up in the same condition.

Four wonderful and inspiring sermons for the week of 5/13/12 are now up for you at www.baptist-city.com.

The Importance of an Every Word Bible

Luke 4:4

"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

One of the temptations that the Devil tempted Jesus with was to turn the stones into bread. It was through this temptation that Jesus took the opportunity to show us the importance of an every word Bible. Jesus told the Devil that man cannot "...live by bread alone, but by every word of God."You will notice there is an emphasis put upon the words, "live" and "every word of God." This is because without an every word Bible we cannot live.

Without an every word Bible we cannot live eternally. Having an every word Bible is important to salvation. What if we didn't have an every word Bible today, and one of the words missing happened to be a part of God's plan of salvation? When liberal preachers deny that we have an every word Bible, then they are saying that we may not have the plan of salvation. That is why you will see many liberal preachers contend that we are all going to Heaven, but in different ways. However, when you realize that we have an every word Bible, then you will realize that salvation is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Moreover, without an every word Bible life will not have life. What I mean by this statement is that the Word of God gives vibrancy to everything that we do. Without an every word Bible, you will find that the excitement of the things we do for God will quickly wear off. Without an every word Bible, we will not find the fulfillment in life that we desire. Christian, it is important that you understand that God's Word is what keeps life fresh. It is God's Word that allows us to face each day with excitement because of the awareness It brings to our lives. If we didn't have an every word Bible, then the words that are missing could be the words that will keep life in your marriage, career, family and dreams or pursuits of life. The excitement in every thing you do will eventually wear off without the Word of God. It is vital that we have an every word Bible so that life or freshness can be attained in all that we do.

Furthermore, without an every word Bible we will not be spiritually nourished. Just like we need all of our vitamins to stay physically healthy; likewise, we need every word of God to stay spiritually healthy. Every word of God gives us the nourishment we need to face life. If we miss one of God's words, then we are missing the spiritual sustenance that we need to say spiritually healthy.

Christian, we don't need some of the words of God, but we need every word of God. We don't need most of the words of God, but we need every word of God. We don't just need the thoughts of God, but we need every word of God. Be careful that you don't allow the liberals to trick you into believing that we don't have an every word Bible in the King James Version 1611. We do have an every word Bible because God promised to preserve It. Therefore, because you cannot live without every word of God, you need to be sure to read those words daily so that you can receive the life you need from those words. Don't go one day without reading God's Word, for It contains the life you need.