Grieving

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Grieving Properly

 

Acts 8:2

"And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."

In the verse above, Stephen was given a proper burial after he was murdered by the angry mob.  It is interesting that God mentions that "devout men carried Stephen to his burial." What is interesting to me about this is that God was as concerned about how people dealt with his death as He was about the life of Stephen.  In other words, God was showing us that properly dealing with the death of a loved one is part of the process that helps us to move on in life.  

Death is one of those unpleasantries of life. I have found that most people don't like to deal with death.  Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy it either, but I know that there is a proper way to deal with the death of a loved one.  Christians ought to be as concerned about having a Christian burial as they are concerned with living the Christian life.  Let me give you a few thoughts that will help you in dealing with death.  

First, get buried properly.  What I mean be this is that you should make sure that your body is dealt with in a Christian manner.  I believe the examples in the Scriptures show that cremation is not the Christian way to bury a loved one.  Remember that Jesus is our example, and we should follow how He dealt with death.  When they buried Jesus, they did not cremate his body, but they gave Him a natural burial.  The reason for not cremating a body is to show that you believe one day that body will come out of the grave when Jesus comes again.  Though some will disagree with this, I believe you will have a hard time seeing anyone who was cremated in the Scriptures.  

Second, give yourself time to mourn.  You have just lost a loved one and mourning is natural.  There are some who try to avoid mourning only to hurt themselves later. Mourning is part of the release of the grief that you carry for your loved one.  When a loved one goes to Heaven, give yourself time to grieve.  

Third, plan to end the mourning period.  You must eventually move on after a loved one has passed away.  Christian, your loved one would want you to move on.  They are in Heaven, and they know that you will be better off moving on.  I'm not saying you should forget them, but you cannot carry that grief forever.  You must have a time when you decide to end your mourning period.  

Fourth, immediately after the funeral watch your spirit.  Though this may sound strange, I warn people about listening to music on Heaven after they have buried a loved one.  My reason for saying this is because it will throw you back into the mourning process and you need time for your spirit to heal from the grief.  Yes, we should listen to songs on Heaven, but be careful about listening to them immediately afterwards so that you can avoid going back into the mourning process.  

Last, periodically give respect and grieve for your loved one.  There should be times when you plan to grieve for the one you loved.  Maybe at a certain time every year you remember them for what they did for you in your life.  Periodically you should go by the graveside to mourn and remember their influence upon your life.  This is natural and should be done.  

Christian, these steps will help you to move properly through the grieving process when a loved one passes away.  This is how I have dealt with the home going of a loved one in my life, and I believe that you will find it will help you too.

Change

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Initiating Change

 

Acts 2:14

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:"

The actions of Peter in the verse above are quite different from when he was denying Christ the night that Jesus was being tried.  In the verse above, Peter was standing up and speaking out about Christ. When others were criticizing the disciples, instead of cowering to the criticism, Peter stood and spoke the truth that could change the lives of those in attendance.  Though the other disciples were there with Peter, it was Peter's vocal stance that made the change that day.  

We live in a day when evil is present.  I look at nations all over the world and see regimes that are changing the core of those nations' values.  I look in Christianity and see leaders who continue to compromise and destroy fundamental doctrine all for the sake of the "bigger picture." Places that once stood for truth are now the places that seem to be attacking truth.  Men who once stood firm for the old-time religion now avoid confrontation at all costs for the sake of keeping their crowds.  Yes, we need change!  Not change to unchartered territory where nobody knows what will come out of the change, but change back to tested truths and principles that have proven to change lives and societies.  

In order for change to occur, three things are necessary. First, it takes the Holy Spirit power to make change.  In the verse above, the reason Peter was able to make a change was because the power of the Holy Spirit was upon him.  You can attempt change without the Holy Spirit's power, but you will never make the type of change that will change history.  Quite often changes are made without the Holy Spirit's power, but those changes only last for a short while.  When the Holy Spirit is involved, then changes are made that last decades.  

Second, someone must stand for truth to initiate change.  People can sit by and wait for someone else to take their stand, but you must we willing to stand alone if you want to initiate change.  Too many people are measuring which way the wind is blowing to decide whether or not they should stand.  Too many people are trying to see who will stand with them before they take their stand.  If you wait for these things to happen, then change will never occur.  

Last, someone must stand up and speak out for truth in order to initiate change.  It's not enough to quietly stand, but people need to be vocal for truth if change is going to be initiated.  Quietly standing is fine, but people must be vocal about truth if they are going to change others.  I'm not talking about being obnoxious, but I am talking about firmly revealing error and speaking truth.  When you see that truth is under attack, you will only make a change if you stand up and speak out.  Yes, you will be criticized by others, but if nobody speaks out, then error will continue to prevail.  

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do and say nothing.  We live in a day when a change is necessary.  Will you quietly sit by as error prevails, or will you stand and speak out for truth?  If you want to initiate change, then you must firmly stand for truth and speak out about any error that is attacking truth.

SHHH, I'm a Christian

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SHHH, I'm a Christian

 

John 19:38

"And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus."

After Jesus died, a problem arose for those who loved Him, and that was that there was no place to bury His body.  Yet, in the verse above, there was a man who had a tomb, and he wanted to give Jesus a proper burial.  This man was Joseph of Arimathaea.  The Scriptures described Joseph as a secret disciple.  The purpose of him secretly following Jesus was that he was afraid of the Jews and what they would do to him if they found out that he was a disciple of Christ.  He was not secretly following Jesus because he was afraid they would kill him, but rather he was secretly following him because he was a wealthy man who had status in society.  He was afraid of losing his status, so he secretly followed the Saviour.

One of the greatest problems in Christianity today is that Christians are concealing the fact that they are Christians.  Oh, don't get me wrong, they will tell people they are saved and go to church, but they won't tell them to what degree they are involved in their church. Just like Joseph of Arimathaea, they are afraid what people will think of them and what it will do to their status in society.  

Let me make this clear, we don't need Christians who secretly serve God. This world needs Christians who will openly serve God.  When Jesus lived on this Earth, He openly proclaimed Who He was and didn't go about in secret doing His work.  If you are going to be a true disciple of Christ, then you should follow the example of Jesus and openly serve God and proclaim what you believe.  You have nothing of which to be ashamed!  Everything in the Scriptures is true, therefore you should boldly proclaim what you believe and Whom it is you serve.

Furthermore, independent fundamental Baptists should not try to disguise who they are in the Christian world.  I see fundamental Baptist who are secretly trying to get into the evangelical realm of Christianity for the sake of popularity and fame, and I am disgusted.  Fundamental Baptists should boldly proclaim what they believe.  No, it may not always be politically correct to be a fundamental Baptist, and no it may not always be popular, but IT IS RIGHT! 

It's time to take the mask off and tell people who you truly are.  Secretly hiding your Christianity will never change this world.  The only thing that will change this world is when fundamental Baptists boldly proclaim who they are and the truths on which we stand.  "SHHH, I'm a Christian" will never change a world, but boldly standing and witnessing is what will make a change in your world and in today's society.

The Lord's Work

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The LORD's Work

 

Psalm 111:2

"The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

We often talk about the work of the LORD in church.  I believe we often get so used to seeing the LORD's works that we overlook their magnitude. In the psalm above, the Psalmist talks about the works of the LORD.  In his attempt to explain the LORD's works, he could not come up with one word to describe them. Instead he summarized the works of the LORD in five categories.  

First, the works of the LORD are great.  In the verse above, the Psalmist says, "The works of the LORD are great..." In other words, the LORD's works are bigger than anything else.  This is why we should treat whatever we do for the LORD with the utmost importance.  There should not be anything that we do for the LORD that is done with a half-hearted effort.  Everything in the church is great because it is the LORD's work.  Your life is a great life because it is the LORD's work.  Your marriage is great because it is the LORD's work.  Whatever you do for the LORD, you should always remember that because it is great it should be treated with great importance.  

Second, God's work is honourable.  When God talks about His work being honourable, He is talking about it holding the highest rank.  In other words, there is no work that is more important than God's work. Yes, you may have to work a job, but God's work is the greatest work that you can do.  No matter what title a person may hold on their job, that title is second-class compared to the work of the LORD.  The leader of a country may have a high position, but the LORD's work is more honourable.  No matter how lofty the world's positions may be, the LORD's work holds higher rank, and we should treat it as such.  

Third, the LORD's work is memorable.  The greatest memories that you will have in life will come from serving the LORD.  Yes, you may make memories doing other things, but nothing compares to the memories that come from serving the LORD.  The reason being is because when you serve the LORD you are investing in the lives of others. Nothing is more memorable than knowing that you influenced someone to do right.  

Fourth, the LORD's work is powerful.  Christian, the most powerful work in the world is the LORD's work.  There is no other occupation that can change the life of someone from the inside out like the LORD's work.  It is the LORD's work that can make the drunk to become sober.  It is the LORD's work that can take a life destroyed by sin and make it useful again.  No matter what your situation may be, the LORD's work is powerful enough to take care of it.  

Last, the LORD's work is fair.  God talks about His works being done with "verity and judgment." That means that everything God does is fair.  Whatever God does for one He will do for others.  Nobody will ever have the right to point their finger at God and say that He wasn't fair to them.  

With the works of the LORD being so great, you should make it your life to be involved in them.  For many years I have been involved in the LORD's work, and I concur with the Psalmist about how he describes the LORD's work.  Jump in all the way, don't hold back, for you will find the greatest investment you can make in your life is being a part of the LORD's work.  You will get more out of being in the LORD's work than you will in anything else.

Warning

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Warning Signs

 

Luke 22:61

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

Warning signs are set up to keep you from hurting yourself. Everyday you see warning signs, but in many cases we pass by them without even noticing them. I recall when I took my drivers training they showed a video of a person driving down the road.  After a few short minutes they stopped the video and told us to write down the last four signs that we saw.  It was amazing how the whole class missed a couple of signs because we were not paying attention to them.  If you don't pay attention to the warning signs that you pass by, then you will find yourself in serious trouble.  

Peter had some warning signs that sin was around the corner, yet he never heeded these signs and found himself in bitterness of soul.  Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to destroy him, but he thought he was too strong to be overcome by sin.  The verse above is a result of not paying attention to the warning signs. There were three warning signs that Peter faced and ignored that you should be aware of in your Christian walk so that when you see them you can quickly change your ways.  

First, Peter was sleeping through his prayer life.  Christian, when you find yourself not praying like you should, sin is around the corner.  You may think that you will be fine, but prayer is the only way we get God's help to overcome temptation.  Let me ask you, how is your prayer life?  Do you find yourself rarely praying?  One of the warning signs of sin is a prayer life that is lacking.  

Second, Peter was resisting the will of God.  When the crowd came to take Jesus, Peter was the one who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the soldier.  It was God's will that Jesus die for the sins of mankind.  Peter was resisting God's will when he should have been submitting to God's will.  Do you find yourself resisting the will of God?  For instance, do you resist God's will to tell others about Christ?  Do you resist God's Holy Spirit when He speaks to you during the preaching?  When God's will is not what you like, do you resist or submit?  When you resist God's will you will find that sin is not too far away.  

Last, Peter followed afar off when he should have followed closely. The last warning sign before you find yourself committing sin is being distant with God's work.  What I mean by this is you stop doing things that you used to do for God.  When living for God becomes a hassle, then you are following afar off.  When you have to do something for God instead of getting to serve God, then you are following afar off.  When your joy in life comes from worldly possessions and affairs more than it does from God, then you are following afar off.  Sin is just around the corner!

Christian, do you see any of these warning signs in your life?  If you do, beware that sin is around the corner.  Don't pass by the warning signs and not heed them.  Many people have passed by the warning signs to find themselves picking up the pieces after sin destroyed them.  Don't let that be you!  When you see the warning signs in your life, then correct what needs correcting so that you don't end up like Peter who "went out, and wept bitterly."