Baptist City Blog

Tuesday, 7/26/16  Matt 10:27, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. God wants each of us to share what He tells us. Please consider starting to send out your own daily/weekly Bible text or Facebook post. Work on crafting a concise, poignant thought. Ask for advice, pray about it, start writing some practice ones...but do it. Have a pen and paper handy while reading your Bible, and make notes. 
           Gen 23:16a, And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron... Abraham heard what Ephron inferred and truly meant. (Read vv1-15 carefully.) ¹When talking, speak what you mean to say without inferring or hinting.  ²When listening, listen for all forms of communication: tone, body language including facial expression, hints, innuendo, timing, etc.  ³When speaking, be aware of the list in #2 and pay attention to what you’re saying in addition to your actual words.                Gal 6:1-2, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. We fundamentalists are pretty good at running to and picking up a fallen comrade who was the victim of an outside attack or who was simply dashed against the rocky shore by life’s harsh storms. But we fail miserably at picking up the one who is suffering from self-inflicted wounds (anger issues, moral lapses, character failures, etc.) A suffering brother is still a brother who is suffering. Call someone and check on them. Ask how they’re doing. Express your love and support and belief in them. Pray with them on the phone. And then do it over and over and over again.

 

Wednesday, 7/27/16  Pro 21:2a, 8a, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. The way of man is froward and strange. To the degree that we’re aware of this truth, to that degree, we’re walking with God.                Neh 9:16-17, But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Never forget on which side of the equation the wicked, inconsistent, hard-headed one sits and on which side the patient, sweet, forgiving, loving One resides...sometimes we seem to switch sides.

 

Thursday, 7/28/16  I wonder if God says this while looking at my life or at the life of my church? Num 14:11, And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?            “I wouldn’t want my kids to suffer in Full-time Christian Service...” Num 14:31, But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. It’s an honor to serve the Lord. And they’re not YOUR kids anyway: they’re His.

 

Friday, 7/29/16  Pro 23:26, My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. A verse often (obviously) used for children, but church member, have you given your heart to your SS teacher and pastor(s)? Employee, to your boss? Student, to your teacher?            In Matt 28:19-20, Jesus is speaking as Almighty God and giving orders: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing...teaching them...: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  In 1 John 2:1b, Jesus becomes our defense attorney after we’ve sinned (again): And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. John 13:13, He is our Boss: Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. In Matthew 11:19, He assumes another role: The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. In each role, Jesus acts differently, fulfilling the responsibilities of His position, and we also have responsibilities in each of our roles. One more: Isa 9:6, ...his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.     Lessons:  ¹He acts in different roles or offices with different responsibilities/duties/actions toward us.  ²We have different roles or offices with different responsibilities/duties/reactions towards Him.  ³As our God and Saviour, our record is clear and we are without condemnation. He has wiped all our sins away (Rom 8:1).  ⁴As our Father, Lawyer, and Intercessor, He is very aware of our sinful actions, and if we don’t care for them ourselves, He will chastise us (Heb 12:8.)

 

Saturday, 7/30/16  Matt 13:31, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed...when it is grown...becometh a tree. Simple faith produces great rewards. What are you doing to grow yours? Or, are you content to live a life without seeing God work? Faith comes from the Word of God: you know that.       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. Notice there are two separate actions and two separate times: shall in the future get power, AFTER the fullness of the Holy Ghost occurs. “To be filled with the Holy Spirit” means to be controlled by, and is basically for me personally. Fill my cup with Coca-Cola or fill my plate with food. I could share, but fullness is basically a single-serve size. Think of a bath or a bike or a parachute: they, by and large, service one person. The power of the Holy Spirit indicates flowing out to a crowd. Think of a wire: electricity is flowing through it, not for the benefit of the wire, but to accomplish a task beyond the wire. A battery can be full of electricity and benefit no one/nothing. Flowing electricity benefits others. That is basically the difference between the fullness and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Sunday, 7/31/16  Matt 14:32, And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Peter walked on the water, began to sink, was grabbed by Jesus, and WALKED BACK TO THE SHIP!! Spiritual failure isn’t failure until you quit on God.      Eph 4:31, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.  “Let [these things] be put away from you.”  That’s a passive verb. Paraphrase: “Allow an outside force to separate these from you.” That outside force is the Spirit of God.  ¹Quit holding on to these things.  ²Ask Him to flush them out. “Wash me throughly.” “Power wash me, if necessary.”  ³Beg for the fulness of the Holy Spirit.

 

Monday, 8/1/16  Would you like to avoid shame and embarrassment? Then get deeper into your Bible: read it absorb it; practice it. Ps 119:80, Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed. Better to confront and confess your sins in the prayer closet than to have your boss or your spouse confront you.                              Rule #1 for interpreting Scripture:  Read the verse in context.        Webster’s 1828 defines “context” this way:  “The general series or composition of a discourse; more particularly, the parts of a discourse which precede or follow the sentence quoted; the passages of scripture which are near the text, either before it or after it.  The sense of a passage of scripture is often illustrated by the context.”  The word comes Latin words meaning “within the weave” or “knitted or woven together.”  In other words, it means to look at the sentence, the paragraph, and the chapter and the book.  It means also to refer to the circumstances of the writer:  his culture, current events, state of mind, etc.                                          Most of the Bible is written in paragraphs and essays.  It is absolutely imperative that we read the whole paragraph.  Look, here is an exact quote from Psalm 14:1, There is no God.  “It is there!!!  It is official!!!  The atheists are right!!!”  Right?  No, I happened to leave out a few words:  The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  See, context makes a big difference.  Now, many of the Proverbs are just 1 or 2 verse, stand-alone statements, although many of the verses do fit together.  Take a verse in context:  who is speaking?  Is it God directly?  Is it a godly man purporting to speak God’s word?  Is it a godly man giving his opinion?  Is it a bad man speaking?                                Matt 13:23, But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Step #1: Hear. Step #2, Understand.  #3, Receive/plant in heart.  #4, Allow the seed to produce new things. What did you do with last Sunday’s sermon?