Baptist City Blog

A Balancing Act

Romans 10:2

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."

Have you ever watched someone walk a tight rope? I remember years ago watching someone walk a tight rope that was several stories high. The person has a long rod in their hand to help them stay balanced. Every time they felt like they were off balanced on one side, they would tilt the rod to add a little weight so they could stay balanced. It was little adjustments that kept this person balanced.

The Christian life is a balancing act. Paul said that Israel had "...a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Israel's mistake was that they did not balance their zeal with knowledge. Because they didn't balance their zeal, they made a foolish mistake of following false doctrine. If Israel would have balanced their zeal with knowledge, they would have understood that Christ was the end of the law.

Your Christian life is much like that person who walks a tight rope. You must be careful that you are not heavier on one grace, for if you are off balanced you will end up falling into sin or false doctrine. The Christian life will be successfully lived by small corrections in each area.

One of the areas where you must stay balanced is in the area of your zeal and knowledge. Paul condemned Israel for their lack of balance in this area. Most people would never think that you can have zeal and knowledge together, but the balanced Christian will have both.

When you think of zeal and knowledge, you can think of people who have one, but not the other. A person with zeal rarely has knowledge to balance out their zeal. You find people in churches all over the world who are zealous for God, but they often get themselves into unneeded situations because of their lack of knowledge.

On the other hand, you also find those who have knowledge without zeal. When you think of a preacher who has a lot of knowledge, you think of someone who has a very dry delivery in their sermons. You rarely find a knowledgeable preacher who is filled with zeal.

Zeal without knowledge is wasted. You can be very energetic and passionate for Christ, but if you don't have knowledge to balance your zeal, then you will waste your energy. I believe we need Christians who are filled with zeal. We need Christians who will become passionate about the things of God.

Furthermore, we also need Christians who are filled with the knowledge of the Word of God. A knowledge of God's Word will keep you from falling into false doctrine. However, if you don't add zeal to your knowledge, then your knowledge of God's Word will not help others. Zeal makes knowledge palatable. Zeal makes knowledge intriguing. Zeal makes knowledge desirous. You must be careful as you add zeal to also add knowledge.

Christian, I challenge you to walk a balancing act between zeal and knowledge. Be sure to be zealous in what you do for the LORD, but as you add zeal, be sure to add knowledge along with it. Likewise, be a student of the Word of God. The more you know about God's Word the more you can help other Christians. However, if you don't add zeal to your knowledge, then you will never be able to successfully transfer your knowledge to others. A balance of zeal and knowledge will help you reach your greatest potential.

What is Heresy?

Acts 24:14

"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:"

We must be careful what we call heresy. I have found that there are many Christians who are quick to call something heresy simply because they are not comfortable with or about something of which they have never heard. In the verse above, the enemies of the Apostle Paul called what he believed in heresy. This was the easy way out for them. They had not studied the Scriptures to see if he was right or wrong. Instead, they accused him of heresy because they did not like that he took away their influence. As you can see, calling something heresy is easy to say and is the easy way to excuse away our laziness from studying the Scriptures. If we need to be careful about calling something heresy, then we need to find out what heresy is.

First, heresy is not something with which I am not comfortable. Most fundamental Baptist are uncomfortable with any change. It does not bother me that someone bristles at change, for if we get comfortable with change then we will be easily swayed into doing something that is against the Scriptures. However, just because you are not comfortable with something does not make it heresy.

Second, something that goes against your preference is not heresy. If you are not careful, you will start making preference the determination of right and wrong. You must realize that there are no two people who have the same preferences. This is why you must be careful about calling something heresy simply because it is something that you do not prefer. Your preference does not determine truth or heresy.

Third, different methods of doing things does not make something heresy. God can use different methods to accomplish His works. As long as methods do not go against the Word of God, they are not wrong. I would expect you to believe your methods are right, but just because someone else has a different method of doing something does not make them a heretic.

Fourth, heresy is something that is contrary to the Word of God. The only time something is heresy is when it is in direct contradiction to God's Word. I often tell people that they need to show me in black and white from God's Word that something is right or wrong. If we are not careful, we will fill Christianity with opinions and cause unneeded strife and separation. I am for separation when someone goes against the Word of God, but I am not for separating over methods, opinions and preferences.

Christian, I do believe you need to be careful about being caught up in heresy; however, let's be careful with what we classify as heresy. Let's be careful about turning Christianity into a bunch of opinions and preferences. Always remember that God's Word is the final authority on everything and not your preference or your way of thinking. Don't needlessly classify something as heresy without having proof from God's Word.

A Lesson in Compromise

Acts 21:28

"Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place."

Paul could never be accused of not having a desire to reach the lost for Christ. The mistake that Paul made was in thinking if he compromised in one area that those who stood against him would listen and get saved. Because of this thought, Paul and the men who were with him, took a Jewish oath, thus justifying the people's observance of living by the law. The problem with this is that Jesus death, burial and resurrection did away with this observance. However, we can see from the verse above that his compromise did not pay off for the same people he compromised for were the one's who eventually stood against him when he was tried in court.

Compromise never works! Far too often Christians think that if they compromise in one area that the world will accept them. Let me make this very clear to you, the world will never accept you as a Christian. Though the world may ask you to take a step towards them, they will never come towards you. The only thing they want is for you to come completely over to where they stand, thus voiding what you currently believe. You must always understand that the world is never interested in coming your way, they are only interested in keeping their power.

Christian, you must always keep in mind that compromising for the sake of reaching more people for Christ is always wrong. If doing right does not give results, then continue doing right. We have to remember that results are up to God. 1 Corinthians 3:7 says, "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." Notice that the results is God's area. When we compromise for the sake of getting greater results, then we are trying to help God out. God doesn't need your help, for He can do His part just fine without you. You need to stay focused on standing for truth, spreading it, and leave the results up to God, even if the results are not what you think they should be.

Furthermore, whenever you compromise you always bring others down with you. Acts 21:26 says, "Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple,..." You can see that Paul caused four other people to compromise what was right. Whenever you compromise you never will do it alone. You always bring others down with you when you compromise. The sad part is that you may come back to where you are supposed to be, but rarely will those who compromise with you come back. Compromise is never worth it because you will lose your influence on those who compromise with you.

Christian, you need to determine that you will never compromise. You need to let this lesson on compromise from the life of the Apostle Paul sink into your heart and teach you that you never win when you compromise. Stand firm in the areas in which God tells you to stand. If nobody gets saved because of your stance, then that is God's business. Always determine to rightly do right.

God's Requirement for the Ministry

1 Timothy 1:12

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;"

Everybody doesn't deserve to be in the ministry. One of the common questions I am asked from preachers is how to determine whether they should use someone in a ministry of the church. Often I receive emails from church members asking me what they can do so that their pastor would ask them to be involved in some ministry of their church. This is certainly a worthy question to be answered.

To be involved in the ministry is a privilege and not a right. Nobody has a right to be involved in the ministry. Just because you are saved does not mean that you deserve the right to have a leadership position in some ministry. Just because you have been a member of a church for many years does not give you the right to have a leadership position in a ministry of the church. Just because your parents are full-time servants of the LORD does not give you the right to hold a position of leadership in the ministry. Holding a position of leadership in the LORD's ministry is a privilege.

Paul said that there was one thing that caused God to put him in the ministry and that was his faithfulness. This is interesting because Paul was very knowledgeable of the Word of God, and yet that was not why God put him in the ministry. Paul was very influential in the religious community, and yet that is not why God placed him in the ministry. Paul's faithfulness is what grabbed God's attention and it is the very thing that caused him to be placed in the ministry.

Faithfulness is the key to determining whether someone should have the privilege of being involved in the leadership of a ministry. Faithfulness is a sign of character, and God doesn't need characterless people representing Him. Too many preachers are enamored with talent more than they are with faithfulness. Preacher, talent certainly can help a certain ministry to be better, but if the talented person is unfaithful, then that talent will cause your more problems than what it is worth. Faithfulness to church and the Word of God is what you should look for when giving someone a position of leadership in the ministry.

Furthermore, you will notice that Paul said he was "enabled" because he was put into the ministry. When you give someone position in the ministry, you are empowering them to influence others. They must be faithful because their position will influence others to do what they are doing.

Finally, if you desire to be in a leadership role of a ministry, then you need to be sure you are faithful in every area of your life. Christian, you need to realize that God is the One Who enabled Paul to be put into the ministry. Therefore, if you will be faithful to do right, whether or not others like you, God will see it and will put you into the ministry. More than talent or being in the "in" crowd of your church, you need to be faithful to serving the LORD, for that is the one requirement God has to put you into the ministry.

Let me give a friendly warning to those who are already in the ministry. Your faithfulness in the past is why God placed you in the ministry, so continue being faithful now. You have a responsibility to God and to those whom you lead to continue being faithful. Don't think that your position gives you the right to stop being faithful. God can remove you from your position as quickly as He placed you in it. Always be faithful to what the LORD would have you do and you will find that you will stay in favor with God in your ministry.

Moved By Afflictions

1 Thessalonians 3:3

"That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto."

Whenever there is movement, there is action or change. Being moved could mean that someone was motivated to do something. Likewise, being moved could mean that someone changed their position. I often say that you need to know what moves you, for there will be times in your life when you will need to manually move yourself to do right.

One thing that can move us is affliction. Nobody enjoys it when affliction comes their way, but most people can look back at affliction and see that it was the tool God used to get them to move. However, just as much as affliction can be used to move you to do right, it can also move you to do wrong. Whatever you do, you must use your affliction to move you to do right. Let me show you three areas where affliction can move you.

First, affliction can move you from where you once stood. You will notice that the verse above did not say that afflictions caused them to quit, but they caused them to move. If we are not careful, we can become so tired of affliction that we change our stance on right and wrong. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 warns, "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing." You can get to the point where you become weary in doing right because of affliction, but you must not allow affliction to move you from where you once stood.

A person recently asked me if I had ever felt like I had given everything that I could give. This person had experienced many hardships, and they were enduring another hardship when they asked me that question. Though this person was a good person, affliction was trying to move them to change. Christian, don't become so weary with affliction that you allow it to change your stance on right and wrong. Changing your stance will not make the afflictions better, instead it will make them worse. Decide when afflictions come that you will never allow them to change where you stand on right and wrong.

Second, afflictions can move you to self-examination. When afflictions come your way, you should allow them to move you to examine yourself to see if there is some sin that needs to be removed. God will use affliction as a tool to purify His children. You also should let affliction move you to examine if you need to change something in your life. God will sometimes use affliction to reveal your weaknesses so you can work on them. Weaknesses are revealed through pressure. When affliction reveals the cracks in your Christian life, then let that move you to strengthen that area.

Finally, afflictions can move you to do more right. Always allow afflictions to motivate you to do something more for God. I have found that I have stepped up in more areas when going through affliction. My reasoning for this is that I am not going to let the Devil get the best of me through my affliction. Whenever you are faced with affliction, let it be the motivating tool that causes you to do more right for God.

Affliction will move you. You can either let it move you to compromise and eventually quit on God, or can use affliction as a positive tool in your life to become a better Christian. It is your choice, but let me encourage you to let affliction move you to do greater things for Christ.

Experiencing Joy in Relationships

Philippians 2:2

"Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

Keeping joy in every relationship will be one of the hardest tasks for you to accomplish. There are many people who endure relationships when they should be enjoying them. Many married couples are enduring their marriage when marriage is supposed to be one of the most joyous relationships in life. Church members endure their relationship with their church when church is supposed to be a meaningful relationship. Friends watch their friendships go by the wayside when friendships should be something that is enjoyed for life. In today's world, it seems that every type of relationship is under attack.

You can't avoid relationships for life is filled with them. However, if we were to break down every relationship, we would find that they would all fall into two categories; your relationship with God, and your relationship with mankind. If you get both of these relationships right, then you will live a joyous life. However, if you get one of these relationships wrong, then you will find that both relationships suffer and your life will be filled with turmoil.

God gives us the key to experiencing joy in every relationship. God says the way to have joy in each relationship is to become likeminded. A married couple who becomes likeminded will find the joy in their relationship that they desired when they got married. The church that is filled with church members who are likeminded will be a church that is filled with joy. Friends who are likeminded will find their relationship can last a lifetime. Becoming likeminded is the key to a joyous relationship.

God shows us how to become likeminded when He says to become likeminded we must have "...the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."In other words, we must keep the same focus, stay in harmony with what we do, and prefer each other so that we can have one mind. This is the only way we will become likeminded. Having like minds will result in a relationship filled with joy.

To further illustrate how this is done, God reminds us how Jesus did this. Verse 7 says that Jesus "...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,..." This is the key to becoming likeminded. You will never become likeminded in any relationship until you set your desires aside to serve the other in your relationships. Though Jesus had every right for people to serve Him, He instead chose to serve others to accomplish the task of becoming likeminded.

If your marriage is going to become likeminded, then you are going to have to make it your choice to serve your spouse. You may ask, "What about my rights in the marriage?" If you have that mentality, then you will never achieve becoming likeminded. Both husband and wife must set aside their agendas and become a servant to the other.

Likewise, if you want to have a good relationship with your church, then you must take on the mentality of becoming a servant. In other words, decide to serve others in your church. If the only reason you go to church is to see what you can get out of it, then you will find your relationship with your church will struggle.

The key to every relationship being filled with joy is to learn to set aside your desires and serve the other. When you start serving others, you will find that you will become likeminded, and joy will be the byproduct of this action. Stop seeing what you can get out of each relationship and start working at serving others. In doing so you will find a joy in relationships that will never end.

Sin is More Than the Physical

2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

One of the most disturbing things I see among Christians today is their mentality towards their spirituality. It amazes me how many Christians have a higher perception of their spirituality than what they should. When I preach a week of revival meetings, I often see there are some who never go to the altar to get things right with God. This amazes me because God spoke to people all around them about something that they needed to get right, but that one person won't move. In fact, that person hasn't gone to the altar in months, yet they have a very high perception of their Christianity.

The verse above reveals to us that there are more than just sins of the flesh. If you were to talk to those who never go to the altar during the invitation, they would tell you that they are not doing anything wrong. What they mean by this is that they are not physically doing something wrong. They are not drinking alcohol, doing drugs, living the party life, or participating in some "big" sin. The average Christian looks at themselves through the prism of whether they have physically sinned. The average Christian can say that they are not physically doing anything that is wrong.

However, when you look at the verse above you will see that their are more than just sins of the flesh. God commanded these Christians to not only remove the sins of the flesh, but also remove the sins of the spirit. In other words, you can sin with your spirit just as much as you can sin with your flesh. I believe many church-going Christians are guilty of sins of the spirit. Yes, the average church-going Christian could say that on the surface they are not physically doing anything wrong, but if you were to see their spirit you would see that it is filled with sin.

What are the sins of the spirit? Throughout the Scriptures when God talks about the spirit it is often referring to someone's attitude. When God talks about the sins of the spirit, He is referring to your attitude towards Him and man. There are many Christians who are not doing anything physically wrong, but their attitude towards serving God is bad. They have sinned with their spirit by having an indifferent spirit towards the things of God. The church of Laodicea was guilty of committing sins of the spirit by having a lukewarm attitude. Christian, your attitude towards serving God is important. It shouldn't be that you have to serve God, but it should be that you get to serve God. It shouldn't be that you have to go to church, but it should be that you get to go to church. Let me ask you, have you sinned with your spirit towards God? Is your spirit right with God? Is your spirit on fire for the things of God?

Moreover, your attitude towards others can be a sin of the spirit. If there is one person with whom you have bad feelings, not hateful feelings, then you have sinned with the spirit. Christian, your spirit towards another Christian should be right. Let me ask you this, is there a Christian whom you avoid? Is there someone towards whom you are indifferent? Though you may never physically wrong another person, be careful that you don't sin against others with your spirit.

God commanded the church of Corinth to cleanse themselves of the sins of the spirit. It is as important for you to remove the sins of the spirit as it is to remove the sins of the flesh. Your spirit towards others should be such that there is no one whom you would avoid. If you avoid people because of ill feelings, then you are guilty of sins of the spirit.

A Natural Response to Faith

Acts 9:11

"And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,"

Faith is not always easy to obey. The request of faith is quite often hard to follow. In fact, the request of faith quite often is difficult to understand; however, the results of obeying the request of faith always brings blessing and miracles.

In the verse above, God asked Ananias to go find Saul and help disciple him. This command of God took a great amount of faith to obey. However, you find that Ananias' response to faith was a natural response. His first response was to doubt the request and then to fear obeying the request. You must place yourself in his shoes to understand how you would have responded. Saul was known for his persecution of Christians. It was not uncommon for Saul to not only persecute Christians, but to have them killed. When God told Ananias to go and help disciple Saul, this took a great amount of faith. However, though it was difficult to obey the request of faith, Ananias obeyed, and his obedience resulted in Saul becoming one of the greatest apostles whom God used. Ananias' obedience to faith allowed him to have a part in the life of one of the greatest apostles of Christ.

When God asks you to step out by faith, it is natural for doubt to step in and try to get you to disobey faith's command. You must realize that you are not a bad Christian just because you have some doubt about whether you should step out by faith. When Jesus asked Peter to step out of the boat and come to Him, you know that he battled with doubt about whether he should obey the command of faith. When God called Gideon, doubt showed up and tried to get him not to obey God's command of faith. Doubt is a natural response to faith's command, but you must not allow doubt to stop you from obeying God's command of faith.

Furthermore, fear also steps in with doubt when faith has commanded you to do something. Again, it is natural to fear whether you should obey faith's command because fear is the companion of doubt. Whenever doubt is present, you will always find fear. However, we must realize that fear is the substance that tries to drive faith away. That is why several times in the Scriptures God had to tell His children to "fear not." Fear is the enemy of faith.

The only way to drive doubt and fear away is to obey God. That is why God says in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." God knows that the only way you will obey faith's commands is to trust Him, even when you don't understand why faith is commanding you to do something.

Imagine what would have happened had Ananias not obeyed faith's command. If he would not have obeyed faith's command we would not have an Apostle Paul. Likewise, when you don't obey faith's command, you are hurting future generations and robbing yourself of God's blessings. Christian, you may not always understand why God wants you to step out by faith, but you must silence the voices of doubt and fear and simply obey the voice of God. Yes, it takes trust to obey God, but when you trust God and step out by faith, you will find that doubt and fear will run away, and that God's blessings will be present in your life. You will only see the miracles of God in your life when you obey faith's command.

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.