Baptist City Blog

The Glorifying Life

Ezekiel 36:23

"And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes."

God is very clear in the Scriptures that our life is to bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Whether at work or at home, you are to bring glory to God. Whether at church or in the world, you are to bring glory to God. Whether in private or in public, you are to bring glory to God. Your life is to bring glory to God in everything that you do. However, you will notice from the verse above that you bring glory to God through the life that you live. God shows us in the following verses how our life will bring God glory.

First, the separated life brings glory to God. Verse 24 talks about God gathering His people "...out of all countries,..." God expects Christians to be separated from the world. As a Christian you are not to be a part of the world. Yes, you must live in the world, but you don't have to be a part of it.

Second, the obedient life will bring glory to God. In verse 25, God talks about His people being clean from their sin. If you want to bring glory to God with your life, then you must clean your life up from sin. You cannot harbor sin in your life and bring glory to God. Though you may be able to hide it for awhile, eventually your sin will come out and will bring reproach to the name of Christ instead of glory to His name. Whatever sin you may have in your life, you need to be sure to get rid of it so that you can bring God glory each day.

Third, the happy life brings glory to God. In verse 26, God talks about "A new heart..." This is nothing more than having a spirit of joy and happiness. A Christian won't bring glory to God when they walk through life griping and complaining about what they don't have. You can be happy and joyful in spite of what you face in your life. When the world sees you have a happy and joyful spirit as you face your trials, they realize that there is something real about serving God. If you are one who struggles with having a good spirit and attitude, then work hard at having a spirit of joy and happiness so that you can bring glory to God.

Fourth, the Spirit-filled life brings glory to God. In verse 27, God says that He "...will put my spirit within you,..." It is impossible to bring glory to God without having God's Holy Spirit to guide and fill you. Christian, all throughout your day you should ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Be cognizant of His presence in your life and yield to His leading so that you can bring glory to God.

Finally, the productive life brings glory to God. In verse 30, God talks about multiplying and increasing the fruit of His people. One of the greatest ways you can bring glory to God is to be productive both in the secular life and in the Christian life. God loves productivity. The world notices those who are productive. Nothing will help the world see that you can be more productive through God's help than by you living a productive life.

Christian, any of these lives by themselves will bring glory to God. However, when you make all of these a part of your life, you will bring the greatest glory to God. Those whom God has used the most are those who have made these areas a part of their daily life.

How to Be an Effective Witness

Ezekiel 2:3

"And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day."

One of the duties of the Christian is to be a witness for the LORD everywhere they go. The very last command Christ gave before He went to Heaven is found in Acts 1:8 when He says, "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." You will notice that the purpose of the Holy Ghost's power is to be a witness for Christ. However, I don't just want to be a witness, I want to be an effective witness. I want to be a witness who gets the results that the Saviour desires. Ezekiel 2 shows us how to be an effective witness. God prepared Ezekiel to go to the nation of Israel, and in His preparation He showed us how we can be an effective witness for Him.

First, it takes initiative to be an effective witness. God said in verse 1, "...Son of man, stand upon thy feet,..." In other words, you can't wait for someone else to motivate you to be a witness for Christ. There are going to be times when you need to motivate yourself. When you don't feel like going, or when you don't want to witness to someone out of fear, it will take initiative to be the effective witness you are supposed to be.

Second, it takes Holy Spirit filling to be an effective witness. In verse 2, the Spirit of God entered Ezekiel so that he could be the witness God needed him to be. Likewise, you must be filled with the Spirit of God if you are going to be an effective witness. Yes, you may get results without being filled with the Spirit, but you will get greater results by being filled with the Spirit.

Third, it takes the Word of God to be an effective witness. God told Ezekiel to say in verse 4, "...Thus saith the Lord GOD." God's Word is what does the work in the hearts of people. When you witness to others about Christ, you must use the Word of God. Whether or not they will listen is not the point. When you speak the Word of God, It will do It's work in their heart without them knowing it.

Fourth, it takes determination to be an effective witness. In verse 5, God warned Ezekiel that the people probably would not listen to him, but he was to still proclaim the Word of God. If you are going to be an effective witness, you are going to have to be determined to continue witnessing when people reject you. Not everybody wants to be saved, and when they reject you, you will have to be determined to continue your witness for Christ.

Fifth, it takes boldness to be an effective witness. God told Ezekiel in verse 6, "...be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words,..." God is teaching us that the effective witness is a bold witness. Boldness will cause you to talk to people to whom you normally would not. Boldness will cause you to look past their stature or status and see their need for the Saviour. You will never be an effective witness without boldness.

Finally, it takes an understanding of your job to be an effective witness. God's command to Ezekiel in verse 7 was, "And thou shalt speak my words unto them,..." To be an effective witness you must realize that your job is to simply tell people how Christ can save them. It is not your job to see them saved, it is your job to give them the Gospel. If you can understand that you are simply to witness to people about Christ, then you will not be discouraged if they reject you.

Determine today to be an effective witness for Christ. There is a world that needs Christ, go and tell them. Follow these steps so you can be the effective witness that Christ needs you to be.

The Volume of Silence

Jeremiah 51:59

"The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince."

Years ago I was preaching for a man who had a very quiet personality. He is the type of person who you have to be the one who carries the conversation or else it will be a very quiet time together. He and I were outside talking about something and he needed someone's attention. This person stood about a hundred feet away from us. This preacher called for that person, and the person did not respond because they did not hear him. He called a couple more times with no response. Finally, he raised his voice to the point that when he called for that person it almost sounded as if he yelled out that person's name. He wasn't upset at all, he just understood that they didn't hear him. However, because he raised the volume of his voice to where everyone could hear, it got deathly silent because everyone knew that this preacher rarely raised his voice. His quiet presence was a demanding presence to those who worked for him.

God makes a strange statement about a prince in the verse above when He says, "...And this Seraiah was a quiet prince." It is interesting that God pointed out that this man was a quiet person. When you read the whole chapter, you see that the God pronounced judgment against Babylon. So, to deliver this message to the king, God chose this quiet prince. Why? Because God knew that if this person rarely spoke, that the king would definitely get the message. God did not want the king to have an excuse as to why he wouldn't change. So, God chose a quiet person to deliver the message so that the message would come through with volume.

You must learn that being loud will sometimes bring you to the point where nobody listens to you. Silence speaks volumes. In a world where we see people who are boisterous and loud, it would be good for God's people to learn to carry a silent presence in some areas so that when they speak the volume of them speaking will grab the attention of everyone.

Be quiet concerning your change of associations. There are some who think they need to be the policeman of every Baptist pastor. I have learned that if you don't criticize preachers, that when you make a move many will pay very close attention.

Furthermore, be quiet concerning correction. Be careful about being a parent who is always yelling at your children. These types of parents rarely grab the attention of their children. If you will learn not to constantly yell corrections, when you do correct it will be heard.

Moreover, be quiet concerning your opinion. There are some who think they need to give their opinion about everything. When a person is like this, they are rarely heeded. It is the person who rarely gives their opinion who is listened to when their opinion is given.

Finally, if you will learn to be quiet with a good attitude, you will learn that your silence will speak volumes. Don't be a loud person, instead use your words wisely and sparingly so that when you do speak others will pay attention.

Are You Filled With Noise or Sound?

Jeremiah 46:17

"They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed."

Have you ever been at a stop light and heard the noise from the so-called music in the car next to you? I have been in hotels rooms and heard the noise of a car coming from a distance and wondered how the individual in the car could endure the noise. It is no wonder that many of these individuals are so filled with anger because of the noise with which they are filling themselves.

The verse above says, "...Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise;..." Egypt is a type of the world, and Pharaoh would be a type of those who work for the world. You will notice that God says that Egypt is simply a noise. That is interesting because all that the world will do in a person's life is produce noise.

On the other hand, the LORD always gives a distinct sound. When you study the Scriptures, you will find that the LORD gives a sound that causes His people to do something. It is not a noise that creates confusion, rather it is a sound that gives direction for what God wants His people to do.

Your life is either filled with noise or sound. If you follow the ways of the world, then your life will be filled with noise. You must understand that whenever you follow the world, the noise of the world will create anger, frustration and confusion. You may recall when Moses and Joshua came down from Mount Sinai, that Scriptures said in Exodus 32:17, "And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp." Notice that the sin of the people created a confusing noise. Joshua could not perceive the noise. Likewise, when a person follows the ways of the world, they will be filled with the noise of the world which creates confusion.

However, when you follow the ways of the LORD, you will find that you will be filled with a distinct sound. You should study the Scriptures and look at how often God talks about making a "...sound of..." Every time God told His people to make a sound, it gave them direction. When you follow the ways of the LORD, you will have purpose and direction in your life. You will not wander aimlessly through life when you fill yourself with the sound of the LORD. The LORD will give you direction and purpose.

So, are you filled with noise or sound? You will never experience the peace in life that you want when you follow the ways of the world. The ways of the world will fill you with noise which will cause you to not have any direction. It will fill you with confusion, anger and frustration. Instead, fill yourself with the sound of the LORD so that you can lead people down the right ways of life. You will find that the sound of the LORD will give you peace, direction and purpose in your life.

Get to the Point

Jeremiah 37:17

"Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon."

When Zedekiah asked Jeremiah a question, it is interesting how quick and to the point he was with his answer. Jeremiah could have embellished his answer with words to impress the king, but he knew that brevity was the wisest way to answer. Though Jeremiah's brevity could have been taken as shallow by those who considered themselves intellectuals, his brevity showed his wisdom.

It is beneficial for you to get to the point when answering questions. Sometimes there are people who want to drag out an answer to show their intellect, but they are only causing misunderstandings. I often say that there are times when you can say so much that you say nothing at all. Keeping your answers brief will not only benefit you, but it will benefit the listener as well.

First, getting to the point will keep your words from being twisted. Always remember that the more you say the more ammunition you give for your enemies to twist. Brevity doesn't give them much to twist. Brevity will often disappoint those who try to destroy you because you give them nothing to use against you. If you can answer a question with a quick "Yes" or "No," then you would be wise to do so. However, if the answer must go beyond this, then be as direct and to the point as you can so that your answer cannot be twisted.

Second, getting to the point gives clarity to your answer. I like being to the point because when people walk away they clearly know what you want or believe. Parents oftentimes are not brief with their answers to their children, thus their children walk away with questions in their mind about what is wanted. Proverbs 10:19 says, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." You will see that God is teaching us that brevity is wisdom, for in brevity there is clarity. The clearer you are with your answers, the less chance there is for misunderstanding.

Third, getting to the point is the best way to remember your own answer. What gets many people in trouble is they embellish their answers to the degree that they can't remember what they said. When you get to the point with your answers, you will find that you have a better chance of remembering them. The biggest reason brevity helps you remember is because brevity usually means you are absolute in your thought process about what your answer was. In other words, you know what you believe about what you answered. Normally, when someone uses a lot of words to give an answer, they are searching themselves for the answer. When you know what you believe about a question given to you, then you will be more likely to have a brief answer. Brief answers are more easily remembered by you and those who asked the question.

Jeremiah was wise by getting to the point with his answer to Zedekiah; likewise, you would be wise to get to the point when answering questions. Whether it be in the home, church, or work place, getting to the point with your answers will help solve most misunderstandings.

Acquainted But Not Overcome with Grief

Isaiah 53:3

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

What an example Jesus is on how to carry sorrow and grief! When the verse above says that Jesus was "...a man of sorrows,..." it was not saying that He was One Who portrayed sadness, but rather it is teaching that He had sorrow all around Him. You never read in the Scriptures where Jesus was One Who walked around with a poochy lip complaining about His troubles. No, the opposite could be said about the Saviour in that He was One Who lifted the spirit of others.

Moreover, the verse above shows us that Jesus was "...acquainted with grief:..." This phrase means that Jesus was familiar with deep sorrow. You can only imagine the sorrow that Jesus carried as He carried the weight of eternity on His shoulders. Imagine waking up every morning knowing that one day you would be crucified. Imagine waking up every morning knowing that one day you would be beaten with a scourge. Imagine shaking hands with the centurions who would one day nail you to the cross. Imagine facing the Pharisees and chief priests on a daily basis knowing that one day they would crucify you out of hatred. Imagine waking every morning knowing that if you failed to go through with the crucifixion that the whole world would go to Hell. Jesus knew all of this, and yet He did not let the weight of that sorrow defeat Him or His spirit.

When you think of the sorrow with which Jesus carried, you would wonder how He could carry it without it destroying His spirit. Verse 4 shows us how Jesus overcame His sorrow when it says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:..." Notice, Jesus carried the griefs and sorrows of others instead of focusing on His own grief. Jesus laid His sorrows aside for the sake of helping others with their problems. That is how He made it through the weight of His burdens. That is how Jesus was able to keep His own sorrows from overcoming Him. Yes, Jesus was acquainted with grief every day of His life, but He did not let it overcome Him.

Christian, the only way your grief will not overcome you is to live your life helping others by carrying their grief. I am not saying that your grief is not greater than others, but what I am saying is that the only way to keep your grief from overcoming you is to help others carry their grief and sorrows. You must daily lay your grief and sorrows down and pick up the grief and sorrows of others. The happiest people in the world are not people who have no heartache, but the happiest people in the world are those who have learned to lay their grief and sorrows aside to help carry the grief and sorrow of others.

You may wonder how you can lay your grief and sorrow aside so that you can carry the grief and sorrow of others. Psalm 55:22 shows us how when it says, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Notice, you are to let the LORD carry your burden of grief. God can carry your burdens better than you can. So, what you do every morning is you go to God and tell Him about your burdens and leave them there. Then, you go and carry the burdens of others. This is how you keep the burden of your grief and sorrow from overcoming you. Let God worry about your problems. You simply need to go and help others with theirs. You will find if you do this that this is the only way you can bear your griefs and sorrows in a positive manner.

The Process Towards Forgiveness

Psalm 32:5

"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

Forgiveness is an important part of living a happy life. God said in Psalm 31:1, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." When a person is forgiven, they have the burden of sin or wrong lifted off them. That is why it is wrong for someone not to forgive others. When you won't forgive others, you are literally forcing them to carry the burden of their sin or wrong.

Forgiveness is an act performed by the offended. If I have done wrong, I can only seek forgiveness. The actual act of forgiveness is done by the one whom I may have wronged. However, there are some things that I can do to help towards the process of forgiveness. The verse above shows us the steps a person should take to acquire forgiveness.

First, they must acknowledge their sin. The Psalmist said, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee,..." Notice, he recognized that he did wrong and who he wronged. If you want someone to forgive you, then you must acknowledge that you have wronged them. It is unfair for you to expect them to forgive you when you won't acknowledge that you have done wrong.

What is acknowledgement? It is accepting responsibility for what you have done. It is not blaming others for what you did. It is taking the whole blame for what happened. Even if someone else was involved, if you want forgiveness then you must be willing to accept all the blame for what happened. As long as you continue to point your fingers at others for why you did something, then you are prolonging the chance for them to forgive you.

Second, they must be open about what they did. The Psalmist said, "...mine iniquity have I not hid." There are times when people acknowledge that they have done wrong, but they don't completely come clean with everything that they did. If you want someone's forgiveness, then you need to come completely clean. Being deceitful and hiding what you have done will not lead others to forgive you. Deceit was part of your wrong. So, until you remove deceit and become open about what you did, you will find that the process of forgiveness will be stalled.

Third, they must confess what they did. The Psalmist continued by saying, "...I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD:..." Not only do you need to come clean with others, but you need to come clean with the LORD. The LORD is the only one Who can place in the heart of the offended the ability to forgive you. You must go to God and tell Him what you have done. No, it is not asking God to forgive you, it is telling God what you have done. Until you come clean with God and man, you cannot obtain forgiveness.

Finally, forgiveness is given when these steps are followed. The Psalmist finished by saying, "...and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."When you follow these steps, you will find that others are more willing to forgive. Yes, they should be willing to forgive whether or not these steps are followed, but you can make forgiveness easier if you will follow these steps.

If you are the one who has been wronged, then you need to be sure that you forgive. When someone has followed these steps, it is your obligation to forgive. No matter how deep the hurt is, forgiveness will help release you from the pain of their wrong.