Baptist City Blog

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You Need to Get Enthusiastic

2 Corinthians 9:2

"For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many."

When Paul talked about the church of Corinth, he pointed out the zeal of this church. He pointed out that the zeal, or enthusiasm, of this church excited others when he said, "...your zeal hath provoked very many." If you attended a service at this church, you would have noticed their excitement during the services. The services of this church were not like a funeral service, but they were exciting. Their services were so exciting that when people came to church it caused them to get excited as well.

One of the weaknesses I have noticed about our present day churches is the lack of enthusiasm during the services. The average church service has no fervor during the congregational singing. The average church service has no "Amen's" during the preaching time. When you attend the average church today, there is no excitement.

However, you can go to any college sports game and see the enthusiasm in their stadiums. When you watch sporting events on television, you will see the fans are very enthusiastic about a ballgame that has no impact anyone's life. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching sporting events, but it is a crying shame when people are more enthusiastic about sporting events than they are about the work of the LORD.

Christian, there is nothing spiritual about being a dead Christian. There are Christian colleges that discourage their students from being enthusiastic during the preaching services. When Paul was speaking to this church at Corinth, he commended them for their zeal. When you read about Heaven, you will find that there is excitement about God and His truths. For anyone to think that no "Amen's" or excitement in the church services is a sign of Christian maturity is simply false. If anything, not having enthusiasm is a sign of a backslidden heart.

Moreover, when you are enthusiastic about the LORD's work, it will cause others to become enthusiastic. Notice that the zeal of this church "provoked very many." Likewise, if you would get enthusiastic about the LORD's work, you would be surprised how others will want to be involved with that work. One of the reasons we are losing the youth in Christianity is because of the lack of enthusiasm in church services. Youth want no part of something that is dead. Now, this is no excuse to leave the church, but it is a fact that youth want to be part of something enthusiastic. If you will start becoming enthusiastic about serving the LORD and the preaching of the Word of God, you will find that it will begin to spread to others.

If you are going to get an infectious zeal for God, then you must believe in what you are doing. You will never be enthusiastic about the LORD's work if you don't wholeheartedly believe in what you are doing. You must believe that the LORD's way of life is the best way of life. You must believe that the truths of the Word of God will change lives. You must also get rid of sin if you want to have a true zeal for the LORD. Sin and worldliness will always dampen your excitement for the LORD.

Let me ask you, does anybody want to serve the LORD because of your zeal? Has your zeal provoked anyone else? When you fall in love with the LORD and His work, you will find enthusiasm will come with it. I beg you, don't let others curb your enthusiasm for God. Don't let their dead Christianity kill yours. Get enthusiastic about the preaching of God's Word and what you are doing for the LORD, and you will find that your enthusiasm will spread to others.

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It is Simply Amazing Grace

1 Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Words cannot properly express the greatness of God's grace. Maybe John Newton had it right when he tried to properly describe the grace of God, he simply called it amazing grace. Amazing is the only word that can properly describe God's grace to you and I. Paul recognized the amazing grace of God by saying the he was who he was because of God's grace. He recognized how awful his life was before he got saved, and he saw how God's grace reached to where he was and saved him. Not only did God's grace save him, but this grace took him and made him into one of the greatest apostles of Christ.

Christian, let me remind you that it is God's grace that saved you from Hell. There are many who read this devotional who if it were not for the grace of God would either be in prison or in the grave. Do you remember what your life was like before you got saved? Even to those who were saved in a Christian home, it was God's grace that saved you from an awful life. I was saved at a very young age, but I realize that it was God's grace that came to me at an early age and saved me to keep me from having to live an awful life of sin. If it were not for God's amazing grace, not only would you be on your way to Hell, but you would also have a life that most likely would have taken you down a horrible road.

Furthermore, it was God's grace that caused God to give you what you have. God doesn't owe anybody anything. Too often we take for granted that we deserve to have what we have. Yet, it is God's grace that allows us to have the blessings that we have. It is God's grace that allows you to have health. It is God's grace that gave you a family to love. It is God's grace that gave you a great church to attend. It is God's grace that has paid your bills when you didn't have a way to pay them. Look at everything you have in life and remember that God's grace is what allows that.

Moreover, it is God's grace that uses your labors for His glory. Paul recognized that God's grace turned his labors into great works. Christian, God doesn't have to use you for anything. However, His grace chose to use the works that you do to accomplish great things for Him. Don't become haughty because of what God has done through you. It is only God's grace that caused Him to take your works when He could have used something else to perform them.

Finally, it is God's grace that made you who you are. I am constantly amazed what God has made out of me. I don't have any great background of which to boast, yet God has chosen to make me what I am. Likewise, whoever you are and whatever you have done, it is only God's grace that has allowed you to become who you are. Without God's grace, you would not be who you are as a Christian.

Don't ever forget how amazing God's grace has truly been to you. If you will remember how great God's grace has been to you, then you will be able to keep yourself in proper perspective. When you remember what God's grace has done for you, I believe you will say what John Newton said about God's grace: it is amazing grace.

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Proper Compensation

1 Corinthians 9:11

"If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"

The Apostle Paul took the time to deal with the compensation of the man of God. He used the analogy of an ox that treads the corn to show the church of Corinth how they should take care of their pastor. He reminded this church that as God commanded that the ox that plows the corn has a right to eat, likewise the man of God who gives himself to the ministry should be properly compensated for his work. The verse above asked if the man of God sowed spiritual things, "...is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" In other words, God wanted this church to realize that they had an obligation to make sure their pastor reaped the benefits of his work.

Unfortunately there are those who think that the preacher should not be compensated for preaching the Word of God. I was recently in a restaurant when the pastor I was with tried to witness to a young man who was belligerent about men of God "getting rich" off the church. Though there are probably a few cases when men of God abuse the church in this area, on the whole most men of God do not get the proper compensation they deserve. Reason with me just a little if you will. Would a doctor continue in their line of work if they knew they would get nothing in return? After all the training a doctor goes through, they expect to get paid for their services. Imagine a heart surgeon performing heart surgery with their mind preoccupied with how to get food for their family. As preposterous as this sounds, this is exactly what some churches expect from their pastor. Though most preachers will still give their all, it is wrong for you to expect the preacher to literally have to work another full-time job so he can pay his bills.

There are some things you should consider about the care of your pastor's finances. First, be sure that their pay, at the least, equals the pay of the average income in your area. For instance, most people make enough to be able to pay their monthly housing expenses, food bill, and still have extra for clothing or dining out. These are just a few of the expenses a pastor must pay. Simply put, examine your monthly bills, then realize that your pastor probably has the same expenses.

Furthermore, be sure that he has a decent car to drive. Many do not consider that their pastor uses their car for church business. The pastor makes hospital visits in his car. He will most likely use his car to visit church members and go soul winning. He will use his car to drive to conferences to get ideas to help your family. He doesn't have to have the top of the line, though there is nothing wrong with that, but he should at minimum have a dependable car.

Moreover, you should make sure that the church places enough in it's budget to send your pastor to at least one conference a year. Companies often send their employees to training every year. A conference is a training time for the pastor. He also needs to get his spiritual battery recharged. A good conference can help train and recharge his battery.

Last, be sure to consider his health insurance and retirement. Just like you, he will have hospital expenses. Just like you, he will get old some day and may have to step aside. Though most pastors won't talk about this, your pastor deserves the right not to be concerned with these expenses. Your pastor's wife should know that she will be taken care of with a retirement plan if her husband was to pass away before her.

Though I will be criticized for this devotional, I believe it is Scriptural to take care of your pastor. I'm sure your pastor does his best to spiritually feed you, so be sure to do your best and make sure he is financially taken care of in the proper way.

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What's in Your Fruit Basket?

Romans 6:21

"What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death."

When I travel to churches to preach, many of the churches will put a fruit basket in my hotel room so that I can have something on which to snack. Most of the fruit baskets have the same snacks with one additional thing that is unique to that church or area. I always enjoy looking in the fruit basket to find what is unique about that basket.

The verse above shows us that our life produces fruit. Before you got saved, your sinful works produced fruit, and now that you are saved your works also produce fruit. However, God asked the Christians in Rome what fruit they had before they got saved. Apparently, these Christians were contemplating some of the works they did before they got saved, and God wanted to remind them that the fruit of their previous works produced death. God wanted them to see that the fruit of sin is death, but the fruit of obeying and serving God produces life.

Your life is a spiritual fruit basket that has collected fruit from the different works you've performed. Let me ask you, what is in your fruit basket? If I were to go into the spiritual hotel room and see your life as my fruit basket, what would I find in that basket? I'm afraid that many Christians would be ashamed if I could see the fruits of their works. However, the fruit of your works will be revealed one day, and you had better be sure that you have fruits of which you would not be ashamed.

When we look at the fruit basket of your life, do we find the fruit of sin? Have you filled your life's fruit basket with sinful actions? Is it filled with the works of the flesh? Galatians 5:19-21 shows us the fruits of the flesh when it says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:..." Christian, look at this list carefully and ask yourself if you would really like to eat fruit that is as vile as these works. Yet, that is what many Christian produce; they produce a distasteful fruit because of the sins they continue to commit.

On the other hand, God wants your spiritual fruit basket to be filled with the fruit we find in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." When your spiritual fruit basket is filled with these works, then your fruit will be a good tasting Christian life. When the world partakes of it, they will enjoy what they taste.

Christian, be careful what you put into your spiritual fruit basket. Realize that you already tried the fruit of sin before you got saved, and you didn't like its results. Strive every day to fill your spiritual fruit basket with fruit that you will enjoy when you get old. One day you will eat, or reap, the fruit of your spiritual fruit basket. Make it a fruit that you can show without regret to your children and those whom you influence.

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The "Why's" Do Have Answers

Acts 16:33-34

"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."

Trying to understand why God allows us to go through certain things can be very frustrating, but we must realize that God does have a purpose for all of life's situations. There are no "uh-oh's" with God. Everything that God sends our way has a purpose, and that is why we must make the most of every situation.

Paul and Silas had one of those hard to understand situations in their lives. After preaching to the people of Philippi and seeing many people saved, one man who had an agenda against them brought them to the magistrates and falsely accused them. This false accusation caused them to be beaten and thrown into prison. Though they could not understand why they had to go through this, they made the most of their situation and kept a good attitude. However, in the middle of the night while they sang praises to God, an earthquake opened the doors of their prison. Instead of walking out, they stayed in the prison only to find that the prison keeper almost killed himself had they not intervened. Because of their intervention, they were able to lead this man and his family to Christ.

Why did Paul and Silas have to endure the beating and imprisonment? God allowed them to go through this because He knew they had the opportunity to lead a man and his family to Christ. If Paul and Silas would have griped and complained about their situation, they would not have had the opportunity to lead this prison keeper to Christ. Instead of complaining about a bad situation, they made the most of their situation which resulted in someone being saved.

Christian, I do not pretend to be God, and neither should any other man of God. However, I do know that there is an answer to your "Why." You may be facing some adverse circumstances at the present, but God has a reason for why He allows you to face it. All too often we are so busy complaining about our present situations that we miss the very reason why God sent us through it. There are a couple of things you must do to understand the "Why."

First, realize that everything God sends in your life is not about you. The truth is that many times God sends us through situations for the sake of others. The sickness that you face may be so that you can help someone go through the exact same sickness. The heartbreak you face may be so that you can lead someone to Christ. If we keep an inward approach to life's situations and not an outward approach, then we will never see why God allows us to go through these things. Sure, God may be sending you through your life's situation for your sake, but most likely it is for someone else's sake.

Second, make the most with whatever you are facing. Like the old cliche, make lemonade from your lemons. Find a way to allow good to come through your situation. Don't wait for good to come through it, make it good yourself. Learn from it so you can help others go through the same situation you face. Help others around you who watch you endure your situation by keeping a good attitude. Don't let your life's situation be a wasted time of your life.

Yes, whatever you may be facing at the moment may be hard to take, but God has a reason for you to go through it. Claim God's promises that He guides the paths of our lives, and rest in the assurance this His presence is with you as you go through it. Ask God to help you make the most out of your situation.

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Advice for Growing Pains

Acts 6:1

"And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration."

Being a part of a growing church is one of the most satisfying things you will experience in life. The spirit of a growing church is exciting. Watching young Christians grow and souls getting saved is a great thing to experience. However, a growing church will have growing pains. The church of Jerusalem experienced growing pains. When you study this church, you find there are five things for which you should watch.

First, watch your attitude. When you are in a growing church, it can be easy to get a bad attitude. When the church is growing, the Devil will be sure to fight. One of the areas where he fights is in the attitude of the Christian. The verse above shows that there were some who were murmuring about their needs not being met. Christian, it is easy to get caught up in finding some fault in a growing church. Be careful about being caught up in the fault finding, for it will destroy your attitude. Yes, you can find fault, but you must focus on seeing the positive.

Second, watch your people. What I mean by this is you must be careful that you don't get so busy in the growth of the church that you begin to neglect the needs of the people. That is what happened to this church in Jerusalem. Though the people should not have murmured, they were right in that the needs of people were being neglected. Don't get so wrapped up in the growth that you neglect the very purpose of why we are in the ministry. When you get so busy that you help people, then you have become too busy.

Third, don't neglect your walk with God. Verse 4 shows us this church continued walking with God though they were growing. One of the things I have found in many growing churches is that people get so busy in their outreach that they have no time to walk with God. Never forget to have a daily time with God in the Scriptures and prayer. Your walk with God is very important to your spiritual health. Keep your walk with God healthy.

Fourth, don't neglect your outreach. Verse 7 shows us that this church continued trying to reach the lost for Christ. Just because you are growing doesn't give you an excuse to let up in your soul-winning efforts. Keep your soul-winning efforts active while you are growing. Often when a church starts growing they will get so busy in their ministries that they stop soul winning. Always keep focused on the main reason of why we are in the ministry, and that is to keep people from going to Hell.

Last, don't change what you've always done. The church of Jerusalem kept doing what caused them to grow in the beginning. They didn't get so enamored with growth that they looked for newer methods of growth. Growing churches must be careful about changing their pattern of success so they can see more growth. Keep doing what you've always done and you will keep getting what you've always gotten. Don't look for new methods to see growth, but rather keep working the tried and proven methods that have given you growth to this point.

When churches start growing they will experience growing pains. Christian, don't allow yourself to be part of the problem that causes your church to stop growing. Be watchful of these areas so you can be a contributor to the growth of your church.

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Is Your Faith Running on Empty?

James 2:26

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Having fuel is very important to the enjoyment of driving a car. When a car has gas, then the car can take you to the places that you want to go. However, when the car is running on empty, the ability of the car to take you where you want to go is limited unless you fill it up with gas. A car without gas does not stop it from being a car, but the car will not be able to function without it.

The verse above is showing us that faith without works is like a car without gas. God said that "...faith without works is dead..." God is not teaching that works are a part of salvation, but He is teaching that without works your faith will seem dead to those who see you. Works has nothing to do with the salvation of your soul, but works plays a big part in whether you will have an impact with your witness. A person will only get saved by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be their personal Saviour. 

However, after you are saved, works is what validates your salvation to the lost world. Works is to faith what the spirit is to the body. Notice that the spirit is what gives life to the body. Yes, the body is still alive without a spirit, but the body only exists without the spirit. Likewise, a person is saved whether or not they have works, but works is what makes your salvation come alive to the lost.

Simply put, faith struggles without works. It is your works that build your faith. It is your works that cause your faith to get stronger. It is your works that show to the world that what you say happened to you is real. The world cannot see what happened on the inside when you got saved, so the only way you can show to the world that you are truly saved is by your works. How often do you hear people tell you that they have seen other people claim to be saved, but they live no different than the lost? That is what this verse is teaching. It is saying that your works build your faith so that others will see your faith by your works. Faith alone is not enough to witness to others. Faith with works is what allows your witness to be strong.

Let me ask you, is your faith running on empty? In other words, is your faith lacking strength because of your lack of works. Christian, certainly God saved you to keep you from going to Hell, but the purpose of leaving you on this Earth after salvation is so that you can be a witness to lead others to Him. If you have no works to build your faith, then your faith will be running on empty and will lack the emphasis it needs when you try to witness to others. I implore you to start working your faith. The more works you have for God, the stronger your faith will become. Likewise, the more works you have, the greater your testimony will be to the lost. Don't be a Christian who runs your faith on empty, but be a Christian who fills your spiritual tank of faith with works. The greater works you have, the greater your faith will be to those who are watching you.

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Entering the Holiest

Hebrews 10:19

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,"

One of the greatest privileges that salvation gives the Christian is the opportunity to enter into the holiest place of all, the place of prayer. You must understand that before Jesus Christ died on the cross, only the high priest had the privilege to enter into the Holy of Holies. However, the verse above teaches that by the blood of Jesus Christ, we can enter into that sacred place of prayer called the Holy of Holies.

Because prayer is such a sacred place, we must enter into it according to the manner by which God commands. In the Old Testament, the High Priests would be killed if they entered the Holy of Holies in the wrong manner. Not only were the High Priests commanded to go into this sacred place in a certain manner, but they could only enter this place once a year. Yet, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to enter this sacred place as much as we desire. However, Hebrews 10 shows us God's guidelines of how we are to enter into this sacred time of prayer.

First, God wants you to understand that it is a privilege to enter into prayer with Him. Christian, before you start your time of prayer, I believe you should take a minute of time to remind yourself of this great privilege. Remember that those before the cross never had the opportunity of which you are about ready to partake. When you understand the privilege of prayer, then I believe you will enter in your time of prayer with a right attitude understanding Whose presence you are in.

Second, enter boldly into your time of prayer. This sounds strange, but you have a right to enter into prayer. Just like the High Priest had the right to go into the Holy of Holies, you have that right because you are a priest of God. When God says to enter boldly, He is teaching you to be straightforward with your requests. Don't beat around the bush in your prayers, but be direct with God and pour your heart out to Him. God likes it when His people are straightforward with Him.

Third, enter your time of prayer sincerely. Verse 22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart..." Be sincere with God when you pray. Don't try to pull the wool over God's eyes about why you are asking Him for your requests. Be sincere with God about your requests, for He already knows why you are asking for those requests.

Fourth, enter your time of prayer confidently. Notice in verse 22 that God wants us to have "...full assurance of faith,..." This is talking about having confidence that God will answer your prayer. When you pray, don't let doubt creep into your heart that God won't answer your prayer. Instead, have confidence in the promises of God that He will answer your prayers. Doubt will keep your prayers from being answered. Therefore, you need to be confident that God can do what you are asking Him to do.

Last, enter into your time of prayer clean from sin. The last part of verse 22 says, "...having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Christian, get rid of your sin. Nothing will hinder your prayers more than sin. Confess your sins to God before you go into your time of prayer.

Prayer is a certainly one of the greatest privileges of salvation. To get the most out of your time of prayer, be sure to enter into this sacred time the way God tells you to. When you enter your time of prayer according to God's guidelines, then you will leave with the confidence that your prayers will be answered.