Baptist City Blog

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Square Pegs Do Fit in Round Holes

Romans 12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Transformation is always a hard process.  The reason it is so hard is because you are changing the form or shape of something into another form or shape.  You often hear that you can't make a square block fit into a round hole.  That is true, but with a transformation it can fit into the round hole.  You often see children playing with shaped blocks that must be put into a hole of the same shape.  It is always interesting to watch a child try to force a shaped block into a different shaped hole.  It doesn't work!  As much force as you try to apply to a square block, you are not going to make it go into a round hole.  The only way a square block is going to go into a round hole is if it is conformed into a round block to fit into the hole.  

In the verse above, God commands us to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed..." You will notice that conformation leads to transformation. If you conform to the world, then you will be transformed into the world's likeness.  If you conform into the image of Christ, then you will be transformed into His image.  It all comes down to what you allow yourself to be conformed to. When you got saved, you were like the square block that needed to be put into a round hole.  At first living the Christian life was awkward, but the more you conformed to the lifestyle of Christ, and became like Christ, this resulted in making the life of Christ easier to live.  

How do you allow yourself to be transformed into God's image?  It is simple, don't fight the conformation process.  Just like the block needs someone to chisel off the edges to make it round, you need to have the world's lifestyle "chiseled" off. That is where preaching comes in; every sermon you hear is God's chisel chiseling off the world's rough edges.  Reading the Scriptures on a daily basis is chiseling off the world's form.  When you go soul winning, you are letting God's chisel conform you into His image.  When you spend time in prayer, you are being conformed into God's image.  Simply put, the only way you will conform into the image of Christ is by doing what God commands you to do.  While you do what God commands you to do, you are renewing your mind which will transform you into His image.  

Christian, don't ever stop the transformation process.  Keep conforming yourself to Christ.  Every time you hear a sermon, let it conform you into Christ's image.  Every time you read the Scriptures, let Them conform you into Christ's image.  Always remember that conformation is what leads to transformation.

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More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:37

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Being saved guarantees that you are on the winning side.  We sing the song, "I'm on the winning side" because no matter what Satan throws at us, the Christian will always come through victorious.  In the verse above, God shows us how secure our salvation is, thus guaranteeing our victory.  He says that tribulation, calamity, persecution, famine, financial loss, danger, war, death or powerful dominions cannot separate us from His love.  God wants you to grasp that there is nothing this world can throw at you that will cause you to lose your salvation.  Because of this, "...we are more than conquerors through him..." 

Because we are conquerors, then that means we are the victors or the champions.  One thing I have learned about champions is that they live differently.  When you got saved, you became a member of the champions team, and there is nothing that can ever take that away from you.  With this in mind, it should change the way you live because you are a champion.  

First, you should have a victorious spirit.  Christian, you are on the winning side, and winners have a winning attitude.  Too many Christians walk through life with a loser's disposition when they should walk through life with a winner's attitude.  Winners don't let petty things get them down.  Winners don't let criticism bother them.  Winners are upbeat and have a good attitude.  Therefore, you should live your life with a winning attitude, and not a defeated attitude.  

Second, you should live a victorious life.  What I mean by this is that you should be confident that the Christian life is the best life.  There is no other life that you could live that can deliver victory and success.  You should be confident that the Christian life is the only way to live if you want to win.  When you look at champions in the sports world, you will see that they don't change their philosophy and way of doing things, because they are the champion.  Instead, you find that losing teams will copy the way that the champions do things.  Likewise, if Christians would live like champions, then we could persuade others to follow our lifestyle.  Stop living like a loser and trying to find a new way to do things. Instead, live like a winner and follow the proven winning methods of God's Word to live your Christian life.  

Last, you should be cognizant of the fact that the Devil has a target on your back. When you are the winner, everyone is out to take you down.  Likewise, because you are on the winning team, all the Devil's forces are out to take you down.  At any moment the Devil can destroy you if you don't watch how you live.  One decision can ruin your life, therefore you must be so careful how you live realizing that one sin can take the winning attitude away from you.  

Yes, if you're saved, you are a conqueror.  Live like you're a champion and beware of those who would love to take you down.  No, you can never loose your salvation, but you can still allow your flesh to defeat you. You should start every day reminding yourself to live like a champion because you are one!

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Good People in Bad Company

Acts 13:50

"But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts."

You would think that when Paul and Barnabas tried to bring the glorious Gospel of Christ to the Jews, that the good people of the area would have been excited.  Yet, in the verse above, we learn that the "devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city," were the ones who caused Paul and Barnabas problems.  You would expect problems from the atheists, but not from these people.  You would expect problems from wicked people, but not from these people.  These people were supposedly the best of society.  The word "devout" means devoted.  In other words, there were devoted people who turned on Paul and Barnabas.  These were people who were the honorable in the surrounding communities that turned on these men.  These people were city leaders who were known as good leaders, yet they still turned on these men.  This seems unthinkable.

So what was it that caused "devout and honourable" women and city leaders to turn on Paul and Barnabas?  The first three words of the verse above shows us the answer, "But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city..." What caused these good people to turn on God's men was that they kept bad company.  These good people got around bad company and found themselves doing bad things.

It always happens that when good people spend time around bad company that the good people end up doing bad things.  You cannot spend time with bad company and not expect it to influence or affect your actions.  Though many times you may have good intentions to influence the bad company for right, you will instead find yourself influenced by them.  Like I have always said, you can't spend time around manure without getting it and it's smell on you.  If you don't want to allow bad company to influence you, then don't spend time with them.

Christian, you are not going to be the exception to the rule.  You can't run with disgruntled church members, those who are still in the church and others who have left, without them affecting your spirit.  You can't run with worldly people and their worldliness not rub off on you.  You can't run with liberal Christians by reading their books and watching television programs without their liberal theology rubbing off on you.  You can't spend time with Hollywood and not expect their filthy lifestyle to rub off on you.  Good people spending time in bad company always produces bad results.

The best way for you to keep yourself from being influenced by bad company is to not spend time with them.  Yes, witness to them, pray for them, be kind and courteous to them, and try to get them to come to church, but you cannot run with them or else they will influence you.  If you want to continue to be a good person, then you need to spend time with good people.  

Take some time to look at your associations and those with whom you spend time, and make sure they are good people.  If they're not, then back off and start spending time with good people.  Just like good people in bad company results in bad actions, likewise good people in good company results in good actions.  Be careful with what company you run and be sure that it is the type of company that does things that you should do.

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Grieving Properly

Acts 8:2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Initiating Change

Acts 2:14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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SHHH, I'm a Christian

John 19:38

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The LORD's Work

Psalm 111:2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Warning Signs

Luke 22:61

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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In the Mean Time

Luke 12:1

"In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

When you read Luke chapter 12, you must remember that Jesus did not preach this sermon at a time when everyone liked Him.  No, the sermon that Jesus preached in this chapter came at a time when people were trying to find a way to kill Him.  In fact, in the verse above the Scriptures say, "In the mean time..." Even though there were people in the crowd trying to catch Him saying something that they could use against Him, He continued His ministry and did not allow their judgmental ways to stop Him.  

Throughout life you will find times when people will do everything in their power to try to destroy you.  Most of the time it is not because they hate you, it is because they hate the One Whom you serve.  Christian, we are in a spiritual war!  Though you may not be able to see the war with your eyes, you must trust the Scriptures that warn us that we are constantly at war with the Devil.  Because of this, there will be times when people will do hateful things and will try to catch you doing something that they can use against you.  In the mean time, there are some things that you should do.  

First, in the mean time, don't run and hide.  One of the reasons why your enemies are being so hateful is to get you to run and hide.  Like Nehemiah, you must not come down from your work and hide from those who would try to destroy what you are doing for God.  Most of what the enemy does is to try to bluff you into running.  Don't run just because people are out to destroy you.  

Second, in the mean time, continue doing what you've always done.  Don't change your routines just because people are out to destroy you. Whatever you did to become successful is what you must do to stay successful.  If you change your routine, then you allow the enemy to have their way.  When the enemy is trying to find a way to destroy you, keep preaching, soul winning, walking with God and living the way you have always lived. Daniel kept his routine when he knew people were trying to destroy him, likewise, you must keep doing what you've always done.  

Last, and in the mean time, help people.  The whole purpose of the ministry is to help people.  Keep influencing people for right by helping them.  It is hard to destroy someone who is helping people.  Yes, it may be a little tough as you look over your shoulder and see the enemy watching everything you do, but you must keep helping those whom God sent you to help.  

Christian, if you do anything for God in your lifetime, then you will have a time when someone will be out to destroy you.  When this happens, take the advice above and follow it.  Remember, God is in control!  God is stronger than the enemy, so if you do what pleases Him, then He will continue to guide and help you, "In the mean time..."

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The Hearing of the Heart

Luke 8:18

"Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have."

The ability to hear with your heart will ultimately determine what you do with the Word of God.  We often see people who get saved and do well for a while, but after a period of time they stop serving God, and some drop completely out of church.  Though most people never start out wanting to quit on God, many do quit and hurt the work of the LORD.  

In the verse above, we find the answer to the problem is to make sure that you have a heart that hears.  The parable of the sower is about a man who sowed seed and the results of where the seed fell.  According to this parable, the seed is the Word of God.  The seed fell on four different types of surfaces: way side, rock, thorny ground and good ground.  In each of these instances, the surfaces show what type of hearing the heart of that person has.  It is vitally important that you make sure your heart is hearing God's Word. Let me show you the problems that cause the heart to be hard of hearing.  

First, being unsaved will cause the heart not to hear.  In verse 12, you will notice that the person is unsaved.  One of the biggest reasons people don't understand the Scriptures is because they are not saved.  Only the Holy Spirit of God can explain the Scriptures to you.  When you are not saved, you will have a hard time understanding the Scriptures. If you never understand what you read in the Scriptures, then I would advise you to be sure that you are saved.  If you can't remember a time when you put your complete trust in the shed of blood of Jesus to save you, then you need to get saved.  

Second, a sinful heart will cause your heart not to hear.  In verse 13, you will notice that God talks about temptation.  Those who live a life of sin will have a hard time understanding the Word of God.  Sin is like noise that will keep you from clearly hearing what the Scriptures are trying to say.  You need to quiet the noise that keeps your heart from hearing by getting rid of your sin.  

Third, a worldly heart will keep you from properly understanding the Scriptures.  In verse 14, you will see that those who are wrapped up in the affairs of this world have a hard time hearing God's Word. Christian, if your life is wrapped up in money, pleasure and possessions, then God's Word will be muffled, and you will not hear It clearly.  When you listen to the world more than you do to God, then you will find your heart having a hard time hearing what He wants you to do.  

Last, an honest heart is the answer to hearing God's Word correctly.  In verse 15, God talks about the "honest and good heart." When, in your heart, you desire to do right more than anything else, then God can clearly speak to you, and you will understand.  Until you come to the point when all you want to do is serve God, then God's Word will not be as clear to you as It should be.  

I ask you, what type of heart do you have? The determining factor of how clearly you hear and understand the Scriptures is determined by your heart.  Don't allow the world and sin to silence the voice of God's Word to your heart.  Get rid of sin so that your heart can clearly hear what God wants you to hear.