So Quickly Forgotten

5 Comments / November 14, 2023

A few months ago, I was reading an old commentary on the pastoral epistles by an author with the name of Homer Kent. When I turned to the back of the book, I saw a photo of a middle-aged man that looked a bit familiar. You see, by the time I was acquainted with who this man was, he was president of the college I was attending. I thought he was old and, if I am blatantly honest…pretty irrelevant. As a naive college student, I had zero appreciation for all he had accomplished (and written). And yet, here he had made this really helpful contribution to the Christian world long before I was even born.

But, my guess is that very few of you have ever heard his name. He lived, he worked for Jesus, and then he died. Some of his works live on, but they aren’t popular or considered classics. I doubt most of you have heard of them, either.

A few weeks back, we attended an event at the Christian school where our kids had attended high school. When our kids were there we were actively involved and knew lots and lots of faces. But five years after our youngest had graduated, we knew few people. And even fewer people cared if we were there or not. We had gone from being an active part of the school family to being completely irrelevant.

Around the time of these two happenings, I saw an Instagram reel that talked about how we won’t be remembered in a hundred years. We are all so quickly forgotten. Even celebrities aren’t really remembered all that much. Do you know or care who was a movie star in the 1940s? Fame and popularity are just so fleeting, on whatever level we have it (national, community, church, school).

And, in fact, even our descendants will probably know very little about us. I know so little about my great-grandparents and next to nothing about my great-great grandparents other than their names. And I’d even have to think hard about that.

We live and we die and we are quickly forgotten.

And while this Instagram reel was focused on the joy of the daily life and encouraged it’s listeners to stop worrying about the things that are so temporary (“If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it”), I want to take a moment and consider this beyond even that wise advice.

What I write here today won’t matter to most people in the world. And, in fact, even few Christians will read this or care about it. And if the Lord tarries for another hundred years, this will have probably gone the way of many other written words through the centuries. With this in mind, it changes my perspective and my priorities.

And, yet the fruit of my labors may live on. The fruit of your labors, as well. If a person turns to Christ, it changes their legacy for forever. If a person’s life is changed through their study of the Word, they have an eternal impact on their families and co-workers and whoever God brings into their lives.

And I am, once again, reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 and Colossians 3:1-4. These verses remind us that we want to think on things above and build up our treasures there. If we can stay focused on this, then we can weather disappointing responses or hurtful remarks. We can handle rejection or just being ignored. We can stand strong through the antagonism and the hatred. Because these things are so temporary.

But as soon as we move our eyes to ourselves, we are so vulnerable. We get so entangled in our feelings and it strangles us and our effectiveness for Christ.

So let’s remember today what really matters and let’s encourage one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). While the world may so quickly forget us, the impact of our work for Christ will live on. May we keep doing the good works the Lord has prepared for us and embrace the opportunities He has given us to share the Gospel and support and encourage fellow believers.

Let’s point people to Christ. Let’s direct them to the Word. And let’s work through those unpleasant and very temporary feelings we may experience as we work, through keeping our eyes on things eternal.

And, may we remember: While our names may be quickly forgotten on earth, the impact of our works for Christ will leave a lasting legacy on the families that turn to Christ and walk with Him because of our courage to speak up and our obedience to serve Christ instead of self.

To God be the Glory!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Do You Know What You Believe About Israel and the End Times?

1 Comment / November 11, 2023

There is a lot going on in Israel these days. And there has been since its modern inception in 1948. This ancient people group and its goings-on are often at the center of the news. Is their biblical significance to this?

Over the past several years, I have been on my own journey regarding this topic. Because the view that believes in a future for Israel has come to be viewed with antagonism and condescension, I had to start to do some digging to answer the question: Is what I believe actually what the Bible teaches? Or am I just following the traditions of my childhood? And my study led me to a very definite conclusion: A resounding YES! Without a doubt, the Bible teaches in such detail and so clearly the truths I learned in my childhood regarding the future of Israel and also of this world.

I’ve been meaning to write about it but just not taken the time to do so. As my daughter (found on social media at Anchor for the Soul) and I have spent a lot of time discussing what the Bible says regarding the future of Israel, she finally decided to do her own research and write about it. As I’ve done in the past, I have asked her if I can re-post what she wrote here on the blog. I know many of you follow her on social media but I also know that some of you don’t have social media and I also believe this content is easier to share, save, and print from a blog post.

At the very least, I hope that you will spend some time reading what she has written. Everything she writes has been confirmed by my own personal study of this topic (which I have studied in-depth, as mentioned above).

As Jess was preparing this, one particular conversation stands out. We were discussing all she was learning and her eyes lit up as she expressed her joy and awe at discovering the truth for herself in God’s Word. I, too, have discovered this same joy and awe. There is nothing like it! Please, please, please do your own study of this topic. Don’t take our word for it! Study the Bible with an open mind and a literal perspective. And then study the miraculous history of the Jews. And then perhaps take some time to study the dubious beginnings of the opposite view. And when you do these things, I promise you that you, too, will be filled with joy and awe at our great God who plans and carries out those plans in such detail as to leave no doubt that He is in control and what He says will come to pass! It’s so amazing!

I hope what is written here will be a blessing to you. This can be a jumping off point for your own study, as a short post like this could only ever touch the surface of so large a topic. Eschatology (what the Bible teaches about the last days) is an extremely important topic and we really should know what the Bible teaches about it as we navigate the chaotic and confusing Christianity of today.

There’s been a lot of buzz recently on social media surrounding the nation of Israel. And I’m sure there’s quite a few of you who don’t know what you believe when it comes to Israel and eschatology. What is covenant theology? What is dispensational theology? Is God finished with Israel? Does the land have any significance at all? Has the church taken Israel’s place? Why does it even matter? This post is for you. I’m going to attempt to give a crash course in the differences between covenant theology and dispensational theology. And then I’m going to give you a few things to consider before choosing either one.

I’m sure many will accuse me of oversimplifying. And, to a certain extent, I am. There’s only so much I can cover in a post like this. But I’ve seen post after post from the perspective of covenant theology and very little from any other point of view. My goal is to simply offer another perspective and help those of you who have no clue where to begin. I hope this is a starting point for you in studying the topic for yourself.

This post really isn’t for those of you already in the covenant theology camp. I don’t really expect to change your mind. And you aren’t going to change mine, either. My study on the topic in preparation for this post has only solidified my position even more. I hope that this post is gracious in its approach because I know there are many brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with me on this topic. Please be gracious in return.

First things first. What am I even talking about?

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘:

Dispensationalism sees the Bible as the progress of revelation from creation to consummation, with a focus on how God works through distinct stages. The definition of dispensation is simply “ a system of order.”

Dispensational theology teaches that there are two distinct peoples of God: Israel and the Church. God has one plan of salvation (grace through faith alone) throughout all time. The believing remnant from among Israel is saved by faith just as the true Church is saved by faith. But Israel is not the Church and the promises to national Israel have not been transferred to the Church. The promises God made to them in the Old Testament (covenants, land, descendants, blessings) will still be fulfilled literally.

Dispensationalism is committed to a literal interpretation of Scripture from beginning to end. So there will be a literal, one thousand year kingdom. We are not in that kingdom now. Therefore, Dispensational theology is also premillennial, meaning they believe that the millennium is still coming. The promises made to Israel will be fulfilled during that time. Jesus Christ will rapture His church and then bring judgement upon Israel (a literal tribulation with a literal antichrist) and ultimately bring them to repentance. He will literally rule for a thousand years from the throne of David in Jerusalem, fulfilling the many Messianic prophecies that were not fulfilled in His first coming.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘:

Covenant theology sees the Bible through the lens of covenant, specifically the unfolding and expansion of God’s covenant of grace. It emphasizes continuity and claims that there are three covenants and one people. These covenants are the covenant of redemption (pre-creation), the covenant of works, (pre-fall), and the covenant of grace (post-fall). The covenant of grace is at work in every covenant in the Bible after the fall.

Covenant theology presumes that Jesus is the true Israel and God now accepts all those who place their faith in Him as Israel. Essentially, Israel was the Church in the Old Testament and the Church is Israel in the New Testament. The Church is understood as the culmination of Old Testament prophecies about blessings for Israel and receives them all spiritually.

Those who hold to Covenant theology would say that the kingdom was ushered in when Christ came to earth and is a present, spiritual reality. They believe the tribulation is also an ongoing reality in the present age. History will end at Christ’s second coming and the eternal state will begin. So they are amillennial because they reject the view that Jesus will physically reign on earth in a literal kingdom for one thousand years. They don’t believe in a rapture.

(Postmillennialism, in contrast, believes that Jesus will return after the Church has established His kingdom here on earth. The world will become better and “Christianized” through the influence of the Church. Most covenant theologists are not postmillennial, but the belief system has certainly paved the way for the view. You can’t be postmillennial without believing that the Church has replaced Israel.)

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃:

If I’ve heard the argument once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. “Dispensationalism only emerged in the 1800’s with that silly Darby guy. Church history stands on our side. Therefore, we’re right.”

First, is this claim true?

No. Chiliasm was the predominant viewpoint in the 1st-3rd centuries AD. It held a premillennial, literal view of Israel and the kingdom. Papias and Irenaeus both held this view, and both had a historical connection to the apostle John. Others include Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Methodius, and Lactanius.

Gentile leaders within the church began to reject Chiliasm as time went on. Augustine, influenced by his antisemitism and the gnostic belief that matter was evil, rejected any Biblical future for Israel and the idea of a literal kingdom on earth. To do so, he allegorized the book of Revelation and the promises made to Israel. Augustine’s influence shaped theology more than any other since the apostle Paul, and by the fourth century, amillennialism was the predominant view.

Do you think that the early church (who was directly influenced by John’s teaching) and those closely associated with him would have a correct understanding of what John meant by the millennium? Or do we think Augustine (who had no connection to the apostle John) had the better view, influenced by his hatred of the Jews and Gnosticism? Is Augustine our finally authority? Why?

The Catholic church distorted many key doctrines taught by the early church. The Protestant reformers began to clarify these doctrines, beginning with faith by grace alone. Few studied eschatology, most simply reverted back to Augustine’s view. Calvin, for example, wrote on every New Testament book except Revelation. Premillennialism never disappeared, though. John Bunyan, Thomas Brightman, Joseph Meade, Cotton Mather, Isaac Watts and Thomas Goodwin are just a few examples.

By the 1800’s, the doctrine of eschatology was finally studied on a larger scale (especially the book of Daniel) and clarified. And yes, Darby did play a role in this, among other men. Premillennialism became the dominant view for much of the 20th century, especially after Israel was miraculously gathered in 1948.

Secondly, does church history always prove something to be true?

No. Scripture always assumes priority over church history in regard to our beliefs. Pointing to the fact that the church was amillennial for much of its history does not automatically mean that it’s the correct view. Catholicism preached faith by works for nearly a thousand years. Would you have told Martin Luther he was wrong for standing on Scripture instead of on what the church taught historically? Church history is helpful, yes. But the Bible is always our final authority. Don’t prove your point with what other men have to say. Prove your point with the Bible.

————

Covenant theology is very popular. Dispensationalism is viewed as silly, backward, unintelligent. But here are 9 things you must consider before jumping on the bandwagon of covenant theology:

𝟏. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜

Covenant theology requires you to allegorize some portions of Scripture while using the historical-grammatical interpretation for others. Passages referring to national Israel, the millennium, and end times are interpreted allegorically while almost everything else is interpreted using the historical-grammatical method. Who are they to choose which passages are interpreted one way or the other?

So far, Biblical prophetic Scriptures have been fulfilled in accordance with the historical-grammatical method of interpretation, not the allegorical method.

Jesus really was pierced. He really was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He literally rode on a donkey. The wise men followed a literal star. He really was in the grave for three days. He was born in Bethlehem. They literally cast lots on his garments. He was literally sold for thirty pieces of silver. I could go on and on.

Why do we think other prophecies (like the millennium and the tribulation) are fulfilled allegorically? And if they are, how do we know which ones are literally fulfilled and which spiritually or symbolically? All prophecies about the first coming were literal but all the prophecies about his second are symbolic? Unlikely.

𝟐. 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Covenant theology depends for its credibility upon theological covenants with virtually no exegetical proof. The covenant of grace cannot be found directly in Scripture. It’s simply a theological inference. And so the covenant of grace becomes the hermeneutical lens from which they view the rest of Scripture. Its inferences built on inferences.

The Covenant of redemption (a covenant between the trinity) and the covenant of works (a covenant between God and Adam) are also not found in Scripture.

In Covenant theology, the New Testament must be used to interpret the Old Testament. It denies the Old Testament its own perspicuity, integrity, and inspired revelation. Their interpretations veto the plain sense of Old Testament text. They create massive discontinuities all in the name of the demanded continuity of their covenant of grace and one-people of God concept. (which isn’t found in Scripture in the first place)

𝟑. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥?

Here are just a few:

Earthly Land – Gen. 12:7, 15:7-21, 28:13, Deut. 30:1-9, Isa. 62:1-5, 63:15-17, Jer. 3:18, Joel 2:21-24, Zeph. 3:15-20, Zech.14:8-21

Peace and Prosperity – Isa. 2:1-5, 11:1-10, 26:1-4, 12, 30:15-26, 32:15-17, 35:1-10, 55:1-14, Mic. 4:1-7, Ezek. 36:33-36, Hos. 2:14-23, Joel 3:16-21, Amos 9:11-15

Israel to be the Head Nation and Jerusalem the Top City – Deut. 26:19, 28:13, Joel 3:17, Jer. 23:5-8, Isa. 62:1-5, Zech. 8:20-23, 14:16-21)

A King on David’s Throne — Psa. 89:1-4, 28-37, Isa. 9:6-7, Jer. 3:14-18, Jer. 23:5, 30:8-9, 33:14-26, Ezek. 37:15-28, Zech. 12:6-9, 13:1

Perpetual Priesthood – Num. 25:11-11-13, Psa. 106:30-31, Jer. 33:20-22, Ezek. 37:25-28, 40-48, Zech. 8:12-13, 14:16-21, Mal. 3:3-4

Gathering of rebellious Israel – Isa. 11:11-12, Jer 30:3, 31:6-9

Covenant theology would say that the Church has absorbed and appropriated the Old Testament prophecies and promises for Israel. One people, elect in the Old and New Testament, inheriting the heavenly promises of Christ.

But what do you do with the promises that don’t fit into that framework, like those above? Physical land, literal throne of David, gathering of a rebellious people, millennial reign. You have to make them “types” or “shadows” of spiritual realities.

“When the plain makes sense, make no other sense” seems an obvious approach to interpreting the Bible. Not so when it comes to Covenant theology and these hundreds of promises and prophecies made to and about Israel.

𝟒. 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬?

In the Old Testament, God promised that Israel would be cursed for their disobedience. Chastening, slaughter, evil kings, and exile. Was this fulfilled literally? Absolutely.

And yet the promised blessings are spiritual and for the church? If national Israel received the promised cursing literally, will they not also receive the promised blessings literally?

“The scattering was literal; so also will be the gathering. The pulling down of Zion was literal; so also will be the building up. The rejection of Israel was literal; so also will be the restoration.” – J.C. Ryle

𝟓. 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 & 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

It is clear that Israel specifically is to endure God’s judgement in the end (Jeremiah 30:7, Zec 13:1-9, Rev. 7:4-8) and yet the Church is not appointed to wrath and the judgement that is to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9). How can both of these be true if Israel is the Church and the Church is Israel?

𝟔. 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝

Revelation 20 is clear that Satan is bound during the thousand years. Is Satan bound now? Does he wield any power on earth right now? Of course he does! Then how can we be in the thousand year kingdom in this present age, either literally or figuratively?

𝟕. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑?

The Church takes center stage in the Bible beginning in Acts 2. This continues until Revelation 3. After that, the Church is never mentioned again (Revelation 4-22) and Israel takes center stage. Why? Because the Church has been raptured! If the New Covenant revealed that the Church and Israel are one and the same, why switch back to using the word Israel after Revelation 3?

𝟖. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥

How do you explain that Israel is the only surviving people group from Bible times? How do you explain how they were miraculously gathered back into the promised land (according to prophecy)? How do you explain the hatred of the nations toward them (according to prophecy)? How do you explain their survival as a nation while surrounded by powerful enemies? Is it really all a coincidence? None of it makes sense apart from the Bible.

How about all the prophecy you can see being fulfilled literally right before our eyes? A literal apostasy of the Church, the technology, the stage being set for the antichrist and everything the Bible tells us he’s going to do? It’s undeniable if you open your eyes to see it.

𝟗: 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟗 & 𝟏𝟏

I wish I had more time to go into Romans 9 & 11. But it’s clear that there are two distinct groups of people in that passage. If Israel and the Church were the same, this is where Paul would have told us. We can be sons of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:6-9) without being the same as Israel. There is clear distinction for the offspring of Jacob (Isaiah 65:9, Jeremiah 46:21) and that’s why the tribulation is called “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)

———–

The burden of proof is on Covenant theology. Show us. Where does it say the Church is Israel? How do you determine which passages are allegory and which are literal? How do you explain your assumption that God equivocates and breaks his non-conditional covenants?

These are things you must consider and questions you have to answer before picking one side or the other. I think it’s obvious. But study it for yourself! Message me if you’d like some of the articles, sermons, and resources I used in preparing this post.

I’ll leave you with this quote by J.C. Ryle written long before Israel became a nation in 1948:

“𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐚𝐡, 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐡, 𝐄𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐥, 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐚, 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥, 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐬, 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐡, 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐡, 𝐙𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐡, 𝐙𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝. 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝.”

Diagnosing and Curing Itchy Ear

4 Comments / November 1, 2023

2 Timothy is the final book that Paul wrote before being executed under the evil rule of Nero. It is full of practical wisdom and much exhortation for Timothy and for any believer who would read it throughout the ages. In chapter three Paul describes what the last days would look like. This description was not about what we would see in the world but about what would take place within the professing church.

As he moves to chapter four, he continues to let us know what would be the natural response of those he is describing in chapter three:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3)

When true believers come to this passage we often shake our heads in agreement and feel deep sadness at all of “those” people who are doing this very thing. We see them everywhere.

But today I’d like to take a bit of a different turn and think through this verse with a different lens.

Have you ever talked with someone about something and came away thinking, “they are so blind!” This might be a godly person who really wants to live for the Lord. But, for some reason, they can’t see their own sinfulness in a certain area or the truth about a false teacher or some other truth that is clear. Could this be because they have a slight case of itchy ear?

According to 2 Timothy 4, verse 3, there are a few ways we can diagnose itchy ear. Let’s look at them now–

1. We won’t endure sound doctrine. If we aren’t willing to endure sound doctrine in any particular area, then we probably have at least a slight case of itchy ear. What exactly is sound doctrine? In this context, it is the pure teaching of the Word. If we aren’t willing to submit and obey the Word in all areas, it will lead to a definite case of itchy ear.

But this is not always as cut and dried as we’d like to believe. Many of us will gladly obey most of the Bible. But when we get to a part that convicts us of entertainment, the lifestyle of anxiety or worry that has become our normal, or of giving up that long-held grudge and forgiving someone who deeply hurt us…well, that’s just too much to ask. And so we won’t endure that particular “sound doctrine”. This is a sure sign of itchy ear.

2. We only want to hear things that match our own desires. And so if someone brings something to our attention that we don’t care for–perhaps about a false teacher we love or a sin that is firmly entrenched in our lives– we will respond in one of two ways. We will get very defensive and maybe even a bit angry. Or we will just ignore it and go on with life. However we respond, we certainly won’t honestly examine our lives in regard to what is being said. Because we will choose not to hear what goes against our desires.

3. We will only like positive, uplifting teachers. If someone dares to call out sin, worldliness, or a false teacher (by name) we get all up in arms, declaring them to be negative, judgmental, and all sorts of other awful accusations. How dare they?!? And we conclude they must be the most unloving and unkind person we know.

4. We will turn away from truth and turn towards fables. The Shack is a rather old book by now but it is the perfect example of this very thing. This book (and its subsequent movie) presented a fable about God. It was not truth, according to scripture. And, yet, because so many loved the god that William Paul Young presented in his book, they turned away from the true God (as described in scripture) and embraced this false god. They turned away from truth and turned towards a fable. This is just one example. There are countless others and countless more to come. Satan loves to fool Christians. And he does it in such a way that it looks so good and so…right.

Do you have itchy ear? Even a slight case? Perhaps we all do to some extent. We don’t like to hear what is uncomfortable and demands change, do we? Change is hard and ingrained habits are hard to break. Teachers are much loved and the loyalty runs deep. Following hard after truth is not for the fainthearted and weak. And, yet, God can turn a fainthearted and weak person into someone willing to stand courageously in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit. But how?

How do we cure our case of itchy ear? How do we become someone who is willing to endure sound doctrine, willing to turn from our own desires in humble submission to God’s desires, willing to hear both the positive and the negative as we listen to teachers, and willing to turn toward truth and away from fables? How can we be sure to be the kind of listener that benefits our spiritual walk and blesses a biblical teacher?

There are a few things we can do. It’s rather simple really. But we can’t miss a step.

First, we must pray and read the Word. Let’s bring a humble spirit before the Lord, asking Him to show us the truth and to help us be willing to change. And then let’s read and study the Word with perseverance and diligence, so that we can know our God and what He desires.

Second, we must be willing to examine ourselves in light of the Word. Many of us live in a superficial way because we are unwilling to do this. And, I must admit, it is much easier to just live day to day as we endeavor to complete our to-do lists and take care of the many things calling our names. But, without taking the time to examine ourselves, we are opening ourselves up to a severe case of itchy ear, for it will sneak up on us when we least expect it.

Third, we must be willing to turn from our feelings. For many of us (myself included) the temptation is strong to let our feelings drive our lives. And so we don’t read our Bibles because we don’t feel like it. Or we turn on the TV and waste hours of time because we don’t feel like doing anything else. We don’t feel like reading hard books that help us grow but we feel like reading easy novels that fill our mind with fluff (at best) or trash (at worst). We make choices about going to church (oh, it was such a late night, let’s skip), we make choices about music (oh, this has such a catchy tune), we make choices about our children’s entertainment (but I don’t want to upset my child and take this way from her because then she might be mad at me) all based solely on how they make us feel. This will almost always lead to itchy ear.

With God’s help, we must move from making decisions based on feelings to making decisions based on what will please God. For a genuine believer that wants to live out their faith, no decision escapes this examination. Am I choosing this because of how it will make me feel or am I choosing it because I want to please the Lord? (I am convicting myself here!)

Fourth, we must be willing to listen to biblical teachers that will preach the whole word of God instead of those who just give us the positive, uplifting messages that make us feel good.

If we do these things, then we will cure our case of itchy ear, whether it be a severe case or just the slightest case. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be walking around with itchy ear, spiritually sick and weakened, when God has made a way for us to live out a radiant, vibrant faith as we journey through this darkened world!

But What About My Dreams?

2 Comments / October 24, 2023

We all have dreams and aspirations for this life. For some, they are BIG dreams of wealth and power or to travel the world. For others, the dreams may be simpler, such as to be married or to be a parent or to own a house. As we get older, we begin to recognize that we need to say good-bye to some of our dreams, as they just aren’t going to happen. Some of us find this out when we are young.

Does God care about our dreams, our desires, and the longings of our hearts?

We know He does because He cares for us. And, in fact, Psalm 37 tells us He will give us the desires of our hearts. So is there a condition for this promise?

There certainly is. But before we look at what that condition is, I want to share the story of a man by the name of Samuel Pearce.

Born in 1766, Samuel was saved at the age of 16. He was soon on fire for the Lord and his heart’s desire immediately was to go on the Mission Field. He made plans to sail to New Zealand for this purpose but those plans fell through. And so he became God’s hard-working and faithful servant right where he was.

However, the dream to go on the mission field never left him. And when he met William Carey (pioneer missionary to India), they became great friends. Soon he was making plans to join Carey in India. It was his heart’s burning desire to join Carey there. Surely, God wouldn’t deny this godly man his dream?

But God said no. And Samuel Pearce never did get to go to India.

Why was this godly man denied such a godly dream? Why wasn’t he able to go to India?

Let’s go back to Psalm 37:4 and read the entire verse–

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

There is a condition and that is we are to delight ourselves in the Lord. This is the condition to receiving the desires of our hearts. That is because, when we do this, our desires naturally change.

And so, Samuel Pearce chose to delight himself in His Lord and he surrendered his dream to God’s will. There was no bitterness or rancor in his heart. Oh, I am sure he questioned God but He also trusted His heavenly Father to know best and gave even this most holy dream over to God’s Sovereignty.

Samuel Pearce suffered from illness and died by the age of 33, never seeing India or any other part of the world. But He continued to serve God until that day. He never turned from God because he trusted God.

And this leads us back to our own dreams. Is it wrong to have dreams for our lives? Well, not necessarily (more about that later). But we need to surrender any dream or desire we may have to God’s will for our lives. His will may be different than ours and we need to accept that without bitterness and without resentment.

This is easier said than done, isn’t it? But it’s our only path to the peace that God promises. And, in fact, it’s our only path to the fulfillment of all God’s promises. We must surrender to His Sovereign will for our lives.

Oh, as usual, this is so much easier to write than to live out! We get upset at the smallest detour in our mundane plans. Perhaps the best way to prepare our hearts for the loss of our big dreams is to practice submitting to God’s Sovereignty without complaint in the small, everyday things.

And let’s not forget to thank God for those wonderful blessings He gives us and for the dreams we have had that have been fulfilled. He is a God full of lovingkindness and mercies. Psalm 103:1-5 reminds us of this–

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

So what about my dreams? Is there anything wrong with having a dream for my life? Well, that depends.

If our dreams and aspirations for our lives are completely self-centered and selfish, then…yes. God clearly tells us in His Word that when we are redeemed, our priorities change. We are living for Him and not for ourselves. But if our desires are not born out of our own selfish agenda, then…no. Nothing wrong with these.

But, no matter what it is we long for, we need to surrender this to our heavenly Father, trusting that He knows best and remembering that He loves us more than we can even imagine!

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly. 

O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:11-12)

You can be encouraged by the life of Samuel Pearce and also by the lives of others godly Christians in the book Sound of Trumpets by Faith Cook. I highly recommend it.

It’s Simple Really

4 Comments / October 18, 2023

This morning as I studied my Bible, I got to thinking about something I heard yesterday in a sermon. Basically the thought was that false doctrines and teachings arise out of our lusts (for sin and for the world). This struck me profoundly.

The Bible’s message is actually pretty easy to understand. Sure, there are a few areas that are hard and we can’t really “get”. But, generally, it’s actually pretty understandable. The Bible clearly shows that we are lost sinners without hope and that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone through grace alone. There are NO works we can do to merit favor with God. It also clearly shows the terrible eternal destiny of those who reject Christ. Our call, as genuine believers, to please God, to turn from sin and worldly lusts and passions, to deny ourselves, to die to self, to call out false teachers, to expect persecution and antagonism for following the truth, and to turn from man’s vain philosophies (such as so-called “science”)… all these things are very plainly expressed.

So what is the problem?

The problem is that we want to “feed our flesh”. Oh, that awful flesh. It gets us into so much trouble. The old man wars with our new man and we can so easily lay our weapons down and stop fighting (i.e. rationalize and excuse our sin and worldliness away) if we but take a few verses out of context here or twist a verse or two there. And that’s how false doctrine is born.

As those who want to sincerely follow Christ, we must pray and ask God to open our eyes where we may be blind. We must ask Him to help us to follow the truth no matter the cost. This is a frightening prayer, isn’t it? And, yet, to be caught up in deception has far, far worse consequences than knowing the truth.

I was studying 2 Timothy 2 this morning and verses 3 and 4 of that chapter give us some guidance on how following the truth is even possible–

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

So, according to Paul, here in this chapter, we are to–

Endure hardship.

Remember that we are a soldier and God is our Captain (which means we are in a war!)

Do not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life.

And there you have it: Three critical ways in which we must follow God’s Word, if we are to keep from being deceived and confused.

This is so much harder to live out than it is to write. The costs of following after God and His Word are very real and can be very painful. They can cost you relationships, material gain, jobs and careers, your beloved church home, and any other number of things.

But we must remember that it is worth it. Oh, so worth it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in another epistle–

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul tells us all is rubbish when compared to the treasure of knowing Christ. May we remember this as we travel in the confusing landscape that makes up modern day Christianity.

Following God is simple really. But it isn’t easy.

Our Plan of Action for the Last Days

6 Comments / October 16, 2023

In 2 Timothy 3 we find out what the world will look like in the last days —

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (meaning: without restraint), fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

While the world has always been evil, the convergence of last days signs that evidence themselves as we study prophetical passages like this one, has overwhelmingly confirmed that the last days are upon us now. How long they will last, we have no way of knowing, so we can’t make predictions or set dates. But this passage, along with other passages that give descriptions of what the end of this current age will look like, would certainly seem to confirm that they have begun.

This chapter goes on to share some very important information regarding these days, which includes our expectation of persecution as we try to stand against the “form of godliness that denies the power thereof” (otherwise known as fake Christianity).

But at the end of this chapter, Paul gives our plan of action as true believers as we endeavor to stand strong against the tidal wave of wickedness and apostasy–

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Someone pointed out to me a year or two ago that this verse we are all so familiar with and many of us have memorized: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (verse 16 of 2 Timothy 4) was written specifically after the rest of the chapter. The verse, in its context, gives us our plan of action for such a time as this. Paul shows us what we must cling to as we endure these perilous last days.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded, through a variety of events and conversations, of the danger of loving the world (and fostering our kids’ love for the world) while relegating God’s Word to the background or even to discount it completely. The world is eating Christians alive and, yet, those who call themselves Christians continue to feed on it and follow after worldly passions and dreams. Why is this?

I believe it is because God’s Word is not valued nor are those who call themselves Christians willing to follow the difficult parts that are within its pages.

In many churches and families, the Bible has become an afterthought, at best, and outdated and unnecessary, at worst. Many preachers insert a verse here or there to support their own opinions. Many parents care more about grades and sports than they do about the eternal destiny of their precious children. Throughout all walks of life, people who call themselves Christian live their lives without any love for God’s Holy Word.

This is leaving a generation (or perhaps two or three!) floating in a sea of non-absolutes, setting their hearts on worldly pursuits and passions… and utterly devoid of truth and completely severed from the anchor God has so kindly given us.

We cannot control the choices of others. While we can point people to God’s Word as He gives us opportunity, we cannot change hearts and minds. But we can choose, ourselves, this very day, to follow God’s plan of action and to ground ourselves in His Word. It’s a serious and urgent thing, this grounding ourselves in the Holy Scriptures. We are so susceptible to Satan’s subtle tricks and so vulnerable to worldly lusts without it.

I am so thankful God gave us the Bible and how He specifically reminds us in 2 Timothy 3 that our job is to continue strong in the faith and to remember the importance of His Word as we are blasted on every side with apostasy, deception, and wickedness. And as we do this, we can rest assured that–

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

So let’s not be discouraged and anxious but let’s keep ourselves immersed in God’s Word, remembering that it has the answers we need, no matter what challenge, trial, or conundrum we face today.

The Missing Earring

4 Comments / October 10, 2023

I was vacuuming the other day when I spotted something shiny on the carpet. I reached down to pick it up and realized it was a favorite earring. I have a rather bad habit of putting my earrings in the back corner of the fourth or fifth step so that I can grab them on my way upstairs. Up to this point, that had worked just fine.

That is…until Dixie came along. Our Labrador Retriever puppy gets into everything and I had grown a bit lazy with keeping the gate across the steps. I knew right away that she had found them.

But there was only one earring lying there. Where was the other one?

I briefly scanned the floor, the path to the steps, and the steps and then started to panic a bit. Had she eaten it? She must have eaten it!

I made the assumption that somehow (and for some unknown reason) she had eaten my earring. I started thinking about the size of it, trying to discern if we were going to be dealing with a pet emergency. I was also more than a little disappointed to lose a pair of earrings I actually cared about (there aren’t many that I would care about).

As I stood there, my husband came in the house and asked what was wrong. I cried out in dismay that Dixie had eaten one of my favorite earrings. He wisely cautioned me not to panic and to take some more time to look.

So I went back over the path from the steps to where I had found the earring. Nothing there. And then I stood at the steps and really looked at each one. The earring blended in with the carpet, which made it a bit harder to find. My eyes carefully searched each step. Reaching the bottom step, I finally saw the small piece of jewelry winking up at me.

How had I missed it the first time? I realized that it was because I was already assuming that Dixie ate it so I didn’t expect to find it.

I’ve been thinking about how this incident can teach us a variety of lessons regarding discerning the truth in a “Christian” culture filled with lies.

1. Laziness is dangerous. The whole problem with the earrings began because I couldn’t be bothered to shut the gate to the stairs. So many issues begin because we aren’t willing to do a little background work on that author that our best friend recommended or the Instagram account that our sister insists is just great. It’s just easier to go off someone’s recommendation, isn’t it? But we can’t do that anymore. We need to carefully make sure that this person recommended is someone that lines up with scripture. We can’t afford to be lazy.

2. Assumptions are rarely helpful. My assumption that the earring had been eaten kept me from seeing the truth: The earring was still on the steps. Only when I opened my mind to the possibility that I might find it, could my eyes see the actual truth of what really was. Oh, how similar this is to us in real life! Whether we assume someone is a biblical teacher or we assume someone is not a biblical teacher, we cannot fairly make an assessment until we compare something they have said, done, or written to scripture. We need to be open to the possibility that we are wrong in our assumption. It is critically important that God’s Word be our litmus test for ALL things. It is our only certain anchor in the midst of the religious chaos we find ourselves in.

3. We need to pay attention. I could have vacuumed that earring right up. Thankfully, my eye caught the little shiny object before I heard that familiar “clank clank” in the vacuum tube. But so often, in life, we don’t spot that lie before it’s too late. It’s so important that we become familiar with some of the common red flags that signal a false teacher OR a teacher that is moving away from solid biblical doctrine. (I wrote about some of these red flags we can be looking for in this post.)

4. We need to be teachable. When my husband encouraged me to keep looking for the earring, I could have just ignored him or even told him to “stop being so optimistic”, assuring him it was a lost cause. But, instead, in this instance (I don’t always respond like this!), I heard what he said and I followed his advice. I was so glad I did. I think so often when someone tells us something that goes against our assumptions or the thoughts already so firmly embedded in our minds, we just don’t want to hear what they have to say that might not agree with those assumptions and thoughts. BUT what if they are right? What if that person we so dearly love to follow is compromised? We have much so much to gain by at least checking into what they might be saying and so much to lose by not checking. It’s a win win situation. If they are biblical, we have lost nothing but a little time. If they aren’t biblical, we have saved ourselves from imbibing false teaching and straying off the narrow path.

I don’t know if this is helpful. I’ve noticed a real change in the “Christian” culture over the past few years. It seems to me that you are either someone who is already aware of what I wrote above or you are someone who doesn’t see the importance of what I wrote above and do not care. There just do not seem to be many in between anymore.

But, I know that God is still working on the hearts of His children, one by one. And so I hope that this will be an encouragement and blessing to someone out there today.

A Choice Not to Be Made Lightly

1 Comment / October 3, 2023

Can you remember back to your dating years? Did you ever date someone who said with their mouth that they still loved you, but their actions showed something quite different? They said one thing, but their actions contradicted their words. In your heart, you knew this. Even though you’d try to talk yourself into not believing what you knew to be true.

We’ve all heard the saying that “actions speak louder than words”. And this is true. What we believe to be true will be shown by our choices and decisions. Anyone can say anything. Anyone can profess to believe anything. The truth of their words is evidenced by their actions.

If this is true in a human dating relationship, how much more true must this be when we are examining our relationship with God. There are quite a few things scripture says will evidence true faith. Such as loving God and obeying His commands; loving others; loving the Word of God; living in the Spirit and producing good spiritual fruit; and others. None of us will do these perfectly (of course!) but we will be seeking to live this life described in scripture if we have been saved from our sin and are God’s redeemed child.

I’ve been thinking a lot these past few weeks about one very specific evidence the Bible gives of a true believer–

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

We do not get to be friends with God AND with the world. We have to choose. And, although we may not have made an intentional choice, our choice is made clear by our actions.

Do I choose God or do I choose the world?

The world, with its glittery temptations and its promise of acclaim and popularity, looks so appealing. Its entertainment; its trends and fads; its philosophies on life (marriage, parenting, careers, wealth, church, etc); its advice and counsel; its theories on the origin of the world or regarding the value of life–all of these things are generally in direct contradiction to God and His Word.

If we love God, we should at least be asking the question, right? Will this choice move me toward God or away from God? Will this prove my friendship with God or will it give evidence that I love the world more?

Because we are one or the other: A friend of God or a friend of the world. Because the Bible says we can’t be both.

The thing is this…

Our flesh loves the world. And so, while it seems cut and dried, it’s just not as cut and dried as we’d like, is it? We struggle with our desires and sometimes we give in to the temptation.

So how do we know that we have chosen God over the world?

I believe it is in the awareness that there is a battle raging to win our hearts to the world and away from God. A genuine believer is aware of this battle and is seeking to be God’s friend rather than the world’s. They want to avoid being God’s enemy at all costs.

It’s because we know that loving the world not only proves we aren’t really God’s but it also functions as poison, hardening our consciences and killing any holiness that is growing in us.

My brother, Pastor Dean Good, gives a helpful analogy (listen to him explain it here). He explains that holiness is like a banana plant. We can’t manufacture it by following instructions. It comes through a life that is being transformed by Jesus Christ. And as that plant grows, we have the opportunity to grow it or to crush it. Worldliness crushes that plant. It pours poison on that tender plant that is growing towards Christ.

So worldliness for the true believer stymies our growth and hinders our holiness. As believers, we really need to be aware of this and be evaluating our lives constantly for how our love for the world is seeping into our lives through all avenues.

But a love for the world can also function as a barometer that we can use to test if we are truly saved. If we say we love God but we are still filled with the love of the world and have no interest in giving up what we love in order to please God, we should rightly examine our hearts.

(Parenthetically…If you are worried about your salvation, I want to encourage you to study your Bible to understand what true Christianity is and to get to know the real Jesus. The fake version with its counterfeit Jesus has led to so many false conversions and given assurance of salvation where there should be none. Jesus will never leave or forsake His own, but it is critical we determine our eternal status based on God’s Word and not on what modern day Christianity is telling us.)

We cannot be friends with the world and with God. We will either love one or the other. It’s not a popular concept these days but the Bible could not possibly make it any clearer.

I am thankful for God’s grace in this area. And I offer much grace to you, my reader, as you seek the Lord in this area of your life. So often, we can see some spiritual truth, while completely missing another one. I know how blinded I was for so long in some areas of worldliness. I recognize that I am still so blind in other areas.

The key is not to be looking around at others but to be examining our own lives, praying that God will open our eyes to how we have succumbed to our desire to be friends with the world. And then being willing to surrender that which we know is pouring poison on our plant of holiness.

And so this choice to love God or to love the world should not be made lightly. We must consider the cost. For to love the world causes great damage to the believer, even when they are aware of the battle and fighting against it. But to love the world and not even be aware of the raging battle indicates a real problem in the life of someone who claims to be saved. Because the Bible says that being a friend of the world means that we are the enemy of God.

Words not to be taken lightly. And a choice not to be made lightly.

Do You Want to Feel Better or to See Better?

3 Comments / September 27, 2023

The other day I was listening to a Lamplighter Theatre story and the introduction had a young boy who was quite distraught over recent news. He had gone to visit an older gentleman to talk and expressed his hope that he would help him feel better. The man laughed and said this profound thing:

I won’t help you feel better but I do hope I can help you see better.

I have been thinking on this ever since. How many of us prefer to feel better than to see better? We’d rather be blind and feel good, than to have clear vision and experience some pain in the process.

The pastor’s job is to help his congregation to see better. He is to preach the word, in and out of season–

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Many preachers (and authors and song-writers and popular social media personalities) refuse to do this because it is not what their listeners want. Their listeners want to feel good. Right now.

Paul tells us to expect that this time will come. Right after writing “Preach the Word!” in 2 Timothy 4, he writes this-

 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

He knew that eventually the visible church (as opposed to the remnant genuine church) would eventually turn completely apostate in order to take part in bringing in the antichrist. Paul gave us warning signs of what that would look like throughout his epistles. One of these warning signs is that people who claim to be Christians would be obsessed with hearing things that they want to hear; things that would make them feel better temporarily but that would be based on fables.

Instead of hearing the things that they needed to hear–things that would make them see better but wouldn’t necessarily make them feel better–they’d choose to believe fables and lies.

As we watch this happening around us–perhaps even in the lives of those we care about– it is important that we examine our own lives. What is our goal when we read the Word or listen to a godly preacher? Is it to feel better or is it to see better?

I think something really important to remember as we consider this is that, while we may not feel better in the moment, the good feelings will come. God promises peace and joy and these are not empty promises. When we surrender our will to God’s and when we choose to obey His commands in scripture, feelings of peace and joy do come.

As a friend once told me: Our feelings should function as the caboose and not the engine as we decide what will drive our decisions and choices. Feelings generally follow after our right choices.

We can compare it to a doctor who must administer bad-tasting medicine or painfully dig out an infection that has set in in a wound. These things do not feel good when they are happening but, in the long run, they make us feel so much better. What would we think of a doctor that just bandaged an infected wound, rather than to deal with the real issue? And, yet, this is so often how spiritual infections are treated by preachers and teachers. They don’t want to hurt or offend anyone so they never get around to lovingly telling their hearers the plain truth of scripture.

We may not like what we are reading or hearing from the Word and it may not make us “feel better” in the moment, but if we choose to submit to and obey God’s Word, we will see better. We will not only be given correct perspective but we will begin to understand why it is so important. And…eventually…we will feel better as we honor the Lord with our lives.

So what are you looking for when you study scripture or listen to a preacher? To feel better or to see better?

What matters to you most? That you are happy? Or that you are holy?

I am afraid many of the lies will reap eternal ramifications. We must pray for protection from the abundant lies around us that sound so very appealing. May we not grab on to any of these simply to feel better temporarily. For in the long run, an infection that is not cut out will kill you.

He Helped Us Sing

8 Comments / September 12, 2023

Five years ago this month, I found out that my sister-in-law’s cancer had returned. For the next year and a half she, along with her husband and daughter, walked the path that no one wants to walk but so many are forced to. Through that time, they were beacons of God’s light, attesting to His tender care as He met their needs and provided so many kind mercies. My sister-in-law’s emails consistently pointed to God and to His precious care for her as she took her journey to meet Him. Their testimony will forever be a light and encouragement in the hearts of those that watched them walk through this. But, unless you knew them personally or read what I wrote during that time (you can read that here) or listened to her memorial service (you can listen to that here), you wouldn’t be aware of this. To most, my dear sister-in-law and her battle with cancer were unknown.

A couple of years after she passed away, I reached out to an online pastor friend whom I hadn’t heard from in a long time. Unbeknownst to me, he and his wife were taking the same journey my brother and his wife had taken so shortly before. I asked to be put on their update list and found that their emails, too, attested to God’s constant faithfulness, His sufficient grace, and His kind and abundant mercies as they faced so many trials and tribulations. Their response to this unforeseen, overwhelming trial and their consequent testimony was so similar to that of my brother and sister-in-law. All four of these dear brothers and sisters in Christ were so encouraging and inspiring at a time when it would have seemed impossible. Only God could provide the strength and sufficient grace to walk this path.

The pastor’s wife passed away at the beginning of 2022 and a year later, he wrote a book about their journey. As you are well aware if you’ve been around here for any length of time, I do not tend to write book reviews. And I never write reviews for compensation. It is important that you know that I purchased this book and am writing about the book because I think you would benefit from it and not because of any benefit to me or to the author of the book.

In the book, the author shares the emails he sent, along with other details and insight that he could look back on and add. It is a source of great encouragement, not only to those walking through deep waters, but also to those who may be wavering in the faith, wondering if God is really real or if He actually cares about them.

I thought about sharing some quotes from the book but I think I am going to let you discover its wonderful content all on your own. I do not recommend books lightly (as you probably already know) and I whole-heartedly recommend this one. I know that you will be encouraged and strengthened in the Faith as you read. Due to some extenuating circumstances, the author decided, along with his family, to use a pen name and to change all names. In the book, you will meet “Justin and Courtney”. And you will be greatly blessed by them.

The one thing I will share here is a letter that was written by Courtney, shortly after the diagnosis. This will give you an idea of their attitude going into this journey (you can find the letter here)–

Dear Friends and Family, 

By now you know about my cancer. It has happened so fast, but the Lord is with us and encouraging us. I want to ask two favours of you. 

First, this song (“We’re Going Home to Glory Soon”) got real. Please, listen to it, it is short: https://www .youtube.com/watch?v=xL7rDeNYwDY. I so want to see you over there. 

Second, can you join us, sometime this Sunday, in singing “Because He Lives”? If you don’t know it, you can play this and sing along: https://www .youtube.com/watch?v=Sm2wLKZoGPY. I know people around the world are receiving this, and it would be an encouragement to know that we are singing it together, because it answers everything. 

It hurts me when people blame God and say He hasn’t been fair. I know people mean well and say it out of love and affection. But please don’t say that, even to yourself. The song answers it. 

I don’t want people who care about me to be angry with God on my behalf. I love Him for everything He has done for me, and I want you to love Him, too. 

What is fair? If God were fair, He wouldn’t have sent Jesus to die, and rise again for me. If God were fair, I’d have “crossed that river” long ago, and I would be in Hell. 

But God did send His Son for a sinner like me, and He “bled and died to buy my pardon.” Now He lives and I will, too. I will be with Jesus who loves me so much, in Glory. I’m ok, I’m better than ok. 

I want to be honest with you. I’m afraid of “life’s final war with pain.” But it doesn’t matter if I’m a coward, the lights of Glory will still be there. They are there for me, not because of any good in me, but because He lives. Death will give way to victory, and I’m not going to lose that even if I’m afraid of the pain. Jesus guaranteed my victory. He lives, and so will I. 

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 

Do you believe that? I’m asking you if you do, but do you see that verse? Jesus asked it first. We believe it. That is what we count on. You can believe it, and if you do, we will see you over there. Please contact Justin if you need help in understanding. 

It appears I may not see many of you again unless it is “over there.” That only has to be sad if you aren’t going there. Please, come join us. 

Love, Courtney

Throughout their journey, they both kept this same attitude. Through the hard times, through the impossibly difficult, through the painful and sorrowful moments. Justin does not sugarcoat what they suffered. And, yet, through it all, is the thread of God’s peace and strength. He gave them what they needed to endure. He helped them to sing!

You can purchase the book here (least expensive option) or you can also purchase on Amazon here. You can find out more about the book here. I know that if you purchase the book, you will be blessed by it. No matter where you find yourself in your walk with God today, this book will deepen and strengthen your faith. It will help prepare you for that day when you or someone you love walks through that dark valley of the shadow of death.

I will conclude with Justin’s own words on the website–

I wish I could cure glioblastoma and this world’s other heart-wrenching ills. I can’t even offer the peace we had— it’s not mine to give. Perhaps, though, this book may help draw you a step closer to the God who fills hearts with peace beyond human understanding. There is no One better to have with you when your world turns upside down. He can help you sing too.

Oh, that we, too, may find out along with Justin and Courtney and Dean and Grace, that God will provide His all-sufficient grace, His abundant mercies, and His peace that surpasses understanding…exactly when we need it. He will help us sing, too!

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