12/28/20 WHAT’S NEW? #7 — Lamentations 3:22-23 (HCSB) Because of the LORD’s FAITHFUL LOVE we do not perish, for HIS MERCIES never end. 23 They are NEW every morning; great is Your FAITHFULNESS!

“FAITHFUL LOVE”: This Heb. word, used about 250 times in the OT, refers to God's gracious love. It is a comprehensive term that encompasses love, grace, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, truth, compassion, and faithfulness.

“HIS MERCIES never end. They are NEW every morning”: As bleak as the situation of judgment had become, God's covenant lovingkindness was always present (cf. vv. 31, 32), and His incredible faithfulness always endured so that Judah would not be destroyed forever (cf. Mal 3:6).

“great is Your FAITHFULNESS: The bedrock of faith is the reality that God keeps all His promises according to His truthful, faithful character. [adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible]

My former pastor Dr. Ron Herrod once said that he took some pictures to the camera shop to be developed (in the “old days”). When he received them, he saw one of himself that he thought didn’t look good. He told the clerk, “This picture doesn’t do me justice.” The man looked at the picture, then at Ron, and exclaimed, “Sir, you don’t need justice; what you need is MERCY!” And so it is with each of us! Thank the Lord that HIS MERCIES never run out; they are NEW every morning!

12/25/20 WHAT’S NEW? #6 — Luke 2:10-11 (HCSB) But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you GOOD NEWS of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

“GOOD NEWS” is “euangelizo” in NT Greek, from which we get “Evangelism!” “Great” is “mega-” and “joy” is “chara,” Together “great joy” could be translated as “maximum joy,” “excessive gladness, or “full cheerfulness.” The angel announced to the shepherds the VERY BEST NEWS there has ever been! God had finally fulfilled His Genesis 3 promise to send us a “Savior,” a “Messiah,” who just happens to God (“the Lord”) as well. He would fix the mess that Adam and Eve made with their sin and which each and every one of us has contributed nearly every day of our lives.

THAT is the REAL MEANING of CHRISTMAS; Jesus really IS the REASON for the SEASON! Praise the Lord. I hope you can embrace this GOOD NEWS and enjoy the merriest, godliest Christmas ever!

12/21/20 WHAT’S NEW? #5 — Isaiah 65:17 (HCSB) “For I will create a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.” — Israel's future kingdom will include a temporal kingdom of a thousand years (see Rev 20:1-10) and an eternal kingdom in God's new creation (51:6, 16; 54:10; 66:22).

2 Peter 3:13 But based on His promise, we wait for the NEW HEAVENS and a NEW EARTH, where righteousness will dwell. — The "promise" of a new universe is rooted in the OT (e.g., Ps 102:25). The word "new" means new in quality, i.e., different from before, not just new in chronology. The universe is new in quality because righteousness has settled in and taken up permanent and exclusive residence (cf. Isa 60:19-22).

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. — All the sinners of all the ages, both demons and men, including Satan, the beast, and false prophet, are in the lake of fire forever. The whole universe has been destroyed, and God creates a new universe to be the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed. The entire universe as we now know it will be destroyed and be replaced by a new creation that will last forever. [adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible]

12/18/20 WHAT’S NEW? #4 — Isaiah 62:2 (HCSB) Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory. You will be CALLED BY A NEW NAME that the LORD’s mouth will announce.

Most of chapters 1-35 of the book of Isaiah involve God’s declaring His frustration with the faithlessness of His people, His rejection of them and His plans to remove them from the Holy Land. He predicts that other nations will regard them as a humiliated, rejected, useless people.

But in the last third of the book, Isaiah the prophet describes the character and mission of the Messiah—Who is the Conquering King AND the Suffering Servant. Then God promises to remember His covenants He made with Abraham, Moses, David and so on. Eventually, someday in the future, God will restore His people to their former position at the head of the nations of the earth. And their enemies will no longer refer to them with the slurs of the past. Because of God’s intervention, they will have a NEW reputation, indeed, a NEW NAME.

When our politicians, celebrities, news anchors, and even neighbors say awful things about Christians, let’s remember that God promises to set ALL things right someday, (hopefully) SOON!

12/14/20 WHAT’S NEW? #3 — Isaiah 48:6 (HCSB) You have heard it. Observe it all. Will you not acknowledge it? From now on I will ANNOUNCE NEW THINGS to you, HIDDEN things that YOU HAVE NOT KNOWN.

In the preceding verses, God expresses His frustration over the unfaithfulness of the northern kingdom of Israel. He reminds them that He deliberately predicted many of the current events long ago so that when these things happened they would recognize God’s working on their behalf. Instead they have turned to false gods and have begun to trust them. So God says that from that time on He would ANNOUNCE (predict) brand NEW THINGS, thus far HIDDEN from them and not KNOWN to them.

Let’s RECOMMIT ourselves to READ, MEDITATE on and MEMORIZE God’s Word more frequently and faithfully than ever before. Plus, the Bible is clear that our Heavenly Father is a communicating God; He wants us to know His plans and will (Amos 3:7; Romans 12:2 ). Let’s converse with Him regularly in prayer and ask Him to show us and plan to involve us in His brand NEW projects.

12/07/20 WHAT’S NEW? #2 — Isaiah 43:18-19 (HCSB) Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. 19 Look, I am about to DO SOMETHING NEW; even NOW it is COMING. DO YOU NOT SEE IT? Indeed, I WILL MAKE A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS, RIVERS IN THE DESERT.

Deliverances of the nation in the past will pale into insignificance in comparison with the future deliverance the Lord will give His people… In the Messiah's future kingdom, the barren places of Israel will be well-watered and will supply refreshment for God's chosen people (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible).

You can find many verses in the Bible to build a pretty strong case that God is utterly unchangeable and predictable. BUT you can find just as many verses that challenge us to remember that God is frequently up to something NEW, something no one could have foreseen (unless He revealed it to them).

For so many churches it’s so easy to keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing. But “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting!” And, for most American churches, that’s not good enough. Ask God to do something entirely new and to tell your leaders about it so that all of you can be part of God’s solution instead of part of the problem!

12/07/20 WHAT’S NEW? #2 — Isaiah 43:18-19 (HCSB) Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. 19 Look, I am about to DO SOMETHING NEW; even NOW it is COMING. DO YOU NOT SEE IT? Indeed, I WILL MAKE A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS, RIVERS IN THE DESERT.

Deliverances of the nation in the past will pale into insignificance in comparison with the future deliverance the Lord will give His people… In the Messiah's future kingdom, the barren places of Israel will be well-watered and will supply refreshment for God's chosen people (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible).

You can find many verses in the Bible to build a pretty strong case that God is utterly unchangeable and predictable. BUT you can find just as many verses that challenge us to remember that God is frequently up to something NEW, something no one could have foreseen (unless He revealed it to them).

For so many churches it’s so easy to keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing. But “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting!” And, for most American churches, that’s not good enough. Ask God to do something entirely new and to tell your leaders about it so that all of you can be part of God’s solution instead of part of the problem!

12/04/20 WHAT’S NEW? #2 — Psalm 33:3 (HCSB) Sing a NEW SONG to Him; PLAY SKILLFULLY on the strings, with a JOYFUL SHOUT. Psalm 40:3 (HCSB) He put a NEW SONG in my mouth, A HYMN OF PRAISE to our God. MANY will SEE AND FEAR and PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD. (also Psalm 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; 42:10) — Besides praising God, our music should cause unbelievers to SEE that God actually exists, FEAR His righteous judgment and wrath, and PUT THEIR TRUST in Him!

Revelation 5:9 (HCSB) And they sang a NEW SONG: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slaughtered, and You redeemed ⌊people⌋ for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. — OK, Jesus has told us the lyrics. Now, perhaps, some of you composers and arrangers need to create the score!

Revelation 14:3 (HCSB) They sang a NEW SONG before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but NO ONE COULD LEARN THE SONG EXCEPT THE 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. — Surely, like me, there’s been a time when you heard a song you really liked, but no matter how hard you tried, you just could NOT “get it!” Sounds like that’s gonna happen for the vast majority of believers after Jesus’ Triumphal Return!?

Eph. 5:19 mentions “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.” Psalm is Greek for sacred music, usually with instrumental accompaniment. Hymn is Greek for sacred music (NOT a musical piece 100-150 years old in a hardback book in the back of the pew!). And “Song” in Greek is “ode!” Not much difference!?

Every great revival the world in church history has been accompanied by NEW MUSIC, SKILLFULLY composed, played and sung with JOY! Let’s stop the “Worship Wars” over church music and PRAISE Almighty God with many songs, many instruments, quiet and loud, slow and fast, old and NEW!

12/01/20 WHAT’S NEW? #1 — Ezra 9:8-9 (HCSB) 8 But now, for a brief moment, GRACE has come from Yahweh our God to PRESERVE A REMNANT for us and give us a stake in His Holy Place. Even in our slavery, God has given us NEW LIFE and LIGHT to our eyes. 9 Though we are slaves, our GOD HAS NOT ABANDONED US in our slavery. He has extended GRACE to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us NEW LIFE, so that we can REBUILD the house of our God and REPAIR its ruins, to give us a WALL in Judah and Jerusalem.

NEW LIFE and LIGHT: Scripture is clear that, as each of us begins life on earth, we are SPIRITUALLY DEAD. We are NOT ignorant and need a teacher. We are NOT sick and need a doctor. We are NOT lonely and in need of a good friend. We desperately need NEW SPIRITUAL LIFE; we need a SAVIOR and REDEEMER! Only then can we cast off the works of darkness and live in Christ’s NEW LIGHT!

REBUILD… REPAIR: In a survey of the OT Prophets I have done several times, I like to find all the “RE-Minders” in each book, i.e. words that begin with “re-,” such as renew, redeem, rebuild, repair, repent, remove, restore, etc. And, lo and behold, even though Ezra is not considered a prophetic book, we notice here that when God extends His Amazing GRACE to us and gives this NEW LIFE, He also gives us the ability to REBUILD and REPAIR our “RUIN”ed cultures, churches and families, so that we are PROTECTED as if by a “WALL.”

11/29/20 THE ULTIMATE “EXTREME MAKEOVER” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB) ^“Therefore, if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is A NEW CREATION; THE OLD HAS PASSED AWAY, and see, THE NEW HAS COME!”

IN CHRIST: These two words comprise a BRIEF BUT MOST PROFOUND STATEMENT of the INEXHAUSTIBLE SIGNIFICANCE of the BELIEVER'S REDEMPTION, which includes the following: 1) the believer's SECURITY IN CHRIST, who bore in His body God's judgment against sin; 2) the BELIEVER'S ACCEPTANCE in Him with whom God alone is well pleased; 3) the BELIEVER'S FUTURE ASSURANCE in Him who is the resurrection to eternal life and the sole guarantor of the believer's inheritance in heaven; and 4) the BELIEVER'S PARTICIPATION IN THE DIVINE NATURE OF CHRIST, the Everlasting Word (cf. 2Pe 1:4).

A NEW CREATION: This describes something that is CREATED at a qualitatively NEW LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE. It refers to REGENERATION or THE NEW BIRTH (cf. Jn 3:3; Eph 2:1-3; Titus 3:5; 1Pe 1:23; 1Jn 2:29; 3:9; 5:4). This expression encompasses the Christian's forgiveness of sins paid for in Christ's substitutionary death (cf. Gal 6:15; Eph 4:24).

THE OLD HAS PASSED AWAY: AFTER a person is REGENERATE, OLD VALUE SYSTEMS, PRIORITIES, BELIEFS, LOVES, AND PLANS ARE GONE. EVIL AND SIN ARE STILL PRESENT, but the believer sees them in a new perspective (see v. 16), and they NO LONGER CONTROL him.

THE NEW HAS COME: The Gr. grammar indicates that this NEWNESS is a CONTINUING CONDITION OF FACT. The BELIEVER'S NEW SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION of everything is a constant reality for him, and he NOW LIVES FOR ETERNITY, NOT TEMPORAL THINGS. James identifies this transformation as the FAITH THAT PRODUCES WORKS (see Eph 2:10; Jas 2:14-25). (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible)

In days to come we’ll look at some of the NEW THINGS which God creates or provides with our salvation!

11/28/20 HOW MANY “STEPS” DO YOU NEED? — Years ago Sam (name changed to protect someone or something…), a young man in my church, called me on Saturday afternoon. He wanted us to visit a friend who had just been released from jail. The friend’s name was Ed (same as me!).

Ed had a serious drinking problem. As I introduced myself to Ed, Sam looked into every nook and cranny of Ed’s tiny trailer. Wherever he found alcohol, he poured it down the sink and threw away the bottle or can. All the while Ed was moaning, begging me to get him into some kind of 12-step program.

I told Ed that what he really needed was a 1-STEP PROGRAM: he needed to surrender control of his life to Jesus Christ. He said he might think about it. As we were leaving, I told him the most important question he needed to answer was this: How many more days are you satisfied to live as a hell-bound sinner? I told him to call me when his answer was zero! To my utter amazement, he suddenly fell to his knees and, with a little help from me, confessed the many sins of his totally messed up life and asked God to forgive him and make him into a new person.

The very next day, Sunday, Ed showed up at our church. Poor guy—he was wearing a white shirt, collar buttoned tightly and a dark coat which was several sizes too small, with a narrow tie nearly choking him to death. Every pore of his body still reeked of alcohol and tobacco. But he told everyone how thrilled he was to be a brand-new believer and that he intended live the rest of his life for Jesus. We talked about when we could baptize him.

But one week later Ed was dead, killed in a car wreck. Like the thief on the cross next to our Lord, he never had a chance to be baptized, to join our church, to tithe, to mature as a Christian or to serve in God’s kingdom. But no longer a hell-bound sinner, he died a heaven-bound saint, a child of God and a brother of his Lord, Jesus Christ!

11/27/20 “GUILTY” FEELS SO GOOD?! — I hadn’t been a pastor for more than a few weeks when there was an emergency. The teenage son of a prominent member had gone off on a drinking binge with several of his friends, male and female. He and a few others had consumed so much alcohol that they nearly died.

Weeks later, out in the parking lot of the county seat just before their court case, he was bragging about his exploits and how he wasn’t the least bit worried about the judge inside. “What can he do to us—after all, we’re still minors! We just had a little harmless fun!” I heard him snort.

A few minutes later, in the court room, the judge “read them the riot act,” as the saying goes. He strongly suggested that each one plead guilty. He nearly insisted that any who had planned to be represented by a lawyer should dismiss him or her immediately. And to any one of them who plead not guilty, he promised to give them the harshest sentence he was allowed. One by one, each one entered a guilty plea. The judge meted out his sentence—lengthy community service and months of probation. He warned them not to appear before him again anytime soon.

Afterwards, back out in the parking lot, the young man from my congregation told me, “Pastor, I can’t tell you how GOOD it felt to ADMIT MY GUILT! I and everyone else knew that I was guilty. Now I can start over, get a fresh start and do better this time!” I told him, “Sounds like you learned an important lesson. Praise the Lord!”

1 John 1:9-10 (CSB) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” When it comes to our multitude of sins, of commission and omission, our best strategy and our only real hope is to confess them to Almighty God—agree with Him that we have failed to obey Him—and beg Him to forgive us. Then we can start over and get a fresh start. And God empowers us to do better!

11/26/20 WHO NOT WHAT — John 18:37-38a (CSB) “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” 38 “What is truth?” said Pilate…

One of my favorite “proverbs” is this: When you ask the WRONG question, you NEVER get the RIGHT answer.” Like so many of us, Pilate asked the wrong question. The right question is “WHO(M) do you trust?”

These days, lots of people are saying about responding to the Covid crisis, “Just trust science!” But “science” is a “what.” I spent 20+ years working with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. News flash: scientists rarely agree; they usually disagree with one another. So when you’re trying to decide how to protect yourself and your family, once again, the right question is “WHO do you trust?”

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus declared that He Himself is the Ultimate Who and What—The Truth. So when you’re trying to decide who to trust with the very most important decisions and plans of this life (and the next), TRUST JESUS, that’s WHO!

11/25/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #37 — James 5:9 (CSB) Brothers and sisters, DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE ANOTHER, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

“Complain” is literally “groan, sigh or hold a grudge.” God Himself has carefully planned all our different personalities, strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities. We must learn to adjust and adapt to other disciples so that each believer becomes the valued, essential, indispensable part of our combined ministries that God originally intended.

11/24/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #36 — James 4:11 (CSB) DON’T CRITICIZE ONE ANOTHER, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

“Criticize” can also be translated as “speak evil, speak against or slander.” James 4:1-12 focuses on how believers should and should not treat each other. The MacArthur Study Bible comments “James does not forbid confronting those in sin, which is elsewhere commanded in Scripture… Rather, he condemns careless, derogatory, critical, slanderous accusations against others.” We must remember that we do not judge God’s law; God’s law judges US!

11/23/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #35 — Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB) And let us CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

In English “let us” does not seem to have the force of a command; but “let us” is actually an imperative, a command in NT Greek. “Consider” literally is “consider fully, discover or perceive.” “Provoke” literally is “contend or dispute.”

The author (and the Holy Spirit) commands believers to be actively involved in each other lives, encouraging, confronting and holding each other accountable. Believers need to realize that frequent, regular face-to-face worship and fellowship are essential to healthy Christian living and service. Hopefully, we will rediscover this in our post-Covid culture soon!

11/22/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #34 — Titus 3:3 (CSB) For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, DETESTING ONE ANOTHER.

Chapter 3 of this letter might be called “Right Living in Society.” Here Paul reminds Titus that ALL of us start out life as lost, spiritually dead, “foolish, disobedient and deceived.” All people who have not yet embraced Jesus as personal Lord and Savior are actually “enslaved” to ungodly “passions and pleasures (~hedonism).” Furthermore their lives are characterized by “malice and envy.” In general they harbor jealousy and hatred for other people.

BUT, he reminds them and us, every aspect of his description is RADICALLY CHANGED by the “goodness and love” of God when He saves us. Paul instructs Titus to “insist” (v.8) that believers abandon those ungodly attitudes and behaviors listed above. We need to work on that, too!

11/21/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #33 — 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (CSB) We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and THE LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU HAS FOR ONE ANOTHER is increasing.

A year had passed since Paul wrote his first letter to the believers in Thessalonica. Apparently he has heard good reports about that church. Considering some of the serious doctrinal and behavioral problems in various NT churches, he was THANKFUL to hear and know that one of the churches he established was doing well. He noted that 1) their faith was “flourishing,” literally “hyper-growing”; and 2) their agape love for each other was “increasing,” literally “super abounding!”

Whenever we hear such reports about another church, we also should thank God for His blessings and their faithfulness. And we should pray and work hard to make those two superlatives true in our church as well.

11/20/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #32 — 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (CSB) See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but ALWAYS PURSUE WHAT IS GOOD FOR ONE ANOTHER and for all.

Verses 12-22 are Paul’s “Final Instructions” to those believers. They needed and we need to respect our hard-working leaders, live peaceably, work hard and warn those who are idle. But whenever folks are idle, timid or weak, all too often our tendency is to be impatient, get angry, cause a fuss and “repay evil for evil.” Paul (and most of our mothers) knew that “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Believers must aggressively seek what is “good,” positive, and beneficial for other believers (and for “all” others, too).

11/19/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #31 — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB) Therefore ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER and BUILD EACH OTHER UP as you are already doing.

In this chapter Paul continues to remind them (and US) that we cannot know exactly when Christ will return. Unbelievers will shout, “Peace and safety” (v.3), i.e. ALL IS WELL, when, in fact, we know better. We need to live as in the light, not the darkness and let our light shine and dispel that darkness. This is a challenging assignment, fighting a fierce battle against Satan, his demons and the ungodly influences in this world. So we need to wear our spiritual armor—faith, love and hope (v.8).

In v.11 Paul repeats his earlier command (v.4:18): Believers must CONTINUE to ENCOURAGE each other. “Encourage” is para-kaleo in Greek, literally “called alongside.” We must be constantly involved in each other’s lives, literally helping each “build our (spiritual) homes.” Even thought he knows they are already doing this, Paul thought it necessary to STRESS its importance once more. Same goes for us today.

11/18/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #30 — 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (CSB) Therefore ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER with these words.

Some of the believers in Thessalonica apparently were worried that believers who died before Christ’s return would miss out. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul explains that God and Jesus Christ guarantee that NO TRUE BELIEVER will miss out on ANY of the blessings, the inheritance God intends for them. AND after the Lord’s Triumphal Return, we believers will enjoy His presence and fellowship FOREVER. Now THAT’S ENCOURAGING!

11/17/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #29 — 1 Thessalonians 4:9 (CSB) About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

“Brotherly love” is literally the compound Greek word, “phila-delphia.” All true believers are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and beloved sons and daughters of Almighty God.

There is no doubt that God’s Word teaches that believers must love each other. Our love for each other is sure-fire evidence of our genuine faith in Jesus (see John 13:35).

11/16/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #28 — 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (CSB) And may the Lord cause you to INCREASE AND OVERFLOW WITH LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER and for everyone, just as we do for you.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 the Apostle Paul prays for the believers in that city. The two Greek verbs behind the phrase “increase and overflow” mean to “super-abound” and to “abound exceedingly.” That sentence could well be rendered, “May the Lord increase your love for each other to the MAXIMUM level possible!” Wow!

“Love” here is agape—that God kind of selfless, sacrificial love that He showers on us. Oh, and don’t forget that  Paul asks, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that our overflowing agape love extend to EVERYONE!!

11/15/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #27 — Colossians 3:13 (CSB) BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER and FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

Again, the books of Ephesians and Colossians are nearly twins (See 11/11/20 post re: Eph.4:32).

Because each of us is human, it is inevitable that from time to time even the most mature believers will have a grievance or complaint against or a quarrel with another believer. But in light of the infinite price Jesus Christ paid so that each of us could be forgiven, finally and forever, we MUST settle such differences by granting and accepting full forgiveness.

We must learn to bear with, accept and endure each other believers’ weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. Our harmony and unity are powerful, essential tools we need in order to convince a lost world to surrender to Jesus (see John 17:21-23)!

11/14/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #26 — Colossians 3:9 (CSB) DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER, since you have put off the old self with its practices

Note: Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and Colossians are VERY similar. (See 11/10/20 post re: Eph.4:25)

As a father, grandfather, deacon and pastor, I have seen an almost universal trait develop in (nearly) all children. At about two years of age, as they first learn the meaning and power of the word “NO,” they seem to learn to lie. Even if they are the only human in the room, when a parent asks if they made this mess, they loudly proclaim, “No!”

By the way, politicians and news anchors, just because someone says something you disagree with, that does NOT mean he or she lied. Same goes for genuine mistakes in speaking. But lying is such a strong temptation for all of us. Whenever the truth is embarrassing or painful, we are tempted to lie. But as Paul points out, lying is one of the characteristics of the “old self,” that part of you which was replaced and renewed when you were saved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Believers, let’s be careful to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

11/13/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #25 — Philippians 2:3 (CSB) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider OTHERS as more important than yourselves.

“Others” is the same NT Greek word, allelon, usually translated as “one another.” The book of Philippians is often called the JOY book. Paul stresses that for all faithful believers, our priorities should Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last. What a challenge!

11/12/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #24 — Ephesians 5:21 (CSB) SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER in the FEAR of Christ.

1. “Submitting to one another”: “Submit” is the Latin and English version of the NT Greek word which literally means “to put (oneself) under” the authority of another person. It is used in military contexts to mean “reports to” or “takes orders from.” This sentence introduces three examples Paul gives where one person should respect and obey the authority of another—a) Wives should submit to the leadership of their husbands (v.5:22); b) Children should submit to the leadership of their parents (v.6:1); and c) Employees (slaves) should submit to the leadership of their employers (masters) (v.6:5). Not a popular modern American idea, but absolutely biblical!

2. “The FEAR of Christ”: The Greek word “phobos” (cf. phobia) literally means to experience fright, alarm or terror. In our overly soft, lovey-dovey approach to God, Jesus and the Scriptures, several modern translators render this as “reverence” or “respect.” At His Second Coming, Jesus will JUDGE the human race, sentencing all unforgiven sinners to an eternity in hell, separated from everything pleasant, good and godly forever. And Jesus is the co-creator of the entire universe (John 1:1-2). Our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a Person to be Feared! We MUST be God-phobic and Jesus-phobic; otherwise we’re worshipping a false god! Thankfully, when we are genuinely saved and living daily in faithful obedience to His commands, we can experience and know His LOVE as well!

11/11/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #23 — Ephesians 4:32 (CSB) And BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Wow—Two “one another”’s in a single verse! In v.31 Paul stresses that believers must eliminate all forms of anger in their relationships. So here he offers the alternatives.

1. “Be kind and compassionate to one another”: “Kind” could also be rendered good, easy, gracious or useful. “Compassionate” could also be translated as tender-hearted or sympathetic.

2. “Forgiving one another”: Because all believers have been forgiven by Almighty God, He expects us to forgive other believers who have hurt or offended us. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus Himself explained that if we do NOT forgive others, God will NOT forgive us. Forgiven believers must be forgiving!

11/10/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #22 — Ephesians 4:25 (CSB) Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER.

“Putting away lying”: More than simply telling direct falsehoods, lying also includes exaggeration and adding fabrications to something that is true. Cheating, making foolish promises, betraying a confidence, and making false excuses are all forms of lying, with which Christians should have no part.

“Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor” is quoted from Zec.8:16. God's work in the world is based on truth, and neither the church nor individual believers can be fit instruments for the Lord to use if they are not truthful.

“We are members of one another ”: Each of us believers is an essential, indispensable, valuable limb, organ, member of the Body of Christ. WE NEED EACH OTHER! (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible)

11/09/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #21 — Ephesians 4:1-2 (CSB) Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE…

“Therefore” marks the transition from doctrine to duty, principle to practice, position to behavior. This is typical of Paul (see Ro 12:1; Gal 5:1; Php 2:1; Col 3:5; 1Th 4:1).

“The prisoner of the Lord”: By mentioning his imprisonment again (see 3:1), Paul gently reminded Ephesian believers that the faithful Christian walk can be costly and that he had paid a considerable personal price because of his obedience to the Lord.

“Walk worthy”: "Walk" is frequently used in the NT to refer to Daily Conduct. It sets the theme for the final 3 chapters. "Worthy" has the idea of living to match one's position in Christ. The apostle urged his readers to be everything the Lord desires and empowers them to be.

“Humility,” the most foundational Christian virtue (Jas 4:6), is the quality of character commanded in the first beatitude (Mt 5:3), and describes the noble grace of Christ (Php 2:7, 8).

“Gentleness," an inevitable product of humility, refers to that which is mild-spirited and self-controlled.

“Patience”: The Gr. word lit. means long-tempered, and refers to a resolved patience that is an outgrowth of humility and gentleness.

“Bearing with one another in love” is the idea of Tolerating, Accepting and Enduring other believers, whose personalities, abilities and gifts differ from ours. (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible)

11/08/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #20 — Galatians 6:2 (CSB) Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

"’Burdens’ are extra heavy loads, which here represent difficulties or problems people have trouble dealing with. ‘Bear’ connotes carrying something with endurance. ‘The law of Christ’ is the Law of Love which fulfills the entire law (see 5:14; Jn 13:34; Ro 13:8, 10).” (The MacArthur Study Bible) Just 3 verses later, in Gal.6:5 Paul says, “Each person will have to carry his own load.”

Are these two verses contradicting each other? Hardly. There are many “burdens” and “loads” we face in life that God expects each of us to “carry” all by ourselves. But there are others—difficult situations, worrisome circumstances, frightening scenarios—which are “too heavy” for any individual to manage. At times we all need help.

And God expects us believers to be intimately involved in each other’s lives—encouraging, challenging and helping each other. Whatever the situation, we believers face it together as a united, divinely-enabled TEAM!

11/07/20 GORGEOUS DAY AT THE GOLF COURSE — Yesterday afternoon I was waiting to tee off on hole #3. As I looked toward the green, I was awestruck at the beautiful scene before me. The sun was shining bright, the breeze was refreshingly cool, and the sky was cloudless and deep blue. The trees along both sides of the fairway were a veritable rainbow of color. Everything in front of me reminded me of the Power and Perfections of our Great God!

I had almost forgotten what I was there for. As I glimpsed the tiny flag on the green about a quarter of a mile away, I was reminded of a Scripture verse: Hebrews 12:1b-2a (CSBBible) says “… Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith… ”

Even as I was thrilled to see the glories of our Lord’s creation, I needed to remember why I was there—I wanted to get my ball into that hole in as few strokes as possible. In the same way, as you and I enjoy God’s blessings, let’s remember our purpose. We’re here to obey God’s commands, to bring glory to Him as we serve Him and to spread the Best News that His Son, Jesus Christ, is the ONLY REAL HOPE for each and every man, woman, boy and girl on our planet.

11/04/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #8 — Some years ago the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting was in Greenville, NC. Several weeks before, to encourage pastors and churches toward evangelism, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBCV) employees had made a video of a Sunday service where I baptized 9 people. They left almost immediately after the service. And I never saw the video, totally lost track of it and forgot about it.

During one of the brief breaks between messages at the SBC, I left my wife and went to the Men’s Room. As I returned to my seat, “Excuse me… Pardon me,” stepping over at least a dozen other guys, most of them slapped me on the back and said, “Congratulations! Great job! Praise the Lord!” Completely mystified, I replied, “Huh… For what? I just did #1 in the restroom!?” They laughed and whacked me again.

Then Linda told me they had just shown the video to the entire Convention audience. Afterwards I checked with SBC and SBCV personnel. No one seemed to know anything about who had a copy or where or how I could get a copy. To this day, I have NEVER seen it! Of course, I experienced it, FIRST HAND!

11/01/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #7 — Years ago I was taking a seminary course in Christology—all about Jesus Christ. On the first test the last question was: “Describe the 13 biblical reasons for believers to be baptized.” I thought I clearly remembered discussing only 3: (1) IDENTIFICATION with Christ’s baptism; (2) OBEDIENCE to Christ’s command and (3) INITIATION into Christ’s church. So I wrote those down and wracked my brain until I came up with 10 more!

When the professor handed back the tests, he kept mine and read my answers to the class. There were hearty laughs all around at my expense! Apparently I had not been paying attention at the beginning of the test. He had told the class there was a misprint on the test—that item should have said 3 reasons, not 13. But then he congratulated me for my “amazingly active sanctified imagination!” He even gave me EXTRA CREDIT. Imagine that!

10/31/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #6 — Baptizing people of very different ages, genders and sizes also presented some unique challenges for me.

One Sunday I had to baptize an extremely large woman. The top front edge of our baptistry had a clear plexiglass front about 15 inches high. Ordinarily the pool was filled to 8-10 inches from the top. As she descended the steps into the pool, I suddenly noticed that the water was within a couple of inches from the top. So I tried my very best to immerse her as slowly, gently and carefully as I could. But she struggled and thrashed as I tried to raise her back up. A huge wave of water gushed over the top and splashed over onto the men in the back row of the choir! Sure, SHE was baptized, but I and nearly all the men in the choir just got all wet!

10/30/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #5 — How much water does a baptismal pool hold? How much does that water weigh? And, most important, how do you know if the structure you built is strong enough to support such a pool?

One weekend we were preparing to baptize several folks on Sunday morning. Later Saturday night one of my deacons called me at home in a panic. He said we had to postpone those baptisms. As they were filling the pool, suddenly the floor around the baptistery CAVED IN, sending tons of water onto the choir area and podium and also in the church basement below.

Several weeks passed. By the time we had the baptismal area rebuilt and reinforced, we had several more people needing to be baptized. Glory to God!

10/29/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #4 — After our icy baptism adventure, I asked the church leaders to “fix it.” A few days later, they told me they had taken care of it.

As I prepared to enter the pool, I noticed steam billowing off the surface. As I stepped into the water, I almost screamed out in pain. The water was (nearly) BOILING HOT! I am quite hot-natured and a heavy sweater. As sweat poured out of every pore in my body and my glasses fogged up so completely I was nearly 100% blinded (after that I always took off my glasses before baptism), I tried to conduct the ordinance with some semblance of dignity. But as the toes of each candidate touched the surface, they drew back with a gasp. I told each one to take a deep breath—surely they could stand it for a few seconds. Somehow we all got through it, clean as a whistle, and red as a beet all over!

Turns out, my men had purchased a heater for a cattle feeder. It was basically a giant electrified horseshoe, with not much of a temperature control. After that we tried to postpone baptizing in the winter until freezing weather had passed. Whew!

10/28/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #3 — The land on which our church was built had been donated by the farmer who owned all the adjacent property. And the facilities were 50 years old when I first arrived to be their pastor. Not surprisingly, lots of its features were not exactly “up to code,” shall we say. People continued to be saved, praise the Lord; so we were baptizing regularly. And it seemed that nearly every baptism was a new challenge and adventure.

Once, in the dead of winter, 3 or 4 new believers were anxious to be baptized. That Sunday morning as I stepped into the water, I immediately noticed that it was FREEZING COLD. My feet were nearly numb and the rest of me was, perhaps literally, advancing to hypothermia. The very first candidate was a young lady. As I took her hand to help her down into the water, she gasped, “Pastor Ed, are you OK? You’re BLUE all over!”

I turned to the candidates assembled on the stairs, just out of view of the congregation. I told them that they only needed to be in the freezing water for a very few seconds—they would be OK! But I was NOT too sure about ME! I think my teeth had stopped chattering just in time for me to preach.

10/27/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #2 — A few weeks later a second person became a new believer; so we scheduled his baptism for the next Sunday morning. When I arrived a few minutes before Sunday School, my two deacons came to warn me, “Pastor, there’s something dead floating in the water. YOU need to get it out!” “What makes you think that’s MY job?” I argued, to no avail.

I found and bent a coat-hanger and climbed onto the edge of the baptismal pool. There was a bright green (from the chlorine!?) dead rat, about a foot long, floating on the surface! Well, I fished the carcass out of there and tried not to lose my breakfast. Anyway, with all the chlorine in the water, I figured it was still safe. So we went ahead with the baptism—no one else even knew about it until much later! (In the midst of the Covid-19 mess, lots of you are probably thinking I was foolish. Oh, well, probably not the first or the last time!)

10/26/20 FAVORITE BAPTISM MEMORIES #1 — Visiting Pastor Dr. Tommy Green delivered a masterful, powerful message this morning about biblical Salvation and Baptism. I’m still praying that lots of people who did NOT respond at the time will think and pray long and hard and follow through soon!

Along the way he shared a couple of amazing experiences as he baptized some new believers. That brought to MY mind some of my most vivid memories surrounding baptisms. So, please, bear with me as I interrupt my “ONE ANOTHERs in the NT” series for a few days.

The first church I pastored was a rural church in central Virginia. Their water came from a well on the property. As I preached evangelistically with all my might, after a very few weeks, a man was saved. We scheduled his baptism for the following Sunday morning. No one had been baptized there for at least a couple of years. As he and I entered the baptismal pool, I heard a strange, gurgling sound; also I noticed a red tinge in the water. Turns out RED MUD was pouring out of the pipe into the water. By the time we were done, both of us were covered in it! Even so, it was a GREAT way to begin my pastoral ministry experience!

10/25/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #19 — Galatians 5:26 (CSB) Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

This short verse contains three NT Greek words which appear NOWHERE ELSE in Scripture: “conceited,” “provoking” and “envying.” Fortunately these three words are straightforward—no secret or strange meanings.

In the previous verses 19-23, Paul has contrasted the results (fruit) of living in the flesh with that of living in the Spirit. A church is a lot like an old-fashioned one-room schoolhouse, with many students of different ages in different grades all together. In any one church, there are believers with very different personalities, gifts and abilities at every conceivable level of spiritual maturity. It’s all too easy to compare ourselves to each other. When we do that we can easily become conceited or envy other or provoke other believers. This too disrupts our intimate fellowship and damages our witness. We need to learn to recognize, support and love other believers so our witness will be strong and pure.

10/24/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #18 — Galatians 5:17 (CSB) For the flesh desires what is against the spirit, and the spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

“The flesh opposes the work of the Spirit and leads the believer toward sinful behavior he would not otherwise be compelled to do (see Ro 7:14-25).” (The MacArthur Study Bible)

As the Apostle Paul pointed out in Romans chapter 7, there is an ongoing battle within each believer—our old sin nature—the flesh—is at war with our new nature—the spirit. Each moment of every day each of us followers of Christ must make a deliberate, conscious decision to live (walk) in the Spirit, i.e. staying in touch with the Holy Spirit living us and following His leading. Otherwise we will not do what we want to do and do what we do not want to do.

10/23/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #17 — Galatians 5:15 (CSB) But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

“The imagery is of wild animals savagely attacking and killing each other—a graphic picture of what happens in the spiritual realm when believers do not love and serve each other.” (The MacArthur Study Bible)

In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” In His High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus says twice that if believers are united then unbelievers would know that He was sent from God. How we treat one another is an essential part of our witness. We cannot afford to allow our inevitable disagreements to turn nasty. Otherwise our witness is destroyed. Meanwhile, the world is watching.

10/22/20 PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY! — Daniel 6:4-5 (CSB) The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “WE WILL NEVER FIND ANY CHARGE AGAINST THIS DANIEL UNLESS WE FIND SOMETHING AGAINST HIM CONCERNING THE LAW OF HIS GOD.”

Our Declaration of Independence STILL says our citizens are “ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR.” Our coins STILL say “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Our Pledge of Allegiance STILL says “ONE NATION UNDER GOD.” (I’m well aware that each of these is currently under attack!) BUT now, just like those enemies of Daniel, most of those who oppose the appointment of Judge Amy Barrett could find only one area of her life to attack—HER COMMITTED CHRISTIAN FAITH IN ALMIGHTY GOD!?

In previous chapters Daniel had delivered God’s condemnation against several foreign kings. Because they had grown arrogant and forgotten the Most High God, He deposed them and allowed their country to be overrun, their citizens ruined, killed and/or enslaved. Many of our (political) leaders seem to have fallen into the same godless trap. On issue after issue, if God is for it, they’re against it; and if God is against it, they’re for it. And so they (and we) might very well expect to experience the WRATH of our Infinitely Holy and Righteous God. BELIEVERS, LET’S PRAY LONG AND HARD FOR OUR CULTURE AND OUR COUNTRY!

10/21/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #16 — Galatians 5:13 (CSB) For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

 “The Gr. word for ‘opportunity’ was often used to refer to a central base of military operations (cf. Ro 7:8). In the context, ‘flesh’ refers to the sinful inclinations of fallen man (see Ro 7:5). The freedom Christians have is not a base from which they can sin freely and without consequence… Christian freedom is not for selfish fulfillment, but for serving others (cf. Ro 14:1-15).” (The MacArthur Study Bible)

Lots of so-called believers seem to be confused about their “freedom in Christ.” It definitely does NOT mean that you can think, say and do whatever you wish. It definitely DOES mean that you are free to BE exactly who God originally intended you to be—you are finally able to think, say and do exactly what CHRIST wishes for you. And, if you think about that for a moment, that’s the BEST freedom of all!

10/20/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #13 — 1 Corinthians 12:25 (CSB) so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.

This verse occurs near the end of a lengthy discussion by the Apostle Paul of the diversity of spiritual gifts within the local church. While some believers seem to be standing out front, speaking and leading, others have more mundane, behind-the-scenes gifts, roles and assignments. Paul asserts that ALL of the members and their gifts are essential and valuable.

The MacArthur Study Bible says, “God has designed visible, public gifts to have a crucial place, but equally designed and more vital to life are the hidden gifts, thus maintaining the perspective of unity—all are essential to the working of the body of Christ.” For the Church to be effective, we must have Unity in the midst of our God-ordained Diversity. Let’s make sure we all remember that.

10/19/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #12 — 1 Corinthians 11:33 (CSB) Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.

In 11:17-34 Paul gives instructions for observing the Lord’s Supper. Numerous times in the OT, God describes Himself as “the God who delivered you from Egypt.” God seems to regard His deliverance of the Hebrews from their Egyptian slavery as, perhaps, His most impressive miracle ever, up to that point. The annual Jewish Passover festival, then, celebrated God’s most powerful display of His omnipotence in the entire OT.

On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus “transformed” the OT Passover into the NT Lord’s Supper. After His subsequent resurrection and ascension, whenever Christians observe the Lord’s Supper, we actually remember God’s TWO greatest triumphs—OT AND NT! Naturally, the Lord expects us to regard this celebration as especially sacred and holy.

But the Corinthian believers had turned this most special ordinance into a selfish occasion for over-indulgence. And this behavior so offended Almighty God that some of them had actually died as a result. God obviously takes this celebration quite seriously; so we should as well.

The word “welcome” in v.33 above is also translated “wait for,” or “anticipate.” The Lord’s Supper is a celebration of the entire assembled local church, the Body of Christ. As we remember Christ’s priceless sacrifice on our behalf and praise and honor Him, we also must remember that each and every member of our assembly is Spirit-gifted, unique, and essential to our successful accomplishment of God’s tasks for our body.

10/18/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #11 —  1 Corinthians 7:5 (CSB) Do not deprive one another — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

I was tempted to omit this one from my posts—Paul is speaking about sexuality here. Ours is a sex-saturated culture.  The vast majority of advertisements on TV these days appeal to our over-active sex drives to keep us interested and watching. “Let it all hang out,” (whatever that meant) was a popular saying from the late 20th century. But all over our culture, males and females seem determined to do just that.

Like America today, the NT city of Corinth was infamous for its sexual abuses. The Apostle Paul was reminding the believers in Corinth (and us) that all our explicit sexual expression should occur within a godly marriage—one man, one woman, together for life. If husbands or wives “deprive” their spouses, they very well may be tempted to break their marriage vows. Believers, let’s make sure that our marriages are strong examples to the world.

10/17/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #10 — Romans 16:16 (CSB) Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.

The MacArthur Study Bible says, “Kissing of friends on the forehead, cheek, or beard was common in the OT. The Jews in the NT church carried on the practice, and it became especially precious to new believers, who were often outcasts from their own families because of their faith, because of the spiritual kinship it signified.”

Perhaps, one of these days, when memories of Covid-19 are faint, WE can touch one another and greet one another with physical affection once more. Until then, let’s make sure that we genuinely, warmly greet everyone who attends our church services and events, whether they’re members or not, whether we know them or not!

10/16/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #9 — Romans 15:14 (CSB) My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

“Goodness” here is also rendered “high moral character”; “instruct” is also “admonish” or “warn.” Paul did not establish the church in Rome; in fact he had not yet visited it as he wrote this letter, so he had never met these believers. But he had heard of their reputation from others.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if others could hear about us and our churches that we also are “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another”? That’s a lofty goal. But let’s GO FOR IT!

10/15/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #8 — Romans 15:7 (CSB) Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

The NT Greek word translated here as “welcome” is rendered as “accept” or “receive” in other Bible translations. The MacArthur Study Bible comments: “If the perfect, sinless Son of God was willing to bring sinners into God's family, how much more should forgiven believers be willing to warmly embrace and accept each other in spite of their disagreements over issues of conscience.”

In His “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17:21-23, Jesus asked God to grant believers complete unity. He said that if our oneness was like that of the Trinity then the world would believe that God had sent Him and that He had been sent to earth by God. In other words our oneness, our unity, is an essential ingredient in effective evangelism. When we are divided, Satan is delighted; but when we are one, he is undone! No one of us has it all together; but together we have it all! Praise the Lord!

10/14/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #7 — Romans 15:5 (CSB) Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,

In this series we have previously encountered that essential ingredient, harmony, for which we must strive. The Apostle Paul obviously realized that because of our very different temperaments, this is often a challenge. We often need endurance so as not to give up when relationships are not mended; we also need encouragement to continue towards the godly goal. Thankfully, God is ready, willing and able to provide us BOTH endurance and encouragement!

10/13/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #6 — Romans 14:19 (CSB) So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.

First of all, we believers must aggressively, intentionally PURSUE activities and attitudes which lead to true peace within the family of faith. Second, concerning other believers, we must strive to BUILD them UP. Each believer is on a journey toward Christ-likeness. One vital goal in our relationships is to assist each other toward that lofty goal.

10/12/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #5 — Romans 14:13 (CSB) Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister.

The NT Greek word for “judge” also means to criticize or condemn. It’s a fine line of sorts, since the NT clearly commands believers to hold each other accountable. But it is definitely God’s prerogative to evaluate the behavior and service of His servants, NOT ours. And when we point out our favorite sin in the life of another believer, we may very well have put a “stumbling block or pitfall” in front of them, distracting them from following Jesus—The Way, The Truth and The Life. We can and must do better than that.

10/11/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #4 — Romans 13:8 (CSB) Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

This is NOT a prohibition against borrowing money, which Scripture permits and regulates (numerous references OT and NT). Paul's point is that all our financial obligations must be paid when they are due.

Believers are commanded to love not only other Christians, but also non-Christians (many NT references). Here “love” is agape, that self-less, sacrificial God-kind of love. When we do that we have fulfilled the law, as verse 10 confirms and elaborates.      (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible)

10/10/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #3 — Romans 12:16 (CSB) says, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

Harmony occurs in music when DIFFERENT voices and/or instruments play simultaneously, creating a wonderful sound. In the same way, Almighty God has planned that believers with DIVERSE personalities, abilities, strengths (and weaknesses) and gifts can live and serve together in His kingdom better than if everyone was exactly the same. We all need each other for the God-sized tasks He has assigned us.

Forms of the word “pride” occur about 100 times in the Bible. All but 4 or 5 are NEGATIVE. So about 95% of the time our pride is sinful, especially when and if it causes believers to avoid each other.

The old proverb, “There is more wisdom in a group than in any one member,” is still true. No matter how sharp or educated we are, we benefit from the ideas and advice of each other.

10/09/20 THE ONE ANOTHER’S IN THE NT #2 — Romans 12:10 (CSB) says, “Love ONE ANOTHER deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring ONE ANOTHER.” Two commands in a single verse.

(1)    Two special Greek words occur in this first sentence: “philostorgos,” which means basically to love one’s own children (the ONLY time this word occurs in Scripture); and “philadelphia,” literally means brotherly or fraternal love. All believers are part of an intimate, loving family. The Apostle John repeatedly declared that this is one of the main ways the world can identify us as believers (John 13:35; 1Jo.3:10,17-19).

(2)     “Honor” here is the Greek word “time” (pronounced tim-ay) which also means esteem, precious and money. “Take the lead” (also only once in the NT) is also translated “Outdo” (HCSB), “Give preference” (NASB), “Prefer” (KJV), and “Give preference” (NKJV). Believers must take the initiative to give honor and esteem to each other. God-sized tasks require the unique skills, abilities and gifts of each believer; we must learn to appreciate and depend on each other.

10/08/20 THE “ONE ANOTHER”’S IN THE NT #1 — About 100 times in the NT the Greek word “allelon” occurs. It usually translated “one another” (at least 76 times) or “each other.” Many of these verses give responsibilities all individual believers have toward other believers. For the next few weeks let’s look at most of these.

Romans 12:5 (CSB) says, “in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of ONE ANOTHER.” The MacArthur Study Bible comments, “Just as in the natural body, God has sovereignly given the body of Christ a unified diversity (see 1Co 12:14-20).” Each and every true believer is an indispensable organ in his or her local church, the Body of Christ.

Medical experts may declare that some of the organs in our physical bodies are unnecessary, e.g. the appendix. But that is NOT true in the spiritual realm. At least two challenges face us. First, we need to learn to value each and every member of our church, fighting our all-too-common tendency to force each believer into a predetermined mold. Second, we must be aggressive in our search for their unique gifts, functions and roles.

10/07/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #22 — Ephesians 1:18-19 (CSB) says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the wealth of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the IMMEASURABLE GREATNESS of His POWER toward us who believe, according to the MIGHTY WORKING of His STRENGTH.”

NT (Koine) Greek has several words which express different aspects of the concept of POWER. V.19, in a single verse, mentions 5 or 6 of them! “IMMEASURABLE” is hyperballo in Greek, literally “to throw beyond”—no matter how many “very”’s (a la Pres. Trump!) you put before God’s POWER, you have NOT exaggerated how GREAT it is. “GREATNESS” is megathas, from which we get the prefix “mega-“—HUGE! “POWER” is dynamis, from which we get “dynamite”—explosive power to remove obstacles. “MIGHTY” is kratos which conveys the ideas of might or strength. “WORKING” is energeia, the energy needed to start a project, endure throughout and finish strong. Finally, “STRENGTH” is ischys, the notion of might, strength and ability.

Notice that God’s POWER is “toward us who believe.” Our Father has made His Infinite Ability to Get Things Done AVAILABLE to His Faithful People! Wherever God Guides, He Provides. Whenever, wherever He sends us, we are always Equipped, NOT Stripped. Praise the Lord

10/06/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #21 — Back online again, finally!

Acts 10:46 (CSB) says, “For they heard them speaking in tongues and declaring the GREATNESS of God. Then Peter responded…”

Up to this point Scripture records that only Jews had been saved. But God had always planned (even EXPLICITLY in the OT) to save people of every tribe, language and nation. God Himself presented visions to the Apostle Peter and the Roman centurion Cornelius to arrange for Peter to preach to Cornelius and his household. God knew that the Jews would need convincing proof that these non-Jews were saved. So the Holy Spirit caused them to speak in languages previously unknown to them. Somehow the Jewish believers who accompanied Peter knew they were “declaring the GREATNESS of God!” Peter immediately recognized the validity of their conversion and commanded that they be baptized (v.48).

Since the vast majority of us are NOT Jewish, Thank the Lord—Jesus came to save people from every tribe, nation and language, including you and me! Cornelius and his household were the very first of many saved, redeemed, committed followers of Jesus whose parents were not Jews!

10/01/20 IDEAS, WORDS & PHRASES I’M TOTALLY SICK OF — It seems that every time I watch the news on TV or encounter it in texts, emails, Facebook posts, and so on, at least some of these faddish phrases are used: “Talking Points”, “At the End of the Day”, “Narrative”, “It Is What It Is.” Why, why, why do we need to be hammered with the same jargon from the left and the right each and every day?! My ears throb, almost literally—I’m sick of it!

Another thing… There used to be a poster entitled “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Unfortunately where I was born and raised attending kindergarten was not common. But I’m pretty sure one of the lessons kids learn there is to “Take Turns.” These days it seems that anytime there is a political “debate”—local, state, national or presidential level—each participant feels somehow entitled to interrupt rudely the moderator or his/her opponent. Have we become so selfish, immature, impatient and hate-filled that we cannot even allow different ideas to be expressed in our presence without interrupting, rudely, viciously?! Can we not “Take Turns” any longer?

Finally, in formal debates, when a participant can no longer argue effectively against his opponent’s position, he might choose merely to ATTACK his opposition’s person or character. This strategy is called “Ad Hominem,” Latin for “at the man.” It is a sign of utter disrespect, defeat and desperation. And BOTH parties, during the primaries and elections, at every level, do it constantly. To ALL our Leaders and News Anchors: Please, GROW UP, ASAP!