04/30/20 THE GREAT COMMISSION (Mat. 28:18-20) #4—Why did Jesus tell believers to teach new believers to “keep” or “observe” ALL His commandments. Why didn’t He say “obey”? I’m so glad you asked.

The original Greek word is “tereo,” which means to watch, guard or preserve. It’s often used in a military sense, including 70 times in the NT. Soldiers must not only OBEY the commands of their superiors; they must PRESERVE the order in their squad, ensuring that their fellow soldiers are also obey and preserve the chain of command. Everyone’s life depends on it.

In the same way, disciples MUST NOT ONLY OBEY Jesus’ teachings; we must also GUARD and PRESERVE them as we PASS them along to NEW disciples. Soldiers of the Cross: Attention, Forward, March!

04/29/20 THE GREAT COMMISSION (Mat. 28:18-20) #3—“GO!” Such a simple command. ALL the experts in the ancient biblical languages translate it that way. So, why do so many pastors say that it actually says, “As you’re going”? I know none of you aspires to become an expert in ancient Greek, but please indulge me briefly.

By putting endings on root words, NT Greek can make just about any word into any part of speech. That’s how we know that the main verb is “Make disciples”; it’s the only verb in that sentence in the imperative voice. The other three verbs—“Go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching”—are participles. If they were English participles, they would all 3 end in “-ing.” But they’re in Greek, NOT English. A grammar rule in NT Greek is that participles that modify a command themselves become commands. Also, word order in NT Greek is unimportant, for the most part. The endings on the words tell us the subject, main verb, object, etc.

In NT Greek the main reason for altering normal word order is for EMPHASIS. I’m pretty sure that “Go” is first because that’s the all-important FIRST STEP in our #1 Task: Making Disciples. AND, from Eden to Babel, to Egypt, to the early disciples, it seems that God’s people have always had trouble taking that very first step in the process. So, all together now, “Ready, Set, GO!”

04/28/20 THE GREAT COMMISSION (Mat. 28:18-20) #2—On the (really) old Bob Newhart Show, there was a frustrated salesman, Mr. Hurd. Seems he didn’t want to bother anyone, so as he stood at a potential customer’s door, he was afraid to knock?! No surprise—he was a dismal failure; he NEVER sold any of his product!

Surveys tell us that the average so-called Christian in America NEVER shares his/her faith with anyone in his/her entire life. No wonder the vast majority of our churches are declining sharply, in danger of shutting their doors permanently.

Someone famous said, “If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting!” It’s way past time for American believers and churches to begin making disciples by SHARING the GOOD NEWS of JESUS with anybody and everybody!

04/27/20 THE GREAT COMMISSION (Mat. 28:18-20) #1—On his first day in the Green Bay Packers’ football camp, new coach Vince Lombardi held up a pigskin and said to the world champions, “Gentlemen, THIS is a football!” He impressed on them that the path to greatness involved Getting Back to Basics!

          As our pastor John Green preached so passionately yesterday, the path ahead for the American church is to Get Back to the Basics—in His Famous Last Words, the Lord Jesus told ALL believers to MAKE DISCIPLES!

04/26/20 REPENT OT and NT: Apostles Peter and Paul were raised as OT Jews. As such they undoubtedly understood OT theology at least somewhat. All of us have heard (probably) many times that “to repent” means “to turn from our sins and to God.” But, check out the 3 NT verses below:

Acts 3:19 (NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Acts 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.

So, why does each verse mention repentance and turning in the same sentence? I think I know! The OT Hebrew word translated “repent” DOES mean “to turn.” But the NT Greek word translated “repent” literally means “to change your mind.” As OT Jews and NT Believers at the same time, I think that Peter and Paul (not to mention, the Holy Spirit) wanted us to understand BOTH aspects of repentance, OT and NT! Biblical (OT and NT) repentance means a change of thinking so profound one’s entire direction in life is forever altered. WOW!

04/25/20 MORE PRAYER ISSUES: There are roughly 300 prayers in the Bible. No more than a dozen mention sickness; that’s ~4%. So why is it that at least 90% of prayer needs I hear expressed are about sickness, surgeries and doctor appointments. Looking at the prayers in the Bible, anyone can see that Almighty God and godly persons want to discuss many other issues with Him.

          Two suggestions: (1) Let’s intentionally pray about those other concerns—our personal holiness, salvation for folks in our families and circles of influence, the effectiveness of our churches, the realization of God’s kingdom, etc. and (2) Let’s learn to devote time to LISTENING to God—He has always been a “communicating” God; He still is! [ Amos 3:7 (CSB) Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets. ]

04/24/20 TWO LIONS—Years ago at the Knoxville Zoo, our young daughter Teri had walked a short distance away from us. She was fascinated by the lion enclosure, leaning over, bending down, and trying to get her hand inside the bars. And I noticed a young lion “stalking” her; he was crouched down and seemed to be ready to run and pounce on her. I ran over to her, yelling as loud as I could. That not only alarmed some of the crowd and zoo employees, but it distracted the lion. Whew!

The Bible mentions two especially powerful “Lions”:

(1) The Devil — 1 Peter 5:8 (CSB) Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour; AND

(2) Jesus — Revelation 5:5 (CSB) Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

         Which LION do you want to deal with? CHOOSE CAREFULLY!

04/23/20 THE WEIGHT OF SIN #2—My senior year our high school football team was undefeated, the Virginia state champs. As a 200 pound linebacker I was the smallest guy on the first-string defense! A couple of times after I had tackled a runner, I wound up at the very bottom of a giant heap of tons of football players. I was trapped, I could barely breathe, and it seemed like nobody was in any hurry to get off me. When all else failed, I punched, pinched, scratched and bit until they all got off me!

          In Isaiah 43:24 (NIV), God says, “You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.”
          Apparently God Himself feels the weight of our sins. Thank the Good Lord that He sent His Son Jesus to remove that burden from Himself AND us!

04/22/20 PERSISTENT PRAYER—My wife and I pray aloud together at least four times each day (early morning and all 3 meals). And in nearly every prayer recently, we have asked God to remove the Covid-19 plague. Today I had the funny feeling that I was pestering, annoying God. My entire life I’ve heard a few say, “I trust God—I only pray about something ONCE!” On the surface it sounds kind of faithful and right.

But Luke 18:1-8 (CSB) says 1 Now He told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. 2 ^“There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

You might think that Dutch Sheets is a new set of bed linens to help you sleep better. Maybe. But in his book Intercessory Prayer, author Dutch Sheets reminds us that we are in a (spiritual) battle; to remove a fierce obstacle takes lots of ammunition. He suggests that Persistent Prayer is like stockpiling ammo for the preemptory strike at the enemy. So, as Jesus commands and Sheets suggests, let’s ALL Pray Daily for Almighty God to Stop this Plague ASAP (As Soon As Providential)!

04/21/20 THE WEIGHT OF SIN—At my high school summer construction job, I was preparing to work on the transmission of a dump truck. As I lay on a roller underneath it and loosened some bolts, suddenly the entire assembly fell on me! It was so heavy I couldn’t move; I couldn’t yell for help; I could hardly breathe. All I could do was wait and hope someone from the office would come to check on me soon and rescue me.

God’s Word says that the weight of sin is like that. In Ezekiel 33:10-11 (CSB), God says, “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?” ’ 11 Tell them, ‘As I live — this is the declaration of the Lord God — I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’”

In Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB), Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

If the weight of sin and the burdens of life have got you down, COME TO JESUS!

04/20/20 The unknown author of Psalm 137 says “1 By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees, 3 for our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for rejoicing: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” 4 How can we sing the LORD’s song on foreign soil?” (CSB) God answered their complaints in Jeremiah 29:5 (NIV): “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” In other words, “Get to Work; Do NOT Wait until things straighten out! It may be a long time before things get back to ‘normal.’” (OR maybe there’s going to be a NEW normal!)

          Are our churches whining, “When can we get back to church like normal, as we knew it, in our safe, familiar buildings, running our same old programs?” God expects us to BE His people and DO His work, no matter how confusing, uncomfortable and unfamiliar our circumstances seem to be.

04/19/20 PRAYER PROMISES & PROBLEMS—Most of us know that the Bible contains some amazing prayer promises, such as: John 14:13-14 (NIV) And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (also John 16:23-24, etc.).

Many love to say that God ALWAYS HEARS and ANSWERS every one of our prayers. His answers are “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.”

But there are at least as many “prayer problem” verses as promises. Here are some of these: Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; Proverbs 28:9 Anyone who turns his ear away from hearing the law—even his prayer is detestable. See also Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; Lamentations 3:44; Luke 18:11,14; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 5:16; etc.

If our attitude or lifestyle is not pleasing to God, He does NOT promise to hear or answer our prayers. So, “Get Right with God,” and then take full advantage of the incredible privilege of conversing with our hearing and answering God!

04/18/20 Matthew 28:17-20 (CSB) 04/18/20 Matthew 28:17-20 (CSB) 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came near and said to them, 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I like to refer to this, the Great Commission, also as The Savior’s Sacred Sub Sandwich! The top of the bun is Jesus’ POWER in v.18. The bottom of the bun is Jesus’ PRESENCE in v.20b. Some of you remember the lady in the 1984 Wendy’s commercial, who asked, “Where’s the Beef?!” In between, in v.19-20a is the MEAT—Jesus’ PROGRAM: All His disciples are called and commanded to MAKE DISCIPLES!

Considering we Always have His POWER and PRESENCE, what else do we need? LET’S GET BUSY!

04/17/20 AFTER-EFFECTS of EASTER: Why is he called “Doubting Thomas?” It’s probably because of two passages: (1) John 14:4-6 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”; and (2) John 20:27-29 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” I think Thomas was honest, curious and determined not to be gullible; he was a lot like ME, and, probably most of US! 
          Because of the women who went to the tomb and two men—Peter, who ran to the tomb to verify what the women had told him; and Thomas, who refused to believe until he was absolutely convinced by firsthand evidence—YOU and I can be 100% certain that Jesus was actually, physically resurrected! Praise the Lord!

04/16/20 AFTER-EFFECTS of EASTER: 1 Corinthians 15:20b (CSB) says “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” “Has been raised” is Perfect Tense. This means that Jesus’ Resurrection happened in the Past, but it continues to have a Powerful Effect into the Present and Beyond! It was then, it sure is now, and it always will be PERFECT!

04/15/20 Recently we encountered a church friend we hadn’t seen for years. He said he had abandoned the Baptist church because we insist on dividing people into two groups; we are too “binary.” It occurred to me that we got that idea from the Bible itself: Jews and Gentiles, Righteous and Unrighteous, Wise and Foolish, Prepared and Unprepared, Obedient and Disobedient, Spiritual and Worldly, Dead and Alive, Lost and Found, Saved and Lost.

          Baptists did NOT invent the separation of all people into two groups; God did, in His Holy Word, the Bible! Which group are YOU in? Which group would YOU LIKE to be in? It’s YOUR Choice—CHOOSE JESUS!

04/14/20 Members Only Benefits: Recently I was filling my gas tank at Sam’s Club; prices there were 30+ cents cheaper than anywhere else in town! A young couple pulled in on the other side of the pump. A few moments later, the young lady asked me if I knew why the pump would not accept her credit card. I reluctantly asked her if she had put in her Sam’s membership card first. She said they were not members. Sadly I told her that only members could purchase gas there.

Understandably I suppose, lots of people and churches are posting signs and messages of encouragement during this dangerous crisis. But a careful check of the CONTEXT of many/most of these promises of God from Scripture reveals that they are also “Members Only Benefits. If they occur in the Old Testament, they may be only for the Hebrews (in Isaiah and Jeremiah, most of these benefits will occur AFTER their 70 years of God-imposed judgment!?). In the New Testament they may very well be only for “members of Christ’s body,” the church, which consists of believers—people who have realized the utter hopelessness of their lives apart from Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and surrendered control of their lives to him.

My prayer is that many people will become members of His body soon and have a certain hope of enjoying His benefits.

04/13/20 AFTER-EFFECTS of EASTER—First, let’s set the record straight. It’s Pastor John Green’s fault, NOT mine! He preaches brief, powerful messages which inspire me to write down 7 or 8 ideas I desperately need to post online ASAP.

So, just because Easter has past, I want to consider some of its After-Effects. Surely such a life-changing event must continue to produce evidence and fruit in our lives. Hopefully I’ll get all these ideas posted, 1 day at a time before he preaches again next Sunday…

Think about TV advertisements for various medications. Even as they try to impress us with their marvelous healing properties (usually “not approved by the FDA”!), they warn us about some of the side- and/or after-effects: Shortness of breath, High or Low blood pressure, Headaches, Dizziness, Hallucinations, Digestive upset, Liver problems, Suicidal thoughts and actions, …?? Oh, yeah, gotta get me some of that!

But what are the after-effects of Easter, Resurrection Sunday? Far too many of us (aside from the current CovId-19 “shutdown”) clean up the candy wrappers, put away the baskets and nice new outfits we bought just for the occasion, (vow to return to our New Year’s diets) and return to Business As Usual by Monday, at the latest!??

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul discusses our two conditions: (1) Pre-Resurrection / In Adam—From our distant ancestor Adam we all inherited a “sin nature.” We are predisposed to satisfy ourselves and disregard and disobey God; we are unable to please Him. And, (2) Post-Resurrection / In Christ—We have the opportunity to experience an Extreme Makeover. Our guilt is replaced with His Perfection and Innocence; and our inability to satisfy God is transformed into our ability to please Him as we complete the “good works He prepared beforehand” for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

In Adam, we are born once, but die twice. In Christ, we are born twice and die only once! Someone said, “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.” Finish STRONG—Choose Jesus!

04/??/20 EASTER CHOICES—Crowds: Jesus Barabbas [see Mat.27:16] (“son of father,” murderer/terrorist) OR Jesus Christ (THE Son of THE Father); Two Thieves: Mock, Dare, Challenge Jesus à Die IN your Sins OR Assert Jesus’ Sinlessness and Kingship, Ask Him to Remember you à Be SAVED from your Sins and (the Second, Eternal) Death and gain Eternal Life. 
         Pilate, the Roman soldiers, the Jewish leaders, the crowds and the thieves made their choice. NOW it’s YOUR turn—What do YOU Choose to Do with Jesus?

04/12/20 Easter Sunday—Back in the 20th century, master illusionist Harry Houdini told his followers not to worry, that he would “escape death itself,” and return to life on a certain day. For several years following his death, they waited hopefully on or near that day, but nothing happened. His promise was just an empty lie, his cruelest illusion of all.

In 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 the apostle Paul argues that without the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, all Bible-based preachers are liars, the faith of all believers is worthless, and all humans stand as guilty sinners under a death sentence before an infinitely holy God. But—joyfully, thankfully and triumphantly—He concludes: Jesus has, in fact, been raised from the dead.

I love how one of my favorite Easter songs, “Alive and Well” by Luke Garrett, says it: “Some people say He’s an arms-length away; He keeps an eye on His flock, but from a distance; Some people feel He’s not even real, There is no way to prove His existence; I know that it’s been said that He is dead and gone; But they’re wrong, Oh, they’re wrong! He is alive and well, Alive and well; God is still Almighty, He is still Immanuel; He is alive and well, Gotta go and tell somebody; Jesus is alive and well!” HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

04/11/20 Jesus’ Crown of Thorns—When I was pastor at my first church, we had some kind of locust trees in our backyard. The trunks especially were loaded with large clusters of long, sharp, sturdy thorns.

          As Easter approached, I hatched a plan. I (very carefully) removed several clusters and stored them in a small box which I put on a shelf in my office at church. As the sermon time began on Sunday night I sent a young teenage boy to fetch the box for me. I specifically told him, in front of the entire congregation, NOT to open the box or try to handle any of its contents. Since I used to be a boy, I knew what would happen. He came back in a very few moments with the box in his two very bloody hands! He exclaimed that these things were dangerous! The effect was so dramatic I repeated it several other springs. Disclaimer: No children were seriously hurt in this activity!

          Many experts think that the “crown of thorns” the Roman soldiers twisted and shoved onto Jesus’ head (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2) was from a locust tree, maybe just like ours! If so, it would have caused considerable pain and much loss of blood. And ALL His sufferings were to pay the heavy price for the many sins of each and every human being, yours and mine included! Praise the Lord!

04/10/20 Good Friday: One morning years ago at Oak Ridge National Laboratory I was walking down the hall. As I approached the coffee machine, I heard two of my colleagues arguing about why we call that day “Good Friday.” When they noticed me, one said, “Hey, there’s Mr. Ed—He’s a Bible thumper; maybe he knows!? Ed, how can you call it ‘good’ when there was a betrayal, a conspiracy, an illegal trial, a brutal torture and a horrendous death?”

I told them that the Jewish leaders hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. The same crowd that hailed His entrance a few days before demanded His death on Friday. The Romans were happy to kill anyone who threatened the military-style “peace” they maintained. Even Satan thought he had destroyed God’s plan to offer salvation to His people. It sure seemed as if God’s plan had failed and His enemies had won the victory.

I reminded them that God Himself had predestined all these events. He had communicated most of the details to the Jews years ahead of time through His prophets. AND, most important, Friday was GOOD because it set the stage for the RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior on that first Easter Sunday morning!

04/09/20 Passion Week #3—Peter’s Threefold Denial of Christ: A ton of teenagers and I were on the beach at Daytona. A man was conducting his well-known, “Walk to the Cross,” with us. There were three “life-sized,” heavy wooden crosses. Each of us had to take a turn. The soft sand made footing treacherous; most of the young people stumbled and fell, including my own daughter and the daughter of one of our pastors. As I helped them to their feet and took the cross from them, the guy in charge grabbed me forcefully and yelled, “Leave them alone—everyone needs to own the experience!” I was so mad I could have…

Finally he took the three crosses and, with help of some of the other adult men, stood them up in the sand. He instructed our giant crowd how to behave to reenact the trial and crucifixion scene. He encouraged us to yell nasty things and mock “Jesus”; he said that’s exactly what each of us would have done if we had been there. I was  furious! I declared, under my breath, that I would NEVER have cursed Jesus and mocked Him. A soft voice in my head said, “You’re right, Ed; just like Peter, you would have chickened out and denied knowing Him at all!”

How do you think YOU would have reacted?

04/08/20 Easter Drama #2: Hyland Heights BC, Lynchburg, VA. I had 3 roles: (1) I held Jairus’ daughter as Jesus raised her from the dead; (2) I taunted and mocked Jesus on the cross—some female cast members cried and begged me to stop; and (3) Finally, I stood all alone at the end of the catwalk as the elderly Apostle John, where I gave a stirring invitation and watched literally hundreds rush forward to pray, make decisions for Christ, etc. Best feeling ever!

04/07/20 Easter Drama #1: Central BC, Oak Ridge, TN. Years ago (most of my posts seem to start that way?), I played the Roman centurion who supervised Jesus’ mocking, torture and death. Beforehand we brushed theatrical (fake) blood on my whip The flogging scene was positively gruesome! During the play I scourged Jesus and hammered the nails. As we pretended to pick a man out of the audience randomly to carry Jesus’ cross, an elderly man passed out. 

A week later, after worship on Sunday a young boy yelled at me, “I know who you are! YOU whipped Jesus! YOU killed Jesus! Then he kicked me in the shin—really hard!? As they say, “No good deed goes unpunished!”

04/07/20 New Words to Old Songs:

(1) Bye, Corona [from “My Sharona” by  The Knack] Hey, little deadly one, deadly one / Don’t you dare to waste my time, Corona… Buh - buh – buh, Bye, Corona!

(2) “Stayin’ Alive” [with apologies to the Bee Gees]—Verse: Well, you can tell by the way I wear my mask / I’m a careful man, You don’t have to ask / Just send me an email, a text or Tweet / Don’t come any closer than three feet / You know it’s all right, It’s gonna be okay / We’re gonna live another day... By, by, by, by Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive / By, by, by, by Stayin’ Alive…

I’ll probably get around to finishing the lyrics and (guitar) chords, but maybe someone faster and more talented than I can beat me to it. Go for it!

04/06/20 Social Distancing in the Old Testament! My wife Linda just made an especially relevant observation. Virtually all of Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 concern how God expected the ancient Hebrews to deal with several kinds of highly infectious diseases. In virtually every case, the victim was to be quarantined for at least seven days. So, be godly, stay healthy, and RELAX!

04/06/20 Passion Week #2—Jesus “Turns the Tables” on the Jewish leaders: Matthew 21:12-13 (CSB) 12 Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!” (see Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11). Surrounded by cruel oppression and extraordinary needs of every kind, Jesus’s most pressing concern was the commercialization and degradation of the religious establishment, which was offensive to Almighty God.

     An interesting and challenging questions I’ve asked several groups before is this: If Jesus showed up at your church, what “tables” would He overturn?

04/05!/20 OK, so I put the wrong date on my earlier post! Pastor John’s message (check “wallaceknox” on FB) about Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet reminded me of an actual “foot-washing” years ago. Our youth pastor David was leaving to become an foreign missionary. It was Wednesday, the very last time most of us would ever see him. The 100+ teens, David and I were seated in a large “circle”; he was right next to me on my left. To remind us that we should always serve each other humbly, he began washing the feet of the teens, starting on his left and continuing clockwise. There was a lot of sobbing, praying and praising. As he came nearer and nearer to me, I began to get uneasy. As he knelt in front of me, I grabbed him by the shoulders and shouted, “NO! You will never wash my feet; I need to wash yours!” He burst out laughing and said, “Sit down, PETER, and let me wash your feet, too!” All things considered, most folks might think I’m most like Paul in the NT. Sorry, sometimes I’m almost sure I’m the Apostle Peter reincarnated (at least, his worst characteristics)!

04/06/20 Passion Week #1—Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:9 (CSB) Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! (see Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:25-26, etc.) 

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, several OT prophecies about the promised Messiah are fulfilled in just a few hours. In those days after a great military victory, it was common for the conquering king to ride into the defeated capital on a donkey as a gesture of celebration and peace. Messianic fever and expectation among the Jews had never been higher. “Hosanna” was a transliteration of the Hebrew for “Save (us) now!” The crowds were crying out for God to send His Messiah to save them from cruel Roman oppression. All were hoping and some were cheering that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the Christ.

In the midst of our suffering under the cruel suffering and oppression of Covid-19, let’s call on and cry out to God, “Lord, save us now!”

04/04/20—Further adventures in Reno, NV. Some of my meetings were held on the second floor of a casino. My two traveling companions talked excitedly about how much fun it was to gamble there. In preparation for my “night on the town,” I put all my money and valuables in the hotel’s safe in the lobby, except for $3.00 (though this was more than 30 years ago, that still wasn’t much). I went with them as they each bought $100 in chips. I looked over their shoulders as they lost nearly all of it.

Along the way I had a great steak dinner for $1.00 (apparently the casino did NOT want its customers to leave the place to grab a bite to eat)! On a whim, I decided to try a nickel-slot machine. It ate up my first ten cents. But on my 3rd nickel, a loud siren sounded, lights flashed and $20.00 (400 nickels!) poured out onto the floor (I didn’t know you were supposed to put a “Dixie-cup” under the chute)! I quickly picked up as many as I could.

At evening’s end, they decided to compare notes. They each commented on what a great night and how much fun they had experienced. And neither of them had lost his entire $100, so it was “cheap entertainment.” When I emptied my right front pocket and counted all my loot, I had around $17.00—I actually made about $14.00! They mocked me—how could I expect to have any fun at all since I was so “cheap?”

Proverbs 1:7 (CSB) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 10:2 (CSB) Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death. 

04/03/20—Decades ago (don’t ask) I took a business trip to Reno, NV. Some of my meetings were held on the second floor of a casino. Walking a few blocks along the main drag between our hotel and the casino, I saw several scenes which reminded me of the beginning of Psalm 1, which begins “1 How happy is the one who does NOT WALK in the advice of the wicked or STAND in the pathway with sinners or SIT in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”

There were a few dark alleys in which groups of not-so-friendly looking men were busily gambling, arguing, fighting, etc. From a “safe distance away,” on different days I watched as men saw the gamblers. They were interested; I saw one after another WALK down the alley to get a closer look. A few stopped to STAND near the action and observe more closely. Finally two or three decided to SIT and join the “fun.” I even noticed a couple of men who lost a great deal of money. They complained so loudly that others in the group began to beat the daylights of them!

SIT, STAND, WALK: that’s the sequence that a babies go through as they make POSITIVE PROGRESS towards growing up. WALK, STAND, SIT: that’s the sequence people go through as they REGRESS into the world of SIN, WORLDINESS, and GODLESSNESS. Psalm 1 ends on an encouraging note, “6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.“

04/02/20—I just saw this verse on a local church sign: “Isaiah 41:10 (CSB) Do not fear, for I am with you…” The rest of the verse is “do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” At first glance this verse seems like just the encouragement we need during this national-/world-wide crisis. Is this a promise from God that He will stay right beside each one of us, throughout this and all crises, no matter who we are?

The CONTEXT is NOT so entirely encouraging. Isaiah is prophesying that God is about to punish His people by sending them into captivity/exile for 70 years. Most of the Hebrew adults would die in a foreign land during that time; and, in reality, only a small fraction of the Jews EVER actually returned to Israel. As fearful as that prospect was, God said not to panic—He would still love them; they would still be His people; He would not abandon them completely and finally. Eventually, when their well-deserved punishment was completed, He would restore them. Maybe, just maybe, this is EXACTLY the biblical message our increasingly godless nation needs to hear!

04/01/20—Luke 9:23-24 (CSB) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it…” The Christian life is a continual Self Denying, Death Defying, Savior Relying commitment. Nothing less will satisfy God our Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. NO FOOLIN’!