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!