Bad Company - 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

    My dear mother, God rest her soul, used to tell me that I would be known by the company I kept. How right she was. But aside from being associated with the people I ran with something even more pernicious was taking place: I was actually becoming like them. “If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse’” - Proverbs 1:11-14. “One purse,” an apt way to describe any affiliation that places you and the crew you associate with in one bag.
    The preceding example exemplifies people with near or certain criminal nature, but there are similar associations which, while not even remotely ‘criminal’, are just as corrupt and morally reprehensible. It may be the group of friends we hang out with. It could be that coworkers or school mates fit the bill. God forbid, it could even be members of our family or church! The one thing they all have in common is their immoral and godless way. “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” - 2 Timothy 3:2-5
    Scripture is clear on this issue - avoid these people and people like them at all costs. We will not merely be judged by the people you run with - you will be convicted with them! “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them . . .” - Ephesians 5:6-7. But what of family members and work relations? Are we to strain those relationships by giving them the cold shoulder?
    Jesus never minced His words. Perhaps we should seek an answer to the above question from Him. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” - Matthew 10:34-37. I can already hear the objections to Jesus’ words. Weak and mollifying Christian ministers will try with all their might to minimize the gravity of Christ’s words just to ‘keep the peace.’ But what did Christ Himself say? You see, this is how critical proper exegesis is when interpreting the words of the Bible. When Scripture tells us to separate ourselves from unwholesome people, it means it, and it doesn’t matter what their relationship is to us. We cannot allow unrepentant sin to enter through our hearts, minds, or front doors! “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? . . . Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you . . . .” - 2 Corinthians 6:14-15,17.
    Lord help us to keep ourselves clear of bad company less we are judged by the company we keep.

Why Do We Wait? - Acts 22:16

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.  - Acts 22:16

    Another year has passed before us. Some things have changed while others have remained the same. But life is fragile and constantly in flux. Fragility is one of humanity’s greatest weaknesses. It is why we are born as vulnerable infants and hopefully only slowly, relative to the broadest definition of time, grow into self-sufficient adults. Our tastes change. Our likes and dislikes change. Our very personalities change as time moves ever forward. Change is, in fact, an earmark of humanity. So what does not change? What anchor or rock can we firmly attach ourselves to for stability? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” - Hebrews 13:8.
    The question posed by the Apostle Luke is simple in regard to its basic concern. ‘Why do you wait?’ What is keeping us from acting in our best interests? Why are we seemingly more content with being adrift throughout our lives than being tethered to something we can truly count on? Do we really seek the dark and distant unknown? “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 8:11-12. The ‘sons of the kingdom’ refer to unbelieving Jews in Christ’s day. But as for the rest of contemporary humanity: why do we wait?
    The Apostle’s advice is tried and true - rise, be baptized, wash away our sins, call upon His name - all four are actions dependent upon us . . . or so it seems. It would be so easy if it were indeed the case. Just think; we could live out our lives as we see fit, then as we near the end of our lives in these perishable shells, resort to Luke’s advice - rise, be baptized, wash away our sins, and call His name; all of it, nice and tidy. But there are two problems with that line of thinking: one, we don’t know when our time will come and, two, we don’t know when Christ is going to return. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” - 2 Peter 3:10.
    We must remember that God will determine both our time to leave these earthly husks and when He will return. We must also remember that God will draw those to Himself who will be saved. “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”- Romans 9:16. We cannot save ourselves. That is why we must call on the holy name of Jesus to save us. “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13. And we know from Scripture that He is as good as the promise - “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” - John 6:37.
    We have lived another year by the grace of God. And what of the new year? Will His beneficent providence carry us through again on angelic wings? And what about the hour of our deaths? We’re not guaranteed even today, let alone tomorrow?  Perhaps it is fitting that Luke raises the stakes for us - “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” - Luke 12:19-20.
     Since we have no assurance of even a moment longer in these frail human bodies, should we not heed God’s word to us?  “For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” - 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. The new year is upon us. “ . . . why do we wait?”

Kingdom Without End - Luke 1:32-33

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” - Luke 1:32-33

    Christmas day celebrates the birth of a King - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Denying that Christ is King is about as logical as denying tomorrow’s sunrise. He created the universe and in Him its existence is secure. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1: 15-17. Neither the Muslim, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the atheist, nor the Pagan druid have Him for their king, for they do not have Jesus!
    Despite the secularization of Christmas, many still understand and believe the adage, “Christ - the reason for the season.” Because without the birth of Jesus Christ there would be no Christmas. More importantly, without Jesus there would be no redemption from eternal death, there would be no forgiveness in Christ’s death upon the cross, and there would be no eternal security in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” - 1 Peter 1:3-5.
    Jesus was born into humble circumstances. He was not born in some regal palace. His first bed was a manger, a feeding trough from which farm animals were fed. His life was lived for thirty years as a lowly carpenter without fame or notoriety. His death was among thieves as He hung from a wooden cross. Humiliation marked His life right up until the final humiliation: as was foretold, the push of a Roman spear into His side while He still hung from His cross. “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” - John 19:33-37.
    A lifetime and a death marked by humility, yet His burial was among the rich - “Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.” - Luke 23:50-53. And so in His death, Jesus was buried among the noble and the rich. It was the beginning of His exaltation. All this was done so that we might be justified before our heavenly Father. This is why Jesus was born - to save us from our sins and lead us into His kingdom.
    Let us take time today to be thankful for the Kingdom of God, a kingdom without end. Forever reignes the Prophet, Priest, and King!  Merry Christmas!   

The Spirits Must Be Tested - 1 John 4:1

   
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1

    Truth be told, there is only one way to test the spirits to see whether they are from God or not: verify them with the Bible! Today, the most pervasive and poisonous teachings are being spread through the “Christian” church at a rate that is truly hard to process. Everything from the false teaching that God wants us to be financially prosperous to the erroneous idea that God will accept us as we are with no need for us to change. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” - 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
    The one thing these various false teachings have in common is that they are nowhere found within or supported by the Word of God: the Bible. In fact, for any false teaching that is taught, one can find the exact opposite of its patent untruth within Holy Scripture. Take a false teaching, any false teaching and the Bible will correct it in word and spirit! Everyone should be prosperous? “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” - Matthew 26:11. Holding onto our sin despite our claim to redemption? “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” - John 8:10-11.
    The fact is that there are no “Liberation Theologies” contained within God’s Word. There is no Prosperity Gospel nor is there a Health Gospel. There is but one Gospel: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He came into the world with one mission, one purpose - “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21. In fact, any teaching that does not point back to the Messiah is a false teaching! Any teaching that doesn’t point back to the Cross is a false teaching. And any teaching that does not point to Jesus Christ as the one mediator between God and man, as our Lord and Savior, and as our Prophet, Priest, and King, is a false teaching.
    The false teachers present and advance their soothing poison specifically because they have a welcoming audience. These are the people who claim to have found “the church for people who don’t like church.” These “christians” could never sit under the teaching of honorable preachers like John Knox, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, David Martyn Lloyd Jones, or R.C. Sproul! In fact, the only preachers that such Christians could follow are of the most unscrupulous kind. Men who are “in it” for what they themselves can get out of it. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” - 1 Timothy 6:3-5.
    One with a grasp on the holiness of God can see very plainly the error of such false teaching. And the only means of acquiring a grasp on the holiness of God is through His inerrant and infallible Word; the Bible. That is why it is of the utmost importance to test the spirits to see if they are from God and not the mere cacophony of the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Samson’s Sleep - Judges 16:20

And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. - Judges 16:20

    Most Americans have heard the biblical story of Samson. There have been many film accounts of his life and times. Many an aphorism has been quipped about ‘Samson and Delilah.’ It is Samson’s fall from grace that this post deals with.
    Samson’s stumble, while initiated by Delilah’s desire to know the source of his strength, came about, as a result, of his own personal failure. It was Samson’s attraction to a Philistine woman that placed him in spiritual jeopardy. It was his succumbing to her wiles that brought him to his shearing by his enemies. It was his reliance upon his own pride that blinded him and placed him in chains. All of these events occurred when, in his self-assurance, he fell asleep!
    Have we too, in our own pride, fallen asleep and forgotten Christ’s words of warning -
“Therefore stay awake— for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” - Mark 13:35-37. Jesus is simply commanding us to be vigilant. Such vigilance requires tenacity and strength of purpose. We cannot maintain our guard if we fall asleep due to being self-absorbed.
    The supposition in the title verse that “the Lord had left him” is merely a play on words since we know from Holy Scripture that God will never leave us or forsake us. “For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.” - Psalm 94:14. The weight of Samson’s tribulation lay with Samson for letting his guard down and falling asleep in the midst of his enemies! The aftermath was humbling for Samson the Great - “And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.” - Judges 16:21-22. The lesson of Samson’s sleep should not be ignored. “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” - Proverbs 12:24. In our worldly pride and self-assurance have we too fallen spiritually asleep?
    As Christians, we must maintain our watch for the coming of Jesus. We cannot afford to become complacent in our faith. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” - 1 Corinthians 10:12. About our commitment to Christ, we cannot become lulled by the world into a state of slumber. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” - Luke 12:35-36.
    How can we avoid the sleep of Samson? Scripture tells us what we must do to stave off the desire to close our eyes and give in to the world - “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Mark 14:38. Maintaining our vigil and prayer are the tools we need to engage in if we are to be successful in our effort to forestall the worldly desire to simply close our eyes for a little while.
    Jesus continues to admonish us to remain vigilant and pray - “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” -Luke 21:36.   
    Finally, Paul’s words would have been a saving grace to Samson if he had heard and heeded the Apostle’s warning - “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:6. The “others” that Paul speaks about are those ‘of the world.’ And Scripture has assured us that while we are in the world, we are not of the world. Let us leave pride and self-assurance to the world and rest our faith in Christ, Who has overcome the world.

The Power & The Purpose Of The Cross - Mark 8:34

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Mark 8:34

    For most people, the very idea of a crucified Christ is too far beyond the pale of good taste for conversation. The task of nailing a human being to a crucifix with the expressed intention of watching him bleed out or die from asphyxiation is simply a taboo subject for social gatherings. Now, if you don’t believe that, bring it up at your next get-together. But unless we understand the nature of the Cross, how are to ever understand its power and purpose? “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 1:18.
    As for the sheer power of the Cross, we can testify that it has the power to save us from our sins and the spiritual death that accompanies them. We know this because Jesus died for us and in dying for us, He died for our sins. “. . .  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” - Romans 5:8-9. That great wooden crucifix has more power than we, constrained by our human limitations, could ever grasp. “ . . . by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14. 
    We often speak of the weight of the world. How great the weight of our sins must have been to Jesus hanging on the Cross. Christ incarnate had one job which He accomplished magnificently through His death. “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:8.
    In Christ’s death on a Cross,  we witness Him destroying the decay and corruption of sin that manifests itself in life without Him. Our enmity with God is finally and ultimately removed. And this leads us to the purpose of the Cross. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24. Christ’s whole purpose; in fact, the purpose of the Cross is to reconcile us with God.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 8:1.
    The power of the Cross is its ability to save us from our sins, something we can never do on our own. The purpose of the Cross is to do exactly that - to save us from our sins! How important is the Cross to our salvation? Jesus made it clear with these words - “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” - Luke 9:23.
We are called to emulate Christ by entering through the narrow gate, by taking up our own crosses, to follow Him. The power and the purpose of the Cross mark its importance in our lives only once we have decided to follow Jesus. Those who refuse to follow Him will never know the pain and the tribulation of following Christ. They will never know the heartache of family division over the Name above all names. They will never know the weight of remaining faithful even unto death. But neither will they know the promise of glory and eternal life reserved for those who persevere in their faith.
     “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you . . .” - 1 Peter 1:3-4. This is the Power and the purpose of the Cross: the guarantee of eternal life, the ultimate result of the Cross; salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Heart Of Gratitude - Romans 11:36

 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
 - Romans 11:36

    Everything we have, are, possess, enjoy, defend, and love have their beginnings in God. There is nothing created or sustained that is not of God. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” - Genesis 1:1. That is the totality of existence described in one sentence. If we have it in our lives we should be grateful for the providence of God since without Him, neither we nor what we love would not exist! “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:17.
    As we join with family and friends over a Thanksgiving dinner, we should remember the source, the genesis of all we have to be thankful for, beginning with God Almighty. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17.
    Many of us spend far too much of our lives complaining and grousing about the things we don’t have. We pine over the things we think would fulfill us. We mourn over the things we feel have been denied to us. The old adage comes into view here - “Be careful what you wish for.” Do we ever think that there is a good reason, a godly reason, we have failed to obtain these whimsical desires? Could it be that in God’s wisdom He has deemed that what we wish for would do us more harm than good? Do we ever take those moments of denial to refocus our hearts and minds on things that truly will be of benefit to us? “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” - James 4:3.
    But what of all the things we do have? Consider your home, your family, your friends, your education, your job, your very life and all the gracious gifts that God has bestowed upon you. Count each and every blessing! An honest assessment will prove that you have more than you lack. Be grateful for the things you have. Many others have been denied even that.
    And if you should suffer a loss of health, employment, a loved one, or a family member is ripping away at your sense of contentment, remember the words of Paul. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4: 11-13.
    This is the heart of gratitude: to be content in any circumstance God sees fit to place us in.
What may seem like an unbearable burden upon our bodies, minds, and souls, has come upon us for a reason. And we may never know why. But trusting in God can bring us through anything we face in life. Things may not end up the way we had hoped or planned but be sure, they end up according to God’s plan for us. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28.
    A grateful heart brings sunshine even on the cloudiest day. With gratitude comes peace of mind and soul. Take a moment today to share with family and friends all the reasons you are grateful, Then thank God!
Happy Thanksgiving!