Originally posted on Facebook on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

In light of recent events, it's hard but stand firm believer.

The Bible can be trusted.

We, as believers, should not reason or orient ourselves based on anything apart from God's Word, no matter how badly Christians around us get it wrong or how compelling worldly arguments may be. (Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 6:15, Hebrews 10:38)

The Word is the authoritative guide to Life, but without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, its meaning is closed to us. Reading, quoting, teaching and preaching scripture without the illumination of the Holy Spirit is how we, with such confidence that we're right, assert things that are so tragically wrong. (Deuteronomy 29:29, Matthew 11:25, I Corinthians 2:14)

The Word and the Spirit are complete, sufficient for all areas of life and need no extra-biblical supplement. (II Peter 1:3)

They also perfectly agree. The Spirit will never give anything that contradicts the Word. Evaluating statements against scripture is how we test things. (John 16:12-15, 1 Corinthians 14:32, 1 John 4:1-6)

To understand what the Word for any situation or season is, we must be careful not to proudly presume but to humble ourselves and ask God for understanding of the scripture and for wisdom. He gives it generously without risk of rejection. (James 1:5-8, 4:6)

Don't be distracted by the raging waves, those to your left and your right or even the "church". Look to Jesus, the Word in flesh and trust Him, alone.

Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, June 27, 2022.

The problem is that men make God out to be like themselves and think that He would regard authority the way a man would, "to lord it over others." (Mark 10:42)

But, what did Jesus do with His bride? "He called His disciples together and gave them power and authority" (Luke 9:1, Mark 6:7, Matthew 10:1) and in the regeneration, "We shall rule with Him" (2 Timothy 2:12)

Everything God gives us, whether resources, revelation or authority is for the reconciliation of creation and the protection and provision for ALL that are in His house. (Matthew 24:45)

Do we even know why man was given authority in the first place? The fall. (Genesis 3:1) In God's lovingkindness, even in cursing as He was administering His righteous judgement, He had redemption in view and provided "covering" –making the family a military unit to effectively fight against an Enemy that our sin gave power to, to cover (preserve) us until the Chief Shepherd appears (Isaiah 11, John 10, Revelations 21).

Until then, we war. And, I don't know about you, but I want my wife, the woman who's in the foxhole with me, to be empowered, equipped and fully capable of fighting alongside me.

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, June 5, 2022.

You don't have to be prominent to be important.

There are impurities in my thinking that disrupt my peace and destroy my productivity.

Jesus referred to these as leaven.

Among which is the idea that I have to be prominent to be important.

Jesus warned us about this. “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts"
-Luke 20:46

This sort of thinking breeds self-seeking, making me a slave to what is momentary and does not satisfy (disturbing my peace). It also places undue emphasis on me as an individual rather than as a member of a larger whole, dividing me from those to whom and from whom edification should flow (destroying my productivity).

But this is the mind of Christ,

"And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another."
-I Corinthians 12:23-25

So, my prayer today is:

"Father, give me a heart like Christ's, that thinks of prominence as nothing to be sought or held on to, not being preoccupied with oneself (even how they or their work is perceived), but is humble, simply living in service to the Whole, trusting You with their obedience. (Philippians 2:3-11)

Therefore, give me a heart
that does not need to be seen,
that does not need to be applauded,
that does not need likes on social media,
that does not need to signal my importance through titles such as president of this, founder of that or through possessions such as houses, cars or clothes,
that does not need "important" work but a heart that is content peeling potatoes in Your name.

Give me a heart that is glad, yes rejoices, just to be at Your table, regardless of where I sit.

Give me a heart that is satisfied with You alone.

I confess that I do not have this heart. I still desire worldly acceptance and approval. I repent and ask for Your heart believing this is Your will, therefore having full confidence that You can and You will grant my petition, believing that I will receive it without doubting, I ask these things for Your Son Jesus' sake and in His name I pray.

Amen."

Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, May 23, 2022.

Some days, like today, I find myself feeling bad about where I am in worldly terms: what I look like, what I want and don't have, etc..

The temptation is to do something to make myself feel better in that worldly context (to eat something I enjoy, buy something I want, to do something for recognition, etc.) when the key is to completely change contexts –from worldly to godly.

To change these contexts is to abandon earthly considerations; don't worry about it and to shift focus from myself to God, to what He's doing, to how I can be a part of it, to confidence in its beauty and its goodness –to trust God.

Discontent and worry are the opposite of trust.

Very often, the remedy for a sad countenance, discouragement and a downcast heart is a new heart –one secure in God.

So, my prayer in this hour is Psalms 51:10-13,

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit."

https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.51.10-13.NKJV

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, May 15, 2022.

If you are saved, you are part of Christ's body and your function in the body is not just going to church and listening to the mouth. Nor is it recruiting others to come and just listen to the mouth.

God, through Christ, has given you a ministry: "good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Eph 2:10

What has God given you a heart or burden for? How is the Holy Spirit leading you? How are you providing for Christ our Lord's House? How are you seeking His interests in the world?

You were not saved for nothing.

#MinistryIsForEveryBeliever

Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, April 28, 2022.

If I may be real, for years I struggled with whether to share my faith with my children.

First, because I was wrestling with whether I truly believed. I still am. (It is they that endure to the end that are saved.)

And second, because the most detrimental thing I could do to my children's prospect of authentic faith was have it based on mine (rather than on Christ).

It is too easy for my children to accept what I say and mimick what I do because they love me, trust me and want to be accepted by me, rather than thoughtfully examining the claims of Scripture and coming to their own authentic, personal, battle-tested faith in Christ.

One thing I did decide early on was to convey that I would love them the same regardless of what they believed, not only because I want to remove any stumbling blocks to my children coming to sincere faith in Christ, but because it is true.

Beware #CulturalChristianity

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, April 24, 2022.

Being black, in my experience, is to be incessantly asked the question, "Do you belong here?" Unless of course you're in prison, in poverty or a position of subordination.

It's a question that makes my soul tired.

Even some of those who purport to be allies or to "help" readily relegate blacks to the lower rungs in their world or to the head of diversity.

It all swells in me a near infinite anger, one that would not be exhausted even if I were to kill everyone and raze everything to the ground.

This is yet another way I know there is a God to keep such a consuming fire in check. More than that, to also give me compassion for those by whom the offense comes -the perpetrators of my pain, because the enemy is not flesh and blood but sin that enslaves. I was once a slave.

My vision for my people are to have spaces (distinct from being in spaces) where our belonging is never a question but a necessity.

Let it start here and with me. Black people, I need you and don't want a world without you in every part of it.

Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, April 16, 2022.

I used to be offended by the resurrection.

The notion that a man died and came back to life was an insult to my sensibilities and was a major stumbling block to my accepting wholesale the claims of this man called Jesus.

I would not have believed had the Holy Spirit not intervened through the Spirit-filled preaching of the Word, the Spirit-filled ministry of believers and other various means.

My encounter with the Spirit prompted questions I had not sincerely considered before:

"Is this all there is? Could there be more? And, what if this man called Jesus is not just a man? What if He's more?"

I'm eternally thankful for His intervention because without the resurrection, the Christian faith is just another philosophy. But there is power –not just for some future mystical event, but power that is real and at work in my life today because Christ died and was raised.

Christ's dying as the perfect sacrifice satisfied the penalty of sin so I'm no longer condemned,
His being raised conquered death undoing for me sin's ultimate effect,
and His living established His kingdom where sin has no power and I'm given power over sin.

So, because of the resurrection, today I live free, with power to resist sin and I have this hope for tomorrow to attain to this resurrection, being eternally free from sin and death and to live: enjoying God without hindrance or limitation forever.

So, to those in Christ I say, "Happy Resurrection Day!" And, to those being saved I say, "Come. You are invited into the joy of our Lord!"

Again, "Happy Resurrection Day!"

#ressurectionday

Originally posted on Facebook on Wednesday, April 6, 2022.

If I truly care about reaching the lost then I need to understand that sophisticated arguments won't convince them but a demonstration of love will.

And, not just any love but Jesus' love.

Our Lord says,

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35

And, in another place it is written,

"If we love one another, God abides in us […]"
"and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world." -1 John 4:12-14

The love of Jesus is:
Love that is willing to give everything,
Love that prioritizes others,
Love that humbles oneself,
Love that settles for nothing less than wholeness,
Love that wages war on anything that attempts to put itself between us and God and each other.

When we love like that, that's compelling evidence.

I labor to this end