Monthly Archives: February 2009

Feb 18 2009

Liberalism Unleashed…


How much better will your family be in the coming months with an additional income of $4 to $9 each week. I’m sure that for some Americans 9 bucks is very meaningful but to most Americans it will not significantly improve the quality of their lives. $4 to $9 per week is approximately what you can expect for your family’s share of the $750,000,000,000 (Billion. One billion is 100 million!) Stimulus Bill President Obama signed into law moments ago.

The American way of life throughout our history has been that each passing generation has left a more hopeful future, a future with more opportunity, for the coming generations. Today, we took the first of what is promised to be only the first step of assuring that our grandchildren and great grandchildren will pay dearly for our failures at the expense of their futures.

When any government spends money it doesn’t have on hand there are limited sources of obtaining funds. The first and most loved by liberals is tax hikes. That is not the answer today, not now. It will be the case, but not now, the timing is not right. The next option is to borrow the money and pay it back with interest. We have chosen the second option for the short term and some time down the road huge tax increases are as sure as death.

A small fraction of this bill will possibly create jobs. The overwhelming bulk of this unprecedented spending bill is an array of entitlement programs that have long been on the wish list of every Democrat. In fact this bill includes some only recently dreamed up that are astonishing. Today the tentacles of government have grown expediently and will start to tighten their grip on the American people squeezing out individualism, entrepreneurship, and self reliance in favor of dependency, socialism, and an entitlement society.

If this plan turns out to be good (as I’m sure all of its supporters and crafters sincerely hope) President Obama and Democrats in general are destined to be praised and reelected. But if it fails to achieve its lofty goals President Obama will be a one term President.

What should frighten every American is that by his own promise, President Obama has made it clear this bill is only the first of more to come. How much will prove to be too much? Only time will tell. My own sense is that we are sliding toward becoming a country akin to the European Socialist schemes that have been tried and have failed.

We have long been morally bankrupt, now we are moving at warp speed toward being owned by those who hold our national debt. “The debtor is slave to the lender” will sadly be more true than ever. I sincerely hope this boondoggle works, but I am not hopeful that it will.

For most of our 232 years as a nation the two party system has served us well. But when Republicans started to govern like liberal Democrats our nation took a nose dive and the control tower has not seemed to notice. Perhaps when whats left is smoke and ashes we will be shocked into reality. For that flight, reading the data from the black box is too late.

Royce

Feb 17 2009

Crazy Love


Today I finished reading “Crazy Love”by Francis Chan. If you want to stay comfortable just maintaining the status quo of your relationship to God I don’t recommend you read Crazy Love. If you are up for a challenge then by all means dive in.

How many times have you read the passage where Jesus instructed that if you “have done it to the least of these you have done it unto me”? And how many sermons and lessons have you heard and read on the same text? How many times have you considered that if you are not loving the unfortunate in tangible ways that you aren’t really loving God?

Is it possible that we have equated faithful attendence for worship and Sunday school, daily Bible reading, and giving with loving God? We can’t really pick and choose which of Christ’s commands we obey and still claim the religeous high ground, can we?

I warn you, Chan gets up front and personal in the bold way he presents the truth of what the Bible says about how we are to love God and others. It is a great book and will impact many hearts for the good of the cause of Christ.

Carol and I are at beautiful Lake DeGray in Arkansas, not far from Hot Springs with 49 other couple for a marriage retreat. This is our third time to attend a retreat in this location. The lakeside lodge is beautiful and the mood is positive and hopeful. Many couples have been challenged and blessed to have stronger, Christ centered marriages after having attended one of these weekends.

Our Dr. Joneal Kirby and her husband, elder Randy Kirby, one of our preachers and elder, Alan Robertson and wife Lisa, and elder Mac Owen and his wife Mary are wonderful teachers and role models for great marriages. We are so very blessed at White’s Ferry Rd Church with such a depth of talent and a host of great disciples who are sold out to Jesus. We are building families for time and eternity. Carol and I are blessed to call these great folks family.

 His peace,
Royce

Feb 10 2009

Radical Intercession


We always pray for each other,

That our God may make us all worthy of his calling,
And that we may fulfill every resolve for good,
And that every work be of faith by His power,
So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in each
of us, and us in him, According to the grace of our God and the
Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11,12)

What if we prayed for each other as Paul prayed for the
believers at Thessalonica? Our daily lives, the challenges we
face, and our problems are very different than those Christians
faced, but in many ways we are very much the same. One thing
is certain; Paul’s prayer for them ought to be our prayer for each other.

 Shouldn’t we want God to make us and our eternal  family a
people who live our lives in a manner that is worthy of God’s
call to us? Christians! Christ’s ambassadors on earth.
(2 Cor 5:20)

Don’t we all desire that each of us fulfill God’s purpose for us,
to do good works as a lifestyle? (Eph 2:10)

God’s best for us is that every thing we do for Him be done by trusting Him completely and depending on His power, and not
our might or wisdom. (1 Cor 2:3-5)

We should want Christ glorified and exalted in us, and we
must find our glory only in Him.

familyprayer_soft_edge1We recognize all of these benefits are the free gifts of
grace in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

What if we prayed for each other in a purposeful, methodical
way, so that every family in our churches is specifically prayed
for, for a week, several times a year?

If only ten families, (or individuals)took the challenge and
prayed for one family each week for 52 weeks, just think how many would have been prayed for a whole week specifically
and on purpose. If 20 families took the challenge, each family
would be prayed for a week twice each year. If you had 100
families who determined to pray for other families, …well, get
the picture? (When I wrote this I had in mind a very large
congregation)

If we not only prayed for another family, but also prayed for
one ministry, one elder, and one staff member, just think how
much the whole church body would be bathed in prayer! Why
can’t we do this? No..why don’t we do this?

Recently I had a family of former members on my heart and I
sent an email saying that I would be praying for them for the
next week, every day of the week. And I asked, “What
specifically can I pray for?” Soon I received a return email from
a grateful dad with a list of 5 specific requests. I replied with a
thank you and a request that he let me know as God
answered my prayers for them. I knew he will be glad to do so.

What if you received a phone call, got an email, or was asked
at church, “What can we pray about for you and your family
next week?” And, what if that happened on a regular basis,
almost every month?

What if you had 30, or 50, or 80 families or more, excited
about praying for others, experiencing the joy of answered
prayer, bearing the burdens of others, and even being an
answer to some of their brothers and sisters requests?
And, knowing the joy of having others lovingly pray for them,
often?

What if we prayed for each other using the components of
Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians as a guide, and for specific
requests as well? Would it make us more likely to pray on a
regular basis? I think it would. Would it help those who pray
and those who are prayed for? I know it would.

What if we don’t?

In Christ’s love,

Royce

 

 

Feb 8 2009

Looking good and being good, Wolves in sheep’s clothing


“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

The above passage is often used as a proof text for those whose idea of salvation from sin and hell is a mixture of works and grace. Those of us who believe sinners are acquitted and set right with God solely upon the merit of Jesus (His perfect life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection) are pointed to this text as proof faith in Jesus is not enough.

Ironically, every one of those men who believe men are saved by a combination of grace and works (they refuse to admit they trust “works” and prefer the word “faithfulness”) also believe a person can be saved and then lost. The reason they believe this is that they believe their acceptance by the Father depends, at least in part, on their performance.

So what is being said in the verses quoted above? Is this proof I am in error for teaching that men should trust Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and eternal life? No it does not! The truth is it teaches the exact opposite. What does it say?

First the context.

The context is Jesus’ warnings to the Jews about false prophets. He began this section in v15 by saying “Beware of false prophets..” , and continued by teaching how to know who they are. He concluded by using the metaphor of the wise man who builds his house on a rock.

What are the lessons for us from this passage?

First, you can know a real man of God by watching him. His “fruit” is a dead give away to what he really is. Is the “fruit” (results) of a preacher, or church leader expensive houses, fine cars, and great fame? Watch out! He is likely a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 5:15). Is the result (fruit) of a man’s ministry a flock of self righteous people who trust their own goodness for salvation? Do they try to share the glory that only Christ deserves? Do they talk more about the Holy Spirit, tongues, and miracles than they do about the good news about Jesus? Watch out! Do they talk more about their heritage, a particular church, how to worship correctly, baptism, or any other subject you can imagine than about the Lord Jesus Christ who alone is eternal life? Watch out!

Secondly, this section of scripture teaches that Christ alone, that depending only upon Him is the way to life and heaven. Verses 13 and 14 immediately precede the section about false prophets.

 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Jesus is that “narrow gate”, He is the “narrow way”. He is the door to the sheepfold; He is “the” way, “the” truth, and “the” life. His way is very narrow and considered intolerant by those on the wide path. It is the path of designer religions, good works, law keeping, and those who claim to have a private revelation from God the rest of us don’t have. The way to destruction is to take the path of least resistance, the one that is lined with ego polishing stations and places to display fleshly pride.

Jesus is also the “Rock” in the section of scripture in verses 24-27.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

A wise man builds his whole house of faith on Jesus Christ. A foolish man uses all sorts of other foundation materials and when the wind of judgment blows and the flood of God’s wrath against sin comes the house will fall. We are warned to trust Jesus alone for our eternal hope.

Finally, Jesus affirms the eternal security of the believer and denies the flimsy doctrine of those who think they are, at least in part, good enough to be approved by God, and yet live in fear that they might loose their souls because of a performance that doesn’t meet God’s approval.

“I NEVER KNEW YOU!” (vs23) These stinging words of Jesus fly in the face of those who teach you can be saved and lost, saved and lost. These false teachers Jesus warned of are not apostates, they are not those who once were on solid rock and fell. No, these have never been saved. Jesus NEVER knew them. Oh yes, they were faithful in church attendance, they did all the religious activity. In fact they excelled at being religious, but they went to hell because they missed the narrow way, Jesus.

What could be sadder than to live a life of being good, doing good, and then be forever lost and suffering in eternal fire? Notice Jesus never denies that they did the works they claimed (v22) to have done, He did say He NEVER knew them.

John 6:27,28 records Jesus’ words when asked by the people “What must we do to be doing the works of God?” His reply is my plea. His reply had been my message of hope for over 40 years. “Jesus answered them; this is the work of God that you believe on Him whom He has sent.”

Please believe this; God will not share His glory with another. The Bible is clear. The reason wicked sinners are made fit for heaven by faith is in part so boasting will be eliminated. (Romans 3:27) So I say with the Apostle Paul “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31)

For Jesus,
Royce