Snakes in the Woodpile

Here is a thought for you today, something to think on.  In Acts 28, after Paul has been shipwrecked and come to shore, he is out gathering sticks for the fire.  As he places the sticks on the fire, a viper comes out and attaches to his arm.  He shakes the viper out and is unharmed, much to the amazement of those around him.  If I may, I would like to make an application with these verses.  How many times do we find in the church, there are snakes there unaware.  You see, Paul would have never known that there was a snake in the woodpile had he not placed them in the heat. Many times, there are snakes in our churches, and it is only when the man of God turns up the heat that they come out.  After the heat, they begin to try and harm the man of God with their mouths.  Think on these things concerning those snakes.

1. The deceitfulness of snakes

Paul had no clue that the snake was in the woodpile.  We never know when there are snakes in the church.  They are certainly quiet.  They camouflage in the woods well.  They have no odor or large size to point them out.  You would never know they are there.  They are deceitful.

2. The danger of snakes

They say that typically, a snake is more afraid of you than you are of it.  Most of the time, a snake will not harm you.  However, it will cause you to harm yourself.  How many times have pastors harmed themselves because of fear when they find a snake?  They react too quickly or too harshly in fear of those snakes and they cause great harm to themselves, more harm than the snakes could have caused on their own.

3. The destruction of the snake

In Acts 28, the snake was destroyed when he was cast into the fire.  I believe such may be the end for snakes in the church as well.  Their destruction could be found in the lake of fire.

 

Are You A Practicing Atheist?

This morning, I heard a message that dealt with a sin that so many of us are guilty of, yet we do little to try and hide it.  It is the sin of worry.  Yes, it is a sin to worry.  In this message, the preacher made the following statement that really caught my attention and I thought it might make you think as well.  He said, Many of us are not professing atheist but we are practicing atheist.  We do not say there is no God, we only live like it.  What great truth this is.  We would never say that there is not a God, yet when we worry if He is able to keep His Word, or meet or needs, that is exactly what we are doing.  We become practicing atheists.  May we strive and determine to trust Him.  As my pastor often says, Even when you can’t track Him, trust Him.

 

What Are We Here For?

I am afraid that too many of our modern day churches have lost their direction.  We have lost our clear vision of why we are here, to preach the Gospel.  Often times, it takes someone that you least expect to point us back in the right direction.  Kirk Cameron, former star of the ‘80’s sitcom Growing Pains and now a born again believer, recently spoke at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.  I heard a pastor make mention of this quote the other day and thought I would share it with you.  I think there is a wealth of truth in it.  I am afraid that too many people are dying and going to hell from a church pew because we have stopped preaching the whole counsel of God.  Here is Kirk’s message:

Can I speak to you from my heart for a moment? I realize that, theologically, I’m not worthy to wash your socks. But imagine this scenario with me, if you will: Imagine I’m a “seeker”- I’m a non-Christian, sitting in your church week after week after week listening to you. Am I ever going to hear the message that will save my soul from Hell? Will you ever tell me the truth clearly enough so that I realize that my sin has made me an enemy of God: that I am currently on the path that leads to destruction, with the wrath of God dwelling upon me, and that unless I repent and put my faith in the Savior, I will perish? Or have you decided that it’s better to simply entertain me, and on Sundays I can come to have my “felt needs” met with good music and good advice? Pastor, while I would appreciate that, it’s the ultimate betrayal of my trust in you if you don’t tell me the truth. Will I ever hear the words “repent,” “surrender,” “turn to the Savior,” “be born again”? If you don’t tell me those things, how will I ever know to do it? Please don’t leave it up to the Wednesday night small-group leader. They’re taking their cues from you. You’re leading the flock.

And now I speak to you as a Christian. If you and I fail to teach the whole counsel of God, and we don’t warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come, and run to the love of Christ on the Cross to save their soul, we make a terrible mistake. It doesn’t matter how happy a person is- how much a sinner is enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season- without the righteousness of Christ, he’ll perish on the Day of Judgment. The Bible says, “Riches profit not on the Day of Wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” You see, that’s how Kirk Cameron realized he needed a Savior. I had riches, but I knew that it was the righteousness of God that I needed in order to be saved from my sin.

How many people left church this past Sunday having been entertained and not exhorted?  How many churches had comedy but no conviction?  I think it is high time we placed our priorities in the right place again, on the preaching of the Word of God.  God’s Word will always get the job done.  As I prepare to plant a church, I need to hear this thought ringing through my mind, Preach the Word.

Great Weekend

We had a great weekend this past weekend.  I enjoyed the privilege of preaching twice on Sunday and had a great time.  I always enjoy meeting new people in the churches that we visit and this past weekend was no exception.  We met some wonderful people, many of whom said they would be praying for our family.  What a great blessing.  We pray that if it be the Lord’s will, these churches would take us on as part of their missionary family.  If not, the Lord’s will be done.

 

On a side note, also this weekend Seth had a close encounter with a table at the restaurant we ate at Sunday.  It resulted in his first black eye.  I think he was kinda proud of it to be honest with you.  It didn’t seem to bother him to much after he got over the initial shock.  That is one tough kid…

 

Is There A Need?

Yes, there is a need.  A need for what you may ask?  A need for missionaries in the United States.  Recently, we met a young lady in a Bible belt state.  This young lady was probably in her early to mid 20’s and had grown up in a northern state.  After some time getting to know her, Seth enjoyed her company as a friend and they had a great time playing together.  As he is so prone to do, he decided it was time to preach and sing.  He wanted to sing Jesus Loves Me and asked this young lady to sing along.  She told him she did not know that song and had never heard it.  I was shocked.  However, it reminded me that there are people all around us that do not know the saving grace of Christ.  There are people that live in the south, in the Bible belt, that have never even heard Jesus Loves Me.  We must be busy.  I am afraid that so many times we concentrate on the rest of the world, and there is a great need there, but we are losing our own country.  Let’s determine that our own neighbors and fellow citizens will not be left out on the Gospel message.  Let’s do our part to take it to them as well as the rest of the world.

Have A Great Weekend

It’s Saturday afternoon and we hope everyone is having a great weekend.  We are in NC and are looking forward to some great meetings tomorrow.  Pray for us as we will be in Harmony, NC tomorrow morning and Apex, NC tomorrow night.  Please help us pray that the Lord would use us to be a great blessing to these churches and that we will effectively share the burden with them that the Lord has placed on our hearts.  We are excited about the opportunity to share our vision for southern Louisiana with churches and are always excited to see how the Lord works.  We are praying that you all have a great Lord’s day and the blessings will abound and many souls will be saved.

 

How Far We Have Come

Don’t know how many of you saw this today, but for the first time in our nation’s history, a Hindu led the opening prayer for the United States Senate.  This is from a nation claims to be “One Nation Under God.”  Certainly, you would agree that the same God that this nation was founded upon is not the deity supreme that Rajan Zed was praying to.  Hindu is a polytheistic religion, having gods in everything, be from the sky to the earth to the ants.  This is not my God.  My God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the one who hung the moon and stars in the sky.  My God is the one who created the sky, earth, and ants.  I do realize that one of the most beautiful aspects of our nation is the right to pray to whom we choose.  If Mr. Zed wants to pray and meditate upon the earth, so be it, that is his choice.  However, for us to claim to be a Christian nation and allow this sort of thing is a travesty.  I can only wonder how our forefathers, the men who sacrificed so much for us to have this great country, would feel about this sort of thing.  I am almost certain that it would not have happened without more of an outrage than there was.  My, how far our great country has come.   

The Greatest Gift

It has been a lot of fun this week to watch how excited Seth gets about going to Bible School each night.  It’s also a wake up call, because it just shows me how he’s growing up so fast.  It seems not long ago we were bringing him home from the hospital, now he’s going to his very own Bible School class.  Even last night he won the quiet seat award.  Wow, they grow up so fast.  As I watch him, I am reminded of a visit I made this past Saturday morning.  I talked with a man that was a single parent, a father trying to raise a 10 year old boy own his own.  I told him of how impressive that was and that no doubt there was a lot of love in his heart for that young man.  The dad told me of how every day, each decision revolves around what is best for that young boy of his. I could tell he meant it.  I tried my best to tell him that the greatest gift he could give that young boy was a Godly heritage.  You see, we can buy our children all the toys and clothes this world has to offer, and what good is it. I watch Seth get a new toy and many times he is just as happy with the box as he is the toy.  These things are all temporary.  However, the greatest gift I can pass on to my children is a Godly heritage, to be the kind of dad that causes a true love for Christ to build in their lives.  No, I cannot save them.  I can though, play a great part in whether or not they get saved.  The greatest gift I can give my children is for me to live a Christ honoring life, and then try my best to pass that on to them.

 

Do you know what time it is?

It's Bible Time! That's right, for the past few nights we have been having Neighborhood Bible Time at Canaan. What an exciting time to see so many boys and girls have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. I have had the privilege to counsel with several young boys. Pray that God would do a work in their hearts and lives. I realize more than ever before the importance of making sure that they are on a solid foundation. I would surely hate to think that I led someone into a false profession. What a tragedy.
I talked with one young man this evening that reminded me of so many people. He was seven years old and had never, ever told a lie. Not even one. He had never disobeyed his parents or his teachers. He was not a sinner. He could not bring himself to admit that he was a sinner. My how that reminds me of so many adults. People everywhere refuse to admit that they need a Saviour. They think their good works are sufficient. They don't cheat or steal. They are good people. They are too proud to recognize themselves as sinners. What we need is for the eyes of man to be opened so that they see themselves as God sees them, wicked and sinful. We are all sinners in need of a Saviour. Until we realize that profound truth, we can never be saved. Pray for Bible Time. It concludes Wednesday night. We're trusting the Lord for great things.

Time at Home

This weekend saw us spending some time at home. We had a meeting scheduled but it had to be rescheduled due to some other things going on. We decided to simply spend the day at our home church. It has been a while since we have been able to do that. Our church is starting Neighborhood Bible Time for the kids this week so it gave us a great chance to help out. Let's pray that many young souls will be saved this week. You never know, we may have the next D.L. Moody or Lee Roberson in this group. What a blessing that would be.

Happy 4th of July

What a great privilege to live in the greatest nation on earth. I saw a poll last night on Fox News that said that only 80% of the people surveyed believe the United States to be the greatest nation in the history of civilization. May I say that I believe that 20% of the people have lost their minds. This is the greatest nation on earth. I fully understand that we have many things wrong with our nation today. We tolerate sin and even condone and promote it. Our freedoms are constantly under attack by liberals and socialists. However, it is still my firm belief that this is the greatest nation on the face of God's earth. God has richly blessed our great country. My prayer is that He will continue to do so. Therefore, as you go about your day, even in spite of the many freedoms we have lost and are losing, thank God for the privilege to live in the greatest nation on earth.