MEMORIAL DAY: Remind Me, Dear Lord

Today is Memorial Day. This day is set aside by our nation to remember those who have given so much to give us freedom.

How do most of us remember? Let’s be blunt – but truthful. Most of us don’t remember at all.

How do we celebrate this day? We use it as a paid holiday, the first day of summer frolics. It’s a day of barbecues, beaches, and bumming around. It’s a day to go out to the ball park, a day of family fun. We may be somewhere there is a “fly-over” by military planes, so for a brief instant we “remember” there is a military power guarding our liberties and freedom. Most of the day, though, we devote to

QUESTION: What Can The Family Do?

Some months ago, I received this question on our church website, where I answered it at the time. This question is one that many parents have had. I also have struggled with the answer to this question (not about the same issue, but the same basic question): What can the family do when a loved child who knows better insists on rejecting parental teaching?

What does the Bible say about same sex relationships?  What if the person is young and has been influenced to think this is what she is.  She knows this lifestyle is a sin for she has always been taught Scripture.  She is restless and does not sleep well, yet she has not turned her back on this lifestyle.  One counselor/prayer warrior said after meeting with her that the spirit was so strong that she could not pray it away.  How can one person make such a judgment?  I felt hopeless, then I realized that the Bible says that there is noting too hard for God.  What can the family do?  Please pray for our daughter.

OTHER VOICES: John Mark Hicks

Some voices stir us to action. Some voices soothe us and comfort us. Other voices provoke us to think – and for some, this really does provoke them. One of the traits of the false prophets in Israel was that they said, “Peace! Peace!” – when there was no peace. The people preferred to hear that message than to confront how they had disappointed God and moved away from him.

John Mark Hicks is a man who provokes us to think. He takes familiar subjects and makes us look at them with fresh eyes. Three of his books deal with the Lord’s Supper, with Baptism, and with the Church. All are familiar subjects. Yet, he provokes us to think about what the Scripture really says about them. Granted, to some this is anathama. But before you dismiss what he says, you need to do two things: (1) understand what he is saying and (2) compare it carefully with the Scripture.

What he says is rooted in the Word of God. What he does with all of these subjects is to lead us deeper into them than we like to go. We do not like to go that deep because it challenges us to become real in our service to God instead of just going through the right motions.

Here is a sample of his blog. Read it and be challenged by it. You can see it here. His website is johnmarkhicks.wordpress.com/

The Church Has Left the Building

I like the idea.  It is a wonderful point to emphasize.

CONFUSED EXPECTATIONS: Matthew 11

Cross-yoke, courtesy of Christart.com

People have always had confused expectations about the Christ. Today is no different. Many do not know just what to expect from Him. As a result, they fall away from Him (or never come to Him at all) because of what He is. What He is differs from what they expect, so they are disappointed in Him.

See if you can identify with the expectations various people had of Jesus in Matthew 11.

SIMPLIFIED JOURNEY (14): Patient Endurance – Job

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. – James 5:10-11

The patience of Job is proverbial. Yet, we often have a distorted view of his patience – and therefore, of what patience in suffering is really about.

Be honest. Is your view of patience, one who suffers without complaint or question, but one who quietly says, “It is the Lord’s will”? That was not Job.

I AM SECOND – Colt McCoy

When you see a young person stand up and speak out about his conviction in Jesus, you admire him. When he is the quarterback of the collegiate national champion Texas Longhorns, you want to stand up and shout.

Look at what Colt McCoy has to say about his life in this short video: http://iamsecond.com/whoissecond/#/seconds/Colt_McCoy/.

COMMUNION MEDITATION: You Will Die & Not Live

Communion Meditation…

You Will Die and Not Live

Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “…Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover. – 2 Kings 20:1

If you know the story, you realize the king prayed, God answered his prayer, and Isaiah returned to give the king assurance he would live 15 years.

At this Table, we, too, deal with life and death:

BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION (1) Beyond What Is Written

How can the average Joe pick up a Bible, read it, and understand it? I ask this question in view of the many books that have been written about how to interpret the Bible. Many times, it appears to me, that men devise “rules of interpretation” to support conclusions they have already reached.

So we have principles such as “Command, Example, and Necessary Inference” (or CENI). To these we add the Law of Silence, the Law of Expediency, plus Generic and Specific Commands. Each of these principles and laws have exceptions and few (if any) apply them consistently.

In this post, I would like to examine one verse, which many use to provide Biblical support for what we call “The Law of Silence.”

SIMPLIFIED JOURNEY (13): Exile & Return

One of the defining events of Jewish history was the exile to Babylon – from which some of the Jews eventually returned to their home country.

He [Nebuchadnezzar] carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land [of Judah] enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation through his realm…. – 2 Chronicles 36:20-22

The proclamation of Cyrus was that all of the Jews who desired, would be able to return to their homeland with

QUESTIONS: Re Mind-Reading & Bach’s Flower Remedies

I received the following questions from Marilyn via our church webpage, http://www.plymouth-church.com.

I have friends in a Pentecostal church who can can read minds etc. Is this Biblical? I thought that kind of thing was forbidden. Also can a Christian use Bach’s flower remedies. I have been told that they are demonic.

Dear Marilyn,

Thank you for your questions.

First, is mind-reading Biblical?

I know of nothing in the Scripture that would suggest mind-reading is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit – unless it would be