The Vision of God Transforms Us - Part Four

The last three weeks I have shared about a fresh vision of God transforming our lives.  One last aspect of that transformation and it is discovering the love of God for us.

There is no ability to understand the love of God for us without a personal, direct intervention in one's life. We do not know naturally God loves us.  We cannot come to explore the depths of His love simply by quoting John 3:16. It is only when God chooses to open our eyes (and heart) to His love that we "know" He loves us.

Jesus asked Peter in John 21: 15 "Do you love me more than these?"  This was a probing question from the all-knowing Christ straight into the heart of Peter in a vulnerable moment.  But Jesus wanted to Peter to know something more here.  His revelation was not so much for Peter to know if he loved Jesus, but to discover a deeper and growing sense of His love for him.

John knew something of this love.  Five times toward the end of the gospel bearing his name, John describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (John 21:20; 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). Was John boasting of a special place in Jesus' line claiming he was "the favorite" of Jesus?  I don't think so.  

Instead, he had come to realize how much Jesus loved him and he was basking in that new depth of understanding that only could be attributed to a fresh, new work of God in his heart. 

Romans 5:5 "God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (CSV)

Evangelist Charles G. Finney was gloriously saved because of a visitation of God in "waves of liquid love." Finney was an agnostic. He was a trained lawyer with a brilliant mind scoffing often of the things of God and eternity. But he was converted and changed by the love of God.

One Sunday night before going to his own apartment, he stopped by his little law office and kindled a fire in the hearth, the fireplace there, to stave off the winter's chill. And then he began to seek God, for there had been a great hunger in his heart for God recently. As he writes in his own autobiography, He would begin to pray and seek the Lord. He says there came over him a sensation of wave upon wave of liquid love. His whole soul was filled with Divine love.  He said he didn't realize how long he lingered there, but when he finally finished that time of adoration and prayer, enjoying the outpouring of God's love, the fire had long since gone out in the fireplace, and there was nothing there but cold, black embers. He then put on his overcoat and went to his apartment.

Wave upon wave of liquid love is the same way D. L. Moody described his experience when the Holy Spirit filled him. According to his testimony, Moody was walking down the street when the power of God fell on him.  He went to a nearby friend's house, asking if he could have a room to be alone with God. He stayed in that room alone for hours; and the Holy Spirit came, filling his soul with such joy that at last he had to ask God to withhold His hand, lest he die on the spot from the joy.

Only God can open our hearts to the revelation of how much He loves us.  May the prayer of Ephesians 3: 17-19 be ours: "I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

I hear the little chorus:

"Oh, how He loves you and me; Oh, how He loves you and me;  He gave His life, what more could He give? Oh, how He loves you; Oh, how He loves me; Oh, how He loves you and me."

This Lord's Day (July 30, 2023) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

Can the local church be revived?  If so, how?  Does it come through an event?  A series of events? Can it happen spontaneously? This Sunday we will examine two simple, yet vital elements that must be present for a church to experience revival.  And it can happen anytime and all the time.  We will look at Acts 2 for this pattern seen in the birthing of the early church.

As we gather Sunday, we will pray over our teachers and administrators as school begins next week.  And we are beginning a practice we did a couple of years ago where we pray for a college student and a missionary our church knows personally every Sunday.  

Eli Reynolds will be leading our music this Sunday in the absence of Brandon.  Here are the songs you can preview and warm your heart to as we prepare to worship:

My Testimony 

Your Grace Finds Me

Great I Am

Give Me Jesus

Who Are the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

 

Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Over the past century and a half, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have become one of the most significant cults in the world. As of 2019, an estimated 8.7 million people adhere to the teaching and practice of this false religion worldwide.1

When did it begin?

In the late 1870s, Charles Taze Russell—a Restoration movement minister—began publishing his heretical doctrine in a periodical titled Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence. Russell grew up in a religious home, attending both Presbyterian and Congregational churches. As a teenager, however, he started questioning several essential Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity and eternal punishment. Having been a follower of the Adventist movement, an umbrella term for those influenced by nineteenth-century American preacher William Miller and his false prediction of Christ’s return in 1843, Russell insisted that Christ returned in nonvisible form in 1874. When his prediction that Christians would be resurrected in 1878 failed, Russell distanced himself from the Adventist movement. Russell started his own publishing company in 1881 called the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which published as many as sixteen million copies of his books and pamphlets by the time of his death in 1916.

Who are the key figures?

In 1916, J.F. Rutherford was elected the second president of the organization. Though considerably less prolific as a writer than Russell, Rutherford took on the role as the unofficial infallible prophet for the organization. When Rutherford died in 1942, N.H. Knorr became the president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Among the most famous Jehovah’s Witness of our day are the late musician Prince and tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. Michael Jackson and Dwight D. Eisenhower also grew up as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

What are the main beliefs?

Jehovah’s Witnesses are most well known for denying the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of eternal punishment. Their false teaching on these subjects can be summarized under two main headings:

1. The Father alone is God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to the sole deity of the Father on the basis that Jehovah (a frequently used English rendering of God’s covenant name in Hebrew) is represented as the only God in Scripture. Denying classical Trinitarian doctrine, the Jehovah’s Witnesses adamantly reject the idea that there are three persons in the Godhead. In their attack on historic Christian doctrine, the Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that a belief in three persons in the Godhead is equivalent to a belief in three gods.

Since the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the triune God, they teach that Jesus is a created being—specifically, He is the archangel Michael. Although they refer to Him as “the only begotten of God,” Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that Jesus is the first of the created beings of God. They teach that Jesus agreed to be placed in the womb of the Virgin Mary in order to be a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that Jesus’ death propitiated the eternal wrath of God, since they do not believe in the deity of Jesus or in eternal punishment.

According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Holy Spirit is not a person, let alone God. Rather, the Spirit is merely an emanating and active force of God.

2. No eternal punishment. Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that there is no eternal torment for unbelievers in the afterlife. In Jehovah’s Witness theology, the body and the soul are inseparable, so the soul dies with the body. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that physical death was the only thing Adam suffered when he fell in the garden. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, there is no immortal soul.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7:4 are 144,000 faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses who will go to heaven. The remainder of faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses will be resurrected and live forever on earth. Those who die without hearing of Christ or knowing God’s will in the Bible will be raised in the resurrection of the unrighteous and will have a second chance to believe in the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and obey God and to be included in the final inheritance of eternal life on earth. Anyone who does not attain to the eternal inheritance by failing to believe and obey the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses will be annihilated.

Why do people believe this form of false teaching?

The Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that Scripture is the only source of divine revelation. This leads to the faulty conclusion that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are simply teaching the Bible. However, the organization also publishes and distributes millions of copies of The Watchtower magazine, which they treat as the infallible interpreter of Scripture, as well as other publications. Proselytizing is the central feature of their religion; the organization equips and sends all its members out into the world to make converts. The Jehovah’s Witnesses offer people a moralistic, monotheistic religion. Presenting a picture of morally clean families, good health, and upright behavior, the Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to false teaching that can feed a self-righteous spirit. Additionally, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a multiethnic organization, a characteristic that is often lacking in other religious groups.

How does it hold up against biblical Christianity?

1. The triune God is the true and living God. Scripture consistently teaches that there are three persons in the Godhead (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). The Father is God (Isa. 63:16; Luke 11:2; John 4:23). The Son is God (John 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Col. 1:15–16; Heb. 1:3). The Holy Spirit is also God (Acts 5:3–4). The three persons of the Godhead are not three gods but three persons subsisting in the one God.

The Son of God is fully God. Jesus reveals Himself to be Jehovah (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58). Jesus claimed equality with the Father in the Godhead (John 8:58; 10:30). The Bible teaches that Jesus is God in every way that God is defined as God (Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:5–6). Scripture reveals that “all things” were made through the Son (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). It is impossible for “all things” to be created by Him if He Himself was created. Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit is a communicative divine person, the personal agent of supernatural revelation. David said, “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me” (2 Sam. 23:2). Jesus affirmed the Spirit’s personal inspiration of Scripture when He cited Psalm 110, saying, “David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord” (Matt. 22:43). The writer of Hebrews appealed to the Spirit’s divine authorship of Psalm 95 when he wrote, “As the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice’” (Heb.  3:7). The Apostle Peter acknowledged the deity of the Spirit when he confronted Ananias, saying: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? . . . You have not lied to man but to God” (Acts 5:3–4).

The Nicene Creed (the early Christian statement of faith from AD 325) declares what Scripture teaches about the deity of Christ in relationship to the Trinity over against all early church heresies on the Trinity.

2. Eternal death is the destination of the wicked. Scripture teaches that God created man in His image with an immortal soul (Gen. 1:26; Eccl. 12:5–7). God’s judgment against man’s sin in the garden was eternal death. By his disobedience, Adam brought spiritual, physical, and eternal death on himself and his natural-born descendants (Rom. 5:12–21). Scripture uses the adjective “eternal” to qualify the nature of the punishment due to man for his sin (Jer. 20:11; Matt. 18:8; 25:46; 2 Thess. 1:9; Jude 6–7; see also Dan. 12:2; Mark 9:44). The idea that God annihilates the souls of men is contrary to the biblical teaching on the eternal justice of God. God the Son became incarnate to propitiate (satisfy) the eternal wrath of God for His people by His death on the cross. Jesus came to give eternal life to all those who trust Him for salvation (John 3:15–18). All sinners deserve eternal death—everlasting punishment—but Jesus rescues from this end everyone who trusts in Him alone.

How can I share the gospel with those who hold to this false teaching?

1. Focus on what the Bible teaches about the deity of Christ. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own highly inaccurate translation of Scripture—the New World Translation—that empties God’s Word of its many references to the deity of Christ. However, there are still several passages in it that are translated properly that attribute deity to the Son. You can take a Jehovah’s Witness to Isaiah 9:6 in the New World Translation and point out that the name of the promised Messiah is “Mighty God.” The New World Translation has also sought to change the wording of Hebrews 1, since it clearly attributes deity to Christ. However, in Hebrews 1:8, God the Father addresses the Son by the name Jehovah, citing Psalm 102:25–26. This is biblical evidence that Jesus is Jehovah. Finally, although the Jehovah’s Witnesses have attempted to strip from the Bible its many clear references to Jesus’ receiving worship from His disciples, Luke 24:52 is one passage they cannot avoid. Only God is to be worshiped. Jesus received worship; therefore, Jesus is God. However, while every English translation of Scripture rightly reads “they worshiped him” in Luke 24:52, the New World Translation reads “they did obeisance to him.”

2. Focus on the scriptural teaching about the just punishment for sin. Scripture teaches that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Physical death leads to eternal death for those under the wrath and curse of God. Jesus and the Apostles taught that the just penalty for sin is “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46; see also 2 Thess. 1:9; Jude 7). God is infinite and eternal; therefore, one sin against the infinite and eternal God deserves infinite and eternal punishment. Coming to terms with what our sin deserves is essential to seeing our need for the atoning sacrifice of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Conversely, if there is no eternal punishment, men should simply desire to live their lives for possessions and pleasure (1 Cor. 15:32).

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This article is part of the Field Guide on False Teaching collection.

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1. “How Many Jehovah’s Witnesses Are There Worldwide?” JW.org, accessed February 20, 2020, https://www.jw.org/en /jehovahs-witnesses/faq/how-many-jw/.↩

The Vision of God Transforms Us - Part Three

The last two Mondays I have written about visions of God He gives us in His time to prepare us for a new season of life.  But today, I want to talk about these visions and how God uses them to deal with a specific sin in our life in order to transform us.

Isaiah, like Ezekiel, Moses, and all the rest, was experiencing life when something happened transforming his life.  King Uzziah had died when Isaiah writes "I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple....Seraphim were standing...and one called to another:  'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth." (Isaiah 6: 1-3)

The holiness of God was the focal point for Isaiah for God needed to do something in Isaiah he did not expect but desperately needed.  As I have said in the last two weeks, God always prepares us for what is ahead.  With Isaiah, God needed to reveal a sin in his life creating a deeper purity of life.

Isaiah had previously not been aware of this, but God chose this moment of revelation of His holiness to reveal to Isaiah his unholiness.  At other times, such as in Ezekiel and John, revelations caused immediate worship.  But here the vision of God caused immediate confession.

Verse 5 - "Then I said:  Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies."

God did not do a blank pronouncement in Isaiah that he was just a sinner, but instead, he was guilty of a particular sin.  We can easily confess, "Oh, I am a sinner, forgive me Lord of all my sins."  But when we experience the fresh revelation of Himself, we cannot get away with such a broad statement.

The conviction of God is concentrated on one aspect of who we are.  I am this, I do this, I think this way. There is never any vagueness about God in dealing with our sin.

What has God put His finger on in our life needing immediate attention? Maybe a sin we had not previously ever seen or categorized as sin in our life?  God is lovingly confronting us because He knows our future and what He has planned for us has a prerequisite, deal with this sin in your life now.

True to form with our loving Father, He never reveals sin without a solution at the same time.  God does not want us to wallow in our sin causing condemnation.  So He shows Isaiah His solution:  "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: 'Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for."

Notice the immediacy of the solution. "Then..." There was no delay.  When we see our sin and repent, God immediately reveals His cleansing power. There was no answer for Isaiah's lips anywhere else but with God. 

And the angel "touched" his lips.  Personal.  Powerful. Transforming.  God wants to take our sin and transform us at that very place.  He wants to take what had been a weakness (his lips were evil) and make it a strength (using his lips to speak His word).

Nothing is ever wasted with God and nothing is beyond His capacity to redeem.  And it all was a result of a fresh vision of God.

The Lord's Day (July 23, 2023) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

The online Scripture resource Bible Gateway is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.  It recently revealed its five most searched Bible verses.  The top verse searched probably won't surprise anyone:  John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world...").  Most likely the next four don't surprise you either:  Jeremiah 29:11 ("For I know the plans I have for you...."), Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things..."), Psalm 23:4 ("Even though I walk through the valley...") and Romans 8:28 ("And we know that in all things God works for the good...").

What is interesting about the most viral verses being tweeted, hashtagged, shared, favorited, bookmarked, or highlighted - whether through Bible Gateway, YouVersion, or any other source - is that the reason they went viral had little to do with the actual meaning of the verse itself.

But one reason these verses were marked is a desperate cry for hope in a dark season of life or in our uncertain world.  

Such is the case of Jeremiah 29 which will be our text for this coming Sunday morning.

As we begin a season in the life of Rainsville First Baptist Church where we are turning our attention to "Times of Spiritual Renewal," I want to begin by looking at Jeremiah 29 when God is giving to Israel the bad news their Babylonian captivity is going to last 70 years; so get ready to remain in this state for a while.  And God further tells them instead of cursing the judgment or trying to change the certainty of God's judgment, they should instead "seek the peace of the city where I have carried you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace."

I believe America is under the judging hand of God and while I still have hope it can be reversed, what is God's will for us in the midst of this judgment?  What about praying for our city and seeking its peace? 

I look forward to sharing God's Word this Sunday as we ask God to use us for the peace of our communities.

Also this Sunday, Bro. Max will be baptizing Jada Hutchison.  

Here are the songs we will be singing:

The Father's House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVi0CDicEQ&pp=ygURdGhlIGZhdGhlcnMgaG91c2U%3D

Come to the Table

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXxLwxfo0U&pp=ygURY29tZSB0byB0aGUgdGFibGU%3D--

Make Room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-fZR7olNYc&pp=ygUJbWFrZSByb29t

The Value of our Gathering for Worship

 James Emery White recently wrote about this experience.  You can view his original blog here.

James Emery White wrote of his experiences here strengthening his value of the church gathered for worship.   You can view his original blog here

My most powerful memory came from Moscow, where I was teaching shortly after the fall of communism.    One night a group of us went to the famed Bolshoi Ballet. It was a long, wonderful evening, and after we took the subway back to where we were staying, the students said, “Come and let us celebrate.” The other two professors with me were as tired as I was, but the students were so intent on our joining them, that we went.    And then we found out what celebration meant to them.    They wanted to gather in the dining room and sing hymns and worship God. And we did, late into the night, with more passion and sincerity than I have ever experienced. It didn’t matter that we didn’t know how to sing in Russian—we worshiped God together.   But I went to bed puzzled. I had never seen such passion for spontaneous and heart-filled worship. I was curious as to why they were so ready and eager to offer God love and honor. I received my answer the following Sunday when I was invited to speak at a church in North Moscow. A former underground church that met in secret (as so many churches had been), they were now meeting openly in a schoolhouse. I had been asked to bring a message that Sunday morning.    I didn’t know that I was in for a bit of a wait.   The service lasted for nearly three hours. There were three sermons from three different speakers, with long periods of worship between each message.    I was to go last.    When it was over, I talked a bit with the pastor of the church. I was surprised at not only the length of the service, but the spirit and energy of the people. Throughout the entire three hours, they never let up. In spite of the length of time, they never seemed to tire. Even at the end, they didn’t seem to want to go home.   “In the States,” I said, “you’re doing well to go a single hour before every watch in the place starts beeping.” (This was before smart phones.) He didn’t get my weak attempt at humor, but he did say something that I will never forget.

It was only a few years ago that we would have been put in prison for doing what we did today. We were never allowed to gather together as a community of faith and offer worship to God. And we are just so happy, and almost in a state of unbelief, that we can do this now – publicly, together – that we don’t want it to end. And not knowing what the future might hold for us here, we know that every week might just be our last. So we never want to stop. So we keep worshiping together, as long as we can.

As I left, his words never left my mind. I thought to myself:

I will never think about worship the same again. I’ve been too casual about it, too laid back, taken it too much for granted. These people know what it’s about – really about – and because of that, they have been willing, and would be willing again, to suffer for it. To be imprisoned for it. To die for it. Because they’ve discovered that it holds that high of a yield for their life. It has that much meaning and payoff and significance. It matters that much.

And it should matter that much to all of us.

"Why Is It Important to Go to Church In Person?" by J.D. GREEAR

This week, Pastor J.D. is joined by Pastor Tony Merida, author of Gather, to answer, “Why is it important to go to church in person?”

J.D.: Today on Ask Me Anything, we’re “flipping the mic.” I’m sitting here with Dr. Tony Merida holding in my hand two books. One is called Love Your Church: Eight Things About Being a Church Member. And then your newest book, called Gather. Tony, we know you’re passionate about the local church. So, what would you say to the person who, after COVID, feels like it just works better for them to watch church on their laptop or their TV. Do you think that’s a good idea? And if not, why not?

Tony Merida: Technology can be a great gift. Our church benefited from it during COVID, and it gave us the ability to stay connected. I think you can do a lot of good information transfer and a lot of teaching online. I like to say it’s a good supplement, but it’s not a substitute for in person gathering. So I’m not negative towards it, I just don’t think it can do what embodied worship offers us. I think it’s different if we’re talking about shut-ins or people who can’t physically make it to the gathering, or people who are sick, and so on.

Here are a few thoughts:

Our habits form us. That’s true in any part of life. Missing worship in-person is going to have an effect. The sacrifice that it takes to be there in person really does have an impact on our lives.

We’re made for embodied relationships. Jesus didn’t just Zoom us from Heaven… He dwelt among us. He walked among us. We were with him. The resurrection was a bodily resurrection, and there’s something theologically significant about being with each other in-person. I’ve always loved the ending of 2 and 3 John, where he says that he has much more to write to them, but he’d rather be with them so that “our joy may be complete.”

“Don’t neglect to meet together.” That comes from Hebrews chapter 10. The author doesn’t say, “Meet together so you can hear the sermon,” or “to sing together;” he actually puts the emphasis on meeting together so that we can stir up one another. So, worship is not just about receiving or about listening and hearing — because yeah, you can do that at home. But, what are you giving in corporate worship? How are you contributing to the family of faith if you’re not there in person? You can’t do those things — at least not at the same level — if you’re tuning in from home.

J.D.: Tony, what would you say to someone who’s saying, “That all sounds great if I had a really good church like yours (Imago Dei) near me, but I just get more spiritual edification listening to another church than I do from any of the churches near me.” What would you say to that person?

Tony: Well, I think I would go back to how you can contribute to your gathering. Sure, your preacher may not be at the same level as someone else’s preacher. But, we’re called to live out all of the “one another’s” of Scripture… and there are a ton of them! And so many of them, we can do on a Sunday morning or whenever we meet for worship. Think about how you might honor and encourage one another at your gathering… which you can’t do on Zoom, at least not in the same way.

So, you may not have the “dream church” you want near you, but there are probably still plenty of ways you could live out Scripture’s “one another” commandments… and that’s satisfying and fulfilling.

J.D.: If you are talking about a church that is not a gospel-preaching church, then you should not go. But, a lot of times that is not the case… a lot of times, the church just isn’t what you want it to be.

Tony: I’ve asked people at our church what the most important part of the church is to them… They never say preaching. It’s always about relationships. Community is what we’re built for.

(You can view the original blog here).

The Vision of God Transforms Us - Part Two

Last Monday (July 3), we started this series of writings on the vision of God.  So many of the great prophets of God had visions of God: Abraham, Moses, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and John. 

These visions reveal something to His people about Himself resulting in them being radically transformed.  One's eyes cannot be opened to the glory of God and remain the same.  It is a total impossibility.  Once seen, forever changed.  

We see Him daily in His Word.  II Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." 

God reveals Himself through His Word.  He did so to all the great prophets of the Old Testament and He continues to do the same today through His written, infallible word given to us through the pages of Holy Scripture.  No other experience with God in a person's life is trustworthy that does not occur grounded in the Word of God.  God speaks daily through His Word, we listen and obey.  And we "are being transformed ... from glory to glory."

But there are moments whether in our study of God's Word, our prayer time, or like Ezekiel just sitting by the water when God opens our eyes to a more spiritual truth or revelation of Himself taking us deeper into Him. Oh, those moments.  As I shared last week, we don't seek the experience, but He gives them out of His deep care.

Why? Warren Wiesbe says, "The vision shows how God is working in His world.  What looks like a storm to us is the tool of His providence.... He saw God's glory and fell on His face in humble worship (Ezekiel 1:28). Only a vision of the glorious throne of God can sustain you when the way grows difficult."

God knew Ezekiel was about to experience the most difficult time of his life and he was not prepared.  So, God shows up in fresh revelation and vision to do something inside of him to prepare him for what was ahead.

God's grace is always sufficient to sustain us through the storms of life.  God never leads us through difficult seasons without Him providing all we need (and even more) for the season.  God gloriously reveals Himself to us causing deep, humble worship and resulting in a transforming of our soul.  This is the preparation ground for the next season of our life. 

Where do we find the strength to be sustained in a stormy season of life?  Through His Spirit, the Scriptures, and his sustaining grace granted freshly into our souls.  Oh, what a Father.

The Lord's Day (July 16) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

 This Sunday at Rainsville First Baptist Church, Isaac Mays will be preaching.  Everyone is invited to worship at 10:15 and Sunday School at 9:00 AM.

The Two Characteristics of a Nation Where God is Moving Today

On Wednesdays, I write for our church expounding on foundational issues vital to our local church's life.  Occasionally, I will write about the persecuted church as I did here on June 21. 

I believe the persecuted church is mainly forgotten, or unknown, to the American church.  Many years ago through my many opportunities to preach in other countries, the Lord revealed two characteristics of the people where God is moving mightily.  In every situation I can find, every move of God has at least one of these two elements:  poverty or persecution.

The largest population of Christians in the world today is in China.  That's right, China.  Not America. And the fastest-growing church is in Iran. And persecution is the element these two have in common. There is poverty in Sub-Shara Africa. There is extreme persecution in central and northern Africa.  Yet, some say Africa will be a Christian continent in 50 years.  WOW.

And for the most part, the American church has neither.  We are rich (Revelation 3:17) and in need of nothing.  And when we see what our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering in other countries, then we are nowhere near that type of persecution in America.

As a result of this revelation from the Lord, I have disciplined myself to read about the persecuted church to gain knowledge of its current state.  please, note, I said "current." There have been more martyrs in the church in the last decade than in all the years of the Christian church put together.  Our brothers and sisters are losing their lives, homes, families, jobs, and church buildings daily for no other reason than they are followers of Jesus Christ.

Additionally, for the past 25 years, at least, I lead our church annually to observe "The National Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church" in November. 

I have mainly done this through the monthly publication of "The Voice of the Martyrs." I never, I repeat NEVER read a monthly episode that my heart is not moved and tenderized for the persecuted church. It is a discipline that I need to be reminded of those who are suffering for the very same thing I am doing...believing in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation, preaching the gospel, attending church services, and seeking to have family and friends to do the same.

You can receive their monthly magazine free or visit their website here.   Open Doors is another wonderful ministry. 

So periodically I will share stories of the persecuted church here on Wednesdays.  I believe it is important for us to know and pray. But it also may be a preview of "coming attractions" to us in America. 

 

R.C. Sproul and the Burj Khalifa by Paul David Tripp

Today is the last devotional in our current Wednesday’s Word series on the holiness of God. I hope it has been a blessing, but in some ways, every week felt like a futile effort.

It’s absolutely impossible to do justice to the majesty of God’s holiness within the limited boundaries of our human language. Trying to find adequate words sometimes felt like writing in circles.

So, to conclude, perhaps an illustration might help.

If you’ve ever been to Dubai, you are confronted with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Impressive skyscrapers fill Dubai, but the Burj Khalifa looms over them all; it’s on an entirely different scale.

Even from far away, it was hard to crank my head back far enough to see all the way to the top. The closer I got, the more imposing and striking this structure became. As I walked, there was no thought of the other buildings in Dubai that had previously impressed me. They were simply not comparable in stunning architectural grandeur and perfection to this one.

Once inside, we took an elevator to the 125th floor. As I stepped to the windows to scan the city of Dubai, I remember immediately commenting on how small the rest of the buildings looked.

Those “small” buildings were skyscrapers that, in any other city, would have been the buildings that you wanted to visit! They looked unimpressive, not worthy of my attention.

Such is the holiness of God. There is nothing like it. If you allow yourself to gaze and meditate upon his holiness, what has previously impressed you and commanded your awe will do so no more.

But sadly, this most stunning reality of life, one that should shape how I think about everything, not only doesn’t always fill me with awe but sometimes doesn’t even get my attention.

I don’t always live with God’s skyscraper holiness in view. I don’t always look at everything else in life from the height of that perspective. And when I don’t, not only do other things seem bigger and more impressive than they are, but even unholy things can get my attention.

My prayer for me and you is that when it comes to God’s holiness, this truth would take hold of us and not let go, giving us the proper perspective on everything else and putting what once commanded our attention in its correct place.

Any reflection of the holiness of God must lead us to seek and celebrate his grace. It is only by revealing grace that we know that the Lord is holy, only by convicting grace that we know that we are unholy, and only by transforming grace that we desire to live holy lives.

R. C. Sproul said it this way in his book, The Holiness of God:

“When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and helplessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by grace. Our strength is futile in itself; we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God. We may dislike giving our attention to God’s wrath and justice, but until we incline ourselves to these aspects of God’s nature, we will never appreciate what has been wrought for us by grace. Even Edwards’s sermon on sinners in God’s hands was not designed to stress the flames of hell. The resounding accent falls not on the fiery pit but on the hands of the God who holds us and rescues us from it. The hands of God are gracious hands. They alone have the power to rescue us from certain destruction.”¹

By grace, we have been invited to live in God’s holy presence forever and ever.

God bless,

Paul David Tripp

1R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God, 25th ann. ed. (Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2010), 221.

PaulTripp.com Finally, if you’ve been reading these devotionals on your own, go back to the beginning of this Wednesday’s Word series on holiness (which started on May 3) and use the devotionals and Reflection Questions with someone else or in a small group. Hebrews 3:12-14 is an explicit reminder that the pursuit of holiness is a community project. You need brothers and sisters to help you (also see Hebrews 10:19-27)!

(You may view the original blog post here).

The Vision of God Transforms Us - Part One

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to us.  He pulls the curtain back of his ways and words to reveal Himself.  All of Heaven is absorbed with Him.  His creation manipulates His handiwork. And human beings are His masterpiece.  All were created to reflect His glory.  Like the moon gives light, but not of itself; it simply reflects the light of the Sun.  We are moons, He is the Sun.

Throughout Scripture there are continuing visions of God created for the purpose of persons personally knowing Him.  These visions radically reshape the person's life causing them to redirect the purpose of their life, speak a word previously unknown, repent of a sin, or be so wonderfully changed they never think or feel the same again.

One such vision was given to Ezekiel.  He was living in Babylon, hundreds of miles away from his Jewish homeland and culture.  But while living in exile, God granted Him a fresh vision of Himself to sustain Him in this difficult season of His life.

The vision was not sought after by Ezekiel.  Yes, we want to "know Him" (Philippians 3:10) and God is looking for those who will seek Him (John 4:23), but we do not seek experiences, we seek Him.  It is God who reveals Himself.  We don't pull on the curtain causing it to open or pull on it so hard it falls down so we can have a new, fresh, vision.  He opens the curtain sovereignly in His time and place.

Ezekiel was where he was because God put him there and he was sitting by the Chebar Canal when "the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." (Ezekiel 1: 1). This is wonderful news saying to me and you God can show up anywhere.  He is God at our home, our place of work, the classroom, on the beach, or in prison or a foreign land.  God is not limited in geography since He is a God who created the entirety of the universe.  

David said "Where can I go from Your Spirit? ... If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." (Psalm 139: 7-8)

Where are you today?  Suffering on the bed of affliction?  Serving as a missionary in a strange, unwanted culture?  Working beside a woman who is totally ungodly? Living with a spouse who hates the Christ in you?  There is no place God can not show up to you when you least expected it.

And when He shows up it will radically transform your life.

This Lord's Day (July 9, 2023) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

Our life without Christ is like a descending elevator.  We are trapped in a dark, dead, and doomed environment.  There is no life, light, or liberty.  All hope is gone of us surviving the falling, collapsing elevator.  All we are doing is waiting to hit bottom and die spending eternity without God in hell.

But in this despair, Christ visits us to show us our desperate situation and His glorious salvation.  Through faith alone in Christ alone, we are rescued.  When the door of the doomed elevator opens, the first thing a new believer experiences is justification.  As the verse below indicates, this is our "introduction" to the Christian life. What is justification?  

This Lord's Day (July 9, 2023) we will examine this wonderful and foundational doctrine of justification based in Romans 5: 1-2:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." (NASV)

Also this Sunday, Bro. Jimmy Traylor will give us an update on the debt and share a testimony.

Then in Sunday School, we will hear from our New England Mission Team.  All of our team members will be sharing in Sunday School. Here is the schedule:

Preschool classes through Kindergarten will meet as normal.

All Children's classes (Grades 1-6) will join their parents in their (adult) classrooms to hear the mission stories.

All Youth will meet in the larger room of the Youth Center to hear the mission stories of the youth.  Parents of youth may attend to hear their youth share their stories.

All adult classes will meet in their normal places and each class will have their members share their mission stories.  Children of your class members may be in the class with them this Sunday.