Two Visitors

I received the call from my wife after spending most of the morning running errands. She wanted to know how far away I was. I was actually less than a mile. She responded disappointedly, “Oh”. I didn’t know what to think. Was she disappointed that I was coming home? In reality, she was hoping that I was still near a store. As many in the county know, that living in Belleview is a scenic 15 minute drive for us to get to the store. I had been running all over northern Calhoun County for approximately three hours, I was ready to get home. I asked her as any loving husband would, “Is the item important?” The item she needed was a bit unusual. I am hard of hearing. I had to turn the volume on my phone to the max, turn off the air condition, turn down the radio, pull over to the side of the road to reduce the engine noise, and turn up the hearing aid to make sure that I was hearing her clearly. Cat food? Was there some old wives tale that I did not know that involved cat food? Did she come across an excellent can’t miss Sunday School lesson or Children’s Church lesson that involved….cat food? I did not know what to make of this request. I only prayed that it was not what I was having for lunch. “Come on home, don’t worry about it”, she said after a long pause. I was only a half mile from home. I pulled back onto the road and within mere seconds, I was home. She was at the back door standing on the patio looking out into the yard. I glanced towards the direction where she was staring and saw nothing. She solemnly promised that they were just at the back door seconds ago. I wandered around the yard and as I rounded a corner of the shed, I saw them. There were two of them. They were not much bigger than the palm of my hand. I gingerly picked one up and after a brief chase; I finally was able to scoop the other one. I carefully clutched them tight to my chest. As I sat down, I looked into the soft blue eyes of one of the kittens that had wandered in from the wooded bluffs. Their body seemed thin and frail. Their fur was matted and in tangles. A dirty crust had formed in the corner of their eyes. April had pulled a bowl from the cupboard and poured a splash of milk and placed it on the porch. I asked for a few slices of lunch meat and we fed them. They seemed content with the meager meal we had provided for them. We offered a few more pieces of lunch meat and they happily accepted. They showed their gratitude by stroking their head on my bended knee. Our children seemed genuinely excited by these new visitors in our home. I cleaned them up, made them a comfortable bedding area, offered more milk and welcomed them to their new home. As I reflected on this, I learned a lesson. Much like those kittens, our spiritual state is tangled, matted, and dirty. We have ventured in the wooded wilderness for so long, we are ready for some comforting rest. Our wandering has exhausted our joy and happiness and robbed us of peace and assurance. Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest". (Matthew 11:28) He has what you need.

Why Preaching?

These words are written with a weighted burden and compassion to see a church, the whole church, not just a building but the body of Christ, serving and living for God.  Surely there is no doubt the effort I spend in encouraging others in the faith.  There is another version of encouragement that many do not like but is needed as much as positive encouragement.  That version is corrective encouragement.  Paul is his letter to Timothy gives him this charge:  “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (II Timothy 4:2 NASB).  Today, that charge needs to be reminded in the hearts and minds of our preachers and church members today.  In today’s society, we are seeing a fulfillment of the warning given by Paul in II Timothy 4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.”  How heartbreaking to see that warning unheeded and the result already in place. 

     The doctrines, especially the ones we do not like, have been boxed up and put away because of the “changing times” and in the dark storage closets of our mind they sit collecting dust and cobwebs.  Today, selective Christianity runs rampant as people will only accept and believe what they want to believe.  That is what Paul means by “wanting to have their ears tickled”.  The King James Version uses the phrase “itching ears”.  The Greek word in this verse is the Greek word “knēthō” which literally means “to scratch, that is, (by implication) to tickle” (Strong’s Concordance).  Thayer’s Bible Dictionary lists the definitions as “1) to scratch, tickle, make to itch  2) to itch 3) desirous of hearing something pleasant”.  Ever have an itch on your back that you can’t reach?  You ask your significant other to scratch for you and no matter how hard you try, that significant other does not do the trick for you?  What do you do?  If you are like me, you go to the doorway and rub your back against the corner until that pesky itch has been satisfied.  We want to be fed when we come to church, but we want to be fed the way we want to be fed.  Preach your forgiveness, but keep your expectations.  Preach your love, but keep your holiness.  Preach salvation, but keep your sinfulness.  That attitude leads us to the next step in the process: “they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.”  No not what God wants, but what we want.  Not what our Holy God desires, but what we desire.  Instead of adhering to the standards in which God has clearly set in His infallible and inerrant Word about preaching, we decided by our finite wisdom and fleshly desires what preaching was best for us.  It is not what’s best for us, it is what WE want. 

     Now let’s break down the charge by Paul to Timothy in verse 2.

(The definition of the original Greek as referred by Strong’s is in parentheses)

Preach…. - (to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)) – How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the Gospel Paul writes in Romans.  To preach is to go from the highway to the hedges and to share the story of God’s love and the somberness of God’s holiness.  The prophet Isaiah encourages “Cry loudly, do not hold back; raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1).  The Word of God challenges us to not hold back.  How silent have we become when we no longer preach the wages of sin, the worldliness of the Sanctuary, and the weakness of self?  "Declare to My people, their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins”.  God’s people.  The church.  “God is speaking to the Israelites, His people, the house of Jacob”, you say.  I suggest this verse to you, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” (Romans 4:16).  Or maybe this verse, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7).  If those two are not good enough, then surely this verse is convincing enough, “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29).  The church is His people.  Paul exhorts us to preach.  Isaiah says do not hold back but declare the transgressions of His people.

…the Word… -  God’s spoken and infallible Word.  “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” (II Timothy 3:16).  All of the Scriptures, preach it, do not let prosperity and popularity determine the doctrines.  To do so is to fail in our purpose.  Not just the ones you like, but the ones you do not.  And there is that word again, correction. 

… be ready in season… - (opportunely: - conveniently, in season.) When they like it.

…and out of season… - (inopportunely: - out of season.)  When they don’t.  Isn't it a shame to hear church members tell us what subjects we should and should not preach.  Paul says....Preach the word!

…reprove… - (Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish: - convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.)  We are not out to make people feel good, we are out by the help of the power of His Spirit to help them feel God.   We are not called to preach a soft gospel or a sensational gimmick, we are called to preach the straight Gospel.  Sound the alarm and expose the lies and sins impose upon the human race by society.  When the world tells us to quiet the truth, we must heed the challenge of Isaiah and cry aloud.

…rebuke… - (to tax upon, that is, censure or admonish; by implication forbid: - (straitly) charge, rebuke.)  Forbid the church to participate in the lies, sins, and worldliness and let God arise and holiness abound.

…exhort… - (to call near, that is, invite, invoke - beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort)    Encourage them and challenge them to beckon to the call of Holiness as set forth by God’s commandment.  May the commandments of God be invoked in hearts and minds, ours and others.  Preach.  May we learned to obey that which God expects of us as spelled out in His word, all of it.

…with great patience… - (endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance) As long as the Lord tarries, do not quit.  Be not weary in well doing.  Great is the reward for those who persist in the face of opposition.  Endure.  Fight the good fight.  Finish the course as established by God.  Keep your faith.

…and instruction. – (doctrine, hath been taught)  Not the thing we want to say or learn, but what God desires us to say and learn.

     What is our motivation, as it should be.  The motivation can be considered two fold.  First, our concern for the heart and the soul of man moves me with compassion and concern to speak and to write the truth.  To read the words of Jude says it all.  “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 17-23).  I strive to preach, to speak, to write the truth by the help and grace of God, without holding back, in hopes of sparing you from the judgment of God by revealing to you the truth found in His word and to encourage you to live in a way that is pleasing to God.  For you see, it is that judgment of God which serves as the second motive.  As we return to Paul’s letter and charge to Timothy, I would be remiss to ignore the first verse.  I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: (I Timothy 4:1).  I am responsible for the duty and the task that has been established to me by His call and His purpose for my life.  To ignore the things in your life and to allow worldliness and sin to enter and to keep quiet the truth is a grave endangerment to you and a serious crime on my part.  A crime in which I will be held accountable for and that alone bears a huge burden upon my soul.  From my heart to my home to humanity, I have a responsibility to obey the charge and the challenge of God.  Paul writes “Who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:” (Romans 2:6).   Each person includes you as an individual and me as an individual.  According to the things we say or do.  How we live our life.  Did we live it for God?  If we live it for self, it frightens me to see what God would render to me to do so.  No one is exempt.  “For there is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:11).  The simplest way to say this is “You will get what is coming to you.”  I do not mean to be blunt but this was written in hopes that you can see the seriousness of the judgment of God…. on me, if I fail in my task.  Preach the word.  From the pulpits to the public, God’s truth and word must be known and exalted.  All of it.  The salvation and the sin.  The love and holiness.  The forgiveness and the expectation.   Do you know of the story when Jesus told the religious leaders that whoever was without sin to cast the first stone?  Of course you do!  We have often heard it (or you may have used it yourself) in defense against our "legalistic" preaching often misidentified as judging.  We are guilty of ignoring an even bigger part of the story.  He tells the adulteress to “Go and sin no more.”  Jesus himself had expectations for us.  Jesus himself said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17).  To hide behind the “Jesus is love” teaching and to ignore the holiness and the expectation that even He had for us is to be ignorant of the whole truth and to be living dangerously outside of the will of God.

     Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  That is the truth.  That is the Word of God.  I must obey, for there is a great responsibility that has fallen on my shoulders.  Not just mine, but every preacher that stands in the pulpits all across the world.  It is also a challenge to every Christian.  Preach the Word.  Don’t hold back.  We have a responsibility and we must fail for to fail is to fail others but most importantly to fail God.  Preach the word until the time comes when your duty is done, you may be able to say with the confidence and the boldness of Paul: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (II Timothy 4:6-8)

For the Love of Butter

There are three things that celebrity chef Paula Deen and I have in common.  We are both proud of our southern culture, we both love butter, and we both have said or done something that we regret.  Over the past week, Paula Deen has come under fire for her usage of a derogatory and racist word.  A word, by her admission, that was used almost 30 years ago.  It is astonishing how quick we are to use the "He who is without sin" argument when we are the recipient of a harsh criticism or judgment, but when the shoe is on the foot of someone else, we are quick to jump on the bandwagon with others and point our fingers.  The same one's who scream, "Don't judge me or the things I have done" are the same ones who will scream "Shame on you"  The tolerance and acceptance that we are seeing pushed on political and religious platforms are only tolerated and accepted as long as you agree with them.  The "Love the sinner" decree seems to only apply to certain individuals but not every one.  We tend to forget, we are human.  We have made our mistakes.  Mistakes that we wish we can change, but we can't.  Mistakes that for some will forever haunt us until our dying day.  Mistakes that have caused hurt in others more than ourselves.  Mistakes that we wish others will forgive us for, but like Paula Deen's case, many are so unwilling to offer to us mercy and mercilessly brand our name with that mistake.  "She is a celebrity and must be held to a higher standard because people are watching her", they would say.  Yet, when we go to work, shopping, hanging out with friends, or even church, people are watching us.  Like us, she is human.  Yes, she is on television making millions of dollars, but does that make her less human?  I did not watch the Today show where she was interviewed by Matt Lauer, but I was able to read an excerpt of her plea.  She said "if you are out there, please pick up that stone and throw it so hard at my head that it kills me. Please, I want to meet you."  There, she said it, she wants to meet you.  You gasped at the horror of her words uttered before almost 30 years ago. "How could she!?", you screamed.  "I will never watch another one of her show and buy another one of her products!" you defiantly protest.  She wants to meet you.  You have never said or done something you have ever regretted, she wants to meet you.  You have never offended or hurt anyone, she wants to meet you.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Mercy is God withholding from you what you deserve.  To be a truly compassionate and caring person is to show care, concern, and mercy to those, even if you do not believe they deserve it.  Paula made a mistake.  She has apologized.  She is trying to move one, but too many are too busy to cast stones.  Not just at Paula, but at each other.  If you made a mistake that you truly regret making, wouldn't you want us to just move on?  Why can't we do the same for others?  I heard this statement the other day and the truth of it has become more apparent in recent days: It's easy to love mercy--when it's directed to me. It's not so easy to love mercy when it's directed to my enemy.  The greatest forgiveness of our mistakes will not come at the hands of fellow man, instead, Thank you Lord, it comes at the foot of Jesus on the cross for our sins.....every one of them.