Dr. Pope's Blog https://www.christchurchbaptist.org Muli shani! ("How are you!" in the native tongue ) Mrs. Pope and I have arrived at the Kayfulafuta Baptist Mission and home of The North Star Bible Institute in Kayfulafuta, Zambia, Africa. Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:38 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ CBF UPDATE: Buildings and Ministry | Sunday School Room Changes https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/cbf-update-building- https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/cbf-update-building-#comments Fri, 15 Sep 2017 18:00:00 -0400 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/cbf-update-building-  

 

Christchurch family, 

We wanted to reach out to you to let you know of a few changes that we need your help with this coming Sunday. As many of you know, we sustained minor damages at the church from Harvey. One area of damage was in the form of an electrical outage in our Education/Children’s Ministry Building. This is the two-story building that we often refer to as the “garage entrance” and it includes main areas of use on Sundays and Wednesdays such as the nursery, teen room, Journey room, etc. Due to these issues, that building will be CLOSED on Sunday, September 10th, Wednesday, September 13th, and Sunday, September 17th. We understand that this is the normal point of entrance for many families, and we want to thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience with us during this time. We ask that you would please use our main auditorium entrance for services on the dates listed above. We will continue to update this page with the most current information. We are working with an electrician and already have the work approved, scheduled, and underway. Please continue to pray with us that the issues will be fixed in a timely manner!

 

With that being said, we wanted you to be aware of our contingency plan. Here are the locations for those classes and ministries that have been relocated due to the outage.

 

  • ALL Adult Sunday school classes (including Journey and teens) - Main Auditorium
  • Nursery - Fellowship Cafe
  • Nursing Mother’s room - Room 24 (facing the playground)
  • 4&5’s Sunday school / Children’s church - Room 22 (facing the playground)
  • 1st-2nd-grade girls, 3rd-4th-grade girls - Room 20 (facing the playground)
  • 1st-2nd-grade boys, 3rd-4th-grade boys - Room 18 (facing the playground)
  • 5th-6th-grade girls, 5th-6th-grade boys - Room 12 (facing the playground)

 

We also wanted you to be aware that due to the electrical outage in our Education/Children’s Ministry Building, we are postponing the start of a few other ministries. This will allow us the time necessary to resolve the current issues and properly prepare the buildings for the launch of these ministries.

 

  • Children's Choir will begin on Sunday, September 24th
  • Precept Ladies Bible Study will begin on Tuesday, September 19th and Thursday, September 21st. (We understand that our Precept ladies usually meet in the Teen Room, however, we moving forward with the Bible study on the dates listed and have a backup room prepared if necessary)
  • AWANA and IMPACT will begin on Wednesday, September 20th. (The kickoff to our AWANA and IMPACT programs are contingent on the repair to our Education/Children’s Ministry Building. We are working with our electrician to ensure this start date for our ministries, but we will keep you updated. Thank you for understanding.)

 

Please help us by sharing this important information with those it affects. Thank you once again for your continued patience, cooperation, and prayers during this time. God bless you all!

 

 

*Original post - Friday, September 8th

*Updated - Friday, September 15th

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Christchurch family, 

We wanted to reach out to you to let you know of a few changes that we need your help with this coming Sunday. As many of you know, we sustained minor damages at the church from Harvey. One area of damage was in the form of an electrical outage in our Education/Children’s Ministry Building. This is the two-story building that we often refer to as the “garage entrance” and it includes main areas of use on Sundays and Wednesdays such as the nursery, teen room, Journey room, etc. Due to these issues, that building will be CLOSED on Sunday, September 10th, Wednesday, September 13th, and Sunday, September 17th. We understand that this is the normal point of entrance for many families, and we want to thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience with us during this time. We ask that you would please use our main auditorium entrance for services on the dates listed above. We will continue to update this page with the most current information. We are working with an electrician and already have the work approved, scheduled, and underway. Please continue to pray with us that the issues will be fixed in a timely manner!

 

With that being said, we wanted you to be aware of our contingency plan. Here are the locations for those classes and ministries that have been relocated due to the outage.

 

  • ALL Adult Sunday school classes (including Journey and teens) - Main Auditorium
  • Nursery - Fellowship Cafe
  • Nursing Mother’s room - Room 24 (facing the playground)
  • 4&5’s Sunday school / Children’s church - Room 22 (facing the playground)
  • 1st-2nd-grade girls, 3rd-4th-grade girls - Room 20 (facing the playground)
  • 1st-2nd-grade boys, 3rd-4th-grade boys - Room 18 (facing the playground)
  • 5th-6th-grade girls, 5th-6th-grade boys - Room 12 (facing the playground)

 

We also wanted you to be aware that due to the electrical outage in our Education/Children’s Ministry Building, we are postponing the start of a few other ministries. This will allow us the time necessary to resolve the current issues and properly prepare the buildings for the launch of these ministries.

 

  • Children's Choir will begin on Sunday, September 24th
  • Precept Ladies Bible Study will begin on Tuesday, September 19th and Thursday, September 21st. (We understand that our Precept ladies usually meet in the Teen Room, however, we moving forward with the Bible study on the dates listed and have a backup room prepared if necessary)
  • AWANA and IMPACT will begin on Wednesday, September 20th. (The kickoff to our AWANA and IMPACT programs are contingent on the repair to our Education/Children’s Ministry Building. We are working with our electrician to ensure this start date for our ministries, but we will keep you updated. Thank you for understanding.)

 

Please help us by sharing this important information with those it affects. Thank you once again for your continued patience, cooperation, and prayers during this time. God bless you all!

 

 

*Original post - Friday, September 8th

*Updated - Friday, September 15th

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Our Nation Under God https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/our-nation-under-god https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/our-nation-under-god#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:00:00 -0500 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/our-nation-under-god  

I am amazed and in awe of what just happened. The greatest political upset in my lifetime and perhaps in the history of the United States has just taken place. With all the speculation as to why, I believe more than anything, God has answered the prayers of Christians. My wife and I together prayed for a reversal that humanly speaking seemed impossible. People throughout our church fasted and prayed. We met at 5:00 AM with prayer warriors at our church on election day. Not only our church, but as I have traveled around the country and observed, the people of God came to their knees, not to surrender to man, but in surrender to God for mercy upon our country. At 4:45 am yesterday on the way to pray with our people at church I heard a word, which I believe now, was from the Lord, “Today will be a day of surprise.” And what a surprise it was! The Lord promised, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). Under severe needs such as in the case of Esther, fasting coupled with prayer becomes not only necessary, but intensifies the weapon of prayer to accomplish God’s overall purposes. God said in Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” When the disciples asked why they could not cast out the demonic power holding a young man, the Lord Jesus answered, “…This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Not much is being said about this truth. Everyone is astounded, yet ignoring that the main ingredient in this overturn was an intervention of Almighty God. And although there are many reasons God intervened, please do not discount prayer, real prayer that gives all glory to God. “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b). Thank you to my good friend, Attorney Dr. David Gibbs and other preachers who encouraged our churches to fast and pray.

May the Lord be praised! Now that the ball is back in our proverbial court, we have a greater responsibility than ever to keep this land of the free a God-fearing Republic. Ben Franklin was asked by a lady when he was exiting the Constitutional framing Convention, "Sir," she inquired, "What do we have?" He replied, "Madam, we have a Republic, if we can keep it."

I find myself so encouraged on several fronts:

1. God willing, now we will getting an immediate replacement for Antonin Scalia, the late Supreme Court Justice who will be like Scalia. God willing, Ruth Bader Ginsberg will be the next to be replaced by a conservative justice, not another extreme liberal like herself. And there are more appointments to follow! The Supreme Court has the opportunity to once again become what the founding fathers intended it to be, i.e., upholders and enforcers of the Constitution, not interpreters and redefiners of the Constitution. The ramifications: Hope for the unborn! An actual chance to one day reverse Roe verses Wade! We can now hope for rejection and pushback by the new court against the propaganda and threats from the gay/lesbian community. And the Lord willing, a renewal of the definition of marriage, which is biblically defined by God between one man and one woman. This new court could also insure a better chance of upholding the rights of businesses who are run by Bible-believers who have staunch convictions about the rights of the unborn and their rights not to finance the killing of babies, the rights not to patronize the gay/lesbian demands and the common decency to enforce men and women to use separate restrooms. I am not exaggerating what I am about to quote. I actually heard this. A talk show hostess of a main network was informed that she believed God heard the prayers of His people. And this well-know talk show hostess replied, “Well, that is well and good for people that have relationship with God or your God, but for people who don’t have relationship with God, what are they gonna do?” Do you realize what was just declared? By innuendo, this talk show hostess, was declaring had the election gone the other way, it would have been most favorable to people who have no relationship with God. May we be so bold as to say, she and her fellow unbelievers may not know what they are going to do, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15) with abandonment!

2. God willing, we have been delivered from socialism. I remember having our teacher Mr. Cook back in Lakeland Jr. High teaching us in a class called, "Americanism" that socialism is the first major step toward communism. My college professor, Dr. John Stormer, author of None Dare Call It Treason and Death of a Nation warned so clearly of the dangers of the trajectory that leads down the trail of governmental intrusion. Under Hillary Clinton we could have easily morphed into a full-fledged government state. The book 1984 could have become a reality, i.e., "Big Brother" is not only "watching" you, but also "controlling" you. Middle class and above would have been staring down the barrel of half (or better) of their income being taxed and those below medium income would have become so completely dependent on government subsidies, they would not only vote in upcoming elections to keep the government hand-outs, but would riot in the streets should you try take away their benefits. To borrow the words of President Reagan’s first inaugural address, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Today the big government ideal has fallen like a Goliath at the hands of an unpredicted David. And the David I am referring to is much more than the candidate who just won office of the president, but the people. The people won. Even better, I believe God has won, as I would like to discuss next.
3. God willing, Christians have a much better chance of practicing the faith once delivered (Jude, verse 3) with greater abandonment. Many do not realize how close churches were coming to losing our tax exempt status. Many churches could have been taxed so severely that they would have to hock their buildings to pay their bills or pull back their benevolence toward worldwide missions and charity at home to pay their bills. Make no mistake, President Obama and Mrs. Clinton were already threatening churches telling us to “change or else." The Democrats would have interpreted a win as a mandate that would give them permission to break down the wall of separation and strong arm their wicked way against practicing Christianity. Once again, the words of Jesus promising in Matthew 16:18b, have been fulfilled, "...the gates of hell shall not prevail against It (the Church)." Sola Deo Gloria!

Conclusion: Please know I am aware very aware that the man who just won the presidency either needs to be saved or to grow in grace. I would not argue this point. However, God raised up Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4) to make a decree for the Jews to go back to her promised land and start putting their country back together again after 70 years of bondage. The ways of God are bigger than our understanding, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Never forget, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). And that verse is applicable for a government by the people and for the people as well. Now, more than ever, let us pray for President-elect Donald Trump, his running mate Michael Pence, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. We are under the command in I Timothy 2:2, to pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

]]>
 

I am amazed and in awe of what just happened. The greatest political upset in my lifetime and perhaps in the history of the United States has just taken place. With all the speculation as to why, I believe more than anything, God has answered the prayers of Christians. My wife and I together prayed for a reversal that humanly speaking seemed impossible. People throughout our church fasted and prayed. We met at 5:00 AM with prayer warriors at our church on election day. Not only our church, but as I have traveled around the country and observed, the people of God came to their knees, not to surrender to man, but in surrender to God for mercy upon our country. At 4:45 am yesterday on the way to pray with our people at church I heard a word, which I believe now, was from the Lord, “Today will be a day of surprise.” And what a surprise it was! The Lord promised, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). Under severe needs such as in the case of Esther, fasting coupled with prayer becomes not only necessary, but intensifies the weapon of prayer to accomplish God’s overall purposes. God said in Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” When the disciples asked why they could not cast out the demonic power holding a young man, the Lord Jesus answered, “…This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Not much is being said about this truth. Everyone is astounded, yet ignoring that the main ingredient in this overturn was an intervention of Almighty God. And although there are many reasons God intervened, please do not discount prayer, real prayer that gives all glory to God. “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b). Thank you to my good friend, Attorney Dr. David Gibbs and other preachers who encouraged our churches to fast and pray.

May the Lord be praised! Now that the ball is back in our proverbial court, we have a greater responsibility than ever to keep this land of the free a God-fearing Republic. Ben Franklin was asked by a lady when he was exiting the Constitutional framing Convention, "Sir," she inquired, "What do we have?" He replied, "Madam, we have a Republic, if we can keep it."

I find myself so encouraged on several fronts:

1. God willing, now we will getting an immediate replacement for Antonin Scalia, the late Supreme Court Justice who will be like Scalia. God willing, Ruth Bader Ginsberg will be the next to be replaced by a conservative justice, not another extreme liberal like herself. And there are more appointments to follow! The Supreme Court has the opportunity to once again become what the founding fathers intended it to be, i.e., upholders and enforcers of the Constitution, not interpreters and redefiners of the Constitution. The ramifications: Hope for the unborn! An actual chance to one day reverse Roe verses Wade! We can now hope for rejection and pushback by the new court against the propaganda and threats from the gay/lesbian community. And the Lord willing, a renewal of the definition of marriage, which is biblically defined by God between one man and one woman. This new court could also insure a better chance of upholding the rights of businesses who are run by Bible-believers who have staunch convictions about the rights of the unborn and their rights not to finance the killing of babies, the rights not to patronize the gay/lesbian demands and the common decency to enforce men and women to use separate restrooms. I am not exaggerating what I am about to quote. I actually heard this. A talk show hostess of a main network was informed that she believed God heard the prayers of His people. And this well-know talk show hostess replied, “Well, that is well and good for people that have relationship with God or your God, but for people who don’t have relationship with God, what are they gonna do?” Do you realize what was just declared? By innuendo, this talk show hostess, was declaring had the election gone the other way, it would have been most favorable to people who have no relationship with God. May we be so bold as to say, she and her fellow unbelievers may not know what they are going to do, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15) with abandonment!

2. God willing, we have been delivered from socialism. I remember having our teacher Mr. Cook back in Lakeland Jr. High teaching us in a class called, "Americanism" that socialism is the first major step toward communism. My college professor, Dr. John Stormer, author of None Dare Call It Treason and Death of a Nation warned so clearly of the dangers of the trajectory that leads down the trail of governmental intrusion. Under Hillary Clinton we could have easily morphed into a full-fledged government state. The book 1984 could have become a reality, i.e., "Big Brother" is not only "watching" you, but also "controlling" you. Middle class and above would have been staring down the barrel of half (or better) of their income being taxed and those below medium income would have become so completely dependent on government subsidies, they would not only vote in upcoming elections to keep the government hand-outs, but would riot in the streets should you try take away their benefits. To borrow the words of President Reagan’s first inaugural address, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Today the big government ideal has fallen like a Goliath at the hands of an unpredicted David. And the David I am referring to is much more than the candidate who just won office of the president, but the people. The people won. Even better, I believe God has won, as I would like to discuss next.
3. God willing, Christians have a much better chance of practicing the faith once delivered (Jude, verse 3) with greater abandonment. Many do not realize how close churches were coming to losing our tax exempt status. Many churches could have been taxed so severely that they would have to hock their buildings to pay their bills or pull back their benevolence toward worldwide missions and charity at home to pay their bills. Make no mistake, President Obama and Mrs. Clinton were already threatening churches telling us to “change or else." The Democrats would have interpreted a win as a mandate that would give them permission to break down the wall of separation and strong arm their wicked way against practicing Christianity. Once again, the words of Jesus promising in Matthew 16:18b, have been fulfilled, "...the gates of hell shall not prevail against It (the Church)." Sola Deo Gloria!

Conclusion: Please know I am aware very aware that the man who just won the presidency either needs to be saved or to grow in grace. I would not argue this point. However, God raised up Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4) to make a decree for the Jews to go back to her promised land and start putting their country back together again after 70 years of bondage. The ways of God are bigger than our understanding, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Never forget, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). And that verse is applicable for a government by the people and for the people as well. Now, more than ever, let us pray for President-elect Donald Trump, his running mate Michael Pence, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. We are under the command in I Timothy 2:2, to pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

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What Are We Doing About Target? https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/what-are-we-doing-about-target- https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/what-are-we-doing-about-target-#comments Mon, 09 May 2016 14:00:00 -0400 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/what-are-we-doing-about-target- Several people have asked our ministry what we are going to do (if anything) about the growing social issue that Target presented families with when they introduced their new bathroom policy.
Let us first state that we believe in the doctrine of the personal priesthood of the believer. In short, that means that we believe that you as a believer can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life and are to be subject to His leading, even more than you are subject to the leading of an organization, specific person, or (often especially) the majority vote.


However, we also understand that well-intentioned Christians are looking for options on how to move forward in an ever-changing culture. A friend of our ministry, Pastor Paul Chappell, recently wrote a well thought out, loving and very informative article which also expresses our sentiments at this time. We encourage you to find out what you and your family can do by reading the article here.



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Several people have asked our ministry what we are going to do (if anything) about the growing social issue that Target presented families with when they introduced their new bathroom policy.
Let us first state that we believe in the doctrine of the personal priesthood of the believer. In short, that means that we believe that you as a believer can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life and are to be subject to His leading, even more than you are subject to the leading of an organization, specific person, or (often especially) the majority vote.


However, we also understand that well-intentioned Christians are looking for options on how to move forward in an ever-changing culture. A friend of our ministry, Pastor Paul Chappell, recently wrote a well thought out, loving and very informative article which also expresses our sentiments at this time. We encourage you to find out what you and your family can do by reading the article here.



]]>
The Miraculous Phenomenon of Youth Revival https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/the-miraculous-phenomenon-of-youth-revival https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/the-miraculous-phenomenon-of-youth-revival#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2016 14:00:00 -0500 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/the-miraculous-phenomenon-of-youth-revival As we see the greatest need America has ever had for a fresh move of God, one of our greatest resources that God, in His wisdom, has chosen as the harbinger for revival, i.e., the youth, is being ignored. As we study the history of revival, we see the roots of revival almost always go back to a time of renewal among the youth. Modern day surveys indicate that up to 85 percent of all people who get saved are converted before age 30, and most before age 25. In my experience it is almost always the young people, especially those in their teens, who surrender to full time Christian service. One preacher described young people as “kindling” which helps set fire to “old logs.”

It may well be said, there would have never been the greatness of America had she not been birthed in the labor of revival. Jonathan Edwards wrote these words in 1743 about the Great Awakening that shook England and America: “In the year 1740, in the spring, before Mr. Whitefield came to this town, there was a visible alteration. There was more seriousness and religious conversation, especially among young people; those things that were of ill tendency among them were more forborne. And it was a more frequent thing for persons to visit their minister upon soul accounts; and in some particular persons there appeared a great alteration about that time. And thus it continued till Mr. Whitefield came to town, which was about the middle of October following. He preached here four sermons in the meeting-house (besides a private lecture at my house)-one on Friday, another on Saturday, and two upon the Sabbath. The congregation was extraordinarily melted by every sermon; almost the whole assembly being in tears for a great part of sermon time. Mr. Whitefield's sermons were suitable to the circumstances of the town, containing just reproofs of our backslidings, and, in a most moving and affecting manner, making use of our great profession and great mercies as arguments with us to return to God, from whom we had departed.”

In 1795 Timothy Dwight, the grandson of Jonathan Edwards was elected to the presidency of Yale University. Yale had departed from the earlier awakening and needed revival. Christianity Today records, “Early in the spring of 1802 two students were overwhelmed with conviction of their sins. In a short period they came to faith in Christ and assurance of forgiveness. After making a public profession of their faith, they joined the college church. This made a large impact on the other students. In the ten days before vacation, fifty young men declared themselves to be eager to find salvation. Wherever the students gathered, in their rooms, at meals, and around New Haven, the great subject of conversation was eternal salvation. Many feared that when the students left for spring vacation, the revival might cease. Instead the reverse occurred. The students carried home with them news of Yale’s turnabout, and the impulse spread. When they returned after the summer, more offered their lives to God. Dwight witnessed the conversions of 80 out of the total enrollment of 160 students. A new awakening came in April 1808 which was almost as powerful as that of 1802, and succeeding revivals came to the students in 1813 and 1815. These awakenings marked only the beginning of a movement which swept Connecticut.” Ultimately the entire country was bathed in revivals of all sorts from camp meetings to protracted meetings, from the urban centers to the most remote parts of the American wilderness. The revival culture lasted until the outset of the American Civil War. The culmination of this revival was given a fresh wind in the 1859 Prayer Revival under the burden of Jeremy Lanphier. After the Civil War, evangelists such as Dwight L. Moody in the North and Sam P. Jones in the South were used of God to carry the torch once again. They later handed it off to evangelists such as Wilbur Chapman, Billy Sunday, Bob Jones, Sr. and Morecai Ham. And to think this one hundred year legacy was kindled by the youth at Yale!

The great Welsh Revival began in 1904 when Evan Roberts, at the age of 26, said to his college principal, "I keep hearing a voice that tells me I must go home to speak to our young people in my home church." The Lord used young Roberts as the igniting point that began a sweeping revival in which 100,000 people were converted in five months throughout Wales. Roberts said, "The revival seems to work especially among young people. Its form, which is that of prayer, praise and personal testimony, and its absence of method make it the most methodical expression of the emotions of young hearts aflame with the love of God."

The great Hebrides Revival that affected the outlying islands of Scotland was nothing less than phenomenal. It started in a barn prayer meeting. It was reported that during the prayer meeting there was a literal shaking of the ground as though an earthquake had come. The passage of Scripture being claimed was Isaiah 64:1: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence.” The “shaking” was so real and understood by all that God was visiting the island of Lewis, that immediately a youth dance was broken up and turned into a revival. Conversions began to take place spontaneously. The revival lasted from 1949 to 1952. It is estimated that the entire population of accountable souls on the isle of Lewis got saved!

In the 1940s in America a new movement among young people called "Youth For Christ” was born. They attracted tens of thousands of high schoolers for their rallies. God used Jack Wyrtzen in New York and Torrey Johnson, a Baptist pastor in Chicago to become the spearheads of the movement. Johnson became the first president of YFC and they brought in a young evangelist from North Carolina who was finishing up his schooling at Wheaton College named Billy Graham to become the first full-time evangelist for Youth For Christ. This spiritual team effort that began with youth was really the beginning of one of the greatest moves of God in the Twentieth Century. From this came the mass revival crusades and the rebirth of personal soul winning, which was the fuel on the fire of the renewal of the great Sunday School movement of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

In every generation, God has been faithful to bring revival to His people and spiritual awakening to churches and nations. In almost all cases, those movements of the Spirit were most evident among young people. We are praying a special prayer for our teens this week. Brother Luke Bishop, son of John Bishop and Director of Triple “S” Christian Ranch is our evangelist for our Youth Revival here at Christchurch Baptist Fellowship. Let’s pray that God will talk to our youth from sea to shining sea. Let’s pray for an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost, heart-felt, Jesus-loving, Devil-fighting, sin-ridding, righteousness-bringing revival. This, by the way, is the ONLY way to make America great again! And it is God alone who shall receive all glory and praise. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake” (Psalm 115:1).

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As we see the greatest need America has ever had for a fresh move of God, one of our greatest resources that God, in His wisdom, has chosen as the harbinger for revival, i.e., the youth, is being ignored. As we study the history of revival, we see the roots of revival almost always go back to a time of renewal among the youth. Modern day surveys indicate that up to 85 percent of all people who get saved are converted before age 30, and most before age 25. In my experience it is almost always the young people, especially those in their teens, who surrender to full time Christian service. One preacher described young people as “kindling” which helps set fire to “old logs.”

It may well be said, there would have never been the greatness of America had she not been birthed in the labor of revival. Jonathan Edwards wrote these words in 1743 about the Great Awakening that shook England and America: “In the year 1740, in the spring, before Mr. Whitefield came to this town, there was a visible alteration. There was more seriousness and religious conversation, especially among young people; those things that were of ill tendency among them were more forborne. And it was a more frequent thing for persons to visit their minister upon soul accounts; and in some particular persons there appeared a great alteration about that time. And thus it continued till Mr. Whitefield came to town, which was about the middle of October following. He preached here four sermons in the meeting-house (besides a private lecture at my house)-one on Friday, another on Saturday, and two upon the Sabbath. The congregation was extraordinarily melted by every sermon; almost the whole assembly being in tears for a great part of sermon time. Mr. Whitefield's sermons were suitable to the circumstances of the town, containing just reproofs of our backslidings, and, in a most moving and affecting manner, making use of our great profession and great mercies as arguments with us to return to God, from whom we had departed.”

In 1795 Timothy Dwight, the grandson of Jonathan Edwards was elected to the presidency of Yale University. Yale had departed from the earlier awakening and needed revival. Christianity Today records, “Early in the spring of 1802 two students were overwhelmed with conviction of their sins. In a short period they came to faith in Christ and assurance of forgiveness. After making a public profession of their faith, they joined the college church. This made a large impact on the other students. In the ten days before vacation, fifty young men declared themselves to be eager to find salvation. Wherever the students gathered, in their rooms, at meals, and around New Haven, the great subject of conversation was eternal salvation. Many feared that when the students left for spring vacation, the revival might cease. Instead the reverse occurred. The students carried home with them news of Yale’s turnabout, and the impulse spread. When they returned after the summer, more offered their lives to God. Dwight witnessed the conversions of 80 out of the total enrollment of 160 students. A new awakening came in April 1808 which was almost as powerful as that of 1802, and succeeding revivals came to the students in 1813 and 1815. These awakenings marked only the beginning of a movement which swept Connecticut.” Ultimately the entire country was bathed in revivals of all sorts from camp meetings to protracted meetings, from the urban centers to the most remote parts of the American wilderness. The revival culture lasted until the outset of the American Civil War. The culmination of this revival was given a fresh wind in the 1859 Prayer Revival under the burden of Jeremy Lanphier. After the Civil War, evangelists such as Dwight L. Moody in the North and Sam P. Jones in the South were used of God to carry the torch once again. They later handed it off to evangelists such as Wilbur Chapman, Billy Sunday, Bob Jones, Sr. and Morecai Ham. And to think this one hundred year legacy was kindled by the youth at Yale!

The great Welsh Revival began in 1904 when Evan Roberts, at the age of 26, said to his college principal, "I keep hearing a voice that tells me I must go home to speak to our young people in my home church." The Lord used young Roberts as the igniting point that began a sweeping revival in which 100,000 people were converted in five months throughout Wales. Roberts said, "The revival seems to work especially among young people. Its form, which is that of prayer, praise and personal testimony, and its absence of method make it the most methodical expression of the emotions of young hearts aflame with the love of God."

The great Hebrides Revival that affected the outlying islands of Scotland was nothing less than phenomenal. It started in a barn prayer meeting. It was reported that during the prayer meeting there was a literal shaking of the ground as though an earthquake had come. The passage of Scripture being claimed was Isaiah 64:1: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence.” The “shaking” was so real and understood by all that God was visiting the island of Lewis, that immediately a youth dance was broken up and turned into a revival. Conversions began to take place spontaneously. The revival lasted from 1949 to 1952. It is estimated that the entire population of accountable souls on the isle of Lewis got saved!

In the 1940s in America a new movement among young people called "Youth For Christ” was born. They attracted tens of thousands of high schoolers for their rallies. God used Jack Wyrtzen in New York and Torrey Johnson, a Baptist pastor in Chicago to become the spearheads of the movement. Johnson became the first president of YFC and they brought in a young evangelist from North Carolina who was finishing up his schooling at Wheaton College named Billy Graham to become the first full-time evangelist for Youth For Christ. This spiritual team effort that began with youth was really the beginning of one of the greatest moves of God in the Twentieth Century. From this came the mass revival crusades and the rebirth of personal soul winning, which was the fuel on the fire of the renewal of the great Sunday School movement of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

In every generation, God has been faithful to bring revival to His people and spiritual awakening to churches and nations. In almost all cases, those movements of the Spirit were most evident among young people. We are praying a special prayer for our teens this week. Brother Luke Bishop, son of John Bishop and Director of Triple “S” Christian Ranch is our evangelist for our Youth Revival here at Christchurch Baptist Fellowship. Let’s pray that God will talk to our youth from sea to shining sea. Let’s pray for an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost, heart-felt, Jesus-loving, Devil-fighting, sin-ridding, righteousness-bringing revival. This, by the way, is the ONLY way to make America great again! And it is God alone who shall receive all glory and praise. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake” (Psalm 115:1).

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35 Years Ago Today! https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/35-years-ago-today https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/35-years-ago-today#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2016 19:00:00 -0500 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/35-years-ago-today ​To God be the glory, January 18, 1981 was my first Sunday as pastor of Christchurch Baptist Fellowship, the only church I have ever pastored. After spending almost 11 years as an evangelist and college professor, I asked the Lord to place my wife, children and me in a place where we could spend the better part of our lives. And He answered that prayer so beautifully. I pastor some the kindest and most Christ-like people in all of America. I honestly do not know of a greater people than the people of Christchurch. I am blessed beyond measure. I am thankful for our growth and especially the spiritual growth of which I have been an eyewitness.

​On our first date in college, Barbara played the piano while I led the music. Then I preached on a regular basis at Pacific Garden Rescue Mission in Chicago (where Billy Sunday and Mel Trotter were saved). She played the piano and I preached. Well, she's still playing the piano and I'm still preaching. I am so thankful for my sweet wife, Barbara who has been by my side, my partner in ministry for over 42 years. The perfect pastor's wife!
​I am thankful for Mrs. Victoria Lord our secretary for over three decades and my wife's 4th grade Sunday School teacher as well as my daughters’ Sunday School teacher. She is still going strong after all these years. She is the world's best church secretary.
​I love Caleb and Ruthy Sargent, the best Youth Pastor and Youth Pastor’s wife in America. He is a gifted communicator of God’s Word and she is gifted in administrating.
​I love Jerry Howell , our Minister of Music. He is sensitive to the Lord’s leading and it is reflected in his music. Every guy needs a friend like “Big Jer!”
​I love our Deacons. These are men who fulfill the biblical qualifications and are faithtful to their Lord and this pastor.
​I love Damon Jones and all our Sunday School teachers. Our Sunday School teachers are the epitome of truth on fire. They are theologians and exciting.
​I am thankful for those precious people who are not as visible, such as our prayer warriors. We have a group of people who spend no less than one hour in prayer every day. And if you are looking for one reason God has blessed our church...there it is.
I love Christchurch. Dr. Bobby Roberson told our mutual friend, Darrell Cox and later told me that he was given some advice by a great old preacher when he was young: "Every man of God should marry one wife and marry one church." I am so happy. I found my one wife and the one church. Sola Deo Gloria!

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​To God be the glory, January 18, 1981 was my first Sunday as pastor of Christchurch Baptist Fellowship, the only church I have ever pastored. After spending almost 11 years as an evangelist and college professor, I asked the Lord to place my wife, children and me in a place where we could spend the better part of our lives. And He answered that prayer so beautifully. I pastor some the kindest and most Christ-like people in all of America. I honestly do not know of a greater people than the people of Christchurch. I am blessed beyond measure. I am thankful for our growth and especially the spiritual growth of which I have been an eyewitness.

​On our first date in college, Barbara played the piano while I led the music. Then I preached on a regular basis at Pacific Garden Rescue Mission in Chicago (where Billy Sunday and Mel Trotter were saved). She played the piano and I preached. Well, she's still playing the piano and I'm still preaching. I am so thankful for my sweet wife, Barbara who has been by my side, my partner in ministry for over 42 years. The perfect pastor's wife!
​I am thankful for Mrs. Victoria Lord our secretary for over three decades and my wife's 4th grade Sunday School teacher as well as my daughters’ Sunday School teacher. She is still going strong after all these years. She is the world's best church secretary.
​I love Caleb and Ruthy Sargent, the best Youth Pastor and Youth Pastor’s wife in America. He is a gifted communicator of God’s Word and she is gifted in administrating.
​I love Jerry Howell , our Minister of Music. He is sensitive to the Lord’s leading and it is reflected in his music. Every guy needs a friend like “Big Jer!”
​I love our Deacons. These are men who fulfill the biblical qualifications and are faithtful to their Lord and this pastor.
​I love Damon Jones and all our Sunday School teachers. Our Sunday School teachers are the epitome of truth on fire. They are theologians and exciting.
​I am thankful for those precious people who are not as visible, such as our prayer warriors. We have a group of people who spend no less than one hour in prayer every day. And if you are looking for one reason God has blessed our church...there it is.
I love Christchurch. Dr. Bobby Roberson told our mutual friend, Darrell Cox and later told me that he was given some advice by a great old preacher when he was young: "Every man of God should marry one wife and marry one church." I am so happy. I found my one wife and the one church. Sola Deo Gloria!

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Is Drinking Alcoholic Beverages Right or Wrong? https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/is-drinking-alcoholic-beverages-right-or-wrong_2 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/is-drinking-alcoholic-beverages-right-or-wrong_2#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2016 11:00:00 -0500 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/is-drinking-alcoholic-beverages-right-or-wrong_2 We believe what we want to believe. We are now in the throes of postmodernism, humanism to the max, and a spiritual coup d’etat that re-arranges the worldview concerning the subject of drinking. As believers are now morphing past the point of diversity on the subject to condoning and, in some cases, pushing other believers to imbibe, I cannot remain silent. Therefore, allow me to share some insights that may help you make one of the most important decisions in your life, i.e., to drink or not drink.

1. In defining wine, dual definitions have existed until recently.

Should you consult most modern English dictionaries, the definition of wine immediately goes to that which is fermented, in other words, of the alcoholic nature. Have you ever studied our history of the English definitions? For example, in 1955 Funk and Wagnall’s New Standard Dictionary of the English Language defines wine as follows: “1. The fermented juice of the grape: in loose language the juice of the grape whether fermented or not.” Forty-six years ago loose language allowed that it may or may not be fermented. In the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “must” as “new wine- wine pressed from the grape but not fermented.” Benjamin Marin’s Lingua Britannica Reformata or A New English Dictionary, published in 1748, defines “wine” as follows: “1. The juice of the grape. 2. A liquor extracted from other fruits besides the grape.” In this old English definition, fermentation is not even mentioned.

The Old Testament word “yayin” and the New Testament word “oinos” as well as the Latin word “vinum” clearly and historically bear two usages: the fermented and non-fermented use of that which is classically translated “wine.” Referring to the Greek “oinos,” Aristotle, in his book Meteorologica, refers to grape juice as one of the kinds of wine. He speaks of it as a sweet beverage (glukus) which “though called wine (oinos), it has not the effect of wine, for it does not taste like wine, for it does not intoxicate like ordinary wine.”

2. Safeguards were in practice to prevent drunkenness.

It is known, from ancient sources, that there were ways of preserving juice, thus preventing fermentation. The ancient Roman statesman, Cato, said: “If you wish to have “must” [grape-juice] all year, put grape-juice in an amphora and seal the cork with pitch; sink it in a fishpond. After 30 days take it out. It will be grape-juice for a whole year” (De Agri Cultura CXX).

Nowadays, the ability to keep things preserved has been perfected, but God taught the early Christians another way to avoid being accidentally inebriated. The godly, aged women were warned: "...that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things" (Titus 2:3). Lest they indulge in a beverage that was not perfectly preserved, they were commanded to not give themselves to much wine. In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody, 1980, Vol. I, p. 376, it says in reference to wine of Bible days: “not fortified with extra alcohol. Concentrated alcohol was only known in the Middle Ages when the Arabs invented distillation (‘alcohol’ is an Arabic word) so what is now called liquor or strong drink (i.e., whiskey, gin, etc.) and the twenty per cent fortified wines were unknown in Bible times. The strength of natural wines is limited by two factors. The percentage of alcohol will be half of the percentage of the sugar in the juice. And if the alcoholic content is much above 10 or 11 percent, the yeast cells are killed and fermentation ceases. Probably ancient wines were 7-10 per cent…to avoid the sin of drunkenness, mingling of wine with water was practiced. This dilution was specified by the rabbis in New Testament times for the wine customary at Passover.”

3. There are passages that illustrate that God falls on the side of total abstinence.

Proverbs 20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." In Proverbs 23:29-31 God declares that those who drink will have sorrows, contentions, wounds, redness of eyes, temptations for adultery and fornication, and a disorientation that causes distortion of judgment (this has surfaced horrendously in modern car wrecks, due to drunk driving). To make it even more plain and simple, God’s Word says in Proverbs 23:31, "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright." When the wine or juice of the grape begins to ferment, God says, don’t even look at it, to avoid even the very temptation.

One of the strongest arguments comes in the first miracle that Jesus performed, i.e., turning the water into wine. Many who fall on the other side of this argument will often use it to defend drinking alcohol. Herein is a mistake in not knowing your Bible manners and customs. The customs of many of the ancient feasts was to pull out the best, good, or sweet, which are fresh, wines at the beginning of a feast. This was to insure that the women and especially children would not be partaking of the “hard stuff.” As the feast continued and the children and ladies retired, the alcoholic drinks would surface. But when at the wedding feast, Jesus turned the water into wine, we hear this comment from the ruler of the feast: "...Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10). The ruler was amazed that the beverage that Jesus brought forth was the same as that which is used at the beginning, non-alcoholic juice.

Without going into too much detail, think of this: would our Lord use that which is rotten, which basically is exactly what alcohol is, to symbolize His spotless blood? If the bread was unleavened for the Lord’s Supper, so also would be the beverage. "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (I Peter 1:18, 19).

4. There is a practicality to total abstinence, in protecting your testimony.

In forty-five years of trying to be a soul-winner, I have yet to meet my first unconverted person who has been offended by my stance on not drinking. On the other hand, there are those who are not Christians (as well as a great many Christians) who are offended by people who call themselves Christians and drink. To win his brethren, Paul was even willing to do without certain foods: "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend" (I Corinthians 8:13). Paul never took the attitude, I don’t care what others think, I’ll do as I please. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (I Corinthians 10:31, 32). By the way, a good question to ask ourselves before we partake in any activity should be, “May I do this for the glory of God?”

5. There is the doctrine of progressive illumination that should be considered.

As we learn the Bible, we do so progressively, "But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little..." (Isaiah 28:13). Over the years of Bible learning we not only have one, but multiple lifetimes of Bible teachers. As we look at prophecy, Lewis Sperry Chafer and C.I. Schofield in light of current events with the line upon line of Bible learning knew more of eschatology than Luther, Calvin or Zwingli. To use the argument that some church fathers allowed the use of alcohol is to ignore progressive illumination. Many of the reformers were just coming out of the Catholic Church; they were just getting a grip on justification, and many things were yet to be learned. By inspiration Daniel said, at "...the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). In every field knowledge has increased. Because many of my Victorian preachers whom I admire used tobacco, I shall not ignore the warnings of what we know today about tobacco because my old heroes had feet of clay. And I shall not limit smoking to only half a pack. No, it is all wrong. I shall not put down those in the church of ancient days that did not foresee problems. And I shall not in turn be a social drinker; I shall be a total abstainer! Be as Spurgeon who, upon discovery that drinking was bringing England down, he not only stopped drinking wine, he donned the blue ribbon of the Temperance League and fought against alcohol by drink (from Lewis Drummond’s Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, pp. 438-440). He was progressively illuminated.

In closing I plead with my brothers and sisters in Christ: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing..." (II Corinthians 6:17)!

 

Below is some correspondence that I had with some young adults that had some honest questions:

The first question was concerning Deuteronomy 14:26: “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household….”

In reference to Deuteronomy 14:26, please note what Robert Young and Lyman Abbott say about the word “shekar” translated in the KJV, “strong drink”: Robert Young, author of Analytical Concordance of the Bible states that shekar denotes a beverage that is either fermented or unfermented. Under “strong drink” he defines it as “sweet drink” (that which satiates (to fully satisfy) OR intoxicates). It can be either depending on what the drink is.“It is tolerably clear that the general words ‘wine [yayin; oinos]’ and ‘strong drink [shekar]’ do not necessarily imply fermented liquors, the former signifying only a production of the vine, the latter the produce of other fruits than the grape.” -Dr. Lyman Abbott, A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge.

We get our English words sugar, saccharine, cider from the Hebrew word shekar. These words allude to a root meaning of sweet, rather than alcoholic. Also, cider can mean alcoholic, or nonalcoholic apple juice, just like the original word “shekar.”

Several standard English dictionaries and Bible encyclopedias derive our English words “sugar” and “cider” from “shekar.” This connection further establishes that shekar originally denoted a sweet beverage and not necessarily a strong one. This is plainly seen when one looks at the verse in the John Wycliffe 1395 English rendering: “and thou schalt bie of the same money what euer thing plesith to thee, ethir of droues, ether of scheep; also thou schalt bie wyn, and sidur, and al thing that thi soule desirith; and thou schalt ete bifor thi Lord God, and thou schalt make feeste,”.

God would not encourage us to drink alcoholic beverages when He has spoken so strongly against it. The word “strong drink,” according to scholarship is not always alcoholic. I will admit to you that the majority of times in the context we can and should interpret “shekar” as strong drink meaning, that which inebriates. However, it is always condemned in those cases. God never magnifies the effect of inebriation nor the substance that causes it. In Ephesians 5:18, God says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” In other words, don’t be under the control of substances, be under God’s control. Even in modern days, apple cider is not always hard; sometimes it is sweet and non-alcoholic. The strong drink is defined as that which is made from other fruits and substances other than grapes. It is interesting to note that even people in the broad evangelical world recognize the contextual wording of Deuteronomy 14:26 as a drink which is that of another kind, for it is translated by the translators of the New King James Version, “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.” Notice it says, “…wine or similar drink….” (By the way, I am a KJV man, but I want to make a point that even my less conservative brethren can see that Deuteronomy 14:26 is not a license to drink hard liquors.)

There are so many verses condemning drinking alcohol that I will admit I am presuppositional in my argument. In the same way, I see the eternal security of the believer. Therefore, when isolated Scripture verses seem to say something otherwise, I am forced to examine the context with some presuppositional bias. We are all like this. Basically, we believe what we want to believe. Yes, I am looking for the entire Bible to harmonize, because the Word of God never contradicts itself. I was asked by one person trying to approve of drinking alcohol, “What are you going to do with Deuteronomy 14:26?” I wrote him back, “So in answer to your question, I shall tell you what I will do with that verse: I will believe it, because God is not telling you or me or anyone to go get some whiskey, gin, vodka, etc.; he is telling us to be celebrating with what our heart choses within the perimeters of His will, always that which honors our Lord. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). God doesn’t just say don’t drink substances when they ferment; He says don’t even look at it (Proverbs 23:31). Did He mean it or not? If He was not talking about alcohol, what was He talking about? When Nehemiah was encouraging the people of God to celebrate in Nehemiah 8:10, he said, “…Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So, I shall still be with the old time fundamentalist group that sticks with ice cream (“eat the fat”) and soda pop and sweet tea (“drink the sweet”) as a teetotaler.

Now, another, but similar argument I present to you: “the weaker brother reason.” The reason it is so important to see this as sin, is that this reason will not give you an exception. If it is merely a preference, as a rule it will always be treated as a preference. For instance, you go to a wedding, they are making toast. As a rule you don’t drink, but on this occasion you will. And you do. Then, if you are in a place of leadership, others see you. Then an obsessive, compulsive personality that looks up to you is given liberty to do what you do. They are fascinated by the buzz. And they don’t stop. “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (I Corinthians 8:9-13). Although this is talking about meats that were offered to idols, it is very comparable to drinking alcohol.

Leviticus 10:9: “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generation.” Aaron and the priests were specifically told NOT to drink wine or strong drink when they went into the tabernacle… under the penalty of death!

Proverbs 31:4-7. The Queen Mother (Bathsheba) was teaching her son Lemuel (Solomon) that it is not for kings to drink wine, nor princes strong drink. The result was they would forget the law, and pervert the judgment of the afflicted. In sarcasm, she says give the strong drink to those about to die and wine to those of heavy hearts. The point she was making was that this is the way the world thinks; the world tries to escape her troubles. You, however, are a king; do not run from trouble but embrace it, overcome it and stand strong. She says, "Let him drink, and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more.” Ask yourself, will drinking put one more dime in a poor man's coffer? No indeed! If anything, it makes him poorer. If a broken hearted man gets drunk he may forget for awhile, but he wakes up more broken hearted and miserable than ever. Again, she says drinkers forget the law and pervert judgment; she wasn't pushing for a king to ever do this. Christ has made us royalty: "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:6). By the way, it is touching to read the accounts of the deaths of Generals Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart. Both were devout Christian men who refused alcohol even in the face of death. Stuart had promised his godly mother that he would not drink and he did not, even through the excruciating pain from his wounds. Just before he died he was told that Fitz Lee was standing in opposition of the enemy's forces. Stuart "turned his eyes upward, and exclaimed earnestly, ‘God grant that they may be successful.’ Then turning aside, he said with a sigh, - ‘But I must be prepared for another world.’ He sang Rock of Ages with the pastor and passed into the glory” (Pages 416, 417, I Rode With J.E.B. Stuart) He was indeed prepared for another world. He died so gallantly because he had lived so royally--he died like the child of a king who marched through the barrels of victory. "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink" (Proverbs 31:4).

I was asked if alcohol was good for anything. I answered, “Yes! Alcohol is a great antiseptic for cuts. “

Romans 14:21: "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." If you drink alcoholic beverages, people will stumble, be offended or made weak - that is fact. I'll give you another fact: in 45 years of attempting to be a witness for our Lord, no one, not one person who is lost (without Christ) has been offended by my total abstinence. As a matter of fact, many lost people expect it and would be disappointed to discover a born again believer imbibes. The grief I receive is from my brethren, which breaks my heart. My stand is not new. Think of it, it was so accepted that for ten years prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide was law in the United States. Our country is not made the better for its legalization. Homes are not made better, driving safety is not made better and mental health is not made better. May God help us to take the high road and quit taking the low road. May the Lord help us to see what is best for all of us. We live in a selfish world that demands what is best only for ourselves. Sadly, it has gone over to the church with an attitude that “no one will tell me what I can or cannot do.” The demand of our Lord in basic discipleship is to take up our cross. The cry of many of the brethren is that "The cross is uncomfortable; it's got splinters and nails. Don't even try to take any fun away from me. If I enjoy my lifestyle, leave me and my liberty alone. If anyone is offended, that's their problem, not mine." And so here we are--far, far from revival. It's time to re-examine II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

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We believe what we want to believe. We are now in the throes of postmodernism, humanism to the max, and a spiritual coup d’etat that re-arranges the worldview concerning the subject of drinking. As believers are now morphing past the point of diversity on the subject to condoning and, in some cases, pushing other believers to imbibe, I cannot remain silent. Therefore, allow me to share some insights that may help you make one of the most important decisions in your life, i.e., to drink or not drink.

1. In defining wine, dual definitions have existed until recently.

Should you consult most modern English dictionaries, the definition of wine immediately goes to that which is fermented, in other words, of the alcoholic nature. Have you ever studied our history of the English definitions? For example, in 1955 Funk and Wagnall’s New Standard Dictionary of the English Language defines wine as follows: “1. The fermented juice of the grape: in loose language the juice of the grape whether fermented or not.” Forty-six years ago loose language allowed that it may or may not be fermented. In the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “must” as “new wine- wine pressed from the grape but not fermented.” Benjamin Marin’s Lingua Britannica Reformata or A New English Dictionary, published in 1748, defines “wine” as follows: “1. The juice of the grape. 2. A liquor extracted from other fruits besides the grape.” In this old English definition, fermentation is not even mentioned.

The Old Testament word “yayin” and the New Testament word “oinos” as well as the Latin word “vinum” clearly and historically bear two usages: the fermented and non-fermented use of that which is classically translated “wine.” Referring to the Greek “oinos,” Aristotle, in his book Meteorologica, refers to grape juice as one of the kinds of wine. He speaks of it as a sweet beverage (glukus) which “though called wine (oinos), it has not the effect of wine, for it does not taste like wine, for it does not intoxicate like ordinary wine.”

2. Safeguards were in practice to prevent drunkenness.

It is known, from ancient sources, that there were ways of preserving juice, thus preventing fermentation. The ancient Roman statesman, Cato, said: “If you wish to have “must” [grape-juice] all year, put grape-juice in an amphora and seal the cork with pitch; sink it in a fishpond. After 30 days take it out. It will be grape-juice for a whole year” (De Agri Cultura CXX).

Nowadays, the ability to keep things preserved has been perfected, but God taught the early Christians another way to avoid being accidentally inebriated. The godly, aged women were warned: "...that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things" (Titus 2:3). Lest they indulge in a beverage that was not perfectly preserved, they were commanded to not give themselves to much wine. In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody, 1980, Vol. I, p. 376, it says in reference to wine of Bible days: “not fortified with extra alcohol. Concentrated alcohol was only known in the Middle Ages when the Arabs invented distillation (‘alcohol’ is an Arabic word) so what is now called liquor or strong drink (i.e., whiskey, gin, etc.) and the twenty per cent fortified wines were unknown in Bible times. The strength of natural wines is limited by two factors. The percentage of alcohol will be half of the percentage of the sugar in the juice. And if the alcoholic content is much above 10 or 11 percent, the yeast cells are killed and fermentation ceases. Probably ancient wines were 7-10 per cent…to avoid the sin of drunkenness, mingling of wine with water was practiced. This dilution was specified by the rabbis in New Testament times for the wine customary at Passover.”

3. There are passages that illustrate that God falls on the side of total abstinence.

Proverbs 20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." In Proverbs 23:29-31 God declares that those who drink will have sorrows, contentions, wounds, redness of eyes, temptations for adultery and fornication, and a disorientation that causes distortion of judgment (this has surfaced horrendously in modern car wrecks, due to drunk driving). To make it even more plain and simple, God’s Word says in Proverbs 23:31, "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright." When the wine or juice of the grape begins to ferment, God says, don’t even look at it, to avoid even the very temptation.

One of the strongest arguments comes in the first miracle that Jesus performed, i.e., turning the water into wine. Many who fall on the other side of this argument will often use it to defend drinking alcohol. Herein is a mistake in not knowing your Bible manners and customs. The customs of many of the ancient feasts was to pull out the best, good, or sweet, which are fresh, wines at the beginning of a feast. This was to insure that the women and especially children would not be partaking of the “hard stuff.” As the feast continued and the children and ladies retired, the alcoholic drinks would surface. But when at the wedding feast, Jesus turned the water into wine, we hear this comment from the ruler of the feast: "...Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10). The ruler was amazed that the beverage that Jesus brought forth was the same as that which is used at the beginning, non-alcoholic juice.

Without going into too much detail, think of this: would our Lord use that which is rotten, which basically is exactly what alcohol is, to symbolize His spotless blood? If the bread was unleavened for the Lord’s Supper, so also would be the beverage. "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (I Peter 1:18, 19).

4. There is a practicality to total abstinence, in protecting your testimony.

In forty-five years of trying to be a soul-winner, I have yet to meet my first unconverted person who has been offended by my stance on not drinking. On the other hand, there are those who are not Christians (as well as a great many Christians) who are offended by people who call themselves Christians and drink. To win his brethren, Paul was even willing to do without certain foods: "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend" (I Corinthians 8:13). Paul never took the attitude, I don’t care what others think, I’ll do as I please. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (I Corinthians 10:31, 32). By the way, a good question to ask ourselves before we partake in any activity should be, “May I do this for the glory of God?”

5. There is the doctrine of progressive illumination that should be considered.

As we learn the Bible, we do so progressively, "But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little..." (Isaiah 28:13). Over the years of Bible learning we not only have one, but multiple lifetimes of Bible teachers. As we look at prophecy, Lewis Sperry Chafer and C.I. Schofield in light of current events with the line upon line of Bible learning knew more of eschatology than Luther, Calvin or Zwingli. To use the argument that some church fathers allowed the use of alcohol is to ignore progressive illumination. Many of the reformers were just coming out of the Catholic Church; they were just getting a grip on justification, and many things were yet to be learned. By inspiration Daniel said, at "...the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). In every field knowledge has increased. Because many of my Victorian preachers whom I admire used tobacco, I shall not ignore the warnings of what we know today about tobacco because my old heroes had feet of clay. And I shall not limit smoking to only half a pack. No, it is all wrong. I shall not put down those in the church of ancient days that did not foresee problems. And I shall not in turn be a social drinker; I shall be a total abstainer! Be as Spurgeon who, upon discovery that drinking was bringing England down, he not only stopped drinking wine, he donned the blue ribbon of the Temperance League and fought against alcohol by drink (from Lewis Drummond’s Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, pp. 438-440). He was progressively illuminated.

In closing I plead with my brothers and sisters in Christ: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing..." (II Corinthians 6:17)!

 

Below is some correspondence that I had with some young adults that had some honest questions:

The first question was concerning Deuteronomy 14:26: “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household….”

In reference to Deuteronomy 14:26, please note what Robert Young and Lyman Abbott say about the word “shekar” translated in the KJV, “strong drink”: Robert Young, author of Analytical Concordance of the Bible states that shekar denotes a beverage that is either fermented or unfermented. Under “strong drink” he defines it as “sweet drink” (that which satiates (to fully satisfy) OR intoxicates). It can be either depending on what the drink is.“It is tolerably clear that the general words ‘wine [yayin; oinos]’ and ‘strong drink [shekar]’ do not necessarily imply fermented liquors, the former signifying only a production of the vine, the latter the produce of other fruits than the grape.” -Dr. Lyman Abbott, A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge.

We get our English words sugar, saccharine, cider from the Hebrew word shekar. These words allude to a root meaning of sweet, rather than alcoholic. Also, cider can mean alcoholic, or nonalcoholic apple juice, just like the original word “shekar.”

Several standard English dictionaries and Bible encyclopedias derive our English words “sugar” and “cider” from “shekar.” This connection further establishes that shekar originally denoted a sweet beverage and not necessarily a strong one. This is plainly seen when one looks at the verse in the John Wycliffe 1395 English rendering: “and thou schalt bie of the same money what euer thing plesith to thee, ethir of droues, ether of scheep; also thou schalt bie wyn, and sidur, and al thing that thi soule desirith; and thou schalt ete bifor thi Lord God, and thou schalt make feeste,”.

God would not encourage us to drink alcoholic beverages when He has spoken so strongly against it. The word “strong drink,” according to scholarship is not always alcoholic. I will admit to you that the majority of times in the context we can and should interpret “shekar” as strong drink meaning, that which inebriates. However, it is always condemned in those cases. God never magnifies the effect of inebriation nor the substance that causes it. In Ephesians 5:18, God says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” In other words, don’t be under the control of substances, be under God’s control. Even in modern days, apple cider is not always hard; sometimes it is sweet and non-alcoholic. The strong drink is defined as that which is made from other fruits and substances other than grapes. It is interesting to note that even people in the broad evangelical world recognize the contextual wording of Deuteronomy 14:26 as a drink which is that of another kind, for it is translated by the translators of the New King James Version, “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.” Notice it says, “…wine or similar drink….” (By the way, I am a KJV man, but I want to make a point that even my less conservative brethren can see that Deuteronomy 14:26 is not a license to drink hard liquors.)

There are so many verses condemning drinking alcohol that I will admit I am presuppositional in my argument. In the same way, I see the eternal security of the believer. Therefore, when isolated Scripture verses seem to say something otherwise, I am forced to examine the context with some presuppositional bias. We are all like this. Basically, we believe what we want to believe. Yes, I am looking for the entire Bible to harmonize, because the Word of God never contradicts itself. I was asked by one person trying to approve of drinking alcohol, “What are you going to do with Deuteronomy 14:26?” I wrote him back, “So in answer to your question, I shall tell you what I will do with that verse: I will believe it, because God is not telling you or me or anyone to go get some whiskey, gin, vodka, etc.; he is telling us to be celebrating with what our heart choses within the perimeters of His will, always that which honors our Lord. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). God doesn’t just say don’t drink substances when they ferment; He says don’t even look at it (Proverbs 23:31). Did He mean it or not? If He was not talking about alcohol, what was He talking about? When Nehemiah was encouraging the people of God to celebrate in Nehemiah 8:10, he said, “…Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So, I shall still be with the old time fundamentalist group that sticks with ice cream (“eat the fat”) and soda pop and sweet tea (“drink the sweet”) as a teetotaler.

Now, another, but similar argument I present to you: “the weaker brother reason.” The reason it is so important to see this as sin, is that this reason will not give you an exception. If it is merely a preference, as a rule it will always be treated as a preference. For instance, you go to a wedding, they are making toast. As a rule you don’t drink, but on this occasion you will. And you do. Then, if you are in a place of leadership, others see you. Then an obsessive, compulsive personality that looks up to you is given liberty to do what you do. They are fascinated by the buzz. And they don’t stop. “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (I Corinthians 8:9-13). Although this is talking about meats that were offered to idols, it is very comparable to drinking alcohol.

Leviticus 10:9: “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generation.” Aaron and the priests were specifically told NOT to drink wine or strong drink when they went into the tabernacle… under the penalty of death!

Proverbs 31:4-7. The Queen Mother (Bathsheba) was teaching her son Lemuel (Solomon) that it is not for kings to drink wine, nor princes strong drink. The result was they would forget the law, and pervert the judgment of the afflicted. In sarcasm, she says give the strong drink to those about to die and wine to those of heavy hearts. The point she was making was that this is the way the world thinks; the world tries to escape her troubles. You, however, are a king; do not run from trouble but embrace it, overcome it and stand strong. She says, "Let him drink, and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more.” Ask yourself, will drinking put one more dime in a poor man's coffer? No indeed! If anything, it makes him poorer. If a broken hearted man gets drunk he may forget for awhile, but he wakes up more broken hearted and miserable than ever. Again, she says drinkers forget the law and pervert judgment; she wasn't pushing for a king to ever do this. Christ has made us royalty: "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:6). By the way, it is touching to read the accounts of the deaths of Generals Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart. Both were devout Christian men who refused alcohol even in the face of death. Stuart had promised his godly mother that he would not drink and he did not, even through the excruciating pain from his wounds. Just before he died he was told that Fitz Lee was standing in opposition of the enemy's forces. Stuart "turned his eyes upward, and exclaimed earnestly, ‘God grant that they may be successful.’ Then turning aside, he said with a sigh, - ‘But I must be prepared for another world.’ He sang Rock of Ages with the pastor and passed into the glory” (Pages 416, 417, I Rode With J.E.B. Stuart) He was indeed prepared for another world. He died so gallantly because he had lived so royally--he died like the child of a king who marched through the barrels of victory. "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink" (Proverbs 31:4).

I was asked if alcohol was good for anything. I answered, “Yes! Alcohol is a great antiseptic for cuts. “

Romans 14:21: "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." If you drink alcoholic beverages, people will stumble, be offended or made weak - that is fact. I'll give you another fact: in 45 years of attempting to be a witness for our Lord, no one, not one person who is lost (without Christ) has been offended by my total abstinence. As a matter of fact, many lost people expect it and would be disappointed to discover a born again believer imbibes. The grief I receive is from my brethren, which breaks my heart. My stand is not new. Think of it, it was so accepted that for ten years prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide was law in the United States. Our country is not made the better for its legalization. Homes are not made better, driving safety is not made better and mental health is not made better. May God help us to take the high road and quit taking the low road. May the Lord help us to see what is best for all of us. We live in a selfish world that demands what is best only for ourselves. Sadly, it has gone over to the church with an attitude that “no one will tell me what I can or cannot do.” The demand of our Lord in basic discipleship is to take up our cross. The cry of many of the brethren is that "The cross is uncomfortable; it's got splinters and nails. Don't even try to take any fun away from me. If I enjoy my lifestyle, leave me and my liberty alone. If anyone is offended, that's their problem, not mine." And so here we are--far, far from revival. It's time to re-examine II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

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Beginning Again! https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/beginning-again https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/beginning-again#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2015 13:00:00 -0500 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/beginning-again Twenty-sixteen promises to be a most exciting year! It is a year for our presidential election. Some are depending on the presidential election to save us from our national condition. Not discounting the importance of this election, allow me to remind you of the 20th Psalm, verse 7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Our trust must ultimately be in the Lord not in our might or our own power. Many prognosticators see nothing but doom and gloom, I look at our situation with more positive possibilities. The first of the year is a great time to reflect on the past year and anticipate the possibilities of the New Year. The ending of the year has often been symbolized by the old year walking out in slow hunched movements portrayed as Father Time with a sickle and an hourglass with expired sand. The New Year is portrayed as a youthful cherub excitedly ushering in the new on the heels of Father Time.

New Year’s is a good time for some resolutions, commitments and recommitments. Although some are critical of resolutions, I am not. I say, let us seize the opportunity to renew and restore our hearts and minds. I would like us to look at the opening words of the Bible and examine the most famous beginning and see what practical admonition we may receive.

1.Everything should begin with God.

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” How futile and vain to try to begin a new life or live a life without the Creator of life Himself! “In the beginning God....” This really says it all, doesn’t it? Do you remember the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

In our broken society, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” are working feverishly trying to put Humpty together and it’s just not happening. Recently I heard an economics expert say that some of the attempts of politicians who say they are saving the country trillions of dollars are really giving us “smoke and mirrors.” Here’s how it is supposedly occurring: “Imagine Congress votes to spend one trillion dollars to cover the moon in cream cheese. Then three months later Congress convenes and votes to cancel the one trillion dollars expenditure to cover the moon with cream cheese. Then Congress announces to John Q. Public, we have saved you one trillion dollars.” Congress did nothing of the sort, what they have done is voted not to spend the one trillion dollars that not only we never spent, but never had. They are doing something akin to rearranging the furniture on the deck of the Titanic. Our leadership reminds me of the rumor of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. As the late Dr. Vance Havner said, “Living in America anymore is like living in an insane asylum run by the inmates.”

I am appalled at the overt rejection of God in the public arena. On the most conservative network in America an open forum discussion was taking place concerning the Bible being brought to a public school by a teacher and the litigation following this action. One of the so-called conservative guests said, “The only place a Bible has any business showing up in a public school in America is when it accidentally falls out of Johnny’s back-pack,” inferring, even then it should be quickly shoved back into hiding. With worldwide Islamic fascist terrorism, downturn of our economy and immoral activity on the rise, is this any time to be demanding that prayer and Bible reading be kept from the public arena?

How does a country receive traction in a falling world? How does a marriage come back together after being torn apart? How does a prodigal find help after losing it all and ending up in a pigpen? The answer is found in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

2. When God is involved, nothing can become something.

Genesis 1:2 says, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The evolutionists say that everything came from nothing. Nothing cannot produce anything other than what it is, i.e. “nothing.” It has been said, “Nothing is what rocks think about all day long.” I know I am being absurd, but with good reason, for we believe that God can move upon nothing and make a universe and furthermore, that’s exactly what He did.

As we enter this new year, there are some reading these words that may be lamenting that you virtually have nothing. Let this thought encourage you: when the earth was without form and void, that’s when the Holy Spirit “moved” upon the face of the waters. The word “moved” is the same word for “brooding” which is likening the behavior of the Holy Spirit to a mother chicken who broods over her little chicks.” God moved with compassion over the yet unformed earth, contemplating what it shall become. If you have lost everything, imagine this: God is brooding over you with thoughts and plans beyond your comprehension as He says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Yogi ate Yogi Bera used to humorously say, “It’s not over ‘til it’s over.” I’ve got some news for you: when the Devil and all this world says, it’s over and all evidence confirms that it is so, God is hovering just above us with thoughts and plans that will not be thwarted by man’s puny disabilities. In other words, it is not over even when it’s over. A few years ago shortly before Dr. Jerry McDonald, founder of Calvary Boys’ Ranch died, my wife and I stopped by his Eufaula, Oklahoma home for a visit. He was dying from a combination of Lou Gheirig’s Disease and cancer. His tongue was paralyzed and he could no longer talk. He took a white writing tablet and wrote in a shaky handwriting, “Pray that it will be soon.” He was referring to his home-going to Heaven. Ah, even in the Christian’s darkest hour, God takes His hurting child home and give him a new body and one day a new Heaven and new Earth. For us, the end is just the beginning.

3. When God speaks the light comes on.

Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” We often hear the phrase, “This shed light on the subject.” God spoke and there was light. I pray the flock here at Christchurch will be illuminated this year in God’s will, in God’s way by God’s Word. Even as God spoke and there was light, keep listening -- He will speak light to your world!

In Exodus 10:22 and 23, “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” God will keep the light on for His obedient people, although Egypt (the world) be eclipsed in smothering darkness. God is speaking; let us be listening as speaks light to us!

4. The beginning is a good time to begin.

Genesis 1:4 says, “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” God is willing in this new year to separate us from the darkness that we may have been in and place us in that “good light.” He loves us and is willing to give us mercy, “...because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). At this hour, we dare not ask for justice.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet confronts Gertrude and implores her to repent. She replies, “O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.” Hamlet responds by saying, “O, throw away the worser part of it, and live the purer with the other half...Assume a virtue, if you have it not.” A reminder that darkness and light need to be divided. Even if you feel like a loser because you have allowed that awful darkness that so pervades the world to come over you, you may as Hamlet suggested, throw away the darkness and run to the light, cultivate the light and, as a believer, we say, let Jesus, Lord of the Light flood you with His merciful light. He can undo the damage from the darkness. “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:7 and 8). Let this be a time of beginning again. The Lord’s mercy and grace have not run short. On one hand, for those who have fallen, get up again! And on another hand, for those who are coasting on the blessing of obedience, you dare not trust past victories to carry you through another year. There is a danger of allowing the good place you are in to become a place of depending on momentum rather than God’s impetus. It’s a new day, a new year – a new life!

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Twenty-sixteen promises to be a most exciting year! It is a year for our presidential election. Some are depending on the presidential election to save us from our national condition. Not discounting the importance of this election, allow me to remind you of the 20th Psalm, verse 7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Our trust must ultimately be in the Lord not in our might or our own power. Many prognosticators see nothing but doom and gloom, I look at our situation with more positive possibilities. The first of the year is a great time to reflect on the past year and anticipate the possibilities of the New Year. The ending of the year has often been symbolized by the old year walking out in slow hunched movements portrayed as Father Time with a sickle and an hourglass with expired sand. The New Year is portrayed as a youthful cherub excitedly ushering in the new on the heels of Father Time.

New Year’s is a good time for some resolutions, commitments and recommitments. Although some are critical of resolutions, I am not. I say, let us seize the opportunity to renew and restore our hearts and minds. I would like us to look at the opening words of the Bible and examine the most famous beginning and see what practical admonition we may receive.

1.Everything should begin with God.

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” How futile and vain to try to begin a new life or live a life without the Creator of life Himself! “In the beginning God....” This really says it all, doesn’t it? Do you remember the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

In our broken society, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” are working feverishly trying to put Humpty together and it’s just not happening. Recently I heard an economics expert say that some of the attempts of politicians who say they are saving the country trillions of dollars are really giving us “smoke and mirrors.” Here’s how it is supposedly occurring: “Imagine Congress votes to spend one trillion dollars to cover the moon in cream cheese. Then three months later Congress convenes and votes to cancel the one trillion dollars expenditure to cover the moon with cream cheese. Then Congress announces to John Q. Public, we have saved you one trillion dollars.” Congress did nothing of the sort, what they have done is voted not to spend the one trillion dollars that not only we never spent, but never had. They are doing something akin to rearranging the furniture on the deck of the Titanic. Our leadership reminds me of the rumor of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. As the late Dr. Vance Havner said, “Living in America anymore is like living in an insane asylum run by the inmates.”

I am appalled at the overt rejection of God in the public arena. On the most conservative network in America an open forum discussion was taking place concerning the Bible being brought to a public school by a teacher and the litigation following this action. One of the so-called conservative guests said, “The only place a Bible has any business showing up in a public school in America is when it accidentally falls out of Johnny’s back-pack,” inferring, even then it should be quickly shoved back into hiding. With worldwide Islamic fascist terrorism, downturn of our economy and immoral activity on the rise, is this any time to be demanding that prayer and Bible reading be kept from the public arena?

How does a country receive traction in a falling world? How does a marriage come back together after being torn apart? How does a prodigal find help after losing it all and ending up in a pigpen? The answer is found in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

2. When God is involved, nothing can become something.

Genesis 1:2 says, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The evolutionists say that everything came from nothing. Nothing cannot produce anything other than what it is, i.e. “nothing.” It has been said, “Nothing is what rocks think about all day long.” I know I am being absurd, but with good reason, for we believe that God can move upon nothing and make a universe and furthermore, that’s exactly what He did.

As we enter this new year, there are some reading these words that may be lamenting that you virtually have nothing. Let this thought encourage you: when the earth was without form and void, that’s when the Holy Spirit “moved” upon the face of the waters. The word “moved” is the same word for “brooding” which is likening the behavior of the Holy Spirit to a mother chicken who broods over her little chicks.” God moved with compassion over the yet unformed earth, contemplating what it shall become. If you have lost everything, imagine this: God is brooding over you with thoughts and plans beyond your comprehension as He says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Yogi ate Yogi Bera used to humorously say, “It’s not over ‘til it’s over.” I’ve got some news for you: when the Devil and all this world says, it’s over and all evidence confirms that it is so, God is hovering just above us with thoughts and plans that will not be thwarted by man’s puny disabilities. In other words, it is not over even when it’s over. A few years ago shortly before Dr. Jerry McDonald, founder of Calvary Boys’ Ranch died, my wife and I stopped by his Eufaula, Oklahoma home for a visit. He was dying from a combination of Lou Gheirig’s Disease and cancer. His tongue was paralyzed and he could no longer talk. He took a white writing tablet and wrote in a shaky handwriting, “Pray that it will be soon.” He was referring to his home-going to Heaven. Ah, even in the Christian’s darkest hour, God takes His hurting child home and give him a new body and one day a new Heaven and new Earth. For us, the end is just the beginning.

3. When God speaks the light comes on.

Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” We often hear the phrase, “This shed light on the subject.” God spoke and there was light. I pray the flock here at Christchurch will be illuminated this year in God’s will, in God’s way by God’s Word. Even as God spoke and there was light, keep listening -- He will speak light to your world!

In Exodus 10:22 and 23, “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” God will keep the light on for His obedient people, although Egypt (the world) be eclipsed in smothering darkness. God is speaking; let us be listening as speaks light to us!

4. The beginning is a good time to begin.

Genesis 1:4 says, “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” God is willing in this new year to separate us from the darkness that we may have been in and place us in that “good light.” He loves us and is willing to give us mercy, “...because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). At this hour, we dare not ask for justice.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet confronts Gertrude and implores her to repent. She replies, “O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.” Hamlet responds by saying, “O, throw away the worser part of it, and live the purer with the other half...Assume a virtue, if you have it not.” A reminder that darkness and light need to be divided. Even if you feel like a loser because you have allowed that awful darkness that so pervades the world to come over you, you may as Hamlet suggested, throw away the darkness and run to the light, cultivate the light and, as a believer, we say, let Jesus, Lord of the Light flood you with His merciful light. He can undo the damage from the darkness. “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:7 and 8). Let this be a time of beginning again. The Lord’s mercy and grace have not run short. On one hand, for those who have fallen, get up again! And on another hand, for those who are coasting on the blessing of obedience, you dare not trust past victories to carry you through another year. There is a danger of allowing the good place you are in to become a place of depending on momentum rather than God’s impetus. It’s a new day, a new year – a new life!

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#PrayforPaul https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/-prayforpaul https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/-prayforpaul#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2015 19:00:00 -0400 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/-prayforpaul ‪#‎PrayforPaul‬ is a reminder to pray for Paul Meikle, a young man in our church that has had a heart transplant and is now in trouble with that heart. On the underside of the reminder band is "John 3:16". We asked Paul if he would like us to put a verse that claims healing and he said, "No, Pastor put John 3:16, because if someone doesn't know Jesus it is more important for them to get saved than for me to be healed." I love Paul. Would you join me in prayer for this young man reared in our church?

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‪#‎PrayforPaul‬ is a reminder to pray for Paul Meikle, a young man in our church that has had a heart transplant and is now in trouble with that heart. On the underside of the reminder band is "John 3:16". We asked Paul if he would like us to put a verse that claims healing and he said, "No, Pastor put John 3:16, because if someone doesn't know Jesus it is more important for them to get saved than for me to be healed." I love Paul. Would you join me in prayer for this young man reared in our church?

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Saving and Maintaining Relationships https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/saving-and-maintaining-relationships https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/saving-and-maintaining-relationships#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2014 18:00:00 -0400 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/saving-and-maintaining-relationships Relationships are important. They are important to God and should be to us as well. In I Corinthians the apostle Paul had to deal with a sin issue that was not taken seriously by the church at Corinth. Thankfully, the church readjusted itself from complacency to becoming proactively involved with dealing with the sinning brother. By the time II Corinthians was written, the sinning man had repented of his sin. The new problem was that the church had not gotten out of their disciplinary mode. So Paul had to say, “…Ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (II Corinthians 2:7). The Greek word for the phrase “swallowed up” is also translated “devour” in I Peter 5:8, “…your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” This is pretty severe! I would hate for my attitude toward any repentant brother or sister in Christ be compared to the Devil’s attributes. There is only one time the word “schism” (Greek: “schisma”) appears in the Bible. It is found in I Corinthians 12:25 when the apostle declares, “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” This word means a rent or tear, a split or a gap division. God doesn’t want the church, families, or friendships that He has ordained be torn apart.

How can we save and maintain relationships?

1. Remind yourselves you are not in competition.

It is not me against him or us against them. If you are married you are family. If you are members of the same church, you are on the same team. You may win the argument but lose the relationship. Hopefully, relationships, if lost, will be temporary. Don’t throw away that which God has given you. “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (II Corinthians 10:12).

2. Consider the fact that you may be wrong.

We need to lay claim to Psalm 139:23,24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” A man was once asked, “It must be a difficult life to know that you are always right.” In jest he answered, “I wouldn’t know because I am never wrong.” The reason that is funny is because we all know there is but One and One only who walked this earth without sin -- and that definitely wasn’t me and brace yourself -- it wasn’t you. This One and Only One Savior, when standing in the presence of a person who, according to the law, could have died for being wrong, said, “…He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7b). “…Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b).

3. Be sorry, really sorry for the wrong you have done.

This is where many of us fall short. We want to be humble enough to admit our errors, but prideful enough not to be transparent. Psalm 51:2 says, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” “Thoroughly” means “fully; entirely; completely.” According to the Webster’s 1828 dictionary the word “throughly” means basically the same thing, but the definition for “throughly” adds one other meaning: “without reserve and sincerely.” One student of our language commented, “What is the difference? Look again. You do not have to be sincere or engaged to do something thoroughly, but you do to do something throughly.”

To be sorry for our sins involves becoming personal. We are not only sorry we got caught in the wrong, we are sorry we did the wrong. The next point will explain more “throughly.”

4. Take accountability for any wrong you have done.

We are tempted to divert personal accountability for our wrong. This is apparent by expressions we use when we are discovered in the wrong, “I don’t know what got into me”; “I was just beside myself”; “I went to pieces.” This is my favorite, “I lost my head.” We are not dealing with our sin by distancing ourselves from the act or acts we committed. We can only be helped if we own the wrong, declare it wrong and determine not to go there again.

Listen to the words of Joshua 7:19, “And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.” No matter how much it hurts, confess. According to Joshua, it brings glory to God when we confess our wrong. In the Old Testament, mankind died under the law. In the New Testament, through the grace and truth in Jesus, we are healed. There is healing power in confession. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”

5. Make restoration if required.

“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). It may cost you something to be right with God and each other, but it is well worth the price.

6. Take the initiative to restore the relationship.

Romans 12:10 tells us to “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” “Preferring” is from the Greek word: “proegeomai” which means to lead the way for others, i.e. show deference, to go before another as an example of humble submission.

In counseling I sometimes hear people say, “I’m not the bad guy here.” And many times the defensive person is actually much more in the right than the other person. But think of this: if you are right and the other person was wicked enough to do you wrong, what makes you think they will arise more quickly from their “wicked state” and initiate reconciliation? Reconciliation is much more likely to take place if the more spiritual one takes the initiative. You must “prefer,” in other words, lead the way for others.

7. Forgive the one who offended you of all they have done.

David said in Psalm 25:18b, “…forgive all my sins.” Why would we expect God to forgive us of “all” our sins, and not be just as willing to forgive others who have sinned against us of “all” their sins? Partial forgiveness will never do, we must forgive all to have relief and to give relief. It may be hard, but it is the right thing to do. We are so tempted to put the person on probation. You may argue, well, I don’t want to be hurt again, but I say to you, take the risk. Love is a risk! The Lord took the greatest risk for you and me when He went to the cross and died the death that we all deserved. Listen to the magnanimous heart of Jesus and may we emulate this attitude, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:47, 48).

8. Regain relationship and don’t live in shame or blame.

The prodigal son’s father, in attempting to get the elder son to accept his brother’s repentance (which means to accept his brother himself), pleads, “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32). The father is saying let the past be done away with your brother’s repented sins and let us not let him live in shame! This is a new day and you have a new brother.

On the other hand, let us not live in the blame game. May we say with the Psalmist, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit” (Psalm 51:12). May we take to heart the words of Charles Tindley’s old hymn, “Nothing between my soul and my Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor;
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.” Let us remove anything between our Lord and each other. Let God save and let Him help you maintain life’s relationships.

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Relationships are important. They are important to God and should be to us as well. In I Corinthians the apostle Paul had to deal with a sin issue that was not taken seriously by the church at Corinth. Thankfully, the church readjusted itself from complacency to becoming proactively involved with dealing with the sinning brother. By the time II Corinthians was written, the sinning man had repented of his sin. The new problem was that the church had not gotten out of their disciplinary mode. So Paul had to say, “…Ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (II Corinthians 2:7). The Greek word for the phrase “swallowed up” is also translated “devour” in I Peter 5:8, “…your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” This is pretty severe! I would hate for my attitude toward any repentant brother or sister in Christ be compared to the Devil’s attributes. There is only one time the word “schism” (Greek: “schisma”) appears in the Bible. It is found in I Corinthians 12:25 when the apostle declares, “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” This word means a rent or tear, a split or a gap division. God doesn’t want the church, families, or friendships that He has ordained be torn apart.

How can we save and maintain relationships?

1. Remind yourselves you are not in competition.

It is not me against him or us against them. If you are married you are family. If you are members of the same church, you are on the same team. You may win the argument but lose the relationship. Hopefully, relationships, if lost, will be temporary. Don’t throw away that which God has given you. “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (II Corinthians 10:12).

2. Consider the fact that you may be wrong.

We need to lay claim to Psalm 139:23,24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” A man was once asked, “It must be a difficult life to know that you are always right.” In jest he answered, “I wouldn’t know because I am never wrong.” The reason that is funny is because we all know there is but One and One only who walked this earth without sin -- and that definitely wasn’t me and brace yourself -- it wasn’t you. This One and Only One Savior, when standing in the presence of a person who, according to the law, could have died for being wrong, said, “…He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7b). “…Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b).

3. Be sorry, really sorry for the wrong you have done.

This is where many of us fall short. We want to be humble enough to admit our errors, but prideful enough not to be transparent. Psalm 51:2 says, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” “Thoroughly” means “fully; entirely; completely.” According to the Webster’s 1828 dictionary the word “throughly” means basically the same thing, but the definition for “throughly” adds one other meaning: “without reserve and sincerely.” One student of our language commented, “What is the difference? Look again. You do not have to be sincere or engaged to do something thoroughly, but you do to do something throughly.”

To be sorry for our sins involves becoming personal. We are not only sorry we got caught in the wrong, we are sorry we did the wrong. The next point will explain more “throughly.”

4. Take accountability for any wrong you have done.

We are tempted to divert personal accountability for our wrong. This is apparent by expressions we use when we are discovered in the wrong, “I don’t know what got into me”; “I was just beside myself”; “I went to pieces.” This is my favorite, “I lost my head.” We are not dealing with our sin by distancing ourselves from the act or acts we committed. We can only be helped if we own the wrong, declare it wrong and determine not to go there again.

Listen to the words of Joshua 7:19, “And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.” No matter how much it hurts, confess. According to Joshua, it brings glory to God when we confess our wrong. In the Old Testament, mankind died under the law. In the New Testament, through the grace and truth in Jesus, we are healed. There is healing power in confession. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”

5. Make restoration if required.

“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). It may cost you something to be right with God and each other, but it is well worth the price.

6. Take the initiative to restore the relationship.

Romans 12:10 tells us to “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” “Preferring” is from the Greek word: “proegeomai” which means to lead the way for others, i.e. show deference, to go before another as an example of humble submission.

In counseling I sometimes hear people say, “I’m not the bad guy here.” And many times the defensive person is actually much more in the right than the other person. But think of this: if you are right and the other person was wicked enough to do you wrong, what makes you think they will arise more quickly from their “wicked state” and initiate reconciliation? Reconciliation is much more likely to take place if the more spiritual one takes the initiative. You must “prefer,” in other words, lead the way for others.

7. Forgive the one who offended you of all they have done.

David said in Psalm 25:18b, “…forgive all my sins.” Why would we expect God to forgive us of “all” our sins, and not be just as willing to forgive others who have sinned against us of “all” their sins? Partial forgiveness will never do, we must forgive all to have relief and to give relief. It may be hard, but it is the right thing to do. We are so tempted to put the person on probation. You may argue, well, I don’t want to be hurt again, but I say to you, take the risk. Love is a risk! The Lord took the greatest risk for you and me when He went to the cross and died the death that we all deserved. Listen to the magnanimous heart of Jesus and may we emulate this attitude, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:47, 48).

8. Regain relationship and don’t live in shame or blame.

The prodigal son’s father, in attempting to get the elder son to accept his brother’s repentance (which means to accept his brother himself), pleads, “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32). The father is saying let the past be done away with your brother’s repented sins and let us not let him live in shame! This is a new day and you have a new brother.

On the other hand, let us not live in the blame game. May we say with the Psalmist, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit” (Psalm 51:12). May we take to heart the words of Charles Tindley’s old hymn, “Nothing between my soul and my Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor;
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.” Let us remove anything between our Lord and each other. Let God save and let Him help you maintain life’s relationships.

]]>
We Shall Do What We Did Aforetime! https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/we-shall-do-what-we-did-aforetime https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/we-shall-do-what-we-did-aforetime#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.christchurchbaptist.org/dr--popes-blog/post/we-shall-do-what-we-did-aforetime Many questions have been asked about the demand the City of Houston has made. Unless there is a turn of heart, the climate in the city of Houston may become uncomfortable for Bible-believing Christians.
Today with all the turmoil swirling around our great city and suburbs, I am thinking of the rich history of the formation of Texas. There is a unity of the faith and formation of our great state that cannot be denied. In his later years Sam Houston for whom the city of Houston was named gave his heart to Christ and was baptized by the pastor of the Baptist Church in Independence. I have stood by Rocky Creek where Sam Houston was baptized by Pastor Rufus Burleson. Sam Houston was best friends with Judge R.E.B. Baylor. I was blessed to recently read the personal letters between Baylor and Houston. These two men would take long trips together and talk late into the night of the things of God and the Bible. Houston became as strong a contender for the faith as he was for Texas independence. The one thing Houston and Baylor never wanted for Texas was independence from God. These men believed in dependence upon God.

I am grieved when I see anyone in leadership, whether civil or ecclesiastical, moving away from the time honored values of God’s Word. We need to remember the Lord declares, “For I am the LORD, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

I am being asked what shall we do. I find my answer in the Word of God. Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” The key is found in those words, “…as he did aforetime.” When the order had been given that no one could pray to God, only petitions could be made to the king, Daniel did not fret, he did not worry, he simply did what he did aforetime. Although it eventually placed him onto the lion’s den, to God be the glory he was delivered. Our message is right. Our Master has not changed. We shall do what we did aforetime.

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Many questions have been asked about the demand the City of Houston has made. Unless there is a turn of heart, the climate in the city of Houston may become uncomfortable for Bible-believing Christians.
Today with all the turmoil swirling around our great city and suburbs, I am thinking of the rich history of the formation of Texas. There is a unity of the faith and formation of our great state that cannot be denied. In his later years Sam Houston for whom the city of Houston was named gave his heart to Christ and was baptized by the pastor of the Baptist Church in Independence. I have stood by Rocky Creek where Sam Houston was baptized by Pastor Rufus Burleson. Sam Houston was best friends with Judge R.E.B. Baylor. I was blessed to recently read the personal letters between Baylor and Houston. These two men would take long trips together and talk late into the night of the things of God and the Bible. Houston became as strong a contender for the faith as he was for Texas independence. The one thing Houston and Baylor never wanted for Texas was independence from God. These men believed in dependence upon God.

I am grieved when I see anyone in leadership, whether civil or ecclesiastical, moving away from the time honored values of God’s Word. We need to remember the Lord declares, “For I am the LORD, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

I am being asked what shall we do. I find my answer in the Word of God. Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” The key is found in those words, “…as he did aforetime.” When the order had been given that no one could pray to God, only petitions could be made to the king, Daniel did not fret, he did not worry, he simply did what he did aforetime. Although it eventually placed him onto the lion’s den, to God be the glory he was delivered. Our message is right. Our Master has not changed. We shall do what we did aforetime.

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