“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”

Luke 6:46

There may be some who will be offended by my remarks in this blog. I assure you, I have no desire to be offensive in any way. My desire is to speak the truth in love. With that in mind, I am going to begin this week with my conclusion so you may be able to see where I’m going.

I am concerned that there are multitudes of people who are not prepared for what the future holds. I’m not speaking of “future” in the sense of next week, month, year, decade, or even century. I am speaking of their future. Of your future and my future. And I have an obligation as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and as a proclaimer of the message of His redeeming love, to try to help people be prepared in the face of an uncertain future.

Now, let’s go back to the beginning. As I read and study the writings of the New Testament, and as I consider the descriptions of believers in the early church, I am becoming more and more convinced that many who profess to be believers show no behavioral evidence of their profession. Please take a moment to reread the verse at the beginning of this blog. Jesus calls us to submit to His lordship over our lives. If He is Lord, then our lives will be different from the lives of non-Christians. But sadly, there are so many who are more under the lordship of other things – self, the world, peers, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, etc. – that we might never guess they are followers of the Lord Jesus.

The lives of believers should show a close, familial likeness of Jesus. The reason I make that statement is because we are encouraged to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. We are to look like Jesus! Of course, we are not to think of this in physical terms. But we are to bear the likeness of His person, His work, His ministry, His words. We are to look like Jesus in all these ways.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Romans 8:29

It may sound judgmental, but it seems to me that there are many who make a profession, but whose behavior patterns, lifestyle choices, business practices, are more in alignment with the way the world operates than the Word of God teaches. Jesus had much to say about this matter. The following quote, spoken by Jesus Himself, is a powerful indictment against hypocrisy.

“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'”

Matthew 15:7-9

Please allow the voice of the Lord to speak directly and deeply into your heart, mind, and soul as you read these words. Read them again. And again. And once more. We can’t possibly overemphasize the importance of these words. Meditate on them for a few more moments. Now, do these words resonate deep inside you? Do you feel like the Holy Spirit is speaking directly to you, convicting you, calling you to repentance for your life of pretense? Are you the hypocrite Jesus speaks of here?

A hypocrite is one who pretends to be something other than what he really is. Jesus is simply, yet powerfully, saying that those whose worship is not genuine, and whose life is based more on the commandments/teachings of men rather than the Word of God, are just pretenders. They are not for real!

This is without a doubt one of the most important blogs I have ever written. Why? Because our eternal destination is at stake! What does your future look like? Not tomorrow, or next week, or month, or year, but your eternity? Do you know beyond any doubt whatsoever that you are prepared for eternity? Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

Now, here is the crucial question: Is He your Lord AND Savior? So many place emphasis on Jesus being their Savior but seem to miss what the Bible teaches about Lordship. Read carefully these words from the Apostle Paul:

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart‘ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-9

We have all probably heard the saying, “If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” I would suggest that you go back one more time to the statement of Jesus quoted above. Then, I would suggest that you sit in silence for a few moments, listening for that still, small voice of God to speak directly to your heart. Ask Him to confirm your salvation or convict you of being a sham.

World events would lead us to believe that the Lord’s return could be drawing near. But even if His return is still hundreds, or even thousands of years away, your life’s end could be drawing near. None of us knows the day of our impending death. It could be at any moment. Are you prepared? Or is your profession nothing more than empty, meaningless words?

Don’t be that hypocrite Jesus spoke about. Don’t be one of those whose worship is nothing more than lip service. Make sure today, right now, that you are for real. Nothing is more important than this.

Are. You. For. Real.

I love you all, and hope to see you all over there!

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Ephesians 4:29

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

James 3:8-10

Last week our thoughts were focused on the question, “Where have we been?”, and we discussed the fact that history is settled and unchangeable. What has happened has happened, and nothing can be done to revise it. It doesn’t matter how much effort is put into changing the past, it simply cannot be done. History is a settled reality.

I mentioned then that this week’s blog would focus on the development of language. Unlike history, language is not settled and unchangeable. It can be revised, changed, tweaked, and redefined. Some words change meaning, while others become obsolete. New words are constantly added to the vocabulary. Vocabulary is fluid, changing with the flow of culture at different points of history. There are words that are commonly used in our present generation that were not used in previous generations.

However, with the passing of each generation, and the changing of commonly used words as some are discarded while others are added, the professing believer in Jesus Christ – the one who claims to be Jesus’ disciple – should be guided by Biblical principles in the proper use of language. The verses quoted at the beginning of this blog provide a good starting point for a discussion of this subject.

First, Paul says that we should not allow any corrupt word to proceed out of our mouths. Rather we are to use our words for the purpose of edifying and imparting grace. To edify is to build up, to encourage, to instruct intellectually or morally. It is derived from the word ‘edifice’, which refers to a building. So, the word means that we should build up other persons. To this is added the admonition to impart grace, which means to give, to extend, convey, or grant grace. Grace can be thought of as unmerited kindness or favor. It is showing someone kindness who does not deserve such a loving action. Thus, we are to use the vehicle of language to build up, to edify, and to extend kindness to the undeserving.

Then, James tells us about the difficulty of taming the tongue. To illustrate his point, he speaks of the damage the tongue can inflict when used in sinful, selfish ways. It is, he says, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Persons have been crushed by an unkind, cutting word spoken against them. Someone’s tongue has spewed evil at them, and they are left reeling in the aftermath of the verbal onslaught. Instead of building up and extending grace, the words are meant to tear down and destroy.

The direction of a child’s life can be dramatically and drastically altered by constant criticism from parents, siblings, peers, or teachers. If a child constantly hears negative, critical, verbal assaults from an authority figure, they will grow to believe what they have been subject to. A child can grow to think that he/she is worthless if they are battered by a parent telling him/her that they will never amount to anything.

And, if a child is reared in an environment where they constantly hear his/her parents use profane, vulgar language, then they will embrace that vocabulary as their own. Language is a powerful force, carrying with it the power to build up or the tear down.

James goes on to speak about words which bless God and curse man, which he says should never happen. But, we’ve all seen it haven’t we? On social media we see a comment by someone praising God, and their next post has some defaming, unkind, destructive remark about some person. Friends, this kind of evil, inflammatory speech should never proceed from the mouth of one who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

There is so much more that needs to be said, but for the sake of brevity I will mention just one more area of language: profanity. The use of vulgar, profane speech has become so common in our present cultural climate. But is such use of language proper for a Christian? The answer is a resounding NO! Our speech is to build up, edify, impart grace, show kindness, which cannot be accomplished using profane and vulgar vocabulary.

I met a man recently who used such unbelievably vulgar language that I was shocked to discover he had previously served as a minister to youth in a local church. When I began asking him how he could justify his choice of words he actually made an attempt to justify using such vile language. It is not an exaggeration to say that probably 25% of his vocabulary was vulgar and profane.

But in his estimation, he was simply using the commonly used language of our culture. However, the Bible teaches that Christians should be counter-cultural, not to accommodate culture. We are to be lights shining in the darkness, not conforming to the darkness.

Profanity and vulgarity are commonplace in our modern society. We are inundated with it in movies and television programs. It is the language of the people. But it should not be the language of the believer in Jesus Christ. Our language should be edifying to people, and glorifying to God. We are to be a holy priesthood, ministering grace to those who hear us.

If we grovel in the pigpen of profanity, we will come out with filthiness as our flagship vocabulary. But if we fill our minds with the purity of the Word of God, we will come out with language that edifies and extends grace to those with whom we converse.

In conclusion, let’s be reminded of the following words of the Apostle Paul:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble. whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

Philippians 4:4

Let’s fill our minds with words of grace and truth, then let them flow from us as we strive to be good representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ in all we do and say. Amen!

History. What exactly is history? When I asked my computer to define the word it gave me the following:

History – Noun

1. The study of past events, particularly in human affairs;
2. The whole series of past events connected with someone or something;
3. A continuous, typically chronological, record of important or public events or of a particular trend or institution

World history, American history, South Carolina history, your history, my history, etc. Everyone has history. Everything has history. My history tells the story of where I have been. It is an all-inclusive word, which would tell the story of my entire life. An absolute history of my life would include everything I have done, everywhere I have been, every word I have spoken, every thought I have entertained – everything. Nothing would be left out of a total, absolute, historical record of me.

So, what if I decide one day that I don’t like my history? What if there is an incident in my past that I would rather forget about, and one which I don’t want anyone to ever know about? How do I get rid of it? How can I erase it from my history?

Maybe I could move to a new location where no one knows me. I could then make up my own history. I could change my name and make up a whole new story about the “new” me. People in my new town would know what I make up about me. My history would become anything I want it to be. And no one would know the difference.

Would all that effort to change my history really change it? Of course not! My history is my history. I might hide some of the facts of my past from others, but my history is what it is. I might choose to never speak of some of the events of my past, but it is still my history. My history, your history, world history, American history – they all tell us where we have been.

Now, let’s think about this in relation to our nation: The United States of America. There is a concentrated effort by many to replace our history with one of their own making. They want the historical records of our heritage to be changed to reflect what they want coming generations to believe about the development of the United States.

The outward manifestation of this movement is openly seen in the removal of statues of historical figures from our past. Out of sight, out of mind! They want no physical displays of our past. Only those statues that fit into their revised history will be left standing. And then, to further strengthen their cause, the textbooks used to teach our children will have to be rewritten to reflect their revised history of our country. They will never stop in their endeavors until their agenda to methodically revise and rewrite our history is complete.

So, the answer to the question, “Where have we been?”, will be vastly different fifty years from now from what it is today. Then, it will reflect the “revised history” that is being shaped by today’s historical revisionists. Does that mean our history will actually have changed? Absolutely not! History is history. It is a record of past events, and past events cannot be changed. We can’t go back in time and stop certain events from taking place: they happened, and history is the record of those events.

But what about coming generations? How will they know where we have been if the records have been changed? They won’t! Oh, they will know “history”, but it will be a record of a radically different history – one which has been manufactured by those who would erase our past and replace it with one of their own making.

This has far-reaching ramifications that will affect every area of life in coming generations. One area of grave importance is in the history of language. That will be the topic for my next blog: the revision of language, and how it can change the historical landscape.

For those of us who believe that a true historical record of our past is important for future generations, we need to make every effort to stand against this modern-day movement to change it. I realize it is an up-hill battle. It seems that those who are in positions that enable them to implement these changes are using those positions to force unwanted change on the public. And the public, for the most part, stands by helplessly, with no power to stand against them.

This is all the more reason to stand up and speak up. Your voice, my voice, needs to be heard. Whatever avenues are open to us should be used to take a stand. Whether we feel we can make a difference or not, we need to do what we can to stand for truth in the passing down of history to the next generation. If not, we will soon forget where we have been. Let’s not allow that to happen on our watch.

A basic principle of geometry is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This truth was engraved in my mind in a very vivid way when I was in the Boy Scouts. Jimmy Cauthen, scoutmaster of Troop 180, had taken us on a winter camping trip. We had arrived at our campsite, set up our tents unloaded all our gear, and enjoyed a nice evening around the campfire. As darkness fell, the clouds began to thicken overhead, and the temperature began to drop. We all made our way to our tents, wrapped up snugly in our sleeping bags, and tried to get warm enough to sleep through the night.

Clyde ‘Cloudy’ McLean, the weather forecaster at WBTV in Charlotte, had missed this forecast terribly. There had been no mention of snow in his forecast the day before we left for our camping trip, but when we crawled out of our warm sleeping bags the next morning, we stepped out to about five inches of fresh fallen snow. It was an absolutely beautiful sight. We were all thrilled to see the snow, and immediately began playing, having snowball fights, building snowmen, and making snow angels (yes, teen-age boys make them, too!). Needless to say, we had a blast.

Jimmy had a nice, big fire blazing in the fire pit, and had already started cooking a hearty breakfast for us to enjoy. Once the morning meal was complete and clean-up had been taken care of, Jimmy called us all over to the edge of the woods. Our camp had been set up on the tree line adjacent to a large open field. Across the field, probably the length of a football field away, was another outcropping of trees. Jimmy gathered us all together and gave us an assignment: walk across the field to the trees on the other side. We all took off, with Jimmy walking a short distance behind us.

Once we had arrived at the other side of the field, he got us all together again and had us look back across the field. Our steps had zig-zagged and meandered in so many directions, with our footprints crossing back and forth across each other. There was no way it could be determined whose footprints they were. Then, Jimmy had us look at a certain tree on the other side and told us to walk back toward that particular tree. Once we arrived back on the other side and looked back the footprint trails were amazingly straight. Why? Simple. We were focused on a target that gave us direction.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:14

Paul states that he had a goal that gave direction to his life: the prize of the upward call of God. Jesus Christ was his target that gave direction, and as long as he had his eyes fixed on that target he was able to walk a path of holiness and righteousness. This is such an extremely important concept for believers in Jesus Christ to remember. We must have a goal that gives direction to the very fabric of our lives.

Of course, we do not have the luxury of having Jesus here with us physically so that we can just simply follow Him, but we do have the teachings He left us. These are recorded in the Bible, and they are to give direction to the life of the individual believer.

This is becoming more difficult in our contemporary society. It appears to be obvious that individual Christians as well as individual churches as well as entire denominations are taking the Bible less seriously while at the same time adapting to cultural practices. Many of these cultural practices are diametrically opposite of the Bible’s teachings.

These things are happening in large part because we have taken our eyes off the only true source of guidance and direction at our disposal: the Bible. This has led to the deterioration of our firm foundation, and has brought about a weakened spiritual state.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, head-strong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

2 Timothy 3:1-5

This is an accurate portrait of the spiritual climate in our present day. Pay special attention to the words in bold. Many have a form of godliness. They are religious. Perhaps they are regular in their church attendance. Some of them are perhaps in positions of leadership in their local church. One commentator stated, “They are religious, but rebellious.” Sadly, this is a reality not only with individuals, but with churches and even denominations.

The Bible calls for commitment on the part of individuals. There should be a level of integrity in the lives of professing believers that sets them apart. And yet, the sad reality is that we see so many who profess Christ living lives characterized by those traits Paul lists in the above quote.

Do we need to go back to the basics? Do we once again need to refocus our attention on the one true source of instruction that will lead us into deeper levels of holiness? Do we, as Paul, need to press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? Then here is a place to start:

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

Paul says that he is pressing forward toward Jesus. Here, the writer of Hebrews admonishes us to run with endurance, looking unto Jesus. Jesus is the goal. He should be our focal point. We should be making a straight line toward Him.

In order to accomplish this, we must lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us. Allow the Bible to reveal to us those things that are clearly against the demands of holiness. Then, listen to the Holy Spirit’s conviction, showing us the things that need to be laid aside, and the sin that needs to be repented of. Let’s not allow our spiritual foundation to erode any further. Let’s begin the rebuilding process by correcting the foundational flaws, and then erecting our lives on the solid foundation of God’s truth.

“Jesus is coming soon! His coming is closer now than it has ever been!” I could not possibly tell you the number of times I’ve heard that, and every time I hear it I think, “Well, that’s true, but…” Because you see, that statement could have been truthfully said two thousand years ago, and again fifteen hundred years ago, and again one thousand years ago, and again five hundred years ago, and again – well, again, this morning. And every time it has been said, it has been true. And every time it will in the future be said, it will be true. Ten minutes from now, it will be true. Ten days from now, ten years from now, ten decades from now, it will be true. Unless Jesus comes before then.

As time marches on, we do indeed draw closer to that moment when Jesus will come for His bride, the church. In one of my recent blogs I talked about getting ready, being ready, for the coming of our Lord. The more I consider world events, and the direction the world at large seems to be heading, I can’t help but think that Jesus’ arrival for the church is drawing close.

Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying or read more into my words than I intend. I am simply saying that it appears to me that many things the Bible says about the spiritual climate of the world at the time of Jesus’ return for His bride are glaringly apparent today. Indeed, His return is closer now than it has ever been.

I am not one who tries to set timetables. I am not suggesting that I have some insight into the matter of Jesus’ return that has been undisclosed to others. I am simply stating a Biblical fact: Jesus is coming, and His coming is closer than it has ever been. Could He come today? Yes. Could it be next week, next year? Yes. Let’s just cut to the bottom line: it could be at any moment. Any. Given. Moment!

Jesus spoke quite often about this matter, so He undoubtedly thought it was extremely important. He spoke about the necessity of being faithful stewards, of being watchful, of being alert, of knowing that He could come at any moment – so be prepared!

Now, here comes the kick-in-the-teeth, so to speak. It seems to me that we are living in a weakened spiritual state. The devil had already been doing a number on the American church before Covid hit, but he has multiplied his efforts exponentially since then. Many churches have bounced back seemingly stronger than before, but so many others have not bounced back at all. And, add to that the fact that the church had already begun to adapt to cultural practices and behaviors before the pandemic, so the devil had already been wreaking havoc. But now it seems his efforts have exploded!

Jesus spoke of being faithful stewards who are always busy about the Master’s business, even when the Master is away. It is in those times of the Master’s absence when the servants have the tendency to get a bit lazy. Those are the ones who will be reprimanded severely at the Master’s return. There are many Biblical admonitions and warnings concerning this matter, but I will close with just a couple for your prayerful consideration:

“It is required of stewards that one be found faithful.”

First Corinthians 4:2

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

First Thessalonians 5:1-2

If you are not a faithful servant, but rather one who is giving no attention to your spiritual health, then you need to change – immediately. If you are not already prepared, then get prepared – now!

Remember: Any. Given. Moment.