Blog Archives

JUST THE RIGHT WORD

9/28/2015

In chapter four, verse twelve, of the New Testament Book of Hebrews, the writer states: “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The New International Version uses the phrase “living and active”, while the King James Version renders it “quick and powerful”. In the original language, the phrase is “zoe … kai energes”. “Kai” means “and”. “Zoe” means life, as opposed to being dead, as in zoology, the study of living animals.

But the word I want to focus on is the word variously translated as “active” or “powerful”. The Koine Greek term is “energes”. Its original meaning is “that which is potent, effective, or productive of due result”. And yes, it is the word from which we get English terms like “energy”, “energetic”, and “energize”.

James Hewett makes the following observation on Hebrews 4:12:

“The Epistle to the Hebrews is difficult to translate because so much of its content concerns the Jewish culture and religious rituals that are totally foreign to the Agra people who live in the northern Philippines.

However, some parts of the epistle really make sense to them, like the verse in Hebrews 4:12, ‘The Word of God is living and potent.’

Depending upon the context, the Agra word ‘madagat’ can mean stinging, venomous, or potent. A poisonous snake is ‘madagat’, but so are some medicines that can heal. My translation assistant explained his understanding of how the Word of God is potent: ‘It depends upon how we approach it.’”*

His point here is that this is what all the word of God does for us. Yes, it lays bare our souls. If we are in need of correction or reproof, the Word of God can certainly bring this about. At the same time, if we are in need of medicine, if our soul is sick or hurting, then the Word of God also can provide needed care and nurture as well.

Thank God that His Word is always relevant, in any and every context. And because of this, it is indeed active and powerful!

*STORY SOURCE: James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988), p. 44. Dr. Hewett was for years the Senior Pastor of Presbyterian churches in Walnut Creek, California, and Saratoga, California. He was also formerly the editor and publisher of Parables Etc. and The Pastors Story File, two monthly newsletters of illustrations for speakers. The above book is a collection of communicative materials resulting from his many decades of ministry.

Also available online at: https://books.google.com/books?id=5qK67OYyW-AC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=james+hewett+hebrews+4:12+translators&sou
rce=bl&ots=aprcydQ7mH&sig=stghzOzv3Q8dJ9Jz-R3LoP-Dj78&hl=en&sa=
X&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAGoVChMI5avk8v6ZyAIVhBs-Ch3m7g4D#v=onepage
&q=james%20hewett%20hebrews%204%3A12%20translators&f=false.

BJARNI WHO???

9/24/2015

One of my favorite motivational speakers and writers is Dr. Brian Harbour. Among the numerous things he does is to produce an electronic newsletter titled SeminaryPLUS. He has recently begun converting this newsletter into a web page format. You can check it out here: http://seminaryplus.org.

His September 11, 2015 blog post is a classic, titled: “FEAR PARALYZES “. It is a powerful story about the importance of taking risks. I wanted to repost it here today. Dr. Harbour writes:

Most American history buffs know that Christopher Columbus did not really discover America; nor was he the first European to step foot on American soil. That honor belongs to Leif Eriksson. In the year 1000, Eriksson and his sailors came ashore on what is now known as Labrador and Newfoundland and “discovered” America.

But that honor could have belonged to Bjarni Herjulfson; for he came to the shores of Newfoundland nearly fourteen years before Eriksson. Herjulfson was on the way to Greenland when a fierce storm blew him off course. When the storm subsided, Herjulfson spotted a land that he did not recognize.

The crew begged him to explore the new land but Herjulfson was not willing to risk stepping foot on a dangerous, unknown shore. So he turned the boat around and made his way back to Greenland.

Herjulfson later told the story of his adventure to Leif Eriksson who lived on risk. Eriksson bought his boat, retraced the journey as Herjulfson described it, found the unknown land, went ashore to build a house and establish a village, and in so doing became the first European to set foot on North American soil.

It could be Herjulfson whose name we associate with the discovery of America had he not been paralyzed into inactivity because of his fear. Instead, his name has disappeared into the annals of forgotten history. What adventures does your fear prevent you from enjoying?

Dr. Harbour has spent his life living out this latter conviction. His whole professional life demonstrates that we must ever be willing to take risks and to explore new territory. He first received his doctorate in theology from Baylor University in 1973. In his professional life, he then served as a Pastor of churches in Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, and Arkansas, as well as serving several churches in Texas.

After pastoring, he served as a visiting professor at George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas for more than a decade, influencing a whole generation of young church leaders. In addition to serving as a speaker and conference leader in many states, Dr. Harbour has been a prolific writer as well, having authored nearly a dozen and a half books. Moreover, he has been a frequent contributor to numerous other periodicals and sermon publications, as well as being a permanent contributing editor for Preaching magazine.

Additionally, Dr. Harbour has also been a member of the National Speakers Association, has served as a Regent at Baylor University for 10 years, and has served on the System Board for the Baylor Health Care System of Dallas. And all of this has come after he served two years as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

I share these latter items only because they plainly illustrate an person who has been willing to take a risk or two along the way. Indeed, in my profession (that of Christian ministry), few people are therefore as qualified to ask the above question as him: “What adventures does your fear prevent you from enjoying?”

One other person who was qualified to ask that question was wise old King Solomon. In the King James Version of Ecclesiastes 11:1, he admonishes us thusly: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” The New International Version perhaps comes closer to the intended meaning: “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.”

Indeed, the New Living Translation probably comes closer than either of these when it says: “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”

Scholars tell us that Solomon, considered both the wisest and the richest man who ever lived, was actually admonishing his readers to take a risk. He was saying that they must be willing to take the grain they had before worked so hard to grow and harvest and now put it on a ship and let it sail away across the Mediterranean.

To be sure, this was scary proposition, fraught with risk; but how else could they possibly hope to make a profit if they were not willing to take a risk?!

And there you have it. As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I leave you with this question: “What would God have you to venture this day?”

SOURCE: http://seminaryplus.org/blog-3/. You can read more at: http://www.brianslines.com/aboutbrian.htm.

THE SORT OF PEOPLE GOD USES

9/21/2015

As I alluded to in my last blog post, we are currently moving though a study of the book of Joshua at our church. In doing so, we recently came across the woman named Rahab in Joshua chapter two.

There, the Bible states plainly that she was a prostitute. And yet, despite her shortcomings, she had heard of the God of the Israelites and desired to make changes in her life so that she might live for Him.

These things she did. When the Israelites spies came to Jericho, she aided them in the reconnaissance. Thus, she was used of God in the life of His people, gaining salvation for herself and her family in the process.

As we studied this particular passage, I was reminded of a piece I once came across:

FEEL LIKE GOD CAN’T USE YOU? If SO, JUST REMEMBER:

Noah was a drunkard (Genesis 9:20-22);
Abraham was too old (Genesis 17th Chapter);
Isaac was a daydreamer (Book of Genesis);
Jacob was a liar (25th chapter of Genesis);
Leah was ugly (Genesis 29:17);
Joseph was abused (Genesis 37:24-36);
Moses stuttered (Exodus 4:10);
Rahab was a prostitute (Joshua 2:1);
Gideon was fearful (Judges 8);
Samson was a womanizer (Judges 14th chapter);
Naomi was a widow (Ruth 1:3);
David had an affair and was a murderer (2nd Samuel 11:3-27);
Elijah was suicidal (1 Kings 19th Chapter);
Job went bankrupt (The Book of Job);
Isaiah preached naked (Isaiah 37th Chapter);
Jeremiah was considered too young (Jeremiah1:6-7);
Jonah ran from God (The Book of Jonah);
The Samaritan woman had multiple divorces; (John 4:8);
Zacchaeus was too small; (Luke 19:3);
Mary Magdalene was an adulteress (Mark 16:9);
Martha worried about everything (Luke 10:40);
The Disciples fell asleep while praying (Matthew 14:37);
Peter denied Christ (Matthew 26:69-70);
Paul was too religious (Acts 8:1);
Timothy apparently had an ulcer (1Timothy 5:23);
AND...
Lazarus was even dead! (John 11 chapter).
NOW! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.*

And there you have it. There are no perfect people. Moses, David, and arguably Paul were all murderers; and yet they were among the very people God used to change the world. The point in all of this is that God does not so much want perfect people as He wants willing people.

He knows we are not perfect. That is why He sacrificed Himself to redeem us on Calvary. But when we are willing, in spite of our flaws, to trust Him and make ourselves available to Him, He can do amazing things in and through us.

And every single person on the list above proves this. As does the man writing this blog post! And hopefully, as will the person or persons reading it as well.

*SOURCE: The original author is unknown. But variations of this classic piece are available widely on the internet. See, for example: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=19782.

FACING OUR GIANTS

9/17/2015

In the Old Testament book of Joshua, chapter 2, the Children of Israel are preparing to invade the land of Canaan. Joshua sends out two spies to scout the city of Jericho across the Jordan River. As he did, there is little doubt that he still remembered the events of some forty years earlier, as recorded in Numbers chapter 13, when he was one of twelve spies sent from Kadesh-Barnea by Moses to reconnoiter the same land.

At that time, he and Caleb had been the only two who believed they could take the land. The other ten spies had all claimed the land was full of giants and could not be conquered. Alas! No amount of pleading on Caleb and Joshua’s part changed their mind. And the Israelites wandered another forty years in the wilderness as a result.

This time around, Joshua was not putting anything up for a vote. God had told him to lead his people into Canaan. Joshua’s question was not whether or not to proceed. It was only how best to go about it. Thus, he secretly sent two spies he trusted to get the lay of the land and report back.

When they did, they said nothing about giants! Or being grasshoppers in their eyes! They only said, “These people will easily fall into our hands!” Joshua knew this already! After all, he had seen the Canaanites first hand; and he knew they were not really giants and that they could never withstand Israel.

The lesson here is this: do not fall prey to over-rated and trumped up giants! No matter how big they may appear, they are only mere Canaanites acting big! Maybe you are facing a giant or group of giants today. If so, consider the following story.

80 years ago, Notre Dame was preparing to play USC. Coach Knute Rockne was aware that his opponent had a far better team, so he devised a plan to intimidate the Trojan players. Rockne scoured the city of South Bend and hand-picked 100 of the largest men he could find - each of them was at least six - foot - five and three hundred pounds. He put them in Fighting Irish uniforms and at game time marched them onto the field ahead of the real team. (Obviously, 80 years ago was long before the days of limited rosters and eligibility restrictions.)

As USC watched these giants line up on the sidelines, they forgot about their talent and their undefeated record - and they began mentally preparing themselves for a beating. Though none of these specially recruited men ever played during the game, their presence on the sidelines was enough to knock Southern Cal's concentration off balance. Knute Rockne's trick had worked; he had intimidated the Trojan players into giving up before the game even started. As a result, Notre Dame won the game.*

As Christians, we struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil himself. In that struggle, the enemy tries a similar trick. He wants to intimidate us by making these foes appear much bigger than they actually are. When he does, remember this one great Biblical promise from the Apostle John’s first New Testament Letter (4:4): "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

So, no matter what you are facing today, try not to let your problems get the best of you by intimidation. No matter how big the enemy may appear to be, you have God on your side; and He is greater than any enemy you face. It worked for Joshua at Jericho, and again for David as he stood against Goliath. And it will work for you and me as well.

*SOURCE: Story can be found at: http://injesus.com/message-archives/inspiration/thedailyencourager/dont-quit-5. It is also recounted in a previous post at injesus.com, where Steve May at http://www.sermonnotes.com is credited as the original source of this story.

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

9/14/2015

We resumed our small group ministry at church last night. I sat in on a group that is studying commitment based on the life of the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. The source material was provided by Dr. Tony Evans of Dallas, Texas.

In his presentation, Dr. Evans told the following story:

For some time, an old farmer had been plowing with an ox and a mule teamed together; working them pretty hard. The young ox said to the mule, “Let’s play sick today and rest a little while.” But the old mule said, “No, we need to get the work done, for the growing season is short.”

But the ox played sick, and the farmer brought it fresh hay and corn and made the ox comfortable. When the mule came in from plowing, the ox asked how it went in the fields. “We didn’t get as much done,” answered the mule, “but we did a fair stretch.” Then the ox asked, “What did the old man say about me?” “Nothing,” said the mule.

The next day, the ox, thinking it had a good thing going, played sick again. And when the mule returned from the field very tired, the ox asked, “How did it go today?” “All right, I guess,” the mule replied, “but we didn’t get much done.” Then the young ox asked, “What did the old man say about me?” “Nothing to me,” the mule answered, “but he did stop and have a long talk with the butcher.”

Dr. Evan’s point was that Elijah both embraced and fulfilled the calling he had from God. He did not shrink from his God-given responsibility. And it behooves each of us to do the same - to discover and then to take seriously whatever task or tasks God has given us to do.

Each one of us has each been blessed with both talent and responsibility; and we should each see to it that the former fulfills the latter while we are given the chance. As Jesus said in the gospel of John (9:4, KJV): “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

What has God asked of you today? What is He calling upon you to do? Whatever it is, undertake to do it now. For as Solomon admonishes (in Ecclesiastes 9:10, ISV), “Whatever the activity in which you engage, do it with all your ability, because there is no work … in the next world where you're going”

NOTE: Dr. Tony Evans is founding Pastor of the 9,500 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. He has authored twenty-one books, and is also a widely-syndicated radio and television speaker. As President of The Urban Alternative Ministry, his radio broadcast, "The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans" can be heard on over 1,000 outlets daily throughout the U.S. and in over 100 countries worldwide.

He has also taught evangelism, homiletics and black church studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he serves on the Board. As if this isn’t enough to keep him busy, Dr. Evans has served as chaplain for both the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He has held the latter position for over 30 years.

Suffice it to say that Dr. Evans has embraced and pursued his God-given calling! If you want to know more about Dr. Evans and/or his multiple ministries, check out his web page at: http://tonyevans.org/.

(The above story is also available widely online. For instance, see: http://www.inspirationalstories.com/the-ox-and-the-mule/.)

NO REGRETS

9/10/2015

Vicky Roach, national film writer for News Corp, recently posted an intriguing article titled: What Were They Thinking? The Plum Roles Hollywood’s A-List Stars Rejected. She observes that many famous roles in Hollywood movies were originally intended for someone other than those who actually starred in them.

For instance, she points out that Harrison Ford wasn’t the director’s first choice for any of his seminal roles. Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Star Wars… it is impossible to imagine these game-changing cinema classics with anyone else in the lead role. But, Ford only scored the plum part of the whip-cracking archaeologist, Indiana Jones, in Steven Spielberg’s action fantasy Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) after Tom Selleck failed to obtain a leave of absence from Magnum PI.

And Dustin Hoffman was the actor Ridley Scott had in mind to play retired police Rick Deckard in his genre-redefining 1982 adaptation of Philip K Dick’s sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. The pair eventually parted ways because the actor couldn’t see himself in the role, which went to Ford.

And then there was the first and biggest break Ford got in Star Wars. Burt Reynolds blames his agent for what he now acknowledges as the biggest mistake of his career: turning down the role of Han Solo in George Lucas’ ground-breaking space opera. Thereafter, it too went to Ford.

But Ford isn’t the only A-list actor to turn other people’s rejects into gold.

Tom Hanks won an Oscar for Forrest Gump, a character John Travolta wasn’t inspired by at the time. Speaking of Tom Hanks, he was the filmmakers’ first choice for the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption; but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with Forrest Gump (1994). Kevin Costner also opted out, deciding to work on the critical and commercial flop Waterworld instead. Tim Robbins got the part and made the most of it.

Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman and Robert Redford were all considered for the part of Red (described in the original Stephen King novella as an Irishman with greying red hair).   The part was rewritten for Morgan Freeman; and he scored an Oscar nomination for his trouble.

Julia Roberts’ star finally got a chance to sparkle when Molly Ringwald turned her nose up at Pretty Woman. Her on screen beau, Richard Gere, as well as Warren Beatty, were both Oliver Stone’s first two choices for the role of Gordon Gekko in Wall St.

And missing out on career defining roles is certainly nothing new in Hollywood. Way back in 1939, David O Selznick’s epic civil war drama, Gone with the Wind, would have been a very different film had Bette Davis played Scarlett O’Hara, as was originally mooted. According to one famous Hollywood legend, Davis turned down the role, thinking that her co-star would be Errol Flynn (in the role of Rhett Butler), an actor with whom she refused to work.

Of course, all of this raises the inevitable question: what life-changing roles have you and I missed out on?

For my part, I fill several roles. In my personal life, I am a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a son-in-law, and a father-in-law. In my professional life, I am a pastor, a teacher, an administrator, a speaker, and a writer. Along the way, I have been a student, a player, a coach, a team member, a board member, etc… And these are but a few of the scores of other roles I have embraced throughout my life.

I have no regrets in any of these roles. I believe that they have each been provided by God; and that my assumption of each of them, in turn, has been in accordance with His will for my life. Moreover, I do not want to come to the end of life’s trail and have any regrets.   I want to be confident that I was both receptive and responsive to Hill divine will in my life. And that, in spite of my frailties, He nonetheless used my faithfulness to change someone else’s life, for both this word and the next.

Jesus Christ was more focused on doing God’s will than anything else in this world. In the fourth chapter of John’s New Testament Gospel (verses 31-34), the following conversation unfolds between Jesus and His Disciples:   “Meanwhile his disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’ Then his disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’ ‘My food,’ said Jesus ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’”

Later (in Matthew’s Gospel, 6:10), Jesus taught His Disciples how to pray. As he did, He included in that famous prayer this key phrase (from the New Living Translation):   "May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

And there you have it. Given that God’s Kingdom will surely come one day in the future, it behooves us to follow the example of Jesus and seek above all else to discover and to do God’s will here and now.

Little wonder then that the writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews includes in his closing remarks (in 13:20-21) the following statement: “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Each and every day, as you rise, take time to pray that God will show you His will for you. And as He opens doors of opportunity for you, don’t pass them up. It is one thing for actors to come to the end of their acting careers and realize what big mistakes they made by passing up famous fictional roles in this world. It will be something far more heartrending to stand before Almighty God and have recounted for us the times and opportunities we were given to make an eternal difference for Him, but turned them down instead.

SOURCE: http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/movies/what-were-they-thinking-the-plum-roles-hollywoods-a-list-stars-rejected/story-fnhofbao-1227374093734?sv=e2e417993c3e08d2fe42343f032d00a9

THIRTY DAYS HATH SEPTEMBER…

9/7/2015

Another Labor Day has now come and gone. I hope you and your family were able to enjoy it. The Jacksons certainly did. Our children were in town, and we were all able to spend time together eating, laughing, and even playing a round or two of corn hole together.

Alas, however, all good things must come to an end. Sadly, my wife and I stood at the end of our driveway and undertook what has now been a ritual in our lives ever since our oldest first went away to college. We watched each of them, in turn, as they once again drove up the street and out of our lives. At least for the time being. Even now, we are already looking forward to Thanksgiving, when we can all be together again.

When I was a child, my parents liked to listen to Frank Sinatra. These days, so do I. “Old Blue Eyes” turned fifty back in 1965. That same year, he released a Grammy winning album titled September of My Years. The tenor of the album has to do with aging. And three songs in particular, It Was a Very Good Year, September Song, and the eponymous The September of My Years, all speak directly to the subject of the seasons of life.

Now that I am in my fifties, I can understand what Sinatra was attempting to communicate when he released these lyrics:

One day you turn around, and it's summer,
Next day you turn around, and it's fall.
And the springs and the winters of a lifetime,
Whatever happened to them all?

As a man who has always had the wandering ways,
Now I am reaching back for yesterdays,
'Til a long forgotten love appears.

And I find that I'm sighing softly as I near
September, the warm September of my years.

As a man who has never paused at wishing wells,
Now I'm watching children's carousels,
And their laughter's music to my ears.

And I find that I'm smiling gently as I near
September, the warm September of my years,
The golden warm September of my years.

If it is true that life is lived in seasons, then my wife and I may very well be in the autumn of our lives. Our children, having all recently finished college and gotten married, are in the early summer of theirs. Where they are now, we once were. And where mine and my wife’s parents now are, in the winter of theirs, we hope one day to be as well.

Of course, no matter where any of us are in our respective lives, it behooves us all to remember that life is short. Even if one lives to be a hundred, life passes all too quickly. For this reason, we need to make the most of each and every day. For my part, I see this now more clearly than ever. And I find myself relating more and more to the closing verse of the other song about September on the same Sinatra album (September Song):

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September,
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November…
And these few precious days, I'll spend with you,
These precious days, I'll spend with you.

It has been said that every day is a precious gift from above. And for this reason, we need to make the most of every such gift God gives us. Remember, each and every day, once spent, can never be recalled. The NET Bible translates Psalm 90:12 as follows: “Teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.” As I enter the fall of my life, I clearly see the wisdom of such an admonition!

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_of_My_Years http://www.metrolyrics.com/september-of-my-years-lyrics-frank-sinatra.html http://www.metrolyrics.com/september-song-lyrics-frank-sinatra.html http://biblehub.com/net/psalms/90.htm

WHAT IT WAS!

9/3/2015

Well, one of the most wonderful times of the year is here again: football season! While the game itself is a cherished component of American culture, being played at every level from grade school to the pros, it is especially loved here in the south! Indeed, as former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, once put it, for many in the south, football is akin to religion!

And yet, as untenable as it may seem to us Southerners, some people may actually be oblivious to the fact that the NCAA’s SEC (Southeastern Conference) football scheule actually kicks off this coming Saturday. We pray for such folks!

In the meantime, if you yourself are unaccustomed to this time- honored ritual, and find yourself in need of either an introduction to, or else a refresher course on, this great American pastime, who better to introduce you to it than Andy Griffith himself!

Long before he made it big in either Hollywood or Television, he recorded several comedy pieces. One of these, released in 1953, is the classic piece titled “What It Was, Was Football!” I post it here as a refresher for anyone in need of a greater acquaintance with the pigskin sport...

And now you know what football is all about! To see it being played at its highest level and among its most loyal devotees, be sure to tune in to the SEC Network starting this Saturday at precisely 12 noon. And also to yell, "GO DAWGS!!!"

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxLxTZHKM8.