86,400 Seconds Every Day

Arthur Berry was described by Time as "the slickest second-story man in the East," truly one of the most famous jewel thieves of all times. In his years of crime, he committed as many as 150 burglaries and stole jewels valued between $5 and $10 million. He seldom robbed from anyone not listed in the Social Register and often did his work in a tuxedo. On an occasion or two, when caught in the act of a crime by a victim, he charmed his way out of being reported to the police.

Like most people who engage in a life of crime, he was eventually caught, convicted and served 25 years in prison for his crimes. Following his release, he worked as a counterman in a roadside restaurant on the East Coast for $50 a week.

A newspaper reporter found him and interviewed him about his life. After telling about the thrilling episodes of his life he came to the conclusion of the interview saying, "I am not good at morals. But early in my life I was intelligent and clever, and I got along well with people. I think I could have made something of my life, but I didn't. So when you write the story of my life, when you tell people about all the burglaries, don't leave out the biggest one of all... Don't just tell them I robbed Jesse Livermore, the Wall Street baron or the cousin of the king of England. You tell them Arthur Berry robbed Arthur Berry."

Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.

First Thing Every Morning by Lewis Timberlake

Unceasing Prayer

Unceasing Prayer

Fervent, faith-filled, persistent prayer is a prerequisite to God’s manifested presence in a church – James McDonald[1]

Wouldn’t you agree that prayer is the easiest thing to assume and yet it is the hardest thing to maintain? Prayer is usually the first thing our flesh stops when times are easy and the true crying out to God type of prayer is the last thing we do when times are difficult. Without a passionate prayer strategy in our churches we are prone to more and increasingly weird tactics for horizontal relationship building.

“Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” This passage of scripture is a reminder that revelation will come to God’s people when it is sought. Along with that thought we are reminded here that God’s knowledge exceeds ours, yet God is the one calling us to call upon Him. He is interested in our appeal. Revelation comes when it is sought! With that said could it be that “…you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

Are we failing to see the activity of God’s manifested glory upon the church because we are praying for selfish stuff? Keep in mind that prayer is a process by which he is making us spiritually fit to receive what He is already willing to do!

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[1] James, McDonald Vertical Church [David C. Cook 2012] electronic ed.

You Stink!

You Stink! It Is Unavoidable

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance of life to life” [2 Corinthians 2:15-16]

Unless you are willing to become the aroma of death to those who are perishing, you will never be the aroma of life to those who are being saved.[1]

The point of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth were that you couldn’t have it both ways. If you are going to be used by God as a witness to the gospel, you are going to stink to those who don’t get it no matter what. Jesus Christ is the aroma of death to those who are perishing.

Let us not loose sight of a critical point; unless you are willing to become the aroma of death to those who are perishing, you will not become the aroma of life to those who are being saved. How much of our programmed evangelism in horizontal churches is an attempt to avoid what cannot be avoided. Vertical oriented churches move past the methods we intend to make evangelism easier for people that have their heals dug in, resisting what God desires from us – GO! Let us not get caught up in “stealth evangelism” sneaking up on an unsuspecting soul that we are about to pounce on. Following Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 he states; “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word…”[emphasis added]. I want to become BOLD in my witness. I do not want to become a peddler of the gospel like some carnival barker!

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[1] James McDonald, Vertical Church [David C. Cook, 2012 electronic ed.]

What You Believe Matters!

I begin my college class instruction each semester with a statement on the white board that reads, "There is absolute truth and it is knowable!"The subject is "Introduction To Religion In America." Without comment upon that statement for some 45 minutes, allowing time for instructions on how the semester will unfold, invariably a student will ask, "Professor Brackett, do you believe that statement?" My answer is always an unequivocal YES! If there is no truth that transcends time, geographic location, culture, gender, or ethnicity then we are left to self-discovery. When that happens every persons truth becomes true simply because I have arrived at this knowledge my way. In America we call this "Multi-culturalism." By definition multi-culturalism states that every person's truth is true! If this definition and cultural tendency becomes the guiding light for a nation, then the question becomes "If every person's truth is true, can we survive as a nation?"
While we awaken from the "24 hour news coverage" hang-over of the 2012 election, I must confess that I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. I will admit that I woke up at 3:15 a.m. and went to peak at my iPhone for the election results and then went back to bed to arise at my usual 5:30 a.m. wake-up time. This morning I realized that nothing has really changed in my belief system. I have a mandate to pray for those in civic leadership so that we might live a quiet and peaceable life. I still must prepare sermons for my congregation that points them toward eternity and not political affiliation. I awakened to the reality that mankind is still without a Savior and that I must be an intentional proclaimer of the gospel. Judgment is just ahead and eternity will reveal the final vote from a righteous God upon all nations and people. What motivates this belief? God's Word! Absolute truth is based upon starting premises that are time-tested and validated to be plausible when applied to all people, at all times, and in all places.
Finally this morning while we recover from our election hang-over there is one constant that awaits us - the only thing that the Christian community has to offer is to experience the transcendent God that changes what I cannot change through religion. "Donkeys" and "elephants" cannot save you!

Unafraid Witness

Clear, direct witness to others about my own relationship with Jesus Christ beings the glory down. The single best term that describes the way God wants His gospel given is “BOLDNESS.”  This is not the “You’re going to hell” type of boldness or the “in-your-face-confrontational” approach. Boldness is a clear direct communication in the face of potential opposition, nothing more or less. Boldness is not obnoxiousness!

God’s family is marked by this quality. Take note of Proverbs 28:1; “The wicked fee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Peter would state in Acts 2:29; “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence [boldness]…” In Acts 4 the pattern of bold gospel work is repeated showing us that religious leaders were annoyed with the apostles proclaiming Jesus, about 5,000 converts, the apostles stating, “no one else…no other name…must be saved” [Acts 4:2-29].

God grant us the same boldness to say, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” [Acts 4:20] – Now that is boldness – I cannot stop speaking about Jesus! Realize that in Acts 4:23ff we have a report of 1^st century Christians asking for boldness in the face of opposition. How easy it is for the threat of negative responses that muzzles our witness today. However, listen to the request in v.29; “And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants to continue to speak your word with boldness…”

Father, may the boldness of Paul’s statement reflect our hearts in words and actions before a watching world, “I am not ashamed of the gospel! AMEN!

What Is Preaching?

The goal of preaching is to actually preach the message of the Bible itself. Biblical preaching therefore is expounding a text for its main points and the main points are what the text says. It is in this type of preaching that people are truly hearing what God is saying to the church by means of the Holy Spirit and then glory comes down. God gives no assurance to bless our “pyscho-babble,” “philoso-babble,” or “socio-babble.” I know that some may argue, “all truth is God’s truth.” Let us differentiate that all truth is not God’s word. My goal is not to engage in etymological gymnastics but let’s get real E=MC² does not really alter your eternal destiny. Scriptures seem to hint at the idea that “ grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever” [Isa 40:8].

What Response Do We Seek?

We are looking for two different outcomes if we desire to preach God’s truth versus preparing a “religious talk.” One leads to a vertical encounter with the transcendent God while the other leads to horizontal connectivity devoid of the transcendent experience. What was the people’s response to Jesus’ preaching?

• ·      And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” - Mark 1:22
• ·      And they were all amazed…saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him’” – Mark 1:27
• ·      And they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority” – Luke 4:32
• ·      The chief priests…came up to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” – Matthew 21:23

These scriptures do not indicate how loving Christ came across or how scholarly He was. He preached with authority. Peter Berger, Austrian born sociologist challenges my thinking when he says, “Christianity always stands over and beyond any particular culture, and that this transcendence involves judgment as well as grace.”[1] Preaching is God’s voice when the basis is from the Bible. Dietrich Bonhoffer, theologian who died twenty-three days before the Nazi’s surrendered would say that we are not to make the Bible relevant, do not defend God’s word, but rather testify to it.[2]

God has given us his very breath in writing, always true, ever new, and eternally compelling. Preach the authority of God’s Word without apology!

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[1] Peter L. Berger, Let’s Get Back To Authority, Eternity, February 1972, p.30.

[2] Eric Metexas, Bonhoffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy [Nashville: Nelson 2010] 172.