Mary, Mary…How do You Make Your Garden Grow…?

“Mary, Mary quite contrary

“How does your garden grow?

“With silver bells, and cockle shells

“And pretty maids all in a row.”

This ancient nursery rhyme is disputed as to its origins.  Many believe it is a question asked of Queen Mary I of Scotland.  This, according to some, is a nursery rhyme regarding how Mary would help her kingdom to grow in the midst of her often married, childless and dysfunctional reign.

But, what if the rhyme were changed to be questions asked of the church?  What if it were to say…

“Christian, Christian quite converted

“How does the Garden of Christ grow…?”

I know, it may sound a little strange.  But, in 1Corinthians Paul refers to the church as God’s field or garden.  How does the church really grow and flourish?  How does any local church – or the church universal – grow to God’s glory?    How does its growth take place? 

Consider this quote from the great Charles Spurgeon:

“…let me beg you to remember that Jesus Christ is still alive.  Simple as that truth is, you need to be reminded of it.  We very often estimate the power of the church by looking to her ministers, her ordinances, and her members.  However, the power of the church does not lie there; it lies in the Holy Spirit and in an ever living Savior.  Jesus Christ died, that is true, but He lives again, and we may come to Him today just as that anxious father did in the days when our Lord was on earth.  It is said that miracles have ceased.  Natural miracles may have, but spiritual miracles have not.  We do not have the power to work either kind.  Christ has the power to work any kind of miracle, and His is still willing and able to work spiritual miracles in the midst of His church.   I delight to think of my Lord as a living Christ with whom I can speak and discuss every situation that occurs in my ministry, a living Helper to whom I may bring every difficulty that occurs in my own soul and in the souls of others.  Do not think that He is dead and buried!  Do not seek Him among the dead!  Jesus lives and is as able to deal with these cases of distress and sorrow as when He was here below.”

So then…the question:  Christian,Christian how does your church grow?

The answer:  I have no power to make it grow, but the living, resurrected Jesus Christ can – and will - do it through His people.  If we want a church to grow, it will happen by the living power of Christ!

Those Deviled Eggs

Those Deviled Eggs

I once came across some interesting facts regarding the Easter egg.  It seems that the tradition of exchanging eggs came from other early cultures.  Many early civilizations, including the Egyptians, Romans, Chinese and Persians had rituals involving eggs. 

            When the gospel expanded throughout the world, the Church used these opportunities to convert not only people, but their way of thinking also.  The church took the practices of their everyday culture and transformed them into symbols of their new-found faith in Christ.  The egg became the natural symbol of the new birth that comes through the resurrection of Christ.

            Many legends developed throughout the centuries that tied eggs directly to the story of Christ’s resurrection.   One story says that Simon of Cyrene was an egg merchant and upon returning from the crucifixion, he discovered that all his hens’ eggs had turned a rainbow of colors.  While this is a far from fact, it is a fun legend to tell.

Another tradition says that one of the apostles was telling a woman about the resurrection.  Not believing him, she looked down at her apron which was filled with eggs, and said, “If these eggs turn red, I will believe.”  They immediately turned blood red.  Legend has it that this final story began the Christian practice of coloring eggs (particularly red) at Easter.   

So what does this mean?  Should we color and exchange eggs at Easter?  What do the Scriptures say about Easter eggs?  Quite frankly, the Bible says nothing at all about Easter eggs, but it does speak to matters of idolatry, paganism, and false worship.  It seems that some, because the coloring of eggs was a practice used in pagan cultures in the past, believe that egg dying and egg hiding is wrong to do now.

            So, that is the question.  Does a dyed and hidden Easter egg represent idolatry because pagans did it long ago?  In the New Testament the Corinthian church was having trouble with what to do about the meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  The pagan temples, after sacrificing animals, would turn around and sell the leftover meat in the marketplace.  It was good meat (remember, they did not have the local grocery meat department), but some Christians felt it had been defiled because of the pagan worship.  Should they eat it or not? 

            In 1Corinthians 8:4 the Apostle Paul says, “…we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”  His point was that, while the meat had been sacrificed to idols, the idols were really nothing – and certainly they were not true gods.  In fact, there is only ONE GOD.  His conclusion is found in 1Corinthians 8:8.  He says, “…food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.”  His point was that some ridiculous observance to some false god did not make the meat – which had been created by God – violated or bad.

            Certainly, clear immoral acts such as adultery, sexual immorality, lewdness, foul language, and dishonesty are sin.  But dying and hunting Easter eggs in the context of family, friends, and fellowship is not sin.  If one is dying and hunting eggs with the express purpose of pagan worship, IT IS CERTAINLY WRONG!  However, if one is simply celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the Easter season with God centered and family centered celebrations that happen to involved eggs – to God be the glory!   Or…as the Greeks say – “Christos Anesti!”     “Christ is Risen!”

What’s the Difference Between a Preacher and a Prostitute?

The difference between a preacher and a prostitute is simply in the way they dress…right?  No…?

 

 

Well…the difference between a preacher and prostitute is their friends…right?  Sure…!  Their friends have to be the main difference!  But…you say NO…that’s not the difference. 

 

 

OK…OK…!  Let me try one more time.

 

 

The difference between a preacher and a prostitute is the side of town they live on.  After all, the preacher is a distinguished member of the community.  He lives on the “good” side of town where respectable people live.  The prostitute, on the other hand, lives on the “wrong” side of town.  So…surely geographical location MUST be the difference between a preacher and a prostitute.  But…the answer is still a resounding NO!!

 

 

What is the difference?  Let me explain with a story.

 

 

Imagine a young girl entering the drug culture in highschool.  She is incredibly gifted, creative, and personable.  At one point, after she graduates high school, she is offered a job in her industry to travel — as a single young woman — all over the country as a representative.  At that point, she is fairly deep into dependency on heroine and can not maintain the discipline to travel on a schedule that way.

 

She attempts, for years, to get cleaned up.  She suddenly leaves her hometown, because of an arrest warrant out on her.   It is all about the substance at that point, and she will do most ANYTHING to get the money to buy the drugs.  There are times where she may even prostitute herself to get money for the drugs.

 

Years later the warrant is dropped, but the damage has been done in her hometown.  She can never return there.

 

Some years later she is married, and it seems, getting her life straight.  But, it is just a façade. 

 

She has several precious children and, all the while, she continues battling a heroine addiction.  It s an unstoppable demon to her.

 

After two decades of this life, when it finally seems she is getting herself cleaned up, doctors find a terminal illness.  In six months she is dead.  People have spoken to her about Christ, salvation, and eternal life, yet no one really knows if she ever fully embraced it. 

 

The life of the young woman just described seems a million years and miles away from a preacher who preaches the Gospel, has a wife who loves him, children who are great, and a church full of people who love him.  Yet, in reality, the difference between the prostitute and the preacher is not what you may think.

 

In fact, the preacher and prostitute could even be related.  They could be blood relatives…brother and sister.  So, what is the difference?

 

Here is the difference.  One day, as a young boy, the future preacher’s friend invits him to a youth lock-in.  From that lock-in, the young boy (who will be the preacher) attends Sunday school.  In that class, he learns what it means to be born again and is embraced in a group where he fiddles around with the things of God through junior high and high school.  Later on, in that youth group there is a youth pastor who presses the boy about his salvation.  Finally, the boy is gloriously saved by God’s grace as a teenager. 

 

There it is.  There is the difference.  There is no difference between a preacher and a prostitute except for the Grace of God.

 

 

Here is the question:  What would have happened to the prostitute if, when she was 19, 20, or 21, in some apartments she was living in, some crazy lady started a Bible study where many older teens, college aged students, and young singles showed up?  What would have happened if she found her way into that Bible study with all her addictions and rough friends with piercings, tattoos, smelly odors, and crazy hairdos?  And, what if she found herself accepted and loved in that Bible study to the point where she was saved?  Could it have radically changed her life?  Would she have flourished in the industry that offered her that great job?  Would her precious children have avoided much pain?  Only God knows. 

 

But…I know this.  There is only one difference between a preacher and a prostitute.  THAT DIFFERENCE?  God’s Grace. 

Who knows how many families, children, marriages, businesses, communities, and lives are being saved because some off beat, tattooed, non-traditional young people come in to churches, Bible studies or Sunday schools.  In that context, they sense the love of God and come to Christ because of it. 

 

If you are reading this blog, I cannot begin to explain to you how badly I want to see God move in this area, this city, this county, and this region and see a work of His done.  I do not care what the people look like, smell like, talk like, dress like, or wear their hair like.  Once they get saved, and begin walking with God, we will have an opportunity to mentor and teach them about what it means to God — in life, business, and career — to have discretion and modesty in the way they look, dress, smell, etc.  But…right now…we need to reach them.  And…in many ways, we are saving our own lives because of it.  But, that’s not why we do it. 

 

 

 

We do it, because the only difference between a preacher and a prostitute, a Sunday school teacher and a thief, or a deacon and a hardened criminal is the grace of God. 

 

The difference between Judas and Peter was the grace of God. 

 

The difference between King Saul – who turned from God and killed himself — and Saul (who would become the Apostle Paul) is the magnificent, saving, redeeming grace of God.

 

The only difference between David — a man after God’s own heart — and Absolam — his wicked son who died an awful, violent death — is the far reaching grace of God.

 

With tears I think of the opportunity to reach precious young people — not with media, video games, Rave Parties, hip hop, or flash – but just with love, a meal, encouragement, and God’s Word taught by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

I write this with tears welling up thinking about the possibility of seeing some young people saved from the kind of life prostitutes, criminals, or business men with empty lives live.  Being there to be a part of a church and a local body that reaches the desperately lost is a privilege…not a pain.  It is an honor and not a nuisance. 

 

Because, you see, the ONLY difference between a preacher and a prostitute is the grace of God. 

How Can I Pray for a President with Which I Disagree…?

I cannot possibly agree with the new president of the United States in the areas of marriage, abortion/life, socialistic federally controlled economy, and national security that pardons terrorists.  Though I cannot agree with him, can I pray for him?  The answer is yes…sort of.

 

I will continue to pray for him based on 1Timothy 2:1-7.  ”Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ^for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ^ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ^who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying— a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

 But, since this passage is about praying for our leaders in such a way that the Gospel is more freely spread, I will pray that President Obama will come to a true, saving faith in Jesus Christ.  I pray that this true, growing, saving faith would cause him to lead, make decisions, and direct our nation out of a heart to glorify God.  I’ll pray that the president’s life would be so radically changed by the Gospel that his priorities begin to be eternal rather than temporal. 

Meanwhile, if he continues in the direction he has begun, I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts.  I MUST pray that he fails in efforts to make abortion on demand more available and reinforce the culture of death rather than life.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to make America an increasingly socialist nation.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to provide leadership in redefining marriage and the traditional family.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to release known terrorists and embolden the enemies of the United States of America who radically serve a false god.

If he were to completely change in his efforts in such a way that he might be in line with Scripture, then I will pray for his success.  Otherwise, I MUST pray that he fails.  How can any person, whose life has been given to Christ, pray that a leader succeeds whose philosophies on so many social issues are at odds with truth?  God forbid we should sell out truth for political correctness! 

Can you envision John the Baptist praying for Herod to succeed in his immoral efforts? 

 

Can you envision Paul praying for Nero to succeed in propagating emperor worship?

 

Can you envision John the Revelator praying that the Caesar would succeed in stamping out Christianity?

 

I love my God and I love my country.  I desperately want the president to succeed in making this country what it was originally founded to be.  Yet, when his policies mean that life is devalued, marriage is redefined, and justice has no absolute rule of law…I MUST PRAY THAT HE FAILS!

The Most Powerful Man in the World…for Four Years

Below is a tremendous word from one of my very best friends.  Lane Sanders, senior pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Jackson, Georgia, has captured a God-centered perspective of this election cycle.  He recently sent me this post in his blog that he calls FED (Faith-building Email Devotions).  By the way, after reading it, if you would like to be on his mailing list, in addition to A Word from Dr J, send him a note to lane@mbcjackson.org .

 

“Well, the events of the last several days have once again placed politics front and center. Have you turned in any direction and not been confronted with it? To be honest, politicians worry me. I heard about a surgeon, an engineer, and a politician who were debating over which of their professions was the oldest.

 

“’Eve was made from Adam’s rib,’” said the surgeon, “and that, of course, was a surgical procedure.”

 

“Yes,” countered the engineer, “but before that, order was created out of all chaos – and that most certainly was an engineering job.”

 

“Aha!” exclaimed the politician triumphantly. “And just who do you think created the chaos?”

 

That seems to ring true whenever the Legislature convenes. Like Kirk Kirkpatrick said, “Most problems don’t exist until a government agency is created to solve them.”

 

Nevertheless, yesterday’s inauguration was a festive celebration unrivaled in recent history. And for some reasons, rightly so. He is the first black man to lead the free world. Repeatedly, the refrain was heard from the African American community that they never expected such progress in such a short period of time. Not only that, but aside from his race, the inauguration of any President should be a sobering reminder of the blessings we enjoy as a free nation. No other nation in the history of the planet can make the claims that we Americans can. I realize that many of you who are reading this are disappointed at the choice of president, but remember that the beauty of it all is that we get to choose. Don’t forget that blessing from God.

 

The ceremony itself can be inspiring. The orderliness, the statesmanship, the grandeur, the history all pour forth at such an historic moment. The use of Abraham Lincoln’s Bible was especially noteworthy. To see two of the most powerful men in the world collaborating to pass the torch of leadership and the responsibility of a free society should demand our attention.

 

Think about this: We’ll do it all over again in at least 8 years, if not 4. And then 4 years after that, and 4 years after that, and so on and so on. The most powerful man on the planet can’t be the most powerful man on the planet for very long. Power is a revolving door.

 

Or is it? You see, there is One who has real power – real leadership – and there is no other inauguration in sight. His name is King Jesus. He’s been in power for quite a long time, and He’ll still be in power when the last President leaves office. Listen to the worship of King Jesus in Revelation 5:13: “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (italics mine). Did you catch that? He’ll never leave heaven’s oval office! He is “the Alpha and the Omega … who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). He is Forever King!

 

Now don’t get me wrong: He’s been voted out of office many times. The cry of the feast of the governor still echoes in the streets today: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” He’s been voted out of the courthouses. He’s been voted out of government. He’s been voted out of schools. Honestly, He’s been voted out of many of our churches. In case you haven’t noticed, the real Jesus is not a popular fellow.

 

His response? “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:2-4). All the voting on earth is a joke to Yahweh Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts – the real Commander-in-Chief). He will reign forever. In fact, the only reason President Obama is President Obama is because King Jesus allowed it to be so (John 19:11).

 

So if you ever get discouraged over your earthly rulers, remember there is a President of Presidents. His name is King Jesus. There will never be another.

2009

Oxford University Press just recently released their latest edition of the Junior Dictionary. And, as with many dictionaries, words are omitted as the English language evolves.   In the same respect, some words are added as they creep into our modern vernacular. 

Words that were added include: MP3, blog, and broadband.  Words that were eliminated include: empire, nun, and SIN. 

Good new folks…!  Sin no longer exists in 2009.  We could only wish that to be true.  Nevertheless, it is my heart’s cry that God work in mighty ways for 2009. 

I would like to share with you my prayer for 2009:

MY PRAYER FOR 2009 IS THAT GOD WOULD…

R enew and revive me in such a way that, by the end of 2009, I would know God more, love my wife better, train my children more, share my faith intensely, and lead this church more radically.

E nter every part of my life, mind, acts, schedule, business, study, preaching, calendar, homelife, motives, ministry and planning.

V ictoriously enable me to live consistently in the power of His Holy Spirit.

I nspire me, my wife, my children, my friends, and my flock to encourage more saints and reach more unsaved than last year.

V isit my church, and other local churches, in a way that would see revival breaking into spiritual awakening in Middle Georgia.

E clipse my will, my wants, my dreams, my hopes, my visions, my goals, my purposes, and my accomplishments with Your glory, Your goals, Your majesty, Your greatness, and Your purposes.

To God be the Glory in 2009!

From Execution to Evangelism

Over the course of the past few weeks, one story that keeps coming to my mind is the story of Stephen and his martyrdom.

 

Because of Stephen’s spiritual power and grace, he was put to death.  Up to that point in Acts 6, the church had grown and flourished in Jerusalem.  Up to that point, the church had not moved outside of Jerusalem.  The power of God was evident, and according to Acts 2, 4 and

5 the fellowship kept growing as lost people were saved. 

 

You’ll recall that God had called the church to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.  Up to that point in Acts 5, the church had not gone to Judea and Samaria – let alone the uttermost parts of the world.  What could God do to cause the Gospel to begin to spread out into the world?  What would cause these believers, intoxicated with spiritual joy and fellowship in a wonderful assembly of believers, to move outside of Jerusalem.

 

The first thing that happened was for some sweet little widows to complain about not being served as well as the other sweet little group of widows.  The last thing the church leaders want to do is to ignore the sweet little widows in the church, so the apostles had the people nominate a group of men.  The apostles then confirmed the men, and these men began administrating the offerings and meals for ministries – including waiting tables of the sweet little widows. 

 

Later in Acts 6 one of those appointed men rose to great spiritual power.  Stephen rose to such power, that the well entrenched, established religious leaders were jealous.  Those leaders became so jealous that they were arresting and executing this great young church leader by the end of Acts 7.  These religious leaders – led by one named Saul – drug Stephen into the street and brutally murdered him.

 

Can you say “church trial and temptation”?  How would a group of Christians feel when one of their bright young leaders was brutally murdered?  How would GABC feel if myself, or one of our bright young spiritual leaders, deacons, or teachers, were dragged into Elberta Rd. and beaten to death?  What would the funeral be like?  What if the authorities ignored our cry for law enforcement?  What would the next worship service be like…?  It would be nice if those Christians could even ponder the questions, except they HAD NO TIME TO PONDER!!  Paul increased and elevated the persecution of Christians to such a degree that believers were run out of town.

 

Children were snatched up at night by parents who had to run from their tormentors.  Men had to run without even being able to kiss their wives or see their children in order to hid for a time.

Families were run out of town with just the clothes on their backs.

Only the key church leaders stayed to hold down the fort, but many other Christians were forced to run with little to no notice.

 

Now…can anyone imagine something worse than this happening to us at GABC?  I daresay that we cannot.  In fact, I would suggest that GABC has never experienced trial that is anywhere close to this.  How horrible these persecutions were…and yet…by Acts 8 Samaria was beginning to see converts.  Believers from Jerusalem, running for their lives, preached as they went and Samaritans were saved.

 

By Acts 8:26 Philip, who is running for his life, encounters an Ethiopian Eunuch (Ethiopia is in North Africa).  Philip wins this Eunuch to Christ, and this politically connected leader takes Jesus back to North Africa. 

 

Here is the bottom line.  It was the horrible and terrible experience of Stephen’s execution, and the ensuing persecutions, that enabled the Gospel to be spread in a way that had never been seen…and may never be seen again. 

 

Can God take a church’s very difficult experiences, which upsets a lot of people, and see great things done in His Kingdom?

 

YOU BETTER BELIEVE HE CAN!  LET’S PRAY THAT WE KEEP IN STEP WITH GOD.

 

A Thanksgiving Parable

Once upon a time there was very wise and loving father who lived in a village far away.  He lived there with his children who he dearly loved.  Though the father was much more wealthy than any other person in town, He and His children lived a very simple life together.  Life was so simple for these children, because their greatest delight was simply spending time with their father.  Day after day the children talked with their father, learned from their father (they didn’t go to a public school, because they were taught by their father who was the smartest man in the village), played with their father, ate with their father and enjoyed the intimate company of their father and one another.  Their father loved them more than any other father loved any other children in the entire village.

            As the children grew older and more mature this loving father wanted to give them wonderful gifts.  He wanted these gifts to be enjoyable to them.  He also wanted these gifts to come from his own vast riches.  One by one the father gave his children gifts with which they could play, work, travel and learn.  They were each very pleased and very thankful for all of their wonderful gifts.  Each day these children would wake up and go talk to their father and tell him how thankful they were for their gifts.        

            After several years of receiving, enjoying and being so thankful for all the gifts the father gave them, these children began spending more time with the gifts than they did with their loving father.  In fact the father was very sad that his children spent more time enjoying their new gifts than they did enjoying him.  It seemed to him that the gifts he gave them out of his love for them, were now destroying their relationship with him. 

            Over time the children grew distant to their father.  Their gifts consumed them more and more.  To make things worse the children, who had always been so close and giving to one another, began fighting over their gifts. 

            When the father approached the children with the desire to have time together with them, they always had responsibilities related to these gifts.  One might say, “Father, I have maintenance to do on this gift, and do not really have time to come see You right now.”  Another would say, “Father, I would love to come be with you and the rest of our family, but I have to work overtime to pay for the taxes on the gifts.”  Still another would say, “Father, I know it would be good to come by to see you, but I work 6 days a week to pay for the accessories for the gift, and only have one day to relax and enjoy it.”  Some actually had appointments to show their gifts around to others.  Finally, there were those who so loved their gifts they just simply did not see the importance of visiting the Father.  In fact, they would say, “Father, when I am enjoying my gift I think of You, so it is not necessary for me to come to Your house to see you.”  Life…for these children…had become all about the gifts and not so much about their gracious Father.

            After many years, however, the children’s gifts began to break, tear up, get lost, wear out or become uninteresting.  As this happened all the children responded differently.  Some became angry at their father for giving them gifts that would tear up, and they would not speak to him anymore.  They totally isolated themselves from him.  Still others had completely forgotten who gave them the gifts in the first place, so they wandered about aimlessly looking for more gifts.  Another group of the children, who had not spoken to their father much, called him and asked him to send them more gifts.  And, there were even those children who were so infatuated with their gifts that, when they saw the gifts were tearing up or unfulfilling, they began to try to replace this emptiness with drugs, alcohol, or broken relationships.  Worst of all, some of the other children actually left their own families just to pursue more gifts that the Father never wanted them to have.  All of these children were very sad and never really regained the joy they once had with their father.

            However, there was one group of children who realized what they had done and ran back to their father to have a close relationship with him again.  This group of children asked their father to forgive them.  You see, they had learned a very important lesson:  “When a loving father’s good gifts to his children become a barrier to Him,  those gifts can no longer be truly enjoyed.  Neither can a person be truly thankful for them”      

            Matthew 6:24-25,33

            “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.  Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?   But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

A Baby Doll Shall Lead Them.

 

 Statistics have shown in recent times that Islam is the fastest growing religion in America.  I know some who are Muslims, and I have only love and concern for them.  I want them to see that there is only one way to God and Allah is not that way.  I want every Muslim to see that Jesus Christ offers the only way to salvation and eternal life.

 

That being the case, it is crucial that the message of salvationa and Christ get into the marketplace of our culture.  Many Christians are so concerned that they might offend someone with their message that they fail to share it.  But, make no mistake about it, many in the Islamic faith are not timid about communicating the message of Islam whenever and wherever possible. 

 

Do you doubt that?  If so, read the following letter written by Reverend Tim Millwood, who is a former pastor and current Associational Missionary for the Rehoboth Baptist Association in Middle Georgia.  Also, check the link below it for proof.  I have personally checked out the claims in this letter and they are absolutely true.

 

 

 

Dear pastors and leaders,

        Please take a second and read this. I want you to know I often delete emails about suspicious or radical subjects, not because we are not to be vigilant, but because I don’t want to be an alarmist, and because blogs often contain inaccurate information. I heard about a new Fisher Price doll called “Little Mommy-Real Loving Baby” with a message in it’s voice. This has been verified in stores locally by Dr. Johnny Ellison and his wife, Elissa (of Green Acres BC). In between coos and ahs, this doll says plainly: “Islam is the light.” (Yes, they tested numerous dolls and they were all the same.)

    If there were such a doll with a Christian message and it were not sold in Christian Bookstores and clearly marked as containing such a message, imagine the outcry! Imagine a child 2-5 years old who hears this subliminal message over and over. I won’t try to tell you what to do about this. I’m going to pray about it before I do anything. But, I think Mattel/Fisher Price should hear from Christians, and as a minimum, I think parents and shoppers should be warned of this before the Christmas season! I would not pass this on if it were not from such a trustworthy source.

 

 

In Christ, Tim Millwood 

 

 

 

Here is a video of it if you want to see it.

 

http://www.metacafe.com/w/1869452/

 

Be vigilant my friends and keep the faith.

Have you gotten over election day?

On November 5, 2008 the front page of the USA Today newspaper read in small block letters:  “America Makes History.”  Then, in enormous block letters: “Obama Wins”.   The impact of the election the day before was enormous.

 

 

 

The local Macon Telegraph rehearsed a quote from president elect Obama’s acceptance speech that simply read, “Let us summon a new spirit” with a full color picture.

Two days have come and gone since the election.  Headlines still ring out loud with the scenes of a historic election:

In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution it declares:   “Obama shows tactical shift.”   In reference to his choice for White House Chief of Staff.

In the Wall Street Journal, one headline reads:  “In end, McCain played to the GOP.”  Speaking of McCain’s strategy in campaigning.

The World Magazine web site proclaims in large, bold letters:  “Republicans Regroup.”

This nation will never forget this election.  Eventually, however, things will come up in the news that will command the attention of the American people in such a way that the November 5, 2008 election will not be the front page.  There will be jobs to find, bills to pay, kids to raise, houses to clean, and work to be done.  Eventually, whether one is a supporter of Obama or not, most will get past this election and go on with life.  Election day will not ALWAYS command front and center.

Though this election did not necessarily turn out to my preference, I must say that I will joyfully go on with life and pray for the president.  I have already gotten over election day 2008.

However, there was another day, where my election was secured, and I have never gotten over it.  In 1Peter 1:1-3 Peter declares, “

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ^elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

In eternity past, God Almighty set forth a great plan to call a people out to Himself. Those called out to Himself He would refer to as His elect.  The provision and preparation for this great act was accomplished before the foundation of the world. 

And, while God made all this possible for the elect before the beginning of time, “in the fullness of time” He sent forth His Son to make it practical in the world.  Jesus Christ stepped forward to make happen practically what God had already determined eternally.

Finally, on June 28, 1988 God Almighty — after drawing me to Himself for some time — applied His electing power to me personally.  I entered, that very day, into a relationship with Him based on repentance, and faith.  It was that day — one could say — that I personally entered in to the election God had worked out for me.  I am now part of the elect. 

While it may be a little theologically off base to say that I experienced an election day on June 28, 1988, I must say that I will never get over that day.  It is that day that God launched me into an eternal existence contained within Himself.

When some claim anger, fear, or grief over the outcome of elections, I say, “My election is sure, and no earthly election can change that.”  When some claim elation and unspeakable joy over the outcome of a presidential election, I say that I have had joy in my life because I was elected — not the president. 

You see, the bottom line is this.  In 1000 years, who was elected president of the USA will make little difference for the current times.  None of us will be here, and if Jesus has not returned, the world will be drastically different.  And, while the presidential election may make little difference then, the fact that I am part of the elect will make all the difference in the world.  And that, my friend, I will never get over.