Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Captain's meditation on Nehemiah 13:23-24
Here is a thought from my last sermon...
Listen to the setting in Nehemiah’s day.
Nehemiah 13:23-24 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
Here we read Jewish men were making poor choices as it related to women and it was affecting their speech. These men, for the sake of women, were no longer raising their kids by God’s standards, and more than that the children could no longer speak the language of Judah, and now only spoke the language of Ashdod.
Now this isn’t about being bilingual, or speaking another language. The problem was that the lifestyle these children were being raised in was affecting their purity of speech. I don’t mean simply that they were foul mouthed, although a foul mouth is a vile offense to God too, but to make the spiritual application here – the children could no longer speak the language of sound doctrine about God.
The children were raised as many children have been today, where young people no longer call Bible things by Bible names, instead we have corrupted them with cultural relativisms. Instead of calling things sins, they call things alternative lifestyles. Instead of saying Lord and Savior we now mention higher powers, instead of heaven and hell there may be at best a here-after, and instead of moral absolutes of right and wrong we have trained them to speak the “so-called” language of tolerance and political correctness.
Lord help me raise my kids to know that there is only one way to heaven, may I teach them the Deity of Jesus Christ, and words like sin, hell, judgment, holiness, and so on. Enable me to train my children in God's Word and sound doctrine.
What language are your kids learning from you?........
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Listen to the setting in Nehemiah’s day.
Nehemiah 13:23-24 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
Here we read Jewish men were making poor choices as it related to women and it was affecting their speech. These men, for the sake of women, were no longer raising their kids by God’s standards, and more than that the children could no longer speak the language of Judah, and now only spoke the language of Ashdod.
Now this isn’t about being bilingual, or speaking another language. The problem was that the lifestyle these children were being raised in was affecting their purity of speech. I don’t mean simply that they were foul mouthed, although a foul mouth is a vile offense to God too, but to make the spiritual application here – the children could no longer speak the language of sound doctrine about God.
The children were raised as many children have been today, where young people no longer call Bible things by Bible names, instead we have corrupted them with cultural relativisms. Instead of calling things sins, they call things alternative lifestyles. Instead of saying Lord and Savior we now mention higher powers, instead of heaven and hell there may be at best a here-after, and instead of moral absolutes of right and wrong we have trained them to speak the “so-called” language of tolerance and political correctness.
Lord help me raise my kids to know that there is only one way to heaven, may I teach them the Deity of Jesus Christ, and words like sin, hell, judgment, holiness, and so on. Enable me to train my children in God's Word and sound doctrine.
What language are your kids learning from you?........
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Good advice on giving even during hard economic times
Studying and thinking about giving, serving, and finances I was reminded of these profound concepts written by Willaim Booth and John Wesley, that might just still apply today. Maybe it's still worth mentioning to rich and poor alike.
"I give one rule for every head of every home, whether rich or poor, and that is - keep your expenditure a little below your income and cut your coat according to your cloth." — William Booth
"Earn all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can" - John Wesley
"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you can." - John Wesley
Live holy, preach Jesus!
"I give one rule for every head of every home, whether rich or poor, and that is - keep your expenditure a little below your income and cut your coat according to your cloth." — William Booth
"Earn all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can" - John Wesley
"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you can." - John Wesley
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A question, "Have you no tears for Revival?" By Leonard Ravenhill
Note the high praise to the Salvationists of his time - I pray all who call themselves "salvationists" still have tears today.
This is the divine edict. This is more than preaching with zeal. This is more than scholarly exposition. This is more than delivering sermons of exegetical exactitude and homiletical perfection. Such a man, whether preacher or pew dweller, is appalled at the shrinking authority of the Church in the present drama of cruelty in the world. And he cringes with sorrow that men turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and willingly risk eternal hell in the process.
Under this complex burden, his heart is crushed to tears. The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the blindness of the Church, grieved at the corruption in the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. He is embarrassed that the Church folks no longer cry in their despair before a devil-ridden, sin-mad society, "Why could we not cast him out?" (Matt. 17:19).
Many of us have no heart-sickness for the former glory of the Church because we have never known what true revival is. We stagnate in the status quo and sleep easy at night while our generation moves swiftly to the eternal night of hell. Shame, shame on us! Jesus whipped some money changers out of the temple; but before He whipped them, He wept over them. He knew how near their judgment was The Apostle Paul sent a tear-stained letter to the Philippian saints, writing: "I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). Notice that he does not say they are enemies of Christ; they are, rather, the enemies of the cross of Christ. They deny or diminish the redemptive values of the cross. There are many like this today.
The church of Rome does not stand as an enemy of Christ; it traces heavily on His holy name. Yet it denies the cross by saying that the Blessed Virgin is co-redemptive. If this is so, why was she not also crucified? The Mormons use the name of Christ, yet they are astray on the atonement. Have we tears for them? Shall we face them without a blush when they accuse us of inertia at the Judgment Seat saying that they were our neighbors and an offense to us, but not a burden because they were lost? The Salvationists can scarcely read their flaming evangelical history without tears. Has the glory of the evangelical revival under Wesley ever gripped the hearts of the Methodists of today? Have they read of the fire-baptized men in Wesley's team? Men like John Nelson, Thomas Walsh, and a host of others whose names are written in the Book of Life; men persecuted and kicked in the streets when they held street meetings? Yet as their blood flowed from their wounds, their tears flowed from their eyes.
Have the Holiness people set a guard at the door of the beauty parlors lest any sister should enter to get her hair curled, while a block away there is a string of prostitutes trying to sell their sin-wracked bodies with none to tell them of eternal love?
Do the Pentecostals look back with shame as they remember when they dwelt across the theological tracks, but with the glory of the Lord in their midst? When they had a normal church life, which meant nights of prayers, followed by signs and wonders, and diverse miracles, and genuine gifts of the Holy Ghost? When they were not clock watchers, and their meetings lasted for hours, saturated with holy power?
Have we no tears for these memories, or shame that our children know nothing of such power? Other denominations had their Glory Days of revival. Think of the mighty visitations to the Presbyterians in Korea. Remember the earth-shaking revival in Shantung. Are those days gone forever? Have we no tears for revival?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
----------
Have We No Tears for Revival? "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Ps. 126:5).This is the divine edict. This is more than preaching with zeal. This is more than scholarly exposition. This is more than delivering sermons of exegetical exactitude and homiletical perfection. Such a man, whether preacher or pew dweller, is appalled at the shrinking authority of the Church in the present drama of cruelty in the world. And he cringes with sorrow that men turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and willingly risk eternal hell in the process.
Under this complex burden, his heart is crushed to tears. The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the blindness of the Church, grieved at the corruption in the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. He is embarrassed that the Church folks no longer cry in their despair before a devil-ridden, sin-mad society, "Why could we not cast him out?" (Matt. 17:19).
Many of us have no heart-sickness for the former glory of the Church because we have never known what true revival is. We stagnate in the status quo and sleep easy at night while our generation moves swiftly to the eternal night of hell. Shame, shame on us! Jesus whipped some money changers out of the temple; but before He whipped them, He wept over them. He knew how near their judgment was The Apostle Paul sent a tear-stained letter to the Philippian saints, writing: "I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). Notice that he does not say they are enemies of Christ; they are, rather, the enemies of the cross of Christ. They deny or diminish the redemptive values of the cross. There are many like this today.
The church of Rome does not stand as an enemy of Christ; it traces heavily on His holy name. Yet it denies the cross by saying that the Blessed Virgin is co-redemptive. If this is so, why was she not also crucified? The Mormons use the name of Christ, yet they are astray on the atonement. Have we tears for them? Shall we face them without a blush when they accuse us of inertia at the Judgment Seat saying that they were our neighbors and an offense to us, but not a burden because they were lost? The Salvationists can scarcely read their flaming evangelical history without tears. Has the glory of the evangelical revival under Wesley ever gripped the hearts of the Methodists of today? Have they read of the fire-baptized men in Wesley's team? Men like John Nelson, Thomas Walsh, and a host of others whose names are written in the Book of Life; men persecuted and kicked in the streets when they held street meetings? Yet as their blood flowed from their wounds, their tears flowed from their eyes.
Have the Holiness people set a guard at the door of the beauty parlors lest any sister should enter to get her hair curled, while a block away there is a string of prostitutes trying to sell their sin-wracked bodies with none to tell them of eternal love?
Do the Pentecostals look back with shame as they remember when they dwelt across the theological tracks, but with the glory of the Lord in their midst? When they had a normal church life, which meant nights of prayers, followed by signs and wonders, and diverse miracles, and genuine gifts of the Holy Ghost? When they were not clock watchers, and their meetings lasted for hours, saturated with holy power?
Have we no tears for these memories, or shame that our children know nothing of such power? Other denominations had their Glory Days of revival. Think of the mighty visitations to the Presbyterians in Korea. Remember the earth-shaking revival in Shantung. Are those days gone forever? Have we no tears for revival?
----------
Let these words sink in, and ask yourself when the last time was you cried for someone you knew was lost - and then let your tears drive you to action - tears alone accomplish nothing unless accompanied by prayer and proclamation.Live holy, preach Jesus!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Simple advice on praying... by A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer :
"Praying Till We PRAY" Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: "Pray till you pray."
The difference between praying till you quit and praying till you pray is illustrated by the American evangelist John Wesley Lee. He often likened a season of prayer to a church service, and insisted that many of us close the meeting before the service is over. He confessed that once he arose too soon from a prayer session and started down the street to take care of some pressing business. He had only gone a short distance when an inner voice reproached him. "Son," the voice seemed to say, "did you not pronounce the benediction before the meeting was ended?" He understood, and at once hurried back to the place of prayer where he tarried till the burden lifted and the blessing came down.
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience.
Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood. Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through.
Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day.
We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
--Live holy, preach Jesus!
"Praying Till We PRAY" Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: "Pray till you pray."
The difference between praying till you quit and praying till you pray is illustrated by the American evangelist John Wesley Lee. He often likened a season of prayer to a church service, and insisted that many of us close the meeting before the service is over. He confessed that once he arose too soon from a prayer session and started down the street to take care of some pressing business. He had only gone a short distance when an inner voice reproached him. "Son," the voice seemed to say, "did you not pronounce the benediction before the meeting was ended?" He understood, and at once hurried back to the place of prayer where he tarried till the burden lifted and the blessing came down.
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience.
Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood. Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through.
Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day.
We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
--Live holy, preach Jesus!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday's Sermon - Good & Bad examples of fatherhood
To listen to Sunday's sermon now, just click the play arrow here for audio or download options.
For a sermon notes "fill in page" and manuscript - see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this page - next to today's title is a PDF of my preaching notes.
For past sermons or podcasting see the full size sermon player at the very bottom of this blog page. Choose a message by title OR click the podcasting icon at the bottom of the sermon player.
You can also access my sermon player (and countless other preachers) at http://sermon.net/The_Salvation_Army_Homer
God bless your study!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
For a sermon notes "fill in page" and manuscript - see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this page - next to today's title is a PDF of my preaching notes.
For past sermons or podcasting see the full size sermon player at the very bottom of this blog page. Choose a message by title OR click the podcasting icon at the bottom of the sermon player.
You can also access my sermon player (and countless other preachers) at http://sermon.net/The_Salvation_Army_Homer
God bless your study!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Have a blessed Sunday
Consider these words from The Salvation Army Song book #809
Make the world with music ring - Charles Coller (1863-1935)
1. Make the world with music ring, While with heart and voice we sing
Praises to our God and King, Hallelujah!
Tell with no uncertain sound, To the nations all around,
Of the Saviour we have found, Hallelujah!
Chorus: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We shall conquer through the blood Give the glory all to God;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We shall conquer through the blood, Hallelujah!
2. Through the blood we shall prevail, Though both earth and Hell assail,
God in man can never fail, Hallelujah!
Keep your weapons sharp and bright, Buckle on the armor tight,
Fighting is our great delight, Hallelujah!
3. Everlasting arms are round, Walls of fire the saints surround,
Enemies we shall confound, Hallelujah!
Forward with the sword and shield,Victory waits us on the field,
Stand your ground and never yield, Hallelujah!
4. Sing your songs, ye saints of light, Soon we shall escape from night,
Up to glory wing our flight, Hallelujah!
Face to face we then shall see Him who died upon the tree,
Crowned with glory we shall be, Hallelujah!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Make the world with music ring - Charles Coller (1863-1935)
1. Make the world with music ring, While with heart and voice we sing
Praises to our God and King, Hallelujah!
Tell with no uncertain sound, To the nations all around,
Of the Saviour we have found, Hallelujah!
Chorus: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We shall conquer through the blood Give the glory all to God;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We shall conquer through the blood, Hallelujah!
2. Through the blood we shall prevail, Though both earth and Hell assail,
God in man can never fail, Hallelujah!
Keep your weapons sharp and bright, Buckle on the armor tight,
Fighting is our great delight, Hallelujah!
3. Everlasting arms are round, Walls of fire the saints surround,
Enemies we shall confound, Hallelujah!
Forward with the sword and shield,Victory waits us on the field,
Stand your ground and never yield, Hallelujah!
4. Sing your songs, ye saints of light, Soon we shall escape from night,
Up to glory wing our flight, Hallelujah!
Face to face we then shall see Him who died upon the tree,
Crowned with glory we shall be, Hallelujah!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
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