Calling to Repentance; April 4, 2024


Jeremiah 36:7 “Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord, and each will turn from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

Jeremiah had the unenviable task of calling to repentance a people who were set in their evil ways. Here, he is delegating the specific proclamation to Baruch, but the desire is always for the people to repent. The same may be said for the situation today. Across the world there are people who are stubbornly set in their rebellion against God and there are people who are calling them to repentance. America was founded on Biblical principles, but you’d never know it from looking at much of society today. Just yesterday I was seeing statistics that said that about ¾ of the population claims to be Christian, but for the majority of those it’s simply that they aren’t any other religion. More and more people are honest enough to say they have no religion. Those who seek to proclaim repentance are often shouted down, because people don’t want to even be exposed to any opinion other than their own. That is sad indeed. When and how judgment will come is something only God knows, but it is absolute that no one ultimately “gets away with” anything. All we can do is keep speaking the truth in love, seeking to keep our own lives in line with God’s Word and inviting others to do the same. Chances are good that we will be treated much as Jeremiah was, and that won’t be pleasant, but we need to love people enough to warn them, however they respond.

I have never been a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher, but I must never shy away from saying whatever the Lord directs me to say. I want people to like me as much as anyone wants that, but my focus is to be on God’s approval, not man’s. I have seen people on YouTube who are called to confrontational ministry, and it gets pretty heated at times. I respect them, but I’m thankful that’s not how the Lord has directed me! That said, when the Lord gives me a hard Word, I must not draw back from delivering it, regardless of how it is received. I’ve got to remember that everyone who does repent is saved from eternal destruction, and that goal is certainly worth inconvenience and discomfort and much more on my part, if that is how it works out.

Father, help me be fully faithful to You on every level, walking in Your truth myself and proclaiming it as You give me opportunity. May Your words through me indeed wake people up and cause them to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Schedules; April 3, 2024


Acts 1:7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

An enormous amount of attention is paid to the next verse, about being witnesses under the power of the Holy Spirit, but this verse gets glossed over for the most part. To me it fits with what the angels said to the disciples in verse 11: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” I made reference to that on the 29th, talking about how we need to be fully present in our immediate circumstances, and not daydreaming about how things are going to be someday. Jesus wanted all His disciples, down through the ages including us, to be ready for His return, but we are to do so by being faithful in whatever task He has given us in the moment. (Matthew 24:45-46) Sadly, I have known good people who were totally caught up in timelines and such, trying to figure out where we were in John’s Revelation to the point that they were missing opportunities to represent Christ in the here and now. That pleases only the devil! It isn’t wrong to be aware that prophecies are being fulfilled and conditions for Christ’s return are being met, but that should make us all the more eager to complete whatever work He has for us before that time.

I’ve mentioned before that I have long had an expectation of Christ’s return during my natural lifetime, but I have known saints, one of whom lived to over 100, who had that feeling as a conviction, but it didn’t turn out that way. That age is just 25 years off for me now, which is rather exciting, but I’m not to get all worked up over it. God has given me His Spirit in order for me to be His witness, just as it says in verse 8, so I’m to spend my time making the most of every opportunity He gives me to do just that. (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5) If I will do that, then I don’t have to worry about anything else.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Right now I’m having to get used to my largely empty datebook, and it’s a strange feeling. Help me recognize each task You have for me, regardless of the presence or absence of outside demands, so that I may indeed do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Purpose; April 2, 2024


John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

I dearly love this section of Scripture, and I’ve even written a short book based on verse 21, but I feel led to write on this verse right now. John wrote his Gospel quite a few years after the other three were already circulating among believers, and he clearly wanted to record things that the others hadn’t. The general outline of Jesus’ ministry is the same, but John fleshed it out a great deal, especially in the area of Jesus’ teaching. He clearly had to have the help of the Holy Spirit to do that, but as he recorded Jesus saying in the Upper Room Discourse, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) Here, John gives us his motivation for this major labor of love: bringing people to saving faith. Our over-arching goal and motive should be pleasing God, and nothing pleases Him more than leading people out of darkness into light, out of death into life. We need to realize that we don’t have to be Billy Graham to do that. He was certainly faithful with the gifts and opportunities he was given, but everyone has a different mix of gifts and opportunities, and we are only responsible for what we have been given. That said, we should use all we have been given to please our Creator, and nothing pleases Him more than our leading others into a vibrant, life-giving relationship with Him.

I have long been aware that my gifting is as a teacher, rather than specifically an evangelist, but my teaching is also to lead people closer to God. I’ve just retired from secular teaching, but even there my motive was to enable my students to be good stewards of the abilities they had been given. More directly, I’d say my calling is to lead people into true discipleship, rather than leaving them as people who agree with a set of facts but don’t apply them. I should be good at it, because I’ve had to struggle my whole life to apply the Word I know, and not deceive myself! (James 1:22) It is deeply satisfying to see that some of the people I have discipled are indeed going on to disciple others, and that is certainly the Biblical pattern. (2 Timothy 2:2) I have been slow to learn that, rather than my trying to do it all,  I am to “prepare (equip) God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:12) My studying Coaching over the past few years has been helpful in that. I need to keep learning how to get out of the way and allow those God has prepared to do the work He has been speaking through me. The better I do that, the more God’s truth will get out and the more people will repent and believe, for their eternal salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing in and through this church. We have the annual business meeting coming up in less than two weeks, and we will be discussing plans and dreams for the coming 12 months. Give us hearts that are tender to hear You, and to hear You through our brothers and sisters, so that we may move forward as You intend, in Your power on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Receiving the Word; April 1, 2024


Luke 24:32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

What these two disciples described is an experience common to every true disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, a song we sing in this church has the line, “Right now the Word is burning within me.” We might not describe it as “burning,” but other phrases applied to the experience are “quickening” and “jumping off the page.” It is what happens when God’s Spirit connects His Word with our spirit, and it is electrifying. It isn’t something we can produce at will, but we can certainly open ourselves up to it. People offer countless excuses for not receiving the Bible as the Word of God, starting with “accuracy of sources” to “copying errors,” “difficulties of translation,” and the list goes on and on. However much truth there might be in the specific argument, they are all ultimately no more than excuses for turning our back on what God is saying to us. It can seem really cute (if exasperating) when a little child says NO to what their parent is saying and turns their back, but it isn’t cute at all when the Parent in question is Father God. The writer to the Hebrews said, “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.” (Hebrews 4:12) If we welcome it, it acts as a scalpel, cutting away things that are injurious to us and cutting off things that bind us, bringing us joy, freedom, and peace. If we resist or reject it, it is painful indeed, and seems to scar us. However, if we repent, we discover that those scars were actually blessings, building us up in ways we needed it. We don’t have the privilege of having Jesus walk with us physically and speak the Word to us, but anyone can open their heart and experience the Holy Spirit doing the same thing, whether in private devotions or in a church sermon or just in a conversation with a friend. It’s all in our attitude, which is why Jesus spoke repeatedly of “ears to hear,” both as He taught in Galilee (Mark 4:9, etc.) and after His glorification. (Revelation 2:7, etc.) We can and should choose to be listening, so that God’s Word may accomplish in and through us everything for which He sends it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I am a man of words on several levels, and I am privileged to speak God’s Word to a variety of people. However, if I fail to receive that Word into my own heart, it does me little if any good. I need to be “warm-hearted,” not from humanistic emotions but because I’ve got a steady fire of the Word in me. I am at times sadly aware that not all of the junk is yet burned out of me, and I need Holy Spirit to keep up the work! My goal is for the flame of the Spirit to spread throughout this city and this nation, but for me to be involved in that, I’ve got to let it burn brightly in me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You did in the Easter celebrations yesterday. I pray that Your Word would continue to work in the hearts of all who heard, in the various forms in which it was expressed, to bring people to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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In Christ; March 31, 2024


John 20:17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

This has got to be one of the most mind-blowing messages ever given. Jesus was quite literally raising His disciples up to His level. There are of course differences, but in general, I think we tend to fail to see all that Jesus really accomplished for us through the cross. In my mind’s eye I can see Mary, lying at Jesus’ feet with her arms wrapped around His ankles, and Jesus saying, “You don’t belong there, but standing beside me.” Of course John, who wrote this report, likewise fell at Jesus’ feet when he saw Him in His glory, (Revelation 1:17) but Jesus raised him up as well. There is no room for pride in this, because none of us deserve this treatment, but Jesus and the Father, in the abundance of their grace, mercy, and love, choose for it to be so. That’s why Paul wrote, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29) Of course, that same Paul was painfully aware that he wasn’t fully there yet, (Philippians 3:12-14) but by God’s timeline it is already accomplished fact. This is the tension of serving an eternal God who is outside of time while we are still in the flow of time. However, the better we grasp what is already accomplished in Christ, the better we will be able to deal with all that comes at us in the flow of time.

My father wrote his doctoral dissertation on In Christ (actually, En Christo), and this is what it is all about. He didn’t understand it himself, despite writing about it from a Scriptural basis, until he had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit, because He is the One who brings it to present reality in our lives. I’ve got to be more and more open to allowing God’s Spirit to flow through me all the time in every situation, because only then will the reality of Jesus’ words to Mary be realized. Just yesterday I was emotionally devastated by something that is entirely temporal, and thus, ultimately unimportant. I have plenty of growing to do! Today, with the Sunrise Service, the normal service, a pot-luck dinner, and then our Easter children’s program, there is much that could tear me down. However, on God’s timeline it’s already completed, so I have nothing to be anxious about! As He has told me to do, I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, knowing that He is absolutely trustworthy.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Yesterday was somewhat scary, for me and certainly for Cathy. I’m reminded of what Isaiah said to King Ahaz: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9) Help me indeed stand firm in the faith You have given me, so that all the devil’s lies may be defeated and Your will be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Completion; March 30, 2024


John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I referenced this yesterday, knowing it was coming in today’s reading, but it is important enough that I want to write on it further. “Finished” isn’t a bad word for the translation here, but I prefer the Japanese, which says, “completed.” Analyzing the characters used to write it, that could be rendered as “perfectly ended.” The point is, Jesus didn’t leave this life until He fulfilled everything for which He was sent. He even went to the trouble of asking for the sour wine, so as to fulfill Psalm 69:21. He left nothing undone. That is an impossibly perfect example for us to follow, but it is certainly something to which we should aspire. None of us is here by accident; we all have things to do, which God has prepared for us. (Ephesians 2:10) Of course, the most important of those things is coming into right relationship with our Creator, by repentance and faith, but given that, there are many other things on God’s agenda for us. The younger a person is, the less they are aware of this, and especially, that there is a deadline. This is one time when that expression is spot on! At the same time, the devil often tries to tell us that it’s too late to do things God intends for us. Occasionally that is true, but we have the example of Moses, who didn’t even start leading the Israelites until he was 80! Every one of us needs to ask the Lord what His plans are for us, and then commit and submit ourselves fully to Him for the completion of those plans. They might be simple indeed, or they might be complicated. They might echo in history, or be completely overlooked by others. The point is, we are to do God’s work for us, not what we dream up for ourselves. He might reveal His plans to us in dreams, so this can sometimes get tricky, but the point is to trust Him and follow, knowing that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

This is more and more sharply in my awareness, since I am 75 and have just retired from secular teaching. Various things are changing about this church, and it is exciting to see. I feel I will soon be much freer to travel, and I don’t know where the Lord is going to take me. In the meantime, there are countless “little” things that are to be taken care of right now. They might look little to me, but I have no idea how big they might be in God’s plans. The point for me is faithfulness in every detail, but not from a yoke of legalism. I am to walk in the liberty of the Spirit, (2 Corinthians 3:17) rejoicing to be a child of God who happens to have a white beard!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the people You are bringing to this church. May we fit together according to Your plan, so that Your will may be done for the salvation of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Responding to the Cross; March 29, 2024


Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

One thing that is very clear from the Bible record is that Jesus was never a helpless victim. He endured horrible things, but it was by His choice, not by any hint of masochism but because He knew the purpose for all that was happening, and He loved mankind and His Father that much, to go through with it all. There is question of whether this was actually His last statement, or if it was what John records in tomor­row’s reading: “It is finished,” (John 19:30) but that makes no real difference. The point is, Jesus had a job to do, and He saw it through to the end. I am reminded of a book by Ayako Miura, also made into a movie: Shiokari Pass. In it, the last car in a train going up a mountain comes unhooked, and a young man throws himself under the wheels to stop it from rolling back down the mountain, derailing and killing everyone in it. The parallels are extreme. I say it every year at Christmas, but Jesus is the one person in all of history who was born for the purpose of dying. Everyone else dies sometime (with a few remarkable exceptions of people who are taken directly to heaven, like Elijah in 2 Kings 2) but Jesus came for that express purpose. I am sure it was a huge relief to Him when it was all over. We have trouble wrapping our minds around such love and dedication. When it happens on the battlefield the US gives the Medal of Honor, but those men don’t go into battle knowing they are going to do that. Jesus, in contrast, knew ahead of time what would happen, at least in broad terms, and He went forward anyway. Believers in the 2000 years since then have been blown out of the water by the magnitude, the magnificence, of it all, as indeed we should be. The hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, captures it very well. As that hymn says, knowing what Jesus did for us “demands my soul, my life, my all.” When Jesus gave everything for us, how can we hold anything back from Him?

I have known the facts of the crucifixion for as long as I can remember, and that of course raises the danger of familiarity breeding contempt. I must not let that happen! Today is Good Friday, and I need to meditate on all that means. I have already celebrated Communion, as I do every morning, but I need to let the reality of it all sink into the depths of my being. There are various things I will be doing today, because life doesn’t stop for everyone else when one individual dies. I need to grow in my appreciation of Christ, while I am living out what He intends for me to do each moment of my life. I need to learn to worship while I am walking, talking to someone, shopping, or doing anything else. I’m reminded of what the angels said to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” (Acts 1:11) In other words, “Special moments are just that, special moments. Now, get on with your lives, as He told you to do!”

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Help me live it out, in continuous awareness of Your love and grace toward me, as I let that love and grace flow through me to those around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Peter; March 28, 2024


Mark 14:72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

The other Gospels mention the rooster, but Mark, recording Peter’s own recollections, specifies it crowing twice. I’m sure every detail of Jesus having told him this would happen, and then of it actually playing out, was etched in Peter’s memory like it was engraved in stone. The different Gospels also use different expressions to describe Peter’s response to the realization of what he had done. Matthew and Luke both say he “wept bitterly,” but here it says he “fell apart weeping,” to use the specific terminology in the Japanese. The picture painted is about the same, but I’m sure Peter felt he could do nothing but weep. The fact that the rooster crowed twice puts an extra twist on the story. How could Peter not have realized what was going on when he heard it the first time?  I think that’s a testimony to how uptight he was, how wrapped up in the fear that he too might be arrested and crucified. The sound probably didn’t even register, except in memory after the second crow. It wasn’t that Peter was forced to do this, but rather that his human weakness, common to us all, was in full display. That’s why Peter is such an important example for us.

I have done things, and particularly said things, that I regretted as soon as they happened. Even in the moment, it almost seemed like I was in slow motion, but I still didn’t stop. I can’t explain it, but I certainly identify with what Paul wrote in Romans 7! The comfort in that is that I have also experienced God’s incredible grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I am never to condemn myself, but neither am I to excuse myself. Sin must be acknowledged and confessed for it to be forgiven. I wish I didn’t have quite so much experience in that! However, it should give me empathy for those around me, helping me forgive as I have been forgiven. Again, forgiving isn’t the same thing as excusing. I’m sure Peter was quite forgiving after this, but that didn’t keep him from speaking sternly to Ananias and Sapphira. (Acts 5) As I have commented before, I don’t enjoy exercising church discipline, but I must not run from it. God has corrected me, and I must be willing to be His instrument in correcting others, when that is called for.

Father, thank You again for Peter’s example. I have been encour­aged many times by his letters, remembering his history. I am certainly as flawed as he was, but I want to be as available and useful to You as he was, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Good Intentions; March 27, 2024


Matthew 26:33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

I’m reminded of the saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” We are experts at saying the right things, and even genuinely intending the right things, and then falling flat. We sometimes overlook the record, in verse 35, that all the disciples joined Peter in his protestation of faithfulness, but Jesus already knew what they were actually going to do when push came to shove. As He noted in verse 41, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” That’s why repentance is absolutely essential on an ongoing basis. As Paul noted in Romans 7, we want to do the right things, but all too often fail to do them, or even actively do the wrong things. The amazing thing is not our weakness, but rather that God loves us anyway, and makes forgiveness available to all who will acknowledge their sins and turn to Him. (1 John 1:9) The thing is, we don’t know how we will respond until we are tested. I watched a video just yesterday that talked about how the Chinese military is a very unknown quantity, because hardly any of the personnel have any actual combat experi­ence, and for the few that do, Chinese performance was certainly nothing to be proud of. We don’t know how we will act until bullets are actually flying around us. That’s why God allows trials of various sorts in our lives at rather frequent intervals. Some are so small that we might not even notice them, but overcoming them strengthens us anyway. Some are so big that we don’t see how we will get through them, but as Paul said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) And when we get through those, we are much stronger than we were before them. I keep saying it, but God is not mean; He doesn’t pick on us. Everything He allows in our lives is because of His love.

I remember Sgt. Boney, (I’m not sure of the spelling) a drill instructor I had in Army Basic Training. This was 1970, and he well knew that the majority of us were going to go to the battlefront in Vietnam. He had come back from Nam with one arm and both legs in bandages and/or casts, and he wanted to give us the best possible chance of survival. He seemed merciless, but I could tell that it was all from a genuine desire for our best. I’m sure he never thought he would be an illustration of how God acts toward us! I was told just yesterday that one of the problems with my pastoral ministry is that I haven’t been strict enough with the believers, and that may be true. I know I don’t enjoy exercising discipline, and I have a real aversion to legalism. I may not love the believers enough. However, I remember that Jesus didn’t chew Peter out, He just warned him what would happen. I am not to be accusatory, but I am to be both cautionary and encouraging. When I have stumbled so many times myself, I need to lift people up and not push them down.

Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy toward me. Help me be an accurate conduit of that grace and mercy toward those under my care, that they may be strengthened and guided into the way You want them to go, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Passing On Blessings; March 26, 2024


Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

The fact that the English “you” can be either singular or plural can mask all sorts of nuances in speech, particularly in the Bible. I had never realized, before now, that the “you” in verse 31 is plural, but in verse 32 it is singular. In other words, all of the apostles were to be “sifted,” but Jesus had prayed specifically for Peter. I wonder how soon after he denied knowing Jesus that Peter remembered Jesus had said this? What stands out to me is that Jesus, having prayed for Peter, was confident that he would indeed turn again, back to the faith that had grown over the previous three years, and at that point he had a job to do: strengthen the other apostles. The best counselor is always someone who has been through what you are experiencing. That’s why Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Going through what he experienced, having Jesus look at him right after the rooster crowed, (Luke 22:61) and then meet with him personally after the resurrection, (Luke 24:34) Peter was uniquely equipped to strengthen faith without judging, and the evidence is, he indeed did that. I say it frequently, but our experienc­es and blessings are never for us alone, but are to flow through us to others, for the glory of God.

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. In my case, I have experienced God’s incredible patience, mercy and grace in the face of persistent pride. I should certainly be able to help others who are struggling with pride, and not just by putting them down! (I’ll confess that temptation arises at times.) Going to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, I have experienced God’s provision in what I feel were miraculous ways, though He used people in the process. I am well equipped to assure people that if God tells you to do something, He will supply everything necessary to accomplish it. However, I have also learned that His provision often doesn’t look like we imagine it will. The point is, I am to be a good steward of all that God has placed in my hands, experiences as well as abilities and material goods. I am to be indeed, a channel of blessing, as the hymn puts it so clearly, so that God may be glorified as His will is done in and through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this new season in my life, with the pressure of school commitments removed, but many things for me to do. Help me not overlook or resent any of the things You put on my calendar, but do it all with my whole heart, unto You for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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