Category: Neal Pollard

THE PROBLEMS WITH PRESUMPTION

Neal Pollard

Unfortunately, most of us are guilty of it.  Some call it “jumping to conclusions” (which, as it has been noted, can be a very painful exercise), others “reaching a verdict without a trial.”  This usually happens when we venture to guess another person’s motives or judge a person’s life without having all the facts.  The danger of this is that we can be certain of our conclusion, then find we have missed the truth by the proverbial mile.

PRESUMPTION CAUSES ONE TO KNOW BEFORE HAVING INFORMATION.  Solomon, by inspiration, says, “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13).  That applies to poor listeners in a conversation, but also faulty perception about one’s circumstances.   It is a biblical principle to be certain of a situation before ever uttering a word about it.  Think of how foolish it is to pass judgment without a full hearing.

PRESUMPTION CAUSES ONE TO HAVE BOLDNESS WITHOUT FOUNDATION.  In 2 Peter 2:10, Peter references certain unrighteous ones, saying, “Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”  They fearlessly and recklessly speak against others, even those in authority, based on personal opinions they confuse with the truth (here is the idea of “self-willed” or “arrogant”).  They rant and rave about the object of their fury based on preconceived notions that they will not clutter up with the actual truth.

PRESUMPTION CAUSES ONE TO SIN WITHOUT RESTRICTION.  This is why David prayed, “Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins” (Psa. 19:13a).  It is a prayer for self-control against willful sinning.  He speaks of this same, arrogant spirit, using a word elsewhere translated “proud.”  Willfully entering into sin hardens the heart, including saying something against somebody which we are certain we do not know with certainty is true.

Understand, presumptuous sin takes in much more than our subject, but includes it.  Its synonyms are ugly–audacity, impudence, and gall.  Yet, it is something against which all of us must daily fight!  It is so easy to convince ourselves that we know what is driving other people or what has landed them in their present circumstances.  It got Job’s friends into a big problem.  Let us remember this rule:  Substantiate before you propagate, and then only carefully and prayerfully!

 

Have You Upgraded?

 

Neal Pollard

A seat in coach may look fine until you see the people in first class with their seats that lay flat, who get chef-catered meals, and the like. That cell phone is adequate, but then you see the newest, smartest one on the market.  It can be the difference between the GM beater and that brand new Gallardo. Most people, given the choice and especially if changing is advantageous, would choose the new over the old.  Spiritually, that is definitely  the choice to make–old man to new man (Eph. 4:22-24).  But have you made the upgrade? Here are five tests to take to determine this.

Your Talk (Eph 4:25). Lay aside falsehood and speak truth to your neighbor because you care about him or her.  How is your speech–deceptive, half-true, distorted, manipulative? Or are you transparent and truthful?

Your Temper (Eph 4:26). This does not mean free of anger, but it does mean a self-control that keeps anger from becoming sinful and wrathful. How is your temper–short, hot? Or are you calm and patient?

Your Tempter (Eph 4:27).  Everyone has the same tempter.  He is prowling and waiting for a way into our lives.  Are you giving him opportunity or preventing such?

Your Trustworthiness (Eph 4:28). The contrast here is between stealing and honest labor, not taking but finding a way to give to the one in need.  Do you earn or destroy trust?

Your Tastefulness (Eph 4:29). Paul has already addressed speech, but this is not about honesty or dishonesty.  This is about wholesome words and strengthening speech, that which is timely, uplifting, and gracious.  Are we savory salt or “poison” (Js. 3:8)?

Whatever you get, buy, or are given in this world, make sure you get that upgrade!  Throw out the old!  Pursue the new!

 

BELLIGERENCE

Neal Pollard

Occasionally, I run across someone whose sincerity and earnestness I do not doubt but whose manner and tack are incredibly brusque, confrontational, and antagonistic.  These same ones seem to frame questions disingenuously, almost as if to entrap you with the information they think they already know or pin you to positions they already believe you take.  They may be quick to want to ascertain whose side you are on or what your stand is, even in matters that can be terribly complex and not so easy to answer.  Their seeming attitude toward others is that they are guilty until proven innocent or that the ones they are examining are innately unwilling to stand up for what they, the “examiner,” believe is the truth.

This same belligerent approach was often taken by the Jewish leaders during Jesus’ ministry.  They would come up with a scenario for Him simply to entrap Him or try and use His words against Him.  Even though Jesus always answered correctly and never sinned or took a “wrong position,” they eventually twisted His words as part of their ploy to have Him crucified.

Ironically, these would deem themselves God’s staunchest defenders of the faith.  Yet, through deceit, manipulation, unrighteous judgment, and the like, they reflect worldliness and fleshly works which God addresses in scripture.  In Galatians five, Paul calls such things as “contentions,” “outbursts of wrath,” “selfish ambitions,” and “dissensions” works of the flesh (20).  In instructions on dealing with one another, Paul tells Ephesus that such things as “bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (4:31-32).

There are brethren in Christ who have compromised God’s truth, and this has sadly occurred in every part of the country.  That is not what is under consideration here.  There are also some who are intent on redrawing smaller and smaller circles of fellowship all the time.  They are using as criteria laws they have made and standards that are from themselves.  No one can very easily or for very long stay inside their circle.  But let us not be bullied or intimidated into thinking that something is wrong with us if we do not walk lockstep with the belligerent.  Let us pray for them and continue to have the courage to speak what is truly truth in a way that is truly loving!

His Name Meant “Comfort”


Neal Pollard

Whose name meant “comfort”?  Noah’s! Lamech says as much.  When Noah was born, Lamech proclaimed, “This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Gen. 5:29). The NIV and KJV, among others, puts the word “comfort” for “rest,” Lamech was optimistic that Noah, would help alleviate the labor pains of farming in cursed ground.

Have you stopped to think about the meaning of Noah’s name and the mission of Noah’s life? What was his task? He was to build the ark, but he also preached (cf. 2 Pet. 2:5). Now, as to how many people Noah preached to, the Bible is silent. One might assume that he preached as far and as widely as a man engaged in such an enormous building project could. Or, one might say that he preached by the example of his righteous life (cf. Gen. 6:9).  The best understanding of 1 Peter 3:18-21 may be that Christ preached to the disobedient ones through Noah’s efforts prior to the flood.

If Noah did preach to the disobedient, and/or admonished and exhorted onlookers and scornful neighbors to get on board the ark, he still was seeking to provide comfort. The thing to understand about giving comfort is that it does not always mean speaking soothing words, placating people, or telling them what they want to hear. That is, at times, a very appropriate and needed response–especially when people are suffering or trying to stay faithful. Yet, comfort can also be the fruit that only comes after a warning or rebuke. When a person is on a self-destructive course, they are destined for something inconceivably awful! What can a compassionate Christian do but try with tremendous effort to steer them back on course? That may be the only way that wayward sinner comes to the place where eternal comfort is once more a possibility.

Remember Jude’s teaching. He said, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23). Sometimes, comfort is in the product and not in the raw material or the manufacturing. Always being loving, let us risk offending now so that eternal comfort can be had later! The Christian’s name, nature, and business centers around that real, spiritual comfort, both for the Christian and those whose lives he or she touches (cf. 1 Tim. 4:16).

Why Ridgedale church of Christ Is Getting Slammed

NOTE: SOME TIME AFTER THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN, THE RIDGEDALE CHURCH OF CHRIST FACEBOOK PAGE WAS HACKED.  THE CONTENT THERE NOW CONSTITUTES AN 180-DEGREE TURN FROM WHAT THAT GOOD CONGREGATION BELIEVES.  DON’T BE DUPED BY THIS PERSON WHO, IN EFFECT, IS COMPOUNDING THE PERSECUTION UPON RIDGEDALE FOR SIMPLY TRYING TO FOLLOW GOD’S WORD.  –NEAL

 

Neal Pollard

In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus wrote, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mat. 5:12-13).  Persecution takes many forms, but if you want to see one form of it simply go to Ridgedale’s Facebook page and look at the dozens of examples of tolerance from broad-minded people as they help that congregation face what the world thinks of them.

An article by Kevin Hardy in today’s Times Free Press online (http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/21/repent-or-leave/), which reflects some basic ignorance of what the Bible teaches about church discipline, unleashed a firestorm of hateful response by readers who are on Facebook and who in turn posted their remarks on the aforementioned page.  My prediction is that things will get worse before they get better for the good people at Ridgedale.  Understanding that we do not have all the facts of the case and would not expect a person in the world to give them to us, what we should do is focus on what is alleged.  A professed lesbian’s family that attended Ridgedale was approached by church leaders after the woman’s mother publicly supported her daughter as she sought same-sex benefits from the city of Collegedale.  As the family’s support of their daughter was public, the church felt compelled by scriptural mandate to ask the family to repent or be subject to church discipline.  The family publicly made their exit and a congregational matter is now being splashed across news outlets.  But, why is this congregation facing such an outcry and disapproval?  The answer will differ from individual to individual, but here are some broad reasons evidenced from people’s responses.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because of the cultural sickness of subjectivity.   One woman writes, “I think the decision makers of this church will one day pay for their sins…” Another woman writes, “I think the Cooper’s will be far better off without a church who punish’s them for not turning their back on their child….” Another puts it, “In my world, my God accepts, doesn’t judge and loves all his children!” Still another says, “Wow! I guess we know different Gods. My God offers unconditional love and tells me not to judge others….” (misspellings and grammatical errors made by the original writers). Others’ subjectivity is more subtly expressed, but here is the common thread.  People think they get to co-opt God and make Him over in their image.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because of society’s warped view of tolerance.  Certainly, so many who commented on that page are not tolerant of anyone who interprets Scripture literally.  They are not tolerant of this congregation’s autonomy. They are not tolerant of the view that homosexuality is a sin.  It is abundantly clear from the comments.  You will read such slurs as “bigot,” “hoping the church burns in hell,” “Scumbag Church,” “group of horrible people,” and more.  This is dripping with irony.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because the average person does not know the Bible.   People speak of God loving unconditionally, Jesus accepting everyone, and that one’s sexuality does not matter.  There is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord in our land (cf. Amos 8:11). Such lack of knowledge will destroy a people (Hosea 4:6).  God’s unconditional love does not mean unconditional acceptance if someone lives in rebellion to His will.  Jesus will not accept everyone.  To the majority, He will say, “Depart from Me” (see Mat. 7:13-14, 21-23).  Apparently, one’s sexuality does matter (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But people are grossly uninformed about the only book that reveals the heart and mind of God.

Please pray for Ridgedale.  Encourage them and show them love.  The detractors are popular and validated by a world separated from God.  Let us have the courage to stand by God’s people who are willing to stand up for His will.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR TEACHING

Neal Pollard

 

  • Take the time at the beginning of class to break the ice, exude warmth, and build rapport.
  • Make sure you have done due diligence, entering the classroom with ample preparation.
  • Strike the balance of being “open” and “approachable” as a teacher without putting out the vibe of vulnerability or uneasiness.
  • Guide the direction of the class rather than letting the class direct you.
  • Always ask questions that are meaningful and not those that are either fillers or those that insult the student’s intelligence.
  • Avoid embarrassing or putting the student on the spot, as you cannot know the frame of mind or circumstances that may be weighing on him or her in that moment.
  • Never fail to draw conclusions and take a stand on matters of faith.
  • Do not overly press personal convictions or judgment calls upon the classroom.
  • Keep the specter of pride away from your heart so that you do not always feel the need to be right and for the student to be wrong.
  • Do not let blatantly false statements by the student go unanswered–speak the truth in love, but remember the utmost need for truth to be upheld.
  • If you make the class interesting (this is the product of study and preparation, including searching for appropriate illustrations), class feedback and discussion takes care of itself
  • Budget your time, neither glossing over or bogging down in material
  • While forced excitement will seem artificial, generating genuine passion and enthusiasm is infectious and aids the learning environment.
  • Leverage the resources in the room, looking to mature, knowledgeable Bible students to assist you in making particularly difficult or controversial points.
  • After properly interpreting and teaching the biblical text, be ever the gleaner for application–material the student can take and translate into daily living and personal use.

42440882_10155829691855922_6925324307383975936_n

The Vicious Cycle Of Pornography

Neal Pollard

Dr. Les Parrott III, in the book Helping the Struggling Adolescent, discusses the four-step cycle of pornography addiction. It is (1) preoccupation (with thoughts and a search for sexual material), (2) ritualization (the specific, immoral routine), (3) compulsive sexual behavior (the culminating act), and (4) despair (utter hopelessness or powerless about one’s behavior).  It is not just adolescents, but also teenagers, young adults, and the middle-aged who are caught in this vicious cycle.

Sin is described as a powerful, but deadly, attraction (Js. 1:13-15). It is described as an entanglement that can overcome one (2 Pet. 2:20).  Sin is destructive, though it promises life and pleasure (cf. Ecc. 9:18; 2 Pt. 2:19).  Pornography is one of the devil’s sharpest tools, slashing and cutting hearts, lives, marriages, families, and other relationships.  It destroys trust, can actually hurt natural, healthy desires, desensitizes the user, and alters how the user views other people.  Many experts say it leads some to act out on desires kindled by feeding the addiction.

The thing about Parrott’s observation is that the hunger so deeply felt by one addicted to pornography is ultimately followed by the acidic reflux of remorse.  However, the pain of remorse is forgotten the next time the hunger pangs are felt.  Each gluttonous indulgence in dark desires risks internal and external trouble like that already mentioned.

Like any other addiction, to food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc., success comes in breaking the cycle.  That means changing habits, retraining thinking, removing temptation, and clinging more closely to one’s relationship with God.  He will help those who humbly and honestly come to Him for help.  Anyone who has struggled with an addiction knows that the low that follows quenching it is lower than the euphoria that precedes it or occurs during it.  Sin simply cannot fulfill.  It can deceive, but it hollows out and leaves a wake of harm and destruction.  True satisfaction is built only by channeling our hunger and thirst for that which is righteous (Mat. 5:6).  If you are struggling with this (or any) addiction, break the cycle!

IN THE GRIP OF A PYTHON

Neal Pollard

What a sad story emerged from Campbellton, New Brunswick, last week.  Two little boys were spending the night at a friend’s house. The friend’s father, Jean-Claude Savoie, owns an exotic pet store and was apparently keeping a 14-foot-long African rock python in his home. During the night, while the boys slept, the python got loose from his glass enclosure, crawled through the ventilation system, and landed in the living room where the boys slept. It was then that, incredibly, he took the lives of the boys.  Reports indicate the children had been to Savoie’s farm earlier in the day and had played with llamas, goats, horses and dogs, but had not bathed.  Officials speculate that the python probably mistook the boys for prey, thanks to their scent.  The parents must be grief-stricken and the snake-owner devastated (via http://www.cbsnews.com).

Perhaps what makes this so tragic is that it involves something physical, that can be seen or at least visualized.  Yet, an infinite number of times over daily, a greater tragedy is occurring. Children are being assaulted by “that serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).  But because his deadly work is done upon souls and not bodies, it is so easy to ignore.  Children are placed by their parents into circumstances that expose them to this dangerous predator with seemingly little thought to the consequences.  Parents allow the “scent” of the world to be left upon their children, allowing them to see and hear worldliness, become comfortable with it, and do nothing to be cleansed from it.  God has made moms and dads the guardians of their children’s lives, whether it is their entertainment, friends and associations, activities, education, or the like.  We are responsible for guiding them toward truth and away from error.

Do we ever, rather than taking that stewardship seriously, become lax and careless?  We sing, “This world is not my home,” but are we helping to make our precious heritage cozy in its arms?  May we all resolve to protect our children from the “evil one,” appreciating the gravity of what is at stake.

Staying On The Rails

Neal Pollard

Without A Belief In The Bible’s Inspiration…

  • Why would I read, meditate upon, or study it daily (or at all) to guide my life?
  • What will be the paradigm for directing and shaping my life?
  • From where will I draw my understanding of Who Jesus is, what He did, and how I must relate to Him?
  • How do I form my understanding of where I came from, why I am here, or where I am going?
  • Why would I trust or follow what it says to do in even a single case, circumstance, or verse?
  • What logical, ultimate constraint do I have from any behavior or act I desire to do, no matter how aberrant or outlandish society finds it?
  • How do we evaluate the content of any word, attitude, or action for rightness or wrongness?
  • On what basis would I accept absolutes, which I must (even if I absolutely deny the existence of absolute truth)?
  • Who or what will be my standard of authority?

One of the most famous movie scenes of all time depicts Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, desperately running, orange prison jump suit, shackles, and all, as a derailed train caroms out of control, rapidly gaining on him, and threatening his life. The videography is spectacular, cutting quite an imposing figure.  A multi-ton mass of metal off the rail and out of control promises nothing but damage and destruction.  As long as the train is on the track, its weight and speed do not pose a threat.  If it is not, the prospects are frightening.

The premise that the Bible is the Word of God from the mind of God through men provides an answer to all the above, weighty questions.  If one refuses to accept the Bible is what it claims to be (1 Cor. 2:11-12; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Jude 3; etc.), then of necessity he or she must choose an alternate guide for life.  It is fair to evaluate that alternative with equal criticism and scrutiny.  Wisdom would seem to suggest choosing what best explains the whole picture–our complex design, moral compass, appreciation for beauty, universe’s order, and more.  What we are talking about are the very biggest issues of life! They deserve our deepest thought and wisest choice.

 

Protecting Restoration

Neal Pollard

Jesus taught that moth, rust and robbers do their irresistible work upon our things (Mat. 6:19-21).  Anyone who has restored automobiles or houses knows the persistent challenge they face in keeping up with decay and loss in those projects.  In weather-torn Colorado, the elements can speed up the deterioration and destruction of items and especially those which are not protecting whether through painting, sealing, or whatever is needed to preserve them.

On a trip to the Lexington, Kentucky, area on this day in 2013, I visited a part of the world rife with restoration sites.  While I was there to speak on the Cane Ridge Lectureship, the Friday of that program is devoted to going to various sites associated with church history connected with the “Restoration Movement.”  Stephen Besson, a physician and a skillful church historian who has led these tours since the death of author Everett Donaldson, led us up to Mays Lick, Kentucky, to the site of the Campbell-McCalla debate and the graveyard of restoration leader Walter Scott.  The first time I was there, we went to the site of the Cane Ridge meeting house as well as the Lexington Cemetery.  That day, we saw the graves of Barton Stone, Raccoon John Smith, J.W. McGarvey, and others.  There is so much church history in that area that tourers can fill their day for many years with different restoration sites.  Once, when driving through Lexington, I found the house of Moses Lard.

The men I mention were intellectual and spiritual giants, men whose plea was not to be denominational or to form their own sect but to get people back to the Bible.  Their efforts paved the way for thousands to leave religious division and manmade doctrine in favor of New Testament Christianity.  That goal is ever-worthy of pursuit!  It is the only viable basis of religious unity, getting back to the Bible for faith and practice.

Dr. Besson pointed out something while we were at Mays Lick.  The church in that area is numerically weak.  Back in the division between churches of Christ and the Christian Church at the beginning of the twentieth century, most of the congregations went with the digression.  Thus, though there are some very strong congregations in the area, there are relatively few.  There are nine counties in Kentucky without a church of Christ.

The church is either sparse or non-existent in many of the cities we read about in the New Testament–Jerusalem, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Corinth, Rome, and others.  That seems unfathomable when we think of their august beginnings, yet it is not that unusual.  In our repeated trips to Israel, Kathy and I marvel at the fact that there is one known congregation, relatively small and in Nazareth. It is difficult to keep passing along to new generations the faith, reverence, and respect for the inspiration of Scripture.  Whether prosperity, education, worldliness, or another factor, people can begin to put their trust in something else while losing faith in God’s Word. When that happens, the restoration ideal is endangered.

Our job is to keep the idea of simple, New Testament Christianity not only in our hearts but instill it into the minds of the next generation.  We must take that plea into our communities and workplaces.  When we do, we will be placing our trust in the only source of power there is–God and His Word!

IMG_6206
Mulkey Meeting House in Tompkinsville, KY, visited by Neal and Kathy in May, 2019 (about an hour from our new home in Bowling Green)

 

From Bellbottoms To Skinny Jeans And Beyond

From Bellbottoms To Skinny Jeans And Beyond.

REMEMBERING THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICS

REMEMBERING THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICS.

WHAT REPUTATION DO CHRISTIANS HAVE WHERE YOU ARE?

Neal Pollard

Reputations.  Cities have them.  Pamplona, Spain.  Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Las Vegas, Nevada.  Cancun, Mexico.  Paris, France.  Mecca, Saudi Arabia.  They are associated with behavior, activities, or events.

Individuals have them.  Consider names like Hitler, Dahmer, Darwin, Einstein, Princess Diana, Madonna, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Stalin, Marx, Gandhi, and Jesus.  They are all names ripe with connotation, whether positive or negative.

Corporations and countries earn their reputation, and professions and products do, too.  The reputation may exceed the quality of what it represents, and occasionally one’s reputation does not do them justice.  But, reputations, once received, are hard to change.

Consider the name “Christian.”  It is a word with a definite connotation for just about everyone.  For some, it is positive.  For others, it is negative.  Sometimes, the problem lies with the prejudice of the beholder.  Other times, a person claiming to be a Christian behaves in such a way as to sully the reputation of the name.

What reputation do “Christians” have where you work or go to school?  Does the very mention of the name cause the rank and file to cringe, roll their eyes, or fly into a raging tirade?  What reputation do “Christians” have in your extended family or circle of non-Christian friends?  Does it conjure for them synonyms like “hypocrite,” “self-righteous,” “holier-than-thou,” or “ignorant”?

Remember, some of this may be due to the prejudice of these individuals.  It could be that they had a negative experience with one person claiming to wear that name.  Hopefully, it will never be because we have done anything to lower the beauty and dignity of the name that shows our Savior’s ownership.  But, right now and from this day forward, we can raise people’s estimation of Christianity by representing Christ at all times by our speech, attitude, choices, and loving compassion.  Mahatma Gandhi once famously said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  May we never give anyone cause to say that about Christians due to our influence!  Build Christ’s reputation where you are.  Show Him to others.

BANES AND BLESSINGS

Neal Pollard

I have not had the heart or stomach to watch the viral video of Karen Klein, who achieved infamy at the hands of the proverbial children left to themselves (cf. Prov. 29:15) who hopefully brought shame to their mothers.  But, I saw snippets of her being poked and prodded, and I have read that she was called fat, ugly, a troll, and much worse by the middle school students she was assigned to monitor on a Greece, New York, school bus.  She was treated cruelly and unfair, shown disrespect by children who without reformation of character appear destined for the penal system and eternal punishment.  It was truly heartbreaking, and no doubt a day that will live with Klein for the rest of her life.  But, she never raised her voice or left her seat choosing instead to remain calm.  She did shed tears.

Out of this social embarrassment, however, has come something very positive.  Various online groups have raised over $140,000 to send Karen on “a vacation of a lifetime.” In addition, she has received encouraging and sympathetic emails, letters, and Facebook messages from people across the nation (information gleaned from Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 6/21/12).

Most of us will not have our problems and mistreatments captured on a YouTube video.  Neither will the kindnesses and good deeds of others toward us be similarly immortalized.  Yet, all of us will be hurt and helped by others.  We will know suffering and strength.  Upon what will we choose to focus?  The good or the grime?

Karen Klein is my newfound hero because of how she handled her “banes” and how she focused on her “blessings.”  There is no indication she is a Christian, but she lives out what Peter tells Christians to do.  Concerning mistreatment by cruel masters, Peter tell slaves, “For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God” (1 Pet. 2:19-20).  Jesus, whom Peter holds up as an example (1 Pet. 2:21), says, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Mat. 5:39).  You will be assaulted, at least verbally, by people of the character of these sadistic adolescents. Don’t let it embitter you.  Instead, choose the high road and see the good in life.

“DO NOT DIMINISH A WORD”

Neal Pollard

These are the “matter-of-fact” words of the Lord to Jeremiah concerning a sermon He wanted him to preach in the temple court of Jerusalem (Jer. 26:2).  God shows optimism that the people might repent, but they would have to “listen to” Him through Jeremiah’s message (Jer. 26:3-4).  If they would not “heed” the words of His servants the prophets, they would suffer severely for it (Jer. 26:5).

The priests and the prophets heard what Jeremiah spoke (Jer. 26:7-8), but it made them so mad they grabbed him and threatened to kill him (Jer. 26:8ff).  If not for the princes and the people (Jer. 26:16), they might have done to him what Jehoiakim once did to the prophet Urijah (Jer. 26:23).  But, despite the threats he received, Jeremiah obeyed the Lord’s command and did not change his message to soothe his angry hearers.  Instead, he told them, “Amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has prophesied against you” (Jer. 26:13).

Today, we are not yet at the point of facing physical persecution and death for preaching exactly what God’s Word says, but it is still not always easy.  Offending the guilty, “stepping on toes,” and “goin’ to meddlin'” can exact a price from the proclaimer.  The pressure and temptation exists to adapt the message to the audience’s lifestyle.  Paul warned of this possibility, telling Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  That describes the environment in many places, including some places among God’s people.  We must predetermine that, whether the winds blow for good or ill, we will not diminish a word of what God commands (2 Tim. 4:1-2).  Not warning people does not change the danger.  It just makes us subject to it, too!  As Micaiah famously said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that will I speak” (1 Kings 22:14).

King Solomon’s Deadly Mistake

Neal Pollard

Laura Elliott, first grade Bible class teacher at the Cold Harbor Road congregation, was teaching my son Dale’s class about king Solomon’s three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines, about how not only was it wrong to have so many wives but how difficult it must have been for Solomon to keep up with all of their names. Laura tells me that Dale’s solution was simple: “Couldn’t he just call them all ‘honey’?” If only keeping up with their names was Solomon’s most serious task with regard to these women!

Reading 1 Kings 11, right off the heels of Solomon’s hosting of the Queen of Sheba and the extremely opulent exchange of gifts between them, we are impressed with an incredible flaw in Solomon’s character. Perhaps Ecclesiastes was written later enough in his life after 1 Kings 11 that he realized, with regret, the folly of such a lifestyle. Consider some things about Solomon’s deadly mistake.

First, his mistake was in whom he had such great affection (1 Kings 11:1-2). They were foreign women from nations with whom God explicitly forbad such fraternization! God knew that such worldly yoking would lead men to fall away from Him (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14; 1 Cor. 15:33). Be careful as to who is the object of your affection – choosing wrong is a deadly mistake!

Second, his mistake was in how he held them in affection (1 Kings 11:1-2). These women of the world were apparently beautiful and seductive. The word for “love” in these two verses speaks more to physical attraction and very little, if at all, to pure, spiritual love. It might be said that Solomon pursued these women from lust. From his own pen, he wrote of how dangerous such pursuit is (Prov. 5; 6:24-35; 7:5-27; etc.). To follow his example today is a deadly mistake!

Third, his mistake was in what his affection for them led him to do (1 Kings 11:3-10). It led him to worship the idols revered by these pagan women. It also led him to ignore God’s commands and even outright rebel against them! The natural consequence of following in his footsteps is the same today – a choice must be made. Choosing the path of sensuality prevents one from obeying God. Obeying God makes it impossible to, at the same time, pursue such a sinful path. Choose like he did, and you make a deadly mistake!

Finally, his mistake was in what his affection for them cost him (1 Kings 11:11). His pursuit of these women cost him the kingdom! God took it from him through the rebellion of Jeroboam and the folly of Rehoboam, his son.

Following Solomon’s example is costly! It will often cost one dearly – financially, socially, and physically. Lacking repentance, it will surely cost one eternally! Yet, so many are imitating Solomon’s deadly mistake!

May we take a page from inspiration and learn from Solomon’s deadly mistake.


SEE PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR EYES

Neal Pollard

Have you ever had someone you trusted and admired tell you about a speaker of whom he or she either thought highly or poorly?  Perhaps it colored your thinking of that one’s lesson, even if only subconsciously.  Have you ever had someone speak ill of a person, castigating their character or maligning their motives?  Maybe, whether it was apparent to you or not, it influenced your view of that person.  We human beings can have such an influence on one another.  Our view and estimation of someone or something can be an overlay over another person’s point of view.  That has powerful potential for good or evil.

Each of us has an obligation to think for ourselves, to evaluate people, preaching, programs, positions, problems, and the like.  It is intellectual laziness to let another do our thinking for us.  All individuals deserve to be evaluated by us based on what we observe first-hand.

It seems the Jews who dogged Paul’s missionary steps were trying to “poison the water” in every place Paul went (Acts 14:2,19;17:5). Demetrius did this to Paul in Macedonia (Acts 19:24ff). Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, in part, to dispel the untrue reports made against him that tainted some of the brethren’s view of him.  What drove these men to try so hard to destroy Paul’s work and influence?  It does not matter.  It was indefensible behavior.

It is a mark of spiritual maturity for one to ignore the gossip, slander, and smearing of another.  Each person is owed the charity of our unprejudiced acceptance before we draw our own conclusions.  It is an exercise in which we would wish others to engage when considering us.  May we have the grace to return the kindness (Luke 6:31).