Category: Uncategorized

I DON’T WANT TO BE A “HIRED WORKER”

Neal Pollard
W. Robert Nicoll tells us that the word translated “selfish ambition” in Philippians 1:17, eritheia, was “originally, the character of a worker for pay. A hired worker was looked down upon because his laboring was wholly for his own interest” (Reinecker and Rogers 547).  From the primary source, we also read, “…it was a sign of the noble to devote himself to the common weal” (i.e., for the best of others) (Nicoll, Expositors Grek Testament, Vol. 3, 425).
In context, the imprisoned Paul, bound only for preaching Christ, observed his fellow preachers.  Some preached from poor motivation, including, probably, the incentive of “preaching for hire.”  As preachers face, with the rest of society, the escalating costs of living, health insurance, housing costs, college tuition for their kids, and adequate retirement planning, while the world (and even at times) the church grow more immoral and bolder in sin, how easy it is to yield to the temptation to preach for the paycheck.
This has led some preachers to revert to the Old Law, at least in the sense of observing the “Passover.”  They pass over needed sermons such as addressing the sin of instrumental music in worship, denominationalism, immodesty, unfaithful attendance, heartless giving, unscriptural divorce and remarriage, and other “taboo” subjects.  They pass over needed lessons promoting the essentiality of baptism, the oneness of the church, the absolute of personal evangelism, and the call for unwavering commitment.
Please pray for me and for every other preacher mounting a pulpit among congregations of the Lord’s church. Pray that we will never be blind to our divinely given charge of preaching the word (2 Tim. 4:1ff) by a rectangular piece of paper or a financial contract.  God’s preacher must, like the slaves addressed by Paul, “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free” (Eph. 6:7).  James reminds us that where “selfish ambition” exists, “there is disorder and every evil thing” (3:16).  So it will be in places where pulpits are silent where the Bible says to speak.

Where Is Friday, Samoa?

Neal Pollard

Singapore’s “Straits Time” reports that Samoa’s parliament announced they were switching time zones so that it lies west of the international date line.  That island nation’s government makes this decision to get on the same time zone as its major trading partner, Australia. Currently, the dateline runs just west of the main island, making them 11 hours behind GMT and one of the last places to see the end of each day.  Incidentally, 767 residents were born and 43 resident couples were married on December 30th.  What are they going to do?  Next year, they will have a December 30th, but this one is being stolen from them.  Samoa will go from 11:59 PM on Thursday to 12:00 AM on Saturday morning.  That day will be lost!

I don’t blame whatever percentage of the nation’s 200,000 people that will feel gipped of an entire day!  However, we do that to ourselves in much smaller increments all the time.  It is so easy to squander the precious, limited commodity we call time.  We may not rob ourselves of entire days, but we may do so with our minutes and hours.  We’ve heard the adage, “Time.  That’s the stuff life is made of.”  Yet, how many opportunities do we allow to go by the boards?  Some spend much time in chat rooms, online discussion groups, or even Face Book rants.  Time flies and lost souls have not been evangelized, sick have not been visited, lonely have not been tangibly encouraged, and on we could go!  Entire days get lost this way!  Web surfers do the same thing to themselves, as do those who while away their time glued to the TV or their computer screens in idle pursuits.

Stewardship refers to managing our God-given resources.  Time is a fixed, finite, inflexible commodity from God to us.  How are we using God’s golden moments?

 

Swept Away, Enslaved Then Reunited

Neal Pollard

 

Seven years ago today, an 8-year-old girl was torn from her family by a violent tsunami wave that struck her hometown of Meulaboh, Indonesia.  She was recovered by a wicked woman “who called her Wati and forced her to beg, sometimes beating her and keeping her in the streets until 1 a.m.” (Fakhrurradzie Gade, AP, via Denver Post, 12/25/11, 14A).  When she stopped bringing money in to the woman, she told her to leave and find her parents.  She even told her the hometown from which she hailed.  Now a teenager, “Wati” had to draw on vague recollections to find her family.  She remembered her grandfather was named “Ibrahim,” and locals in Meulaboh took her to the man and ultimately to her parents.  They had long given up hope that she had survived.  230,000 people perished in that infamous tsunami, including tens of thousands in her province alone, but Meri Yuranda, Wati’s real name, was reunited with her overjoyed parents (ibid.).

Such reunions are, sadly, rare, but they are thrilling when they occur.  The imagination races with all the twists and turns of a seven year journey that began with a tidal wave and ended with a solemn, yet happy, rejoining.  That the girl would escape death and then survive an unhappy experience far from home is amazing enough.  That she would be resourceful and savvy enough to rediscover her family is almost unbelievable.

How it illustrates the terrible, spiritual circumstances facing the vast majority of this world.  Swept away and enslaved by sin (Eph. 4:14; Rom. 6:16-18), they find themselves in the cruel far country (cf. Lk. 15:13).  Too often, they never find their way to the Father.  However, when they do search for Him, they find Him (Ac. 17:27)!  It sets off a joyful celebration in the Father’s House (Lk. 15:25ff)!  The Father never ceases hoping and longing for the return of the wayward ones, but we must come back to Him.  What a happy ending is made when we are reunited with the loving, waiting Father!

The Dignity Of Snow (POEM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neal Pollard

A dusky silent morn, white blanket on the ground,

The earth with powder to adorn, a heaping, icy mound.

No worldly voices heard, no bustling bodies stirred,

Just God’s master portrait, as the land He gently girds.

The clouds He made to flurry, to drop its winter moisture,

With white the ground to bury flakes in a fluffy cluster.

Refreshing and replenishing, a landscape with downy finishing,

Behold the omnipotent picture, nothing the beauty diminishing.

Its purity is simplicity, it covers the dirt and the gloom.

It tells us all implicitly of God’s power to clean and groom.

Clean and distinctly bright, a terrestrial tint of white

See the Savior’s snapshot, a solemn, soothing sight.

Another “Scandal” Involving A College Football Coach!

Neal Pollard

Everyone knows about the tragic situation at Penn State and even one involving Syracuse’s basketball coach.  Ohio State just received punishment for its misdeeds.  The list of university’s punished for transgressions is lengthy, with new investigations seemingly starting every month.  Add my beloved University of Georgia to the list, thanks to head coach Mark Richt.  He was sanctioned for NCAA rules violations in an issue investigators closed on November 30th.  Of course, it had to do with money.  Here is what Mr. Richt had the audacity to do: he paid several staffers (he felt were not adequately compensated by the school) out of his own pocket.  He paid coaches, the director of player development, director of sports medicine, video coordinators, and other assistants more than $60,000 of his own money.

That’s refreshing!  I know that Richt can afford to do that better than you and I can, but it still represents uncommon generosity.  He did not have to do this.  He was concerned about those he deemed under-compensated, and he gave to them.  Neither the university nor Richt were fined or penalized, but he was reprimanded.  The casual observer of college and professional athletics, where selfishness too often prevails, might secretly hope for a rash of Richt-like behavior.

You and I have the power to do this.  To some degree, we all can do it financially.  It may be a $20 sent anonymously in a card to someone in need.  It may be generously stocking the church pantry.  It may be taking a meal to a family.  It may be contributing money to missionaries at year’s end.

Yet, we can be generous in ways that do not involve money and have the same impact.  It may be a visit, babysitting, housecleaning, providing transportation, or the like.  But, going about doing good (cf. Ac. 20:35; Gal. 6:10) catches people off-guard.  In an “I-me-my” world, Christians can have the element of surprise simply by acts of kindness.  Let’s!

What Does God Want From Us?

Neal Pollard

The words might be bewilderingly spoken in frustration, through a voice broken by the tears of trial or temptation, or from a puzzlement borne of a lack of adequate information.  But, many times over, men have asked the question posed by Moses in Deuteronomy 10:12.  “What does the Lord your God require of you?”  What does He want from us anyway?

Micah knew what the answer was not.  Rhetorically, he asks, “Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Mic. 6:7).  The obvious answer is “no.”  The first idea is finally and logistically prohibitive.  The second idea, though the greatest sacrifice a human could make, is spiritually repulsive to God.  So, if we cannot pay our own debt, what does God want from us?

He wants an AWE (Dt. 10:12–“Fear the Lord your God”).  He rejects flippant, heartless, lackadaisical, bored, and faithless approaches, but He praises the one who falls before Him in godly fear (Heb. 12:28).  God calls such “blessed” (Ps. 128:1), “life-giving” (Pr. 10:27; 14:27), “preserving” (Pr. 16:6), “growth-inducing” (Ac. 9:31), and “persuasive” (2 Cor. 5:11).

He wants an ACT (Dt. 10:12–“Walk in all His ways”).  Lip-service (cf. Isa. 29:13) apart from living sacrifice (Rm. 12:1) sickens God!  Notice, He does not want partial obedience.  He expects us to walk in all His ways!  We do not get to follow God on our own terms.  He wants full obedience!

He wants an AFFECTION (Dt. 10:12–“love Him”).  This is the first, greatest command (Mt. 22:37).  God modeled the kind of love He wants reciprocated (1 Jn. 4:19).  He is not satisfied with a cold, aloof “relationship.”  Jesus is proof positive that He wants intimacy and closeness.

He wants an ATTITUDE (Dt. 10:12–“Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”).  Man wants to receive.  He wants to be “king of the mountain.”  He wants happiness and fulfillment at the price of another.  God wants us to give, humble self, and consider what others need (Ph. 2:4).  In fact, He calls this “great” (Mt. 20:26-28).

He wants an APPLICATION (Dt. 10:13–“Keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes”).  Intellectual assent, alone, is insufficient.  He wants His truth to live in our lives!  He wants His will to play out in our thoughts, words, and deeds (Lk. 6:46; Mt. 7:21ff).

Why does God want all of this from us?  The answer is simple, profound, but not surprising, the better we understand God.  Moses says all of these divine expectations are “for your good” (Dt. 10:13).  God wants from us only what will help us be the very best individuals we can be.  That is not possible unless we are spiritually OK.  More than anything, that is what God wants for us!

TEBOW’S IMPACT ON CHURCHES?

Neal Pollard

Wait a minute!  This is not “another story on Tim Tebow”… per se.  I have used great restraint in not writing about the Denver quarterback, but this is a bit different.  Over the weekend, we received a phone call from the New York Daily.  Columnist Erik German was working on a story about the impact Tebow has had on churches in the Denver area.

That made me wonder.  The very question is a commentary on our times.  Tebow, very openly, unashamedly devout, is making waves at water coolers everywhere.  This story is bigger than Denver.  As big as his winning ways is his attempt to glorify God whenever given the opportunity.  It is hard to describe how exciting it is to have such a positive role model being given such prominence.  But, again, why the question?

Maybe the Bear Valley congregation is an aberration.  Maybe other congregations of the Lord’s people are having streams of people drop in because of Tebowmania or even Tebowing.  Maybe the denominations are feeling a similar impact.  Maybe we have had people stop by our services because of this phenomenon, but just chose not to tell us. But, so far as I know, we have not been the benificiary of this ballplayer’s bold beliefs.

But, here is the point.  We already have a “Mile High Messiah.”  All indications are that He has no direct interest in the outcome of football games or other athletic contests.  If it takes Tebow (or any other celebrity) to put us “on the map” with the community, then maybe we should ask ourselves where we have been before now.  What we have in Christ and what Christ wants to offer the world far transcends what anybody else has to offer.

Maybe Tebow will inspire those of us who know and have obeyed the truth to shine the light brighter than ever.  Maybe we will be unashamed to tell them the good news. Maybe this will wake us up to the power of our collective influence.  Maybe we will sustain such zeal and boldness, no matter what number 15 does on the playing field.  Let us pray to that end!

FIVE MEMBERS I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE

Neal Pollard

THE ENCOURAGER.  This selfless person is always looking for a back to pat or a hand to lift.  He or she is intent on others being appreciated for their contribution to the Lord’s work.  These have a knack for doing so actively and genuinely.

THE UPBEAT.  This smiling person has not had fewer surgeries, health issues, or reverses of life (in fact, many times they have had more than their share).  Though you know they are suffering, if you ask them how they are you hear a silver-lining answer and see a twinkle in their eyes that betrays hope and optimism.  They seem focused on heaven, not their hurts.

THE WORKER.  This serving person does not have more leisure time or fewer potential life interests, but you will see them often between services, at church gatherings, at all the services, and wherever help is needed.  Their energy and time reserve seems endless, and without them the needs of hurting members would go unmet, the souls of lost people would go untaught, and the jobs for all members would go undone.

THE STEADY.  This steadfast person is not immune from long days at work, times of tiredness, family obligations, and other diversions.  They are not above the ups and downs and highs and lows of life.  But, whenever the doors are open, they are present.  They do not blow hot and cold.  They see the Christian race as a marathon, one which they are not about to quit.  They just keep a constant, methodical pace.  They may not be the most outspoken, vivacious, or even talented spark-plug in the congregation.  They just keep going and going and going.

THE TENDER.  This sweet person is on the phone, on the move, or at the pew, with caring spirit, tending to the cares and concerns of others.  No doubt these same members are the mightiest prayer warriors in the church, those who love with a pure heart fervently.  They grasp the concept that we are a family, and they love in deed and not just in tongue.  You know they genuinely care about you.  In fact, you may have them to thank in part if you stand at the Lord’s right hand some day.

Think about these five members.  Did you have other names, specific first and last names, that you would substitute for the five names mentioned?  Where would your name go?  In place of any of those five, or would you have to look elsewhere?  It’s a choice we all make.  How do we want to be seen?

“Thou Shalt Not Steal”

Neal Pollard

 

It is such a problem that there are companies who specialize in creating systems to monitor, prevent, and thereby punish it.  Statistics and estimates abound concerning the massive problem it is, not only in this nation but in businesses and corporations across the globe.  It goes by the name “time theft,” a term used to describe employees who steal time from their employers.  This can happen through a variety of ways:

  • Showing up late and/or leaving early.
  • Slowing down the work pace to get to overtime pay scales
  • Using company time to conduct another business
  • Using company time to conduct personal business (bill paying, checkbook reconciling, and other such activity that is not “made up”)
  • Excessive use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, web surfing, fantasy sports leagues, online games and quizzes, etc.)
  • Excessive personal phone time (whether voice or texting)
  • Taking long lunch hours and breaks
  • Daydreaming, excessive socializing with other employees, and even sleeping on the job.

No doubt, other items could be added to this list.  Acroprint of Raleigh, North Carolina, goes so far to say that such “occurs in every organization with a payroll.”  They also cite “a leading authority on employment issues” that asserts “the average employee ‘steals’ approximately 54 minutes per day, or 4.5 hours per week, from his/her employer”

(www.acroprint.com)!

Certainly, everyone of us has been guilty of that from time to time.  But, as Christians, we should be averse to making such the pattern and habit of our work ethic.  The Bible, in both testaments, warns against stealing.  Paul warned, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Eph. 4:28). He also said, “We have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (2 Cor. 8:21).

As Christians, we should work hard to avoid stealing anything, including time, from our employers.  We should also realize that all sin is ultimately against God.  None of us will do this perfectly, but may we make the proper use of our time so that our pay is earned rather than stolen!

GO ABOUT DOING GOOD

Neal Pollard

One good man told another good man that the Greatest Man “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).  In the midst of a statement about His Deity and His power, this profound principle still stands out about His deeds.  Obviously, Jesus would not go about doing evil (1 Pet. 2:22), but neither would He settle for mediocrity and uninvolvement.  He was the proactive Prince of Peace!

Of course, He wants us to follow Him (cf. Mt. 4:19; 1 Co. 11:1; 1 Pet. 2:21).  As His followers, we must go about doing good.  When we consider what scripture says about our doing good, it should make us eager to be a full-fledged participant.  Consider:

  • Doing good brings glory to God (Mt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:12).
  • Doing good makes us rich in the only way that counts (1 Tim. 6:18).
  • Doing good is the pathway to the resurrection of life (Jn. 5:29).
  • Doing good proves that we are owned by God (Titus 2:14).
  • Doing good is how we show that we are fruitful (Titus 3:14).
  • Doing good is how to show yourself as the right kind of example (Titus 2:7).
  • Doing good will eventually reap wonderful benefits (Gal. 6:9).
  • Doing good pleases God (Heb. 13:16).
  • Doing good results in eternal life (Rom. 2:7).
  • Doing good is learned behavior (Isa. 1:17).
  • Doing good is an ever-present opportunity (Mk. 14:17).
  • Doing good comes with a window of opportunity (Gal. 6:10).
  • Doing good helps one love life and see good days (1 Pet. 3:10-11).

Look at the blessings attached to doing good.  It brightens others’ lives.  It enriches our own lives.  It brings eternal life.  It pleases the One who is “The Life” (cf. Jn. 14:6).  Doing good is truly the good life and the only life.  It may be a word, a smile, an action, a favor, a sacrifice, a gift, or a prayer.  It may take a moment.  It may take much longer.  Do it to make others happy, to contribute to your own happiness, and to make God happy.  Most importantly, just do it!

It’s Dangerous For YOU To Text And Drive!

Neal Pollard

Today’s Denver Post revealed the findings of a national study released this week (via AP, 12/9/11, 6-A).  Among the findings are that half of all American drivers between 21-24 have texted while driving, 44% of those between 18-20, 26% of those between 25-34, and nearly 20% of those 35-44.  Overall, almost one in five male and female drivers are texting while driving.  What is telling is that 90% of all interviewed say that they feel unsafe as passengers when someone else is texting or emailing while behind the wheel!  Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says, “Everyone thinks he or she is an above-average driver–it’s all the nuts out there who need educating” (ibid.).

Perhaps it is simply human nature to have a myopic (i.e., lack of clear insight) view of our faults versus others’.  We can see with 20/20 clarity the faults and shortcomings of others while being virtually blind to the same qualities in our own lives.  In fact, we can be hardest on the faults of others with which we struggle most mightily.  While Matthew 7:1-5 is one of the most abused passages in scripture, is this at least in part what Jesus is considering in the matter of unrighteous judgment?  Certainly, we may be looking at a completely unrelated, speck-sized fault from our own beam-sized failure when we engage in hypercriticism and unholy judgment.  Yet, how often are they similar or even identical?

The answer is not letting the sins of others “slide,” to compromise or ignore unrighteousness.  The answer is to temper our criticism and condemnation with humility and self-awareness.   This will help us avoid looking as though we are coming from a “holier than thou” position.  Sin is hideous to God, and it will cost the souls of the majority of mankind (Mat. 7:13-14).  It is so disdainful to God that He cannot look at it (Hab. 1:13).  It cost the life’s blood of the Son He sent to earth to save us from its awful clutches (cf. Ac. 20:28).  But, when we remember that our sin looks equally deplorable in His perfect sight, we will have the compassion and clarity of sight needed to help others fight the same battle we ourselves fight (Gal. 6:1-2).

A COUPLE OF FAMILIAR STORIES AND A PHILOSOPHY

Neal Pollard

You have heard the story about the “man on the wall.”  A traveler down the road reaches the city where a sage sits at its gate.  The traveler is thinking of moving to this city, but wants to know more about it.  He asks the sage, “What kind of people do you have in this town?”  The sage responds, “Well, what kind of people do you have in the town from which you come?”  The traveler retorts, “Oh, they are snobbish, selfish, cruel, hateful, and unkind.”  The sage says, “You will find the same in this city.”  Before long, another traveler reaches the city gate and has the same interest as the first man.  He asks the sage, “What kind of people do you have in this town?”  Again, the sage replies, “Well, what kind of people do you have in the town from which you come?”  The traveler thinks, then quips, “Oh, they are helpful, kind, charitable, and pleasant!”  The sage says, “You will find the same in this city.”

Another well-traveled story is that of the man, his son, and their donkey.  They are making a long journey, and begin with both of them on the back of this beast of burden.  They reach the first city, and people say, “Such cruel people to weigh down that animal so!”  Struck by those words, they decided to make a change.  The father climbed down and walked alongside the donkey, which carried his son.  At the next town, the citizens loudly denounced the situation: “How could that healthy young man so mistreat his father and relegate him to walking?”  Embarrassed, the son and father switched places.  At the next town, critics chided this arrangement, too.  “What an abusive father, to force his son to walk while he rides in luxury?”  Flabbergasted, the two concocted their solution.  Both walked, guiding the donkey as they went.  The townspeople they next encountered laughed them to scorn, saying, “What foolish men, to have such an animal and not make use of him!”

The common thread in these two stories is attitude.  One illustrates the attitude we have in life while the other should brace us to handle the attitudes of others.  One encourages having a proper outlook, while the other encourages us to properly handle the “in-look” of others.  While the moral of the second is that we will never please everyone, the moral of the first is that we are in charge of our own happiness and joy.

Attitude may seem like such a minor thing, but it is the fulcrum of either success or failure, happiness or unhappiness.  Ultimately, nobody else can make you one or the other.  You are in charge of that!  “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart” (Ps. 32:11).  Paul said it best: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Phil. 4:11b).  Choose the route of optimism and hope.  As those in Christ, how could we find ourselves anywhere else?

“EX-CHURCH-OF-CHRIST” AND GENTLENESS

Neal Pollard

There are a couple of web sites out there regarding churches of Christ.  While I do not have the time to read every page and all content, I spent some time looking at them in-depth.  These sites have the following in common regarding their view of churches of Christ.

(1) They vehemently affirm that we are a denomination.

(2) They insinuate or explicitly say that we are a cult or close to a cult.

(3) They point out that we defend what we teach and practice with “ad hominem” (i.e., personal and character) attacks or with hateful, abrasive speech.

Given that we have no convention, headquarters, or central, governing body, no one of us can speak on behalf of every congregation or even every member of a congregation.  Thus, I will not say that there are not congregations that have become denominational or even a denomination.  Regarding denominationalism, what I can say is what I believe and teach (and what many others do).  I do not rest my “heritage” in the life and works of Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, or any other man but Jesus.  What I teach is that we need to get “before” Catholicism and Protestantism, striving to teach and follow what New Testament Christians did.  Is it possible to worship, teach the same way to salvation, and hold the same moral ideals and principles that the New Testament reveals that the first Christians did?

Regarding the charge of being a cult, religious experts on the subject, like Martin or Ankerberg and Weldon, define and describe a cult in great detail.  Their description has been generally accepted as factual and logical.  A cult is defined as a group of people who follow a person or that person’s interpretation of the Bible (Mary Baker Eddy, Joseph Smith, Jim Jones, or David Koresh).  They consider their own writings of equal authority with the Bible.  They redefine the most basic of Bible doctrines of concepts, including the Godhead, the deity of Christ, human suffering, and works.  Their redefinition has no roots or resemblance to revealed scripture. They also work through excessive spiritual or psychological regulation or dependence (A&W, XXII). These do not even come close to describing mainstream churches of Christ.

However, let me say something about that last charge.  Too often, well-meaning, passionate members of the church have been guilty of lacking adequate kindness and gentleness in responding to individuals like those responsible for the aforementioned websites.  I can understand righteous indignation and love for Christ and His church.  But, let us remember that it is never right to do wrong.  To personally attack anyone, to allow righteous anger to become sinful anger, to be insulting, demeaning, ridiculing, or sarcastic is unjustifiable.  Any defense of such tactics falls short of the ethical and moral standard taught in the New Testament.  I have often heard it said, and I agree, that “if you’re not kind, you’re the wrong kind” or “you can be right, but be wrong.”  Let us study more and sting less, being more knowledgeable and less nasty.  Divine truth is powerful enough to stand on its own merit.  Let us “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) and be known for our love (Jn. 13:34-35).  It is our most powerful weapon to fight those first two, false charges.

IT’S SELFISHNESS

Neal Pollard

Wendell Winkler talked about counseling in our “Preacher And His Work” class, a course it is my privilege now to teach at the Bear Valley Bible Institute.  Specifically, brother Winkler was speaking about marriage counseling.  Discussing that the details would always be unique, he told us that the issue was almost always the same:  “selfishness.”  While it might not be a problem with both spouses when there is a problem, he contended that at least one of the two would have a fundamental difficulty with selfishness.  He ran us through a simulated conversation.  The preacher asks, “What seems to be the problem?”  The wife would begin, “He doesn’t listen to me.  I am unhappy.  He never considers my feelings…”  The husband would break in, “Preacher, she has it all wrong.  I do everything I can for her, and she doesn’t appreciate me.  She doesn’t care what this is doing to my happiness….”

It is so fundamental and simple that such an observation seems like profound brilliance.  Our problems, more often than not, are that we find ourself “me deep” in self.  What a terrible place in which to find ourselves stuck.  The only way to be free is to think of others, putting them before ourselves.  Most church problems, family problems, and individual sin problems would disappear if we could conquer that basic inclination to be self-centered, self-absorbed, and self-preserving.

I am amazed that some people can go an entire lifetime focused on self.  They are inevitably miserable, and they too often succeed in contributing misery to others.  Let us resolve to follow in Jesus’ steps, actively seeking the good will and happiness of others.  Ironically, it is the surest path to our own happiness and success.

SHALLOW

Neal Pollard

I don’t remember my dad or mom specifically counseling me to this end, but I remember being guided to look for a wife that had substance, “gumption,” and common sense.  God certainly blessed me with such a woman.  Certain words, “ditzy,” vacuous, superficial, and frivolous, are not flattering terms.  Such is not a quality that should draw a man or woman toward a life’s mate.  It is different than gullibility, unintelligence, and lacking in common sense.  It speaks to one who has little beneath the surface.

More grave and serious is the condition of spiritual shallowness. Certain disappointing words and actions give evidence of its existence, even among children of God.  The price of it is greater than an unhappy, dissatisfying marriage or other relationship.  Souls are certainly at stake.

Consider, as an example, church attendance.  The attitude that says, “Do I have to come?,” reveals a lack of spiritual depth.  Look at David’s depth, who exclaimed, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord'” (Ps. 122:1).  Contrast that with the one who dreads or resents attending.  A life that approaches attendance as a substitute for holy living or a real relationship with Christ is a shallow one.  Jeremiah’s peers had a shallow attitude toward worship and assembling.  The prophet says, “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered !’-that you may do all these abominations?” (7:9-10).  Jesus laments the shallow religion of those whose lips and mouths were engaged, but whose hearts and minds were disengaged (Matt. 15:8-9).  Woe to the one who says, “Do I have to?” rather than, “I get to!”

Some choose not to come at all.  Some come when they feel like coming.  Some come into the building, but then boycott the Bible classes.  Some come in body, but their hearts are nowhere to be found.  Some frankly do not make the assemblies a priority, in body or mind.  In most cases, the only one that knows if they are among the “some” is the individual.  And God.  Are you developing depth and devotion daily?  Don’t be shallow!

Win The Lost At Any Cost


Neal Pollard

When I was a boy, my parents had several records of acapella singing.  Hearing them played often, and always on Sunday, is a fixture of my childhood.  One of the records was of a quartet, “The Ambassadors” from Texas.  On one of their albums was a chilling, challenging song entitled, “Win The Lost At Any Cost.”  In looking for an audio on the web, (sadly) I could not find an acapella version.  Here are the lyrics from “The Ambassadors”‘ rendition:

As we look all around us, all the fields are white,
Ripened unto harvest, and so quickly comes the night.
Christians must get busy, there is work to do
Here’s an urgent task awaiting you.
Souls are crying, men are dying, won’t you lead them to the cross.
Go and find them, Please help to win them win the lost at any cost.
Go out and win, rescue from sin,
Day’s almost done, low sinks the sun.
Souls are crying, men are dying, win the lost at any cost.

In Denny Petrillo’s excellent, ongoing Wednesday night auditorium class on Hermeneutics, he mentioned that a consequence of the “New Hermeneutic” is that it is killing evangelistic zeal.  It does not know or is not willing to say who is lost.  No longer seeing the Bible as an objective standard with a pattern requiring rational thinking and reasoning to interpret, the New Hermeneutic not only languishes in self-doubt and uncertainty but also destroys the incentive to try and convert those outside of Christ.  Yet, armed with unswerving confidence in the inspiration of scripture, we see outlined there a simple set of truths that must push us to “win the lost at any cost.”  Consider.

(1) All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
(2) Sin separates one from God (Isa. 59:1-2).
(3) The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus (Rom. 6:23).
(4) Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18).
(5) He put away sin by the offering of Himself (Heb. 9:26).
(6) Justified by His blood, we shall be saved from God’s wrath through Him (Rom. 5:9).
(7) He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9).
(8) He that believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:16).
(9) We must repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38).
(10) The one who endures to the end will be saved (Mt. 10:22).

Think souls!  Do not think that God has changed the rules.  The lost are lost.  We must win them back to Him.

Immune To Venom?

Neal Pollard

My son, Dale, tells me that the mongoose builds up immunity to cobra venom by eating smaller poisonous creatures, from spiders to scorpions to wasps.  That makes the mongoose an “ophiophagous” creature.  Ophiophagous animals are those which hunt, kill, and eat snakes (including the poisonous ones).  Many of these kinds of animals are thought to be immune from their prey’s venom, and they have antineurotoxic antibodies in their blood.  However, the most venom-resistant animal known to science is the wild and exotic Virginia opossum.  They do not build up immunity, but rather seem to be born with this resistance.

As a Grade A Snake Hater, my skin is already crawling.  However, what a splendid application there is.  In Genesis three, we are introduced to a creature many take to be nothing more than a serpent.  While this may be true, Satan is referred to in symbolic terms as “that ancient serpent” in Revelation 20:2—a seeming allusion to the garden scene (cf. Rev. 12:9).  Is it coincidental that the beguiling serpent is mentioned in the same context as Satan’s beguiling work in 2 Corinthians 11 (cf. 3 + 14-15)?  Whatever may be concluded about any connection between the serpent of Eden and the devil, there are some potent comparisons.  Like a poisonous serpent, Satan is destructive and deadly (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8-9).  As such creatures can strike suddenly and without warning, Satan can do the same (cf. Matt. 4:3).  Just as these can cause fear, so can the devil (Heb. 2:14).  The devil can be made to flee (Jas. 4:7), just as those nefarious reptiles can.

Keeping with our analogy and original illustration, can we build up immunity against the devil?  Yes and no.  We cannot, in the sense that we can ever court sin and temptation and hope to come away unscathed.  The wages of sin are always the same (Rom. 6:23).  However, in another sense we can.  By drawing close to God, we can build up devil-resistance (Jas. 4:7).  Building a proper relationship with the Lord serves the dual purpose of helping us stand against the power of the devil (see Eph. 6:10ff).  By being and remaining in Christ, we are free from the effects of the sting of sin and the spiritual death brought thereby (1 Cor. 15:56-58; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).  Let’s work to protect our souls from the ravaging effects of sin by building righteous, submissive, and holy lives!

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In The Beginning? God!

Neal Pollard

Origins intrigue many of us.  We want to know who, how, and where.  Did you know that Chevron Oil Company began in the remote Pico Canyon area of the Santa Susana Mountains of California in 1876 when driller Alex Mentry struck “black gold”?  American baseball came from the English game of rounders, with the modern baseball diamond and formalized rules of the game rendered by Alexander Cartwright in the 1840s.  The Chinese, around 900 B.C. during the Tang Dynasty, are said to have invented gunpowder by mixing saltpeter with sulfur and carbon.  The Mayans, developers of astrology, calendars, and hieroglyphics, are thought to have originated as a civilization about 2600 B.C. in the Yucatan.

Think of the impact Chevron, American baseball, gunpowder, and Mayan civilization have had upon the world, socially, economically, and nationally.  Yet, they all emerged from existent materials, ideas, and manpower.  Each of these randomly selected examples can be given because of the beginning of beginnings.

Genesis one and two introduce mankind to the Uncaused Cause of everything.  Every inch of soil and all resources buried beneath it, every space, place, creature, and particle of matter came from His willing act of Creation.  Yet, who He is one only glimpses here.  The rest of Genesis and the next sixty-five books are needed to produce a clearer picture of the God whose work in creating our world is recorded here.  Still, the power-packed information about these six days of creation lays the groundwork for everything else, socially, scientifically, physically, and especially spiritually.

“IS BAPTISM FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS?”

Neal Pollard

A very cordial and kind denominational preacher visited our church web site and had questions about the page teaching that baptism is essential.  He had two good questions about what we were teaching.  The first centered around why, if baptism is necessary, people filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts ten needed it.  He sought to reconcile this with Acts 2:38.  Second, he wondered about the thief on the cross and why he was saved without baptism.  How would you answer that?  No doubt many of you could do far better than I did, but here is what I said.
(1) Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:48.  I want you to notice that nowhere in Acts is anyone commanded to receive Holy Spirit baptism.  It is always mentioned as a promise, blessing or gift.  In the same context of Acts 2, Peter says, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (39).  In proper interpretation of scripture, one of the questions we must ask is, “To whom is the speaker or writer speaking?”  The answer here is, “To Jews” (see Acts 2:22).  Also, Jesus had told them to start in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and then the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:8-11).  The promise of Acts 2:39 is the receiving of the Holy Spirit.  The “you and your children” would most logically refer to Jews.  Who would “them that are afar off” reference?  Well, in New Testament terminology, there were only two groups-Jews and Gentiles.  Jesus intended for the gospel to go to the Jew first, but also to the Greek (i.e., Gentiles) (Rom. 1:16).  Cornelius is often cited as the first “Gentile convert.”  Why would the Holy Spirit come upon this Gentile household in Acts 10?  The context tells us.  The Jews are amazed because this gift of the Holy Spirit came on them ALSO (Acts 10:45-46).  After this occurs, Peter asks the logical question, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit the same as we have?” (Acts 10:47).  Incidentally, baptized was then commanded of them (Acts 10:48).  In Acts 11:14-15, Peter said they were told words whereby they should be saved.  Those words must have included instructions to be baptized.  You will notice that throughout Acts, baptism was part of the instructions for salvation (Acts 2:38,41; Acts 8:12-13; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 16:14-15; Acts 16:31-34; Acts 22:16).  Other books show us the role of baptism as part of God’s plan to redeem us (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:1-12; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 12:13).

(2)     The thief on the cross.  We’ve got to remember that baptism is part of God’s plan under the new covenant.  There can not be a change of the testament without the death of the testator (i.e., the one who creates a will)(Hebrews 9:16).  We must remember that Jesus and that thief died under the old covenant, the Law of Moses.  In fact, Jesus nailed it to the cross when dying there (Colossians 2:14).  Also, while Jesus was on earth, He had the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:10).  The thief, then, is not a good example for how we come to salvation today.  He was subject to a different covenant and enjoyed a different circumstance, having Jesus there with Him to forgive His sins.  In light of all of those passages already mentioned telling us how to be forgiven, we must conclude that the terms of pardon are different from us than it was for this penitent thief.

I am sure this is an honest, searching man interested in knowing the truth.  What a reminder that there are those who are willing to open their hearts to scripture.  May we ever be that way, too.  And, let us all be ready to fulfill 1 Peter 3:15 in all its component parts.

THE HIGH PRICE OF INACTION

Neal Pollard

Penn State students nearly rioted overnight, protesting the firing of legendary head football coach, Joe Paterno.  “Joe Pa” had been the symbol of class and integrity, caring for his players and winning big every year.  Just this season, the 84-year-old passed Eddie Robinson as the winningest coach in Division One history, with 409 wins in his 46th season.

But, in 2002, a graduate assistant reported to Paterno that he witnessed a former coach, Jerry Sandusky, committing unspeakable, reprehensible crimes against a young minor on college grounds. Paterno reported it to a school official, but did not go to the police. Sandusky was allowed to maintain a strong presence on campus for another decade!  Along the way, high school coaches, maintenance staff, and other boys who were in the charity for wayward youths started by Sandusky, reported either assaults or suspicious behavior. But, no legal or punitive actions occurred until last week!  The number of boys whose lives have been permanently traumatized is still unclear.

Paterno was not the only one guilty of inaction. The number of bystanders who said and did nothing is staggering.  Now, heads are rolling, including the university’s president and this revered head football coach.  Having this ignominy for a legacy, Paterno lamented, “It is one of the great sorrows of my life.  I wish I had done more” (espn.com, “Joe Paterno’s Penn State Legacy”).

Physically, it is hard to think of a more heinous crime than those against the innocent.  It is an illustration of the high price of inaction!  How bad is it to be aware of danger, of immorality, of that which is unacceptable to God, but say nothing?

I fear that too many pulpits, even in the Lord’s church, are woefully silent when it comes to warning about sin–whether doctrinal, ethical, or moral matters.  Some men will not overtly teach error, but you will never hear them preach and warn about those “difficult subjects.”  How many elderships have failed to lead the church in disciplining the erring or standing up for God’s Word?  How many times have we failed to act on behalf of our Savior, at work, at school, at social functions, and the like?

A world, by and large, is heading toward eternal punishment (cf. Mat. 7:13-14).  We know this is true!  We know the worth of every soul to God (Jn. 3:16).  Will we stand by and say and do nothing?  Do not be guilty of doing nothing!