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Balancing Doctrine With Discernment


Neal Pollard

The doctrine of Christ is indispensable!  Timothy was told, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16).  On the “soul-saving” front, too many have attempted to water down the message.  Sadly, some members have sought to defuse a gospel sermon or Bible class, taught kindly but firmly, by apologizing to their non-Christian visitors for the distinctive message of the New Testament. If one is baptized who must be won through conniving, coddling, or coercion, that one will be converted to the wrong person or thing.

Let it also be observed that doctrine must be balanced with an intelligent, sensitive approach to soul-winning.  By sensitive is meant, not the paranoid fear of offending which has given us “political correctness,” but a clear awareness of those whom we are trying to win to Christ.  By intelligent is meant particularly common sense in reaching out to people.

We need to use discernment to “get them in the door.”  This requires being approachable, friendly, and exemplary.  If you try to mow them over with doctrine before you lay a foundation of trust and genuine concern, they will “turn you off” on the subject.  You must also “use hospitality” (1 Pet. 4:9). Put an “open door” upon the hinges of your home–a warm and welcoming place to attract them to the idea of Christian entertainment, Christian family, and Christian living. “Clean fun,” genuine concern, and agape love demonstrated before them will get them in the door.

We need discernment while they are “inside.”  Have a desire to make visitors feel at home. This may not initially be comfortable for you. But, let no one blame God for not making contact with visitors.  Too many say, for instance, “It is not in my personality to ‘go up’ to others.” If that is so, modify your personality. Shy, quite people who love souls have moved out of their “comfort zones.” Preachers and teachers should speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).  It is never necessary to be insulting or belligerent in plainly, firmly presenting the gospel. Watch how you interact with others!  An obnoxious comment or rudeness, to whomever it is directed, may forever shut the door.  Use more self-control in your dealings with everyone (2 Tim. 3:3).

We need discernment after they become part of the family.  Remember, babies cannot eat meet.  There needs to be classes for spiritual babes (cf. 1 Pet. 2:2).  Exercise patience liberally (1 Th. 5:14).  There should be much more intolerance for moral and doctrinal sins by those who have been in the church for a long period of time than for those young in the faith.

The lost are just that–lacking direction as they walk in darkness (1 Pet. 2:9).  After Paul asked for prayers for wisdom in speaking to the lost, he charged us to conduct ourselves with wisdom toward outsiders (cf. Col. 4:4-6).  Let not one iota of doctrine suffer in that, but use common sense in imparting it!

THERE, BUT NOT AVAILABLE

Neal Pollard

Several people have forwarded emails to me with a link to the United States Geological Survey website.  The news article on the site claims that there is a place where there is between three and 4.3 billion barrels of oil that could be taken from the ground and used as fuel for cars and other systems and machines using petroleum.  Where is it?  In North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation.  It is interesting that America imports a net of 9.4 million barrels of oil every day from 42 different countries (U.S. Energy Information Administration, http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs).

This is not an article on politics.  It does, however, make a dramatic illustration.  We do not fail to drill domestically because there are no resources.  For a variety of reasons, many of which are political, we are not drilling.  It should be obvious that gas prices and energy prices would drop dramatically were these resources to be recovered.  One might assume that economic relief or improvement would follow.

In the final analysis, regarding things eternal, this will not matter to us.  Yet, I am amazed that the majority of the world has a resource infinitely more valuable that it has left untapped.  That resource is a relationship with God.  People can be surrounded by Christians, examples of righteous living, evidence of the joy and happiness in the lives of God’s people.  They see their faith and sense of purpose, and may even, on some level, envy and desire it for their own lives.  But, they fail to access it.  They remain “out” of Christ.

Paul reveals that all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3).  Peter speaks of our unparalleled inheritance, our protection, our joy, and our future (1 Pet. 1).  John tells us to look and see the love the Father has shown us (1 John 3:1).  A wealth of resources and resources of spiritual wealth abound in living the Christ-life.  How could anybody know about this and not tap into such blessings?  Indeed, how?

BEWARE “BUILDING-OLOTRY”


Neal Pollard

Until the Babylonian Captivity, God’s people were repeatedly guilty of worshipping idols.  Since New Testament Christianity was corrupted, many have become reliant upon relics and tactile objects like crosses, beads, and pictures–mere idols that in some way supplement or replace the worship of God.  But, in Bible times, people seemed to have an unhealthy reverence for the place of worship irrespective of their own conduct (cf. Jer. 7:4ff).

Is it possible to overly revere or exalt the church building today?  It is helpful to understand that in the New Testament there is no clear indication of a “meeting house” beyond individual Christian homes.  It is certainly permissible for the church to own and use a church building, as there is generic authority for establishing a place for the saints to meet the Lord’s command to assemble (cf. Heb. 10:25).  Wise are the congregations who utilize their building frequently and fully, providing facilities and equipment to expedite doing the Lord’s work.  Yet, while good stewardship is biblical and taking care of our facilities is wise and good conduct, there have been those who have elevated the building overly much.

Beware having greater emotions for “building matters” than “soul matters.”  Some will shed more tears, show more passion, kindle greater indignation, and invest more energy on that which will not survive the judgment (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10) than upon those who will (Mat. 25:46).  Certainly, we should care about and care for our facilities, but infinitely greater care must be shown for souls for whom Christ died!  I wonder how many hours of disputes, arguments, and business meetings have been devoted to “building matters” versus plans, strategies, and efforts to win souls.

Beware spending more money on “building matters” than “soul matters.”  Some have a “Field of Dreams” philosophy: “Build it and they will come.”  Some think that a grand and modern enough campus is the trick to church growth.  While we should put our best foot forward in whatever we do, including building buildings, we should realize that imbalance toward the material over the spiritual is not consistent with God’s desire (1 Tim. 2:4; Acts 17:24).

Beware setting a double standard of behavior, one for in the building and another for away from the building.  Some have followed denominational thinking, making the auditorium a “sanctuary.”  Could revering the building cause us to subconsciously think we should act one way in the building but can act another when away from it?  God has no greater, fuller presence in the church building than anywhere else.  After all, each of us is a “temple” of God (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Let us take care of and have wholesome pride in our facilities.  Let us treat it as if it were our own and make it last as long as we can.  But, let us never misplace our priorities, putting it above people or the will of Christ.

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).

A Prize Worth Cherishing

Neal Pollard

In front of my desk, to the left of my book shelves and to the right of that weird alien in a jar that I inherited when I moved here, sits a trophy.  It has the year “1992” rising out of the base and has an Olympic-like figure holding up outstretched arms and holding a wreath-like crown.  The base also contains an inscription that reads: “Athlete Of The Year, Neal Pollard, Faulkner University 91-92.”  Just so you know, I paused for symbolism while you laughed.  Yes, the same Neal Pollard you know.  It was awarded to the intramural competitions’ participant who had the highest score at the end of the year.  Certainly, if you played each of the sports with your social club, you received automatic points.  There were other manly competitions, checkers, foosball, ping pong, and the like, that earned you points for signing up and playing.  In individual competitions, you scored higher the better you did.  The only individual competition I won was the free-throw contest.  A big reason I won was because I participated in every possible event.  I was rewarded for involvement and a few times for showing up when no one else did.

While I still have that trophy two decades later, I understand its relative value (or lack thereof).  But, each day I live, from the time I rise and pray and read my Bible throughout the day in thoughts and words and deeds, I am striving for an unparalleled prize.  I will not receive this for being the most notable preacher to live in my generation.  I will not receive it for the most prominent Christian in my community.  I will not receive it for being the most popular Christian in my congregation.

God will give it to me because, once I was washed in the blood of Christ through baptism (cf. Heb. 13:12 + Eph. 5:26-27), I was an active participant.  I was involved, despite the presence of sin in my life, striving to walk in the light (1 Jn. 1:7-10).  I was trying to abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).  I offered my life as a living sacrifice for Jesus (Rom. 12:1-2).  I tried to flee worldliness (1 Jn. 2:15-17; 2 Tim. 2:22).  I look forward to the day of His appearing, when I receive this peerless prize (2 Tim. 4:8).

Who knows how long I’ll keep that cute little trophy for “athleticism”?  Who cares?  I long for a “trophy” that is fadeless (1 Pet. 1:4), that will be enjoyed in a “time” that is endless (Mt. 25:46) in a “territory” that is matchless (Rev. 22:1ff).

COMPLICATING TRUTH

Neal Pollard

A philosopher called the office today and wanted to discuss the function of words in a particular text.  He was absolutely fascinated with syntax, structure, literary devices, and the like, but almost seemed to avoid personal application and rational conclusion like it was the plague.  He seems to represent in an extreme way what is often seen in too many people who approach scripture.  Many seem to come to scripture the way the Athenians approached things, spending “their time in nothing other than telling or hearing some new thing” (Acts 17:21). They seem to prefer esoteric, obscure, multi-layered meanings.  The idea that God in His power is able to communicate to all cultures and all times in a way the common man can understand repulses many of those enamored with philosophy, academia, and intelligentsia.  It cannot be that simple.  Like Gnostics, they believe only an elite few can truly understand the Bible and what is meant overall and in individual Bible books.  Sadly, too many do not understand because they do not study the Bible.  However, those who make the attempt will be rewarded with knowledge and understanding.

Thankfully, God has not reserved His truth for a small academic caste.  In fact, Jesus says how one must become child-like to receive kingdom truth (Mark 10:13).  To Corinth, Paul contrasted the Greek’s fascination with (worldly) wisdom with the seeming foolishness of God’s Word in man’s eyes (1 Cor. 1:22-23).  But, Paul says, “Consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Cor. 1:26-27).

Yes, there are some things hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:16).  But, for all of that, whatever ultimately matters for living life here and preparing for eternity there (2 Pet. 1:3) can be understood by the humblest, simplest accountable soul. God is not a snob.  He wants “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).  Remember that Jesus assures us that “you will know the truth” (John 8:32).  Let’s not unnecessarily complicate it!

THE HUMAN HEART (Poem)

You Don’t Want To Miss The Start Of The Bear Valley Lectures!  If You Have Never Heard DAVID SHANNON of Mt. Juliet, TN, Speak, You Are In For A Treat.  First Session Is At 7 PM.

Neal Pollard

That part of each man crafted by God

but unseen by mortal observation,

The figurative place of our emotions and thinking,

helping our spiritual station.

A place we alone can nurture and tend,

to work to better or embitter

That directs our whole body and life on a path

That makes us a winner or quitter.

God put in place ways to help our own hearts

stay in tune with His perfect intentions.

To mold us and make us like Him in our thinking,

to stave off man’s wicked inventions.

The Bible, as His mind, He has given to mankind,

a heart monitor as well as a mirror.

It gauges our true selves and guides our footsteps,

if used it will make His will dearer.

He has given us singing, a wide world of nature,

and people as living examples,

So much that exists we can see and by seeing

can resist Satan’s slick sinful samples.

Yes, true, human hearts can be darkened and hardened,

becoming a frightful container.

That holds in the worst, the depraved, and perverted,

that becomes such a wicked retainer.

But such is the work of neglect and of lust,

a struggle that fights a higher objective.

For when in human hearts there’s willing submission,

they become more spiritually selective.

So spiritual battles are lost or they’re won

In a place where no other can see,

Keep your heart, you alone with heavenly help

Will determine your soul’s eternity.

“He Heard My Voice…”


Neal Pollard

Do you ever feel like nobody’s listening, or that you have no one to whom to tell your troubles?  Isolation seems to be more characteristic of our society.  We are surrounded by lonely people, even as the country’s population rises, even in the middle of crowded cities, stores, and subdivisions, and even though we are in the “information age.”  Information does not mean intimacy or communication.

Yet, even when we do have friends and loved ones in our lives, there are some circumstances where their shoulders and ears are not enough.  David faced times like that.  He recalls some of those times near the end of his reign as second king of Israel.  In 2 Samuel 22, he remembers times with Saul and other enemies when he was surrounded, afraid, confronted, and distressed.  Have you ever felt that way?  What did you do?

David says, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears” (22:7).  Even when we have the attention of someone on earth, we do not have access to the wisdom and power of heaven.  God can do what no mortal can.  Notice the progression.

First, God heard (7).  God is not disinterested when it comes to His children.  His ears are open to the righteous (1 Peter 3:12).  David had that same confidence at other times in his life (cf. Psalm 65:2).  The only thing restricting God’s ability to hear the faithful Christian’s prayers is that Christian’s lack of faithfulness to pray to Him.  “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”  God intently waits for our prayers.  Marlin Connelly once spoke of God’s presence with the faithful in Revelation 8:1-4.  In explaining the meaning of the silence in heaven for half an hour (1), Connelly commented that it is as if God is saying, “Hush!  I’m listening to the prayers of the saints!”  What a thought!

Second, God reacted (8-14).  God is not neutral when it comes to His children.  Think about it.  If you are a parent, are you neutral when it comes to your children?  If they are being harassed, if they have problems, or if they are hurting, how does it make you feel?  Notice how vividly David, by inspiration, poetically describes God’s reaction to how David is being treated.  The earth shook and the foundations of heaven quaked.  Smoke went up from His nostrils and fire from His mouth. He thundered from heaven, sending out lightning bolts.  Why?  “Because He was angry” (8).  He was angry at how His son David was being treated.  Will you remember that God cares that much about you?  Such knowledge should make us confident that we can weather any trial that comes!

Finally, God acted (15ff).  God is not passive when it comes to His children.  He rescued David (17-20) and punished His enemies (15-16).  David says he took me, drew me, delivered me, supported me, rewarded me, and delighted in me.  Through providence and answered prayer, God acts on our behalf.  And think about what He has already done to show He cares (cf. Romans 5:8).  Remember a cross?  Or a big event on Pentecost (cf. Acts 20:28)?  If we pay close attention, God constantly proves His love and concern for us.

Let us not miss David’s part in all this.  David understood that God’s hearing, reacting, and acting on David’s behalf was tied to David’s manner of life and response to God’s love.  David heard God (22:21-23).  David also acted obediently (22:24-25).  Our relationship with the Father cannot be shallow or one-sided.  But, what joy to know that even at the lowest, hardest times, if no one else knows, He hears our voice!

 

WHEN YOU GO TO WORSHIP, ACT LIKE A LAME BEGGAR

Neal Pollard

When you go to worship this Lord’s Day, will you act like a lame beggar? Not just like any lame beggar.  Not exactly imitating the lame beggar to which I refer.  Instead, consider the man in Acts 3 and the effect Christ’s power had on him.  He thought he had his list of needs properly prioritized–he wanted a few coins to help his subsistent life.  He met a couple of men and thought they could oblige, but then he learned they were broke.  Rather than coins, Peter and John gave Him Christ!  And, it is the reaction that Luke makes so striking and startling!  He leaped (8), began to walk (8), went “walking and leaping and praising God” (8), and people “saw him walking and praising God” (9).  Where did this happy man go in this condition?  “The temple” (9). People took note of him, remembering what he was but seeing what he now is (10).

 

I am not advocating a literal leaping into the church building doors this week, but this man had an exuberance and enthusiasm that should get our attention.  Where are we going on the Lord’s Day?  What are we getting to do when we assemble together?  What has He done in our lives and with our sins?  How has that effected and changed us?  Your reaction truly cannot be contrived or manipulated!  It must come from a genuine understanding and gratitude for Christ saving us!  It must come from a daily “walk” that is getting closer and closer to this awesome Savior!  Without Jesus, we are more crippled than the lame and poorer than the most abject beggar.  With Him, we should be filled with joy and excitement!  Let us make sure this shows up on our faces and in our demeanors when we sing, pray, commemorate, and listen, as we worship, this Sunday!

“Man’s Python Eats His Pit Bull”

Neal Pollard

No kidding!  This is the report out of Merced, California, dated October 9, 2001, and released by Reuters.  Apparently, the northern California man owned two pets, the snake and the dog.  The 200-pound Burmese python ate the 30-pound pit-bull.  Pit-bulls, whether fairly or not, are known for their ferocity.  They annually rank in the top ten breeds of dogs for number of bites administered.  However, this Fido got on the wrong side of a reptile whose appetite and body outweighed his own.

How this situation is reminiscent of Galatians 5:15 and situations that still play out today among God’s people.  “Bewitching” influences (3:1) troubled the Galatians, gospel-changing (1:6-9) and Judaizing (4:21) brethren whose attitude was apparently as much a problem as their false teaching.  They inflamed and agitated (5:12), seemingly lacked love (5:13-14), and were guilty of biting and devouring “one another” (5:15).

Even in this circumstance, Paul warned of consequences these theological terriers might reap from one another.   He writes, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (NKJ).  Two of the brotherhood’s more rabid editors, in their respective journals, continue to sink their teeth deeper into the other, accusing the other of ever-mushrooming heresy and false teaching.  With their pens, they have assaulted the innocent as well as the guilty in the past.  Perhaps, lest the other be thought to be a mightier “defender” of the truth, each now seems to have whetted their appetites anew on one another.

At times, jealousy in the church has led one or some to set their fangs on their prey.  Together, the pack devours their isolated victim.  Beware!  The predator can become the prey.  More than one pit-bull has been swallowed by a python.  This same thing can happen to backbiters in the local church, attacking others viciously and leaving gashes on the reputations of undeserving, if not innocent, brothers and sisters.  It is hard to highly esteem gossips and petty-minded folk, and soon they are in the cross hairs of others.

Remarkably, the Lord’s remedy, when applied, works wonders and avoids such ghastly attacks.  Paul writes, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (6:1).   He also concludes, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (6:7b).  For those who dog others unwarrantedly, look closer.  That gaping and fanged opening is not the doghouse door.

 

ARNOLD PALMER AND DUANE SOLIDAY

(we chased Arnold back to his golf course, but he was already inside)

Neal Pollard

I had a couple of hours this week, during the day, to see a few places near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where I am holding a gospel meeting.  There are some places of national significance in this vicinity.  Ligonier itself is home to an important fort from during the French and Indian War.  In close proximity, however, are some other notable places.  Just a few minutes down the road is Shanksville, where Flight 93 went down in a field on 9/11.  The memorial being built by the National Park Service has a solemnity comparable to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Today, Steve Lucas, the local preacher at Ligonier, took me a few minutes up the road to Latrobe.  Latrobe is the home of Arnold Palmer.  Steve actually took me to Arnold Palmer’s relatively modest home.  As I was getting ready to take a picture, Arnold Palmer himself drove past us on the fastest golf cart I have ever seen in motion.  Though I did not get a picture, I can say that I made eye contact with the golfing legend.  I thought that would be the highlight of my day.  However, Steve took me up to Johnstown, also close by, the town demolished by the great flood of 1889.  David McCullough has written a compelling book chronicling that catastrophe caused, in great part, by careless men.  In the visitor information center, I met 85-year-old volunteer Duane Soliday.  He was a talker.  After telling about the three floods that have struck the beleaguered city, he proceeded to tell me his life’s story.  He said much, much more than I can include here, including how his grandfather, abused by his step-father, ran away, worked for a timber company in the northwest, came back home riding the rails, was caught by the conductor and was told that he would not turn him into the railroad police if he would manage his farm.  Eight years later, in 1889, he responded to newspaper ads in nearby Johnstown to clean up after the flood.  The man, fearful his stepfather would learn of his return, changed his name from James Felix Keister to James Soliday.  Duane is a World War II and lung cancer survivor, a newly-widowed man who lost, as he said, “the love of my life” after 58 years of marriage.  He raved about four children, the oldest of which just turned 60.  He was steady and solid in the community and in his home.  He was a likable man and a conscientious one.  While this man has probably contributed more to the overall good of his community and nation than even Arnold Palmer has, one thing struck me about Mr. Soliday.  I hope he is a New Testament Christian.  He believes in God, does good things, and was so engaging and worthy of respect.  Yet, he will not be able to point to his civic heroism, his long and happy marriage, or his apparently success parenting to cover his sins.  We often think that if people live good, clean, and productive lives, surely God will save them.  However, the only thing that will suffice for our sins when we stand before Christ on that great day is the blood of Jesus.  If we have not done what it takes to have the blood applied (cf. Matt. 26:28+Acts 2:38; Rev. 1:5+Acts 22:16) and live in such a way as to have it continually applied (1 Jn. 1:7), none of us on earth is good enough to stand before Christ based on our goodness.  May this break our hearts for good people whose goodness cannot save them–it did not save Cornelius (Acts 10:1ff).  May we care enough to share the good news with them.

HEIGHTENED SENSITIVITY

Neal Pollard

Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of the largest act of terrorism against our nation, better known to the world as 9/11. Today’s newspaper in Pittsburgh was filled with news items and articles surrounding this ominous anniversary. Among these were several items regarding security scares at various airports and flights. In New York, a flight from Los Angeles was escorted by two F-16 fighter jets because three passengers would not leave a plane bathroom. In Detroit, a flight from Denver had three passengers who did the same thing. In Dallas, a rental truck was parked too long at DFW airport prompting suspicion and fear. In Kansas City, an ex-NYC police officer was detained for having suspicious items in his carry-on bag that he refused to let TSA screeners examine. Nothing serious has yet come of any of these incidents, but the nation was on edge yesterday. The anniversary probably brought out the neurotic in search of 15 minutes of fame, but the country was taking extra precautions. It was probably the worst day to try these shenanigans (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 9/12/11, A8).

Paranoia is detrimental and abnormal. None of us should be guilty of such. Seeing things that are not there is unhealthy. Yet, there is a sense in which all of us should live with heightened sensitivity. Peter says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Pet. 5:8-9). Sobriety, alertness, and firm resistance are acts of heightened sensitivity. Knowing the strength and influence of our opponent, we must stay keenly aware of his tactics and attempts. One cannot be too guarded with this enemy. Earlier, Peter writes for Christians to “prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit” (1 Pet. 1:13). Paranoia involves perceiving what is not a real threat. Vigilance involves perceiving what is. Such is our daily task!

WHERE WERE YOU?

Neal Pollard

When I constructed this ball whereupon you now stand,

When its measures were drawn by My hand,

When the stars and the angels all rejoiced in one band,

When I gave heaven its face, where were you?

When the seas reached their ends and were covered by clouds,

When the darkness over it was as billowing shrouds,

When the oceans had gone as far as I would allow,

When they stood in their place, where were you?

Do you summon the morning or direct the dawn?

To you do the gates of death yawn?

If you know the dimensions of earth, make it known!

When I invented its light, where were you?

Are you eternal by reason of birth or by years?

From where comes snow, hail, ice or dew that appears?

Tell me all of the future, the crux of man’s fears!

Or explain wind with its might.  Where were you?

Waves and thunder and lightning or rain

How and why do they work, please explain!

How they make the earth lush and satisfy its terrain

When I made wonders of the sky, where were you?

What of morals and laws with when men I have bound

Or have put in him intellect and knowledge with renown

Could you even explain dust and dirt on the ground?

When I made beasts instincts so sly, where were you?

Fair design of the earth, wonders of all that’s above,

Great mysteries and secrets, time or man can’t remove,

Held in check by My might, which you can’t fully know of,

When I was, always was, where were you?

Dear child, who in darkness or trials, often wonder

When you’re blinded by tears, crushed by weights you are under

Though you can’t see it now, through doubt’s loudest thunder

Someday you’ll know every cause when I’m with you.

The “Three Year Glitch”

Neal Pollard

Does it ever seem like the information age, our current age of technological advances, is all-consuming?  It has, according to a new survey, even impacted the attention span the average person gives to his or her mate once married.  The proverbial “seven year itch,” for years a benchmark test of a relationship when romance and passion were eclipsed by annoyances and mundanity, has shrunk with society’s attention span and attention to the other’s needs as more important than self’s.

The survey of over 2000 Britons, a study commissioned by Warner Brothers, found that work, financial worries, and other facets of “hard work” in a relationship were leading couples these days more quickly to boredom and aggravation with one another.  Often, this has led to couples wanting more time apart from one another.  Too often, it has led to marital infidelity.  Detractions and annoyances in relationships leading to this “3-year-glitch” include such things as weight gain and lack of exercise, hygiene issues, in-laws, money (spending too much or too little), alcohol, snoring, lack of romance, fashion lapses, and more (some information from Reuters.com).

As we step back from this study, we can observe several things.  First, these relational trends reflect society’s general worldview.  Materialism and plenty, when focused and consumed upon self, can quickly lead to boredom.  Second, these relational issues are like the poor–“they are always with us” (cf. John 12:8).  They exist from the day we walk down the aisle together and embark on the honeymoon.  They are typically no worse at 50 years than they were at 50 seconds into the relationship.  That means that, each day we live in married life together, we must continually remind ourselves of all that’s good in our mate and of all that drew us to him or her in the first place.  Marriage is not a license to let up but instead to lather up what was done in courting.  How dishonest to act one way to “get” someone and another once we “got ’em.”  Third, marriage must be viewed as a marathon rather than a 40-yard-dash.  Our lives are filled with change and stages, and God’s people learn to adjust and grow with them.

May we be dedicated to building the “All Our Years Rich” trend.  Whether God gives us only a few years together or 60 or 70, let us resolve to spend the time building up our mate and helping them go to heaven.  That will scratch any itch and fix any glitch!

To GOD Be The Glory

Neal Pollard

There are modern ways to express this, sayings like “it’s amazing what gets done when no one cares who gets the credit.”  We sing it in song, a reminder that all we do in our Christian walk is to let God get the notice, accolades, and praise.  But, that is a struggle most people have with their flesh.

And while it may seem like a “lesser sin” to want recognition and attention for our good deeds, our Lord shows great and visible displeasure with those who long for the spotlight on their works.  In Matthew 6, Jesus preaches about areas like giving, fasting, and praying where men desire others’ to notice and praise them for those deeds.  Jesus strongly rebuked groups like the scribes and Pharisees who lived for the respectful greetings in the marketplace and the chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers (Luke 20:46-47).  Jesus said such “will receive greater condemnation” (see also Matt. 23:6ff; Luke 14:17; etc.).

Be careful not to be the type who jockeys for the position of chief.  God is going to reward all the faithful with an eternal reward far beyond what we can imagine right now.  It is not our place to inform others of how valuable we are, what we are worth to the church, how indispensable we are to a project or program, or even to tell others how righteous and spiritual we are.  Effective church work is done when each individual catches the spirit that it is not about “me”!  It is about “He.”  He gives salvation.  He gives the abilities.  He gives the opportunities.  He gives the orders.  We are worthless slaves doing our duty (Luke 17:10).  If others praise your work, be gracious, appreciative, and ever humble.  If they do not, know that our Lord keeps an indelible record that cannot be misplaced, destroyed, or forgotten.  Meanwhile, in all things, let us strive to give GOD the glory!

HEAVENLY STANDARDS

Thom Vaught

It was a chilly Sunday morning on February 7th 1904.  The men of Engine Co. 15 were expecting a quiet day as they readied for inspection.  Their routine was interrupted by an automated fire alarm at 10:48 a.m. in the John Hurst and Company building.  These men were answering the first call of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.

Once the Fire Chief was on the scene, he quickly realized the danger.  High winds were causing the blaze to spread quickly and efforts to douse the fire were hampered by the freezing temperatures.  He called in nearly the entire Baltimore City Fire Department to fight the fire but even that was not enough to contain the persistent flames.

A plea for help went out to areas surrounding Baltimore and the response was astounding.  Firefighters from Washington DC were the first to arrive.  Upon arrival they were were dismayed to find out that their fire hose couplings would not fit the fire hydrants.  Baltimore like most cities of that day had their own standard by which fire hydrants and firefighting equipment were manufactured.  As firefighters arrived, they tried to adapt to this different standard but the lowered water pressure and leaks continued to impact their ability to help.  Firefighters from as far away as Philadelphia  and New York City answered the call but each time the story was the same.  The lack of a standard caused confusion and the resulting efforts were less effective.

The Great Baltimore Fire raged across the city for two days.  Damage caused by the blaze was so extensive that it is hard to imagine.  It destroyed over 1,500 buildings covering nearly 70 city blocks.

In a report presented to congress, the lack of a uniform standard was cited as a major contributing factor to the massive destruction.  Congress tasked the fledgling National Bureau of Standards now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to investigate the matter.  They discovered around 600 different sizes for fire equipment in use throughout the nation.  As a result, the organization established a national standard for fire equipment.

Having a standard is great, but it is only useful when it is followed.  Fires as recent as the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire have been hampered by cities not following the NIST standard.  In 2004, the NIST published a centennial progress report on the adoption of their standard after the Great Baltimore Fire.  In it they disclosed that several major cities are still not following the standard established a century earlier.

Moving from the physical to the spiritual.  God recognized the need for a standard for us to follow.  Furthermore, our Lord has not confused man with a plethora of differing standards but gave us a single one.  This heavenly standard is the God-breathed word of the Bible and it is meant as our only standard for life and worship.  As when Paul exhorted Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16,17) during the first century, we also have in Scripture everything necessary to understand and follow God’s will.  How can we hope to fit into the spiritual mold that God desires if we pursue any standard other than His?

“Were You Preaching To Me?”


Neal Pollard

Perhaps the most frequent question I have been asked through the years immediately after I have finished preaching is, “Were you preaching to me?”  Unfortunately, I have not always answered that as effectively as I should.  Then, one day while listening to a great lesson on leadership by James Rogers, I heard his response.  A young man asked him that question, to which he replied, “Were you here this morning?”  “Yes.”  “Of course I was preaching to you.”  The young man was glad.  It would not have made sense for him to come and the sermon not be preached to him.

I have always worked hard to never write a sermon with a specific individual in mind.  I may preach sermons that address certain personalities or characteristic traits, but I was wisely warned when training to preach that using the pulpit to address personal vendettas, grievances, or grudges was extreme cowardice.  Doing that is unfair and abusive!

However, I would say to every hearer of my every sermon, I am indeed preaching to you!  Please take each sermon to heart (as I do!).  As you inspect it for truth, accept it if it is truth, and inspect your life by that truth.  There are those who are too hard on themselves and beat themselves up with unnecessary guilt as they hear sermons.  Yet, others who need to apply the lesson fail to make (or fight against making) personal application.

If the sermon is on making the Lord most important in life by faithfully attending services and you allow sports, occupation, homework, company, or other things to persistently replace that, the sermon is being preached to you.  If it is on making an effort to know your brethren better or visit the sick, widows, orphans, and needy and you are not doing it, take the sermon personally!  In fact, whatever the subject, apply it to yourself.  A good brother once told me, “I always take the sermon personally because I could always be doing my Christian duty better.”  Amen, brother!  So could I!

Please take each and every sermon personally!  It makes me feel like the time studying and preparing it was worthwhile.  And, always respond to it—not publicly, unless you need to do so.  Let it help make you a better Christian and better prepare you for heaven.  Hopefully, we can come to appreciate that the preacher is always preaching to each one of us, including himself!

Since I Set Foot In Asia

Neal Pollard

Paul called for the elders of the Ephesus church of Christ, who met him at Troas.  Paul was concerned for them, the church, and the brotherhood.  He wanted them prepared to do their work, even in difficult circumstances.  In addressing them, he uses a figure of speech that we use to this day.  He had, literally, “set foot” in Asia.  The idea is that from the moment he arrived to do mission work there, he was characterized in certain ways.  Moved along by the Holy Spirit, Paul could describe himself in a way that any of us should strive to have ourselves described.  Notice several things that describe his faithfulness as a Christian and how it ought to describe us, too.

Paul was bolstering (18).  He was present in a way that was beneficial and reassuring to others.  He was with them serving the Lord in humility and tears.  Notice the connection between serving the Lord and being there for others.  All of us have failed in this and all of us need to do better at seeing the connection between these two.  As we succeed in it, we will strengthen others.

Paul was broken-hearted (19).  What a man cries about says much about him.  Paul’s tears were not connected to a sports championship, a sappy movie, or even a misfortune to an animal.  They were not selfish tears.  He cried because of spiritual things.  There should be a tenderheartedness about us in things pertaining to Christ.

Paul was burdened (19).  Being a faithful Christian involves trials.  Paul said as much (2 Tim. 3:12; 2 Cor. 11:28).  People will try you, even if you are a faithful Christian and sometimes because of that.  They will try your patience, your attitude, and your character.  Paul was tested and approved by testing.

Paul was bold (20).  Despite opposition and persecution, Paul would not back down from telling the truth.  He knew what was right, and he knew it was right to share that and wrong to keep it to himself.  He did not shrink back from profitable declarations, whether in a public setting or even in the intimacy of a private setting.  Both forums can challenge our boldness.

Paul was balanced (20, 27).  He told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  He veered neither to the left nor the right.  He did not hold back the parts he found more difficult or unpalatable.  Biblical balance betrays a love for people that shares everything necessary for life and godliness.

Paul was braced (22-25).  He was ready, whatever he had to face for Christ.  Death was no threat to Paul, who had already faced Jews who stoned him, riots that revolved around him, or false accusations that persisted against him.  He would face more of the same, but he was undeterred and prepared.

Paul was blameless (26).  This is the most striking thing about Paul’s Christian walk.  He could call himself innocent from the blood of all men.  He shared Christ, no matter what and no matter who.  What an incredible state of affairs, to have always preached the kingdom, “in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2).

CHALLENGES WITH CLIMBING

Neal Pollard

CHALLENGES WITH CLIMBING

Neal Pollard

Today is the first day of a big event for Colorado, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.  It will be historic for at least one reason.  The race will include two 12,000 foot passes–Cottonwood (12,126) and Independence (12, 085).  The first twelve miles up Cottonwood is on dirt!  It will challenge the more than 120 pro racers from 12 nations, chiefly because of an altitude most of these racers are unaccustomed to facing.  Performance in that thin of air is necessarily reduced.  Bicyclists have to guard against going too fast or too slow.  They must find that right “middle gear” and essentially stay in it consistently.

Isn’t that the way it goes?  Stay contented in a spiritual rut, traveling the low roads, and you can pretty well coast along.  But, strive to climb to new heights and the challenge really begins!  Pushing yourself out there to evangelize is uncomfortable and in some cases hard.  Being distinct and different from the world when such is demanded by the Bible is difficult.  Defending an unpopular Bible truth can be painful!  Being an active, involved father and devoted husband can be inconvenient and time-intensive. Involvement in church work, faithfulness to church services, self-discipline in personal spirituality, and the like produce stiff challenges in our “upward call” (Phil. 3:14). Bible terminology calls the “heavenward way” narrow and difficult (Mat. 7:13-14).  We need help to make it to that “rock that is higher than” us (cf. Ps. 61:2). The truth is that while climbing those new heights gets easier with practice and experience, it will always be more difficult to reach up to God than to remain content and comfortable in the valley of mediocrity!  Accept the challenge of true Christianity and go higher!

Happy Wicca Day?

Neal Pollard

The News Centinel, the Knoxville newspaper, reports that Vanderbilt has among its holidays a Wiccan holiday listed on the BBC Interfaith Calendar.  Vandy administration says it cannot know how many students officially adhere to the pagan or Wiccan “faith,” but those who claim to be will be freed from classes to dance around the maypole and whatever else one does on an official Wiccan holiday (from news item, 8/18/11, 7A).  While the columnist is questioning how honest everyone will be, given its observance will be on one’s “honor,” the greater question is how much such multiculturalism is trying God’s perfect patience.  The push to tolerate anything and everything in the name of religion will eventually make the popular policy to “co-exist” untenable, even for those either naive or biblically ignorant.  Jesus speaks in exclusive terms, calling Himself the only way, truth, and life (cf. John 14:6).  Others in the New Testament follow this religiously exclusive idealogy.  There is no other name under heaven whereby one must be saved (Acts 4:12).  You will find this “salvation is only in Christ” message in other passages (Acts 10:43; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Mt. 1:21; etc.).  So many “faiths” attempt no answer for our origin (cf. Buddhism) or a purpose beyond self (cf. paganism) or for our destiny (cf. materialism).  Others have added or changed God’s message regarding one or more of these areas–Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Protestantism, Catholicism, et al.  Others’ belief in their deity run counter or contradictorily to the truths taught in the Bible (cf. Islam).  There is a sea of religious confusion that either fails to answer the great questions of life or give false answers.  Only in Jesus can one find the truth, and one can only find the teaching of Jesus in the Bible.  That is a strikingly narrow statement to make in this post-postmodern era, but it is a statement behind which all of us who truly follow Jesus must make–not hatefully, but lovingly and not spitefully, but urgently!