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Neal Pollard

The word is out about the death today of Hollywood icon, Elizabeth Taylor.  Movie critics, while saying that she was far from the best actress who ever performed, talk about how she was able to be successful on film through childhood, teen years, young adult, and into midlife and they talk about how naturally she connected with audiences through her physical beauty.  She was an award-winning actress, but she was probably more noted for the exploits of her private life than for anything else.  Today, Hollywood overflows with men and women engaged in the grossest of immoral behaviors, but she could certainly be considered a pioneer for such in relatively tamer times.

John Harti, at Today.com, in reviewing her life on and off-screen, reflected on her luring actor Eddie Fisher away from his wife and into a marriage with her (already her fourth), leaving Fisher for the already married Richard Burton (number five), and having a final tally of eight marriages, seven of which ended in divorce.  She was pregnant by Michael Todd before she made him husband number three, still being married to Michael Wilding.

While it is certainly social propriety to speak respectfully of the dead, Taylor’s legacy does not parallel that of men and women who have striven to respect God’s Word concerning marriage and morality.  One is left to think how responsible she was in helping create the terribly immoral culture that endemically permeates Hollywood today.  She was far from the first to have a prurient private life, but she did much to move such muck and mud from the mum to the marketplace!  Her behavior signaled, or at least accelerated, the trend in contemporary culture to glamorize and even idealize sexual lifestyles that flouted the biblical pattern for such behavior once held in much higher regard.

It is sad to know that she has made the transition from time to eternity.  As far as is known, she was not a New Testament Christian (her conversion to Judaism many years ago was much-publicized).  She seemed impenitent and lacking remorse for wielding such a toxic influence regarding marriage and sexual purity.  Yet, this is another firm reminder for us to look to the only proper place for guidance and truth regarding such matters.  Whatever the world validates and defends, our stand must be with God’s Word.  Try as many might, Matthew 19:9, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, and Hebrews 13:4 cannot be expunged from His inspired will.  Joe and Carolyn Barber, so long and faithful as members here at Bear Valley, are looking at 61 years of wedded bliss, a lifetime spent working together and being together and loving it.  They will never garner the attention of tinseltown stars and starlets, but they are the kind of people whose behavior in this realm should be displayed, written about, and showered with attention.  When I think of Ms. Taylor’s legacy, it simply makes me sad.

 

Neal Pollard

Can you believe that I routinely have locals ask me, “Where are you from?!”  They very often say, “You aren’t from around here, are you?”  Usually, this inquiry from them comes on the heels of my speaking, so I know exactly that to which they make reference.  When I lived in Virginia, people wrongly assumed I had a North Carolina accent.  Here, they have the audacity to think it a Texas or (gasp) Oklahoma drawl.  I very proudly correct them, saying that my twang is distinctly south Georgian!

Fortunately, few people have every told me that I should not speak with an accent.  It would be terribly difficult for me to accommodate that request.  The Lord is not concerned with the geographical, dialectical tendencies of my talk, but He is concerned about my speech!

Paul told a church to pray for him, “that I may make it (the mystery of Christ, v. 3) clear in the way I ought to speak.  Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col. 4:4-6).  The subject of the context is evangelism, as Paul speaks of their praying for him to have an open door to teach the word (v. 3) and is concerned with conduct toward outsiders (v. 5).  According to this text, what is the way I ought to speak to non-Christians?

I should speak clearly (4:3). I should not leave vague or false impressions about what the Lord says or expects in His Word.  I should not compromise and I certainly should not get in over my head.  I need to study God’s Word carefully and regularly, then share it clearly.

I should speak wisely (4:5, 6). My entire conduct must conducted in wisdom.  It is possible for me to exercise foolish judgment and wind up not speaking in the way I ought to speak.  Paul connects speech and conduct here, saying in the same context that we should work to “know how you should respond to each person.”  That tells me at least two things.  First, if there is a way I should respond, there is a way or ways in which I should not respond.  Second, I need to realize that not everyone is the same.  Wisdom demands that I know very well my audience and respond as the situation or individual warrants.  Peter’s sermon to the Jews on Pentecost was totally different from Paul’s approach to the Gentiles in Athens.  Jesus handled the Pharisees in Matthew 23 much differently than He did the woman at the well.  Oh, how we need wisdom in speaking to non-Christians!

I should speak opportunistically (4:5). Making the most of the opportunity suggests that there may be times that are not good opportunities.  But, making the most means doing the best I can to get a person closer to obedience to Christ.  Experience tells me that abrasive, confrontational, and prejudicial tactics sabotage opportunities.  Paul is about to coach on how one makes the most of opportunities in the next verse.

I should speak gracefully (4:6). What does it mean for my speech to be with grace?  Dunn says “grace” here “certainly echoes the normal usage of χάρις in relation to speech, that is, ‘graciousness, attractiveness,’ that which delights and charms (NIGTC, 266).  That does not hint at compromise, but certainly means courteous and gentle.  Listening to Wayne Nelson preach at Bear Valley last night (http://bvccsermoncast.blogspot.com/), I thought how he absolutely epitomized this principle.  Who knows how many non-Christians will hear his lesson?  If they are reachable, his kind, caring speech will certainly aid that process.  I want to overflow with kindness, patience, and genuine concern when speaking to non-Christians about the gospel.  In fact, doing so is downright biblical!

 

Neal Pollards

Trials, inevitable to every individual, nonetheless come in every size and intensity.  Our fellow human beings in Japan are being subjected to an enormous burden that it difficult to imagine bearing.  Not only have thousands been ushered into eternity, but millions have been impacted in life-changing ways.  From threats of danger to subjection to daily privation and hardship, they are being severely tested.  Isn’t it amazing to see how bravely and stoically they are responding?

It is hard to know how an individual or even a group will respond to the trials of life.  There are, however, some common reactions to be found.  Consider a few.

Some blame.  In the book of Job, there were several who responded to Job’s crisis by turning to blame.  Job’s wife blamed God.  Job’s friends blamed Job.  Blame is a common response to trial.  One enduring a trial may blame other people and often they blame God.  Since there is hurt, they reason, someone must be to blame.  Yet, this does not solve the problem of trials.  It can lead to bitterness, loss of faith, and self-centeredness.

Some break.  This can take many forms.  It may be rebelliousness and sinful behavior or it may be a lost or damaged faith.  Satan believes that even the most seemingly faithful individuals, like Job, will break when subjected to severe enough trials (cf. Job 1:9-11).  Many do fall beneath the load of trials, lose their way or their trust, and let trials win over them.  It is understandable that trials would tempt us in this way, but this does not resolve the issue either.  It, too, misinterprets the cause and is ultimately hurtful to self and others.

Some bear.  How some bear up under the trials they face amazes me!  If you have seen the stories or footage of the Japanese standing in line for many hours waiting for a pittance of food or witnessed the lack of looting we are accustomed to expecting, you, too, have likely been touched at the brave, strong way a people has responded to the unimaginable circumstances they face.  I think of certain heroes of faith I have seen tackle their trials with unbreakable faith.  Like Job, they must live in the wake of a loss or losses that staggers our imagination to consider having to endure ourselves.  Whether it is recurring health issues, persecution, emotional pain, material loss, or some thorn in the flesh, some “endure.”  While these may not understand the trial and while such a response does not solve the problem of trials, this is the way the Bible encourages us to cope with life’s tests.  By hanging on and holding on, we, while growing stronger for the journey, are being better fitted for heaven.  Spiritual growth occurs, experience and perspective is obtained, all while strength is supplied by God to handle it all.

I do not relish or welcome trials.  Yet, they will come.  We are, right now, preparing ourselves for how we will respond when trials do come.  Let us ever build on the rock (cf. Mat. 7:24ff)!

 

Neal Pollard

With an earthquake registering about 9.0, countless aftershocks, a devastating tsunami that spanned nearly 5,000 miles of ocean, millions of Japanese without drinking water and electricity, running out of food, hundreds of thousands left homeless, fuel shortages, and a nation last week among the world’s financially better off now on the brink of economic collapse, one is left to think of several passages of Scripture.  David wrote, “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am” (Ps. 39:4).  A later psalm says, “O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Man is a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow.  Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke. Flash forth lightning and scatter them; send out Your arrows and confuse them.  Stretch forth Your hands from on high; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters…” (Ps. 144:3-7).

Today, my family and I stood on the Santa Cruz wharf in California, watching the high, choppy waves pound the shore.  Just three days ago, it was the site of the fingertips of the tsunami’s reach.  Yet, dozens of boats were destroyed and dislodged as if they were tiny toys.  Staring at the vastness of the sea and sensing its power, I am reminded that we are frail and dependent upon the Lord.  God’s power is boundless while natural disasters like the one gripping not just one country but threatening many others teach us our many limitations.  How amazing that despite our frailties and God’s endless strength, He made us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) and He thought so specially of us in sending Christ to die for us (cf. Ps. 8:4; Heb. 2:6ff).  Christ is preparing a room for us in the Father’s house (Jn. 14:1ff).  We are vulnerable, but through Christ we can be victorious (1 Jn. 5:4).

 

Neal Pollard

We have three branches of government, a democracy, and a constitution.  We are governed by a representative government whom we help elect.  However, there are nations right now that are kingdoms ruled, some at least in a token sense, by kings.  Nations for centuries upon centuries have known the rule of kings.

God was the first king of Israel, and He wanted it that way forever (cf. 1 Sam. 8:7).  But, He knew that Israel would want an earthly king (Dt. 17:14ff).  At the end of the rough and rocky road better known as the period of the judges, the people used the excuse of Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, to clamor for a king to judge them (1 Sam. 8:5).  Yet, Israel either states or implies several things in what they say next.

• They wanted a worldly king (1 Sam. 8:5; 20a).  They wanted a man like the other nations had over them.  No mention is made of his spiritual leadership or godliness.  In fact, the nations all around them were guilty of the most heinous, unrighteous behavior imaginable.  But it did not matter.  Whether peer pressure or envy, Israel wanted what the world had.
• They wanted a king in place of God (1 Sam. 8:8).  They already had the supreme Sovereign reigning over them, but they were dissatisfied.  They wished to pledge their allegiance to another.  God tells Samuel that this is just another example of the rebellion that had marked them since Egypt.
• They wanted a military king to provide them earthly security (1 Sam. 8:20).  Incredibly, Israel chose to ignore the greatest victories in history, from the departure from Egypt to Jericho to Ai and even the exploits of Samson a few generations before, in favor of a mere man who they felt would give them greater earthly ease.

Every time I read about this dark period in Israelite history, I think about my relationship to God.  What kind of king do I desire?  What sort of reign and rule do I want in my life?  Am I more interested in being led by the world?  Am I placing something or someone else upon the throne of my heart?  Am I more focused and interested on earthly security or eternal security?  These questions are not ones I can ask just once and be done with it.  Repeatedly, there will be a tug at my heart and a test of my loyalty.  Hopefully, through spiritual growth, I can settle in my heart the Lordship and Kingship of God!  I can say of God with the Old Testament writers, “There is none like You” (Dt. 33:26; 2 Sam. 7:22; Jer. 10:6).  We can read scripture and see that this King will be the ultimate, eternal victor and will reward His faithful subjects (1 Cor. 15:23-28).  Loyalty will be rewarded in unprecedented fashion (Mt. 25:34ff).  That’s the King I want!

 

Neal Pollard

A few years ago, Robert Samuelson wrote an editorial about Europe’s economic failure.  This was written before the housing bubble burst and the stock market had its huge plunge.  He believed that their shrinking population and longer living elderly population was seriously threatening their existence.  They wanted to live in both the worlds of socialism and democracy.  They wanted welfare and economic freedom.  Basically, people want things to continue going on like they are.  But, Samuelson called that complacency and wrote, “The status quo isn’t sustainable.”

That’s true, no matter what the subject.  You are not going to stand still very long.  If you do not make progress, you will go backwards.  If you are not growing, you are dying.  If you are not getting stronger, you are getting weaker.  It is easier for us to see others making the fatal mistake of complacency, but it is harder to see it in ourselves.

This satisfaction with the status quo is so popular because it is easier.  It is the path of least resistance, requiring the least effort, change, and challenge.  Someone has said, “Complacent people are like water, following the easiest course–which is downhill!”  But, our focus must be on the windshield, not the rearview mirror, as we head down the road (cf. Phil. 3:13-14).  The Bible is fairly replete with warnings against apathy and complacency (see Isa. 32:9-11; Prov. 1:32; Zeph. 1:12; etc.).  There are biblical warnings against those whose status quo is pretty focused on this life and this world.  It can include those who want to live in both worlds, who profess to be Christians but who do not really want Christ to transform their whole lives.

Are we going to be satisfied with the status quo, when it comes to church growth, evangelism, Bible knowledge, personal spirituality, or church leadership?  A high jumper broke a track meet record in the event.  A reporter asked, “How did you jump so high?”  He responded, “I just threw my heart over the bar and my body followed it!”  Let us have our hearts on helping the church grow, reaching the lost, and growing in our own spiritual service because the status quo isn’t sustainable!

 

Neal Pollard

DON’T:

1. Play politics (local or brotherhood)

2. Ride hobby horses

3. Forget your family

4. Look for the perfect church

5. Saddle yourself with debt

6. Be a slave to your passions

7. Be lazy

8. Be cliquish

9. Move into a glass house

10. Allow indiscretions with the opposite sex

11. Be satisfied with your level of competence

12. Cater to your audience’s desires or weaknesses

DO:

1. Be genuine

2. Be balanced

3. Be responsible

4. Be content

5. Be sensible

6. Be disciplined

7. Be productive

8. Be friendly

9. Be yourself

10. Be pure

11. Be hungry

12. Be convicted

THE EFFECTIVE PREACHER SHOULD:

1. Pray fervently!

2. Encourage (Acts 4:36)

3. Visit

4. Be organized

5. Study with diligence

6. Learn to love people

7. Be patient–it takes time

8. Do the work of an evangelist

9. Have hobbies

10. Take family vacations

11. Keep his heart right

12. Always be God’s man!!

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

[This is the last week of my first time teaching Preacher And His Work in the Bear Valley Bible Institute.  As I wind down that class, the above, which was published in the POWER publication, Southaven, Mississippi, several years ago, seems a fitting summary of what seems to me a proper philosophy for the gospel preacher.  Hope you find it helpful]

Neal Pollard

In 1824 in The Christian Baptist, Alexander Campbell said,

In religion we cannot think anything of ourselves, but all our sufficiency is of God.

The word of God is the instrumental cause of thought. We cannot think of God

without an idea of him, and we cannot have an idea of him without his word.  We

are taught by, and we think and speak in, the words the Holy Spirit has taught,

when we learn, and when we think or speak the truth in religion. If we cannot

think anything true or right without the word of God in religion, when we leave

that word, or change or alter the connection in the statements, or after the terms

with their associations in it, our thoughts in religion are wrong.  God’s word is truth (Vol. 2, No. 12, 7/4/1825).

The restoration plea is simple and it is workable. Campbell was simply saying that the only way we know how to be right with God is to stay with what God revealed.  When we leave that, we part ways with the mind and will of God. What can be wrong with that way of thinking.  The late Bobby Duncan once said, “Men have never divided over what the Bible says, but rather about things it never, ever did.”  If we could get everyone who believed in Christ to simply submit to what the New Testament specifies, how could we help avoiding denominationalism?

If we can fill our hearts with humility and our spirits with submission, we can have the tenderness of heart and childlike faith to seek Christ’s will and follow that.  That means, in matters of faith, the Bible is an objective standard rather than a subjective suggestion.  The standard of right will always be the Bible.  Our position on any matter must be what God teaches!

 

Neal Pollard

It is passionate and, in his own words, full of zeal.  It is convicted.  It is, we have no reason to deny, sincere.  It is bold and very plain.

There are a great many today who are averse to negatively judging the religion of others, especially if they are passionate, sincere, and convicted.  “They have their own truth” or “they have their own interpretation,” we are told.  Such statements are too often uncritically received and accepted.  Using such “reasoning,” we are told that an individual religious group may teach any number of things about worship, salvation, church organization, eternal destiny, marriage and morality, and the like.

Some might go so far as to say that Charlie Sheen is “going off the rails on a crazy train.”  In interviews, he is rambling and what he says is enigmatic.  Morally, his lifestyle is diametrically opposed to scripture.  The sitcom of which he is the star routinely glorifies fornication.  So, are we at fault to judge the content of his life, his speech, and his beliefs as being contrary to the doctrine of Christ?

Certainly, a Hollywood actor is an extreme example but what better way to test our hermeneutic, our approach to scripture.  If we would judge that Mr. Sheen’s recent activities with a pornography star or his assault of his wife “wrong,” on what basis do we conclude such?  To what standard would we hold him or anyone else?  If the standard is scripture, which it should be, is not the best approach to scripture to “handle aright” (2 Tim. 2:15) the Bible and view it as the authoritative standard for every moral, ethical, and doctrinal question in life?  Too often, we pour the Bible into the mould of our desires, preferences, and opinions when exactly the opposite process is what must occur for us to properly reverence the Word of God (cf. Ps. 119:161; our hearts should, like David’s, stand in awe of God’s words).  May we take to heart the counsel of the apostle John: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1).

 

Neal Pollard

In college, some of us went through a brief fad of putting on the gloves and sparring out on the balcony of Burton Dorm at Faulkner University.  It was fun until your opponent and erstwhile friend landed a punch on your schnoz.  Then, finesse and skill gave way to wild flailing.  Fortunately, it was only a fad.

Boxing was one of the ancient Greek games.  According to the Perseus Project, “Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport.  Boxers fought without rounds until one man was knocked out, or admitted he had been beaten.  Unlike the modern sport, there was no rule against hitting an opponent when he was down…Instead of gloves, ancient boxers wrapped leather thongs (himantes) around their hands and wrists which left their fingers free” (www.perseus.tufts.edu).  There are ancient Greek drawings in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, showing these ancient athletes in action.  The boxers, according to a scornful Plato, are “the folk with the battered ears” (ibid.).

They were prominent enough figures that Paul referenced them by inspiration in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, alluding to these games and their competitors.  He illustrated his own self-discipline as a Christian and preacher by talking about the superior nature of Christianity to such earthly things, from the reward given to the victor to what was at stake by failing to win.  In verse 27, he says, “I box in such a way, as not beating the air.”  Maybe Paul had seen a boxer landing facial and body blows, hitting his opponent when on the ground, and delivering leather to nose or ears.  Maybe he had heard the distinct sound of flesh being pounded in such a match.  Paul in essence says, “I deliver these blows to my body, keeping it in subjection to the Lord’s will.”  I cannot let my flesh win or lose to that dangerous opponent.  In the same way, the Lord calls on us to fight this tenacious opponent called the fleshly self.  If we lose, Paul says, the penalty could not be more severe or the shame more great.

 

Neal Pollard

Four Americans were killed Tuesday, February 22, 2011, in the north Arabian Sea aboard a yacht owned by two of them, Scott and Jean Adam.  Somali pirates seized the boat last Friday despite the fact that naval task forces from the European Union and NATO have 34 war ships on those waters.  The sea is enormous, and pirate activity in the region is intensifying in numbers and in violence.  In fact, the pirates are escalating their tactics, using “mother ships to launch smaller attack boats, enabling them to strike as far as 1,500 miles from the Samali coast” (www.politicsdaily.com).

 

Somali officials want intervention to squelch this plague of piracy coming from criminals among its citizens.  Those traversing those waters, whether civilian, commercial or military vessels, must deal with threats to their safety and terror.  Public outcry, among those aware of the situation, is significant.  Yet, their number and their threat grows.

 

Why does piracy grow among these Somalians, despite the fact that many of them have been captured, sentenced, and even killed?  International opinions are decidedly against them!  Some would say that it has been physical and financial success.  The BBC reports that they took 1,181 hostages in 2010 and were paid millions of dollars in ransoms (goafrica.about.com, 1/18/11).  Some would say that the odd shape of the country, narrow but having a long coast line, or the vastness of the seas they scour, give them a sense of security.  Others say that these pirates are trying to protect the waters off their coastline from international pollution and pillaging of fish and other marine life whereby Somalia’s citizens can earn a living.  The answer may not be clear, but the problem is.  Piracy is a growing trend.

 

Have you stopped to think about the fact that sin does not stay dormant or stagnant in one’s life.  Unchecked and unremoved, it grows.  Societal sins may start subtly and sparsely, but when not renounced, they move into the mainstream and are even embraced.  Sin never ceases to be ugly, dangerous, and life-threatening.  Whether one grows bolder in it, enjoys a measure of success despite it, or seeks to justify it, God views it just the same.  So must we!  It is dangerous, devilish, and deadly.  May we ever strive to remove its effects from our individual lives and “let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mat. 5:16).

 

Neal Pollard

I sat in the auditorium last night, a hearer rather than the speaker.  Dan Owen was preaching this fantastic lesson on worship as part of our series on the church (hear it here: http://bvccsermoncast.blogspot.com/2011/02/church-and-its-worship.html).  It was interesting and, in a very real way, enjoyable.  But it was also forceful and convicting.  The longer he preached, the more the message kept penetrating and pricking my heart.  Dan’s sermon consisted of two points, that worship is an intentional meeting with God and, when we come, we must bring an offering.  That may sound somewhat plain, but just listen.  I think it will strike you as it did me.

Do not think that my view is that it is not a good sermon if your toes have not been crunched and you have not gone on a guilt trip.  I love feel good sermons on grace and heaven, the same as the next brother or sister.  However, as I listened to Dan preach last night, I thought of so many sermons by Camp, Clark, McCord, Winkler, Nichols, and others of their ilk.  The rich overflow from a man who has studied, prepared, and honed his ability to present gospel truths reaches into the heart of a hearer.  If we open our hearts during such sermons, we will be convicted by our shortcomings but motivated by the lesson to improve, grow, and increase what is good.

As Dan spoke about the “bucket,” I thought about the fact that more times than I want to admit I have come with an empty or nearly empty bucket.  But hearing him preach about it, I felt resolve to fill it up next time I meet God in worship.  In fact, that was what struck me most about his sermon.  The more I heard, the more I wanted to please, love, and obey my Lord.  It was painful, but exhilarating!

In our dramatically consumer-centric culture, you and I must break out of such selfishness and humbly approach the Audience of worship and give our everything to please Him.  We need to come with our prayers, praise, thoughts, longings, meditation, money, and the like, urgently desiring to give and give some more to our great God!   That will do more than transform our worship.  It will change our very beings to the core!  Thanks, Dan!

Neal Pollard

United had to ground its fleet of nearly one hundred 757 airplanes.  That is a financial nightmare in an industry already struggling to keep its head above water, something hurt greatly when it cannot keep its “birds” in the sky.  The airline installed a necessary piece of computer equipment on all 757s back in 2004, but mechanics had not performed all the necessary safety checks.  They have been flying these planes, basically, without explicit permission from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA has industry standards that airlines, like them or not, must follow.  Failure to do so is costly!  There are objective standards, and the agency is blind to brand, label, or headquarters.  Everyone must equally comply (www.usatoday.com).

This unfortunate episode, which United is proactively working to resolve, reminds me of something I see far too often in religion.  Jesus, having all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:20), has told us what to teach about salvation, worship, gender roles, church organization and leadership, purpose, and the like.  His inspired Word is the means whereby we measure our compliance.  Unauthorized changes, whether additions or subtractions, constitute a change from what He wills and desires (cf. Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19; Gal. 1:6-9).  If, when we examine scripture and handle it aright (2 Tim. 2:15), we find that we are not in compliance with that for which He has called, we need to conform to His standards.  This is neither legalism nor mere liturgy.  It is obeying from the heart the form of doctrine delivered to us (Rom. 6:17).  It is humble submission, ready and eager to do the Lord’s will over our own (Phil. 2:13).  The fact that He went to the trouble to preserve His will in His Word shows us that what we do and how we do it is important!  May we, from the inside out, comply with His standards and do all religious things His way!

 

Neal Pollard

Nathan Liddell preached a great chapel lesson today from Luke 2:52.  Along the way, he talked about the preacher’s need to protect his figurative heart.  He cited the great formula for overcoming anxiety found in Philippians 4:6-9.  He is right.  Notice what Paul wrote there.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Anxiety is a common mental ailment. The 2003 U.S. Census bureau determined, based on our country’s estimated population of 176.4 million people between 18-64 years old, that anxiety disorders cost an annual $42.3 billion to treat.  13.3% of the population is said to have some type of anxiety disorder, an approximate 23.4 million people.  Anxiety disorders take in depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse.  Many people develop more than one disorder.  This is the most common mental health problem in the U.S.  (all via depressionperception.com).  Do you think that Paul’s inspired counsel could help with this?  Consider what he suggests in our text.

PRAYER (6).  It is what Paul suggests as the substitute for anxiousness.  He says not to engage in the one but to pour oneself into the other.  By having God shoulder the load, the burden is lighter.  He is able to do anything and everything.  We need to petition His help.

PRESCRIPTION (7).  Paul promises divine guidance in our lives as we give ourselves to prayer.  I am not making judgments on when medicine is or is not needed in treating stress-induced mental problems, but Paul is saying that the prescription must include staying attached to Christ and the peace we enjoy in Him.

PROPER PONDERING (8).  You are the product of your thoughts.  Shad Helmstetter wrote an entire book on this subject entitled, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.  In it, he said, “All of us talk to ourselves all of the time.  Our self-talk may be in spoken words or unspoken thoughts.  It can take the form of feelings, impressions, or even worldess physical responses…We are thinking machines that never shut down” (36).  But, what are we thinking?  Paul tells us to employ positive, pure thoughts that exalt the Lord’s cause and lift our own lives.  You think about the things suggested here and you attack anxiety at its roots.

PRACTICE (9).  All the thinking in the world will not lead to peace.  We need to pick out good role models for apparent mental and spiritual health, then follow them.  We need to enact the Christ-life in our personal lives.  When we are busy doing what the Lord wants, we can find purpose and lose the panic.

I am not trying to oversimplify real, medical, and physiological issues.  Yet, let no one discount the divine diagnosis and directions.  Following Paul’s urging in this text will help us move from panic to peace, if we will put it to work in our lives!

 

Neal Pollard

With political upheaval all around the middle east, wars being fought on multiple fronts, and nations under the thumb of cruel dictators, you might guess one of those crises.  Yet, these words are coming from some on Capitol Hill regarding “three different pro-life” measures currently making their way through the House of Representatives.  What are these purportedly heinous acts?  One would take away tax benefits for “employers who provide health care if the plans offer abortion coverage.”  A second “would block…consumers from purchasing abortion coverage.”  Another measure “aims to block health clinics, specifically Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal funding if they perform abortions” (Bream, Shannon; politics.blogs.foxnews.com).

That’s it. That is what some legislators are calling “excessively harsh and severe” (draconian), “deserving hatred and contempt” (despicable), and “able and likely to cause harm or injury” (dangerous).  Those supporting the bill say “their intention is not to block access to abortions, but to make sure that taxpayers aren’t forced to fund them” (ibid.).  While Christians with a moral ethic shaped by Scripture would argue that nothing is being done in government that goes far enough to protect the lives of innocent, unborn children being slaughtered in large numbers every day, any rational observer should be able to step back from this rhetoric and see how extreme the reaction of opponents is.

More than that, one should pause and wonder how God views the cavalier attitude of so many toward the treatment of humanity’s most helpless and innocent ones.  God long ago pronounced as an abomination, as a thing He hates, “hands that shed innocent blood” (Prov. 6:16-17).  In the time of Isaiah, He also warned, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…” (Isa. 5:20).  When those taking even baby steps to protect the unborn are vilified and the right to murder is vaunted, one has to wonder who truly is draconian, despicable, and extremely dangerous!

 

Neal Pollard

Last week, I was in the bank making a deposit when the young woman who waited on me asked, “What’s that about?”  Her eyes were about my chest level, but I was caught off guard.  I said, “What?”  She said, “Think Souls!”  I could not believe that she asked that.  I was unprepared and could only stammer, “Um, it’s something we’re doing at my church.  We’re trying to reach into our community.”  With that said, I could say no more.  The moment died.  I was left with embarrassment and regret.  I pray each day for opportunities to share the good news and have found that little button as a great “conversation starter.”  At least, it is…theoretically.

That failure on my part got me to thinking.  Do you struggle with what to say, too?  What is a good response to one’s inquiry about the “Think Souls!” button?  Obviously, I’m no expert, but here are some responses I have come up with since that heat of the moment meltdown at the bank.

10) “It reminds me that everyone has a soul, including you and me.”

9) “Did you know that there’s a part of us that will never die? It’s the soul.”

8) “It reminds me that there are many lost souls in Denver and motivates me to do

something about that.”

7) “It’s so easy to get caught up in this world and forget the spiritual. This button in my

reminder.”

6) “Would you like to attend a church service with me and learn more about it?”

5) “Jesus came to this earth and died for souls like yours and mine.”

4) “God has taught us in the Bible to care about people’s souls.  I care about yours.”

3) “There’s a part of us made in God’s image, and it’s the soul. I care about your soul.”

2) “Thank you for asking. It makes it easier for me to invite you to come with me to

church.”

1) “I’d like to study the Bible with you and explain what it means.  Would you be willing

to do that?”

You may have a more clever or smooth response than any of these.  If so, I would love to get your feedback.  These buttons are not intended to be a gimmick or trick.  They are designed to open up doors of opportunity.  The important thing is to wake up every day and go through each day thinking about souls and trying to reach them.  You don’t have to wear a button to do that, but if you do be prepared for people to ask about them.  Give some thought to what you will say!

 

Neal Pollard

As Bear Valley has an active, growing involvement in evangelizing Cambodia, I am keenly interested in the events occurring on the Thailand-Cambodia border.  There is a clash right now between these two countries over Buddhist holy sites, and ironically their shooting at one another has caused damage to Preah Vihear, an 11th century temple considered very holy to them.  Thousands of villagers on both sides of the border have been evacuated.  At least 10 people have died over the weekend.

Back in 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Preah Vihear as a Cambodian World Heritage site.  This flared up what can truly be called old wounds between these nations.  Fighting over these “holy sites” has transpired, off an on, for over 1000 years.  The nations in this immediate area, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand, have been ruled and consolidated an a single empire multiple times over many centuries.  These temples, which are found in abundance in this region, are a focal point of interest both for their religious and economic values.

Paul stood in Athens, Greece, and preached, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).  Certainly, our Buddhist friends maintain and revere their temples not in homage to the God Paul preached but instead to a man long dead whose philosophies guide their lives.  Yet, even if these temples were claimed to be places of worship to that God, it would be a colossal waste of life and emotion to fight and fire at others who felt the same way about them.

God certainly wants His people, if they are blessed to have a place of meeting, to be good stewards of those buildings.  Yet, again, we can fall prey to the mistaken notion that God is confined and contained to those places.  Not only may we overestimate the importance of the building, we can find ourselves confining our God to that building.  Yet, Paul says He’s not confined. Paul goes on to say, “We ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of men” (Acts 17:29).  Our God is boundless, able to see, able to save, and able to serve at every moment of life.  He is to be obeyed and honored whether or not we are at the building.  May we never restrict our religion to the real estate, our adoration to the auditorium, or our commitment to the church building.  Our lives are to have greater purpose than that and our God deserves much more than that!

 

Neal Pollard

He was a prominent British neurologist for more than 40 years.  He made a major contribution in academic medicine for his work in “autonomic failure.”  At St. Mary’s Hospital in London, the Imperial College School of Medicine named a lecture after him. The 82-year-old doctor has served as Director of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases as well as Chairman of the Editorial Board of the journal Clinical Autonomic Research.  He has written textbooks. All of this is remarkable for one born to working class parents, but typical of his famous drive he decided very early in life to earn a place in one of England’s elite universities where he could study medicine.  That university was Oxford.  That is quite a distinguished career for an overachiever, but this man of science knows that most people know nothing of these achievements in his life.  His name is associated with something that took less than four minutes to occur.  He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his efforts in this realm.

His name is Sir Roger Bannister.  For many, that is enough information.  However, if I said, “The First Man To Run A Mile In Less Than Four Minutes,” that would resonate with many more of you.  His efforts, while in college and at age 25, on May 6, 1954, took 3:59.4, made history and opened the door for many other sub-four minute miles.  He was an Olympic Athlete before that momentous day and he served in various official sports positions since that day, but even within athletics he is remembered for that one run.  It was not even his best time, as he ran the mile later that year in Vancouver at 3:58.8.  He won over 100 awards in his brief career as a runner.  But he is remembered for “the run.”

Each of us is building a legacy that will outlive us, if nowhere but in our immediate families or in the congregation we attend.   We may not be famous or recognized for our achievements on the job or our private enterprises.  But, we will be remembered.  Will it be some attribute?  Some cause?  Some incident?  Will it be something to cherish or embarrass?  Many a good person has offset a life of good influence with an instance of indiscretion.  Some will perform an act of kindness or an effort for Christ that bears fruit which will utterly surprise them in eternity.  But, I believe that most of us will do something that will speak for us after we have died.  The good news is that we are in control of whether that is bad or good!

 

Neal Pollard

Temperatures allegedly dipped to -17 fahrenheit overnight.  Once, yesterday morning and then again yesterday evening, our neighborhood lost electricity.  The morning outage went half an hour and the three outages last night together amounted to about ten minutes of lost power.  As this storm has gone east, many people are having to brave the cold without electricity for what may wind up being days.

We all have experienced power outages.  Those who live in other countries often find having electricity the greater novelty than losing it.  Some experience rolling or scheduled outages or brown outs (drop in voltage).  Many times, we may experience what are called transient faults, those very brief losses in power caused by a fault in the power line.  When the power goes out, there is darkness, there may be discomfort, there is often that eerie stillness and quiet, and there is uncertainty.  When the power goes out in extreme conditions, like yesterday, there is concern.  In each circumstance, there is a feeling of powerlessness.  We cannot do anything about it, and we are at the mercy of those hardworking people who can.

Spiritually, we have all experienced that feeling of powerlessness.  We may feel insignificant, forgotten, and in the dark.  So often, we feel like there is nothing we can do.  We may experience discomfort and even fear.  These are the times we have disconnected ourselves from our power source.  Life, when good or bad, may lull or throw us into an inconsistent or even non-existent prayer and study life.  We focus inwardly and forget that God, who has all-power, is still in control.  Perhaps, it is then, most of all, that we need to remember His power and the way He empowers us.  Paul wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).  To Phillipi, he said, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).  As long as there is a God in heaven, there will never be a power outage in our spiritual lives–unless we disconnect ourselves from the power source!