Tag: Word

What It Means To Be Called

What It Means To Be Called

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Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 

The entire purpose of 1 Peter is to encourage and exhort Christians in their suffering. Peter ends the entire book with a promise that God will make them strong, firm and steadfast. This same God has called us into His eternal glory in Christ. John Gill once said, “This call is not a mere external one by the ministry of the word, which is not always effectual and unto salvation; but an internal, special, and efficacious one, and which is high, holy, heavenly, and unchangeable.” 

This call is what labeled us as Christians, what saved us from darkness, and what gave us God’s Son. We can learn so much about who we are as Christians by studying this word in the New Testament. The Greek word kaleo is used by several authors to explain our spiritual state. This word teaches us what we used to be without Christ. Without being called we would not be holy, we would still be in the darkness, without being called we would not be labeled as God’s children, and without being called we would not be in the eternal glory in Christ. 

Peter’s use of the word “called” in his letter is through inspiration. It helps us recognize our condition outside of Christ. It shows servants how to endure suffering. It gives an example to wives on how to submit to their husbands. We can see that we were outside of Christ and the blessings of the light before being called.

In 1 Peter, almost every use of the word “called” is followed by a definite article. Five times out of six “you” is said immediately following the word “called.” This call is directed towards us as Christians. We are called to do or be these various things for God. God also has called us. Peter writes that God is the one calling which implies that we must do the answering. So when are we going to answer the call from God?

As we live our Christian lives we must keep in mind our former condition, and be thankful for where we are now. God has truly blessed us by calling us as Christians. So do we give thanks to Him for what He has done? Do we carry out the standards that are in place by being called out? We must evaluate our christian walk and see if we are living up to our call to be separated from the world, and connected to Christ.

Carl Pollard
The Power Of God’s Word

The Power Of God’s Word

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Saturday’s Column: Learning From Lehman

Stephen Pitcock

One of the greatest influences I have had in my life is my mom. I’m not sure if you were aware, but my mom has frequently been in and out of jail over the past several years. Not that she did anything to be thrown into jail, but rather she volunteers to go to the Detention Center in Elizabethtown and conduct bible studies with the women there. However, when she goes, she is only allowed to take her Bible in with her and they shut the door and lock it behind her. We’ve talked about it several times and there is only a couple of instances when she felt scared, when she felt like she was in danger.

Once she was having a Bible study and the topic was things we must do as Christians. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” However, there was one woman there that was adamant that she did not have to do anything once she was “saved”. It got to the point that the woman was furious, and my mom was scared, and she wasn’t sure what to do or if the woman would harm her in some way. So, mom very calmly opened her Bible to Matthew 25 and gave it to the woman and asked her to read verses 31-46.

These verses reveal a judgment scene where the nations are gathered before God’s throne and are separated as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. Those to the right will inherit the kingdom prepared for them (meant for us) because they ministered to the least of these their brethren. Those to the left will depart into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (not meant for us) because they did not minister to the least of these.

Upon reading the verses the woman broke down crying. She knew what she believed to be true wasn’t. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you it was nothing she said that provoked this sudden and instant change in the woman, but rather it was the word of God.

Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

  • –  Living – God’s word is active, able to achieve its purpose, working in people’s lives and it’s as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.
  • –  Powerful – God’s word has the power to change our thoughts, change our lives and change our eternal destiny.
  • –  Pierces – God’s word pierces our soul with truth, points out our sins and provides the cure.
  • –  Discernment – God’s word can perceive and recognize our every thought and intention.Isaiah 55:11 tells us “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” I’m not sure about the rest of the story. I hope the woman was able to leave with a new resolve to study and obey God’s word. However, we have God’s word available to us and it can do the same in our lives if we allow it.
    James 1:21 tells us, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” That is, if we read and meditate in it, pray for understanding and if we are faithful and obedient to God’s commandments therein. God’s word is able to do instantly what man is unable to do.
The Coolest Intro

The Coolest Intro

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Wednesday Column: Third’s Words

gary and chelsea

Gary Pollard

One of the most concise and beautiful teachings about God is in John. He plainly states some awesome things, full of impact and depth.

“The Word existed in the beginning…” This, along with other statements made in this context, highlights how tragic it is that the world systemically rejects him. There was only a “beginning” because of him.

“…the Word existed with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God, who created everything through Him. Nothing that exists was created without Him.” God took a demotion to save us (Heb. 2.9). The same one who used the Father’s power to fabricate reality.

“Life came from Him…” Humans only had the power to take life away from the source of life because He let them.

“…and this life was humanity’s light.” His selflessness gave us hope for a better existence.

“This light shined through the darkness, and darkness can’t smother it.” Evil is on borrowed time and it knows it. Jesus put a countdown on the existence of evil. When its time runs out, it’ll never bother His people again (II Pet. 3.13; Rev. 20.12-15).

We deal with real problems thanks to darkness. What Jesus did wasn’t just a nice gesture. He destroyed the very possibility of darkness, creating a reality in which His own – made eternally perfect through His sacrifice – can never mess things up again. I want to live in that kind of reality with that kind of God.

The Power Of The Word

The Power Of The Word

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Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

Angels are not the dainty, long-haired Western Europeans they’re often depicted as being. In Matthew 28, their appearance was like lightning and they had white clothes. Evidently their appearance was other-worldly enough to frighten these soldiers almost to death (28.4). Whether this was some cardiac event or simply shock we cannot know. But to frighten someone that tough to that extent would take something pretty crazy. 

But some of these same guys still went straight to the chief priests and took a bribe to keep quiet and spread disinformation (28.11-15). After what they had just seen and experienced, you’d think they would run to a therapist and not the chief priests to help perpetuate something they knew to be false. 

We can be tempted sometimes to think that evangelism requires more than just showing someone the word. We might think the miraculous or incredible could persuade even the most stubborn non-believer. The power of our job (making disciples) is in the Word and in faith. The Bible has many accounts of people seeing incredible feats of supernatural power with their own eyes and still rejecting God. Abraham informed the rich man in Luke 16.29-31 that God’s Word is what saves; if that is rejected, no miracle will change this. 

If we place our faith in the power of the Word and work to deepen our understanding of the Word, we have all we need to show the power of Jesus. 

The World Is Desperate

The World Is Desperate

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Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

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Carl Pollard

Generalizations are almost always wrong. For example, just because you’re from Colorado doesn’t mean you smoke weed, or just because you’re homeschooled doesn’t mean you’ve never seen a person before. Just because you live in Alabama doesn’t make you an Alabama fan. Just because many people fall into a category, doesn’t mean that every person is the same.

There is one generalization that is true: the world is desperate. Without Christ, many issues in life go unsolved. Family problems are harder to overcome, job issues get blown out of proportion, and questions go unsolved. Over the next few weeks I’d like to look at three major issues that the world has no answer for. But these three topics are easily explained through God’s Word.

Each one of us has had these thoughts before. Every single person ever born at some point will have these questions. So number one, the world is desperate for Guidance (Psa. 119:105). Ever been lost? It is amazing how easy it is to get turned around. I’m terrible with directions, and even with maps up on my phone, I still find a way to get lost.

The world feels the same way–they’re lost. They don’t have direction in life. They float around going from one thing to the next looking for guidance. As Christians, our guide is God’s Word. It gives us a map for life. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, has to do with guidance. Each section in this chapter covers different aspects of keeping God’s Word. In the first eight verses, the psalmist says things like, “blessed are those who walk in the Law of the Lord,” and “I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.” The rest of the chapter sticks with this pattern.

If you ever find yourself questioning why you follow scripture, study this chapter and you will find reason after reason. Looking at verse 105, it says this, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Are you anxious? Turn to God’s Word. Are you hurting? Turn to God’s Word. Are you afflicted? Turn to God’s Word (119:107). Has your family disowned you? Turn to God’s Word. Have your kids left the Church? Turn to God’s Word. Did you lose your job? Turn to God’s Word. See, the world doesn’t turn to scripture when it faces these problems, and they are left without a guide, without comfort, and without something to rely on. There’s a reason God inspired men to write the Bible, and that reason is so that flawed man can have a guide through life.

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As my dad and Wes Autrey demonstrated in Yellowstone Park, you also                    need to know how to use a roadmap to avoid getting lost.

 

We Can Only Share What We Know 

We Can Only Share What We Know 

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Neal Pollard

I found a treasure in a chest of drawers in my parents’ house this week. It was a Mother’s Day present I gave my mom when I was 8 years old. Actually, it was a project our third-grade teacher helped us put together. It was a recipe book concocted by us students without any adult assistance. The spelling and the recipes confirm this fact. My two recipes were “Peanut Butter ‘Crisbys’” and “Lemon Pie.” The first recipe was brief, but profound:

Put 3 C. rice crisbys in a bowl. Then
put 2 tablespoons peanut butter in.
4 C. Sugar.
Put in oven at 200 for 30 min.

The second recipe was more complex:

Put 4 eggs in the pan
Put 3 cups of lemon mix in
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 C. “flower”
Put in pan and cook for 1 hour at 200 degrees.

I assure you that nearly every recipe in this small book showed about as much culinary acuity. Why? We had been in the kitchen, but we had no concept about ratios, temperature, or baking times (or even if we used stovetop or oven). The result were “recipes” that would have been problematic to follow or eat.

What a challenge to me as I try to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18)! I want to move beyond a childlike knowledge of Scripture and move on toward maturity (Heb. 5:11-6:1)! May I never be so lacking in knowledge that I cannot tell someone what to do to be saved, help someone know Christ, or speak about any matter pertaining to life and godliness (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3). May I have the humility to never “think more highly of” myself than I ought to think (Rom. 12:3). Otherwise, I may look naive or ignorant when asserting my expertise in a matter where I need considerable growth.  I must bring the same humility to such complex subjects as marriage and parenting, as well as Christian living. That is not to say that I should not grow to the point where I cannot be helpful, but instead temper my advice and assertion with deference and cover it with lovingkindness and patience.  On multiple occasions, the younger me made this mistake. In fact, I am still prone to do so. It reminds me to grow what I know and be careful not to share what goes beyond that.

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HOW BAD DO YOU WANT THE TRUTH?

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT THE TRUTH?

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Neal Pollard

Do you want the truth as bad as Jiang Xulian wanted a six-karat diamond from Thailand?  The 30-year-old woman stole the jewel from a jewelry fair in Nonthaburi, swallowed it, and tried to smuggle it out of the country.  CCTV caught the heist and an X-ray in Bangkok revealed the diamond in her large intestine.  Eventually, a surgeon removed the gem, worth $392,000, and Xulian faces three years in prison (read more here).

In successive parables, Jesus compared the search and pursuit of the kingdom of heaven to treasure, the first unspecified valuables and the second pearls (Mat. 13:44-46). David calls the law of the Lord “more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold” (Ps. 19:10; cf. 119:72, 127). Solomon adds his inspired counsel to “buy truth, and do not sell it” (Prov. 23:23).  Repeatedly, the Bible lays out the superiority of spiritual treasure above not only physical treasure but all else (Mat. 6:19-21).

  • Some do not stand in the truth (John 8:44).
  • Some question even the existence of truth (John 18:38).
  • Some suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18).
  • Some exchange the truth for a lie (Rom. 1:25).
  • Some do not obey the truth (Rom. 2:8).
  • Some are not straightforward about the truth (Gal. 2:14).
  • Some do not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Th. 2:10).
  • Some do not believe the truth (2 Th. 2:12).
  • Some are self-deprived of the truth (1 Tim. 6:5).
  • Some have gone astray from the truth (2 Tim. 2:18).
  • Some are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 3:7).
  • Some oppose the truth (2 Tim. 3:8).
  • Some turn their ears away from the truth (2 Tim. 4:4; Ti. 1:14).
  • Some lie against the truth (Jas. 3:14).
  • Some stray from the truth (Jas. 5:19).
  • Some malign the truth (2 Pet. 2:2).
  • Some do not practice the truth (1 Jn. 1:6).
  • Some do not have the truth in them (1 Jn. 1:8; 2:4; etc.).

The point of Scripture is that these are people who not only do not want the truth but are trying to avoid it.  They lack sufficient hunger and desire for the will of God or the rule of God in their lives. It is not something they treasure.

What about us?  Do we want God’s truth so badly that we are willing to sacrifice, pursue, and strive to obtain it? Its value is without comparison! Its reward is beyond comprehension. Let’s encourage each other to be truth-lovers, willing to pay whatever price is necessary to have it.