Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away

I happened across my neglected blog this morning and was once again reminded of how quickly time quickly passes. It has been over two years since I last wrote anything here! I enjoy writing and miss it greatly. However, we are at a BUSY season in life and must prioritize daily. Here are a few irons that we have in the fire:

1. Serving God -- Let me start off by saying that I am nowhere close to where I ought to be in this area and am daily convicted of my insufficiency! I am thankful for the promises of 2 Corinthians 12:9 which remind us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His grace is sufficient.  Several years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to move back home and help serve the church that I was raised up in. I believe that the Lord was in this matter and continues to shower us with blessings. Shameless plug -- We meet every Sunday and Wednesday evening and would love to have you come and worship with us (www.MacclennyPBC.com). In addition to this, we have been involved in supporting other saints that are seeking to start a new church. This has been very exciting and we have also seen the Lord's hand in this effort. He is still adding to His church! I have also been trying to be an encouragement to our local congregations as the Lord sees fit and this has left very little time for additional travels. My desire is for the cause of Christ to continue to be strong in our area and am thankful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. However, I regularly pray that the Lord would add laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). We have a great need in this area and I ain't getting any younger!! Pray for our region/state/nation that he would raise up men that would be faithful to His word and that our congregations would be strengthened by such. 

Time has gotten away from me again (imagine that) and I will stop for now. I encourage you to regularly pause in the midst of the busyness of life and ALWAYS make sure that you are putting God first. My life consists of constantly recalibrating to ensure that this happens. Truthfully, it does not always occur, much to my shame. I appreciate the gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) reminders from those around me to make sure my priorities are straight. The fact is, time does get away quickly and we should strive to make the most of what we have left!

Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

To be continued... 

I hope that all have a wonderful evening!

MG

The Lord of Storms

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? -Mark 4:39-40

In the midst of preparing for the unprecedented storm that appears to be making landfall in the next couple of days, it is important to remember that our Lord is with us through every storm of life. As were were preparing for bed last night my youngest son expressed his fears about the pending storm. He asked why wouldn’t God just send the storm away? I did my best to explain that He is certainly able and might possibly do that. We recalled the miraculous ‘bobble’ that last year’s Hurricane Matthew experienced prior to making landfall. While the damage was great, it could have been much worse. We also experienced numerous manifestations of His grace and mercy in the days following that storm.

Jesus’ apostles in Mark 4 were in the midst of of a perilous storm. Where was Jesus as their vessel began to take on water? He was ASLEEP and they were incredulous! Can you imagine the thoughts that ran through their mind in the midst of their crises? “We have the Son of God with us and He is totally unconcerned about our plight!” “Why is He allowing this to happen to us? We are his apostles!” “Why doesn’t He bring a stop to all of this right now!”

Truthfully, we all have such questions in times of trouble. How did the Savior respond to the storm of Mark 4? Simply stated, He acted at the perfect time; His time. The sovereign ruler of the universe spoke precisely at the right time and the winds and waves obeyed His will.

I tried to offer a cogent explanation to console my son. I explained that we live in a world corrupted by sin. Adam’s transgression affected every part of earth, thus causing destructive weather patterns that oftentimes threaten humanity. This was not God’s plan for His creation, but a result of the judgement of sin and death being placed on mankind. While true, this offered little consolation to his six year old mind.

What did offer comfort was the reminder that our Lord is in control. As long as we are on this planet we will battle fierce storms; some without and some within. God has blessed us with common sense to prepare for these storms, but we understand that there comes a point in all trials that we must exercise faith and cast our cares on the One who speaks, “Peace be still.”

Friends, our Lord is always on time. He may not act when or where we think is best, but He knows what is best for His people. He might still turn this storm away from us (He is indeed able), but if He doesn’t we can trust that will provide sufficient grace for us in whatever the aftermath may be.

Lord increase our faith!

Blessings, MG

Evil Speech

James 4:11-12 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Do you use your words to build up or tear down others? In the above passage, James addresses the disciple’s speech for the second time in his letter to the church. Why the redundancy? Because the Lord know the pervasiveness of unruly speech in the life of a believer.

James is primarily concerned with how we speak about fellow believers, but this principle should be applied to all in which we interact. Evil speech encompasses the notion of speaking about a another individual with the intent to tear down, rather than building up. He clearly calls such behavior out as evil. It is likened to murder earlier in James 4.

Interestingly enough, the New Testament word, Devil is literally defined as slanderer or accuser. Revelation 12:10 calls the devil the accuser of the brethren. It should be eye-opening to the believer that when he uses his words to tear down, he is doing the devil’s work! Lord help us to not fall into the trap of supporting the agenda of the evil one.

James also states that when we speak evil of one another, we make ourselves judges of the law. In other words, we place ourselves above the law of God. Simply stated this is a pride issue. Instead of submitting themselves unto the ordinances of the Lord, they operate above them and become judge over their brothers and sisters.

There is only one lawgiver and we must labor to remember that we are under the law of God. His law requires us to act humbly towards those who have wronged us. If we have been wronged, then we are to seek redress via biblical means. James is not forbidding us addressing conflicts or expressing concerns when a fellow believer is going in a direction contrary to the word. However, he is absolutely concerned about the intent of our communications.

Every interaction that we have with others, especially those of the household of faith should be conducted with the intent to humbly build them up within the parameters of God’s word and not to destroy others. In Colossians 4:6, Paul admonishes us to, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Lord give us grace to consistently live out this commandment!

Wow, What A Year!

As 2015 draws to a conclusion and I actually have some time to reflect on the whirlwind that will soon conclude, I thought it expedient to share some of the experiences that rank the past dozen months as some of the most significant in our family’s life.

January started normal enough as we were hunkered down for the typical Northern Indiana winter. The Lord had blessed us in every imaginable way. We were all relatively healthy. The Lord was blessing our church and I was settled in to a job that was simultaneously personally rewarding and challenging. All of our needs were being met. In other words, we were in a comfortable place. It is in such cocoons that God ofttimes works.

Unbeknownst to only a few, I had been struggling for the past year or so with what the Lord’s will was for my ministry and subsequently, our family. I am rapidly entering the stage of life where the horizon is in sight and this caused me to become intentional about what (and where) He wanted me be with the remainder of my life in mind. While cognizant of this stirring, I wanted to be sure that whatever changes were on the horizon, it was the movement of the Lord and not merely sentiment. Therefore, I devoted much time to prayer and reflection in His word and sought the counsel of wise individuals. I was content to let the matter rest until a clearer path was opened.

The family and I were blessed to spend our Spring Break in beautiful Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama. This was really the first extended period of quiet time that we had enjoyed since winter break. It was during this time that we earnestly started thinking about our future and praying that God would reveal His will for us in the future. This time of focused and fervent prayer was about to be answered in an incredible way!

Two takeaways from our experiences thus far is that God can (and will) shake us out of our comfort zones. Luke 12 warns us against trusting in such ease. Rather, we should always be seeking the kingdom of God and not laying up treasures for ourselves (Luke 12:31). We have definitely learned that lesson in this adventure. The Lord can mess up your nest!

We have also been astonished at the power of prayer and the miracle of God hearing and answering our feeble petitions. In Matthew 7:11 Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Our heavenly father is faithful to give us what we need when we ask! In our case, it involved opening some doors for the next chapter in our lives.

But that is another story for another day!

Blessings,

Michael D. Green, Jr.

Lifting Up

Exodus 17:8-13 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Exodus 17 presents the reader with an unusual manifestation of the Lord blessing Israel with victory over the nefarious Amalekites. As the battle ensued below, Moses stood on a hill with the rod of God. When his hands were raised, Israel had the upper hand. When they were lowered, Amalek gained the advantage. Much can be said about this passage, but I want to focus on the human aspect of this occurrance. Moses grew weary as he held up the rod of God is this battle. What might seem like a simple task became much more difficult as time passed. Thankfully, there were faithful individuals that willingly assisted him with bearing this heavy burden. if this great man of God needed the assistance of others, how much more do we?

The answer is plain. We can not go it alone in any area of life. Perhaps we can muddle our way through the inevitable challenges, but we will quickly grow weary and discouraged. We have all experienced this to some degree. I have tried to do this and miserably failed. Thankfully, God has not called us to do it all by ourselves! His word is replete with examples and instruction to come alongside and lift up one another. Notice the following passages:

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Exhortation literally means to come to another’s side to strengthen and encourage them. This is in stark contrast to the popular notion that we should take advantage of a man in his weakness. Nor does it say we are called to lecture or act condescendingly towards a weaker individual. As Aaron and Hur lovingly lifted the arms of Moses at a point of weakness during the battle, we should be willing to do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul rightly echoed this principal when he commanded the strong to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). This is a must in every area of discipleship!

Blessings,

Michael D. Green, Jr.

Taking Off The Grave Clothes

 In John 11 we read of the sickness and subsequent death of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus. While Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sisters lamented the late arrival of the One who could have delivered him from his malady, our Savior used the occasion as an opportunity to show his power over death. What an opportunity it was! Our Lord spoke to the dead and stinking Lazarus and he was made alive again!

In like manner, we are changed from a state of spiritual death to life by the power of God. The same voice that cried, "Lazarus come forth" is able speak life into our stony heart. The central theme of our passage is the power of our Lord to give life. The result of this spiritual life is our ability to make changes for the better. Let us look at the command given by Jesus once Lazarus was resurrected from the dead.

John 11:43-44 KJV - And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Once life was given, Jesus instructed Lazarus’ grave clothes be removed. The clothing associated with death was to be removed. He that was dead was made alive by the voice of the Master. It is mere speculation on my part, but I imagine Lazarus putting on his best change of clothes after his encounter with Jesus. Perhaps he bought a new outfit to celebrate the occasion. What an experience. He who was dead was alive again.

We do not have to speculate about what should happen to us when we are born again. The Apostle Paul instructs us to take off the grave clothes and put on a new garment.

Ephesians 4:21-24 KJV - If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The actions of the old man are simply grave clothes of a former life. Once the Spirit of God makes us alive, we ought to clothe ourselves with the garments of a disciple; those things comprised of righteousness and holiness.

As we begin a new year, we should ponder our own discipleship. What grave clothes are we still wearing of a former life. Deceit? Slothfulness? Evil speaking? Whatever it might be, may we put the off and put on the clothes of edifying and godly living. What a testimony we will be in 2015 when we imitate the life and actions of our Lord by putting on righteousness.

In Christian Love,

Michael D. Green, Jr.

God’s Design for Instruction

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

It seems as if we are living in a day where conferences, seminars, forums, sessions, etcetera are given more weight than the simple New Testament pattern of worship. It is not my intention to delve into the potential shortcomings of such. I simply want to highlight the truth that God provided a far more superior means for us to navigate the manifold challenges of everyday life. Let us not be ashamed of what our Lord has provided.

The word ‘salvation’ in the context of Romans 1:16 is defined as a deliverance or preservation. We can think of the gospel as a life preserver for the born again child of God when the winds and waves of the world would overwhelm him. We need this daily deliverance at work, in our homes, as we strive to be responsible citizens, and in our personal devotion to God!

God in his mercy established the local church as the assembly in which this is to occur.  To be effective, the ministry and congregants must both apply themselves to the study of the word. There should also be prayers that God would bless the messages to be scriptural and applicable to the needs of the local flock. When these things occur, no better instruction can be found! 

Are you zealously supporting and cultivating these qualities in your local congregation? 

This design has been effective for over two thousand years. Lord help us to recognize, appreciate, and encourage the preaching of the gospel in accordance with God’s simple pattern!

Blessings,

Michael D. Green, Jr.