Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

Mark 3:21 (KJV)

And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Does it amaze us that Christ would have friends who were not (at least at this time) believers? He had grow up from a small child in Nazareth. There He had relatives through His mother and nearly kin through His stepfather, Joseph.  No doubt during those years Jesus had become well acquainted with people who cared for Him as the good person He surely was even though they probably thought His ideas fanciful and maybe immature. “He will grow out of them.” They may have said among themselves.

It is unlikely we have lived long without making some friendships on this level. At school or work or in some other public setting we have likely made friendships that exist despite and not because of our faith. These friends are well meaning but, like those of Christ, may try to hinder our spiritual life.

There came this point in time when the relationship with those friends came to a make or break point. They tried to rescue Jesus from the consequences of His faith; He remained steadfast in that faith. I believe many of those friends came to accept Him as Saviour after this. I am sure many others gave up on Him and walked away.

As we live for the Lord our friends who are not of the faith will almost certainly find themselves at a crossroads at some point; they will come to urge us not to get too wrapped up in our Christianity. They will think they are protecting us to keep us from going overboard in our belief. We must stand firm and true to Christ and when we do, many of them will give up on us. But others will come to trust the Saviour upon which we rest.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 4:12 (KJV) Satan’s Attacks Persistent

Matthew 4:12 (KJV)

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

It is worthwhile to note that Jesus heard about John Just after being testing by the Devil. I would suggest that the imprisonment of John was a further test and that, while the devil left Him, the devil did not stop attacking Him. If he could not get Jesus through a direct method, Satan tried the next best thing; to get to Him through a relative and close associate in His calling.

Satan’s attacks upon the believer are:

• Frequent
• Multifaceted and
• Persistent

If overt tactics won’t work, he will attempt covert ones. If he can’t get to a particular believer directly, he will attempt to get through them indirectly. If he can’t tempt a Christian to give in to a sin, he will tempt him to compromise the truth.

To my reader:
Jesus resisted Satan with the Word of God. Read the Bible daily or more to have the ammunition to resist. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 4:12 (KJV) Satan’s Attacks Persistent

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

Matthew 3:13 (KJV)
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

It is impossible to get over the grace, the condescension and the humility of this act. God became man and dwelt among us. Then God with us submitted Himself to be baptized.

This act, if for no other reason, ought to give every believer motivation to follow Christ in baptism

• By faith in Christ
• By immersion as was Christ
• By the proper authority as was Christ

To my reader:
Have you been baptized Scripturally? Be sure to follow the Lord in this important ordinance. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV) Followers Do No a King Make

1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV)
And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

In this case Solomon is a type of Christ and Adonijah is a type of any antiChrist. Adonijah was not the chosen one to be the king After David but he wanted the role. Without authority of his father and in total arrogance he set himself up as the next man to be followed. His methods were misleading enough that he deceived many into following him.

But followers do not the next king make. David obeyed the will of God and set Solomon as the rightful king. When those who had followed Adonijah heard that, they feared and fled.

Multitudes today are blindly following those who have no authority from God:

• A religion that is of antiChrist
• A church that is not Scriptural
• A leader who has presumed upon the authority of God and stepped outside of the parameters of God’s Word

Those followers and their leader might exhibit the same confidence of Adonijah and his crowd but it won’t last. There is only one rightful king; it is Jesus Christ. In God’s own time Christ will set up His own throne and those like Adonijah and his followers will be forced to flee.

Don’t make their mistake.

• Trust Christ alone as your Saviour
• Find and unite with a sound Baptist church 
• Study the Bible and stay within its teachings 
• Don’t be led astray by a smooth talking antiChrist and
• Stay true to Jesus Christ until He calls for you

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV) Followers Do No a King Make

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 22:36 (KJV) Where to Find Greatness

2 Samuel 22:36 (KJV)
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

The only greatness that matters for very long is the greatness that comes from God.

• It is possible to make yourself great like Nimrod did
• It is possible for popular opinion to make great as it did for King Saul
• It is possible that circumstances elevate a person to greatness as it seems happened to Naaman

These sorts of greatness, though they may be impressive, only last a little time. David was made great by God’s gentleness and he is still being talked about three thousand years after the fact.

Find your greatness in God and you will be truly great.

To my reader:
To whom do you look for greatness in life? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 22:36 (KJV) Where to Find Greatness

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 20:4-6 (KJV) The Right Sort of Follow

2 Samuel 20:4-6 (KJV)
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.

One of the greatest concerns that President Lincoln faced during the early years of the Civil War was the ineffectiveness of his generals. McClellan was especially guilty of this because he had, at the beginning of the war, a clear and huge advantage over the South in numbers of troops but was too cautious to use them. McClellan’s inactivity, choosing to build and train troops rather than getting them into the field of action, created conflict between he and President Lincoln and probably extended the war by a number of years. It was not until General Grant took charge of the Army that President Lincoln finally had a man who understood and was willing to fight on the level that expected.

David found himself in the same place. Joab had proven himself to be an untrustworthy leader, choosing to do things his own way rather than following the orders of the King. Amasa was put in charge of the army over Joab. But Amasa turned out to be a pour choice for a general in that he tarried longer than he should have, giving the enemy valuable time to mount an effective campaign against King David. Joab, though crude and brash, knew how to get the job done.

Good servanthood is a combination of the two. It is loyal and devoted to the wishes of the leader and, at the same time, active and aggressive in the work.

Christians ought to be solidly for God, not willing to do anything in opposition to the Word of God, even for what we believe to be the good of God’s work. At the same time we need to be aggressive in doing all that the Lord has commanded in His Word.

To my reader:
The combination of aggressive obedience to the Word of God without crossing over into willful presumption is a rare quality indeed. Take a moment to ask God to examine your heart. Are you loyal enough to God to not presume to do the will of God while at the same time fully obeying what you know to be His will? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 20:4-6 (KJV) The Right Sort of Follow

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 18:4 (KJV) Good Leadership

2 Samuel 18:4 (KJV)
And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

I understand the principle of servant leadership. David was king for the benefit of the people and not the other way around. But in yet another biblical example of the mistake of bowing to majority rule or popular opinion, the battle between Absalom and David goes in a less than ideal direction because David did what pleased the people rather than owning leadership:

• Joab ignored David’s clear instructions 
• A foot soldier was placed in the position of having to obey what he knew to be David’s instructions or the wishes of his immediate superior, Joab and
• Absalom died 

All because David did what pleased the people.

Good leadership always takes into account the pleasure of the people because leadership is there for the benefit of the people. However good leadership looks beyond the immediate pleasure of the people to find the long term good.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 18:4 (KJV) Good Leadership

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

New milestone...

I just noticed that this blog makes 3300 that I have now posted.
I am thankful to the Lord for His grace in giving us the Word of God. What a blessing it has been to my soul.

Matthew 26:15 (KJV) What’s Your “Last Straw”?

Matthew 26:15 (KJV)
And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Many years ago now we had a couple who had been members of our church for several years. This couple was active and involved in everything going on at church. They were positive and generally encouraging toward me. Then came the day when I learned that all of this had been a façade, a front that covered what was happening in their heart. I can’t remember what the message was about that day but their response afterwards was that they had disagreed with many things and this was just the last straw.

Their story reminds me of Judas and prompts me to ask, “What will it take for you to betray Christ?” For Judas is was just a few pieces of silver.

• For some it is a job where there is no sound church 
• For some it is a teaching that they refuse to accept 
• For some it is a relationship in the church that runs them the wrong way
• For someone else it is a simple misunderstanding they refuse to forgive 

Whatever it is, it will lead to your destruction. Some who finally come to the last straw leave to find another church. Many of them leave church completely but either way the path is one that leads to eventual devastation. It may not show up for a generation or two but it will happen.

Everyone of us must realize that we can be broken. If we attempt to follow the Lord in the strength of our own will we will find that last straw. The key to the Christian life is Christ living in us. Only He can hold up to any straw.

To my reader:
“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” The answer to faithful Christian living is not determination but dependence. Are you leaning on the Lord? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 26:15 (KJV) What’s Your “Last Straw”?

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 25:44 (KJV) Everyone Answers God

Matthew 25:44 (KJV)
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 

These kingdom of heaven parables give evidence that even those who have ignored denied resisted and even fought the Lord and His people will “also answer” the Lord.

There is no getting away from God. It is impossible to hide from Him. All men will stand in his presence. I do not believe it will all happen at the same time; there is a judgment seat of Christ for the believers and a great white throne judgment for the lost but all will come before the Lord.

Will you stand before Him amazed at His grace you have received or aghast at the judgment you face?

To my reader:
Are you saved? God’s Word gives a promise to all who, realizing their sin, call upon the Lord for salvation. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 25:44 (KJV) Everyone Answers God

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 24:45-46 (KJV) To Whom The Blessings Belong

Matthew 24:45-46 (KJV)
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 

 There is a blessing in faithfulness to the end. As the time of the coming of Christ draws closer it seems like the time of His coming feels longer and longer. We see every reason why we think He should come right away. We wonder why He suffers the sorts of iniquity and spiritual darkness that exists today. We long to be rescued and relieved of this World’s wicked turn from Christ.

While we who are faithfully studying the Bible know that Christ’s coming is on time and nothing has surprised God, still some feel like He has delayed and some have slipped from their solid footing.

Blessings belong to those who stay grounded firm until God chooses for Christ to return.

To my reader:
Are you faithful today? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 24:45-46 (KJV) To Whom The Blessings Belong

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV) How To Destroy Your House

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Jerusalem’s first desolation was in their rejection of Jesus Christ.They had a blessed house when they had Christ in their presence. They had meat and drink that would never run dry. They had truth that was undeniable. Jerusalem with Christ was Jerusalem with hope and opportunity and the kingdom of heaven nigh. By rejecting Christ they swept their own house clean of blessings.

Jerusalem’s second desolation was the destruction of the city in seventy A.D..The process between these two was a long one in which the Jews, having turned against their own Christ, then turned against themselves.

Jerusalem’s desolation continues still todayin that, while they are once again a nation, they are for the most part a nation without faith. Jewish nationalism is far different than Jewish faith.

The very same steps happens in the lives of individuals as they:

• First reject Jesus
• Second find their lives coming unraveled 
• Third continue to experience desolation in their children and grandchildren

It is foolhardy and devastating to ignore, reject or dismiss Christ in your life.

To my reader:
What steps are you taking to draw closer to Jesus? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV) How To Destroy Your House

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 22:34 (KJV) How To Silence a Sadducee

Matthew 22:34 (KJV)
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

Jesus put the Sadducees to silence but He did not convince them of the truth. We have mistaken our calling if we have come to believe that our duty is to convince everyone we speak to of the truth of the Gospel. Though we would like to see it, though we must preach with the passion to affect it, the reality is that:

• Jesus didn’t see it
• The world has never wholeheartedly accepted Christ and
• To expect it can skew our methods of ministry 

We stop their words with one tool; refusal to budge on the Bible.

To my reader:
We often become disappointed in the results of our work because we misunderstand the purpose of our work. Our job is not to convert the world but be witnesses to the world. Steadfastness to the truths of the Bible; that is our calling. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 22:34 (KJV) How To Silence a Sadducee

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 16:11 (KJV) Hope for Grace

2 Samuel 16:11 (KJV)
And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.

There are few things more terrible for a father than the rebellion of a child. We love them so desperately when they are growing up. We ache when they begin their own lives. We grieve if we are not able to see them often. But we are broken if they turn against us.

In this case David’s pain is of his own making and he knows it.

• His disobedience in multiple wives
• His lack of discipline and direction for his children and especially 
• His sin with Bathsheba 

Had brought this on. God had told him it would be so.

David demonstrated humility with Shimei because he knew this was all of God. But I notice that he also held out hope for grace. We need never to live in the pit of despair. Humility is not pessimism. Humility is honesty concerning ourselves and hopefulness concerning God.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 16:11 (KJV) Hope for Grace

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 21:33 (KJV) Tell Them Again

Matthew 21:33 (KJV)
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 

I had a pleasant conversation with a man today. He said his dad was a very strong Southern Baptist who was always digging into his Bible and looked for chances to talk to people about his faith. The trouble is, it apparently did nothing for his son. This man I spoke with is a very kind man, but not a believer and is almost clueless about spiritual things. As we spoke the conversation went from one spiritual topic to the next. There was almost no end to error in his thinking. Although he was pleasant, he was completely unaware of these spiritual things.

Jesus was already teaching in the temple when the chief priests and elders of the people approached and began asking Him questions. The conversation continued on until, in verse thirty-three, Jesus said, “Hear another parable…” There was still more they needed to hear, still new things they should learn, still incorrect conclusions that needed to be corrected.

While I am certain we can “dump” too much on people at one time, I am also certain we should never give up on them. We ought to always be looking for another way to express the truth of the Bible and another opportunity to express it to them until we are finally able to bring them to the truth.

Don’t give up.

Tell them another parable….

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 21:33 (KJV) Tell Them Again

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 15:37 (KJV) A Friend Like This

2 Samuel 15:37 (KJV)
So Hushai David’s friend came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Hushai was a good friend to David. He had had before:

• a number of supporters, 
• many constituents and 
• thousands of citizens 

but a friend like Hushai is one in a thousand.

• He wanted to be with the king
• He instead did as the king requested 
• He placed himself in harm’s way
• He remained loyal to David in the midst of those who had turned against David 
• He succeeded in both averting enemy plans and getting word to David 
• He was not, before this time, one of those people we heard was around the king

Few of us find ourselves in that place David was so few of us have friends that must prove themselves so dramatically. All of us, however, do well if we have a friend like this.

He doesn’t have to be the one everyone knows about. He is just the one we know we can count on.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 15:37 (KJV) A Friend Like This

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 20:1 (KJV) Lessons in Life

Posted on October 3, 2015 by marvinmck  — No Comments ↓

Matthew 20:1 (KJV)
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 

Jesus used the phrase, “the kingdom of heaven is like” on a number of occasions. The use of these similes and parables is a demonstration that the tabernacle was not the only thing that was made after the pattern of heavenly things.

God has put wonderful lessons concerning life, spiritual freedom and heavenly promises all around us. They are so abundant and so obvious that they are, in part, why even the person who has never heard is without excuse. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, these parables preach the path to God if we will but hear.

A few caveats concerning these parables:

• They can become blurred through lack of use and therefore come into focus only through exercise 
• They must always be filtered through the lens of God’s word . The devil knows how to pitch a parable too. 
• They should never take the place of God’s Word lest our audience begin to magnify human wisdom rather that God’s revelation.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 20:1 (KJV) Lessons in Life

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

Matthew 19:6 (KJV) Marriage: Two Being One

Matthew 19:6 (KJV)
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 

Being a pastor for the last thirty-two years, I get to spend a good deal of time trying to help young couples work through marriage issues. Anyone who is married has marriage issues? Very often those who come to speak with me are in the early years of marriage, most often, less that ten years. Those who have been married less than five years are often disheartened that they disagree at all. They believed marriage would be bliss. They were under no illusion, they assure me, that their marriage would be perfect but they didn’t expect marriage to be this difficult. They didn’t know they would disagree this much. They didn’t realize they would be required to change as much as they have.

The Bible says of the first marriage, and Jesus reasserts in this passage, that the marriage of a man and a woman is God making of them one flesh. Two become one. That has to be a difficult process. It isn’t something magical like the Catholic transubstantiation. It is a process whereby those pieces of the individual lives that push away from the unity of the two lives is shaved away. The husband and the wife each find that they become different than they were so that they can become one with their mate.

It is a slow process. It won’t happen in a week or in a year. It may take all of ten years and it could take longer than that.

The point of Jesus’ words was that, whatever it takes, stay in the work of the two being one. Don’t let anything make the one two again.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 19:6 (KJV) Marriage: Two Being One

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.

2 Samuel 12:10 (KJV) David’s Love/Hate Relationship with God

2 Samuel 12:10 (KJV)
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

I know David to be a man after God’s own heart. That David loved God there can be no question. But in this instance the actions of King David caused God himself to say to David, “thou hast despised me“.

If God could say that to David is there any one of us who couldn’t be guilty of the same? We love God and show it in many ways. At the same time we despise God and demonstrate that too.

David reduced himself to this lowest of places:

• By taking it easy when he should have been engaged in the work of Warfare 
• By acting on temptation 
• By attempting to cover up his sin
• By failing to immediately confess his sin

Though there were terrible consequences the fix for all of this was Psalm fifty-one; confession pouring from a broken and contrite heart.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

2 Samuel 12:10 (KJV) David’s Love/Hate Relationship with God

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.