Spiritual Viewpoints

by Rick Smith

Bible Study

The Chair and a Book

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VIEWPOINTS

Thoughts To Encourage Godly Living

March 26, 2002

 

THE CHAIR & A BOOK

I watched him work on the chair.  It’s an old brown one with a leather seat. This chair is special because John Henderson made it. John’s hobby was carpentry. John, and his wife Weezy (Elouise), were two of the best people I’ve ever known. They both have gone home, and I look forward to seeing them again in heaven.

This old chair sits in my house in the reading room. It was a gift from John. Upon this chair sits a black NIV Study Bible. Every morning around 5:30, another wonderful person picks the Bible up from this chair and reads. That would be Betty, my wife.

I have great memories of John and Weezy. John was a man who lived for God, and for his wife. He lived during Weezy’s sustained illness, helping her every step of the way. She died, and within days, John died from the cancer of which he never complained. He was too busy caring for Weezy to talk about his pain.

Everyday my wife picks up her Bible from this old brown chair. I’m so thankful for her. I know some of what John must have felt for Weezy. It’s wonderful being married to a Christian. How many husbands have their wives share what they learned from God’s word each day? I want to be a better man because I’m married to a better woman.

Proverbs says, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:10-12).

The chair and book remind me of something sacred – a friendship with a man who taught me how to love the woman who owns the Bible.

Godly friends and a Christian wife have given me a glimpse of heaven

Because of Calvary,

Rick

 

ECHOING CLICHES

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As we grow older and gain more wisdom our perspectives may change. Some folks don’t like change, others are intolerant, and all should be skeptical. We never want to accept falsehoods that undermine our spiritual foundation. So, when we learn something we’ve not previously comprehended, how do we present it to honest brethren in ways that will not shake them?

Although it’s comfortable to sit firmly on held beliefs, that feeling of security may become a painful cactus sticking us in the derriere. A fresh look may be more biblically sound than some old paths. After all, we must carefully heed the warning of Jesus, “Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:6ff).

Our goal must be to lift up Christ, not echo clichés that have become traditional. For instance, our penchant for certain words can diminish Christ while lifting the Church higher than the cross. We seldom say someone believed on the Lord, or became a disciple of Jesus, or began to follow Christ. Instead, we parrot the cliches and say someone “became a member of the Church.” Preachers urge their congregations to “be faithful to the Church” and never “leave the Church,” or if they do, to “come back to the Church”. It’s as though the church died for Christ, not he for the church.

Can you see what I’m saying; do you understand? How many times have you heard someone say, “So and so fell away from the church?” Why didn’t they say “So and so fell away from the Lord”? Now you tell me ~ who did they fall away from, if not the Savior?

You may argue that it’s only a matter of semantics, but is it? Or, could it be a mindset that diminishes the headship of Christ, and elevates the church as an institution?

The church didn’t die for us, Jesus did. When we accepted Christ, we became part of HIS church. The church is made up of all the saved people on earth. Your congregation is a family of believers who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.

The Apostle Paul puts this in proper perspective as it’s not a matter of word usage, it is a matter of spiritual understanding. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:18-23).

When we recognize the church as a body of people called out of sin into salvation because of the sin offering of its Savior, our speech will then acknowledge us as having our first devotion to the Lord. Let’s be careful to acknowledge and lift up Jesus (Jn.12:32), so all people will be drawn to him!

Re-Thinking

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Jesus said, “You diligently study the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39). That verse plagued me for years. It made me feel like the bull’s-eye in an archery contest. I’ve fluently debated the pros and cons on everything from church supported eleemosynary institutions to hand clapping during worship ~ but I didn’t know Jesus.

During years of re-thinking what is and isn’t important, I’ve concluded that lifting up Jesus is all important. I’ve quit exalting papers, preachers, and opinions. Now I exalt the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I’ve tossed my old sermons in the trash. I no longer spend time underlining passages to prove points that prove little. Instead, I underline passages that help me praise God and win souls; “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 62:5-6).

Some of us have spent too much time boasting about what we thought we knew. During that time, those who were lost got little from us. While we thought we were standing for the faith, our faith was standing in the way. Our faith was in what we knew, not in whom.

It’s great when we discover what’s truly worth knowing. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord'” (I Corinthians 1:30-31).

What we have learned about many things is good, but there is only one great thing to know – “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

God alone is my rock and my salvation!

I Want to Know Christ

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The apostle Paul said it succinctly, “I want to know Christ“ (Phil. 3:10). That, in itself is, as we like to say, “HUGE”. He continued by explaining:  “—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11). Paul’s desire should be our dream, our wish, our goal.

Instead of writing pages to explain my understanding of this passage, let’s be “pithy” ~ there I go again ~ “fair and balanced” ~ and again.  Let’s look at the first part of knowing Christ ~ “the power of his resurrection”.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom. 8:11). There was a time when the essence of this verse escaped me, like missing the beauty of a glorious sunrise. Think of it ~ the one who has the power to raise Jesus from the grave lives in us! That, of course, is the Holy Spirit! The Spirit of Almighty God! The opening verse of Romans eight helps us grasp the awesomeness of God’s Holy Spirit within us: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1). Just as Jesus was set free from the grave by the Spirit, so we are set free from the law of sin and death, never to fear condemnation as we continue with the Spirit. 

At this juncture, someone will ask, “Are you teaching once saved always saved?” No, but I am forcefully saying that God will never condemn a child of His who is walking in the Spirit, who has God’s Holy Spirit within them. David, of old, understood this as he pleaded with God after committing adultery, murder, and lying. After Nathan confronted him with his sinfulness, he humbly pleaded with God “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). Today, like David, we must always be mindful of our walk with God, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Rom. 8:5). God is looking for pure hearts that are longing for him.

Resurrection power is ours, and what a power it is! “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom. 8:10-11).

We needn’t worry about judgement when we have God’s Spirit within us. “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment”(I John 4:13-18). Listen, hear: “We know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit…love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment…there is no fear in love…perfect love drives out fear”.  When you know Christ, you also know His Holy Spirit lives in you, and that you have eternal life. Awesome!

Amen, and God bless you.

 

 

Obi Wan Kenobi

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In the movie, Star Wars, a legendary Jedi Master named Obi Wan Kenobi was a noble man and gifted in the ways of the Force. His wisdom was sought by all the good guys. But I digress…obi-wan-kanobi

My brother-in-Christ, Billy Kersh, and I made a visit to the real life mirror image of Obi Wan Kenobi. First you need to know a little about Billy. Billy is 73, has an IQ of 132, and is literate in most all Bible subjects. I took Billy with me thinking he and my old friend, Howard Trimmer, would enjoy a biblical discussion. As it turned out, Billy, who is usually a chatty fellow, sat almost nose to nose with Howard, who is blind and nearly deaf, listening to him share depths of biblical wisdom neither Billy nor I had grasped before. Billy commented afterwards that he wished we had recorded what Howard said.

Howard is 93 years old, a man who knows science from black holes to the orbital measurements making possible the workings of planets and the flight of satellites. He was once part of the team working on the Hubble Telescope’s trajectory. I met him years before he was blind and relegated to a wheelchair. I can’t explain why he and I are such close friends, why he thinks he ever learned anything from me, or why he wants my company, but he does, and for that I am blessed.

That’s the back-story to this post. I dare not share all that he revealed to us as there is neither time nor ability. I will offer a tidbit ~ just enough to whet your taste buds and hopefully make you scramble for your Bible.

Howard is concerned the church is becoming so institutionalized that it will lose the Lord’s original intent. He‘s concerned we are becoming like starched shirts hanging on the clothesline instead of lively stones building up the Kingdom. He believes we have become second cousins to the Pharisees, making rules, laws, and regimentation that will stifle and eventually make the body of Christ unrecognizable. Some things he said hit us in the face like a wet skunk. After reaching into his memory (since he can no longer read), he quoted Scriptures we were familiar with, but hadn’t recognized the heart behind them.

In this post I will not relate our experience except to ask that you never quit studying the Word of God. All I will reveal is this: the principles Jesus taught in his daily life, which are recorded in the Gospels, are far superior to the deductions brilliant scholars think they’ve discovered. The Bible is a book for all, not just those knowing Hebrew or Greek. Never leave your brain on the church building doorsteps when going to worship with the saints, and never leave your heart anywhere ~ not ever!

God bless.