Idolatry

Posted on May 8, 2024 by russellmckinney

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21, N.K.J.V.)

The Old Testament’s history of Israel is dominated by the Jews committing the sin of idolatry. Even though the first two commandments of Israel’s law prohibited idolatry, the Jews still succumbed with shocking frequency to the worship of false gods. These false gods were the gods of the inhabitants of Canaan, the people the Jews were supposed to have eradicated from the land before taking possession of it. The fact that the Jews didn’t do a thorough enough job in regards to that assignment set them up for centuries of failure at resisting Canaan’s gods.

Eventually, however, the Jews did fully repent of the sin of idolatry. It took God severely punishing them by allowing the Assyrians to conquer Israel’s northern kingdom (which ended that kingdom) and the Babylonians to conquer Israel’s southern kingdom, but after centuries of breaking the first two commandments of God’s law, the Jews finally did quit with that form of idolatry altogether. This explains why Jesus didn’t have to preach against the sins of fashioning idols and worshiping them.

What Jesus did, instead, was preach against a more subtle kind of idolatry. For example, He said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, N.K.J.V.) Do you see how that quote makes serving mammon (riches, material wealth) a form of idolatry? Furthermore, He hinted at this same teaching in His conversation with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23) as well as in His parable about the rich man who planned to tear down his barns and build bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21).

It’s also probably not a stretch to say that Jesus classified the Pharisees’ and the Scribes’ incessant craving to be honored by the common people as idolatry (Matthew 23:6-7; Luke 11:43). The same can be said of the Sadducees’ desire to keep control of everything that went on at the Jewish temple (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 16:5-12). Therefore, we can see that even though Jesus didn’t speak against the Old Testament’s version of idolatry (at least not according to the record of the gospels), He did speak against making false gods of money, prestige, and power. Along these same lines, God would later inspire Paul to label all covetousness as idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

So, is the idolatry described in the New Testament exclusively the less overt kind of idolatry? No, it isn’t. In the wake of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the apostles had to hit the old kind of idolatry head on as they took the gospel to the Gentiles and began winning thousands of them to Christ. Whereas the Jews had long ago stopped worshiping man-made images as gods, that brand of idolatry was still pervasive among the Gentiles. In addition to our text verse for this post, this is clearly on display in passages such as: Acts 17:22-34; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 10:7; 10:14-22; Galatians 4:8; 5:19-21; and 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10.

But what about our day and age? What kind of idolatry exists today? The answer is, pretty much all kinds. There are still some primitive people who worship graven images, and there are plenty more people who worship money, prestige, power, etc. Basically, anything that a person puts ahead of the true and living God in his or her life can be called an idol. That can be a relationship, a job, a pursuit, a hobby, or just about anything else we want to put on the list. You name it, if it’s getting more of your time, energy, zeal, money, and devotion than God is, you’ve got yourself a false god and you are committing the sin of idolatry.

Then, of course, there are the false gods of the Hindu religion. Supposedly, there are 330 million gods in Hinduism. This is illustrated by the story of the Christian missionary who was one day walking along a street that ran beside the Ganges River. Suddenly, he came upon a native woman who was standing and looking out at the water. In her arms was a sickly, whining infant, and at her side stood a beautiful, strong, healthy little boy.

When the missionary stopped and began a conversation with the woman, she told him that she was in deep distress and was considering giving an offering to her god, the Ganges River. Naturally, the missionary took the opportunity to tell her about Jesus and ask her to believe in Christ as Savior. But in response to hearing the gospel, the woman only shook her head and would not heed Christ’s call. After some time had passed, and with his efforts producing no results, the missionary left and went on to his other duties.

Later, when the missionary returned to the spot, he found the woman still there, but now she was sitting and rocking the sickly child in her arms. Tears were streaming down her face and she was moaning loudly. Missing from the scene was the strong, healthy son that had been standing by her side. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. To appease her god, the woman had sacrificed her healthy child to the river’s crocodiles. That was her way of offering her best to her god.

Let me close by encouraging you, Christian, to examine your own life and be honest as to whether or not you are making a false god of something or someone. And if you must admit that you have such an idol in your life, it’s obvious what you need to do. Confess your sin, repent of your idolatry, and bring that something or someone under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus might want you to give up that thing or that person altogether, or He might just want you to bring a more balanced approach to the whole situation, but whatever He tells you to do, do it. You see, until you repent of your idolatry, you really aren’t much better than either than the idolaters of the Old Testament or the New Testament. Yes, I know that’s hard preaching, but it’s the truth nonetheless.

Posted in Backsliding, Balance, Commitment, Confession, Discipleship, Idolatry, Priorities, Repentance, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Look for the Best

Posted on May 6, 2024 by russellmckinney

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, N.L.T.)

A Baptist preacher of another day wrote this:

Don’t ever send a buzzard out to report on the landscape. He’ll fly over all kinds of beautiful flowers, green meadows, blue lakes and gorgeous mountain ranges; and when he comes back and you ask, “Buzzard, what did you see?” he will answer, “I saw a dead cow covered with maggots and big purple flies.” That buzzard may have flown over ten thousand beautiful flowers and trees and placid lakes to see maggots and flies on cows. Being a buzzard caused him to see that.

But send a honeybee out to report on the landscape, and when he returns ask him, “Honeybee, what did you see?” and you will hear a different story: “I saw ten million little flowers filled with nectar, and I got all I could take and added it to my honeycomb. My! I must have made a pint of honey today!” It flew over the dead cow and didn’t see it. It was looking for something else – flowers.

If you look for the worst, you will probably find it. If you look for the best, you will find that down the road too. SO GO THROUGH LIFE LOOKING FOR THE BEST.

Our text verse tells us to fix our thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. That’s another way of saying, “Go through life looking for the best rather than the worst.” Unfortunately, the worst is usually easier to spot. That is not to say, though, that the best isn’t out there too if we are willing to search for it.

Keep this in mind, Christian, whenever life funnels you through a difficult season. Right there in the midst of your struggling, pain, disappointment, and frustration, look for the good in all the bad. Ask the Lord to help you reprogram your mind so that you can fixate on everything that is right rather than on everything that is wrong. And wherever you find something that is (to use Paul’s description from the conclusion of our text) “worthy of praise,” take the time to actually praise the One who has blessed you with that particular thing.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Balance, Complaining, Criticism, Depression, Disappointment, God's Love, God's Provision, Human Life, Leadership, Loneliness, Praise, Problems, Sickness, Suffering, Trials, Worry | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus & Social Media

Posted on May 4, 2024 by russellmckinney

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31, N.K.J.V.)

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17, N.K.J.V.)

Let’s say that a known drug addict named Jack gets arrested yet again for possessing drugs and his picture ends up on Facebook as part of the local Sheriff Department’s page. Under that post, one Christian writes the comment: “Drug addiction is a disease. We need to pray for Jack.” But then another Christian responds by typing, “If drug addiction is a disease, it’s the only one you get by using drugs.” That prompts the first Christian to reply, “Jesus said, ‘Judge not that you be not judged.’” To that, the second Christian types back, “He also said, ‘Judge with righteous judgment,’ and my righteous judgment tells me not to waste my prayer time praying for drug addicts who’ve already had multiple chances to repent.” And just like that, the scripturally worthy topics of intercessory prayer, personal accountability for sin, judging others, and showing spiritual discernment have been dragged down into the mud of social media. 

Did you know there is an actual meme that quotes Jesus’ words from Luke 22:36: “…and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one”? Accompanying that slice of scripture is a picture of a gun followed by the words: “Obey Jesus, buy a gun.” So, let’s say that a Christian (one who doesn’t care that a quote from Jesus has been brutally ripped out of its context) posts that meme on his X (formerly Twitter) page. That, in turn, gets another Christian to type the reply, “Jesus also said, ‘Love your enemies and turn the other cheek.’” In response to that, the first Christian cites Psalm 144:1, where David says, “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle” (N.K.J.V.). Can you imagine the negative influence those two Christians bickering back and forth, both of them quoting the Bible, would have on a lost person who happened to be reading and was forming an opinion of Christianity?

Such is the world of social media. Even well-meaning Christians can find themselves wandering down controversial paths in regards to their posts and comments. But is social media really the place for “keyboard warriors for Jesus” to go to war? I suppose some good can come of it, but that good will have a hard time outdoing the bad that gets created by the disrespectful, negative, and even offensive language these warriors often resort to using.

This, of course, is to say nothing of the professing Christians who lace their social media pages with personal pictures that scream of vanity, narcissism, and worldliness. Seriously, is there any way for a supposedly Christian woman to post a selfie of herself looking “hot” and it be done “to the glory of God”? Is there any way for a supposedly Christian man to post of selfie of himself partying in a bar and it be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus”?

Look, it’s not that I’m against Facebook, Instagram, X, TiK ToK, or whatever other social media platforms are out there. I myself use Facebook and X to advertise my blog posts and use Facebook to advertise my sermons. I’d just like to see us Christians do a better job of harnessing social media for the purposes of evangelism and discipleship and stop using it so much as a soap box to advance our political agendas, bludgeon those who disagree with our takes on controversial topics, and glorify our own selves. Maybe we should all stop asking, “What would Jesus do?” and start asking, “What would Jesus post?”

I guess when it’s all said and done, my advice concerning social media would be this: Don’t put anything on there that you wouldn’t feel comfortable letting Jesus see. I mean, after all, He IS seeing it, right? Here’s a good test for you, Christian: Study your posts, comments, pictures, memes, videos, etc. as if you were a lost person assessing them and be honest about what impressions you are left with about you. You might just be surprised at the portrait you are painting of yourself.

You see, if your walk with Jesus isn’t life changing enough to keep your social media activity done to the glory of God, in the name of Jesus, and (dare I say it?) holy, then what have you got that lost people don’t have? Think about this the next time you start to post something or make a comment under someone else’s post, and let the Lord guide you in what you put out there for the world to see. Remember, you aren’t just representing yourself; you are also representing your Savior. And He might want you to use social media in a much different way than you plan to use it.

Posted in Character, Communication, Current Events, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, God's Work, Gun Control, Influence, Personal, Personal Holiness, Righteousness, Sanctification, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Incredible Power of Showing Kindness

Posted on May 2, 2024 by russellmckinney

The Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, was once a world-renowned health resort. Opening its doors in 1866, the Sanitarium eventually grew into a massive complex that included a hospital, a nursing school, and multiple research facilities that were all designed to further the causes of health and wellness. The Sanitarium catered especially to the wealthy, and the likes of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, J.C. Penny, and Amelia Earhart spent time there.

The Sanitarium was a place where new (sometimes even controversial) treatments were tried. These included treatments involving hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, dietary nutrition, and physical exercise. Scientific experimentation also took place in the research facilities, and one story from those days was told by Dr. Carolyn Geisel, who became a noted speaker who traveled around the world to promote the work being done at the Sanitarium. Her story might seem a bit cruel to our modern sensibilities, but keep in mind that she and her coworkers were in the business of thinking outside the box in their efforts to figure out what makes for heath and wellness. Her story goes as follows:

There came to the building where we lived and worked the cutest little pup I ever saw. We all fell in love with him. He was so anxious to show us his appreciation of our affection that he wagged his tail with such enthusiasm that his whole body wagged along with it. He was the happiest pup I ever saw. We took him into the operating room, gave him an anesthetic, and probed the bone in one of his rear legs. The marrow was a beautiful pink, filled with red corpuscles. We carefully bound up the wound, and it healed almost overnight.

Then we passed the word around that no one was to smile at the pup or speak in a kind tone of voice for six weeks. We fed him as always, but nobody petted him or showed any affection. The poor little pup just wilted. He became the most forlorn little dog I ever saw. He crept into the dark corners, and his tail dragged the ground. We took him back to the operating room and examined the marrow in the same bone. It was a dark brownish color, and the red corpuscles were very scarce. It took the wound a long time to heal, despite the fact that we showered all of our pent-up affection on the little puppy. He responded very slowly to our overtones, and it took a long, long time to get him to wag his tail again. When his enthusiasm was finally restored, we took him again to the operating room and found the marrow in the bone was pink and beautiful again.

I really have no idea what correlation might exist between the color of a puppy’s bone marrow and how that pup is treated, but I do know that the Bible has a lot to say about being kind. This holds true especially in regards to Christianity. Consider the following passages (all from the N.K.J.V., emphasis mine):

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…(Ephesians 5:22-23)

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:12-13)

Love suffers long and is kind…(1 Corinthians 13:4)

Getting more specific, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the power of showing kindness in one’s speech. Here are five such verses:

The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:11)

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. (Proverbs 12:18)

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. (Proverbs 31:26)

Keep both categories of verses in mind, Christian, as you deal with others. Show kindness in your actions and speak words of kindness that promote life rather than death. Even if you must rebuke someone — and, yes, that can be a way of showing kindness when done rightly (Galatians 2:11-14) — do it with the goal in mind of helping the person and making the situation better. To sum up, be kind in every situation, whatever form of kindness the situation needs. You just never know what effect you might have on someone’s marrow.

Posted in Character, Communication, Counsel, Criticism, Doing Good, Encouragement, Friendship, God's Work, Influence, Ministry, Problems, Reconciliation, The Tongue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Holy Spirit: The Secret to Serving Rightly

Posted on April 30, 2024 by russellmckinney

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. (Romans 8:5, N.I.V.)

Christian, you’ve probably heard that you need to work smarter rather than harder. But have you heard that the secret to you working smarter is you making sure your efforts are ordained by, ordered by, and empowered by God the Holy Spirit? You see, the indwelling Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to be resident in you; He wants to be President in you.

This fact holds true in every realm of your life, including the realm of your Christian service. Show me a Christian who is either “burned out” or “out of heart” in the midst of Christian service, and I’ll show you a Christian who is either doing more than the Holy Spirit is asking or is doing something different than the Holy Spirit is asking. Sadly, both problems are very real. The burned-out Christian does too much, and the out-of-heart Christian does the wrong things.

On the topic of how the Holy Spirit is the secret to right service for the Christian, let me offer an extended quote from Ralph A. Herring, a Southern Baptist minister of a previous generation. In his book, God Being My Helper, he wrote:

The great majority of Christ’s followers today know the importance of service and have sensed something of the joys that may be found in it. Christians readily agree that serving is their one great business as it was their Lord’s, who came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matt. 20:28). They are busy enough. Indeed, there is ceaseless, almost feverish activity of an undoubtedly well-meaning nature. A study of the announcements in almost any church bulletin reveals many such “activities” – multiplied almost to the breaking point of those who seriously take part in them. The urge to serve is seen in civic clubs and social organizations as well as in the church. But to the thoughtful observer something is wrong. “Where does it get us?” he asks, and, more thoughtfully yet, “Where does it get others?” The painful answer is that so much of what we call “service” proves ineffectual. The tree is full of leaves, but little fruit abides. Unhappily, a great portion of our activity falls under the classification of “dead works.” The truth is that the vitalizing touch of the Holy Spirit is missing from our busy life. In the realm of service he is our supreme helper, and our ministry as well as our devotional life must be energized by him.

With this quote in mind, Christian, let me ask you a simple question: Are all those “good” things you are doing in your attempts at Christian service ordained by, ordered by, and empowered by God the Holy Spirit? It’s a fair question because it’s possible that you are doing some things the Spirit isn’t sanctioning and not doing some things He is sanctioning. And if that is the case, it goes without saying that you need to make the necessary changes. To use Paul’s terminology from our text verse, you need to live in accordance with the Spirit and set your mind on what the Spirit desires. That is the secret to doing Christian service rightly.

Posted in Discernment, Doing Good, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Work, Individuality, Ministry, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Talents, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Got Any Trees That Need Cutting?

Posted on April 27, 2024 by russellmckinney

Charles Bracelan Flood’s book, Lee: The Last Years, gives us a thought-provoking story from the life of Robert E. Lee. As the story goes, Lee visited the home of a Kentucky woman shortly after the end of the Civil War. The woman took him to the remains of a grand old tree that stood in front of her home. Standing there beside the ruined tree, Lee listened as she cried bitter tears and cursed the Union army for destroying the tree’s limbs and trunk. When she finished, she expected Lee to condemn the North or at least sympathize with her loss. Lee, instead, paused for a moment and said, “Cut it down, my dear madam, and forget it.”

Finish this sentence for me: “In all honesty, I have never fully forgiven ………..” If no particular name came to your mind to finish that sentence, it’s possible that you aren’t carrying any old grudges or hatreds. On the other hand, if a name instinctively popped in there, even if you didn’t want it to pop in there, you need to address that problem in your life.

Carefully consider the following quotes from Jesus (all from the N.K.J.V.):

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)

And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. (Luke 11:4)

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

It’s hard to overstate the seriousness of these quotes. If Jesus said something once it was important, but how important a subject must be for Him to hammer on it multiple times? Suffice is to say that Jesus makes a big deal out of you refusing to forgive someone even if you don’t think it’s a big deal.

Just like that Kentucky woman who carried a hatred for the Union army because of what they had done to her tree, perhaps you are withholding forgiveness from someone who has wronged you. If that’s the case, let me encourage you to take Robert E. Lee’s advice. Cut that tree down and forget it. Stop visiting it every day. Stop thinking about it all the time. Stop shedding tears about it. Stop mourning over it. And stop trying to get others to join you in your mourning. Instead, extend forgiveness to the person, even if the forgiveness is undeserved. You’ll be amazed at what a difference this will make in your life. After all, spending hours on end staring at a ruined, bombed out tree doesn’t make for much of a life.

Posted in Extending Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Seeking Forgiveness | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Leaping for Joy About Being Persecuted

Posted on April 25, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #8)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12, N.K.J.V.)

Up until this last Beatitude in Matthew’s version of The Sermon on the Mount, Christ’s words have been quite pleasant to Christians. The poor in spirit will gain the kingdom of heaven. Those who mourn will be comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. The merciful will obtain mercy. The pure in heart will see God. The peacemakers will be called the children of God. If you are a Christian, what’s not to like about all that?

With the eighth Beatitude, however, Jesus broaches the unpleasant subject of Christian persecution. To make matters worse, this is the only Beatitude in which He states the Beatitude and then provides some extra commentary. You’ll notice that the actual Beatitude ends at the close of verse 10, but then we get two more verses on the subject of persecution.

Of all the Beatitudes, did Jesus have to linger a bit longer on the most distressing one? I mean, who wants to hear about being persecuted? Furthermore, whereas the previous Beatitudes were matters the believer could control, persecution strikes from the outside. The saved believer certainly doesn’t persecute himself, does he?

As for Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount, which is most likely the record of a second preaching of the sermon, it actually calls for Christians to meet an even higher standard in regards to persecution. That passage quotes Jesus as saying:

“Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23, N.K.J.V., emphasis mine).

It should be understood, however, that the persecution of which Jesus speaks must be brought about for “righteousness’ sake.” In other words, a Christian’s bad behavior might cause that Christian to have trouble with others, but that trouble shouldn’t be categorized as persecution. For there to be true persecution, the Christian’s stance or actions must be in the godly right. As Jesus says in the Beatitude, the evil that is spoken against the Christian must be spoken “falsely.” If the supposed “evil” is no more than legitimate criticism, that’s not persecution. Peter picks up on this same theme when he says in 1 Peter 4:14-15:

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other peoples’ matters. (N.K.J.V.)

All in all, though, there’s certainly no denying that the early church experienced legitimate persecution. The apostles were arrested (Acts 4:1-22; 5:17-42). Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). James was killed with the sword (Acts 12:1-4). Paul was stoned (Acts 14:19-20). Paul and Silas were whipped and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-34). And Paul was arrested again and ultimately brought before Caesar (Acts chapters 21-28). The fact is, it wasn’t until the Roman emperor Constantine “Christianized” the Roman empire that the persecution of Christians ceased.

But does Christian persecution still exist today? You bet it does. According to a recent article on the website opendoors.org, 2 in 5 Christians in Asia are persecuted, 1 in 5 Christians in Africa are persecuted, 1 in 7 Christians worldwide are persecuted, and 365 million Christians around the world suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. A similar article in Christianity Today from a few years ago stated that each day worldwide: 13 Christians are killed for their faith, 12 churches or Christian building are attacked, 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and 5 Christians are abducted.

Admittedly, us Christians here in America don’t typically experience such extreme versions of persecution. However, that doesn’t mean we are immune from persecution altogether. Anytime a Christian takes a Christian stance and is made to somehow suffer for it by someone else, that’s persecution. For example, the Christian girl who won’t consent to premarital sex, only to have the spurned young man tell retaliatory lies about her at school, experiences persecution. The Christian office worker who gets mocked by his coworkers because he won’t join them when they hit the bars after work experiences persecution. The Christian pastor who loses some church members because he preached a sermon that was true to the Bible’s teaching regarding a controversial topic experiences persecution. You see, persecution can take on many different shapes and appearances.

Ah, but now let’s get to the good news, which is this: Christian persecution, as unpleasant and even deadly as it can be, carries with it tremendous eternal rewards. That’s why Jesus said, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” Since every Christian will enjoy a certain degree of reward in heaven, Christ’s promise here must mean that being persecuted brings an even higher degree of heavenly reward. This makes perfect sense, of course, because it’s only fair that the harder a thing is to endure for Christ, the greater the eternal reward should be for doing that thing.

Keep this in mind, Christian, anytime you find yourself being persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Remember that you are standing in a long line of believers that extends back through the early Christians, back through the Old Testament prophets, all the way back to Abel (Genesis 4:1-8). That line even includes your Savior, who was persecuted unto death. Also remember that experiencing persecution allows you to earn heavenly rewards you just can’t earn any other way. As a matter of fact, it would even be good if you would take a moment to leap for joy about the persecution. I know, I know, that’s asking a lot. It is, however, literally what Jesus said to do.

Posted in Adversity, Comfort, Commitment, Criticism, Doing Good, Encouragement, Eternity, Faithfulness, God's Work, Heaven, Ministry, Missions, Pastors, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal Holiness, Reward, Righteousness, Sanctification, Series: "The Beatitudes", Service, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Thankfulness, The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Peacemaking

Posted on April 22, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #7)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, N.K.J.V.)

If there was any doubt that the “blessed” who are described in the Beatitudes should be equated to Christians, it is laid to rest with this seventh Beatitude. This Beatitude carries with it the promise: “…they shall be called sons of God.” The fact of Christians being the children of God is a familiar one to students of the Bible. We find it in passages such as John 1:12-13 and Galatians 3:26, which say:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13, N.K.J.V.)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26, N.K.J.V.)

So, the Christian is to be a peacemaker. But just exactly what does that mean? Clearly, the thought of making peace goes deeper than just keeping peace or loving peace. In order to actually make peace, a Christian must exert himself. As Psalm 34:14, Romans 14:19, and 1 Peter 3:11 put it: “…Seek peace and pursue it” (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine).

I suppose it goes without saying that mending relational fences falls under the category of peacemaking. The way Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) and the disciples together is a beautiful example of this (Acts 9:26-27). Likewise, seeking to prevent wars and end them falls under the category as well. We hear this in David’s words, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6).

But would you believe that confronting problems can also be labeled as peacemaking if the confronting is done in a manner pleasing to God? As the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel recognized, it is futile to cry “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14; Ezekiel 13:10). You see, since true peace can never be found in a compromise with evil, a peacemaker might sometimes have to take part in great conflicts against evil.

We see this even in the life of Jesus. On two separate occasions, He flew into a righteous rage at the site of the greedy, corrupt money-changers defiling the Jewish temple with their unscrupulous practices (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13). Anyone who witnessed those two scenes after hearing Jesus preach, “Blessed are the peacemakers” might have been quite perplexed by His warlike actions.

Jesus, of course, did know all about peacemaking. What’s the famous quote from the angels in the story of His birth? It is, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, N.K.J.V.). Likewise, Ephesians 2:14-16 explains that Jesus is a Christian’s peace and has reconciled that Christian to God, who is the “God of peace” (Hebrews 13:20). Along the same lines, Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (N.K.J.V.). Clearly, there are valid reasons why Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

It was the comparison between the Christian’s peace and the lost person’s lack of it that prompted some famous words from Jesus. He said:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36, N.K.J.V.).

With these words, Jesus was letting everybody know that the one who places saving belief in Him becomes at peace with God, and that peace immediately sets that person in conflict with lost people. Why is this so? It’s because lost people, even lost family members, aren’t at peace with God (Isaiah 57:20-21). Just as light and darkness are always going to be in conflict with one another, the same can be said of the Christian and the lost person.

Because of this, a Christian winning a lost person to Christ is the most lasting kind of peacemaking there is because it creates an eternal peace between not only the lost person and God but also the lost person and the Christian. With that in mind, I’ll close this post with two passages which speak of how important it is for Christians to win others to Christ. The first passage is Romans 10:15, and the second one is Ephesians 6:14-16. You’ll notice that both passages specifically call the gospel of Christ “the gospel of peace.” They say:

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15, N.K.J.V.)

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:14-16, N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Evangelism, Family, Inner Peace, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pureness of Heart

Posted on April 19, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #6)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, N.K.J.V.)

The Bible doesn’t use the word “heart” in reference to the bodily organ that pumps blood. Instead, it uses “heart” to refer to the center of one’s being. Therefore, to be pure in “heart” is to be pleasing to God, not just in outer conduct but also in inner motives, attitudes, and desires. As God Himself says in 1 Samuel 16:7:

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (N.K.J.V.)

It should be understood, though, that no matter how pure your heart is, that purity cannot produce sinless perfection in either your outward or inward conduct. Ironically, it is actually your heart (the center of your being) that keeps you from living sinlessly. This “heart problem” of yours stems from the fact that you are a member of Adam’s sin-poisoned, fallen race. This is what God is describing when He speaks through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 17:9 and says:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked… (K.J.V.)

Centuries later, Jesus (God the Son) picked up on this same theme when He said:

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (Matthew 15:19, N.K.J.V.)

So, if our hearts are such wicked wrecks, who is Jesus referring to in the sixth Beatitude when He talks about “the pure in heart”? He is referring to people who, despite their inborn wickedness of heart, have a burning inner desire to please God. David was a prime example of such a person. Even though his sin-tainted heart caused him to commit many sins (lying, polygamy, lust, covetousness, adultery, murder, and trusting in numbers instead of God) over the course of his life, he nevertheless had a very real desire to please God. This is evidenced by the fact that he cried out to God in the wake of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah:

Create in me a clean heart, O God… (Psalm 51:10)

Similarly, in Psalm 24:3-4 he spoke of the direct relationship between pureness of heart and godliness of conduct when he wrote:

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. (N.K.J.V.)

Furthermore, it seems clear that David taught this same truth to his son, Solomon. How do we know this? We know it because of Solomon’s words from Proverbs 4:23:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (N.K.J.V.)

Getting back to the early life and ministry of Jesus, the Jewish religious elite of that day focused exclusively on the outward appearance and completely disregarded anything involving the heart. They would have had Jesus say, “Blessed are the pure in conduct, for they shall see God.” For example, a Sadducee might have harbored an intense inner hatred for his brother, but that Sadducee wouldn’t have considered that hatred a sin as long as he didn’t actually murder that brother. Likewise, in a Pharisee’s way of classifying sin, he could lust over every woman he met as long as he didn’t have sex with any of them.

You can imagine what an uproar was created, then, when Jesus came preaching a radically different standard. He said, “Sin begins deep inside a person. If you have hatred toward your brother, you need to treat that as murder (Matthew 5:21-26), and if you look at a woman lustfully, that’s nothing less than you committing adultery with her in your heart” (Matthew 5:27-30).

Jesus even reserved His harshest preaching for some of the Jewish religious elite, and that preaching specifically referenced the difference between appearing to be sinless outwardly while being eaten up with sin inwardly. He said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25-26, N.K.J.V.)

In regards to not only the sixth Beatitude but also all the other Beatitudes from The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is referring to saved people when He speaks of “the pure in heart.” The spiritual process isn’t hard to understand. First, the “pure in heart” have a desire to please God. Second, that desire will ultimately lead them to place saving belief in Jesus as Savior. This process makes perfect sense in light of the fact that God wants everyone to get saved (1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9).

And what reward does Jesus promise those who are pure in heart enough to believe in Him as Savior? He says, “…they shall see God.” By this, He doesn’t mean, “They will see God in a sunset, a baby’s smile, or a charitable deed.” No, He means, “They will one day literally see God and they will also literally spend eternity with Him. As 1 Peter 1:3-5 says to Christians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. (N.K.J.V.)

Isn’t it wonderful that just as the pure in heart have a desire to please God, He has a desire to be around them for all eternity? Yes, Christian, you will get to visibly see God for all the endless eons of the ages to come. Think about that! You’ll see God the Father. You’ll see God the Son. And you’ll see God the Holy Spirit. This promise comes straight from the lips of God the Son, and it’s one that you would do well to meditate upon more often. By doing that, you might just become even more pure in heart for this earthly sojourn.

Posted in Belief, Death, Desires, Eternity, God's Love, Grace, Heaven, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Got Mercy?

Posted on April 17, 2024 by russellmckinney

“The Beatitudes” series: (post #5)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, N.K.J.V.)

The Greek noun our New Testaments translate as “mercy” is eleos. Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines the word as being:

the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.

The Old Testament Hebrew’s primary word for “mercy” is checed. William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, says of this Hebrew word:

…It is an untranslatable word. It does not mean to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for someone in trouble. (It) means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things from his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.

Putting the Vines and Barclay definitions together, we come up with a working application for mercy. First, mercy assumes need on the part of the mercy-receiver. Second, it assumes the mercy-giver has resources adequate to meet the need. Third, to ideally show mercy, the mercy-giver must place himself inside the skin of the mercy-receiver.

It’s been said that justice is getting what you deserve and mercy is not getting it. Speaking for myself, I’d call that an accurate description of mercy. You see, mercy lives on the same street as compassion and pity, and this is a street the Christian should know well because God expects that Christian to make a regular practice of bestowing mercy upon others. How big a deal is this to God? It’s big enough for James 2:13 to say the one who has shown no mercy will experience judgment “without mercy.” That is a very sobering thought.

Not only does God expect Christians to show mercy, He is even interested in the way we do it. According to Romans 12:8, He wants it to be done “with cheerfulness.” That sets the bar even higher, doesn’t it? It’s one thing to be expected to show mercy, but it’s something else entirely to be expected to do it cheerfully!

But what makes God think He has the right to demand such a lofty standard from Christians? Well, putting it simply, He has the right to demand it because He has cheerfully extended mercy to us. As Titus 3:5 says:

not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Of course, it shouldn’t surprise us that God Himself would extend mercy. After all, Ephesians 2:4 says He is “rich in mercy.” Micah 7:18 says “He delights in mercy.” And Psalm 103:8,11 says: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy…For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (N.K.J.V.)

The good news, Christian, is that if you will meet God’s standard by cheerfully extending mercy to others, you will feel the benefit of that gesture as much as them. As Proverbs 11:17 says: “The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh” (N.K.J.V.). Similarly, Proverbs 14:21 says: “He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he” (N.K.J.V.). And then there is Psalm 18:25, which says: “With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful” (N.K.J.V.). That last reference goes right along with Christ’s words from the fifth Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (N.K.J.V.).

So, Christian, do you want to be pleasing to God in your dealings with others? Do you want to do good for your own soul? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to obtain mercy from God? If your answer to each of these questions is, “Yes,” then cheerfully show mercy to others. Figuratively speaking, when you find yourself in a position of holding a hammer over the head of a person who has sinned, don’t make a nail out of that person’s head. Instead, remember all the past times when you yourself needed mercy, and look ahead to any future times when you might just need it again.

Posted in Forgiveness, Grace, Humility, Mercy, Revenge, Salvation, Series: "The Beatitudes", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment