april 11 piranha preachers

 Piranha Preachers.  I observe remarks from pastors on an internet forum for pastors. Occasionally a pastor will ask for prayer as he struggles with sin in his life.  One pastor confessed to going to a gay bar in town and engaging in homosexual sex.  He was asking for advice and prayers as he tried to turn from this sin.  How do you advise a pastor who is living in sin?  Many of the responding pastors immediately told him to resign his church and never preach again.  They were almost like piranha fish in their judgment.  They verbally pounced on him showing no mercy.  Perhaps they were right.  I did not comment.  I did and do pray for him.  Should we shoot the wounded?  Should we be quick to try to pull the splinter out of our brother’s eye and ignore the beam in our own?  Matthew 7:3-5  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Where is the line drawn between sin and bad sin?  I consider myself to be a poor example of Christianity.  How thankful I am for God’s grace.  I cannot tell this brother to resign unless I tell myself to resign.  No, I am not guilty of the sin he has confessed but there are other sins I commit. (I am so sorry to confess this). I am guilty of gluttony, neglecting the flock, neglecting prayer, study and writing time, lust, procrastination, pride, selfishness, exceeding the speed limit and much more.  The closer I get to my Lord the more displeased I am with myself.  WWJD?  What would Jesus do?  Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to “go, and sin no more.”   John 8:10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11   She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Jesus knew her repentant heart. Whereas my sin of neglect is not as bad as some sins, sin is sin.  James 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  Either we are guilty, or we have been redeemed.  None of us are perfect.  Sin needs to be dealt with in Christlike compassion and guidance.  Please don’t be a piranha Christian.   

 Slow Poke.  Some people in Texas are either ignorant of the slow poke law or they are just determined to break the law.  Left lanes on divided highways with a sign saying “Left lane for passing only” are oddly enough for passing only.  I observe many drivers in the left lane on such a highway doing the speed limit or less and causing cars to gather behind them.  Once a driver passes a slower vehicle in the right lane the law requires that driver pull over into the right lane. Some people seem to have the attitude “I am doing the speed limit and if you want to go faster, shame on you for breaking the law.”  Woe to the person driving that car especially in a large city like Houston.  People are getting shot for such aggravation.  Imagine the shock if they are pulled over by the law and given a $200 ticket for slowing down traffic in the left lane.  Even if they are going the speed limit! It is said ignorance of the law is no excuse to break it.  Now let’s consider the “slow poke” law in the church.  A person faithfully attends church and does everything they think a fine Christian should do.  They live a fine moral life.  They tithe.  They are dependable.  They are respected.  They work in the church.  They are just cruising along thinking all is well.  However, they do not understand that they have already broken the law.  Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”  The law of God states we are already guilty of being a sinner.  So they dismiss their sins comparing themselves to “sinners” and think that living right will make up for the wrongs already committed.  If they could cover up their past sins with right living then they could boast up in Heaven that they deserve to be there.  But the Bible says,  Ephesians 2:8-9  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” No one in Heaven will be able to boast that they deserve to be there.  You can only receive citizenship in Heaven by repenting and coming to Christ. John 14:6  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  If you do not repent of your sins and ask Jesus to save you Heaven will be missed.  Please don’t sleepily continue on your way trusting in your good works and leave this life without trusting the Lord.  Jesus will save you if you repent of your sins and ask Him to. Romans 10:13 ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Will you trust Him today?   

 “Thank you for getting our chairs.”  We were tent camping.  Returning to our campsite I discovered our two lawn chairs were at the bottom of the river.  Bringing them up on the bank our neighbor at the next campsite said, “Thank you for getting our chairs.”  I looked at him in disbelief.  I asked, “Are you serious?”  To which he said “Absolutely.  I wondered where they got to.”  I asked him his last name.  He told me.  I said, “How interesting.  My last name is Owen and if you look her under the arm rests you will see the name “Owen.”   He was caught in a lie.  He just turned and walked away.  If my name was not on the chairs, we could have had a serious disagreement.  How can people lie to your face?  Selfishness.  We are born that way. " Isaiah 59:2-4  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."  Sounds like someone I know.  Me.  At least me before I repented and asked Jesus to save me.  Not that I am perfect now.  Far from it.  But I thank God for forgiving me and helping me today to have the power to resist the devil.  "James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you". Now in Jesus we are to put away all lying." Ephesians 4:22   That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27  Neither give place to the devil. 28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you". What a challenge! Are you even trying to obey the Bible?    

 Dilemma. Jesus established the church for sinners.  ""   Those of us who are sick of living in sin can find forgiveness, peace, joy, and a loving family when we repent and ask Jesus to save us. At what point does the church welcome us sinners?  At all points.  No sinners, no church.  Those who sin much are welcome.  Those who sin less are welcome.  We all need the Saviour.  Since we all have a past, we must be careful to not make people feel uncomfortable about coming to church.  Then we come to the subject of church membership.  In a broad sense when we repent and receive Christ we are born again into His “church.”  "1 Corinthians 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit".  Local church membership however forbids on going habitual sin. " 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."  The seed that remains in the Christian is the Holy Spirit.  When Christians sin, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and we are convicted of our sin.  If we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, He forgives us. "1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Christian cannot sin successfully.  He will repent or die.  At what point can a saved sinner join the local church?  The church at Corinth had a church member who committed sexual sin with his father’s wife. (Probably his stepmother.) The church knew about it and looked the other way.  Paul told them to withdraw fellowship from him. "1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." The church withdrew fellowship from him.  He repented. In the book of  2 Corinthians Paul instructs the church to take him back in since he repented.  People living in open sin should not be members in good standing.  Hence the dilemma.  We love them and want them to worship with us, however continued open sin prohibits membership. An example is a couple in a physical relationship but not married.  We love them but they must have separate households or get married to join the church.  It hurts when people are offended and refuse to come to church. How wonderful Heaven will be. In the meantime, may we welcome everyone to worship with us and enjoy the Lord’s presence.  The pastor who licensed me to preach said, “Tom, we are called to catch the fish.  But it is Jesus who cleans them.”  May our love and kindness encourage them to live in God’s Spirit.  

 Tax time.  Taxes are a necessary evil.  Our government, no matter how corrupt, ungodly  and wasteful it is, is better than no government.  Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. God has ordained (to arrange in an orderly manner) for us to have a governing body.  If we had no government our country would shut down.  Romans 13:6  For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.  Fortunately, in America elections are prescheduled and if we don’t like those elected officials in our government, we can vote them out.  If we can trust the election process.  About twenty-five countries put ink on the finger of persons who vote.  Some include the Bahamas, the Philippines, India and Iraq.  I would prefer to have my finger inked when I vote rather than get a sticker that says, “I voted.”  I also would approve of identification before a person can vote. But I digress.  The Jews in Jesus’ day hated being ruled by the Romans.  But paying taxes was the law.  Some religious leaders who wanted to trap Jesus asked Him if taxes should be paid or not. Matthew 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  If Jesus said “yes, pay the tax” many Jewish people would hate Him for supporting the occupiers.  If He said “No” He could have charges brought against Him for rebelling against Rome.  You know what Jesus said. Matthew 22:20-22  And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.  Oh, the wisdom of our Lord!  If you desire wisdom read your Bible.  Now back to taxes.  Rome hired Jewish residents to collect their taxes.  One of Jesus’ disciples was a tax collector.  Matthew.  How he must have been hated for being a ”turn coat.”  Especially by Simon the zealot.  Luke 6:14-16 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15  Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16  And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.  Here one disciple wanted to assassinate Roman officials and another disciple worked for the Roman officials.  Awkard.  Sometimes people in church have to love each other even though they don’t see eye to eye. Jesus paid tax.  Matthew 17:27 … cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Tax time may hurt, but it is necessary.   

 This will be your last colonoscopy.  I had to let those words sink in for a few seconds.  My last colonoscopy.  I have had several colonoscopies in previous years. All of them came back with a good report.  Now my doctor told me this one he was ordering would be my last.  What does he know that I don’t know?  Why would this be my last one?  Is he hiding something from me?  If I am that close to dying, I would appreciate knowing it.  So, I asked him, “How do you know this will be my last colonoscopy?”  His answer was, “Because we normally stop ordering colonoscopies when a man reaches the age of 80.  When it is time for your next colonoscopy you will be 79.  So, this will probably be you last one.”  Seeing the bewilderment in my eyes he reassured me I could probably have another one at 79 if I want one.  Now it’s not that I want another one.  However, if I am only going to live another five years it would be nice to know. We live in a wonderful age where medical tests and medical procedures save many lives.  I am thankful for those people who serve us in the medical field.  May the Lord bless them. Now for a couple of points to observe. 1. I suppose that most people who have their shoes removed by the undertaker had no idea that they would not take them off when they put them on. We have no certainty we will live to see tonight.  In a way it is a blessing to be told you are dying.  If you have a terminal illness and know it, you have the opportunity to make things right.  Right with God. (Most importantly)  Right with family.  Right with the world.  Say your last good-byes.  Whereas the person who dies unexpectantly cannot make his relationship with God right if he has failed to do so.  Death seals your eternity. Neither can he say his “goodbyes.” It is good to get you house in order while you can.  2. Medical tests indicate physical problems.  Perhaps early detection can prolong a person’s life.  I wish we had a Spiritual test people could take to see if they are spiritually ready to die. Are you ready to meet your Maker? Actually, we do have that test.  2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”  This New Testament commandment tells us to examine ourselves.  Only you and God know for sure your relationship with Him.  Is Jesus in you?  Has there been a time when you were sorry for your sins and repented and asked Him to save you?  You are mentally able to comprehend these words.  You are mentally capable of repenting and trusting Jesus to save you.  Have you? Will you? 

 What do you know?  That is a common greeting.  My answer usually is “I know I am saved.”  How do I know that?  Some people could say I was programmed psychologically.  If I tell someone “You look bad today.  Do you feel bad?”, there is the possibility that my suggestion will make them think they are ill.  It doesn’t take too much to convince someone they have a headache.  The more they think about it the more likely they will have a headache.  Psychosomatic.  The pain is real, but the cause is psychological.  Doctors believe that much sickness begins in the brain. I am told many medical students develop symptoms of the illness they are studying.  The more they think about the symptoms the more likely the possibility they will experience some of those symptoms.  If I think this will be a great day, I enter the day looking for and expecting the good.  If I think this will be a lousy day, I probably won’t disappoint myself.  Sour thinking.  A native in Africa may die in his hut because the witch doctor cursed him.  He is afraid to come out because a lion may pounce on him.  He is afraid his food is poisoned.  When he dies of malnutrition the rest of the tribe may be convinced the witchdoctor’s curse killed him.  In reality the witch doctor did kill him.  He believed he would die.  He died.  Physiological.  So, if I am convinced this preacher can save me if I do what he tells me I may program myself to “experience” a conversion whereby I may convince myself I am saved.  So how do I know my conversion was real and not psychological?  First it must be based on the Bible.  I am a sinner.   God is holy.  I cannot enter into His presence without being cleansed.  I must believe God is alive and will hear me when I cry out to Him. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I seek Him and He rewards me by drawing me closer to Him. James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…  When I realize that Jesus died and rose again to pay for my penalty I can repent and be saved.  Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. By faith I repent and cry out for help.  Then comes the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. If I came to live in your house, you would know I lived there.  The experience of Jesus living in my heart is not psychological.  It is a “know so” relationship.  You too can have that experience if you will repent and cry out to Jesus.  

 When God went woke.  Psalm 78:65  Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.  God never sleeps.  However sometimes He decides to sit back and let us learn the hard way that the stove is hot.  The Israelites continually went astray from God’s laws and He let them suffer the consequences.  During one battle His chosen people took the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them.  This precious box represented God’s presence among His people.  This was the mercy seat where the blood of an innocent sacrifice was sprinkled while asking the Lord for forgiveness of their sins.  The Lord allowed the Israeli army to be defeated and the “god in a box” to be captured. After a time of punishment, the Lord took vengeance on His enemies.  It was like the Lord woke up and decided enough was enough and came to the rescue of His repentant children.  You and I live in a “woke” society.  It is like some of us woke up and realized we have been asleep to the injustices around us.  Wokeism teaches that descendants of slaves need to be paid reparations for the injustices over the years.   Wikipedia says,” Woke is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism. Woke has also been used as shorthand for some ideas of the American Left involving identity politics and social justice, such as white privilege and slavery reparations for African Americans.”   I will let you pray through what woke means to you. I will simply say that us Christians need to wake up to the reality of this evil world.  Satan has successfully played Mr. Sandman and many of us are asleep to the needs of our dying world.  God was never asleep but when enough was enough He took action.  Us Christians need to take action. We need to come back to our first love. Revelation 2:4-5  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Second, we need to repent for living in indifference.   Revelation 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. If we want a victorious church, we must have a repentant church.  May we wake up to the fact that people all around us need Jesus.  Let your light shine. Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

 Where is Paradise?  Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross next to Him,   Luke 23:43 … To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Wherever paradise is Jesus went there.  Paul was caught up into paradise. 2 Corinthians 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  By the way Paul also refers to this place as the third heaven.  2 Corinthians 12:2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. Someday us Christians will eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of paradise.  Revelation 2:7 …To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. This is my understanding.  I still love you even if we disagree.  To begin with a place we consider paradise was the garden of Eden.  The sins of Eve and then Adam forced man out of that beautiful place.  In the days of Jesus paradise was beneath the surface of the earth. Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. This abode of the dead had two sections separated by a great gulf.  A rich man in the torment of the flames of hell called over to the other section asking Abraham to send the beggar Lazarus to come and dip his finger in water to cool his tongue.  Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. Jesus went to the section where Abraham and the souls of others who died with faith in Jehovah went when they died.  Jesus preached to those occupants.  1 Peter 3:19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; On Sunday when Jesus ascended to His Father, He  took the souls of the righteous dead with Him to Heaven. Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Since then when a Christian dies his soul immediately goes to Heaven to be in the presence of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Where paradise is is not the important thing.  The important thing is do you know you will go there when you die?  The Christians’ desire is not to condemn you.  Our desire is to bring you along with us.  For eternity.  Will you come with us?  Please do.   

 Forty men lied or died.  Saul of Tarsus became one of the most yielded Christians in history.  He who persecuted Christians became a turncoat to Satan and led many people to Jesus.  His letters still influence us to walk close to Jesus.  Paul went into the temple in Jerusalem and people supposed he had brought a Gentile into the temple. Acts 21:28-29  Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29  (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)  Satan loves us to not get all the facts but jump to conclusions and act on emotions. The crowd wanted to kill him, but Roman soldiers came to his rescue. Acts 23:10-11  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. 11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.  Paul could face shipwreck, beatings and a venomous snake bite knowing he would not die until his assignments were complete.   Are you completing the assignments Jesus has for you?  More than forty Jews vowed to kill Paul.  Acts 23:12-14  And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13  And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14  And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. The Lord arranged for Paul’s nephew to hear of this plot, and he told Paul who had the lad tell the chief captain.  Acts 23:23-24  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; 24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. The Lord arranged for 470 Roman soldiers to escort Paul out of the city at 9 o’clock that night.  What an awesome God we serve.  The same Roman government that saved his life would chop off his head when his assignments were complete.  And the more than 40 men that bound themselves under a curse to not eat or drink until they killed Paul?  I doubt they starved to death.  You can’t go against God and win.