“Christian Verses” Podcast: John 8:32

Posted on October 3, 2019 by russellmckinney

Have you noticed that we are now living in a time in which every opinion is tolerated (even accepted) except the opinion of conservative, Bible-believing Christians? It makes one wonder whatever happened to our freedom of religion.

In the new “Christian Verses” podcast, Malcolm and I discuss America’s historical freedom of religion in light of John 8:32. As Jesus said, true freedom is only found in knowing the truth. Here’s the link to the podcast:

https://soundcloud.com/user-185243867/freedom-of-religioncv2019009

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, Current Events, Truth | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Fervent Prayer

Posted on October 2, 2019 by russellmckinney

…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16, N.K.J.V.)

A mother came to evangelist Hyman Appleman at the close of a revival service Appleman had conducted. She said, “Brother Appleman, I have two boys who are unsaved. Other mothers’ boys are being saved in your meetings and I don’t understand why my boys haven’t been.” Appleman looked at her and said, “Mother, I think I can tell you why. I think it is because your eyes are still so dry.”

The next day the mother came to Appleman before the service. This time her eyes were swollen from all the crying she had been doing. She said, “Brother Appleman, you broke my heart last night because you drove home the truth that I really hadn’t agonized in prayer for my boys. But last night I prayed and wept all night long. And this morning I feel like I will die if my boys don’t get saved in this meeting tonight.” That night Appleman preached and gave an invitation and the first two people to walk down the aisle were the woman’s two sons.

Praying works, but usually it works in direct proportion to the degree in which it is done. Putting it bluntly, don’t expect a million-dollar answer to a ten-cent prayer. If you want your prayer to be truly effective, you must pray with fervency. Webster’s Dictionary defines “fervent” as “hot; glowing.” Does that describe your prayers? Are they so hot with emotion they glow like red-hot coals? I promise you that when your prayers get that hot, you’ll start seeing more results from them.

I think about Hannah in the Old Testament. She was barren and wanted a son badly enough to pray with red-hot tears streaming down her face. As the Bible describes it, she “wept in anguish” (1 Samuel 1:10, N.K.J.V.). And was her prayer answered? Yes. God healed her barrenness and caused her to become pregnant with Samuel, who would grow up to become one of Israel’s greatest leaders.

I don’t mean to imply that tears are the magic pixie dust that get God to grant any request, regardless of whether or not the request is His will. But I am saying that praying with hot, glowing fervency, the kind that typically leads to tears of emotion, takes your request to a whole different level. Like that mother of those two unsaved sons learned, there is praying and then there is PRAYING.

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene just before He was arrested, His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44). Think about that. When was the last time you prayed so hard that you literally worked up a sweat? And even if you have prayed that hard, did your drops of sweat became like drops of blood? Talk about praying with fervency!

The takeaway from all this isn’t hard to figure out. If you have prayed about a situation over and over again but haven’t seen any positive results from all that praying, could it be that you aren’t praying with enough fervency? You see, like most endeavors in life, you get out of prayer what you put into it. So if you want more results from it, you are going to have to put more into it. It’s that simple. Think of it like this: Most prayers avail something, but it’s only fervent prayers that avail much.

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The Clinic Built By a Tornado

Posted on September 30, 2019 by russellmckinney

The city of Rochester, Minnesota, was founded in 1854 and incorporated as a town in 1858. The area had previously served as a stagecoach stop, and the new city experienced rapid growth once the railroad began making stops there in 1864. One man who settled there to make the city his home was Dr. William Mayo. He was a surgeon employed by the First Minnesota District enrollment board to examine draftees for the Union army to see which ones were fit for service.

All was well in Rochester until August 21, 1883. That day a devastating tornado almost completely destroyed the town, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more. To make the tragedy worse, Rochester didn’t even have a medical facility to care for the wounded.

Nevertheless, Dr. Mayo and his two sons (William and Charlie, who were also trained physicians) went to work helping the wounded. They turned the town’s dance hall into a primary medical facility and treated all those who were brought there. The father and sons were greatly helped by the Sisters of St. Francis, the nuns from the local Franciscan order. Despite the fact that those nuns were trained as teachers rather than nurses and had little if any medical experience, they performed admirably in their new role.

Once life began to get back to something resembling normal, Mother Mary Alfred Moes, the leader of the Sisters of St. Francis, began to envision building a permanent hospital in Rochester. Her plan was for the Mayos to serve as the physicians and her nuns to serve as the nurses. The Mayos weren’t against the idea, but they felt the town was too small to build and support a hospital. Mother Mary, however, was determined, and the Sisters of St. Francis ultimately raised monetary donations totaling up to $60,000 to build the hospital. That would be well over one million dollars in today’s money.

With the Mayos in place to provide the doctoring, the nuns in place to provide the nursing, and the money in place to build a hospital, the new facility was completed in 1889. Originally, it was called Saint Mary’s Hospital, but ultimately “the clinic in the cornfield” was officially named “The Mayo Clinic” in 1914. Even today that name remains synonymous with excellence in medicine.

But how did the Mayo Clinic get its start? It got it by way of a deadly tornado that took the lives of dozens of people and injured hundreds more. Think about that. A place world renowned for healing only came into existence because a whole bunch of people died and a whole bunch more got hurt. Isn’t that as ironic as ironic gets?

Many people assume that the phrase “God works in mysterious ways” can be found somewhere in the Bible, but they are wrong. The phrase actually stems from a hymn written by William Cowper in 1774. The opening words to that hymn are:

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform…

This doesn’t mean, though, that the idea of God working in mysterious ways isn’t Bible based. Here are a couple of passages that fit the bill:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, N.K.J.V.)

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33, N.K.J.V.)

In regards to the Rochester tornado giving birth to the Mayo Clinic, I would also add in Romans 8:28, which says:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (N.K.J.V.)

Perhaps you have experienced some great tragedy in your life, a tragedy so catastrophic that it has left you thinking, “Even God can’t bring anything good out of that mess.” Dear friend, please hear me when I say that you are wrong, very wrong. God can take anything — and I do mean anything — and bring good out of it if you will only turn it over to Him and ask Him to do so. As the saying goes, “He can take broken eggs and make great omelets.” The Mayo Clinic stands as a lasting testament to this truth, and the city of Rochester, Minnesota, certainly isn’t the only place or the last time that God worked in mysterious ways to work all things for good.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Depression, Disappointment, Doubt, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Omnipotence, God's Sovereignty, God's Work, Perseverance, Problems, Restoration, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gamaliel’s Advice

Posted on September 28, 2019 by russellmckinney

“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you be found to fight against God.” (Acts 5:38-39, N.K.J.V.)

The words of our text passage were spoken by Gamaliel, the most well respected Jewish rabbi of Christ’s day. Not only was he a member of the Sanhedrin (the powerful ruling Council that held sway over Jewish life), he was also the man under whom Paul (who was then known as Saul of Tarsus) learned the ways of Judaism (Acts 22:3). To say that Gamaliel’s opinion carried weight is a definite understatement.

Following the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:1-11) and the Holy Spirit coming to indwell Jesus’ followers (Acts 2:1-13), the Christian movement spread like wildfire throughout Jerusalem. The apostles were preaching Jesus in the streets and performing miracles, thousands of Jews were getting saved and baptized, and the church in Jerusalem was becoming a force with which the Jewish religious leaders had to reckon. In the eyes of those leaders, this “Jesus thing” was getting completely out of hand.

It was along about then that Peter and John were arrested at the Jewish temple after performing a healing on a lame man, a healing that was followed with a sermon by Peter (Acts 4:1-26; 5:1-4). The Jewish religious group known as the Sadducees were responsible for having the two arrested. The next day the entire Sanhedrin council convened to try the case against Peter and John (Acts 4:5-12). However, after hearing Peter’s powerful defense and after being forced to admit that the once lame man was now clearly healed, the Sanhedrin decided to release Peter and John under the condition that the two would stop preaching the name of Jesus (Acts 4:13-18). Peter and John, of course, ignored that warning and went right back to doing what they’d been doing (Acts 4:19-31).

Not long afterward, the Sadducees again flexed their muscle by having all the apostles arrested and thrown into Jerusalem’s common prison (Acts 5:17-18). But that same night God sent an angel to open the prison doors and help the apostles escape (Acts 5:19). The angel told the apostles to go to the temple the next morning and preach, and they obeyed (Acts 5:20-21). So there the apostles were, at the temple preaching, while the Sadducees and the other Jewish religious leaders assumed they were still in prison.

Once it was discovered that the apostles weren’t in prison but were, instead, preaching at the temple, the Sanhedrin had them peacefully brought before the council one more time (Acts 5:21-27). The question the members of the council should have asked was, “How did you men escape from prison last night?” Apparently, though, the members didn’t want to know that answer. What they did ask was, “Didn’t we command you not to teach in this (Jesus’) name?” They also added in the comment, “You have filled Jerusalem with this doctrine, and intend to bring Jesus’ blood on us!” (Acts 5:28).

And how did the apostles, Peter being their spokesman, respond to that? They answered:

….”We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. (Acts 5:29-32, N.K.J.V.)

That’s not exactly backing down, is it? Now the Sanhedrin members had to decide what to do about the situation. The conclusion the majority of them reached was that all the apostles should be killed (Acts 5:33). Remember, these council members were the same murderous bunch who had worked together with the Romans to get Jesus killed.

Gamaliel, however, took a different view as to how to handle the problem. After having the apostles removed from the meeting room, he noted that previous such threats to Judaism had come to nothing. A man named Theudas had raised an army of about 400 soldiers and had proclaimed himself as the Messiah, but his movement had ended when he had been killed (Acts 5:36). Likewise, Judas of Galilee had once built a movement around himself, but he had died and so had his movement (Acts 5:37). Based upon these past examples, Gamaliel deduced that time was the true test of whether or not a movement was of God. If God wasn’t in it, it would come to nothing, but if He was in it, nothing the Sanhedrin could do would stop it anyway.

Of course, what Gamaliel should have added was, “Men, when Jesus died, his movement was supposed to die with him, but it didn’t. That makes him different than Theudas and Judas of Galilee. So maybe we should start at least considering the possibility that we were wrong about him. Could it be that what these apostles of his are saying about him is true?” Gamaliel, however, didn’t go that far. Perhaps even he was afraid to venture out into those uncharted seas.

But what spiritual help can we Christians today glean from Gamaliel’s advice? We can appreciate the advice as being spiritually astute and apply it to any situation we face in which something that isn’t of God is thriving while something that is of Him is just puttering along. Just as those movements begun by Theudas and Judas of Galilee seemed so impressive for a while, many earthly situations that don’t bear God’s stamp of approval can come to the front and rule the day for a certain amount of time before crashing. Conversely, many situations that do bear His stamp can start out quite unimpressive and build momentum like a slow burn.

The fact is that earthly situations can be like fun-house mirrors in the way they can distort reality for a time. Just as you can’t trust what you are seeing as long as you are standing in front of one of those mirrors, you can’t always trust what a situation looks like for the moment. So, if you are reading this and you know that God is in what you are doing, but things really aren’t going well right now, let me encourage you to hang in there. Take Gamaliel’s advice by giving your situation some more time. It just might be that God is delaying His manifested blessing upon your situation because He wants to build trust and perseverance into you. And if that’s the case, you’d be wise to stay your course and let Him work.

Posted in Adversity, Choices, Depression, Disappointment, Discernment, Encouragement, Faithfulness, God's Timing, God's Will, God's Work, Ministry, Perseverance, Preaching, Problems, Prosperity, Reward, Service, Sowing and Reaping, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of Obeying Christ’s Commands

Posted on September 24, 2019 by russellmckinney

Alexander the Great is one of those historical figures about which enough stories are told to make you wonder if they are all true. My guess is that some of them really happened and some of them didn’t. With that in mind, I’ll offer one as part of this post.

As the story goes, after a long day’s battle with an enemy army, Alexander’s troops were encamped for the night awaiting a second round of battle the next day. As part of the night’s standing order, Alexander decreed that no fires could be lit. He didn’t want to give away his army’s location to any reinforcing troops that might be marching that night to join the enemy army.

However, as Alexander made his rounds to ensure that his order was being obeyed, he noticed a light in the tent of one of his officers. When he stepped inside the tent, he found the officer writing a letter. The officer, realizing the serious trouble he had made for himself, quickly began explaining that he had just recently gotten married and was writing a letter to his wife to let her know that he hadn’t gotten injured in the previous day’s battle. Alexander responded to the explanation by saying, “Then finish your letter, and add to it this postscript: ‘I am to be executed at dawn for disobeying orders.'”

I ask you, what if Jesus was like that concerning His commands to us? If He was, I dare say that not one person would be left alive to inhabit planet earth. That includes Christians, too. Think about how many times we all fail to do what Jesus commands us to do. Sometimes we fail because of slackness. Other times we fail because of outright disobedience. Either way, the end result is the same: disobedience to Christ’s commands.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15, N.K.J.V.). In one way, that is a simple thing for Him to ask. In another way, though, it is a monumental assignment. After all, He does give a lot of commandments. Some of His commandments are general, standing ones found in scripture, but others are specific, personal commandments made to individuals by way of the voice of the Holy Spirit. At any rate, whatever the commandment is and however we receive it, Jesus expects us to keep it. Please remember this the next time you receive one from Him, and make sure you do a better job of obeying than that officer of Alexander the Great.

Posted in Disobedience, God's Will, God's Word, Obedience, Rebellion, The Bible | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Christian Verses” Podcast: 2 Timothy 4:2

Posted on September 23, 2019 by russellmckinney

Drew Brees, the quarterback for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, recently got himself into trouble with the LGBTQ community. What did he do? He promoted Focus on the Family’s “Bring Your Bible to School Day.” Focus on the Family, you see, is a Christian organization that stands staunchly against homosexuality.

When the LGBTQ backlash hit, Brees had to make a choice. He could either take his stand with Focus on the Family and its anti-homosexuality beliefs or distance himself from the organization. He chose the latter by using his Twitter account to explain that he doesn’t support any groups that discriminate or promote inequality.

In the new podcast, Malcolm and I discuss the whole situation by launching off from the focal verse 2 Timothy 4:2. That verse talks about what Christians should do when the word of God is “out of season.” Here’s the link:

https://soundcloud.com/user-185243867/preaching-our-of-seasoncv2019008

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, Current Events, God's Word, Homosexuality, Sports, The Bible, The Gospel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Royce’s World Civilizations Textbook

Posted on September 21, 2019 by russellmckinney

Royce, our eighteen-year-old son, is currently attending the local community college. He’s in the general-education program, the idea being that he will complete that two-year program and then transfer to a four-year school. Okay, so far so good.

He comes to me a couple of nights ago complaining about his textbook for his World Civilizations class. The book is Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, and it is blatantly anti Bible. Mind you that the course itself is not religious in nature. It’s just a course about the multitude of civilizations that have flourished at different times throughout history. One of those civilizations, however, is the one the textbook describes under the heading “Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews.” That’s where the problem crops up regarding the Bible.

Here are some direct quotes from the textbook:

The Hebrew scriptures do not offer reliable historical accounts of early times, but they present memories and interpretations of Hebrew experience from the perspectives of later religious leaders who collected oral reports and edited them into a body of writings after 800 B.C.E.

The early Hebrews had recognized many of the same gods as their Mesopotamian neighbors: they believed that nature spirits inhabited trees, rocks, and mountains, for example, and they honored various deities as patrons or protectors of their clans. Moses, however, embraced monotheism: he taught that there was only one god, known as Yahweh, who was a supremely powerful deity, and the creator and sustainer of the world.

Historical and archaeological records tell a less colorful story than the account preserved in the Hebrew scriptures.

There are signs of intermittent conflicts with neighboring peoples, but there is no indication that Israelites conquered all of Palestine.

The recognition of Yahweh as the only true god seems to have emerged after the eighth century B.C.E. rather than in the early days of the Hebrews’ history.

I found it particularly interesting that monotheism (the worship of one god) supposedly didn’t exist in Israel until Moses came along and took the nation down that path for what were evidently his own nefarious purposes. I can just hear Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saying, “Boy, we sure thought we were worshiping just one god.” I guess that every time God says in the Old Testament, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the quote is a lie made up by a later writer in an attempt to retool Israel’s religious history. (Yes, in a case you are wondering, that was sarcasm on my part.)

I’d also like to get Joshua’s take on Israel’s conquering of Canaan (and please note that I refuse to substitute the politically correct name “Palestine” for the land’s true name “Canaan”). Did Israel’s army, under Joshua’s leadership, thoroughly fulfill God’s command to either annihilate or drive out the various races that inhabited Canaan and in so doing claim the land for Israel? No they didn’t, and the Bible makes no bones about admitting that shortcoming and the devastating effects it had going forward as Israel occupied the land. But were all those resounding victories described in the book of Joshua nothing more than “intermittent conflicts with neighboring peoples”? Tell that to the slain inhabitants of cities such as: Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Japhia, Lachish, Eglon, Hazor, and Madon.

I know, I know, I’m not supposed to take the Bible’s accounts of those battles as undisputed fact. That’s how the academic world would respond to my previous paragraph. But c’mon, if Joshua and his army didn’t do more than win a few “intermittent conflicts” how did the land itself ever get to be called Israel? Surely Israel’s military efforts were quite impressive, regardless of whether or not those efforts got recorded in a book.

Look, I understand Royce’s situation. I myself went to public school for twelve years and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from a public university. For that matter, my wife Tonya has taught in a public middle school for close to thirty years. So, I’m not some naive babe in the woods who suffers under the delusion that our public schools are bastions of Christianity. (Truth be told, even many of our so-called “Christian” universities don’t live up to their founders’ stated purpose.)

I guess I just wanted to write this post to let you Christians out there know that textbooks with an anti-Christian slant are still being written and printed, and when Christian parents send their kids to any type of “public” school — whether it be an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, or a university — those kids need to know going in what to expect. Evolution will be taught as fact rather than theory. Traditional lines of gender and sexuality will be downplayed. Ancient Mesopotamian records will be deemed more reliable than ancient Hebrew records. And what passes for “truth” will always be dependent upon the most recent archaeological find and how the experts chose to interpret that find.

Still, though, it does get frustrating for the Bible-believing Christian. Royce isn’t the first Christian student to find this out and he won’t be the last. It’s all just a clear reminder that we Christians are a minority group in this world and we always will be until Jesus returns to walk this earth again. Christian beliefs were once valued in America, even exalted to a large degree, but those days are long, long gone, and to expect any public institution to adhere to them is little more than fool’s folly.

Posted in Children, Current Events, Discernment, Parenting, Personal, Scripture, The Bible, Truth, Youth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Far Better

Posted on September 19, 2019 by russellmckinney

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23, N.K.J.V.)

The past few weeks have reminded me of how “far better” life in heaven must be than life upon this earth. Visiting hospitals, nursing homes, and Hospices will do that for you. Praying for folks who have lost loved ones will, too.

I’ll start with my dad. He recently spent a week in our local hospital recovering from a variety of physical problems (urinary tract infection, dehydration, a heart flutter, etc.). Even when he was released, he didn’t return home. Instead, he went to the physical therapy wing of a nearby nursing home. He’s scheduled to spend the next three weeks there doing physical therapy. Hopefully, once he completes the three weeks, he’ll be well enough to return home.

On the subject of nursing homes, a few weeks ago I visited a church member who had been placed in one in a county adjacent to ours. We had a blessed visit together, but it was obvious that she wasn’t well either physically or mentally. Now she has been transitioned to a Hospice care facility in another county. I visited with her there the day before yesterday but she didn’t rouse up enough to have a conversation. I did, however, spend the time having a good talk with one of her sons. He confirmed that death is imminent for her unless the Lord intervenes.

That same day I received news from one of my deacons that his sister had died. The news wasn’t surprising because she had been hovering near death for some time, but that didn’t make the pain the family was feeling any less real. Actually, the woman’s death was something of a relief for her. I say that because she just couldn’t get better and didn’t want to go on struggling like she was struggling.

What I’m happy to report is that the common denominator in all three of these cases is that each person is a Christian. One of them is a Christian spending the next three weeks in a nursing home. Another one is a Christian currently residing in a Hospice care facility. And another one is a Christian who is now enjoying the wonders of heaven. In other words, one of the Christians is already in heaven and the other two have reservations awaiting them there. Heaven, of course, is a place devoid of hospitals, nursing homes, Hospices, hospital gowns, i.v.’s, catheters, and oxygen masks. Christian doctors and nurses will be there but there won’t be a need for their services. As David says of God in Psalm 16:11:

…In your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (N.K.J.V.)

Earthly life is hard. If you haven’t found that out yet, just keep living and you’ll learn it. Sometimes we bring the hardness upon ourselves as we make bad decisions and have to reap the harvests from those bad decisions. Other times, however, the hardness just seems to hunt us down like a hunter hunting his prey regardless of the fact that we haven’t done anything to deserve being hunted.

Despite everything, though, the end result for the Christian will be eternity spent with God. This is a promise that we must never let ourselves forget. No matter how hard life gets here upon the earth, this isn’t the final chapter of our book. Death is a comma, not a period, and for the Christian what follows the comma is heaven.

Isn’t it so encouraging that Paul, writing under the inspiration of God, describes the Christian’s death as “gain”? And isn’t it equally encouraging that he describes heaven as being “far better”? I sure do like the sounds of all that. And do you know what it makes me wonder? It makes me wonder just how much is wrapped up in that little word “far”! That deacon’s sister could tell us right now if we could talk to her, couldn’t she? But keep your chin up, Christian, because we’ll all eventually know the answer firsthand. That’s a Bible promise.

Posted in Adversity, Aging, Comfort, Death, Encouragement, Eternity, Heaven, Persecution, Personal, Problems, Restoration, Reward, Salvation, Sickness, Suffering, Trials | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Your Mind Is Like a Hotel

Posted on September 16, 2019 by russellmckinney

One writer has compared our minds to a hotel. The hotel manager cannot keep a problem person from entering the lobby, but he can keep that person from getting a room and staying there. Similarly, you cannot cannot keep a problem thought from entering the lobby of your mind, but you can definitely keep that thought from finding a lodging place and taking up residence there.

The Bible has a lot to say in regards to the importance of us keeping our minds right. Here’s a starter’s list of verses (all from the N.K.J.V.):

  1. Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
  2. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:13)
  3. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
  4. and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (Ephesians 4:23)
  5. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
  6. casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
  7. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

The central theme of all these verses is that the mind is ground zero of the spiritual battleground. If you cannot keep your thoughts (at least for the most part) pure, holy, and Christlike, you stand no chance of living a life that is (at least for the most part) pure, holy, and Christlike. The old saying about computers is “Junk in, junk out.” Well, the same thing can be said of your mind. If you mentally take in enough junk, eventually that junk will work its way out to your conduct.

That’s why I encourage you to start paying closer attention to the thoughts that are entering the lobby of your mind. Those thoughts come in by way of the ideas and images presented in t.v. programs, movies, songs, news reports, internet sites, videos, books, magazines, and conversations you have with others. Some of the thoughts are worthy enough to be allowed a room in your hotel, but many of them should be shown the door as quickly as possible.

When I was growing up in the 1970s, a popular advertising campaign for the United Negro College Fund said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” That slogan focused on the problem of many black kids not having enough money to attend college. The fact is, though, the slogan can also be applied to living the Christian life. Yes, a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and it’s a shame that so many Christians aren’t doing a better job of flashing the “no vacancy” sign at thoughts that are unworthy of the high calling of Jesus Christ.

Posted in Discernment, Discipleship, Entertainment, Music, Personal Holiness, Sanctification, Separation, Temptation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

How Jesus Speaks to His Followers Today

Posted on September 13, 2019 by russellmckinney

Here’s a companion post to my previous one about the indwelling Holy Spirit. This time let’s focus upon the relationship that Jesus had with the chosen twelve during His earthly life. As you know, those twelve men had the privilege of talking with Jesus, walking with Him, eating with Him, sleeping with Him, laughing with Him, being taught by Him, etc., etc., etc.

Okay, so here’s the question: How do you think the dynamics of all that activity played out on a daily basis within that group? What I mean is, do you think Peter woke up in the morning and said, “I feel like going to Jerusalem today, so let’s go”? Do you think Andrew said, “I’ve been studying and thinking a lot lately, so I’m going to be doing the teaching today”? Do you think John said, “I know what God the Father wants done in this situation, so I want the whole group to follow my lead”?

No, that’s not how things played out. Jesus was in charge of that group. He gave the daily travel plans. He did all of the teaching. He told them what God the Father wanted done in a situation. You say, “Well sure, but what does that have to do with me? I’m not around Jesus the way the chosen twelve were.” Well, Christian, if that’s your attitude, then you’ve missed the point of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

You see, the same Jesus who led the chosen twelve now lives inside you! Do you need some scriptural evidence of that? Sure, the Bible provides it.

For starters, Romans 8:9 says:

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (N.K.J.V.)

The teaching of this verse is plain. If an individual does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside him or her, that individual is not a true Christian. That’s what the words “not His” mean.

But now listen to the next verse, Romans 8:10, as it continues with this thought:

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Did you catch what the Bible threw there? In verse 9, the Holy Spirit is described by the dual names “the Spirit of God” and “the Spirit of Christ.” What those dual titles show us is that Christ is God. Putting it another way, Jesus (God the Son) and God the Father are one. However, just as verse 9 says the Holy Spirit is literally in the Christian, verse 10 says that Christ is in the Christian. This proves that not only are Jesus and God the Father one, Jesus and God the Holy Spirit are also one.

What this means for you, Christian, is that you having the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you amounts to you having Jesus dwelling inside you. A parallel passage on this teaching is Ephesians 3:17, which speaks of Christ dwelling “in your hearts through faith” (N.K.J.V.). Another one is Colossians 1:27, which uses the phrase “Christ in you” (N.K.J.V.). In each of these passages the idea is that Jesus literally dwells inside the Christian’s body (by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit).

Furthermore, Jesus Himself said that having this kind of relationship with Him is even better than having the relationship the chosen twelve had with Him. In John 16:7, He says to His chosen twelve:

“…It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (N.K.J.V.).

We know, of course, that “the Helper” is a reference to God the Holy Spirit. Also, we know that Jesus did soon depart from those men as He died, resurrected, and ascended back up to heaven. And it was from heaven that He kept His promise to send the Holy Spirit to His followers. The story of how the Holy Spirit first began to indwell Christ’s followers is recorded in Acts chapter 2. That’s why we Christians can now rest assured that God the Holy Spirit does indeed dwell inside our bodies.

So, how should we react to this mind-blowing truth? We should spend our days and nights listening for the indwelling Holy Spirit’s voice as He speaks to us. We should hear His voice and obey it. This is our version of the chosen 12 hearing and obeying the voice of Jesus, and as such it is the the key to us walking in God’s will, being where He wants us to be, and doing what He wants us to do.

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