The Mayonnaise Jar

Posted on November 9, 2012 by russellmckinney

A philosophy professor stood before his class and began an object lesson. First, he sat an empty mayonnaise jar on the table in front of him. Next, he brought out a box of rocks that were each about two inches in diameter and filled the jar to the brim with them. Then he asked his students, “Is the jar full?” All the students who would dare venture a guess answered, “Yes.”

Next the professor brought out a box of very small pebbles and began pouring them into the jar. As he poured, he paused periodically and gingerly shook the jar to allow the pebbles to filter down between the larger rocks. When he was done, he asked his students again, “Is the jar full?” Having been burned before by their premature answers, even the students who had dared to answer the first time remained silent this time.

Then the professor brought out a box of sand and began pouring the sand into the jar. Again, he paused every now and then and lightly shook the jar, which allowed the sand to filter its way down through all the rocks. When he was done, he asked his students one more time, “Is the jar full?” This time they all confidently answered, “Yes.”

At that point the professor said to them, “I want each of you to think of this jar as your life. The big rocks are the most important things: your family, your friends, your health, etc. The pebbles are the things that matter but to a lesser degree: your job, your house, your car, etc. As for the sand, that is everything else.”

Then he continued. “If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. And the same is true for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are the most important to you. So, take care of your rocks first, the things that matter above everything else.”

Now, truth be told, that illustration is an old one and what I’ll call a worldly one. I use that word “worldly” because the illustration makes no allowance for Jesus Christ. So, how can you get Him into your jar of life along with everything else? Here’s how: think of Him as water. You see, that philosophy professor could have taken his object lesson one step further if he had brought out a large glass of water and begun pouring the water into the jar, pausing every now and then to shake the jar and allow the water to weave its way down through the rocks and sand.

What am I saying? I’m saying that establishing priorities in your life is a wonderful thing, but even those priorities must be touched by the “water” of Christ. The way to make your life count the most for eternity is to surrender it completely to Him. Let Him permeate everything you think, say, and do. Let Him lead you into His perfect will and plan for your time here on earth. Let Him guide you into all truth. Let Him mold and shape you into the absolute best version of you there can be. To sum up, let Him take everything about your life (all the rocks, all the pebbles, and all the sand) and use it all to bring glory to God the Father in heaven.

Posted in Discipleship, Dying To Self, Family, Friendship, God's Will, Human Life, Needs, Priorities, Salvation, Sanctification, Service | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Christians & Voting

Posted on November 5, 2012 by russellmckinney

Well, here we are on the eve of election day 2012, and from most reports the presidential race will be a close one. Not surprisingly then, there are a whole bunch of voices out there who are having their say as to which candidates you should support. What is somewhat surprising is how many of these voices are those of ministers.

For example, last Friday I watched an online sermon from Dr. David Jeremiah, the prominent pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a well known mega-church in San Diego. Jeremiah’s words were thoughtful and tactful, but the message in them was loud and clear: If you are a Christian, you should vote for Mitt Romney. He did openly acknowledge that Romney’s Mormon religion is not traditional Christianity, but he also left little doubt that he considers President Obama’s professed Christianity to be a sham. He did so by quoting Christ’s words, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) and then citing some examples of how Obama’s actions as President could easily be taken to show that he isn’t a true Christian. In particular, Jeremiah pointed out that Obama didn’t support the National Day of Prayer.

But before you condemn Dr. Jeremiah please understand that all he did in his church was the reverse of what thousands of black pastors are doing in their churches for Barack Obama. Unfortunately, in many ways, race and politics now walk hand in hand in America. The hard, cold truth is that the majority of so-called “white churches” and their pastors favor the Republican party while the majority of so-called “black churches” favor the Democratic party. Certainly there are exceptions on both sides of this rule, but the general rule still holds. Of course, this isn’t exactly a great revelation to people who study political demographics.

As for me, I am a registered Republican who usually votes for Republicans even though I never vote straight-ticket. However, in every church where I’ve served as pastor I’ve had Democrats in my congregation. Furthermore, I haven’t shied away from talking politics with these people outside the pulpit. I place great value on these conversations because they’ve made me more well rounded in my thinking and helped me mature as a Christian. Show me a person who only bothers to hear one side of a debate and I’ll show you a person who is limited in his/her discernment.

Now, it is with all of this in mind that I want to share with you five basic truths that I’ve formulated over the years concerning Christians and voting. This list certainly won’t be the last word on this whole subject, but hopefully it will help you, the Christian, to think a little more clearly before casting your ballot, not just in tomorrow’s election but in the ones to come. I’m not trying to get you to vote for or against anybody. I’m simply trying to get you to approach the political arena the way an honest, informed, mature, discerning Christian should.

Truth #1: It is undeniable that the Democratic party platform goes against the Bible in being pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality. We might as well get this one out of the way early because it is beyond obvious. I’ve written posts about what the Bible teaches about abortion and homosexuality, and I won’t take the time to revisit all of that information. If you’re interested, those posts can be found by clicking on those categories in my archives. Just know that every Christian should take the written word of God seriously, and the written word of God is very much anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality. (As a side note, I’ve grown very tired of professing Christians who try to explain away the Bible’s plain teaching on these two controversial subjects. Please, just stop it.)

Truth #2: Even though the issues of abortion and homosexuality are major issues, there are other issues that should be considered. I realize that there were approximately 1 million babies aborted last year. I also realize that in April of 2012 a demographer with the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy estimated that there are some 4 million adults who are predominantly gay or lesbian. Concerning that estimate, many people would argue that the number of gays and lesbians is actually much higher. So let’s be generous and go as high as 15 million. That brings the totals to 1 million abortions performed last year and 15 million gays or lesbians.

Okay, now consider that the current unemployment rate in America is 7.9%. That translates to over 12 million Americans being unemployed, and it doesn’t even factor in the number of Americans who are woefully underemployed or who haven’t even bothered to formally look for work in the past several weeks. When you figure those two sectors into the equation, the number rises to more like 20 million Americans who are struggling mightily in the workplace. And let’s keep in mind that many of these people have families they are trying to support. So what am I saying? I’m saying that when God looks down from heaven He doesn’t just see all the aborted babies and all the gays and lesbians; He also sees all of America’s unemployed and underemployed.

I’ll tell you someone else He sees: the multiplied thousands of soldiers who are currently serving America on foreign fields. That makes the issue of war another one that every Christian should consider in regards to voting. Does God ever condone war? He certainly did in the Old Testament every time that He sent the people of Israel into battle. For that matter, He’ll also condone it at the battle of Armageddon when Jesus returns to slay all the soldiers of the armies of the world at the end of the tribulation period (Revelation 19:11-21). But, then again, God never once wanted either Israel or the early church to rise up and go to war against the Roman empire. To the contrary, Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies, turn the other cheek toward them, go the second mile for them, and give them their cloaks (Matthew 5:38-48). Frankly, I’ve met some staunch Republican Christians who need to revisit that entire passage.

And here’s another issue that every Christian should consider at election time: How would Jesus have us deal with the millions of illegal aliens who are already in this country? To be honest, I haven’t figured out the answer to that one myself. Would I illegally cross the border into Mexico, enroll my kids in a Mexican school, and attempt to build a live for myself without becoming an official citizen of Mexico? Probably not. But now that such people make their homes in America, how should we Christians respond to them? To answer that we need to ask, how would Jesus respond to them? Again, I don’t claim to have the answer to this one yet. I’m merely pointing out that the sincere Christian should somehow take the issue of illegal aliens into account when it comes to voting.

Truth #3: Every Presidential election can’t be the “tipping point” for America in regards to God’s judgment. Franklin Graham recently wrote an article in which he said, “This could be America’s last call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ…” In that David Jeremiah sermon that I mentioned earlier, Dr. Jeremiah described this election as a possible “tipping point” in regards to God judging America. Now, personally, I think that Franklin Graham and David Jeremiah are solid men of God who have done wonderful things for the Lord. I have several of Jeremiah’s commentaries on my shelves and my church is currently organizing its shoe boxes for Graham’s annual Samaritan’s Purse Christmas ministry. So don’t think that I don’t respect these two men. With that said, though, I seem to recall hearing words to the effect that the last Presidential election, in 2008, was a tipping point for America. I heard the same kind of thing for the 2004 election as well as the 2000 election and the 1996 one. You get the idea. Trust me, every Presidential election can’t be the tipping point. Is every election important? Obviously. But is America hanging in the balance of each one? I don’t think so. As noted Christian blogger Todd Rhoades wrote in response to Graham’s statement, “Is America MORE ripe for judgment in 2012 than during the civil rights turmoil, or when our country condoned slavery, or during the “free sex” sixties?”

For the record, in my opinion, God has already turned America over to herself in regards to judgment (Romans 1:18-32). People keep waiting for Him to pour out His wrath upon this nation by way of the ten plagues of Egypt or something like that, but the Bible teaches that His most ultimately devastating version of wrath is to take a hands-off approach to a group of people and let them do whatever they want without interference from Him. Surely this has been going on in America for a long time now.

Truth #4: Electing a President is not the same thing as electing a pastor. We Christians would be well advised to stop trying to make the office of President a “spiritual” position. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 6-9 list the qualifications for a pastor (elder, bishop, overseer), not a politician, and if you will only vote for a politician who meets those qualifications, you’ll sit out every Presidential election. The Bible’s better passages concerning solid, effective political leaders are found in the book of Proverbs, passages such as: 8:12-16; 16:12-13; 25:2; and 31:1-9.

Now, does character count? Absolutely, and those passages from Proverbs expressly teach that. But does a candidate have to be 100% correct on every minute point of Christian doctrine or Christian conduct in order to rule a nation well? No. Certainly the best leaders will have a reverential fear of God, be in awe of the role that He has allowed them to play, and see themselves as His servants to the citizens. No argument there. But you shouldn’t refuse to vote for a man simply because he doesn’t fit your ideal of a spiritual leader. Leading the country is not the same as leading a church.

Truth #5: The Christian should vote as a means of being the “salt” and “light” of which Jesus spoke. The passage is Matthew 5:13-16. There Jesus explains that His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Please note that He didn’t say that we are merely the salt and light of the church. You see, Christians should use their influence to make a positive difference in every corner of life, and that certainly includes the corner known as the political arena. While it’s true that sincere Christians might disagree as to just how to go about being that salt and light, it’s hard to believe that not voting at all in an election is one of the options.

Now, as I begin to head for home with this post, let me reiterate that I didn’t write this to get you to specifically vote for or against anybody. As always with this blog, I’m trying to get you to think a little deeper than you are used to thinking! Listen, God isn’t a Republican or a Democrat. He keeps Himself above the realm of both parties so that He can continually call both into account for their sins. That’s why I’m not dead set against a Christian voting for a candidate from either party provided that Christian can take the Bible and give me scripture to back up his/her reasoning.

So, if you vote for a candidate because he is pro-life, then take me to Psalm 139:13-16, where David describes how God knew him intimately even while David was in his mother’s womb. If you vote for a candidate who wants to end a war and bring our troops home, then take me to Matthew 5:9, where Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” If you vote for a candidate because he says he will fight against the homosexual agenda, then take me to Romans 1:18-32, where the Bible talks about God giving up sinful rebels to their vile passions so that they can pursue their unnatural sexual deviancy. If you vote for a candidate who promises to bolster governmental programs for the poor and needy, then take me to Proverbs 14:31, which says, “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” If you vote for a candidate who will work to help illegal aliens be granted full citizenship, then take me to Leviticus 19:33, where God instructs the ancient Israelites to treat the foreigners in their land well and remember that they themselves were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. Do you see what I’m saying? Don’t just vote; vote based upon principles that come straight out of the Bible.

And if you do this do you know what you will find? You will find that no one candidate and no one party addresses all of the scriptural issues that matter to God. One of the worst things that Christians do in regards to politics is attempt to oversimplify a very wide assortment of complex issues. I don’t want you to get so confused or so overwhelmed that you can’t even pick a candidate, but I do think you’d do well to guard against being a one-issue or two-issue voter, whatever those one or two issues may be with you. The fact is that this country is a royal mess, and there’s no one man or one party who will ever get it truly fixed. So the best we can do as Christian voters is take the mind of God (knowing it from having studied scores of Bible passages) into the voting booth and let the Holy Spirit lead us as we make our choices. Here’s hoping that you will do that tomorrow if you haven’t voted already in early voting.

Posted in Abortion, Bible Study, Current Events, Discipleship, Homosexuality, Personal, Politics, Scripture, The Bible, The Holy Spirit, The Sermon On The Mount, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Seven Lessons We Need to Learn from Hurricanes

Posted on October 30, 2012 by russellmckinney

Well, here it is one day before Halloween and the ground is white with snow at my house. We can thank Hurricane Sandy for this freakish October weather. Even though the storm came ashore in southern New Jersey, its effects have reached us all the way down here in the mountains of western North Carolina. The hurricane combined with an early season winter storm and a cold air mass, and all that initiated a “northwest flow event” that spun snow down the spine of the Appalachian mountain range. Can you envision little trick-or-treaters slogging their way through the snow to get to your door? That’s odd imagery to be sure.

But please don’t think I’m complaining. Despite the high winds, our power hasn’t gone off once. I’m beyond grateful for that! For that matter, other parts of our county are dealing with much heavier snow, as much as a foot or more in the highest elevations. What’s in my yard is nothing compared to what those folks are shoveling. And then, of course, there are the literally millions of people whose lives have been decimated by Sandy. The latest death toll number stands at 33. Over eight million people are without electricity. More than 12,000 flights have been cancelled. The New Jersey shoreline, including historic Atlantic City, is flooded. In New York City, the mass transit system has been brought to a standstill and a fire burned down fifty houses in a flooded section of Queens. In light of all these things, I don’t have any problems.

Waking up this morning and catching up on the aftereffects of Sandy got me to thinking about something that a friend of mine, Jerry Shaw, wrote. Jerry lives in the Lake Okeechobee area of Florida. I got to know him through our mutual friends, Johnny and Marlene Ayers. Jerry is retired and teaches a Sunday School class at the church that he and Johnny and Marlene attend. Following the highly active 2004 hurricane season, he wrote a study guide entitled “Seven Lessons We Need To Learn From Hurricanes” and sent me a copy of it. I’m sure he won’t mind if I share the highlights of it with you. So, here goes (all references from the N.K.J.V.).

Lesson #1: God alone is in control of the weather and He uses hurricanes to make Himself known. Psalm 135:6-7 says:

Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.

Someone might ask, “But does God really use hurricanes to make Himself known?” Well, Jerry answers that by pointing out that Psalm 29 is all about the awesome might of the voice of the Lord. Those verses tell us that God’s voice is “over the waters” (v.3), is “powerful” (v.4), “breaks the cedars” (v.5), “divides the flames of fire” (v.7), “shakes the wilderness” (v.8), and “strips the forests bare” (v.9). Verse 10 seems especially relevant in times of hurricanes. It says:

The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever.

Lesson #2: We are not in control of the weather and sometimes that can bring events that we do not want and even consider bad. Still, though, God uses what we call “disasters” as: a means of punishment, as a means of perfecting maturity in people, as a means of making Himself known (see lesson #1), or as a means of teaching us to love each other, care for each other, and depend on each other.

I especially like that last thought Jerry mentions, the one about God using natural disasters as a means of teaching us to love others and care for them. Frankly, the human race rarely shines brighter than when people help others in the wake of devastation. And I’m not just talking about massive relief organizations such as FEMA, the Red Cross, or the Baptist Men. I’m talking about an individual neighbor helping his neighbor. We see this kind of thing on full display in the aftermath of hurricanes.

Of course, we like that part of lesson #2, don’t we? It appeals to us and goes down easily. But what about the assertion that God sometimes uses natural disasters as a means of punishment? Oh, Jerry is spot on with that one, too. As a text, he quotes Psalm 18:7-19. I won’t write out the entire passage, but the opening verse (verse 7) says:

Then the earth shook (think earthquake) and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry.

Lesson #3: The only real security in this world is in God.

Among other passages that Jerry cites under this lesson, Psalm 34:7-8 especially warms my heart. It says:

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Lesson #4: Hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as most any period of crisis that we experience, define our character.

Job is a classic example of a man whose godly character shown through in the wake of disastrous events. After a series of tragedies swept over him in a single day, costing him his wealth and the lives of his ten children, how did he respond? Job 1:20-22 says:

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Admittedly, in Job’s case it wasn’t God who caused the devastating disasters that came his way. Unbeknownst to Job, God had turned his life over to Satan for a short while. But why had God done that? He’d done it as a way of proving to Satan that Job would stick with God no matter what tragedies befell him. Therefore, we see that Job’s character truly was defined through those horrific events. Even more than being defined through them, his character was revealed through them.

Lesson #5: Hurricanes and other natural disasters provide an unprecedented opportunity to “bear one another’s burden and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).”

Under this lesson, Jerry notes that bearing one another’s burdens is a part of the good works that we have been created to do. As Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Lesson #6: Hurricanes teach us that the protection of life is more important than the protection of property and things.

The point here is that hurricanes force us to bring our lives back into proper perspective. What is of the highest value in this world? Surely, it is the lives of people. In particular for us, it is the lives of our family, loved ones, and friends. You see, houses can be flooded and ruined, cars can be washed away, clothes can be soaked and rendered unwearable, and big screen televisions and state-of-the-art computers can be laid to waste. However, only a fool would try to save such things during a hurricane. Instead, it is human life that comes front and center during such a time, and rightfully so. Concerning the incalculable value of human life, I’ll work in Matthew 10:29-31 here, where Jesus says:

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Lesson #7: God can bring good even out of hurricanes.

As for the natural side of things, Jerry points out that environmentalists understand that hurricanes play an important role in the grand scheme of things. For example, these powerful storms cleanse the ocean reefs, prune the dead and weak wood from trees, charge the atmosphere with positive ions, and restock the fresh water aquifers.

As for the spiritual side of things, he points out that hurricanes can get us to seek God’s face, and that’s a very good thing. As God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

And then, of course, there is Romans 8:28, which says:

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

So, in closing, let me say that I appreciate these good lessons that Jerry has shared concerning hurricanes. They are biblical and they are right. I wish that all the millions of people who have been hit hard by Hurricane Sandy could read them. I’m not saying these lessons can magically fix everything that has been ruined, but at least they can help us interpret all the devastation through the lens of scripture. Trust me, this latest hurricane didn’t form while God was away on vacation. Somehow, someway, He had His purposes for it and would like to use it in good, positive ways not only in regards to this country but also in regards to our personal lives. What remains to be seen is whether or not we will allow Him to do that.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Character, Comfort, Creation, Current Events, Doing Good, Encouragement, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Work, Human Life, Ministry, Perseverance, Personal, Priorities, Trials, Trusting In God, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jesus & Nazareth

Posted on October 25, 2012 by russellmckinney

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4, N.K.J.V.)

With the exception of the times when I was attending Appalachian State University and Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute, I’ve lived my entire life in Mitchell County. It’s a small, rural county located in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. We have a population of approximately 15,000 people.

Despite our small size, we have our fair share of churches. I haven’t seen any exact figures lately, but the number is probably somewhere a touch under 100. The primary denomination is Southern Baptist Convention, but that’s not to say that other denominations aren’t represented. Basically, in Mitchell County you can find whatever kind of church you are looking for as long as you aren’t looking for a megachurch.

I have served as a pastor here for over thirty years. Therefore, I speak with quite a bit of experience when I say that Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). It’s hard to describe in precise words, but there really is some dynamic at work that hinders a God-called preacher from carrying the spiritual weight he should with those who have known him all his life.

No doubt some of the problem stems from mistakes the preacher made before he went into the ministry. For example, someone might say, “How can that guy be a true preacher? I remember that time back in high school when he…..” The reputation of the preacher’s own family is another factor. If that reputation isn’t sterling, the man will typically be looked upon with distrust because he “came from a bad bunch.” Yet another factor is some peoples’ strange jealousy over a friend, neighbor, or acquaintance bettering himself. Trust me, “getting above your raising” is a cardinal offense with some people.

Would you believe that even Jesus Himself was hindered by this problem? The gospels give us the record of two separate visits He paid to His hometown of Nazareth after He began His public ministry. The first visit took place in the early days of His ministry, shortly after He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Mark 1:14 and Luke 4:14-15 tell us that in the days following that temptation Jesus made His way up to Galilee, the northern part of the land. There He ministered in the synagogues that dotted the region. That circuit inevitably took Him to Nazareth, where He continued with His custom of going into the local synagogue on the Sabbath and preaching. That synagogue in Nazareth was the one He had attended His whole life.

Jesus’ text that day was a portion of Isaiah 61:1-2, which was a Messianic passage foretelling that the Messiah would preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind, free those who were oppressed, and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). The gist of Christ’s sermon was, “Today you are looking at the fulfillment of these words because I am the Messiah of which they speak” (Luke 4:21). The attendees marveled at this assertion and asked the obvious question, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (They might as well have added in, “Aren’t you that kid who used to play out there in the streets? How can you be the Messiah?”) It was at that point that Jesus launched into a lecture on how a prophet’s ministry is greatly hindered among his fellow countrymen (Luke 4:24). He did this as a way of explaining to them why He couldn’t perform the healing miracles there He had performed in nearby Capernaum (Luke 4:23).

By way of illustrating His point, Jesus referenced a couple of Old Testament examples. The first one involved Elijah’s ministry. Even though there were many hurting widows in Israel during the three-and-a-half years of drought and famine in Elijah’s day, God didn’t send Elijah to help any of them. Instead, He sent him outside Israel to a Gentile widow in Zarephath, a Phoenician town in the region of Sidon (Luke 4:25-26). The second example involved the ministry of Elijah’s successor, Elisha. Even though there were many lepers in Israel during the days of Elisha’s ministry, he didn’t cure any of them. The only leper he cured was Naaman, a Gentile from Syria (Luke 4:27).

Well, you can imagine how those people in Nazareth’s synagogue responded to their local boy not only claiming to be the Messiah but also saying that He couldn’t heal any of their citizens because they wouldn’t give Him the honor due a prophet. Luke tells us they were filled with wrath and led Jesus out of the city, up to the brow of the hill upon which the city was built. Their intent was to kill Him by throwing Him off that cliff (Luke 4:28-30). It takes quite a preacher and quite a sermon to evoke that kind of response from a crowd of church goers! Maybe Jesus should have preached on the Old Testament law’s 6th commandment: “You shall not murder.” At any rate, He didn’t allow Himself to be killed that day because that wasn’t the right time or place for His death. In some way that Luke doesn’t fully explain, Jesus passed through the midst of that bloodthirsty mob and went on His way (Luke 4:30).

But I told you the gospels give us the record of two visits that Jesus paid to Nazareth. So, what about the other one? It came much later in Christ’s ministry and we find the account in Matthew 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6. For that visit, the same pattern was set into motion. Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and taught (Matthew 13:53-54; Mark 6:1), and the people were astonished at His words and immediately started asking, “Where did this man get this wisdom? How does He do the mighty works that are attributed to Him? Isn’t He the son of Joseph the carpenter? Isn’t Mary His mother? Don’t we know His brothers and sisters?” (Matthew 13:54-56; Luke 6:2-3)

Matthew’s account and Luke’s account both say the people were offended at Him (Matthew 13:57; Luke 6:3). You see, it was always Jesus’ background that tripped them up. They had watched this kid grow into manhood. They knew Him well. He was the illegitimate son of Mary and Joseph, conceived before they were married, right? How could such a person be God’s Messiah?

That’s why Jesus again gave them the applicable line: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4). Obviously, nothing had changed in the months that had passed since His first attempt to minister there. Matthew says that He did not do many mighty works there (Matthew 13:58), which implies that He did do a few, and Mark reports that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them (Mark 6:5). Overall, though, He couldn’t do work there that He would have classified as “mighty” (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5). Even Jesus “marveled because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:6). At least they didn’t try to kill Him this time!

You say, “Okay, Russell, I understand what you are saying, but I’m not a preacher. And so how does all this affect me?” It affects you by way of the spiritual influence you can have on not only the residents of your hometown but also your own family members. If you find that your influence is somewhat limited, you’ll understand now that there is a biblical explanation for it. You’re up against a dynamic that even Jesus, Elijah, and Elisha couldn’t overcome. This doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t want you to minister to those who know you best, but it does mean that it will never be the easiest soil to cultivate.

Posted in Christ's Miracles, Doing Good, Evangelism, Family, Friendship, God's Work, Individuality, Influence, Leadership, Ministry, Pastors, Personal, Preaching, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Do Sequoia Trees Have to Do with Christians?

Posted on October 23, 2012 by russellmckinney

Many times, I have ended a conversation with some fellow Christian by saying, “I’ll pray for you, and you pray for me.” As you might guess, these words have come at the end of talks in which we’ve shared our problems with one another. And I’ve prayed for these folks, just as I’m sure they’ve prayed for me.

This reminds me of an illustration involving the massive Sequoia trees of California’s Sequoia National Park. Even though these trees can reach heights of almost 300 feet, they don’t have tap roots and their root systems are unusually shallow. Rather than penetrating deep down into the ground, their roots spiderweb out in all directions in an effort to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture.

So, why don’t these exceedingly tall trees get blown down by high winds? It’s because the trees typically grow in clusters that allow their roots to intertwine. In other words, the trees support one another.

As we study the New Testament, it isn’t hard to understand that God wants Christians to support one another as well. One of the most straightforward thoughts on the whole subject can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, where Paul says to the Christians of Thessalonica:

…comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (N.K.J.V.)

Today, Christian, if you find yourself troubled or hurting over a situation, don’t hesitate to talk things over with a trusted Christian friend. Allow that fellow Christian to minister to you by listening, encouraging, and even offering counsel. Likewise, if a fellow Christian wants to talk to you about something that is going on in his or her life, give that conversation your full attention and make a concerted effort to minister to that Christian. Who knows what a profound effect these conversations might have? After all, even the mighty Sequoia trees thrive from a support system that depends on other trees.

Posted in Christian Unity, Communication, Friendship, Influence, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Seeking Advice, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have You Been a Good Samaritan Lately?

Posted on October 19, 2012 by russellmckinney

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side….” (Luke 10:30-32, N.K.J.V.)

One night, famed evangelist D.L. Moody was traveling by train to his next meeting. He was accompanied by his friend D. B. Towner. At one of the way stations, a young man who had just been in a drunken brawl boarded the train. His clothes were disheveled, his face was bruised and bloodied, and he was still drunk and in a mood for fighting. Unfortunately, he recognized Moody and began to taunt him by mockingly singing some of the classic hymns in a loud and contentious way.

Moody was in no mood to hear it, and he asked the train workers to deal with the man. One of them did so by quieting the drunk, escorting him to another place, and kindly washing his face and treating his bruises. Moody didn’t see any of this, but when he heard about it later the news washed a wave of conviction over him. He said, “Just think, only last night I was preaching about the Good Samaritan, and yet this morning I find my feet in the shoes of both the priest and the Levite! This trainman’s action has served as a rebuke to me from the Lord!”

As best I can tell, our society is more cutthroat and uncaring than it has ever been. Common decency is on the wane and courtesy has become an endangered species. It’s gotten to a point where a genuine act of kindness is somewhat shocking. When you find yourself the recipient of one, you have to pause for a moment and think as to how to respond because you are so unaccustomed to anyone treating you that way. That’s a sad commentary.

As usual, though, Jesus calls the Christian to a far higher standard. Certainly, we are to be filled with integrity, honesty, and morality, but all that only makes for a straight-walking legalist if it isn’t mixed with kindness, compassion, and concern for others. Jesus simply doesn’t allow us the option of being self-centered and self-serving. Furthermore, He doesn’t want us living in aloof isolation from a fallen, depraved world where “road agent” thieves do their damage and obnoxious drunks walk out of bars and onto trains. No, we’re supposed to be right out there in the middle of the whole mess ministering to others the way Jesus would if He was on the scene.

Each Christian has God the Holy Spirit living inside him/her. And what does Galatians 5:22-23 tell us about the fruit of the Spirit? Those verses say:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (N.K.J.V. emphasis mine)

Christian, be sure to notice those words I’ve emphasized in black. They are the traits D.L. Moody didn’t exhibit toward that loudmouthed drunk who was annoying him. But we can’t honestly be too hard on Moody, can we? I mean, we’ve all been guilty at times of failing to play the good Samaritan to someone who needed our help. So, today, let’s make a point of doing a better job at this. Let’s be on the alert for people to whom we can be loving, longsuffering, kind, good, and gentle. Chances are, living in our society, we won’t have to look very hard.

Posted in Character, Depravity, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Extending Forgiveness, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Service, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Important Context

Posted on October 16, 2012 by russellmckinney

We Christians are very familiar with Philippians 4:13, where the apostle Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But how many of us correctly understand the context for this classic verse? Trust me, the context has nothing to do with achieving any type of worldly success for Jesus.

Truth be told, Paul was in prison when he wrote the book of Philippians, even though there is some debate as to the exact location of his imprisonment. Most scholars believe he wrote Philippians during his imprisonment in Rome, but others contend he wrote it during an imprisonment in Caesarea. A few others even go with the idea of an Ephesus imprisonment. For the purposes of this post, though, let’s not get lost in the weeds of that debate. The fact we want to fixate upon is that it was a prisoner who confidently affirmed that he could do all things through Christ!

Through Christ, Paul could even have escaped his imprisonment if that had been God’s will. Acts 5:17-25 tells us that an angel had once opened a set of prison doors in Jerusalem to allow the apostles to go free, and Acts 12:5-19 describes another occasion wherein an angel had led Peter out of another Jerusalem cell. These two passages prove that Paul could have experienced the same kind of escape if God had wanted it to happen. But can’t we say that it actually took more strength for Paul to remain in prison than it would have taken for him to get busted out by an angel? That’s a whole different level of strength on display right there.

I don’t know what your current circumstance is, but I know enough about life to feel safe in assuming that somebody out there right now is sitting in some kind of “prison” (a metaphorical one if not a literal one). And if that’s you, I just want to encourage you that you really can do all things through Christ. That includes enduring life inside your “prison.”

So, I ask you, “Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?” If you do then the strength you need to endure whatever life throws at you will come via God the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside each Christian. You see, it is the indwelling Holy Spirit who makes Philippians 4:13 applicable for any situation the Christian will ever face. That includes situations we would call “mountaintops” as well as situations we would call “valleys,” and it includes sites we would call “penthouses” as well as sites we would call “prisons.”

Posted in Addiction, Adversity, Alcohol, Attitude, Comfort, Courage, Depression, Disappointment, Divorce, Drugs, Encouragement, Fear, Gambling, Inner Peace, Joy, Needs, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Salvation, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Greatest Commandment

Posted on October 11, 2012 by russellmckinney

A group of men went deer hunting. After setting up camp, they separated into pairs to do their hunting. Bob and Joe paired up to hunt together, and Joe killed a huge 10-point buck. Bob then volunteered to help him drag it back to camp.

Halfway back to camp, though, Bob became lightheaded and passed out from exhaustion. At that point, Joe had a decision to make. Should he leave Bob behind and get the deer into camp or leave the deer behind and get Bob into camp? After mulling over the two options, he decided to leave Bob behind and get the deer into camp.

When Joe arrived at camp the other hunters were all very impressed with his deer. Eventually, however, one of them asked, “Where’s Bob?” Joe answered, “Well, I had a tough decision to make, and in the end, I decided that no one would come along and steal Bob.”

Priorities. We can certainly get them out of whack, can’t we? But what is the greatest priority? Here’s what Jesus had to say about that:

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38, N.K.J.V.)

Now, I realize that Jesus also said the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (By the way, Joe failed that one completely concerning Bob.) For the purposes of this post, though, let’s just stick with the first commandment. Notice how all-encompassing it is. You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind!

This means that your love for God should permeate every facet of your being. It should course its way through your heart, soul, and mind. It should influence all your desires, actions, and thoughts. It should reach way down to the deepest “you” and affect everything that flows up from there.

This commandment can rightly be called the greatest commandment because if you truly keep it, keeping all the other commandments naturally follows. You make the one big decision to keep this commandment and that takes care of thousands of other decisions concerning all the other commandments. As a result, any Christian who truly keeps this first commandment will inevitably have his/her priorities in correct alignment.

Take the necessary time, Christian, to reflect upon how you are doing at keeping the greatest commandment. Ask yourself, “What are my priorities these days? Is everything I’m doing molded, shaped, flavored, and seasoned by my deep love for God?” And if you don’t like your answer, then make the necessary changes today. Nothing in your life is more important than you loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Again, if you will keep that commandment, everything else about your life will just naturally come into line.

Posted in Choices, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Humor, Idolatry, Personal Holiness, Priorities, Sanctification, Service, The Heart, Worship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Always Victorious?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by russellmckinney

By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. (Psalm 41:11, N.K.J.V.)

David wrote Psalm 41, and it’s simply impossible to understand our text verse correctly unless we view it through the lens of him being a military man. He was a soldier, a general, a commander, a king who led his troops into battle. Not only did he kill the Philistine giant Goliath in a one-on-one showdown, he eventually led Israel in putting down the entire nation of Philistia once and for all.

Being a military man, David equated having God’s pleasure (God’s favor, God’s approval, God’s smile) upon his life with him being successful in combat against an enemy. That’s the thought he is conveying in Psalm 41:11. He says, “God, there’s one sure way I can know You are pleased with how I’m living: When I come up against an enemy, I win.” 

If David had ever fought and lost, he wouldn’t have thought, “That enemy was just too tough to handle.” He wouldn’t have said, “I needed a better plan of attack.” Instead, he would have concluded, “Something is not right between me and God. He’s not pleased with me. Somehow I’ve gotten out from under the fountain of His favor. I must have angered Him or disappointed Him.”

This, of course, was Old Testament thinking at its purest. The Old Testament Jews assumed that if God was pleased with a man’s life there would be a wife, children, flocks, herds, health, wealth, and plenty of food and drink to show it. They held to the notion that God blessed those who served Him well and cursed those who didn’t. We see this in the book of Job after God had allowed Satan to take Job’s children, wealth, and health from him. The bulk of the book centers around Job’s three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) urging him to confess his sin to God and repent of it, while Job in turn defends his innocence. We even see this same notion carried over into the New Testament age when the disciples come upon a man who was born blind and ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-3)

A more thorough study of the New Testament, however, shows us that those with whom God is pleased oftentimes do get triumphed over, at least in an earthly sense. Consider this list of examples:

John the Baptist was beheaded by the Roman ruler Herod Antipas (Matthew 14:1-12).

Peter and John were unjustly arrested for preaching Jesus and healing in His name (Acts 4:1-22).

All of the apostles were thrown into prison and beaten (Acts 5:17-41).

Stephen was stoned to death by the Jewish Sanhedrin council (Acts 7:54-60).

James was killed via the sword by the Roman ruler Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

Peter was arrested and imprisoned by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-4).

Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra (Acts 14:8-20).

Paul and Silas were imprisoned and severely whipped in Philippi (Acts 16:16-34).

Paul was beaten by the Jews and led away in chains by Roman soldiers at the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 21:26-36).

John was banished to the penal colony on the barren island of Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian (Revelation 1:9).

Jesus Himself was falsely arrested, illegally tried, and brutally crucified.

Frankly, all of these travesties of justice, many of them fatal, would have confused David because he was a man who counted on God to lead him to unquestioned victory in battle. His philosophy was, “While others trust in horses and chariots, we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). Does this mean, then, that God was displeased with all the New Testament Christians who were persecuted and oftentimes martyred for their walk with the Lord? Hardly. It simply means that what applied to David in the Old Testament era didn’t apply to them in the New Testament era. While it’s true that God never changes in regards to His nature and character (Malachi 3:6), He has certainly been known to change His ways of dealing with people during various parts of history. The theological word for that is “dispensationalism.”

Perhaps, Christian, you’d rather live under David’s Old Testament setup than the New Testament one. You’d rather slay Goliath and lead your army to victory than be falsely arrested, imprisoned, stoned, whipped, or slain. Well, I don’t know what to tell you about that except that us having a fuller revelation of Christ and understanding of God can’t be a bad thing. It also can’t be bad that we now enjoy the following list of realized events: Christ’s life, Christ’s crucifixion, Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit literally dwelling inside each believer, a completed Bible, and some 2,000 years of church history. Truth be told, David would no doubt envy us in more ways than we envy him.

So, my goal for this post is to remind us all that Christ’s people oftentimes do take it on the chin in this New Testament age. I realize this isn’t a comforting thought, but it’s a true one nonetheless. We live in a world where injustices are commonplace and the wicked win tons of earthly victories. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, I might even classify us Christians as an oppressed people. Each day of our lives we are oppressed by Satan, his demons, and men and women who do his bidding (even if they don’t realize they are doing it). The fact is, we have much more in common with Stephen, James, Paul, and John than we do David.

Therefore, Christian, let me say that while I don’t believe there is anything wrong with you asking God to grant you victory over your enemies, you shouldn’t be surprised when you come out on the losing end of things. You might wonder, “But why would God refuse such a request?” My answer is, “Don’t confuse a No with a Wait.” You see, God has already declared that every Christian will overcome this world (1 John 5:4-5). That’s a done deal. It’s just that all the accounts won’t be fully settled and finalized until the afterlife. That leaves a lot of living to be done in this life, doesn’t it? And, unfortunately, that living includes us sometimes losing the “battles” we fight.

Posted in Adversity, Commitment, Criticism, Disappointment, Eternity, Faithfulness, God's Work, Human Life, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer Requests, Problems, Service, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Trials | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turning the Other Cheek

Posted on October 2, 2012 by russellmckinney

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38-39, N.K.J.V.)

One Friday night several years ago, Tonya and I attended our local high school’s football game. Our son, Ryan, was playing on the varsity squad. Obviously, that wasn’t the only one of his games we ever attended, but that night I saw something I’d never seen. I saw the visiting varsity players using the public restroom during halftime.

It all started when the scoreboard buzzer sounded to end the game’s first half. At that point, the visiting team didn’t run toward our visitors’ locker room the way visiting teams normally did. Instead, their players stayed on the field and headed down to the corner of one of the end zones. I thought that was odd, but I figured their coaches were just going to give them a brief pep talk and then lead them through an extended time of halftime stretching or going over some play formations. Since the team was in the lead and had played a pretty good first half, I thought maybe their coaches didn’t require the confines of the walls of a locker room to chew the players out over poor play.

So, I put the matter out of mind and headed for the public restrooms. Like a lot of men, I usually take a bathroom break during halftime. When I opened the door to the Men’s room, however, I saw that there was a long line of guys waiting. That wasn’t necessarily so strange, but the odd thing was that it was some of the players from the visiting team who were making the line so lengthy. There they were, still wearing their full uniforms, standing in line amongst the ranks of enemy fans. I asked myself, “What in the world is going on here? Is there a problem with our visitors’ locker room? Are the toilets not working in there? Has a pipe burst and flooded the place?” This inquiring mind wanted to know.

I got my answer after the game. According to Ryan, our j.v. team had traveled to that visiting school to play the j.v. game the night before and hadn’t been granted access to that school’s visitors’ locker room. As a result, our j.v. players had been forced to get dressed in that school’s gym, a fact that hadn’t gone over well with our varsity coaches. Consequently, they had decided to get even the following night when that school’s varsity team made the trip to our school. In order to get their revenge, our varsity coaches had refused to allow those visiting players to use our visitors’ locker room. That, in turn, had forced those players to not only have to use our gym for dressing before and after the game but also use our public restroom.

Now, I don’t even pretend to know why our j.v. team hadn’t been allowed access to the other team’s visitors’ locker room the previous night. Perhaps it had been an oversight or perhaps it had been intentional. But what I do know is that no matter how wrongly our j.v. team had been treated, the Christian way was not to go “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” the following night. That’s the point I made with Ryan during our conversation after the varsity game.

I’d like to say that my beloved eldest son had recognized that the way our coaches had handled the situation had been wrong, but that would be a lie. When he had seen the visiting team’s bus struggling to work its way through all the traffic after the game and get backed up to our gym, he’d thought it was funny. As a matter of fact, he was still laughing about it as he explained the whole story to me after the game. I guess he’d figured that all was fair in love and football.

That’s why I had to raise my voice a touch that night and explain to him how authentic Christianity gets fleshed out in such real-world situations. Apparently, the 75 sermons he’d heard from me over the years hadn’t done the trick. I said, “Son, no matter how badly someone treats you, if you are a true Christian, you can’t get down there in the mud with them and start slinging. Jesus expects us to take the higher road and be the bigger person.” I recall letting the lecture go at that, but hindsight being 20/20 I should have also explained that Jesus expects us to love our enemies and pray for those who do us wrong (Matthew 5:43-44). Ryan had heard a few sermons on those topics too, but they’d probably registered with him about as well as those on turning the other cheek had.

Of course, the problem that night was the fact that not everybody involved in the situation was a Christian. After all, it’s futile to expect lost people to live out the values and principles of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. That’s like asking zebras to change their stripes. Am I saying that all of the football coaches of the staffs of both of the schools were lost? No, my guess is that some of them were born-again Christians. What I’m saying is that a very, very bad example was set that Friday night for a lot of highly impressionable young men.

I was old fashioned enough then (and still am) to believe that any coach should be a good role model to his or her players. You can agree or disagree with me on that, but if you are a Christian you’ll have to agree with me that Jesus taught that His people should turn the other cheek rather than get even. And that definitely wasn’t a word that was exclusively for the ancient world of the Roman empire, was it? Nope. It was one that applies to today’s high school football games as well, not to mention any and all other situations.

Posted in Attitude, Character, Choices, Discipleship, Doing Good, Extending Forgiveness, Influence, Persecution, Personal, Revenge, Sports, The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment