A Few Unanswerable Christmas Questions

Posted on December 24, 2012 by russellmckinney

Every Christmas I preach the familiar story of Christ’s birth. Over the course of thirty years of doing that, I’ve come up with a list of questions the Bible simply doesn’t answer concerning the story. Here are seven of them:

Question #1: Exactly how did Joseph and the very pregnant Mary travel to Bethlehem? Other questions that can be filed under this one are: Did they walk? Did they both ride donkeys or camels? Did Joseph walk while Mary rode? Were they part of a caravan that was traveling that way?

Question #2: Was Jesus born during the day or at night? I know, I know, the shepherds were watching over their flocks by night. But that’s only when the angel appeared to them and announced the birth. The way the story reads Mary gave birth shortly after she and Joseph arrived in town and found the local inn full. Well, that being the case they certainly wouldn’t have been traveling at night, would they? As for me, I tend to think the couple arrived in town in the afternoon and she gave birth that night.

Question #3: How long was Mary in labor? Some births happen fairly quickly, but others drag on for hours. What was the case with Christ’s birth?

Question #4: Who delivered the baby Jesus? If we stay strictly with the Biblical account, the only candidate is Joseph. That would make him the very first person who ever saw God in human flesh, touched Him, and held Him. I like that idea. But did Joseph know anything about delivering babies and cutting umbilical cords? If he didn’t know anything about such matters, did someone (a doctor? a midwife? a woman?) from the crowded town of Bethlehem deliver the baby?

Question #5: Exactly where was Jesus born in Bethlehem? What we know for sure is that His first crib was a manger, and a manger is an animal’s feeding trough. Therefore, the birth must have taken place in some type of livestock pen. But what kind of pen was it? Was it really the famous cave in Bethlehem that purports to be the site? It could have been. But then again maybe it was some kind of building, one that housed the animals of the travelers who were staying overnight at the inn.

Question #6: When the shepherds made “widely known” what they had seen that night, did any of the listeners go to the site and see the baby? The Bible doesn’t mention anyone doing so, but I can imagine some of them going to the site out of sheer curiosity if nothing else.

Question #7: When did Jesus fully understand who He was and what He came to do? It’s hard to believe that He was lying there in that manger, looking around at Mary, Joseph, and those shepherds, and thinking to himself, “I came to die for you people.” What do little babies think about? I don’t know, I can’t remember. Some people point to the story from Luke 2:41-50 as conclusive proof that, at the very least, Jesus fully understood His mission by the time He was 12. I don’t disagree with that, but it still leaves the exact time of His realization open for debate.

Okay, all you Bible students can now mull these questions over for a while and see what answers you think best fit. Remember, there aren’t any confirmable “right” or “wrong” answers to these questions, at least not while we’re on this earth. I just want you to spend some time thinking afresh and anew about Christ’s birth and really pondering the reason for the season. Merry Christmas from the Mckinneys, and may we all give our lives unreservedly to that little baby who grew into adulthood, lived a sinless life, died on a cross for the sins of the human race, arose from the dead, ascended back to heaven, and now offers salvation to anyone who will believe in Him as Savior.

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Who Is Bombing Our Nest?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by russellmckinney

When I was young, let’s say ten years old or so, I spent a lot of summer days with my cousins, the Bennetts. Since both my parents worked, I didn’t have anyone to chaperone me when there was no school, and the solution was to let me spend those summer days with the Bennetts. Their mother, Betty Jean Bennett, was my dad’s older sister. She was a stay-at-home mom who had a P.H.D. in babysitting. Of course, the problem with that whole arrangement was the fact that my cousins and I never stayed in the house where she could adequately keep an eye on us. Instead, most of our time was spent out and about exploring the local woods.

A dilapidated old car sat in the woods just above the Bennett house. The car belonged to the patriarch of the Bennett clan, Bill, who had parked it there years earlier when the motor had gone bad. Trust me, he had no plans to fix that car. Its windows were all busted out, the interior was little more than a shell, and the whole thing was well on its way to rusting down completely.

One day, as our crew was patrolling the area, we noticed that bees had built a huge nest inside that car. As best I can recollect, it was a nest of yellow jackets. Then again, it could have been hornets. I do vividly recall that the basketball-sized nest was located just above the driver’s side door. Naturally, kids being kids, we took it as a personal challenge to bring down that nest. It was just the kind of project for which lazy summer days are made.

After studying the nest for a while, we noticed that its one entrance was in the front at the bottom. The bees were constantly flying in and out of that entrance, a setup that made a frontal attack unadvisable. So, we made our way around to the car’s passenger’s side. I can’t remember if we opened the passenger door or if it was already off the hinges, but we somehow snuck our way inside that car and got behind that massive nest. Now there was only one question to be answered: When we started pelting the nest with rocks, would those bees fly out the front or the back to attack? We gambled on the front, gathered our rocks, and cautiously, one kid at a time, one rock at a time, began bombing the nest.

We grew more and more bold with each thrown rock because no matter where the rocks struck the nest, the bees flew out that one hole in the front. They just kept roaring out, stingers locked and loaded, seeking to deal with their attackers. But they couldn’t find us. The air was dark with them just outside that driver’s side window, while all remained clear on the other side of the car where we were. That allowed us to take turns easing inside the car and throwing our rocks. I can just picture us there, laughing like crazed madmen, as one by one we stoned that poor nest into oblivion without even one of us ever getting stung. If only we had channeled such genius toward purposes that were less mischievous and more productive for society. Oh well.

As I think back upon that day from my childhood, I’m reminded that we Christians oftentimes have our own trouble figuring out the source of the attacks that are coming against us. We fly around, all stirred up and righteously indignant, but our holy zeal is misdirected and our efforts ultimately fail. Why? It’s because we have trouble locating our true attacker.

And just who is our true attacker? Satan. The abortionists are carrying out his agenda. The gambling industry is doing his bidding. He convinces the homosexuals that what they are doing is morally acceptable. He energizes the pornographers. He inspires the producers and directors of filthy television shows and Hollywood movies. He is the power behind the thrones of evil politicians and murderous dictators. Yes, he’s the one who is constantly bombing us and thus creating the mess we call this world.

Notice carefully what the Bible teaches in the following passages (all from the N.K.J.V., emphasis mine):

Then Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him (Elymas the sorcerer) and said, “O full of all deceit all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:9-10)

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do…” (John 8:44)

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world… (Revelation 12:9)

You see, Christian, the one who is bombing our nest from behind is Satan and the people he uses to accomplish his work are merely the rocks thrown from his hand. In saying this, I don’t mean to imply that God doesn’t hold these people accountable for their sins. Undoubtedly, He does hold them accountable. I’m simply pointing out that, in a very real sense, these folks don’t even do their own bidding. They think they are free and liberated to do as they please, but in truth they aren’t independent at all. Satan has them deceived because he has their minds blinded. They want to do the desires of his heart rather than the desires of their own hearts.

Please remember this, Christian, whenever you find yourself out there on the front lines of the cultural war. It’s so easy to despise or hate the people who think and act in ungodly ways. But don’t let yourself fall into the trap of failing to see them for who they really are. They are pawns in the hands of an evil lord. They are puppets dancing on the strings of a wicked puppeteer. They are children whose minds have become warped under the tutelage and training of their twisted father. They are the victims of a sinister brainwashing carried out by one who is a master in the art. Again, I’m not alleviating them from their own guilt and accountability. There’s no question that each of them currently stands under the foreboding shadow of God’s impending eternal judgment. I just want you to understand that the true mastermind who is doing all the worldwide nest-bombing we see is Satan.

Posted in Abortion, Current Events, Desires, Gambling, Homosexuality, Personal, Satan, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Some Bizarre News from Modern Times

Posted on December 1, 2012 by russellmckinney

I am constantly amazed at how the Bible, a book that is thousands of years old, continues to be so relevant in our modern world. One case in point of that relevancy involves the grotesque act of bestiality. Yes, I’m talking about a human being having sex with an animal. If you think this kind of behavior died out thousands of years ago, please keep reading.

Believe it or not, in recent years Germany has been embroiled in a controversy over bestiality, which Germans call “zoophilia.” Zoophilia is defined as being the sexual attraction of a human toward a non-human animal, which may involve the experience of sexual fantasies about the animal or the pursuit of real sexual contact with it. No, I’m not making this up. I wish I was.

The controversy in Germany all started in 1969 when zoophilia ceased being a crime in that country. At that time, there were only a couple of restrictions placed upon the practice by the German government. First, the human sexual activity with an animal could not be used to create pornographic material. Second, the sexual activity could not do “significant harm” to the animal.

Well, you would think that the German people would have been outraged enough by the legalizing of zoophilia to raise a fuss, but it was actually animal rights groups who took on that assignment. They began pushing to make zoophilia a crime in Germany, and finally, in 2012, the Bundestag (the lower house of the German parliament) passed a law that did just that. The ruling made zoophilia a misdemeanor crime and attached a maximum fine of 25,000 euros ($32,400 U.S. dollars) to it.

And do you know why Germany’s government was finally compelled to officially outlaw zoophilia? It was because of “animal pimping.” That was the term given to the practice of animals being born and raised for the purpose of being sold into zoophilia. There were even reports of “exotic zoos” in Germany where tourists from countries that had made zoophilia (bestiality) illegal could come to Germany and engage in sexual relations with animals.

While the Bundestag making zoophilia illegal seemed perfectly logical and acceptable to most Germans, it immediately threw all of the Germans who were involved in the practice into an uproar. You say, “Oh, c’mon, how many such Germans could there have been? Five? Twenty? Fifty?” One estimate from 2012 put the number at over 100,000!

In response to the Bundestag ruling, some of those 100,000+ formed a group to take up the charge to make zoophilia legal again. The group’s chairman, Michael Kiok, who was at the time living with his Alsatian dog named Cessie — and I do mean LIVING with the dog in every sense of the word — said he’d had special feelings for animals since he was four or five and those feelings took on erotic elements in his teens. In regards to his group, he was quoted as saying, “We see animals as partners and not as a means of gratification. We don’t force them to do anything.” (I guess the fact that the animals couldn’t speak helped with that.)

Finally, in 2016, the German courts had to revisit the 2012 Bundestag law when a man and a woman — identified in the court case as “Mr. F” and “Mrs. S” — put forth a legal bid to have that law overturned. The basis for their proposed overturning was the couple’s contention that the law violated their right to “sexual self-determination.” Fortunately, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany opted to throw out that legal challenge and zoophilia remains illegal in Germany.

This brings us back to the Bible. Here in this modern age, we don’t have to wonder about God’s opinion of zoophilia (bestiality) because it’s right there in the book. You see, such sexual perversion was common practice among the inhabitants of Canaan, the land that God gave to Israel, and that left God with a perfect opening to address the sin in that body of law He imparted to Israel. In Leviticus 18:23, we read:

Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. (N.K.J.V.)

Under Israelite law, the deviant act was even a capital punishment offense. As Exodus 22:19 says:

Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death. (N.K.J.V.)

Furthermore, according to Leviticus 20:15-16, the animal itself was also supposed to be put to death:

If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them. (N.K.J.V.)

And then there is Deuteronomy 27:21, which says:

Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal. And all the people shall say, “Amen!” (N.K.J.V.)

Now, admittedly, the Old Testament law was given to a specific people (the Jews) who lived in a specific dispensation of centuries (after the Exodus from Egypt and before the coming of Jesus). So, please don’t accuse me of advocating the killing of those who engage in bestiality (zoophilia) today. I’m simply pointing out that by studying God’s law we can get His verdict on certain topics. One of those topics is bestiality (zoophilia), and He is clearly opposed to it.

But isn’t it sad how, even after all these years of human history have passed, mankind still loves to commit history’s same old sins? It reminds me of another Bible passage, Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, and that’s the passage I’ll use for the closing of this bit of bizarre news from modern times. Those verses say:

That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Bestiality, Bible Study, Current Events, Depravity, God's Word, Sex, The Bible | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Are You Getting Better?

Posted on November 27, 2012 by russellmckinney

When my youngest son, Royce, played 5th/6th grade football, his team’s line coach was a guy named Stacy Peterson. Even though I’d gone to high school with Stacy and had loosely known him for years, we’d always run in different circles and had never done any one-on-on talking. So, I was glad to get to know him better over the course of that season. Trust me, the guy knew a thing or two about being a lineman. Of course, that didn’t surprise me because he did play college ball.

As I think back to that 5th/6th grade season, the thing that stood out to me about Stacy was a certain coaching philosophy he employed. It went as follows: If you aren’t getting better by doing a drill, shut it down and do another drill that allows you to get better. For example, let’s say that our linemen were sleepwalking their way through a drill involving the blocking sleds. After a rebuke or two, Stacy would finally say something like, “Okay, we’re not getting better here; let’s set up some cones and work on our footwork.” If all else failed and he was out of options for alternative drills, he’d say, “Well, if we can’t get better by doing drills, we can at least get in better shape by running. Start running and I’ll tell you when to stop.”

The point is that Stacy was all about making practice time efficient and productive. His time was too valuable for anything less. If a ten-minute span went by in which our players weren’t a little better at football than they had been ten minutes earlier, he saw that as ten minutes wasted.

I’ve been a pastor for many years now and can speak with some expertise when I say that a lot of Christians sleepwalk their way through serving Christ and, consequently, never get much better at it. They aren’t any more involved with church than they were five years ago. They don’t know much more Bible than they did ten years ago. They spend the same amount of time in prayer, if not less, as they did two years ago. They aren’t giving an increased amount of money to church or parachurch ministries. They witness to the same number of people they always have: none. Obviously, these Christians are doing their “drilling” for Jesus, but somehow all of it isn’t making them better at serving Him.

So tell me, Christian, where are you right now in your service to Christ? Are you on fire for Him? Is your service to Him growing? Are you excited about what He is doing through you to affect the lives of others? Or is your service stagnated and stationary? Have you plateaued? Even worse, are you backslidden?

If you have to admit that you aren’t currently getting better at serving Christ, let me encourage you to apply Stacy’s coaching philosophy by trying a different “drill.” Step out in faith by starting something new for Jesus. Volunteer to teach a Sunday School class. Take up the challenge of reading the Bible through in a year. Get a notebook and begin a prayer journal in which you write down not only your daily prayer requests but also how you see God answering them. Muster up the courage to witness to a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, or a family member. Increase your giving to your local church or make a one-time gift to a Christian organization that can surely use it. Even if you can’t give financially, give of your time or your other resources. You get the idea. Whatever you do, don’t keep halfheartedly doing your same old “drills” over and over again, expecting different results.

In 1 Corinthians 15:58, the apostle Paul encourages Christians to always be “abounding in the work of the Lord.” The word “abounding” stands out to me in that verse. There is such a vibrancy to that word, such a vitality. It calls to my mind Olympic athletes bounding down a track-and-field event, muscles rippling and functioning in perfect harmony to power the athletes along.

But how does an athlete reach such an impressive state of performance? With each training drill and exercise, the athlete gets better! Every day, every week, every month, every year, the athlete just keeps getting better until he or she finally reaches that idealized state the world sees on television. You see, Christian, Stacy’s philosophy will work in terms of spiritual drills just as well as it worked in terms of football ones. You simply have to make the commitment to keep constantly getting better. And what I’m asking right now is, “How are you doing on that?”

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Church, Church Attendance, Commitment, Decisions, Depression, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faith, Faithfulness, Giving, God's Word, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Money, New Year, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Sanctification, Service, Sports, The Bible, Witnessing, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thanksgiving

Posted on November 21, 2012 by russellmckinney

A man bought a talking parrot that had once been a bar owner’s pet. Sitting in that bar every night, the bird had learned some, shall we say, interesting words. More than once it embarrassed its new owner by squawking out some cuss word in the presence of company. So the man decided to teach the bird a lesson by letting it spend ten minutes in his deep freezer. When he finally retrieved the chilled bird, he looked at it and said, “Now I don’t want to hear any more bad words out of you. Do you understand?” The bird squawked, “Yes. But I’ve just got to ask, What in the world did that turkey say?”

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, that day marked by turkeys, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, family get-togethers, a Macy’s parade, football games, and all the rest of it. (Unfortunately, more and more it’s also now being marked by Christmas shopping as well, but don’t me started on that.) But will the day be marked by your thankfulness? Well, that’s up to you, isn’t it?

It strikes me that perspective is one of the secrets to be truly thankful. For example, if you’ve been grumbling because you haven’t been able to buy yourself a new pair of shoes in a while, consider a story from the life of noted gospel singer Charles M. Alexander. Traveling was a major part of Alexander’s life, as he was frequently a featured singer for the preaching tours of the likes of R.A. Torrey and John Wilber Chapman. One day an impoverished little fellow named Sam was helping Alexander pack his suitcase. The boy said, “Mister Charlie, would you have any old clothes you ain’t makin’ use of?” Since Alexander’s clothes were obviously too big for the boy, Alexander moved on to the subject of shoes. He said, “Well, Sam, what about shoes? What size do you wear?” Sam answered, “That mostly ‘pends on who gives ’em. Sometimes I wear sixes and sometimes I wear elevens.” Remember that story tomorrow and be thankful for your shoes!

2 Timothy 3:1-5 is a very well known passage. It says:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

You’ll note that even though that is quite a list of sinful conduct, the word “unthankful” is right there on it. As a matter of fact, the word begins the list of the “un” words: unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving. I’ve heard many sermons from this passage, all painting the picture that we surely are living in the “last days.” As preachers like to say of such passages, “Reading these words is like reading the headlines of this morning’s newspaper.” Well, if that’s the case (and I certainly don’t disagree with the assertion), surely an attitude of unthankfulness abounds these days.

But let it not be so with you. Never forget that whatever is authentically “good” in your life, comes from God. As James 1:17 says:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights….

Psalm 136:1 can be placed right alongside that verse. It says:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!….

So tomorrow I want you to make a special point of being thankful to God for all the good gifts with which He has blessed you. Better yet, why don’t you just go ahead and get a head start on tomorrow by being thankful today? Even better still, why don’t you just start being thankful right now and never stop? Do your best to live out the words that David wrote in Psalm 30:12:

…O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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A Changed Heart

Posted on November 13, 2012 by russellmckinney

Each year at this time thousands of people participate in Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program. The names of the children of inmates are placed as “angel ornaments” on Christmas trees in churches, businesses, and shopping malls. Along with each name is a short list of the “gift wishes” that child has requested. People take the ornaments from the trees and purchase the Christmas gifts for those children. The idea is that the individual who takes a name is, in essence, purchasing a Christmas present on behalf of that child’s incarcerated parent. The gospel is also shared with the child. What makes Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program different from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program is the fact that the Prison Fellowship program specifically caters to children whose parents are incarcerated.

What most people don’t know is that Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program began with a woman named Mary Kay (no, not the cosmetics queen). In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she was a notorious safecracker and bank robber who wound up on the list of America’s Most Wanted. She and her husband became so infamous that they earned the nicknames “the Bonnie and Clyde of Alabama.”

Even after Mary’s husband abandoned her and went his own way, she continued with her criminal career. All of that ended, though, in June of 1972 when she was arrested, charged with 35 charges and 11 federal indictments, and sent to prison. She was 27 years old at the time.

Mary spent the first five months of her imprisonment in solitary confinement. Those months gave her a lot of time to think about her life. When she was moved out of solitary confinement she began attending the prison’s weekly Sunday church services. Having grown up in the deep south, she had heard the gospel in Sunday School, and so hearing the familiar story of Christ once again made no major impact on her. But what did impress her greatly was the dedication of the volunteers who organized the services. Since the Sunday service started at 7:00 a.m. those volunteers had to get up around 5:00 a.m. to give them time to drive to the prison, get through all the security, and get things set up for the service. Such dedication baffled Mary. She couldn’t figure out why anyone would get up at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning to go and visit prisoners.

On a particular Sunday she curiously asked an elderly volunteer, “Why do you bother?” The woman answered, “Well, Jesus loved you enough to go all the way to Calvary. So, we love you enough to come in here and tell you about Him.” That answer pierced Mary to the core, and over the next few weeks God began to convict her of her sinful, wasted life. One night, as she sat alone in her small cell, she opened up the Bible that one of the volunteers had given her and began flipping through its pages. One passage in particular caught her eye. It was Ezekiel 36:26-27:

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (K.J.V.)

Upon reading that passage Mary knew what she needed: a changed heart. So, right there in that cell she prayed for the first time since she was a little girl. She said, “God, if you can do all that — if you can really change my heart — I’ll give my life back to you.” And God really did change her heart as she placed saving belief in Jesus. Afterward, she began to study the Bible more and grow in her relationship with Christ.

Each year at Christmastime when Mary was in prison, local church groups would bring the inmates gifts of shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. While Mary was always glad to receive these gifts, she noticed that many of her fellow inmates would save their items, crudely wrap them up, and give them to their children as presents when those kids came for Christmas visits. As Mary would say later, “Most children wouldn’t think much of such small gifts, but in prison there was such joy on their faces! It really didn’t matter to them what they got; it was from Mama.”

In all, Mary ended up serving 6 years in prison before being released on early parole. After her release, and with her new heart that Jesus had changed, she joined Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship staff, agreeing to become the ministry’s first Alabama State Director. One of her assignments was to create a Christmas project for the inmates, but it was during one of her speaking engagements that a conversation with an ex-inmate’s daughter changed the direction of that assignment. The woman asked, “What about the inmates’ kids? They are the real victims.” That conversation took Mary’s mind back to the toiletries she had seen her fellow inmates pass along to their children as Christmas gifts.

Then she hit upon an idea. She paid a visit to the same prison that had once held her, Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison, and asked the women for the names of their children and where they lived. Next, she contacted the caretaker of each child and asked what the child wanted for Christmas. That provided her with the first 100 of what would become her “paper angels.”

Mary then took those 100 names and placed them on the first Angel Tree, which was set up in Birmingham’s Brookwood Mall the day after Thanksgiving. An advertisement in the Birmingham News paper notified readers about the project, and many of the store owners in the mall agreed to offer a 10% discount to shoppers who bought their Angel Trees gifts in their store. Much to Mary’s delight all 100 paper angels were gone in four days.

Well, she knew exactly what to do after that. She visited more prisons, collected more names, contacted more caretakers, and put more angels on the tree. The gifts were wrapped by volunteers, after which each child’s caretaker would come pick up the gifts for the child. Mary enlisted the aid of the Gideons organization and the mail-carriers of the Birmingham News to deliver the gifts for the children who lived far away. Everything went smoothly, and that first year 556 children received gifts.

Additionally, to Mary’s surprise, the effects spread much further than she could have ever dreamed. For some time she had been offering various Bible study groups in her former prison, and the attendance at these doubled beginning in January. Who were all the newcomers? They were the mothers of the children who had received gifts. Now these women would get to hear the same gospel that had so miraculously changed Mary’s life. The following year Mary’s Angel Tree program extended out to twelve states and was off and running. It is now Prison Fellowship’s most recognized and popular program and reaches the children of prisoners in no less than 90 countries besides the United States.

So, when you are out and about during the Christmas season, if you run across a Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, consider taking an “angel” and making that child’s Christmas. And when you do, think of a roughneck woman from Alabama named Mary Kay. Better yet, think of Jesus Christ, the Savior who marvelously changed that roughneck’s heart and made her a new creation:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, N.K.J.V.)

(p.s. In 1984, Mary Kay married Don Beard to become Mary Kay Beard. He had served 9 years in prison for embezzlement and, like Mary, had given his life to Christ in prison.)

Posted in Bible Study, Change, Children, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Doing Good, God's Word, God's Work, Grace, Influence, Ministry, Missions, Motherhood, Restoration, Salvation, Scripture, The Gospel, The Heart | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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