Intercessory Prayer

Posted on April 16, 2009 by russellmckinney

The apostle Paul was a man who knew what it was to pray for others. In Romans 1:9, he says to the Christians of Rome, “…I remember you in my prayers at all times…” (N.I.V.). He was also a man who wanted others to pray for him. In Romans 15:30, he asks those same Christians to, “…join me in my struggle by praying to God for me” (N.I.V.). Intercessory prayer is such a wonderful concept! It’s a shame we Christians treat it so lightly.

V. Raymond Edman, of Wheaton, Illinois, was a twenty-five-year-old doctor on a medical mission trip to the aboriginal villages high in the Ecuadorian Andes. The Inca children of those villages were dying of a mysterious disease. While attempting to treat them, Edman was stricken with typhus fever. Somehow, he made the long trip back down the mountain trails to his home in Riobamba. Once there, he was found by a fellow American who convinced some of the natives to carry him to the railroad. From the railroad, he was taken to the region’s Parker Clinic.

As Edman lingered between life and death, he recalled how his mother had once told him that people who are dying oftentimes review their lives in detail. To his amazement, this began happening to him. He remembered his old homeplace in Illinois, his grade-school teachers, his high-school friends, and his days as a solider serving in a medical unit overseas. It all played out in his mind like he was watching a newsreel. When it was finished, he thought, “Now I have come to die. I’ll be in eternity in just a few moments.”

At first, he felt alone and frightened by that assumption, not knowing exactly what to expect. But then he became aware of some type of “presence” (for lack of a better word) in the room. It began on the floor and rose up to the level of the bed, engulfing everything as it went. It wasn’t until the presence began to engulf his body that Edman realized what it was: the love of God in Christ. That love was so amazing and so powerful that it quickly erased every fear the young doctor had about dying. He realized that “the great beyond” was a place far better than this world, and he began to think of himself as wading out to meet the afterlife as if he was wading out into a stream.

The next thing Edman knew, two full weeks had passed and he was recovering from his near-death experience. The Ecuadorian nurses told him how they had cared for him and how Dr. Parker, the founder of the clinic, had advised Edman’s wife to prepare for a funeral. She had done so by purchasing a coffin, arranging for a burial service, and dying her wedding dress black.

Then Edman was told another story. It was one about a small group of Christians who had been meeting for a Bible conference near Attleboro, Massachusetts. One morning the conference director, Rev. E. Joseph Evans, had told the group that he was experiencing a deep concern for Dr. Edman in Ecuador and had suggested that the group pray for the doctor. So, for the next several hours the group had done just that. They had prayed through the remainder of the morning, through the lunch hour, and up into the middle of the afternoon. Finally, God had given them the assurance that their prayers had been answered. Little had they known just how close Dr. Edman had coming to leaving this world.

In one of my former pastorates, I had a deacon who would say to people, “If you don’t have anybody else to pray for, pray for me.” I always liked it when he said that. The request was so humble, so earnest, so genuine. He really wanted others to pray for him.

Abraham (in the sense of prayer being a conversation with God) prayed for Lot and Lot’s family (Genesis 18:16-33). Isaac prayed for his wife, Rebekah (Genesis 25:21). Paul prayed for Philemon (Philemon 1:4) and Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16-18). Peter and John prayed for the new believers of Samaria (Acts 8:14-17). You get the idea. The believer whose prayer life is what God wants it to be will be well versed in intercessory prayer.

Of course, I realize that intercessory prayer doesn’t have to be limited to a Christian praying for another Christian. It can just as easily be a Christian praying for a lost person. For the purposes of this post, though, let’s narrow the beam down to you, the Christian, praying for one particular brother or sister in Christ. I’m not talking about you praying one of those “all-around-the-world” prayers, the one that goes, “Lord, bless all Christians everywhere.” No, I want you to hone yourself in on one believer and spend some time fervently praying to God for that person. There’s no telling what a difference you might make in that Christian’s life. And by the way, if you can’t think of anyone to pray for, pray for me. I can always use it.

Posted in Intercessory Prayer, Prayer | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Getting Your Toes Stepped On

Posted on April 15, 2009 by russellmckinney

A preacher had just finished a very strong sermon on the subject of sin. One of the officers of his church came to him and asked for a private word in the preacher’s study. Once there, the scolding began.

The officer said, “We don’t want you to talk so openly about peoples’ guilt and corruption. If our boys and girls hear you discussing such subjects, they will more easily become sinners. Please do not speak so plainly about sin.”

To that, the preacher answered, “Consider a bottle of strychnine. On the bottle the word ‘Poison’ is written in red letters. Do you understand what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label on the bottle. Suppose I paste on the label ‘Essence of Peppermint’? Don’t you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is with the matter of sin. The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!”

As a preacher, I must admit that such illustrations sting me a bit because they cause me to wonder if I preach too lightly against sin. My problem is, I (like most preachers) don’t want to offend anyone. I really don’t enjoy fighting or hurting peoples’ feelings. Jesus took that stuff out of me some time ago.

But if I don’t call sin what it is, I’m not much of a preacher. Sometimes I have to remind myself God didn’t call me to be liked. Of course, I want to be liked. Every right-thinking person does. Being liked, though, can come at too steep a price. If I have to shave the edges off the truth, water down right doctrine, and wink at sin, I’ll have to get used to being disliked by some.

As for having a preacher “step on your toes,” did you know that the Bible teaches that how you respond sets the course for your life? Note carefully the following verses from the book of Proverbs (all references from the N.K.J.V.):

Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction. But he who regards a rebuke will be honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul. But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. (Proverbs 15:31-32)

He who receives correction is prudent. (Proverbs 15:5)

He who hates correction will die. (Proverbs 15:10)

We don’t have to read very far into the Bible to find a man who didn’t receive rebuke and correction well. The story of Cain is recorded in Genesis 4:1-24. Cain and his younger brother, Abel, each brought offerings to the Lord. Cain’s offering consisted of the fruit of the ground, while Abel’s was a slain animal from the firstborn of his flock. God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s.

Theologians have long debated why God didn’t accept Cain’s offering, but I agree with those who say the reason involved the shedding of blood. After Adam and Eve’s sin, God made them tunics of skin to wear to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21). This meant He shed the blood of either one or two animals. This was the world’s first object lesson on the subject of forgiveness of sin, and the lesson was: God only forgives on the basis of shed blood (Hebrews 9:22). Adam and Eve then passed this divine truth down to their sons, Cain and Abel. Abel received it gladly and brought an offering in line with it, but Cain rejected it and brought a bloodless offering that appealed to him.

And how did Cain respond to God’s rejection of the offering? He got mad (Genesis 4:5)! That’s when God came to him and warned him about the ramifications of his attitude towards the rebuke. He said, “Cain, if you do well, will you not be accepted?” That was God’s way of telling Cain He wasn’t playing favorites with Abel. But then God gave the warning: “And if you do not well, sin lies at the door” (Genesis 4:7). Clearly, Cain had a choice to make. He could heed the rebuke and gain understanding or he could disdain it and send his life down a bad road. The choice was his.

Sadly, Cain chose poorly. Rather than bring the right kind of offering to God, Cain went out and killed Abel. The man who wouldn’t shed the blood of a sacrificial animal didn’t mind shedding the blood of his brother! For that murder, God said to him, “Now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12). Cain then lived out the rest of his long life away from his family and out of relationship with God.

I hope you remember Cain the next time a preacher comes down hard on your sin. Remember that Cain’s response to being rebuked pointed him in an undesirable direction in which he continued for the rest of his life. Don’t get mad at the messenger and ignore the message. Instead, embrace both as God’s way of keeping you from poison. And, by the way, if you have a preacher who doesn’t shy away from preaching against sin, be thankful for him. I can tell you from personal experience the man doesn’t have an easy job.

Posted in Choices, Church, Conviction, Disobedience, Forgiveness, God's Chastening, God's Holiness, God's Judgment, God's Word, Man's Freewill, Obedience, Pastors, Personal, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Rebellion, Sin, Truth | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Real Help in Understanding the Bible

Posted on April 13, 2009 by russellmckinney

Every so often someone will ask me to recommend a resource that will help them understand the Bible. This gets into the area of study Bibles, commentaries, reference works, etc. The problem with these resources is that the bad ones cost as much as the good ones. So, I thought I’d use today’s post to name some good ones.

Before I begin, though, let me offer a few qualifying remarks. First, I believe the books of the Bible, as they were originally written by men who were inspired by God, were perfect, infallible, and authoritative. They were nothing less than God’s written words to the human race. Second, I believe the copying process that left us with a great number of copies (copies of copies of copies of copies, etc.) of those original books was faithful enough and meticulous enough to give us a Bible we can still trust in this 21st century. Third, with only a few exceptions here and there, I believe in interpreting the Bible literally. Fourth, I believe Jesus is going to come to earth’s sky to claim His people by way of the Rapture before the seven-year tribulation period this earth is prophesied to undergo. Fifth, I believe Jesus is going to walk this earth again seven years later at the end of that tribulation period when He comes for His Second Coming. At that time, He will establish his literal 1,000-year reign upon the earth.

I’m telling you what I believe about the Bible and what I believe about the Rapture, Christ’s Second Coming, and Christ’s 1,000-year reign because the study Bibles, commentaries, and reference works I recommend all align with these views. You see, what you believe affects what resources you prefer. For example, while I can get some use from a commentary on the book of The Revelation that holds to a post-tribulation-period Rapture interpretation, I’m not going to enjoy or recommend that commentary nearly as much as I will one that employs a pre-tribulation-period Rapture interpretation. Do you understand?

Finally, let me say I am old enough to have started studying the Bible in an era that was before the internet, personal computers, and cellphones. That means I started out by holding literal books in my hands whenever I was studying the Bible. I’ve never gotten over that, which means I am quite out of step with the younger folks today who only know how to receive information by way of some type of screen. Nevertheless, with that understood, let’s get down to business.

Study Bibles (listed in no particular order):

1. The MacArthur Study Bible: The commentary notes per page in this Bible are numerous and excellent. Also, at the beginning of each book, MacArthur’s identifies the book’s: title, author, date, background, setting, historical themes, theological themes, and interpretive challenges. This information is simply awesome. The only negative thing I can say is that he is a staunch Calvinist and there are a few places, especially in the New Testament, where his Calvinism, in my opinion, adversely affects his interpretations. But if you can ease around these places, this study Bible is great. I have the New King James Version of this Bible, but MacArthur also offers it in the New American Standard Version, the New International Version, and the English Standard Version.

2. Nelson’s Study Bible: This study Bible has as many commentary notes per page as you will find in any study Bible, and they are wonderfully helpful. It also features many in-depth articles, charts, and word studies. I have the New King James Version of this Bible, but Nelson also offers it in the classic King James Version.

3. NLT Study Bible: The initials “NLT” stand for New Living Translation. My son Royce didn’t like reading the King James Version of the Bible because he said he couldn’t understand what he was reading. So, I bought him a NLT Study Bible for Christmas one year and almost overnight he became a devout reader of scripture. Not only does the New Living Translation text make for easier reading than other translations, this Bible is absolutely chocked full of commentary notes at the bottom of each page. At the beginning of each book, it also features an extensive section that identifies the author of the book, describes the book’s setting, summarizes the book, and explains the book’s meaning and message.

4. The Ryrie Study Bible: For many years, Charles Ryrie served on staff at Dallas Theological Seminary and in the process became a legend as a Bible teacher. The commentary notes in his study Bible are excellent, but there aren’t quite as many of them as there are in those first three study Bibles I’ve listed. With that said, though, I’m always interested in what Ryrie has to say about any passages he chooses to address. I have the New International Version of this Bible, but Ryrie also offers it in the King James Version, the New American Standard Version, and the English Standard Version.

5. The Jeremiah Study Bible: This is the study Bible put together by the popular pastor and author, David Jeremiah. As is the case with the Ryrie Study Bible, the commentary notes offered in this Bible are solid, but there just aren’t as many of them per page as there are in other study Bibles. I have the English Standard Version of this Bible, but Jeremiah also offers it in the New King James Version and the New International Version.

6. The Tony Evans Study Bible: Another popular pastor and author is Tony Evans. The number of commentary notes in his study Bible are pretty much on par with the number in The Ryrie Study Bible and The Jeremiah Study Bible, but they are different in that many of them are written in a conversational style that sounds more like Evans as a preacher than a scholar. To me, that is a good thing because he is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard. I have the Christian Standard Bible version of this Bible, but Evans also offers it in the New American Standard Version.

7. The Scofield Study Bible, The New Scofield Study Bible, The Scofield Study Bible III: I’ve listed these three study Bibles together because they all come under the heading “The Scofield Study Bible.” This is the study Bible that basically invented the whole market of study Bibles. The original version of The Scofield Study Bible first appeared in 1909, but the most popular edition of it is the revised 1917 one. Both the 1909 and 1917 editions were edited by C.I. Scofield and were only offered in the King James Version. Therefore, I have this study Bible in the King James Version.

Overall, the 1917 edition of The Scofield Study Bible provided relatively few commentary notes per page, but the notes it did provide would heavily influence conservative preachers for decades to follow. Most famously (or infamously, depending upon your point of view), The Scofield Study Bible taught: (A.) There are 7 distinct eras (Dispensations) to God’s working in human history. This led to the popular use of the term “Dispensationalism.” (B.) Christ’s Millennial (1,000 years) reign upon the earth will be literal and will be preceded by His Second Coming. This led to the popular use of the term “Premillennialism.” (C.) There is an eons-long gap of time between Genesis 1:1-2 that was the result of God’s original Genesis 1:1 creation becoming ruined by the fall of Satan. Consequently, beginning with Genesis 1:3, God began the process of recreating His ruined creation. This interpretation led to the popular use of the term “The Gap Theory.”

In 1967, a committee was put together to update The Scofield Study Bible, thus creating The New Scofield Study Bible. This version kept many of C.I. Scofield’s original teachings in place but also provided certain other possible interpretations to some of his most controversial teachings, such as The Gap Theory. The 1967 version added more maps and illustrations as well and featured references to archaeological finds that were more current than the ones mentioned in the 1917 edition. The New Scofield Bible was offered in the King James Version and the New American Standard Version. I have it in the New American Standard Version.

In 2008, The Scofield Study Bible III was published. It was edited by Doris White Harris. While still retaining many of C.I. Scofield’s original study notes and his basic framework of a Dispensational view of human history, this update featured more up-to-date archaeological finds, more current and expanded maps, and an even more balanced approach to Scofield’s original teachings. This version is offered in the King James Version, the New King James Version, the New American Standard Version, the New International Version, and the English Standard Version. I myself do not have a copy of this third edition.

Commentaries That Cover the Whole Bible (listed in no particular order):

1. William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary. William MacDonald taught at Emmaus Bible College from 1947 until 1965 and served as the President of the school from 1959 until 1965. He then began an extensive career as a Bible teacher and Christian writer. His commentary is probably my favorite of all the one-volume commentaries I have. It is based upon the text of the New King James Version.

2. The Moody Bible Commentary: If the Believer’s Bible Commentary isn’t my favorite one-volume commentary, this one is. It was written by some of the faculty members of Moody Bible Institute and is incredibly thorough. I especially like the fact that this commentary not only frequently provides multiple potential interpretations of difficult-to-interpret passages, it usually lets the reader know which interpretation it prefers. Even if I don’t agree with the given conclusion, I appreciate the whole approach. This commentary is based upon the text of The New American Standard Version.

3. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: This two-volume set was written by some of the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary, and both volumes are superb. In particular, their scores of charts and diagrams such as “An Overview of Old Testament History”; “Chronology of the Flood”; “Plan of Solomon’s Temple”; “Jesus’ Six Trials”; “Harmony of Events of Jesus’ Crucifixion”; “Sermons & Speeches in Acts”; etc. are great. They are the best such things I’ve ever seen anywhere. Both volumes of The Bible Knowledge Commentary are based upon the text of the New International Version. 

4. The Bible Exposition Commentary: This six-volume set was written by Warren Wiersbe, the popular pastor, preacher, and author. For years, Wiersbe wrote the little “Be” books: “Be Delivered” (Exodus); “Be Skillful” (Proverbs); “Be Right” (Romans); “”Be Victorious” (Revelation); etc. The “Be” books can still be purchased individually, but now they’ve all been compiled into this six-volume set. Wiersbe uses multiple translations in offering his commentary remarks, and anything he writes is well worth reading. Putting it simply, I’ve never heard or read a better teacher of scripture than Warren Wiersbe.

5. The MacArthur Bible Commentary: This one-volume commentary provides all the excellent information of The MacArthur Study Bible and much more. Whereas MacArthur is provided limited space per page for his commentary remarks in his study Bible, his one-volume commentary affords him much more space to offer much more commentary. That’s why, if I had to choose between purchasing his study Bible or his one-volume commentary, I would purchase the commentary. It is based upon the text of the New King James Version.

6. The King James Bible Commentary: Most of the writers who helped compile this commentary were on the faculty of Liberty University/Seminary, but there are some contributors from other seminaries. Anytime I use this commentary, I find it helpful and it’s the commentary I tend to recommend for anyone who prefers to exclusively use the King James Version to do their Bible studying. As the commentary’s title suggests, it is based upon the text of the King James Version.

7. The Baker Commentary on the Bible: This one-volume commentary was edited for Baker Books by Walter A. Elwell, the well-known Christian scholar who taught at Wheaton College from 1975 to 2003. This commentary is not quite as conservative as the other ones I’ve listed, but what I like the most about it is that I find helpful material in it that I simply do not find in any other commentary. It is based upon the text of the New International Version.

Other Helpful Resources (listed in no particular order):

1. Charles Ryrie’s Basic Theology: This is a wonderful easy-to-read book on Bible doctrine.

2. Steven Waterhouse’s Not By Bread Alone: This is an outlined guide to doctrine that offers a ton of good information on just about every Bible topic. It is actually more thorough and extensive than Charles Ryrie’s Basic Theology.

3. Nave’s Topical Bible: When you are trying to locate all the relevant passages on a specific topic in the Bible, this book is a must.

4. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: If you know one word from a certain verse and want to locate that verse, this is the book you grab. It also gives definitions for the Hebrew words of the Old Testament and the Greek words of the New Testament.

5. Adrian Rogers’ What Every Christian Ought To Know: This book does a wonderful job of covering the basics of living the Christian life. For example, some of the chapters are: “Every Christian Ought to Know the Bible Is the Word of God”; “Every Christian Ought to Know the Assurance of Salvation”; “Every Christian Ought to Know How to Handle Temptation”; “Every Christian Ought to Know How to Discern the Will of God”; and “Every Christian Ought to Know How to Discover His Spiritual Gift.”

6. Ray Stedman’s Adventuring Through the Bible: This one-volume book describes itself as “A Comprehensive Guide to the Entire Bible,” and it really does back up that claim. It is not a commentary in the classic sense of that word, and it certainly doesn’t use a verse-by-verse approach to explain scripture. What it does do, though, is provide the reader with an overview of each book of the Bible and cut into quite a bit of the “meat” of each book.

7. Richards Complete Bible Dictionary: Every student of the Bible needs a good Bible dictionary. I myself have no less than five of them, and I suppose this one is the best of the five. Let me say, however, that there are many excellent Bible dictionaries on the market. Some other good ones are: The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary; Easton’s Bible Dictionary; and Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary. It’s hard to go wrong with any of these (or others than could be named).

8. Halley’s Bible Handbook and Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible: Neither of these little books is a true commentary, but each one gives a lot of “bang for the buck” by relaying a wealth of information about the Bible.

9. David Jeremiah’s God In You: This is the best book I’ve ever seen on the topic of the Holy Spirit.

10. John MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos: If you wondering about speaking in tongues, healing, signs and wonders, the “health and wealth” gospel, and “prosperity preachers,” this book is the gold standard that exposes the outright fraud that passes for a lot of “religion” these days.

11. Tim Lahaye’s Revelation Unveiled: Everybody is fascinated by the book of The Revelation, and I have dozens of good commentaries on the book. To me, though, this commentary does the simplest, best job of explaining the book.

12. Walter Martin’s The Kingdom of the Cults and the Josh McDowell-Don Stewart book Handbook of Today’s Religions. Each of these books does a fantastic job of naming religions other than Christianity and explaining how they differ from Christianity.

Well, I’ll stop here, but please understand I’m not claiming to have done any kind of thorough job on this topic. Just because a study Bible, commentary, or other type of resource isn’t on my list, don’t automatically take that to mean I wouldn’t recommend it. This post has simply been my attempt to offer a relatively brief list of some of the books that sit on the shelves of my study and have helped me over the years. Since the prices on each of these is very reasonable considering what they will give you in return, what are you waiting for? If you really want to understand the Bible, all this help is readily available. Pretty much whatever I know about the Bible, I learned from these books and others like them, and you can as well if you will put in the effort.

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7 Evidences for Christ’s Resurrection

Posted on April 12, 2009 by russellmckinney

Certain legal experts have studied the case of Christ’s resurrection and concluded that an honest jury would reach the verdict that Jesus really did arise from the dead. It is with this in mind that I present to you seven evidences for His resurrection. I wouldn’t call this an exhaustive list, but I do believe it’s a good one.

Evidence #1: The actions of the guards who guarded Christ’s tomb: There is a debate as to what type of guards were assigned to Christ’s tomb. On the one hand, they were assigned by the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate, which many take to mean they were Roman guards. On the other hand, in the wake of Christ’s resurrection they reported to the Jewish chief priests. Some take that to mean they were part of the Jewish temple guards. But whatever type of guards they were, on the morning of Christ’s resurrection that group of guards shook with fear (Matthew 28:4), fainted (Matthew 28:4), and abandoned their posts (Matthew 28:11). How convinced were those guards that something miraculous and supernatural had happened at that tomb site that morning? They were convinced enough that it took nothing less than bribery to get them to say that Christ’s disciples had stolen His body (Matthew 28:11-15).

Evidence #2: The tomb’s broken seal: The Bible says that Christ’s tomb was “sealed” (Matthew 27:66). A Roman seal of this sort wasn’t very impressive in appearance. It could have been just two globs of wax and a cord. One glob would have been placed upon the circular door to Christ’s tomb, and the other glob would have been placed upon the tomb itself. One end of the cord would have been fastened into the first glob, and the other end would have been fastened into the second. It’s likely that a signet ring was used to make an impression in the wax. So, what was it that made such a seal so intimidating? It was the fact that the seal carried with it the authority of the Roman government. The penalty for anyone breaking such a seal was death. Sometimes the death sentence involved crucifixion, and sometimes the crucifixion was an upside-down crucifixion. Nevertheless, the seal upon Christ’s tomb was broken.

Evidence #3: The stone door was rolled away: Jesus was buried in a very expensive tomb. It had been constructed for Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man who had become a follower of Christ (Matthew 27:57-60). The tomb was a small cave that had been cut out of the rock. Just in front of the tomb’s opening was a trench. In this trench sat a massive circular stone that served as the door to the tomb. The stone weighed over a ton. According to an ancient note that has been discovered, it took more than twenty men to move the stone. Remarkably, however, the apostle John used the Greek word airo to describe what happened to that stone (John 20:1). This specific word speaks of much more than the stone being merely rolled backward inside the trench. What airo actually indicates is that the stone was literally picked up and moved quite a distance. How could such a stone have been moved in this way? The Bible says that an angel descended from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat down on it (Matthew 28:1-2). That angel is what scared those guards to the point of causing them to faint.

Evidence #4: Jesus, in His resurrection body, appeared alive to hundreds of witnesses: Early on resurrection Sunday morning, a handful of devout women saw the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:11-18). Later that same morning, He appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). That afternoon, Cleopas and another unnamed believer saw Him (Luke 24:13-32). That night, He appeared to a gathering of ten of the apostles — Judas Iscariot having committed suicide, and Thomas not being present that night (1 Cor. 15:5; John 20:19-23). The following Sunday night, He appeared again to a gathering of the apostles, with Thomas being present this time (John 20:24-29). Several days later, He appeared to a group of seven of the apostles on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and had breakfast with them (John 21:1-14). Sometime shortly after that, He appeared to the entire group of apostles at a mountain site in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20). That same appearance might also have been the time when over 500 people saw Him at once (1 Cor. 15:6). Additionally, He was seen at some unspecified time by His earthly half-brother James (1 Cor. 15:7) and by approximately 120 believers just before His ascension back to heaven (Acts 1:1-12). Imagine a trial in which over 500 reputable people each took the witness stand and said, “I know that Jesus arose from the dead because I saw Him in His resurrected body.” You talk about compelling evidence!

Evidence #5: The coming of the Holy Spirit: Before Jesus was crucified He said to His disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (God the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7, N.K.J.V.). Later, in Acts 2:1-13, the Holy Spirit’s coming is described in detail. Consequently, the obvious indication is that Jesus resurrected, ascended back to heaven, and kept His promise to send the Holy Spirit.

Evidence #6: The change in Christ’s apostles: Immediately following Christ’s crucifixion, His eleven apostles (minus Judas Iscariot) went into hiding. Evidently, they were operating under the assumption that the same authorities who had arrested Jesus and executed Him would be coming for them next. But something happened that emboldened those eleven men to come out of hiding and start fearlessly proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. What was it? It was their experience with the risen Christ. The change that came over them simply cannot be explained any other way. They knew that Jesus was alive! Those men even began their proclaiming of Christ’s resurrection in Jerusalem of all places, with Christ’s tomb being located just outside the city. That was the last place they would have begun if they had known that His resurrection was a lie.

Evidence #7: The fact that Christ’s body was never discovered: Although a popular tourist site is strongly considered to be the tomb of Christ, there is still some debate about the actual location. The people of Christ’s day, however, knew exactly where He was buried. It was common knowledge to them, which meant that any of them could have paid a visit to the opened tomb and checked it for a body. But no body was ever recovered. Think about this: All that was required to stamp out the fledgling religion of Christianity was the decaying corpse of Jesus, and yet no such corpse was ever produced. That in itself is incredibly strong evidence that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead.

Well, there they are, my seven evidences for Christ’s resurrection. And as long as I’m on the subject, let me give you one more just for free: Jesus has changed my life. I’m like the fellow who said, “I know that Jesus is alive because I talked to Him this morning.” Even more than talking with Him each morning, I try to walk with Him each day. By doing so, I can report that He has made me a new creation by causing old things to pass away and all things to become new (2 Cor. 5:17). You see, that simply wouldn’t have happened in my life if death had been able to hold Him. Therefore, that is my own personal evidence for knowing that Jesus is alive.

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Good Friday

Posted on April 10, 2009 by russellmckinney

Today is Good Friday, so called because this is the day we honor Christ’s death on the cross. The traditional timeline puts Jesus on the cross the Friday before Easter (Resurrection) Sunday. I use the words “traditional timeline” because there are other possible timelines.

Down through the years some excellent Bible scholars have contended that Jesus was actually crucified on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday. The linchpin for this line of interpretation is Matthew 12:40, where Jesus says, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” As the argument goes, for Jesus to be in the tomb three literal days and nights He had to be crucified on Wednesday, not Friday. The list of well known preachers who have believed in a Wednesday crucifixion includes R.A. Torrey, Dave Breese, Howard Estep, Oliver B. Greene, and John R. Rice.  

However, other excellent students of the Bible continue to hold to a Friday crucifixion. They point out that the Jews considered any part of a day to be a whole day. Thus, if Jesus was buried Friday afternoon, that would be day one. He was in the tomb all day Saturday for day two. Then He arose just after dawn on Sunday morning, which amounted to day three.

Now let me complicate things even further. A few years ago noted prophecy expert Jimmy Deyoung came to our town and preached a three-night series of meetings. On the last night, he held a question and answer session. I didn’t get the chance to submit a question to him, but I stole a chance as he was shaking hands after the meeting. I shook his hand and asked him, “Was Jesus crucified on Friday or Wednesday?” Without a moment’s hesitation he said, “Thursday. Look it up.” I went home and did just that by doing a Goggle search on “Thursday crucifixion.” Sure enough, I found an excellent article that laid out a believable case that Jesus was crucified on Thursday.

Frustrated yet? Please don’t be. If someone came to you and handed you a brown paper bag that had one million dollars inside it, how would you react? Would you say, “Let’s talk about this paper bag. The stores normally use plastic bags these days. I have to know every detail concerning this bag”? You wouldn’t obsess over the bag, would you? You’d want to spend all your time talking about the contents of that bag. Well, that should be our attitude toward Christ’s crucifixion. In our debating over the exact details of the event, let’s make sure that we don’t miss the event’s significance!

That significance is: Jesus died for your sins and my sins. There are so many passages that I could cite here, but I’ll go with Romans 5:6-8: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Take some time today and dwell upon the fact that Jesus (God the Son in the flesh) died to pay the debt for your sins. He took your place. The godly died for the ungodly. The righteous died for the unrighteous. The sinless died for the sinful. How can you ever doubt that God loves you? What more could He have done to prove it? In return for His great love and sacrifice on your behalf, He asks that you place your belief in Jesus as your personal Savior (John 7:38; John 20:27-31; Acts 10:43; Acts 16:30-31). If you haven’t made this decision, I can think of no better day than Good Friday to make it. If you have made it, be sure to say, “Thank you” to Jesus today for dying for you.

Posted in Christ's Death, Crucifixion, Good Friday | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Food Won’t Come to You

Posted on April 9, 2009 by russellmckinney

My son Ryan, who was eleven years old at the time, got off a classic line one day. He was lying on his bed watching television, and his mother had just finished her nightly chore of preparing his supper. But when she told him that supper was ready, he didn’t respond. Finally, after a few minutes, she ratcheted up the tone to a vintage motherly level and said, “Ryan, get in there and get your food!” In startled response, he said with genuine surprise, “Oh, I thought it was going to come to me.”

As a pastor, I just have to relate that line to church attendance. Christian, the spiritual food doesn’t come to you. No, you have to actually go to church and get it. It’s all there, laid out for you, but it won’t magically make its way to where you are and jump into your mouth.

Now, I know all about the television ministries, You Tube ministries, and Facebook Live ministries most churches now offer. Those ministries allow you to sit right there wherever you are and be fed. Still, though, there is nothing like experiencing the complete “meal” you get by attending your local congregation. Furthermore, those ministries were never meant to take the place of you literally attending your local church. Unfortunately, during the months when most churches only offered online services because of the Covid-19 pandemic, far too many Christians got far too comfortable staying at home for church rather than going to church.

Some years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine special athletes lined up at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. When the starting pistol sounded, eight of them took off down the track, but one boy stumbled out of the blocks, rolled a couple of times, and began to cry. That’s when something truly wonderful happened. When the other eight runners heard the boy crying, they slowed down to see what was wrong and then went back to help him. One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down, kissed him, and said, “This will make it better.” Later, with their arms linked tightly together, all nine runners walked down the track and crossed the finish line together. That’s a beautiful picture of what church can be like. Brothers and sisters in Christ can help each other in life’s race by encouraging and supporting one another. Try getting that from television, You Tube, or Facebook.

Of course, I realize that I’m painting a very idyllic view of churches. I’m a pastor, remember? It’s not like I haven’t seen my share of church members behaving badly toward one other. Nevertheless, when church is right, there is no place like it on earth. It’s a place for learning, growing, fellowshipping, sharing, giving, and worshiping. Seriously, if you are a Christian, why wouldn’t you want to be there?

And believe me, I’ve heard just about all the excuses for not going to church. Again, I’m a pastor, remember? However, many of those excuses don’t hold any weight with the Lord. In his book, The Miracles of Our Lord, Charles Ryrie offers a good word about such excuses. He does it in the context of his comments concerning Christ’s attendance of synagogue. He writes:

If our Lord had wanted to use reasons, such as those often heard today, for not attending public worship He could have found many. Certainly He got very little out of the message, for after all He was the fulfillment of every Scripture read or explained in the service. Surely He knew more about God and spiritual things than anyone present, including the leaders in the synagogue. Too, He knew that the organization He was supporting would soon be replaced by the church. But still He went regularly. Christian liberty, properly understood, does not free one from regular responsibilities, including attending worship services (see Heb. 10:25).

So, Christian, I ask you, “How is your church attendance these days?” It’s been said that church attendees are like cars in that they start missing before they quit. Well, you haven’t been sputtering, have you?  If you have, then consider this God’s wakeup call for you to get back in tune. Alluding again to my opening illustration, you need to realize that the food won’t come to you, and you should go claim that fulfilling meal that is awaiting you down there at your local church.

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, Personal, Worship | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

God’s Chemistry

Posted on April 7, 2009 by russellmckinney

My yard is currently covered in snow. Living where I do, I’m quite used to the stuff. But there is one thing about snow that always, without exception, takes me by surprise: how bright it is. Every time I pull back the curtains on a new day and find snow on the ground, my eyes receive a jolt because I’m never ready for the startling effect of snow’s pure whiteness. This effect takes my mind to Psalm 51:7, where David says to God:

“…Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (N.K.J.V.)

The heading of Psalm 51 leaves no doubt as to what prompted David’s need of cleansing. The prophet Nathan had just confronted him regarding the adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12). Shockingly, David, the “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), had broken three of the ten commandments that made up the moral summation of that body of law God had given to Israel. He had coveted his neighbor’s wife (Exodus 20:17), committed adultery (Exodus 20:14), and murdered (Exodus 20:13).

David understood God was the only One who could remove the dark stain of his sins. There was no heroic deed David could perform to remove that stain. There were no good works, rites, or rituals that would result in his cleansing. There was only God. If He would forgive, David could be restored. If He wouldn’t, there was no hope.

And did David receive his forgiveness and cleansing? Yes. God used that odd chemical process of His to do it. He took David’s sins, which in His holy eyes were crimson, scarlet red, and covered them with sacrificial blood, which was also crimson, scarlet red. That covering turned David’s sins white as snow. While it’s true that dark red on dark red shouldn’t produce white, somehow in God’s chemistry it does. As the Bible says in Isaiah 1:18:

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord., “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (N.K.J.V.)

Of course, David lived in Old Testament days, days in which God commanded the people of Israel to offer up blood sacrifices to Him (Leviticus 17:11). What we must understand, though, is that those sacrifices couldn’t truly “take away” sins (Hebrews 10:4,11). All they could do was roll those sins forward and stay the wrath of God (Hebrews 10:1-3) until Jesus (God the Son), the One whose blood could take away sins (John 1:29), would come and die on the cross as the eternal payment for all sins (Hebrews 10:12-14).

It was only by way of Christ’s death that all the Old Testament sacrifices found legitimacy. Just as we look back upon that death, Old Testament believers such as David looked ahead to it. Therefore, ultimately, it was in the crimson blood that flowed through Christ’s sacrificial body that David found his eternal cleansing.

Maybe you have done something that makes you want to cry out to God for cleansing. Maybe you have committed sins you want God to make whiter than snow. If so, you need to know that such forgiveness is available to you as well. Again, it’s found in Jesus, the One who died on a Roman cross as an Old Testament style, blood sacrifice for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). There is no sin so scarlet He cannot plunge it under His blood and make it as white as snow.

However, just as there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), there is no application of Christ’s blood without belief in Him. Whereas His death was sufficient for everyone’s sins, it is only efficient for those who place their belief in Him as Savior (John 3:16-18). This profound doctrinal truth is presented in 1 John 1:5-10, which says to Christians specifically:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (N.K.J.V.)

You see, it is only the authentic believer (the Christian) who has fellowship with God, walks in spiritual light, has fellowship with other Christians, and has his or her sins cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Such people freely confess their sins and have those sins forgiven. The Greek word translated as “confess” is homologeo, which literally means “to speak the same thing.” Therefore, to honestly confess one’s sins is to say the same thing about them God says about them rather than try to defend or deny them.

The point in all this is that God’s chemistry does work as scarlet sins are turned snow white, but the agent that produces the reaction is the blood of Jesus. And that blood only gets applied to those who make the voluntary decision to believe in Jesus as Savior. Just as homologeo, the Greek word for “confess,” has a specific definition, so does pisteuo, the Greek word for “believe.” It means “to place confidence in” or “to trust.” One popular definition defines it as “to place one’s full weight down upon.”

So, tell me, have you believed in Jesus (God the Son) as your personal Savior in this way? Are you right now resting all your hopes of forgiveness (i.e. salvation) solely upon Him? Have you confessed your sins to Him, agreeing completely with His assessment of them? And have those crimson, scarlet sins of yours been made white as snow by His crimson, scarlet blood? If so, you can say like David, “I have been washed and made whiter than snow.” If not, God has no choice but to see you as unclean and dirty. No, that’s not His preference, but His perfect holiness demands nothing less and your unforgiven sins leave Him no other choice.

Posted in Belief, Christ's Death, Confession, Depravity, Forgiveness, God's Holiness, Personal, Sacrifice, Salvation, The Old Testament Law | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Keep Playing

Posted on April 5, 2009 by russellmckinney

In Galatians 6:9, the apostle Paul says to the Christians of Galatia, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (N.K.J.V.). At the risk of sounding like a preacher, let me point out this verse easily divides into three alliterated parts.

Part #1 is the command: Let us not grow weary while doing good. It is so easy for the Christian to grow tired of doing right in a world filled with so much wrong. He pours himself into people who inevitably disappoint him. He supports just causes that ultimately fail. He speaks truth only to have it drowned out by a din of lies. He questions whether he is making a difference at all. Nevertheless, he must keep at it. Even when he can no longer see the point or use of it all, he must not grow weary while doing good. This is the divine command.

Part #2 is the compensation: In due season we shall reap. Even though the harvest may linger, it is surely coming. It merely awaits the due season. The great scorekeeper of the universe is on the job, and He will see to it that the doing of good is rewarded handsomely. It’s wrong for the Christian to be motivated to service by the expectation of gain, but it’s perfectly acceptable when God Himself is the One promising the gain. This is the compensation for a job well done.     

Part #3 is the condition: We will only reap if we do not lose heart. The farmer who sows his seed but stops caring for the crop after only a few weeks needn’t expect a harvest. Likewise, the Christian who loses heart in doing good will not get to enjoy the harvesting of the due season. The problem with a loss of heart is that it leads to a lessening of doing good. Doing good is hard enough when one’s heart is in it, let alone when there isn’t a heart for it. Therefore, the Christian must see to it that he doesn’t lose heart while awaiting his promised compensation. This is the condition for reaping his harvest.

A mother, hoping to encourage her young son to continue his piano lessons, bought tickets for a performance by Ignacy Paderewski, the Polish master. After arriving at the concert hall, the woman began talking to a friend and lost track of the boy. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on and only then did she notice that he had climbed onto the stage and was sitting on the bench of Paderewski’s piano. Then, to her horror, the little fellow started to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Before the mother could retrieve the boy, Paderewski walked on stage, got behind the little fellow, and whispered, “Don’t quit – keep playing.” Paderewski then reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. He followed that by reaching down with his right hand and adding a running obbligato. Together, Paderewski and his young apprentice played the grandest version of a children’s song the audience had ever heard.

Christian, think of yourself as that boy and the Lord as Ignacy Paderewski. To you, your efforts at doing good seem as if you are only playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” But you aren’t hearing the fill-in parts God is playing. Just as Jesus took a boy’s small lunch and fed 5,000 men (John 6:1-14), He will take your efforts and multiply them beyond your wildest dreams. Remember this the next time you feel a tinge of weariness while doing good. Just keep telling yourself, “It’s too soon to quit because my due season is just over the horizon, and God has promised I will reap. All I’ve got to do is keep playing.”

Posted in Adversity, Backsliding, Comfort, Courage, Depression, Disappointment, Doing Good, Doubt, Encouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Work, Impatience, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Patience, Perseverance, Problems, Reward, Service, Sowing and Reaping, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You Too Busy?

Posted on April 3, 2009 by russellmckinney

I live in Mitchell County, way up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Our total population is under 16,000. We roll up the sidewalks at night in our two towns, and we know far too much about our fellow citizens.

Even here in our little county, though, the roads are now filled with cars, trucks, big rigs, dump trucks, and school buses. The situation has gotten so bad that having a clear path to pass any slow-moving vehicle has become a thing of the past. Oftentimes, I find myself asking, “Who are all these people and where are they going?”

I’ve read that North Carolina’s percentage of households with at least one vehicle is 94.4% and the average number of vehicles per household is 2.2. That makes for a lot of vehicles on the roads. I don’t know where you live, but I’m guessing there are more cars on your roads as well these days.

Okay, so why am I fixating on cars today? I’m not. What I’m really fixating on is how busy we’ve become as a society. Everybody seems to be running around to some place to do something.

It reminds me of that episode of The Andy Griffith Show where the visiting preacher tells the Mayberry church folk to slow down and enjoy the simpler things of life. That was 1960s Mayberry, mind you. If that preacher wanted to preach that same message to today’s church folk, he’d have to leave home earlier just to account for the traffic to get to church.

There’s a Bible story that fits in here nicely. You’ve heard the one about Mary and Martha, haven’t you? They were the two sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead.

Luke 10:38-42 is the record of a visit that Jesus made to their home. While Martha was scurrying around the house, taking care of the serving, doing the work of a hostess, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. Finally, in her frustration with the whole scene, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.”

On paper, it seemed to be a perfect occasion for a Proverbs-style lesson on the value of a work ethic. Instead, Jesus reversed field and said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The lesson of the story isn’t hard to identify: No matter how busy you are, you must make time to “sit at Christ’s feet” and “hear His word.” In our lives today, this can be done through prayer, Bible study, or reading a daily devotion. Many people call it “having a quiet time” but an even better word for it is “worship.”

You say, “Russell, I understand what you are saying, and I really want to have such times in my life, but I’m just so busy.” Well, you’re just going to have to make this a priority. Be like the wife of a friend of mine. My friend fussed at her a little because she didn’t exercise enough. When she told him, “I just don’t have the time” he replied, “You’ve got to make it a priority.” A few days later, when he asked her what was for supper, she said, “I don’t know because I’m doing the treadmill. I’M MAKING IT A PRIORITY.”

Please understand now that I’m not telling you to stop doing any of the dozens of things that are mandatory for your day. Trust me, Jesus knows all about what is mandatory. But I am telling you that you must build times of intimacy with Jesus into your life.

Your bed doesn’t always have to be made. Your yard doesn’t have to be manicured. And it’s okay to let a few dishes pile up in the sink every once in a while. You get the idea. Steal some time each day to have a “Mary experience” with Jesus. Oh, and try to stay off the roads, too. Some of us out there are always running late and needing to pass.

Posted in Balance, Bible Study, Business, Church Attendance, Personal, Prayer, Priorities, Work, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Temptation’s Cliff

Posted on April 2, 2009 by russellmckinney

Once there was a man who lived in a mountainous region. The road to his house ran along a steep cliff. When the man set about to hire a coachman, three candidates applied for the position.

The man called in the first candidate and asked him, “How near to the edge of the cliff can you drive a six-horse team?” The candidate answered, “I have a steady hand and a true eye, so I can get within a foot of the edge and not go over.” The man said, “Thank you. Please step outside.”

The second candidate was called in and asked the same question. His answer was, “Since I am an expert in handling horses, I can drive right along the very edge of the cliff and not go over.” The man said, “Thank you. Please step outside.”

When the third candidate was called in and asked the question, his answer was much different. He said, “If you want a man to drive along the edge of the cliff, you don’t want me. When I drive, I keep as far away from the edge as I can.” To that, the man said, “Thank you. You’re hired.”

When it comes to the cliffs of temptation, we would all do well to stay as far away from those edges as we can. We shouldn’t be like the little boy whose mother asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I’m in the kitchen, standing in front of the cookie jar, trying to resist temptation!”

Proverbs 4:14-15 says: Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on. (N.K.J.V.) The teaching is, it’s impossible for you to end up traveling the path of the wicked or the way of evil if you avoid it and don’t even enter it. After all, you just can’t go down a path you totally shun.

Of course, the irony of Proverbs 4:14-15 is that Solomon, the man who penned those verses, didn’t heed them. 1 Kings 11:1-13 tells us that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Those women came from foreign races such as the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, idolatrous races who worshiped false gods rather than the God of Israel. You see, this was Solomon’s cliff, one from which he tragically plunged over the edge. Rather than converting those women to the worship of his god, he allowed them to turn his heart to their gods. Almost unbelievably, he even fell so deep into idolatry that he built worship sites for the pantheon of false gods those women worshiped. That’s what you call going off a spiritual cliff.

Perhaps you have a sin to which you are particularly susceptible. If so, you would do well  to completely shun that path. For example, if you are easily tempted by lust, you shouldn’t visit certain web sites, watch certain movies, or buy certain magazines. If you are easily tempted by drunkenness, you shouldn’t keep beer in the refrigerator. If you are easily tempted by coarse language, you shouldn’t hang out with foul-mouthed people.

Learn from Solomon’s bad example. Like the rest of the people of Israel, he had a natural bent towards idolatry. Consequently, he placed himself in a very precarious spot when he willingly brought idolatry into his life by taking up with all those foreign women.

It’s been jokingly said that a good run will beat a bad stand anytime. Actually, though, that saying is more truth than joke. The apostle Paul told the Christians of Corinth to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18) and idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). Similarly, he told the young preacher Timothy to flee youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22) and the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10-11).

“Flee” is a very strong word. It means, “Get out of Dodge now!” It means, “Why are you still here?” It means, “Let them see your back rather than your front.” It’s what Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. The Bible says that he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside (Genesis 39:12, N.K.J.V.).

That’s how you handle the temptation to sin! You don’t stand in front of the cookie jar. You don’t see how close you can get to the edge of the cliff. You don’t give the temptation an opportunity to take hold in your life. To the contrary, you do whatever is necessary to turn away from the path of the wicked and the way of evil. Any dallying on your part and you just might find yourself where Solomon found himself: plummeting toward the valley floor below. That’s why you must become proactive with your temptation. Don’t sit around and wait for it to come creeping up on you. Know the woods in which it lives and stay out of those woods.

Posted in Addiction, Adultery, Alcohol, Backsliding, Choices, Idolatry, Personal Holiness, Sin, Temptation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment