Doing Church Differently

Posted on July 29, 2023 by russellmckinney

The churches of Asia greet you, Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. (1 Corinthians 16:19, N.K.J.V.)

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house. (Colossians 4:15, N.K.J.V.)

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archipus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: (Philemon 1:1-2, N.K.J.V.)

Elbert Hubbard was a prominent American writer, publisher, and philosopher before his untimely death aboard the Lusitania, the ship that was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in 1915. Hubbard was known as a man of profound quotes. One of those, in particular, strikes a chord with me. He called tradition “a clock that tells us what time it was.”

As we study the gospels, we find that Jesus was frequently in conflict with the man-made traditions of the Jewish religious elite. In particular, many incidents involved Him purposely breaking the time-honored but erroneous rules that had been established for keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest (Matthew 12:1-13; Luke 13:10-17; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:1-16). What caused all that conflict regarding the keeping of the Sabbath? Let me explain.

In the Old Testament Hebrew, the Sabbath commandment consists of 39 words. In accordance with those 39 words, the Jewish rabbis devised their own list of 39 ways in which a person could break the commandment. Then the rabbis took the whole process one step further by dividing those 39 ways into 39 divisions. This produced a grand total of 1,521 ways by which one could break the Sabbath. For example, getting a tack in your sandal was considered carrying a burden on the Sabbath. Killing a flea was considered hunting on the Sabbath. Even eating an egg that was laid on Saturday was considered a violation because the hen had worked on the Sabbath. It’s no wonder that Jesus railed against such traditions.

While I certainly wouldn’t say that the traditions of the American way of “doing church” are as bad as those the Jews used to keep their Sabbath, our traditions do sometimes seem about as entrenched. Try changing something in the typical local church and see what you get! But what’s surprising is that so many of our traditions have little or no scriptural basis.

Consider that for the first 300 years or so churches were simple “house churches” (Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon v.1-2; James 2:1-3; Acts 2:1-2; 2 John v.10). That means no: committees, deacon boards (even though the churches did have deacons), business meetings, Sunday Schools, Bible Schools, Bible conferences, revivals, church budgets, choirs, Christmas plays, Christmas cantatas, Easter dramas, Easter cantatas, Fall Festival parties, missions boards, youth missions trips, senior-citizen outings, or Christian schools. The congregations didn’t have pew-filled sanctuaries, baptisteries, education buildings, fellowship halls, gymnasiums, or life-activity centers, either.

So, how did those early churches “do church”? Consider the following:

  1. There were multiple house churches in a city. Since cities such as Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Smyrna, Colossae, and Laodicea boasted populations in the multiplied thousands, no one house could possibly have been large enough to host all of the Christians in a city.
  2. Evidently, when a congregation grew too big for the confines of a home, that was seen as an opportunity to begin a new offshoot house church. This was a version of what we might call “church planting” in the early decades of the church age.
  3. All of the house churches in a given city made up the one “church” of that city (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 2:1; Romans 1:7). When the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the “church” of a city, he meant for that letter to be passed along to each of the house congregations in that city and read aloud in each one.
  4. Each city had multiple pastors. These men were typically called “elders,” “overseers,” or “bishops” (Acts 14:23; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11). It seems likely that each house congregation had one pastor as its overseer. The fact that Acts 14:23 says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders (plural) in every church (singular) and Acts 20:17 speaks of the elders (plural) of the church (singular) of Ephesus is explained by the fact that all of the house congregations in a given city made up the one “church” of that city. In that sense, each “church” did have multiple pastors.
  5. There were deacons, men who performed necessary menial acts of service in the congregations (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
  6. The congregations met each Sunday to commemorate the fact that Christ arose on a Sunday (Acts 20:7-8; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). Since many of the early Christians were slaves, and since the Roman empire did not consider Sunday to be a special day during this time (this was before Constantine became the Emperor of Rome and changed that), it is likely that services were typically held on Sunday night.
  7. The services were free-flowing ones wherein each Christian was encouraged to contribute by somehow using or exhibiting his or her spiritual gift (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 14:26; Ephesians 4:7-11). However, everything was to be done in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40).
  8. There was praying (James 5:13).
  9. There was singing (Ephesians 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13; 1 Corinthians 14:15). Since the headings of many of the Psalms tell us those Psalms were written to be played on specific instruments, perhaps instruments were sometimes used in the services. Obviously, though, there wasn’t a piano or an organ sitting in the corner.
  10. There were no pulpits, but there was certainly teaching and what we now call “preaching” (1 Timothy 1:3; 4:6,13,16; 5:17; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Titus 1:9; 2:1).
  11. It seems that the Lord’s Supper was observed each service. This was called “the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42-47).
  12. In the earliest days of the church age, a “love feast” (a meal designed to help the poorer Christians) was served in conjuncture with the Lord’s Supper (Jude v. 12).
  13. Real wine was used during the Lord’s Supper and the love feast (1 Corinthians 11:21). How else could some of the Christians of Corinth have gotten drunk during the observance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)?
  14. The house churches were expected to practice church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Perhaps they did this by using the guideline laid out by Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17).
  15. As for the collection of monetary offerings, the Old Testament law’s elaborate system of tithing (Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 12:5-7,17-19; 14:22-29; Numbers 18:21-32; Malachi 3:8-12) was not taught. Why would it have been since Christians were no longer under the law (Romans 6:14; 7:4; 10:4; Galatians 5:18)? For that matter, a Christian couldn’t bring a tenth of his harvests and livestock to a house church, and there was no longer a need to support the Levitical priests who ministered at the temple. So, what many now call “grace giving” replaced the commands concerning tithing. Under “grace giving” cheerful and generous giving was expected as each Christian gave in accordance with his or her prosperity (2 Corinthians 9:6-15; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
  16. The collected offerings went to aid the needy (Acts 20:35; Ephesians 4:28; James 1:27), help fellow Christians who were struggling (Acts 11:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 6:10), support the apostles in their missionary work (Philippians 4:10-20; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14; 2 Corinthians 11:5-9), and meet the basic needs of the pastors (Galatians 6:6,10; 1 Corinthians 9:7,11; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
  17. Each and every Christian was to be actively involved in hands-on service to Christ outside the confines of the church congregation. The primary role of the pastors was to equip all Christians with the doctrine and knowledge necessary for those Christians to carry out the work of ministry themselves (Ephesians 4:11-12).
  18. The pastors did have authority to lead the congregations (Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 13:7,17,24).
  19. Pastoral leadership was to be the kind of servant leadership that Jesus exemplified (1 Peter 5:1-4).
  20. The ultimate authority in all the churches rested with the apostles (1 Corinthians 5:1-3). They were the ones who ordained the pastors (Acts 14:23).

Okay, so why am I telling you all this? First, let me assure you that it’s not because I’m trying to take us all back to those early days of the church age. Even if we wanted to go back to that time, we couldn’t because we no longer have genuine apostles the likes of Peter and Paul. Second, I’m also not saying that there is anything patently wrong with: church buildings, committees, Sunday Schools, Bible Schools, revivals, missions boards, youth missions trips, senior-citizen outings, Christian schools, etc. I mean, the fact that you are reading this via a very modern tool called the internet isn’t lost on me!

No, my purpose in this post is to help promote a little more tolerance among Christians when a church comes along and says, “We’re going to try something different.” Since what we consider to be the “traditional” way of “doing church” is as different from the churches of the New Testament as apples are from oranges, who are we to say, “Oh, that’s wrong, you can’t do that”? C’mon, we’re already so far off the New Testament blueprint that Peter and Paul would hardly recognize us. Therefore, surely we can use a lot less of the attitude, “Our way is the only way.”

Actually, the more I study the church, the more I realize that it is akin to a living, breathing thing, and as such is constantly growing and evolving. That’s why the Lord doesn’t want congregations who are trapped in the year 100, 1600, 1900, or 2000. Instead, He wants us out there on the cutting edge of society, relating to people where they are, and keeping up with the times. Think about it, isn’t that exactly how Jesus ministered to the people of His day?

So, even though there is certainly a basic, Bible-based template for what constitutes a local church and how that church should function and be led, there is a lot of God-allowed play in the particulars of how a specific congregation goes about its mission. And just because a church operates differently from your personal preferences or your tradition, don’t automatically assume that the church is in the wrong and you are in the right. Each church is unique because each of the individuals who make up each church is unique, and once we all realize that, maybe we’ll stop trying to mass produce “cookie cutter” congregations.

Posted in Alcohol, Balance, Change, Church, Church Discipline, Giving, God's Work, Ministry, Money, Music, Prayer, Preaching, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Stewardship, Sunday School, Teaching, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Responding to Criticism

Posted on July 26, 2023 by russellmckinney

Dr. Charles Lowery is a motivational speaker. For years, though, he was a pastor, and some of his observations on the ministry were absolutely hilarious. Consider this one on criticism:

I always try to be positive with my critics. One came up to me last week and I said, “If I had two more just like you, I’d be a happy man.” He didn’t know what to say. He replied, “Pastor, what are you talking about? I’m always criticizing you. Why would you be happy if you had two more like me?” I answered, “Because I have twenty more like you. If I only had three, I would be a happy man!”

If you want to avoid getting criticized I’d suggest that you become a hermit who doesn’t attempt to get anything done. Then again, that will get you criticized for being lazy! Yes, unfortunately, getting criticized is pretty much inevitable in this world.

Sometimes it seems as if people are lined up around the block waiting to tell me all the things I’ve done wrong. In response, I’ve often used a Bill Murray line from the classic comedy Ghostbusters. At one point in the storyline, after Murray and the other Ghostbusters have become famous, he tries to have a conversation with Sigourney Weaver, the girl of his dreams. When she cuts him down with a sarcastic remark, he says, “Oh, I don’t have to take this abuse from you. I’ve got hundreds of people waiting to abuse me.”

Let me offer a simple two-fold suggestion for how you should handle the criticism that will inevitably come your way. First, honestly evaluate the criticism to see if there is even a kernel of truth in it. Much to your chagrin, you might find that you actually deserve what you are getting. Then, second, make any changes that you need to make because of the criticism.

Please understand that I’m not suggesting that you beat yourself up over criticism that isn’t factual or valid. If no changes are warranted on your part, don’t make any. But you aren’t perfect, and that means that sometimes changes will be in order for you. And it’s during those times that you’ll have to ask yourself, “Am I a big enough person to accept this criticism rightly and make the appropriate changes to bring good out of it?”

Posted in Attitude, Character, Criticism, Humor, Pastors, Personal | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Compel

Posted on July 24, 2023 by russellmckinney

There once was a time when boys sold newspapers on the streets of big cities. One young man, in particular, was top notch at doing the job. As a man passed by him on the street one day, the young fellow asked, “Buy a paper, Mister?” The man answered, “Sorry, son, I can’t read.” Without pausing for a moment, the boy replied, “That’s okay, Mister, buy one anyway, carry it in your hand, and people won’t know that you can’t read.” Now that’s a salesman!

We Christians tend to give up too easily in our attempts to share the gospel. The slightest excuse stops us dead in our tracks. Who knows how many times just a little bit of persistence would produce the desired result?

In Luke 14:16-24, Jesus tells one of His many parables regarding the kingdom of God. I won’t go into all the details of the parable, but the famous line from it is found in verse 23:

“Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.’” (N.K.J.V.)

The operative word there is “compel.” It translates the Greek word anankazo, which means to constrain by persuasion, force, or threat. It’s the same word used in Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45, both of which say that Jesus “made” His disciples get into the boat (N.K.J.V.). The point is, anankazo is a pretty serious word. It’s certainly a whole lot more serious than most Christians are about inviting lost people into the kingdom of God.

I have no idea why the Lord led me to write on this topic today, but I’m guessing that someone who reads this has tried unsuccessfully in times past to witness to a certain person. Well, I’m encouraging you to make another attempt with that individual. Will the outcome be different this time? I don’t know. Frankly, there is no guarantee that you won’t get rebuffed again. But it just might be that this time the person will be much more open to what you have to say. One thing’s for sure: If you give up easily, you’ll stand no chance of ever winning the person to Christ.

Posted in Evangelism, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Don’t Try to Wear Someone Else’s Armor

Posted on July 22, 2023 by russellmckinney

When King Saul heard that a teenage boy named David had volunteered to fight the giant Goliath, he called for David and tried to talk him out of it. He said, “David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:33). David, however, explained to Saul that he had killed lions and bears while tending his father’s flocks. Based upon this past success, David was confident that he could defeat Goliath. As he put it, “And this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36). Saul then reluctantly gave his approval by saying, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

However, before Saul sent David out to fight, he let him borrow his personal armor, which included a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put on the armor and tried walking around in it but found it too cumbersome and ill-fitting (1 Samuel 17:38-39). Saul was a very tall man, the tallest in all Israel (1 Samuel 9:2), and young David was much shorter. So, David politely declined the offer and chose instead to arm himself with his sling and five smooth stones, which he placed in his shepherd’s pouch (1 Samuel 17:40). Of course, the rest is history.

If I’ve learned nothing else about life, I’ve learned one thing: You can’t be successful trying to wear armor that doesn’t fit you. You have to be yourself and strive to keep yourself in situations that suit you. Not every job is a good fit for you, even if the pay is good. Some neighborhoods just aren’t your style. Your relationships with certain people will never be quite right, no matter how hard you work at them. That’s just the way it is. The world has its Sauls, wearing their armor, and its Davids, carrying shepherds’ pouches and slings. People are different.

That’s why it’s so important that you learn to appreciate it when you find yourself in a good circumstance. Don’t be so quick to run off from a spot that is obviously well suited to you. If you’ve found people with whom you can get along, stay with them. If you’ve got a job that provides you with not only a paycheck but also contentment, stick with it. If you’ve discovered an oasis in a desert of life’s barrenness, sink your roots down into it and enjoy it.

You see, there’s nothing wrong with maintaining your individuality and being true to yourself. After all, God is the one who wired you the way you are. So, why should you try to be someone you’re not or force your round peg into a square hole? That won’t work for you any more than wearing Saul’s armor worked for David. And could it be that Goliaths aren’t getting slain in your life simply because you aren’t fighting in a style that suits you? Think about it.

Posted in Change, Choices, Contentment, Decisions, Desires, God's Will, Individuality, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Talents | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What Was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

Posted on July 19, 2023 by russellmckinney

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, N.K.J.V.)

T. De Witt Talmage, one of America’s most prominent preachers in the late 1800s, put it best when he said, “Many of the theological doctors have felt Paul’s pulse to see what was the matter with him.” Boy, have they ever! The question “What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh?” is one of the most famous in all of Christianity. So, I thought I’d write a blog post and offer the correct answer in order to clear up the confusion once and for all. (Yeah, right.)

What I will do is name the two contenders for the “best answer” category. Ready? Here we go.

Possible answer #1: The thorn in the flesh was some kind of physical ailment with which Paul struggled continually.

In Galatians 4:13-15, Paul speaks of preaching the gospel in “physical infirmity” and “my trial which was in my flesh.” He also says of the Galatian Christians, “…you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.” If we take Paul’s specific use of the word “eyes” at its simplest meaning, it would seem to indicate that Paul had a problem with his eyesight.

I should point out, however, that it’s possible that “plucked out your own eyes” was just a figure of speech (Matthew 5:29, 18:9) that Paul used to show that the Galatian Corinthians would have gone to any lengths to meet his needs. Still, though, even if it was just a figure of speech, the idea that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was some kind of physical ailment (bad eyesight or something else) is further strengthened by the fact that he himself says in our text passage, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities…” Furthermore, the thorn was in his “flesh,” which most commonly would be taken to mean “in my body.”

Possible answer #2: The thorn in the flesh was a demon (a fallen angel).

On the heels of using the term “a thorn in the flesh,” Paul further describes the thorn as “a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” The Greek word that is translated there as “messenger” is angelos, which is the common Greek word for “angel.” This answer is given even more credence by the fact that Paul knew the Old Testament well, and the word “thorn” is used multiple times in its pages to refer to enemies of Israel (Numbers 33:55; Joshua 23:13; Judges 2:3; Ezekiel 28:24). All of this explains why both Martin Luther and John Calvin held to this answer.

But hold on a minute before you pronounce conclusively that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a demon. While the term “messenger (angelos) of Satan” does seem to refer to an “angel of Satan” (which would be a demon), Paul also referred to his thorn as “this thing” and “it.” This creates a problem for this answer because scripture refers to Satan, the leader of all the fallen angels, as “he” not “it.” The point is that maybe Paul would have used a pronoun if he was indeed talking about a fallen angel.

Well, as you can see, each of these two possible answers has its merits. Because of this, the debate will continue until we all get to heaven. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though. As many students of the Bible have learned, the fact that Paul’s thorn in the flesh remains unidentified allows more people to relate to it. Putting it another way, if we knew for sure that the thorn was an eyesight problem, it would lose some of its appeal to people who have 20/20 vision. Likewise, if we knew for sure that it was a demon that dogged him wherever he went, it would lose some of its appeal to people who don’t have a demon constantly harassing them. But since we don’t know for sure, each of us has the freedom to compare Paul’s thorn to whatever problem we are facing.

Posted in Adversity, Bible Study, Demons, Problems, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil, Trials | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Being Bold About Fear

Posted on July 17, 2023 by russellmckinney

In the wake of the infamous terrorist attacks of 9-11-01, our small county held a special service in the high school gymnasium. The service was for the benefit of the students, many of whom were emotionally shaken by the attacks. Those kids were asking, “How can we have any confidence in the future if this is the new state of the world?”

One of the service’s primary organizers was Mary Sue Ledford, who had been my English teacher my freshman year and my friend and supporter ever since. When she called to ask me if I would be one of the speakers, I was honored. But it was a particular quote from Mary Sue that stood out the most from that conversation. She said, “Russell, I will not live in a county of fear.” Even though I had known her for years, I had never heard her speak with such passion. She meant what she said down to the core of her being.

Several years have now passed since that conversation, but sometimes I find myself thinking back to Mary Sue’s quote. For obvious reason, it comes to my mind when I am facing some daunting challenge or potentially perilous situation. When my first instinct is to shy away or pull back from the problem, her words remind me that fear is no way to live.

Of course, the Bible is certainly not silent on this issue, particularly when addressing the Christian. Consider the following verses (all from the N.K.J.V.):

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15)

Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

It’s been said that courage is not the absence of fear; it is doing what you ought to do in spite of your fear. I like that. And it is with that thought in mind, as well as Mary Sue’s quote and these verses that I have listed, that I ask you, Christian, “Are you somehow letting fear dominate your life these days?”

Perhaps you are scared about an upcoming event. Perhaps you are scared about what some problematic person is going to do. Perhaps you are scared about the state of the world. I don’t know your circumstance, but I do know that people can be scared of all kinds of things. All I’m saying is, whatever your big, bad thing is, face it head on with a courage befitting a bona fide child of God.

Never forget that you are not alone in the fight. God is your heavenly Father, Jesus has promised to never leave you or forsake you, and the Holy Spirit dwells inside you. So, really, with the triune God right there in the fray with you, what could you possibly have to fear? There is absolutely nothing that He can’t help you handle.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Comfort, Courage, Depression, Doubt, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Omnipresence, Needs, Personal, Problems, Spiritual Warfare, The Holy Spirit, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Contest No One Can Win

Posted on July 14, 2023 by russellmckinney

Imagine a contest where the stated goal is: “Jump up and touch the moon.” Contestant #1 is an eighty-year-old woman with a walker. She steps up to the line and gives it all she’s got, but her jump doesn’t even register as measurable. Contestant #2 is Russell Mckinney. He steps up to the line and has a go, but his jump peaks out at about two inches. (I could have done a little better back in the day.) Contestant #3 is a bench-warmer on his high-school team. He takes his turn at the line and gets off what is easily the most impressive jump so far, which puts him in the lead. Finally, contestant #4 is NBA all-star Lebron James. His liftoff from the line is breathtaking to watch. The muscles in his powerful legs ripple as he soars straight up into the air. Higher and higher he goes, putting so much distance between his jump’s verticality and the high-schooler’s that second place isn’t even worth mentioning. When James finally comes back down he is quickly declared the obvious winner.

Actually, however, none of the contestants won. Remember, the contest wasn’t held to see who could jump the highest. It was held to see if anyone could jump up and touch the moon. Lebron got the closest to meeting the goal, but even he failed miserably at it.

The Bible teaches that earning your way into heaven by way of “good works” is like that contest. The goal is an impossibility from the start. Oh, sure, some may produce more “good works” than others. But, in the end, it’s laughable to think that anyone could get even remotely close to actually achieving the goal. It just can’t happen, and here’s why:

-Every human being is a born sinner (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20).

-Our inborn sin nature comes from Adam, the father of our race (Genesis 3:1-24; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Romans 5:12).

-Our nature of sin compels us to commit acts of sin, which makes us not only sinners by birth but sinners by choice (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:11-18).

-To break just one of God’s laws is to stand guilty of breaking them all because keeping God’s law is an all-or-nothing type of deal (James 2:10).

You see, once you understand the setup, you’ll realize that salvation (and by implication entrance into heaven) can NEVER come by way of “good works” (Titus 3:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-9). It is, instead, a gift that God gives to the sinner, a gift He extends in grace (unearned favor) to the one who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Savior (Ephesians 2:8). This singular-moment-in-time decision is also described in scripture as: believing in Jesus (John 3:16); coming to Jesus (John 5:39-40); receiving Jesus (John 1:12); trusting in Jesus (1 Timothy 4:10); calling upon Jesus (Romans 10:9-13); and opening the door to Jesus (Revelation 3:20).

I challenge you right now to take your Bible and read all these references that I have listed in this post, and let their truth wash over you. When you do you’ll see that the whole idea of someone earning their way into heaven by way of “good works” is patently absurd. Salvation is a gift, and like any gift it must be accepted to be owned. And since this gift is all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ, the only way to accept it is to accept Him. To reject Him is to reject the gift. The various terminologies that I cited at the close of the previous paragraph are all just different ways of describing the acceptance of the gift, but whatever you do, ACCEPT THE GIFT!!! If you don’t, you might as well be trying to jump and touch the moon to earn your way into heaven.

Posted in Assurance of Salvation, Belief, Bible Study, Depravity, Eternal Security, Eternity, Faith, Heaven, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

Posted on July 12, 2023 by russellmckinney

Why do the wicked prosper? It’s a question that goes back at least as far as the time of Job, a man who lived during or perhaps even before the patriarchal age of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Job 9:24, Job says, “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked…” Likewise, in Job 12:6, he says, “The tents of robbers prosper, and those who provoke God are secure…”

Asaph, who was a prominent singer and musician in the Israelite worship of King David’s time, also struggled with the question. In Psalm 73:3, he says, “For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Later on, in verse 12 of that same Psalm, he says, “Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.”

I’m sure that an entire book, or even a whole set of them, could be written in answer to the question, “Why do the wicked prosper?” That’s why I won’t even try to use this simple blog post to list every last reason. Instead, I just want to offer one reason, and that one reason is this: Much of the prosperity of the wicked can be attributed to Satan, not God.

Now please don’t get all technical on me here. Yes, I know that Satan can’t do anything that God doesn’t allow. However, with that understood, I want to take you back to the story of Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness. You can find it in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. Do you recall what Satan’s third and final temptation was? Matthew 4:8-9 describes it this way:

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (N.K.J.V.)

You see, there it is, proof positive that Satan has plenty of “stuff” to give those who do his work. And if you doubt that he holds that much stroke in this world, you should also read John 14:30, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, and Ephesians 2:1-2. Those passages teach that Satan is nothing less than the ruler of this world. Consequently, he has an abundant supply of money, power, possessions, fame, and worldly success to dispense to suit his purposes.

So, the next time you see someone who is obviously wicked and yet just as obviously prosperous, take a moment to consider that the person’s prosperity most likely comes from the hand of the devil. I’ve often used the line, “God won’t bless a mess.” That line still holds true, but the fact is that Satan will and many times does bless messes that are pleasing to him.

Posted in Business, Money, Prosperity, Satan, Temptation, The Devil | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Don’t Bail Out

Posted on July 10, 2023 by russellmckinney

Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67, N.K.J.V.)

A pilot announced to his passengers that three of the plane’s four engines had conked out. A few seconds later he came out of the cockpit, walked to the back of the plane, and put on a parachute. He opened the back door and just before jumping said, “Don’t worry folks, I’m going for help.”

This world is filled with people who will bail out on a difficult circumstance when the going gets tough. And they won’t be going for help, either. Sadly, in too many instances, this even applies to how we Christians follow Jesus.

One of the most somber questions that Jesus ever asked is found in John 6:67. Let me set the context for you. A tremendous crowd of 5,000 men (not counting women and children) gathered around Jesus near the slope of a mountain that hovered over the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus taught them (Mark 6:34), healed their sick (Luke 9:11), and miraculously fed the entire crowd by using a young boy’s lunch of five loaves of bread and two small fish (John 6:5-14).

In the wake of all that teaching and miracle working, the crowd began having thoughts about taking Jesus by force to make Him their earthly king (John 6:15). But Jesus wanted no part of such an election, and so He dispersed the crowd and commanded His twelve apostles to get into a boat and cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:22; Mark 6:45). Then He Himself went up into the mountain alone to pray (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46).

That night a terrible windstorm swept down upon the Sea of Galilee, preventing the twelve from making much headway to the opposite shore (Matthew 14:24; John 6:18). Finally, with them exhausted from their rowing (Mark 6:48; John 6:19), Jesus walked on the water to reach them (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:49-50), joined them in the boat (Mark 6:51), and calmed the storm (Mark 6:51). At that point, the boat was miraculously transported to the other shore (John 6:21). (For the record, this is also the story in which Peter attempts to walk on the water to Jesus: Matthew 14:25-33).

The following morning many of the original crowd of 5,000 got into boats and crossed over the Sea of Galilee to find Jesus (John 6:22-25). They caught up with Him in Capernaum (John 6:24). Shortly afterward, Jesus accused these people of only following Him for the miracles He could do for them (John 6:25-27). Then He launched into a weird teaching about Him being the bread of life and how they needed to eat of His flesh (John 6:28-59). You talk about throwing cold water onto a fickle bunch! When the teaching was finished, many in the crowd — many who had been calling themselves disciples (learners) of Jesus — turned away and never followed Him again (John 6:60-66). Just as He had said, they were only interested in following Him as long as the miracles were rolling and the teachings were pleasant and easy to understand.

It’s at that critical moment that Jesus looked at His twelve apostles and asked them the penetrating question, “Do you also want to go away?” Truth be told, some of them, particularly Judas Iscariot (John 6:70-71), may have. But Peter spoke up before anybody else could answer and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:68-69). Good for you, Peter!

Tell me, Christian, are you right now going through a difficult time with the Lord? Are you confused? Are you frustrated? Are you out of heart? Trust me, you aren’t the first to go down such a road. The question is, how will you respond? Will you turn back from following Christ? Or will you, like Peter, understand that turning away from Him is akin to turning away from the source of life and truth?

Please understand that I’m not talking about a Christian possibly losing his or her salvation. As the old saying goes, “once saved, always saved.” What I’m talking about is breaking fellowship with the Lord and bailing out on what He is trying to teach you through your difficult times. Such a bailout might provide a modicum of temporary relief, but in the end you’ll come to know all too well that you should have stayed on the plane or in the boat with your Savior.

Posted in Adversity, Backsliding, Choices, Christ's Miracles, Commitment, Complaining, Decisions, Depression, Disappointment, Discipleship, Disobedience, Doubt, Eternal Security, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, Obedience, Perseverance, Problems, Rebellion, Service, Suffering, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Truth, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Secret Sin

Posted on July 7, 2023 by russellmckinney

It’s been said that your character is what you are when no one is looking. However, it’s also been said that you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool God any time. In other words, God is always looking. And so what kind of character does He see on display from you when no one is looking?

When I was a kid I got a snazzy new tape recorder one Christmas. In the days that followed, I had a blast with that thing. One of my favorite pastimes was covertly recording the conversations between my mom and dad. You just never knew when you’d catch some bit of gossip, some unguarded moment of candor, or some discussion that they’d rather have not had immortalized on cassette tape. I thought it was all funny, but they weren’t always amused when they heard the playback.

Years later, in a clear case of the apple falling in close proximity to the tree, my youngest son, Royce, received a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas and tried to secretly record some of my conversations. Fortunately for me, I caught him before I could utter any blackmail-worthy remarks. Unfortunately for me, God’s tape recorder is always running. Actually, He has a video machine, not a tape recorder.

It’s with this in mind that I’ll ask you if you’ve been committing some supposedly “secret” sin lately? If you have, just know that “secret” sin on earth is open scandal in heaven. You might be fooling some of the people all of the time or even all of the people some of the time, but you aren’t fooling God any time. Furthermore, the Bible still says, “…be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). And if you don’t believe that, the only person you are fooling is yourself.

Posted in Adultery, Alcohol, Backsliding, Character, Conviction, Drugs, Gambling, God's Omnipresence, God's Judgment, God's Omniscience, Guilt, Homosexuality, Honesty, Hypocrisy, Lesbianism, Lust, Lying, Personal, Personal Holiness, Racism, Rebellion, Repentance, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment