The Bible & the Coronavirus

Posted on March 17, 2020 by russellmckinney

Like everybody else, my little corner of the world has been affected by the coronavirus even though no cases have been reported yet here in Mitchell county, NC. Our governor, Roy Cooper, has cancelled all public schools for at least two weeks, with the suspicion being that the cancellation will be longer, perhaps even until the end of the school year. That means that my wife Tonya and my son Ryan, who are both employed as middle-school teachers, are now having to scramble to prepare online classes for their students. Likewise, my son Royce is evidently going to be learning online as well due to the fact that Mayland Community College, the local college he attends, has also cancelled classes for the foreseeable future.

I myself am dealing with church issues. The original suggestion from Governor Cooper was that citizens should avoid gathering in groups of 100 or more for the next two weeks. Using that number as a guideline, we went ahead and had regular church services at Roan Mountain Baptist Church this past Sunday and had an attendance of 50 in Sunday School and 92 for worship service. That at least kept us “legal” (for lack of a better word). We did have some our regulars stay home, but we also picked up a few visitors whose churches had cancelled services. So, basically, everything evened out to keep us at our average numbers attendance wise.

The next day, however, the Center for Disease Control handed down the recommendation that gatherings of 50 or more people should be avoided, and President Trump followed that up by suggesting that gatherings be limited to 10 or more. Then I read last night that McDonald’s franchises nationwide are closing their dine-in option, and Governor Cooper held a press conference this morning to issue an Executive Order stating that all restaurants and bars in our state must remain closed to dine-in customers until further notice. There goes the option of dining out to enjoy a bit of escapism from all this chaos.

I’ve talked with a lot of people the past few days, read several articles on the internet, and (I’ll admit) camped out on Facebook for awhile in my attempt to figure out which way the wind is blowing concerning public opinion about the Coronavirus. Don’t worry, I won’t report all the different opinions I’ve run across, but what I would like to do is mention at least five of the verses (all from the N.K.J.V.) that are being bantered about in relation to the pandemic and offer my take on how they apply to the issues we are facing.

First, there is 2 Timothy 1:7, which says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Malcolm Woody and I chose this as the text verse for our podcast this past Friday due to the fact that so many people, including many Christians, were freaking out over the threat of the Coronavirus. I have to admit, though, that while the verse does provide a general word of encouragement to the Christian in regards to any potentially dangerous situation, I haven’t found much practical help in it as to whether or not to cancel church services. Putting it simply, I don’t have a fear about having church or cancelling it. I just wish that God would send me a text message or an email either way.

Second, there is Acts 5:29, where Peter and the other apostles say, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” This is the line that typically gets used when anyone starts talking about the government telling preachers what they can and can’t preach. This makes perfect sense in light of the fact that Peter and the other apostles spoke the words in response to the Jewish religious leaders attempting to forbid them from preaching about Jesus. Here again, though, the verse hasn’t helped me concerning cancelling church services. You see, it’s not like Governor Cooper or President Trump is telling us we can’t preach for Jesus or against any particular sin. This isn’t that. All they are doing is attempting to curtail the spread of a pandemic. Actually, they are trying to act in our best interest.

Third, there is Romans 13:1, which says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” The meaning of this verse isn’t hard to grasp: God wants Christians to submit to their governing authorities. Furthermore, I would remind us all that the apostle Paul wrote these words to Christians who were living under the Roman government, a government that was morally and spiritually worse than our United States government. And I would also add that this certainly isn’t the only passage in which God comes off as being very much pro-government and instructs Christians to submit to their governments. Other such passages are: 1 Peter 2:13-15; Matthew 22:21; Jeremiah 27:5; and Daniel 2:21. Needless to say, these passages make a strong case for minding your Governor and your President, especially if those politicians aren’t mandating something blatantly against scripture.

Fourth, there is Psalm 91:10, which says of the person who has made the Lord his refuge and dwelling place, “No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” Admittedly, this verse does sound like a promise that God won’t allow anything bad happen to the devout Christian. However, the best commentary on the Bible is always the Bible itself, and holy scripture is filled with stories that prove that Christians, even devout ones, shouldn’t run off too far with the words of Psalm 91:10. Abel was right with God but still got killed by Cain. Job was right with God but still buried ten children. Uriah was right with God but still got killed after David had impregnated his wife. Stephen was right with God but still got stoned to death by the Sanhedrin council. Paul was right with God but still got whipped, stoned, and shipwrecked. John was right with God but still got exiled to the penal colony on the island of Patmos.

Fifth, there is Matthew 4:7, where Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 in saying, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Interestingly, Jesus offers this answer in reply to Satan quoting Psalm 91:11-12 (the verses that follow Psalm 91:10, which I just covered). Satan quotes this portion of the Psalm in an effort to get Jesus to act presumptuously, not to mention recklessly, by casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the Jewish temple and expecting God the Father to send angels to keep Him from harm. This means that the teaching of the verse is that whatever scripture might say about God’s protection and refusing to live in fear, it isn’t God’s will for any Christian to needlessly place himself or herself in harm’s way. And that stands as doubly true if the Christian sets himself or herself to a course of action that requires God to send angels or perform a miracle to keep that Christian safe.

So, as you can see, the Bible can be used to back up just about any opinion that a Christian has about how to respond to the threat of the Coronavirus. Speaking as a pastor, what I have found particularly frustrating about the church dilemma created by the virus is that it places the church in a no-win situation. On the one hand, if we go along with the recommendations from the CDC, the Governor, and the President and cancel all services for at least the next couple of weeks, we run the risk of being classified as a bunch of gutless wonders who don’t have enough faith that God will protect us. But on the other hand, by continuing to meet for services we become (at best) civil rebels and (at worst) grim reapers if even one person actually gets sick and dies because of our meetings. See what I mean about it being a no-win situation?

In the end, I guess the best thing that any of us can do is fall back upon yet another verse of scripture, James 1:5. This is a verse that I not only quote often but employ frequently in my walk with the Lord. The verse says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Frankly, in all my years as a pastor I have never encountered any situation in which I have lacked wisdom any more than I do regarding all the variables involved with the Coronavirus threat. Therefore, what I’ve been doing and what I’m going to continue doing is asking God for wisdom about the decisions that need to be made. Right now, this is the best advice that I can give to any Christian in regards to this whole mess, and I assure you that it’s advice that I will be using myself.

Posted in Adversity, Church, Current Events, Decisions, Scripture, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Christian Verses” Podcast: 2 Timothy 1:7

Posted on March 16, 2020 by russellmckinney

We are certainly living in historic times, aren’t we? The coronavirus has seen to that. And while the end of this story is far from being written, this past Friday Malcolm and I devoted a podcast to offering a few thoughts on the subject. Neither one of us pretends to be a doctor or a health expert, but we do know something about what the Bible says about fear. To hear the podcast, just click on the link below:

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, Courage, Current Events, Fear, God's Sovereignty, Heaven, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

How to Lose the Joy of Salvation

Posted on March 13, 2020 by russellmckinney

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation… (Psalm 51:12, N.K.J.V.)

Prominent Baptist preacher Dr. Tom Wallace tells of an experience he had when he was serving as the pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Elkton, Maryland. One Sunday morning a man visited the church, listened intently to the sermon, and came forward during the altar call to receive Christ as his Savior. The fellow didn’t know much about Baptists or “religion” in general, but he was definitely excited about experiencing the salvation offered in Jesus.

When it came time for the man to be baptized, he joined Dr. Wallace in the baptistery and was immersed. But when the fellow came up from the water he did something unexpected. Rather than observe the usual reverential, dignified protocol, he immediately started clapping his hands and shouting, “Hot dog! Hot dog! Hot dog!” Dr. Wallace finishes the story by saying:

Our people roared with laughter. I quickly asked them for silence as I explained that this dear man had not been around the church and didn’t know about “amen,” “praise the Lord,” and “hallelujah.” His phrase was “hot dog,” and he was praising the Lord with the only vocabulary he knew.

Christian, you need to understand that a joyless life wasn’t what God had in mind for you when He saved you. I’m not saying that you should feel like saying, “Hot dog! Hot dog! Hot dog!” all the time, but frequently there should be times when you feel like it. Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, joy isn’t based upon your outward circumstances. It’s an inward thing that bubbles up from deep inside you, not an outer thing that oozes into your skin from the outside when everything happens to be going your way.

In John 15:1-10, Jesus tells His apostles that He is the vine and they are the branches, and they must abide in Him if they want to bear fruit. Next, He tells them how they can abide in Him. He says:

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:10, N.K.J.V.)

Following these words, Jesus then explains the direct correlation between keeping the commandments and experiencing joy. He says:

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11, N.K.J.V.)

The teaching, Christian, is that keeping the Lord’s commandments is the secret to you experiencing the joy of Christ. Even more than that, it is the secret to you experiencing that joy to the fullest. Actually, it’s not a stretch to say that joy is the reward that God bestows upon those who keep His commandments. .

We find further evidence of this in my text verse for this post. The verse comes from Psalm 51, a Psalm David wrote after he had lost his joy. And what had caused him to lose that joy? He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had for all intents and purposes ordered the execution of her husband, Uriah (1 Samuel 11:1-27). In other words, David had broken God’s commandments regarding adultery and murder. Therefore, it became inevitable that he would lose his joy. That’s why he had to confess his sin, seek God’s forgiveness, and beg God to restore to him the joy that is supposed to walk hand in hand with salvation.

The upshot of all this, Christian, is that if you want to have a genuine joy about you, you must keep the Lord’s commandments. Never forget that sin is a joy killer! This makes your choice very simple. You can either have your sin or you can have the joy of your salvation. What you can’t have is both at the same time. This is the lesson that David had to learn, and it’s one that you and I must learn as well. Here’s hoping that you’ve already learned it and are choosing wisely.

Posted in Backsliding, Confession, Disobedience, Forgiveness, Guilt, Holiness, Joy, Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Sin | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Daddy, They Won’t Block”

Posted on March 11, 2020 by russellmckinney

One of the funniest things I ever saw on a football field involved a friend of mine named Richie Jarrett and his son, Dylan. If you’ll bear with me while I set up the story, I think you’ll be glad you did. Trust me, it’s a good story.

First, Richie was coaching Dylan in a youth football game. Second, Dylan was playing quarterback. Third, at this level of league play the coach was allowed to literally be on the field so that he could stand in the huddle and call the plays rather than try to do the play-calling from the sidelines. Fourth, Richie called a play in which Dylan kept the ball and ran with it. Fifth, the play quickly turned into a complete disaster as Dylan hardly got out of his tracks before he got creamed by what looked like half the other team.

Everybody knew why the play had turned into such a debacle: Dylan’s offensive linemen hadn’t blocked a soul. And I assure you this fact wasn’t lost on Dylan. That’s why he was hopping mad with his linemen when he got up from the bottom of that pile of defensive players. Then came the moment I’ll never forget. As Dylan stomped back to Richie for another huddle, the little fellow shouted out to him in utter disgust, “Daddy, they won’t block!”

Have you ever been there? Have you ever taken it on the chin because somebody else didn’t do their job? Have you ever had to pay for somebody else’s shortcomings? My guess is that we have all felt that kind of sting at one point or another. Speaking as a pastor, I can’t even begin to count the times when I’ve had to do a church job that someone else in the church was more talented, gifted, and available to do, but I got piled on because that other person wouldn’t block.

Unfortunately, you just can’t make others do, can you? And equally as unfortunately it’s not like the work slows down in consideration of the fact that some people aren’t doing their share of it. No, the work marches unceasingly forward, forevermore piling up to whatever degree it gets left undone. Welcome to life.

So, for anyone out there reading this who feels overwhelmed by all the work that needs to be done, let me offer a word of encouragement. Actually, it’s a word that I once heard famed preacher Adrian Rogers give in a sermon. He said, “You’ve got enough time each day to do everything that God wants you to do.”

Ah, there’s the secret, isn’t it? We must learn to build our days around doing only those things that God wants us to do. That, ladies and gentlemen, is decidedly different from doing all the things that others want us to do.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, N.K.J.V., underlined emphasis mine). What these words from Christ teach us is that Jesus isn’t in the business of burning out His servants. As I once heard another notable preacher, John Hunter, say of these words, “Serving Jesus isn’t go, go, go and do, do, do.”

Keep this in mind, Christian, anytime you feel weighted down by a workload that has been created for you because other people won’t block. The Lord doesn’t expect you to be all things to all people and corkscrew yourself into a state of exhaustion in the process. He just expects you to be the person He wants you to be and do only the work that He calls you to do each day.

Admittedly, some days will be busier than others, and, yes, there will be times when He will want you to pick up the slack left behind by others. But if you think that His plan for you is to work you like a pack mule until you break down physically, emotionally, or spiritually, you are surely serving the wrong Master. The God who said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” isn’t a harsh taskmaster or (getting back to my opening illustration) an overly demanding coach. He does understand a lack of blocking, and He does care deeply about any individual who pays the price for it.

Posted in Depression, Doing Good, Encouragement, God's Love, God's Will, God's Work, Human Life, Ministry, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Stewardship, Talents, Work, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does Satan Know the Future?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by russellmckinney

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9, N.K.J.V.)

I’ve been preaching a prophecy series on Sunday mornings at the church, doing more or less a survey course of the book of The Revelation. Like many other preachers, I interpret the events of the book to be the apostle John laying out a chronological timeline of events (with just an exception or two here and there) that will take place in the future. This means that I preach that Jesus will rapture away His church from this earth before the seven-year tribulation period begins, and that He will visibly return to walk this earth again at the end of the tribulation period just prior to the beginning of His 1,000 year reign upon the earth.

Okay, so why am I telling you this? I’m doing it to lay the groundwork for a question that arises from Revelation 12:7-9. Follow my logic here. If John truly is presenting a chronological timeline of future events, those verses must then refer to a second war in heaven that will take place at the midway point of the tribulation period. (For the record, the first war in heaven is referenced by way of the symbolized characters of Revelation 12:3-4.)

Of course, someone might object to this idea of there being a second war in heaven by saying, “But if Satan and the other rebellious angels were cast out of heaven long ago after the first war there, how could they ever get back into heaven to mount a second war?” While that sounds like a perfectly reasonable objection, it’s one that is easily answered by scripture. I say that because Job 1:6, Job 2:1, and Zechariah 3:1-2 all teach that Satan (and by implication the other fallen angels) still have some type of limited access to heaven if they chose to temporarily ignore their banishment from the place.

Therefore, we believe the midway point of the tribulation period will see a second war in heaven, and we believe the outcome of that war will be the same as the first heavenly war: Satan and his angels will lose and be kicked out of heaven. Satan will then come back down to the earth and, as John puts it, will have “…great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12, N.K.J.V.). That “short time” will be the last half of the seven-year tribulation period.

But all this gets me up to my question: Does Satan know the future? Specifically, if he knows that God’s written word prophesies that he and the other fallen angels will lose a second war in heaven, why would Satan forge on ahead with the war when the time comes? I mean, if you knew for a certainty that what you were planning was doomed to fail, wouldn’t you forego your plan? And if we have that much common sense, doesn’t Satan?

As my answer, let me first say that Satan does surely know what the Bible says about his future. For one thing, he’s had plenty of time to learn scripture. For another, even if he doesn’t know how to read (which I’m sure isn’t a problem for him), all he has to do is listen to preachers and teachers read passages of scripture and explain what the passages mean. Consequently, there’s no doubt that Satan knows what the Bible teaches. If you don’t believe that he knows scripture, let me remind you that when he tempted Jesus he actually quoted Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus. Along the same lines, if you want to classify as scripture God’s words to Adam and Eve about not eating the forbidden fruit, Satan quoted (actually purposely misquoted) that scripture to Eve.

Obviously, then, Satan does know what the Bible declares about his future. That’s indisputable. But as for the question of whether or not he knows specific future events that aren’t mentioned in the Bible, I would have to say that he doesn’t have that much knowledge. Putting it simply, his knowledge of the future isn’t limitless. For example, does he already know that you are going to say a cuss word after you hit your hand with a hammer tomorrow? No. Does he already know that you are going to be involved in a car accident next week? No. Does he already know that you are going to buy a new house next year and what house you will buy? No. Only God has perfect foreknowledge of all future events (Isaiah 42:9; 46:9-10). That’s one of the things that makes God unique.

I will say that Satan has been around a long time and has been observing human tendencies for thousands of years. This makes him very good at predicting our behavior. He also has virtually unlimited access, through his vast network of demons (fallen angels), to incredible amounts of information, much of it supposedly secret or private. This explains how clairvoyants, fortune tellers, psychics, and seers can on occasion predict future events with incredible accuracy. These people are indeed channeling into a very real current of information, but it’s a current created by Satan and his demons based upon conversations, writings, etc. in which they’ve either heard or watched people engage. This explains why God’s word strongly warns against dabbling in the dark arts (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:9-14). As a matter of fact, in ancient Israel being a soothsayer/medium/psychic/interpreter of omens was actually a death-penalty offense (Leviticus 20:27)!

In the end, I don’t know with certainty why Satan goes ahead with all his anti-God plans even when he knows full well that his prophesied future is:

  • a second failed attempt to take over heaven (Revelation 12:7-9)
  • a failed attempt to prevent Jesus from returning to this earth and establishing His 1,000 year reign over it (Revelation 19:1-21)
  • a thousand years of imprisonment in God’s bottomless pit during Christ’s 1,000 year reign (Revelation 20:1-3)
  • a final failed attempt to overthrow the reign of Jesus immediately following his release from that bottomless pit at the end of the thousand years (Revelation 20:7-9)
  • a formal sentencing to spend eternity in God’s lake of fire (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41)

One possibility is that Satan hates God so much that he’d rather play out a doomed hand rather than submit to Him. Another one is that Satan is arrogant enough to think that he can still somehow beat God and in so doing rewrite prerecorded history. Another one is that despite the fact that Satan loves to think of himself as the ultimate rebel, even he must play his assigned role in God’s great plan for the future.

I myself like the thought of that last possible interpretation. Sure, Satan and those other rebel angels once went rogue by their own choosing, but once they had done that God said, “Alright, now that you’ve made your choice, not only am I going to seal you eternally in that choice, I’m also going to use you in your rebellious state in my far-reaching plan for the human race.” You see, under this interpretation, Satan and all his rebel angels must dutifully do the bidding of God even if they know that bidding won’t end well for them. This means that even though Satan does know the future — at least what the Bible says about his future — he really has no say whatsoever in doing anything to change it. He’s just a captain who sails a doomed ship, even if he does seem to be a captain who is immensely enjoying his limited time at the helm.

Posted in Angels, Demons, Eternity, God's Foreknowledge, God's Omniscience, Prophecy, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Christian Verses” Podcast: Genesis 4:7

Posted on March 8, 2020 by russellmckinney

In Genesis 4:7, God told Cain, “If you don’t do well, sin is crouching at your door.” The picture of sin crouching at the door is certainly a very graphic one, but what exactly does it mean? This is the question Malcolm and I answer with the new podcast. To listen, click on the link below:

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, Depravity, Sin, Temptation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Vance Havner’s Take on Worldly Christians

Posted on March 6, 2020 by russellmckinney

Vance Havner was born in Jugtown, North Carolina, in 1901, began preaching at the age of 14, and spent the next 70 years preaching, pastoring, writing, and speaking in revival services and Bible conferences. How much of a legend did he become? Billy Graham preached his funeral. Is that enough of a legend for you?

Havner was probably best known for his “Havner-isms.” These were pithy, folksy quotes and illustrations that were uniquely him. Preachers have been using these for decades. As Billy Graham said in that eulogy:

Of course, we’re going to miss him. Especially those of us who preach, for his books are on all our shelves and his illustrations are in our sermons. Someone has said everyone is born an original and dies a copy. That wasn’t true of Vance Havner. Vance Havner was born an original and he died an original.

Here are a few quotes from Havner, just to give you the flavor of the man and his ministry:

  • (on church): “If things are quiet and undisturbed in your church, that is not necessarily a good sign. Things are usually pretty quiet around the sick and the dead and especially in graveyards.”
  • (on preaching): “You can’t tell it like it is, if you don’t believe it like it was.”
  • (on marriage): “Switch two letters in the word ‘united,” and it reads “untied.”
  • (on the so-called “social gospel”): “If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.”
  • (on science): “Sin has gotten men into more trouble than science can get him out of.”
  • (on prayer): “The measure of any Christian is his prayer life.”
  • (on Christianity): “We have been inoculated with such a mild form of Christianity that we are immunized against the real thing.”

I myself own two books full of Vance Havner quotes, but recently I ran across one of his extended quotes that I hadn’t read. So, I thought I’d offer it as the heart of this post. The quote is entitled “Our Downfall Is Plotted”:

Every Christian is a contradiction to this old world. He crosses it at every point. He goes against the grain from beginning to end. From the day he is born again until the day he goes on to be with the Lord, he must stand against the current of a world always going the other way. God expects him to be “beside himself,” “a fool for Christ’s sake.”

If he allows it, men will tone him down, steal the joy of his salvation and reduce him to the dreary level of the general average. If the Devil cannot keep us from being saved, he next endeavors to make average Christians of us; and in this he usually succeeds. He tames the holy recklessness of God’s dare-saints until they sink into the drab pattern of most of us, “faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly null.”

The Devil does not mind our joining the church if we behave like most of those who are already inside. But when a real, wide-awake Christian breezes along, taking the Gospel seriously, the Devil grows alarmed and begins plotting his downfall.

What Havner was talking about in that quote was one of his favorite themes: the idea of the Christian being radically different (in a good way for God) from the rest of the world. Think about Havner’s description of the Christian. Such a person: contradicts this world, crosses it at every point, goes against the grain, stands against the current, and alarms the Devil to the point where the Devil begins plotting the person’s downfall.

Tell me, Christian, does that description of how the Christian is supposed to live describe your life? I mean, seriously, when was the last time you living out your faith caused you to be looked upon as “weird” or at least “different”? The fact is, if your Christianity isn’t frequently setting you at odds with this world, then you either don’t have the real thing or you aren’t putting it into practice correctly. Even Jesus said, “Woe unto you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). And He certainly knew what He was talking about, didn’t He? After all, Him living out His faith got Him not just criticized but also crucified.      

Posted in Backsliding, Character, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Work, Holiness, Influence, Persecution, Sacrifice, Salvation, Sanctification, Satan, Separation, Service, Sin, The Devil | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Danger of Leaving God’s Pasture

Posted on March 4, 2020 by russellmckinney

An old shepherd once attended a church service and was called upon to pray. The prayer he offered spoke of three things: his Christianity, his occupation of shepherd, and his experience with stepping outside God’s will. He prayed, “Lord, I got among the thorns and briars and got scratched so badly that I was torn and bleeding. But, Lord, it is only fair to say that I didn’t get scratched until I wandered out of Your pasture.”

The term “God’s pasture” was the shepherd’s quaint way of describing God’s will for his life. Admittedly, the inside of that will doesn’t always mean safety in terms of worldly circumstances. You can ask the apostles about that as they are furiously rowing in the midst of that windstorm on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21). It is equally true, however, that to step outside God’s will is to open the door for all kinds of worldly and spiritual disaster to enter your life. As the shepherd so descriptively put it, if you want to get scratched up to the point of bleeding, try wandering out of the Lord’s pasture.

My brother Richie and I were driving down a road the other day, trying to locate a certain car lot where I was going to look at a car I was considering buying. As we drove we passed a field where cows were grazing. The field was boxed in by a barbed-wire fence, and a few of the cows were grazing at the edge of the field, right up next to the fence line. One cow, however, was riskily reaching its neck between the lines of fence so that it could eat the grass that lay just on the other side of the fence. I said to Richie, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Perhaps right now you find your feet in a place outside of the pasture God has designed for you. Maybe you have wandered into a wrong relationship, a wrong job, a wrong pursuit, or a wrong whatever. Then again, maybe you haven’t actually left God’s pasture yet but, like that cow, you are dangerously reaching out your neck to taste some new field even as you try to keep your feet in the one in which God has you. Am I writing to anybody out there?

If any of this hits you, all I can say is consider this post God’s warning to you. If you haven’t already started feeling the thorns and briars — or at least the cuts from that barbed-wire fence at your neck — get ready because they are surely headed your way sooner or later. They might be worldly. They will definitely be spiritual. The chances are they will be both. But rest assured, you are going to end up scratched. That’s a given anytime we get outside God’s will. So as the old saying goes, “Be warned, be wise, and beware.” God’s pasture is always the best place for you.

Posted in Backsliding, Change, Choices, Contentment, Decisions, Desires, God's Will, Temptation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Partial Obedience is Full Disobedience

Posted on March 2, 2020 by russellmckinney

Israel’s King Saul had his marching orders. They had been given to him by Samuel, Israel’s unquestioned spiritual leader. Samuel, speaking for God, had told Saul to take Israel’s army and attack the Amalekities. More than just attack the Amalekites, Samuel had commanded Saul to kill anything or anyone that carried the name “Amalekite.” That included: men, women, infants, babies, oxen, sheep, camels, and donkeys (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

Why was God coming down with such complete vengeance upon the Amalekites? It was because they were a wicked people, originally spawned from a wicked ruler (Amalek. a grandson of Esau), who had long ago attacked Moses and the Israelites in an unprovoked manner as the exhausted group had been making its way toward the promised land of Cannan (Exodus 17:8-13; Deuteronomy 25:17-18). That day the Amalekites had become a marked people in God’s eyes.

Following that attack, and Israel’s subsequent victory over them, God had sworn to one day utterly blot out the remembrance of the Amalekites (Exodus 17:14-16). Years later, He had even told Moses to instruct the Israelites to blot out the Amalekites completely once Israel was securely established in Canaan (Deuteronomy 25:19). And so now, under King Saul’s leadership, it was time for Israel to at long last make good on the blotting out of the Amalekites, who had been a thorn in their side for centuries (Judges 6:3).

But what did King Saul do? He didn’t completely obey his marching orders. Oh, he did gather together an army of over 200,000 soldiers (1 Samuel 15:4), and he did attack the Amalekites and slaughter thousands of them in a sweeping invasion of their territory (15:5-7). What he didn’t do, though, was thoroughly annihilate all of them, per Samuel’s instructions. As evidence of this, the Amalekites could still be found in the land years afterward (1 Samuel 27:8), and David, Saul’s successor to Israel’s throne, would one day be forced to engage in a memorable battle with them (1 Samuel 30:1-31).

Not only did Saul spare the Amalekites’ choicest livestock, he was audacious enough in his disobedience to even spare the Amalekite king, Agag, and keep him as a prisoner of war (15:8-9). Well, you can imagine how displeased God was with those decisions, and so He told Samuel, “I greatly regret that I have set Saul up as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments” (15:10-11, N.K.J.V.). In keeping with that word from God, Samuel then rose early the next morning and eventually found Saul and his encampment at Gilgal (15:12).

Saul greeted Samuel with the cheerful words, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (15:13, N.K.J.V.), but Samuel was in no mood to hear it. Rather than greet Saul with a warm reply in return, Samuel curtly asked him, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (15:14, N.K.J.V.). You see, Samuel didn’t even have to hear about Saul’s sparing of King Agag to consider Saul a rebel. The mere fact that Saul had spared the Amalekite sheep and oxen was enough to do it!

In the conversation that ensued, Saul offered a lame excuse about how he planned to offer the sheep and oxen as sacrifices to the Lord (15:15). When Samuel reminded him that his marching orders had been to utterly wipe out everything about the Amalekites, Saul threw his troops under the bus by saying they were the ones who had spared the best livestock to use in sacrifice (15:17-21). By this point, Samuel was tired of hearing about those animals being used as sacrifices, and so he said to Saul, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (15:22).

Then Samuel, in effect, ended Saul’s reign as king even though Saul would continue to occupy the throne several more years. Samuel told him, “Because you have rejected the word of the lord, He has also rejected you from being king” (15:23). Later that day, Samuel had King Agag brought to him and promptly hacked Agag to pieces right there on the spot (15:32-33)! Samuel then departed for Ramah, as Saul returned to his home in Gibeah, and Samuel went to his grave never paying Saul another visit (15:34-35). Talk about a pivotal day in the life of Saul and the history of Israel!

The lesson we should glean from this story is very simple: In God’s eyes, partial obedience amounts to full disobedience. Yes, this is a high standard, but it’s hard to draw any other conclusion from God’s words to Samuel — “(Saul) has not performed My commandments” — and Samuel’s question to Saul — “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?” Obviously, when God tells us to do something, He will accept no substitutes for obedience to that command, even substitutes that appear to be “religious” in nature (such as offering sacrifices). And so I’ll ask you just one question: Have you left any sheep bleating in your life? If you have, then be warned that God won’t be pleased with you until you fully do what He told you to do.

Posted in Decisions, Disobedience, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Obedience, Problems, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Sir, We Would See Jesus”

Posted on February 27, 2020 by russellmckinney

The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. (John 12:21, K.J.V.)

Word has it that a church in Georgia has an angling stairway the preacher must ascend to get into the pulpit. At one point along the stairway a certain phrase is etched into the stone. The phrase is taken from the last part of John 12:21 and reads: “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

Even more than being etched into stone in a certain church in Georgia, that particular phrase has been used throughout the world to encourage and at times rebuke preachers. For example, an old story is told about a pastor who had lost his faith, a loss that started showing up more and more in his preaching. Finally, one Sunday morning he found an unsigned note on his pulpit Bible. The note read: “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

The note shook the pastor to his core and forced him to reexamine not only his preaching but also his personal beliefs. At the end of that long process, and after quite a bit of wrestling with God over the various issues that had worked to destroy his faith in the first place, the pastor returned to the childlike simplicity of His faith in Jesus Christ. This revival in the pastor’s personal walk with Christ soon manifested itself in his preaching, and it wasn’t hard for his congregation to notice the difference. Not long afterward the pastor found another note on his pulpit Bible one Sunday morning. This note quoted a portion of a different verse, John 20:20, from the same gospel of John. The note read:

…Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Do the people of the world need to see Jesus in preachers? Absolutely. But the truth is, they need to see Jesus in every Christian. So, I’ll ask you right now, Christian, how much Jesus can others see in you these days? If (like that pastor) you are currently experiencing a low tide of faith, you need to get alone with the Lord and work through whatever has crippled your faith. And be warned, that’s never an easy, pleasant process if you do it thoroughly. The fact is, however, there are times when it is a necessary one if others are going to truly see Jesus in you.

Posted in Adversity, Anger, Belief, Depression, Disappointment, Discipleship, Doubt, Faith, Joy, Ministry, Preaching, Problems, Service, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment