Does the personal invite really make a difference?

There is power in the invite.  To care enough to reach out to a friend, classmate, co-worker, or family member speaks volumes concerning love.  Most people are extremely blessed when you take a moment to invite them because you care.  I have always been amazed when people respond with such genuineness and even sometimes in tears as I have taken the opportunity to care, listen and invite.  Most of those people thank me for inviting them. Some even respond with “Thanks for caring”.

Remember the Biblical story found in Luke 5:17-26 … ^“17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. ¹⁸ And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, ¹⁹ but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶ And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” (ESV)

I.  Bring someone who has a Need:  v. 18

“ … some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, …”, these men found someone in need and brought him to Jesus.  He probably would have never gone there on his own but needed some people to care enough to pick him up and bring him to Jesus.  Each of us today have people just like this … they need to be picked up … cared for … and brought to Jesus.  Take the time to invest in another life.  Take them to breakfast before, or lunch after you attend church together.  Sit with them.  Explain to them what is going on.  Introduce them to many who love Jesus.  Allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.

II.  Bringing someone will take Work:  v. 19

Ø “… finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.”, this kind of discipleship, and reaching out doesn’t come easy.  It takes work.  Much like the men who picked up the man and carried him a distance to Jesus … that took work … sweat … and energy.  Bringing people to Jesus today takes work as well.  Just to attend a local community of faith is not going to bring people to Jesus.  We’ve got to work … sweat … and reach out with our own time, energy, and efforts.

III.  Bringing someone with Great Faith: v. 20

“… he saw their faith, …”, God will honor your faith.  Like the men who brought their friend to Jesus even today God loves to honor the faithfulness of his people.  Seeing their faith in action brought about a great work of God.  Verse 17 clearly reveals that Christ was present to do a great work in the hearts and lives of the people … the power of God was upon Him to heal.  It is interesting to notice though that Jesus healed the man’s spiritual condition first before putting His attention towards his physical needs.  When we bring people to Jesus He will work first on their heart before their body.

“And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” v. 26 — May we expect the Lord to continue to do amazing things still even today.  May we be faithful to bring people to Jesus and let Him do what He does best … redeem them – forgive them – fill them – and give them an inheritance that will never fade, diminish, or end.  Press on in His Name.

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^[1][1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Lk 5:17–26). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Do Transformational Churches have Remodeling Phases?

This past November the TN Baptist family gathered together for a great time of fellowship and decision making.  It was a wonderful convention as we praised, prayed, and planned together for the future.  I believe we made some clear and certain steps together as we began to write a NEW chapter concerning the Gospel and it’s advancement across the state of Tennessee.  Voting to approve a move towards a 50/50 assignment of cooperative giving funds, the confirmation of selecting a team of men and women across our state to serve this year on the 2021 Strategic Vision Team, and the continued affirmation that the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is our common ground of doctrinal clarity launches us into the future.

But with this kind of future we now move into a remodeling phase of our convention.  We can’t make decisions like this without realizing that our convention must change.  When you remodel something it is wise to go forward with some certain understandings:

• Remodeling is always messy: I remember a friend years ago telling me about how he put hardwood floors in his house.  At the time it seemed to be a great idea, but as the project advanced he had second thoughts about the project.  It became a real mess.  He shared with me that it got so messy that he had to put a pan of water by his bed to wash his feet off because the dust and such had gotten so bad that he had to wash his feet constantly or the mess on the floor would be in his bed and that made for a very uncomfortable night.
• Remodeling always cost more that what you anticipated: You have a vision, a dream, a plan … but as it unfolds so does the cost.  Many times it will cost more than you had planned for but to complete the project you have to dig deeper and put out the money to complete the project.
• Remodeling always has surprises: Somewhere on the journey something pops up that no one anticipated.  It is not any one persons fault but it must be dealt with for the project to be completed.  So, you press on and deal with it.
• Remodeling is always a joy once the project is completed: The journey was long, difficult, and hard but as you look back and the project is now completed the difference was well worth it.  The project makes you feel better, allows you to be more productive, is enjoyable to look at, and has made a significant difference for you and others.

Looking towards the future of remodeling our churches and our convention it would be a good thing to remember these understandings and also apply to us as individual churches and convention.  Because as we move forward each of us will face these situations sooner or later.  To push back the darkness in Tennessee and beyond it will get messy, it will cost us more than we think, it will have many surprises that must be dealt with, and the end result will bring great joy and more importantly many to a saving understanding of Christ.  I am willing to join hands with you as you join hands with me during this remodeling phase.  Prayerfully and Purposefully we move into this new chapter together so that the cross of Christ will be lifted up as never before in order that all men will be drawn unto Him.

Truly blessed and may the remodeling begin!

What is this Advent Conspiracy?

The family at Hermitage Hills is engaged with a Conspiracy … an Advent Conspiracy.  What is this all about?  It’s about a group of Christ Followers planning and agreeing to commit a subversive act together to undermine and overthrow the commercialization of Christmas of today’s culture by discovering a New Christmas with Christ and His Gospel at the Center of Giving.

To do this we must Re-Think Christmas. We must reach back into history to understand the true meaning of Christmas.  It’s about Jesus.  It’s about His birth.  It’s about giving glory to God.  How can we better connect with these kinds of celebrations this Christmas?

Worship Fully:

Acceptable worship does not happen spontaneously. Preparation is essential.  In a worship service, for example, the choir prepares, the preacher prepares, the musicians prepare, and etc. BUT the most important preparation of all is the preparation of the individual worshiper, and that is usually the most neglected. Hebrews 10:22 – is a call to worship, it gives rich insight into what kind of preparation God expects from a worshiper: “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled _⌊clean_⌋ from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.” God loves to draw near to His people.  James 4:8 … “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!” Worship is not about a song or style.  It’s about hearts opening up to his presence as we sincerely worship Him.  Think about these four checkpoints as you consider your worship today.  Sincerity, Fidelity, Humility, and Purity. Without them we are not prepared to enter God’s presence to worship. If, however, we can pass those checkpoints, we may draw near in full confidence, and God will draw near to us. That is the divine promise, and worship reaches its most sublime heights when the worshiper is living in God’s presence, in the glow of His glory, a life of worship.

Spend Less:

Spending less combined with Godliness brings Contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6 - “But godliness with contentment is a great gain.” This Greek word for contentment means “self-sufficiency,” and was used by Stoic philosophers to describe a person who was unflappable and unmoved by external circumstances because their “self-sufficiency” was founded in the “sufficiency of Christ”. Christ sufficiency brings to one’s life His Supremacy in all things … including our belongings. Christians are to be satisfied and sufficient, and not to seek for more than what God has already given them. Therefore, Christ should be our source of true contentment.  The truly godly person is not interested in becoming rich. He possesses inner resources which furnish riches far beyond that which earth can offer.

Spending less births Contentment that brings Perspective: 1 Timothy 6:7 …“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.” When someone’s spirit leaves his body at death, it can take nothing with it because, when that person came into the world at birth, he brought nothing with him. Whatever wealth we accumulate goes to the government, our heirs, and perhaps charity and the church. We always know the answer to the question, “How much did he leave?” Everything!

Spending Less allows a Perspective to bring Balance: 1 Timothy 6:8 … “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” The basic necessities of life are what ought to make Christians content.  Paul does not condemn having possessions, as long as God graciously provides them (see v. 17). He does, however, condemn a self-indulgent desire for money, which results from discontentment. A miser without food would starve to death counting his money.  Remember the simple-living Quaker who was watching his new neighbor move in, with all of the furnishings and expensive “toys” that “successful people” collect. The Quaker finally went over to his new neighbor and said, “Neighbor, if ever thou dost need anything, come to see me, and I will tell thee know how to get along without it.” Henry David Thoreau, the naturalist of the 1800s, reminded us that a man is wealthy in proportion to the number of things he can afford to do without.^[1][1]

Give More:

Give More of Your Time: The word Time is found 916 times in the = HCSB. The phrase “Using Time Productively” got 1,770,000 hits on Google.  So, it is easy to say that Time is a very important issue to just about everyone. But, the fact is everyone has the same about of time … no one has less or more.  It’s one factor in life that does not have favorites or is unequally distributed across economic cultures … and yet … it is a Treasured Possession … it is what everyone desires more of …. More time … to live … to love … to share … to grow … to experience … to connect.  But, you can’t purchase this Treasured Element in Life … it is GIVEN! Therefore, Plan this Christmas to give more of Your Time.

Give More of Your Heart: The word Heart is found 715 times in the HCSB. See 2 Cor. 6:11 … Paul speaks about how his heart has been opened wide …  Lit. “our heart is enlarged”.  This is evidence of Paul’s genuine love for the Corinthians was that no matter how some of them had mistreated him, he still loved them and had room for them in his heart.  A part of this “Enlarged” Heart that Christ gives to His followers is to have the ability to feel what others are feeling with great sympathy.

Give More Of Your Abilities and Talents: The word Ability is found 13 times in the HCSB. See Acts 11:29 … according to each one’s ability they gave financially to help others in need. Some may have had the money to give and just gave it. Some may have had to go and work to gave it. Some may have had to sell something they had made in order to give. Some may have had to trade something and gave it. But, the point is … each one “according to their ability” Gave!

Advent Conspiracy Video

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[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (1 Ti 6:3). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

Why do some believers get upset at the government when it attempts to help the poor?

I’m not quite sure where this question is coming from but let me share at least my personal opinion concerning this subject.  It is very clear in scripture that God calls upon His church to be about the work of assisting the poor.  In 2 Corinthians 9:9 the cheerful giver opens his or her hand and freely gives to the needy. Certainly this does not mean that a person must give away everything. If Christians were to donate all their belongings to help the poor, their resources to generate additional income would be gone and they themselves would be poor. The members of the early church helped the poor by selling parcels of land or houses, but they did this only from time to time (Acts 4:34). The apostles never coerced the rich to sell their property, but they expected that each person would give voluntarily from a cheerful heart.  By distributing blessing upon blessing to our fellow human beings, we in turn will receive multitudes of unexpected blessings from God. Whatever one distributes bountifully will be returned eventually in even greater measure. Calvin, in this commentary on 2 Corinthians, page 121, paraphrases rightly the words of Paul and says, “The more liberal you are to your neighbors, the more liberal you will find the blessing that God pours forth on you.”  We are instructed in scripture to remember the poor and to find ways to relieve their pain.

So, if a fellow believer has a cause to be concerned about the government’s actions to help the poor it could be because their disappointment is with the church.  If the church was doing what has been commanded of her to perform, there would be no need for the government to take action.  Think about that for a moment.  If every Bible believing church was taking serious action to relieve and remove poverty the results would be far greater than what the government could ever do.  So possibly the concern is over the lack of church participation in this much needed ministry from the body of Christ to those in need.

Let’s be honest.  What is your New Testament church doing to give relief to the poor in your community?  Now I’m not talking about a simple 3 or 4 shelf closet in your church that has a few canned goods.  I’m talking about a weekly intentional outreach into the community of those in need.  How often does your church have a food drive each year to give to the poor?  How is your church helping to clothe the naked and give warmth to those who are cold?  Is the body of Christ seriously taking up the mantel of removing poverty in our society?  From my view … I don’t think so.  Therefore, the government has stepped in and is doing what it can.  Is this the government’s responsibility? No, I don’t think so.

Let’s be prayerful about God’s call on His church to meet the needs of those less fortunate in our communities.  May we get more proactive in making a difference.  I know it will be blessed by God and will bring a smile to His face.

At Hermitage Hills we have the joy of celebrating our Heartbeat Ministry to the community:

Open every Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Hermitage Campus … the Heartbeat ministry provides food, clothing and spiritual counseling to families in need throughout the Hermitage and surrounding areas.  Hundreds of volunteers are active in this ministry every single weekend in order to make an impact against poverty and the help the hurting.  It is the call of Christ on His church.

Why do some believers think that tithing/giving is not for them?

The word tithing sends some believers into convulsions.  The subject has always been questioned, complained about, viewed as only an Old Testament principle, and disregarded by many believers.  The truth is the church doesn’t have a financial problem it has an obedience problem.  Because if every professing believer gave according to scripture, whether you are an Old Testament tither or a New Testament cheerful giver, there would be more than enough that the church would ever need to invest in ministry to see the Gospel released on a world in need of truth, grace, and mercy.

Maybe this all goes back to the beginning of one’s faith. Did they understand the true meaning of repentance?  Did they really grasp Lordship and ownership?  Have they truly been baptized into His death and raised to walk in “newness of life”?  It would seem to reflect that if the answer to these questions is YES, then giving is a mute issue.  If I truly believe that it is all about Him, His Gospel, His plan, His will, or His purpose … then giving the tithe is a simple yes.  It would seem that true believer’s love to give as the scripture indicates, cheerfully giving out of abundance of love for their Savior and to see His kingdom advance through giving.  But, sad to say, it seems that many stumble around this truth.  Some even pitch in a little here and there and feel as though they have made a big difference for the Gospel.  How does a believer making a good salary come to the Lord’s Day and put in a dollar when the offering plate comes by and feels as if they have truly done their part or have been obedient? That’s a great question.  I don’t know how they can do this.

Perhaps the pulpit needs to do a better job of expounding on God’s Word when it comes to giving. But we all know that that breeds, “Every time I come to church all they do is talk about money”.  We know that is not true but that statement is common when the pulpit teaches on this subject.  Of course we know that when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one that yelps just got hit … so it should not surprise us that people will be people and everyone is on a different place in the journey.

Where are you when it comes to giving? Is Jesus Christ truly your Lord?  If so, giving is just as important to you as praying, sharing, learning, singing, or any other spiritual practices that will enhance your relationship with Christ.  Let this blog be an encouragement to you to trust God.  If you have trusted Him with your eternity … then don’t you think you can trust Him with your finances?  God makes you a great promise in Philippians 4:19 … “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Follow Him, trust Him, and give cheerfully to His church the storehouse so that the people of God can push back the darkness together.

What Does a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ Look Like Today?

I’m not sure I can give you photo of this person since all believers are on a continued process of sanctification but there are certain characteristics that can be considered and used to evaluate our spiritual journey.  Consider these characteristics with your life and see how you might measure up.

Communion with God …. having a passion for God that draws me to Him and motivates me to live for Him.  A Fully Devoted Follower of Christ (know as FDFOC from this point forward) does not settle for church attendance to measure their heart for Christ but looks completely at the value of Communion with God in everyday living.  A FDFOC refuses to go with the mainstream of today’s faith that seems to depend more on traditional church attendance to display loyalty and commitment.  In other words, if I get up and come to a church say twice a month just to check that box, then I am a “Christian” and I’m ok with that … but his/her daily radical commitment to the things of God really don’t play into life’s journey.  FDFOC’s don’t settle for that kind of faith … if you can call that Biblical Faith at all.

Competent in the Word …. informed and transformed by the Word of God.  Because their communion is so real their commitment to the authority of God’s Word in their life is equal to that belief.  FDFOC’s love God’s Word and look for practical ways to put it to use in everyday living.  The precepts of scripture are not just to be considered but they are to be applied.  Faith takes action upon what God’s Word teaches.  They not only read, study, and memorize the Word but they also weave those truths into conversations allowing it to do only what God’s Word can do — Change Lives.

Consistent in My Walk …. consistently living out my faith in every area of my life (consistent obedience).  The greatest deterrence to the power of the Gospel is not the world and its sin but it is the “believer” who’s live is inconsistent with truth.  In John 17, Jesus prays that believers would be ONE as He and the Father were ONE, so that the world might see their love and believe the Father had sent Him. (John 13:34-35)  A FDFOC connects with the Love of Christ in a personal way every day so that the world might get a glimpse of real faith.

Connected to the Body …. some deep transparent relationships, plus a genuine commitment to the body of Christ.  FDFOC’s understand the calling of every believer to be connected to the family of faith.  When the family gathers together there is strength, comfort, accountability, love, and the fullness of Christ.  Believers are to be in one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and one body of believers.  Those who say that don’t need the church have walked away from scriptural authority.  They have developed their own belief system that is contrary to God’s plan.  Christ is the head of the body … we are connected together in faith.

Commissioned for Ministry…. regularly using talents and spiritual gifts in the power of the Spirit to serve the body of Christ.  Every FDFOC knows that God has given them spiritual gift(s) not to hoard but to share.  The purpose of the gift is so that others in the body can see how that gift is used for the advancement of the Gospel and how they can immulate that in their life.  God grants these gifts as He so sees fit.  The gift is a supernatural enablement that allows the FDFOC to make a difference for His Kingdom.  So, when true believers refuse to serve and/or use their spiritual gift they are doing so outside of God’s Will.  Jesus said Himself that He did not come to be served but to serve.  If that is the heart of our Saviour, then for sure it should be at the very center of every FDFOC.

Committed to the Lost…. a lifestyle that makes both personal and corporate evangelism a high priority.  Jesus finishes His call to service with the truth that He came to give His life as a ransom for the lost.  He came to serve and give His life so that He who knew no sin might become sin so that we might become the righteousness of Christ.  WOW!  FDFOC have a passion that goes deep for those who are far from God.  They long to partner with the Holy Spirit in pushing back the darkness.  Sharing their love for Christ is not an option but it is a way of life.  They realize that the greatest position to be in on this planet is the position of advancing His Kingdom.  It is a priority!

These characteristics cannot be manufactured on our own strength, abilities, or education.  They are given in a daily filling of the Holy Spirit as we yield our lives completely to Him every morning.  FDFOC depend on His work, His word, His strength, His ability, His knowledge … because it’s ALL ABOUT HIM!

Mark marks the Spiritual Spot … a lesson in servant-hood and sacrifice

It had been a great week in Crown Point, Indiana taking care of our grandson, Hudson but it was time to head on back to Nashville in time to rest a few hours before Sunday’s responsibilities.  So, Julie and I headed back to Nashville on Saturday around 3 PM.  Expecting to arrive home around 9 PM and have time enough to prepare for the Sabbath.

But, God had another plan and a huge reminder for us both.  About 2 hours down the road just north of Indianapolis our car broke down.  Traveling South on I-65 just cruising along all of the sudden the motor just quits.  I immediately put the car in neutral and made several attempt to crank up the engine to no avail.  Coasting now, slower and slower I headed towards the next exit praying that we could make it off of the interstate and its dangers.  Coasting up the exit ramp (uphill) our car just made it to the top … without another turn of the wheel left … caught a downhill turn to the right and coasted all the way to a truck stop at that exit.  WOW … what a miracle to go that far and be at a place where we could get some help.  Nothing is worse than being on the side of the road and not knowing where you are or how to get help.

Anyway, working through a number of scenarios I called Dustin (our son who lives in Crown Point) and let him know what had happened.  He tells his choir about our situation (they have a Saturday night service) and the piano player tells her husband – Mark.  Mark finds Dustin and tells him he’d be glad to drive down to Indy and pick up our car, bring it back to Crown Point to repair it and leave us his Suburban so that we could get back to Nashville so I could be in the pulpit Sunday morning.  After much debate, Julie and I agreed on Mark’s offer … little did he know of the events to follow on this night.

Two hours later Mark and Stephen pull up to the truck stop where we were waiting and proceeded to load up the mustang. He told us to take the suburban on to Nashville.  Off we went.  Traveling to Nashville we got about 3 hours down the road and what happened…. just South of Louisville the suburban broke down.  It’s about midnight and we are on the side of the interstate (I-65) completely baffled at our circumstances.  Not only has our car broken down but now a car we borrowed broke down as well. Ok, what are the odds of this happening?  We later found out that both cars needed a fuel pump … so now we have two cars within hours of each other breaking down with the same problem.  What are the odds of that?

Sitting on the side of the interstate I called Mark.  Mark, you won’t believe what has happened … the suburban has broken down … no really it has … Mark’s immediate response was — I’M COMING! What, no way.  We can get the car towed to a safe place and get a hotel room and talk about what to do tomorrow.  Mark said, no I’M COMING! Without any hesitation, it was settled.  Now remember he has just arrived back to Crown Point.  He has driven 2 hours to pick up our car … driven 2 hours back to Crown Point … and now is immediately coming to us 3 hours away.  Mark said I’M COMING … he told me to get a place to stay and he’d fix the car over night and have it ready for us to drive home on Sunday morning.

The next morning I get up and Mark is calling me.  It’s 8 AM.  He has picked up two friends, driven to Louisville, KY, found where the suburban is located, towed it to a Dollar General parking lot and replaced the alternator, battery, and the fuel pump in the parking lot and has it ready for me to pick up. Amazing!  While I was sleeping at a friend’s home he was traveling, fixing, working, and now ready to drive back 3 hours just in time to pick up a group of students at church and drive them to camp!  What … yes it’s true.  When Mark got back to Crown Point he immediately left with a bus load of students to take them to camp.

As I reflected over this event it continues to amaze me, concerning the servant heart and sacrificial lifestyle of Mark.  He does not even know me. We’ve only met very briefly a year ago when I had the joy of preaching in his church.  He knew my son, Dustin.  Dustin is the worship director at Mark’s church … Bethel Church.  Because Mark knew the son he dropped everything to come along side the father.

Is there a spiritual correlation? I began to think.  Because I know the SON I should have the same kind of servant spirit to come along side the Father to see how I might help. Honestly if I’d been Mark … I probably would have tried to think of another way to help.  Ok, help once but now at midnight … help again?  Without hesitation Mark did … would I? Conviction came over me for sure.

BOTTOM LINE: Father I need to have more of a servant spirit like Mark.  Because I know the Son I should be willing in a moments notice to drop what I’m doing to be apart of what the Father needs!

Thank you Mark for reminding this Pastor that Biblical maturity shows up in servant-hood and sacrifice.

What suggestions would you have on how to encourage others in their personal life?

God has given every Christian an enormous privilege and gift:  the power to speak his life-changing word into the lives of other people. There’s no reason at all for there to be ‘passengers‘ in a church:  every Christian can change the lives of those around them through knowing and telling the message of God’s grace, whether in front on a group, in a hand-written note, in a one-to-one conversation over morning coffee, or in a thousand other ways.  Every Christian can be a channel of encouragement.

But for some this is a great challenge.  Some people just have the natural tendency to walk into a room and notice everything that needs to be changed or alter in some way in order for it to improve.  They see the world from an “I can fix it” mentality.  Therefore, their suggestions or corrections to them seem to be encouraging but if they are not careful their input can bring more of a dark cloud than an encouraging word.

Whether encouragement comes to you more naturally or you need to work on it … it is an area that every believer should desire to improve.  We live in such a discouraging world.  The people of God should be those who look to offer encouragement, love, and grace in all walks of life.

How can I be a better encourager?

1.  Watch those around you whom you see as a good encourager.  What do they say?  How do they say it?  Make a mental mark to attach their encouraging methods to your life.

2.  Pray that the Lord work on your heart to the place that encouragement becomes more natural to you as a supernatural work of His Spirit reining in your life.

3.  Ask some of your closest friends to watch you …. and remind you when you words or actions may need some improvement.  Let them be fair and honest with you … but remember you ask them to do this.

Scripture that may assist you in becoming a better encourager:

2 Chronicles 30:22 – “And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the LORD.”

Acts 13:15b – ““Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”

Acts 15:31-32 – “And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.”

Romans 1:11-12 – “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Daniel Webster left his country home and went to Boston to study law. He entered, without invitation, the office of Christopher Gore, then head of the Massachusetts bar. There he was looked upon as an intruder, and nobody paid any attention to him. One day Rufus King saw the lonely, solitary student. He warmly shook his hand and said, “I know your father well. Be studious and you will win. If you need any assistance or advice, come to me.” Years later, after he had achieved greatness, Webster said: “I can still feel the warm pressure of that hand, and hear those challenging words of encouragement.”

Word and actions together are a powerful tool! May we join together in asking the Lord to allow our words and actions to speak encouragement to those around us everyday.  So many are hurting and in need.  Sometimes that gesture, look, word, or actions will be all they need to experience Life-Change through Jesus Christ.

Do discover more about Hermitage Hills Baptist Church go to www.hhbconline.com or check out our latest Heartbeat Newsletter at:  http://www.hhbconline.com/downloads/Newsletter071510.pdf

Dr. Poly Rouse

What does the Bible mean by: “be away from the body and at home with the Lord”?

2 Corinthians 5:8

“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (ESV)

Dr. John MacArthur in his book:  “The Glory of Heaven” says that this was not a morbid death-wish on Paul’s part. He was not saying he was fed up with living and eager to die. Rather, he was expressing his confidence that earthly existence is not the end of life at all for the Christian. Death immediately ushers the believer into a fuller, higher realm of more abundant life—in the very presence of the Lord.  If you are a Christian, trusting Christ alone for your salvation, Scripture promises that the moment you leave this life you go to heaven. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. To depart this life is to be “with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21).

A number of speculative views have been proposed to attempt to answer this question. With regard to the state of Old Testament believers, for example, some teach that in the Old Testament, Hades (the realm of the dead) was divided into two sections—one for the wicked and one for the righteous. They suggest that Old Testament saints who died went to the realm called “Abraham’s bosom” (cf. Luke 16:22–23)—a sort of holding tank for the righteous. According to this theory, these believers were not brought into heaven until Christ conquered death in His resurrection.

Most of that is sheer conjecture with little, if any, real biblical support. Wilbur Smith writes, “However abundant the Scriptural data might be regarding the resurrection of believers and their life in heaven, the state of the soul between death and resurrection is rarely referred to in the Bible.” Scripture simply does not give much information about the intermediate state. But what we do know from Scripture is enough to debunk wrong theories.

Everything Scripture says about the death of believers indicates that they are immediately ushered consciously into the Lord’s presence. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, “The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls, (which neither die nor sleep,) having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies” (32.1).

To read more about this topic I would encourage you to get the book by Dr. MacArthur:

MacArthur, J. (1996). The glory of heaven: The truth about heaven, angels, and eternal life (71). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

Go to: http://www.amazon.com/Glory-Heaven-Truth-Angels-Eternal/dp/1581340346 to order your personal copy.