To What Church Do You Belong?

That’s how I see my church just before I turn in to the parking lot. The large building on your right is our sanctuary, where we hold our worship services and assemble as a congregation for other meetings. The left wing with the lower roofline contains our nursery and “old” Fellowship Hall. Far left is a tiny bit of our “new” Fellowship Hall and Gymnasium building which holds our youth Sunday School classrooms. The memory garden in front offers a great spot to sit early morning and late evening, enjoying the quiet of a country churchyard. I’m comfortable in this  physical location.

I think of it when someone asked: “To what church do you belong?” and I easily answer: “First Baptist Cottondale. Where’s your membership?” But, that’s not my headline question. I’m referencing biblical chapters (Revelation 2-3) where Christ is addressing specific churches:

Ephesus - good review, but there is a problem:

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4 KJV)

Smyrna - which only hears good things, though problems are encountered:

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10 KJV)

Pergamum - holding fast, not denying their faith, but again, there are problems and a promise:

Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Revelation 2:16 KJV)

Thyatira - their last is more than the first, but they did allow a false teacher and are requested to:

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. (Revelation 2:25 KJV)

Sardis - that has a name of life, but is dead. Their works have not found to be perfect, but they did receive a promise:

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5 KJV)

Philadelphia - (at last - a name familiar to Americans!) a church that has a little strength, kept His word and did not deny his name. Here's a beautiful promise:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10 KJV)

Laodicea - neither hot or cold, to be spewed out. Here is an action on Christ's part:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 KJV)


These verses are taught as stages of the whole church membership through the ages. I’m wondering which church’s description matches the churches people attend, as I attend FBCC. Where would you place the spiritual health of the church where you attend? Do you belong there? If so, are you adding to the spiritual growth of the congregation? If not, where should you attend – and how do you find it?

Good Roots

I found this shared on Facebook.  I wish I knew where it was, I’d love to visit and see if it’s still alive and growing. The verdant growth of a fallen tree with exposed roots really speaks to me. If it were a fruit tree, the thought would be complete. As far as I can tell, this tree helps our atmosphere, provides shade, and looks awesome.

I reminds me of the parable in Matthew 13:3-9 where Jesus speaks of a sower throwing seeds on the ground. Just as I wondered how this tree continues to thrive, His disciples wondered why His parables were so hard to understand:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? (Matthew 13:10 KJV)

And, He had an answer:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:11-13 KJV)

Now that’s a bit hard to understand, isn’t it? “Not given” for them? Of course, they did see what Jesus accomplished – miracles of healing, even raising those who had died – but they discounted their own eyes. They heard what Jesus had to say – and knew He was a great teacher – but they did not heed what He said. And, they did not understand. Do we?

In Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus explains the parable. From what He said, we can understand this tree grew in good soil, prepared for the seeds that would grow from it. Even in storms that could bring this tree down, there was a good root system that tied the tree to the ground and provided nourishment.

I hope I’m like that tree. When something comes along to tear me away from the prepared ground, I pray the good roots will keep me attached and fed, as Jesus explained:

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23 KJV)

For me, the “good ground” is the preparation to receive the “seed,” which is the word of God’s kingdom. God spoke to His creation from the beginning and inspired certain men to write down His word – referred to as scriptures. I believe those contained in the Bible were intended to help us understand. “Good ground’s” nourishment for a Christian is reading God’s word in prayer, keeping a connection with other believers, and responding to God’s will for our lives.

It may be difficult, we may fall down – but if we have a good root system providing nourishment, we will provide fruit, even if it is simply shade on a hot day. That is helpful. Maybe someone will sit in that shade and read God’s word, building good roots for themselves.

Send Me No Flowers

A friend of mine passed away last week. I thought of him when I saw the above photo on Facebook – a teacher’s request that no flowers be sent, but backpacks with school supplies for needy children be considered. Obviously, her request was more than considered, because additional photos on line showed people carrying additional bags into the church.

“Send Me No Flowers” is more than a 1964 Doris Day movie – it’s a suggestion I’d like to be remembered when it becomes my turn to be remembered.  No – I do not want florists to be put out of business.  Send flowers every opportunity we have to people we want to honor – for their friendship, fellowship, hard work, caring attitude – any number of reasons. But not for my funeral, please. I’m not there and won’t notice them at all.

If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. (John 14:28b)

Yep – that’s what I’d like – a time for rejoicing. But – there is one gift I wish from those remembering my life:  pray for a missionary and spread the gospel.

1)  Pick a missionary. If you and I are friends on Facebook, you are familiar with some of the missionaries I follow there. It’s an easy way to keep up with their needs and provide them proof of prayer support. Perhaps your church provides support for a specific missionary – that would be a good choice, too. If you can’t think of one, contact the First Baptist Church of Cottondale, Texas. They have an active list of supported missionaries who appreciate prayer support.

2) Pray for that missionary – and those who will hear the gospel through that missionaries service to our Lord. They have the same needs as we do – shelter, sustenance, spiritual support – plus working in environments where they are often unwanted. Yes, we have that, too, so pray for your friends who are sharing the gospel message to hearts that are closed to God’s work. Pray they be softened.

3) Explain what you are doing to someone close to you. That’s witnessing. Yes, it is telling others that there are people who believe that God exists. That He has a purpose. That His purpose includes people. That He was messages across all time to all people. Missionaries are called to give that message – but so are all Christians:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Two verses above this, we are told that “some doubted.” Some still do, and others have totally rejected the good news that God is real. The ones who cannot believe:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

My friend who recently passed requested his name be added to prayer lists. It was, by several people. He did so, saying specifically “I’m a believer.” He knew his life was in God’s hands and was prepared for the future God promised.

Send me no flowers, but tell everyone that I’m a believer in God, His grace, His mercy, His son – and His instructions to teach others. Let’s get that started today. Right now. Not waiting for such a time as flowers may be considered.

Other People’s Truth

Recently, Starbucks shut down its eight thousand company-operated stores to conduct an anti-bias training for more than 175,000 employees. You'd think they were pretty serious. Starbucks didn't make the training public, but some ground rules came out:

- Listen respectfully
- Speak your truth and honor other people's truth
- If your conversation gets off track, pause and restart

Sounds pretty good. The first falls under Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." We all would want others to listen respectfully – this we should, too.

But how about that truth part?

For that, take a look at the graphic. As the graphic shows - perspective can display two “truths”, thus we need to seek common truths before we can discern the perspectives that divide truth into two parts. Both perspectives show light, an object, it’s obvious suspension, and it’s lack of motion. Once the items in common are verified, adults can move onto variables and their source.

What seems totally impossible as “truth”, as seen above, can be proven with a change in both perspectives. Look for what is truth - not simply what is true. There is a difference. For example, one of the most quoted verses from the Bible used to be John 3:16. If we could track today’s internet usage, I’d say it was now:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1 KJV)

However, you seldom see the following verse included:

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (Matthew 7:2 KJV)

Which to me means to be very cautious that when I am in a position that requires a judgment call that I do it cautiously, with God’s examples in mind, beginning with the continuing verses:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3-5 KJV)

I must be certain that I am not committing the same error I’m making as a judgment call in another person. If I point out that what I’m hearing is gossip, I must not be involved in any gossip. Doesn’t have to be ten times the size of what I hear to be a “beam.” If I err when I know I shouldn’t, that make my error a beam. On the other hand, unless I point out the “mote” – a factual irregularity – I’m leaving my brother in error.

How do I know it is error? It has to be specific to the ongoing commandments in God’s word to His children. I don’t have the right to define what level the wrong is, just that the error exists and there is an ongoing methodology to make a correction. I’ve already been given an answer for almost every situation:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15 KJV)

Where do I find that hope, and why do I want to share it with everyone?

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4 KJV)

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. (Titus 2:13-15 KJV)

Honor other people’s truth, being ready to explain the source of your own.

“For Such A Time . . .”

This photo from their Facebook post is but one segment of work being done in Haiti that has a small monetary support from our church – and lots of prayers. This last week, a newsletter mentioning this work also mentioned another ministry work, “Sewing for Souls”, which teaches sewing skills.

That touched a chord with a mission-minded group in our church, “Together We Can Change Lives”, which had had annual fund raisers for specific mission projects. We took the idea from the newsletter and called another missionary to see if it could be adapted to their ministry. The missionary laughed out loud, explaining that they had been praying for a sewing machine so they could teach sewing to help people in their mission.  Our funding was such that we could purchase a sturdy machine, needles, thread and even supply some material.

We also saw God’s hand in the line of letter, thoughts, phone call and actions that answered a missionary’s prayer. The path began before the missionary’s prayer. That tied in so beautifully with our Sunday School’s study in Esther – the book’s central verse:

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14 KJV)

Had the newsletter been simply a request for the mission’s need, had we thought “what a neat idea” and let the idea slide, had we not previously held fund raisers, had the missionary not prayed for a sewing machine – there would be others who stepped in, and while we would not have been destroyed, we would have lost a huge blessing.

Along that same line, I listened to Michael Curry’s message Saturday morning – and multiple millions around the world did, and will continue to discuss it. In that message is the fact that God showed redemptive love through Jesus. Love cannot change the world without God, but God’s love changed the world and is able to change each individual still in this world.

Do you see God’s hand in getting this message around the world through the rare event of a prince’s marriage? It would have been so easy to ask a minister to keep Jesus’ name out of the program, as so many schools have asked of students, to keep from offending.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. (Matthew 11:2-6 KJV)

John’s purpose in life was to introduce Jesus – then he doubted. He was imprisoned, probably knew the eventual outcome. That would raise doubts – haven’t you had some? Jesus didn’t give a yes or no answer. He listed results. These weren’t promises, these where results of specific actions.

Well, what I’ve seen this past week comes so close: “… and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” I am not offended by the actions or the message Jesus gave to all who will hear. How do you feel about it?

My View of “A Short Story . . .”

Decades ago I ran across Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900) and his "A Short Story of the Anti-Christ," from his "Three Conversations", published in the year of his death. Forty years ago it was fascinating. Today it is even more so, since some of what he wrote occurred in my lifetime:

As a natural consequence of this fact, the old traditional organization of individual States was everywhere deprived of its former importance, and the last traces of ancient monarchal institutions gradually disappeared. Europe in the twenty-first century represented an alliance of more or less democratic nations -- the United States of Europe. The progress of material culture, somewhat interrupted by the Mongolian yoke and the war of liberation, now burst forth with a greater force.

Change a name to “European Union,” delete the reference to a “Mongolian yoke”, and look where we are a hundred years after this was written. Look a bit further – two paragraphs below in his Story:

Humanity had outgrown that stage of philosophical infancy. On the other hand, it became equally evident that it had also outgrown the infantile capacity for naïve, unconscious faith. Such ideas as God creating the universe out of nothing were no longer taught even in elementary schools. A certain high level of ideas concerning such subjects had been evolved, and no dogmatism could risk a descent below it.

Is the idea that God created the universe out of nothing even discussed in any school? Or has a “high level of ideas concerning such subjects evolved” – as our former President’s concept of biblical truth evolved?

Even though the link to “A Short Story of the Anti-Christ” takes us to a Catholic book site, I would encourage reading it for what does appear prophetic – and the obvious mistakes in it, made when viewing the future with mankind’s perspective.

I will give away part of the ending:

Here, Father Pansophius wished to end his narrative, which had for its object not a universal cataclysm of creation but the conclusion of our historical process which consists in the appearance, glorification, and destruction of the Anti-Christ.

POLITICIAN - And do you think that this conclusion is so near?

We don’t know the conclusion’s timing, Jesus said no man does.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matthew 24:36 KJV)

There are clues – and Soloviev used examples of them in this short story. I believe Paul had written a good description this very time:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 KJV)

Yes – some of these descriptions have clung to mankind for millennia, perhaps as strongly as today. But all of them? All at once? We still have the same questions that Jesus’ disciples asked:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3 KJV)

Read the rest of that chapter for His answer – and the rest of the Bible for answers for all when it was written, all mankind through the ages, for us today, and for whatever generation actually goes through the “end of the world.” Until then, just make your peace with Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, and John 3:16. After those three, continue reading.

Let me catch up a bit . . .

“Henry” – my personal meningioma

No, that’s not a Rorschach graphic, nor a weird science fiction drawing. That’s a printout from my latest MRI and the white mass below my right eye is “Henry.” I chose the name because I don’t like spelling out or explaining “meningioma”, a most-often-benign tumor on the covering of the brain, but as it grows, it presses into the brain.

Henry’s unapproved residency was discovered after some minor symptoms. Due to his location, my age, and the minor symptoms, both my neurologist and neurosurgeon suggested watch/wait. Unless Henry grew, there was no need to be concerned.  Yes, I believed them, and we were able to live together for several years. Now, however, Henry is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.

Thinking about getting rid of Henry made me think of scripture:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43-45 KJV)

Sometimes that happens to meningiomas, too. If not all of the tumor is removed, regrowth can occur. Just as the sin we’ve put out of our lives can return if we allow emptiness to remain.

Jesus’ parable doesn’t mention filling that empty place. However, I believe if were filled with scripture, prayer, Christian fellowship, there would be no empty placed “garnished” for unclean spirits (sinfulness) to move in.

I have it on good authority that when Henry is evicted, my neurosurgeon intends to leave no scraps behind. My brain will eventually fill the empty space, with some (hopefully) pressure released. What is required now is time for a few more tests – giving me time to request specific prayers for successful treatment.

I appreciate your prayers.