"Still Loved"

 

“Still Loved”

 

One of the top ten TV game shows of all time (according to a 2013 TV Guide survey) is “The Newlywed Game”. It made its network debut in 1966 and since then has spawned many additional versions domestically and internationally. The premise involved asking recently married couples questions (often “loaded” ones) separately and seeing if their responses matched up. Some answers and reactions were hilarious; others testy and embarrassing, even resulting in eventual divorces in isolated cases. A takeaway is that we sometimes don’t know as much about our husband or wife as we think we do.

A watered down version has provided amusement at church socials over the years in which one spouse learned something he or she never knew about the other but I can’t recall any time something disconcerting was revealed. Other game shows adapted for such gatherings include “The Match Game” and “Family Feud”. This shows us humor doesn’t have to be tainted to be entertaining.

As Karen and I were talking about Psalm 139 this past summer she contrasted “The Newlywed Game” with God’s intimate knowledge of every aspect of our lives, even before our birth (“…You knit me together in my mother’s womb…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”—verses 13,16). Even after almost 52 years of marriage she and I keep learning new things about each other (e.g. likes and dislikes and childhood experiences). But God knew everything about us before we took our first breath—“Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13, emphasis added)--even to the point that “…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30). But amazingly, even though God knows everything about us, warts and all, He has always loved us and always will (“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”—Jeremiah 31:3, emphasis added). But He didn’t just say He loves us unconditionally—He proved it by His actions (“…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”—John 3:16, emphasis added).

Some have told me over the years that they no longer loved their spouse with heart-wrenching results. But no one will ever hear such words from God—He still loves us no matter what (“…the Father himself loves you….”—John 16:27). Truly “God is love.” (1 John 4:16)—and He assures us that “I…do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). What more could we want?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Becoming Issacharites"

 

“Becoming Issacharites”

 

Many of us who have read through the Bible have been tempted to skip over certain parts  because on the surface they appear irrelevant. Such a section is 1 Chronicles 1-12 which, except for a brief portion describing the end of Saul’s reign and beginning of David’s in Chapters 10 and 11, lists various genealogies of jaw-breaking names of obscure people. But since “Every word of God is flawless….” (Proverbs 30:5, emphasis added) and “All Scripture is God-breathed….” (2 Timothy 3:16, emphasis added) even these passages have their purpose and therefore a message for us. I learned this best from Dr. Bruce Shelley, my Church History Professor in seminary, when he called the class’s attention to 1 Chronicles 12:32 and the “…men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do….” (emphasis added), He wisely utilized this easily overlooked statement to  challenge us to be aware of what’s happening in our world and how we as God’s people ought to respond.

Permit me to take liberties with an old saying: “You can take a preacher out of the pulpit but you can’t take the pulpit out of a preacher!” Guilty as charged! So when I last read this verse God gave me an outline for a message which I may never bring other than here. From the example of the men of Issachar we see that it’s….

*Time to Size Up (they understood the times). They carefully observed the conditions in which they were living. You and I must be aware of cultural trends and ask ourselves, “What does the Scripture say?” (Romans 4:3—see the previous posting) about them.

*Time to Wise Up (they knew). The Hebrew word has the idea of knowing by observation and experience. After seeing God’s wonders Job said to Him, “I know you can do all things…now my eyes have seen you….” (Job 42:2,5). We see evidence of His hand all around us—how will we respond?

*Time to Rise Up (do). We can’t sit back but must take action (“…It is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”—James 4:17, NLT). Will we as part of the Body of Christ rise up?

In about 58 AD Paul wrote, “…Do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, emphasis added). How much nearer? About 1963 years. In this 21^st century we must know our times, know the truth and take a stand. Will we become Issacharites before it’s too late?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

 

"The Five Most Important Words in Scripture"

 

“The Five Most Important Words in Scripture”

(Please read the previous posting, “The Big Dig”, before this one.)

 

In our Baptist structure a church desiring to set a man apart for ministry calls an Ordination Council and invites representatives from other churches to participate in what amounts to an advisory role. Typically the candidate presents a paper describing his conversion and call to ministry as well as a statement of his theological position and the Council members are invited to ask questions. At the Council’s conclusion a vote is taken as to whether or not to recommend that the host church proceed with the ordination. A long-time friend once told me of attending such a gathering at which the candidate had no written document but said, “My doctrinal statement is identical to that of Dr. ______”, who was a highly respected Bible teacher in the area. Much to my friend’s displeasure the “Council” voted to have the church proceed with the ordination with no questions asked.

This long-forgotten incident came back to mind recently as I was reading through the New Testament. In Romans 4:3 Paul asks the question, “What does the Scripture say?” (He repeats it in Galatians 4:30.) To me this represents the Bible’s five most important words. In the case described above the church and candidate seem to have changed the reading to, “What does Dr. ______ say?”,  in effect putting the words of an individual over God’s as recorded in His Word.

In the days in which we’re living we’re constantly bombarded with pronouncements from people claiming to speak from God. But any “biblical” teaching that comes down the pike must be evaluated by this succinct statement: “What does the Scripture say?” Failure to do so has led God’s people astray and historically prompted the rise of cults. While we certainly can profit greatly from the insights of those God has called to present His Truth we must not rely on others’ doing all our thinking for us (remember the Berean example from Acts 17:11 cited in “The Big Dig”).

In His final discourse to His disciples Jesus promised, “…The Holy Spirit…will teach you all things….” (John 14:26, emphasis added). Since He lives in us who belong to Christ by faith we have the Divine Resource to give us understanding as we yield our minds and hearts to Him. But we must, with the Bereans, closely examine God’s Word and dig out its truth for ourselves.

May we all pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Big Dig"

 

“The Big Dig”

 

During most of our time in New Hampshire a major road renovation was going on in Boston. Its official name was the Central Artery/Tunnel Project but locally it was dubbed “The Big Dig”. Planning began in 1982 but work didn’t start until 1991 and wasn’t concluded until December 31, 2007. Originally estimated to cost $2.8 billion ($7.4 billion in 2020 dollars) the final tab was $8.1 billion ($22 billion by 2020 standards), making it (at least at the time) the most costly highway project in U.S. history. (By contrast, this 1.5 mile roadway cost more than the 31.4 mile Chunnel--$21 billion—under the English Channel between England and France.) From Day One it was beset with problems of delays, unanticipated expenses, criminal arrests and construction snafus. Many have cited it as a prime example of a government-run boondoggle.

While our Lead Pastor enjoyed a two month sabbatical this past summer our Associate Pastor, Tommy Warnock, brought a message on mining the riches of God’s Word. As he spoke I began to think of this as a “Biblical Big Dig” (without the headaches). We see this practiced by Paul’s hearers in Berea who “…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11, emphasis added). The Greek term is anakrino, a compound word meaning to examine closely. It’s used to describe Pilate’s questioning Jesus during His “trial” in Luke 23:14 and Herod’s interrogation of the Roman guards when Peter was miraculously delivered from prison and likely execution in Acts 12:19. So this wasn’t a superficial reading but delving deeply into the Old Testament to check on the Apostle’s words. (See the following article, “The Five Most Important Words in Scripture”, for an expansion on this subject.) This is a practice God’s people need to follow to ascertain the accuracy of anyone’s teaching. And those of us in teaching roles must carefully measure what we say by the standard God has set forth (“Every word of God is flawless…Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”—Proverbs 30:5-6, emphasis added).

How much am I using my “Bible shovel” to dig out its treasures?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan