Winston Salem church of Christ

Luke 1:31-35 –  (31) “Blah blah blah blah.”  (32) “Blah blah blah blah.” (33) “Blah blah blah blah.” (34) “Blah blah blah blah.” (35) “Blah blah blah blah.”

That is not exactly what you expected, is it? That inane introduction has two instructive purposes. First, it suggests that we can be so familiar with a story so as to become numb to its true impact so that we stop hearing it. Second, the story we love to tell is not the story people expected. In fact, I would suggest that we need to look deeper into the story. Only by becoming uncomfortable can we truly love to tell the story. read more » »

From Mother’s Day to Father’s Day, I will be preaching on Family and Moral Issues. Please come visit! The Mother’s Day sermon is called, “Raising G Rated Kids in an R-Rated World.”

John preached a “baptism of repentance” (Lk.3:3). This repentance is not something simply and solely theological or personal. It is spiritual and practical; it reaches out to all because God reached down to us. Repentance is not just in the heart or mind. Repentance is not just looking to our sinful past. Repentance is a way of life.

We know that baptism is connected to repentance. My question is, in what way? Is it simply that repentance motivated baptism? Could it be more? Baptism is an immersion which implies “what is dipped takes on qualities of what it has been dipped in – for example, cloth in dye or leather in tanning solution” (David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary). Dipping in water implies taking on the characteristics of water which symbolically represents purity. Being immersed in the Holy Spirit gives us the characteristics of the Spirit, which is life enabling us to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

I am wondering if when baptized in literal water people were also baptized symbolically in repentance, taking on the characteristics of repentance. Since this was a baptism of repentance, and we see actions of repentance following this baptism, this theory would definitely enhance the impact of repentance. When baptized, the people, soldiers and tax collectors took on the characteristics of being overwhelmed with repentance.

Consider the following as a parallel. Jesus said He had a baptism to undergo (Mk.10:38-39; Lk.12:50). Commonly this is referred to as a baptism of suffering. Just as Jesus was overcome, overwhelmed, and immersed in suffering; John’s “baptism of repentance” caused people to be overcome, overwhelmed, and immersed in repentance. This overwhelming led to an extraordinary outpouring of good towards others (Lk.3:10-14). The baptism of repentance is a way of life.

I grew up in an atmosphere that focused more on what churches cannot do, than on what a church can do, should be doing, must be busy doing, and actually did. James 1:27 was not preached on except on how not to apply it. Speaking analogously, gardens are never planted by only pulling weeds. Negatively is needed, but the sun gives necessary energy to grow.

I grew up living five acts makes a faithful Christian and faithful church:

• Christians – Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Baptism.
• Churches – Preaching, Singing, Communion, Contribution, Praying.

If what I grew up with is lacking, then what should churches be doing? read more » »

Circulating the internet is the following: “’Let’s eat, Grandma.’ ‘Let’s eat Grandma.’ Punctuation saves lives.”

Ah, the power of a comma! While the most abused of all punctuation, apparently it has the power to save lives. Here’s a Biblical example of such grammatical chicanery. Change the punctuation and we have a command to steal:

Ephesians 4:28 – He who steals must steal. No longer but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good.

Punctuation is a modern invention designed for clarification. Changing punctuation can be fun, an irritant to English teachers, or completely change the meaning. The seven “I AM’s” of Jesus in the book of John are seven times where punctuation is not needed and adding it does not change the meaning. But adding it does add a dimension of truth in English. read more » »

How are proverbs and parables similar? Both are short and memorable (which is part of their teaching power). Both use human situations to teach divine wisdom – earthly stories and situations with heavenly meanings. Both used existing and accepted ways of teaching but raised them to a new level – neither Solomon nor Jesus invented their teaching methods. Both methods became associated with their master teachers, Solomon and Jesus. Both compact a lot of teaching in a few words. It is this last point that will make proverbs more interesting.

But what is not so obvious is that both are more obtuse than what first appears. This is because of the compacted nature of the teaching form combined with the illustrations whose meanings go deeper than their physical counterpart.

Since we are so accustomed to Jesus’ parables they appear intellectually undemanding. They were not so viewed when Jesus taught them (Matthew 13:10-16). Either through our own open ears, or familiarity, the parables of Jesus are considered some of His simplest sermons.

Hermeneutically it is rightly taught that parables generally teach one lesson, maybe that lesson itself goes deeper than the illustration. Possibly there is more to the parables than even meets our accustomed eyes and ears. Likewise, perhaps due to our familiarity with the proverbs, we fail to see their depth. read more » »

It is easy to hold in contempt those who hold you in contempt. It is easy to disregard those disregarding you.  It is easy to gossip about those gossiping about you. It is easy to ignore those ignoring you. It is easy spite those who spite you. It is easy get angry at those angry at you. It is easy to reject those rejecting you. It is easy to dislike those who dislike you. It is easy to distance yourself from those who distance themselves. It is easy to hate those who hate you.

It is difficult to admire those who hold you in contempt. It is difficult to respect those disregarding you. It is difficult to keep quiet about those gossiping about you. It is difficult to pay attention to those ignoring you. It is difficult to wish good will to those who spite you. It is difficult to be at peace with those who are angry at you. It is difficult to accept those rejecting you. It is difficult to be close to those who distance themselves. It is difficult to love those who hate you.

It is easy to love those who love you. It is easy to be friendly to our friends. It is easy to respond and react to the world, to let the world determine and choose who we are and how we act.

It is difficult to love the unlovable, to befriend the unfriendly. It is difficult to live the paradoxical life, to die in order to live, to be weak so you can be strong, to choose to be last, but not to make God put you first, but so you can put others first. It is difficult to let God determine and choose your reward.

It is easy to live hell’s life on earth. It is difficult to live heaven’s life on earth. It is easy to live heaven’s life in eternity. It is difficult to live hell’s life in eternity.

It is easy to live like everyone else. It is difficult to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

There is:

• no agape without Abba;
• no baptism without belief;
• no confession without Christ;
• no disciples without devotion
• no eternity without El Shaddai
• no forgiveness without faith;
• no good news without grace;
• no Heaven without humility;
• no Incarnation without Immanuel;
• no justification without Jesus;
• no kingdom without a King;
• no Lord without law;
• no Messiah without martyrdom;
• no Nativity without Nation of Israel;
• no obedience without obeisance;
• no Pentecost without the Paraclete;
• no repentance without righteousness;
• no salvation without submission;
• no Transfiguration of Christ without Temptation of Christ;
• no victory without a Victor;
• no worship without worthiness;
• no you without Yahweh.

Consider the above my attempt to follow the example of “The Alphabetic Verses” of the Old Testament that were designed explicitly upon the order of the Hebrew alphabet. These include several Psalms, most of Lamentations, and the last twenty-two verses of Proverbs (i.e., the section on the Worthy Woman). The most widely known and complete example is Psalm 119.

Have you ever heard or read something that became a life-guiding principle? When I was little, my mother said about a preacher who became an agnostic – “He studied himself out of the Bible.” Simple faith got replaced by educated “explain-aways.” Maybe that is one reason I accept Occam’s Razor in interpreting the Bible – “the simplest explanation will be the most plausible until evidence is presented to prove it false.” When the explanation is “God,” man keeps trying to present new evidence. Usually the new evidence is not as simple as “God.” read more » »

Pride in knowledge is one of the most silly and subtle temptations in which Satan snares us. Silly because of what true knowledge is. Subtle because God commands and blesses knowledge. Superiority knowledge should never lead to superiority in attitude.

Let’s begin with the most basic form of knowledge: 1+1=2. Upon learning that, each child is applauded and rightfully pleased with his or herself. They are deemed smart which is better than dumb. Too often though, we stay pleased with ourselves in what we know. Too often, we look down on others because they do not know. In our eyes we become their spiritual superiors. How silly, how sad, and how self-condemning.

Unknown to children learning 1+1=2, they are stumbling upon even higher knowledge. Within this equation, there is the concept of “self-evident truth.” That is a phrase familiar to all who know the Declaration of Independence. Why does 1+1=2? Because it does! I guarantee you will not get far with the teacher if you argue, “Why isn’t 2 the same as 3?”  We can use all the visual aids we want to prove it, but we are really simply illustrating what is self-evident. The conclusion that 1+1=2 is also an absolute truth. There is no rational way to make the sum 112. Because this is an absolute truth, many have called math the universal language. It transcends culture and even humanity. Beyond this absolute truth, there is built within this simple equation another concept, that of eternity. “One” is not a creation of man, it simply is. It exists despite the untaught not knowing, and therefore is independent of human thought. In fact, the numerical one is even part of the biblical description of God – “God is One.” Has God always been one? If so, then one is an eternal concept. Beyond even the eternality of numbers, is the concept of infinity. It is impossible to ever finish counting, because there is not a, and cannot be a, last number. You can always say, “plus one.” Self-evident and Absolute truth, eternality and infinity; all these wonderful truths and notions are based upon 1+1=2.

But back to pride and knowledge; in learning this mathematical equation, no one ever creates truth, self-evidence or absoluteness, eternality or infinity. In accepting this equation, we simply agree with what is already true and totally apart from ourselves. Knowledge then is agreeing with truth. I agree water is wet. I agree heat is hot. I agree that 1+1=2. Isn’t it silly to have pride in simply agreeing with what is true?

Spiritually, I know things, which simply means I agree with what God says. How silly and how subtle to take pride is simply agreeing with what is. What’s important is not how much I know, but that God knows me (1 Corinthians 8:1-3). read more » »