Just got back from our church’s baptism, our biggest one ever ! What a joy today to be in God’s house, enjoy some fantastic food after the service from all our great cooks and then see eight precious people baptized afterwards. The entire day I couldn’t help but think that there’s no question that God is at work at Nittany Baptist !  It’s been easy to think otherwise during the “dry times” or when you stand for what the Bible says and people leave over such petty things.

So how do we REALLY guage that God is at work in a church or how about in our own life?  Do we measure that by the size of our church, the feeling we get or don’t get reading our Bible or attending a service? How about the music or the charisma or lack thereof in the pastor, perhaps the friendliness of the people?   The energy or enthusiasm in me or my church? Certainly all these things can be indicators to some extent.  But how do we REALLY know God’s at work?

I think we saw it today and what we saw mirrors what they saw centuries ago in a fledgling church in Jerusalem.  Acts 2 was when the church had its start and when Peter preached that incredible sermon, yes he was used of the Spirit, but so too were those who heeded what he preached.  The crux of the matter was that they heard the Word and it was obeyed !  “Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them (the church) about three thousand souls.” !! (Acts 2:41).    Seems to imply here not ALL heeded what Peter preached but obviously MANY did.  And their obedience was IMMEDIATE (“the SAME day”).  I said it today in my sermon, that procrastination is the “kissing cousin” of disobedience.   God works when we simply obey what He says, period !

And certainly not to throw cold water on the day (pun intended) – eight is a far cry from 3,000 but I rejoice even when one follows God in obedience to His Word.  That’s when you know God is at work in YOU.  Is He?   Has His Word made it’s mark in your heart recently?  DO it, without delay.    Congrats to all those who did this today, even those unseen who made spiritual decisions upon hearing God’s Word. Kudos to those “older” Christians who regularly heed the Truth and ARE growing in our church.  In a world where much is wrong and sometimes we add to that, rejoice with me that God is at work in you as you heed His Word, keep up the great work He has begun or to echo the words of Paul, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in YOU will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  (Phil.1:6)

Who are your good friends and how do you choose them? Yesterday I touched on a verse about Epaphroditus or “E”, today let’s look at him once more.  As Paul was writing about his friend he also said this about him, “For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye heard he had been sick. . . because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.”   (Phil.2:26, 30). Let’s hit a couple more touch points of a good friend.

No one who is truly dedicated to the Lord in his life will lack what Paul describes here first as embodied in the words “longed” and also “full of heaviness”. “E” was DEEPLY COMPASSIONATE. He couldnt help but be, he was a “brother” or saved but also a brother who was growing in his walk with God.  These words reflect patterns in his life as opposed to mere passing concerns we may get when a tragedy comes to mind or we hear of an acquaintance who has contracted cancer. For “E” this was now a part of his makeup as his relationship with Christ was not perfect but right.  The “full of heaviness” word in the original is in fact one of three words used for depression in the New Testament.  It’s the strongest as it was also used to articulate to us the depth of Jesus’ sorrow at the Garden of Gethsemane as He wept over the prospect of the soon to come ultimate sacrifice on the cross and separation from the Father as He hung there paying for our sins !  What Paul is saying of his friend is that “E” deeply loved people because he deeply loved God !   Sometimes as we age we become jaded and cynical towards people because let’s face it, people can hurt us, they are sinners.  What kept “E” from such human “hardening of the spiritual arteries” was his genuine passion for Christ.

Paul had a high respect for his pal “E”, he said, “receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in reputation” (vs.29) but the next verse explains why, “because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death. . .”   This man was TOTALLY SACRIFICIAL as he went beyond the normal call of duty  and gave himself to the point of his physical limitations to serve the Lord and this meant serving the Philippians (his church flock) “. . .not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me”  What words of high praise yet at the same time a scathing indictment of what the church folks should’ve been doing alongside of “E” in the ministry too.   Not many in our culture know this type of work, sacrifice and commitment. Serving the Lord to many is what “I like, or want to do, what’s convenient for ME or MY schedule”.   Some would look at “E’s” decision to serve to such a breaking point as foolish because after all you do need to take care of the body, its the temple of the Holy Spirit.    While there is merit to that idea, I believe God does call us at times to serve with excruciating rigor (remember Gethsemane or how about Calvary?) and sadly but understandably we “work hard” at avoiding what maybe God may want us to accept and enjoy the fruits of !  The lump of coal becomes a diamond under intense pressure does it not?     It seems as if “E” served so hard because it was something needing to be done and others weren’t willing to assist. It was more than one man should bear but perhaps they viewed “E” as having it all together so “we’ll let him handle it” when the load should’ve been shouldered TOGETHER !   Look around your church, isn’t it true a few tend to do most of the work?  Could you shoulder more, or perhaps bring a younger Christian alongside and  teach them to work on the project together rather than become like bitter Martha “Lord why arent you making her help?”   When others are scurrying around to get what needs to be done finished are you sitting or are you pitching in?

So who are your best friends? HOW do you select them?  Maybe I ought to ask, would “E” be your close friend? Are you becoming a friend that looks like Epaphroditus?  You can by God’s enabling as each day you let Him have His way with YOU !!

Growing up on a farm sure had its lessons. My little brother was around five at the time and being five years older I was deemed old enough to drive the tractor in the fields by Dad.  This hazy summer day the hay was dry now and ready to be baled but we were doing the small bales which needed to be picked up off the field, loaded onto a wagon and stacked. So my older brother was stacking bales on the wagon as my father walked alongside and threw them to him from the field. So I had to do a lot of stopping and starting. My younger brother was at the top of the bales playing and we all thought fairly safe until. . . I popped the clutch which jerked the wagon and threw him to the ground. . . under a wheel of the wagon !!  

As the tractor proceeded a wagon wheel ran over his arm barely missing his head. He screamed and we then all knew where he was. I froze not knowing what to do, should I keep running over his arm or not and let him stay pinned under the wagon’s weight? As a ten year old it was a dilemma I wasn’t quite sure how to decide in a moment but Dad ran up to the tractor, slammed in the clutch and kept the tractor going and freed my shaken but fine little brother.  The ground was soft enough and spared him from greater harm !  Yes, its only by God’s grace we all made it out of our childhood’s alive !!

What’s the lesson here? Maybe you can think of several but one I thought of is how we MUST move forward in our Christian life !  I had mentioned not long ago in a blog how we’re planning on seeing several folks baptized this Sunday in our church.  They are moving forward. They have accepted Christ and now they are simply following Christ’s command to do the next thing as did the early believers in Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls.”  Notice the people getting baptized were old enough to receive Christ and the Bible knows only one mode of baptism: immersion.   Most of us know that signifies what happened in the heart once saved (sins buried with Christ at conversion and risen to or moving forward in my new life as a Christian). The perfect picture is immersion !

At our baptism there will be several Christians watching the newer ones get “dunked” and me getting wet too ! All the people being baptized have decided to move forward but what about the rest of us? Are you still moving forward? What kind of example are you setting for those babes in Christ? Don’t stay in neutral content to let others do what you should in your church. If your church needs ushers, go forward to help ! If you’re not in church get it one like ours that could really use some forward thinking and acting Christians and GET INVOLVED. Move ahead with us rather than stay stuck in neutral.  Don’t go back in reverse to old ways that displease the Lord. Move ahead by simply obeying day by day what you know does please Him. 

It does get hard to go ahead sometimes, it can be frightening to do so, or your “gut” can be thinking “I’m not so sure, if I do, then this could happen?”  Just like I panicked about in my  youth.  But God says its the direction to go, it will be fine. We know Jesus agonized in the Garden about going forward to the cross but He did for YOU.  And the writer of Hebrews challenges both new and older Christian alike to slam the clutch into gear and go ahead with this admonition, “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith,Who for the joy that was set BEFORE Him endured the cross. . .” (Heb.12:2).   Yep it may be tough to move ahead in our estimation but there’s a joy AHEAD of YOU too and when you engage the clutch in reverse or just do nothing and stay out of gear you miss what wonders are just around the next bend. So today, keep the “tractor in gear” !!   🙂

It’s another Monday. Many people will trudge off to work and resume another work week, students and retirees do their Monday things and for some its a ho hum, blue Monday.  Its also a day to bring into focus what you learned yesterday at church.  What did you learn from God’s Word? How can you better use it for Him on Monday? 

A church I attended while in Bible college had a fascinating and challenging sign above the  doors leading out of the church saying “You are now entering the mission field” !    How true, but how often we fail to realize that truth. What you learn at the house of God is intended to comfort, convict, and challenge you, yes, but remember its not just for you.   What of the lost souls you live near or work around?  Will you take what He’s taught you and show it in your life on Monday? Will you preach to them the words of life you heard on Sunday?   When Jesus left His disciples on the top of the Mount of Olives He reminded them once again of the great need of just this when He said, “. . .and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).  

And He understands sharing the Word can be scary for us at times, which is why He prefaced the command with the consolation that His power is readily available and immediately accessible due to the presence within the believer of His Spirit, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon YOU” !    When you get those opportunities to speak up though and the intimidation factor rises in you, put your faith into action and realize He is there IN you and WITH you and His Word is TRUTH. It will help the wayward soul, it  helped you yesterday and can help them today !  The adventure awaits you, this can be a great Monday out there !!

God’s creation is very intricate and varied and reveals how incredibly wise He truly is.  A case in point is the chameleon. Their ability to adapt to their surroundings by changing their color is a brilliant (pun intended!) feature in God’s design. Some scientists think they do this to reflect their change of mood and some to adjust to temperature and light but most seem to be of the view that it is more of a defense mechanism. Our Creator knows what He’s doing either way !!  

I was fascinated by chameleons as a boy, so I ordered some through the mail and several came.  I didnt have much luck with most of them though as they died one by one. Well, maybe —  a few years later my brother was in our basement and was startled by a rather good size lizard like creature lurking in the dark furnace room !  I guess that one adapted pretty well !  HA !!   Watch that furnace room Mom !!

Our churches today have often become like the chameleon in the sense that we seek desperately to “blend in” while God says our stance should be very much the opposite !  Peter reminds us, “But ye are a chose generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a PECULIAR people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1Pt.2:9) !!  

 One of my favorite illustrations of just how vital this is came out of a conversation I had with a star Penn State football player several years ago.  He was being pulled two different ways. On the one hand, his uncle was trying to convert him to Islam, on  the other I had been witnessing to him about accepting Christ.  His words hit me like a ton of bricks when he said, “Why should I get saved and accept your Jesus when all the guys who claim to be Christian on the team listen to the same type of music I do? Why get saved, there’s NO DIFFERENCE??!!”   He was right, we need to be different, we need to be Christlike and our music also needs to reflect not contradict biblical principles. Nothing in our life as a Christian should be otherwise !!

More and more and more churches are losing the battles to an encroaching worldliness that Christians are permitting. And often I think the bottom line is we want to fit in, we want to do what we want, listen to what we want, go where we want, etc when we should be measuring all our decisions by Eph.5:10 “proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” !   Being peculiar for Christ is eternally critical, people will not come to Him if they see a Christian in a storm without His peace, they will be more prone to turn to the Lord when they finally see someone doing whats right over what’s popular.  So today determine that you will crucify self to Christ, live FOR Him not the other way around. The great irony of God’s design is when life is not lived revolving around us life is satisfying.  God promises a special intimacy to the believer who chooses “separating unto Him” as the Bible says “be ye seperate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you . . .” (2Cor.6:17,18).   Adaptability may be great for the chameleon but it can spell disaster for people !