New year bring changes

We have a number of changes as we begin a new year. Like many, we have done away with our home phone. I had to laugh when I called the phone company and told them I wanted to cancel our home phone. The young lady asked why I wanted to do that, and I explained I was tired of all the scam calls we received. She laughed and said, "That's the reason I canceled mine last week. I can't argue with that logic."

I am also now paying my bills online. For the past few years, my son has teased me saying I was the only person he knew who wrote checks. It was true. However, in December the post office evidently lost all the checks I sent out on December 1. The people I paid on that day for the items they sold in my auction did not receive their checks until at least December 12, and I had to write another check for one individual who came to the auction center to get it. Two utility bills were overdue thanks to the post office. I paid those bills online only to have the checks reach them a few days later. With the cost of stamps and the recent problem I had with the post office, I'll now be paying my bills online.

This is a lot of change for an old man! But, we live in a rapidly changing time. There are also some new changes that are more positive.

Once again, I will re-read through the Bible in 2025. I've done this several times in the past and look forward to doing it again. Each time I do this I buy a new version of the Bible I do not have, and I've already purchased that Bible. It has never failed that when I read through the Bible I find things I missed in the past. I invite you to join me this year. You only have to read three chapters a day, and at the end of the year you will have read the entire Bible. It is a great way to grow deeper in your spiritual life.

I also have a devotional book written by David Jeremiah that I will read as part of my devotional time each morning. I am a huge fan of his ministry and look forward to the daily reading from that book.

As the pastor of North Madison Baptist Church, I am excited about the changes that will take place there as well. We will be doing more with our website including posting the sermons each week for those who cannot worship with us. New ministries are being planned to serve the people in our church and community. I'm very excited about the possibilities for the church in the upcoming year. If you do not have a church home I invite you to join us and be a part of what I believe to be an exciting future. 

Read through the Bible in 2025

 I want to invite you to read through the Bible with me in 2025. Some years I do this as part of my devotional reading each morning. Most Christians have never read through the Bible in a year and don't believe it is possible. I've done it dozens of times. All a person has to do is read three chapters a day, and by the end of the year you will have read through the entire Bible. I realize that some chapters are rather lengthy, such as Psalm 119, and you may not even read through that chapter in one sitting. But, others Psalms are short, and I will read more than three chapters when I get to them.

One thing I do is to buy a new version of the Bible when I read through the Bible in a year. This has resulted in me having quite a few versions of the Bible in my library, but it gives me a fresh perspective on the Bible as I read through it. I just ordered my new Bible this morning to be sure I have it when January 1 rolls around.

The version I ordered is the ESV which is one of the few newer translations I do not already have in my library. It comes highly recommended by pastors and scholars. Some years I have chosen to not read a translation but a paraphrase simply to read the Scriptures in a different format. One time I chose The Message which was an interesting read that year. I do not study from paraphrases, that is done with translations of the Bible, but occasionally reading paraphrases will give the reader new insights into what the passage is saying.

Some find reading difficult. For those individuals I recommend getting an audio version of the Bible you can listen to. There are many Bible apps available at no cost for your smartphone or iPad you can get and listen to the Scriptures.

This does not take the place of Bible study. You are not engaging in an in-depth study of the Bible; you are reading it. Chances are, you will read passages you've never read before. God may be disturbing. One lady who accepted the challenge told me she wasn't sure she could finish it because of God's actions in some sections of the Old Testament. I encouraged her to continue reading. Other passages you may have read before will give you new insights as you read them again. God will begin to show you things you had never seen before in your previous readings.

I hope you will join me in reading through the Bible in 2025. I believe doing so will help anyone grow in their faith.

 

What is truth?

 During the trial of Jesus, Pilate asked one of the most important questions of our time: "What is truth? In the postmodern age in which we live, truth is whatever one chooses to believe. What's true for one person is true for them even if it is 180 degrees different from what is actually true. To tell someone their belief is wrong is one of the worst things anyone can do in our "woke" society.

As we enter into an election year we are presented with a lot truth claims. This is the time when the old adage of "Figures don't lie, but liars figure." becomes extremely apparent. Truth claims are spun to the point that it becomes difficult to determine what is true and what is not true. No political party has a claim on truth because both will spin every story to make themselves look good.

I grew up in a time when journalism was a respected profession. In our home we watched Walter Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley and generally felt that we were getting a true perspective on what was happening in the world. For years, as an adult, I watched about three hours of news every night, both local and national. I often read three newspapers every day, one with a liberal bias and one with a more conservative bias, and our local paper. Today, I seldom watch any news and I've cancelled my newspaper subscriptions. I have found I cannot trust any of them to tell me the truth about anything. If you want to read a very interesting book on the news media in American today I would recommend Breaking the News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy by James Fallows. Fallows was the editor of U. S. News and World Report so he is well qualified to report on the state of journalism in America today. As he explains in his book, the national news media no longer reports on the news of the day, but determines what news they will present to the public and how they will spin it to fit their agenda. It is one of the most eye-opening books I've ever read. 

There remains one bastion of truth in the world today, and that is the Bible. This inspired Word of God is God's revelation of Himself to mankind and His purpose for our lives. It teaches us how life is to be lived, and it points to a life beyond this one. It tells us how our sins can be forgiven and eternal life can be ours because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection three days later. It teaches us how families can thrive in the midst of a sinful world. It addresses every aspect of human life, and the principles it teaches will improve the life of every person who applies them. Contrary to the postmodern worldview, it contains absolute truth that leads to a better life here on earth and eternal life when this one has ended.

I encourage you to read it for yourselves and begin to apply its teachings. I believe your life will improve as mine did. Find a good Bible-believing church to help you better understand what you are reading. You'll be surprised at how your life will change.

Knowledge of the gospel

 I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine that eventually began addressing the spiritual understanding of many who call themselves Christians. He and I both shared a concern that many Christians lack an even basic knowledge of God, the Gospel and basic doctrines of the faith. We were not questioning their love of God or their salvation experience. We were concerned that their understanding of Christian teaching seemed to be shallow. I agreed it would be very difficult for many Christians to explain to someone else what they believed which is why a majority of believers are reluctant to share their faith with others.

Why is there such a lack of awareness of basic Christian doctrine? Certainly, there is no shortage of material available to explain biblical teaching. Churches continue to dot the landscape. Although many of them have abandoned the faith, there are still many who remain faithful to preach and teach the truth. So, what's the excuse?

As noted above, some churches have abandoned the teachings of Scripture and now teach the philosophies of men. They offer little more helpful suggestions about life. Other churches, even holding to sound doctrinal beliefs, fail to teach those beliefs to their congregations. These churches seek pastors who will tickle their ears (2 Tim. 4: 1-4) with encouraging messages. These churches continue to provide milk and not meat to the congregations resulting in them remaining babes in Christ (1 Cor. 3: 1-3).

However, even in those churches that do provide sound doctrinal teaching, the typical church member often isn't present to hear it. According to the Pew Research Center, only 36% of adult Christians attend church services once a week or more while another 33% attend once or twice a month. A typical sermon may last 30-45 minutes with many pastors preaching shorter messages than that. Many churches see fewer and fewer adults in their Sunday school classes. How does one expect to learn sound biblical doctrine when they are exposed to it for 30 minutes a month?

In some parts of the world it is illegal to own a Bible, and being found with one can lead to one's death and the death of his or her family. Forget about owning Bible commentaries or other books to help one learn more about God and Christian teaching. Yet, in this country many homes have multiple copies of the Bible which are never read. We have access to tens of thousands of resources to help us understand our faith better which also gone unread by the majority of believers. 

People leave churches with the excuse that "the pastor isn't feeding us." That may be the case, but it also may be the case that they never show up when it's feeding time. And, how about feeding yourself? Adults should not have to depend on someone else to feed them.

Receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is only the first step in our walk with God. The next step is becoming a disciple of God, and when we can only grow in our discipleship when we begin to grow in our knowledge of Him, His Word and His will for our lives.

Read through the Bible in 2024

 Although I do not do this every year, part of my devotional reading is often reading through the entire Bible in a year. This is a great discipline, especially if you've never done it before. I have never once read through the entire Bible without learning something new.

When I first recommend this discipline to others I'm often told that they see no way to read through the Bible in a year. They are surprised when I tell them it can be done simply by reading just three chapters a day. Three chapters a day often doesn't take more than 15-20 minutes to read, but think of the difference it could make in your life.

I will admit that there are some rough chapters to read. The books of Numbers and Leviticus are not exciting books to read, but even those books can teach us more about God. Some of the historical books can also get a little boring, but even they contain nuggets of helpful information. You will be surprised at some of the insights God will reveal to you when you commit to reading the Bible in a year.

There's no single right way to do this. What I do when I commit to reading through the Bible that year is to buy a version of the Bible I haven't read before. This helps keep the reading fresh. It also opens up new understandings as I am reading a translation for the first time. I typically read only translations, not paraphrases although one year I chose to read The Message Bible for my devotions. As long as one knows it is a paraphrase and not a translation I see no problem reading it for devotional purposes. 

Regardless of the version you decide to read, make sure it is readable. Some print in Bibles is too small or too faint to be comfortable to read. If it's not comfortable to read you are less likely to read it. Spend a little more to buy a Bible you will enjoy reading. It will be a great investment.

I place my Bible in my study with my other devotional materials. When I get up in the morning I fix a pot of coffee and go to the study. There I can do my devotional reading with no distractions. Once I complete my devotions I'm ready to face the world.

Many times I've invited people to read through the Bible in a year, and many have responded that doing so was one of the best decisions they had ever made. Some did it as a family while most did it individually. Some people struggle with reading due to eyesight issues, and they have downloaded a version that someone read to them. This works well, too. The important thing is to spend time in God's Word to learn more about Him and His will for your life.

The pastor's study

One of the serious problems in too many churches is the lack of biblical knowledge that exists within the congregation. In a recently shared message in the church I currently serve I gave some illustrations of how serious this problem is. I recently read that 82 percent of Americans today believe that "God helps those who help themselves" is in the Bible. 12 percent believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife, and 50% of graduating seniors thought Sodom and Gomorrah were married.

We are a nation of biblical illiterates, and this applies to many in our congregations. Studies consistently find that the lack of biblical knowledge among Christians is appalling. We don't live according to biblical teaching because we don't know what the Bible teaches about important issues that impact our lives. Part of this is due to people not studying the Scriptures. Too many might take their Bibles to church, but after the service ends they toss it in the back seat so they'll know where it is next Sunday. They never open it between Sundays. However, I place much of the blame on those of us who stand behind the pulpits.

In too many churches the Scriptures have been watered down in hopes to attract more people. Pastors avoid the difficult texts so they don't offend people. They avoid controversial sections of the Bible to be politically correct and appear "woke." Some simply do not take the time to dig deep into the Scriptures to prepare for a sermon each week.  This is most often found in those churches that have changed the Pastor's Study into the Pastor's Office.

Words have meaning. An office is the place where administration occurs, plans are made, issues are addressed. Each of these are necessary in a church, and the pastor needs to be available to help with each of these. However, the study is where the real work of a church pastor should occur. It is in the study where the pastor prepares his or her message for the coming week. It is here where the deep study of Scripture occurs that is necessary for a message to contain a life-transforming message. It is in the study where the pastor prays and seeks God's guidance both for the message and for the administration that is needed in a church. It is in the study where the pastor must be able to escape the demands for his or her attention in order to focus on studying the Scriptures.

The study should be a place where the pastor has access to the commentaries and other Bible study aids either on the bookshelves or in the computer. It is in the study where he or she will wrestle with the Scriptures to attempt to understand what God is saying and wants to say to this congregation. When the pastor leaves the study he or she should do so with a word from God for the congregation.

Pastors, we don't need mancaves and we don't need offices. We need to return to the study if we want to give our members the meat of God's word. Don't complain about the lack of biblical knowledge of your congregation if you are not doing the hard work of preparing biblically sound messages each week. If we will focus on doing that I'm convinced we will see growth in our churches and in the people who make up our congregations.

Developing good habits leads to good results

 As 2020 was drawing to a close I encouraged our church to commit to reading through the Bible in 2021. I explained there were several ways to do that and even provided a tract with a reading schedule, that if followed, would allow them to read completely through the Bible in one year. I also explained that I would not be following the tract but would do as I normally did when reading through the Bible; I would read three chapters each morning. That's all it takes to read through the Bible in one year!

Like anything that is done on a consistent basis, there are mornings I am not inspired to read the Bible. Maybe I get up late and feel rushed. Perhaps I didn't sleep well and lack the motivation to read my three chapters. I may wake up with other things on my mind that I want to address first. No matter, I fix my coffee, go into my study, open my Bible and read my three chapters. Then I'm free to do the other things I need to do.

Developing good habits is essential to enjoying any kind of success in life. People have little to no savings because they have not developed the habit of spending less than they make and saving the rest. Many students struggle in school because they've not developed the habit of studying. Some people struggle with job losses because they have not developed the habit of being lifelong learners. Many Christians struggle spiritually because they have not developed the habit of studying the Scriptures. Some business leaders struggle because they have not mastered the habit of being ethical and honest in their business dealings.

It's important to decide what you want from life and identifying the habits you need to develop that will help you achieve and maintain that. When you do identify those habits and begin to practice them, you will find the next challenge is to remain consistent in doing them. It's so easy to compromise on occasion. You know you should go to the gym, but it's raining and you're tired and you need gas in your car and your gray suit is in the cleaners. I know, the gray suit has nothing to do with your decision, but any excuse is as good as any other. Regardless of the reason, you talk yourself out of going to the gym that day which makes it that much easier to not go to the gym on other days.

When I was pursuing my doctorate I was working full-time in ministry and had a family. Although I only had to be on campus one week for each course, they all required a lot of reading. I quickly realized that I could not read what I needed to study without a plan. I took my calendar and blocked off half-days for reading. Basically, I made an appointment with myself to read. Following that reading schedule became an important habit that allowed me to easily complete the required reading for each course.

Again, when you identify the things you need to do to accomplish the goals you have set, you can determine the habits you need to develop to be successful. Faithfully following those habits will lead to your success.

The renewed mind

Romans 12: 2 challenges us to  "Do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." As I read this verse recently I considered the pattern of today's world. We live in a world that is filled with rage, prejudice, hatred, toxicity, divisions, greed, violence, pain, abuse, fear, anxiety, depression and more negative emotions than can be listed here. Christians are not immune to these negative emotions. We see this in the divisions that exist in churches and in the language Christians use against one another. Obviously, none of the things I've listed here are positive, and none of them bring value to one's life. We can also note that we are not born with any of these; these are learned as we grow up. So where do they come from?

One place is through the media and much of the so-called entertainment of today. After years of faithfully following the news every night, I have mostly quit watching. I learned that the media does not report the news; it creates the news by deciding each day, out of thousands of possible stories, which ones they will give air time. The stories they select are the ones which promotes their personal biases or ones they can spin to their advantage. There are no journalists today of the likes of Huntley and Brinkley or Walter Cronkite so I have no interest in hearing today's talking heads promoting their agendas. 

What passes as entertainment today is no better. Comedians today believe they have to be vulgar and obscene in order to be funny. Many movies are not made to entertain their audience or even to tell a good story. They are made to promote an agenda, a mindset the producers want to instill in their audiences. Music has always shaped its listeners thinking and it still does.

University campuses are another place where the negative thoughts are learned. We often hear of a professor who is accused of promoting bigotry and hatred. Occasionally, a university will take action against such a professor, but often they defend the "academic freedom" of the professor and allow him or her to continue to teach. I can only wonder why a parent would spend $50,000-100,000 a year to allow his or her child to be subjected to such mental abuse. Of course, this type of instruction doesn't only happen at the university level. We now hear of it happening even in grade schools.

These negative emotions and mindsets are also learned in too many homes. No child is born to hate another. This has to be learned, and it's often learned in the home. We are born with a happy and trusting disposition, but because of situations in too many homes, that disposition is changed into some ugly which can follow that child throughout his or her life.

Regardless of where such toxic emotions and mindsets are learned, God tells us that we do not have to be conformed to the patterns of this world. We can be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How does renewing happen?

It begins by trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, giving your life to Him. If you've never done that I would love to talk with you about how to do that. Just send me a message.

Secondly, it comes by meditating on biblical truth. God promised Joshua in the Old Testament that if he would meditate on the Scriptures and keep them that God would bless him in all that he did. As we read the book that goes by his name, we see that God was faithful to keep that promise. 

In Philippians 4: 8 God says to us, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. When we meditate on these things, we will find the toxic thoughts and behaviors will slowly begin to leave us. We will find ourselves separating more and more from the world and drawing closer to God and to becoming what He created us to be. It is here that we enjoy God's greatest blessings. 

Just follow the directions

I just finished another online auction this week. It was another great auction with many local buyers, and we are shipping items all over America. This is the second auction in a row that saw someone drive a long ways to pick up their winnings that were not shippable. We had a man drive from Missouri to our auction center in Indiana to pick up the items he won. In our last auction we had a buyer drive from Texas to our auction center!

These online auctions are fun, but there is one thing that troubles me at every auction: people who don't read the information that clearly states the terms of the sale. Every auction clearly, in several places, gives the day, time and location for people to pick up their winning items, and yet there are 7-8 people in every auction who call or send an email asking when they can pick up their items and where are we located. We explain clearly that we do not have their credit card information on file and people can pay by check, cash or credit when they pick up their items. Still, in every sale there will be several who tell us they assume we automatically charged their card when they won the bid. Numerous times in the listing it explains that pick up is on Wednesday, the day after the sale closes, but on Tuesday night after the sale people will start sending emails explaining they can't pick up their items on Tuesday because they will be out of state or have an appointment to have their dog groomed or some other excuse. That means we have to work around their items in our small auction center while setting up for the next sale. It gets quite frustrating.

Of course, it's not just auction buyers who fail to read the terms of the sale. A lot of Christians never bother to read the Bible, or if they do read it they somehow believe it doesn't apply to them. There is no better guidebook for helping people understand how to live their lives, but many of us feel like we can ignore it and never suffer any consequences. If a preacher dares to proclaim, "Thus sayeth the Lord...." there's a good chance he or she won't be around next week. Prophets were not very popular in biblical times; they are less popular today.

How long has it been since you've engaged in serious Bible study? The Bible is not a book of theory. It doesn't contain suggestions that might help you live a better life. This is a guidebook given to us by God and designed to help us live the life He intends. We don't get to pick and choose what parts of the Bible we'll follow and which parts we'll ignore and not experience any consequences. I'll be the first to admit some of the things the Bible tells us we are to do can be difficult, but if we'll just follow the directions we will find life will become much better.

A new year brings new beginnings

 Many of us make New Year's resolutions that last about a week! We understand the need to make changes in our lifestyles, but we find those changes are not easy. Still, this is the time of the year when we at least recognize the need to make such changes. Maybe this is the year to actually do something about them.

Maybe the problem is that we try to make too many changes and begin to feel overwhelmed. When a person wants to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, improve their finances, spend more time with family, draw closer to God, read more, quit smoking, get better control of their temper, etc., that is a lot of changes! What might happen if we just focused on one or two of them? Perhaps it might be better to identify the one or two that would make the biggest difference in our lives and address them. I think it would improve our chances of actually following through. Once we got that area of our lives under control we could then move on to another one or two.

I would suggest that drawing closer to God might be at the top of most people's list of things to do in 2021. In the midst of our busy lives it is easy to drift spiritually. We might still go to church regularly and even read our Bibles and pray once in a while, but how many of us feel as close to God as we did when we were first saved? From my fishing days I know how easy it is to drift until you suddenly realize where you are and wonder how you got there. How you got there is because you did nothing to intentionally stay where you were. You let the current dictate where you went. The same is true in our spiritual lives as well. Too often, we allow life to cause us to drift from the things that should be most important in our lives.

How can you draw closer to God? One way is to commit to reading His Word every day. The church I'm currently serving has been invited to read through the Bible this year. Several have told me they are going to do it. For some it will be the first time they've ever started at Genesis and read through the entire Bible. Scripture teaches us that our faith grows as we are exposed to biblical teaching.

Another way to draw closer to God is to engage in regular times of prayer. When I lay down in bed most nights I pray the Lord's Prayer. When I wake up most mornings I pray that same prayer. It helps me bookend my day with God. Throughout the day I pray at various times, especially when I'm driving by myself. I've found that is a good time for prayer. I'm just having a conversation with God. People in other vehicles probably think I'm talking on my phone, but I'm just talking with God.

The Bible tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves with other believers. Due to the pandemic many have not been attending church services, but so many churches are now offering their services online that there is no reason to not participate in a worship service. I understand some people not wanting to attend in person for health reasons, but we now have the option to view numerous services across the country. Commit yourself to attending or watching at one least worship service every week. Being with other like-minded Christians will help our spiritual development.

Read good books that will help you draw closer to God. Biographies of Christian leaders, books on theology, devotional books, books on living the Christian life can all help you draw closer to God.

The reason I have focused on this one aspect of changing our lives is because if we make a change in this area it is likely to have a ripple effect in other areas of our lives. While we may well need to be intentional about changing things in other areas, when we are where we should be with God it will help us in the others areas as well.

Window shopping

 Yesterday I saw a Facebook meme on window shopping which brought back some fond memories of the first year Faye and I were married. We rented an apartment in downtown Madison for $50 a month. As you might imagine, we didn't have much money. Some of our favorite memories of that winter was walking up on Main Street and window shopping while the snow was falling after the stores closed. Window shopping was about all the shopping we could afford to do, but we had so much fun. Like I say sometimes, we were young and dumb, but we had so much fun.

As Christians we don't want to make the mistake of window shopping God's Word. James 1: 22-25 tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do."

As a young married couple we could look into the store windows and go on to the next store forgetting what we saw in the first one. As mature Christians we cannot do that when looking into God's Word. When we look at His Word we need to let it pierce our hearts and spirits and then do what it teaches us to do. Doing this leads us to true freedom and joy. Ignoring it leads to sorrow.

Some might say that there is much in the Scriptures that is hard to understand. I agree. Many people credit Mark Twain as saying, "Some people are troubled by the things in the Bible they can't understand. The things that trouble me are the things that I can understand." Whether or not he actually said this isn't important; the statement is valid. Using the difficult passages as justification for refusing to follow the ones we can understand isn't wise. I have often found that when I am obedient to the Scriptures I understand often open me up to understanding more of God's Word.

In these chaotic times in which we live it's important to have something that we can stand on that will support us. The Scriptures can do that. They teach us the way we can live our lives that will stand no matter what is going on around us. Obedience to God's Word and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will help you stand firm regardless of the storms that rage around you.

The Scriptures and Christianity

Ed Stetzer and Elmer Towns wrote a book listing several core doctrines that are essential to Christianity. One of those doctrines is the authority of the Scriptures. They wrote, "Take away the authority of the Bible, or the essential content of the Bible, and you no longer have Christianity." You may have a good organization or a belief system that does many good things, but you have something less than the Christian faith.

In my book The Healthy Community: Moving Your Church Beyond Tunnel Vision I wrote

Without an authoritative Bible, the church will be susceptible to a variety of popular, yet false beliefs. People will pick and choose which ideas to dismiss and which ideas to add until their "Christianity" is unrecognizable as the apostolic faith. Those who create their own version of Christianity in this way have no solid foundation upon which to offer truth because their source is considered unreliable and open to change with cultural trends. We are no longer anchored to truth when we believe one person's theology is just as true as another's no matter how those theologies may disagree. We need Scripture to settle theological disagreements and provide a trustworthy foundation for belief. Some have said the primary belief system in our postmodern world can be summed up in one word: "Whatever." Without an authoritative Bible, the same will be true of the church as well.

The first temptation mankind faced was to question the word of God. God specifically told Adam and Eve to not eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan comes along and asks "Has God said...?" causing Eve and then Adam to question God's clear word to them. It is a strategy he still uses today when he tries to create doubts in people's minds regarding the validity of the Scriptures. 

The apostle Paul cautioned young Timothy that there would come a time when people would not want to hear sound doctrine but would gather around them false teachers who would tickle their ears with pleasant messages (2 Timothy 4: 3-4). We are living in that time. In too many seminaries young people preparing for the ministry graduate doubting the truths found in the Scriptures. They are taught to trust more in science and philosophy than in the teaching of the Bible. As they assume pastoral ministries they began to teach these false doctrines to their congregations. The result is that many Christians struggle to believe basic biblical teaching. According to one study 21 percent of born-again Christians believe that the Bible teaches principles that should not be followed. Only 40 percent of these individuals believe that Satan is a real force, and only 62 percent believe that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth. In another survey conducted of clergy in mainline Protestant churches 67 percent lacked confidence in at least some aspects of the Scriptures.

Individual Christians will never live the life God has prepared for them if they do not accept biblical teaching as relevant and authoritative to their lives. We cannot pick and choose which Bible doctrines we want to accept and which ones we want to ignore.

Likewise, churches will never impact their communities for the Kingdom of God without a firm belief in the authority and infallibility of the Bible. Without such an understanding of Scriptures we have no firm foundation for our teaching, our practices or our ministries.

Staying true to biblical teaching

The church faces many challenges in the coming years, but I believe one of the biggest challenge will be to stay true to biblical teaching. In our PC dominated world today anything that doesn't fit with the beliefs and values of the majority are challenged and often resisted. We regularly see conservative speakers uninvited to speaking engagements because a vocal minority rise up in protest. Business owners who do not toe the PC line are threatened with boycotts and worse. GOYA is only the latest to feel the wrath of liberal politicians, celebrities and other left-wing radicals who want to destroy this Hispanic-owned food company.

Some denominations and churches abandoned biblical teaching years ago in an effort to appease the PC crowd. Those who continue to hold to biblical authority can expect pressure to conform its teachings and values to that of the unchurched community. We must resist that pressure even though there may be a price to pay in doing so.

The Bible is the Word of God. It is authoritative in everything it says. No church, no denomination, no individual has the right to change its message. Rather than changing the message to match the lifestyle, we need to change our lifestyles to match the Scriptures.

One of the reasons we see the chaos and difficulties in our nation today is that we have drifted far away from those biblical teachings. Without absolute truth and absolute morality everyone is free to do whatever they please, and as we have seen in recent months that can only lead to chaos, division and lawlessness.

Our pulpits must be faithful to preach the truth of God's Word without apology. Not everyone will like that, and that may include some of our strongest leaders in our churches. For me, if I am given the choice of offending God or the chairman of the deacons with my preaching, I'm going to offend that deacon. The worst he can do to me is cause me to be fired, but I would rather experience that than have to stand before God and explain why I failed to stay faithful to His Word. We must love people enough to teach them the truths contained in the Scriptures.

The church stands in a unique circumstance right now. Many churches who began to broadcast their worship services during the pandemic reported that their viewership exceeded their normal worship attendance. That tells me that our current situation has caused some people to seek answers to their questions about what is happening in our world. These are individuals who hunger for truth and want something solid upon which they can base their lives. The Gospel provides that firm foundation, but they will only know that if we are faithful to proclaim it to them. If all we can offer is spiritual mush that comes from some denominational office or a concoction that contains a lot of humanistic philosophy and personal opinion that is hooked to a Bible verse to give it credibility, they will not hear what they need most.

Pastors, commit yourself to boldly preaching the infallible Word of God. Lay leaders, encourage your pastors to do so even if it makes you uncomfortable at times. The Word of God has been silent too long in too many churches. It's time to change that.

Using your time wisely

Jonathan Edwards once wrote in his diary, "Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can." Edwards is considered one of America's  leading theologians. He was a pastor whose preaching led to the Great Awakening, a prolific author, and for a brief period the president of what would later be Princeton University. One could say he made good use of every moment of his life.

As I look back over my life I realize I can't always say that. There have been many wasted hours doing things that were not profitable. Most of us could say the same thing. We get caught up in trivial matters, chasing the latest fads and pursuing things of limited value. We forget how quickly time marches on until we notice that much of our lives are behind us and we haven't done the things we most wanted to do with our lives.

Scripture teaches us to redeem the time, to make the best use of every possible minute. It's easy to say that we'll get to it tomorrow only for tomorrow to never come. We are to live in the moment, As one former colleague said to me, "The most important place I am is where I am today, and the most important person I can be with is the person I'm with right now." He refused to feel rushed to run to and fro but lived in each moment making the best use of that time right then.

Please don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean we have to spend every moment working. Making the best use of our time includes sitting on the deck with your spouse enjoying a cup of coffee and spending time with one another. It includes taking an afternoon to play golf with your friends. It includes taking a walk through a park or garden. It includes making time for self-care. When I had a motorcycle I would sometimes take a two-hour ride because I just needed the air.

I wonder how many are using their time wisely during this pandemic when many of us are asked to stay at home. Are we binge-watching Netflix or doing those things that we've been wanting to do for a long time? Right now, many of us have plenty of time to complete some tasks we've been putting off. Are we glued to the TV listening to people telling us how bad things are, or are we spending extra time in the Word of God learning more about God's will for our lives?

Are we taking a moment to send an encouraging email or text (or even going old-school and sending a card) to someone just to let them know we are thinking about them? One pastor said he divided his congregation into a prayer list so he could pray for each one individually. When he completed his time of prayer he would send a note to those he had prayed for that day to let them know he had prayed for them.

Are we spending time growing in our walk with God, maybe digging deeper into His Word to determine what a particular passage might be saying to us? Are we taking time to think about what the church may look like post-pandemic?

If we do even some of these things, this pandemic shutdown may prove to be profitable for us. We have this time available; use it wisely.

More Christians defend the Bible than read it

For my devotional reading right now I am reading through the New Testament using The Message and reading J. I. Packer's book A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. In my reading a couple of days ago I read in 1 Timothy where Paul challenged Timothy to "Stay at your post reading Scripture...." That same morning I was reading in Packer's book how the Puritans expected the parents, especially fathers, to study the Scriptures so as to be able to teach their children. When they returned home from the church service the fathers were to examine the family to see how well they retained the sermon and to answer any questions any of the family might have about what they had heard. In order to do that, they had to first learn the faith themselves.

When I read these passages I thought about how much more difficult it was for Timothy and the Puritans to study the Scriptures than it is for us today. On one shelf in my study is a row of Bibles of various translations. On the opposite side of my study is nine shelves of commentaries and other Bible study helps. I realize that as a minister that might be more than most people would have, but the fact is each of us has access to that much, and more, aids to understanding the Scriptures. The question is, how many of us are spending time reading and studying the Scriptures.

During a stint as a Transitional Pastor in one church I invited the congregation to join me in reading through the Bible in one year. Several did so. One family read through it together with their children. A long-time Christian man told me it was the first time he had ever read through the Bible in a year. A few talked about how difficult it was, especially when they came to some of the OT passages that challenged their concepts of God being loving and merciful. Many told me that reading through the Bible in that way was a good experience.

As a pastor, I wanted people to read and study the Scriptures as much as possible. We spend a lot of time defending the Scriptures against those who challenge its authenticity. We complain that the courts have taken Bible reading out of the schools. But, many of us spend little to no time in personal Bible reading and study. That's obvious by some of the comments Christians make and how some live their lives. We expect our pastors to teach us what we need to know. More than once I've heard someone explain that they left a church because they "weren't being fed." How about feeding yourself? You're an adult. Feed yourself. Yes, the pastor has a responsibility to teach the people who listen to him or her, but each person as a responsibility to feed themselves from the richness of the Scriptures.

One other thing needs to be said, unfortunately. Some of what some pastors teach is poison to one's soul. Some seminaries produce ministers who have a very low view of the Scriptures, who do not accept them as inspired or authoritative. Such ministers teach things that are not biblically sound which can do great damage to those who listen to them. People sit in these churches week after week listening to such sermons and conducting their lives according to what they are hearing without realizing the faulty message they are hearing. They do this because they do not take time to study the Word for themselves.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God given to us to teach us sound doctrine and instruct us how we should live our lives. Every Christian should be a student of the Scriptures and should spend time every day reading and studying it. If this is not your habit, I pray it will become so.

When people are not taught the basics

When Jay Leno was host of the Tonight Show he often did a man-on-the-street interview. He would ask random people various questions about current topics or issues to get their responses. He would ask questions about how our government is structured and other questions pertaining to our way of life. He would ask historical questions or ask people to identify certain current leaders. The answers were often amusing because they were so wrong. It's not amusing now because these people are now holding political offices and their ignorance does not bode well for the future of our nation. People running for political office are finding a lot of support from people with this same lack of understanding of political and economic realities, and they are getting this support.

It wasn't too long ago that no socialist could hope to hold political office in the US. Today, they do, and more are running for office. Socialism is popular today because young people were not taught the history of socialism and its failure every where it has been tried. Civics stopped being taught in schools years ago, and today young people do not know how our government is structured or how it is supposed to work. Many of them can't understand why it would be tragic for our nation if the Electoral College was removed because they don't know why it was put in the Constitution in the first place. They don't know the three branches of government and how each branch works, and these people are now assuming leadership positions within these branches. It's bad enough that such people are seeking office; it's even worse that unaware people vote them into office.

Unfortunately, it's not much better in the church world either. We have many people sitting in pews week after week who do not understand basic Christian doctrine. If asked, they would struggle to explain what they believe and why they believe it. Their lives and worldviews are not much different than that lived by the unchurched because they have not been taught how to think and live as Christians.They are like the people the apostle Paul referred to when he wrote that they should now be given meat but instead they must still be fed milk because they are not mature enough to handle the meat of the gospel. What's the cause for this? They have not been taught the Word of God.

In another age sermons sought to make men God-centered in their thinking and how they lived. Today, many messages are man-centered. They address how one can find peace and happiness in life. We hear much about the love of God but little of His wrath. Messages often focus on how God can provide the help we need to face our circumstances but often ignore addressing our duties towards God such as worship and service.

Writing this I am not suggesting that our sermons should beat up our listeners. I've sat through some of those and you probably have as well. I am suggesting there must be a balance in our preaching. Yes, we should encourage people to turn to God for the solutions to life's challenges. The Bible encourages that, and so should we. But, we also must not ignore the warnings we find in Scripture and the demands Christ made on those who would follow Him. These too must be proclaimed.

For me, preaching through large sections of the Bible ensures the balance I seek in my messages. There will be the comforting passages that most ministers prefer to address, and there will be the challenging ones that many of us would prefer to ignore. But, we ignore them to our congregation's peril. When we commit to preaching through these larger sections, even complete books of the Bible, we cannot ignore these difficult passages.

When it comes to elections, let's vote for the candidates who are able and willing to honor our Constitution and work within its confines. In order to do that we must ensure that we are informed as to their values and beliefs and vote accordingly. When it comes to our religious life, let's make sure that we are preaching the whole counsel of God. For the person in the pew, make sure you are receiving everything the Bible teaches and seek to understand how to apply it to your life.

The absence of Scripture in today's church

During my pastorate we had two Scripture readings during the worship service. One was the sermon text which I would normally read as I began my message. The other was another Scripture that seemed appropriate for the day. It might be a responsive reading that contained a number of Scriptures from the back of our hymnal, it might have been a responsive reading that I put together for that day or it may have simply been a passage from the Bible. Regardless, we always had two readings from the Scriptures. On Communion Sundays we had a third reading as I would begin our Lord's Supper with the passage from 1 Corinthians 11 in which the apostle Paul discusses the Lord's Supper.

Unfortunately, I find little Scripture reading in many of today's worship services. The sermon text might be read, but that is often all you hear read from the Bible. I'm not sure I understand why it is this way.

We spend a lot of energy defending the Bible as the infallible Word of God. We talk about how it does not return void but accomplishes its purposes. Many conservative Christians complain about Bible reading being removed from schools, but we don't read it in our worship services.

Billy Graham was well-known for his frequent references to the Bible when he preached. "The Bible says..." he would thunder to his audiences. He was not ashamed of the Scriptures because he knew they pointed to Christ and therefore had the power to change people's lives. He sowed the Word and trusted God to bring in a harvest, and hundreds of thousands of people turned to Christ because of his faithfulness to the Word of God.

Could our barren alters be the result of our largely ignoring the Word of God in our worship services? In the book of Mark we read that the disciples went out to preach and God confirmed his word with signs and miracles. We do not read anywhere that God confirmed the opinions of individuals or the latest polls with signs and miracles. Perhaps the reason we do not see more people saved and transformed is because we have ignored the Scriptures in an effort to be relevant.

Not only do we need to be reading the Scriptures in our worship services, we need to take our people deeper in understanding what the Scriptures teach. As a pastor I began preaching through books of the Bible during the summer months and into the fall. I would begin the Sunday after Father's Day and continue until the book was completed. I never had to wonder what I would preach the next Sunday because I would just start up where I left off. It forced me, and those hearing the messages, to confront passages I might have preferred to ignore. These expository messages helped me and our congregation to grow in our faith and understanding.

Let's bring Scripture reading back into our worship services. Let our congregations be exposed to as much of the Word of God as possible that it might richly impact their lives.

Truth in a world of untruth

I understand why many people have abandoned their telephone landlines. I would guess that 90 percent of the calls I get on our home phone are from telemarketers. Most of these are recorded messages so I don't even get the enjoyment of messing with them. The same is true of the majority of emails I get. Most of them are scams. I used to have most of them go immediately in my deleted folder, but when I had to get a new computer a couple of months ago I've had to start over again marking the junk. Since Apple doesn't care about scam emails and does not give a means to automatically mark them, even the ones I avoid on my computer show up on my I-Pad, and I have to delete them again. When I got a new phone a few months ago that is one reason I didn't get another I-Phone. Most of the junk emails I get do not show up on my Samsung.

Add to this the dishonesty we see in the media. During the last presidential campaign Trump kept pointing out the dishonesty in the press. Few people had the courage to say the things he kept saying, but as people began watching the news they soon could see the way news stories were being spun to reflect the liberal bias many in the news organizations had. The same could be said of conservative news organizations. The American public were not being given the news; we were being given the slant on the stories the news media wanted to present. This is not a recent phenomenon that began in the last presidential election. In 1996 James Fallows, then editor of U.S. News and World Report, wrote a fascinating book titled Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy in which he showed how the media doesn't report the news; it makes the news by deciding what's newsworthy and what's not. Doing this controls the information the American public receives and what it never hears about. This is not a book written by some conspiracy buff but one written by a person who has had the inside seat in national news reporting for many years. It's a book I highly recommend.

We all know the dishonesty that exists in advertising. All you have to do is watch an advertisement for any fast food place and compare the sandwiches you see in the ad with the ones you actually get when you eat there!

We are bombarded with dishonesty and untruth every day. It's no wonder why many people wonder if what they hear from the church and its leadership is true or not. We have created a culture of disbelief, and that culture exists even within the church. Many people look at sermons the same way they look at advertisements. They assume we are spinning the message to make our brand look good, and many are not buying it.

As preachers of the Gospel we have to speak with absolute integrity and honesty. It's essential that we begin our messages upon the foundation of the infallibility of the Word of God. In a world that spins every message we cannot begin our message by casting doubt on what the Scripture says. I shudder every time I hear a so-called Christian leader say that we have advanced beyond what was known in biblical times, and our messages need to change to reflect that advanced understanding. These false prophets only THINK they have advanced. The Bible we hold in our hands came to us from God, and no one has advanced beyond Him! His words are eternally true.

When I began as the Transitional Pastor at one church about two years ago I told the congregation in my first message that every sermon they would hear from me would be based on the belief that the Bible was the infallible Word of God. If I don't believe that then I have nothing to preach because my opinions are no more valid than anyone else's. It's only when I stand upon the integrity of God's Word that I have anything of value to say.

In a world of spin, in a world in which we are surrounded by untruth, it is imperative that the preacher boldly proclaim the Word of God as truth. It is only when we do that can the Holy Spirit take those words and begin to change the hearts of people.

How the post-truth culture impacts the church

Many now say we have moved from a postmodern society to a post-truth society. Postmodernism believes that there is no absolute truth. According to postmodern thinkers you can have your truth and they can have their truth, and both can be true even if they contradict each other. Elementary logic teaches that cannot be correct, but why let logical thinking stand in the way of a worldview?

But now we have slid into becoming a post-truth society. This philosophy doesn't necessarily discount absolute truth, but makes it less important than one's personal preferences. If the facts supports one's preferences and opinions, good, but if not then thost facts are considered offensive. This mindset has become so pervasive in today's culture that in 2016 a major dictionary named "post-truth" as its word of the year.

We certainly see plenty of evidences of post-truth thinking in today's political arena. One freshman House member was recently called out for her factual mistakes. She responded that moral truth was more important than factual truth. To her, and countless others of her generation, facts are not important if they get in the way of their preferences. Unfortunately, this is only one example of this type of thinking coming out of Washington today.

Post-truth thinking is also seen in much of the discussion around gender issues, sexual issues, the latest decisions regarding abortion, and many other topics impacting our nation today. In each of these issues many refuse to let facts stand in the way of their preferences, and anyone who dares talk about the facts will be accused of offensive language and attitudes.

Unfortunately, we find this same mindset in too many churches. To preach the Word of God is to offend many people. These people do not go to church to hear what God has to say about how we live our lives; they go to have their preferences approved. How many times have you heard someone say, "Well, I know the Bible says..., but I THINK or I BELIEVE...?" At that point you know they don't really care what God's Word has to say on any topic because if it contradicts their preferences they are going to reject it anyway.

This is why it is so difficult to help our church members grow as disciples. It's why so many churches and denominations cannot take a biblical stand on the issues of the day. Too many of their members elevate their personal preferences over the clear teaching of the Scriptures.

What do we do in the midst of a post-truth culture? In the political and social arena we must refuse to allow people to ignore the facts. Just because someone says they believe one thing doesn't mean the discussion has ended. We need to keep insisting that the truth be heard whether people want to hear it or not. We also need to stop electing people to office who want to pass laws based on their preferences while ignoring the facts of the matter.

In the church we need to keep preaching and teaching the truth. We need to be clear about what the Scriptures say about the social issues of the day. Some won't like it because it will violate their preferences, and some may even leave. But, if the church cannot take a biblical stand for truth what organization will? The church has been called to be a light in the midst of darkness. I don't think anyone can deny our society is growing darker. It's time we let the light of truth begin to shine.

What is truth?

Apologist Ravi Zacharias says that we now live in a post-truth culture. The media today has replaced journalists who sought the truth with spin doctors who want their listeners to believe their version of the truth. This is true of both liberal and conservative news organizations. News reports today are more editorials than actual reporting of the news. In the last presidential election we had numerous fake stories appear in social media such as Facebook planted there by organizations trying to influence the election.

Truth also takes a beating on many university campuses today. We are told there is no such thing as absolute truth, which by the way is a self-refuting statement. If there is no absolute truth how can a statement saying there is no absolute truth be true? BTW - If this is true my high school math teachers owe me an apology because I thought my answers were true so why did they mark them wrong?

Even in the church we sometimes struggle to know what's true and what's not. Too many pastors are willing to preach to people who have itching ears telling them what they want to hear instead of what Scripture teaches. Some have watered down the gospel so much in an effort to bring more people into their churches that the gospel is unrecognizable. Still others have substituted man's philosophies and preferences for the clear teaching of Scripture that they have abandoned any pretense of presenting biblical truth to their congregations. Such false teachers will one day be held accountable.

When we stand before our people on Sunday morning we must not be afraid to preach the Word of God boldly and with confidence. Our Bible is not a book about God; it's is God's revelation of Himself to us. Holy men of old wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit giving us a Bible is that infallible in all it teaches. While some modern day pastors want to limit the use of Scripture for more "relevant" sources I will join Billy Graham and countless others reminding my listeners "The Bible says...."

I admit I do not understand everything I read in the Scriptures, but I have absolute faith in its trustworthiness. Some people want to point out all the mistakes and contradictions found in the Bible. The next time someone wants to make that argument ask them to show you one. Most are just repeating what they've heard others say and have no personal knowledge of any error.

In a time when people are tired of fake news and spin doctors pretending to be journalists, at a time when people are fed up with robocalls and scams on their phones, the church must be a place where people can hear the truth proclaimed. That will only happen if the pastor has a high view of Scripture and is committed to preaching what it says rather than giving his or her personal opinions. God's Word is true. Preach it like you believe it.