Are We Staying for Class? (May 20, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham
The question: “Are we staying for class?” is a very troubling one for me. Yet, this question is asked every Sunday by children and even by adults to their spouses in churches across America, and definitely here at home as evidenced by the number of people who skip class. If you’re from somewhere other than Fort Gibson where Bible class follows worship, the question might be, “Are we going to class?”
The troubling part is not only that the questioner doesn’t like going to Bible class, or maybe doesn’t like his or her teacher; it’s that going to Bible class has been reduced to an option in way too many families. So, the child or whoever... goes ahead and asks the question as if they are not quite sure what the answer will be.
Folks, this is one question that should never be asked; and if it is, the answer needs to be stated in such a way that there is no doubt of our commitment; that gaining a closer relationship with Jesus is recognized by the questioner as being our top priority. (read Matt. 5:6)
Let’s put it this way: If we knew without a doubt that Jesus Himself was waiting at Bible class to tell us something that could have an impact on our salvation, I really doubt if we could find a structure big enough to hold everyone who wanted to hear this message.
So, if we all agree that Jesus’ words which God backs, will judge us in the last day (John 5:22, John 12:48), why are we not interested enough to take part in Bible class, not just “attend”, but take part? Is there anything more important than keeping up with our salvation and the gospel story? “Even angels long to look into these things.” (1 Pet. 1:10-12) Shouldn’t we?
Welcome to my bulletin article site. What I do is minister to young Christians, their families, their friends, and others in the Fort Gibson, OK area. So check-in every now and then, and I'll try to have an encouraging word for you.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Will It Float? (May 13, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham
There is a novelty television segment called “Will It Float?” It takes place on a late night talk show. The idea is to drop something into this large tank of water to see whether it will rise to the surface. It could be a frozen ham, a bag of road salt, a fruit cake... you get the idea. The anticipation builds, the item is dropped-in, and the surprise outcome is revealed.
This is the way I used to think of my life spiritually. When the preacher would ask, “Do you know without a doubt whether you are saved?” I would always think to myself, “I sure hope I am; but I’m not 100-percent sure.” As Christians, there is no reason to live life this way... not knowing for sure whether you’re sinking into condemnation, or floating to a higher spiritual level each day.
2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Peter goes on to say that by taking on the nature of God (and he tells how in vs. 5-7), we can escape worldly corruption. In verses 10-11, Peter says that by doing these things, we can make our entrance into heaven a sure thing. But remember, it all starts with knowledge, obedience, and our willingness to accept and respect God’s grace and authority.
There’s no reason to doubt your salvation as long as you are walking with God. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Stay on the path. God will never let you sink (reference: 1 Cor. 10:13).
by Barrett Vanlandingham
There is a novelty television segment called “Will It Float?” It takes place on a late night talk show. The idea is to drop something into this large tank of water to see whether it will rise to the surface. It could be a frozen ham, a bag of road salt, a fruit cake... you get the idea. The anticipation builds, the item is dropped-in, and the surprise outcome is revealed.
This is the way I used to think of my life spiritually. When the preacher would ask, “Do you know without a doubt whether you are saved?” I would always think to myself, “I sure hope I am; but I’m not 100-percent sure.” As Christians, there is no reason to live life this way... not knowing for sure whether you’re sinking into condemnation, or floating to a higher spiritual level each day.
2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Peter goes on to say that by taking on the nature of God (and he tells how in vs. 5-7), we can escape worldly corruption. In verses 10-11, Peter says that by doing these things, we can make our entrance into heaven a sure thing. But remember, it all starts with knowledge, obedience, and our willingness to accept and respect God’s grace and authority.
There’s no reason to doubt your salvation as long as you are walking with God. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Stay on the path. God will never let you sink (reference: 1 Cor. 10:13).
Fishing Anyone? (April 22, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham
I went catfishing last weekend and made a very grim discovery: Sometimes you just can’t get the hook out of the fishes mouth without the fish dying; and that’s a problem for me because I just enjoy catching fish and throwing’em back, not cleaning and eating’em.
In terms of Christian living, my little story it illustrates to me how, too often, we pretend to be soul winners for Jesus; but when we actually see potential in someone, we either back off because we know they will require some work that we don’t have time for, or we back off because we’re not quite for sure what to do with them after we’ve gotten them on the hook. The answer is... REEL THEM IN!!! Remember, the fishing trip doesn’t last forever; and whatever fish are still left in the water are just like the people who were left in the water in the days of Noah.
What we must do as “fishers of men” is to bait our hooks with the love of Jesus Christ. The difference between fishing for catfish,and fishing for souls is that once you get’em hooked, you gotta keep’em hooked until they die to the ways of the world. That’s why it is so important for Christians to continually encourage one another, while not being afraid to point out when a brother is swimming up a dangerous stream.
If we actually love one another as scripture commands, we need to prompt each other to open up and say aahhh on a regular basis to make sure the hook of Christianity is still firmly attached. Sometimes the swift currents of life can make our hook and lifeline to heaven, feel more like a deadline with a sinker destined for hell.
May we all swim in God’s narrow stream while staying hooked on the sweetest bait ever known to mankind.
by Barrett Vanlandingham
I went catfishing last weekend and made a very grim discovery: Sometimes you just can’t get the hook out of the fishes mouth without the fish dying; and that’s a problem for me because I just enjoy catching fish and throwing’em back, not cleaning and eating’em.
In terms of Christian living, my little story it illustrates to me how, too often, we pretend to be soul winners for Jesus; but when we actually see potential in someone, we either back off because we know they will require some work that we don’t have time for, or we back off because we’re not quite for sure what to do with them after we’ve gotten them on the hook. The answer is... REEL THEM IN!!! Remember, the fishing trip doesn’t last forever; and whatever fish are still left in the water are just like the people who were left in the water in the days of Noah.
What we must do as “fishers of men” is to bait our hooks with the love of Jesus Christ. The difference between fishing for catfish,and fishing for souls is that once you get’em hooked, you gotta keep’em hooked until they die to the ways of the world. That’s why it is so important for Christians to continually encourage one another, while not being afraid to point out when a brother is swimming up a dangerous stream.
If we actually love one another as scripture commands, we need to prompt each other to open up and say aahhh on a regular basis to make sure the hook of Christianity is still firmly attached. Sometimes the swift currents of life can make our hook and lifeline to heaven, feel more like a deadline with a sinker destined for hell.
May we all swim in God’s narrow stream while staying hooked on the sweetest bait ever known to mankind.
What Does the Bible Say? (April 15)
by Barrett Vanlandingham
This time of year, young people are suffering from spring fever. This means we as parents are already being hit with tons of seasonal questions that generally begin with “Can I...”, “Why can’t I...” or “Why am I the only one who doesn’t get to...” If your child doesn’t ask these questions, it’s either because they’re spoiled and get to do whatever they want, or you’ve trained them to use God’s Word as their guide. But when they do ask these questions, it’s important for us as parents to know where to find answers.
Scripture reminds us there’s nothing new under the sun. This is good because the Bible provides answers for all of those “hard to answer” questions if we will allow God’s Word to be the final authority. Too often, we allow culture to dictate our “final answer” to our children. Sometimes, we do this because we want our kids to fit-in or be accepted by the world. Other times, it may be that we have simply forgotten that as Christians, we are expected to be different from the world.
Culture may have changed, but God’s standards have not. The path to destruction is still wide and crowded; the road to salvation is still narrow and lonely; and Christians are still going to feel “left out” many times because our citizenship is in heaven, not here.
Questions involving friends, alcohol, music, teen parties, relationships, dances, language, lust, and decency regarding swimsuits or other clothing are all topics that are addressed in God’s Word. Fortunately, issues involved in many of these topics quickly fade away when we make pleasing God, and not ourselves, the priority in our lives. Trust God to guide... He’s our only hope.
by Barrett Vanlandingham
This time of year, young people are suffering from spring fever. This means we as parents are already being hit with tons of seasonal questions that generally begin with “Can I...”, “Why can’t I...” or “Why am I the only one who doesn’t get to...” If your child doesn’t ask these questions, it’s either because they’re spoiled and get to do whatever they want, or you’ve trained them to use God’s Word as their guide. But when they do ask these questions, it’s important for us as parents to know where to find answers.
Scripture reminds us there’s nothing new under the sun. This is good because the Bible provides answers for all of those “hard to answer” questions if we will allow God’s Word to be the final authority. Too often, we allow culture to dictate our “final answer” to our children. Sometimes, we do this because we want our kids to fit-in or be accepted by the world. Other times, it may be that we have simply forgotten that as Christians, we are expected to be different from the world.
Culture may have changed, but God’s standards have not. The path to destruction is still wide and crowded; the road to salvation is still narrow and lonely; and Christians are still going to feel “left out” many times because our citizenship is in heaven, not here.
Questions involving friends, alcohol, music, teen parties, relationships, dances, language, lust, and decency regarding swimsuits or other clothing are all topics that are addressed in God’s Word. Fortunately, issues involved in many of these topics quickly fade away when we make pleasing God, and not ourselves, the priority in our lives. Trust God to guide... He’s our only hope.
Spiderman to the Rescue (May 6, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham
My son, Britton, turned six years old this past week; and his birthday party, which was held in our garage, was fit for a… spider… or, at least… a Spiderman. Thanks to Brenda Dortch’s great work, we had a Spiderman birthday cake. There was also a Spiderman helicopter as the centerpiece, and lots of decorative spider webs everywhere thanks to Lisa’s craftiness.
In Hebrews 12:1-2 the apostle Paul tells us to throw off sin and other things that get us all tangled up and unable to run an effective spiritual race with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Sometimes, we try to be Spiderman and simply climb through and around all those spiritual webs that Satan uses to entangle us. It works well for Spiderman, but he’s a cartoon character; what scripture advises us to do is to simply throw them off.
For us, this means to clean house spiritually. We’ve got to stop ignoring those spiritual webs that entangle us, and start sweeping them out of every corner of our lives. There are the big ones (sin) that entangle us; and then there’s the “everything” else that hinders us.
In my life, those “everythings” are things that aren’t necessarily sin, but still slow me down, or maybe make it difficult for me to be an effective teacher, parent, husband, or Christian example. If you and I were lining up to run a foot race, and there was a giant web across my lane, I would definitely have it removed so I could run the race with no distractions. What webs of sin and “other” things do you need to sweep out of your life? Is it a spirit of disunity? Is it anger? Is it sins of the mouth or heart? May God bless us all this week as we identify webs, sweep them away, and fill our lives with Christ’s love.
by Barrett Vanlandingham
My son, Britton, turned six years old this past week; and his birthday party, which was held in our garage, was fit for a… spider… or, at least… a Spiderman. Thanks to Brenda Dortch’s great work, we had a Spiderman birthday cake. There was also a Spiderman helicopter as the centerpiece, and lots of decorative spider webs everywhere thanks to Lisa’s craftiness.
In Hebrews 12:1-2 the apostle Paul tells us to throw off sin and other things that get us all tangled up and unable to run an effective spiritual race with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Sometimes, we try to be Spiderman and simply climb through and around all those spiritual webs that Satan uses to entangle us. It works well for Spiderman, but he’s a cartoon character; what scripture advises us to do is to simply throw them off.
For us, this means to clean house spiritually. We’ve got to stop ignoring those spiritual webs that entangle us, and start sweeping them out of every corner of our lives. There are the big ones (sin) that entangle us; and then there’s the “everything” else that hinders us.
In my life, those “everythings” are things that aren’t necessarily sin, but still slow me down, or maybe make it difficult for me to be an effective teacher, parent, husband, or Christian example. If you and I were lining up to run a foot race, and there was a giant web across my lane, I would definitely have it removed so I could run the race with no distractions. What webs of sin and “other” things do you need to sweep out of your life? Is it a spirit of disunity? Is it anger? Is it sins of the mouth or heart? May God bless us all this week as we identify webs, sweep them away, and fill our lives with Christ’s love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)