The taste of praise is sweet
by Barrett Vanlandingham
April 7, 2009

David enjoyed the taste of praise in times of happiness and joy, as well as in times of fear and anxiety. In last week’s article, I marveled at David’s ability to praise God even when he was on the run from King Saul who was trying to kill him. David somehow was able to take shelter under God and write an amazing poem of praise that we call Psalm 34. In the middle of it David said, “:08 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
The first three verses of Psalm 34 are just as incredible. “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”
It’s easy to feel confident in our faith when life’s recipe is mixed just right. But when any of the ingredients for having a happy life is missing, we sometimes struggle spiritually.
We pray to God during the tough times, but do we praise him like David did? How could David have been so spiritually connected during such a difficult and stressful time? I believe the answer lies in his heart. 1 Samuel 13:14 says that David was a man after God’s own heart.
The fact is, David knew that tough times would come and go. But his experience had already shown him that siding with God could allow him to accomplish things that would have seemed impossible to most people. Despite the fact that David was described as “only a boy” (1 Sam. 17:33), he was said to have slain tens of thousands during times of war in comparison to Saul’s thousands. This should have been no shock since the “Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Sam. 16:13) from the day that Samuel anointed David to replace Saul as king.
In Psalm 34:2, David knew that the afflicted would be encouraged by hearing the Lord’s praise which was always on his lips. And why wouldn’t their spirits be lifted and hopes restored? After all, they were hearing about a God who worked in uncommon ways through a very common young man, and there were many witnesses to back up his story.
David is simply saying that praising the Lord continually made a big difference in his life and it can in yours too.
Barrett Vanlandingham can be reached at the Fort Gibson Church of Christ. ftgcoc_barrett@sbcglobal.nets or 478-2222.

The Lord tastes good in times of joy and stress
by Barrett Vanlandingham
March 31, 2009

Anyone who’s been to a summer church camp I’ve directed knows I like my theme titles to rhyme with the year. I’ve been working on a series of lessons for this summer titled “Tasting Fine in 2009.” It’s based on Psalm 34:8 which says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
David is the writer of the 34th Psalm. He wrote it as he was being forced to flee his country because Saul (King if Israel) was trying to kill him. He was so scared that he acted like a madman and let saliva run down his beard so that Achish (King of Gath) would let him go (1 Samuel 21:10-15).
But even in the middle of all this, David managed to praise God with such clarity of mind. In fact, each verse of the Psalm 34 poem begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is pretty impressive for someone who was on the run, afraid for his life, and struggling with feelings of insecurity. David trusted God, but it’s only natural for someone to feel uneasy when someone’s chasing you.
The fact is, David was definitely qualified to say that the Lord tasted good. Why? Because time after time, God helped David overcome King Saul’s efforts to kill him (1 Sam. 18:12 & 23:14). The Lord even blessed David with a best friend (Jonathan) who was the son of Saul! Can you imagine being best friends with someone whose dad was always trying to kill you? No thanks! But God had a plan that involved putting David in the right place at the right time. Sometimes we wonder why God allows things to happen as they do. It’s okay to wonder. But it’s more important to trust God even when we don’t fully understand how his plan needs to be carried out.
In David’s lifetime, he knew the negative consequences of excluding God from his decisions such as the time he lusted after Bathsheba. He also knew the blessings of taking refuge in the Lord such as the time God helped David kill Goliath. We all have giants to deal with, don’t we?
This idea of taking refuge in the Lord was important for David, and it is just as important for us today. Our world is full of distractions, and we need time alone with the Lord to revive. God desires a relationship with us. But we need a relationship with him. Have you tasted the Lord lately? (end)

Christians need to hit the Book more
by Barrett Vanlandingham
March 24, 2009

A slow decline in the number of people committed to basic Bible principles continues to produce some startling statistics. The latest Barna Group Survey says only one-percent of the youngest adult generation has a biblical worldview.
That means only one-percent of America’s 18-23 year olds believe the following:
1. Moral truth exists.
2. The Bible is completely accurate in all the principles it teaches.
3. Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic.
4. A person cannot earn their way into Heaven by good works.
5. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
6. God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator who still rules the universe today.
What is scary about that percentage is that less than three years ago, another survey of the millennial (teenage) generation revealed only four-percent of that age group is committed to basic Bible principles. What’s worse is that this Millennial Generation is the biggest-ever group of teenagers in American history.
65-percent of the World War II generation said they were committed to basic Bible principles. 35-percent of the Baby Boomers said they were committed to basic Bible principles. 16-percent of Generation X said they were committed to basic Bible principles.
Now, imagine how the problems we face in our society today will be handled when the Millennial Generation is in the driver’s seat instead of the Baby Boomers.
Another Barna Group Survey cited in the Christian Post suggests that even though most Americans consider themselves to be of the Christian faith and say they know the content of the Bible, less than one out of ten Americans demonstrate such knowledge by their actions.
In an article for the Christian Science Monitor, Michael Spencer wrote, “We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught.” He goes on to say that we’ve spent billions in the name of religion, and have produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Spencer says, “Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community.” He says, “Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.”
Only when we model the love of Jesus Christ and apply his teachings will our friends, neighbors, and families take our commitment to God seriously. That will change more lives than any amount of political grandstanding and protesting issues in the name of religion.
Bottom line? Deuteronomy 6:4-9 had it right all along. God’s people must do a better job at studying and understanding their Bibles and following through with application, and teaching their children to do the same. It is imperative that we know exactly what we are commanded to do. And it is equally important that we take seriously our responsibility to obey the Bible’s teachings. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

Spiritual Lessons from Driver’s Test
by Barrett Vanlandingham
March 17, 2009

As I sat there as a nervous dad in the Driver’s License Examiner waiting room Friday, I couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of apprehension for my 16-year old daughter. I thought to myself, “She’s only had her permit for six months. Is she ready to take that final step?” At any moment now, it would be her turn to get behind the wheel of my Jeep with the officer sitting next to her. Would she pass the test? I hoped so. But regardless, there was nothing else I could do to help her now. The training period was over. The officer read my daughter’s name loudly from the sign-in clip board. Her time had come, and off they went! Within 15 minutes, they returned. She had passed the test!
Spiritually speaking, there are some definite parallels to what parents go through in raising their children in the Lord. We train and train, but ultimately it is the child who has to decide whether to apply God’s word to their life. Eventually, they have to be tested for themselves away from their parents. That is the point at which a parent learns the meaning of “giving it over to God.”
Prayer is powerful. And beyond that, there is nothing else you can do to shelter your children from physical, emotional, or spiritual harm. It’s between them and God. But let me say again, “Prayer is powerful.” Prayer must be our first line of action, not a last resort.
So, as soon as we pulled into the driveway with her license in hand, I felt the urge to pray. I prayed for her, I prayed over “Herbert” (my 1982 Ford F-150 she will be driving), and I prayed for all the drivers on the road. Before she could even get into the pickup, I’m pretty sure I had wiped enough tears from my eyes to at least wash the hood. However, I restrained myself.
I wouldn’t have wanted the neighbors to think I wasn’t handling things well.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
I have no doubt that my daughter is developing her own relationship with God. But just like the driver’s test, she will stand before God one day and answer for herself. We all will. The good news is that for Christians, Jesus has already passed the test for us. We just have to follow the narrow road that leads to him (Matthew 7:13-14). (end)

The Most Misunderstood Part of God
by Barrett Vanlandingham
March 3, 2009

Maybe it’s because we are human, but it seems most Christians have an easier time understanding the idea of God the Father and God the Son than God the Holy Spirit.
But it is important for every Christian to spend time thinking about the Spirit and His work in the Bible and in us. Why? It’s because the Holy Spirit is that part of God who is actually closest to us.
In fact, according the scripture, if the Spirit had a physical address, it would probably read something like “Every Baptized Believer Avenue.”
You can read about that in Acts 2:38. That’s where Peter just finished preaching the first Gospel sermon. The people were deeply grieved, realizing they had just crucified the Son of God. So they asked, “What shall we do?” That’s when Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
God’s word reaffirms this truth many times in the New Testament. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 tells us that God “…anointed us, and set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Paul is simply saying that every Christian has a covenant or an agreement with God of the blessing of heaven. And to prove God means what he says, he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell inside us. The Holy Spirit makes his home in our body, our temple (2 Cor. 6:16 and 1 Cor. 3:16) when we obey his word. Part of that obedience is being baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
In John 14:15-17a, Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.”
Jesus said those words to let his disciples know that after he would be crucified, raised on the third day, and then go back to his heavenly Father, he would be sending that other part of God to guide them.
Jesus reaffirms this thought in some of the final words he would say to his disciples. It’s recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 after Jesus said that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So what has the Holy Spirit done for us? The Spirit is what enabled Jesus and his disciples in the first century to do miracles to convince people that Jesus' message was true. Then, the Spirit made sure these events and other words of the Bible were written down accurately over the course of 1500 years, by 40 writers on three different continents. We can take a book of the Bible dating back over two-thousand years, and it will read the same as a new copy today (ref: 2 Peter 1:20-21).
So what does the Holy Spirit do for us today?
1. He gives us a way of escape in temptations (1 Cor. 10:13).
2. He gives us inner strength (Ephesians 3:16).
3. He communicates our prayers to God when we are not sure of what to ask (Romans 8:26-27).
4. He transforms us into the likeness of Jesus (2 Cor 3:17-18).
5. He leads us to partake in that wonderful fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
May God bless us all as we take confidence in knowing the power that is available to each of us who has made our bodies a home for God’s Holy Spirit. (end)


Cow Lips and Christianity Have Something in Common
by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 24, 2009

Interesting things always happen when you take God’s work into a mission field. This time in Monterrey, Mexico was no different. One of the local elders of a Monterrey Church of Christ has a taco stand where we ate breakfast one morning which was a first for me. We didn’t find out until afterwards that the tasty soft tacos were 100-percent cow lips! They call it barbecoa. If it hadn’t tasted so incredibly good, I would be saying, “YUK” right about now. I guess that was a small sacrifice to encourage a brother in Christ.
I can’t help but be more appreciative of life here in Northeastern Oklahoma everytime I take a trip across the Rio Grande. Ten of us from the Fort Gibson Church of Christ made the journey into Monterrey last week on a short term mission trip to continue construction on a new church building near there. The Fort Gibson Church of Christ purchased the land about a year and a half ago in the fast-growing suburb of Santa Monica. The foundation is finished, most of the walls are up, and now work on the floor, ceiling, and roof will take place soon. The 10-thousand square foot building will seat as many as 400 people, and will provide classroom space. Right now, the 60 members are meeting in a small building about the size of a garage.
While there are obviously some cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico based on economics, politics, and tradition, there are more similarities than differences. And the desire to worship God seems just as strong there as it does here.
Jeri Collins, Glen and Robin Elliott, Everett Laney, Kenny Lashley, Dan Rouse, myself, and three others from the Sand Springs Church of Christ made the February 14-20 trip.
Despite the news reports of increased danger in Mexico, our group never felt in danger while we were there. Project Director Rick Owens has built over a hundred church buildings in the past 20-years with volunteer help, mostly teenagers who come in to help week after week. And not even once has there been an instance of violence aimed at any of the church groups, and no serious injuries. That’s impressive considering there have been literally thousands of teenage and adult groups make the trip over the years to dig foundations, lay block, mix and pour cement, and put up roof supports.
Not everyone is able to make a trip across the border or overseas on a mission trip. But everyone can help support those who do. May God bless you as you consider ways of taking the message of Jesus into the world (Matthew 28:18-20). (end)


Outstretched
by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 3, 2009


“With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, His love endures forever.” Those few words penned by the writer of the 136th Psalm should provide more comfort and present more challenges to Christians than the longest sermon ever preached.
How many times have we asked, “Where was God?” The fact is, the world used to be a near perfect place. That is, until sin entered, and Adam and Eve chose to follow the advice of the devil in the Garden of Eden. That’s the point at which mankind began to value created things more than the Creator. The world had become a broken place, full of tragedy and natural consequences.
As time passed, people became used to dealing with life outside of the garden, and began to feel that the world was a pretty good place to live as long as things were going their way. In other words, the “norm” for life on earth became defined as pretty good except for when bad things would happen.
So, when bad things would happen as a result of not living in a near perfect place, people began to look for someone to blame. Too often, that someone was God. It’s the same today.
We forget that we only have ourselves to blame for the world we live in. You see, in reality life on earth is a lot more work than it was when Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. We need to cherish every blessing we receive as something special, not as something God owes us. The blessings should be looked at as the exception, not the rule. After all, does any of us really want from God what we deserve?
A youth minister friend of mine, Tom, was very angry with God because his dad developed a brain aneurism three days before Tom’s wedding. He survived the ordeal but Tom’s faith was shaken to the point of considering leaving his job and quitting the church. He was given the opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip to Africa. He went even though his heart was not in it. His job there was to play with children and sing to them while the more experienced missionaries were to have Bible studies with the kids’ parents. Tom found out that most of the children had aids and probably would not live long. The kids he thought were nine or ten, were actually malnourished teenagers. Tom became tired of singing to the children, so he asked them to sing something for him. They began to sing words that when translated are “Holy is the Lord.” One little four-year old boy had polio, but was still walking with leg-braces. And as soon as the singing began, the little boy outstretched his arms to heaven and sang with all his might, “Holy is the Lord.” That child knew more about the meaning of life in his four short years than most of us who’ve lived a lot longer.
Tom could no longer be angry with God for allowing his dad to suffer. The little boy had taught him the lesson that we all have the privilege of praising God for as long or as short a time as we have on earth.
God’s hand is outstretched to us. His love never fades. But we must also outstretch to God. For we did not create ourselves nor any of our blessings. We all understand the concept of being forgiven, yet still having to suffer consequences. Well, that’s a pretty good description of life on earth. We are forgiven because of God’s grace that provides us a way to do his will and reap the reward of heaven. That doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us or those we love while we live here. We can be sure of that.
May God give us the confidence and understanding to reach out to God and praise his dear name even in times of crisis. (end)