Rain is an inconvenient necessity
by Barrett Vanlandingham
April 27, 2010

As I was trying to decide whether to go camping over the weekend for my son’s birthday, the major question in my mind was “Is it going to rain?” The only reason it seemed like a big deal was because we were going to be sleeping in a tent! What to do? What to do? Overnight in a tent was Britton’s only birthday request and the rain clouds had been overhead all day as I was trying to decide a course of action.
As a youth minister, I teach kids to trust God with their choices even though it’s hard to understand why rain falls on the just and the unjust. We all know God is going to return one day to bring his faithful home to reign with him forever. What we don’t know is when that is going to happen. I try to explain to young people (and older ones too) that the best thing to do is to live everyday as if it were your last. This way, if tomorrow turns out to be Judgment Day, hey, you’re good to go! Or if you lose their life in an accident, you’re still going to be okay. Not that you can describe life in heaven as “okay” but you understand what I mean.
I realize this may be a drab topic for some to come to grips with, but it is important to be prepared to meet God face to face. Everyone will have that opportunity one day.
Noah was a preacher of righteousness who worked on building an ark for 100 years! It’s going to rain! It’s going to rain! What a message to have to preach to such a corrupt generation of people, and worse yet, they had never seen rain!
But as Genesis 7:11-12 states, “…on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” Then verse 24 says that the waters flooded the earth for 150 days.
Well, as I write this article on Friday afternoon I still don’t know for sure if it’s going to rain on my son’s camping trip. But even if it does, the only thing we will suffer is some minor inconvenience. However, in the days of Noah there was so much rain that only eight people (Noah’s family) were saved!
1 Peter 3:21 says, “…this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also…not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Scripture promises that the earth will never flood again as in the days of Noah, but the earth will burn. So, the next time you see the five day outlook, think about God’s eternal forecast. Your obedience to Him can make all the difference as to the level of your spiritual rain gage. Will God find your well-spring running over, or drained by obedience to the world? Have a Spirit-led week!

Being added to the Church is God's job
by Barrett Vanlandingham
April 20, 2010

Occasionally, I hear someone talking about which church they decided to join. This subject always gets my attention since Jesus died for only one church. Which one? Well, we can only assume that he died for the one described in the New Testament of the Bible. I will leave the line-drawing among denominations to God, as to which ones He approves of, and which ones he disapproves of. Our God is sovereign, and really doesn’t need any help from any of us deciding this issue. All we can do is trust fully that God’s inspired word, the Bible, accurately describes the things we need to know about what is pleasing to our Creator, compassion being right at the top.
Beyond that, I will say this: In Acts 2, Peter preached the first Gospel sermon. He told thousands who were present that they really had crucified the son of God, and that they needed to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Acts 2:41 says, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
This is the first example of a group of people in the New Testament gathering as common believers in Christ. The next few verses tell of the fellowship and worship that took place when the believers were together. Then the writer says, “…And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Other New Testament passages pinpoint the elements of what Christians do when they gather such as prayer, singing, Bible study, giving, and encouraging.
So, is it possible to join a church? According to scripture, the answer has to be no. God is the one who adds us to his church when we obey his plan of salvation. When we are baptized, we do not join a particular denomination of the Lord’s church located in a particular town. Neither are we voted in by existing members. We are actually added to the Lord’s church, the global church, the only church, by guess who? The Lord, God himself!
So, what do we do with the fact that there are many different places of worship that do things so differently, even right here in Fort Gibson? Well, there are obviously going to be personality differences and cultural differences in how worship is “done.” We must all be careful about rushing to judgment regarding the rightness or wrongness of traditions in worship, unless they contradict clear Bible teaching on the matter.
As for this word “join,” it is important for Christians to identify themselves, or place membership with a local body of believers so they can encourage and build one another up (Hebrews 10:25). It is only human nature to try harder at anything when you are being held accountable for your actions. Meeting together gives us the opportunity to see close up what our Christian family is struggling with. It would be easy to let each other slip through the cracks spiritually if our only interaction was through the internet.
May God bless you richly in your spiritual journey as you reap the rewards of seeking His face (Heb. 11:6), and letting Him add you to His number.

Fine tuning your spiritual walk
by Barrett Vanlandingham
April 13, 2010

Have you ever known the answer to a problem in your life but just couldn’t get motivated to do anything about it? If you’re alive at all, the answer to that is a definite yes.
As Christians, this is one of the biggest dilemmas we deal with. We are not short on good advice, knowledge about spiritual things, or good information on Christian living. Our generation has access to more information than any other generation in history. Books, TV, radio, computer, the list goes on of ways we receive helpful information. So, the problem is not access to good ideas. The problem is the same as it has been since the beginning of time. Mankind, simply put, is stubborn and selfish. We do what satisfies our own wants because we are rarely compelled by what someone else wants.
So, how do we fix this in the spiritual sense? After all, we exist to serve Jesus Christ, right? Why is it so hard to put our own fleshly desires aside, and follow God’s will instead?
I believe that if we are to be successfully compelled into living a righteous life, we have to understand that we as Christians are “called” to a higher standard than the world. But as with anything we are compelled to do, I believe two things must take place: 1) There has to be a sense of urgency. 2) There has to be a sense of loyalty.
Those two factors must work hand in hand if you are to reach that higher standard you’re hoping to achieve. But just how does something get high enough on your priority list for you to have that sense of urgency and loyalty?
1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
Simply put, understanding Christ’s role in your salvation is a sure fire way to not only explain to others why you have hope, but it also helps us to stay faithful and obedient to him. One day, Christ will judge us according to what we have done on earth. We don’t know when that day will be. That should provide us with some sense of urgency. As for loyalty, the four Gospels clearly state the extreme measures Jesus was willing to go through for us, so that we could one day stand before him with confidence.
May God bless you this week with a greater sense of urgency to be Jesus to a lost and hurting world, and to feel that sense of loyalty that could only be brought-on by someone who gave everything for you.

The Sunday after Easter also tells a story
by Barrett Vanlandingham
April 6, 2010

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter weekend. Family meals, egg hunting, and religious gatherings are all hallmarks of this very special holiday. But every year it causes me to wonder how church buildings everywhere can be so packed on one Sunday, and not so much the very next week and the weeks following.
It’s almost as if some of us believe we get extra points for attending worship on one Sunday over another. We’re all guilty of this mindset to some extent, aren’t we? What I mean is that the majority of Christians would not even consider missing Easter Sunday. But for some reason the majority also don’t place as much emphasis on other Sundays or other church meeting times such as Wednesday night Bible studies and such decided by church leadership.
Have you ever made an excuse for not attending church by saying that you were just too busy, only to be told by someone that Jesus wasn’t too busy to die for you but he did anyway? That could be more than a little embarrassing, couldn’t it? I actually know someone who that happened to recently. Ouch! Lesson learned.
None of us can really say that the Bible doesn’t back frequent meeting times. Acts chapter 2 tells us that the early church met every day. So we shouldn’t think meeting once a week or even two and three times a week is overdoing it.
Everytime Christians come together in the name of Jesus is special, no matter what day. But Sundays are especially important because the New Testament places so much importance on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). How often does the first day of the week come around? Every week. This is the day early Christians came together to take the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-29). The unleavened bread represents the body of Jesus, while the fruit of the vine represent his blood. Even today, during these Sunday gatherings we are to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s the day Christians set aside a portion of their income for the work of the church (1 Cor. 16). We also know that Christians prayed, studied, and sang to God when they came together.
Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us that Christians shouldn’t neglect assemblies because this fellowship is how we can encourage each other toward love and good deeds.
Bottom line? Jesus died and rose (Matt. 28:6) for mankind to save us from our sins (Rom. 5:8, John 3:16). If we choose to accept this gift by obeying his plan of salvation (Matt. 10:32, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Rom. 6:1-10), we have a very bright future! Now THAT is the Bible’s Gospel message, worth hearing Easter Sunday and any other day of the year. Have an awesome week because Jesus loves you. (end)