The after-life is not a complete mystery
by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 30, 2013

            Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (ESV).”

            That’s pretty straight forward!  From this passage, we know that someday: 1) Jesus is not going to bear the consequences of mankind’s sin anymore.  2) We’re all going to die once.  3)  We’re all going to be judged.  4)  Some people will be saved. 

            But where do we go after death?  Scripture points to what could be described as a waiting place called Hades (New Testament Greek word) or Sheol (Old Testament Hebrew word). Within the waiting place, one side is described as torment, the other as paradise.

Both are written about in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (ref: Luke 16:19-31).  We can tell a few things about what this after-life place is like because of a conversation between the rich man who was in torment, and Abraham and Lazarus who were in paradise.  They could talk but they could not cross from one side to the other.  Also, the rich man was not allowed to communicate with his five living brothers to warn them about the reality of torment.

In Matthew 24:36-51 and chapter 25 Jesus tells several stories and parables to illustrate that our fate is set after we die, since there is nothing more we can do to obey the Master.

The final judgment or the second coming involves something much different than the waiting place scenario.  It is described as a day, not days, and not an on-going process as people die, but rather a day in which no one knows the day or the hour (ref: Matthew 24:36). It is a day in which Jesus will return to bring his faithful home to heaven.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God.”  Paul goes on to say that those who are already dead in Christ will rise first, followed by the saved who are still living.  We can presume that Judgment Day has not already happened since we are still doing spiritual battle, not to mention the fact that we have not yet heard the trumpet call of God!!

             The apostle Paul says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).”

            People have a lot of questions about the specifics of Christ’s return, exactly how He will carry out Judgment Day, and exactly what heaven will be like.  But the fact that there are a lot of things we simply do not know should have no bearing on how we prepare ourselves to meet our Maker face to face.   Have a great week!

Mountaintop experiences don’t come along everyday
by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 23, 2013

            The other day a high school boy texted me to say that he was trying to be more Christ-like, but that no one seemed to notice his efforts.  He added that it is discouraging when you are doing your best to make a difference and spread the love of God and nobody acknowledges it.  He basically wanted some ideas for things he could do that would cause people to say, “Wow, God is good!”  He said that he wanted to be out of the ordinary, an exception, and to know clearly his purpose.  Obviously, this young man has a good heart for doing the Lord’s work, and I told him so.

But the one thing I think a lot of us forget is that those “Wow moments” are not really everyday occurrences.  Even in Bible times, the mountaintop experiences only happened now then, maybe only once in a lifetime.  The rest of the time we just live our lives as God wants us to, being willing vessels for him, being prepared to take advantage of those opportunities when God calls us.

Think about it.  Noah lived to be 950 years old!  Granted, he spent a hundred years building an ark.  But there was only one flood.  So he lived over 800 years with no other major events that the Holy Spirit felt worthy recording in the Bible.  It was the same with other people we read about in God’s word.

1) Elijah only had one showdown on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal.  2) Moses was 80 before he led the children of Israel out of Egypt and experienced many of God’s miracles such as the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.  3) Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den just once (and he was also in his eighties).  4) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in the furnace only once.  5) God asked Abraham once to sacrifice his son Isaac, and then sent an angel to stop him.  6) Peter got to walk on water just once.  7) And John’s vision that resulted in the book of Revelation was also a once in a lifetime thing.

But when all of these stories (and many more) are included in one Bible, it is easy for us today to draw the wrong conclusion that incredible miracles used to happen at the top of every hour!  God knows his people have always had trouble with patience and faith. 

That is probably why He included reminder passages for us to read such as “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31), and “There is a time for everything” (Ecclesiates 3:1), and “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise” (2 Peter 3:8-9), and “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

God doesn’t perform on command like we sometimes pray that he will. But he does provide each of us everyday with more than enough evidence to continue a faithful journey with Him.  Just remember, God knows exactly what we need, and when we need it.  We just have to be prepared to serve.  The “wow moments” will come.  Have a blessed week!

It’s not too late to cook up a spiritual strategy for 2013!
by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 16, 2013 

It’s just hard to beat a good biscuit!  A few days ago, preacher Dan and I hosted the monthly area ministers’ breakfast, which gave us the chance to show off our sweet cooking skills.

Between the two of us we managed to come up with gravy and a triple batch of homemade biscuits (my grandma’s recipe handed down through my mom), and Dan’s scrambled eggs and smoked, sweet Arkansas bacon.

If Jesus’ mother, Mary, made biscuits half as good as my mom and grandma, I can totally understand why the temptation to turn stones into bread was a worthy enough story to include in the Bible!   After all, can you imagine what must have been going through Jesus’ mind as he was tempted to whip up some piping hot comfort food, probably to taste just like his mom’s? This, after forty days of fasting and going toe to toe with the devil and some cleverly devised temptations just before Jesus’ earthly ministry began.

It is strange to think, but the same tempter that approached Jesus in the desert nearly 2000 years ago is the same devil we will do battle with in 2013. Satan is more equipped to deliver harm than any opponent in any boxing ring or bowl game.  That’s a scary thought!

Last year was such a great year for our church family in so many ways. Maybe it was for yours, too.  Praise be to God!  And with many plans in the works for 2013, I am certain Satan is going to be gunning for us as much this year as ever.  Satan hates it when Christians succeed.

But here’s the deal.  The same spiritual weapons Jesus had available to him in the desert are the same weapons we can arm ourselves with today.  Jesus made God’s word an inseparable part of who he was. That is why he was able to answer the devil’s temptations everytime with the phrase “It is written”. We can do that, too. When we read the Bible, God’s word is also written in our hearts.  Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).”  Constant prayer and guidance from God’s Holy Spirit are also an important part of this recipe.

One of the great things about having a Savior who was tempted in every way (Heb. 4:15) is that we can trust that his inspired word (2 Tim. 3:16-17) gives us everything we need to know about living righteously.  So as much as I love a good biscuit, in 2013 it should probably be my consumption of Jesus, the Bread of Life that sees an increase.  How about you? Have a great week!

There are no victimless sins
by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 9, 2013

            Our culture has bought into the lie that whatever sin a person commits, privately or otherwise, only affects them.  This has never been true.

            In 1 Samuel 21 we are told the story of the shepherd boy turned decorated war hero David who also worked as harp player for King Saul.  His job was to play the harp anytime King Saul was upset about something so he would calm down.  And although David did his job masterfully, King Saul became increasingly jealous of the fact that so many people were fans of David.  They would sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

            Occasionally, Saul would become so incensed he would throw a spear at David, even while he was playing the harp!  How would you like to have a job where you boss was always trying to kill you? 

Well, David eventually had enough. But instead of taking vengeance on God’s anointed king, he ran away with no food or weapons to a town called Nob.  Ahimelech the priest lived there, and when he saw David approaching, he trembled and asked why David was wandering around by himself.   This is where David made a crucial mistake.  He told Ahimelech that King Saul had sent him on a secret mission and that David was supposed to meet his men later at a certain place.  Ahimelech gave him some bread and Goliath’s sword, and David left.

In reality, there were no orders from King Saul, no secret mission, and no meeting with his men.  It was all a lie, probably to save face after running away.  But David’s lie would come back to haunt many innocent, unsuspecting people in the town of Nob.

The king’s chief shepherd, Doeg the Edomite, told Saul about the exchange he had seen between Ahimelech the priest and David.  Saul was so angry he sent Doeg to kill all 85 priests in Nob including Ahimelech, also every man, woman, child, and infant, as well as all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys (ref: 1 Sam. 22:18-19). This all happened as the result of a single lie from the mouth of David.  

Every decision we make has a consequence, either good or bad.  The writer of James 3:16-17 says that the world’s idea of wisdom results in envy, selfish ambition, disorder, and every evil practice.  “But wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure.”  The apostle Paul says we need to keep our minds on things that are pure in order to enjoy the peace of God (ref: Phil 4:8).  You see, when our minds are on evil, even secretly, there are negative consequences that steal our time away from teaching the lost about the love of Christ.  May we all strive to have purity in everything we say, do, and think.  Have a great week!