Christians must not cross lines in either direction

by Barrett Vanlandingham

December 12, 2017

          I was driving down Willey Street in Fort Gibson recently when I noticed a small SUV about 200 yards away in the oncoming lane. This wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but she kept drifting closer to the line, and at time over the line. As we passed each other, I noticed her looking down at her phone. But since this article is not about safe driving practices, I will make the connection to something even more important: crossing spiritual lines.

          Please understand I am not saying that we must drive on the shoulder, spiritually speaking, to keep from crossing over the line. That creates other problems, and that is what the Pharisees were often guilty of doing. They wouldn’t even eat an egg that had been laid on the Sabbath since the hen would have had to do work to get it here. That is a great example of crossing the line from being obedient to losing all common sense.

          You may have a great grandparent who at one time felt it was sinful to play with a deck of cards (“spot cards”) because it resembled gambling. You may have grown up being taught that all dancing is sinful. I have a friend who told me that when he was in grade school, his parents sent a note to school with him so teachers would not let him do the “bunny hop”. No judgment here (we’re all a work in progress).

          We must make informed decisions in our faith walk. The New Testament gives us instructions, and it does not need clarification. Remember, that is how the Pharisees wound up with such a long list of do’s and don’ts. But it is important to take other people’s feelings and highest good into consideration when we make choices. Paul speaks to this in Romans 14-15.       

          The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, said, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths of your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27).

          This is good advice for driving and for life.  Have a great week!

Spread God’s message through faith and deeds

by Barrett Vanlandingham

December 5, 2017

          It’s one thing to know about something that needs to be done. It’s another thing to actually do something about it.

          Lately, I have been using social media terms to express spiritual meanings in my “Fort Faith” column. My previous articles have challenged us to basically get off of our spiritual high center and act upon those things that need our attention as Christians. In other words, don’t just “rant” about issues like people do on social media, hit “send” already, and make a real difference. Knowledge is no good if you don’t apply it (James 1:22). It takes faith and deeds, not just one or the other (James 2:14, 24, 26).

          Jesus has already given us our marching orders in the Great Commission to go into all the world, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples (ref: Matthew 28:18-20).

But before we can be effective in making a difference in our world, we must be prepared. This means taking God’s message seriously. “Receive it”, “like it”, “copy it”.

          Today I want to write a few words about God’s message, and what it means to “comment on it” and “send it”.  Most of us have been in a classroom situation when the teacher said, “Any comments?”  And what followed was silence because nobody knew enough about the topic to make a comment.

          1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts, revere 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. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

          Christian comedian Tim Hawkins does a bit where he impersonates a mother who watches her son stub his toe, and then exclaims after the fact, “Be careful!”

          Christians are called to “comment” or spread God’s word before a spiritual crisis arises, not afterwards when someone is already reaping the consequences for their actions.  The most effective “commenting” also involves “sending” God’s message by our example and direct involvement with those people who are closest to us, and anyone else we hope to teach. Mission trips are a great way to practice “commenting on” and “sending” God’s word. It doesn’t have to be overseas. Jesus said to start where you are.  Have a great week!

I like God’s message

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 28, 2017

          We use the word “like” in a lot of ways. Someone who definitely does not want to go along with something might say, “Like, uh, NO!” (80’s valley girl inflection).  Others use the word to indicate their fondness of someone. And if you spend much time on social media, you know hitting the “like” button is a way to show approval or support for someone’s post on Facebook, or the “heart” button on Instagram or Twitter.

          In my articles lately about making a difference in our world, I have written about “receiving” God’s message, and not forgetting to “hit send”, as opposed to ranting about the horrors of society, but not be willing to be a part of the solution.

          Combining the spiritual and social media metaphors, I would say that if we “like” God’s word, we should “copy” it, or bring our lives in line with it. Moses told the children of Israel to copy God’s commands onto their hearts.

          “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

          “Liking” and “copying” God’s word onto the hearts of first century Christians such as Paul, Peter, and others came in handy for the Lord’s kingdom. They won over many souls because they were prepared to teach anyone who would listen. They knew that teaching others was much more than an event, it was a lifestyle of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) they were privileged to “like” and “copy” every day.

          Paul spoke those words to new Christians in Galatia, some of whom had already deserted the truths of God’s word to follow a completely different gospel (1:6-7). As their big brother in Christ, Paul reminded them of the importance of writing God’s word on their hearts.        “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).  Still great advice for us to “like” and “copy” today.  Have a great week!

Being thankful is a blessing of its own

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 21, 2017

         

            In his closing remarks in a letter to Christians in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul said, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

          All the way through the Old and New Testaments, we find the writers encouraging us to be thankful. Did you ever wonder why? After all, a pessimist living back then might be inclined to think there’s not much for which to be thankful. The Jews had been looking for a Savior for thousands of years, and then those who became New Testament Christians were often persecuted in the cruelest of ways for their beliefs. So, it occurred to me to ask the question, why was being thankful such an important thing to write about?

          In the above verse, Paul’s answer is that it is God’s will for believers to be thankful “in Christ Jesus.”

          The phrase “in Christ Jesus” changes everything! You see, without Christ in the picture, Paul, with almost 100-percent certainty, would not be encouraging people to be thankful in all circumstances. That would be absurd. Paul’s emphasis is on living our lives with a thankful attitude when things go right, and when things go wrong. It is not likely that Paul intended to push people to be thankful for each specific bad thing in a person’s life, but rather, “in every circumstance” to be thankful for your life in Christ Jesus. This passage makes clear that God also wants Christians to “rejoice always” and “pray continually”.  

          Being thankful for our trials may not be something most people would feel good about. But there are benefits to trials. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

          Thankfulness in Jesus is part of a new life (Romans 6:3-4) found only in Him. But God also desires for us to express this attitude openly within body of Christ (His church), and with other people who we may be able to win for the kingdom. Have a great week!

God’s message is worth receiving

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 14, 2017

          Last week, I wrote on the topic of making a difference in our world by having the courage to “Hit Send” on your Spirit-led ideas from God’s word. After all, not following through with a good idea is kind of like composing a heartfelt text message and then forgetting to hit the send button on your phone. Besides, no one wants to hear anyone rant about things that aggravate them, especially if they are not willing to lift a finger to help or do anything about it.

          Today, I want to look at why anyone would want to receive a message from God’s word in the first place:

          1) God’s word is true. It has a common theme of salvation through Jesus Christ, even though it was written by 40 authors over a span of 1500 years, as opposed to a single author in a short amount of time.

          2) People who lived in the first century when the New Testament was written believed in the Bible’s truthfulness, especially about matters of salvation. Why else would they be willing to hold to their beliefs even in the face of persecution or martyrdom, if they believe that Jesus and his miracles were fraudulent?

          3) The prophecies contained in the Old Testament came true hundreds of years after they were written, or in some cases a thousand years later. It was no accident where and under what circumstances the baby Jesus would be born (Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2). It was no accident that Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). It was no accident how Jesus would die (Psalm 22), Isaiah 52-53) or that He would be resurrected and ascend back to His heavenly Father (Psalm 16:10, 68:18, 110).

          4) Archaeologists continue to unearth truths of the Bible each time they dig up artifacts that coincide with scripture. Sir William Mitchell Ramsay of Scotland was a famous professor and archaeologist in the late 1800’s. After setting out to disprove the accuracy of Luke’s writings, Ramsay discovered that each city he uncovered was exactly where Luke said it was over 1800 years before! This drastically changed Ramsay’s opinions about Luke’s credibility.

          More next week!  Have a great day.