God’s power is at work in His church today

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 21, 2017

          God used his power to create the universe (Genesis 1).  A few thousand years later, God used His power again, this time in cooperation with some very unlikely first century partners to spread His church.

          Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the beginnings of the Lord’s church is that Christ’s followers were so bold in teaching about their friend, Jesus, when just weeks before, they had behaved so cowardly, deserting Jesus in his time of need. The Church would quickly come to be known for attributes that are still important for the Church today: 1) the instruction Christ’s followers could find there, 2) the power of God that people witnessed there, 3) an open invitation to a life of salvation and joy.

          Acts 1:1-5 tells us that in the 40 days between Christ’s resurrection and ascension back to heaven, Jesus interacted with His disciples, giving them “convincing proofs” that He was alive again. He spoke with them, ate fish with them, and even let them touch Him. Jesus knew His disciples would need to be fully convinced of His resurrection if they were to teach His message of love and hope while enduring persecution.

          Acts 2:1-11 tells us a huge crowd of Jews had gathered for a festival in Jerusalem known as Pentecost that took place 50 days after the Passover. But this Pentecost would prove to be a day to remember like no other. God’s Holy Spirit empowered the 12 apostles, allowing them to speak in tongues about “the wonders of God” so that everyone, no matter where they were from, could understand in their own language.

          In Acts 2:12-47 Peter takes it up a notch as he reminds the crowd about Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. Three thousand new believers were told to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins so that they could receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit (2:38).  These new Christians were so excited about their new life in Christ that they met together everyday, ate together, praised God together, enjoyed each other’s company, and took care of each other’s needs.

          Three simple things made all the difference in the early church. The same is true today. Have a great week!

God wants imperfect people for His church

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 21, 2017

          The very first Christians (church members) were taught by eye-witnesses to the miracles of Jesus. The church not only witnessed God’s supernatural power, but also his love, compassion, and mercy.

          God’s mercy is still a huge part of what makes Christ’s church special and appealing to us today. God made clear His desire for us to show mercy to others in the way He showed mercy to one of Jesus’ very first disciples. By studying about the apostle Peter, we get a close up encounter of God’s mercy, and one of the best reasons why our Lord is known as “The God of second chances.”

          In John 13:37, the day before Jesus was crucified, Peter expressed his commitment to Jesus, saying, “I will lay down my life for you.”

          Of course, we know how that turned out. While the high priest was questioning Jesus in the courtyard, Peter was there warming himself that cold night by a fire. Three times, Peter was asked by the opposition about whether he knew Jesus. Peter denied it three times before the rooster crowed.

          Peter failed his friend. But thankfully, Jesus did not give up on Peter.  Several days after Jesus’ resurrection, He and his disciples were on the seashore, eating fish around a fire early in the morning. Then Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?”     After each time Peter answered yes, Jesus told Peter, “Feed my lambs.”  Jesus was giving Peter a second chance to prove his commitment by reinstating him as someone He trusted to show His love to others and teach God’s truths.

          Peter made the most of his second chance. In Acts 2, He preached the first Gospel sermon. Three-thousand people obeyed the message and were baptized. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). 

          That number quickly grew to five-thousand, so members of the Sanhedrin (Jewish high court) commanded Peter and John to stop teaching the message of Jesus. This time, Peter’s response to the opposition was different, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

          Thank God He allows those who mess up the opportunity to repent and continue serving in His kingdom.  Have a blessed day!

Baptism is immersed in Biblical truths

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 14, 2017

          The New Testament makes clear the necessity of baptism, and that baptism means immersion or burial in water (Romans 6:4), not sprinkling or pouring. Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The Bible uses the Greek word for immerse (baptizo) at least nine times in telling the stories of Christian converts.

          In Acts 2, the apostle Peter preached to the crowd the good news of Jesus Christ and what He did for them. When the people asked what they needed to do, 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” (Acts 2:38). The Lord added three-thousand people to His church that day who accepted Peter’s message.

          In Acts 8, Philip rode in a chariot with a government official identified in scripture as the “Ethiopian Eunuch.”  After Philip taught him the good news about Jesus, the man saw water near the road and asked to be baptized. Philip and the eunuch “went down into the water and Philip baptized him” (8:38). If immersion (burial in water) were not necessary, Philip could have simply sprinkled a few drops on his head without getting out of the chariot. One other note, Philip did not begin rejoicing (8:39) until after his baptism, even though he surely believed in the good news of Jesus before his baptism.

          In Acts 22:6-16 we read about the Apostle Paul’s conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus. He encountered a blinding light, and heard a voice identify Himself as “Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.”  Paul spoke with Him and asked Him what he should do. Then Paul’s friends led him into Damascus where a man named Ananias said to Paul, “Receive your sight!”  And then he said, “And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

          None of these souls was saved by saying a prayer, talking to Jesus, or asking Jesus into their heart. However, the NT does point out that believing (John 8:24), repenting (Luke 13:3-5), confessing (Romans 10:9-13) and baptism (Romans 6:1-11) are necessary to be saved.  Have a great week!

God’s love has always been in the air

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 7, 2017

          If you’ve been to any major stores lately, you’ve probably noticed lots of red and pink hearts, cards, banners, flowers, and candy boxes! 

          Our culture tells us this is how we are supposed to express our love and admiration for those we care about.  And why wouldn’t expressions of love be engrained in our world? We were created by a loving God who invented love! In fact, 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” 

          During creation, God said that it was “good.” But after he created man and woman, he referred to his creation as “very good” (Genesis 1:31).  We have always held a special place in God’s heart.

          Songwriter Matt Wertz expressed his thoughts about how God feels about us:

          “v1. I will not take my love away, when praises cease and seasons change. While the whole world turns the other way, I will not take my love away. I will not leave you all alone, when striving leads you far from home, and there's no yield for what you've sown. I will not leave you all alone.

          v2. I will give you what you need, in plenty or in poverty. Forever, always, look to me, and I will give you what you need. I will not take my love away.”

          Wertz’s lyrics, like so many other poems and songs that speak to our hearts, are based in scripture. His song reminds me of Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome.

          “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

          There are so many things in this life we have absolutely no control over. Thankfully, God’s love for us is one of them. He loves us no matter what!  In return, we are compelled by His love, to love Him and others. Valentine’s Day is almost here, but I am so happy that God shows his love for us more than once a year! 

          Have a great week!

The first day of the week happens each week

by Barrett Vanlandingham

January 31, 2017

          The question of when and how often to partake of the Lord’s Supper is often debated. But for New Testament Christians, the answer is clear about when we are authorized to “break bread” or participate in the Lord’s Supper (unleavened bread and grape juice to remember the death of our Savior Jesus Christ).

          In Acts 20:7, Luke says, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”

          When we look at the context of this occasion in the city of Troas, we find that Paul talked until midnight because he was leaving the next day (Monday). But one other important find is in the previous verse (Acts 20:6) where Luke says that Paul stayed there in Troas seven days (leading up to the first day of the week). By staying seven days, Paul would be able to address new Christians there, and partake in the Lord’s Supper with them.

           Sunday was the day Paul and everyone else in Troas knew the church would be meeting to take the Lord’s Supper. This might also be the reason Paul instructed Christians to set aside money “on the first day of every week” (1 Cor. 16:2), since they already met on that day.

          In 1 Corinthians 11:18-34, Paul scolded some of the wealthy Corinthian Christians for dishonoring the Lord’s Supper when they met “as a church”. They were eating all the bread and wine they brought, even to the point of drunkenness. They didn’t even save any for the hungry and poor Christians who were also part of the church family.

          Sunday is the only day New Testament writers point out specifically as the day Christians came together for the purpose of breaking bread. In the book of Hebrews 10:25, the writer tells Christians to “not give up meeting together”.  For first century Christians, the first day of the week was that special day of meeting together. It still is, and it comes around each week. All Christians, regardless of race or social status, there for the purpose of encouraging one another, honoring God, giving to the work of the church, and remembering the Lord’s death “until He comes”.

          Have a great day!

It really matters what the Bible says (part 2)

January 24, 2017

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          It really matters what the Bible says about the identity of Jesus, that He is our Creator, our Savior, our only hope, and our example of how to live a selfless life of service and a life of obedience and submission to God. The reason it matters is because the words of the Bible are true.

          Geographically, the Bible is always right. The Pool of Siloam (John 9:7) and the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15) are places that actually exist as described in God’s word. Archaeology confirms the accuracy of John’s writings right down to the five columns (aka: porticoes or colonnades) at the Pool of Bethesda. There’s more.

          On a map, Jericho is northeast of Jerusalem. But Luke 10:30 quotes Jesus as saying, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho”?  Well, just check the elevation. Jerusalem is 2582 feet above sea level while Jericho is 846 feet below sea level. Therefore, a traveler would have to go down from Jerusalem to get to Jericho even though Jericho is up from Jerusalem on a map. 

          As for the question of “Did Jesus Christ really live?”  Yes. We know this not only from the Bible. The Babylonian Talmud was a collection of writings by Jewish rabbis from 70-200 A.D. Here is one excerpt:

          “On the eve of the Passover, YESHU (Hebrew spelling of Jesus) was hanged. For 40 days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because he practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forth in his favor, he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.”

          This was obviously written from a Jewish point of view. But at least Jesus WAS accused by the Jews of sorcery (Matthew 9:34). Jesus was also mentioned in the writings of ancient historians and officials. Josephus (37-101 A.D.), Tacitus (55-117 A.D.), Pliny the Younger (61-113 A.D.) and Lucian (120-180 A.D.) were not all fans of Jesus, but they still wrote about him as a legitimate historical figure.

          The study of Christian evidences is a deep well.  Have a blessed week!

It really matters what the Bible says

by Barrett Vanlandingham

January 17, 2017

          When it comes to matters of faith and doctrine, most people would likely argue that it’s just whatever anyone wants it to be. It was that way in the first century as well as today. But for all this time, the Bible has remained unchanged. That’s important.

          It matters that the Bible says Jesus, the Son of God, was given a mock trial, but a very real beating, and was then crucified for the sins of the world. It matters that the Bible says Jesus rose on the third day, and spent the next forty days visiting and eating with His disciples and 500 others before ascending to His Father in heaven. The Bible says Thomas even got to feel Jesus’ scars from the crucifixion. It matters that the Bible says Jesus did all of this because He loved us, and that God knows we love Him when we obey Him. 

          It matters that the Bible says those who are faithful will be saved because of the grace of Jesus Christ. It matters that the Bible says those who believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized into Him, have been clothed in Him, and can live a new life now, a life that continually points to God in everything we do. It matters that that the Bible says Jesus has gone to prepare a place for those who do the will of the Father.

          You see, if none of these things were true, it would not matter at all what the Bible says about Jesus or how we should live our lives. But the evidence we have today proving the credibility of the Bible is overwhelming, making God’s word difficult to ignore and impossible to disprove.

          The New Testament has been preserved more than any other ancient work. There are about 5800 Greek NT manuscripts (ancient handwritten partial copies). The oldest fragment (John 18.31-33; 37-38) dates back to about 125 A.D. which is no more than 50 years after John originally penned the original. Even if there were no fragments, the NT could be re-created (minus 11 verses) using only the writings of non-Bible authors who quoted it extensively between 100-300 A.D.  More next week.

          Have a blessed day!

Choose Jesus in 2017

by Barrett Vanlandingham

January 2, 2017

    As happy as I am to begin the New Year, I have one more story to relate from the holidays.  

    It happened while I was chauffeuring my wife, kids, and in-laws in the minivan looking at Christmas lights in Tulsa. We had turned into a brightly decorated neighborhood. Up one street, down another, winding around corners this way and that, all in hopes of seeing more colorful holiday scenes.  

    Problem is, I changed direction so many times I didn't know which way to turn when I wanted to go back home. I had been focused more on the lights than on direction.

    It occurred to me that this scenario is not unlike some of Satan's strategies he uses on us in spiritual warfare.  He or possibly his demon helpers study and know our weaknesses. They set traps for us disguised as things that appeal to our senses: things that on the surface might look good, feel good, sound good, or taste good.

    Remember the mean old “Child Catcher” in the classic movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”?  His horse-drawn cage was disguised as a candy wagon. It's driver dressed in bright colors as he drove through town, then danced around and called out to children, offering “free candy today.” But after the children were lured inside the wagon, the decorations disguising the mobile cage fell to the ground revealing the two helplessly captured kids.

    God’s children and anyone else are also vulnerable to being spiritually captured by dark forces when we take our eyes off Jesus in exchange for the bright lights, earthly lures that appeal to us like money, power, hobbies, or even relationships. Eventually, we lose our way home.

    The writer of Hebrews stresses the importance of “fixing your eyes on Jesus” in order to successfully run the Christian race (Hebrews. 12:1-2). The apostle Peter took his eyes off Jesus while walking on water. His fear of the storm caused him to pay more attention to the strong winds than to Jesus. He sank until Jesus responded to Peter’s cry for help (Matthew 14:29-30).

    In 2017, let's strive to replace spiritual distractions with all things Jesus and the assurance of our heavenly home. Have a blessed week!

Jesus grew, and we should too

by Barrett Vanlandingham

December 27, 2016

          Now that the Christian world has celebrated Jesus’ birth, where do we go from here? The answer is easy. Just do what Jesus did. 

          “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).”

          It’s perfectly natural for a child to grow physically (or in stature), and Jesus was no exception. It’s the other ways Jesus grew that we could all use a little help with. Have you ever met someone who had a whole lotta smarts, but was dumber than a bag of hammers? It is possible to have more knowledge than wisdom. We’ve all met that person who has a plethora of academic credentials attached to the end of their name (just after the comma). But depending on whether that person also made the choice to grow in wisdom (as well as knowledge), they may always be in a state of “not getting it” when it comes to the important things in life.

          To become a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus would have had to memorize vast amounts of scripture and commentary even as a boy, and understand how to apply them to real life. Luke writes that Jesus (at age 12) was found by his parents in the temple courts listening to the teachers and asking them questions. “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:47).”  At age 30, Jesus used scripture to combat the temptations Satan presented him in the wilderness at the beginning of His official ministry (Luke 4).

          None of us will know and understand scripture like Jesus did. But that doesn’t relieve us of our Christian duty to grow in our faith, and to become more Christ-like.

          Peter said it is important to add into our lives the divine qualities of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. Peter even says that if we grow in these qualities, “they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8).”

          Peter says this way we can be sure of our destiny. “And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:11).”

          Have a blessed week!

They gave special gifts for a special King

December 20, 2016

by Barrett Vanlandingham

We may not know how many wise men (aka: kings, magi) there were who came to deliver gifts to the young Christ and King, but we do know they chose carefully three things of great value to present to this very special family on behalf of Jesus’ birth.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1).”  “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifs of gold, frankincense and myrrh (2:11).”

The wise men presented the gift of gold as a tribute to the One who was born to be King. Israel’s leaders gave and received gold as a symbol of their position. The Queen of Sheba once gave King Solomon four tons of gold because she was so impressed with his God-given wisdom (ref: 1 Kings 10). Since Jesus was never known for his earthly wealth, the amount of gold given to Jesus was probably not a lot.

The wise men’s second gift was frankincense. It is an aromatic resin from the bark of the Boswellia tree. It is still used in perfumes, oils, and incense. The aroma of burning incense represents the prayers of God’s people. Priests burned incense at an altar in the tabernacle in the morning and again in the evening. The gift of frankincense was appropriate because it represented the future work of Christ as priest as He related to God the Father on our behalf.

The wise men’s third gift was myrrh, which was used to embalm dead bodies. This gift symbolized that Jesus would die for the sake of others. This must have seemed like a strange baby gift for these young parents. But considering the fact that Joseph and Mary had already had conversations with the angel Gabriel before Jesus was born, the gift of myrrh likely reinforced the idea that this was no ordinary child. This Jesus, born of a virgin, was theirs to raise for a much greater purpose than just to be a good citizen or even a wise rabbi. He was sent to save you and me!

Merry Christmas!

Alone time with God can cure holiday stress

December 13, 2016

by Barrett Vanlandingham

Have the holidays turned your mind every which way but loose? Sometimes, we just need a mental break, don’t we?

I was working on my computer this past week when I noticed I had no access to the Internet. I asked everyone else in the office if they had Internet service. They all did. It was just my computer, bogged down.  So, I turned it off and back on again. IT WORKED.  All it needed was a little time to re-set.

    People sometimes need to unplug, and a little time to reset emotionally, spiritually, and prioritize thoughts. This was the case for God’s prophets. Habakkuk is the eighth of twelve Minor Prophets (starting with Hosea and ending with Malachi) listed in the Old Testament.  

He said, “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint (Habakkuk 2:1).”

Habakkuk just needed some time alone with God. He needed to listen for instructions from God, and he also needed to get some things off his chest. It is still important for us to spend time with God today. We must make time for the One who can help us reset our priorities, and help us unload stress both from outside and from within.

In Luke 5, crowds of people had heard about the miraculous healings that had been taking place in the presence of Jesus. They sought him out to ask him to heal them, too. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16).” What the writer, Luke, is saying here is that even though Jesus’ work as Healer was important, it was also important for him to unplug from those around him, spend time alone with God, and reset so that he could be more effective for the long haul.

The apostle Paul spells out the benefits of making time to be alone with God in prayer. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).”

Have a blessed week!

Make time to remember the greatest gift

by Barrett Vanlandingham

December 6, 2016

          “1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:1-7).”

          Luke makes it painfully obvious in his account of the birth of Jesus that if anyone had reason to be distracted from the joy of the coming of the Christ child, it would be Joseph and Mary.

          For starters, everyone in the Roman controlled world was dealing with the interruption of their daily routine. This foreign government was requiring its subjects to temporarily leave their homes and businesses, go back to their hometowns to register, and be counted in a census. This also probably resulted in higher taxes. What stress! Even an almost due Mary had to make the 80 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

          Next, Joseph probably was not looking forward to a family reunion that would likely take place at the census site. After all, his wife-to-be was expecting, and it wasn’t his baby. Yes, he knew it was the Christ child, but the thought of having to explain this over and over to his relatives had to have been emotionally draining!

          Finally, there were so many people in town, there was no place to stay. So, the baby Jesus was born in a cattle stall.

          This story is important because it reminds us that just like Joseph and Mary, we too must remain steadfast in our mission to bring Jesus to the world. Have a blessed week!

True joy this season may only be a prayer away

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 29, 2016

          By now, most of us are trying to figure out how to lose those five pounds we put on last week, how to pay for all those Christmas gifts, and how to deal with a jillion other things that occupy our minds during the holidays.

          We are headed into what many people feel is not the “most wonderful, hap, happiest time of the year,” but rather, the most stressful time of year. One friend of mine says the busy pace and commercialization of the holiday season are enough to make him want to say, “Bah humbug!” I say, to each his own regarding whether someone likes the holiday season. But the Bible does offer some solutions that, if followed, would bring joy into any season of the year.

          The apostle Peter was a bit of a worry wart, and at times was known to try to take situations into his own hands instead of trusting in God. By the time he wrote the letters we know as first and second Peter, he had evidently grown a lot in wisdom. He said, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).”  This was the same guy who walked on water until he took his eyes off Jesus, and later cut off the soldier’s ear who came to arrest Jesus, then that same night denied that he even knew Jesus.

          Most of you reading this would agree that Jesus Christ has had a profound impact on your quality of life. Still, most of us would also agree that when the going gets tough, we lack trust in Him, and forget to go to Him in prayer.

          Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).”

          Jesus has been where we are. He understands our struggles. He is truly the only one who is capable of giving us rest. The apostle Paul agrees.

          He said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7).”

          Have a great day!

Take some time to be thankful

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 22, 2016

          “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you (Psalm 31:19).”

          There is no doubt about it. We serve a good, good Father. We have more things for which to be thankful than we can possibly count.

          In 1864, English hymnist and poet Folliot S. Pierpoint penned these words:

“For the beauty of he earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies. Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise. For the beauty of each hour, of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light. Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.  For thy church that evermore lifteth holy hands above, offering up on every shore her pure sacrifice of love. Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.”

          Pierpoint simply wanted to give thanks in song to God for the wonders of nature. So if you were going to write a song to thank God for something, what would it be? Your family, health, friends? Or how about thanking God for the gift of music or art. Have you ever thought about the impact the arts have on any culture including ours? In Oklahoma, there are probably more than a few who would thank God for football!

          The point is, even in a world that is caught up in only thinking about self, we can all thank God for something meaningful. This week, many of you are probably going to sit down with those you love and have a Thanksgiving meal, and catch up on each other’s lives. Others of you will spend Thanksgiving Day in a soup kitchen, serving less fortunate people, and those who have no place to call home.

           “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).”

          Have a blessed week!

We owe a debt of gratitude and faithfulness

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 15, 2016

         I had such a nice time at Fort Gibson’s Veteran’s Day Assembly on Friday morning. My favorite part every year is when the veterans from each branch of the military stand while the school band plays the song that represents each branch. I know before I ever enter the building I will get all choked up. I think a lot of people feel that way. We simply feel a debt of gratitude towards those who laid their lives on the line so that we as a nation could continue to be free. Dead or alive, the veterans who are honored across our nation and here at home are part of a great cloud of witnesses that inspires and remind us of the cost of freedom.

          The Hebrew writer used this kind of language to describe the confidence we as Christians should have as we engage in spiritual warfare. It is important to remember those men and women of faith who’ve gone before us, and who were willing to follow God wholeheartedly, even if it meant putting their own lives in danger. Remembering their bravery and sacrifice helps us to keep moving forward in our faith.

          “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

          Thankfully, the sacrifices of our nation’s military make it more likely that our sacrifices are mostly limited to standing up for biblical truths in our conversations and behaviors than being asked to die for our faith. Pray that God helps us all to speak the truth in a way that people will know us by our love. Have a blessed day! 

Accountability helps us grow in faith

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 8, 2016

          As I was taking my teenage son, Britton, to a voice lesson last Friday, he was excited to have the opportunity to be coached by a renowned vocal instructor. Her name is Marjorie, and she has a long list of credentials. She had the task of helping fine tune Britton’s voice to play the lead in Fort Gibson’s musical production of Phantom of the Opera (November 18-20). Marjorie is sweet and tough, all rolled into one. Britton was looking forward to what she had to say, but when the critique began, I could see it was a little uncomfortable for him.

          Not many of us enjoy going through what it takes to improve, whether you’re talking about music or other arts, athletics, or academics. But we all like the end result. This is also the case for improving spiritually. If we are to succeed in our battles with Satan, we must be willing to grow in our faith. This means replacing bad habits and attitudes with good ones, and being accountable to God and fellow Christians.

          Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1-2).”

          Fact is, as long as we are human, we are imperfect. Notice here that Jesus doesn’t exempt fruit bearing branches from being trimmed a little. This is also the case for Christians. None of us is able to be perfect, since perfectly following God’s plan for us still involves mess ups. If we were perfect, there would have been no need for Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, to come to earth, to show us how to live, and to be crucified for our sins. Our response to his love is to believe in him, be clothed in him through baptism (Galatians 3:26-27) and continue walking in his light (1 John 1:7).

          Spiritual critiquing in love, not finger pointing, is an important practice for Christians who want to grow in faith. Have a blessed week!

          By the way, if you would like tickets to the musical, contact the school office.

Satan’s strategies are still spiritually lethal

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 1, 2016

          Luke 4:1-13 tells the story of Jesus being tested by Satan for 40 days in the wilderness just after he was baptized, and just before he started his official ministry. This story is not only interesting, but extremely useful for us today since Satan still uses the same tactics he used back then.

          The devil’s strategy involves our appetites, ambitions, and anxieties. These three points are highlighted in a “21^st Century Christian” curriculum I am teaching to my high school class on Sunday mornings, but these warnings apply to people of all ages. I hope you find this useful in your battle against the devil and his dark forces.

          The way Satan uses our appetites is by identifying our natural drives, and using them against us. During Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness, it would have been easy for him to simply turn some stones into bread at Satan’s request. Jesus used knowledge of God’s word to answer “no” to Satan’s schemes. Christians must understand that our existence is about much more than personal pleasure.

          The way Satan uses our ambitions is by trying to get us to sacrifice our values for pleasure. Jesus had a job to do here on earth, bringing salvation to the lost. Satan tried to convince Jesus to take a shortcut to glory. Satan tried to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would simply bow down to him. Satan offers us so-called success, popularity, and even love. But the cost of taking gifts from the prince of lies is too high.

          The way Satan uses our anxieties is by manipulating our fears to lead us into sin. Satan tried to get Jesus to prove his Lordship. He asked Jesus to jump from a high point so that angels could come to his rescue. Satan wanted Jesus’ fear of crucifixion to cause him to take the easy way out. Jesus would have survived the jump, but he would have lost all credibility with the people he was sent to save. Satan tries to convince us that taking a stand for Jesus isn’t worth it. But once again, God’s word proves otherwise.

          Have a blessed week!

It is time to take off your mask

by Barrett Vanlandingham

October 25, 2016

          In just a few days, all kinds of masked creatures will be knocking on our doors, shouting “Trick or Treat”, hoping for something sweet to eat. Seems like it was only yesterday that a six-year old Barrett canvassed the Tahlequah neighborhood where I grew up, trying unsuccessfully to fill my bag with candy from the seven houses on my block. That’s when I decided to take my cousin Steve’s advice and go around the block again with a different costume. It didn’t work very well.

          Even as adults, we sometimes feel the need to wear different masks. For some, a mask may consist of extra smiles and laughter to hide depression or insecurities they deal with privately. Another mask may be worn by those who look like perfect Christians on the outside, especially on Sundays, even though their home life is a train wreck. Other masks may be financial, for those who feel the need to show their success by having big houses, nice cars, lavish vacations, and frequenting expensive restaurants while their debt is out of control. One more mask is worn by young parents who are ashamed to let anyone know they really don’t know what they’re doing. Been there.

          Jesus wants us to come to him, and be used to God’s glory just as we are, not pretending to be someone else. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for appearing as beautiful whitewashed tombs on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones.  “In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matthew 23:28).”

          We’ve got to take off the mask so that the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, can help us. Who would go to a doctor and claim to be somebody else.  Yet, we approach God in prayer and in worship, and we try to mask our hearts from God, and we try to mask who we are from our Christian family. If that’s your strategy to finding true joy, it will never work.

          “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed (James 5:16).”

          May your week be filled with treats!

Christians and pumpkins have something in common

October 18, 2016

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          Several years ago, I heard a story about how people who let God into their lives are like pumpkins.

          “A lady recently being baptized was asked by a co-worker what it was like to be a Christian. She replied that it is like being a pumpkin: God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off you may have gotten from the other pumpkins. Then he cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."         

          Even though we are able to say the right things, and we may look appealing on the outside, everyone has junk on the inside that needs to be surrendered to Christ. Solomon says that the hearts of people are full of evil (Ecclesiastes 9:3).

          Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20).”

          In fact, Jesus was willing to leave the comforts of heaven and shed his blood so that we could be clean!

          God told the Israelites, “I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you (Ezekiel 36:25-26).”

          After Paul prayed, he was told what he needed to do to please the Lord. “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name (Acts 22:16).”

          When we are in Christ (Romans 6:3), we are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

          Notice that God never takes the messiness from our lives without replacing it with something much better.

          Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

          In case you would like to have the above mentioned story in book form, I found one online called “The Pumpkin Patch Parable” by Liz Curtis Higgs.

          Have a great day!

The power of God keeps us going

by Barrett Vanlandingham

October 11, 2016

          When Jesus was answering a question from his disciples about who could be saved, he said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).”

          I was reminded of this verse last week as I was pulling the church bus up to our parking garage. I pushed the button on the wireless remote control transmitter to raise the garage door. Nothing happened no matter how many times I pushed.

          I used my key to go in the side door and discovered there was no electricity. This meant nothing worked, neither the lights nor the hard-wired door openers, nothing. And even though the tiny light indicators on the wireless remote transmitter showed that it was in good working order, it was useless because the receiver in the garage had no power. A storm had blown the fuse.

          We’ve all gone through emotional and spiritual storms. It takes a lot of work to maintain our families, success on our jobs, and to reach goals we set for ourselves. The fact is, life is not only difficult, it is impossible. What makes anything possible is God, and unless we are connected to Him, we cannot do anything worthwhile. In the end, even successes that seem worthwhile are nothing without God in the picture.

          In life, God is the transmitter. We are the receiver. If the power is interrupted very often or for too long, we will invariably begin to notice that the joyful life we had when we were fully connected to God, has deteriorated into a life of self-indulgence.

          Young families are often tempted by idolatry by wanting to please themselves and their children more than God, or the created more than the Creator. They begin to justify habitually skipping worship times because of their child’s involvement in a sports league that plays every Sunday morning. But eventually, they will notice their child’s attitude and level of respect and moral standards begin to fall as the family begins to spend less time dedicated to worship and Bible study with their church family. This disconnect from the Power of God will have that same effect on any of us. Remember, “The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).”  Have a blessed day!