Update on December 9, 2010

Well, winter is officially here in Indianapolis.  We had a pretty good snow that fell last Friday night, but it didn't affect our attendance very much on Sunday - we still had 188.  I preached from Matthew 5:38-42 on "The Extra Mile."  On Sunday night, Missionary Brian Kane from Cambodia showed his presentation and brought a good message on "The Prodigal Sons" from Luke 15.  Our church has supported the Kanes over the last five years or so.  They are doing a solid work there in the villages of Cambodia - Brian is gifted at one on one discipleship.

The forecasters are calling for more snow this weekend.  I am working on a message from Matthew 5:43-48 on "I Have to Love Who?"  God is raking me over the coals with it.  On Sunday evening, I will continue preaching through the book of Hosea on "Loving When Your Heart is Breaking" from Chapter 3:1-5.  These messages are truly being developed and given from personal experiences.  God is making me live them before I preach them.

We are having a Ladies Christmas Gathering here at the church on Saturday at 3:00 PM.  Each lady is bringing their favorite Christmas dish and a gift for exchange.  There will be games and a devotion given by my favorite woman in the world - my wife, Joy!

 

Update on November 22, 2010

The Revival meeting got off to a great start with Dr. Rick Flanders preaching Sunday morning on "Grieving the Spirit."  It was a blessing to see a number of folks respond to the invitation making things right with God.  Also, one man trusted Christ as his Savior after the service.

We had 8 more visitors in Sunday School and many more in church.  So far in November, we have had 33 visitors for Sunday School!  We have one more week to go in our contest.  It was the first week in a long time that we were over 200.  Praise the Lord for 209 in attendance!

Sunday afternoon, we had the ordination council for Anthony Hayden.  Those involved were myself, Jeff McQueary, Sam Slabodian, Rick Flanders, and Fred Tanselle.  Bro. Hayden's doctrinal statement was well prepared, and it was a blessing to rehearse great Bible doctrines with him.  It was evident to all of us that God had called him to preach, and our church ordained him into the Gospel ministry in the evening service.  Bro. Flanders brought a message from 2 Timothy 1 on the Holy Spirit and the Preacher.  This was a great challenge to everyone, including laymen.

We are praying for God to continue to stir our hearts Monday-Wednesday of this revival meeting.

Update on November 18th, 2010

This past Sunday, we had 10 more visitors in Sunday School.  Praise the Lord for those who are inviting people and for the good increase.  We have had 25 visitors over the last two weeks as a result of our emphasis in November on the Sunday School.  I expect us to see even more during the next two weeks.

I preached Sunday morning on the subject, "Guard Your Heart" from Matthew 5:27-32.  Although it was a difficult message to preach, it seemed God was working in hearts.  I trust that the Lord will use it to help us all guard our hearts from the world and keep us in love with Jesus.

On Sunday evening, we continued our series on Hosea from chapter 2:1-13.  The message was entitled, "Love That Will Not Let Me Go".  I am thankful that like Hosea, God never stops loving us and is always bringing us back to Him, regardless of how far we fall in sin.  As the songwriter put it, "Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God, should die for me!"

Congratulations is in order to Anthony Hayden (our music director) and his wife, Mary.  God blessed them with a baby boy on Tuesday morning.  Peter Ezra was born with a head full of black hair, was 10.6 lbs and 22 inches long.  He is a very healthy looking baby.

As if that was not enough excitement in the Hayden household, Bro. Anthony will be ordained to the Gospel ministry this coming Sunday evening at 6:00 PM.  His pastor for many years, Dr. Rick Flanders, will be preaching the ordination service.    I appreciate Anthony so much - he is a godly young man with a passion for worshiping God and leading others to do the same.  He also has a wonderful grasp on the Scriptures and is a fine communicator of God's truth.  Our church is blessed to have him and Bro. Jeff McQueary on our staff.

Last night, I enjoyed sharing a Bible study with our church from Philippians 1:12-30 on "Praise in the Prison." Paul wrote Philippians from a Roman prison cell, but in no way did he hint of being discouraged or bitter.  The theme of "joy" is prevalent through this book.

We are getting prepared for the Revival Meeting that begins this Sunday with Dr. Rick Flanders.  He will preach on Sunday at 10:30 AM and 6:00 PM.  On Monday-Wednesday evening, he will preach at 7:00 PM.  We will be serving meals for the entire church each weeknight at 6:00 PM, just before the service.  On Monday night, we are asking people to invite their family members.  On Tuesday evening, the emphasis will be on bringing your friends - anyone you know who is not a family member.  On Wednesday evening, the Master Club children will present a brief program and we are hoping to see a good number of their parents in the meeting.  Pray with us that we will see God do a mighty work in our hearts this coming week and turn us to a closer walk with Him.

Today, I am looking forward to some fellowship with our Young at Heart group from the church.  We are going to see the performance of "White Christmas" at Beef and Boards here in Indianapolis.  What a blessing it is to be around these precious folks, who truly love our Lord and this church.  I enjoy their company very much.

I am excited about what God is doing at Mt. Tabor and very excited about this upcoming week.

Update from November 11, 2010

This past Sunday was a great day at Mt. Tabor.  We started our Sunday School contest for the month of November, and we had 15 visitors in Sunday School.  We also started a new class - the Precious Pearls class, taught by Cindy Starkey.  They had 9 on their first Sunday.  I am excited about seeing our Sunday School grow in the weeks ahead.

God's power was evident in the morning service.  There was a revival spirit in the air, with a number of folks responding to the invitation to make things right with others.  I preached on "The Danger of Anger" from Matthew 5 in the series through the Sermon on the Mount.

Also, we took time to honor all the Veterans in the morning service.  We had each one come by the pulpit and tell his/her name, what branch of military they served in, and when they served.  Then, we gave them all a standing ovation.  It was a moving time.

God sent us another family to join the church - we are so glad Randy and Crickett Adkins have joined.  

Sunday evening, I started preaching through the Book of Hosea on "God's Limitless Love."  God's love is unreasonable, tough, and unconditional.  

On Wednesday evening, I started a series on the Book of Philippians, entitled "Enjoying Life."  We had a pretty good crowd there and a good time together.  We had "Colts Pride" night for all the Master Club kids, so there was alot of blue over in the Fellowship Center.

Thursday, our Veterans and their spouses are going to Lebanon High School for a tribute to all who have served in the military, then we are going to Applebys to eat lunch together.  I am looking forward to spending some time with these folks.

A group of our men are headed to the Men's Conference in Mansfield, Ohio Friday morning.  I am excited about the good preaching we are going to hear from Dr. Clarence Sexton, Dr. Roger Green, Dr. Dale Adkins, Dr. Jeff Amsbaugh, and Dr. Al Stone.  Here is a link.

Our Revival Meeting with Dr. Rick Flanders starts a week from this Sunday.  I am praying for God to work in all our hearts through that meeting.

Update - October 24, 2010

It was a great day at Mt. Tabor this past Sunday.  Praise the Lord for meeting with us in the morning service.  I preached a message on "Salt and Light" from Matthew 5:13-16 and tried to challenge the church to use their influence to reach people for Christ.  I have been preaching on Sunday morning through the Sermon on the Mount.  We had a good number of visitors again with 195 in attendance.

After church Sunday morning, the Mission Belles provided lunch for the church to show their appreciation for helping them raise funds for Christmas gifts for our missionary wives.  It was a very tasty meal and a good time of fellowship.

Following the lunch, we had our 5th Sunday Sing, even though it was only the fourth Sunday.  (Next Sunday night, we are having Missionary Dean Zemke with us.)  I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon service as several of God's people sang a variety of different songs that were a great blessing.

A group of our folks left on Sunday afternoon to head down to Cleveland, TN to work at the Rock of Ages Prison Ministry for the week.  It is a great testimony for our church to have dedicated servants willing to give their time and money to serve the Lord.

A Milk Cow for Christ - 1 Samuel 6:1-14

This morning, I was reading 1 Samuel 6 in my devotions.  The Lord spoke to my heart from this very unusual and obscure passage.

To get the message from Chapter 6, you need to understand what happened in Chapters 4 and 5.  Israel went to fight against the Phillistines, but they went in their own strength and were defeated by their enemies.  They lost 4,000 men in that battle.

If that wasn't bad enough, they assumed the only reason they lost was because they didn't take the Ark of the Covenant with them.  (The Ark represented the presence of God to the nation of Israel)  So, they go get the ark and go back to fight the Phillistines.  They didn't follow God's instructions concerning the ark - they just brought it along as a good luck charm.  Once again, they were defeated.  This time, they lost 30,000 soldiers and to make things worse, the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Phillistines.

Stay with me.  I am going somewhere with this....

So, the Phillistines take the ark in Chapter 5 and put it beside their god, Dagon, in their temple, to show it off as a trophy.  When they came in the next morning, Dagon had fallen down on his face right in front of the ark. (Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?  I would have loved to be a fly on the wall.)  So, they pick Dagon up and the next morning, they come in and there Dagon is again, lying on his face in front of the ark.  This time, his hands and head was broken off.  My God is so awesome!

All of this time, a plague is going throughout the camp of the Phillistines.  They get sores all over their bodies and mice start destroying their crops.  Someone suggests it might be because they have the ark in their camp - that Israel's God is taking it out on them.

So, in chapter 6, they bring in their theologians to seek their advice about the curse and the plague and what to do with the ark.

Now, is where the message is:

The theologians come up with this "off the wall" idea.  They said to get two milk cows who had never been in a yoke, take them away from their calves, and put them in a yoke together.  Then, tie a cart with the ark on it to the cows and see if they will transport the ark back to Israel.  If they do, that is a sign that God is real and this plague is from Him.  If they don't, then we know it is just bad luck - that God had nothing to do with it.

Talk about putting God to the test!  Mother cows don't want to do anything but lay around and be milked. They don't want to leave their calves, and they don't want to get in a yoke, especially when they never had been in one.  The chances of them walking to Israel with the ark behind them was 1 in a billion.

That's where God comes in!  These lazy old milk cows carried the ark straight to Israel!  What a miracle!

But, here is what God spoke to me about.  If God can use a milk cow, why couldn't He use me to prove to the lost that my God is real!  In order for God to use them, they had to do several things:

1. They had to get out of their comfort zone.  They had to be willing to leave their calves behind.  We must be willing to leave our comfort zones.  Sometimes, we must be willing to leave our friends and family. We must be willing to go wherever God wants us to go.  We must sever any tie, save the tie that binds us to Christ!

2. They had to be willing to get in a yoke.  This speaks of submission. A yoke was to bring an animal that was stronger than you into submission.  We are to "Submit ourselves to God."  Our will must be lost in His will.  We must make a total surrender and say, "Not my will, but Thine be done."  They were completely controlled by God.  In order for us to be used, we must be "filled" or "controlled" by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

3. They had to stay on track.  They didn't get off to the left or right.  They allowed God to guide them and lead them to Israel.  "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  Proverbs 3:5 and 6 tells us that God wants to guide our steps and lead us.  He has a plan for our lives, but many times, we go our own way when we neglect His Guiding Light - the Word of God!

4. They had to work together.  There were two of them.  If one of them took a notion to go in a different direction, it would have never worked.  God wants us to be unified.  He wants us to learn to work together with other brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are not to be isolated and alone.  We are to be laborers together with Christ.  "Two are better than one" Ecclesiastes 4:11 says.

5. They couldn't get an ego.  If I was one of the cows that had carried the ark of the covenant back to Israel, I would expect some recognition.  I would think they would make a statue of me and put it up for all to see.  When these cows arrived with the ark, there was no mention of praising the cows.  The people glorified God instead.  What could be accomplished for God if we didn't care who got the credit - if all we were concerned about was God getting glory?

6. Their life was a sacrifice.  When they got to Israel, not only were they not recognized, the people took them and killed them and offered them to God as a sacrifice!  These cows were nothing but servants and their life was for the purpose of glorifying God and making Him known to the heathen.  Romans 12:1 tells us to "present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice."  We are to die daily, Paul said.  We are to lose our life for Him.  We are to bring Him glory whether by life or death.

Just as God used these two milk cows to bring Him glory and prove His reality to the heathen, He can use you and I as we are willing to leave our comfort zone, submit our will to Him, allow His Word to guide us in His perfect will, work together with other believers, care less about the praise of men, and give our lives in complete sacrifice to Him.

Recap from 10/10/10

At 10:10 AM, 10/10/10, we were in Sunday School.  That was kinda neat, because it will never be like that again.  We had two first time visitors in our College and Career Sunday School class!  The Lord gave us a great day at Mt. Tabor.  It was a blessing to see Randy Adkins in church.  Randy had an accident several weeks ago and had been in and out of the hospital.  At one time, we didn't know if he was going to make it.  The people rejoiced to see he and his wife and daughter at church.  God also blessed us with several other first time visitors, though our attendance was down a little from last week due to many of our folks traveling.  Steve Woodall sang a beautiful song before the message along the lines of intercessory prayer, and I gave the second part of a message on "True Happiness" from Matthew 5:1-12. I've got one more part to go next week.  It was good to see God working in hearts.

On Sunday night, Brother Jeff played and sang one of my favorite songs, "Oh, I Want To Know You More".  Brother Anthony brought a great message on the priesthood of the believer.  He is preaching two messages on Sunday night on worship and music in the church.  Our church is blessed to have both of these guys on staff, and it is a joy for me to work with them.

After church, we had a good time of fellowship at Ice Cream Paradise in Lebanon with the teens and their parents. 

Recap of 10/3/10

This past Sunday was a great blessing to me.  Our attendance was good - 186, and we took up our Faith Promise Commitment cards and our people pledged to give $1,000 more per month than we gave last year!  Praise the Lord for working in hearts!  Before I preached, Bro. Anthony sang, "Ship Ahoy".  What a powerful song!  I began a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount.  I have entitled the series "The Disciple's Manual" since Jesus directed this sermon to his disciples.  I preached on "True Happiness" from Matthew 5:1-12.  I probably will need two more weeks to finish the message.  I am praying that God will drive this truth deep in our hearts.  Following the message, we observed Communion together as a church.  As always, that was a sweet time.

Sunday evening, we had our Fall Cookout.  We cooked out hot dogs, and the ladies brought sides and desserts.  Bro. Jeff McQueary played the guitar and we sung some "campfire songs".  Then, I brought a devotion on faith from Hebrews 11.  It was a good time of fellowship, but it was pretty cold out, so I kept the devotion brief!

There is a good spirit in the church at this time.  The Missions Conference/Revival was a real shot in the arm.

The Sin of Procrastination

James 4:17 says, "Therefore, to him who knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin."  It is foolish to expect life to go on forever. We are to plan as if we will live forever, but we are to live as if we will die today!  I have discovered that life is totally unpredictable - the only thing that doesn't change in life is that life always changes!  It is interesting to me that the middle two letters of "LIFE" are "IF".  We just don't know what is going to happen in life.

I have also discovered that life is brief. One day, you're playing with hot wheels and before you know it, you are riding in a wheelchair! God has given us the gift of the "present."  We can't change yesterday and can't control tomorrow, but we can do something about today!  It is in that context that James says, "To him who knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."  Whatever you intend to do for the Lord, you better do it now.

All we have to do to sin is nothing!  When we fail to do what we know is right, we sin.  What is it in your life today that you know you should be doing, but are putting off until tomorrow?  Bible reading and prayer? Inviting someone to church? Witnessing to a friend? Beginning to tithe?

The following makes me chuckle: "Procrastination is my sin - it only brings me sorrow - I know that I should change my ways -In fact, I will...tomorrow!"  We not only need to pray for wisdom to know the right things to do; we should pray for the character to do what is right, even when we don't feel like it.

Recap - Sunday, September 19, 2010

This was one of the most exciting Sundays we have had in my brief time as pastor at Mt. Tabor.  We had two new families join the church - Don and Sue Coffey and Norm and Terri Sharbaugh.  The church was very excited about the additions.  We had 197 in attendance and I enjoyed preaching on Heaven from Revelation 21.

On Sunday evening, we had an ordination service for our three new deacons: Dave Starkey, Mark Powers, and Scott Ludlow.  Each of the men shared their personal testimony of salvation, and I did a little Bible study with the church on the subject of "Laying on of Hands" and how that was used in Scripture for church leaders.  The current deacons: Steve Hine and Russ Dulin seem to be relieved to have some more men join the group.

Following the service, we had a reception for the deacons and a good number of folks showed up for cake and punch.

This week, we will be making preparations for the Missions's Conference that starts Sunday and goes through Wednesday.  I am praying that God would enlarge our church's vision for missions.

Handling Conflict in Relationships

Are you dealing with some form of conflict in any of your personal relationships: marriage, children, parents, co-workers?  It is likely that you are in conflict in some form or another, because conflict is inevitable in any relationship.  James 4:1-10 gives us practical advice on how to deal with conflict that arises.




From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members?
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

God wants us to have good, healthy relationships, but Satan is out to destroy all of our relationships, because he knows if he does that, he can rob us of our joy and take away our accountability.  Satan wants us to isolate ourselves from other believers.

Pride is a major cause of conflict in relationships.  God resists the proud; this means God will not help you when you are proud.  Pride keeps you from admitting wrong and keeps you from praying for wisdom to know how to resolve the conflict.

God gives us four steps to deal with conflict here.

First, we are to submit to God. "Submit yourselves therefore to God."  This means that we let our will be lost in God's will.  We stop fighting against God and accept the things he allows in our lives.  Die to self; realize one cannot be filled with self and with the Spirit of God at the same time.  An exchange must take place: his will for yours. Most human relationship conflicts are a result of an inner unrest attributed to not accepting God's will for your life.

Secondly, we are to resist the Devil.  "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  To "resist" means to be prepared for his tactics and withstand him.  We need to wise up to Satan and realize it is his goal to destroy our relationships.  The thoughts he puts into our minds about our loved ones are never true.  The ideas he plants need to be ignored.  Renew your mind daily in God's Word so you are prepared when Satan attacks your mind.  Then, he will run and find someone who is not prepared for him.

Thirdly, we are to get close to God.  "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you."  How do we get close to God?  The answer is spending more time with Him.  We must increase our time in prayer, in His Word, and in His House.  We should pray every day before our quiet time and before every church service, "Lord bring me closer to you."  Then, as we get closer to God, He gets closer to us.  I have found that I am easier to get along with and it is easier for me to get along with others, when I have spent quality time with the Lord.

Fourthly, we are to be willing to ask forgiveness.  "Cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded."  The hands speak of the things we do, while the heart speaks of our attitudes.  We must confess both sins of action and attitude to God first and make things right with Him.  We are to be truly sorry for our sin, not flippant about it.  James says, "Be afflicted and mourn...."  That is brokenness over sin.  Then, once we have made things right with God, we should go to the people we have hurt, humble ourselves, and ask forgiveness.  Don't let stubborn pride keep you from admitting your part of the wrong, even if you consider yourself to only be 10% wrong.  Take care of your part and turn God loose to deal with the other person.

Do not allow conflict to go on, whether it is in your marriage or with someone in your local church.  Humble yourself and apologize for your part in the conflict.  Pray for God's help to display kindness to the one who has offended you.  God will give you the grace to do it as you humble yourself and eliminate your stubbornness.  Is it really worth it to hold on to your pride and lose that relationship as well as God's blessings in your life?

Recap - Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day in Indy. The auditorium was fuller than usual with 196 in attendance and many visitors.  It was a joy to preach from Luke 10 on "It's Harvest Time."  It seemed as if God gave liberty and challenged our church to be laborers in His harvest.

On Sunday evening, I taught on the requirements and roles of deacons.  Our church voted unanimously to elect three new deacons - David Starkey, Mark Powers, and Scott Ludlow.  I am very thankful for these three men and their wives being willing to serve our church in this capacity.  They are true servants of God!  We will now have five deacons on the board.  This coming Sunday evening, we will have an installation service for them, laying on of hands, and a reception for them in the Fellowship Center after the service.

Our church has been fervently praying for Randy Adkins, who has been in critical condition for several days at St. Vincent's Hospital.  Praise God, he has made a turnaround and may be admitted to a regular room soon.  What a mighty God we serve!

Our ladies are getting ready for their retreat this weekend in Edinburg.  They are leaving Friday afternoon and returning on Saturday evening.  It promises to be a physically and spiritually refreshing time for them, as Mrs. Patty Albert will be the special speaker.  I think there are about 25 women attending.

We are making final preparations this week for our Missions Conference that takes place September 26-29.  We are praying diligently for this meeting and expecting God to meet with us and challenge us for the cause of world evangelism.

Wednesday evening, I will continue our Bible study on the book of James.  We will be in James 4:1-10 and will be looking at "How to Avoid Arguments".  I think that is something all of us need help with!

Every Believer's Role in World Evangelism

Every Believer's Role in World Evangelism

The closer we get to the heart of God, the more missionary we become.  That is because the heartbeat of God is missions.  If a church is not involved in missions, it cannot rightly be called a church; it is nothing more than a religious social club if it is not involved in spreading the Gospel around the world.  God only had one Son, and He made Him a missionary, and therefore, all of us as His disciples are to be missionaries by witnessing and sharing our faith with those in our circle of influence.  God may want you to be a missionary in Africa or to be a missionary on your job, in your neighborhood, or in your school.  

Every Christian in the local church should win souls, and every Christian can win souls.  But, we must be willing to be a witness. Knowing that we should is one thing, but doing it is another.  Satan wants you to think it is harder than it is.  Just witness.  Just give a tract.  Just invite someone to church.  Just tell someone about the difference Christ has made in your life.   Certain people will either spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell as a result of our obedience to Christ to witness.  Don’t be intimidated by people of social status and don’t fail to witness to someone because they look different than you.  Realize people are more receptive to the Gospel than Satan wants us to believe.

The church at Antioch in Acts 13 became the first church to send out missionaries. It has become a model of what a local church should be – passionately devoted to world missions.  Every local church should follow the example of Antioch as they passionately pursue closure to the Great Commission.  Jesus said in Matthew 9:37, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few."  That means there is great potential in missions; there is a great big world of people who have never heard the Gospel and way of salvation.  

 The harvest was plenteous - that is the potential.  But he also said, "The laborers are few."  That is the problem.  I imagine Paul and Barnabas were fasting and praying for laborers to go into the harvest field, and when no one else went, God called them to leave Antioch and go. When you begin to pray fervently for God to send laborers, He may send you.  There are other problems associated with missions, such as global economy changes, governmental intervention, cults, health care, and language barriers.  We should be interceding for our missionaries as they deal with these issues.

There is a great price to pay if we are going to fulfill the Great Commission.  It costs a great deal to send the Gospel around the world.  For some, it costs people leaving their friends and family and moving to another location.  It costs many months of deputation, raising funds. It costs laypeople doing without some of life's luxuries, and in some cases, people truly making sacrifices to fund the spread of the Gospel.  It may cost you getting out of your comfort zone to speak to someone about Christ or invite them to church.  Whatever it may cost you, the cost doesn’t compare to the price Jesus paid when He gave His life on Calvary!

What could you do to either begin making an impact or increase your impact as a part of God’s plan for world evangelism?

Constantly Abiding

In John 15:4, Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me."  In this passage, Jesus reveals to us our sole purpose in life - to bear fruit.  To bear fruit means that we are influencing others to know Christ as their Savior and to be His disciples.  God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply", and in a spiritual sense, that is what He expects of us - to reproduce ourselves through our influence and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our purpose in life is bearing fruit, but that is not our job; our job is to abide in Him.  When we abide in Him, fruit will be produced.    To abide in Christ means to live every moment in the awareness of His presence and to constantly yield our will to His.  We call someone's "abode" a house, because that is where they live.  God lives in us through the Holy Spirit, and we are His "abode."  So, when we are acknowledging His presence and obeying His every command, we are abiding in Him.

Several things will be evident in our life to indicate our constant abiding:

First, we will be fruitful if we are abiding in Him.  Verse 5 says, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit."  Again, we are not on this earth to fulfill our pleasures, to work, to make money, to marry, to have children, etc.  If that is all you are living for, life is going to be empty.  Our sole purpose is to bring glory to God, and that can only be done by bearing fruit.  Verse 8 says, "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit."

Is their fruit in your life?  Are people coming to know Christ as a result of your witness and testimony?  Are you inviting others to church so they can hear the life-changing Gospel message?  Fruit is not limited to character qualities - it involves reproducing ourselves.

Secondly, we will be pruned if we are abiding in Him.  Verse 2 and 3 says, "Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now are ye clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you."  You may be satisfied with how much fruit you have, but God isn't; He wants more.  He uses His Word, which is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword,  to cut out anything unnecessary in our lives.  If we do not respond correctly to His Word, He uses trials to cause us to submit our will to His.  It is all about more fruit!  The more fruit we produce, the more He can be glorified, and the more we can fulfill our purpose for living.

Now, it may not be too appealing to us to get cut on just so God can get glory, but God has blessings for us as well.  You see, the third evidence of abiding in Christ is that we will receive answers to prayer.  Verse 7 says, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you."  What an amazing prayer promise!  The greatest joy in life is to see God answer your prayer, but in order to experience that, we must live in the constant awareness of His presence and surrender our will to His.  This will produce fruit, which will give Him glory, and empower us to pray in His will and receive what we pray for!  It is sin and selfishness that blocks most of our prayers and leaves us empty-handed and discouraged.  But, when we are abiding in Him, producing fruit, bringing Him glory, and praying according to His will, there will be showers of blessings!

The fourth thing you can expect when you are abiding in Christ is joy - full joy!  Verse 11 says, "These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy may be full."  Permanent joy is what is missing in the lives of many Christians.  Why would unbelievers want to get saved when so many believers are so discouraged and distraught?  The secret to having joy is abiding in Christ, surrendering our will to His, bringing Him glory, and seeing Him answer our prayer!  We will never have joy when sin is dominating our lives and our will is prevailing.

Now, I must introduce you to a negative aspect of this abiding.  The fifth thing we can expect if we are abiding in Christ is that we will not fit in with the world.  Verse 18 says, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you...I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."  Friend, if we are abiding in Christ, bearing fruit, winning souls, and glorifying God, we will not fit in with the world.  Many people are not willing to pay that price.  They want to fit in with the world and have God's joy and power, but it doesn't work that way!

Satan, the prince of this world, is out to conform us to the mold of the world.  He wants us to love the world so we will not love God. (1 John 2:15) The pressure is all around us to conform, but if we are abiding in Christ, we will not fit in.

But, the world is passing away.  1 John 2:18 says, "And the world passeth away and the lusts thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."  Cheer up, Christian disciple; the world will not be here long.  We are citizens of Heaven and soon, we will be home.  So, don't despair not fitting into the world's mold.  It is passing away, even as we speak.

The sixth thing you can expect to see in the abiding Christian is love.  Verse 10 says, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.  Verse 12 says, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another."  As we are abiding in Christ and submitting our will to His, He commands us to love others the way He has loved us.  If we do not obey His command, we stop abiding, and therefore, stop being fruitful.

It is not easy to love certain people, but it is easy to submit our will to His.  As we do it, the love of Christ flows through us to others.  We become a conduit of His unconditional and merciful love.  When our will is lost in His, our selfishness and hurt feelings do not come into the equation, and we can love people like Jesus did.  John 13:35 says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples; if ye have love one for another."

May God deliver us from our selfish and fleshly attitudes of bitterness, unforgiveness, and hate.  May we allow the love of God to flow through us as we are lost in His will!  Then, we can expect revival in our churches and our homes.  How life changing is this concept of abiding in Christ!

Are you abiding in Him?  Have you entered into a relationship with Christ?  You can do so by admitting you are a sinner, believing Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead, and calling on Him in faith and repentance to save you.  Then, you can begin to know His purpose for you and experience the joy of a fruitful Christian life.  For more information on how to receive Christ as Savior, contact me through this blog.

If you have already trusted Christ, yet you are not constantly abiding in Him.  Do it now!  Surrender your will to His, allow the Holy Spirit to direct every thought, word, and deed.  Be completely obedient to Him in all things.  Saturate yourself in His Word for guidance and submit to the knife of trials as He cuts away all unnecessary components of your life that thwart the richest grapes of Christlikeness.  As you do, you will witness  and experience God using your influence to bring about new life in unbelievers.  You will see amazing answers to prayer.  You will display contagious joy as you live out your sole purpose in life - bearing fruit and bringing God the glory due to His name.

The Sin of Partiality

Sin of Partiality

James 2:1-13

“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

In His autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered becoming a Christian. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus, he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby Church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. However, when he entered the sanctuary, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the Church and never returned. He wrote, “If Christians have caste differences also, I might as well remain a Hindu.” This is what James is addressing – partiality in the body of Christ.

Racial prejudice has always been a problem in this country and still is a problem. Charles Drew was a brilliant medical doctor discovered the use of blood plasma that resulted in saving thousands of lives in World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam War. At Pearl Harbor, for example, 96% of those who received plasma, survived. After World War II Charles Drew was named director of the National Blood Bank Program, and devoted himself to teaching doctors at Howard University Medical School.

On April 1, 1950, while driving some young doctors to a conference, he was involved in an automobile accident in Burlington, N.C. He was rushed to a hospital where his life could have been saved by plasma. But Dr. Drew was denied admission to the hospital because his skin was black. He died on the way to another hospital 26 miles away.

There is no other way to say it – prejudice is sin, and there are several reasons why.

First, it is sin because of who we are. We are “brethren” (vs. 1). We are brothers and sisters in Christ. When God looks at us, He doesn’t see white, black, or yellow. He is color-blind. He just sees us as His children. James makes it clear that being a child of God and being prejudiced is totally incompatible. Regardless of our race, skin color, occupation, or background, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Second, it is a sin because of who we are to be like. “Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” We are to be like Jesus, our Lord. He did not show favoritism. Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” 

If God would have been a respecter of persons, you and I may have been left out of the opportunity to get saved. Thank God He isn’t willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) 


We can’t be like Jesus and be prejudiced! When we treat some people better than others just because of their social status, skin color, or any other factor, we are failing to be like Jesus.

Thirdly, it is a sin because of what it makes us. When we show favoritism, we are setting ourselves up as a judge. We are putting ourselves in the place of God. James 4:12 says, “Who art thou that judgest another?” When we set ourselves up as a judge, we need to remember that one day God is going to judge us. Do you want Him to be merciful with you? Then, you better be merciful with others. (vs. 13) What business do we have judging other people to see whether they are worthy of our attention and love?

Whenever the Bible speaks of God judging, it always says He judges by looking at our heart, not the outward appearance. Since we can’t see people’s hearts, we need to stop judging people and start loving them based upon their value as a person in the eyes of God.

Fourthly, it is a sin because of what it is compared to. James said if you show partiality you are breaking the royal law. What is the royal law? It is what Jesus said in Matthew 22:35-40. Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law.

The first four of the Ten Commandments deal with loving the Lord with all our hearts - worshiping Him only, guarding His name, and being faithful to His House. The last six deal with loving our neighbor as ourselves. If we love someone we will not commit adultery with their spouse, we will not steal from them, lie about them, kill them, or covet what they have.

James reminds us if we break one of those commandments, we are guilty of all. So, don’t think you are better than an adulterer or murderer, just because you struggle with prejudice. They are all three sin, because they all three are the result of not loving our neighbor as ourselves.


In Revelation 7:9, 10, John sees a vision of multitudes of people from every nation on earth gathered around the throne of God praising and worshiping Almighty God together.  Heaven will be full of all ethnic groups and social classes.  We will all be one there, and we should acknowledge that oneness here on earth.  


Don't treat people on the basis of what they can do for you.  Treat them the way Jesus would.  Treat them the way you want to be treated.