Rocky Mountain National Park…Colorado…
Vintage racing…
We go Racing….Colorado Springs, Colorado…
Well, not us but our friend Bruce from Denver Colorado. Bruce is a legend in Colorado racing circles and a member of the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame. Any form of two wheels you can think of, Bruce has raced it, and some four wheeled vehicles also. He is a great Christian Brother. Bruce can also fix and or repair anything with a motor, build houses, do detail work and make it all look easy. We had so much fun, vintage racing is so cool. Like senior rodeo, guys that can hardly move, limp, groan, look old, or otherwise look bad physically. They are transformed when the bikes come off the starting gate. They joke around, care for each other, fix each other’s machine, congratulate each other. We followed Bruce to his home, watched the sun set over the Rocky Mountains, had a very quiet night and good fellowship over morning coffee…
Red River New Mexico….
One of our best campsites, the river flowing just to the left…
Great Sand Dunes…Colorado….
Black Mesa State Park, Oklahoma…
We build beds…
The finished bunks…Our last project before leaving Edmond Oklahoma…
RV Parks…
Alcohol and the Christian….
I found this a while back and liked it…Thought I might share it…
“I am a Christian and I don’t drink. I am also a pastor and ex-alcoholic. I need to make that disclaimer right up front. Although it makes me biased, it also makes me an expert on this hotly debated issue.
Some of the worst “shudder moments” of my life have been under the influence, and as a pastor, some of the worst “shudder moments” I have witnessed in the lives of others have been because of alcohol. You have come too late to tell me it’s God’s best for a Christian to drink.
We are living in a church age where drinking has become “hipster” for some. Christian young adults post pictures of their signature drink on Facebook. Middle-aged Christian women name drop their favorite brand of Pinot Grigio to impress their wine snob friends. Churches send direct-mail postcards that read, “Give our church a shot!” featuring an edgy shot glass graphic. Even some pastors drink. Not this one.
I stopped drinking when I became a Christian 26 years ago. No one told me to abstain. I just knew it would be contradictory and self-defeating to my relationship with Christ. I had given my life to follow Jesus and nothing was going to hinder my walk. For me, it was a no-brainer.
This article is not a theological defense on the topic of Christians and alcohol (another article for another time), but it is a heartfelt plea. I humbly ask you to table any knee jerk, pro-alcohol, fight-for-my-right-to-drink arguments that you have ever heard, or made, and prayerfully consider this list.”
50 reasons why I don’t drink:
- I can’t be sober-minded if I’m not sober.
- Alcohol has an assignment: destruction.
- Alcohol is a depressant. Anything that depresses should be avoided at all costs.
- I don’t want to make my brother or sister stumble in the name of exercising my “Christian liberties.” My choice to drink could lead to someone’s demise.
- Alcohol skews my judgment.
- Alcohol leaves me worse, not better.
- What I do in moderation, my children will do in excess.
- Even the unsaved know I shouldn’t drink. Bible in one hand, beer in the other — any lost person could point this out as a confusing contradiction.
- Alcohol doesn’t bring others closer to the Lord when they see me drinking, but farther away.
- Alcohol doesn’t bring me closer to the Lord when I drink, but farther away.
- I want to be fully awake and ready for the return of Christ, not drowsy, sluggish and fuzzy.
- Show me a family where alcohol has made a positive difference in their lives. You won’t be able to.
- I have never heard anyone say, “Wow, that gin and tonic made me feel so Christ-like!”
- I want to avoid all appearances of evil.
- Alcohol makes it much harder for me to practice the fruit of self-control.
- Alcohol causes me to lose my filter.
- Alcohol is a mind-altering, legal drug.
- Alcohol is addictive.
- Alcohol is a numbing agent for pain and sorrow that only Jesus can heal.
- Many regrets are associated with alcohol. (I can give you a whole bunch!)
- No one has ever said, “If only I had taken a drink, things wouldn’t have gotten out of control.”
- Alcohol causes me to act in ways I normally wouldn’t.
- Alcohol kills brain cells.
- Alcohol is a counterfeit, and provides a false peace.
- The Bible says that no drunkards will enter the kingdom of God. Being drunk starts with one drink. I don’t want to see how far outside the lines I can color when eternity is at stake.
- Alcohol is a waster – money, gifts and talents, destinies, etc.
- Alcohol leads to really bad behavior. It is a factor in 50% of violent crimes.
- Alcohol distracts and derails you from living the the victorious life for which Christ died.
- Wisdom is the principle thing that I need to pursue at all cost; alcohol makes me stupid.
- Alcohol has ruined many, many marriages.
- The only influence I should be “under” is God’s.
- The Bible tells me to be alert; alcohol delays my reaction time.
- If I don’t start drinking, I’ll never have to stop.
- Alcohol severely tarnishes my testimony.
- Don’t want your teenagers to drink? Yep, same reasons apply to you.
- God is holy; alcohol is not.
- Alcohol and prayer don’t mix.
- Alcohol and Bible study don’t mix.
- Alcohol lowers my resolve to resist temptation.
- Alcohol = Brokenness (broken lives, health, dreams, etc.)
- When the world sees us drinking, it sends the message that Jesus isn’t enough.
- Moderate drinking? How about moderate pornography or moderate heroin use or moderate lying or moderate adultery?
- Christians are called to live a life of total surrender and separation from the world.
- Alcohol makes me forget. It can make me forget that I am married, that I am saved, etc.
- “I don’t get drunk. I only have one or two drinks.” If they didn’t affect you, you would drink soda.
- I should never look to the glass or bottle for joy, which can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Alcohol fills my mind with impure thoughts.
- If it could hinder my faith walk, love walk or dishonor the lordship of Jesus Christ, I need to forsake it.
- Alcohol doesn’t help me run the race that Jesus has marked before me to finish with more accuracy. It does the polar opposite.
- For any argument that tries to justify Christian drinking, there are at least 50 other reasons not to. The writing is on the wall. It’s not God’s best for Christians to drink.
Operation….Air Conditioning…
Troubling times….Rambling Thoughts…
I have been pondering these issues for some time now and thought I would write about it. Norm and I have been observing photos posted on social media sites, the dressing of some of the younger women in our own fellowship, our recent week spent at youth camp, and our visit to a local church in Edmond Oklahoma. Just this morning we read an article posting of the same subject on crosswalk.com regarding cleavage in church. We posted it to our FB site. At youth camp we explained and asked our girls to not dress inappropriately and they complied. But, they were also quick to point out the mega amount of girls that did not. We did not need the girls to show us what we could see for ourselves. I attended the morning briefing for all of our leaders every morning along with leaders from 21 other church’s. On day two, the camp leader said, “Dress code! Do I need to say more?” At which I replied firmly, “Yes, you do!” None of our adult leaders liked the fact that we had to point out the obvious to other church’s kids. After years of attending camp, the problem is getting worse, not better.
At church service this past Sunday, probably a couple thousand (?) in the service we attended. I mentioned to Norm, if I took a photo of some of the outfits that ladies wore and showed them around, and asked where do you think these were taken, I’m thinking church would not be on the short list. A lot of the men seem to have the opposite attitude. Making a minimal effort to dress at all. I have a theory that this is a road that Christians (?) have been travelling down for quite a while. The Bible no longer holds a special place in our hearts or our homes. We no longer have a reverence for God inwardly and it shows with our dress and our attitudes outwardly. Worship is also in question. Loud music, light shows, songs that are hard for older generations to sing. Our worship service yesterday was very much like the week at youth camp, loud, lights, and a Gospel message. I have no idea if this kind of service is honoring God. It seems that lots of professions of Faith are made, I wonder how many of those new believers go on to serve the Lord? I also ponder the thought of youth camps (lights, loud) services (called Worship) are the reason the college age kids leave the church. I know our service cannot compete with camp (lights and loud).
Just some rambling thoughts, and lots of pondering…
Texas and Oklahoma…
This is a city RV park in Sayre Oklahoma. Norm’s Mom and Dad told us about and we gave it a shot. As you can see, it is very nice to look at and the price, at $16.00 U.S. dollars for electric and water, we thought was a good deal. The down side, that Norm’s Mom and Dad did not tell us about was the rest rooms and showers. We can sum them up with one word, nasty! They may have been donated to the city by a prison or possibly a land fill. We can highly recommend this park if you don’t need the above mentioned facilities ( calling those things “rest rooms” is speaking falsely).
Signs…
Blue Ridge Campground, Coconino National Forrest…
“What is a girl?”
Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angel–shine about them and though it wears thin sometimes, there is always enough left to lasso your heart—even when they are sitting in the mud, or crying temperamental tears, or parading up the street in mother’s best clothes.
A little girl can be sweeter (and badder) oftener than anyone else in the world. She can jitter around, and stomp, and make funny noises and frazzle your nerves, yet just when you open your mouth, she stands there demure with that special look in her eyes. A girl is Innocence playing in the mud, Beauty standing on its head, and Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.
God borrows from many creatures to make a little girl. He uses the song of a bird, the squeal of a pig, the stubbornness of a mule, the antics of a monkey, the spryness of a grasshopper, the curiosity of a cat, the slyness of a fox, the softness of a kitten. And to top it off, He adds the mysterious mind of a woman.
A little girl likes new shoes, party dresses, small animals, dolls, make–believe, ice cream, make–up, going visiting, tea parties, and one boy. She doesn’t care so much for visitors, boys in general, large dogs, hand–me–downs, straight chairs, vegetables, snow suits, or staying in the front yard. She is loudest when you are thinking, prettiest when she has provoked you, busiest at bedtime, quietest when you want to show her off, and most flirtatious when she absolutely must not get the best of you again.
She can muss up your home, your hair, and your dignity—spend your money, your time, and your temper—then just when your patience is ready to crack, her sunshine peeks through and you’re lost again.
Yes, she is a nerve–racking nuisance, just a noisy bundle of mischief. But when your dreams tumble down and the world is a mess, when it seems you are pretty much of a fool after all, she can make you a king when she climbs on your knee and whispers, “I love you best of all!”
The Watchmen Gazette…
This is an interesting article. I would love some feed back. What do you think about the “Done’s?”
The Rise of the ‘Done With Church’ Population by Thom Schultz
John is every pastor’s dream member. He’s a life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, gives generously and leads others passionately.
But last year he dropped out of church. He didn’t switch to the other church down the road. He dropped out completely. His departure wasn’t the result of an ugly encounter with a staff person or another member. It wasn’t triggered by any single event.
John had come to a long-considered, thoughtful decision. He said, “I’m just done. I’m done with church.”
John is one in a growing multitude of ex-members. They’re sometimes called the de-churched. They have not abandoned their faith. They have not joined the also-growing legion of those with no religious affiliation—often called the Nones. Rather, John has joined the Dones.
At Group’s recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He explained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best.
For the church, this phenomenon sets up a growing danger. The very people on whom a church relies for lay leadership, service and financial support are going away. And the problem is compounded by the fact that younger people in the next generation, the Millennials, are not lining up to refill the emptying pews.
Why are the Dones done? Packard describes several factors in his upcoming bookChurch Refugees (Group). Among the reasons: After sitting through countless sermons and Bible studies, they feel they’ve heard it all. One of Packard’s interviewees said, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just done with having some guy tell me what to do.”
The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.
Will the Dones return? Not likely, according to the research. They’re done. Packard says it would be more fruitful if churches would focus on not losing these people in the first place. Preventing an exodus is far easier than attempting to convince refugees to return.
Pastors and other ministry leaders would benefit from asking and listening to these long-time members before they flee. This will require a change of habit. When it comes to listening, church leaders are too often in the habit of fawning over celebrity pastors for answers. It would be far more fruitful to take that time and spend it with real people nearby—existing members. Ask them some good questions, such as:
1. Why are you a part of this church?
2. What keeps you here?
3. Have you ever contemplated stepping away from church? Why or why not?
4. How would you describe your relationship with God right now?
5. How has your relationship with God changed over the past few years?
6. What effect, if any, has our church had on your relationship with God?
7. What would need to change here to help you grow more toward Jesus’ call to love God and love others?
It’s time to listen. Even as I’m writing this today, another high-capacity lay leader emailed me with his decision to leave his church. He’s done. Like many others I know, he’s also a nationally known Christian leader. But he’s done.
Your church, even if it’s one of the rare growing ones, is sitting on a ticking time bomb. The exodus of the Dones, the rise of the Nones and the disappearance of the Millennials do not look good for a church afraid to listen.
It’s not too late to start.
Believer’s Baptism…A Blessing to the Believer…
When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own;
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know-
Not till then-how much I owe.
C. H. Spurgeon.
Heaven’s Perspective on Persecution…
by John MacArthur
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
With those words Jesus comforted His disciples. His followers would not be alone in their suffering; they would partake in what He had already endured. It’s a comfort that points to the certainty of persecution for everyone who follows Christ. The Lord acknowledged that inevitability just a few verses later:
These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. (John 16:1-4)
All believers know, to at least some degree, what it is to suffer for the sake of the Lord. At times we’ve all been alienated or ostracized for our faith. Some have lost relationships, forfeiting friends and even family members for the sake of Christ. Many believers feel the pressure to keep silent about the Lord and His Word, often with the threat of losing their position in an organization or some other social structure. All Christians face those kinds of persecution at one time or another.
But that is mild persecution compared to what we see in Scripture, and what many believers still suffer around the world. Current statistics indicate that today as many as 100 million Christians live under the constant threat of bodily harm and even death because of their faith. By God’s grace, many of us don’t face that fierce level of persecution at our doorstep—yet. However, it is on the rise as the world becomes increasingly hostile to God’s Word and His people.
Whatever the degree of persecution you might face, how you respond is dictated by your perspective. If you can’t see beyond your own suffering and fear, persecution will be a hindrance to your spiritual growth and usefulness. But if you view persecution from heaven’s perspective, you’ll be able to endure, an even thrive in the midst of it.
So what is heaven’s perspective? Like any other hardship we encounter, persecution is a trial permitted by God for our growth. And as James writes, we need to
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
God is not caught off guard by our suffering. Persecution isn’t an indication that He lost control, or that we’ve fallen out of favor with Him. It’s a trial that serves a purpose in His divine plan. And if we react the right way, we can expect to benefit from it in the end.
That’s the promise James makes just a few verses later: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
Peter made that same point to his readers in 1 Peter 4:12-14.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Peter’s readers were indeed facing a “fiery ordeal.” Scattered across the Roman Empire, they lived as aliens amid a pagan society. On top of that, they endured the constant threat of violent persecution, as the Romans excelled at devising excruciating tortures and horrific deaths for their enemies. And in spite of that, Peter called them to rejoice.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
The fruit of believers’ suffering is a proven faith. Enduring persecution proves the quality of their love for the Lord, and nothing is more valuable than tested faith. It not only affirms your status as a child of God (Romans 8:17), it also empowers you to conquer sin (1 Peter 4:1).
Because of that immense value of having confidence in your salvation, you’re willing to suffer the pains and hardships of persecution. You don’t try to escape it; you accept it as the Lord’s preordained proving ground for your faith. That is why Peter writes that we can rejoice in trials.
In other words, there’s nothing—not health, comfort, or security—more valuable than the confidence that your faith is real. Believers can gladly sacrifice those things because they know their suffering builds up their spiritual strength, the assurance of their faith, and their anticipation of future glory in heaven with Christ.
John records these words from Jesus, which He said hours before His salvation-securing death: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The worst thing the world can do is kill us, which sends us directly into the arms of Christ and our ultimate triumph.
We should expect to face various forms of persecution in this life. And in the coming days, we’ll consider some biblical principles for responding to that persecution. But we’ll never be able to bear up under the weight of the suffering if we don’t first have heaven’s perspective on it—that God is allowing it for our good.
Random Photos….
On the Move, Again…
Happy Birthday Babe!!!!
Concerning Revelation Chapter 13…
“By forcing on mankind more and more lethal weapons, and at the same time making the world more and more interdependent economically, technology has brought mankind to such a degree of distress that we are ripe for deifying any new caesar who might succeed in bringing the world unity and peace.” Arnold Toynbee.
“The Antichrist will come disguised as the great humanitarian. He will talk peace, prosperity, and plenty, not as a means to lead us to God, but as ends in themselves. He will explain guilt away psychologically, make men shrink in shame if their fellowmen say they are not broad–minded and liberal. He will spread the lie that men will never be better until they make society better.” Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.
“The passage in Revelation does not interest me a bit as to what the number of the Beast is or who he is or anything about him, but it makes me want to know Jesus Christ more, because my plan is to be with Him—not because of who I am or what I have done, but because Jesus Christ died for me on the cross, and by His grace I will go into His presence.” Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
Warning: Do not attempt to study Revelation without a good working knowledge of the other 65 Books of the Bible. There is a reason it comes at the end…
A Land Run Motorsports Event…somewhere in Oklahoma…
“Be strong in Grace…”
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)
“I love this- “be strong in grace.” My friend, if you think that you can grit your teeth and go out and live the Christian life on your own, you’re in for a great disappointment. If you feel that you can follow a few little rules or some clever gimmicks to make you a mature Christian, then you have fallen into subtle trap of legalism. Paul gives no rules, and the Word of God has no rules to tell the child of God how to live the Christian life. We are saved by grace, and now we are to live by the grace of God and be strong in that grace….When I hear Christians say, “I don’t do this, and I don’t do that, and I am following a set of rules,” I immediately recognize that they know very little about the grace of God. They are trying to live the Christian life in their own strength. But Paul says, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
The Problem with 50 Shades of Grey.
I have never read this book, and have no intentions of reading it or going to the movie version. This is the second blog I have read concerning the book/movie and, it is a good one.
Why, hello people I love.
Before I continue writing, note that this blog is PG-13. I’m gonna talk about sex. So. Fair warning.
Picture this. You’re in the kitchen warming up supper and your husband comes home from work. He says hello, kisses you, and lays a plastic bag on the counter. In the plastic bag is book with a naked lady on the cover in a provocative pose. You get on Facebook, and you see he has liked the fan page of the book. You see that he has shared the book’s movie trailer on his page. You see that he is discussing with all his guy friends publicly who should be the actress portraying the naked girl on the book cover. He is discussing which lady in Hollywood is the hottest, has the biggest breasts and butt, prettiest face, etc. He is saying how he wishes the naked lady’s…
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What a great surprise yesterday when I got a call from my good friend Heath, an active duty solder. I smiled through our conversation as Heath filled me in on all that he has accomplished and his plans for the future. The fellowship of connecting with another man of God is like a breath of fresh air. Please take the time to pray for Heath and other men and women in our military that they can perform their duty safely, and stand for God. I give thanks to God that He has allowed me to share His love and enjoy the friendship of a man like Heath.
Heath, one of the 300, an elite, special warrior! Love you Brother…
Judges 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man to his place.
Riverside, side trip from Zona….
Every year my trip to Zona includes a two hour stop at Malcolm Smith Motorsports. This year I had a special bonus as Jibrael, known to me as “J-Man” went with me to see the mecca of motor sports. A better companion I could not have asked for. Intelligent, polite, good looking and above all, a Born Again Child of God. We had some great theological discussions as J-Man helped me most of the week as I performed my Zona Camp duty. Thanks, J-Man, for showing, and living with me 1 John 1:7, ” But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I really enjoyed our fellowship!!!
Let’s go on a Man-Hike….
Love is patient, love is kind… it is not self-seeking… Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. –1 Corinthians 13:4
I have to pause in my Zona Camp/Riverside/Beach blogs to relate what a great time I had today climbing Vulture Peak, located just outside Wickenburg Arizona with my good friend Josh. Actually, he carried me part of the way, well, almost. The hike is just under three miles with a gain of 1,000 feet in elevation. Most of that increase in altitude comes in the latter part of the hike. The trail ends in a saddle and you have to scramble (rock climbing without ropes) to reach the top. The views are definitely worth the effort. Fun times!
If your a man and you don’t spend time with other Christian men, you are missing out on all the benefits from the verse above. In this alien world we need to stay connected to other men that love the Lord and all of His ways. Josh was kind to me, he did not gloat over the fact that he had to carry me part of the way, he avoids evil and loves the truth, he protected me (I was looking to see what kind of bird was making that strange noise, not realizing the sound was coming from a rattlesnake that was in my path), he always gives me hope to carry on and he bought me breakfast! Thanks Dude….
Our Zona Camp, part 2…
Back from OKC- Onward to California….
Our latest RV adventure…
Bits and Pieces…
Another day in Arizona…
Really…..
I have been studying this like a crime scene investigator, this photograph, ever since our son’s boss, Jay, shot it. Normally, I would not have given myself a second glance since I am just featured as the oldest of three generations and Paul and Leo are much better looking then me, but then I heard this thing on the radio. This thing about ears. The fact that someone, around twenty years ago, decided it was a good idea to study ears. Normally at this point, 
I would write about how the government can waste money giving grants to study useless or in this case, depressing things, but the studies were done in Japan and Great Britain. It appears, after much scientific research that ears grow, over a fifty year time span, just under a half inch. Men have significantly bigger ears then women do. I can hear wives saying size means nothing about hearing better. Ladies ear’s grow the same, but no one notices that. I started out with big ears and now they are growing. Now when we are out and about, I am looking at the size of ears. I know, sounds kind of sick. If I think too much about it, it makes me feel ill. As a person gets older, there are things they should never hear or research on the internet. I feel somewhat at ease about it though, now that I found out I can have a procedure to fix them, a “lobe job.”
More Fun with Wood….
In Arizona, You must create Shade…
Another…Norm Great Adventure…
Who would think of such a thing…an “outhouse” storage shed…
I have no idea how I thought of this. I am sure I read or had seen it somewhere, because I don’t have many original thoughts. However it came about, I am pleased with the results. I enjoyed the project and had the privilege to have my Father-in-law help with the more intricate parts…
Images of my youth…
Another good post…
Abstinence is unrealistic and old fashioned
This is a very good blog to check out.
From my inbox, an email from a high school student named Jeremy:
“Dear Matt, first I want to say I really like your blog. One of my teachers actually mentioned it in class once after you wrote something (she didn’t mention it in a good way lol) and I went and looked you up so I’ve been following you ever since. I know you get so much email so I don’t expect you to see this but in case you do I wanted to get your opinion about something. You write a lot about relationships and everything so I’m wondering if you think abstinence should be encouraged in school?
Reason I’m asking is because we are doing our sex ed lessons in health class now and the topic has come up. Yesterday my health teacher was talking about safe sex and someone mentioned abstinence and she said it wasn’t realistic…
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Why will some not believe????
“The people that walked in the darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2.
God put me in the presence of death last night. I think it is to get me out of the shadows of loving Him. To stop being a stealth christian and to boldly claim the Gospel when He puts me in a place to do so. People die. At times, we can be very close to death, maybe not ours, but people you don’t even know. I try not to talk at all, or very little when in the presence of death. There is almost always a loved one that does not believe it could be their loved one, no matter the age or health condition of that loved one. I am a good listener and I discern and do make judgments of the family. Hang on, before you stop reading, consider this, judge: to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought. Thank you , Mr. Webster.
Listening to this lady talk, I could tell there was no hope, no heaven, no resurrection, just death. You concentrate on other things to keep from crying for sadness in their lack of a simple faith. A Faith put into place in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. A Faith that is seen in all of the Old Testament and brought in the New Testament as the sun bursting forth brings light so warm and brilliant to the day. A Light that shines to a dark and dying world. We all come under the shadow of death, it is the way we were born. We can all come into the light and fear death no more. Just look for it and seek it. God is already seeking you, us. God never runs away from us, we are the ones that are running. 
The Light of this dead world, Jesus Christ…
My Son….
You’re starting, my boy, on life’s journey.
Along the grand highway of life,
You meet with a thousand temptations.
Each city with evil is rife.
The world is a stage of excitement.
There’s danger wherever you go.
But if you are tempted in weakness,
Have courage, my boy, to say no.
In courage alone lies safety,
When you the long journey begin
Your trust in the heavenly Father,
Will keep you unspotted from sin.
Temptations will go on increasing
As streams from a rivulet flow.
But if you’d be true to your manhood,
Have courage, my son, to say no.
Be careful in choosing companions.
Seek only the brave and the true.
Stand by your friends when in trial,
Not changing the old with the new.
And when, by false friends you are tempted
The taste of the wine cup to know
With firmness, with patience with kindness,
Have courage, my boy, to say no.
We visit a real Mega Church…
- I’m not sure how little ones get by this strange looking tree guy. I was scared, at first…
On the way to worship, you can drop off your youths and they can get some Foosball in before getting their youth study on… 
Down these stairs to worship on the left and straight ahead to coffee and dough nut holes… 
Caffeine and sugar enhance the worship experience… 
Stocked up, ready to worship… 
Self service, Lord’s supper… 
Now we are ready to get our worship on. All kidding aside, we really enjoyed the church and the preaching….
Sunday School lesson, part 3…
We saw in the first chapter that God wants the church to be an orderly organization. Then we saw in the next chapter that the church is to be sound in doctrine. Now, to be all that God wants for the church, the church is to perform good works.
verse 1. Church members should be law-abiding. All believers should obey the laws of the land in which they live unless those laws conflict or contradict their duty and relationship to God. We are to be subject to the principalities and powers over us. A church should teach this; part of the message that should be given to church members is that they should be obedient to the powers that be. That obedience is not to the man but to the office that he represents. We might resent the manner in which a police officer gives us a ticket for a traffic violation, but we should respect the uniform he wears. He represents the segment of our society that protects our persons and our property. Without them we would be in a bad way today. This verse also raises the question. Should a Christian go into politics or not? Mmmm. Should the church be involved in politics????
An good example was the Wesleyan movement in England. Wesley never tried to straighten out the king of England or even the Church of England. He just went out and preached the Word of God. Men were converted, among whom were men like William Wilberforce, the great philanthropist and abolitionist. They were men who had been gamblers and drunkards, with no concern for the poor, until they came to know Christ. These men started the great labor movement associated with the Wesleyan revival in England, which was the beginning of the movement against child labor and the protection of workmen on the job.
“To be ready to every good work.” The church is to instruct individuals to be eager, to be anxious, and to learn to perform good works.
verse 2. “Speak evil of no man” means we are to bad mouth no one, none. Do not repeat gossip. “You can’t believe everything you hear today, but you can repeat it!” That is what Paul is talking about here—we are not to repeat what we hear. Many bad reports are passed from person to person without a shred of evidence that the report is true. Another old saying is that some people will believe anything if it is whispered to them! This is the way we should treat EVERYONE. Especially unbelievers and those who cross our path.
verse 3. This is a picture of the unsaved today, and a picture of us before we knew Christ. We were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to lusts and pleasures, living selfishly, and hating others. Maybe we’re not all guilty of all the sins listed, but you know who you were. That is a picture of the lost world. You can visit a non–Christian home, and you will find these things. This is a picture of the unsaved given to us here. It ought never to be a picture of us as believers.
verse 4-5. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done.” Verse 3 gave us a picture of how we were before we came to know Christ. It is important to understand that becoming a Christian doesn’t mean just turning over a new leaf—you will find yourself writing on the new leaf the same things that you wrote on the old leaf. Making New Year’s resolutions and promising to do better doesn’t make you a Christian. Nor are you saved on the basis of works of righteousness, good deeds, which you have done.
“But according to his mercy he saved us.” Because Christ died for us and paid the penalty for our sins, God is prepared to extend mercy to us; it is according to His mercy that He saved us. And He is rich in mercy, which means He has plenty of it.
“By the washing of regeneration.” “Washing” means laver—it is the laver of regeneration. In the Old Testament the laver, which stood in the court of the tabernacle and later the temple, represented this. This washing of regeneration is what the Lord was speaking about in the third chapter of John: “… Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The water represents the Word of God—the Bible will wash you. It has a sanctifying power, a cleansing power. We are cleansed by the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God—“born of water and of the Spirit.” That is the way we are born again.
“And renewing of the Holy Ghost”—He regenerates us.
verse 6. “Abundantly.” When believers are saved, Jesus gives way more, a surplus, beyond measure, His blessings!
verse 7. “Justified.” By faith alone, the central truth of the Gospel. We are “heirs” by way of adoption through our faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.
verse 8. “This is a faithful saying.” A common expression from the early church that Paul uses 5 times in his pastoral epistles. The believer is saved by the grace of God, but that does not excuse him from performing good works. The fact of the matter is, he is to “be careful to maintain good works.” Paul says that Titus should just keep affirming this constantly. After we have been saved, God talks to us about good works. Until that time, God is not even interested in our “good works” because what we call a good work, God calls filthy rags. The righteousness of man is filthy rags in His sight (see Isa. 64:6). He doesn’t want any of it. When we are saved, He wants us to do good works. About getting involved on how to get the Word of God out to a lost and going to hell world.
“Be careful to maintain good works.” These are things that you should think about and consider; ponder, be anxious to be producing works.
Verse 9. We are to defend the faith, Paul says, but we are not to do it by argument or debate. That does no good; that never led anyone to the Lord. You may whip a man down intellectually by your arguments, but that does not touch his heart and win him for Christ. Stay away from foolish questions and genealogies and contentions.
Verse 10. Anyone in the church who is unsubmissive, self-willed, and divisive should be expelled. Two warnings are to be given, this follows the basic pattern for church discilpline presented by Jesus in Matt. 18:15-17, Rom. 16:17,18, 2 Thess. 3:14,15.
Verse 11. The heretic is one who has turned aside from the truth.
Verse 12-14. Paul gives a final admonition about good works. We must “learn” to maintain good works. It’s something that must be worked at. A great many people think it is easy; we need to know what God considers good works, and we need to learn how to do them. Notice the emphasis is on good works as the platform for witnessing effectively. Are we willing to be obedient? Are we ready always to do good works?
Paul concludes this practical letter to Titus with a benediction. Verse 15 is Paul’s benediction.
Sunday School lesson, part 2…
The church must teach sound doctrine. The Day of Pentecost where we are told that those who were added to the church on that day “… continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). These were the identification marks of the early church: the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. It really doesn’t matter how high the steeple may be or how nice the building looks, it is the message that is going out from the pulpit which will tell you whether the church is really a church, organized as Paul understood it and as the Word of God declares it.
In the first chapter we found that the elders whom Titus was to ordain were to be able to do two things: to exhort and to refute or confute the heretics. It is important not to spend your entire ministry refuting everybody. There are some men who have what I would call a negative ministry—all they do is attack the enemies of the gospel. That is important, but I believe we all need a balanced ministry. An elder should be able to exhort from the Word of God as well as be able to answer a heretic. In this second chapter Paul’s emphasis will be upon the teaching of the Word of God.
McGee, J. Vernon.
Chapter 2 verse 1. “Sound doctrine” means the apostles’ doctrine. The number one thing of importance to the early church was the apostles’ doctrine. “Sound” also means “healthy” Paul uses this expression 9 times in his pastoral epistles, 5 times in Titus. Always in the sense that the Truth produces spiritual well being. Not only to please God and have an effective witness to unbelievers, God’s people must know the truth that leads to spiritual health.
verse 2. Paul used this term to refer to himself in the book of Philemon 9 when he was over the age of 60. They are to be sound in their love and in patience. They are to be “sober,” that is, very vigilant, very serious. They should be men who are respected and self–controlled. The older men are to be sensible and spiritually healthy.
verse 3. Aged women would be those past child rearing years or past the age of 60 (1 Tim. 5: 3-10). “In behavior as becometh holiness”—the aged women are to be reverent in their behavior. “Not false accusers,” that is, not gossips, and “not given to much wine,” or not drunkards. “Teachers of good things.” What are good things? Things that please God. The older women are to teach the younger women, by example and instruction.
verse 4-5. Teach or admonish the young women. By their own example of Godliness. This gives the older women the right and the credibility to instruct the younger women in the church. The older women must possess the virtues in order to teach. Love their husbands. This is unconditional love, based on God’s will. The wife loves her husband as obedience to the Lord. Discreet or temperate in eating and drinking, so the word is rendered in ( Titus 2:2 ) or to be sober both in body and mind; or to be wise and prudent in the whole of their conduct, both at home and when out and about. Chaste means untouched or undefiled. Having their love pure and singular their own husband. “Keepers at home” means they are to be workers at home. A wife’s first responsibility is in her home. The home is a serious responsibility to the wife and to care for children in the home. It is not something to be taken lightly. The biggest and most important business in the world is the making of a home. “Good” means kindly. “Obedient to their own husbands.” The idea of obedience here is that the women should respond to their husbands. Paul uses the same Greek word in Romans 8:7 where it is translated “subject.” He says there, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. Paul’s thought is that the natural man cannot respond to God; he cannot obey God; he has no way to respond to God. Now the wife is to respond to her husband; he is the aggressor, and she is to respond to him.
Dr. McGee. “A great, big, brawny fellow once came to see me in my office, and he said, “I want you to talk to my wife and tell her to obey me!” I told him I would do nothing of the kind, and he asked me why. I said, “When’s the last time you told your wife that you loved her?” He couldn’t remember and said, “What has that got to do with it?” I told him, “That has everything in the world to do with it! Until you tell her that you love her, I don’t see why she should respond to you. Didn’t
you tell her you loved her when you were courting? Well, just keep that up. The thing to do is to just keep up the courtship. You keep telling her that you love her, and she will respond to you a great deal better than she has been.” The wife is to respond to the love of her husband.”
verse 6. Who is to teach the young men? Titus is to instruct the young dudes. Males 12 and older.
verse. 7. Paul says to Titus, “You be a pattern, an example, for the other young men.” “In doctrine shewing uncorruptness.” “Uncorruptness” has the idea of incorruptness—that is, in his teaching he is to show his complete faith in the Word of God and appreciate the seriousness of the matters with which he is dealing.
verse 8. What he is saying here is, that, your conversation should reflect your faith in God. The fact that you are a child of the living God.
verse 9. “Exhort servants”—Paul turns his attention to another group. In the early church there were many slaves. In fact, 90 percent of the names on the walls of the catacombs are those of slaves or ex–slaves. The gospel met a great need for this class of people in that day.
“To be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things.” The idea behind obedience is that they should respond to their masters, be interested in them and in their work. Anyone, especially those in Christian work, should put their heart into their job or else get out of it. If you work for a Christian organization, you do it because you want to work for it. I hope you get a good living out of it, but that is not the point. Christian work is to be done with the heart as well as with the head and hands. “Not answering again,” not talking back to your employer.
verse 10. “Not purloining” means not stealing. “Not purloining” means you should not be a thief. “But shewing all good fidelity”—showing faithfulness. “That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” The Greek word for “adorn” is the same word from which we got our English word cosmetics. “Adorn the doctrine of God”—in other words, if you are sound in the faith, you should be wearing the appropriate cosmetics. Speak with kindness, smile more. Live your faith as you walk through this world.
Now Paul interrupts these admonitions to put a doctrinal foundation under the lives of these people. He states the gospel, and he states it in three time zones—the past, the present, and the future. The grace of God is in three time zones. We see that in the next three verses: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared” (v. 11)—that’s the past time zone; “teaching us” (v. 12)—that’s the present time zone of grace; and “looking for that blessed hope” (v. 13)—that is the future time zone.
verse 11. Paul says to the Cretans, “I want to put under you the doctrine of the grace of God because you need a solid foundation.” The grace of God is the way God saves us. A great preacher, Dr. Dodd, in Shreveport, Louisiana, say, “My pulpit is a place for good news; my study is the place for good advice.” The gospel is not good advice—it is good news. It is even more than that; it is the power of God unto salvation. Paul is enjoining Titus to demand of the Cretans that they live lives that adorn the gospel, for it is the power of God. There is absolutely no excuse for any Christian to live a life of defeat and failure—“for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” “Hath appeared” means it shines forth—it is the epiphany. What the Lord Jesus did for us when He came is the gospel, the good news. He died for us, and He rose again. God doesn’t save us by His love, and He doesn’t save us by His mercy. Ephesians tells us: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8, italics mine).
verse 12. Instructing us – All those who do not reject it. That, having renounced ungodliness – Whatever is contrary to the fear and love of God. And worldly desires – Which are opposite to sobriety and righteousness. We should live soberly – In all purity and holiness. Sobriety, in the scripture sense, is rather the whole temper of a man, than a single virtue in him. It comprehends all that is opposite to the drowsiness of sin, the foolishness of ignorance, the unholiness of disorderly passions. Sobriety is no less than all the powers of the soul being consistently and constantly awake, duly governed by heavenly guidance. And righteously – Doing to all as we would they should do to us. And godly – As those who are consecrated to God both in heart and life.
verse 13. “Looking for that blessed hope”—this is the next event in the program of God: Christ is coming to take His church out of this world.
“The glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” This reveals that Paul taught the deity of Christ; he speaks of the great God who is our Savior, and who is He? He is Jesus Christ.
verse 14. He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us. He paid a price for us that He might redeem us “from all iniquity.” He paid that price with His blood. “And purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” “A peculiar people” would be better translated “a people for His possession.” A special people, special because we are redeemed, saved. It is true that God wants you to live for Him and wants you to do good works, but He will have to redeem you first. Good works are the product , not the means, of salvation.
verse 15. Paul says to Titus, “You are a young man. Don’t let them despise you because of the life you live.” Speak, exhort, and rebuke are 3 verbs that identify the need for proclamation, application and correction by the Word of God. “Authority” to command the people in the spiritual realm comes only from God’s word. “Let no man despise thee.” Rebellion against the truth has to be dealt with. Paul told Timothy the same thing in 1 Tim. 4:12.
Sunday School, Book of Titus, part 1….
I am not very proud of my effort on this lesson. For some reason I did not make an effort to put much of it in my own words. Sorry. I plan to do better on my next presentation.
The book of Titus was written by the Apostle Paul somewhere between A.D. 62-64. Along with 1 and 2 Timothy, the three letters are traditionally called “The Pastoral Epistles.” Titus is mentioned by name 13 times in the N.T. In this epistle we have a fine picture of the New Testament church in its full function in the community as an organization. The book is close to or is related to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy deals more with sound doctrine and Titus deals more with the divine order for the local church.
The ideal church, according to Titus, (1) has an orderly organization, (2) is sound in doctrine, and (3) is pure in life, ready to every good work. This is the picture of the New Testament church that this epistle to Titus presents to us. In Timothy the emphasis was upon the need for sound teaching in the church. In Titus the emphasis is put upon the importance of God’s order for the conduct of the churches. In fact, Titus 1:5 is the key to the entire epistle: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” Titus was to set things in order in the churches in Crete.
In chapter 1 Paul says that the church is to be an orderly organization (see Titus 1:5). In chapter 2 he emphasizes that the church is to teach and preach the Word of God: “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). He says that the church must be doctrinally sound in the faith. And then in chapter 3 we see that the church is to perform good works: “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). In other words, the church is saved by grace, is to live by grace, and is to demonstrate her faith to the world by her good works.
It would be very difficult today to find a church that is using all three of these prongs, that is stressing all three of these tremendous emphases. Some will emphasize one, while others emphasize another. Let’s look at each one a little more closely:
First of all, the church is to be an orderly church. Everything, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, should be done decently and in order (see 1 Cor. 14:40). Sometimes you don’t find much order in a church, and often the reason is that there are a few officers who are trying to run the whole thing. Such a church is in real trouble and is a heartbreak to its pastor. The church is to be an orderly church, not run by a couple of deacons.
Secondly, in many churches you will find that there is no emphasis at all upon sound doctrine. Just teach and give out the Word of God. Rather than build an organization—that is, a lot of buildings—build into the lives of men and women. If Pastor’s have built on a church instead of the people, it may be wrecked by others later on after they have left. That will be a real heartbreak to a pastor unless he has before him the goal of building into the lives of men and women. That should be the emphasis in any church. The love for and of people.
Finally, a church should be ready for every good work. Sometimes we fundamentalists put such a great emphasis on doctrine (although I don’t think we overemphasize it) that we do underemphasize good works. A church should be engaged in good works. Many Christian organizations are so concerned with getting in the finances to carry on their program that they become more interested in getting people to give than in helping those people. A lot of folk need help—not just spiritual help but also physical help. We need to do things for people, to help them with their physical needs.
A church could have people who go out and visit shut–ins; they could read to them, sew for them, and do many other helpful chores. That’s a lovely thing to do. We can go and sit down and talk with lonely people like this, which is a much–needed ministry today.
This is only a brief resume of this epistle to Titus. Liberalism has attempted to emphasize the third chapter which deals with good works, forgetting the two chapters on order and doctrine which precede it. Until a church has all three of these aspects that Paul has outlined, it has no claim to be called “a New Testament church.”
McGee, J. Vernon.
Chapter 1 verse 1. Notice the word servant. It really means bondservant, which from the O.T. we know it to mean that the slave has, by freely choosing to do so, to stay with his master for life. Paul is going to give instructions and so Identifies himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Think about this, this is how God is communicating with His church, through the writings of the Apostle Paul. Wow. “According to the faith of God’s elect.” Paul does not say “for the faith,” but “according to the faith”—in other words, according to the norm or standard of faith which is set for God’s elect today. Whether you are saved or not does rest on what you believe. Tell me what you think of Jesus Christ; tell me what you believe about His death on the Cross and what it means to you; tell me what you believe about His resurrection and what it means to you; tell me whether you believe the Bible to be the Word of God. With this information I think I can deduce whether you are a child of God or not. This is the norm, you see: “According to the faith of God’s elect.”
“God’s elect”—this is the way Paul speaks of saved people. He is not discussing the doctrine of election at all. J. Vernon McGee.
“And the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” Better translated, “the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness.” If the truth that you have does not lead to godliness, there is something wrong with your faith!
Verse 2. “In the hope of eternal life.” The idea here is rest, in the past, present and future we can rest on this hope. It comes from God and He cannot lie! We need to be careful as believers we don’t make God a liar by the way we live and conduct ourselves. We say we believe, but then act an entirely opposite way to the doctrines of God. “Promised before the world began.” God’s plan for salvation was in place before man was.
Verse 3. “In due times..” This means God’s time. God has made a very orderly world for us to live in. “Has manifested His word through preaching…” The word in the Greek (Kerex) for preaching mean a herald or trumpet. It is used for making a proclamation. It was Paul that was to make the proclamation, give the Good News of the Gospel.
Verse 4. Titus was Paul’s genuine son, Paul had led Titus to Christ! The common faith is the faith that we all have, those that are believers in Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Grace, mercy and peace, God has given these three things to all of His children.
Verse 5. Paul had left Titus in Crete to organize the local churches with elders as spiritual leaders. Evidently Crete was not a place of good reputation and was known for it’s lying. Poems were even written about what liars the people from Crete were. Titus was to ordain elders, or set aside elders, appoint them, in every city. To be an elder in the church, a man should have the gift for the office.
Verse 6. “If any be blameless…” that does not mean he must be perfect, without sin. It does mean that any accusation that is brought against him must not be found to be true. His life must be above reproach.
When someone can point a finger at an officer of the church and accurately accuse him of dishonesty, then the cause of Christ is hurt. It does not matter how naturally gifted a man may be, if someone can say that his speech does not reflect a dedication to Christ, then the cause of Christ is hurt, and that man should not be an officer of the church. “The husband of one wife, having faithful children..” Faithful children means saved children. You shouldn’t be an officer in the church if you can’t lead your own children to the Lord. “Husband of one wife..” A one woman man. A husband that is faithful and devoted to his wife, inside and outside. “Of riot or unruly..” Has to do with not living this kind of life but to live and serve the Lord.
Verse 7. A bishop (or elder) must not be “selfwilled” for he is a steward of God as well as a representative of the people. He is in the church to find and do God’s will.
“Not soon angry” means not touchy.
“Not given to filthy lucre,” that is, not covetous or greedy. These are to be the characteristics of “a bishop.” As we have said before, elder and bishop are synonymous terms. The word elder (presbuteros) refers to the individual, and he was to be a mature person both physically and spiritually. A bishop (episkopos) was an overseer; he ruled the church. Therefore, this word has reference to the office. But never was a church to have only one man made bishop or presbyter. There were always several. Wine refers to anything that could cloud the man’s judgement, whatever mind numbing substance that would entail.
Verse 8. a lover of good men,
or “of good”; “of good things”; as prayer, preaching, reading, meditation, spiritual conversation, and every religious exercise: or “of good men”; for such an elder or bishop has chiefly to do and converse with; and if he is not a lover of them, their company will be disagreeable to him, and he will be of no advantage to them; and if he does not love the souls of men, he will not naturally care for their state, or be concerned for their good. Sober: in body, using moderation in diet and dress; and in mind, being prudent, modest, and humble, and thinking soberly of himself, and others, as he ought.Just; righteous in his dealings with men, giving to everyone their due; upright and sincere in his conversation with the saints; and faithful in his counsel, admonitions, and reproofs. Holy; devout towards God, constant in all religious exercises in the closet, family, and church; and living soberly, righteously, and godly in the world. Temperate; in eating and drinking; continent from the lusts of the flesh; and even abstaining from those things which might be lawfully used, though inexpedient, for the sake of the weak, the peace of the church, and the glory of God. John Gill.
Verse 9. A better rendering of this verse would be: “Holding fast the trustworthy word according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound teaching and to convict the gainsayers (heretics).”
There were two things that an officer should be able to do: (1) He should be able to exhort, to teach the Word of God; and (2) he must be able to confute or refute the heretics. Men who hold office in a church should be Bible–trained men. During World War II we had what was called “ninety–day wonders.” The army needed more officers and so they put them through a short course in a hurry, and they came up with some rather peculiar second lieutenants in those days. Remember that Paul told Timothy to “lay hands suddenly on no man …” (1 Tim. 5:22). You are not to have a man converted one night, ask him to give his testimony the next night, make him an officer in the church on the third night, an evangelist on the fourth, and the pastor of the church on the fifth night! A church officer should be able to stand on the Word of God and to give it out.
About verses 10-16 The bad reputation of the Cretans. All men are sinners; we are all brothers in the sense that we are all sinners. All men are not in the brotherhood of God, because that comes only through the New Birth by becoming a son of God through faith in Christ. But surely we are all sons of Adam, and “in Adam all die,” because all have sinned (see 1 Cor. 15:22). However, Paul tells that these Cretans had a particularly bad reputation.
Verse 10. For there are many unruly Persons who are not subject to the law of God, or Gospel of Christ; whose spirits are not subject to the prophets; and who will not submit themselves to them that have the rule over them, nor attend to the admonitions of the church, nor be brought into any regularity and order; and there were many of this sort, who were not sent forth by Christ, or his churches, but went forth of themselves, and were corrupters of the word; and therefore Christ’s ministers ought to hold fast the faithful word, and convince such opposers by sound doctrine. Vain talkers;who deliver out in their discourses empty, trifling, superficial, and frivolous things; which have no solidity and substance in them, nor do they tend to edification; only great swelling words of vanity, vain jangling and babbling about things to no profit. And deceivers; both of themselves and others; who lie in wait to deceive, and are deceitful workers; and by their good words, and fair speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple; and so are dangerous persons, and of pernicious consequence: especially they of the circumcision;or “of the Jews”, as the Ethiopic version renders it; that is, not the unbelieving Jews, but such as professed Christianity, judaizing Christians, who joined Moses and Christ and blended the law and Gospel together; who taught that circumcision, and the observance of other ceremonies of the law, were necessary to justification and salvation; and hereby did a great deal of mischief among the churches.
Verse 11. Whose mouths must be stopped Or they be silenced, by the true Gospel, as were the Sadducees and Pharisees by Christ, so that they dare not ask him any more questions; and as the Jews at Damascus were by Paul, who confounded them, proving in the clearest and strongest manner, that Jesus was the very Christ: who subvert whole houses; into which they creep; that is, whole families, whose principles they corrupt, whose faith they overthrow, and carry them away with their own errors; and therefore, since this was the case not of a single person, or of a few, but of whole families, it was high time to attempt to convince them, and stop their mouths, that they might proceed no further: teaching things which they ought not; which were not agreeable to the perfections of God, to the Scriptures of truth, to sound doctrine, and which were hurtful and pernicious to the souls of men: and that only for filthy lucre’s sake; having no regard to the glory of God, the honour and interest of Christ, or the good of immortal souls; only seeking to gain popular applause and honour from men, and to gather and increase worldly substance. Covetousness was a sin which the Cretians were remarkably guilty of. All or anything for money.
Verse 12. “Evil beasts” means the Cretans were rude and cruel. “Slow bellies” means lazy gluttons. Paul is not being very complimentary here, is he? But this is the reputation they had in the Roman world of Paul’s day. Paul is quoting a Cretan poet, Epimenides, who was born in Crete several centuries earlier. Another poet wrote, “Crete, which a hundred cities doth maintain, cannot deny this, though to lying given.” Paul said, “Cretians are alway liars.” This does not mean that everybody who lived in Crete was a liar anymore than when you say that all Scottish people are tightfisted—some are very generous. But the Cretans had the general reputation of being liars. It is marvelous what the grace of God can do and did do among the people of Crete. They were liars, beastly, lazy people, who were big eaters. Many of them turned to Christ, and their lives were changed. McGee.
Verse 13. What witness? Paul, he is the witness! What kind of rebuke? Read 2 Timothy 4:2.
Verse 14. “Not giving heed to Jewish fables.” Paul’s reference here is not just to legalism. There grew up around the Mosaic Law a great deal of writing which includes the Talmud and much more. I have not read very much in these Jewish writings because they never really interested me. But I have read some, and there are some pretty wild tales in them. “Commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” The Lord Jesus rebuked the religious rulers for adding traditions to God’s law, and that is what Paul is talking about here. The teaching of legalism is in two phases—one is that you are saved by the Law, and the other is that you are to live by the Law. Both of these teachings are very dangerous. We are saved by the grace of God and are actually called to live on a higher plane than that of the Ten Commandments. God gave the Ten Commandments to a nation, and I feel that they should be the law of the world today. When God says, “Thou shalt not kill,” that is for everyone, Christian and non–Christian—that is for the whole world. McGee, J. Vernon.
Verse 15. Defiled. The outward things these men did (verses 10/12) were inward reflections of the corruption of their hearts. Mind and Conscience. If your mind is awful it cannot let your conscience know and warn you you to “Get Back.” There is no early warning system for sin. When you are full of the Holy Spirit and fully immersed in the Word of God’s Truth, your warning system is on “High Alert.” This is also the verse that is used by the folk who say that if we are saved by grace it doesn’t make any difference how we live; that is, if we are saved, we are pure and can live in any way we like. Certain cults have developed this teaching, saying they can live in sin (they don’t call it sin—it’s not sin for them) because “unto the pure all things are pure.” What Paul is talking about has nothing to do with moral issues at all. He is speaking to this issue of legalism and the eating of meats. The teaching of many legalistic cults often includes a very unusual diet. But Paul says, “Unto the pure all things are pure.” In other words, whether you eat meat or don’t eat meat makes no difference at all. All food is clean. You can eat anything you want—“unto the pure all things are pure.” If you are an unbeliever, any special diet you might concoct will make no difference in your relationship to God—it will not save you. You can eat all the vegetables you want, but if you are not right with God, they will not make you pure. The Lord Jesus said that it is not the thing that goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him (see Matt. 15:18–20). McGee, J. Vernon.
Verse 16. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him.” Many believers today can deny and do deny God by the lives that they live. And they deny the Word of God. You can deny the Bible by the life you live, and you can deny God by the life you live. “Being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Ceremonies and rituals cannot change the evil heart of man. Only the Word of God can change the human heart. When the heart is changed, the life will reveal the change. Paul and James were never in disagreement—they both said that faith without works is dead. Saving faith produces a godly life. As Calvin said, “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.” McGee, J. Vernon.
139 Miles to Hobbs New Mexico…
Almost, RV park Heaven…
355 miles from Yukon Oklahoma to Lubbock Texas…
Norm says, “Which way are we going?” I say, “South and west.” So here we go, south, then west, more south and more west. I had put Hobbs New Mexico in the GPS and set it on ‘shorter distance’ and pretty much went the way it pointed. There were some recalculates as I was gawking around and missed the turn. Before you write in and say, “Why don’t you just listen to what it says.” I run it on mute, it is just more fun that way.” Leaving Oklahoma we passed through the towns of, Minco, Cogar, Binger, Cordell, Rocky ( would be a cool address), Hobart, Lugent, Blair, Altus, the Quartz mountain area, McQueen (another cool name), and Hollis. Into Texas, Childress, Paducah (another sweet name), Matador, (we used to have an enduro race here, back in the day), Floydada, (not a cool name), McCoy, (cool name), Ralls, Lorenzo, into Buffalo Springs, just east of Lubbock.
Race Day at Cross Timbers Enduro…
Nomads2 